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I'm Your Villain

by FamousLastWords

Chapter 1: I'm Your Villain

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If there was one thing Rarity was used to, it was ponies being overly dramatic in her boutiques. But the last pony she expected to be in Canterlot Boutique, in the midst of a colossal breakdown, was Starlight Glimmer.

“Oh my gosh, Rarity, this is just the worst thing!” Starlight cried out. “You were right the whole time, this tiara you gave me looks terrible with my manestyle.”

“Oh, please darling, it’s not that…” Rarity scanned her eyes over the mess of mane and jewelry before her. “Okay, so maybe it is a tad off putting. But, worry not, it can be fixed!”

Starlight groaned at the mirror. She tried to adjust the tiara a bit, but no matter what she did, it dug into her mane and made it look… “Ugh, my mane looks so ratty. How can you possibly fix this in time for the Gala?”

“Now, now, I never said it was going to be easy,” Rarity said. “Be that as it may, I’ve never backed down from a challenge and I refuse to do so now! Especially in an emergency such as this.” Rarity levitated a pair of scissors and a brush to her hooves. “Okay, so I’m not as much an aficionado at mane styling as some, but I think I can handle this.”

Once she had safely removed the tiara from Starlight’s head, Rarity’s hooves flew about her mane, dancing and weaving their way to the desired goal. Meanwhile, Starlight kept her eyes shut, praying to whatever deity was out there she wouldn’t open them and see a massacre on her head. “Just… be careful, Rarity,” she managed to squeak out.

“A few snips here, untangle this knot here… Let’s get rid of this, add some hairspray, fluff these bangs just a tad and…” Rarity tossed aside the tools she was using and stood back to admire her work. “Voila! It’s perfect! Good as new.”

Starlight hesitantly opened her eyes, and she brought a hoof to her mane. “Well it’s not exactly new,” she sighed. “I hate this style, Rarity. It… brings up bad memories for me,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“What are you talking about, dear?” Rarity looked over Starlight. “You look positively beautiful!”

“I don’t know….” Starlight’s horn lit up, and she levitated the tiara over to her head. “It makes me feel… old. I haven’t used this style since, well, you know,” she chuckled nervously.

Rarity looked over her once more before her eyes widened. “Oh, dear, I apologize. I didn’t realize the similarities before now. If you want, I can change it for you. We still have some time before we have to meet the others at the carriage.”

Once the tiara came to a rest on her head, Starlight’s demeanor seemed to change. “Well, the tiara does work with it. I guess I could keep it like this for tonight.”

Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful! I’d hate to hear that all our work was for nothing. And besides, the tiara does look absolutely splendid with this style. You’ll look dazzling for your first gala!”

Starlight blushed, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Thanks, Rarity. I just wish I had somepony to look dazzling with.”

“I understand, dear,” Rarity said. “It didn’t seem very fair for the Gala committee to deny Trixie access to the event as your plus one. I guess they didn’t think she was of the social standing for a royal event of this magnitude. But, as I’ve always said, there is absolutely no shame in going stag!”

“I know, I know. I just wish I knew somepony else who was going… stag,” she repeated Rarity’s word, tittering.


“Spike, just sit still!”

“I would if you weren’t trying to flay me, you mistress of torture!” Spike said, squirming in his seat. “Why am I the only one who has to have his scales polished?”

“Because you’re the only one at the gala that has scales,” Cadance giggled.

“Hmph.” Spike crossed his arms and sat back in the chair. “I love Gala’s as much as the next guy, but this is ridiculous. Is all this really necessary?”

“If only to satisfy the Canterlot Elite,” Cadance joked. “Besides, isn’t there somepony you want to impress?”

“Well, it’s not like I have a date or anything,” Spike said. “Honestly, I just planned on hanging with Discord and seeing what kind of random pranks he tries to pull this time around.”

Cadance let out a sigh of disappointment. “Ugh, well I suppose boys will be boys. What about Rarity, though?”

“That ship has sailed, my friend,” Spike said. “She’s my best friend and all, but man, I don’t think I could handle dressmaking and rock collecting for the rest of my life. Not to mention she already chose Sweetie Belle as her plus one. So, that’s not gonna happen.”

“You could always try asking somepony else,” Cadance offered. “I’m sure one of your friends doesn’t already have somepony they’re going with.”

“Hmm, you might have a point,” Spike said, scratching his chin pensively. “Fluttershy has Discord this year, Applejack and Rainbow have the other two crusaders, and you know Twilight and Pinkie are dating. That pretty much covers everyone.”

Cadance put a hoof to her chin in thought. He was right. All of his friends were already taken, so perhaps he really would have to— “Wait!” She shouted, a huge grin crossing her features. “What about Starlight?!”

“Starlight?” Spike rolled the idea around in his head. From what he knew she didn’t have a date of any kind, and they were hitting it off pretty well in day to day life. But on the flip side, she was still a bit of a loner and she’d probably prefer to be on her own. “That could work, but I’m not sure she’d be down for it. I think she still has some friendship issues to work out. You know how it is with reformed villains and all.”

“Have you ever considered that the root of her friendship issues is that everypony thinks she ‘prefers to be on her own’?” Cadance asked sarcastically.

“I thought the root of her problems was that she tried to destroy Equestria out of jealous rage?”

“Spike, everypony has their reasons for doing what they do. What’s important is showing them that they’re worth your time. Do you honestly think Starlight would be happy knowing that all of her friends have dates, and she doesn’t?”

“You know what the problem with that question is, Cadance?” Spike asked, turning his full attention towards the mare. “You used the term ‘think’, insinuating that males think before action in general. But I see your point. And I guess it’s worth a try. She’s pretty cool in her own right.”

“And just how do you know the word ‘insinuate’?” Cadance chuckled.

Spike drooped his head. “I hang out with Twilight too much. I need more friends…”

“Well, looks like you and Starlight have something in common,” she laughed.

Spike sighed in defeat. “Alright, I’ll ask her. Besides, it’s just going to the gala. Not like I’m asking her to go out with me or anything. But, I swear, if this fails and I end up looking stupid, as per the usual, I’m blaming you.”

Cadance giggled, adjusting his bowtie. “Fine by me, Spike.”


Rarity and Starlight stood outside the hotel, awaiting the arrival of their carriage with their friends and plus ones.

“Ooh, aren’t you excited, Starlight?” Rarity squeaked. “It’s your first gala!”

“I know I am!” Sweetie Belle sweetly squeaked, hopping about with the other crusaders.

“It was so nice of Princess Celestia to convince the Gala Committee to give you a ticket,” Twilight commented.

Starlight smiled, if only to satisfy her friends. Truthfully, she was upset that Celestia hadn’t extended the same gratuity to her only friend outside of the group. Gently adjusting the tiara on her head, she settle on, “I’m sure it will be fun.”

“Of course it will be!” Pinkie shouted right in her ear. “It’s the Gala! It’s the most funnest, craziest, wildest most awesomest parties in the world! Like, ever! It’s gonna be so awesome!”

Starlight recoiled a bit, but managed to offer up a weak nod. “I’m… sure.”

“Now don’t you worry a bit, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a wink. “I know these big social parties can be a bit intimidatin’ your first time, but trust me, it’ll be a heap of fun. It’s like wrangling at your first rodeo. A bit nervewrackin’ the first time, but then you end up loving it.”

“I’m sure it will, I just—”

“Hi, girls!” Everyone turned to see the two they’d been waiting on walking up to the group. “Sorry we ran a bit late. I was just helping Spike figure something out,” she said, sending him a very obvious wink.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the help, Cadance. And good evening ladies. You all look—” Spike was cut off mid-sentence as his eyes fell on Starlight. “—beautiful.”

Her dress was a custom fit one designed by Rarity, sporting an assortment of beautiful gemstones. It was a soft purple color that brought out her fur and body beautifully. In addition to that, her mane was set perfectly to accentuate the tiara she was wearing. After a couple of moments, she seemed to catch on to his staring. “Is… something the matter, Spike? Do I have something on my face?”

“Oh, nothing at all is wrong,” Spike said. “I’ve just never seen you like that before. You look great! Er, I mean, you all look great!”

Cadance tried to stifle a laugh and whispered in his ear, “Nice save there, buddy.”

“You don’t look half-bad yourself there, Spike,” Rainbow said, nudging him on the shoulder. “Try not to break too many hearts tonight, alright?”

“Can’t make any promises,” Spike replied with a smirk. It wasn’t much longer before the tell-tale sign of hooves clopping against cobblestone alerted the group to their carriage arriving. “Ugh, finally.”

Cadance giggled. “Anxious to go to the Gala, are we, Spike?”

“I think we’re all very anxious to get the night underway,” Rarity smiled. They only had to wait a few more moments for the carriage to come to a stop in front of them, and Rarity gave a very out of character whinny of delight. “It’s time, girls!”

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentledrake!” The carriage rider said, hopping out and opening the doors for the passengers. “If you’ll kindly make your way inside, we’ll get over to the Gala at the palace, post-haste!”

One by one, the ponies strode in, ready for their night of fun. Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, AppleJack, Rainbow and the Crusaders, followed by Spike and Starlight bringing up the rear. Spike excitedly hopped in when it was finally his turn, and took a seat. Being the gentledrake he was, he reached out a claw to assist Starlight in entering the carriage. However, his claw was unceremoniously smacked away by the carriage attendant.

“Sorry, but this carriage has reached its pony limit.” The driver frowned at Starlight. “Sorry Miss, but you’ll have to wait here for the next carriage for about five minutes. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Twilight let out a sigh. “Are you sure she can’t fit? I’m certain we could move around a bit and make room for her. It’s her first gala.”

“Sorry ma’am, but those are the rules. I don’t make ‘em, I just enforce ‘em. She’ll have to wait on the next one.”

Starlight took a few steps back and forced a smile. “It’s alright, guys. I’ll just wait for the next carriage and meet you there. Totally not a problem.”

Everypony could see plainly that she wasn’t actually okay with it, but nopony made a move, likely scared that their plus one wouldn’t want to wait. “Wow,” Spike spoke up, “are you girls seriously just gonna sit here and let her wait alone? Fine,” He continued, hopping out of the carriage and nonchalantly smacking his tail against the driver’s leg. “I’ll wait here with you, Starlight.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly ask you to wait with me, Spike. You sho—”

“You don’t have to ask,” Spike said with a smile. “I’ve got your back. Let’s just wait together.”

Starlight didn’t know what to say, this was one of the nicest thing anypony had done for her. So, she decided to simply look back to everypony in the carriage. “We’ll be right behind you, girls.”

“Thanks, Spike. That was really cool,” Rainbow Dash grinned.

The driver rolled his eyes and brought out his pocket watch in plane view of all the ponies in the carriage. “Well, yes, that’s very nice, but we’re running out of time. Let’s get this show on the road! Have a nice trip on carriage number two my friends!”

Without giving them a chance for a single wave goodbye, he swatted the door shut and hopped in the driver's cab and took off.

“Wow, that guy was a jerk,” Spike said. “He’s probably just jealous he’s stuck driving us around instead of going to the gala.”

Starlight giggled, but the driver wasn’t who she was focused on. “Thank you for staying behind with me, Spike. It means a lot.”

“Of course,” Spike said. “I couldn’t just let you stand out there by yourself, especially not for your first Gala. That wouldn’t be cool.”

“I know, I know,” Starlight smiled, rolling her eyes. “It’s just, I was already afraid I’d be spending the entire night by myself, and then that happened.” She pulled the surprised drake into a little one-legged hug. “You’re a really good friend.”

Spike blushed and hugged her back. “No problem.” After he was released from the hug he wiped the crinkles from his suit and looked at Starlight. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you think you’d spend the whole Gala alone? You’ve got plenty of friends that are gonna be there with you.”

Starlight let out a sigh, plopping down onto her rump on the cold sidewalk. “You already know about my anxiety problems when it comes to friendship. I love Twilight and the girls, I really do. But sometimes, I don’t feel like they think of me the same way I think of them.”

“What do you mean by that?”Spike asked, shrugging his shoulders. “We all think you’re awesome! At least to my knowledge, that’s the case.”

“What I mean is that I like to think of them as my friends, but sometimes I think that to them, I’m just another former villain,” she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Trust me, I know the feel,” Spike said. “Maybe not on your level of villainy, but I’ve definitely made some mistakes in the past. No offense, by the way.”

Starlight lifted her head back up, regarding her little friend curiously. “What did you do?”

Spike opened his mouth, but was quickly shut up by the sound of hooves clopping in the distance. “There’ll be time for that later,” Spike said. “Here comes the reject carriage!”

For the first time that day, Starlight laughed outright. “You’re a funny little guy, Spike.”

“It’s true,” he said. “But that’s just how I roll. It’s not easy being this awesome all the time.”

The two of them shared a laugh as the carriage pulled up. “Hi there!” The new driver said. “You all ready for the gala?”

“You bet!” Starlight grinned excitedly. She wasn’t sure how, but that little dragon had raised her mood quite effectively.

“Well, if that’s the case, then hop right in!” The driver smiled and opened the door for them. “Just the two of you for this ride?”

“Yep, just the two of us,” Spike said, getting in. Once again, he reached out his claw to assist Starlight, and this time she gently placed her hoof in it. She climbed in, and the driver offered the two a smile.

“The ride to the Gala will be about ten minutes, and the doors will open about fifteen minutes after your arrival. I wish you two a great night!” He said, gently closing the door to the carriage. With that, the two were left alone.

“I’ve never actually been in a carriage,” Starlight said. “Is it bumpy?”

“A little bit,” Spike said. “But you get used to it pretty fast. Then again, I’ve ridden on Twilight while she learned how to fly, so maybe I’m just used to bumpy rides.”

Starlight giggled at his wording, and the carriage started moving. “Well, as long as my mane doesn’t get messed up any more than it was earlier. You should have seen it. It was a disaster.”

Spike looked intently at her styled up hair. “It’s impossible to tell, if that makes you feel better. Speaking of which, I was gonna ask. Your mane looks a lot like you had it before. Was that intentional, or did Rarity just go into one of her crazy modes and completely reinvent your look out of inspiration?”

Starlight grinned nervously. She knew someone would notice eventually. “My usual mane style was getting in the way of my tiara,” she replied, eyes looking up at the head piece. “Rarity just happened to put it back in this style by complete coincidence. Why? Do you like it more this way?”

“Honestly, I think it looks great!” Spike said. “Of course, I’m no mane expert or anything, but it has a lot more personality. But, I mean, I’m sure you’d have looked great either way.”

Starlight felt her cheeks heat up a bit. “Oh, well, t-thanks. I couldn’t help but notice that you got your scales polished, by the way.”

“Oh, sweet Celestia, don’t remind me. Have you ever gotten your hair plucked before?” Spike said, glaring into her eyes. “It’s basically like that. I can handle lava just fine, but once you start scraping at my scales, I’m done. I’m just grateful Twilight only makes me do it once a year… For the Gala.”

“I’m sure it’s not as annoying as having to repaint your cutie mark once a night,” she chuckled. It wasn’t like her to make light of what she’d done so callously, but she felt a lot more comfortable around Spike. “You wouldn’t believe what paint does to fur.”

“Luckily, I won’t have to live your pain,” Spike said. “No cutie mark and no fur. Sometimes, being a dragon is a blessing.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But then, you can’t do this,” she smirked, her horn lighting up as she lifted the dragon into the air. She spun him around a few times, then plopped him back down. He looked dizzy, and that made her snort with laughter.

“Ugh, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being tossed around by unicorns,” Spike said, shaking the dizziness away. “But, you’ll never be able to do this.” Spike took a breath and blew out small burst of fire. It reached just far enough to singe a few threads on the seat fabric opposite them, but then it withered away before doing any damage.

“Heh, I guess that’s true.” Starlight paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to word what she wanted to say next. “Spike, would you like to—”

However, she was cut short by a voice from the driver up front. “Sorry guys, but in accordance with the carriage rules, please keep all magic, flames and any otherwise destructive force to a minimum at all times while in the carriage.”

“S-sorry,” Starlight replied, chuckling nervously.

“Sorry, sir! Won’t happen again!” Spike called out, before turning his attention back to Starlight. “Now, what were you saying?”

“O-oh,” Starlight was caught off-guard this time. “I was just going to ask if, well, you wanted to—”

The carriage door flew open revealing the driver once again, all smiles. “Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala! I hope you have a wonderf—”

“THAT IS IT, I AM TIRED OF BEING INTERRUPTED WHEN ALL I’M TRYING TO DO IS ASK MY FRIEND A QUESTION. BE. QUIET!” Starlight shouted, drawing the attention of many nearby ponies, including their group of friends. “I mean, ahem, just give us a moment,” she clarified in a much softer tone, closing the door to the carriage.

Spike’s eyes were wide as saucers as he looked from the now shut door back to Starlight. “Um, what was that about? You feeling okay, Starlight?”

“I’m fine. I was just tired of being interrupted,” Starlight replied. “Now, what I was going to say, Spike, is… Would you like to be my date for the Gala?”

Spike tried to respond, but he felt like his lips were sewn shut. He had completely forgotten that it was his original intention to ask her the same question. So, her asking him… that wasn’t quite the plan he had in mind.

However, after taking a few moments to recover from the initial shock, he was at least able to mutter something remotely intelligent.

“Sure.”

Author's Notes:

Famous: This was a cute little story! I think...

Seven: I had a lot of fun writing this! I'm glad I infected Famous with the Starlight bug.

Next Chapter: At The Gala! Estimated time remaining: 17 Minutes
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