Chapter 39 – The Passion of the Soul
Spike grinned like a fool as he ran towards Rarity's station. He wasn't thrilled about Image being there, but at least he was with Rarity. "Hi Rarity!" he said as he approached, "Can I help keep things organized?"
"I don't see why not." she said, Image hard at work with cleaning the part in his hands.
"Thanks." He said, and turned to accept the part from Rarity, "Twilight also told me to catalog all the good parts we find." he then turned a little sour in his tone as he said, "And to ask Image something."
The Meltackian turned to the baby dragon questioningly, "Oh?" he asked, "What is it she wishes to know?"
Spike waited until he had found the proper spot for the part, and then grabbed a large book from the desk next to the shelf and began writing down the information with a nearby quill before turning back to him, "She wants to know what you meant by your passion. What did you mean when you said that your passion was to 'create and spread the image of perfection'? I thought the idea you identified yourself as."
"They are one and the same little one." he said, getting a disapproving glare from Spike.
"Don't ever call me that." the purple dragon said.
"My apologies." Image said, "I believe you are referred to as Spike?"
Both Spike and Rarity nodded, and the white unicorn turned to him, "I'm curious as well, I thought you meant passion in the same context I usually do, but it seemed like a lot more than that." she said as she kept with her work.
"To understand that you will have to understand my people." he said, and looked over the part he had just finished cleaning, then tossed it into the junk pile, "Meltackians culture is based on logic and forethought." he said, "Because of the way we have developed our minds our bodies have ceased functioning in the traditional way, instead we mostly value these simple rules, Logic is absolute and the best plan is one thought out and executed the most accurately. Because of this, we must use our powers to even move our limbs, so it looks like a corpse or a robot when we move, very slow and deliberate."
"But you move so smoothly, and fashion and beauty are not favorites of the logical mind." Rarity said.
"True." Image said, "But you see when a Meltackian finds that he has experienced a part of his idea or thought that surpasses all else, it can become so powerful that it becomes Passion. From this, a Meltackian can feel again, both physically and emotionally. This can cause some to fall into fear because it isn't rational or logical in the slightest. However, if you can pursue through your fears, a Meltackian can find that this passion can set you free. Your limbs begin moving, not because you will them to with your mind, but because your body beckons it to. And those movements become smooth and wild, or sharp and fierce. Your thoughts become illogical, and the illogical makes sense to you. You can express emotions and learn new wonders that normally you wouldn't even consider. You are truly and forever…free."
"Wow!" Spike said, his eyes open wide in shock as he listened to the story.
"So, your passion is a lot like the Cutie Mark of us ponies." Rarity asked.
"Do some never find theirs?" Image asked doubt on his face.
"Well, no. Everypony finds their Cutie Mark eventually." she said.
Spike smiled and added, "It shows a special talent that is unique to that pony, and shows what their special calling is." he said.
"Then it is not like your Cutis Marks." Image said sadly, "It is rare for a Meltackian to venture out from their planet and therefore rare for a Meltackian to find their Passion." As he said this, he turned back to the task he was performing, "I was lucky that my Passion was in the form of my sister."
"You're sister?" Spike asked.
"Oh yes." Image said, "She, like Rarity, is the very image of perfection in a Meltackian. I found my Passion when I found my sister."
"Found your sister?" Rarity asked, "Was she lost?"
"You do not have to look for your brother?" Image asked.
"I don't have a brother." Rarity said, "I do have a little sister back at home, luckily Spiral Chain also offered to watch over Sweety Belle while I was away."
"Impossible." Image said, "Unless our siblings come about in different ways."
"Uh, from your parents?" Spike asked unsure of what the Meltackian was getting at.
"Meltackians are born of the planet itself, we are granted the connection of a sibling of the opposite sex, and we are tasked to search for that sibling." Image said, "Should either one parish before they meet, then the effects aren't as severe, but once they meet, they must protect each other."
"Wait, you must search for your siblings?" Spike asked.
"Sibling." Image said, "The male is granted the sister, while the female is granted the brother."
"And you have to find each other?" the baby dragon reiterated.
"Correct." Image confirmed.
"Oh my. I can't imagine what that was like." Rarity said, "You said there were effects when one sibling …perishes?"
Image shuttered at a thought, "If a Meltackian loses a sibling, they can become so distraught with sadness that their body and mind both stop working, then their powers can run amok, tearing apart anything within miles of the affected host, then they can either die from starvation, dehydration or even be disintegrated by their own powers. Those that actually survive have little to live for."
"Even if that sibling isn't around for it?" Spike asked.
"The connection will tell us." Image said calmly, "We feel as if half of us is lost when our sibling is no more." To this, a tear fell from Image's eye, and for the first time, Spike felt sorry for him. Trying to comfort the Meltackian, Spike placed a clawed hand to Image's arm and was instantly rewarded with images flashing through his mind, the image of a beautiful Meltackian girl, one just a few inches shorter than Image, with perfect features and in the dungeon of what he could see was the large Sunik pilot, and a few very unruly looking Suniks, more images flooded his mind, each of Image and his sister as Image came to grips with finding his passion while his sister never looked as if she fully paid attention. It ended with a scene of Image on the ground with a red mark on his face, and the Pilot of the Sunik team saying 'You're going to be a part of their team, and you're going to find out how that candy-colored creature outraced my turbo. Then, you're going to keep them from using it again.' The picture of that Sunik's eyes somehow burned into his mind. The dragon removed his claws, a small unheard gasp as he started placing things together.
"Well, I am glad you were able to find your passion, honestly fashion suits you." Rarity said as Spike came out of his stupor.
"Thank you, but if I may, we are almost finished with our pile of parts." he said, "I would like to begin the uniforms once this is done, and I have a few ideas for the rainbow-haired one."
"You mean Rainbow Dash?" Rarity corrected, "We'll get you properly introduced soon, and I would like to get started on those uniforms as well." Spike remained silent; he didn't know what he would say about what he just saw.
"Then it is settled, we shall commence with the uniforms the moment we can." Image said and turned to watch as both Applejack and Twiggs came in both carrying a rather large part that looked as if the two of them had to rip from one of the other wreckages.
"What are we supposed to do with that?" Rarity asked.
"Well, it's full a parts!" Twiggs said.
"We was hopin that Blade or Writch could tear this thing apart fer the parts. It ain't coming apart from nothin short of a miracle." she said, and the two of them moved a few extra feet to place it on the ground somewhere in the middle between them and the Rainbow Trail Mk.2
"This should give you some time off {snort}." Twiggs said.
"And a headache when he's done." Image said with a bit of sass, catching both scroungers off guard. He only responded with a smile.
None of them noticed when Spike, in his thoughts, has snuck away, his mind reeling with the information he had just witnessed, "Image is a double agent?" he asked himself, "But only because his sister is in danger? What do I do?"
