Redemption
The Cutie Mark Crusaders made their way through town, heading for Pinkie’s place to meet up with Silver Spoon and Spike. Feeling more pressed for time than they actually were, they decided to cut through a shadowed alleyway. However, halfway through a small figure moved from the shadows ahead, sitting in their path. They screeched to a halt, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hiding behind Scootaloo. The little figure slowly and unsteadily walked out to allow the trio to see her. Days-settled anger in the girls gave way to shock.
After all, they’d never seen Diamond Tiara look this bad.
The girl’s coat was faded, her normally-impeccable mane un-groomed and dull. Her eyes were red, and there were dark circles around them – obvious signs of both recent tears and lack of sleep. She was skinnier, and her whole body was trembling lightly. She looked at the girls, who actually felt a stab of sadness and pity at how sorrowful her eyes were.
“What in the world happened to ya?” Apple Bloom said softly.
“Everything” Diamond choked out in reply. “Ever since I realized Silver Spoon was right about me. I… I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t look at myself in a mirror. It feels like there are weights inside me dragging me down. I’m always seeing or hearing you girls and Silver every time I close my eyes or when it’s quiet… Accusing me, judging me, threatening me, hating me… Every time I think about what I’ve done, what I’ve become… I just wanna curl up and stop breathing…”
“Guilt…” Sweetie Belle whispered in surprise as she caught on to what was happening. “The guilt over things is literally driving her mad. Maybe even killing her…”
“Is she… faking?” Scootaloo muttered, in shock, not wholly believing what she had just said.
“No…” Apple Bloom replied, just as surprised. “This ain’t somethin’ you can fake. Not like this…”
“I…” Diamond continued. “I don’t know what in Celestia’s name I’ve been thinking all this time. What I’ve done over the years… to you girls… to everyone… is beyond forgiveness; beyond redemption. I know you can never forgive me… But… I just wanted… needed to tell you…” Her voice started to break. “I’m so sorry…”
She got down on the ground, prostrated before the shocked trio, crying.
“I know you can’t accept my apology. I don’t blame you in the slightest. But if there’s anything you want to do… then please, do it! Let your anger out on me! I know I’m a horrible pony! There isn’t any hope left for me! I've wasted my chance to be happy and have friends, and no punishment could ever really fit what I’ve done! Please! I’ll do whatever it takes to atone, let you do whatever you want to me! I can’t live like this anymore! It hurts too bad! I feel like I’m about to die every second of every day! And I really think that at this point I might deserve to! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I n-never meant to fall this far! I wish I could change, wish I could turn things around, but it’s too late for that! I can’t take this pain anymore! I’m a monster! …I'm just… so tired…”
With that, she simply lay there, face down in the dirt crying, unable to muster the willpower to say anything more. As they watched and listened, the Crusaders found that, try as they might, they couldn’t feel angry anymore. Instead, there was shock, understanding, sadness, and pity. Scootaloo very slowly took a few steps forward toward the broken girl. She looked deep inside herself, finding that the hate was gone, and in its place were feelings she would’ve never expected to find toward this particular filly. The bully that had tormented her was gone; in her place was just another child, just like her, and this one was sad and scared just as she had once been. She reached out, gently laying a hoof on Diamond Tiara’s shoulder; the other girl flinched and seized up in fear at the touch. But no pain came. Diamond slowly uncovered enough of her face to allow one eye to look up, and as Scootaloo met her eyes she said three words that she would have never believed herself saying – three that nearly sent Diamond reeling:
“I forgive you.”
Diamond was so shocked that she forgot to breathe for a few seconds. Her eyes went as wide as they could, and when she tried to talk she failed.
“You’ve been through enough” Scootaloo continued, speaking softly. “You understand that you’ve done wrong. You want to change. You’re sorrier than you’ve been for anything else in your whole life. You’ve been torturing yourself over this. You’ve let go of the arrogance and pride that led you to do those bad things. You’re slowly destroying yourself over this. You’ve suffered more than enough. …You do still have goodness in you, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to hold onto it. You’re a little girl just like me, who’s sorry and who needs and wants to do the right thing from here on out. So… I forgive you.”
Wordlessly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked over to either side of Diamond Tiara and carefully helped her to her feet, dusting her off and helping her steady herself.
“I had the tiniest hunch that it wasn't too late for you” Apple Bloom said. “Just a gut feelin’, and that’s never steered me wrong.”
At that, Scootaloo cleared her throat, and she & Sweetie Belle glared at Apple Bloom.
“Er, outside of Cutie Mark crusadin’, that is” the yellow filly said sheepishly.
“Take heart, Diamond,” Sweetie Belle said in a deadpan tone while making a matching face at Apple Bloom, “for you have never been through multiple, wildly different endeavors that all inexplicably end with being covered in tree sap.”
“Man, I don’t even know how the ‘Tennis-themed Cutie Marks’ attempt ended like that” Scootaloo added in. “Or the water-skiing one.”
“Or the origami one, for that matter” Sweetie Belle said. “How does trying to fold paper into pretty shapes result in tree-sap? How, I ask you?!”
“That… really doesn’t make any sense…” Diamond Tiara said.
“I know, right? Anyway… Would you like to come to our clubhouse for a bit?”
“W-What? Even if you’ve forgiven me, why would you want me around?”
Scootaloo chuckled. “Yeah, Silver Spoon was a bit freaked out when we accepted her, too.”
Diamond’s eyes went wide, various emotions visible in them. “Y-You’ve… talked with Silver Spoon?”
“Yeah” Apple Bloom replied. “She was dang-near terrified we’d hate her, but we broke her of that suspicion pretty quick. And Spike’s helpin’ her adjust, too.”
“In that case… could one of you perhaps do me a favor?”
-SCENE BREAK-
Spike sat in the main room of the library/house, engrossed in a comic book. Silver Spoon was lounging with her head in his lap, reading it with him. Twilight was going to be out doing a personally-assigned research project until sunset, so they had the place to themselves. Suddenly, there was a polite yet insistent knocking on the door. They got up and walked over together to the door, opening it. There was no-one there. There was, however, a wheeled crate piled five ponies high with sapphires & rubies and marigolds & tulips.
“My favorite…” Spike and Silver Spoon chorused together, eyes wide.
“Hey, there’s a scroll on the front” Silver said, pointing it out to Spike. The young dragon picked it up, seeing that the front read “FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID FOR ME”. He opened it, and in a flash of Rarity’s bluish magic a good-sized, perfectly-aged fire-ruby fell out of magical storage, landing at Spike’s feet. Overcome with curiosity, he began to read, Silver Spoon reading with him over his shoulder:
“Spike,
I have, upon thought, realized to my horror that I am guilty of everything you accused me of, however consciously ignorant of my actions and subconscious desires I may have been. I was well aware of the feelings you had for me, but I told myself the age difference was, for the time being, too great a factor. …Over the months, I believe that my subconscious mind was indeed leading me to take advantage of your feelings, and for that I can never forgive myself, just as you can and should never forgive me. I lied to myself, convincing myself that you were happy to assist me, that I was giving you enough to repay you for all that you did.
I was a short-sighted fool blind to my own darkness.
I admit I did have yet another ulterior motive. I did have the beginnings of feelings for you, and I hoped that continued time together until you were old enough would reward me with a kind, caring partner so unlike the stallions I’ve known in the past. You were a perfect little gentleman, just like I always wanted. …But my thoughtless actions took all that away forever.
This gift is payment for all the things you did for me – all the gems I should have given you, with interest, all of them mined by me, alone, over the previous few days. Along with them are the favorite treats of your girlfriend. Yes, I am aware that you have found love where I no longer can, and Silver Spoon’s parents are semi-frequent customers of mine, so her doting father may have said a few things here & there. I know you will treat her a thousand times better than I treated you, and vice-versa. …I know that what I have done to you is beyond unforgivable. You can never and should never pardon what I have done, and I will never forgive myself for it either. Living and then dying alone without a beloved one as I now plan to is the least I deserve. You will not have to suffer my presence ever again; I will schedule the few times I leave my shop to avoid crossing your path, and I will endeavor to learn Twilight’s teleportation spell so that, if when I am out & about I detect your presence, I will get out of your way so you don’t have to deal with me. Goodbye, Spike. And thank you for everything.
Silver, if you are reading this… Please, take care of him where I failed to. He has earned that much. You are a wonderful filly and I know you will make him happy where I couldn't.
Rarity Belle”
Spike stared at the letter still clutched in his hands, which was becoming slightly blurred by unshed tears. He looked up at the mountain of gems before him, but he didn’t exactly feel hungry for them anymore. Waves of crushing regret rushed through him. He looked to Silver Spoon, who wordlessly got up on her hind legs and hugged him tightly, which he returned as he still tried to fight the tears back.
An hour later, Spike and Silver Spoon were again sitting in the living room, but this time their moods were considerably more somber. And yet again, a knock on the door – this one more forceful – interrupted.
“Spike? Silver?” a young, accented voice called in. “It’s me, Apple Bloom! Y’all in there?”
Silver Spoon got up and let the other filly in, and Apple Bloom took stock of the sight – a large pile of gemstones and flowers, completely untouched, in the corner, along with a morose-looking Spike, and Silver didn’t look to be in high spirits, either.
“I’m guessin’ there’s a really complicated story behind all this” the yellow-furred filly said.
Silver merely gestured to the scroll sitting on the floor in front of the cart-full-of-stuff. After Apple Bloom finished reading it, she looked sad and pensive.
“Well, Sweetie Belle did mention that Rarity’s been depressed and lockin’ herself away in her room lately…” she muttered. “I didn’t know the situation was this big, though. …Anyway, that ain’t quite why I came here. Silver Spoon, I’ve got a message for ya.”
“Really?” the gray filly asked. “From who?”
“Well… Before I say who it is, lemme first say that we were just as surprised at her personality turn-around as you’ll likely be. Guilt’s been eatin’ her alive, to the point where I’m a bit surprised she ain’t done anythin’… drastic. It seems that… you weren’t entirely right with your assumptions when you chewed her out; if she were heartless, there ain’t no way Diamond Tiara would be so completely broken right now by loneliness an’ regret an’ self-hatred an’ guilt.”
Silver Spoon’s jaw dropped. She found herself too shocked to speak.
“She’s in a real bad way” Apple Bloom continued. “She ain’t slept or eaten in days. She can’t look in a mirror or at a picture of herself without feelin’ so disgusted that she gets nauseous. She’s wastin’ away, an’ the guilt and other feelings are literally startin’ to drive her mad; she’s been hallucinatin’, hearing voices – yours and ours – judgin’ an’ accusin’ an’ other nasty stuff. All the bad stuff she’s done, all the bad feelings she’s put on others, they’re all hittin’ her back all at once, ten-fold. She even went an’ talked to her mother, and from what we’ve been able to squeeze outta Diamond her mama had to spend a good long while tryin’ to convince her she ain’t a black-hearted monster beyond redemption… an’ I think her mama just might’ve failed in that endeavor. …Anyway, Diamond can’t bear facin’ you right now, so I volunteered to come here and tell y’all that stuff, and that she’s probably the sorriest pony in the world right now from what the gals & I can tell. …Now, if y’all excuse me, I gotta get back to the clubhouse; we got her stayin’ there so we can keep our eyes on her, make sure she don’t do anythin’ drastic, if ya know what I mean. Sweetie Belle already took anythin’ sharp an’ buried it out behind the clubhouse for the time bein’. I’ll be seein’ you two.”
As Apple Bloom left out the front door, Silver Spoon’s hind legs gave out on her from shock, leaving her seated, eyes wide, staring into space as it all sank in. Spike came up and hugged her from behind.
“I guess now we’re in the same boat, huh?” he said with a tinge of sadness and understanding in his tone. She said nothing, letting out a sniffle as she hung her head, resting her chin on his arms. After several seconds he asked “Do you want to go see her?”, and after several seconds’ contemplating she nodded.
The duo made their way across town and into the area bordering Sweet Apple Acres, and soon a certain treehouse was visible. The two made their way closer as quietly as they could, slowly making their way up the steps. Voices were now audible inside.
“She seemed completely flummoxed, just like we were” Apple Bloom’s voice could be heard saying.
“Maybe that’s a good thing” Scootaloo said.
“I doubt that…” said a voice that sounded like Diamond Tiara, but way too sad and lifeless to be her. Spike and Silver Spoon made their way to a window, peeking in, and Silver stifled a gasp. Diamond looked positively awful; her mane was a mess, her coat was faded, her eyes were dull and red from lack of sleep and recent tears, with bags under them and black circles around them, she was skinny, and her whole posture spoke of a broken soul. She was staring half-lidded at the floor in front of her, head hanging low. Around her, the Crusader Trio looked pitying and concerned.
“It’s just as well” Diamond said in a low, lifeless tone. “She deserves a medal for putting up for me for even just a month, let alone six years. She shouldn’t have to trouble herself with a horrible pony like me. I’m no good for anything other than causing pain and sadness to others.”
“That’s not true” Sweetie Belle said. “You were her friend. You obviously cared for her; if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be so torn up by the things she said. …There’s still good in you. We can see it, your mom & dad can see it…”
“…Diamonds are reflective. You’re all seeing your own good reflected back at you. Inside me, there’s nothing…” Upon close inspection, Diamond Tiara’s fur was getting almost-imperceptibly grayer.
“That’s bullcrap!” Apple Bloom cut in. “Nopony’s heartless! Nopony’s worthless! Ain’t ya ever heard of the phrase ‘diamond in the rough’? You’ve just been in more rough than most.”
“By continuing to exist,” Diamond Tiara continued, no longer able to hear the others as she sank deeper into despair, “I cause suffering to others. My life has no worth, no great meaning.”
“Diamond? You’re starting to worry me here” Scootaloo muttered.
“It would be better for everyone else… if I just… disappeared.”
Before five sets of horrified eyes, there was a dark flash of light that rolled across Diamond Tiara’s entire body, leaving all of her colors heavily de-saturated, her whole form grayed. Her eyes lost what little light remained in them, and her breathing began to slow.
“She’s Discorded herself…” Spike whispered in horror.
“D-Diamond?” Apple Bloom was trying her damndest to keep from freaking out. “C’mon girl, don’t do this to us! Hey, listen to me! It ain’t too late for ya! You haven’t lost everythin’ yet! You can do more than cause pain! You can put that part of you in the past! You can still be someone’s friend! W-We’ll be your friends! Don’t go fadin’ out here!”
The three fillies didn’t notice as someone entered the clubhouse, intent on what she was about to do.
“Come on, Tiara!” Scootaloo shouted. “I thought you were tougher than this! Fight it! Come back! …Please…”
Sweetie Belle was on the verge of tears, feeling helpless to stop what she saw was about to happen.
“Silver…” Diamond whispered, no longer able to see, her eyes slowly closing as her voice weakened. “For everything… Thank you… and… I’m… sorry…”
And then Silver Spoon, having reached the Discorded and shutting-down Diamond Tiara and now standing directly in front of her (to the shock of the Crusaders) reached out and pulled Diamond into a hug. The fading filly’s eyes shot open in surprise, quickly identifying who was now holding her. She brought a hoof up, softly pressing it against the other’s side to confirm that this was real. Silver held her tight, tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry…” Silver whispered. “I was wrong about you. You’re not heartless at all. You’re still good. I don’t want to see you hurting like this anymore …You’re my friend.”
Slowly, a small wave of six-hued light swept over Diamond Tiara’s body, returning her to her normal, full colors. Slowly, she brought her forelimbs up to return the embrace, and she started to cry. The Crusaders and then Spike joined in to make it a group hug, and it wasn’t long before Diamond was openly bawling. All the while, Silver held her close, shedding her own silent tears. At long last, she had her old friend back.
That night, Diamond Tiara slept soundly and peacefully for the first time in nearly a week, curled up together with Silver, Spike, and the Crusaders in the guest’s bed at Twilight’s house. The purple-furred unicorn, though saddened by Rarity’s letter, felt joy at seeing a damaged friendship be mended stronger than ever.
-SCENE BREAK-
A few days later
Flutter Field
Two small figures were seated on a blanket laid out next to the line of trees that bordered Flutter Field, a pristine area of green grass, flowers tended to by butterflies, and several large rock formations covered in plant life, all bordering a large, clear-watered river. Having finished their packed lunch (made up of a small portion of Rarity’s gift), they now lay back and watched the clouds together.
The “rebuilding” of Diamond Tiara’s shattered self-image was progressing slowly but surely. She was learning better ‘friendship skills’, helped by the Crusaders, Spike, & Silver Spoon, as well as some copies of Twilight’s various Friendship Reports. Rarity, meanwhile, was keeping to her word despite the other girls’ attempts to talk to her about it, going out of her way to avoid crossing Spike’s or Silver Spoon’s path out of shame and guilt. According to Sweetie Belle, Rarity had been spending inordinate amounts of time locked up in her room again, often late into the night, this time with several spell scrolls that she studied with an intensity that would leave Twilight impressed had she seen it. When asked why she was doing this, Rarity replied “just expanding my knowledge and repertoire.”
Spike & Silver’s cloud-gazing was interrupted by a snarling sound coming from in the field. They sat up and looked over, and saw three black-and-purple bipedal creatures, with red slit-pupiled eyes and large claws.
“Crap…” Spike breathed out. “Shadow Slashers…”
“What are they?” Silver Spoon asked, feeling nervous.
“They’re creatures that are literally made of corruptive dark magic. They were originally created by some high-level dark mage around half a millennium ago, but when Celestia killed him they didn’t die out like expected. They feed on ambient magic, and they reproduce asexually from what studies can tell. They’re also really vicious; they’ve killed plenty of ponies over the centuries. …Granted, one or two are hardly a threat, but they live in packs and tend to mob-rush their targets until either they’re all destroyed or their target is. Every once in a while, Celestia has their numbers culled, but from what I hear that hasn’t had to be done for a couple of decades now, since for some reason sightings of them have been down for a while.”
“Should… Should we run now before they see us?”
Before Spike could answer, one of the creatures turned toward them and caught sight of them, letting out a predatory hiss that alerted its two comrades to the presence of live fleshlings. The three Shadow Slashers slowly stalked toward the couple, and then broke into a charge. Spike, instinctively reacting to protect his “partner”, immediately launched a green fireball that impacted the charge-leader square in the face, knocking it backward and destroying it. Two more fireballs picked off the other two. He breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, that wasn’t so bad” he said.
On cue, more Shadow Slashers rose from the earth. And more. And more. And more.
“I think I know why they haven’t been seen much the past few decades, honey” Silver Spoon said, trembling. “They've gotten smart enough to take ‘strength in numbers’ to the logical conclusion.”
There must have been hundreds of them, varying in size and form. A town full of unsuspecting fleshlings was ahead, and all that stood in their path were two children. Two-dozen Shadow Slashers, each with their right arms looking like organic cannons, took aim at the couple. They all fired, a barrage of dark energy bolts, and Spike & Silver Spoon hugged each other with eyes clenched shut.
There was the *crack-fwoosh* of teleportation, and a transparent, blue-tinted magical barrier sprang into being, blocking the shots. The two kids opened their eyes to see Rarity standing before them, facing the horde, her body wavering with magical energy. Without a word, her horn pulsed and the barrier shattered into a fusillade of shards that shot forward, cutting down 15 Slashers.
“I’m sorry you have to see me again, Spike” she said. “But even after all that has happened… Even if I have to break my word and ruin your date with my presence, I will not let them harm you or her.”
A larger Shadow Slasher, one of the alphas, roared a challenge. Rarity stood fast.
“Look around, demons” she called out. “I am in and surrounded by my element. You can’t defeat me. So long as I draw breath, these two children shall not be harmed!”
A pack of around two-dozen of the Shadow Slashers charged her. In response, her magic enveloped a rock formation, which came apart into a fusillade of rock spikes that shot toward them, destroying them all. The ‘cannon’-wielding Slashers took aim and fired at her en masse; she responded by raising another barrier, and then the shooters were impaled from beneath by spears of rock jutting up from the earth. Another group of Shooters near the river were stopped before they could fire on her when a mass of the water, controlled by Rarity’s magic, reared up behind them and then grabbed hold of them in the form of watery tentacles that then tore them all asunder. Another six Slashers had gotten close to her by now, but her magic surged again as a shifting mass of sand emerged from beneath the ground, blocking their attacks and then lashing out at them, bashing some and crushing others, destroying them.
30 more Slashers charged toward her, including a larger Alpha, but during their charge they passed through a zone surrounded by plant-covered rock formations. Another surge of Rarity’s magic into the formations resulted in the Shadow Slashers being caught in a deadly crossfire of high-velocity stone projectiles, destroying them all. A force of nearly 100 then rushed in. In response, Rarity’s horn flared brightly, and it was then as if nearly the entire river rose up in the form of a serpentine dragon that then “flew” through the air, crashing into the horde with extreme force – enough to crush and destroy every last one of them. An even larger chunk of the army of darklings, driven by mindless blood-rage, broke into a terrifying charge. In response, Rarity called forth a huge amount of magic, such that her eyes glowed blue from her power. The ground in front of her began to give way, subsumed under/by an ever-growing mass of magically-charged sand. It soon became a veritable tidal wave that rushed forward, engulfing nearly 200 of the fiends and almost-completely burying that half of Flutter Field. Before they could dig their way out, another huge pulse of power from Rarity caused the tremendous mass of sand to hyper-compress instantaneously, crushing everything in it and making the ground tremble as if there were an earthquake. By now, Rarity was gasping for breath, her limbs trembling slightly, having expended enormous amounts of her energy, but she refused to falter.
Undaunted, none of the remaining hundreds of Shadow Slashers even considered fleeing, their minds driven by feral fury. Rarity unleashed a large pulse of solid telekinetic magic, forming a shockwave that destroyed many of the next charging wave and sent the rest hurtling through the air. This was repeated a second time shortly after. And a third. This time, Rarity nearly collapsed, yet she then pulled herself back up, her eyes returning to their focus as her body flared up with more power, but this time there was something off about it. It felt different, and her exhausted appearance seemed to worsen. Another pulse of power knocked away another enemy charge, and Rarity then coughed for a few seconds, the last one bringing up a small amount of blood, her knees trembling, yet still she refused to fall, staring defiantly out at the horde.
“Oh no…” Silver Spoon whispered.
“What?” Spike asked. “What’s she doing?”
“I read about this in one of Twilight’s books. She’s… She’s used up her normal magical reserves, so now she’s getting more by converting it directly from her life-force! If she keeps this up for too much longer, she’ll die!”
Rarity continued to gasp for breath, still ready to attack again. The horde of Shadow Slashers had paused for just a moment, as if contemplating what to do next. She willed her eyesight to keep its focus and violently pushed back her body’s urge to relinquish consciousness to preserve itself.
“Rarity…” Spike said, a myriad of emotions in his voice. “You don’t have to do this… You… You would actually go this far to…”
“It’s the least I can do” she replied, her voice starting to give out. “After all the pain I caused you, I swore to make amends the only way I could: by making sure you get and keep the happiness you deserve. That extends to making sure you’re alive to experience it. You’ve finally found someone who you deserve. I won’t let either of you meet your end like this… even if I have to in your place.”
“I never wanted this…” the boy choked out, his eyes watery. “Even when I was angry, I never wanted you to get hurt. You’re… You’re my friend. I can’t bear losing a friend like this!”
“Spike… I did come to love you. I think some part of me might still. That is why… To do this for your sake… If it comes to pass, I’ll have no regrets about it. …Silver Spoon, please take good care of him.”
“M-Miss Rarity…” the filly sniffled. “You can’t…”
En masse, the remaining 450 Shadow Slashers charged again. Rarity stood fast and tall, her life’s power building, and as the leading wave got close she unleashed a burst of power that made the ground rise up in a wall of spikes that skewered them. The rest broke through the spikes and continued forward, and the river again surged up at Rarity’s command, rushing forward and crushing many more of the fiends. As the rest of the horde came rushing in, Rarity struck out with one massive telekinetic wave after another. Blood started leaking from her mouth and her glowing eyes, but she continued unheeded. She slowly walked forward on trembling legs, lashing out at the dwindling demons as she went, until finally she began gathering every last bit of power she had left, swirling together as a blinding spark of light hovering above her horn. The last 200 of the horde, the largest and hardiest of the army, came rushing in all at once, insane with the deep-seated need to shed her blood.
“Rarity! NO!!”
There was a massive, omni-directional pulse of overwhelming magical power, a half-dome of bluish energy racing outward at great speed. It passed over Spike and Silver Spoon, leaving them completely unharmed. Each Shadow Slasher it hit screamed out and then disintegrated into particles of darkness that then faded away. The clouds above parted from the force of the shockwave, and the humongous surge of magical power was felt by everyone in Ponyville. The shockwave dissipated and faded out after several seconds.
Back at the ruined Flutter Field, Rarity stood totally still, the glow of power fading from her eyes and body. After several seconds, she slowly turned her head to Spike, and gave a small smile at him. Then her eyes rolled up in their sockets and closed, and she toppled over. To Spike, it seemed that everything move in slow motion as she fell, landing in the scorched grass and going completely still.
-SCENE BREAK-
A few days later
At first, there was blackness and silence. But after a few seconds, sound began to be picked up by her ears – a rhythmic beeping to her left. Touch came next, the feel of soft cotton beneath and atop her, and what could only be a pillow under her head with her mane loosely splayed out on it underneath her head, along with a warm weight further down. Slowly, she managed to open her eyes. Thankfully, the lights in whatever room she was in were off, so she didn’t get that type of shock to her system. She managed to move her head to the left and right, identifying her surroundings as a hospital room. She felt something stir down near her hips, and saw Sweetie Belle lying curled up next to her. It was then that she remembered everything that had transpired, her breath catching in her throat.
“I’m… alive…?” she whispered out.
Sweetie Belle’s ears twitched at this, and slowly she woke up and raised her head, eyes half-open. As the filly made eye contact and registered what she was seeing, her eyes shot open and she let out a shuddering gasp.
“S-Sis…” she choked out.
Before Rarity could say anything else, the little girl lunged forward, trapping her in a tight hug, burying her face in the young-adult mare’s chest, and starting to cry. Slowly, she managed to get her forelimbs to come up and hold the girl. They stayed like that for a little while, before a middle-aged unicorn mare with pink fur and two-toned purple mane & tail barged in the room, having heard her youngest daughter crying and assumed the worst. Her fears were dashed upon seeing that her eldest was awake.
“Rarity!” she cried, running forward and embracing both of the girls. “Oh, thank Celestia! I thought I lost you!”
“How am I… still alive?” Rarity asked, her voice weak.
“Twilight Sparkle teleported in when you let out that huge pulse of magic,” her mother explained, “and the others weren’t far behind. Spike explained what happened. Honey, you burned out pretty much all of your life energy; you were dying. But your friends saved you thanks to Twilight casting an emergency spell that let her and the others each transfer some of their own life-force energy into you. It kept you alive long enough to get you to the emergency room, where all the doctors could really do was set you up and hope you had been given enough life-force to trigger your own to regenerate naturally. Everyone’s been worried sick about you, dear. We had to actually cast sleep spells to get most of them to sleep at night, they’ve been so worried.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Three days, dear. The doctors were saying that if you hadn’t woken up by the end of today, chances were you never would. I almost lost you.”
“I’m sorry for… worrying you all…”
“It’s okay, honey. It’s okay. …You’re a hero, you know. Not just for saving Spike and his little girlfriend. Those demons were going to hit the town. That many of them… it would’ve been a slaughter. Twilight says that even she wouldn’t have been able to take them out without demolishing the town in the process; her element affinity is fire, which… isn’t exactly good for avoiding collateral damage. It’s probably gonna be a while before Flutter Field is all fixed up, though.”
“Sorry about that, mother. I’m assuming most of the damage is from my Desert Tsunami spell?”
“Twilight said she’s never seen an Earth-based spell with such power.”
“You’re…” Sweetie Belle sniffled. “You’re not gonna do that to yourself ever again, are you?”
“Unless someone I care about somehow gets themselves into a similar situation where I am their only hope for survival, no” Rarity replied. “Though maybe I should train to increase my non-life-energy reserves, just in case.”
It was at this point that the sound of thundering hoof-falls could be heard outside, approaching the door. It opened, and Sweetie Belle and Rarity’s mother both broke their hug just in time for Fluttershy to dive in and latch onto Rarity with all her might. Several others quickly filed in; Twilight, Applejack, Dash, and Pinkie quickly made it into a group hug, holding onto their revived friend for dear life.
“AJ!” Rarity squeaked out, forelimbs flailing. “Squeezing chest! Can’t… breathe!”
“Oop! Sorry” Applejack sheepishly backed off a bit, adjusting her hold.
“What the hell did you think you were doing?!” Dash said, the tears in her eyes and tone of her voice foiling her attempt to sound angry. “Why didn’t you get one of us to help first?!”
“There wasn’t any time” Rarity replied. “If I hadn’t acted right then & there, Spike and Silver Spoon would’ve been killed. And… after all I’ve done to him, I couldn’t let that happen. I had to make amends… to protect him at any cost.”
“You coulda sent up a signal flare spell or somethin’!” Dash said.
“Ease up, Rainbow” Applejack said. “Twi went over what happened, an’ she says we wouldn’t have noticed. Heck, even with all the landscape-shapin’ spells she was slingin’ about, we didn’t notice anything until she let out that last pulse.”
“I still can’t quite believe how much has happened in the past week or so” Pinkie said, her mane & tail slowly, gradually poofing up as the worried sadness dwindled away. “Everything has happened so fast. The arguments, the misconceptions, the guilt breakdowns, the reconciliations, Spike & Silvie getting together, little Diamond Discording herself out of guilt and sadness…”
“Wait, what?” Rarity said at the last one.
“Don’t worry, Silver Spoon brought her back” Sweetie Belle said.
“Yeah, and now I have to add another factor to my next multi-celebration party” Pinkie continued. “I gotta figure out how to add Rarity’s recovery and saving the town to Diamond & Silvie’s reconciliation, Spike & Silvie getting together, and Spike letting go of his misplaced anger at Rarity. Oh, and Mr. Cake’s birthday is in a week, so I have to plan for that one, too. I guess that one can be separate, though.”
“Is... Are Spike and Silver Spoon okay?” Rarity asked.
As if on cue, five sets of footsteps came racing in.
“Rarity!” the aforementioned two cried out in unison, practically leaping into the room. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and the reformed Diamond Tiara walked in behind them. The group hug broke apart, letting Rarity see them unobstructed. The lead two promptly latched onto Rarity with their own hugs (Rarity wondered why Silver Spoon was hugging her, but then realized that saving the girl’s life and that of her beloved probably had a hoof in that). She hugged them back, and after nearly a minute they broke apart.
“I’m sorry” Spike croaked out. “I never wanted any of this to happen. If… If we’d never had stupid fight…”
“…Then you wouldn’t have met and gotten together with Silver Spoon,” Rarity replied, “and I’d still be unaware of the awful things I’d done. It was painful for both of us, but it was also necessary, I believe.”
“I still wish you didn’t have to almost die for this to happen” Spike mumbled. Silver Spoon hugged him.
“I had no other option, I’m afraid” Rarity said.
“Twilight explained that to us already” Silver replied. “That doesn’t make it any less hard to swallow.”
“I know. And I’m sorry for putting you both through all this.”
“So what happens now?” Diamond Tiara asked. “From what I’ve heard, the situation between you three is really complicated right now.”
“One step at a time, kid” Rainbow Dash replied. “They got plenty of time to work things out.”
“For now, let’s let Rarity get her strength back” Twilight said. “She should be back in top form within about two weeks if she’s recovered to this point already.”
Rarity was about to say something, when she caught Fluttershy staring. She quirked an eyebrow at the yellow pegasus.
“Oh! I’m sorry. Um… It’s just… You look nice with your mane down, Rarity.”
Rarity blushed a little when Twilight, AJ, and Spike nodded in agreement.
“Well…” she said. “I guess I could try not putting it in curls once in a while…”
-SCENE BREAK-
Two days later
Twilight sat on a cushion in her library, having one last look at the multi-author Report she was about to have sent to Celestia.
“Dear Princess Celestia,
The past week has been beyond eventful. Many important lessons have been learned by several individuals. Thus, this larger-than-normal report will have input from those many who have something to say.
Sp: I’ve learned, first off, that you shouldn’t assume that someone’s deliberately trying to hurt you if their actions can be better explained by accident, ignorance, or otherwise just not fully knowing what they’re doing or saying. It can be hard to tell what others are feeling, and thus it can be easy to accidentally hurt someone else’s feelings without meaning to or even knowing you did it. If you’re unsure, it can be a good idea to give that other someone the benefit of the doubt. I’ve also learned that love can be both more fragile than glass, and more durable than treated steel. One slip-up can result in heartbreak, while at the same time the connections of love can be nigh-unbreakable. I also learned that love can come from unexpected places, but I’ll leave that to my girlfriend.
DT: I’ve learned that if you retreat into yourself in response to pain or loneliness, you can lose sight of who you once were, and if you’re not careful you can become a monster. Never allow yourself to lose sight of whatever light and hope and kindness is still in your heart, because if after that you lose your darkness and anger, there’s nothing left inside your heart at all. I’ve also learned that, contrary to what I came to believe of myself, nopony is beyond redemption or saving. My own anger at the world made me into a monster, and it cost me my only friend. But now that part of me is gone, our friendship is mended and stronger than ever, I have new friends, and they’re all helping me become a better pony than I was before. And for that I couldn’t be more thankful.
SS: I’ve learned that love can come from the most unexpected places. You never know who you’ll bump into one day. Love doesn’t care about age, gender, or species. If two individuals mesh together just right, they can form a bond that not even the end of the Universe can sever. …I’ve also learned that it’s important to forgive. Sometimes, someone can lose sight of themselves and cross lines that really shouldn’t be crossed, but it’s important to know that not everyone who does this is truly beyond hope. Sometimes, when someone wrongs you, it can be in everyone’s best interest to forgive them, especially if they’re having trouble forgiving themselves.
Rt: I have learned that one must be very careful to not let the selfish desires of one’s subconscious gain control of one’s conscious actions. I have also learned that it is frighteningly easy to hurt someone’s feelings without meaning to or even being aware of having done so. But when that happens, one must still do whatever is necessary to apologize, make amends, and set things right. But be careful not to go too far; if your actions to make amends to whomever you have hurt result in too great a cost to yourself, you may cause that other individual more pain as their worry for you and guilt over your suffering for their sake eat at them.
TS: As you can see, a great many of your subjects have learned a great deal. I hope you approve of the lessons we have all learned. Yours truly,
Your Faithful Student’s Assistant, Spike
Your Humbled Subject, Diamond Tiara
Your Humble Subject, Silver Spoon
Your Penitent and Loyal Bearer of Generosity, Rarity Belle
Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle”
With a puff of enchanted green flame from Spike, the message was on its way.
END
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Rarity: That Silver Spoon stole my Spikey!
DT: That dragon stole my Silver!
Rarity: We should get back at them by dating each other! ... No, wait, that sounded better in my head.
It's nice but... the whole fight with the shadow slashers felt forced and out of place. An attack by timberwolves or even the diamond dogs would of made more sense.
The little battle scene kind of annoyed me but whatevs its your story still pretty good. Glad I got to read a Silver SpoonXSpike fic. Now I just need to read a Diamond Tiara X Spike fic.
I remember reading this over at Fanfiction.net and you left me in tears, of both sadness yet happiness as well. I am so happy that Spike was able to win Rarity back as a friend, and I am glad not everything was broken. Also, Diamond Tiara deserved her redemption to be successful. Loved this fimfic.
2317963
I'd be hurt, disappointed and sad. I'd like to believe of myself that I wouldn't blow up like Spike did, though- especially if I could've just stopped getting exploited as easily as Spike here could.
This was pretty decent to read all in all.
SilverSpike seems like a legit ship.
Also were you hinting at a possible Rarishy?
rarity: you shall not pass!!! Sand burial!!!!!!!
ha refrences
2320120
Great finalle.
God, SOMEONE'S a horrible badass
But I say, that was:
2321702
1: Lord of the Rings;Gandalf
2:Naruto;Gaara
Agreed, references
One can I say about this except
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4zc1fMLux1rwcc6bo1_500.gif
Also; may we have a sequel?
BAD?!
You take humble way too far.
RED ANGEL SEAL OF APPROVAL
Honestly the first two chapters were great. They felt really solid and since they're kids it makes sense for them to be so fast with such feelings. Young children do feel things more intensely and faster than adults so it felt very spot on. I found it a bit difficult to track down the rest of chapter two so a link would be really nice.
Did the original author ask you not to use her? If so you could easily rewrite the scene to have her mother simply be traveling a lot and then be home briefly.
As for Rarity well she's a drama queen, what do you expect? It felt really fitting that she would overreact so harshly.
Fair Warning: I'm going to critique the third chapter here. Anything I say is purely my opinion and you are encouraged to have your own thoughts and feelings on the matter. As well I am giving suggestions on how to improve things. It's known as constructive criticism for a reason. It means you're not trying to just tear someone down like Diamond, you're trying to help them build even higher. Hokay, onto the harder stuff!
The third chapter however is where it all fell apart for me. Creatures we have never heard of that nobody can identify appear in that large a number and not one single being notices? That's hard to swallow.
As well the field is so far from Ponyville that no-one would notice a signal flare? If it's so far away then why did they allow two young kids to go by themselves?
My suggestion for it would be have them be going to visit Zecora or maybe by Ghastly Gorge, somewhere we know has dangerous creatures or even explain that Flutter Field is near the Everfree but that monsters usually don't leave it.. Rarity can be there in hiding ostensibly to keep an eye on the kids or even have her simply be in the area for a different reason and be the first to respond to cries for help.
The shadow being felt too much like heartless from Kingdom Hearts and since that's the only nod to a crossover it felt kinda janky. The Everfree has a wealth of ideas that we haven't seen in the show but could certainly make themselves right at home. Look up any sort of mythical bestiary and there are loads of strange weird and wonderful mixed up monsters to choose from. I'd say go for a pack animal because a single beast isn't necessarily too intimidating. Timberwolves could fit because we know they hunt in packs and that they can regenerate.
Have Rarity still come to defend them but have her send a signal flare or even send the kids to get help. Having them just sitting there felt really foolish. Spike could send a large spout of flame or perhaps distract them and get Silver to run for help.
Have Rarity hold off the monsters and perhaps even have Spike help her (Wood burns, he has fire etc etc) and then have others come to help, the local guard or the mane 6 and have Rarity overwork herself but having her almost die felt too extreme.
I'm putting this in my top 10. I've always imagined the thing between Rarity and Spike never working out, no matter how much he tried (which is unfortunate, really). The only thing I noticed that kind of touched me in a good & bad way was several, "everybody, anybody," words in the story; which is fine because it prevents confusion in some cases, but everypony including Spike, uses, "everypony" and what not. I don't necessarily know for sure of I find that to be good or bad, but hey, whatever your cup of soup is. I give you 4.7/5 licks.
Also, nice Dream Eater avatar you got there. Ah, nostalgia...
This actually got tears from me.... Wow.
It always warms my heart to see Diamond and Silver get back together. For better or for worse, whether you like them or not, they just work together. They compliment each other. Two sides of the same coin.
and yay Diamond not only gets her Spoony back but three.. no FOUR new friends to her credit. Lets not forget in addition to the four fillies she also has
that all being said I was so put off by the Slasher fight. I don't even care that it was a creature we never heard of. But the numbers of the horde HUNDREDS maybe even 1000 and the POWER Rarity displayed to vanquish them was absolutely (wait for it)
You basically made Rarity.. a low level unicorn seamstress who only knew levitations and illusion spells into an arch mage more powerful then Twilight Sparkle in the course of a few days studying scrolls!
This story was adorable.
I'm not ashamed to say that I just shed some tears... I kinda feel like a filly now.
Love this story more and more every time i reread i start to wish for more silver spoon and spike ships.
I LOVED THIS! ANOTHER!
I DEMAND MORE OF THIS SHIPPING!
Was not expecting a climatic battle scene but it wasn't half bad
Well, despite the many, many flaws this story has, I still found it enjoyable. I think there are three things that saved it for me. 1) Even if the writing wasn't the best, you at least didn't have a bunch of grammar and spelling mistakes. 2) You made Spike/Silver Spoon a believable ship. And I always like legitimate crack ships. 3) This is one of the few stories I've read that has Silver Spoon as more than just a second to Diamond Tiara. So it's definitely one of the best Silver Spoon stories I've read.
Epic
There was only two things that kinda bugged me about this story.
1. The arguments/begging forgiveness scenes were a bit long winded.
2. That fight at the end. I get what you were going for, it's just the scale of it was a little much.
All and all, I enjoyed this quite a bit.
4208090 What sort of flaws? I didn’t see nearly enough to qualify as “many many’”
8220049
It’s been over three years since I made that comment. I have absolutely zero recollection of this story. But since even the story description says
I think that I am justified in thinking that it has problems.
8220534
Fair enough. You are entitled to your own opinion, just as I am to mine. I'm simply saying that if there were indeed flaws in this story (Which I can guarantee there are), then I just don't see them. I may not have made it very clear in my first comment, but I was asking for a specific example; it's difficult for me to notice these kinds of things otherwise.
Wow
! This story is amazing
!!!
Honestly its not bad my friend its good. This fic actually reveals ur the romantic sappy type my friend. I favuorited this fic and I will always refer this fic to understand how not to rush things and even if I do I will take not to revisit and revise each chapter so I can check whether the pacig of the story is good or not. Honestly ur a hero who atleast completed ur fic to its conclusion.