Chapter One: A Helping Hand
Chapter One: A Helping Hand
The sun stood at it's apex, boring down on anybody who'd dare leave the comfort of their air-conditioned homes. Today was a scorching 102° Fahrenheit, and I had the pleasure of lugging a cart full of gems a mile to get back to Ponyville. Yesterday, Rarity had invited me to go hunting for gems with her, and —regardless of the weather— I could not find it within myself to decline.
The way I see it, there's always a silver lining. In this case, it was being able to spend hours beside the woman I had grown to love over the years.
Glancing back I noticed Rarity pulling an umbrella from her bag, smiling lightly. I chuckled slightly as it sprung open, towering above her and acting as a make-shift shield from the sunlight.
"Hey, *grunt* are we almost *pant* there yet?" I asked through baited breaths, my eyes still glued on the beautiful woman.
"Yes. Just a little further and we should be there. You know, Spikey, you don't have to carry all those gems on your own." She paused as I drummed a finger against my chin, contemplating what to say.
"Well, yeah, *pant* but I want to." I stopped pulling the cart to catch my breath.
"Darling, I cannot see how anybody could 'want' to bare such a burden on their own." She deadpanned. I turned away from her as I felt a tinge of pink rise to my cheeks.
"I just... I don't want you to overexert yourself." I turned back to assess her response: The bridge of her nose was scrunched up, and she looked a little bit annoyed.
"Spikey, darling, have you forgotten that I've been doing this since before you've moved to town? I do believe I could handle myself just fine."
"Yeah, yeah... I know that." My eyes found the ground in front of me as I let out a tired sigh; Not being able to tell somebody how you feel sucks.
"Is something the matter?"
Why can't she be mine?
"Spike," This time I heard her, which pulled me out of my reverie. I shot her a weak smile.
Deciding that our little break had gone on long enough, I set to pulling the cart once more. The rusted wheels creaked slightly as it began to slowly trail behind me. "You know you could talk to me about anything, right, Spikey? I'll always be here for you."
"I *grunt* know that. I just don't think you'll understand."
"You underestimate me; I'm fairly certain I'll be able to understand." Her voice was laced with defiance.
"But *cough* I know you won't."
As I went to wipe my forehead, I heard her snort in indignation, which irked me.
Deciding to ignore her, I glanced down at my shirt sighing as I noticed it was completely soaked in my sweat. The shirt itself was nothing special, just a black tee I found sitting around, but the way it clung to my skin was bothersome. My taut muscles stood outlined against it, making me feel a bit self-conscious.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" So much for ignoring her.
"Come on, I don't wanna talk about it." I wanted to drop the topic ASAP, but it seemed she had other plans.
"Spike, as your friend it is my responsibility to help you with whatever bothers you." I groaned, turning to face her.
"Rarity, I really don't think we should talk about this now. Look, we're almost to town," I turned, gesturing to Ponyville. I was right, we were only a few minutes away from our goal. All I received in response was a "Hmph!"
I rolled my eyes, setting the cart in motion with a few steps. Before I could get more than five steps forward, a voice came from behind me, "I swear, Spike, you can be so irritating sometimes!" I growled.
"Oh really?" I spun back with a glare.
"Yes, 'really'!" I groaned in frustration; I really didn't want to argue with her.
"Can we just drop it?" I turned away from her, taking a few more steps towards town. I didn't get very far before her voice rung out from behind me. Again.
"No we cannot!" I heard her —what I had assumed— umbrella closing up as her footsteps grew closer and closer. "Spike," She was right behind me now, "what I don't understand is why you've been able to confide in me before, but now, you suddenly can't. Do you... not trust me?" Oh, sheesh. Her tone of voice caused most of my anger to immediately dissipate, leaving me with nothing but guilt for upsetting her; I hate it when she's sad. I can deal with her anger, but when she's sad,I'm sad.
"It's not that, Rarity. I just... I don't think I can tell you." My voice softened as I sighed guiltily.
"Why not?" Because if I try to I'll just screw it all up.
"I don't want to lose what we have." My voice had dropped down to little more than a whisper.
I pulled forward slowly, meaning for Rarity to follow. She didn't. I glanced back every few seconds only to find her where she was before. I couldn't tell what she was feeling, or what internal conflict she was facing, but what I could tell was that it was still getting hotter by the minute, so I steeled my resolve and pressed forward, watching as she grew further and further away.
But then, the unexpected happened. She ran. She began sprinting back to me, calling my name all the while. I stopped and waited, clearly confused.
"Spikey! Wait!" She wasn't very far now.
I chuckled as she stopped in front of me, her right hand resting on her thigh while the other was held up to signal she needed a second.
"Tell me." I blinked at her words, uncertain what to do. "I promise, I won't let it come between us."
"I... I," I paused as she pouted cutely. That's just not fair! "O-okay, I'll do it. I'll *gulp* tell you." Her expression brightened instantly, while my own was full of uncertainty.
I watched as she stared at me expectantly, the sunlight dimly illuminating her glamorous purple hair. She really was beautiful. I really didn't have a chance with her.
"I'm in love with you." I watched as shock spread across her features. Oh no.
"I'm flattered —I really am— but... I cannot say the same to you," I know you don't. "I'm so very sorry." A gust of hot wind blew against my sweat-laden hair, sending a few drops down my forehead. She shuffled awkwardly as I began to mull over her words. I already knew this would happen, so why am I so surprised?
My eyes trailed down to the straps that bound me to the cart. It would be so easy to just run, to leave her here and forget this ever happened.
Our eyes locked for a moment, before her own found the dirt below us. She brought a closed fist to her mouth before coughing awkwardly.
My eyes snapped back to the ground as I finally found the words to speak, "I-it's okay, Rarity; I already know you don't like me that way. I just —really hoped you would—" I could do little to stop a stray tear from trailing down my left cheek. Am I crying? "Rarity *sniffle* I... I think I should go." I quickly unstrapped myself from the cart and darted away, not hearing her call for me as I went.
My eyes were squeezed shut as I ran away from the woman. Stop running! You can't do this to her.
The dirt kicked up as my feet pounded against it rapidly; leaving a mix of sweat and tears in my wake. You're pathetic, no wonder she doesn't love you; Who could love such trash?
My heart beat relentlessly against my chest; both my legs and my lungs burned, and yet I kept running.
I opened my eyes, watching as the people and buildings of Ponyville blurred behind me.
I didn't care about all the worried voices as I darted by; I didn't care when I tripped, and crashed into the ground; I didn't care about the footsteps that grew closer every second; I didn't care about anything right now. I just layed there, curled up in fetal-position, the ground dampening as sweat and tears slowly dripped onto it as thoughts of Rarity flooded my mind. My mind screamed in protest as I sobbed pathetically, but I couldn't move; my body had been pushed past the limit. All I could do was lay there and break down.
The footsteps drew to a halt just a few inches in front of me. I curiously opened my eyes, only to be greeted by a pink sneaker. My eyes trailed up the pink sneaker, all the way to the concerned blue eyes of a girl I had never met before. She knelt down, offering me a hand, "Hey, are you okay?"
Author's Note
'Sup? I'm proud to announce the revival of this old thing. Feel free to leave feedback, and stuff; I won't hold your opinions against you. o3o
Oh, and uh... chapters will be posted daily. Also, I'm cool so you should follow me, and god I am the worst at writing Author's Notes.
I AM A WHEEL OF CHEESE!
Chapter Two: Distractions
Chapter Two: Distractions
"Hey, are you okay?" My eyes quickly found the ground as I reached out, taking her hand in my own. It appeared that she caught off guard by my weight as she tried to pull me to my feet, which led her almost falling on top of me. Fortunately, luck was on our side as she quickly regained her balance and I rose to my feet. Now that I was standing, I could see that I was a good foot taller than she was. It's not that she was really short, I just happened to be one of the tallest guys in Ponyville; I have puberty to thank for that.
I brought the side of a closed fist to my eyes, quickly wiping away my tears, "I-I'm fine." I croaked. As my eyes searched frantically for a distraction, I noticed that my little spectacle had attracted a few onlookers. Oh great.
"I can tell you're lying; I'm not stupid." My eyes snapped back onto the girl who now had a hand resting on her hip, "People who are 'fine' don't come running into town crying like a baby, and collapse in the middle of the street. You're not fine."
"Why do you even care?" I spat defensively, watching in mild aggravation as a thoughtful expression crossed the young girl's face, and she began to drum her index finger against her chin.
"Because... it's the right thing to do." I watched with curiosity as her face seemingly lit up with realization, before falling faster than a bit dropped from the top of Canterlot Castle. Her eyes —much like my own a few moments ago— had locked onto the ground below us. "Hey, my name's Diamond Tiara, by the way." She muttered.
"And my name's Spike. Uh... what are you doing?" I watched with a raised eyebrow as she shuffled awkwardly before meeting my gaze.
Our eyes stood locked for a few seconds before she turned away, "Hey look, I, like, gotta go. I'll see you around, or something." She took off in a fast walk, leaving me alone with my thoughts; thoughts of Rarity.
I needed a distraction, and fast.
"That's a load of crap and you know it, 'Bloom! Dash is way stronger!" I watched as my friend threw her arms up in exasperation. I had run into two out of three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders when I was wandering around town, —after I had showered and changed, of course— attempting to find some distraction or another. Now I was sitting in their club-house, watching them argue.
"Nuh uh, Aj is the strongest! Right, Spike?" I blinked as both Applebloom, and Scootaloo turned to me expectantly.
Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place."I think they're both pretty strong." Both 'Bloom and the chicken seemed unsatisfied with my response, eliciting a sigh from my lips.
"Ah didn't ask ya that, ah asked if ya agreed with me." Looks like I'm not gonna luck out this time... think, Spike, think!
"He just doesn't wanna hurt your feelings! Everybody knows Dash is stronger." Scootaloo smiled smugly, watching as Applebloom's face contorted in anger.
In an attempt to drop out of their conversation, I began to slowly wiggle away, "You know, I think I'll just go sit in that corner over there, that way, you two can do your thing and I won't get hur-"
"Oh no ya don't!" Before I could get very far, a hand grabbed the collar of my lavender shirt and pulled me back to the group.
"So what's it gonna be Spike? Applejack, or Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo's cocksure grin had faded back to an expectant glare.
I scratched the back of my neck, avoiding eye contact, "Does this really matter?"
"YES!" They both shouted in unison.
"So I have to answer?" Ah, procrastination at it's finest.
"Stop delaying!" Clearly both Scootaloo and Applebloom were losing their already non-existent patience, which meant it was time for an answer.
"Alright, alright, I personally think that," They both leaned towards me expectantly.
"Yes?" They both asked in unison, leaning even further forward.
"If I had to choose between the two of them," I felt my lips tug upwards as they continued to lean forward.
"Yes?" Once again they spoke in sync.
"That Spike's the strongest." I chuckled as both of them face-planted on the floor.
It was a few seconds before they regained their composure and began to voice their protests. Applebloom was the first to speak, "Y'all are a jerk, ya know that?"
"What? I'm just telling the truth." I paused briefly, furrowing my eyebrows, "Hey, do you girls know where Sweetie Belle is?"
"Uh, yeah, she's back at Rarity's; said she couldn't make it today." I winced at the mention of her name.
"Oh." I could tell they were worried about my reaction, but I really wasn't ready to talk about this with anybody yet.
"Something wrong, dude?" Scootaloo had a brow raised in inquisition.
"Nah, I'm just thinkin' about some stuff." I lied through my teeth.
"Ya sure?" I nodded, and both of them seemed content to drop it.
I stood up, stretching as I made my way to the other side of the room to grab the bottle of water that I had brought with me. "So girls, I ran into somebody today," I looked over my shoulder to see them both looking back at me with curiosity. "I was wondering if you know her; she looks like she's about your age, so maybe you guys have class together or something."
"Alright, what's her name?" Scootaloo asked.
After a quick sip of water, I turned back to face them, "I think she said her name was like, Diamond Tiara."
"What?!" Both of them shouted, rising to their feet and glaring at me.
"Um, so do you know her, or not?" I chuckled nervously as both of them marched towards me with their fists clenched. Uh oh.
Scootaloo was the first to speak as she poked my pecs, "Oh, we 'know' her alright; she's made our lives a living hell for the last five years!"
"Yeah! She's that bully we're always tellin' ya about!" My eyes drifted over to Applebloom who looked just as worked up as her friend who was still poking me angrily.
"She's terrible!" My attention steered back to Scootaloo, who's poking was starting to irritate me.
"And mean!" I grabbed Scootaloo's hand and put it back to her side as Applebloom spoke.
As I looked up from her hand, Scootaloo spoke again, albeit more quietly, "Spike, promise us you won't hang around her."
"But, she didn't look so mean when we bumped into each othe-" I was quickly cut off by Scootaloo, who had went back to poking my chest to really drive her words home.
"Promise, Spike!" Jeez, I've never seen Scoots so worked up before.
"I uh... I don't know, Scoots', she really doesn't seem like a bad perso-" She cut me off again while Applebloom seemed content to simply watch in silence for the time being.
"She's bullied us for five years! If she 'doesn't seem like a bad person', how do you explain that? Huh?" I groaned as she decided to get all up in my face. Does she ever brush her teeth? Damn her breath stinks!
"Yeah!" Applebloom finally added.
"You know you can't tell me who I can and can't 'hang' around, right?"
"We can if we're savin' ya from a whole heap of disappointment." Oh, my heroes! That mean old girl was going to steal my wonderful pink dress!
"Is that right?" Irritation laced my words as I arched an eyebrow in mock curiosity.
"Seriously, Spike, we're just looking out for you." I turned my attention back to the girl in front of me.
"Look girls, I'm gonna head back home; it's getting kind of late, and I'm kind of hungry." I sighed as I made my way around them and towards the door.
"Don't say we didn't warn ya, Spike." I looked over my shoulder to see Applebloom staring at me, and Scootaloo still facing where I was standing a few moments prior. Deciding not to pay heed to her words, I opened the door and made my way out into Sweet Apple Acres, fully intent on heading back home and getting some well deserved rest.
Author's Note
Yeah, so I had a headache while I was writing this, so I hope it wasn't too difficult to read. I'm gonna get to writing the other chapters now that I've got this one out there. The next chapter is probably gonna be a large one, so it might not be posted until Monday, so I hope that's not as disappointing as Diamond Tiara and Spike's first encounter. I bet you guys were expecting them to instantly fall in love, and for him to propose on the spot. Too bad, bruh bruh.
The purpose of this chapter was to establish the fact that Spike and the CMC are friends. I think you guys and gals are going to really like chapter three. I just hope you'll still be here to read it after the disappointment that is chapter two ^^"