Chapter 1
Diamond Scales
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Inside a tree-turned-home in the middle of a small town, a purple and green shape rose grumbling from his bed and trudged to the stairs.
“Having trouble sleeping, Spike? That’s a first.” Twilight giggled at the flat expression on the dragon’s face.
“Leave the jokes to me, Twi.” He leapt from the stairs onto the main floor of the library, stumbling slightly as he landed. It was dark outside but the wall lanterns provided a decent amount of light. Twilight was lying on the floor, a dozen books opened around her. The adolescent dragon was slightly bigger than her, yet he still retained a younger nature about him as he flopped to the floor beside the librarian.
She frowned, concerned. “What’s the matter, Spike?”
“You know how you’re always telling me to think more and exercise my mind?” He sighed. “I’m tired of thinking.”
Twilight lowered her book to the ground and reach over to put a hoof on his shoulder. “Is something bothering you in particular?”
He grunted and waved her hoof away. “Doesn’t matter.” After a few moments, he hesitantly continued, “Um, Twilight? Could… Could you read me a story like you used to? I need to take my mind off stuff.”
Smiling, she kissed him on the forehead. “Sure. How about The Mare and the Monster?”
His heart kicked at such an apt yet painful title, but he dared not show any reaction. “Yeah, that’ll do.”
With a pulse of purple magic, a large, worn book floated from across the room to rest at Twilight’s feet. “Let’s see…” she murmured as the pages flipped from intangible fingers. “Ah, here it is. Ready?”
Spike gave a half-hearted thumbs up. “Yep.”
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful mare. She had fur that glowed in the day and sparkled at night. Her mane flowed like a creek over polished gemstones, captivating all who looked her way. All across the land, stallions and mares alike would give up everything to try and win her heart. They travelled from far and wide and offered her their most valued possessions. She graciously refused them all, of course, and the ponies began to wonder if she would ever accept a suitor.
“Until one day, a great call went out that a monster lived in a forest not far from the beautiful mare. Surely, the ponies cried, the one who slays the foul beast and brings it as an offering will gain the mare’s favour. For many weeks and many months, ponies of all kinds and comings threw themselves bravely at the monster. But alas, the beast was indomitable, and the ponies were cast down by the hundreds.
“It filled the mare’s heart with great sorrow to see so many die for her, and she wept tears of liquid diamond. Where they fell, white roses grew. It was in the sight of these white roses that a knight in gleaming armour swore a vow to end the mare’s sadness by defeating the monster. He marched, empowered by the scent of her grief and the wells of honour in his chest, and where he stepped other ponies would kiss, reverent of the one whose righteousness would conquer even the most dastardly of creatures.
“In the forest, the knight faced his greatest encounter without fear, though the beast was cunning in its own devious way and had set traps for those who wandered too far. The battle was fierce, beastly anger against noble steel, but the knight held steadfast in his resolve. With a mighty roar, the monster was felled by its own traps and the knight stood victorious.
“When the ponies saw what had been done they cheered and praised him with the highest honours. A parade took him through the streets, the dead beast carried on the backs of a hundred ponies. He laid the beast before the mare and her joyful smile warmed the hearts of all who saw it. She requested the knight’s hoof in marriage, and they were joined at that very moment. Together they lived, and he was the envy of all the land. The end.”
Spike snorted. “It doesn’t mention love.”
“Huh?” Twilight looked up from the pages.
“It doesn’t say they loved each other. Not once.” He rolled over so Twilight couldn’t see his face.
“Well, I suppose not… but it’s probably a given, right?”
“When is love ever a given?” he muttered.
“Spike, stop being deep. You’re scaring me,” she chuckled nervously.
“The whole story is stupid. It makes the monster seem dumb, falling into its own traps. It lived there and those ponies were attacking it! It was probably hurt and confused, lashing out at anypony who came near.” The young dragon pushed himself to his feet and paced angrily.
“It’s just an old ponytale. Don’t get so worked up over it.”
“But it’s wrong!” he roared, slamming a claw down and sending splinters of wood into the air.
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Spike…” she started, but the words died as the dragon stomped over to the door and into the night.
The fire of anger kept the cold at bay as much as his tough scales. Fury incarnate stormed the town on all fours, tail swaying menacingly as imagined scenarios of violence played across his mind. If anypony tried to stop him, they would go ignored.
All except a single mare. A unicorn, purple maned and lustrous with a fine scarf of patterned silk around her neck and hastily-dressed pink slippers upon her hooves, stepped out into the night, watching the maliciously-minded miscreation mind his way past her home.
“Spikey?” she called in a concerned tone.
He halted, surprised that the voice he so adored would address him. His anger could hardly continue to exist under her soft blue gaze and the absence of fury left him feeling hollow. “Hey Rarity…”
“What’s the matter, darling? You look… stressed.”
Spike felt absurdly grateful for her delicate description. “It’s nothing. Sorry to bother you this late.”
He tried to leave, but a little hoof on his chest stopped him. It was more of a gesture than a physical attempt to restrain him, but he stopped anyway. “Nonsense. You clearly have something on your mind and you’re not going to get any peace if you don’t talk about it.” She sounded so resolute and certain that he didn’t hesitate in believing her.
“Well… it’s kinda hard to talk about,” he began, and the words caused a burst of energy in his mind, as is common when one talks to one’s crush. “You know… You know how for a long time… years… I’ve sorta had a crush on you.” She opened her mouth to interject but he held up a claw. “Let me finish. Don’t act surprised because you’re way too smart not to notice.” A barely visible blush formed on her cheeks and she looked away. “It’s only recently that I’ve begun to realise how stupid it is. You’ve known for years but it’s taken me a long time to figure it out. I’m a dragon. You’re a pony. I’m the monster and you’re the mare.”
Rarity pawed at the ground, frowning. “I’ve never liked that story. You know, it never once mentions-“
“Love? Yeah, I noticed. Twilight said it was a given.”
She chuckled. “That certainly sounds like Twilight.” With a heavy sigh, she raised her eyes to meet Spike’s once more. “Can I tell you a different story, Spike?”
The young dragon knelt to her level. “Does it have a happy ending?”
Rarity bit her lip nervously. “It might.” After a moment, Spike nodded and she began. “Once upon a time, there was a gorgeous mare. She was the star of her town and everypony knew her. Countless stallions and mares approached her every day, begging for a chance to court her. The mare loved it at first, but over time she became overwhelmed by the attention. In an effort to get some peace, she turned away all her suitors and resigned herself to perpetual loneliness. Her only comfort was in her work… dressmaking.”
Spike’s eyes widened but Rarity quickly held up a hoof, determined to finish the story. “Eventually, she made some friends, ones who truly appreciated her for who she was. Five other mares… and a baby dragon.”
The dragon she spoke of smiled slightly and scratched the back of his head. Rarity smiled too and edged slightly closer. “Now, this baby dragon was a helpful little scoundrel, always assisting the mare with her work and keeping her company, even when she droned on and on about fashion. A true gentlecolt. Er, gentledragon.”
Spike deflated slightly, reminded of their differences once more. The light, musical laugh of the white unicorn picked him right back up, however. Rarity’s eyes were far away as she looked into their shared memories. “He even volunteered to be a mobile pin cushion once!”
Spike couldn’t help but chuckle along with her at the surreal recollection. He had been so much smaller back then.
The dressmaker sobered up quickly though, becoming serious once more. “I… The mare appreciated his unending generosity more than she could ever dare to say, for fear of attracting the wrong kind of attention once more. Knowing that the dragon shared her feelings was almost unbearable, yet she still endeavoured to maintain an air of ignorance to keep her life in order.
“That is until one night, when she saw him stomping past her house with fury in his eyes. She… leapt on the opportunity to talk to him. To her surprise, he confessed his feelings. The mare… felt unimaginable guilt… that she had made him so bitter through her false ignorance.” Rarity shuffled even closer. “She knew the only way to make him feel better was to get over her fear… and return the confession.”
Her words were warm pulses in his heart, pushing back the night’s chill. “Rarity…” he whispered.
She swallowed nervously and quickly continued speaking. “But she didn’t know what to do next and she started to worry about what others would think and she was sort of wishing he would shut her up with a hug before she explodes-“
The dragon rushed forward and gently wrapped his arms around her neck. Gently, because he was so much larger than her that his every action needed to be measured. She melted into his embrace happily, and while her hooves couldn’t reach all the way around his neck, she certainly made the attempt with enthusiasm.
For a time, the mare and the monster took simple comfort in each other.
“I liked that story,” said the monster.
“I like this story better,” replied the mare.
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Dear Princess Celestia,
I’m worried about Spike. He has been very depressed and tired lately and today when I read him a story it only seemed to make him more upset. I just don’t know why! I’ve always found The Mare and the Monster to be a very sweet story. I know I shouldn’t bother you with things like this, but I’m not certain how to help him.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
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My Dearest Twilight Sparkle,
You shouldn’t hesitate to contact me for any reason. Asking questions and seeking advice is something I have always encouraged.
As for Spike, I may have an idea about why he reacted the way he did. Try telling him that it was a manticore that was killed, not a dragon. Also, the knight most certainly did not win my heart by dragging the thing into my throne room. Rather, he was imprisoned for poaching. These things have a habit of getting exaggerated by enthusiastic historians.
Your teacher,
Princess Celestia
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Dear Princess Celestia,
WHAT?!