"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
*Spike dove at the sword, kicking it under the bed as he caught Cadance as she fell.*
"NO! I CAN'T LOSE YOU TOO!!!! I JUST CAN'T!!! THERE'S MORE FOR YOU TO LIVE FOR CADANCE!!! DON'T YOU SEE HOW I FEEL ABOUT YOU?! DON'T YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU!!! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!!"
Cadance just blinked her eyes.
"You....You love me? You actually love me? But Spike? Why? Why do you care about me? Why did you save me?"
"I saved you because you're worth saving. I know you're sad. Extremely sad. But death is never the answer. NEVER YOU HEAR ME!!! I'm here for you Cadance. I miss Skyla but hiding away isn't the answer. AND KILLING YOURSELF SURELY ISN'T THE ANSWER!! Don't you understand that?"
"I...I guess you're right. What was I thinking? Thank you Spike! Thank you for saving me from myself! But I want to be alone now."
"With all due respect, I don't think you should be alone right now. I'm going to stay right here beside you no matter what. I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you."
*Spike grabbed her hoof with both of his claws.*
"I'm never letting you go Cadance."
*She just looked at him and broke down in tears. He wrapped his arm around her and just let her cry into his Scales.*
The next day
Cadance woke up in Spike's arms. Suddenly she remembered what happened.
Oh what have I done?!
She dropped her head onto her pillow.
Spike woke up and looked at her. She lifted her head off the pillow to look at him then dropped it again.
"I am so embarrassed" Cadance said underneath her pillow.
"Why?"
"Because of what happened yesterday! I can't believe I almost killed myself!"
"Yeah, that WAS crazy. I'm just glad I was there to save you."
"Yeah...You're my knight in........Shining .....Armor."
At that, she dropped her head again.
"I'm you're knight in shining scales?" Spike offered the rephrase to try to avoid the sensitive topic.
Cadance smiled weakly.
"Yeah...Shining scales. You're my hero, Spike, you know that?"
*Spike scratched the back of his head.*
"I only did what anypony...err...dragon, would have done."
"Yes....But you said you loved me."
"Oh...That. Well, I've been wanting to say that for awhile now."
"Well......I kind of feel that way too."
"YOU DO?!"
"Yeah."
*Spike beamed.*
"But what should we do? This relationship wouldn't be approved by my aunts nor the crystal ponies."
"Yeah, I doubt anypony would. Maybe we could hide it? Let it stay within the castle and only when nopony is looking?"
"That sounds fantastic!!"
*Cadance wrapped her wings around Spike and kissed him directly on the mouth.*
"YOU KISSED ME! WOW YOU REALLY KISSED ME!!!"
"YES!!! AND HERE I GO AGAIN!!" She said as she kissed him again.
*Suddenly there was a knock at the door.*
"Princess?" It was a royal Canterlot guard.
Spike and Cadance jumped in opposite directions from each other.
"Yes?" Cadance said.
"May I come in your highness?"
*Spike pretended he was clearing things away.*
"Yes, do come in."
"You're highness, The Princess Celestia and Princess Luna request your report of the kingdom. Not much has been heard from the Crystal Empire for quite some time now. "
"Ah. OK. Tell them I will write a letter of explanation and will see them in three weeks time."
"Yes your highness." said the guard as he left.
"What WILL you tell them? You haven't even SEEN your kingdom in MONTHS."
"I don't know Spike. What HAS been going on and how has things been?"
"Well....Every pony who has troubles and who comes to see you hasn't been too happy...THAT'S for sure. But don't worry, I have been telling them that you haven't been feeling well and would try to help them best that I could."
"So basically...YOU have been running the kingdom?"
"I guess....I have! WOW I've been running a KINGDOM!"
*Spike plopped down in a chair.*
"Yeah...Now I guess I have to go face my kingdom."
"Yeah..I really think you should."
Cadance went to the balcony to look over her kingdom.
"THERE SHE IS!!!!!! THERE'S THE PRINCESS!!!!!!" Some pony yelled.
"My fellow subjects I am now doing well enough to address you. I am so sorry for my absence and now I hope to spend time finding out what I have missed."
She left the balcony to sit on her throne. Droves of ponies lined up at the door. Most baring gifts of well wishing. She sat and listened to all the ponies. It brought a smile to her face knowing that so many of her subjects loved her even if she had been an absentee ruler.
After the long day of visiting her subjects, she came up to her room and got her quill and parchment paper.
"Now what should I write to my Aunts? Hmm....I know!"
She sat and wrote about how the kingdom was doing and that she had been ill recently and how supportive her subjects had been when she started feeling better. She wished them well and sealed the letter with an official seal of the Crystal Empire.
"Spike! Do you think you still know that trick to get this letter to Aunt Celestia?"
"THAT one I know better than anything!"
He blew his green flame on the parchment as it crumbled into ashes.
"Now what? Do I just wait for a reply?" She asked.
"Usually I just burp up a new letter from Celestia whenever she writes back."
"THAT'S got to be annoying!"
"You have no idea!! With as much as Twilight used to write her?! I got indigestion all the time!!"
"Heehee I bet she did!"
They talked about Spike's life with Twilight and tales of when Cadance babysat Twilight all night long.
"You know what? I think we should go visit Twilight. It's been awhile and I miss my little sister-in-law."
"YEAH! I think a trip to Ponyville would be great!!"
"So it's settled. Next week, we go to Ponyville!!"
