Spike has been helping Pinkie run the bakery science Mr. and Mrs. Cake moved to Manhattan, and in all that time he learned there was nothing Pinkie liked more about working in a bakery than interacting with customers. Every time someone walked in, even by accident, Pinkie would jump at them with trays of baked goods, exited to see ponies who wanted to visit her bakery. That was exactly the reason why it was so heart breaking for Spike to see all the customers go, until even Pinkie had to admit defeat and close down the store. It was like the end of an era for both of them. On that day, when they were getting ready to close the store for good, they got a visitor. Rarity walked in to the store while Spike was comforting Pinkie in the kitchen. They heard the bell ring as the door opened and both their heads jumped up in surprise, hopeful looks in their eyes.
"Spike? Pinkie Pie? Are you here?" they recognized Rarity's voice.
Pinkie's head fell back to the table and Spike went out to see what Rarity needed.
"Hey Rarity," he said. "Now isn't a very good time for a visit."
"Why? Is something wrong?" she asked with a worried voice
"Pinkie just realized the only four customers we got in the past three years were you, Fluttershy, Rainbow and Applejack." Spike looked at the floor "She says we need to close the store down."
"Oh dear" said Rarity sadly "I'm so sorry Spike. How are you handling it?"
"I can't say I'm surprised, but it's still pretty difficult to comprehend. I've lived and worked here for Five years, and Pinkie for even longer! I can't imagine how she's feeling right now."
"Well..." Rarity stopped to think for a second "You can start by decorating this place a bit. Put something interesting in the window, so that ponies passing by will see it and want to enter. That would only be a start, of course. This place really could use some renovation."
"I don't have anything interesting. Well, I do have that plant I bought today, but I don't really see it attracting customers to a bakery..."
"Plant? What plant?" Rarity said with interest in her voice
Spike gestured towards the plant on the counter. Rarity gasped
"Why, it's Absolutely ravishing! I've never seen a plant like this one before. What is it?"
"I don't know, it looks like some kind of fly trap, but not like any fly trap I've ever seen before. There's something... Strange about it, something... Weird..." Spike looked at the plant as he talked, like he was trying to figure it out. He shook his head and looked back at Rarity "I guess it could go in the window, but I don't see how that would help at all."
"Trust me darling, if there's anything I understand is what kind of things attract ponies to a business." said Rarity proudly.
Spike always liked Rarity, she was the most beautiful mare he's ever met, and he trusted her judgment. He took the plant off the counter and put it on a small end table in front of the window. When he turned back to Rarity he suddenly noticed there was something different about her that day.
"Hey," he said, pointing at her face "why are you wearing your mane like that?"
Rarity put a hoof in front of her mane, which was covering her right eye
"Oh, well it's... It's my new style. Everypony's wearing their manes like that today, didn't you know?" Rarity said with an awkward smile on her face
Spike didn't belive her for a second. He reached his claw over to her face and moved her mane aside, revealing a black eye.
"Rarity!" Spike said, shocked at the sight "What happened to you?"
Rarity covered her eye with her mane again
"It's nothing, really." She said quickly "It was just this new stallion I've been seeing lately. He can be a bit... aggressive somethimes, it's okay. Really."
Spike looked at her with shock in his eyes
"Rarity, that's horrible! We have to tell somepony about this!"
"No, really Spike, it's okay." Rarity said "Look, I have to go now, sorry."
"Wait..." Spike called after her, but she was already out of the bakery. Before he managed to leave after her, the door opened again and a pony entered the store.
"Hello." said the pony "Sorry if I'm interrupting or something, but I saw that mare leaving, so I assumed you were open"
Spike looked at the pony, trying to figure out his reason to come here. Surely he didn't come here to buy something. After all, nopony's baought anything from them in three years.
"Yes, we're open" he said with a suspicious voice
"Good! Because I saw that plant at the window and I just HAD to come in and see it up close. What is it?" The pony went over to the plant and observed it.
Spike looked at the pony with a surprised and confused look on his face
"That plant?" He asked
"Well, of course! I've never seen anything like it before! Is it a new breed?"
"Well..." Spike didn't know what to say, Rarity's plan seemed to be working well so far "yes yes it is. it's a newly discovered kind of fly trap I found"
"And what do you call this rarity?"
'Rarity.' Spike thought 'well, she is the one who gave me the idea... and she is the most beautiful pony in Equestria, so it fits well with the plant...
"I call it the Rarity II" he told the pony
"Oh, I like it. It's clever"
"Yeah, sure" Spike said, still unable to belive it was actually happening. He suddenly got an idea
"Would you like to buy something while you're here?" He asked
"Sure! I'll take a dozen Cupcakes."
Spike was amazed. Their first customer in three years! He ran to the kitchen to tell Pinkie Pie
"Pinkie!" he said quietly "Pinkie, there's a pony at the door, he says he wants a dozen cupcakes!"
Pinkie's head Rose up in shock
"What?!" she said, then ran out to see if it was true. Spike heard her scream in excitement before she ran back to the kitchen. She made the cupcakes the pony ordered in an impossible speed, and ran back out to give them to him. Spike went out after her, he wanted to see their first sale in three years with his own eyes.
"Thank you very much." Said the pony "that plant is remarkable. I'll tell all my friends about this place!"
The pony went out of the store. Pinkie and Spike could not belive what had just happened. Pinkie started jumping up and down in excitement and tackled spike with a hug
"I can't belive it!" She yelled right into his ear. She pointed at the plant with her hoof "that plant you bought, It's amazing! Thank you so much Spike!"
"I can't belive it!" said Spike with a big smile "Rarity was right, the plant helped us get a customer!"
Spike's smile disappeared when he thought about Rarity. That black eye she had...
But before he could share his worries with Pinkie, another customer walked in to the bakery
"Hello" She said "I was just walking by when I saw the plant at the window and I thought, if this bakery has such a beautiful thing in it's window, it must be worth my while to come in and buy something."
"Yes ma'am!" Said Pinkie Pie "We have some great baked goods here! Spike, go make her what ever she orders. I'm gonna go tell Gummy the good news!"
Spike took the mare's order and then went to the kitchen. Though he coldn't really get Rarity out of his head. She looked so scared to talk about that stallion she was dating...
In just one week, Sugar Cube Corner went back to being Ponyville's most well known bakery. Everypony wanted see the Rarity II, and while they came over to see it they ordered something. Spike and Pinkie Pie were happier than they were in years. Buisness was better than it's ever been, and ot was all thanks to the Rarity II.
But after a week has past, Spike realized something about the plant. He had no idea how to take care of it. The plant just survived on it's own for the past week, and Spike was beginning to assume it didn't need to be taken care of. But one night, the plant wilted, and Spike started to panic. He didn't want to tell Pinkie about it, because he didn't want her to worry. He tried giving the plant water, change it's soil, put it in different temperatures, but nothing helped.
"No! Come on Twoie! You can't die on me like that, we need you here!" but nothing he did worked, the plant was dying and Spike couldn't do anything about it. Spike knew that if the plant dies, so would their hope of getting any more customers. Out of frustration, Spike hit his claw against the nearest wall, not realizing there was a picture hanging there. Broken glass scattered all over the floor, and Spike grabbed his claw in pain. He looked at it. It was bleeding.
"Oh, just GREAT!" he yelled in anger "For Celestia's sake! Can ANYTHING go right today?!"
he turned to walk away, but suddenly, he noticed the plant was moving. He ran over to the it with hopeful look in his eyes.
"You're moving! What made you do that?"
The plant seemed to be leaning towards his bleeding claw. Spike moved it around, and saw that the plant was following it's movements.
"Blood?" he asked "Is that what you want? You want my blood? Well, I guess I can spare a few drops... Just as long as you don't make a habit out of it."
Spike moved his bleeding claw above the plant and let the blood drip bown towards it. The plant opened it's trap and swallowed the dragon's blood. It seemed to help, and the plant returned to it's old beauty. It even grew a bit larger than before, Spike noticed.
And business was going well. Spike continued to feed the Rarity II his blood, and in exchange, the plant brought customers to the bakery.
Spike was happy.