Starting Anew

Three days. It had been a whole three days since the girl of my dreams had rejected me. I poured my heart out, my very soul, and she just shot me down. How could she be such a heartless... a heartless, good for nothing, bitch? Oh well, I guess she was just out of my league, I probably never even had a shot.

As I walk through town, I drag my feet. Although, it was a fairly nice day out, my heart was dampened from the emotional storm three days prior. This walk wasn't just to clear my mind of that whole fiasco, but Twilight had asked me to pick up some carrots from the local carrot vender.

"That'll be 5 bits!" Said the local carrot vendor as I had already asked for the carrots. My body was on autopilot, so to speak, and so I hadn't payed much mind to the entire exchange.

Why do I have to be so stupid? Sure she broke my heart, but I'm also supposed to be her friend, one of her best at that. Yet, I still just threw her away like garbage. I'm an idiot.

The grass I walked on was a deep green, further complimented by the sun as it stood on it's apex in the clear blue skies. That's the thing about Ponyville, it can be so beautiful, so peaceful, so simple; the town where everybody knows everybody. Yeah, sounds glorious, right? Wrong. Let me repeat that, 'everybody, knows everybody.'

Like I said. Knowing everybody can be a problem sometimes.

"Hey Spike! Over here!" I could easily recognize that voice, it's source could only belong to one boy. Regardless of the fact we're now in our teen years, there are still some things us kids haven't exactly outgrown. In my case it had been my reptilian eyes, but that was just a small problem; they're actually kinda cool. Button Mash, well, let's just say his voice still sounds like nails scratching a chalkboard. That, and he hadn't grown all to much, he was one of the school children referred to as, 'A late bloomer'

Surely enough, when I turned to see who called, I saw Button Mash. Button, and I were now in our late teens, though I happened to be year older. Not only that, but while I was tall, lightly tan, and was decently built, Button... well, to put it bluntly, he was the opposite. He wasn't fat, but he was chubby, he had dark skin, peach and tan hair, and well... he was a nerd. Like, a complete nerd.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" That was another thing about Button; he could be really annoying sometimes. Unlike most people would, he asked his question with genuine curiosity, thinking there was something on his face... he wasn't the smartest child.

But Button has a lot of good qualities as well, he's a good guy. Not wanting to keep my friend waiting any longer, I made my way over to the bench he sat at to greet him, but as I reached the bench, it seemed we'd follow the usual routine.

"Hey Spike! I got this new game for my JoyBoy! It's an original Mario game! One of the rare few left too! It's so cool Spike! There's this level where..."

As per usual, his words faded into a mush for me, because, to be honest, I don't care. Despite the fact that Button had a great personality, and was rather handsome, he was the opposite of a lady killer. Why, you may ask? This conversation is why. Whenever he gets started talking about his games, he never shuts up. Yet, nobody has had the heart to tell him nobody cares, because if somebody were to outright tell him that, and to shut his mouth, they'd probably get punched. That's never fun.

"Hey Spike? Are you even listening? And what's with those bags under your eyes? You been playing games all night?" He asked, grinning with --what appeared to be-- pride.

Strange he would think that, he knows I've never played all night. I'm more of a bookworm than a gamer, courtesy of Twilight.

"Oh uh yeah... you were talking about how you beat that boss on that game right? And I've just had a rough few days, nothing to worry about though." Button only grinned in response. Huh, I guess I was right again... but to be fair whenever he gets a new game, that's what he does. Just brags about how good he is. I've simply chalked it up to being a force of habit. Most gamers Button associates himself with do the same thing, so it'd only be natural that he would pick up on it.

"Yup! And I'm your loyal friend Button Mash! There's no problem I can't solve! Lay it on me bro!" Button exclaimed with the utmost enthusiasm, pumping a fist into the air while doing so.

Geez, why is he always screaming?

"I s-said it's no problem, nothing interesting, or worth your time... " My expression had visibly darkened, as thoughts of Hearts and Hooves Day flooded my mind...

[Hearts and Hooves Day, 2/14/08, 3:33pm, Ponyville Streets]

It had been a long day of Rarity, and I digging for gems, but hard work pays off in the end. Well, usually.

As we carry our haul back to the Boutique, I can't help but stare at the beauty that walked beside me. As I stared, I had remembered the reason why I agreed to go gem hunting with her in the first place.

"Hey, R-Rarity? I want to ask you something..." Smooth Spike, real smooth.

"Yes Dear?" Her smooth voice worked to reassure me that what I was about to ask was worth asking.

"I w-was... wondering if um... if you'd... if you'd like to be my special somepony?" Now I may have been worth my weight in physical strength, as proven by the way I'm able to haul a cart full of gems from the mining fields all the way back to town, while barely breaking a sweat, but emotionally... eh, not so much, and right now was no exception. I was shaking, sweating, stuttering, and well... I was as nervous as a deer running through a mine field. Her next few words could drastically change our future, be it for better or w-

"... Darling, I knew you'd ask sooner or later. I've just been so greedy, taking your help, and leading you on like I have. Oh Spikey, darling, I hope you understand that I-I... I simply cannot be with you." Her sweet voice, betraying the very words she spoke; the words that broke my heart.

"So after everything I've done for you; after all the times that I've acted oh so selfless, just to see you smile, you 'simply cannot' e with me? I've waited years to ask you this, when you never felt the same way?" I asked in a strained voice. A voice strained from hurt, betrayal, and anger.

Rarity gulped, a cold sweat forming on her brow. "Yes?" She replied flashing a guilty smile.

That was enough to push me over the edge. I undid the straps that bound me to the cart of gems, leaving her speechless. I momentarily forgot about the hurt, leaving only my anger towards the beautiful woman.

"Have fun carrying this back to the Boutique. I'm done." I turned to head back to the Library, seeking to vent my frustrations, but it would seem Rarity wasn't going to have that.

"...See, this is one of the reasons I couldn't fall for you Spike, you're so very immature at times, not to mention your sarcasm. I tried to put you down nicely Spike, I truely did, but how dare you leave a woman to carry this... thing-" She shouted, gesturing to the cart behind us, "all the way back to the Boutique? To think I thought you were a real sweetheart, but now that I've see your true colors, I can confidently say you're just a good for nothi-"

Now, I for one, wasn't really in the mood for her sass, so my response was more instinctual than anything. "Hey Rarity." as I said that, she stopped mid-sentence. "Do the world a favor, and shut the fuck up. I'm sick of hearing your fucking voice. Just... go crawl into a ball, and die somewhere..." I paused as I heard a sharp gasp.

"I'm just done. Goodbye Rarity." With that, I began my walk home, leaving a hurt, and furious Rarity behind me.

[Present Time]

"Spike? Are you there?" Oh yeah, I forgot, I was talking to Button Mash.

"Sorry Button, but I have to go. I'll be on xbox when I get back home, see you then." I got up from the bench, taking my bag of carrots with me. Upon standing I noticed the sun beginning it's retreat down below the horizon. If I had to guess, I'd say it was around 5:00pm, so I'd still have some time to myself.

As I walked away I heard Button call out, "Alright Spike! See you in a bit!"

Talking with Button had only served to remind me about what had happened three days ago, and so as I walked through town, I hung my head low.

I still shouldn't have overreacted like I did, I shouldn't have said all that stuff... I shouldn't have made her carry that cart by herself... she's probably really~ mad at me, but I guess she'd have every right to be, I'm just that stupid green haired kid with Iguana eyes, who always manages to make things worse.

As I continued my walk, I hadn't noticed the girl walking directly towards me, and so we collided, falling to the ground as we did so. As we both got to our feet, the girl spoke.

"Watch where you're going, idiot! How could you not see me?" She asked in a snobby rich girl voice. I look up to see that she was about the same age as me, and a little more than five feet tall. She had light purple hair that had a white stripe running down the side, brushed to perfection. Not to mention her diamond encrusted tiara she was now placing back unto her head. My emeralds locked onto her sapphires, but only for a brief moment, before I looked back down to the ground, in shame, and sorrow as thoughts of Hearts and Hooves Day still occupy my mind.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, idiot!" Dammit, just leave me be.

As I began to walk away, I couldn't stop a stray tear from trailing down my cheek, something the girl I collided with had caught sight of after she finished getting herself together, and began to follow me to tell me off.

"Idiot?..." As I looked back, her expression changed from one of irritation, to something like concern. "I was joking around, no need to like, cry or anything... I didn't really mean to call you an idiot, just fun and games, heh heh, see? It was a joke! Please, don't cry..."

What? Is she serious?

"I'm really sorry..."

She is serious.

I look up to meet her eyes, which strangely enough, were filled with emotion. Not only with concern, but there was also pain. "What's wrong?" She asked.

It wasn't until I took a closer look at her, that I had realized who she was. This girl was Diamond Tiara, she was that bully the Crusaders kept complaining about all those years ago. She was the daughter of Filthy Rich, and from what I've heard she's a total snob.

"I'm fine, just..." Watch it Spike you don't know this girl. "Forget it, my name's Spike." I offer my hand, alongside a weak smile.

Clearly confused by my actions, Diamond tentatively reached out, and shook my hand. "I'm Diamond Tiara, but something tells me you might've known that."

An awkward silence formed as I began to walk through town and she followed, none of us knew what to say. That is, until a question came to my mind. "Hey Diamond Tiara, if you're as mean as people say you are, why did you apologize to me? Actually, what was that entire scene back there about?"

She looked at me with an unreadable expression, but her eyes told me enough. "You answer my question, then I'll answer yours."

I blinked as I realized what she just said. Oh well, I guess nothing bad could really come from this, she doesn't seem so bad, and it doesn't look like she's plotting against me, or something. "This girl I've had a crush on for a few years, kind of rejected me on Hearts and Hooves Day. So, I'm a little down, and a little bit upset at myself for saying some stuff... I should say sorry, but how will I know if she'll accept my apology, or if she'll be sorry?"

I felt her hand rest on mine for some reassurance. "Thing is, you never know how these things are going to be, idiot. But you're better off trying to make amends, than losing a friend, that is, if you guys were even friends to begin with. And before you ask, I know how it feels to lose a friend over a dumb argument."

I unconsciously weaved my fingers between her own, stopping our walk for a brief moment. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. But if it's okay with you, can you tell me about that friend you lost?"

She's not too bad. She's kind cute, actually.

I felt her hand tense up, as we kept walking, and eventually she began to talk. "Her name was Silver Spoon, and she was my best friend. We did, like, everything together. She was my only friend too... nobody really liked me, but I guess I couldn't expect them to."

"Why not? You seem nice enough." I ask with genuine curiosity. How could nobody like her?

"Like you said before Spike, I was a mean girl. Like, really mean, and me and Silver used to bully the Crusaders for not knowing what they were good at... I don't know why we did it, we were just young and dumb. And me? Well, I was so full of myself that I couldn't realize that enough was enough, and eventu-"

"We're here Diamond." I say, cutting her off. "This is where I live." I gestured over to the library that we now stood outside.

"You live in a library?" Just as I opened my mouth to reply, she cut me off, "Whatever, that's not important. Thanks for listening to me Spike."

"It's no problem, really. If you ever need somebody to talk to, you know where I'll be." I gave her a reassuring grin.

"Well... I'm not like, doing anything tomorrow... maybe we can hang out?"

Hmm... maybe she can come over, and I'll make breakfast, or something. Yeah, that sounds like fu-

I was disrupted from my thought's as something had dawned on me. We were still holding hands.

With a heavy blush I untangled our fingers, removing my hand from it's place below hers, causing her to stare at me in mild confusion.

"What was that about? And what's with the blush?" She said, staring at hot red cheeks.

"We've been holding hands for a few minutes..." Just as those words left my mouth, Diamond's mouth formed a small 'O' followed by a slight blush and a giggle.

"I guess I just forgot about that, or something. I told you I'm free tomorrow, so do you wanna hang out or something?"

I chuckled a bit as her laughter was infectious, but I wasn't one to leave somebody hanging, with the exception of Rarity on Hearts and Hooves day, but that was different. "Yeah, I can make us breakfast, if you want. And in case you're wondering, you can just come by here when you're ready."

Instead of answering me, Diamond Tiara leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, which was more than enough to disarm me.

What?

"Thanks for being so kind to me, I'll see you tomorrow!" As I watched the slightly shorter girl leave, I couldn't help but be confused.

What was that about? Was that a way of her to show her gratitude, or was it something more?...

As I was lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear Twilight open the library door behind me. "You okay there, Casanova?" She said with a giggle.

"Uh... yeah. How long were you standing there?" I asked as I made my way over to my surrogate sister.

"Long enough." She replied over her shoulder, as she began to head up to her room.

"Now get in the kitchen, dinner won't cook itself, you know." She called back as she made her way towards her room, and I closed the door behind me.

"You know Twi, you're more than capable of making dinner yourself!" I called up the stairs, but my only response was a loud, "Hmph!" from her room.

Whatever, guess I'll just clean up a bit, and then I'll make her dinner. And I'm sure that thing, when Diamond kissed my cheek was just... well. I'm not really sure what that was. She didn't hint towards liking me or anything, and she didn't... whatever, doesn't matter.

As I entered the kitchen, I stood in shock at the scene before me. The kitchen was a mess. The area around the oven was covered in ashes, the dishes stacked higher than any mountain in Equestria, and worst of all... there was a bubbling black bowl of mush, on the stovetop.

I walked over to the object in question, and stared into the black goop, curious as to what it may be, and to my shock, and disgust, the bowl stared back, and it stared through my soul.

As I fearfully backed away, I spotted a note stuck to the fridge, probably left there by Twilight. The note read, "Hey Spike, I made you some salad, it's on the stove."

I looked over my shoulder, as to confirm this was real.

How... did she manage... to do this, trying to make a salad?... Dammit Twilight, only you would be able to pull something like this off.

With a snicker, I grabbed the nearest mop, and rag and set to cleaning up.