Rarity's Gift

by Silver Wit

Chapter 8: Tis The Season.

The whir and hum of Rarity’s sewing machine softly resonated throughout her workroom as her laser focus honed in on completing the last remaining order forms for the holiday season. She pulled the dress off and set it on one of her ponequins, and with needle and thread, attached the buttons, lace, and adjusted the trim. Rarity breathed a sigh and took a moment to drink in her creation. “And that’s that!” she trotted over to her desk and removed the last form from the “in” box, and with a swift red stamp signifying her completion, moved it into the “out” box.

Rarity took a kerchief and patted her forehead. “There! All caught up till after the New Year. This calls for a celebration!” Rarity’s first thought was to grab a bottle of wine and curl up on the couch with a glass and a good book. But something else tugged at her mind as she gazed at the picture of her family on her work desk. And a question began to scratch at the back of her mind. How did she get to this point? Not how Eris brought her to this world, but how Rarity and Spike became an item and eventually led to her having a family. A quandary that’s occupied her thoughts even more than whether or not she birthed her foals or laid eggs. Then a thought occurred.

“My diary!” Rarity exclaimed. “Of course, I can just go peruse my entries and see how I ended up here!” Rarity took off towards her bedroom and wasted no time in plucking the worn book from the shelf. She found the previous entries she read and flipped the pages to an earlier date.

“Now, all I have to do is see the build-up to my and Spike’s relationship, and I’ll finally know how… what the hay?!” The page Rarity stopped on was entirely different to the pages prior. For one thing, there weren’t any words written on them and for another it was just a drawing of Discord with a talon extended. Rarity turned ahead to see if any other pages could give her a clue but was met with more pictures of Discord. And at the speed she was going she could see Discord wagging his talon and could practically hear him tutting, “Uh, uh, uh!”

Rarity slammed the book shut in a huff and tossed it aside, mumbling some very colorful language describing what she’ll do to the wily god the next time she’s alone in a room with him. She decided then and there to just pick another book to study from. “Let’s see, I don’t think I’ve looked through this one yet.” Rarity’s magic grabbed a photo album and inspected the cover. It was very ornate, with shimmering purples and greens with a textured feel. A pair of amethysts cut in the shape of bells hung beneath letters, proudly spelling out the words-

“Spike and Rarity’s wedding?” the mare read aloud. “This is… their wedding album?” Rarity motioned to place the book back on the shelf, she felt wrong for looking at it. Like she was prying into something sacred and precious. Rarity then slowly pulled the book back to her. “Well… it’s technically my wedding album.”

With her conscious cleared, Rarity opened the book and the first page left her speechless. It was her, wearing the most splendid wedding dress she’s ever set eyes on. Sequins adorned the front of the dress, not too much to be gaudy, but not so little that it went unnoticed. The sleeves were a lovely cream color, with two straps around her shoulders and a long train that was decorated with small purple roses. Rarity could see her work in every seam of the dress. And Spike looked so dashing in his suit. Traditional black, with a green bowtie and a purple vest. Rarity could feel pink in her cheeks as she gazed lovingly at the picture of her groom.

She turned the page and the next photos were of the ceremony, what she assumed were their vows, the rings, Rarity jumping into Spike’s arms and their kiss that sealed the ceremony. The next pages were photos of the reception, Rarity chuckled as it seems Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but be in the background of almost every picture, either launching confetti, refilling the punch bowl, or running food out to tables. Then Rarity came to the pictures of her and Spike’s first dance as husband and wife. Their love radiating through the film’s gloss.

Rarity placed the album back on the shelf, but not before taking notice of another peculiar book. Pink and decorated with… a rattle? The first photo was of Rarity, standing before a mirror and looking rather plump, at least an extra ten pounds. But it didn’t seem to bother her. In fact, the Rarity in the photo was beaming with pure happiness. Another photo was of her with a huge bowl of ice cream, peppers, curry rice, hay bacon and tofu, looking quite irate and throwing a pillow at whoever was behind the camera. Though there was a very good chance it was Spike. The next one was of the snow-colored mare napping on one of her chaise lounges and she looked considerably bigger than in her last few photos.

Rarity read on, every so often she noticed the Rarity in the photos was getting bigger and bigger, culminating to the photo that stole Rarity’s breath away. She was lying in a bed and looked like she ran the iron pony triathlon. She was sweaty, exhausted, and ragged. But she had the most tranquil look in her eyes as she gazed down at the little bundle nestled in her hooves, a small tuft of purple and green hair was poking out of the pink blanket.

“I… look so happy…” Rarity placed a hoof on the photo and smiled. “Well, I suppose now I know that I didn’t lay an egg.” She giggled a bit at that thought.

Rarity turned the page and every picture was of Lolite with little notes scribbled underneath, like, “Lolite’s first bath,” “Lolite’s first feeding,” with a note informing the reader to burp her at your own risk. Another photo of Lolite napping on a big fluffy rug by the fireplace and another of her breathing fire with a proud Spike cheering in the background. And a few photos of Lolite and her mother doodling and designing together. Rarity couldn’t help but feel envious and just a bit melancholic. So many moments that she didn’t get to experience, so many milestones in Lolite’s life that she wasn’t there to celebrate.

Rarity sighed, “Lolite is such a special little filly. So much like her mother… so much like me.” Just then, she had an idea and a twinge of excitement. Perhaps she should have some quality mother daughter time with her foal. After all, if Rarity missed out on past experiences, she’ll just have to make new ones, and she had the perfect idea. Eager to set her plan into motion, Rarity set the album down and trotted off to find Lolite.

Rarity stopped at the door with a little pink sign reading, “Lolite’s Lovely Suite” written out in script. She rapped her hoof on the door. “Lolite? Darling are you in there? May I come in?”

“Yeah!” the filly called out.

Rarity stepped into her daughter’s room and was still amazed at how well kept and tidy everything was. The bed was perfectly made, books in neatly placed rows. On the wall across from her bed was a large cork board with drawings tacked on. They were of dresses, gems, Rarity, Spike, Cobalt, Lolite herself and whatever else came across a young filly’s mind to stick up on the board, including a few photos of herself and her friends. Rarity couldn’t help but notice Lolite and Jinx dressed up for Nightmare Night in one, and Lolite with Dusk Note at the Crystal Empire in another.

Said Filly was over by her toy chest, a few dolls were nestled around her as they watched Lolite drag her crayons across her paper with laser focus, the same meticulous way Rarity goes about her sewing.

“Oh my,” Rarity said in exaggerated awe. “what is that you’re drawing dear?”

“It’s mommy, and she’s kicking butt on her secret mission.” With another quick swipe across the page, Lolite set her crayons down and held up the picture for Rarity to see. It was of her mother, wearing a black suit and dark glasses and she was swinging from a grappling hook and performing a flying kick to a manticore’s head.

Rarity giggled, “Well she certainly is. I dare say it’ll take more than just a manticore to stop your mommy.”

Lolite gasped, “You mean she might be fighting a hydra? Or a roc? Or- or a huuuuuuge sea-serpent?”

“Perhaps, but I know for a fact that your mommy has faced far worse challenges than that.”

“Did you and mommy go on secret missions together?”

“Well, let’s just say I’m familiar with her work.”

“Wow! That’s so cool. Oh, was there something you needed wrong mommy?”

That title still didn’t sit well with Rarity. “Erm, well. I was just thinking, since we’re both free right now, why don’t we go and see the decorations in town? Just the two of us.”

Lolite’s eyes sparkled. “Oooh! That sounds like fun! I’ve been wanting to see the decorations for a real, long time. And Mrs. Pinkie has her special treats for the holidays. Let’s go wrong mommy!”

“Um, Lolite, darling, what did we talk about in regards to that name?”

“Not to say it around other creatures?”

“Very good. Remember, as far as everypony is concerned, I’m your mommy.”

“Mhmm, until mommy gets back from her mission.”

Rarity nodded. “That’s right. Now, find something warm to wear and we’ll be on our way.”

---

The town was bustling with activity as ponies set up multicolored, twinkling lights and festive banners. Window displays spruced up and exhibiting their finest wares and offers of holiday bargains and promotions. The open-air market was getting into the spirit as well. The flower stand selling special holly wreaths and mistletoe. Hoofcrafted toys and nutcrackers at another, booths selling tinsel, ornaments, cinnamon scented pinecones, and raffles with elaborate and wonderfully arranged gift baskets as prizes. Lolite looked over the swell of the season in awe, the filly took a long, drawn-out smell and sighed contently.

“I love this time of year!” Lolite said prancing in place. “It smells so nice and there’s so many pretty lights! Do you like this time of year too wr- um, mommy?”

Rarity smiled as she tucked her blue scarf a little more snuggly. “I certainly do. I’ve loved it ever since I can remember. The warmth from everypony you meet, the feeling of togetherness and spending precious moments with family and friends alike.”

“And presents!” Lolite chirped. “Don’t forget about the presents!”

“Yes, yes, of course the presents as well,” Rarity hummed. “I remember receiving such wonderful gifts, like my first pair of fabric shears and such wonderful fabrics. Now, where would you like to go first Lolite?”

“Sugarcube Corner for sure! Mrs. Pinkie always makes her super special extra ooey gooey fresh and scrumptious cinnamon buns for Hearths Warming!”

“Very well, let’s get some cinnamon buns.”

---

As soon as Rarity gave the ok, Lolite wasted no time in running towards Sugarcube Corner. As soon as the sweet looking building came into view, the snow on the roof resembling delicious looking frosting, she took off like a rocket, following a delightful scent that carried on the chilled wind. Rarity for her part did well in keeping up with the excited filly. Celestia knows how such a small creature could move so fast. By the time she actually came to the entrance of Ponyville’s number one stop for sweets and treats, Rarity was doing her best to catch her breath as an eager Lolite with starry eyes hopped up and down in anticipation of her desired buns.

“We’re here!” she said.

Rarity took one last deep breath. “So, we are. But Lolite, you can’t just run away from me like that. What would your mother say if I had lost you?”

Lolite’s excitement wilted. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just really want cinnamon buns.”

Rarity softly patted the filly’s head. “That’s alright, darling. Now, why don’t we go inside? Hmm?”

“Yeah!”

As soon as the mother daughter duo entered, the sweet smell greeted them along with a multitude of bright and cheery gift boxes and an array of baked goods, their glaze and frosting catching the light in such a way that one would think they were prepared for a photoshoot.

“Woooowwwwwww!” Lolite smacked her lips. “It all looks so good!”

Rarity chcukled, “It does, doesn’t it? But I think we should stick with the cinnamon buns for now. If we sampled everything here, we’d have the worst tummy ache of our lives.”

Pinkie Pie took this as her cue to burst out of one of the display boxes with a flourish of confetti. “Diiiid somepony say, ‘cinnamon buns’?”

Lolite waved her hoof. “Hiya Mrs. Pinkie!”

“Good afternoon, Pinkie,” Rarity greeted. “and how are you this fine day?”

“Okilly dokilly loki!” Pinkie sang. “We’ve been busy all morning with baking orders, and that’s great! Cause that means everypony will be enjoying some delicious yummy in their tummies, like snickerdoodles, strudel, cupcakes, devil’s food cake, angel food cake, upside down cake, eclairs, cannoli, macaroons, macrons, melon bread, shortbread cookies, sugar cookies, coconut cream pies, shoofly pies, bread pudding, banana pudding and well, a whole lotta stuff too! Ahh, seeing those smiling faces always puts me in the Hearth’s Warming mood. Oh right, you’re here for my super special extra ooey gooey fresh and scrumptious cinnamon buns, right?”

Lolite nodded. “Mhmm! They’re the best in all of Equestria!”

“Well, what the hay are we waiting for?!” Pinkie bounced on her tail towards the ceiling and rose up from behind the counter. “Two cinnamon buns coming up!”

Rarity did a double take of the ceiling and the counter and wondered where Pinkie learned that trick.

“Heeeeeeey Cherry!” Pinkie called out.

A filly popped out of one of the display boxes on the counter. She had a curly red mane and a yellow coat with a cutie mark of a present tied to a balloon. “Heeeeeeey mommy!” the filly chimed.

“We need two super special extra ooey gooey fresh and scrumptious cinnamon buns!”

“Two super special extra ooey gooey fresh and scrumptious cinnamon buns for my good friend Lolite and Mrs. Rarity coming right up!” the filly jumped back in the box and a few seconds later came trotting out of the kitchen with two plated, freshly baked buns balanced on her head. Its glaze rolling down the sides as a gentle steam rose up.

It was at that moment that Rarity decided not to question how or why Pinkie’s foal could also bend the rules of reality and chalked it up to it being hereditary.

Lolite was in awe as she sucked back some of her drool. “Oh boy! I’ve been looking forward to this for ages! Thanks Cherry!”

Cherry bounced the plate off her head and onto her hoof before passing it to Lolite and Rarity. “No problem Lolite! Nothing I like more than seeing my friends happy. I hope you like it.”

“Lolite, what do we say to Mrs. Pinkie?” Rarity asked.

“How much do I owe you?” Lolite asked Pinkie.

“N-no dear, not that. The other thing.”

“Oh! Thank you, Mrs. Pinkie.”

Pinkie giggled, “You’re welcome! We’ve got plenty to go around, so don’t be shy if you want more!”

Lolite’s eyes grew to the size of moons. “Really?”

“Absolutely not,” Rarity said flatly.

---

Rarity and Lolite continued their stroll through town as the filly held her treat in her magic and was busy taking bite after bite of its ooey gooey goodness.

“I take it that you’re satisfied with your cinnamon bun, darling?”

“Mhmm!” Lolite finished chewing and swallowed. “It’s sooo yummy!” she took one last bite and sighed. “All gone! Can we go back for another?”

“No Lolite, you’ll spoil your dinner.” Rarity stopped in her tracks as she got a good look at her daughter. Her whole face was covered in frosting and cinnamon sugar. “Oh dear,” Rarity groaned. “Hold still darling.” Rarity took a handkerchief and dabbed it in some dirt-free snow. She tilted Lolite’s head in her hoof and used the kerchief to clean up her daughter’s face.

“AHHH!” Lolite cried out. “COLD!”

“Bare with me darling,” Rarity said as she scrubbed away everything sweet and sticky. “I need to clean you up. You look like you dove headfirst into a sugar bowl.”

Some more dabs of snow and rubs later, Lolite’s face was free of all things sugary. Rarity smiled at a job well done.” There we are, nice and clean.”

“Ugh, now my face feels all cold!” Lolite whined. “Can we go and get some hot cider?”

“Hot cider?”

“Yeah, Mrs. Applejack’s cart always has hot cider. She should be around here somewhere.”

“Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt. And you’d be well to have something warm to drink.”

“Woohoo! Cider time!” Lolite cheered.

---

Rarity tracked the farm pony’s cart in no time, since she’s had the same space at the open-air market for years. Applejack was busy exchanging money with ponies while her wife Autumn Blaze was pouring piping hot mugs of cider from a bubbling cauldron and passing them out to the paying patrons.

“Hot cider!” Applejack called out to the crowd. “Git yer hot cider ‘ere! Nothin’ warms them bones like Apple family cider! Thank ye kindly, happy Hearth’s Warming. Git yer cider!”

“No cider like it in all of Equestria!” Autumn called out as her magic rounded up another batch of mugs and began to pour. “No coat? No hat? No problem! Apple family cider will give you all the warmth you need!”

“Nice sales pitch shuga.” Applejack winked at her wife.

Autumn gave Applejack a knowing smile. “Well, I did learn from the best salespony around.”

Applejack turned her attention to a familiar face and tipped her hat. “Well, howdy there Rarity! And howdy to you too Lolite, what can Ah do fer y’all?”

“Good day Applejack, Autumn,” Rarity greeted. “We’d like some hot cider if you please.”

“I’m cold cause mommy shoved snow in my face,” Lolite said casually.

“I did no such thing!” Rarity rebuked. “I was using the snow to clean your face, Lolite.”

Applejack chuckled, “Ah take it y’all had a run in with Pinkie and ‘er cinnamon buns.”

“How’d you guess?”

“Mah lil’ Fuji’s the same way. Feller gets his hooves on one of them buns and the next thing Ah know, he’s got frosting all over the dang place. Speakin’ o’ which, where is Fuji?”

“Right here ma!” a colt weaved in and out of the traffic and nearly tripped over somepony’s dog. He trotted up to Applejack and gave her a quick hug before undoing a knot and bundles of firewood dropped to the ground. He had a mane and tail of blond like Applejack with a longer dock like Autumn. He had a rust-colored coat and a red bandana wrapped around his neck. He had green scales on his back and the bridge of his muzzle and matching cloven-hooves. “I thought we could use more firewood, so I asked Mr. Burnt Oak for some.”

“We got plenty of firewood Fuji. Ain’t no reason te bother Burnt Oak fer more.”

Fuji rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I know, I know. But I thought maybe some hickory smoke would help add a bit more flavor to the cider.”

“That’s my boy,” Autumn said as she nuzzled her son. “Always putting that brain of yours to helping with recipes. What do you think AJ?”

Applejack shrugged, it was really hard to be upset at her little colt, especially when Autumn backs him up. “Well, Ah s’ppose it is a good idea. Nice work Fuji, but don’t make this wanderin’ off thing a habit, we need all hooves at the ready fer when it gits busy. Now, how ‘bout you help yer mother out in getting Mrs. Rarity and Lolite some cider?”

Fuji tensed up; only now did he realize that he recognized the customers his mothers were talking to. He leaned back and tried to gulp his nerves down. “L-Lolite! Um, h-howdy there Lolite!” the colt looked like he was mentally kicking himself for saying her name twice.

“Hiya Fuji!” Lolite said cheerily. “How are you doing?”

Fuji smiled nervously. “Great! Great Ah’m doin’ great! ‘Bout as great as a pony can be, which is great! Ha, ha, ha!”

“Uh, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Yer mane’s on fire.”

Fuji noticed the crackling from his burning mane. “AH!” He plunged his head in a snowbank, dosing the fire. He pulled his head out and Rarity was envious to see not a single hair on his head was missing or scorched.

Lucky devil

A bout of snickers was heard overhead as a pegasus colt watched the drama unfold. He had a cyan coat and a dark blue mane with a streak of yellow. He called out in a raspy voice, “Hey Fuji! Why don’cha just tell Lolite that you- WOAH!” The colt dodged a flurry of snowballs.

“Git on out of ‘ere Sky Splitter!” Fuji yelled as he continued to hurl snowballs at the retreating colt. Fuji cleared his voice, “So! How about I get you some cider?” the half Kirin made a hasty retreat to the wagon and brought out two mugs on a tray. Autumn’s ladle filled them with the steaming elixir and Fuji presented them to Rarity and Lolite.

“Thank you darling. It smells delightful,” Rarity said as she took in the bouquet of the cider.

“Thanks Fuji!” Lolite sipped her drink. “Mmmm, it’s so tasty! It warms me right up.”

“I’m glad you like it Lolite,” Fuji said with flush cheeks. “I helped ma and mom all morning with it.”

“Well, this cider is a working project,” Autumn said as she ruffled her son’s mane. “We try to improve it every year.”

“Ah think we got a dead ringer this time,” Applejack said proudly. “We’ve been sellin’ it by the barrel all day.”

Rarity took a sip of her cider and soon realized that Applejack wasn’t just bragging, the cider was truly spectacular. Just the right amount of cinnamon and cloves. A nice hint of citrus, and a slightly spicy aftertaste, surely a little secret ingredient from Autumn. Rarity was actually curious how hickory smoke could possibly make this cider any better than it already is.

“You all did a wonderful job! My compliments to the chefs.”

---

The decorations committee certainly didn’t scrimp out on the Ponyville park. Every tree along every path was wrapped in colored lights with gold and silver tinsel. Ponies were setting up ice blocks for the annual ice sculpture contest and a few others were singing carols. Every so often a light breeze would blow the powder off the tops of the trees and make shimmering wisps in the air.

“Are you feeling better sweetie?” Rarity asked.

“Yep!” Lolite replied. “I’m all nice and warm now. My face was so cold before, I couldn’t even feel it.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I think you’re slightly exaggerating darling.”

“Nuh-uh! I would’ve froze to death without that cider. Or gotten pneumonia or frostbite.”

“Now I know you’re exaggerating.” Rarity took a moment to admire the fountain at the heart of the park. The water was frozen and from the spouts were arcs of ice, with colored lights shining through, giving it the appearance of a frozen rainbow.

Rarity sighed, “I never tire of seeing how festive Ponyville is this time of year.”

Lolite tilted her head. “Did you grow up here too?”

Rarity bit her tongue. “Um, n-no. I didn’t grow up in Ponyville, but where I grew up was very similar. Almost identical.”

“Oh. I thought that’s how you knew mommy. Where are you from anyway?”

“Hmm…” Rarity tapped her hoof to her chin and tilted her eyes to the sky as if she were trying to remember an important detail. “Well, I could tell you,” Rarity finally said. “But I have to keep my identity a secret too.” She gave Lolite a playful wink.

Lolite’s eyes glittered. “OOOHHH, that’s right! You’re a secret agent too! That makes sense. But, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, you can darling.”

“Why didn’t mommy take her scarf?”

“Her scarf?” Rarity ran a hoof over the knitted blue neck warmer she was wearing. “You mean, this scarf?”

Lolite nodded. “Mmhmm. Mommy says it’s her most favorite in the whole world. She looks forward to wearing it every year. I was just wondering, why do you have it?”

“W-well… because… I need everypony to think I’m your mother. And what better way to throw off suspicion then to wear your mother’s favorite scarf?”

“Oh, ok. That’s a good idea.”

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. Either she was getting better at lying, or Lolite is more trusting then she originally thought.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise?” came a soft voice from behind Rarity and Lolite. It was Fluttershy, Discord and Jinx perched atop her father’s head, gripping his horns as if she were captain of an oddly built ship.

“Good afternoon Fluttershy,” Rarity greeted. “And to you as well, Discord and Jinx. Out for a family stroll, are we?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh yes, I thought it’d be nice to see all of the Hearth’s Warming decorations and-“

“Lolite!” Jinx called out from atop Discord’s noggin.

“Jinx!” Lolite called back.

Jinx jumped off Discord’s head and made a beeline towards the dragon filly, tackling her and the two of them tumbled into a snowbank. Rarity for her part was still reeling and in shock in having seen somepony tackle her daughter, but calmed down when she saw two heads pop out and were laughing uncontrollably. Safe and somewhat sound.

“Lolite? Jinx?” Rarity asked. “Are you ok?”

Lolite rolled her eyes. “Yeah mommy. We’re just playing.”

“Hey Lolite!” Jinx sounded as enthusiastic as a filly could be. “I just learned how to make trees dance! Wanna see?”

“Do I? Let’s go, I saw a lot full of Hearth’s Warming trees!”

Lolite and Jinx took off towards the lot. Fluttershy nervously trotted in place as she watched the kids run away. “Oh dear, oh dear! Um, it’ll be ok, they’re just playing. No need to worry, what could possibly go wrong?”

“That’s right my dear Fluttershy,” Discord said as he comforted his wife. “There’s no need to worry. After all, what’s another fire or snowpony parade going to do? Ooh, maybe Jinx will give the snowponies ice fangs again! She was clever using cherry juice for the blood effect. But I’m sure you’re right, after all, what could possibly go wrong?”

Fluttershy screamed, “Girls! Wait! Don’t do anything without supervision!” as she flew off in the direction as the fillies.

Discord was holding his gut as he laughed hysterically, his body bending and twisting in air with each guffaw. “Sweet Celestia that never gets old!” the wily chaos god said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

“That was rather harsh of you Discord! And to your wife no less,” Rarity scolded.

Discord pulled Rarity in with a paw. “Oh, come on! What’s a little good-natured ribbing between spouses now and then? I’ll have you know that Fluttershy gets her shot at me all the time.”

“Be that as it may, I believe we should go wrangle our daughters before they get into trouble.”

“Kids,” Discord mused nostalgically. “One minute you’re holding their bottle of chocolate milk, the next they’re playing with chaos and creating tap dancing trees. Sunrise, sunset.”

---

After a rather elaborate song and dance number performed by the newly formed Equestria Arbor Theatre Troupe, and a few hasty apologies from the parents (except Discord who was secretly congratulating Jinx behind his wife’s back) the fillies; under the watchful eyes of Fluttershy, decided to have a snowball fight. Rarity was relaxing on a bench, her hooves still sore from when she was pulled on stage and danced with Pine Kelly, the leader of the Arbor Troupe and she somehow was able to keep up with the more experienced tree. No doubt with help from Jinx’s magic.

“Thank Celestia I don’t have to worry about Lolite using chaos magic,” she groaned.

“My, that’s awfully rude,” came an echoed voice. Then one puff of smoke later, Discord was sitting next to Rarity. “You make it sound like my Jinxie is some sort of troublemaker.”

“Discord, I meant no-“

“And you’d be right!” Discord said with pride. “She’s my precious little troublemaker! She sure makes a father proud.” Discord snapped hie talons and produced two mugs of hot chocolate, with little marsh mellows dotted on the surface. “How about something to warm us up?”

Rarity eyed her drink, and then cocked her brow at Discord. “No tricks?”

Discord held up his paw and swore, “No tricks, just cocoa. I thought you’d like to have a little chat. Parent to parent, so to speak.”

Satisfied with her answer, Rarity took a sip. Very well, thank you. This is quite delicious.”

“Why thank you Rarity! I’ve been working on the recipe. Jinx and Fluttershy love it, an extra pinch of nutmeg goes a long way.”

“By the by Discord, did you really have to erase those pages in my diary? You didn’t read them, did you?”

“Well, I had to know which ones to replace, but if it makes you feel any better, I merely skimmed it.”

That did not make Rarity feel better.

“And besides, where’s the fun in having all the answers handed to you in a convenient package? Ever hear the saying, ‘it’s about the journey, not the destination’? Is that why you’re spending time with Lolite? Trying to bribe her for information?”

Rarity nearly spat out her cocoa. “N-no! Of course not! She’s filling me in on a few petty details, but I haven’t ‘bribed’ her. I just wanted to spend some more time with her. She’s such a special little filly, and I want to get to know her more…”

“Oh-ho!” Discord said with a grin. “Does that mean you’ve decided to go along with Eris’ little experience?”

Rarity looked over the snow-covered park, watching Lolite play with Jinx, was more than enough to put a smile on her face. Even more so when Lolite took a quick second to wave at her, laughing as a snowball hit her in the leg.

“Yes, I… I suppose I have,” Rarity said in a warm tone. “I dare say, I’m starting to rather enjoy this life.”

---

“Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yep,” Lolite replied as she snuggled into her sheets.

“And your mane?”

“Mmhmm. Hey, wrong mommy?”

“Yes, darling?”

“Thanks… for spending time with me today… I had fun.”

Rarity giggled, “You’re most welcome Lolite. I had fun as well, even if my hooves are still a little sore.” Rarity pulled up the filly’s blanket till it was tucked under her chin.

Lolite yawned, “I like you, even if you’re not my real mommy. Um… can I have a goodnight kiss?”

Rarity leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her daughter’s forehead. “Goodnight Lolite. Sweet dreams.”

“G’night…” in no time at all, Lolite was fast asleep with the only sound in the room being her light snoring. Rarity turned off Lolite’s lamp and quietly crept out towards the door. She took one last look at Lolite, the light from the hallway casting a gentle glow over the sleepy dragon pony. Rarity smiled as that feeling of warmth and pride spread over her, like when Cobalt said his first words. A mother’s love for her foal. Even though there was a tiny recess in her mind that tried to remind her that Lolite and Cobalt weren’t her foals specifically. But Rarity didn’t care. She was a mother now and as far as she knew, these were her foals.

My foals… Rarity blushed as she closed Lolite’s bedroom door with a soft click.

---

Rarity was feeling rather peckish. Surly there’d be no harm in having a small snack before bed, right? As she came down the stairs and entered the kitchen, she spotted Spike with his head in the fridge. And what he pulled out was a chocolate frosted cake, decorated with cherries and coconut flakes. That’s right, Pinkie sent everypony home with a cake the night of the faculty party. Rarity knew what she wanted.

Spike licked his lips. “Oh yeah! This is gonna be great.”

“Spikey,” Rarity sauntered over and fluttered her lashes. “May I have a slice of that cake?”

Spike looked at his wife, then to the cake. A devilish grin grew on his face. “No way.”

Rarity was taken aback. In all her years of knowing Spike, he’s only said “no” to her only a hooful of times, and she certainly wasn’t expecting him to say no over this.

“What? Why not?” she pouted.

“It’s way too tasty, that’s why.” Spike used a clawed finger to carve out a skinny slice of cake. He scooped it up and popped it in his mouth. “MMMM! Oh, yeah, now that is good cake. Pinkie really outdid herself with this one.”

“Spike,” Rarity’s voice was firm. “I said I want a slice. Now share!”

“Uh-uh!” Spike stuck out his forked tongue in a childish taunt.

“Give me that!” Rarity lunged at the plate in Spike’s claw, but her just raised it over her head.

“I can’t possibly eat this entire cake,” Spike said as his claw cut off another slice. "But I can try.”

Rarity jumped for the cake again but Spike just pulled it away. He took off around the kitchen table and Rarity gave chase. Spike moved right, Rarity moved left, each time trying to gage in what direction the gluttonous dragon would go. Eventually Rarity found an opportunity and rushed towards Spike.

“Give me that cake!” she cried.

“All right! You want it so bad?” Spike scooped out a chunk of cake. “Then have some!”

Spike mushed the cake onto Rarity’s face, smearing chocolate frosting and yellow sponge all over her muzzle. She stood there in total shock as Spike’s actions seemed to have completely shorted her brain. Spike started laughing so hard he almost keeled over, Rarity took advantage of this opening and in a flash tore a piece of cake off and flung it right between Spike’s eyes, making it look like he was wearing a delightfully smelling sleep mask. Spike glared at Rarity; Rarity glared back. The standoff felt like it was lasting for hours, neither side backing down. Then both sides grabbed cake and started flinging it at each other. Laughter erupted again as Rarity ducked behind a chair right before a direct hit to her mane and spike dodged a shot aimed at his chest, but wound up taking another hit to the face instead.

Rarity came out of her hiding spot and ran towards the chocolate covered dragon and Spike ran towards his coco smeared mare. Each of them threw the last bits of cake they had and both sides hit their marks as Rarity jumped for Spike and the two fell to the floor. As the laughter died down, Rarity locked eyes with her husband. Even smothered in dessert, she couldn’t get over how handsome he looked. Perhaps that’s just what happens when you’re in love. She could probably wearing nothing but a burlap sack and Spike would still find her beautiful. The drake’s breath was hot and it tickled her nose. She inched closer and closer to her mark. Rarity could already picture the feeling of Spike’s lips to hers, it felt so magnetic, inviting, and passionate.

Rarity pulled away. “W-well! We’ve… certainly made a mess of things here, haven’t we? What do you say we clean up and take a bath?”

Spike’s fins drooped. “Oh… yeah, I guess we did get carried away. Um, I’ll clean up the kitchen, you can take a bath.”

Rarity’s heart was breaking. She hurt Spike. Again. “Spike, I-I’m just as much responsible for this, I think I ought to-“

“It’s ok,” Spike said through a half smile. “I know how you get when you’re not clean. I can handle this. I’ll see you upstairs.”

Rarity turned away. She just couldn’t stand seeing him so disappointed. “Very well, I'll see you soon.”

She had to make this up to Spike. She was his wife and what husband wants to be pushed aside from the mare he loves? What mare wants to push away the one she loves? Rarity’s thoughts were morose at best. She trudged to the bathroom and turned on the faucet, but even the warm embrace of the tub and the lavender bodywash couldn’t scrub away her gloom. Maybe she’s just been making too many excuses? If she wanted to be… intimate with Spike, would that be so wrong? As far as she knew, this was her life now. The other Rarity may never return. And if that’s the case, she should enjoy this life… and Spike.

Rarity sank deeper into the tub till only her horn was above the surface, but even the dull hum of the water couldn’t drown out her growing desire.

Author's Note:

One of these days, I'm gonna take my own friggin' advice and not write chapters that are more than 4,000 words, because the rewrite process takes forever passed a certain point. But I hope you lot like it, I kinda got carried away with this one mainly because the first draft was fun and I wanted to showcase some of Lolite's friends along with some mommy daughter time with her and Rarity.

And I just want to say how much I love Fuji. I knew I wanted to ship Applejack with Autumn (and to be perfectly frank, this ship doesn't have the popularity it deserves so I'll push it till my got dang arms fall off) and I was really enjoying coming up with a design and little quirks for their son. I was originally just going to have him speak like Autumn, you know, good diction and pronunciation. But then I thought, "What if he gets flustered or nervous?" so I decided to give him his ma's drawl when he gets out of sorts and for his mane to catch fire when he gets butterflies for Lolite. I have to say I've really enjoyed designing Lolite, Jinx and Fuji.

I actually wasn't going to bring up the journal again, but then I realized that it might have been a can of worms I had to deal with. Originally I was planning on tossing it to the side as Rarity decides that there's no reason to look into it because she's content with her life as is, buuuuut that doesn't really come into play till later so I think it makes sense.

On a side note, while I was writing this chapter I had the mightiest of needs for a cinnamon bun. Not sure why

As always, thanks for reading. See you next time

Silver Wit

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why is this rated Teen?

[Silver Wit]

11009805
PG-13 levels of sex references and a make out scene. Didn’t think it was “E” appropriate and not so raunchy that it warranted an “M” rating.

[jw278]

I really enjoyed this chapter thanks so much got to say the bit with the journal made me laf, that's so discord & the little chat they had together was nice, it's great to see discord like this & I loved the fight between Rarity & Spike

[Silver Wit]

11010200
Thanks, glad you liked it. My proof reader was also a big fan of Discord meddling with Rarity’s diary, happy to see that worked out well

[Hillbe]

cute sweet and heavy
Fuji "flame on"
Poor Fluttershy

[Silver Wit]

11010596
If anything this’ll just fuel Fluttershy’s need to get even with Discord

[Snivypony]

Hope you finish this soon.