Chapter 1
When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
-William Shakespeare
Another successful diamond hunt. Rarity couldn’t help but feel marvelous. Emeralds, sapphires, rubies and all other assorted gems. Yet they were all lackluster compared to, la pièce de la résistance, a golf ball sized diamond. It gleamed like a star resting in the sky.
"Oh when I get you all home you are all going to be made into the most elegant of dresses." She cooed to her bulging hoofbag. She then trotted off into the night back to Ponyville.
Night in Equestria was beautiful, if not slightly dangerous. It was common knowledge to nocturnal predators in Equestria that little ponies taste delicious. But still Rarity appreciated the beauty of Princess luna’s night. Fog creeped over the land as fireflies dotted the forest and mountains. Various creatures made a groans and moans that echoed throughout the night. Rarity still carried on, reminding herself that she has a warm bed and home to get to.
Rarity followed her normal route back to Ponyville.One part of the path was closed off by cliffs on both sides. When Rarity began passing through she was in for a not so pleasant surprise. Her jaw hung open as she caught sight of the rock slide that walled up the path. Now Rarity began to worry.
“That wasn’t there before...”
Rarity looked around, no way around and climbing up the steep pile of rocks was impossible.
“It’s okay Rarity, you will just have to find another way around.” She said to herself. She turned around and had to search idly into the night.
Luckily she came upon a cliffside path, this path was wide enough to accommodate two ponies if need be, yet Rarity still kept away from the edge to be safe. She hadn't taken this path in years but there was some evidence of upkeep. Rarity guessed that some ponies most likely hiked along this path regularly. As she trotted her hoofs began to get more sore. Hours of running around were taking its toll. She stopped to catch her breath and give her legs a break. During the day the trek was perilous enough but now it was dark and cold. Worse of all is she went off alone. She was mentally scolding herself for going gem hunting as it was getting dark, how foolish. The exhaustion wasn't helping either.
Then she caught whiff of something. She raised her head and sniffed the air.
"Vegetable soup?" She questioned herself. She sniffed the air again. That confirmed it. Some pony nearby was cooking. Right then, she realized just how hungry she was; her stomach growled at her. If her stomach could talk it would probably scold her for not packing a snack in that bag. She put a reassuring hoof to her stomach, as if it would help.
Rarity began to follow the enticing smell. She had to venture off the path and do a little climbing, but her stomach told her to keep moving even if it was a little perilous. After some wandering she came upon the source of the delicious aroma. It was a hovel nestled in the side of the mountain. It was a crude structure that looked like it was made from adobe. At the top she could see smoke pluming out of a simple chimney. Light flickered out of the windows which were simple rectangular holes. Primitive but more inviting than the cold night.
She knocked on the large wooden door.
"Hello?"
She knocked harder, the door creaked open slowly. She peeked her head inside.
"Anypony home?"
Rarity stepped inside and shut the door. She set her bag down, it felt good to get that weight off her body. She began to look around the crude but warm house. It was one single large room that had everything a pony would need. A kitchen area, a living area and a sleeping area. However something was odd about it. Furniture was a little too big for just one pony. There was a huge bed and rightly proportioned tables and chairs. To the left was a large desk with mushrooms, various flowers and mixing instruments. An extinguished candle held in a shallow cup sat on the desk. To the side of that was the only piece furniture of normal sized, a bookshelf half full of books. Everything seemed a little worn out in the house, nothing looked new. But upon closer inspection the furniture seemed sturdily made. Whomever made the furniture must have great skill with their hooves, or used unicorn magic at least. Still, Rarity thought the place was dull, clearly the residents never heard of decoration. She liked the idea of possibly helping them with that.
The entire room was lit by a fireplace set to the right. On the fireplace was the source of the divine aroma.
A huge cauldron hung above the fire. A small table next to it had a wooden bowl and spoon. Rarity walked over without thinking, hunger getting the best of her.
"I'm sure no pony would mind, after all, there is enough soup here to feed a village. And I a pony out on my luck." Rarity thought out loud.
She picked up the bowl with her magic and dipped it into the soup. She then set it on the table and let it sit for a moment. It was clearly scalding.
Even when no pony was around Rarity still made great effort to eat it in the most ladylike of way. She would silently take spoonfuls of broth and vegetables. There was broccoli, carrots, potatoes, chunks of celery and onions. Whoever made this must of had a cutie mark for cooking because this soup was to die for.
After about an hour and 3 bowls of soup later, Rarity’s eyelids grew increasingly heavy. She figured the pony, or ponies, that lived here would be kind enough to let her spend the night. She was a little curious why no pony had shown up yet. Obviously some pony recently made this soup and would want to eat it.
The bed was inviting, but she thought it would be to much to sleep in some pony else's bed after eating their dinner. She curled up on a carpet next to the fire. Rarity just hoped that the ponies that took residence here would be understanding of a pony out on her luck. She quickly pushed the bad thoughts away and let sweet slumber take her.
---
"Good morning sleeping beauty. "
Rarity shot up out of sleep. She frantically looked around in every direction.
Her eyes quickly found the source of that voice. Before her was a large figure. She gawked at the sheer size of the being, it towered over her.
She screamed.
Rarity's flight response shifted into overdrive, without thinking she jumped backwards and landed in the corner of the room. She was shaking in fear as she covered her face with her front legs.
"Please don't eat me Mr. giant! I just needed some place to stay for the night and was famished!" She screamed in horror. "I swear there is very little meat on my bones anyway and I taste awful!"
The figure let out a hearty chuckle.
"Tell me Rarity, do you always cower in fear of friends you haven't seen in years?" He said half chuckling.
She froze.
"That voice…" Rarity whispered. It was familiar, but something different about it.
Rarity opened her eyes and peeked through her front legs. After clearly looking at the figure she then put her hooves down as her face widened with surprise.
"S-SPIKE?!" She gasped.
"Hey, you do remember me!" He said happily.
Spike looked completely different than how she remembered him. He stood about 2 in a half ponies high, his neck was longer and his head was much more slender. He was still bipedal and his arms and legs seemed a little long and lanky. He looked agile and strong. He also had a pair of frayed pants tightened by a belt around his slim waist. The spikes on his head were bigger now and and looked like spear heads, however along his back the spikes were smaller. His scales darkened into a deep purple and shined in the morning light. He didn't appear to have any wings.
Rarity couldn't process the situation. "W-wha-?!" Her eyes scanned every single part of him, a part of her just wasn't realizing that this tall elegant dragon was the little spikey wikey she remembered.
"What are you doing here?!" She questioned.
"Well, I should be asking you the same thing."
He had a point.
Rarity took a few deep breath. Instead of cowering in the corner, she sat down on the carpet by the fireplace, and she curiously regarded him. Spike sat down on the bed facing her. This dragon really used to be Twilights cute little assistant.
Rarity looked up at his face. She stared long and hard. Spike blinked a few times, he smiled awkwardly.
"Why did you run away?" She blurted out, trying not to sound sad. "You just left without telling any pony."
Several years ago Spike disappeared from Ponyville. One day Twilight Sparkle woke up and he wasn’t in his bed. It didn't make any sense. Everything seemed normal and he was very happy. Then like a flash he was gone. Leaving without a trace. No note. No goodbyes. Nothing. Spike was missing. She contacted the royal guard and a huge search and rescue was put out. Nothing came back.
Now Spike felt like the cornered one. In his own home that he had built ironically.
He began. "I don't really know, I-"
Rarity cut him off.
"You don't know! What do you mean 'You don't really know'!" She blew up. "You just left without a trace! Do you have any idea what Twilight and all of us went through?!" She yelled, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "We all assumed the worse! You could of been lost, abducted or even dead! We even aided the search and rescue teams that tried to find you!" She stomped a hoof to the floor."Twilight kept searching long after every pony gave up, She took you absence hard. Actually not hard, very hard. I didn’t even pretend to imagine what it would be like to raise someone from infancy and having them disappear without knowing anything!” She was yelling through her teeth. “The immeasurable amount of negative emotions! So much uncertainty and fear, and here you are out in the wilderness making vegetable soup!" Panting with anger, her eyes locked on him, her teeth bared. A single tear went down her face.
Spike couldn't lower his head any more if possible.
Rarity glared at him, if looks could kill Spike would be shredded to ribbons.
"Well?!"
Silence. The dragon seemed to be very interested in the floor.
"ANSWER ME!"
His head shot up making eye contact with her, Spike peered into the orbs. So much was said in her eyes alone. Rage, melancholy, confusion, pity, but somewhere behind all that Spike saw some form of familiar comfort. Yet, it was still swept back by the endless torrent of other emotions. Rarity stepped back. "I just wanted to get away." Spike said. Rarity was still pouting with anger, not satiated with the answer.Spike stood up and continued.
"I loved my friends and Ponyville, b-but I felt like a caged animal. I mean look, I'm a dragon. Being a librarian's assistant just wasn't cutting it for me."
Rarity's expression softened. Spike broke eye contact and walked to the window. He peered outside resting his arms on the stool of the window.
"I wanted something more, I craved to do so many things other than organize books and write letters. I wanted to run through the forest. Swim in the rivers. Climb the tallest trees.” He paused.
“I just wanted some freedom."
He turned to her, guilt distorting his facial features.
"That still doesn't justify me for leaving without telling you guys." Spike admitted.
Rarity's eyes widened at his honesty. This really wasn't the baby dragon she remembered.
Without directly looking at Rarity, he began to pace back and forth in front of her.
“At that time there were a lot of things I felt unsure about. I didn’t fit in among other dragons but clearly I’m not a pony. I really had no idea what I was.”
Rarity's heart sank. She felt awful for yelling at him earlier. She couldn't let him go on much longer.
Spike collapsed on his knees facing away from her. He wouldn't dare look at her. Rarity opened her mouth to talk but Spike spoke first.
"I needed some time to think. About who, and what I am." he muttered.
A knot began to form in Rarity's chest.
A minute of thick silence passed, Rarity was at a loss of words.
"Truthfully, I needed some time to think about a lot of other things too." Spike said.
"Things like that silly crush I had on you." He choked out.
That knot in Rarity's chest shot up to her throat. She didn't know what to say. A minute ago she was tearing at Spike for all of the uncertainty he put her friends through. Now she was the one that was torn. It became clear to Rarity that Spike had matured dramatically all on his own.
“Of course when you’re young, you get hopelessly optimistic about almost anything. I was not only out of your league but a totally different species!” Spike admitted, defeated.
Rarity heard enough.
Rarity wrapped her front legs around him. The side of her face resting on his back. His scales felt hot against her face, he was a dragon after all. Still, she held him tight and didn't want to let go. Rarity got it. Spike having no physical and emotional outlet in Ponyville made Spikes life unbearable.
“Spike...” Rarity began.
She turned her face to the window. The sun was now a full circle just resting on the horizon line. Spike joined Rarity in looking at the great orb of light. It’s warmth and light bounced around the large room. It was a new day.
“...let’s go home.”