An Assistant's Taleby DreamscapeChaptersPart 1Part 2Part 3Part 1Spike’s emerald eyes glared down at last few smudges on the floor beneath him. With a few swift arcs of the damp mop in his claws, the blemishes were smeared across the white surface before disappearing with a final pass. He blinked as he looked up and examined the pristine and gleaming plane around him, making sure he hadn’t missed even the smallest of imperfections. The floor’s owner was quite hard to satisfy. “That should do it,” he yawned, the exhausting task beginning to take its toll. The mare to whom he spoke turned from her latest sketch. Her bright red framed glasses rested upon her muzzle, contrasting against her fur which was even whiter than the perfect floor she now admired. “It looks absolutely marvelous, dear. It was quite kind of you to offer your assistance and for that, here you are,” a glowing blue aura surrounded her horn as she lifted an exceptionally large red gem from her desk. “I hope this is sufficient?” “It’s more than sufficient,” Spike gulped, “but I…I…” “What is it, darling?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow as his scaled cheeks grew red. “Well…maybe it’s too much. Did I really earn it? I mean…I was thinking maybe…” “The floors of Carousel Boutique now look stunning because of your help, of course you earned it, dear…but please go ahead, speak up,” she encouraged in a sweet tone. “Well Rarity, maybe we could hang out sometime instead, just you and me.” The dragon’s eyes quickly returned to the gleaming floor and he clasped his claws tightly together in an attempt to find safety from the awaited answer. The mare’s deep blue eyes widened at the suggestion and the room grew silent as she pondered a response. Spike cautiously returned his gaze to hers as she began. “Well…I’d love to my sweet little Spikey Wikey, but you know how busy I can be and I…have an order that needs to be shipped coming up soon. I’m afraid I don’t have the time. I’d rather you take the gem. You deserve every last bit of it.” The dragon knew that this was just a nice way of rejecting him, something he had grown used to when dealing with Rarity. Something he had grown to despise. Instead of grasping the gem that fell into his claws, he wanted instead to hold his chest where it felt as though his heart had just been torn in two and then shredded to make sure it could never be repaired. He wondered why he still tried even though he knew what the outcome would be in every situation. As Rarity thanked him once more for his service, he wordlessly turned and made his way to the door. Her eyes traveled to it as it opened with a jingle and watched as the small dragon slipped through the passage he had made just wide enough for his body. After noiselessly closing the door behind him, Spike gazed down at his clawed toes as they trudged across the dirt path towards his destination, the library. He wasn’t staring at the ground without reason. The tears filling his eyes blurred his vision before dripping down and patterning the soil beneath with dark spots. He sniffed as a small trail of clear snot made its way down his nose. A sense of self-hatred filled his mind, ashamed of how sensitive he could be. He then quickened his pace, fearful of what those that might see would think. In a desperate attempt to make the saline liquid stop flowing, he wiped at the tears with the palms of his hands and suspiciously watched the many sets of colorful hooves appear and disappear from his vision. There was no need or want for him to look up, he had traveled this path many times and knew the streets of Ponyville by heart. Letting out a sigh of what he thought was relief, Spike’s entire body seemed to sink in desperation as he quickly realized he still had to contend with the alicorn inside. She knew him better than Rarity, the other girls, or anypony in Ponyville. It was inevitable that she would see through any form of a smiling guise. He decided to stop his sobbing the only he knew how. He turned his sorrow into rage and resentment. He paced back and forth before the door, his feet stomping against the ground beneath as he brooded over his entire situation with the lovely Rarity. He sniffled and used a claw to flick the last few tears from his eyes before glaring fiercely down at the gem he grasped. Its fiery red surface glimmered in the sun and he thought of how well it represented his current mindset. All that the normally gorgeous gem could do was remind him of the many times he had been so ‘politely’ rejected by the mare of his dreams. The muscles in his arm tensed as he tightened his hold, imagining the gem cracking and then shattering to pieces. In reality, all that this caused was a sharp pain which shot up through his claw. He groaned achingly and hissed at the object before throwing it into a distant clump of bushes. This caused a ruckus of squawks and flapping blue wings as a group of songbirds escaped the plummeting stone. It may just have been a fit of blind rage, but at that moment he decided he never wanted to see that gem again or even receive another payment from the elegant, white mare. In an attempt to calm himself, knowing his burning face was likely reflecting his mood just like the gem, he took in a deep breath and exhaled. It was something Twilight had taught him to do whenever panicked, angered, or worried. He then repeated the process, letting the air pour in to his lungs before gently expelling it back out with a soft, drawn out push. Although he still felt on the verge of both a mental collapse and an emotional breakdown, he was sure he could hold it in long enough to pass by the caring mare and head up to his bed for a ‘nap.’ He approached the door with determination, giving a final deep breath as he pressed down on the latch of the handle and gently pulled the wooden door open. “There you are, Spike!” Twilight exclaimed as she made her way to the door after hearing its familiar creak. “I’m really glad you’re back. To be honest, the library gets a bit lonely when I don’t have my number one assistant around,” she chuckled and gazed down at the dragon’s noticeably fake smile. She then raised a curious eyebrow as she noticed the glossy pink hue of his eyes. “Spike…did everything go okay at Rarity’s?” “I-it went fine,” he mumbled in response, turning his head shamefully. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” she assured with a comforting smile. Spike tried his best to hold back the tears as they once again filled his eyes, causing his mouth to quiver painfully. All his emotions then suddenly burst outward in a loud, expelling sob as he quickly wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into her rounded chest. An empathetic frown appeared on the mare’s face as she wrapped a caring hoof around him and pulled him closer. He thought of how childish his loud sobs were as his tears soaked into her fur, but there was seemingly nothing he could do to end it this time around. “It’s okay, just let it all out,” she cooed, brushing her hoof against his spiny back. “What happened?” Spike squeezed the alicorn’s neck tightly as his muffled sobs poured outwards. “A-after doing all that work…I…I asked Rarity if maybe she’d want to spend some time with me…j-just me and her … and she said no! She’s using me!” “Now Spike, I’m sure she’s not using you. Rarity never takes help unnoticed. She did give you something for your help, right?” “Y-yeah,” he sheepishly admitted, thinking about the magnificent gem. “Don’t get me wrong though, I completely understand where you’re coming from,” she explained, tightening the embrace. “I know Rarity’s never admitted it, but I don’t think she feels that way about you. She’s just the type of pony that’s too sweet to hurt another’s feelings, especially those of a good friend like you. I’m sorry to tell you this, but I just feel like this has gone on for too long and you deserve to know…” She paused for a moment and gave the top of his head a loving nuzzle before realizing he wasn’t prepared to speak. “I know it was wrong of her to lead you on like that and I’m truly very sorry, but you have to understand that it’s just who Rarity is. She meant no harm by it. She was actually trying to cause less.” Spike couldn’t help but smile through his tears at the pony’s soothing voice. It was if she always knew exactly what to say to make everything seem better and more understandable than it truly was. It wasn’t just her words that were comforting though, but her loving embrace which seemed even more caring and blissful than ever before. He couldn’t quite put his claw on it, but something seemed rather different about this hug, as if something had changed. Twilight once again tightened her hold around his small body, causing him to expel a gasp of air as he thought. “You know what, Twilight,” he stated, pulling away from her chest and gazing up into her large violet eyes. “I’m done with Rarity. I’ve had enough…wasn’t like I was getting anywhere anyways,” he huffed. Twilight’s lips formed into a smirk. “Even after all the hard work and time you’ve put into it?” He nodded his head without even the slightest reconsideration. “Well, I for one think it’s for the better,” she sighed in relief. She then smiled lightly as she finally lifted her hoof away from his back and placed it upon the floor with a small clunk. “I bet you’re getting hungry, aren’t you? It’s already passed your normal dinner time and it sounds like you’ve had a very long day. I think I have something that might cheer you up.” He looked up curiously, rubbing a fisted claw against his eye. “What?” “Well, a certain shipment arrived from Appleoosa today…a box of turquoise!” “For me?” the dragon asked, greedily licking his lips. “I certainly didn’t get them for myself,” she teased. “I know how much you love them and seeing that we haven’t been back to Appleoosa in quite a while, I know you haven’t had the chance to eat any more. Consider it a gift and a thanks for all the help you give around here.” He gleefully wrapped his arms around her once more, causing her to gasp slightly in surprise before affectionately nuzzling a cheek against his own. Spike had seemingly never noticed how much she really cared for him until that exact moment, and then lost himself in a dream of the past. He thought of all the wonderful times that the two had spent together, worked together, talked, and played together when he was younger. He truly loved her and knew she loved him just as much. The dragon gulped deeply as a fluttering sensation occupied his stomach. He didn’t just love Twilight as a friend. “I’m not used to seeing you this…loving,” Twilight commented, causing the dragon to realize the rather extended length of the hug. He quickly dropped his arms to his sides and looked away with a nervous laugh. “You’re just…really great, Twilight. You do a lot for me.” She responded with an appreciative smile as a light pink hue covered her cheeks. “It’s good to know that you’re getting to the age where you realize how much some ponies actually do for you.” “I guess it’s just that-” His soft mumbles were quickly interrupted by the intelligent alicorn. “That you took me for granted?” Spike responded with a fast nod, his cheeks turning the same color as her own. Twilight’s ears perked up and she let out a chuckle as she heard a grumbling in the dragon’s empty stomach. “Come on,” she stated, motioning her head in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ll get you some turquoise.” “You don’t have to do that. I can get it myself, you know,” he explained, following closely behind her. “Well, there’s not really much to it. All I have to do is put it in a bowl,” the pony laughed. “Then I’ll help you with your food,” he quickly added. The pony before him came to a sudden halt and gazed back at him curiously. She inspected his face for another false façade, but the small dragon seemed as sincere as ever. “Wow…of course you can. Thanks, Spike!” she exclaimed, returning to her previous gait after finding nothing. Reaching the kitchen, Twilight watched in amusement as her assistant clambered about it. He grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and rushed to the fridge where he filled it with a modest assortment of leaves and greens. He then set the bowl on the counter before returning to the open fridge for plethora of vegetables which he placed next to it. From a cabinet beneath the counter, he took out a well-used cutting board, the many scrapes, cuts, and gouges easily seen on its surface. Atop it he placed a bright carrot and carefully sliced it into small orange coins. The mare couldn’t help but smile as she watched, thinking that only a few years ago, she would’ve had to inform him to be very careful with such a sharp object. Although the dragon hadn’t grown much in size, he had certainly matured since then. Using her magic to effortlessly pull another bowl from the cabinet and then fill it from the small crate of turquoise sitting atop the dining table, she continued her role as a spectator. “Need any help?” she finally offered. “Nah, I got it. Just sit back and relax.” She sighed contently and followed his advice, not used to being treated with such service, especially from him. If the extra accommodating assistant hadn’t been turned away from her, she could have easily seen his still glowing red cheeks. Still in state of disbelief and lost in his thoughts, he barely even noticed the juicy cucumber which he now sliced. He wondered why, after all these years, he had never felt this way. Why he had never realized that the mare of his dreams had been right there in front of him. Who needed Rarity when he had Twilight? Spike shook himself, realizing he had completed the task. He sprinkled the colorful array of freshly chopped vegetables upon the bed of leaves and garnished them with a handful of beautifully simple white daisy heads. His heart pounded noisily against his chest as he placed the meal before her. “Wow Spike, this looks fantastic!” she exclaimed as the dragon seated himself across from her. “Thanks!” He nodded his head and smiled, sure she had noticed his positively glowing red cheeks by this point. He seemed quite surprised when nothing was said and instead the magical aura of her horn wrapped around a bite of leaf, vegetable, and daisy. He thought it was quite possible that she was ignoring it on purpose. Who am I kidding? With my luck, she probably feels just the same as Rarity. “It tastes fantastic too,” she sighed after taking a small nibble. “A salad is just what I needed.” His situation with Rarity may have hurt, but giving up so easily wasn’t a possibility for the romantically strong headed dragon. He eyeballed the mare with adoration as she continued her meal, her face was that of concentration rather than pleasure. Although for Twilight, thought was what brought her pleasure and Spike knew this very well. A smile formed on his face, causing his longer fangs to protrude as he wondered what was going through her head. Noticing his gaze from the corner of her eye she looked up with a teasing smirk. “Aren’t you going to eat?” “Uh…yeah,” he muttered, turning to the bright bluish-green stones beneath him. He picked one up and examined its glossy surface, broken with the occasional gray crack and then placed it in his mouth, easily shattering it between his fangs. After gulping it down, he quickly filled the empty void of his maw by setting another rock in its place and resuming the process. “Mmm….these are…great…Twilight…it was really sweet of you to…get them,” he spurted out as he thrust stone after stone into his mouth. “Glad to hear it,” she chuckled, observing the ever-lessening pile of turquoise. “I hope it…didn’t cost…too much to…ship these…all the way from…Appleoosa.” “Not too much at all and besides, you deserve every last bit that I spent,” she explained before lifting another crisp bite of her own meal to her mouth. “Mmm, well thanks, Twilight,” he mumbled before lifting the nearly emptied bowl to his gaping mouth and pouring the rest of the delectable treats in. Twilight rolled her eyes at the sight, delicately chewing another bite. Part 2"I’ll dry,” Twilight asserted, observing the dragon standing atop a small wooden stool to reach the sink as he finished scrubbing the last of the tableware. Unable to let out any protest before the stack of dishes to his left lifted magically off the counter, Spike silently nodded his head in agreement. “So,” the pony began as her assistant’s gloved claws plunged down through the thick, weightless layer of bubbles and into the scorching water beneath to grab the last bowl, “I certainly appreciate everything you’re doing for me this evening, but why?” To Spike, it seemed as though his face would never receive a break from a continual blushing as they once again returned to the heated state. He worked a sponge against the bowl’s glossy surface as he spoke. “Like you said, I’ve always taken you for granite-” “Granted,” the alicorn interrupted, placing a few dishes in their rightful place after drying them with a cloth. “Granted,” he repeated, “and I guess I just wanna make up for it.” By the smirk on Twilight’s face, he could easily tell she knew the statement wasn’t completely true. “That’s very sweet of you, Spike.” She called him sweet quite often, but he thought to himself how different the compliment felt now. As one thought led to another, he soon came to the subject of how he was going to reveal his new found feelings. This thought caused his heart to race and his pace to quicken as he splashed water and suds onto the floor and stool beneath. “Alright, that’s the last of them,” he mumbled to the now chuckling mare and as he turned to hand her the bowl, slipped on the newly created puddle in the center of his stool. Closing his eyes, he awaited the painful smack of his body against the hard floor below or the cringe worthy sound of the shattering bowl, of which neither came. Hesitantly opening his eyes, he saw the smug alicorn through a pink veil of shimmering magic which now surrounded him and the bowl, suspended only a few inches away from his head. “Alright Spike, I think you’ve done more than enough. I’d feel horrible if you got hurt trying to help me,” she stated, gently setting him on his feet and drying the bowl before placing it with the others in the cabinet. “Yeah, sorry about that,” Spike mumbled dejectedly as she acquired a mop and quickly soaked up the water splattered across the floor. “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Twilight assured as she pulled the plug from the sink, causing a distinct gurgling to fill the room as its water drained. She gave him a sheepish grin before wrapping a hoof around him once more. “You’ve helped way more than I ever would’ve expected. You’re a great little guy,” she cooed before pressing her lips against his cheek. The dragon’s reptilian eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head as he felt the touch of the mare’s soft, delicate lips. Although Spike’s heart was now completely mended from the crushing blow it had received earlier, his mind was in a much worse state. It was filled with thoughts of whether or not this meant Twilight felt the same as he did or if she was just being grateful which could be a rather likely conclusion. Along with this, there was the continuous repetition of the wondrous event that had just occurred, playing and replaying in his mind. Twilight looked down with concern, holding up his nearly limp body. “You okay? You look a little light headed.” Spike quickly shook himself and blinked repeatedly to clear the foggy thoughts. “Yeah…uh, anyways, what are you up to now?” he asked as her hoof pulled away. “Well, there’s a few things I wanted to add and change on our to-do list for tomorrow,” she suggested rather excitedly. “What can I do to help?” the faithful assistant asked with a smile. “I’m not really sure there’s much you can do,” she chuckled as she turned to make her way up the stairs, “but I’d love to have your company.” “Well, I’m pretty good at providing that,” Spike voiced proudly as he followed. Spike watched the alicorn squint at the list she had rolled out in the dim orange light pouring in from the setting sun outside. He slipped a claw through the hold of the polished brass candle holder at the edge of her desk. Then brought the stick of wax, almost completely melted down from the many late nights of studying and reading, to his mouth and breathed a small green flame onto its wick. “I guess I needed your help after all,” she commented, her eyes adjusting to the new found light source as it was set back upon the desk. To her right came a soft who as Owlowicious awoke from his slumber and began ruffling his feathers as he sat atop his perch. “Looks like you have a free night ahead of you, Owlowicious. I think Spike’s got everything under control.” The owl cocked his head towards the assistant and gave him what seemed to be a thankful nod before he went about preening. Twilight dabbed a quill into the inkwell beside the list and began to write, quickly noticing that the dark liquid only formed a few letters before fading away. “Spike, could you get me some more ink?” “Sure thing, always happy to assist,” he stated as he opened the drawer in front of him, heavily weighted with a plentiful supply of the liquid. He then grabbed out another well and uncorked it with a pop before she used her magic to lift it away and set it in place of the previous which now lay in the trash bin atop its crumpled paper contents. She mumbled a thank you, her mind lost in the words before her. Spike sighed blissfully as he observed her frowns before she crossed out a section of text and then her smiles after she inscribed the corrected version beneath. “You know, you don’t have to stand there and watch me write,” she said, looking up after a few minutes. “I’m sure it’s not the most entertaining thing in world.” “I’m just keeping you company like you said. I don’t mind,” he replied and began pacing back and forth after she returned to her corrections. He contemplated whether or not he should take the chance to tell her of his feelings. He considered the fact that the two had known one another for years, so it seemed as though telling her right away wouldn’t be out of place. On the other claw, he thought maybe he should ease his way into it, but avoidance like that would make it even harder for him to admit his thoughts later on. “Umm, Twilight?” he mumbled as he bit down nervously upon his claw, his decision being made. “I really, really like you…I think I love, like not as a friend or sister…but…” his sentence trailed off into an inaudible breath. “What was that?” Twilight muttered, causing Spike’s heart to sink. The mare had once again lost herself in the task at hoof. He rolled his eyes and let out a much less blissful sigh. He knew better, he had to wait until her mind was less occupied before saying anything of note. “Nothing, never mind.” The alicorn looked up curiously and noticed that his cheeks were unsurprisingly flushed with pink once more. “You okay, Spike?” “Yeah,” the dragon responded, receiving a questioning glare afterwards as Twilight set down her quill and rolled up the list. “You done?” Twilight shuffled her hooves enthusiastically. “Yes! And do you know what that means?” The assistant responded with a shrug. “That was the last thing we had to do today, so we can read now!” Spike turned away shyly, finding her excitement irresistibly cute. “Sweet!” “You bet your scaly tail it is!” she exclaimed, causing her assistant to turn back with an odd look upon his face, rarely hearing such things come from the rather serious pony’s mouth. Spike then rolled his eyes just as she would have and let out a soft laugh. “Oh shush,” she giggled as she turned to make her way to the bedroom, Spike following close in tow. As he entered the room, Spike admired the now deep purple skies outside its window, faintly lit by the moon and blanketed with stars. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Twilight asked before flicking on her bedside lamp and pulling her blue, night themed blanket over her lower body. “Really,” Spike agreed, following suit by plopping down into the plump cushioning of his bedded basket before turning on his own lamp. He then leaned over its edge and snatched his claws around the brand new comic which lay beside it. He inhaled the distinct, newly printed smell of its pages and gazed down at its nearly shining cover. “Spike,” the alicorn stated, causing him to look up. “Do you want to read up here with me instead?” she asked, scooting over to make room. Spike jumped at the question, speedily leaping from his bed with the comic. “Sure, that’d be great,” he responded, turning off the lamp that had only just been on for a minute and making his way over to her bed, not wanting to question her motives. “I’m surprised,” Twilight added, adjusting the pillow which she leaned against so he could do the same after crawling onto the bed. “You’ve been quite a bit more independent of late, but today seems different.” The dragon rested his back awkwardly against the plump pillow behind it, knowing she had taken note of his change in attitude, but was unsure if she yet knew exactly what it meant. “Anyways, what are you reading now? More Power Ponies?” she inquired, wrapping her hooves around her own book. He responded with a slight shake of his head. “Nope, not this time. It’s something new, first issue. It looked interesting, so I decided to give it a try.” “What exactly is it about?” “It’s set in the near future and involves a detective pony solving crimes. Not sure exactly what the plot is yet. Guess I’ll just have to read to find out.” Twilight gave a warm smile. “It certainly sounds interesting.” “Yeah, what about you?” he asked, pointing at her book. The mare couldn’t help but turn her smile to a grin as she spoke. “Oh, just another Starswirl the Bearded book.” “But I thought you already knew everything there was to know about Starswirl?” he asked, getting settled as he slid into the blankets warm, cozy embrace. “Oh trust me, I do,” she bragged with a smirk. “This one is a fictional novel that’s based on all of those historical events.” Spike let out a laugh as a brilliant idea popped into his head. “You know what would the best book ever for you? A book with Daring Do and Starswirl the Bearded!” The pony responded with a signature rolling of the eyes. “I’m not really sure how that would wo-” she paused, her eyes stopping midway through the roll. “Wait! Daring Do could be searching for one of the many lost artifacts of Starswirl! That’s actually a really great idea, Spike!” “That was more your idea than mine,” he chuckled. “I was just joking around.” Twilight responded with a soft giggle before opening the book and easily slipping away into its text. With that, Spike knew he wouldn’t hear much else from her for the rest of the evening and decided to start reading as well. He opened to the title page, revealing a minimalistic scene of black and white. At a bar sat a silhouetted pony who he assumed to be the detective, lifting a mug of cider to his mouth as a few other ponies passed by or sat talking with one another. The only color on the page was an unearthly blue filling the screen above him which depicted a newscast. The headline read that there had been a tragic magical explosion of unknown origins that destroyed an entire city block. The casualties had not yet been accounted for, but they were said to be “very high.” Spike let out a yawn and turned his view to the window once more. Power Ponies could be somewhat dark at times, but nothing in comparison with this new one, he thought. This dark premise wasn’t what kept him from reading though. His mind was still filled with thoughts of the amazing and beautiful mare which now lay beside him. He peered over at her, lifting the comic to his face and looking back occasionally as if he was truly reading. His eyelids began to grow heavy as he watched her smile grow larger with every turn of the page and her muzzle get closer and closer to the book. Soon he was fast asleep, the unread comic laid open on his chest and a contented, peaceful look upon his face. Twilight let out a yawn and sleepily eyeballed the number of the page she had reached, already nearly three quarters of the way through. She glanced at the clock in front of the brightly lit lamp and realized it was long past her normal bed time. Letting out another more drawn out yawn, she placed a tasseled marker between the pages before closing them and setting the book aside. She couldn't help but grin as she noticed the tranquil dragon, the occasional soft breath escaping through his mouth, and didn’t have the heart to evict him to his own bed. Instead, the mare gave him a loving peck on the forehead before pulling him close to her body. After placing his comic atop her book and pulling the blanket up to their necks, she too drifted off into a deep sleep, lulled by the constant chirping of crickets outside. Part 3Spike awoke to the soft morning chatter of a group of birds outside and with guilt, thought of the ones he had nearly hit with a gem on the previous day. He soon realized that a warm hoof lay limply across his body. His heart pounded gently as he sluggishly opened his eyes and saw Twilight’s beautiful face glowing in the early morning light, her eyes peacefully held shut in sleep. Not wanting to wake her, he slowly and silently moved himself closer so their bodies touched. After cautiously wrapping his arms around her, he pressed his face into her soft lavender fur and basked in its blissful embrace. “Good morning, Spike,” the mare’s voice resonated through her chest, causing his body to jolt slightly before he looked up. The dragon spoke softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” “No worries,” she yawned, rolling onto her back and turning her head to see what the clock read, “we needed to get up a bit early anyways. The library’s closed for re-shelving today, remember?” “Re-shelving? Already?” he grumbled. “Yes, those books are an organizational nightmare,” Twilight sighed. “What happened to the assistant that was willing to do anything to help me? I was really starting to like him,” she teased. “I wasn’t complaining,” he quickly mumbled, rolling onto his back and shoving away the warm blanket as he sat up. “I’m ready whenever you are…just one question, why do you still run the library anyways? Since you know, you’re a princess and stuff now.” A soft smile appeared on her face as she too sat up. “I at least want to do something productive while we figure out where those keys are. Besides, I think I’d be neglecting my duty as a princess if I didn’t provide my subjects with the knowledge they want or need,” she explained. Spike let out a yawn, his sharp fangs gleaming in the bright sunlight pouring in from the window. “I guess that makes sense,” he responded with a shrug. “Actually Spike, if you don’t want to help me, you don’t have to. After all you did yesterday, you deserve a nice rest,” she cooed sweetly. The dragon sighed lazily, the prospect of extra sleep sounded quite enticing, but he knew he must help. “I can’t let you do that all by yourself. It’d take ages.” She nodded her head appreciatively. “Thanks Spike. We might as well get an early start on our morning so we can get started on that too.” Spike let out another yawn in response before hopping off the bed. With his mind in a daze, Spike went about his normal morning time routine of eating breakfast and cleaning himself up for the day, seemingly unable to awaken fully. His mind was once again lost with the thoughts of his newfound crush. Today was the day that he’d tell her how he felt, after they finished re-shelving of course. Pleasing her even more than he already had would certainly give him a better chance. Before he knew it, the bookshelves were emptied and the floor filled with their contents. “Spike, you start with fiction, authors’ names ending in A and I’ll do the same with nonfiction,” the alicorn stated, her attitude becoming more business-like. “Yes ma’am,” Spike replied, rummaging through the mountainous, multicolored pile before him. He monotonously set aside those that didn’t match his category and put those that did in a stack beside him. “Here’s an A, nonfiction,” he mumbled after a few moments, lifting up a book with a hard, dark green cover and golden text. With a quick thank you, the book was surrounded by magic and lifted away, leaving him to continue his sorting. After what seemed like ages, but was likely not even half an hour, Spike was unable to reach the top of his towering stack to add another book. The assistant bent down and lifted it up with a grunt before stumbling over to the correct shelf where they would be placed. “How many of these have you actually read?” he asked, reading the title imprinted upon the spine of each book he set on the shelf. “I don’t even think I’ve read half of the books here,” she laughed. “These shelves can hold a lot more than you think.” “Trust me, I’ve re-shelved them plenty. I know,” the dragon sighed teasingly. “Actually now that you mention it, I’ve really wanted to catch up on some of these,” Twilight stated, pulling a few books from the pile before her and suspending them in front of her face. “Let’s take the day off…or at least…put off re-shelving until a bit later.” “Wait…what?” Spike asked, dumbfounded by the response. “You’re just going to leave all these books on the floor and not have a panic attack about how messy it looks?” She rolled her eyes. “Spike!” “Well, that’s what you’d normally do,” he admitted. The pony sighed and nodded her head in defeat. “You’re right Spike, or at least you would’ve been right not too long ago, but I’ve a learned a lot in the past few years. One of those things is that there is a lot more important stuff to be doing than reorganizing a library, like spending time with your friends. Besides, I’m a bit worried about you. You’ve been off in your own little world all morning long. I think it’s for the best if we both take a break.” “Well it’s just that-” Twilight quickly interrupted the dragon before he could comment further. “Let’s head up to the balcony and we can have a little talk before we read.” With that, she tucked a couple of books under her wing and made her way up the stairs. “Grab your comic or whatever else you want to read on the way up.” Spike gulped, wondering what exactly was meant by “little talk.” Was it possible that she knew? If not, it’d still be the perfect time to tell her. He grew nauseous with anticipation as he too headed up the stairs. *** “Here you go, Twi,” Spike stated as he pulled her Starswirl book from beneath the stack of comics he had put together. “Thought you might wanna finish this one first.” “Thanks Spike, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she responded, finding a comfortable position after laying down on the balcony’s wooden deck and then tucking her hooves beneath her chest. She drew in a heavy breath of air, admiring the multitude of fragrant scents, ranging anywhere from potted flowers and freshly mown lawns to the aroma of coffee and baked goods. “Sometimes I forget how beautiful Ponyville can be,” she expelled, turning her gaze from the peaceful town below to the empty, blue skies above. “Yeah,” the dragon breathed dreamily as he took a seat, gazing at the much more beautiful sight to his side. He was rather unbeknownst to the fact that mare stared right back at him, a questioning look upon her face. For a moment, his bright emerald eyes locked with the dark violet hue of her own before quickly turning to the street below, a few ponies treading its surface. “So…what’s up with all the reading lately anyways?” he mumbled nervously, hoping she hadn’t noticed. “I mean, I know you love reading and all, but you’ve been doing it even more than usual.” “Well Spike, to be honest, I haven’t been able to read all day like I used to for quite a while and I miss it. I just thought I’d do it while I had the chance,” Twilight responded, causing the assistants head to nod understandingly. “Before we moved to Ponyville, this is practically all we did,” she laughed. “Things would be a lot different if we never would’ve came here.” Spike’s mind filled with thoughts of the alternate reality where Twilight was still an aspiring student in Canterlot who concentrated on her own ambitions rather than friendship, but quickly realized that instead, Canterlot may not even exist or Equestria for that matter. “You and the girls would’ve never saved Ponyville or Canterlot or the Crystal Empire…or Equestria,” he stated grimly. The alicorn’s entire body shuddered at the thought, but she spoke in a consoling tone. “You mean we wouldn’t have. We couldn’t have done it without you.” The dragon gave an agreeable nod. “Yeah...I guess.” “Thinking about it, you were my only true friend besides Shining before we met the girls.” He turned his eyes up at her silently. “You’ve been by my side through thick and thin, and I don’t just mean back in Canterlot. You’re truly a great friend, Spike.” “I don’t know if I’m that great of a friend,” the assistant mumbled, his cheeks beginning to flush. “You don’t have to be so modest,” she sighed with a frown. “You followed me when nopony else would have. Spike, if you wouldn’t have come back to Ponyville with me when we were searching for the Tree of Harmony and stayed with the others instead…I’m not sure anypony would’ve ever known what happened to me when Discord “convinced” me to go back…I-I don’t know if I would’ve made it…” her sentence trailed off and tears filled her eyes. “You…you saved my life.” Spike was unable to hold back his tears as he watched the pony’s own trickle down her face. He wrapped his arms around her neck and felt as her strong wing surrounded his body once it had unfurled. Twilight caressed her chin against his head before speaking once more. “You followed me through the portal when I went to stop Sunset Shimmer even when you were specifically told not to. You were there when I climbed the tower to save the Crystal Empire, actually you were the one who saved it. Without you, I would’ve failed… you’ve been there for plenty of other times too.” The dragon tightened his hold as he began to sob, but instead of burying his face into the solace of her chest as he had previously, he pulled away and gazed directly into her eyes. “I…I just couldn’t let you go it alone. What if you got hurt… or worse? It’d be my fault.” He gulped loudly, pushing the growing knot from his throat. “…W-what would I do without you? I love you so much, Twilight.” “I love you too,” she whispered, a tender smile on her face. She brought a hoof to his sodden face and gently wiped away the tears. “You’re one the best friends that anypony could ever ask for. I was wrong yesterday when I said you were taking me for granted. In reality, I’ve been taking you for granted this whole time.” “You’ve done plenty for me too,” the assistant responded sincerely. The mare lifted her head, pondering the thought a moment before she spoke. “I guess in a way we sort of balance each other out. We’re a team, and a great one at that…speaking of teams, there’s something you want to tell me, isn’t there? I didn’t mean to make this so…emotional, but in a way this adds to what you wanted to say, doesn’t it?” Spike’s previous emotions were suddenly replaced by that of fear and anxiety. He had anticipated being shoved into the spotlight during the talk, but not so suddenly as it was. Even though he wasn’t fully primed for the interrogation, he had to speak his mind. If not, he knew he never would. It was the fact that she seemingly knew exactly what was going to come out of his mouth that oddly made it harder. “Well…there’s somepony else I like besides Rarity.” “Is that so?” Twilight questioned, although it could easily be heard in her tone that she was just playing along. “Do I know her?” His gaze escaped to the smooth wooden boards beneath him as he nodded his head, their stained surface gleaming in the sunlight. “…you know her pretty well.” “Hmm…Applejack? Fluttershy? ...Pinkie?” she questioned, the dragon shaking his head after each response. “Then who?” she asked sweetly, a smirk on her face. “Well, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie are great and all, but this pony is much more important to me. I’ve known her a lot longer too.” “Really?” the mare asked in false surprise, her smirk growing wider by the second. Spike felt as though he was about to suffocate or at least vomit from the overwhelming sensation that overcame his body. His breathing quickened as he wiped away a few growing droplets of sweat from his brow. “It’s uh…you, Twilight,” he somehow managed to usher out. Twilight’s smirk transformed into bashful smile as he spoke, her cheeks even pinker than his own. “I know it is. You’ve made your feelings pretty obvious,” she teased in an attempt to drive away a small amount of the discomfort which had effectively commandeered the chat. The dragon continued to look downward in an almost shameful manor, still unsure of how exactly she’d react. “We would’ve talked about this sooner, but I wanted to give it some thought and I…I just don’t know,” she sighed with a few gentle shakes of her head. Spike clenched his eyes shut and braced himself for another heart breaking experience. “I understand,” he stated calmly. “I’m not saying no per se,” the alicorn commented in hopes to alleviate his worry, but was sure not to lead him on falsely as did his previous crush. “I do love you, but I just don’t know if it’s in that way yet…not to mention our age difference. I know you’ve matured a lot and that dragons age differently than ponies but…” The dragon was quite surprised by his reaction to this announcement. Instead of his mind being clouded with disappointment, anger, and sadness as it was with Rarity, it was instead filled with empathy. He cared more for her well-being than his own. “Don’t do it if you don’t want to, okay? I get what you’re saying and if you’re that worried about it, I don’t want to force anything.” The mare’s eyes grew wide, not expecting such a response either. “I…you didn’t let me finish,” she stuttered out. “I’ve followed instructions and advice from books and texts my whole life, but I just can’t rely on something like that to tell me about a subject that’s just so unexplainable. Sometimes ‘rules’ that are set out just don’t apply. I think I want to give this a trial run and then we can see where it goes from there. We make a pretty great team like I said, after all.” “So, that’s a yes?” Spike asked with a shimmer of hope, looking up to see the most awkward of smiles. Both of their cheeks reddened further as they came to the realization that he was still surrounded by her wing’s embrace. Twilight gave him a sheepish shrug then promptly and without hesitation, brought her muzzle down to Spike’s and lightly touched her lips against his. The dragon’s entire face grew red as he felt the pony’s soft, delicate lips brush against his own only a moment before she pulled away. “Oh Spike,” she groaned, turning away shyly. “I hope I’m not letting my emotions cloud my judgment.” “But isn’t that what love is all about? Emotions? Feelings?” he added longingly, rubbing his claw against the smooth fur of her neck. “You’re right…it’s just that…I’ve never done this before. It seems like it would take a lot longer than a day for me to decide that 'oh, I’m in love with Spike!' Or am I completely wrong? Does it just…happen? I don’t know. There aren’t many books on this either, unless it’s some cheesy romance novel,” she blurted out in an almost panicked tone. “Whoa, chill out, Twilight. It’s my first time too. We’re in this together and I thought you said you weren’t gonna play this one by the books?” “I’m not,” the alicorn asserted slyly. “Although, using them as a bit of a guideline isn’t a bad thing, right?” Spike couldn’t help but laugh gleefully at her rather silly, but still very attractive personality. “I guess not,” he sighed. She responded with a satisfied nod and smiled excitedly as she thought of the new found prospect of love. “Ya know, you’re really beautiful, Twilight,” the dragon breathed ecstatically, “and I don’t just mean the way you look.” Twilight rolled her eyes, the blush upon her cheeks spreading across her snout. She leaned forward once more, locking them into a much deeper kiss. Spike’s eyes slowly clamped shut, again enjoying the sensation of her smooth lips pushing down on his own. He moved his claw from her neck to her ear and fondled it tenderly to which it twitched in affection. The mare then let out a contented sigh as she broke the kiss and rested her head against him. “Well, now that that’s over with, want to read? I was thinking we could go get what little books on love I have and maybe study them together?” Spike laughed and brushed his claw through her almost weightless, silky mane. “Sounds like a plan. I’d study with you any day…and that was really cheesy, huh?” he mumbled as she attempted to cover up her snickering with a hoof. “Maybe just a little…but it was cute,” she teased and gave him another kiss. Although lighter than the last, he could tell it held just as much love.
Part 1Spike’s emerald eyes glared down at last few smudges on the floor beneath him. With a few swift arcs of the damp mop in his claws, the blemishes were smeared across the white surface before disappearing with a final pass. He blinked as he looked up and examined the pristine and gleaming plane around him, making sure he hadn’t missed even the smallest of imperfections. The floor’s owner was quite hard to satisfy. “That should do it,” he yawned, the exhausting task beginning to take its toll. The mare to whom he spoke turned from her latest sketch. Her bright red framed glasses rested upon her muzzle, contrasting against her fur which was even whiter than the perfect floor she now admired. “It looks absolutely marvelous, dear. It was quite kind of you to offer your assistance and for that, here you are,” a glowing blue aura surrounded her horn as she lifted an exceptionally large red gem from her desk. “I hope this is sufficient?” “It’s more than sufficient,” Spike gulped, “but I…I…” “What is it, darling?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow as his scaled cheeks grew red. “Well…maybe it’s too much. Did I really earn it? I mean…I was thinking maybe…” “The floors of Carousel Boutique now look stunning because of your help, of course you earned it, dear…but please go ahead, speak up,” she encouraged in a sweet tone. “Well Rarity, maybe we could hang out sometime instead, just you and me.” The dragon’s eyes quickly returned to the gleaming floor and he clasped his claws tightly together in an attempt to find safety from the awaited answer. The mare’s deep blue eyes widened at the suggestion and the room grew silent as she pondered a response. Spike cautiously returned his gaze to hers as she began. “Well…I’d love to my sweet little Spikey Wikey, but you know how busy I can be and I…have an order that needs to be shipped coming up soon. I’m afraid I don’t have the time. I’d rather you take the gem. You deserve every last bit of it.” The dragon knew that this was just a nice way of rejecting him, something he had grown used to when dealing with Rarity. Something he had grown to despise. Instead of grasping the gem that fell into his claws, he wanted instead to hold his chest where it felt as though his heart had just been torn in two and then shredded to make sure it could never be repaired. He wondered why he still tried even though he knew what the outcome would be in every situation. As Rarity thanked him once more for his service, he wordlessly turned and made his way to the door. Her eyes traveled to it as it opened with a jingle and watched as the small dragon slipped through the passage he had made just wide enough for his body. After noiselessly closing the door behind him, Spike gazed down at his clawed toes as they trudged across the dirt path towards his destination, the library. He wasn’t staring at the ground without reason. The tears filling his eyes blurred his vision before dripping down and patterning the soil beneath with dark spots. He sniffed as a small trail of clear snot made its way down his nose. A sense of self-hatred filled his mind, ashamed of how sensitive he could be. He then quickened his pace, fearful of what those that might see would think. In a desperate attempt to make the saline liquid stop flowing, he wiped at the tears with the palms of his hands and suspiciously watched the many sets of colorful hooves appear and disappear from his vision. There was no need or want for him to look up, he had traveled this path many times and knew the streets of Ponyville by heart. Letting out a sigh of what he thought was relief, Spike’s entire body seemed to sink in desperation as he quickly realized he still had to contend with the alicorn inside. She knew him better than Rarity, the other girls, or anypony in Ponyville. It was inevitable that she would see through any form of a smiling guise. He decided to stop his sobbing the only he knew how. He turned his sorrow into rage and resentment. He paced back and forth before the door, his feet stomping against the ground beneath as he brooded over his entire situation with the lovely Rarity. He sniffled and used a claw to flick the last few tears from his eyes before glaring fiercely down at the gem he grasped. Its fiery red surface glimmered in the sun and he thought of how well it represented his current mindset. All that the normally gorgeous gem could do was remind him of the many times he had been so ‘politely’ rejected by the mare of his dreams. The muscles in his arm tensed as he tightened his hold, imagining the gem cracking and then shattering to pieces. In reality, all that this caused was a sharp pain which shot up through his claw. He groaned achingly and hissed at the object before throwing it into a distant clump of bushes. This caused a ruckus of squawks and flapping blue wings as a group of songbirds escaped the plummeting stone. It may just have been a fit of blind rage, but at that moment he decided he never wanted to see that gem again or even receive another payment from the elegant, white mare. In an attempt to calm himself, knowing his burning face was likely reflecting his mood just like the gem, he took in a deep breath and exhaled. It was something Twilight had taught him to do whenever panicked, angered, or worried. He then repeated the process, letting the air pour in to his lungs before gently expelling it back out with a soft, drawn out push. Although he still felt on the verge of both a mental collapse and an emotional breakdown, he was sure he could hold it in long enough to pass by the caring mare and head up to his bed for a ‘nap.’ He approached the door with determination, giving a final deep breath as he pressed down on the latch of the handle and gently pulled the wooden door open. “There you are, Spike!” Twilight exclaimed as she made her way to the door after hearing its familiar creak. “I’m really glad you’re back. To be honest, the library gets a bit lonely when I don’t have my number one assistant around,” she chuckled and gazed down at the dragon’s noticeably fake smile. She then raised a curious eyebrow as she noticed the glossy pink hue of his eyes. “Spike…did everything go okay at Rarity’s?” “I-it went fine,” he mumbled in response, turning his head shamefully. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” she assured with a comforting smile. Spike tried his best to hold back the tears as they once again filled his eyes, causing his mouth to quiver painfully. All his emotions then suddenly burst outward in a loud, expelling sob as he quickly wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into her rounded chest. An empathetic frown appeared on the mare’s face as she wrapped a caring hoof around him and pulled him closer. He thought of how childish his loud sobs were as his tears soaked into her fur, but there was seemingly nothing he could do to end it this time around. “It’s okay, just let it all out,” she cooed, brushing her hoof against his spiny back. “What happened?” Spike squeezed the alicorn’s neck tightly as his muffled sobs poured outwards. “A-after doing all that work…I…I asked Rarity if maybe she’d want to spend some time with me…j-just me and her … and she said no! She’s using me!” “Now Spike, I’m sure she’s not using you. Rarity never takes help unnoticed. She did give you something for your help, right?” “Y-yeah,” he sheepishly admitted, thinking about the magnificent gem. “Don’t get me wrong though, I completely understand where you’re coming from,” she explained, tightening the embrace. “I know Rarity’s never admitted it, but I don’t think she feels that way about you. She’s just the type of pony that’s too sweet to hurt another’s feelings, especially those of a good friend like you. I’m sorry to tell you this, but I just feel like this has gone on for too long and you deserve to know…” She paused for a moment and gave the top of his head a loving nuzzle before realizing he wasn’t prepared to speak. “I know it was wrong of her to lead you on like that and I’m truly very sorry, but you have to understand that it’s just who Rarity is. She meant no harm by it. She was actually trying to cause less.” Spike couldn’t help but smile through his tears at the pony’s soothing voice. It was if she always knew exactly what to say to make everything seem better and more understandable than it truly was. It wasn’t just her words that were comforting though, but her loving embrace which seemed even more caring and blissful than ever before. He couldn’t quite put his claw on it, but something seemed rather different about this hug, as if something had changed. Twilight once again tightened her hold around his small body, causing him to expel a gasp of air as he thought. “You know what, Twilight,” he stated, pulling away from her chest and gazing up into her large violet eyes. “I’m done with Rarity. I’ve had enough…wasn’t like I was getting anywhere anyways,” he huffed. Twilight’s lips formed into a smirk. “Even after all the hard work and time you’ve put into it?” He nodded his head without even the slightest reconsideration. “Well, I for one think it’s for the better,” she sighed in relief. She then smiled lightly as she finally lifted her hoof away from his back and placed it upon the floor with a small clunk. “I bet you’re getting hungry, aren’t you? It’s already passed your normal dinner time and it sounds like you’ve had a very long day. I think I have something that might cheer you up.” He looked up curiously, rubbing a fisted claw against his eye. “What?” “Well, a certain shipment arrived from Appleoosa today…a box of turquoise!” “For me?” the dragon asked, greedily licking his lips. “I certainly didn’t get them for myself,” she teased. “I know how much you love them and seeing that we haven’t been back to Appleoosa in quite a while, I know you haven’t had the chance to eat any more. Consider it a gift and a thanks for all the help you give around here.” He gleefully wrapped his arms around her once more, causing her to gasp slightly in surprise before affectionately nuzzling a cheek against his own. Spike had seemingly never noticed how much she really cared for him until that exact moment, and then lost himself in a dream of the past. He thought of all the wonderful times that the two had spent together, worked together, talked, and played together when he was younger. He truly loved her and knew she loved him just as much. The dragon gulped deeply as a fluttering sensation occupied his stomach. He didn’t just love Twilight as a friend. “I’m not used to seeing you this…loving,” Twilight commented, causing the dragon to realize the rather extended length of the hug. He quickly dropped his arms to his sides and looked away with a nervous laugh. “You’re just…really great, Twilight. You do a lot for me.” She responded with an appreciative smile as a light pink hue covered her cheeks. “It’s good to know that you’re getting to the age where you realize how much some ponies actually do for you.” “I guess it’s just that-” His soft mumbles were quickly interrupted by the intelligent alicorn. “That you took me for granted?” Spike responded with a fast nod, his cheeks turning the same color as her own. Twilight’s ears perked up and she let out a chuckle as she heard a grumbling in the dragon’s empty stomach. “Come on,” she stated, motioning her head in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ll get you some turquoise.” “You don’t have to do that. I can get it myself, you know,” he explained, following closely behind her. “Well, there’s not really much to it. All I have to do is put it in a bowl,” the pony laughed. “Then I’ll help you with your food,” he quickly added. The pony before him came to a sudden halt and gazed back at him curiously. She inspected his face for another false façade, but the small dragon seemed as sincere as ever. “Wow…of course you can. Thanks, Spike!” she exclaimed, returning to her previous gait after finding nothing. Reaching the kitchen, Twilight watched in amusement as her assistant clambered about it. He grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and rushed to the fridge where he filled it with a modest assortment of leaves and greens. He then set the bowl on the counter before returning to the open fridge for plethora of vegetables which he placed next to it. From a cabinet beneath the counter, he took out a well-used cutting board, the many scrapes, cuts, and gouges easily seen on its surface. Atop it he placed a bright carrot and carefully sliced it into small orange coins. The mare couldn’t help but smile as she watched, thinking that only a few years ago, she would’ve had to inform him to be very careful with such a sharp object. Although the dragon hadn’t grown much in size, he had certainly matured since then. Using her magic to effortlessly pull another bowl from the cabinet and then fill it from the small crate of turquoise sitting atop the dining table, she continued her role as a spectator. “Need any help?” she finally offered. “Nah, I got it. Just sit back and relax.” She sighed contently and followed his advice, not used to being treated with such service, especially from him. If the extra accommodating assistant hadn’t been turned away from her, she could have easily seen his still glowing red cheeks. Still in state of disbelief and lost in his thoughts, he barely even noticed the juicy cucumber which he now sliced. He wondered why, after all these years, he had never felt this way. Why he had never realized that the mare of his dreams had been right there in front of him. Who needed Rarity when he had Twilight? Spike shook himself, realizing he had completed the task. He sprinkled the colorful array of freshly chopped vegetables upon the bed of leaves and garnished them with a handful of beautifully simple white daisy heads. His heart pounded noisily against his chest as he placed the meal before her. “Wow Spike, this looks fantastic!” she exclaimed as the dragon seated himself across from her. “Thanks!” He nodded his head and smiled, sure she had noticed his positively glowing red cheeks by this point. He seemed quite surprised when nothing was said and instead the magical aura of her horn wrapped around a bite of leaf, vegetable, and daisy. He thought it was quite possible that she was ignoring it on purpose. Who am I kidding? With my luck, she probably feels just the same as Rarity. “It tastes fantastic too,” she sighed after taking a small nibble. “A salad is just what I needed.” His situation with Rarity may have hurt, but giving up so easily wasn’t a possibility for the romantically strong headed dragon. He eyeballed the mare with adoration as she continued her meal, her face was that of concentration rather than pleasure. Although for Twilight, thought was what brought her pleasure and Spike knew this very well. A smile formed on his face, causing his longer fangs to protrude as he wondered what was going through her head. Noticing his gaze from the corner of her eye she looked up with a teasing smirk. “Aren’t you going to eat?” “Uh…yeah,” he muttered, turning to the bright bluish-green stones beneath him. He picked one up and examined its glossy surface, broken with the occasional gray crack and then placed it in his mouth, easily shattering it between his fangs. After gulping it down, he quickly filled the empty void of his maw by setting another rock in its place and resuming the process. “Mmm….these are…great…Twilight…it was really sweet of you to…get them,” he spurted out as he thrust stone after stone into his mouth. “Glad to hear it,” she chuckled, observing the ever-lessening pile of turquoise. “I hope it…didn’t cost…too much to…ship these…all the way from…Appleoosa.” “Not too much at all and besides, you deserve every last bit that I spent,” she explained before lifting another crisp bite of her own meal to her mouth. “Mmm, well thanks, Twilight,” he mumbled before lifting the nearly emptied bowl to his gaping mouth and pouring the rest of the delectable treats in. Twilight rolled her eyes at the sight, delicately chewing another bite.
Part 2"I’ll dry,” Twilight asserted, observing the dragon standing atop a small wooden stool to reach the sink as he finished scrubbing the last of the tableware. Unable to let out any protest before the stack of dishes to his left lifted magically off the counter, Spike silently nodded his head in agreement. “So,” the pony began as her assistant’s gloved claws plunged down through the thick, weightless layer of bubbles and into the scorching water beneath to grab the last bowl, “I certainly appreciate everything you’re doing for me this evening, but why?” To Spike, it seemed as though his face would never receive a break from a continual blushing as they once again returned to the heated state. He worked a sponge against the bowl’s glossy surface as he spoke. “Like you said, I’ve always taken you for granite-” “Granted,” the alicorn interrupted, placing a few dishes in their rightful place after drying them with a cloth. “Granted,” he repeated, “and I guess I just wanna make up for it.” By the smirk on Twilight’s face, he could easily tell she knew the statement wasn’t completely true. “That’s very sweet of you, Spike.” She called him sweet quite often, but he thought to himself how different the compliment felt now. As one thought led to another, he soon came to the subject of how he was going to reveal his new found feelings. This thought caused his heart to race and his pace to quicken as he splashed water and suds onto the floor and stool beneath. “Alright, that’s the last of them,” he mumbled to the now chuckling mare and as he turned to hand her the bowl, slipped on the newly created puddle in the center of his stool. Closing his eyes, he awaited the painful smack of his body against the hard floor below or the cringe worthy sound of the shattering bowl, of which neither came. Hesitantly opening his eyes, he saw the smug alicorn through a pink veil of shimmering magic which now surrounded him and the bowl, suspended only a few inches away from his head. “Alright Spike, I think you’ve done more than enough. I’d feel horrible if you got hurt trying to help me,” she stated, gently setting him on his feet and drying the bowl before placing it with the others in the cabinet. “Yeah, sorry about that,” Spike mumbled dejectedly as she acquired a mop and quickly soaked up the water splattered across the floor. “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Twilight assured as she pulled the plug from the sink, causing a distinct gurgling to fill the room as its water drained. She gave him a sheepish grin before wrapping a hoof around him once more. “You’ve helped way more than I ever would’ve expected. You’re a great little guy,” she cooed before pressing her lips against his cheek. The dragon’s reptilian eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head as he felt the touch of the mare’s soft, delicate lips. Although Spike’s heart was now completely mended from the crushing blow it had received earlier, his mind was in a much worse state. It was filled with thoughts of whether or not this meant Twilight felt the same as he did or if she was just being grateful which could be a rather likely conclusion. Along with this, there was the continuous repetition of the wondrous event that had just occurred, playing and replaying in his mind. Twilight looked down with concern, holding up his nearly limp body. “You okay? You look a little light headed.” Spike quickly shook himself and blinked repeatedly to clear the foggy thoughts. “Yeah…uh, anyways, what are you up to now?” he asked as her hoof pulled away. “Well, there’s a few things I wanted to add and change on our to-do list for tomorrow,” she suggested rather excitedly. “What can I do to help?” the faithful assistant asked with a smile. “I’m not really sure there’s much you can do,” she chuckled as she turned to make her way up the stairs, “but I’d love to have your company.” “Well, I’m pretty good at providing that,” Spike voiced proudly as he followed. Spike watched the alicorn squint at the list she had rolled out in the dim orange light pouring in from the setting sun outside. He slipped a claw through the hold of the polished brass candle holder at the edge of her desk. Then brought the stick of wax, almost completely melted down from the many late nights of studying and reading, to his mouth and breathed a small green flame onto its wick. “I guess I needed your help after all,” she commented, her eyes adjusting to the new found light source as it was set back upon the desk. To her right came a soft who as Owlowicious awoke from his slumber and began ruffling his feathers as he sat atop his perch. “Looks like you have a free night ahead of you, Owlowicious. I think Spike’s got everything under control.” The owl cocked his head towards the assistant and gave him what seemed to be a thankful nod before he went about preening. Twilight dabbed a quill into the inkwell beside the list and began to write, quickly noticing that the dark liquid only formed a few letters before fading away. “Spike, could you get me some more ink?” “Sure thing, always happy to assist,” he stated as he opened the drawer in front of him, heavily weighted with a plentiful supply of the liquid. He then grabbed out another well and uncorked it with a pop before she used her magic to lift it away and set it in place of the previous which now lay in the trash bin atop its crumpled paper contents. She mumbled a thank you, her mind lost in the words before her. Spike sighed blissfully as he observed her frowns before she crossed out a section of text and then her smiles after she inscribed the corrected version beneath. “You know, you don’t have to stand there and watch me write,” she said, looking up after a few minutes. “I’m sure it’s not the most entertaining thing in world.” “I’m just keeping you company like you said. I don’t mind,” he replied and began pacing back and forth after she returned to her corrections. He contemplated whether or not he should take the chance to tell her of his feelings. He considered the fact that the two had known one another for years, so it seemed as though telling her right away wouldn’t be out of place. On the other claw, he thought maybe he should ease his way into it, but avoidance like that would make it even harder for him to admit his thoughts later on. “Umm, Twilight?” he mumbled as he bit down nervously upon his claw, his decision being made. “I really, really like you…I think I love, like not as a friend or sister…but…” his sentence trailed off into an inaudible breath. “What was that?” Twilight muttered, causing Spike’s heart to sink. The mare had once again lost herself in the task at hoof. He rolled his eyes and let out a much less blissful sigh. He knew better, he had to wait until her mind was less occupied before saying anything of note. “Nothing, never mind.” The alicorn looked up curiously and noticed that his cheeks were unsurprisingly flushed with pink once more. “You okay, Spike?” “Yeah,” the dragon responded, receiving a questioning glare afterwards as Twilight set down her quill and rolled up the list. “You done?” Twilight shuffled her hooves enthusiastically. “Yes! And do you know what that means?” The assistant responded with a shrug. “That was the last thing we had to do today, so we can read now!” Spike turned away shyly, finding her excitement irresistibly cute. “Sweet!” “You bet your scaly tail it is!” she exclaimed, causing her assistant to turn back with an odd look upon his face, rarely hearing such things come from the rather serious pony’s mouth. Spike then rolled his eyes just as she would have and let out a soft laugh. “Oh shush,” she giggled as she turned to make her way to the bedroom, Spike following close in tow. As he entered the room, Spike admired the now deep purple skies outside its window, faintly lit by the moon and blanketed with stars. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Twilight asked before flicking on her bedside lamp and pulling her blue, night themed blanket over her lower body. “Really,” Spike agreed, following suit by plopping down into the plump cushioning of his bedded basket before turning on his own lamp. He then leaned over its edge and snatched his claws around the brand new comic which lay beside it. He inhaled the distinct, newly printed smell of its pages and gazed down at its nearly shining cover. “Spike,” the alicorn stated, causing him to look up. “Do you want to read up here with me instead?” she asked, scooting over to make room. Spike jumped at the question, speedily leaping from his bed with the comic. “Sure, that’d be great,” he responded, turning off the lamp that had only just been on for a minute and making his way over to her bed, not wanting to question her motives. “I’m surprised,” Twilight added, adjusting the pillow which she leaned against so he could do the same after crawling onto the bed. “You’ve been quite a bit more independent of late, but today seems different.” The dragon rested his back awkwardly against the plump pillow behind it, knowing she had taken note of his change in attitude, but was unsure if she yet knew exactly what it meant. “Anyways, what are you reading now? More Power Ponies?” she inquired, wrapping her hooves around her own book. He responded with a slight shake of his head. “Nope, not this time. It’s something new, first issue. It looked interesting, so I decided to give it a try.” “What exactly is it about?” “It’s set in the near future and involves a detective pony solving crimes. Not sure exactly what the plot is yet. Guess I’ll just have to read to find out.” Twilight gave a warm smile. “It certainly sounds interesting.” “Yeah, what about you?” he asked, pointing at her book. The mare couldn’t help but turn her smile to a grin as she spoke. “Oh, just another Starswirl the Bearded book.” “But I thought you already knew everything there was to know about Starswirl?” he asked, getting settled as he slid into the blankets warm, cozy embrace. “Oh trust me, I do,” she bragged with a smirk. “This one is a fictional novel that’s based on all of those historical events.” Spike let out a laugh as a brilliant idea popped into his head. “You know what would the best book ever for you? A book with Daring Do and Starswirl the Bearded!” The pony responded with a signature rolling of the eyes. “I’m not really sure how that would wo-” she paused, her eyes stopping midway through the roll. “Wait! Daring Do could be searching for one of the many lost artifacts of Starswirl! That’s actually a really great idea, Spike!” “That was more your idea than mine,” he chuckled. “I was just joking around.” Twilight responded with a soft giggle before opening the book and easily slipping away into its text. With that, Spike knew he wouldn’t hear much else from her for the rest of the evening and decided to start reading as well. He opened to the title page, revealing a minimalistic scene of black and white. At a bar sat a silhouetted pony who he assumed to be the detective, lifting a mug of cider to his mouth as a few other ponies passed by or sat talking with one another. The only color on the page was an unearthly blue filling the screen above him which depicted a newscast. The headline read that there had been a tragic magical explosion of unknown origins that destroyed an entire city block. The casualties had not yet been accounted for, but they were said to be “very high.” Spike let out a yawn and turned his view to the window once more. Power Ponies could be somewhat dark at times, but nothing in comparison with this new one, he thought. This dark premise wasn’t what kept him from reading though. His mind was still filled with thoughts of the amazing and beautiful mare which now lay beside him. He peered over at her, lifting the comic to his face and looking back occasionally as if he was truly reading. His eyelids began to grow heavy as he watched her smile grow larger with every turn of the page and her muzzle get closer and closer to the book. Soon he was fast asleep, the unread comic laid open on his chest and a contented, peaceful look upon his face. Twilight let out a yawn and sleepily eyeballed the number of the page she had reached, already nearly three quarters of the way through. She glanced at the clock in front of the brightly lit lamp and realized it was long past her normal bed time. Letting out another more drawn out yawn, she placed a tasseled marker between the pages before closing them and setting the book aside. She couldn't help but grin as she noticed the tranquil dragon, the occasional soft breath escaping through his mouth, and didn’t have the heart to evict him to his own bed. Instead, the mare gave him a loving peck on the forehead before pulling him close to her body. After placing his comic atop her book and pulling the blanket up to their necks, she too drifted off into a deep sleep, lulled by the constant chirping of crickets outside.
Part 3Spike awoke to the soft morning chatter of a group of birds outside and with guilt, thought of the ones he had nearly hit with a gem on the previous day. He soon realized that a warm hoof lay limply across his body. His heart pounded gently as he sluggishly opened his eyes and saw Twilight’s beautiful face glowing in the early morning light, her eyes peacefully held shut in sleep. Not wanting to wake her, he slowly and silently moved himself closer so their bodies touched. After cautiously wrapping his arms around her, he pressed his face into her soft lavender fur and basked in its blissful embrace. “Good morning, Spike,” the mare’s voice resonated through her chest, causing his body to jolt slightly before he looked up. The dragon spoke softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” “No worries,” she yawned, rolling onto her back and turning her head to see what the clock read, “we needed to get up a bit early anyways. The library’s closed for re-shelving today, remember?” “Re-shelving? Already?” he grumbled. “Yes, those books are an organizational nightmare,” Twilight sighed. “What happened to the assistant that was willing to do anything to help me? I was really starting to like him,” she teased. “I wasn’t complaining,” he quickly mumbled, rolling onto his back and shoving away the warm blanket as he sat up. “I’m ready whenever you are…just one question, why do you still run the library anyways? Since you know, you’re a princess and stuff now.” A soft smile appeared on her face as she too sat up. “I at least want to do something productive while we figure out where those keys are. Besides, I think I’d be neglecting my duty as a princess if I didn’t provide my subjects with the knowledge they want or need,” she explained. Spike let out a yawn, his sharp fangs gleaming in the bright sunlight pouring in from the window. “I guess that makes sense,” he responded with a shrug. “Actually Spike, if you don’t want to help me, you don’t have to. After all you did yesterday, you deserve a nice rest,” she cooed sweetly. The dragon sighed lazily, the prospect of extra sleep sounded quite enticing, but he knew he must help. “I can’t let you do that all by yourself. It’d take ages.” She nodded her head appreciatively. “Thanks Spike. We might as well get an early start on our morning so we can get started on that too.” Spike let out another yawn in response before hopping off the bed. With his mind in a daze, Spike went about his normal morning time routine of eating breakfast and cleaning himself up for the day, seemingly unable to awaken fully. His mind was once again lost with the thoughts of his newfound crush. Today was the day that he’d tell her how he felt, after they finished re-shelving of course. Pleasing her even more than he already had would certainly give him a better chance. Before he knew it, the bookshelves were emptied and the floor filled with their contents. “Spike, you start with fiction, authors’ names ending in A and I’ll do the same with nonfiction,” the alicorn stated, her attitude becoming more business-like. “Yes ma’am,” Spike replied, rummaging through the mountainous, multicolored pile before him. He monotonously set aside those that didn’t match his category and put those that did in a stack beside him. “Here’s an A, nonfiction,” he mumbled after a few moments, lifting up a book with a hard, dark green cover and golden text. With a quick thank you, the book was surrounded by magic and lifted away, leaving him to continue his sorting. After what seemed like ages, but was likely not even half an hour, Spike was unable to reach the top of his towering stack to add another book. The assistant bent down and lifted it up with a grunt before stumbling over to the correct shelf where they would be placed. “How many of these have you actually read?” he asked, reading the title imprinted upon the spine of each book he set on the shelf. “I don’t even think I’ve read half of the books here,” she laughed. “These shelves can hold a lot more than you think.” “Trust me, I’ve re-shelved them plenty. I know,” the dragon sighed teasingly. “Actually now that you mention it, I’ve really wanted to catch up on some of these,” Twilight stated, pulling a few books from the pile before her and suspending them in front of her face. “Let’s take the day off…or at least…put off re-shelving until a bit later.” “Wait…what?” Spike asked, dumbfounded by the response. “You’re just going to leave all these books on the floor and not have a panic attack about how messy it looks?” She rolled her eyes. “Spike!” “Well, that’s what you’d normally do,” he admitted. The pony sighed and nodded her head in defeat. “You’re right Spike, or at least you would’ve been right not too long ago, but I’ve a learned a lot in the past few years. One of those things is that there is a lot more important stuff to be doing than reorganizing a library, like spending time with your friends. Besides, I’m a bit worried about you. You’ve been off in your own little world all morning long. I think it’s for the best if we both take a break.” “Well it’s just that-” Twilight quickly interrupted the dragon before he could comment further. “Let’s head up to the balcony and we can have a little talk before we read.” With that, she tucked a couple of books under her wing and made her way up the stairs. “Grab your comic or whatever else you want to read on the way up.” Spike gulped, wondering what exactly was meant by “little talk.” Was it possible that she knew? If not, it’d still be the perfect time to tell her. He grew nauseous with anticipation as he too headed up the stairs. *** “Here you go, Twi,” Spike stated as he pulled her Starswirl book from beneath the stack of comics he had put together. “Thought you might wanna finish this one first.” “Thanks Spike, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she responded, finding a comfortable position after laying down on the balcony’s wooden deck and then tucking her hooves beneath her chest. She drew in a heavy breath of air, admiring the multitude of fragrant scents, ranging anywhere from potted flowers and freshly mown lawns to the aroma of coffee and baked goods. “Sometimes I forget how beautiful Ponyville can be,” she expelled, turning her gaze from the peaceful town below to the empty, blue skies above. “Yeah,” the dragon breathed dreamily as he took a seat, gazing at the much more beautiful sight to his side. He was rather unbeknownst to the fact that mare stared right back at him, a questioning look upon her face. For a moment, his bright emerald eyes locked with the dark violet hue of her own before quickly turning to the street below, a few ponies treading its surface. “So…what’s up with all the reading lately anyways?” he mumbled nervously, hoping she hadn’t noticed. “I mean, I know you love reading and all, but you’ve been doing it even more than usual.” “Well Spike, to be honest, I haven’t been able to read all day like I used to for quite a while and I miss it. I just thought I’d do it while I had the chance,” Twilight responded, causing the assistants head to nod understandingly. “Before we moved to Ponyville, this is practically all we did,” she laughed. “Things would be a lot different if we never would’ve came here.” Spike’s mind filled with thoughts of the alternate reality where Twilight was still an aspiring student in Canterlot who concentrated on her own ambitions rather than friendship, but quickly realized that instead, Canterlot may not even exist or Equestria for that matter. “You and the girls would’ve never saved Ponyville or Canterlot or the Crystal Empire…or Equestria,” he stated grimly. The alicorn’s entire body shuddered at the thought, but she spoke in a consoling tone. “You mean we wouldn’t have. We couldn’t have done it without you.” The dragon gave an agreeable nod. “Yeah...I guess.” “Thinking about it, you were my only true friend besides Shining before we met the girls.” He turned his eyes up at her silently. “You’ve been by my side through thick and thin, and I don’t just mean back in Canterlot. You’re truly a great friend, Spike.” “I don’t know if I’m that great of a friend,” the assistant mumbled, his cheeks beginning to flush. “You don’t have to be so modest,” she sighed with a frown. “You followed me when nopony else would have. Spike, if you wouldn’t have come back to Ponyville with me when we were searching for the Tree of Harmony and stayed with the others instead…I’m not sure anypony would’ve ever known what happened to me when Discord “convinced” me to go back…I-I don’t know if I would’ve made it…” her sentence trailed off and tears filled her eyes. “You…you saved my life.” Spike was unable to hold back his tears as he watched the pony’s own trickle down her face. He wrapped his arms around her neck and felt as her strong wing surrounded his body once it had unfurled. Twilight caressed her chin against his head before speaking once more. “You followed me through the portal when I went to stop Sunset Shimmer even when you were specifically told not to. You were there when I climbed the tower to save the Crystal Empire, actually you were the one who saved it. Without you, I would’ve failed… you’ve been there for plenty of other times too.” The dragon tightened his hold as he began to sob, but instead of burying his face into the solace of her chest as he had previously, he pulled away and gazed directly into her eyes. “I…I just couldn’t let you go it alone. What if you got hurt… or worse? It’d be my fault.” He gulped loudly, pushing the growing knot from his throat. “…W-what would I do without you? I love you so much, Twilight.” “I love you too,” she whispered, a tender smile on her face. She brought a hoof to his sodden face and gently wiped away the tears. “You’re one the best friends that anypony could ever ask for. I was wrong yesterday when I said you were taking me for granted. In reality, I’ve been taking you for granted this whole time.” “You’ve done plenty for me too,” the assistant responded sincerely. The mare lifted her head, pondering the thought a moment before she spoke. “I guess in a way we sort of balance each other out. We’re a team, and a great one at that…speaking of teams, there’s something you want to tell me, isn’t there? I didn’t mean to make this so…emotional, but in a way this adds to what you wanted to say, doesn’t it?” Spike’s previous emotions were suddenly replaced by that of fear and anxiety. He had anticipated being shoved into the spotlight during the talk, but not so suddenly as it was. Even though he wasn’t fully primed for the interrogation, he had to speak his mind. If not, he knew he never would. It was the fact that she seemingly knew exactly what was going to come out of his mouth that oddly made it harder. “Well…there’s somepony else I like besides Rarity.” “Is that so?” Twilight questioned, although it could easily be heard in her tone that she was just playing along. “Do I know her?” His gaze escaped to the smooth wooden boards beneath him as he nodded his head, their stained surface gleaming in the sunlight. “…you know her pretty well.” “Hmm…Applejack? Fluttershy? ...Pinkie?” she questioned, the dragon shaking his head after each response. “Then who?” she asked sweetly, a smirk on her face. “Well, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie are great and all, but this pony is much more important to me. I’ve known her a lot longer too.” “Really?” the mare asked in false surprise, her smirk growing wider by the second. Spike felt as though he was about to suffocate or at least vomit from the overwhelming sensation that overcame his body. His breathing quickened as he wiped away a few growing droplets of sweat from his brow. “It’s uh…you, Twilight,” he somehow managed to usher out. Twilight’s smirk transformed into bashful smile as he spoke, her cheeks even pinker than his own. “I know it is. You’ve made your feelings pretty obvious,” she teased in an attempt to drive away a small amount of the discomfort which had effectively commandeered the chat. The dragon continued to look downward in an almost shameful manor, still unsure of how exactly she’d react. “We would’ve talked about this sooner, but I wanted to give it some thought and I…I just don’t know,” she sighed with a few gentle shakes of her head. Spike clenched his eyes shut and braced himself for another heart breaking experience. “I understand,” he stated calmly. “I’m not saying no per se,” the alicorn commented in hopes to alleviate his worry, but was sure not to lead him on falsely as did his previous crush. “I do love you, but I just don’t know if it’s in that way yet…not to mention our age difference. I know you’ve matured a lot and that dragons age differently than ponies but…” The dragon was quite surprised by his reaction to this announcement. Instead of his mind being clouded with disappointment, anger, and sadness as it was with Rarity, it was instead filled with empathy. He cared more for her well-being than his own. “Don’t do it if you don’t want to, okay? I get what you’re saying and if you’re that worried about it, I don’t want to force anything.” The mare’s eyes grew wide, not expecting such a response either. “I…you didn’t let me finish,” she stuttered out. “I’ve followed instructions and advice from books and texts my whole life, but I just can’t rely on something like that to tell me about a subject that’s just so unexplainable. Sometimes ‘rules’ that are set out just don’t apply. I think I want to give this a trial run and then we can see where it goes from there. We make a pretty great team like I said, after all.” “So, that’s a yes?” Spike asked with a shimmer of hope, looking up to see the most awkward of smiles. Both of their cheeks reddened further as they came to the realization that he was still surrounded by her wing’s embrace. Twilight gave him a sheepish shrug then promptly and without hesitation, brought her muzzle down to Spike’s and lightly touched her lips against his. The dragon’s entire face grew red as he felt the pony’s soft, delicate lips brush against his own only a moment before she pulled away. “Oh Spike,” she groaned, turning away shyly. “I hope I’m not letting my emotions cloud my judgment.” “But isn’t that what love is all about? Emotions? Feelings?” he added longingly, rubbing his claw against the smooth fur of her neck. “You’re right…it’s just that…I’ve never done this before. It seems like it would take a lot longer than a day for me to decide that 'oh, I’m in love with Spike!' Or am I completely wrong? Does it just…happen? I don’t know. There aren’t many books on this either, unless it’s some cheesy romance novel,” she blurted out in an almost panicked tone. “Whoa, chill out, Twilight. It’s my first time too. We’re in this together and I thought you said you weren’t gonna play this one by the books?” “I’m not,” the alicorn asserted slyly. “Although, using them as a bit of a guideline isn’t a bad thing, right?” Spike couldn’t help but laugh gleefully at her rather silly, but still very attractive personality. “I guess not,” he sighed. She responded with a satisfied nod and smiled excitedly as she thought of the new found prospect of love. “Ya know, you’re really beautiful, Twilight,” the dragon breathed ecstatically, “and I don’t just mean the way you look.” Twilight rolled her eyes, the blush upon her cheeks spreading across her snout. She leaned forward once more, locking them into a much deeper kiss. Spike’s eyes slowly clamped shut, again enjoying the sensation of her smooth lips pushing down on his own. He moved his claw from her neck to her ear and fondled it tenderly to which it twitched in affection. The mare then let out a contented sigh as she broke the kiss and rested her head against him. “Well, now that that’s over with, want to read? I was thinking we could go get what little books on love I have and maybe study them together?” Spike laughed and brushed his claw through her almost weightless, silky mane. “Sounds like a plan. I’d study with you any day…and that was really cheesy, huh?” he mumbled as she attempted to cover up her snickering with a hoof. “Maybe just a little…but it was cute,” she teased and gave him another kiss. Although lighter than the last, he could tell it held just as much love.
