The Princess of Redemption

by Cassette

4. A Dog in Hell's Chance

Starlight jotted frantically in her notepad; her eyes glued to the page. The pale glow of her horn was casting blue light around the surrounding area as she guided the pencil, illuminating her furrowed brow in the darkness. Twilight regarded her with some interest and loathed as she was to break her friend’s concentration, there was something she felt she had to point out.

“You know you won’t be able to take that with you, right?”

“I know that,” Starlight replied, “but the actual act of writing it down makes it much more likely that I’m going to remember all of these details.”

Twilight nodded sagely, allowing the mare to finish. The Princess was all too aware of the heavy burden she’d just placed on the headmare’s shoulders, but she didn’t err in her belief that this was the right thing to do. After a few more seconds of frenzied writing, the magic from Starlight’s horn ceased, and the pencil fell to the desktop with a light tap.

“So then,” Starlight began, checking her notes. “You want Cozy Glow, Tirek and Chrysalis freed from their petrification spell and entered into a program with the goal of re-habilitating them back into society.”

Starlight’s voice was neutral, merely stating the facts. Twilight couldn’t detect a hint of judgement or exasperation.

“I do.” Twilight replied, deciding to match her friend’s tone.

“You want me to lead this program, selecting any and all creatures who will be working under me, assigning roles as I see fit.”

“That’s correct.” Twilight stated.

“With the exception of Spike,” Starlight continued, “who you’ll be assigning to me as a Royal liaison.”

“It just makes sense.” Twilight replied. “He’ll be able to provide regular progress reports, and his messenger magic is the fastest way to get word to me if you need an intervention.”

“Also a good way of keeping an eye on me, huh?” Starlight smiled sardonically.

“That too.” Twilight returned the smile. “Don’t get me wrong, I trust you completely, but nopony knows better than me how manipulative these three can be. Heck, Tirek even managed to trick Discord that one time.”

“Of course he did, Discord’s a half-wit.” Starlight spat.

Twilight cocked her head with raised eyebrows, acknowledging the headmare’s point.

“Nevertheless, just think of Spike as an independent observer. His presence is in no way a reflection on my confidence in you.”

Starlight allowed her eyes to close for a second as she waved her hoof in the air in front of her.

“I know.” She said. “I’m happy to have him on board. Just as long as he doesn’t mind getting his claws dirty along with the rest of us when necessary.”

“I’m sure he won’t.” Twilight smiled. “Though that brings me to my next question; when you say ‘the rest of us’, who did you have in mind?”

Starlight leaned back in her chair and placed her hooves together. This was one of the questions she hadn’t been looking forward to.

“Well, as I said before, it was difficult to come up with names with no information, so it’s a short list.”

“Go on,” Twilight implored.

“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.” Starlight sighed.

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“The Crusaders?”

“The very same. They’re my three best friendship teachers, and their combined skillsets cover a wide range.” Starlight said. “Plus, now that I have a few more details, this project falls right in their wheelhouse; helping Ponies.”

“They’re so young though,” Twilight cautioned.

“Aren’t they about the same age you were when Celestia first sent you to Ponyville?”

“I suppose so.” Twilight sighed, looking away. That day felt like it had been several lifetimes ago.

“And if I remember what you told me correctly, you went hoof-to-hoof with Nightmare Moon, what, a day later?”

“Something like that,” The Princess conceded, glancing at the tabletop.

“There you are then.” Starlight stated. “Don’t worry, protecting those girls, not to mention myself and everycreature else will be my top priority.”

“Which brings me to my final note;” Starlight continued, “myself and my team are to present an action plan for setting the project in motion to you as soon as possible.”

Twilight looked up.

“I think that about covers it. The only thing remaining is who you have in mind to take over your headmare duties.”

Ah. There it was. The other question Starlight hadn’t been looking forward to. This time she allowed her eyes to drop to the desk.

“Trixie,” She said quietly.

Twilight nodded.

“Trixie’s a good choice.”

Starlight looked up in surprise. That hadn’t been the reaction she was expecting from the Princess.

“Really?” She asked, incredulously.

“She’s been a full time staff member as long as you have, she knows the ins and outs of the school as well as the students, you two are obviously...”

Twilight paused to clear her throat. Neither of the mares found they could meet each other’s gaze.

“...close.” Twilight continued. “She’s perfect.”

Starlight’s face burnt, and for a few moments the dream-space was completely silent.

“Well, I think that about wraps it up,” Starlight said finally. “I can have an action plan in your hooves within forty-eight hours.”

“Good,” Twilight smiled. “I’ll get Spike to report to you as soon as he’s back from Yakyakistan.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said softly. “I realize how huge this is.”

“Ah, phissssh,” Starlight hissed sarcastically with a wave of her hoof. “No big deal. Reform the three greatest criminals Equestria’s ever seen, I’ll probably have it done before lunchtime tomorrow.”

Twilight grinned, rising from her seat.

“I’ll let you get some rest,” she said and began walking off into the dark. Before she was completely enveloped in the blackness, she threw a meaningful look back at her protégé.

“Promise me you’ll think about that other thing we talked about.” She called.

“Oh, I can pretty much guarantee that,” Starlight retorted grimly. Twilight shot her a final smile and vanished from view.

Starlight awoke in her bed. She blinked blearily at her ceiling for a few seconds before magically illuminating her bedside lamp. Her mind returned to the dream she’d just awoken from and found that the memories were as clear as a bell, no doubt a result of Twilight’s interference. She cast her mind further back, to the previous evening, before she fell asleep. She’d hung around the school for several hours, fretting over Twilight’s mission, then gone home, nothing more. No drinking, no Trixie. She shook her head silently. Now she had a new thing to worry about, with Twilight poking her nose into her relationship status. And then there was Trixie herself...no, no, it was far too early to crack open that particular can of worms. Starlight glanced at her window, realizing that it was still dark outside. She was just about to switch off her light, when she shifted her legs uncomfortably. In confusion, she lifted her duvet and glanced down. With a scowl, a slow close of her eyes and a shake of her head, she shifted onto the other side of her mattress, and killed the light.

********************************

Rarity and Spike emerged from the tavern, the Unicorn clutching her cloak around herself in an attempt to protect from the bitter cold. There were fresh flakes of snow softly drifting down upon them, but it was nothing like the ferocity the Dragon had experienced on his earlier walk. The burning torches cast a sickly yellow hue over everything, but as Spike glanced to his companion, he saw that even now, in these less than glamourous conditions, she still shone like a jewel in the gloom. She glanced nervously down the street as flecks of ice began to collect in her perfectly coiffured mane. Spike was beginning to feel the warm effects of the booze he’d partaken in gently massage the back of his brain, and having been inside for a while, and sheltered as they were from the furious wind in-between the numerous dwellings, he wasn’t even feeling the cold anymore. Not so for Rarity, whom he noticed couldn’t seem to pull her fur collar around her neck tightly enough. She had been the one who had ordered all their beverages, opening a tab at the bar; Spike suspected that she might be feeling a tad guilty about dragging out the truth about his...orientation earlier, but as far as he was concerned there was no need. It wasn’t anything he was ashamed of. Honestly, he’d just been thankful that she hadn’t dragged more out of him, even if there was undeniably a tiny part of him that wished she had. Still though, the cold fact remained that he had no money, so he’d humbly and gratefully allowed her to ply him with several drinks. Now it was the early hours of the morning, and they had mutually decided that it was time to call it a night.

“I’m just a little ways this way,” Rarity spoke, pointing down the street, her voice sounding quiet in the snowy street. Spike, emboldened by the alcohol flowing through his veins, threw on his best winning smile.

“Rarity, would you do me the honor of allowing me to walk you home?”

He offered the Unicorn the crook of his arm. OK, it was cheesy, he knew that the second the words had left his mouth, like he was hearing someone else speak. ‘Would you do me the honor’, Celestia wept...

“Spikey, I’d be delighted,” Rarity smiled, reaching up and slipping her hoof through his arm.

Her touch once again sent the electricity racing through his body, and the butterflies in his stomach became agitated once more. He silently prayed that it didn’t show. There was a tone of relief in the mare’s voice, and Spike realized with a start that she’d been hoping he might ask her that. He took a look down the street himself and noticed that the further down it went, the more infrequent the lit torches became. Not a pleasant walk to have to make on your own, especially in the dead of night and when you were a stranger in a strange land. He mentally chided himself that his reasons for wanting to walk the Unicorn to her destination weren’t more...pure.

They started down the road, their hooves and feet respectively making soft crunching noises in the newly laid snow.

“I can’t thank you enough for all those drinks,” Spike breathed, his breath billowing out in the cold air. “I’ll pay you back, I swear, I just need to-”

“Spike,” Rarity cut him off. “That’s not necessary. You’re one of my closest friends.”

Spike smiled, glancing away from Rarity and down the street. There was a reason she was the embodiment of the element of generosity.

“Well, thank you anyway.” He said simply, lightly squeezing her leg with his arm.

“Well, it was the least I could do, after I forced you to reveal...that...”

“You didn’t force me,” Spike lied. “Anyways, it felt pretty good to get it all out in the open for a change. I’ve never really spoken about it to anypony before.”

Rarity looked up at him, surprised.

“Really?” She asked softly, her words forming a cloud that drifted up past the Dragon’s face. “I’d have thought that it might’ve been the kind of thing you’d discuss with your male friends on those ‘guys nights’ you have.”

Spike glanced down, only to see her pale face staring up at him in wide-eyed wonderment. His nervousness appeared to have returned, this time with reinforcements. It didn’t help that she was so close now, close enough that he could feel the touch of her fur on his scales and feel the warmth of her body. He suddenly realized that several seconds had passed, and still he hadn’t replied.

“Hm? Oh, no, no,” He chuckled. “When we get together it’s pretty much just all business.”

They trudged a few more steps.

“By which I mean O&O,” he added.

Rarity smiled an incredulous look up at him. Clearly, the Dragon’s get-togethers with his friends were very different from the ones she had with the girls. You could bet that if she were to suddenly start finding Dragons attractive then she’d be asking her friends for guidance.

‘What do you mean, ‘if’?’ a small voice teased in the back of her mind.

The thought caused her cheeks to flush, and she became fascinated with the other side of the street. Yes, well. That was a train of thought to explore later. For Celestia’s sake, why did he have to be so sweet and gentlecoltly...

“You never did answer my question though,” the mare said suddenly. Spike glanced down at her once more.

“Hm?”

“I asked if there was a Dragon you had your eye on,” She continued, the cold climate mercifully doing wonders to hide her blushing. “So I suppose I’m changing the question to be ‘Is there a Pony you have your eye on?’”

Spike’s eyes widened by a miniscule amount and there was no hiding the blush that took over his face. He looked away, and Rarity took the opportunity to allow a smile to break her innocent expression.

“I...uh...” Spike stumbled, still not looking at the Unicorn. “Yes, there’s a Pony that I like, but...”

“But what, darling?”

“But I doubt that she’d be interested in me, so I’ve kept quiet.” Spike sighed.

“Well, you’ll never know unless you ask.” Rarity said softly, once again thoroughly inspecting the surrounding area.

They were now at the point in the village where the lights had become sparce, and shadows crept across their bodies like a silk sheet. Rarity pulled the dragon closer to her.

“Well...” Spike started, aware of where all this was leading. “I have a...close friendship with this mare, so I don’t want to risk losing it.”

“If she’s a close friend, she won’t let something like that ruin what you have,” The Unicorn said, her voice practically a whisper. “If she’s not interested, that is.”

The only light now came from the clouded full moon, giving the frozen landscape a ghostly silver appearance. Rarity could see the outline of her dragon companion, all barrel chested and chiseled, but his expression was lost to her. What was she doing? She knew good and well who he was talking about, and he knew she knew. What did she want? To make him say it? What would she say if he did? The thought created a charge of excitement in her chest. Did she want him to? Is that why she couldn’t resist tugging on this thread? She remembered the time when he’d been a child and he’d almost told her he had a crush on her. She’d stopped him of course, just to give them both the veil of plausible deniability. In any case, it wasn’t much of a revelation. He could scarcely have been more obvious about it if he tried. With him being the age he was, there wouldn’t be much to be gained by having it out in the open, save for a lingering sense of awkwardness that most likely would have affected their friendship. But that was then, and this was now, and when she’d shut him down all those years ago, she hadn’t meant that he couldn’t shoot his shot when the time was right. She just sort of assumed that he’d grown up and had forgotten about the infatuation he’d had when he was a little boy. She too remembered the instant when she’d thought he’d moved on; when he’d chosen to spend time with Gabby, his Griffon friend over her. She undeniably felt a pang of jealousy back then, but she tried hard to get over it, chalking the feeling up to the vanity that she needed to work on. Her little Spikey-wikey had grown up, and he wouldn’t be needing his (admittedly gorgeous) older mare crush any longer, which was as it should be.

But that wasn’t in line with the signals she’d been getting all evening. It seemed like the poor darling had been carrying a bigger torch than any of the ones they’d passed by this night. She should just let this drop. She was far too old for him anyway, something he’d no doubt realize on his own if she just left him to his own devices. She would not drag any further confessions from the darling Dragon tonight.

“A close friend, then?” She remarked. “Anypony I know?”

Celestia damn it. Way to go Rarity.

She felt him tense up as much as she saw it at that last question. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, so he closed it again. They walked a few more steps in the darkness.

“Er...” He began, before he stopped once more. This time he stopped dead in his tracks, and Rarity felt a tug at her leg as she continued a half a step before she realized. His body tensed once more, this time more than before, his arm feeling like a coil of solid steel under her hoof.

“Hold on a second,” he whispered, his eyes looking dead ahead, scanning the darkness in front of them. Rarity herself then tensed too, reading the signs of his body language. This wasn’t social discomfort. This was threat assessment.

Rarity was about to whisper back to him to ask what was going on, but then she saw it. The inky shadows a few meters ahead of them and a little to the right seemed to come alive as a hulking form emerged with a low, gravelly chuckle. An involuntary gasp escaped the Unicorn’s lips.

The Diamond Dog’s colossal arms dragged on the snow as he slowly stomped towards them, dragging what appeared to be a vicious spiked club behind him. In the low light, he appeared to be completely grey, but as a cloud shifted past the moon both Dragon and Unicorn were able to pick out a horrific, toothy, drooling grin. His clothes were ragged, and he bore a black, jewel studded collar around his neck. His ears were missing various chunks, and he had an angry scar where his right eye should have been.

“Nice night for a walk,” he laughed, his voice like knives on a slab of granite.

“Ah! Er, yes, yes, I suppose it is...” Rarity found herself babbling.

She’d had dealings with these particular creatures in the past, but she strongly doubted that the whining tactics that served her so well back then would work now. This specimen looked much meaner, and frankly as though he devoured Ponies like her for breakfast.

“Can we help you?” Spike questioned, his words colder than the environment into which he spoke them.

He gently placed his hand on Rarity’s chest and stepped forward, interposing himself between her and their addresser.

“I’d say so,” the Dog grinned, as two similar looking companions emerged behind him. “We’ll start with whatever you’ve got in that bag there.”

Spike snorted in frustration as his eyes flitted between the three. The two new arrivals were a little shorter than their would-be mugger, and they didn’t appear to have weapons, but their claws and teeth were bared, their breath coming out in ragged clouds. It was at this point that the smell of them hit Rarity, and the foul stench was enough to cause her to take a step back and drop Spike’s arm, if only to cover her nose. Without taking his eyes off the three, Spike slumped his backpack off his shoulder and flung it at the feet of the presumable leader.

“There,” he spat. “Now leave us alone.”

With a gleeful giggle, the Dog retrieved the bag and emptied its contents on the ground. After crouching and sifting through Spike’s meagre belongings for a few disappointing seconds, he stood.

“That’s not going to be enough.” He growled. “We’ll take whatever the Pony’s got too.”

Rarity began frightfully loosening her saddlebag from her back, but Spike stopped her with a light hand on her neck. She could only look on in open-mouthed amazement as he took another step forward, almost completely obscuring her view of their assailants.

“No,” he hissed. “You’re not touching the lady.”

The Dog grinned even wider, revealing razor sharp teeth that looked as though they could make it through a tree trunk in a single bite. He continued his slow advance towards the pair, raising his club from the ground to lightly pat it into his other hand.

“Wasn’t asking, sweetheart,” he laughed. “Maybe we’ll just take her too, I hear they’re good at finding gems.”

He almost got within grasping distance of Rarity before Spike’s fist impacted into his nose with a sickening crunch. For a split second the soft flesh of the Dog’s face wrapped itself around the Dragon’s knuckles, and the Unicorn fancied that the mutt was actually lifted off his feet. The brute was sent rocketing backwards, creating a meter long shallow trench in the snow before ending on a perfect Dog-angel. His two underlings exchanged concerned glances between both themselves and Spike, their intimidating body language faltering for a moment. Then their leader roared from the floor in pain and fury.

“Argh! Boys, grab his arms!”

Snapped back to attention by their superior’s barked order, the two Dogs flitted to his sides with surprising speed given their size. Rarity gasped in horror as they seized the Dragon by the wrists and held him fast, pulling his arms taught. He struggled against their grip, but in terms of strength he was no match for them. The large Dog pulled himself up from the icy dirt and frantically retrieved his club, before rearing up and storming towards Spike. Blood was pumping merrily from his nose, running down his face and creating red dots on his clothes and the snow that glistened in the moonlight.

“You’re gonna pay for that one, Dragon-boy!” He barked as he raised his weapon with both hands over one shoulder, aiming a brutal blow directly at the dragon’s head.

Rarity felt an icicle of fear stab her in the gut, and she found that she could do nothing, not even scream. She stood frozen, and the horror of the situation made it appear as if she was witnessing the events unfold in slow motion.

For his part, Spike simply allowed his head to cock to the side, his eyes half-lidded and his expression exasperated, communicating the expression ‘Really, bro?’.

As his mugger wound up his strike, the Dragon inhaled deeply, before blowing a plume of emerald-green fire straight into his attacker’s face. Having lived with his fiery ability his whole life, he knew just how long to hold it that he wouldn’t cause any permanent damage, but for two glorious seconds the Dog’s head was a raging inferno. Then Spike sealed his lips, the flames once again contained within him. The hound stood in open mouthed shock, dropping his club harmlessly to the ground. His face was a raw pink colour, having been relieved of whiskers, eyebrows, eyelashes and fur. An acrid smell of burnt hair joined the general stench of the Dogs, creating a nauseating miasma. The Dog allowed his smoldering face to sit in the thankfully chilly air for another moment, smoke wafting off his raw skin, before he screamed a high pitched scream, ran to convenient snow bank and buried his head in it.

This time the Dogs at his arms not only exchanged worried glances, but horrified gapes.

“Plenty more where that came from, boys.” Spike growled, his attention flitting between the two.

Both of the thugs dropped his arms like they were electric eels, before they sprinted to their fallen comrade, hoisted him up, one at each arm, and disappeared into the night.

Spike allowed himself a few seconds of staring into the darkness after them, taking several deep breaths, allowing the adrenaline to dilute through his blood. When he was satisfied that they were indeed gone, he spun on his heel and crouched down to Rarity, putting his eyes level with hers.

“Are you okay?” He asked quickly. “Rarity, I’m so sorry that-”

“Spike!” She cried, throwing her forelegs around the Dragon and weeping into his neck.

Spike allowed her to cling onto him for a few moments before he gingerly placed his hands on her back.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” he whispered softly, stroking at her cloak. “They’re gone now.”

“Spike!” She wailed. “They were going to... they could’ve...”

“They didn’t,” Spike shushed. “It’s all okay. Just as long as you are.”

Rarity’s sobs began to subside as she forced herself to calm down, taking several deep breaths. Slowly she prized herself from the nape of Spike’s neck, mortified to discover that she’d left a mire of tears and run mascara on the Dragon’s scales. She looked into his eyes, his hands still on her back, but realized that he wasn’t looking at her, his eyes were trained past her, back up the road in the direction they’d come from. His expression was one of mild worry. She then heard heavy hoof falls behind her, and she spun around in shock.

‘What now?’

Two guard Yaks came bounding down the cobbles towards them, each holding a lantern in their hoof. They skidded to a halt in front of the pair, and took in the scene, seeing Rarity in tears, Spike looming over her, disturbed snow denoting a scene of a struggle and Spike’s belongings scattered over the icy ground. As they reached to free their blades from their scabbards with their free hooves, it became evident that they’d leapt to entirely the wrong conclusion. Spike couldn’t honestly say he blamed them.

“Yaks warned Dragon!” The closest one bellowed, as his sword came free with a metallic shing.

Spike once again held his palms up and took a step backwards. He was just about to protest his innocence when Rarity’s shrill cry erupted in the frozen lane.

“Oh no you dont!” She yelled, standing and stamping her hoof whilst hastily wiping at the black streaks on her cheeks with the other. “This Dragon is a hero, and you won’t be accosting him in any way!”

The closest Yay glanced skyward and gave his horns the tiniest of shakes. Although Spike couldn’t see the guard’s face beneath the numerous braids, he knew an eyeroll when he saw it.

“Pony Lady,” The Yaks grunted, his voice suggesting strained patience. “Please stand aside. Yaks want to speak with Dragon-man. If you-”

Whilst he’d been speaking, his colleague had held up his lantern, and pulled aside a thick clump of hair with his spare hoof, scrutinizing Rarity closely. After an instant of recognition, he interrupted his friend.

“Hup, hup, hup, hup,” he clucked, tugging at his co-worker's horn. The first Yak sighed in frustration, and allowed himself to be led off a few feet to the side, where they whispered, their backs to Rarity and Spike. Yak speaking volumes being what they were, the Unicorn and Dragon heard every word.

“That no ordinary Pony!” The second Yak hissed. “That Miss Rarity. Close personal friend of Princess of Equestria and Prince Rutherford!”

The first Yak peered over his shoulder at the pair, before returning to his conversation.

“Yaks best listen to what she has to say,” The second Yak continued.

The first Yak grunted in agreement before the pair of them turned back around to regard the pair once more. Spike did his best to look like he hadn’t been eavesdropping, while Rarity flashed her best ‘I demand to see your manager’ expression.

“Apologies Miss Rarity,” The first Yak said, his voice now much more gentle. “Please, tell guard-Yaks what happened.”

Rarity’s expression softened, relieved that Spike no longer seemed to be in danger of being arrested.

“Oh sirs, it was just awful!” She started, her voice returning to her refined, melodious accent. “We were attacked by three Diamond Dogs! They demanded we hand over our things and then-”

“Diamond Dogs?” The first Yak snapped angrily. “In Yak village?”

“Yes,” Rarity replied, not thrilled at having been interrupted but not allowing the irritation to creep into her voice. “They tried to rob us and then they were talking about Pony-napping me!”

The Unicorn allowed her voice to break slightly at her last statement for emphasis.

“Tried?” The second Yak enquired. “What happen next?”

“This Dragon,” Rarity gestured behind her without turning around, “this Dragon protected my possessions and my honor. He sent them packing with his fire breath.”

Spike stared at the Yaks with a wide eyes expression, his palms still raised. The Yaks glanced at each other with a nod.

“That checks out with what Yaks saw up street,” The second guard said, turning his attention to Spike. “Green, right?”

Spike’s eyebrows leapt up his brow, the Dragon momentarily not understanding. Then the bit dropped, and he blew a miniscule flame out of the corner of his mouth. A small green glow briefly illuminated his features.

The guards nodded.

“Guard Yaks patrol area. If Diamond Dogs still here, they learn not to trespass in Yak village again.” The first guard said, his hoof returning his blade to his belt. He strode forward, past Rarity and Spike holding his lantern in his teeth, his hoof hovering over the handle of his weapon. The second Yak followed, pausing when he reached Spike.

“Look like Dragon really is hero then,” he said simply.

Spike shook his head.

“I just...did what had to be done.” He breathed. “There’s probably a Dog burrow somewhere nearby, they’re most likely mining somewhere under the mountain.”

The Yak nodded.

“Dragon no worry,” he soothed. “Yaks find it, fill it in.”

He glanced back at Rarity who was silently observing them.

“Dragon okay to get Miss Rarity home?”

Spike’s expression hardened.

“Absolutely.”

“Good Dragon-man,” the Yak grinned, giving Spike a good-natured slap on the shoulder. “Here, Dragon take this.”

He offered Spike his lantern.

“Thanks,” Spike replied, taking the tin lamp. With a nod, the Yak hurried off after his friend. Within moments they had vanished down the street, around a corner and were gone from view. Spike carefully set down the light on the ground, and began the miserable task of scraping his things back into his backpack. Rarity approached slowly, and the Dragon looked up at her with a strained smile.

“Spike...” She said lightly, her horn illuminating and her magic retrieving his blanket from the snow. It was clearly sodden, having been dumped on the ground and summarily trampled on, so she magically twisted it and wrung it out as best she could.

“It’s ok,” the Dragon replied. “Nothing a little warming up won’t fix.”

“...you don’t have to walk me the rest of the way, Spike.” She said hesitantly, privately not keen on going anywhere alone right now, but feeling incredibly guilty that her friend had had his overnight bag scattered on the wet ground, not to mention almost being brained and then arrested.

“It’s not too much further now.”

Spike looked up at her, his expression incredulous but determined.

“Rarity, I insist.”

As she looked into his green eyes, Rarity felt her heart melt. Such a gentle-Dragon.

The rest of their walk was uneventful, a fact that they were both thankful for. They’d passed down numerous dark alleys and twisting back streets until, finally, the torch lights that served as crude lampposts became once again more frequent. They saw no sign of any other creature for the remainder of their walk, and for the most part they’d stayed silent. Rarity couldn’t speak for the Dragon, but for her part she was still sifting through the torrent of emotions that were running through her mind. The adrenaline was still a fresh memory in her body, and though her breathing had returned to normal, she still found that she had an unpleasant jittery feeling in her limbs. Shifting her attention away from her own queasy sensations, she instead focused on her scaled savior.

Well, now where did she stand on that matter for Celestia’s sake? Not only was he sweet, caring and the perfect gentle-Dragon, but damn her if she didn’t have to add dashing to the list, too. And maybe strong, too. Stallion-ish.

Rarity gave her head a minute shake, as though the motion would help her thoughts settle. She still clung to his tree-branch of an arm, enjoying the warmth that radiated out of his scales. She couldn’t quite believe that he was wandering around in this weather with no shirt on, but then, she wasn’t exactly complaining either.

This was getting serious. This had gone way beyond gently teasing an old friend who she knew used to have a crush on her. Now she was very much entrenched in ‘I hope you still have that little crush darling, because now I’ve got one too’ territory. She took a deep breath at the realization. Where did that leave her? If she were to say something, would that make her a hypocrite? What if, worse still, she did say something, and it turned out that he had been, in fact, not talking about her earlier when he said that there was a Pony he liked? What if...

“Um, is this your place by any chance?” Spike broke the silence suddenly.

Rarity was yanked from her musings and suddenly became aware of their location. They were right outside of ‘Rarity 4 U’, Yakyakistan branch. The building was constructed of much the same materials as the rest of the huts, but the shape of it was more square, more closely resembling the shops that lined the streets in Manehatten. Two large shop windows had been incorporated into the front on either side of the red wooden door, and through them, past the gold and black lettering of the shop name, there could be seen two mannequins of approximate Yak proportions, bedecked in chic and silky outfits of the mare’s design. The one on the left was a blue and white ensemble, its wavy and billowing silks made to evoke the feeling of the ocean. The right one called forth the notion of the forest, lime green and teal, with meticulously stitched floral designs and a leaf shaped chapeau. The lights were kept extinguished of course, but the moonlight from the now clear sky seemed to be shining directly onto the shop front, giving them both a clear view of the establishment. On the frosted glass of the door, there hung a dainty sign displaying the opening times, along with the word ‘closed’ in block capitals.

“Oh! Ahem, yes, yes, this is me.” Rarity sputtered awkwardly.

“Wow,” Spike whistled. “It looks incredible. We could be in Canterlot.”

“Oh Spikey,” Rarity scoffed. “You really are the sweetest. It has a long ways to go yet, but it’s getting there.”

The silence returned, neither of them wanting to say goodbye just yet. Finally, Spike relented.

“Well, I’ll say goodnight then, Rarity.”

“Spike,” Rarity whispered, allowing her hoof to slip from the crook of his arm, “I still haven’t thanked you for what you did for me back there.”

Spike glanced down at her.

“You don’t have to.” He replied somberly, glancing away. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t have diffused it more peacefully. I’m supposed to be a diplomat, not a thug.”

The turn of his head gave the mare an exquisite view of his defined, angular jaw. The butterflies invaded her stomach. That was the final straw. Rarity stood on her hind legs, lightly placing her hooves on the Dragon’s chest. Her face was level with his, and for a split second she lost herself in the infinity of his eyes.

“I don’t think you’re a thug,” she breathed. “I think you’re my knight in shining armor.”

She gradually brought her face towards his, and within seconds their lips connected. The Unicorn’s eyes drifted closed as she allowed her mouth to open a fraction. Spike followed suit, and their tongues connected, slowly and sensually exploring each other. Rarity felt a thrill of excitement as she felt the Dragon’s powerful hands lightly rest on her sides and was astonished at the alien but not unwelcome sensation that was going on in her mouth. His tongue was thin and flat, like she were kissing a ribbon, with a soft forked end that gave her exquisite tickles around her mouth. As she caressed his chest with her hooves, a primal part of her brain wondered what this tongue might feel like elsewhere. While that steamy thought lingered in her mind, their kiss came to an end. Rarity opened her eyes, having some difficulty in rolling them out of the back of her head. When they re-focused, they found Spike looking at her in astonishment. She smiled, and planted a tiny kiss on his snout. His hands hadn’t left her sides, so she slid her hooves over his chest and around his back. Since Spike seemed to have temporarily lost the power of speech, Rarity spoke.

“I’d like to see you again soon,” she purred, the clouds of her breath billowing out and mingling with his. “Where are you staying?”

“I, er...um.” Spike articulated.

Rarity narrowed her eyes at him.

“I haven’t actually sorted out anywhere to sleep just yet,” he admitted, glancing down.

“Wh-” The Unicorn stammered, not quite believing what she was hearing. “You mean to tell me you came all this way in the middle of the night and you don’t even have anywhere to stay?!”

“I was going to try to find a hotel, but it seems like noyak accepts bits here-”

“Well, no, they wouldn’t, would they, darling?” Rarity interjected. “You didn’t even bring any Yak drachma?”

“Um, no.” Spike squirmed, wishing that they could just go back to the kissing. “I had some gems I was planning to eat, but I gave all those to the bar Yak for some drinks-”

“You what?!” Rarity near shouted, aghast. “This is so typical of your kind!”

“Dragons?” Spike raised an eybrow.

“Males!” Rarity spat. “Honestly, how does it work? You just think ‘Boy go here now, hurr hurr’ and off you pop, with no thought to the consequences?”

Spike shifted uncomfortably on the spot. It was hard to fault that logic, especially when you weren’t wearing a coat or shoes.

“It’s ok, I’ll just go and find those guards again,” Spike pleaded. “I’m sure I’ll have no problems finding somewhere to sleep once I explain who I am-”

“Oh, you mean the ones who are currently chasing Diamond Dogs Celestia knows where?” Rarity’s tone softened. She wasn’t really mad, just exasperated that the Dragon could be so careless.

“Yeah, uh, those ones...” Spike said quietly. He relinquished Rarity’s waist and accepted his scolding, his eyes once again dropping to the floor. The Unicorn slackened her grip around the Dragon but didn’t let go just yet.

“Well, there’s only one thing for it,” she stated in a matronly tone. “You shall just have to stay with me.”

“Whu-wha?” Spike stumbled. “Rarity, no, I couldn’t possibly-”

The white creature silenced him with a raised hoof.

“Darling,” she said firmly, a smile at the corner of her mouth, “it’s not up for debate.”

Spike followed Rarity into her shop and after the Unicorn had magically illuminated the light hanging from the ceiling, was momentarily taken aback by how familiar it felt. There was a work bench, nigh identical to the one he’d seen her at so many times when he was small, strewn with needles, thread, scissors and off-cuts of fabric. Next to it there stood a robust iron sewing machine, on a stand with a hoof pedal for power. The interior was all polished pine, from the floor to the walls to the ceiling, the seamstress had obviously spared no expense when having the place built. There were several more Yak shaped mannequins dotted around the room, each wearing an ensemble that were in varying stages of completion. He found that the smell of the place took him right back to his childhood, to long before his wings had sprouted, to the days when he’d eagerly bound into the boutique, desperate to help Rarity with whatever he could. It was the smell of perfume, of dress-makers chalk, of various exotic fabrics and of course, of Rarity herself, an elegant floral aroma. The only thing missing was a surly cat stalking the premises.

“Wow,” he exclaimed, his voice now sounding loud and tinny now that they were out of the sound-absorbing effects of the snow. “It’s like being back in the Carousel Boutique.”

Rarity threw him a smile as she locked the front door.

“I have a small living quarters in the back, though I’m afraid it’s not the Bitz,” she intoned, breezing through a pair of satin curtains at the back of the room. “This way.”

Spike followed after her, clutching his backpack and newly acquired lantern close. He took a moment to extinguish the flame inside the latter; with this many hanging drapes and other flammable finery around, he didn’t need any accidents. That done, he stepped though the drapes and found himself in a tiny bedroom. There was a large-ish bed, a small bookshelf crammed with Shadow Spade novels, a bedside table with a lamp, and little else.

“I’ll just be a minute, darling,” she said as she slipped through a door to the left of the room and closed it lightly behind her. On the other side, Spike soon heard the sound of running water, and so correctly assumed that it was the bathroom. It was only then that he made a horrifying realization. There was only one bed.

Well, of course there was. Why would there be more than one bed? Stupid, stupid Dragon. Ah well. It’d have to be the floor for him. As he removed his slightly damp blanket from his bag and laid it out, he reasoned that he’d slept in worse places. Tartarus, when he was living with Twilight all those years ago in Ponyville his bed had been a dog basket for Celestia’s sake. Whilst Rarity was performing her ablutions, he took the opportunity to swap the trousers he was wearing for his spare pair, the latter being both cleaner and drier. He’d just treat them like pajamas for the time being. Ordinarily he would have retrieved Rare-bear from his bag too, but under the circumstances he thought she’d forgive him for leaving her in his bag’s front pocket. Thank goodness the Diamond Dog hadn’t discovered her while he was rifling through his things. He lay the backpack down at the top of the blanket as a makeshift pillow, and lay down. The damp fabric was cool against his scales, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle and besides, it would warm up and dry out soon enough. Just being this close to Rarity was all the comfort he needed, and besides...after that kiss...yowzer. Everything had moved so fast since that happened, or maybe it was that his brain wasn’t really processing things as well as it normally did, but he hadn’t really stopped to think what that meant. Did...did he have a chance with Rarity? A real, tangible, honest to Celestia chance? The thought was so sweet, so alluring, so-everything-he'd-ever-wanted he almost didn’t want to believe it was real, to save himself the crushing disappointment when it turned out to, in fact, not be. But the idea that it wasn’t real just didn’t line up with the facts. A wide, goofy grin damn near split his face in half. He felt giddy, exquisite joy and more excitement than he thought he’d ever felt in his life, like he wanted to run a mile, climb a mountain and pick a fight with a Bugbear all at the same time. It was difficult to describe. Maybe like what Pinky Pie went through on a daily basis? As he lay there, wondering how he’d got to be so lucky, the reason for his new-found euphoria emerged from the bathroom.

“Apologies,” she said as she re-entered the room, sans makeup. “I just had to-”

She stopped as she noticed the Dragon grinning dumbly on her floor.

“Spikey,” she asked quizzically, “what are you doing down there?”

“Hm?” Spike hummed up at her. “Oh, well, there’s just the one bed, so I thought...”

“Honestly Spike,” she chided with amusement. “You really think I’d have you sleep on the floor after what you did for me tonight?”

“Um, no...? But I just thought that-”

“I trust you don’t mind sharing.”

The colour drained from Spike’s face, and the moisture from his mouth.

“I’m sorry?” He replied in a voice that was too squeaky to be his own.

His tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth and making the words that he wanted say felt like a monumental effort.

“The bed, darling. It’s a queen size, so there should be plenty of room for the both of us.”

Spike simply stared up at her dumbfounded for what felt like an eternity but couldn’t have been more than several hours.

“Yeah,” he said, the high pitched, not-his voice showing no signs of abating. “Yeah, I’d be okay with that.”

He accepted her hoof to help him up off the floor and vacated his long-suffering blanket.

“Tsk.” Rarity tutted. “And on this sodden thing too.”

She returned to her bathroom and deposited his blanket in her laundry hamper. While she did so, Spike carefully peeled back the duvet, and slowly, gently, as though he were laying down on a bed of nails, lowered himself onto her mattress. Once there, he shunted himself across so that his back was just touching the cool wood of her wall. Nopony was going to accuse him of taking up more than his fair share of space, no siree.

Presently, the Unicorn re-entered the bedroom, closed the bathroom door and slipped into the bed beside him. She lay on her side, facing away from him, but twisted her upper body around to look at him.

“Just so you know, this isn’t the type of thing I’d normally do on a first date,” she smiled softly. “But these are exceptional circumstances.”

Spike could only nod in understanding and agreement. Rarity smiled at him once more, planted a final kiss on his lips, then rolled back over and killed the lights with a ping from her horn. She lay there still, her breathing becoming slow and rhythmic.

Inside Spike’s mind, a heated debate began.

‘You should put your hand on her,’ his brain said.

‘Are you crazy?!’ Spike mentally replied.

‘Nothing creepy, just, you know, as a sign of affection. On her cutie mark, maybe.’

‘How is that not creepy? It’s a complete violation of the trust she’s placed in us, and you should be ashamed for even saying it.’

‘Oh come on, Dragon! I was there for that kiss you know, I saw the whole thing. I know you’re feeling a little nervous about this, and to be honest I can’t quite believe it myself, but she obviously wants you. You’re looking at an open goal here, my friend.’

‘No. No, I won’t do it. To touch her without permission – while she’s sleeping, no less...it’s just sleazy. And furthermore–’

‘Sirs,’ a third voice joined the discussion. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt, but...’

‘Not now body!’ Spike snapped. ‘Can’t you see brain and I are having a conversation?!’

‘I know, it’s just...we’ve got movement sir.’

Back in the real world, Rarity reached behind herself, grasped Spike’s hand in her hoof, scooched her butt backwards towards him, made herself the little spoon, and placed his hand on her belly, her hoof gently holding it in place. She moaned in contentment and gave a little wriggle, before settling back down to sleep.

‘Ho, ho, hooooo,’ brain chuckled. ‘That right there is one heck of a thing. You doing okay there, buddy?’

Spike could make no reply.

Author's Note:

Whew! And I thought the last chapter spiralled out of control. There's going to be a delay in the next one, as I have a week long period where I'm not going to be able to get any writing done. Hopefully this XL chapter makes up for that. Thanks!

Comments

[zachary12]

nice job on all chapters out

[Cassette]

11884387
Thank you very much!

[DarkSnowGaming]

Spike having a mental conversation with himself? Hilarious.

[Cassette]

11885314
Lol, thanks. I was pretty pleased with that bit.

[GamePlayer64]

No offense but I think the redemption will failed. I mean how many years have the Legion has been in stone? I mean Discord did say that he heard everything when he was petrified. Besides I mean they might heard about Twilight was going to reform them as some of the guards will take about how they deserved being turned to stone despite it was Discord who masterminded everything and yet, he gets away scot-free

[Cassette]

11885837
None taken. Well, we'll see. I'd be lying if I said I had everything planned out, I'm sure what happens will be as much of a surprise to me as to everyone else. Though I think it's less about the redemption, and more about the chance, something that Tirek and Cozy Glow at least, never got. Remember, Cozy Glow was thrown in Tartarus the second she was found out, small wonder she came back for a second try. And is what she did (attempt to remove magic from the world) really that different from what Starlight tried to do the first time around? Except on a larger scale? If Starlight can achieve redemption, why not Cozy Glow? In any case, it won't be an easy path. (And as to the Discord being able to hear and see everything while he was petrified thing, that may just be because he has literally god-like powers. We don't know that it's the same for everycreature else. Yet.)
Anyhoo, thanks for reading this far!

[GamePlayer64]

11886055
I want to agree on that but since Discord did help out in turning those 3 to stone, he might made them head everything other say around them as revenge for stealing his magic and putting Fluttershy in a cell.