The Daffodil Diner was something of a hidden culinary gem in Canterlot. The little diner was a spot for the minority of Canterlot residents who were invested more in the taste of their dish, rather than the presentation or ambiance of it. Though it certainly wasn't as elegant as a number of restaurants in the pristine city, it still had enough flair and haughtiness to wow a denizen of a small town such as Ponyville. Rarity had found the delightful spot when she had visited Canterlot some time ago, before her brief uprise in popularity among the nobles. Now here she was once again, seated outside next to Spike, with Twilight Sparkle sitting across from them. Standing beside the table was a white-maned unicorn stallion, using his magic to scribble the lunch orders of the trio.

“Excellent choice, mes amis,” the stallion voiced, placing his notepad within his breast pocket. “I shall have your entrees out in just a moment's time.”

“Merci,” Rarity replied, before taking a sip from her cup of tea as he walked away.

“So, tell us how you've been this week, sweetheart!” Spike prompted her joyfully..

Rarity set her tea back on the table, groaning slightly in frustration. “I can't remember the last time I've made so many different outfits in such a short amount of time. Why, the first day I arrived, I hadn't even time to unpack my things before they were up at my doorstep, calling for my aid.”

“Wow, seriously? That's pretty rough.”

“You have no idea, darling. With the scale of the show and how many characters are featured, I was quite up to my eyes in making different designs for each of them.”

While Rarity went on in detail about the costumes she had to design, Twilight found herself once again fixated on Spike. In the past, before he and Rarity had begun dating, she remembered how he had stared at her from the sidelines. His head would hang down, chin resting on his palms if he were sitting, his eyes half-open, absolutely captivated by the unicorn. It was the look of any young boy smitten by somepony else, the words of their crush whizzing by as they dreamed of a possible future with them.

Now, Spike's posture was completely different. He sat up straight, his eyes open wide with a small but bright smile on his face. With his fantasy now come to life, he no longer had any distraction plaguing his mind, and took in every word she said wholeheartedly. Without that boyish, lovestruck look on his face, the baby dragon seemed more mature than ever to Twilight. While certainly proud of him, it pained her heart just a bit to see her little assistant growing up before her eyes.

“In fact, Written Script himself told me that the costumes I made were even more lovely than the designer I'd replaced!” Rarity finished, squealing with pride. “Oh, but enough about me for a moment. Twilight dear, how have you been? Anything worth mentioning in Ponyville while I've been gone?”

Twilight ripped herself from her thoughts at the mention of her name. Her mind scrambled to review her week and find a suitable response. Try as she might, the only notable things Twilight could call to mind were the moments she'd spent ogling Spike as he'd moved about the library, and her own daydreams about him tenaciously plowing her soaking marehood.

“Uh... um...” Twilight felt a touch of warmth collecting at the back of her neck, as she felt Spike and Rarity's eyes boring into her. Had she done anything at all this week? Had she even left her library once?

Twilight felt a spark of hope light up within her, as she remembered the smell of fresh grass and crisp apples when she had visited the farm on the edge of town.

“Applejack!” Twilight exclaimed gleefully. “That's right, I went to Applejack's earlier in the week! And... um...” Twilight's smile was replaced suddenly with a frown. Though she certainly had visited Applejack earlier in the week, her mind for the moment couldn't fathom what the purpose of her visit to the farm had been. “And, we discussed, um... apples...”

A muddled expression came over the faces of both Rarity and Spike.

“Really? Apples?” Rarity asked, nodding her head and earnestly trying to sound engaded. “I never would have guessed!”

Twilight felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Twilight wanted for everything in the world to teleport away from the diner, perhaps even from Equestria itself, in order to escape the discomfort hanging between herself and the couple across from her. She needed to shift the focus away from herself a moment, to regain what little composure she had left.

“So, Rarity, you've told us about the costumes you designed, but not a whole lot about the play itself. What's it all about even?” She asked, hoping her change in topic might help shift the focus away from the awkward silence that hung between them. Rarity's eyes moved upward to the sky, as she searched her memory for the means to respond.

“Well, I read through the script that Written Script had put together while riding on the train the day I left Ponyville.I could never remember the names of the characters or the important items involved. I do remember being rather impressed that he had created such a fantastic story.” Rarity tapped her chin as she wracked her brain for details. “Something about a stallion on a quest to find some pool, that worked some type of memory magic.”

Twilight's eyes lit up all of a sudden. “The Lethe pool?” She asked brightly.

“Why yes, that's exactly what it's called.” Rarity replied, amazed that Twilight could have guessed a detail of Written Script's closely guarded story. “How did you know that?”

“Because it's real!” Twilight bellowed with joy. “Well, not REALLY real, but there's a legend in ancient horse mythology about it. Oh, how did it go again... there was a corrupt king who ruled over the land with an iron hoof, and a brave stallion who seeks the Pool of Lethe in order to obtain some of its water and force the king to drink it, and make him forget that he's king. I remember reading over it once in my old library, but I can't remember the names of the characters either.”

Spike chuckled as he listened to the conversation between the mares. “Heh, maybe you two had a drink from the pool yourselves?”

Rarity and Twilight chuckled at Spike's quip (Twilight's laughter a touch louder than Rarity's). Suddenly, a gasp escaped Twilight's chest and her mouth remained open joyfully.

“Spike! We should go visit the Canterlot library!” Twilight exclaimed, tapping her hooves against the table. “I've wanted to pay it a visit the last few times we've been in Canterlot, but we've always been too busy for sight-seeing. I haven't seen it since we left for Ponyville before Nightmare Moon attacked.”

“Yeah, we should totally do that!” Spike agreed earnestly. Rarity wore an uneasy smile as her eyes danced between her lover and her friend. “What's the matter Rarity?” Spike asked, noticing her distress.

“I had originally planned for us to take a romantic walk through the park, darling.” Rarity lamented. “It's such a beautiful day, I thought we might even see if they'll let us ride on one of those beautiful swan-boats on the pond. Wouldn't that be wonderful dear?” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes toward the dragon, while Twilight turned her head to the side and retched under her breath.

“Well, I guess we could do that too, right?” Spike asked.

“We won't have enough time to do both, Spike.” Twilight said, turning back to face them. “The play is only a few hours from now, and the park is on the other side of town from the library. We'd have to run from one location to the other just to spend a few minutes at each place.”

“Oh.” Spike winced, looking away from her and scratching his arm uncomfortably. “Uh...”

Twilight emitted a defeated sigh. It was at that moment that she realized how much of a third wheel she actually was. Rarity and Spike may have been her friends, but she was smart enough to see that they wanted to enjoy each others company more intimately. If Twilight had brought a date of her own, it could have been a double date, and would have balanced out quite nicely. Being there by her lonesome however made her feel like dead weight on what Spike and Rarity wanted to be a romantic evening for themselves.

“Let's just go to the park,” Twilight relented apathetically. She could just see it now: Spike and Rarity would be riding one of those tacky boats in the shape of a swan, both of them nuzzling up to each other and sucking their lips from each others faces. Right behind them, Twilight would be riding a boat of her own, paddling all by herself, her wings hiding her face from onlooking ponies who gawked at the lonely princess of friendship.

“Man, I'm starving,” Spike grumbled, jumping off of his chair. “I'm gonna go see if they have any mints at the front to tide me over til our food gets here.”

Rarity scoffed disapprovingly at Spike as he walked away. “You are going to spoil your appetite, young man!” She shouted jovially, before shaking her head. “I swear, I don't think that dragon will ever grow up.”

“Uh huh,” Twilight murmured, extending her lips to her straw and sucking down a large helping of her raspberry sparkling water.

“Then again, I'd be lying if I said his boyish mannerisms weren't charming in their own way. I dare say it makes me feel young again. You know it's funny, I...” Rarity's voice trailed off as something caught her attention. Unbeknown to Twilight, Spike was several feet behind her, peeking out from the door leading to the interior of the diner. He was waving his claw toward Rarity, a tense expression on his face as he beckoned her to join him.

“Rarity?” Twilight asked, prompting Rarity to look back to the alicorn.

“I... I—oh, goodness!” Rarity shouted suddenly, making Twilight jump in surprise. She raised her hoof to the white of her face, tapping it across her cheek. “I think I feel a pimple forming! What a disaster, I can't possibly attend the show with a pimple on my face!” Rarity quickly jumped from her seat. “Please excuse me Twilight, I must tend to this matter at once!”

The unicorn galloped away from the table, as Twilight shook her head aimlessly. Rounding the corner, Rarity came to a halt inside the diner, standing close to Spike who looked at the wall, in the direction Twilight was sitting.

“Everything alright, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Not really,” Spike replied anxiously. “Something's been bothering Twilight the whole week you've been gone.”

A discouraged frown spread across Rarity's face. “Oh goodness. Is it anything serious?”

“I don't know, Rarity. She's still herself for the most part. She's always reading, she'll chat with me and her friends like normal. But I've just been getting this weird vibe from her, like she's really unsettled. I asked her a few times if she was okay, and she told me she was fine, but I don't buy it. I think she's keeping something to herself.”

Rarity nodded understandingly. “I think you have good reason to trust those instincts, Spike. You've known Twilight longer than I or any of the others have. You've most likely developed a sixth sense of sorts about her well-being.”

“Yeah. I hate to ask this, but do you think we could go to the library instead of the park?” Spike asked pleadingly. “I know you had your heart set on it, but I think it might cheer Twilight up to see her old home again.”

“Of course, dear.” Rarity replied vigorously.

“You mean you're not mad?”

“Mad? Not at all!” she assured him. “I think it's quite admirable that you're willing to go to such lengths to cheer up Twilight when she needs it. And I am more than willing to do just as much. I might not be dating her, but she is just as important to me as you are.” She said, holding her hoof underneath his chin.

“Thank you so much Rarity. You're the best.”

“Not at all,” she replied, leaning down and kissing him on his lips. The two rubbed their noses together and kissed yet again, before Rarity left to rejoin Twilight at the table.

“So, get that pimple taken care of?” Twilight asked, as Rarity reclaimed her seat.

“Hm? Oh, yes, pimple,” Rarity said, waving her hoof. “Just a small little thing, hardly noticeable. I put something on it to hide it, I'll be fine.” Off to the side, she saw Spike strutting across the pavement, an armful of chocolate mints in his grasp. The two mares looked upon him, his lips stained dark brown with melted chocolate, and he stared back at them with confusion.

“What?” he asked innocently. The two mares snorted as he dropped his tiny mountain of mints on the table and climbed back up to his seat.

“Is it me, or is it getting rather warm out here?” Rarity asked, as Spike stuffed a clawful of mints into his mouth.

“Not to me.” Twilight replied flatly. “In fact, it's kind of breezy for summer.”

“Well, I for one think it's only going to get warmer. And I don't think it would help my complexion to stroll around the park, gathering all that sweat and dirty pond water. Perhaps we should visit Twilight's library instead?”

A wide grin spread across Twilight's face. “Really? You mean it?”

“I do. In fact, a part of me is curious to see where Princess Twilight spent most of her time, before she graced modest little Ponyville.”

“Yay!” Twilight cheered, visibly squirming with excitement. Rarity turned her eyes to Spike, who offered her an appreciative smile. She flashed a knowing wink toward him, just before their white-maned waiter returned, floating their entrees through the air with his magic.

Twilight Sparkle, with Spike and Rarity accompanying her on her right, climbed a flight of stairs in the western quadrant of Canterlot. Her eyes wandered from the top of the tower, shaped like a clove of garlic, and down to the ceramic doors in front of her. As she drew closer to the entrance, she felt her legs turn to jelly. Some time ago, she had climbed these steps daily, after regular visits to princess Celestia's castle. Though excited to take a trip down memory lane, she also felt a touch jittery, and her nerves grew bit by bit with every step she took. Nonetheless, she kept her head held high, and pressed on, the need to see her old home growing ever greater by the minute. With a flare of her magic, she stepped over the threshold with Spike and Rarity. She found herself breathless as she took in the sight in front of her, her mouth hanging open in astonished delight.

“Goodness me!” Rarity voiced, clearly impressed by the expansive interior before her. “It's magnificent!”

Magnificent didn't even begin to describe it. Twilight felt as if she had stepped through a door to the past. Just in front of her was a small flight of stairs, leading to two different levels. The lower level had served as her living quarters. The upper level though was where she had spent most of her time. From the distance, she could see the large hourglass positioned in front of the grand glass window that took up the entirety of the back wall. Taking up residence along the adjoining walls, were rows and rows of bookshelves, towers of literary works that held untold amounts of knowledge waiting to be discovered by those with the drive to learn.

“Oh, Spike...” Twilight voiced, her eyes glistening with moisture. “I can't believe what I'm seeing. It hasn't changed a bit.”

Spike stood next to her, his arms folded in front of his chest as he looked in the same direction with admiration. “Still feels like we're coming home, even after all this time in Ponyville,” he said coolly. Though his demeanor was calm, even he felt a bit of nostalgia tug at his heart as he looked upon the first library he had ever served as an assistant in.

“Well, if I had known a princess was visiting, I would have prepared ahead of time for a more suitable welcome.” A bright, cheery voice called out behind them. Twilight and the others turned to see a light blue unicorn mare. Her mane was a shade more violet than Rarity's, and a light pink flower rested above her left ear.

“Oh, don't worry about it.” Twilight assured her, her voice cracking just slightly. She raised a hoof to wipe the wetness from her eyes, and cleared her throat before continuing, “Are you the bookkeeper here ma'am?”

“I am,” the unicorn replied. “Tulip Tepal, at your service.”

“Ah. Very nice to meet you, Tulip.”

“We've met before, your majesty.”

“Have we?”

“Yeah, a few times, but nothing extensive. I usually saw you walking about the streets, with your head buried in a book. Usually it was something I'd enjoyed before, and I was impressed to see somepony in Canterlot with such a knack for reading.” Tulip’s head sank slightly, and her tone of voice dropped as she continued. “I tried to talk to you a few times, but I never could get more than a hooffull of words out of you. I guess you had a passion for reading that put mine to shame, huh?”

Twilight winced at the mention of her past self, so caught up in her studies, with little interest in being sociable.

“I'm sorry.” Twilight said softly, her shame apparent in her voice. “I wish I had known back then what joys the magic of friendship could bring a pony. If I had, then I would have accepted yours the moment you offered it to me.”

“No big deal.” Tulip said, waving a hoof through the air dismissively. “I'd say the mare accompanying you and your assistant shows you’ve grown quite a bit since I saw you in the past. I don't think I got your name, miss?”

“Rarity,” the stylish unicorn informed her, tutting the end of her mane. Tulip nodded appreciatively.

“I have done a lot of growing.” Twilight stepped forward and extended a hoof towards Tulip. “And I'd like to offer what I should have accept from you back then, when I was too blind to see it right in front of me.”

Tulip's head sunk within her shoulders, humbled by the princess's gesture. Nonetheless, she rose her own hoof and clasped it with Twilight's. “I do accept it. Thank you, your majesty.” The two mares stared across from one another in admiration of their new connection.

“Oh, I should mention that I'm looking for a book on ancient horse mythology. Is Of Myths, Mares and Magic still available?”

“It is, and you'll be happy to know that it and every other book is in the exact same arrangement you had it in since you left years ago. I don't think I could have organized this library better than you have, miss Twilight.”

The alicorn smiled sheepishly at her praise. “Wonderful! I think we'll find it on our own. Thank you so much, Tulip.”

“You're welcome. Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with,” the unicorn said, turning to the stairs and moving down to her living quarters. The trio made their way in the opposite direction, climbing up the stairs and onto the level above her.

Walking across the central platform of the library, Twilight and Spike gazed about the rows and rows of books. They noticed that what Tulip had said was indeed true; every book on the shelves appeared just as they had so long ago. It helped memories from the past come flooding back with ease. Many years ago, princess Celestia had walked the two through the same front doors for the first time, both of them young and sheltered from the world for the most part.

I get to stay here!? Twilight had shouted in astonishment, while Spike drummed his claws in anxiousness.

This will be your home now, Twilight. Celestia's warm, benevolent voice washed over her encouragingly. I hope you find it to your liking.

Liking? More like loving! Twilight scampered up to the first row of books, using her magic to float a number of them in front of her face. Spike, put some tea on. I'm gonna be reading all night, starting now!

Celestia had lifted a hoof to her face and giggled at Twilight's excitement. Oh dear; I may have underestimated your reading prowess, my faithful student. This library's collection might not even last you the week!

Twilight sighed softly as she stared at the spot her younger self had taken her first trots across. Though she loved her home in Ponyville, she was glad to be back in the first place she'd been granted a sense of independence and purpose. Continuing her pace, she found herself right under the section of the bookshelf she needed to be. Looking up, she saw the brown tome that was Of Myths, Mares and Magic, just as familiar as the back of her hooves. She instinctively lit up her horn to retrieve it, but felt something clamp down on it without warning.

“Ah ah ah!” Spike said, shaking one pointed claw to and fro, while his other arm had its claw wrapped around her horn. “I didn't become Number One Assistant with you fetching your own books.” He teased. “Gotta defend my title, you know?” Twilight scoffed in joking disapproval. On the inside however, she felt giddy and delighted that Spike was so willing to take up his reins within their former sanctuary.

“Alright, assistant.” Twilight snapped back with a grin, as Spike moved toward the ladder a distance away from them. “Fetch my book for me, good sir.” Spike kicked against the floor and the ladder slid in front of Twilight while he offered a dramatic salute.

“At once, madame!” he replied, before turning back and climbing up the ladder toward his target. As he made his way up the steps of the ladder, Twilight kept her gaze locked on Spike, especially at his legs. Though Spike had grown just a smidgen taller than her recently, his legs still had a little bit of that childlike chubbiness to them. She ran her teeth across her bottom lip, imagining how much he might giggle if she were to start nibbling on his thighs, making her way up to his taught little dragon butt that now swung up high above her near the top of the ladder.

“I never imagined you two lived in such a large place,” Rarity said as she gazed in awe of its spacious design, stepping toward Twilight. Being snapped out of her thoughts, Twilight tried to put the image of Spike's growing erection out of her mind before her body began to respond to it involuntarily. “How on Earth did you manage to get accustomed to such a small tree after living in a place like this?”

“W-well, it was a bit of an adjustment, truth be told,” Twilight replied nervously, feeling the tightness gathering under her belly subside, “but after the first week there, I found it to be quite cozy.”

“That's wonderful, darling. I'm so glad that destiny led you and Spike to Ponyville that day. I just can't imagine my life without you here.”

“Me neither!” Spike exclaimed, sliding down the ladder and onto Twilight's back. Twilight straightened out her tail, and allowed Spike to slide completely off of her. He landed on the floor on both feet, the book high above his head in triumph. “For you, ma'am!”

“Thank you, number one assistant!” Twilight said, once again using her magic to levitate the text in front of her. With the cover open, she flipped through the pages and scanned them vigorously. “P...P... Pools? No, let's try water... Myths surrounding bodies of water... ah-ha!” Twilight shouted excitedly, landing on a single page. “The Lethe Pool; legendary pond said to have memory erasing properties. See Legend of Silver Spear.” Twilight hurriedly flipped backwards through the pages until she found another point to stop at. “Silver Spear, son of Boulder Tail, hero of medieval Equestria before the Royal Sisters era, who served as a knight of the corrupt King Virulence. No longer able to tolerate the harsh rule his king held over the land, Silver Spear embarked on an epic quest in search of the Lethe Pool, in order to erase the memory of his king, as well as all the subjects knowledge of his existence. Ha!” Twilight exclaimed happily.

“Wow, Twilight.” Spike muttered in astonishment. “You were dead on from what you said at the diner. I can't believe you remembered all that.”

“Me neither. Sometimes I forget how smart I am.” She gloated proudly, her chest puffed out just a smidgen in front of Spike, who looked over the edge of the book in front of Twilight.

Rarity smiled weakly as she watched the two chat amongst themselves over their finding in their old library. She was happy that the two shared such a close bond with each other, truly she was. She would never even dream of wanting to come between that connection even slightly. Still, Rarity couldn't help but feel excluded from their merriment. Nonetheless, in an effort to preserve the joyous mood of the evening, she kept a friendly smile on her face as she looked between them. She just had to accept that even though she and Spike were a couple, Twilight would always have a connection with the little dragon in a vastly different way than she could ever have.

Good for them. She thought to herself. I want them to keep their friendship as strong as ever. It would be awful if Twilight thought I was intruding on the connection they've had for so long.

“So, does Silver Spear find the pool and stop the king?” Spike asked, tilting his head awkwardly in an effort to read the text.

“Let's see...” Twilight said, her eyes returning to the book of myths. “It says here that—” before she could finish, a pair of white hooves slammed onto the pages, blocking their vision. The two stared up to see Rarity covering the book from their eyes.

“Ah ah ah,” she scolded them playfully. “No spoilers now; you'll get your answer when you watch the play tonight.”

“Oh yeah. Heh, guess we got a little carried away there,” Spike admitted abashedly. His smile turned to one of alarm when he caught a glimpse of the clock up high on the wall in front of him. “Holy guacamole! We've only got two hours left before it starts!”

“We better get going then.” Twilight declared, the three of them making their way to and down the stairs toward the front entrance.

“Leaving already?” A voice called to them. Twilight turned to see Tulip Tepal climbing up from her living quarters toward them.

“Yes, unfortunately.” Twilight replied. “We've got a show to see pretty soon, don't want to be late.”

“Oh, okay.” Tulip acknowledged with a nod. “Hey, promise you won't be a stranger in the future. Come see me if you visit Canterlot again, okay?”

“I promise. Bye Tulip!” And Twilight stepped out the door behind Spike and Rarity. Noticing the position of the sun waiting on the horizon to be lowered by princess Celestia, Tulip approached the door and flipped the hanging sign from Open to Closed.

Author's Note

Thanks to AnonponyDASHIE for getting through not only this chapter, but the last chapter as well in such a short amount of time.