Sibling Rivalry

Chapters

Chapter Two - Magic
Chapter Three - Bloom
Chapter Four - Questions
Chapter Five - Day
Chapter Six - Chaos
Chapter Seven - Cupcakes
Chapter Eight - Crucible
Chapter Nine - Solution
Chapter Eleven - Scootaloo
Chapter Twelve - Confrontation
Chapter Thirteen - Past
Chapter Fourteen - Water
Chapter Fifteen - Fire
Chapter One - Night
Chapter Ten - Infinitum

Chapter Two - Magic

Like most young unicorns, Sweetie Belle did not know how to use magic. It wasn't a skill one was born with, in the strictest sense; so it had to be learned, and it wasn't an easy skill to learn. She did hear her parents talking about when she was really young and could levitate all her toys at once, but apparently, that was something she forgot how to do. So here she was, at Ponyville Park, hiding in some bushes, with an old magic book, trying to relearn a skill she had when she was an infant.

But at this moment, she wasn't practising her magic, instead, she was looking up at the young dragon that so rudely interrupted her.

"Need some help?" he asked.

Sweetie's ego was about to take over, telling him to get lost, that she could do it herself; but her self-esteem fought back, wanting to ask for any help he could provide; but the eventual victor was a third voice which simply said:

"What would a dragon know about magic?"

Spike was taken aback by this, but it wasn't surprising. He wasn't a unicorn, he couldn't perform any spells. The only magic he had, was his fire breath. However:

"Twelve years as Twilight's research assistant, I've picked up a few things," he said with confidence as he stepped through the bushes. He sat down across from her, the stone sitting between the two. "What are you trying here? Basic levitation?"

With that comment, Sweetie's horn glowed pink along with the stone, as it slowly levitated towards Spike, before dropping straight into his open claw.

"Okay, so not that," Spike said, as he placed the rock back down.

Sweetie giggled. She then showed Spike the book that was sitting to her left, which Spike didn't notice earlier. It levitated towards him, page already open, as Sweetie explained. "It's a spell I found, to turn a rock into a flower."

Spike was surprised as he read through the spell. "Sweetie Belle," he explained. "This is pretty advanced magic, are you sure you want to try something like this?"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

Spike technically couldn't argue with that, but he did know it wasn't going to be easy for such a young unicorn to conduct such a complex spell. In fact, he didn't think it was possible. But, he did offer his services, and was certainly willing to try. Besides, he was in a really good mood.

He memorized the page number, and closed the book.

"HEY!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "You'll lose the page!"

"Forget the book," Spike explained as he threw the book to the side. "The book is useless. Magic isn't about a bunch of instructions, it's something you have to feel."

Sweetie was confused. "But, Twilight uses books all the time."

"Yes, but all the book is, is a map," Spike explained, hoping his analogy wouldn't break down. "It won't tell you how to get there, just what path to take. Besides, you probably already have it memorized."

Sweetie blushed at this, "Yeah."

"OKAY!" a very excited Spike got to his feet and walked behind Sweetie Belle. He leaned against her, the flaps of his jacket covering her sides; and placed his claws on her head, gently massaging her temples. "Just relax," he whispered in her ear.

She did, and as her eyes closed all she could feel was the heat from his breath on her ear, and his body heat as he leaned against her. She noticed that, while his body wasn't that much warmer than anypony else, his breath felt like the heat from a roaring fire. That, plus his claws working her temples, really did a good job of relaxing her. All tension in her body was gone, and all that was left was her thoughts.

"Relaxed?" she could hear him whisper.

"Yes," she said, in an almost trance-like voice.

"Okay, now, do you know where the rock is?"

"Yes."

"Okay, focus all your energy on that rock."

Sweetie slowly opened her eyes, but Spike stopped her.

"Don't open your eyes," he explained. "Stretch out with your magic, feel it, don't see it."

So she tried again, focusing all her magic where she knew the rock was located. Suddenly, there was an image in her head of the stone, exactly as she remembered last seeing it. She could "see" the rock, even though she couldn't see it.

"Okay, good," Spike explained. "Now, ignore everything else, and..." he didn't need to finish that sentence, Sweetie Belle already knew what she had to do.

Spike saw the stone start to shake, he could also feel Sweetie's body start to tense up. "Stay relaxed Sweetie Belle," he explained, continuing to whisper. "You need to put all your energy into your magic."

Her body began to relax, the stone continued to shake.

Sweetie Belle couldn't see a thing, she had to trust Spike to tell her if she was progressing properly, and as she continued to recite the necessary pattern in her head, she learned she didn't need to.

She could "see" the stone crack, just slightly, along the top, as a small stem started to emerge from it. The stone she "saw" was also slowly shrinking as the stem grew longer. She dared not stop the spell at that point. From the bottom of the stone, she could "see" the roots form. They reached into the ground, taking hold. Above the stone, leaves started to form on the stem, and as the stone began to shrink to nothingness, it budded and bloomed into a purple flower with a green centre. She released the focus she held, and ended the spell.

But, she was afraid to open her eyes. Spike let go of her, and stood up. She could no longer feel the dragon's scales against her back. Part of her thought she might have been successful. But perhaps it only meant she failed so miserably that there was no point in continuing. What if she reduced the stone into a pile of dust?

"Aren't you gonna look?" Spike asked, she could hear a slight chuckle in his voice. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Sweetie slowly opened one eye. What she saw shouldn't have astonished her, but it did. It was the flower, exactly as she saw in her head.

Part of her thought that maybe Spike switched out the stone with a flower when she had her eyes closed. Perhaps using his tongue. She heard a dragon's tongue was quite dexterous, and could have done something like that. She took a closer look. It wasn't just placed there. It was rooted to the ground, in the exact same location the stone was placed earlier. She did it!

"Oh my gosh...I did it," she said in amazement. "I DID IT!!!" She turned around and gave Spike a big hug. "Thank you, Spike! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you!"

"Okay, okay!" he said. "It was nothing, really. It was all you."

"But you helped!" she was extremely excited and Spike wasn't exactly sure how to handle it. So he just went with the flow, returning the hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She continued, hopping up and down, and giving him another kiss on the cheek.

Eventually she broke the hug and just stood there, looking at him, smiling. But that smile quickly went away to be replaced by what Spike thought could have been slight panic. But before he could figure out exactly what he saw, she turned around and walked straight towards the flower. She plucked it from the ground with her magic and took a good look at it. There wasn't much scent coming from it. But that was to be expected. Even though it was already pretty mature, it didn't exist a few minutes ago. So the scent would take a while before it could be fully developed. She was going to keep it for herself, but she wasn't really sure she deserved it.

She turned to look at her dragon friend and simply said, "Spike, do you want it?"

"What?" he said. "No, I can't-"

Sweetie interrupted him, "Please? It a thank you gift, for all your help."

Spike sighed before walking up and taking the flower, "Thank you, I appreciate it."

Sweetie walked over to the book Spike tossed aside, and picked it up.

It was at this point, Spike asked a simple question. "So, what are you doing out here so late?"

"Late?" Sweetie asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah, it's..." he looked at his bare wrist. "Oh, I don't have a watch," he said with a laugh and a smile. "It's almost 10, last I checked."

Panic set in. "Oh no!" Sweetie cried. "I was supposed to be home an hour ago!" She began pacing back and forth, thinking. "What am I going to do!? My parents are going to kill me!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Spike said, trying to calm her down. He walked over and placed his claws on her shoulders, with the flower still in hand. She looked up at him. "It's okay, I'll take the heat. I'll say it's all my fault and I was teaching you magic and kept you way too long. We just lost track of time."

"Really!?" she said.

"Yeah," he explained. "It's technically true."

"Oh, thanks again Spike," she once again grabbed him in a hug, this time one which Spike instantly returned. The hug was quickly broken as Sweetie's attention turned to the matter at hand. "Okay, let's go!" she ran off, leaving Spike behind.

He looked at the flower, breaking off part of the stem, before sliding it into his front jacket pocket. He then quickly tried to catch up with the young filly, as he was the one who had to talk to her parents. "Hey, wait up!" He yelled.

Chapter Three - Bloom

It was a bright, sunny day in Ponyville, and all the little ponies were going about their business. The hustle and bustle of a small town may not seem like much to those from much larger cities, but it never died down. Even on Sundays, ponies still did what needed to be done. They were hard-working, and proud of it!

Among all the little ponies, one stood out: A bright pink earth pony with bright pink curly hair, hopped through the square, with basket in tooth. Her destination was Carousel Boutique at the far end of town. As she hopped through the tiny hamlet, her enthusiasm was at peak efficiency. This was mostly because of her plans for the next couple days. Which she was crossing town right then to prepare for.

As she entered the humble shoppe, a bell rang, she quickly proceeded to what she would only describe as a white blob with a purple tree sticking out the side.

The white blob was Pinkie's friend Rarity, who was examining a dress that was hanging on a ponykin. She couldn't see the door as the bell rang, but before she could respond to it, or even move, a pink blur appeared on top the ponykin and said, "HI!"

"WAH!" Rarity screamed, falling on her back. When she came back to her senses, she could see her best friend, Pinkie Pie, leaning over the ponykin she was working on. "Pinkie Pie! You scared me!"

"OH! Sorry Rarity!" said the overly cheerful party pony. "I just came to ask a favour." She returned to the floor behind the ponykin.

Rarity walked around it to the middle of the shop, still slightly annoyed at Pinkie for her abrupt entrance. "Uh, what is it?"

Pinkie turned her head around, and picked up the basket that was behind her, she left it next to the ponykin when she went to greet Rarity. It would be hard to talk with that thing in her mouth.

Rarity looked at the basket and levitated it towards her. She moved the white sheet covering it, and pulled out what could only be described as some type of uniform. It was a white shirt with pink and brown accents along the edges, she also saw a similarly coloured hat. Actually, the hat could better be described as a visor, since it had no top to it. Regardless, the shirt did need some work, after all, it had several tears in it, as well as a brown stain on the front.

"It got really torn up last time I wore it," Pinkie explained, slightly sad. "That was a pretty crazy day!" she continued with a chuckle.

"...and...um...the brown?" Rarity said, almost afraid to ask.

Pinkie lowered her eyelids. "Chocolate, Rarity."

"Right! Right..." In hindsight, that should have been obvious. She started walking over to her workspace, with the shirt in tow, Pinkie hopping after her with a smile.

"These tears...I might have to rebuild it unless you want several unsightly stitches in it," Rarity explained. "Do you need this today?"

"Tomorrow actually!" Pinkie said with regret. "I'm sorry Rarity, I forgot it was in such bad shape until today! I pull it out of my closet this morning and BOOM it's all torn up!"

Rarity sighed, Pinkie did tend to be a bit scatterbrained, so this didn't surprise her. But Rarity was in a good mood, and the shoppe wasn't very busy on Sundays, even for the short time it was open, so a project like this would at least keep her occupied. "It'll be done by the end of the day."

Pinkie gasped, "Thank you, Rarity!" She screamed as she hugged the unicorn. "You're a great friend."

"It's nothing, really," Rarity replied, modestly. "So, why exactly do you need it tomorrow?"

Ponyville Park was packed. Ponies from all walks of life was trotting, chatting and playing. It was such a beautiful day, so everypony was out enjoying it.

Out of all the little ponies, only one was trying to avoid the crowd. Sweetie Belle was trotting through, with a smile on her face, and a brown paper bag in her mouth, looking for the least populated area.

Her favourite poplar was easy to find, it was at the top of a small hill, on one edge of the park. Almost no pony ever came to this end of the park, unless they needed to. So it was a perfect secluded location.

However, at this very moment, the poplar wasn't secluded. Sitting right under the tree and leaning against it, was a young, yellow, earth pony, with a giant pink bow in her bright red mane. Her name was Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle's best friend, and the only way to describe Apple's mood right now was: bored.

"Hey, Apple Bloom!", Sweetie Belle said as she approached her friend, dropping the sack.

"Meh!" replied the tired earth pony.

Sweetie Belle sat down across from Apple Bloom under the shade of the poplar. She magically opened the sack, and pulled out a single cupcake topped with orange frosting. She wouldn't dare use her magic with any other ponies watching, she felt like she would just be showing off. Plus, she just wasn't confident enough to use it and not have it fail while everyone was watching. But Apple Bloom wasn't as judgemental as other ponies she knew, and was more likely to encourage her friend.

As she started munching on the cupcake, Apple Bloom began speaking in full sentences. "Well," she said, "seems your magic's working pretty well."

"OOO!" Sweetie said, moving the cupcake to the side. "It most certainly is! Especially since last night. You see-"

Apple Bloom interrupted her friend, "I'm sure it's a fascinating story Sweetie Belle, but I haven't had lunch yet so..." She glanced toward the sack, and smiled sweetly. So, the young unicorn levitated a cupcake with blue frosting towards her friend, who then grabbed it in her hooves and began munching.

After a bit of silence, Apple Bloom decided to open the conversation, "You seem in a good mood."

A giant grin appeared on Sweetie Belle's face as she was about to answer, but Apple Bloom interrupted her again, "wait, wait, don't tell me. You're excited for-"

"-the big carnival!" Pinkie explained. "It's opening tomorrow and Sugarcube Corner is going to have a stand there!" She was extremely giddy at this development, "and I get to run it all on my own...well...sorta..."

"Oh, well, that's great Pinkie," Rarity said, "I'm sure it's a fantastic opportunity."

"Yeah! For once I'll be in charge of something and not have it end in disaster," suddenly, the smile on her face began to fade. "...I hope."

As a roll of white fabric came over to where Rarity was standing, Pinkie noticed something interesting. Her best friend was in a really good mood, more so than usual. She was whistling a jaunty tune and Pinkie noticed the mare was moving with the music in a sort of subtle dance. There was also a smile on her face, and an almost dreamy look in her eyes.

Now, Rarity was typically in a good mood when she was working, and Pinkie's presence always made ponies happy, but this was different. In fact, Pinkie could simply not account for this level of happiness. It was unprecedented from Rarity, she was downright giddy.

"So..." Pinkie said, "you're in a good mood!"

"Oh, Pinkie," she replied, "I most certainly am!"

Rarity opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted by Pinkie, "Wait! Let me guess! I love guessing! Ummm...ooo! It's the carnival! You're excited for the carnival!"

"It's not the carnival," Sweetie said, eyelids lowered.

"Well then," Apple Bloom asked, "What is it?"

Sweetie Belle sighed joyously, "It's-"

"-Spike!" Rarity said before Pinkie could try another guess. After all, if she let Pinkie continue this game, they would have been there all day, and there was work to be done.

"Spike!?" Pinkie asked.

"The Dragon?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yep," Sweetie said, smiling, her eyes almost dreamy.

"Well...um..."

"...what about him?" asked the pink earth pony.

Rarity turned and looked directly at her earth pony friend. "Pinkie..."

"...I think I'm in love with him!" Sweetie's grin went from ear to ear.

"What!?" the yellow earth pony replied, shocked.

"When did this happen!?" Pinkie asked, smiling ear to ear.

"Last night," Sweetie explained.

Rarity elaborated, "we went out for dinner, had a lovely time."

Sweetie was giddy, "I was at Ponyville Park, it was late, he was there as I was practicing my magic, he taught me a few things, like how to focus, and then, when we found out it was past my bedtime, he offered to explain to my parents and take the blame. He was so nice."

"He was absolutely charming, the perfect gentlecolt," Rarity was swooning.

"Rarity, I'm so happy for you!" Pinkie said, hopping up and down.

"I don't believe this," Apple Bloom said.

"What's not to believe?" Sweetie Belle asked, slightly confused.

"Sweetie Belle, he's a dragon!" Apple Bloom tried to explain. "Not a pony...a dragon!"

Sweetie Belle was not impressed. "So?"

"Don't you ever stop and think, how will everypony else see this!?"

"But..." Pinkie continued. "I mean, I don't mean to be mean but don't you think everyone else would be mean?"

Rarity had already turned back to her work, her sewing machine was running at full power. "What?"

"I mean, Spike's a dragon, you're a unicorn, not that there's anything wrong with that, but a lot of ponies can be pretty judgemental," Pinkie, the eternal pragmatist explained, with a small chuckle at the end, as if she told a joke she knew only she would get.

Rarity sighed...

"I've thought about that," explained the young unicorn.

"Really?" Apple Bloom asked.

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Last night, I was up thinking for half the night. But-"

"-to be honest," Rarity explained. "I don't really care!"

"What!?" Pinkie was quite shocked at this turn of events. Heck, this was Rarity, the only pony who cared more about her self-image was the eternal nervous wreck: Rainbow Dash.

"I mean, it might not have a such a positive impact on my business."

"Sure, everypony will make fun of me," Sweetie said, she was pacing back and forth. "But that happens to me already and I'm used to it."

"But if ponies are that judgemental, they don't deserve my masterpieces," Rarity said with pride.

"...and if it get's worse, I'm fine with that," Sweetie continued.

"Besides, when I'm around him, everything feels lighter," Rarity was metaphorically walking on air.

"Just knowing I'm with him, will make it easier," Sweetie said with joy. "Because Spike..."

Rarity appeared to be in her own little world. "He...well..."

"He makes me happy!" the unicorns said with a grin, as stars danced in their eyes.

Apple Bloom looked at her friend. "I see..." She said, "Well, Sweetie, I'm happy for you, I wish there was some colt in town I felt that way about."

"There isn't?"

"Have you looked at this town?" Apple Bloom said as she pointed to the crowd.

Sweetie looked where Apple Bloom was pointing, in the distance she could see Snips and Snails, their manes covered in bubble gum and stuck together. "How'd they manage that, again!?"

"Well Rarity, that's great," Pinkie said with a grin. "So what's going to happen next?"

"Well, we have a date planned next week," Rarity said. "...or...actually, it's this week-this coming week."

"Well, anyway," Apple Bloom said. "That's great and all, but how do you know he feels the same way?"

Sweetie paused for a second before replying, "I guess I don't."

Pinkie scratched her head. "Seems kinda general."

"Well, yeah, we didn't plan anything concrete yet.

"Well you gotta fix that!" Apple Bloom explained.

"How?" Sweetie asked.

"Go to him and ask him out!" the young earth pony said, forcefully.

"Go to him and solidify your plans," Pinkie said with a smile.

"Solidify?" Rarity asked, it was such an odd choice of words.

"Ask him out!?" Sweetie was a bit freaked out by this proposal. "I can't do that!"

"Why not!?"

"No, Pinkie, what I mean is...nevermind. I'll go see him today."

"That's great, and..." fear hit Pinkie's face.

"What if he says 'no'!?" Sweetie Belle asked, the idea obviously frightened her.

"Then he says 'no,' but at least you know!"

"Is that the right time!?" Pinkie asked, pointing to a clock on the wall.

Rarity followed her friend's gaze. "Oh, yes, yes it is. Why!?"

"I have to get back to work," Pinkie was a bit panicked, but she kept her eye on the ball, "I'll see you later Rarity and thanks a bunch!" She screamed as she galloped out the door.

Rarity went back to work, with a smile on her face.

Sweetie Belle was perplexed, "What?"

Apple Bloom sighed. "Just ask him," she said right before she went back to work on the cupcake.

Sweetie Belle was suddenly very worried. Apple Bloom quickly ate the rest of her cupcake, as Sweetie Belle found she suddenly couldn't eat any more. She was too worried about what would happen next. What exactly would she say, and what exactly would he say? This could ruin her life, or make it a lot better. But there was only one way to find out, she just had to not screw up.

Easier said than done.

Chapter Four - Questions

In the Ponyville Library, a pile of books sat in the middle of the main reading room. A purple claw grabbed three books and began shuffling though them.

Organising a library was hard work, one had to memorize the Pony Decimal System, and ensure that every book was filed under the right number. If one book was out-of-place, it would mean that book would be lost forever....until somepony noticed and moved it to the right section.

With three different books in hand Spike climbed the ladder that was leaning against one of the shelves, so he could put the books exactly where they needed to go.

As he got to the top, he heard a knock at the front door. It was too much of a hassle to get down just to open the door. So he just yelled. "It's open!"

A pink glow encompassed the door as young Sweetie Belle entered, closing the door behind her.

Spike looked down, "Oh, hey Sweetie Belle?" he said, as he went back to his filing. "Looking for another magic book?"

Part of Sweetie Belle wanted to say 'yes,' but that would have been a lie. She came here for a reason, and if she didn't say what needed to be said, there was a good chance that Apple Bloom would do it for her. She could be very insistent.

"No, actually," Sweetie explained. "I came to talk to you."

"Oh...um...just give me a minute, I'll be right down." Spike was confused. What could she possibly want to talk to him about?

As Spike was on the ladder, Sweetie began looking at the books sitting on the table.

One stood out to her, a pink hard cover book called, "Romance for Foals." Certainly a book that was honest, Sweetie was tempted to open it and begin reading. Maybe check it out, but not around Spike. She would wait until Spike was off doing something-anything else, that way should could have Twilight check it out. After she swore the mare to secrecy.

Spike approached the young unicorn. "Okay, time for a break," he said, "what did you want to talk about?"

Sweetie hesitated, "well...um...I wanted to thank you for all your help last night."

"Sweetie," Spike explained. "I told you, it was nothing."

"Still...um...thanks."

Spike suddenly felt very awkward. "Yeah, no problem...is that all?"

'Yes,' Sweetie wanted to say before quickly running off. But she forced herself to get this out. "No, um...Spike...I...um...I really like you."

"Well, I like you too Sweetie Belle," Spike said nonchalantly.

Sweetie could tell he didn't understand. "No," she explained, "I mean I really, really like you."

Spike looked confused, but he really wasn't, he was just hoping she wasn't saying what he thinks she was trying to say.

Awkward silence filled up the room. "Um..." Sweetie continued, "and...I was wondering if you wanted to go out...like on a date?"

Spike's heart stopped for a second. He couldn't believe the timing of this. How could this happen? Unfortunately he would need to break the young mare's heart. He quickly recited what he was going to say in his head: 'No, sorry, I'm actually dating your sister.'

But unfortunately, the silence was causing Sweetie's eyes to water...just a bit. Which caused Spike to say, "Sure."

It was at this moment, Spike's brain started yelling at him: 'WHAT THE HAY!?'

"Great!" Sweetie Belle was so excited. It was too late for Spike to turn back now. "The carnival open's tomorrow! We can go to that!"

"Sure," Spike said as his brain continued called him an idiot.

"Great!" Despite the worry Spike was feeling, as he looked at Sweetie Belle and saw her smile, it made all those worries go away.

But his brain wasn't having it! 'WHAT THE HEY IS WRONG WITH YOU!? Alright, if you're not going to listen, I'm leaving.'

"See you tomorrow?" Sweetie asked.

"Sure," Spike said.

"Morning? Nine o'clock?"

"Yep," Spike said with a smile.

"Great!" Sweetie was quite happy with this turn of events. She galloped away, but as she reached the door she turned around, and said, "See you tomorrow, Spike," before exiting.

In the other room, a certain purple unicorn was reading...or to be more accurate, she stopped reading, because of the commotion in the other room. Twilight would have interrupted the two, but she knew the moment Sweetie specifically asked to talk to Spike that this was not a business call, and she should not get involved. But that did not mean she couldn't listen. She didn't like to eavesdrop but her curiosity was overpowering, and in the end she was glad she did.

"I...um...I really like you."

Twilight's eyes went wide.

"Well, I like you too Sweetie Belle."

Then her eyelids went down in exasperation. Spike may be a bright dragon, but he knew nothing about mares.

The conversation continued.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out...like on a date."

Twilight was well aware of Spike's relationship with Rarity, so when Spike responded with: "Sure." She brought a hoof to her face.

Twilight continued to listen to the slow-motion train-wreck occurring in the next room, until she heard hoofsteps gallop away, before, "see you tomorrow, Spike," and a closing door.

Twilight sighed before opening the door before her. In the room her, she saw her young dragon assistant, in the middle of the room, dumbfounded.

"Spike?" she asked, "are you okay?"

He then collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"SPIKE!!!" she ran toward the young dragon. But as she approached, he quickly woke again.

"AHH!! What happened!?" He grabbed onto the nearby table, and lifted himself up.

"Sweetie Belle just came by, asked you out on a date, and you said 'yes'!!!"

"Oh, is that all?" he replied, still obviously a bit hazy, and leaning against the table. He was breathing heavily, mostly out of panic.

"Spike, you're dating Rarity!"

"Well, not technically," he said, almost pleading.

Twilight gave him a skeptical look. As if to say, 'really!?'

"UGH!" Spike grunted in frustration. "I know I know! I just...I..." Spike was running over the events in his head, trying to figure out what happened. "I guess I can't say 'no' to a pretty face."

"You've said 'no' to me before."

Spike just looked at her with a smirk.

"Oh, ha ha ha ha!" Twilight's sarcasm was palpable. "This is serious Spike, you can't date two fillies at the same time!"

"I know!" he said as he lifted himself onto the table, sitting on it, his breathing much calmer. "I'll just have to find a way to let her down easily, tomorrow."

"Spike, it may not be that simple."

"Sure it will," he explained. "I'll just be sure to turn off the charm, and she'll lose interest. That way, if she does ask for another date, it won't break her heart when I say 'no'!"

Twilight sighed, hoof to face. "Spike, you might be forgetting an important variable."

"Varia...???"

"Thing that could change rapidly."

"Oh!" Spike said, not quite fully understanding. "What?"

"You."

Unfortunately, Twilight didn't get a chance to fully explain, as a knock came at the front door.

Twilight sighed once again, as a red glow encompassed the opening door. Standing at the stoop was a very familiar white unicorn.

"Twilight! Darling!" Rarity said as she entered the library. "How is everything?"

"Oh, absolutely fine Rarity! Nothing's wrong at all!" Twilight lied...obviously.

Rarity looked at her friend, and paused for a second, thinking about whether she should move past it. "Well, that's great," she said, deciding to quickly move on. "Spike," she said, as she approached the young dragon. "I just came by to solidify our plans for this week."

Spike paused for a second, a bit confused, before his brain decided to click. "Oh, right, yeah! Our date."

"You've never had my cooking have you?"

Spike thought for a second. "No," he eventually replied, "and you haven't had mine either."

Rarity giggled a bit, "Well, I get to go first."

Spike could see behind Rarity, Twilight was silently waving her hooves in the air, mouthing 'TELL HER!!! TELL HER!!! TELL HER!!! TELL HER!!!" She wasn't going to directly interfere, but telling Spike what to do wasn't technically interfering. She was just offering some kind advice, while jumping up and down and silently yelling at the dragon. It was a good thing she knew how to land on her hooves silently, otherwise she would be interfering.

"This Thursday, my place, there's this wonderful stew I've been meaning to try."

"Sounds great!" he said with a smile. "I'll see you then."

"Brilliant," she replied, before leaning down and kissing him on the cheek. "I'll see you thursday, Spike." She turned around, to face a shocked Twilight, before asking, "We're still on for lunch tomorrow, right?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Twilight replied.

"Great!" she said as she walked out the door. "See you then!"

"Bye Rarity!" Twilight said as a blue glow closed the door behind her.

The purple unicorn quickly turned to look at her number one assistant, who had a huge smile on his face. She didn't need to say a word.

"I'll explain everything to Sweetie Belle tomorrow. She'll understand!"

Twilight continued to stare at him.

"I gotta get back to work," Spike got off the table and went back to his sorting.

Twilight realized she didn't need to say anything, there was nothing to say that he didn't already know. So, she went back to the other room to continue her studies. As she closed the door behind her she thought, 'his first major romantic screw-up...my little Spike is growing up...dang it.'

Chapter Five - Day

The carnival only happened in Ponyville once a year. When the carnie-ponies finally came around to this part of Equestria, and took over the field next to the local elementary school. They toured the nation, bringing entertainment to the masses, and ripping off plenty of ponies along the way. At least, that's what was going through Spike's mind as both he and his date walked through the games area.

Twilight warned Spike long ago to watch out for this kind of thing. However, he couldn't help but notice that in spite of the fact that most of them were losing, everypony was having fun.

"OO!" Sweetie Belle said, grabbing Spike's arm. "Let's play a game!"

"Uh," Spike said hesitantly. "I don't know Sweetie Belle, I'm pretty sure they're all rigged."

"Huh?"

"They're impossible to win."

Just then, not far from the young couple, one stallion screamed, "YEAHHHH!!" as a carnie gave him a giant stuffed raccoon.

They both saw this, and when Spike turned back to Sweetie Belle, he saw a giant smirk on her face. "Well," he explained, "obviously they're going to let somepony win on occasion to keep up appearances."

She just looked at him.

"UGH! Fine!" Spike said, giving up. "Which one?"

Sweetie began looking around, and gasped when her eyes finally settled on one. She galloped off ahead of Spike, and he ran after her.

They arrived at the stand with guns. The goal was clearly posted on the wall at the back, surrounded by several giant stuffed animals. One had to shoot out the star in the centre of a piece of paper with a BB gun. Seemed simple. But then again, most scams did.

"How much?" Spike asked the gruff earth pony attendant.

"Two bits a go," he said, chewing on what Spike presumed was chewing gum.

Placing two bits on the counter, he quickly grabbed the rifle that was lying on the table and carefully aimed it at the star that was hanging six feet away. Firing off a few BBs, he noticed they ended up a few inches to the left. He continued firing, aiming a few inches to the right, trying to make it look like he was honestly trying, so Sweetie Belle wouldn't think his eventual loss was intentional.

He continued to fire, and by the time he was out of bullets, the star was still there, though it had a few holes in it.

"Oh well," Spike said, placing the rifle back on the counter. "Come on, Sweetie Belle, let's check something else out."

"Hey, buddy," the attendant yelled. "You can always have a second go."

"No thanks," the dragon said with a wave.

As the two were walking away, Spike could hear the attendant scoff. "Figures," he said, "Scaly little rodent."

The young dragon stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and looked directly at the attendant. "Did you say something?" he asked.

"I said you can try again."

Not many ponies knew how sensitive dragon hearing was. So Spike wasn't entirely surprised the attendant would lie. But he still didn't want him to get away with it. Spike walked back and asked quite simply, "How do I get one of those big ones?"

"Those?" he asked, pointing to the prizes at the very top. "Well, shoot out three stars and I'll let you have your pick."

"Set it up," Spike said, setting two more bits on the counter.

Once the rifle was ready and the star replaced, Spike fired a single shot and noticed this rifle was leading an inch to the right, so he aimed an inch to the left of where he wanted to hit, and fired around the star in a circle. The star fell out onto the ground.

"Well, good work," the attendant said, as both he and Sweetie Belle applauded. "Wanna try again, get one of the bigger prizes?"

Spike shook the rifle just a bit and noticed he still had some ammo. "Yep," he said, right before aiming at the star next to it. A few shots later, it too fell on the ground. Spike then proceeded to shoot out the star next to that one. Then, just for fun, he fired two more BBs in the paper above the hole where the star once was.

The attendant's jaw hit the ground.

"Okay, where'd you learn to do that!?" Sweetie Belle asked, as she carried a giant pink bunny that was nearly twice her size, on her back.

"Well, after I tried that first time, I quickly learned how to fire the thing," Spike explained. "After that, it was all strategy."

Sweetie giggled just a bit. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"Yeah! That was really cool."

The two began laughing together as they walked through the crowd.

"So," Spike asked, once the laughter died down. "What do you want to do now?

"Hmmmm..." Sweetie Belle said, hoof on her chin. "Sugarcube corner has a booth somewhere."

Spike remembered hearing that from Pinkie earlier in the week. The carnies always allowed some local merchants to showcase their wares, just for fun. Primarily because most of the time, there wasn't any competition; and it allowed some of the older patrons to waste time, while their younger charges played around. Plus it garnered them goodwill with the locals, which everypony loved.

"Hmmmm..." Spike said, claw on chin. "Sounds good!" he said with a smile.

The two youngsters walked through the crowds searching the local merchants. Sweetie Belle staying as close as she could to her crush, as he navigated the fairgrounds.

The two of them passed the booth for Quills and Sofas, which was next to the Tumbler. It was a ride that spun three different ways and was notable for the puddle of vomit next to the ride's exit.

"Scootaloo would love this thing," Sweetie Belle said, as she watched the machine spin along its main axis, while the cars attached ran along the outside of it, causing the individual carriages to spin.

"Yeah," Spike replied. "Let's avoid it."

Sweetie Belle giggled as the two continued on. They passed the Twister, which was another spinning ride, but looked a little less crazy since there were no cages, and it didn't go up in the air; and the classic bumper cars.

They were about to continue on, when a familiar face stopped them. "Hiya! Care for some Rainbow cupcakes!?" went an excitable yellow earth pony, with a tray of treats balanced on her head.

Young Apple Bloom was wearing a white shirt with pink and brown accents along the edges with a matching visor; and selling some very familiar treats: Pinkie Pie's signature Rainbow cupcakes. They had five distinct flavours contained within, and were always well-stocked at Sugarcube Corner.

"Hey, Apple Bloom," Sweetie replied. "How's the summer job going?"

"Ugh!" the young earth pony groaned. "Pinkie's a bit of a slave driver, but it sure beats working the farm." As the pan balanced on her head, she looked at the two before her, and slyly said, "So, I see you took my advice."

"Huh..." Spike responded, crossing his arms. "So, I have you to blame for this!"

"Yep!" She said, as a big grin emerged on her face. "So, cupcakes?"

"Sure," he said, reaching between the scales on his right hip, and like a true gentledragon asked, "Sweetie Belle?"

The young unicorn smiled in response. "Please!" she said.

"That'll be four bits," the young salespony announced, holding out a hoof.

Spike gave her the payment, as he took two cupcakes from the tray, and handed one to his date, who grabbed it in her hoof.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Apple Bloom said, as she put the funds in a white money pouch hanging from her neck. She looked up at the giant toy on her friend's back. "So, Spike, I assume you won her that thing!?"

"Yeah," Sweetie said, excited. "He shot out three stars in one round."

"Really?" Apple Bloom said, "Impressive."

"Yeah," Spike said, proudly, running his free claw across his head. "Yeah it was."

"So," the earth pony continued. "Have you two checked out any of the rides?"

"I don't know," Sweetie Belle said, as she was chewing a bite of cupcake. "They look kinda scary."

"Yeah, but they're fun!" Her yellow friend responded. "You can ease yourself into it, the Twister isn't too bad."

Spike looked back at the ride they passed a few minutes ago. Sweetie noticed her date's smile and said, "Yeah, let's do that!"

"Really!?" Spike asked. He didn't think Sweetie would try any of the fast rides. Apparently he had a lot to learn about the little filly. "Alright!" he said, eating half his cupcake in one bite. "Let's go."

As the two walked away, both with big smiles, Apple Bloom said to them, "See you later lovebirds."

Just then, realization hit Spike. "Could you wait here Sweetie Belle?" he said, as she finished her cupcake. The young dragon ran back and caught up with Apple Bloom. "Hey, Apple Bloom," he said, as she was trying to sell more cupcakes.

She turned from the potential sale to look at her scaly friend. "Yeah?"

"Could you do me a favour?" he asked.

"What is it?"

"Could you keep what you saw here...quiet?"

"You mean you and Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom was confused. She was planning on doing so anyway. After all, even though Sweetie Belle didn't care how the rest of the town reacted, Apple Bloom certainly did. But why did Spike care? Did he share her concerns?

"Yeah," he replied. "That's not a problem is it?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "My lips are sealed!" she ran her hoof along her lips.

"Thanks," he said. Quickly running back after his date.

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow in confusion at the evacuating dragon, before returning to work.

The two youngsters were on the Twister as it spun around inches from the ground, seated in one of the ride's dozen-or-so cars. As they spun around, the two of them slid into each other several times, trying to stabilize themselves by holding onto the safety bar, and laughing all the while.

Several dome-shaped cars were driving around a metal arena. In one of them, was a young purple dragon, and as he drove around the arena, he was spontaneously hit in the side, sending his car into the nearest wall. Once he recovered, he looked to the source of the interruption. Another car, driven by a young white unicorn, with a big evil smirk on her face. She hit him again.

"HEY!" Spike exclaimed.

Another hit.

"Stop it!"

Sweetie backed up for another run. But Spike responded once she began her charge, by backing up himself. She hit the wall her date was previously pinned to.

Then, before she could recover. "AHHH!!!" the young unicorn yelled as she was hit in the side by her former victim, who now had his own big evil smirk.

As he backed up for another hit, Sweetie Belle got ready for her counter-attack, and as her car was hit again, she had leapt from it, and right onto the dragon.

"GAH!" the dragon screamed and laughed as his date attacked him. Once he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see the young filly smiling, her face inches from his. His smile disappeared.

Sweetie noticed their position and quickly jumped off. "Sorry," she said, as she jumped back into her car.

The young dragon had only one thing to say regarding what happened: "What the-?"

Spike wandered through the corridors, lined with mirrors, each of which reflected his image. He walked towards where he thought the exit was, only to stop when an image of him stood in the way, as if to laugh at him. He was growing annoyed.

"Spike!" he heard behind him. Sweetie Belle was standing in one of the 'mirrors,' smiling and beckoning the young dragon.

He walked towards his date and began following her. "You find the way out?" he asked.

"I think so," she replied.

They continued walking until they entered a circular room lined with mirrors.

"Oh...nevermind," she said. "Okay, how do we get out of here?"

Spike turned around, and said, "Better question is, how'd we get in?"

The two began frantically looking around the room.

At nearly fifty metres tall, the dominating figure at the carnival had to be the Big Wheel. It was big, pink, metal, and very imposing. But wasn't intimidating. Next to the teacup ride, it had to be the most relaxing ride in the entire park. So the young couple wasn't nervous at all as they boarded the circular gondola before them. At least, they weren't nervous because of the ride.

They were able to get a carriage all to themselves, since the line wasn't very long that day. They sat down on the cushioned seats, and Sweetie placed her giant rabbit on the opposite side. The wheel moved, then stopped suddenly as more ponies boarded the ride.

"So..." Spike said. The wheel started moving again, then stopped just as suddenly. "This is fun."

Sweetie giggled.

As the wheel began to turn again, and before it suddenly stopped again, an awkward silence fell upon the car, since neither really knew what to say. The incident in the bumper cars made things a bit awkward.

Spike twiddled his thumbs, thinking of a way to kill the awkwardness, then it came to him. He hanged his head in resignation.

"Sweetie," he said hesitantly. "I need to tell you something."

She closed her eyes, and said, "I know."

"You do?"

"Spike," she began. "I had a great time today, and that's probably because it was with you. You're kind, sweet, fun to be around, and I really like you, and...I know you don't feel the same way." She began to hang her head in sadness. "But!" She popped her head back up and looked at the dragon with a forced smile. "I'm really happy you agreed to come with me anyway! This was fun!"

Spike's lips quivered as he looked at the young filly. "That...that wasn't what I was about to say."

Sweetie Belle looked at her date, curiously.

"...because...I had fun too. A lot of fun...and I'd love to do it again, because...I...kinda like you too."

The joy in Sweetie Belle's heart made her feel like she was going to explode.

Spike opened his mouth to continue, but before he could say anything, Sweetie jumped on him and hugged him. Just then, the entire wheel began moving again, and didn't stop. It was finally finished loading, and they were ready to ride, but Sweetie Belle wasn't thinking about that. Her face was once again inches from the young dragon's, and this time, she took advantage of the situation. She kissed him. Which caused his face to turn beet-red.

The moment she broke the kiss, Spike looked at her; and after a moment, grabbed the back of her head and briefly kissed her back. He then said, "You know, we should really try to enjoy the view while we can."

Sweetie jumped off of the dragon, and began looking over the side of the capsule, as it rotated around the centre axis. As Spike joined her, she looked at him, and then he looked at her. They smiled.

The pink bunny was sitting on a bench, alone, as Spike was pacing in front of it. There were several scenarios that he planned out in his head early that morning, but this was not one of them, and he simply did not know what to do about it.

His fear and nervousness was almost palpable, and an aura like that attracts just the sort of creature that loves to destroy it.

Spike turned around again, and before him, inches from his face, were a plate of cookies, being held in the mouth of a pink earth pony wearing a white visor. "GAH!" He screamed in shock as he jumped in the air and landed right on his rear end.

A uniformed Pinkie Pie threw the plate in the air, and caught it with all the cookies on her head, as she began speaking. "Spike! What's up!?" she screamed!

"Hi Pinkie," Spike said as he got back to his feet. Tired after such a hectic day, he was not in the mood for Pinkie's shenanigans.

"Cookie!?" she offered.

"No thanks."

"You sure!? It's on the house!"

Spike just sighed and took one. Biting into it, he smiled and released a moan of pleasure.

"Like it!? It's a brand new recipe!"

"It's really good," the young dragon said. "What's in it?"

"OOP! That's a secret Spiky Wikey!" Pinkie never stopped smiling, and it annoyed Spike just a bit.

He just sighed and took another bite.

"So, something wrong?" Pinkie asked with genuine concern.

"Kinda..."

"Does it have anything to do with Rarity!?" she asked with a smile.

Spike looked at the pink earth pony with a bit of shock. She knew! "Sorta," he said, a bit scared. "Pinkie, could you do me a favour?"

"Yep!" she said with a giant smile. "Wait! What is it!?"

"Please don't tell anypony about me and Rarity."

"Okie Dokie!" she said, giant smile returning. "Wait! Why!?"

"I'm not sure about where things are going, and I don't need any pressure from anypony else."

"OOOOO!" Her eyes went wide. "She's going to be heartbroken!"

"Well, I'm not...wait...really?"

"Mhmmm!" Pinkie nodded vigorously. "She really likes you Spike!"

"...and I really like her!" he said. "That's the problem."

Pinkie tilted her head curiously. Holding the cookies in place with her hoof so they wouldn't fall off.

"Forget it, Pinkie," He said, giving the mare a sad smile. "I'll figure this out, it'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

Pinkie paused for a second before responding. "Okie Dokie Lokie!" she smiled and hopped off. Spike was about to turn back to his thoughts, when suddenly, the moment he turned, Pinkie appeared before him again. "Don't forget! If you ever change your mind! I'm always free!"

"Yeah, thanks Pinkie!" Spike said.

"Okie Dokie!" she said as she hopped away...again.

As Spike was watching Pinkie leave, he noticed something to his left. Turning to look at it, he saw Sweetie Belle standing next to him.

The young unicorn turned to look at her date, or as she saw him, her boyfriend, and smiled.

"Cookie?" he said, offering the rest of it to the young unicorn.

"Thanks," she said, levitating it towards her mouth.

Spike went to the bench and grabbed the big bunny. When he got back she said, "Mmmm! This is really good!"

"I know!"

By the time Spike entered the library, the sun was already starting to set. He saw Twilight at the other end of the main sitting room, crouched down in front of a book...natch. He closed the door behind him, and walked into the room, he wanted to make a beeline straight to bed, but he also wanted food.

"How'd it go?" the mare asked, getting to her hooves. "How'd she take it?"

The dragon looked at his best friend, and looked away in shame.

"Oh, what happened!?"

Spike remained quiet.

"What'd you do!?"

He quickly rushed into the kitchen.

"Spike!" The purple mare followed him. "Spike!!!"

He opened breadbox and pulled out a few slices of bread.

"Spike, what happened?"

He opened the pantry and pulled out a box which contained some broken gemstones.

"You made her cry, didn't you!?"

Placing a few stones on one of the bread slices, he put the box back where he got it, and went to the refrigerator.

"Did she get mad when you told her about Rarity?"

Pulling out a bottle of honey, he closed the fridge, and began pouring it on his sandwich.

"Did she tell Rarity?"

He placed another piece of bread on top and took a bite.

"Did Rarity get mad?"

He continued chewing as he walked back into the main sitting room.

"Spike, what happened!?"

He took another bite.

"Tell me, Spike! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

"I fell for her all right!?" Spike yelled at Twilight, and himself.

The unicorn stood there, dumbfounded. It took her a second to process the information before asking, "You fell for...?"

The young dragon turned away in shame and said, "Sweetie Belle."

Twilight scoffed, "I knew something like this would happen."

"You did!?" Spike asked, turning to look at the young mare. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I thought I did!"

Spike put his claw on his face and shook his head. It might not have been avoided, but at least he would have had a warning.

Twilight walked up to her assistant and put a hoof on his shoulder. "So, when are you going to tell Rarity?" she asked.

"...I don't know," he said, dropping his hand.

"You don't know?" Twilight lowered her hoof.

"I still have feelings for Rarity," Spike explained, twiddling his fingers over the sandwich. "I just also have feelings for Sweetie Belle."

"What?" Twilight said, a bit confused. "Spike, you can't juggle two fillies at once!"

"I know!" he said. The young dragon was growing frustrated, more with himself than anyone else. "I just need to think things through. I'll choose one of them, but not right now, just give me a few days I'll figure everything out."

"Spike!"

"Just!..." he held up a claw to stop her. "Let me figure things out...on my own." Spike then walked to the stairs that led to his bed, but paused at the foot. He turned around and said, "Twilight."

"Yeah, Spike?" the mare said.

"Do me a favour, don't tell anypony."

Twilight nodded. "You have my word," she said, right before Spike proceeded up the stairs.

Twilight went back to her book, lying on the floor, exactly where she left it. As she crouched down to continue reading, she realized she couldn't. The unicorn closed the book and sighed. "My little Spike is growing up...I wish he'd stop."

Chapter Six - Chaos

Act Two: Deception

Spike looked deep into the Sweetie Belle's eyes. She was as beautiful as ever. Her jade irises sparkled in the sunlight, as her face turned a pinkish hue.

"Spike," the young unicorn said. "Stop it, you're making me nervous."

He smiled at her comment, turning his gaze down as he quickly grabbed the sandwich before him. "Sorry, I can't help it, you're so pretty it's hard to look away," he said, taking a bite.

Her blush deepened, as she tried to hide behind her sandwich. "Spike."

He giggled at her reaction.

As the two young lovers sat on a checkered blanket on the far side of Sweet Apple Acres, time just flew by.

Sweetie Belle looked up at her boyfriend as he bit down on the amethyst, lettuce and tomato sandwich that she made earlier that day. She was really glad he liked it. Especially after the disaster last week. It made her happy.

"I had a really great time today," she said, with a sweet smile.

"So did I," the young dragon responded. His face slowly turned a soft pink, as his mouth pulled itself into a wide grin.

The two just looked across the blanket, and found themselves lost in each other's gaze. Until...

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Spike's watch alarm went off. He looked at the timepiece and said, "Oh no, I have to go." His voice dripping with worry.

"What?" she asked, disappointed, as the young dragon got to his feet.

"Um...Twilight said she needed help with an experiment, she'll be really mad if I'm late," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, maybe I could come with you."

Spike froze. "What?"

"Yeah, I could help you and Twilight out, it'll really help me with my magic, and I'll get to spend more time with you." Her smiled widened.

Panic rose in the young dragon's throat. He couldn't let her come, she couldn't find out, but he couldn't let her get suspicious either. What could he possibly say?

"Oh...is that the time?" She pointed to the watch on the dragon's wrist.

"Um...yeah."

"Oh, no I can't. Me and Apple Bloom were going to try to get our cutie marks." She put a hoof to her chin. "I could try and get out of it. No, not with Scootaloo still in Neighpon. She'll get really mad."

"Go," he said. "We'll have fun tomorrow, I promise."

They both leaned in, and gave each other a goodbye kiss, as Sweetie Belle magically folded the blanket up and shoved it into the picnic basket.

"Okay, tomorrow then," she gave him another kiss, this time, drawing it out as long as she could, before quickly trotting off toward the tree line, carrying the basket in her mouth.

Before disappearing, she turned around, and gave her boyfriend a goodbye wave. Spike returned the farewell and waited for her to disappear, before quickly shoving his sandwich down his throat and running as fast as his little legs could carry him, straight towards downtown Ponyville.

He didn't have much time.

Twilight was not a cook. In fact, if there was one thing she was downright terrible at, it was cooking. She had complete mastery of the divine arts, and a diverse education in every subject under the sun. But everytime she entered the kitchen, it was like a curse was placed on her. She was simply terrible, somehow, everything she cooked ended up burnt or splattering all over the place, or spoiled in some other way. Spike was the library's designated cook, and it was something he took pride in...but Spike was not home, instead, he planned it all out with military-grade precision well in advance.

Before he left to go see Sweetie Belle, he already had most of the meal prepared, it just needed to be cooked. He gave Twilight specific instructions on what to do. His direction was so specific, it made her blush. She was not happy about this.

The young librarian was standing in the kitchen, with a book and a wooden spoon held in magical grips. She diligently stirred the contents of a big metal pot, as she continued to read from a book on Ancient Equyptian History. She always had a fascination with the great pyramids.

It wasn't long before her concentration was broken by a door slamming open, and the sound of claws running across the wooden floor. Young Spike ran in, and stopped at the kitchen door, trying to catch his breath.

"Ra...Rarity's not here yet is she?" He asked, still recovering from his sprint.

Twilight shook her head.

"Good." He walked over and took over her position at the stove, stirring the pot of soup.

As the unicorn closed the book, she decided to ask a very important question. "So, how was your date with Sweetie Belle?"

Spike refused to take his attention away from the food. "Oh, it was...it was great, we had a great time." He opened the oven, to get a good look at the hayloaf still roasting away.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So...what'd you do."

He closed the oven delicately. "Oh...uh." He thought back and a smile appeared on his face. "Well, we went for a walk through Sweet Apple Acres, she had me chase her for a while, had a picnic...it was fun."

"Mmmmhm..." she said knowingly.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He went back to stirring the pot of soup. "Actually, she nearly caught me back there."

"What?"

He turned to face the mare. "Well, I almost ran out of time. So, I had to make an excuse to leave abruptly. I said I needed to help you with some experiment. She offered to come with me."

Twilight paused, waiting for Spike to continue. He didn't, so she did. "Well...what did you say?"

"Nothing," he responded, worry in his eyes. "I got lucky, she said she had to meet with Apple Bloom." He walked over to the fridge, and pulled out a container filled with chopped vegetables and a few bottles.

Twilight trotted up behind the dragon as he lit another burner with his fire breath, and placed a skillet on top. "Spike," she said. "How long can you keep this up? Eventually one of them is going to figure this out."

"I know...I just...I don't know who I'm going to pick yet."

"It's been three weeks Spike, if you wait too long, it'll just hurt them even more when they find out."

"So you're saying I should just pick one of them?" He folded his arms defiantly.

"Yes!"

"It's not that simple Twilight." He turned back to the stove, adding oil and a dark sauce to the pan.

"Maybe it can be. Just pick the one you enjoy spending time with more."

He closed his eyes in thought. "I don't know who that is."

"Oh, please Spike," she said with a laugh. "I think you know exactly who it is."

"Oh, really?" He turned his head to look at the mare, dumping the vegetables into the skillet. "And how would you know so much Twilight?" The frustration in his voice was crossed with anger. "When have you ever been in love?"

"What? You don't remember Silver Bell? You met Silver!"

He looked at her skeptically. "You mean that colt Celestia introduced you to. The colt you went on one date with and never saw again?"

"It's not my fault he was given a royal assignment in Manehatten," she responded smugly.

Spike opened his mouth to respond, but decided against it. After all, there was a reason Celestia didn't tell Twilight the truth.

A knock came at the door, it was rhythmic and delicate. There was only one pony it could be.

"I'll be upstairs," Twilight said, trotting away. "Think about it."

Spike quickly grabbed a mirror he stashed in one of the kitchen drawers, and inspected his scales quickly. He had too look good for the lovely Rarity.

Ensuring every scale was in place, he shuffled the contents of the skillet, and quickly got off his stool, running towards the front door.

As he opened it, he saw, standing in the doorframe, a beautiful white mare. Her mane in the same style he'd grown accustomed to, and her eyelids batting seductively. "Good evening Spike," she said.

"Good evening Rarity, would you like to come in?" He stepped aside as she accepted his invitation.

The unicorn sniffed the air and turned to face the dragon. "It smells wonderful."

"It tastes even better," he said, closing the door.

They walked to the kitchen together, and as the mare took her seat at the table, Spike went straight to the stove and prepared the first course.

Bringing both dishes to the table he announced, "alright, for a first course, we have daisy leek soup and fresh baked dandelion bread."

"Oooo," she exclaimed, impressed.

Spike took a seat and explained, "and by 'fresh' I mean last night."

Rarity's laughter always brought joy to the young dragon's heart.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon as they finished the soup. The conversation had drifted to Spike's cooking skills.

"I cannot believe you're so good at this." She explained as he went to prepare the second course. "I mean, I always assumed Twilight wouldn't be very picky regarding food, therefore you wouldn't need to develop any skills."

"Well, she might not appreciate fine dining," he explained, bringing the dishes to the table. "But I do. So we have an Apple-Sage Hayloaf, with potatoes and fried zucchini."

"Looks delicious," she said, taking a bite of the loaf. "You know, you could probably teach my sister how to cook, she could really use some lessons."

Spike chuckled a bit. "Yeah, yeah she could."

Rarity looked at him inquisitively.

He suddenly got very nervous. "Um, yeah, maybe I'll do that. If I see her, I'll offer to teach her how to cook."

"Oh, no I'll suggest it to her, though I haven't seen her in a few weeks...OH! It'll be the perfect opportunity for you to meet my parents."

Spike panicked, "NO!"

Rarity was taken aback.

"I mean...um...I don't think I'm ready to meet your parents yet, it's a big step."

"It is?"

"Well...eh...um...I-I think so."

"Are you alright Spike?"

No he wasn't. "Yeah, I'm just...um...sorry, I had a rough day, Twilight's been driving me crazy." Another lie to pack onto the pile.

The two started in on their meals, as Spike realized his luck could soon run out.

The streets of Ponyville were dark and foreboding. So Spike decided to do the most honorable thing, and walk his date home. They passed by Sugarcube Corner and Spike noticed the lights were still on. Pinkie was probably working on some last-minute stuff. Cleaning, baking, that sorta thing.

"So, where did you get that recipe for dessert?" Rarity asked.

"Hmm?" Spike said, recovering from his distraction. "Oh, I stole it from Pinkie Pie. Made some changes, it was originally a cupcake recipe. I also added chrysanthemums, since I know they're your favourite."

"It was delicious Spike."

The two rounded a corner and Carousel Boutique was in sight. As they reached the storefront, Rarity decided it was time to make the young dragon an offer he couldn't refuse. She opened the door and said, "Would you like to come in Spike?"

He froze, "um..." His mind drifted to Sweetie Belle, her beautiful face, her eyes, and her reaction if she found out he complied with Rarity's offer. He simply couldn't do that to her. This was a bridge too far. "No...actually, I have a lot of work to do in the morning, and I really have to get to bed."

"Oh, I'm sure Twilight would understand." She began nuzzling his ears.

"Um...maybe..." He gently pushed her away. "But still, I think...I think we should wait, I'm not really ready for that yet."

Rarity frowned, she was not expecting this, but still, she complied. "Very well Spike, if that's what you want."

"Yes, I...at least...for now."

"You're a true gentlecolt Spike." She leaned down and kissed the young dragon. A kiss they held for several seconds.

When it was finally broken, she said, "Goodnight, Spike," and slipped inside without another word.

The young dragon sighed and began the trek back to the Library. His mind was racing. He didn't know what to do. As he turned the first corner, he saw the lights of Sugarcube Corner again. He wasn't ready to sleep yet, and he was too tired to wander around town aimlessly. So there was only one option...

The moment Rarity entered her Boutique, the smile on her face had faded as she collapsed on the floor. It was replaced by an expression of dread and worry.

Opalescence walked up to the unicorn, and began rubbing her face on her master's hoof.

"Oh, Opal, I feel like something's wrong," she explained. "But I can't put my hoof on it." She stared off into the distance. "What is he not telling me?"

Chapter Seven - Cupcakes

Ponyville was a bustling little town, filled with ponies from all walks of life. Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi all bought and sold various goods and services on the streets, and in stores throughout the downtown area. But typically, all this ended once the sun went down, and everypony settled in for a good night's sleep.

However Sugarcube Corner was not a store that settled down that easily.

The bakery was mostly quiet, as Apple Bloom swept the front of the store. She prided herself at being a diligent worker, and it was something that impressed both the store's owners, and her manager.

"Looking good, Apple Bloom," came a cheery voice from behind her.

"Thanks Pinkie," she replied, turning to face the back kitchen, and her boss. "Need any help back there?"

"Nope, everything's okie dokie in the stovie."

"Don't you mean 'oven'?"

"Yeah, but ovenie doesn't sound right."

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at the pink pony's proclamation.

Ding-a-ling

A bell rang from behind the young filly. Turning around, she saw a very familiar purple dragon enter the store.

"Hey, Spike," she said happily before throwing the broom up in the air, and kicking it across the room. It landed perfectly in the nearby supply closet, and the door closed in response.

"Hey, Apple Bloom," he said with a sigh.

"What's wrong, Spike!?" came a concerned voice from across the room.

"Oh...um...nothing, I just need somewhere to think. Can you get me a sarsaparilla and a vanilla cupcake?"

"Vanilla?" Pinkie replied. "Ugh! Boring! But alright!" She dipped into the back room.

Apple Bloom approached the young dragon as he took a seat at one of the front tables. "Somethin' wrong Spike?" she asked with genuine concern.

"Kinda," he replied.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Spike paused for a second, he really did wanna talk about it, but Apple Bloom was so close to Sweetie Belle, who knew how she'd react. "No, thanks."

"Okay."

Pinkie rushed out of the kitchen and dropped Spike's order on the table before him. "Spike, you look so sad," the observant party pony declared.

"No, just...just worried."

"What about?" Spike was about to open his mouth before she held up a hoof and said, "Wait! Don't tell me! Problems at the library!"

Spike shook his head as he grabbed his cupcake.

"Hmmmm...Is somepony sick?"

He chewed the sugary treat and shook his head.

"Hmmmm...ooo! Trouble with Rarity!?"

His eyes went wide.

Apple Bloom turned to look at the elder pony. "Rarity?" she asked. "What does she have to do with anythin'?

"Oooop!" Pinkie said, throwing her hooves to her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to say anything was I? I'm sorry!"

"Say anythin' about what?" the yellow filly asked.

"Rarity and Spike's relationship-oop! I did it again!"

To Pinkie's surprise the young earth pony began giggling. "Oh, Pinkie, you're such a kidder. He's not in a relationship with Rarity, I know that for a fact!"

"What?" she asked.

"Mmmhm, Spike's been datin' Sweetie Belle for the past three weeks, Rarity has nothin' to do with that."

The pink pony's jaw dropped as her head cocked to the left, and her eyebrow raised in confusion. "What?"

"Yeah, she can't stop talkin' about him, tellin' me how much fun they have together. Kinda jealous actually."

"What?"

"Well, no not in that way, I just wish I had a special somepony of my own."

"What?"

"Pinkie, are you okay?"

She vigorously shook her head and came back to her senses. "He's been dating Rarity for the past three weeks, what are you talking about?"

"Nooooo, he's been datin' Sweetie Belle. I know because I told her to ask him out and she's been continually tellin' me how well it's been goin' for the past three weeks, and I've even seen 'em together a few times too. Trust me, they're datin'."

"Nooooo, for the past three weeks Rarity's been telling me and Twilight how well things are going between her and Spike, she told us all about these romantic dinners, and how good of a cook Spike is. In fact, she keeps giving us too much information if you ask me. She said he does this thing with his tounge..."

"...where he wraps it around..." The earth ponies said in perfect sync, motioning their hooves around their mouths. Their eyes widened in shock.

"Spike," Apple Bloom said, turning around. "What's goin' on?"

The young dragon was frozen in place. The first bite of cupcake was still in his mouth. His face was a pale white. His irises had shrunk to pinpoints.

"Spike?"

The dragon's eyes drifted slowly to his left, to look at the young filly.

"What's goin' on?"

His mind began racing. He could fake a seizure, maybe. But he forgot what actually happened during a typical seizure. He had a chunk of cupcake in his mouth, maybe he could force himself to choke on the pastry. But that was quickly dismissed when he realized cake was quite soft, so it was unlikely to work. It also didn't help that his dragon instincts would likely kick-in and he's just incinerate the food-stuff while it was in his throat.

"Spike," Apple Bloom said, bothered by the silence. "Swallow."

He slowly downed the contents of his mouth. The fear on his face did not go away. He was trapped. What could he say? The answer was simple: nothing...except the truth.

"Okay," she said, slowly. "Now, tell us what's goin' on."

His mind started racing once again, this time, with only one simple thought: 'CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!!!'

"Spiiiike?"

She wasn't going to let this go, the young dragon realized. So he resigned himself to his fate. Turning in his seat, he looked at the two earth ponies. Pinkie's expression was easily to pinpoint, she was confused. Which didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was Apple Bloom's face, which was harder to interpret. Determination? Confusion? Suspicion? Anger? She looked at him dead in the eyes; her mouth in a slight frown, open just a bit; and her face was inches from his. It didn't make him uncomfortable though, mainly because he thought he deserved it.

"Spike, you're not leavin' until you tell us what's goin' on."

He sighed, and lowered his head. It was now or never. He preferred never, but he also preferred not to have them figure it out on their own. "For the past three weeks I've been dating both Rarity and Sweetie Belle, sometimes on the same day, without the other knowing."

Silence descended on the small pastry shoppe. The young dragon didn't look away from the ground. He was afraid to do anything else. Eventually the silence got to him. He slowly raised his head, and was met with a yellow hoof hitting him square in the chest, throwing him to the nearest wall, which was only a few feet away.

"You rat bastard!" She screamed. "You've been two-timin' Sweetie Belle this whole time!?"

"Apple Bloom!" Pinkie Pie interjected.

She trotted up to the dragon, who had already collapsed on the floor. Raising her hooves in the air, she was all ready to slam them down on his body...but she was interrupted.

"Go ahead," he said, looking up at the young filly. "Just do it. I deserve it. I know they're eventually going to find out, and they're both going to hate me forever. So just do it."

She slowly lowered her hooves to the ground, a solemn look appearing on her face, which quickly transformed into frustration as she screamed, "RRRRAHGRHHHH!!!" and turned around, trotting away.

Pinkie walked up to the young dragon. "Are you okay, Spike?" She asked, holding out a hoof.

"Yeah," he said, using the mare's help to get to his feet. "Thanks."

"Why are you helpin' him!?" Apple Bloom asked from across the room. "He's been lyin' to Rarity and Sweetie Belle...and us!"

"Oh, Spike's a nice dragon," the baker said with a smile. "I'm sure he had a good reason. Right Spike?"

"Oh, this'll be good," she trotted up to the two-timing bastard, as she thought of him. "I can't wait to hear this!"

Spike could still hear the anger in the young filly's voice. He recoiled as she approached. His eyes darted back and forth, between the two ponies. Releasing a sigh, he decided to begin his tale.

"Okay, I guess it started when me and Rarity went on our first date. It went well, or as well as could be expected. Afterward, I went for a walk through the park."

Apple Bloom's eyes went wide. "Oh," she said.

"Yeah...Sweetie Belle was there, and she was trying to do some magic, I thought I should teach her what I knew. The next day, she asks me out on a date. I don't know why I said 'yes,' but I did. I was going to try to let her down easy when we were at the carnival but I...I didn't, because I..." He paused, unsure of how to continue.

"Spike?" Pinkie Pie was concerned.

"...because I fell for her. I'm in love with two different fillies, and I know I can't stay with both of them. But I don't know which one I should stay with, and which one I should...leave behind."

Apple Bloom was taken aback. Spike was in love with both of them? How was that possible?

"I know one of them is going to be left heartbroken, and the other will only stay with me if I'm really lucky."

"Spike," the yellow filly explained. "It's been three weeks, and you have no idea who you want to be with?"

"No."

"Oh Spike," Pinkie said. "It's obvious who you should be with."

"It is?" he responded.

"Yeah, it's obvious!" Apple Bloom declared.

"Well then who?"

The two earth ponies replied in sync, "Sweerarity Belle." ...Sort of. They looked at each other.

"What!?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Sweetie Belle?" Pinkie was incensed.

"Rarity? She's a stuck-up old snooty pants!"

"She's mature, and she has passion and dignity," the elder mare explained. "What does Sweetie Belle have? Immaturity and no cutie mark!"

"Well...Rarity's crazy, a little grape juice sends her into a panic!"

"Well...Sweetie Belle...has...um...OO!!! She's reckless! She spends half her days doing stupid stunts that could get her killed!"

"We all agreed to those stunts!" Apple Bloom was starting to take it personally. "And at least she's tryin' somethin' different! We're tryin' to find our cutie marks, we're not waitin' for 'em to come to us, we're goin' after 'em head first!!! Rarity just waited around for her horn to drag her to a giant rock!"

"Rarity has experience, she knows how to show him a good time!"

"Oh, sure, a borin' dinner and walkin'! Soooo excitin'."

"No, other good times, in other places! Didn't Applejack or Cheerilee ever teach you about that stuff!?"

As Spike's eyes went wide. Apple Bloom stared at her for several seconds before the pieces clicked. "OH!" She exclaimed. "Oh, that! Well, Sweetie Belle can read up on that stuff, I remember findin' all sorts of books about that in Twilight's library!!!"

The dragon wasn't liking where this was going.

"Oh, sure, then what?" Pinkie asked. "She'll get her cutie mark in b-"

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!!" Spike exclaimed, stepping between the ponies. "This isn't helping! Thank you both for trying. Really, thank you, but I think I'll go back to figuring this out on my own."

"Spike!" Apple Bloom explained. "You can't keep leadin' 'em on like this!"

"I'm not leading them on, I really do love them," he explained. "I just...can't decide who I love more." He solemnly shoved his claws into his scales.

The girls looked at each other. Unsure of what to say.

"Promise me you won't tell them," Spike said. His head still hung low.

"We promise Spike," Pinkie said. Grabbing him in a hug. "You need to be the one to tell them."

"...and you better tell 'em soon," Apple Bloom declared, as he squirmed out of the mare's embrace.

"I know...and thank you." He walked back to his table, and started sipping on his drink.

As Pinkie walked toward the back room, the younger filly followed right behind.

As the door swung closed, Apple Bloom asked the most crucial question. "So, should we tell 'em?"

"What!?" Pinkie exclaimed in a whisper. "We promised Spike we wouldn't, he trusts us, and-"

"-losin' a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend forever," she explained, with a deadpan expression. "I know that Pinkie, Spike trusts us to keep his secret. But Sweetie Belle trusts me to help her, and keep her safe. She trusts me to tell her if I know somethin' she needs to know, and this is somethin' she needs to know."

The curly-maned mare put a hoof to her chin. "Well, do you want to be the one to break her heart?"

"I wouldn't be," she explained. "But I would be partly responsible. RRRRRAH!" she screamed in frustration. "We need to do somethin'."

"Hmmm...perhaps we could help him figure out which mare he should date!"

"We already tried that Pinkie. It didn't work."

"Yeah, because we each only heard one side of the problem."

Apple Bloom tilted her head. "What are you suggestin' Pinkie Pie?"

The pink mare smiled.

Chapter Eight - Crucible

The rising amber sun shined through the windows of the Ponyville Library, and in one little corner of the main sitting room, one little dragon was reading through the titles on a book cart, shuffling the tomes around in an effort to make his job just a little bit easier.

"Birds of Central Equestria," he said, reading the title on one of the covers. "Davenport checked that out a week ago. Advanced Orchard Designs, that was Applejack's weekend project."

As he shuffled through the trolley, it wasn't long before he landed on a title that was pink and hardbound. "Romance for Foals," he said. Placing a claw on his head, he tried to remember who last checked it out, but nothing came. It had been a while since he saw this title, but he could always remember who checked out what book in the library no matter how long ago it was. As he began scratching his head in thought, he didn't notice a young purple unicorn trot up behind him.

"Morning, Spike."

"GAH!!!" The book flew out of his hands, but his quick reflexes grabbed it before it landed on the floor, and before it slipped out of his hands once again, only to be grabbed once again by the spine. "Hey, Twilight," he said, getting a better grip on the title. He turned around and noticed her frazzled mane and the mug of coffee before her. She was getting ready to start her day.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Oh, just sorting things." He gestured toward the book trolley. "Hey," he said, holding up the pink tome. "Do you remember who last checked this out?"

Twilight studied the title and declared, "Sorry Spike, can't talk about it, I was sworn to secrecy."

"Really?" he asked, skeptically.

"Yeah. It's been happening a lot lately."

The young dragon got flushed.

"So," she said, trotting away. "What are your plans for today?"

"Well, I was going to hang out with Sweetie Belle this morning, then lunch, and maybe meet up with Rarity this afternoon. Nothing major, just see how she's doing."

"Why?" The unicorn spun around. "Did something go wrong last night?"

Spike paused for a few seconds, thinking of how to continue.

"She offered to let me spend the night with her."

Twilight was surprised. "Well I assume you said 'no.'"

He looked at her with fiery eyes. "Of course I said 'no'! Why wouldn't I say 'no'!"

"Okay, okay!" She held her hooves out to calm the young dragon. "Just making sure."

"I'm running out of time."

"I could have told you that." Twilight paused for a second. "Look, Rarity asked me to help her with some designs this morning, should I say anything to her?"

Spike was about to open his mouth to answer, when a knock came at the door.

Twilight's magic swung the door open, and the librarians could see a young unicorn filly standing at the door. "Hi Twilight!" Sweetie Belle said. She rushed across the room, and grabbed the young dragon, laying a kiss on his lips. "Hi Spike."

"Well, that was a nice greeting," he said with a laugh.

"Well," Twilight announced as she grabbed her saddle bag and placed it on her back. "I'm gonna go, I'll see you later Spike."

"Bye!" Sweetie Belle said with a wave. As the purple mare left, the young filly turned back to her boyfriend. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

She looked at him with mischievous eyes.

The morning sun shone through the windows of Carousel Boutique, as chief designer, Rarity, inspected an ornate dress that rested on a dress form in the Carousel Boutique showroom.

The dress was sky blue and light purple, it had pleats and folds, and gemstone accents strategically placed. But as she looked at the outfit, she just couldn't get herself to appreciate the work. Her mind was elsewhere. She loved Spike, and wanted to prove it to him...but he refused. Did he not love her?

A rapid knock at the front door broke her from her reverie. The door swung open in a blue glow, and Rarity's best friend, Twilight Sparkle trotted in.

"Good Morning Rarity," she announced. "I'm here as you asked, to offer my assistance."

The white unicorn sighed. "Thank you Twilight. Do you mind standing over there?" she said, pointing to the dais next to the front door.

She walked over, and stood on the platform, as Rarity removed the dress from the ponykin, and levitated it toward the purple mare.

As the silk garment wrapped itself around the librarian, she noticed something in her best friend's eyes. A lack of interest, possibly.

"Something wrong, Rarity?" she asked, coyly.

"Oh, um...nothing, really."

"Are you sure?"

She sighed and started to explain, "You know how things have been going between me and Spike?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Well-" the white mare was interrupted by a rapid knock at the front door.

As Sweetie Belle continued to kiss her boyfriend, on the floor in the middle of Ponyville Library, she noticed something was off, something was amiss.

It wasn't the first time they kissed on a hardwood floor, so that wasn't it. There had to have been something else. Then she noticed: Spike's lips weren't moving as much as she was used to.

She separated from the dragon and looked into his eyes. "Is something wrong, Spike?" she asked with earnest.

"No," he responded. "Nothing."

"You seem distracted."

"I...I do?"

They were interrupted by a rapid knock at the front door.

The two youngsters separated, as Spike got up to answer it.

The door swung open with a blue glow.

Standing on the threshold was a small yellow filly with a wide smile.

"Hi Rarity!"

"Apple Bloom?"

As he stood there, ready to greet the library's newest patron, he was surprised to see a familiar pink mare, standing there with a wide smile.

"Hey Spike!"

"Pinkie Pie?"

"Um..." Twilight responded. "Hey Apple Bloom, what are you doing here?"

"Oh," she said nonchalantly, walking through the store without a care. "I was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd stop in to say 'hi.'"

"Well...hello," the fashion designer responded.

"Hello Rarity," she smiled.

"Do you need something?" Spike asked after a few seconds of silence.

The pink earth pony bounded past the young dragon, "Oh, I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I'd stop in to say 'hi.'" Her eyes quickly landed on the young unicorn filly standing in the middle of the room. "Oh, Sweetie Belle." She brought a hoof to her cheek. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"I doubt that," Spike said, under his breath as he closed the door behind him.

"Hey Pinkie Pie," the young filly responded.

"Look at you two little lovebirds," she said. "OO! You look so cute together."

Sweetie Belle blushed as her boyfriend stood next to her. "Thanks," she said. "Wait...who told you?"

"So, Twilight, what are you doin' here?"

"Oh...um...I was just..."

"She's modelling for me today," Rarity explained. "I needed to know how this outfit looked on an actual mare while I made some adjustments."

Twilight smiled.

"Oh, can I help?" Apple Bloom rushed over to the unicorns. "I never tried to get a fashion cutie mark!"

"Oh...um...of course," The designer said with a smile.

"Great!" An awkward silence descended. "So...what should I do?"

"Oh! Go um...go get that pincushion on the table there."

"Yes ma'am!" The young filly trotted off. As she examined the workbench looking for the pincushion, she decided to start her interrogation. "So...I hear somethin's going on between you and Spike."

Twilight's eyes went wide.

"Twilight," Rarity explained. "Don't tense up like that. Yes, me and Spike have begun a relationship, Apple Bloom."

The young filly trotted over with the pin cushion in her mouth. The designer levitated it out of her mouth and started examining the seams of the dress.

"We've been trying to keep it mostly secret for now, who told you?"

"Oh, Spike did," Pinkie explained.

"Oh really?" Sweetie looked at the dragon, who gave a careful smile.

"Yep."

"I guess he really wanted to share with us how happy he was."

"Wha...when was this?" Twilight asked.

"Last night, at Sugarcube Corner. He came over for a cupcake and we talked a bit. You're one lucky mare you know that?"

"Of course I am," Sweetie said as she nuzzled the young dragon.

"Okay, okay," he said, as a bright pink tone appeared on his face.

"OOO! Spike, I just remembered. I found that recipe you wanted."

"What?" he said, slightly confused.

She pulled out a card, with detailed writing on it. Then flipped it around, revealing more writing. "Yep, you said you wanted my recipe for Creme Brulee, so I thought I'd bring it over. OO! Maybe you can go make it now, that way me and Sweetie Belle could catch up!"

"Catch up?" the young filly asked.

"Yeah!" the earth pony continued. "You don't seem that excited."

"Oh...it's...it's complicated Apple Bloom," she explained, a bit nervous.

"Oh, come on, tell us, it's just us girls," she put her elbows on the dais, and rested her head in her hooves, positioning herself so she could still look at her mark/subject/victim. "Come on! Let's gossip!"

"Remember what happened last time you tried that?" Twilight interjected.

The yellow filly pursed her lips. "Yeah, I learned my lesson. I'm not gonna tell everypony. Pinkie Promise. Come on! I never get to ask Applejack about this kinda stuff. So...How are things with Spike?"

"You really wanna know?" the excited young unicorn asked.

Pinkie nodded, "Ooop! Wait, it'd be rude to talk about Spike while he's in the room."

The young dragon lowered his eyelids and crossed his arms. "So, Pinkie, if you're here, who's watching Sugarcube Corner?"

"Oh," she said with a smile. "I put my best ponies in charge."

A perplexed brown stallion trotted up to the front cash at the local bakery. Sitting on the counter, were two young foals: A unicorn and a pegasus. The pegasus just waved to him in greeting, as the unicorn had a large oven mitt stuck in her mouth.

"Um..." he said. "Can I get an apple-blueberry muffin?"

The pegasus cooed with joy as his order floated over in a bluish glow and landed gently in the customer's hoof.

"Um...thank you." He slowly trotted away, but was stopped by a hoof tapping on his shoulder. He turned around and saw the young pegasus from earlier floating inches from his face, with his eyebrows pitched inward.

"Oh! Right." He passed a few bits to the child, and quickly left the store.

Holding the cash, the young pony flew over to the register, pressed a few buttons, and dropped the money into the drawer, before slamming it closed in victory. His sister smiled at him, with the mitt still in her mouth.

"Um...sure," Spike continued. "Okay, I'll try to make this recipe. I just need to find some...Loganberry extract?"

"My secret ingredient."

As he walked into the kitchen. The two fillies giggled.

"Alright, tell me everything."

"It's going great Pinkie Pie!"

"It's not going great Apple Bloom."

"What!?" the young filly replied, her eyes as wide as saucers. She quickly recovered. "I mean...go on."

"Well, last night I invited him to spend the night...like a sleep over," she tried to keep it appropriate for Apple Bloom's tender age.

"You mean a sleepover with-"

"-seven different types of sushi!" Sweetie Belle explained.

"OOO! I didn't know Spike could make sushi."

"Apple Bloom!" Twilight interjected.

"What!?" The young filly exclaimed.

Rarity cleared her throat. "Well, honestly I hadn't planned that far ahead, I just thought we'd see where the night would take us."

"So what happened?"

"Well, he turned me down at the door."

"Really?" Apple Bloom responded.

Sweetie Belle nodded. "He's so kind and considerate. Always making me feel so special, like I'm the only girl that matters."

"What about some...other aspects?"

She cocked an eyebrow at the mare. After a few seconds, she clued in and her face turned a bright red, "Oh! No, we, um...we haven't done anything like that-I don't think I'm ready for that. I'm actually kinda glad he didn't bring it up."

Pinkie smiled sweetly.

"I keep thinking it means he doesn't want our relationship to go further," Rarity explained. "That he just doesn't want anything more to happen between us. That...that he doesn't really love me."

Twilight didn't know what to say. She tried to avert her gaze.

But Apple Bloom knew exactly what to say. "Rarity, I can tell you most certainly, he does."

She smiled at the young filly. "How can you know that Apple Bloom?"

"The way he talked about you last night. Hey, just because he wants to take it slow doesn't mean he doesn't love you. It just means he's not ready."

"You really think so?"

"I know so!"

"OOO!" Pinkie screamed. "It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. You have to tell me more!"

"You want to hear about our second date?"

"Sure!"

"Okay, well we met up at the lake on the edge of town, and had a picnic. He brought sandwiches and apple juice and soda, and we just sat there, ate and talked." The young filly sighed as sparkles appeared in her eyes. "It was magical."

"It was odd," Rarity explained. "Why wouldn't he at least want to meet my parents?"

"There could be several reasons for that Rarity," her best friend explained.

"Yeah, maybe he just doesn't want to make a bad first impression," Apple Bloom explained.

"Hmmm...perhaps..."

Apple Bloom and Twilight looked at each other.

"Rarity," Twilight continued. "Spike just wants to take things slow right now."

"But why!?" she asked, almost desperate. "You know, I knew he had a crush on me for the longest time, but I didn't say anything. Now that we're together, I just want to make up for lost time."

"Seriously?" Apple Bloom cocked an eyebrow.

"He waited so long, so he doesn't want to accidentally sabotage it. After so much work, it'd be horrifying for him if it ended because you moved too fast."

"You know, you're right Twilight. He wants to take things slow, I just need to accept that."

"Except we normally end up far outside of town." The young unicorn put her hoof to her chin. "You don't think he's embarrassed of me or something?"

"Oh, no no no no no, of course not!" Pinkie explained. She lowered down to a whisper. "I think he's just worried others might be a bit too judgmental. Remember Zecora?"

"What about her?"

"Well, she wasn't always so well accepted in town. Most ponies aren't as nice as others. He's probably just worried about how they'll react to a dragon and pony dating."

Sweetie closed her eyes, and raised her head high. "All love is equal, regardless of physical and mental differences. The most important thing is not only to be aware of the differences, but to accept them."

Pinkie tilted her head. "Is that from something."

"I may have done a bit of light reading on the subject." She smiled.

At this moment, Sweetie's love walked in and said, "I think I finished the first part, but your recipe says to let it sit in the fridge."

"Oh, yes! Very important!"

"Well, I thought you might want to look at it first, because I'm not sure I did it right."

"OO! Okay!"

The pink pony hopped in after the dragon.

"So, everything's alright, Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, darling, thank you for asking." The unicorn looked down at her young friend. "And thank you Apple Bloom, for all your kind words."

"No problem. Now...this dress." She stepped back a few paces and took a good look at it.

"Is there something wrong?" Rarity asked.

"I think it's a bit too much."

Rarity put a hoof to her chin. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely," she said, with a nod. "Mostly cause of the gems, I think it would look better without the gems."

"Well, Spike likes them."

"That's because he thinks they're delicious."

Rarity took a step back and said. "Hmmm...yes, I see what you mean. Alright Twilight, dress off!"

As the white unicorn removed the outfit from her friend, Apple Bloom continued the conversation.

"So...tell me more."

"About what darling?"

"You and Spike...I wanna know everything."

"So, where is it?" Pinkie asked, eyes darting around the kitchen.

"It's in the fridge."

"I thought-"

"I didn't mess up!" he said in a hushed voice as his eyes went straight to the kitchen entrance. "I just wanted to know why you're really here."

The pink pony approached the young dragon taking a quick glance behind her. "Wasn't that recipe a clever idea!?"

"It wouldn't have been if I didn't play along. Creme Brulee? Seriously?"

"Hey! It's delicious!"

"It's burnt cream! But whatever, why are you really here Pinkie!?"

"I just wanted to talk to Sweetie Belle, after what you told me and Apple Bloom last night we wanted to hear both sides."

"So Apple Bloom..."

She nodded vigorously.

Spike sighed, slightly annoyed. "Why?" he asked.

"We wanted to help Spike. Help you decide. We couldn't do that unless we heard everything."

He stared at the mare for several seconds. "...and!?"

"Oh! Um...I don't know. Sweetie Belle loves you, I know that. And..."

It was very rare to see Pinkie melancholic. So seeing that now, Spike understood just how serious this was.

"Spike," she said, grabbing the young dragon. "This isn't an easy decision. But I will try to help you any way I can, but...I can't tell you what to do."

"Well...thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck. "We should probably head back, before she gets suspicious."

As they returned into the main sitting room. Neither noticed a young white unicorn quickly running from her place by the door, as she returned a smile to her face, and tried to wipe the cryptic conversation from her mind.

She couldn't hear a thing Spike said as he approached her, and they kissed once again.

Chapter Nine - Solution

Across the street from the Ponyville Library, a pair of amber eyes trained themselves on the tree-like building before her.

Apple Bloom sat at the outdoor cafe. Her lips wrapped around a straw as she slowly drank her strawberry milkshake.

As she watched the front door of the library, part of her hoped to earn a cutie mark in spying. But her main priority was her best friend.

Eventually, the door cracked open, and a young white unicorn trotted out. Apple Bloom quickly ducked behind the table, and hoped Sweetie Belle hadn't spotted her. Then she remembered something. Looking up, she quickly reached a hoof over her head, and brushed back her giant pink bow.

The young filly continued to train her eyes on the unicorn as she pranced away from the building. A smile of abject joy was on Sweetie Belle's face, and it caused her best friend's heart to develop a hairline crack.

Once the filly was out of sight, Apple Bloom chugged the rest of her beverage and ran across the street.

Spike closed the door behind his girlfriend, and quickly walked back to the centre of the room, as Pinkie Pie hopped in from the kitchen, enthusiastic and joyful.

"So...Pinkie," Spike said. "Now that Sweetie Belle's gone, can tell me what you really think?"

The pink pony blinked several times before she replied, "Oh, um...I don't know."

Just then, the door slammed open and a young yellow filly stood in the doorway.

"Uh...hi Apple Bloom," the dragon responded.

She walked right up to Spike and pointed a hoof right in his face. "If you hurt my best friend, or her sister, I'll make sure you hurt just as much." She held her position for several seconds, before finally continuing. "Got it!?"

He smiled and nodded vigorously.

"So Apple Bloom, how's Rarity!?" Pinkie Pie said, desperately trying to change the subject.

"She's fine...and she loves him...a lot, and she wanted him to know it." She turned back to Spike. "But she's worried you don't love her back."

"Why!?" Pinkie asked.

"Last night, Rarity invited him into her home, and...he said 'no.'"

Spike interjected, "You think I should have said 'yes'?"

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "Actually, I think it's noble. Applejack told me what most boys are like. I'm happy at least one isn't."

"Thanks," he said. "I just couldn't do that to Sweetie Belle."

Pinkie hopped over, "So you just want to be with Sweetie Belle!? Things are going so well, maybe you should be with Sweetie Belle!!!"

"What!? NO-I mean-"

Apple Bloom interjected, "So you want to be with Rarity?"

"No-I mean...yes-but...no..."

Pinkie turned to the filly, "we should stop confusing him."

Spike started walking away, "You don't want me to hurt either of them?"

"You'd better not!"

"...and...how am I going to avoid that?"

"Honesty," she said, closing her eyes and raising her chin. "If you tell them the truth, I'm sure they'd understand. We did."

"It's different Apple Bloom."

"You tell them, they'd appreciate your honesty, and will certainly forgive you-"

"-and ask me to choose right then and there," Spike exclaimed. "...and I can't."

A voice came across the room. "Well, then, we can try my idea!"

They both turned to the baker.

"What idea?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, you can date both of them!" She declared, spreading her hooves wide.

They stared at the mare for several seconds before Spike responded.

"How is that a solution?" he asked.

"You keep dating both of them at the same time! I mean, it's not like bigamy's illegal or anything!"

The front door slammed open again, grabbing the attention of all three occupants.

"Well, I'm never going to model for Rarity ever again!"

"Oh, Twilight, it couldn't have been that bad!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Well, it wasn't bad, it was just boring," the unicorn explained. "I should have brought something to read."

She trotted toward the stairs but stopped inches from the first step, finally noticing exactly who was present.

"What are you three doing here anyway?"

Spike's eyelids lowered. "I live here Twilight."

"Right, but..."

"OOO!!! OOO!!!" Pinkie started hopping with enthusiasm. "We're helping Spike choose which unicorn he wants to dump-I mean date-I mean-"

Twilight held up a hoof. "I get it. So you know about this too Pinkie?"

"Yep, this little guy needs help and Pinkie Pie is always willing to help!!!"

"So, this could finally get resolved?" Twilight asked joyously.

"Yep! Spike should just tell them everything, and start a three-way relationship!"

Her eyes went buggered. "Um...Pinkie Pie," she said, recovering from the shock. "I don't think that'd work."

"Oh...why not?"

"Yeah," Spike replied. "I don't think that's a good idea, it just...doesn't feel right."

Pinkie Pie got confused, as Apple Bloom responded, "Well, he's probably right. I don't think Sweetie Belle would agree to that."

"Well, you don't know if you don't try!" explained the party pony.

"I don't want to be with both of them, I want to be with one of them. I just don't know who!"

Pinkie scratched her head. "Um...what!?"

The young dragon bowed his head and said, "It's hard to explain." As a claw came to his head, he cringed. "I need some fresh air," Spike exclaimed as he walked toward the front door.

Once everypony watched the dragon slip outside, Pinkie turned to her best friend. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not sure, but I think dragons are naturally monogamous."

"Really!?" Apple Bloom responded skeptically. "Because that's the last thing I would think."

"He doesn't want to be with both of them, he's just conflicted," Twilight explained.

"So he should just pick one and get it over with!"

"And somepony would get their heartbroken, and probably hate Spike forever!"

"Oh, they're not going to hate him!"

"Well, try telling him that."

"Well maybe I will!" Apple Bloom explained, quickly trotting toward the door.

As the young filly left, Pinkie turned to her friend. "Twilight," she asked. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

The young mare hung her head in despair. "Spike needs to figure this out on his own. If he just follows my advice, he'll blame me if it doesn't work out, and...he'll live his life completely in doubt."

Pinkie tilted her head. "Huh?"

"I know who he's going to pick, I've known Spike long enough to figure that out. But I can't tell him, if I do, he might not believe me. He needs to figure this out on his own."

"How is he gonna do that!?" The normally joyous mare asked, incensed.

"I don't know."

Chapter Eleven - Scootaloo

Act Three: Resolution

The train station in Ponyville wasn't as large or prominent as it was in other towns. There was no need. While its population was about average for an Equestrian city, tourism and trade were very rare. With an Apple orchard on the outskirts of town, a highly flexible weather service, and a diverse economic landscape. Ponyville was one of the most self-sustaining cities in the country. They never needed any outside assistance. Because of this, the lone set of tracks would remain quiet for days, or occasionally, weeks at a time.

But the odd train still ran through the town, bringing supplies, letters, packages, and passengers. One of which was the 9:00 from Seaddle, arriving every Monday, when required; and on this particular Monday, it was.

The single passenger car was completely empty, except for a single seat in the far back corner. There, a small, orange pegasus filly curled herself up on the bench, eyes closed.

She wasn't sleeping. Her mind was too busy to rest.

The engineer applied the brakes, and the locomotive began to slow down. Scootaloo opened her eyes and looked around the vacant cabin. She could see the familiar sights of her hometown through the windows on the far side. Turning her neck, the familiar mountainsides of the Everfree region filled her view. But while it felt familiar, it didn't feel like home.

After being gone for a month, everything felt foreign. She presumed this was only natural, and not a result of her most recent discovery.

As she jumped off the bench, Scootaloo looked around the car, to ensure she didn't forget anything. All she had was her saddlebag; and a brand new, bright red dress. It was a simple outfit, that managed to draw the eye. She wasn't exactly excited about it. It wasn't exactly her style, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the reason she had it. Her parents didn't say why they bought it, but they didn't need to. She already knew.

As the train came to a full stop, the filly trotted down the aisle, and hopped off the train.

The rising sun greeted her as she stood on the platform. Her hometown spread out in front of her. She left the station, and entered the downtown core.

There wasn't much for her to do. She didn't want to go home yet, and no one even expected her to be back for another week.

Scootaloo mindlessly wandered through the village, allowing her thoughts to take over.

She had never felt more alone in her life, and not simply because she took an earlier return flight than her parents. After what she learned, Scootaloo thought of herself as a foreign entity in this town. Nopony else in the village was in the same boat as her. Nopony else could understand. To make matters worse, it wasn't even her fault, it was her parent's. But she couldn't get herself to blame them. How could she blame them when they were the victims too?

The young pegasus stopped in her tracks. Before her stood a large statue. A tribute to Equestria's sovereign ruler, Princess Celestia. The one who raised the sun every morning. Many thought of her as some kind of deity. Was it possible? If it was, could she help?

Scootaloo brushed the thoughts from her head, the last thing she needed was false hope.

She trotted past the figure, searching the shop fronts for anything that could make her forget all that had happened... If only for a few brief moments.

The interior of Sugarcube Corner was nearly empty. A nice cinnamon roll definitely appealed to her. A small smile appeared on her face as she ran toward the storefront.

Pinkie Pie tossed a cupcake to the stallion before her. He quickly grabbed it in a blue aura.

"That'll be two bits!" she said from behind the store counter.

The unicorn dropped the coins on the glass, and quickly trotted away without a word.

As the young mare went to grab the currency, she stopped. The muscles in her ears started twitching. Her eyes began rapidly blinking. Her forelegs started shivering.

The unicorn flew across the room as he was hit by the front door of Sugarcube Corner.

"Oh, my!" Pinkie screamed, running toward the stallion. "Are you alright!?"

His face was smeared with chocolate pastry, and his eyes started to spin around. "OOOehh...eh...uh... Mommy?"

"Is he alright?" a voice came from behind the pink pony.

She recognized it instantly. Pinkie spun around and yelled, "Scootaloo! You're back!" Grabbing the filly in a tight embrace.

"Um...yeah..." she said with a nervous smile. "Now, please let go."

Pinkie released the pegasus, and the kitchen doors swung open.

"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, running towards her best friend. "I thought you wouldn't be back for another week!" she said with a hug.

"Uh... yeah, I sorta wanted to come back early," she said with a nervous smile. "Did I miss anything?"

Apple Bloom's eyes focused on Pinkie Pie, who stood behind the young pegasus. "Plenty," she deadpanned. Perking back up she continued. "But forget that, what about you!? Didja have fun!?"

"Yeah," she said. "At first... but..." Scootaloo was very unsure of herself. "Uh... I hate repeating myself. Where's Sweetie Belle? I can tell you both at the same time!"

Apple Bloom put a hoof to her chin. "I think she's at the clubhouse," she said. "We could have a meetin' after I'm done work."

"Great!" she said.

"OO!! And we must have a huge Welcome Back Scootaloo Party!" exclaimed the pink party pony. "We'll have cake and streamers and cake and punch and cake and Quiche and cake and games and ca-"

"-Pinkie!" Scootaloo screamed, interrupting the earth pony. "Can we hold it off for a while, at least until my parents get back?"

Silence descended.

"They're not with you?" the young earth filly asked.

"Uh... no?" she said nervously. "It's a long story."

"Well, then you better tell us later."

"I will," she affirmed with a nod.

"Well, I gotta get back to work," she said. "See ya Scoots!"

As Apple Bloom returned to the kitchen, and Pinkie to the front counter, Scootaloo walked alongside the mare.

"You still got some cinnamon rolls?" she asked.

"Mmmmhm!" Pinkie nodded. "Fresh, right out of the oven!"

"Great!"

She quickly placed a roll in a paper bag, and passed it to the young pegasus, who dropped two bits on the counter in exchange.

Scootaloo turned to leave, but her eyes suddenly went wide. She turned around, dropped the bag on the counter and said, "Pinkie, can I ask you for a favour?"

"Sure! What is it!?"

"Well, hold on. It's a huge favour, I might not be able to return it, you can't ask any questions, and you can't tell anypony."

Pinkie was taken aback. She then put her skeptical face on. "Hmmm... I don't know... I can't ask questions..."

"But you're the only one who can do it, and it'll be very easy, and you might not actually have to do anything."

She paused, and put a hoof to her chin. "Is it important?" she asked.

"Very."

Pinkie rubbed her moustache in thought.

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.

As Twilight walked down the streets of Ponyville, she passed by a white unicorn stallion. His face stained with what she hoped was chocolate, he had a brick of ice cream strapped to his head, contained in a pink balloon, and a box of pastries rested on his back.

He caught the curious mare's eye. For purely intellectual reasons of course. After all, there was obviously a story there.

After the two passed, she turned around, and watched him trot away.

"Twilight," her assistant said. "Come on, we got a list!"

"Um... right." She took the parchment from the young dragon, and looked it over. "Hmmm... Okay, I'm supposed to meet up with Rarity soon, she said she wanted to help me redecorate the library."

"Yeah, you think you'll need anything for that? What are you planning?"

"Spike, it was her idea, not mine. I'm fine with the library the way it is."

"So why did you agree?"

"I don't know, I guess I just can't say 'no' to her."

Spike opened his mouth.

"Can it," she said preemptively.

"Oh come on Twilight-"

"-It's completely different," she said, staring down the young dragon. "I'm not betraying or lying to anypony."

"You're lying to Rarity."

"I didn't lie, I said I was fine with it, not that I would enjoy it," she said proudly. "And I'm not going to argue semantics with you."

Spike released a dejected sigh as she trotted away. He quickly caught up with her.

"So, where to?"

"We have to pick up those bagels from Sugarcube Corner."

"Uh..." he cowered slightly. "Apple Bloom's gonna be there isn't she?"

"It'll be fine, Spike," she said, trotting forward.

In the quaint little clubhouse on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle slowly flipped through a large hardback book. The page turned in a pink aura, and her eyes danced across it.

She was so absorbed in the literature, she didn't notice the sound of hoofsteps ascending the ramp; nor the arrival of a young orange pegasus in a red dress, and a dark red saddlebag.

Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle as she turned another page.

"See you've gotten better at that magic thing," she said.

"Yeah... sorta," the unicorn replied.

A few seconds later, her eyes went wide. She looked up to see a face she did not expect for a long time.

"SCOOTALOO!!!" she screamed, running up and embracing the orange filly. "You're back!"

"Yeah, it's good to see you too!" Scootaloo replied with a mile-wide smile. It was the most sincere statement she gave all day.

They separated, and Sweetie Belle asked the first question that came into her head. "So, how was it!? Did you have fun? Any pictures? Snow globes?"

"Uh... I'll tell you later," she said. "I wanna wait till Apple Bloom gets here." She sat down on the floor, releasing her saddle bag. "What about you? Did I miss anything!?"

Sweetie Belle released a gasp, before giving a sparkling smile that could blind a phoenix.

The two purple figures entered the local bakery.

"Hey Pinkie Pie!" Twilight said with a smile.

"Oh! Hi Twilight! Spike! I know why you're here, and I got it here." She reached under the counter, and emerged with a pink box before releasing a giggle at her little rhyme.

Apple Bloom emerged from the back, and quickly trotted up to the young dragon. "Hey Spike," she said with a mischievous grin. "Decide yet?"

"Um... no?" he hesitantly replied.

The grin quickly turned into a frown. "It's been a month, Spike!"

"I know, I know, I'm just not sure yet."

"You'd better get sure."

"So, Pinkie!" Twilight said, desperate to change the subject. "Did you see a white unicorn covered in chocolate around? Had a box from here on his back? He looked in pretty bad shape."

"Oh, yeah, he was here when Scootaloo came in and knocked him across the room."

"Scootaloo!?" Twilight exclaimed.

"I'm sure it was an accident!" she said defensively.

"No, Pinkie, you mean she's back? I thought she wasn't supposed to be back for another week."

"I think she just missed us," Apple Bloom explained with a smile. "She has something big to tell me and Sweetie Belle though. I'm gonna meet up with them after work, and she's gonna tell us everythin'."

"Wait," Spike said, his eyes wandering across the floor. His gaze shifted up, and drifted again, before he suddenly realized...

His eyes went wide.

"Apple Bloom, where is she now?" The Dragon asked.

"I think she's at the clubhouse with Sweetie Belle."

"Did you tell her about me?"

"What?"

"Did you tell her about me, and Sweetie Belle, and Rarity!?"

"Of course she didn't!" Pinkie exclaimed. "She would never do that! She promised!"

"Then she doesn't... oh no... oh no no no no no..."

Twilight responded, "What, what is it Spike?"

"I mean, he's such a sweetheart," Sweetie Belle exclaimed, forelegs straightened out, face flushed red, and eyes twinkling.

"Really!?" Scootaloo said, almost in disbelief. "You and Spike!?"

"Mmmmhmmm," she said with a nod.

"Huh...well then..."

"...she knows..." the dragon replied.

"What!?" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "She knows what!?"

"...so I guess things didn't work out between him and Rarity."

Sweetie Belle's smile froze, her eyes grew scared. "What?"

"She knows about me and Rarity!"

"They didn't tell you?" Scootaloo asked. "He asked her out on a date, just before I left."

Sweetie Belle was frozen in shock. "What?"

"She was there when I asked her out!" He was frozen in fear. "And they're gonna catch up and she's gonna tell her and..."

The gears started to spin in Sweetie Belle's head. Her smile faded very slowly.

"It was probably only one date," Scootaloo explained. "I don't think it's anything to worry about."

Apple Bloom acted quickly. "Pinkie-I'm-takin'-da-rest-a-da-day-off-I'm-really-sick-family-emergency-come-on-Spike!" She tossed the dragon onto her back and ran out the door.

The unicorn was frozen.

"Oh, come on, I'm supposed to be better at this."

Twilight and Pinkie looked at each other, slightly dumbfounded.

"So, how much do I owe you?" Twilight asked sheepishly.

Apple Bloom ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She turned to the dragon, who was holding on for dear life behind her.

"So she was there!?" the earth pony asked.

"Yeah," Spike replied. "In fact it was her idea!"

"It was!?"

"She told me to grab it by the horns! So I did!"

They continued in silence for a few seconds.

"Thanks!" Spike screamed.

"Don't thank me, because you're gonna tell her!"

"What!?"

"Scootaloo can't tell her because you're gonna!" she yelled back. "Today!"

Spike paused for a second, before nodding in comprehension.

Thankfully, Apple Bloom was a very fast runner. The clubhouse was in sight. Apple Bloom skidded to a stop once they were in range, throwing Spike off her back, and onto the ramp.

He landed very roughly. But quickly got to his feet, and ran the rest of the way.

Entering the clubhouse, he saw Sweetie Belle sitting, frozen, as Scootaloo waved a hoof in front of her face.

He put on the most convincing smile he could manage, and said, "Hey, Sweetie Belle... you alright?"

Her eyes drifted toward her boyfriend... but she remained frozen.

"Hey, Spike," Scootaloo said, trotting toward the dragon. "What's going on? I mention that time you asked Rarity out, and then this happened."

They both looked at the unicorn.

"I guess things didn't work out?" she continued. "So what happened? Is everything alright?"

Sweetie Belle got to her feet. "S...Spike?" she asked. "Di...di..."

Spike looked at his love, took a deep breath, and swallowed hard before continuing. "Sweetie Belle, I do love you, and I never lied to you." He explained shakily. "And... I just... I..." tears started to roll down his face.

The final gear rolled into place, and all the confusion and fear in Sweetie Belle's mind was quickly replaced by one emotion: anger. Her rage built and built as her horn glowed brighter and brighter.

"Sweetie Belle!" he said.

The brightness increased.

"I'm sorry!"

"RHAAAAAAA-!!!" she screamed in rage as she disappeared in a burst of white light.

Apple Bloom stepped inside the room, covered in dirt and a few scrapes. "What just happened!?" she asked in confusion.

"She... she jumped-she... she just..."

Spike fell to his knees as the tears continued to flow. Falling onto his claws he continued to sob in grief.

"Okay, what just happened!?" Scootaloo asked, spreading her forelegs. "What's going on!?"

"We'll explain on the way." Apple Bloom said. She trotted up to the young dragon. "GET UP!" She screamed. "It's not gonna end like this so get up!!!"

He turned to look at her, and saw what was once anger and disappointment was replaced by something else. While Apple Bloom obviously wanted it to look like anger, it wasn't. It was sorrow, and sympathy.

He wiped the tears away, and got to his feet. "Let's go," he said.

Chapter Twelve - Confrontation

A burst of light snapped to life in the middle of Carousel Boutique, briefly masking the appearance of a young rage-filled unicorn.

"RARITY!" she screamed. The room was empty, the building was silent. She wasn't here.

Sweetie Belle rushed out the front door, to find her target.

"Are you kidding me!?" Scootaloo screamed, as they proceeded into town at top speed.

"Alright!" Spike hollered back. "I'm an idiot, can we move on!?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Keep your eyes open!" Apple Bloom stated between heavy breaths. "We have to find them."

"Which one?" the pegasus asked.

"Either... Both... I don't care! Just find 'em!"

"Twilight, I must say this wood is so drab," Rarity said, examining the bookshelf before her.

"Uh huh," the unicorn responded, her nose in a book.

"Perhaps a nice wood stain... Maple."

"Uh huh."

"And the windows... Twilight, these curtains feel so bland. Perhaps a brilliant red."

"Uh huh."

"Are you even listening!?"

She snapped the book closed, and looked at her fashionista friend. "Yeah, I heard, stain the curtains red."

Rarity lowered her eyelids, "Hmmm... well, that is close."

Suddenly, the front door of the Ponyville library slammed open, grabbing the unicorn's attention. Standing in the door frame, stood a familiar young filly. Her little sister, Sweetie Belle. But something was different about her, and Rarity couldn't quite place it.

"YOU HARLOT!" the filly screamed, pointing an accusatory hoof at her elder sibling.

Rarity determined it was anger. "Sweetie Belle," she exclaimed. "Such words are unbecoming of a lady."

"Don't change the subject! I know everything!"

"Oh, dear," Twilight said, briefly distracting the designer.

The young magician started marching toward her sister. "You're trying to steal my boyfriend!" she screamed.

Rarity was suddenly very confused. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, 'you're trying to steal my boyfriend!' He's closer to my age, you floozy!"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. Who!?"

"SPIKE!" she screamed, inches from her adversary.

Rarity confusion was climbing. Spike? Boyfriend? Sweetie Belle? Was she saying...?

"Sweetie Belle, I think you're confused."

"NO! I know exactly what's going on! We've been dating for the past month! And you're not going to take him from me!"

"Twilight could you-"

As the elder sister turned to her best friend, she could see torrents of sweat flow down the librarian's forehead.

"Twilight?"

"You knew!" Sweetie Belle screamed. "You knew all along!"

Her eyes darted back and forth, as she clopped her forehooves together in an attempt to help her think. "For the record," Twilight explained. "I didn't say anything."

Rarity's irises shrank to pinpricks. "I... I..." She blinked several times, returning to normal. "I'm sorry, Twilight, are you saying that Sweetie Belle is correct in her assumption?"

Twilight shivered just a bit, afraid to respond. Eventually she managed to release a slow nod.

"Oh," she responded. "I see. Just, one question: WHAT!?"

The librarian could clearly see the anger in the fashionista's eyes. She tried to explain as quickly as she could. "Rarity, listen: The only reason I didn't tell you was because this is something Spike needed to figure out on his own. I couldn't interfere. I know you're hurt. I'd be too. But there is a rational explanation, and I'm sure you'll understand, so if we all calm down..."

Rarity righted herself, and released a deep sigh. "You're right, Twilight," she said, projecting a calm demeanor that betrayed her internal storm of emotions. The unicorn turned to her younger sister and continued, "Sweetie Belle, we should-"

The designer didn't even notice what happened, until she impacted the bookshelf, and found herself buried in a pile of literature.

"Sweetie Belle!" Twilight screamed, aghast at the filly's outburst.

Rarity popped her head out of the pile, and saw her opponent. The filly's face contorted in anger. Her horn was smoking from the magic released.

Her eyes narrowed. It was on.

Spike descended the stairs within Carousel Boutique, shouting, "She's not here!"

"Well then, where is she?" Scootaloo asked.

"I thought it'd be easy to find Rarity," Apple Bloom stated. "Where else could she be?"

Spike's feet started to wander about the store, on their own accord. His mind abuzz with panic and fear. He knew this was the end. Of what, he was unsure. But today something would end. His love, his friendship, his life. Something of his would be over. His only hope, was to beg the two mares he loved for forgiveness. But he had to find at least one of them first.

"Maybe this isn't so bad," Scootaloo explained. "I mean, Rarity and Sweetie Belle are pretty level-headed, I'm sure they'll be better off without you around. They can just talk it out."

Twilight suddenly found herself flying across the room. Her sudden impact upon one of the many bookshelves disoriented her for a minute, as flashes of light from a magical battle illuminated the room.

She ran across to intercept the battle once again. This time, her impact on the neighbouring bookshelf came as less of a surprise.

The librarian got to her hooves and said, "Okay, new tactic."

"I'm sure they're fine," the pegasus said with a wave of her hoof.

"How can you know that!?" Apple Bloom asked.

Before Scootaloo could answer, she was interrupted by the snap of Spike's claws. "I got it!" he screamed. "Rarity was supposed to meet Twilight today. Right now, actually. Can't believe I forgot."

"Where!?"

"The library."

"Let's go!" Apple Bloom quickly bolted out the door without another word. Her entourage followed closely.

Scootaloo quickly threw the dragon onto her back. "So," she said, while running at top speed. "A month."

"What!?" He asked, as the wind flew across his face.

"You haven't decided after a month?"

As he held on to the young pegasus, Spike merely bowed his head. "I don't know who to choose."

"How can you not know?"

He didn't say a word. For he didn't have an answer.

Suddenly, Scootaloo skidded to a stop, surprising the young dragon. He flew over the pegasus' head, and fell to the ground, still hanging on her neck.

Spike didn't need to ask why they stopped. Flashes of light emanated from the library.

"Uh oh," Apple Bloom said.

A shatter of glass broke their reverie, as a purple blur flew out and skidded to a stop in front of them.

Twilight was on her back as her eyes snapped open.

The trio looked at the librarian.

"Where have you been!?" she asked.

"What happened?" Spike asked, releasing Scootaloo's neck as the young mare adjusted her dress.

Twilight got to her hooves. "Well, Sweetie Belle stopped by, started yelling at Rarity, and then shot her!" She explained. "Oh, by the way." Her face was inches from the dragon's. "They both know."

"Yeah..." he started scratching the back of his head.

"They're actually fighting!?" Scootaloo asked, shocked at the revelation.

"How do we stop them!?" Apple Bloom screamed.

"I don't know," Twilight explained. "I tried everything I could think of, and nothing worked.

"Well, we have to do something!" Pinkie stated.

The three ponies jumped back in shock.

"Pinkie!?" the librarian screamed. "What are you doing here!?"

"My right eye started inching, so I thought I'd come to the library to investigate," the party-planner explained with a mile-wide grin. "So, what's the plan!?"

Spike released a sigh, realizing there was only one choice. "The plan is... I'm going in."

He marched toward the door. He knew what he had to do, but was honestly afraid. He couldn't let them fight like this. but what could he possibly do to stop them? What if they turned on him? Fear fought duty, and duty won. He turned the knob, and the door swung open.

"STOP!" he screamed, holding a claw up.

A table flew straight toward Sweetie Belle, a pink energy field stopped and wrapped around it, sending it flying in the other direction. Rarity jumped out of the way. It shattered into a dozen pieces.

"STOP!!" Spike yelled again.

Neither unicorn listened. The younger one had to jump away from the bolt of lighting that was targeted toward her.

His presence changed nothing. As bursts of magic flew across the room, Spike's mind cranked. What could get them to notice the young dragon? Then he remembered...

The young unicorn leaned, with her back against the tree. Next to her, her boyfriend sat, his eyes focused on her.

This is what Sweetie Belle loved about Spike. Even with Apple Bloom sitting next to her, sipping on a bottle of apple juice, she still felt like the only filly in the world.

"Hey, thanks for your help, you two," the earth pony said. "I thought it'd take me all day."

A dozen or so baskets were filled and loaded onto the cart that still had to make it to the barn on the other side of the farm. But at that moment, the two ponies, and one dragon, were resting from all their hard work.

"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle said, lost in the dragon's eyes.

He scooted just a little closer to her, and the unicorn responded by resting her head on his shoulder.

Spike wrapped an arm around the filly, and she relaxed in his embrace.

The two rested in silence for several seconds. When suddenly, Spike heard a sound. A soft humming started to emanate from his girlfriend.

As he looked down, she stopped, and looked up.

"What?" Sweetie Belle asked with a smile that could charm a manticore.

"Were you singing?" the dragon replied.

Her face turned a rosy pink. "Maybe."

"Well, don't stop."

The young unicorn released a giggle before sitting up a bit straighter. Her humming was soft and melodic. Spike couldn't find a way to describe it in words, but he could feel something in it. Some emotion, some purpose.

There were no words, and there was no need for any. She merely sang what felt right.

Apple Bloom craned her neck to look at the two lovers. No one noticed the sadness in her eyes, as she went back to her beverage.

Rarity and her dancing partner spun around and around to the music on the Victrola. It was quiet and somber, and perfect for what the unicorn had in mind.

Everything was going well for the two of them, until Spike made a single misstep.

"WAHH!" the unicorn screamed as she fell on top of the dragon.

"Ow," he responded.

She pushed herself off the floor, and looked down on her boyfriend.

Spike released a nervous chuckle. He knew he wasn't the best dancer, but he made an attempt for Rarity. An attempt that made him look like a fool.

The fashion designer responded with a giggle. She helped her partner get to his feet.

"Sorry," he said.

"Spike, no need to be sorry. It happens to the best of us."

Her magic stretched across the room and lifted the Victrola's arm, silencing it.

"But I am not giving up," she declared. "It may just be the music. I'm sure we can find something."

"Rarity, I'm just not a dancer," the dragon declared.

"Well, I'm sure you can be, if you try."

"Well..." he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Do it for me," she said, putting a hoof under his chin.

"Alright." Spike took her hoof in his claw. "For you..."

They stood still for several seconds before Rarity said, "Perhaps we need music."

"Wait." He held on tight, stopping her from leaving. "I think I know something."

They moved into position. And with one hoof wrapped around his neck, and a claw on her side, they started to turn.

Their positioning was a bit awkward, since Rarity was slightly taller than the young dragon, and even more so when she was on her hindlegs. But thankfully, in the darkness of the boutique, no one was there to laugh at their appearance.

A soft sound came from Spike's mouth, the tune to which they danced.

As they moved around to the magical melody, Rarity couldn't help but think of where it might have come from. But it did not matter. The two of them danced, together, leaving all concerns of the day behind them.

Spike closed his eyes, put his lips together, and the sound that emanated echoed across the room.

Sweetie Belle skidded to a stop. A wooden statue froze in her magical grasp.

Rarity's horn died down, and she looked past her younger sister.

The statue dropped to the floor, and the young filly's eyes traced her sister's gaze as she slowly turned around.

Spike continued to hum the song he learned. He was almost afraid to find out if it worked. But a few seconds later, he noticed the melody was the only sound in the room. He silenced himself, and opened his eyes.

The two siblings were staring at him. He knew he had to say something, but had no idea what.

His lips quivered, and his throat locked up.

But nothing came out before the eyes of Sweetie Belle started to water.

She burst into tears and bolted past the dragon.

"Sweetie Belle!" he screamed, spinning around.

She didn't stop, and ran straight past the small crowd that had gathered.

"Stay here!" Twilight screamed. "I'll get her!" She galloped off.

The three remaining ponies trotted up to Spike.

"What was that song?" Scootaloo asked.

He didn't answer, because he could feel a cold presence behind him, as he leaned against the doorknob.

He slowly craned his neck around, and looked at the elder unicorn.

"Spike," she said, stoically.

"Rarity," he replied. "I know you're mad, but-"

"I'm not angry."

The dragon was taken aback. "Y-you're not?"

"No." She closed her eyes, and bowed her head. "Because I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."

A drop of relief hit Spike. She was willing to hear him out. But he knew that he messed up, and could only hope she would forgive him.

Scootaloo watched them, and was the only one to notice that the unicorn was lying.

Chapter Thirteen - Past

Sweetie Belle's eyes were directed at the counter before her. Her jaw hung loose, as she tried to process the scene.

Pound Cake looked down, floating just above the filly's head, with a stare that seemed to shoot straight through her.

Pumpkin merely held a curious look, as she watched her twin brother.

A bell rang behind the white unicorn. But she paid it no mind.

"Sweetie Belle!" A voice came. Hoofsteps resonated through the room, growing louder and louder. "I'm so glad I found you."

A purple blob entered her field of vision. But she didn't shift her gaze.

"Sweetie Belle?" Twilight asked. "Are you-" she stopped. Unsure of how to continue. "You wanna talk?"

She lowered her head, as her eyes began to water once again. The faint sound of her quiet sobs bounced off the walls.

The elder unicorn straightened her stance, and rubbed the young filly's back. "It's alright Sweetie Belle. Go sit down, I'll get us some tea."

The young filly trotted in the general direction of the nearest table, her head held low.

Twilight tried to hold up her end of the bargain. She quickly trotted into the backroom of Sugarcube Corner. Only to find herself encased in a blue aura, as she floated back into the dining hall. She received a dirty look from the young pegasus, and a cheeky smile from the young unicorn, who dropped her, unceremoniously, on the wooden floor.

"Oh, come on!" she cried.

Rarity's eyes were trained on a bookshelf across the room, as she sat beside a simple round table in the Ponyville Public Library. Across the table beside her, staring at her, was the dragon she loved. He had explained everything. Every single event that had happened over the past month.

She wanted to feel hurt, she wanted to feel anger, she wanted to feel confusion, she wanted to feel something. But she didn't. She just felt numb.

She couldn't speak, she couldn't even think. She just stared at the shelf across the room.

"Rarity?" came a voice.

She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to do, except...

"Please, say something."

She stood on all four legs, and without a word, trotted straight for the front door, and left.

Spike tried to run after her, but a yellow hoof held him back. Apple Bloom merely shook her head.

The young dragon felt helpless, and hopeless. He didn't know what to do, or what he could do. He just sat there, in the Ponyville Library, alone.

A tapping sound came from behind him. "So, that's the whole story?" Scootaloo asked, her hoof resting on the maple table.

"Yeah..." Spike explained, melancholically.

The young filly looked pensive. "That's strange," she said. "I um... I'm gonna hit the washroom."

As Scootaloo trotted out of the room, her thoughts were racing. Theories popped in and flew away almost as quickly, and all revolved around one thought.

After closing the door behind her, the young pegasus turned on the tap and rubbed her face with warm water.

Looking at her reflection, she simply said, "Please not one of them. Please let this just be a coincidence."

"Oh, don't worry, it is." A familiar voice came from the washtub.

"AHHH!" She screamed in shock.

Apple Bloom knocked three times on the bathroom door. "Scootaloo!" she said. "You alright? I thought I heard a scream."

"I'm fine! I'm absolutely fine! Don't worry! I'm fine!" her friend responded between heavy breaths.

"Then why'd ya scream?"

"I... um... slipped. I'm fine! It just startled me."

"You slipped?" She asked skeptically.

"Yeah. Now can you leave me alone!? I deserve a bit of privacy!"

"Alright." The earth pony was still skeptical, but decided to leave her friend be. As long as she was alright, that was all that mattered.

Apple Bloom trotted into the main sitting room, and Spike remained in the position she left him.

"So..." the young filly asked. "Whatcha gonna do?"

"Run away," he responded. "I hear Manehattan's nice this time of year."

"Spike," she replied. "I'm sure everythin'll be alright. You just need to-"

"Who wants cupcakes!" screamed a bubbly voice from the library's kitchen. Pinkie Pie hopped out with a tray of multi-coloured cupcakes in her hooves. "Aww," she said. "Where is everypony!?"

"Rarity left, and Scootaloo's in the bathroom," Apple Bloom explained quickly.

"Awww... Now what?"

"Hey, Pinkie," the dragon replied. "Your parents work on a rock farm right?"

She nodded vigorously and released a smile. "It's actually not far from here."

"Aaaaoh!" he moaned in despair, burying his face in his arms.

The bathroom door slowly creaked open, and an orange head peeked out.

Apple Bloom trotted over. "Scootaloo! Is everythin' alright?"

"Oh, it's um... It's fine," she responded.

The earth pony peered past her friend, and forced the door open. "Why is there a large red box in the bathroom?"

"HUH?" the pegasus asked, nervously. "Oh, it was in there when I got in!" she explained, trotting into the main sitting room.

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "What?" she said, following the pegasus.

"It was there when I got in. I trotted in and there was a big wooden box taking up half the room. Wow, that was terrible."

"Ooo! What is it? What's going on?" Pinkie Pie asked, in her usual excited tone.

"There's a giant red box in the bathroom!" the young pastry chef explained.

"Alright, look," Scootaloo explained. "I know this seems strange, but that's only because it is. And I promise I'll explain everything later. Alright?"

"What? No! Tell us now!"

"I can't, there are more important things to deal with!"

"Like what?"

"Well... I have a plan to save Spike's love life!"

"What!?"

"OO!!" Pinkie screamed. "What is it!? What is it!? What is it!?"

"Two steps!" she explained, turning toward the silent young dragon. "First, I'm gonna talk to them, I'm sure I can convince them to forgive you."

Spike hung his head.

"Second, You and I will work to find out, by the end of the day, who it is, beyond any doubt, that you love!"

"Scootaloo, we've all been trying to do that for the past month." Apple Bloom explained. "Why do you think you can do it in less than a day?

"Because I'm awesome!" She brought a hoof to her chest, and a smile to her lips. "Now, I gotta get my scooter!" she trotted into the sitting room and through the door. "I'll be back before you know it!" she said, closing the door behind her.

Apple Bloom acted fast, pushing the giant box into the sitting room.

"Apple Bloom, don't," Pinkie said.

"If I don't look, the curiosity would drive me nuts," she explained, trotting around the box.

The box itself was only slightly bigger than Apple Bloom; Large enough to fit one small pony. It was a dark red and wooden. But the clasp holding it closed was what surprised her the most. It was made of gold. Not brass or something similar, real solid gold.

She was an earth pony, she knew metals.

The filly put a hoof to the clasp, and... nothing. "It's locked?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, then I guess you'll have to forget it," Pinkie responded.

"But how!? There's no keyhole!" the filly shouted, incredulous. Something strange was going on.

Twilight and Sweetie Belle sat quietly. The librarian slowly sipped her tea.

The young unicorn mindlessly shifted the handle of her cup, as the liquid within leached various chemicals out of the tea bag.

Normally, Twilight Sparkle loved silence. She relished it. But this silence ate at her. It gnawed at her very soul. Because she knew what it meant. She opened her mouth when-

"Does he hate me?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Twilight was taken aback. Hate? "No," she declared. "Of course not! Why would you-"

"Because he was with Rarity when he should have been with me." Her eyes started to water. "Why couldn't he stay with me?"

"Oh, Sweetie Belle." She trotted around the table, and gave the young filly a gentle hug. "It's okay, it's not that."

A slight sniffle sounded.

"It's just... he loved you too much."

"Wait..." her voice was shaky. She pushed the librarian away. "What!?"

"Well... he said he didn't know who he wanted to be with, but..." she looked down, and tried to give a reassuring smile. "Maybe I should start from the beginning."

Rarity did not know where she was, nor did she care. After Spike explained everything, her entire body went numb. She didn't know where her legs took her, as they seemed to move on their own volition. It was not something in her control, and she didn't care.

In some obscure and isolated corner of Ponyville, few ponies were around. Her legs gave out beside some anonymous building, and the tears flowed.

The pain was unbearable. It was as if her heart had been physically ripped out. And because of that, she finally understood what that word meant.

It always seemed bizarre to her. That such a feeling could be described in such a way. She always thought it was just ponies being unnecessarily overdramatic. But now, she understood exactly why they called it 'heartbreak.'

She had no idea how much time had passed, as time felt like it had no meaning. But she did feel the tears start to ebb as the sun's warmth was cut off. She could hear a quiet shuffling of hooves next to her, but was afraid to look up. She just wanted to stay there, until the pain stopped, or she turned to dust, whatever came first.

"Rarity?" a familiar voice spoke. Was it...?

She twisted her head just slightly, as a single eye emerged just over her foreleg. A naturally reassuring smile appeared before her. Her forelegs were folded, and her dress was appropriately spread behind her, so she wasn't laying on the hem.

"Do you need anything?" Scootaloo asked, in the calmest and quietest way she could.

The unicorn buried her face. "Go away," she said, her sobs building again.

"Um... I really can't."

"Do it anyway," her muffled voice stated.

"Well, could you at least move away from my front stoop? I kinda wanna get inside."

Her head popped up. She looked at the building she landed in front of. This was Scootaloo's house!? She turned to the young pegasus, and couldn't help but laugh.

Scootaloo joined in. "Wanna come in?" she asked.

As Rarity got to her hooves again, she wiped the tears from her eyes and simply said, "Please."

They continued to giggle just slightly as Scootaloo opened her front door, and led the unicorn in. "After you," she said.

"Thank you," Rarity replied, as she entered the home.

Scootaloo looked to the sky. "Seriously?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, before slipping inside.

"So it was all my fault," Sweetie Belle said.

"No, it wasn't," Twilight replied. "You had no way of knowing this would've happened." She paused slightly. "It's Spike's fault he didn't say 'no.'"

Her head popped up.

Silence descended once again.

Several framed photos hung from the walls, all featuring members of Scootaloo's family. Vacation photos; professional photos; even photos from the crib of the newest family member, a purple pegasus, who was still under a year old. But Rarity had forgotten her name.

"So... What brought you back so early?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, uh... it's hard to explain," she said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, that's alright. Where are your parents?"

"Uh, they're still in Neighton. I didn't want them cutting the family vacation short."

"Oh... I see."

Rarity followed the young filly into the living room. Where Scootaloo dropped her saddlebag, and sat on one of the many cushions covering the floor.

The unicorn followed suit.

"So," Scootaloo asked. "How're you feeling?"

Rarity's head bowed, and tears began to slowly drip down her face.

Scootaloo's head bowed with a sigh.

"What should I do?" The young unicorn asked.

Twilight looked up from her tea. "I don't know, but I think you should forgive him."

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened in shock. "Forgive? How can I do that? What if he does it again!?"

She released a slight chuckle. "I guarantee that won't happen. Spike learned his lesson."

A bit of rage entered the filly's eyes. "Not yet," she said.

Dropping the teacup with a clatter, Twilight acted fast. "Sweetie Belle, I'm telling you, Spike's been suffering a lot since this whole thing began. He's been kicking himself more than you know."

"He betrayed me," Rarity replied.

Scootaloo's gaze snapped up.

"How could this happen?"

The young pegasus scratched her head. "It's just a series of horrible coincidences. Bad timing all around."

"I don't know what to do. I've never been more afraid in my life. How could he do this to me!?"

"Hey, he never wanted to hurt you," she calmly explained. "Look at it from his perspective, he was just confused."

"It's not that simple, Scootaloo," Rarity explained.

"Well, it can be," she replied. "I mean, I doubt he enjoyed it."

"How can you know that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Why do you say that?" Rarity asked.

Twilight released a sigh, "Alright, maybe I should start from the top."

Scootaloo released a soft smile, "Well, because of what happened a few months ago."

The streets of Canterlot were cold and dim. The sun had set hours ago, leaving only the moon to illuminate the empty boulevard. This did not bother Scootaloo. Unlike most ponies, she truly loved the night-time. The beauty of the sky at that hour was unparalleled. Just looking up could enthrall somepony for what would feel like hours. And on the right night: days.

But at that moment, the sky was a non-issue. For she had more urgent priorities. Scootaloo was alone.

Somehow, her friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, had disappeared. Possibly during the incident in the alleyway.

Who knew a tramp would get that angry over nothing. Literally, nothing; they did nothing.

So, as she wandered the streets, Scootaloo kept her eyes and ears open for any sign of life.

It wasn't long before she found herself in a small plaza, a tiny fountain churned before her.

Trotting up to it, she looked down at her reflection, and smiled. She never thought one could look cool in violet

Suddenly, her ears picked up a noise. Down one dark street, just below the sound of splashing water, she could hear ponies talking and chatting joyously.

As good a lead as any, she took advantage and followed the road.

A minute later, Scootaloo emerged in a small, moonlit park. Blades of grass fell beneath her hooves as she trotted along, looking for some sign of life. The park was empty.

The sound came again, hitting her right ear. She turned and trotted over a hill, finding herself looking over a secluded area of the park, with three ponies, plus one dragon, laughing away.

Rainbow Dash, from her perch high up in a nearby tree, still wearing her bridesmaid's dress but having lost her headgear, was the first to catch sight of the young filly.

"Scootaloo!" she cried, waving a hoof in the air.

Plastering a smile on her face, she ran up to group. "Rainbow Dash!" the filly responded in kind.

"Scootaloo," Twilight exclaimed. "What are you doing out here?"

"Uh..." she replied sheepishly. "I got a bit lost."

"Lost?" Spike asked, leaning against the tree with an untied bow tie hanging awkwardly from his neck. "How could you get lost in Canterlot?"

"You may not know this, little guy," Rainbow explained from above. "But this city's a bit of a maze."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "All the streets look the same. If it wasn't for you and Twilight, who knows where we'd be."

A small laugh tremored through the group.

"What are you guys doing out here anyway?" Scootaloo asked.

"Oh," Twilight explained, gesturing toward the tree. "We're just keeping an eye on Fluttershy's birds."

She directed her gaze upwards, and suddenly noticed that, in the branches above, Rainbow Dash was surrounded by a flock of multi-coloured songbirds.

"They needed some exercise," the caretaker explained. "And it's such a beautiful night, I just couldn't let them stay cooped up inside the castle."

"Yeah," Rainbow mused. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"

Her gaze extended into the distance.

"Are you alright Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"Huh?" she asked. "Oh sure, of course!"

"It's just... you've been acting a bit strange all night."

The pegasus found herself taken slightly aback. "It's the alcohol," she said. "I had a lot to drink."

"No," Twilight rebutted. "I've seen intoxication, and there's something else. What is it?"

She brought a hoof to the back of her head. "Well," she explained. "It's just... I don't know, I've just been thinking."

"What's wrong?" Scootaloo asked with genuine concern.

Rainbow looked down on the young pegasus, and realized quickly, this young filly would not judge her.

She released a breath of air, and took another in. "Well... I'm a bit jealous of them."

Twilight and Fluttershy shared a look. "Who?" the unicorn asked.

Rainbow sighed. "'The happy couple,'" she said in an almost-mocking tone. "I just... I never had that."

Fluttershy jumped to her hooves in shock. "Never!?" she cried with genuine bewilderment.

"Yeah, you've never been married," Twilight deadpanned. "We kinda knew that Rainbow."

"No, I mean, I've never had a coltfriend," the weathermare explained, slightly annoyed. "I just never had the time. Never really felt the need before."

"Oh, Rainbow, it's not that big a deal," Twilight said, smiling. "I've never had a coltfriend either."

"Yeah, but you're... you..." Rainbow explained. "It's just, I kinda want that now."

Fluttershy's mind raced in confusion. "But... what about that colt you took to prom?" she asked hesitantly.

Her eyes went wide. "Oh... yeah... him." She released a nervous laugh. "He... wasn't actually my coltfriend, we were just... I mean he was around- he was my cousin." Rainbow hung her head in shame.

"You had a fake coltfriend?" Spike asked incredulously.

"Well, I couldn't go to prom alone, I'd look like a complete loser." Her eyes snapped to her closest friend as she said, "Uh... no offense."

It was rare to see Fluttershy genuinely annoyed.

Rainbow responded with a sheepish smile.

"Well," Twilight responded. "If it matters that much to you, maybe you should do something about it."

She stared at the unicorn for a full second before crying, "You're right! Hey, Spike! You wanna catch a movie!?"

Both Canterlotians stared at the pegasus for several seconds before simultaneously bursting into laughter.

Rainbow was taken aback by their reaction. "Hey, I'm serious!"

"Oh, come on Rainbow," Twilight cried between breaths. "You can't be that desperate."

Spike's laughter stopped suddenly, "Wait, what's that supposed to mean!?"

"Yeah," the pegasus explained. "Spike's a real catch."

"Well, it's not that Rainbow," the unicorn explained between giggles. "It's just... you're not exactly his type."

"Oh, yeah," she said, slightly annoyed. "I forgot, he's more into prissy white unicorns. Come on little guy, you can aim higher than that."

Spike's eyes went wide. "Twilight..." he said, an angry tremor in his voice.

"I didn't say anything!" the unicorn cried, holding up her hooves.

"Oh, come on, everypony already knows you have a crush on Rarity!"

"Spike has a crush on Rarity!?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well... almost everyone," she smiled sheepishly.

"Rainbow," Twilight responded, subtly silencing the pegasus.

The young filly sauntered toward her nervous friend. "So, you have a crush on Rarity?

His face turned a bright red. "Yeah."

"For how long!?" She asked with a smile.

"Uh..." Spike idly rubbed his claws together. "Since we moved to Ponyville, really."

"Aaaaand!?" she said, her voice gaining an odd inflection.

"And... what?" he asked, confused.

"Did you ever do anything about it?"

"Uh... no, not really."

"Well, why not!?

"She's right!" Rainbow exclaimed. "You should ask her out! She'd be crazy to say 'no.' Strong little guy like you can get every mare in town if he wanted."

Spike stiffened like a board, and his eyes went wide.

"Rainbow," Fluttershy interjected. "Um... I think you had too much to drink."

"And you had too little!"

"Spike?" Scootaloo asked, noticing the dragon's demeanor.

His eyes started to blink rapidly. "Huh?" he asked, coming out of a daze. "Sorry, it's just... every..." Spike visibly grimaced.

"What does this have to do with anything!?" the white unicorn interjected.

"I was just getting to that," her companion responded.

"What's wrong, Spike?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing, I just... was weird," he explained. The young dragon took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, that ain't happening."

"What?" Scootaloo asked.

"Every mare in town? No!"

Rainbow looked down and scoffed. "Well I didn't mean it literally."

Deciding to move the conversation along, the young pegasus simply said. "So, you gonna tell her?"

Spike was shocked. "No!" he said. "I can't, I'd be too embarrassed."

From a few feet away, a soft voice resonated. "If you love someone, follow your heart. 'Cause love comes once, if you're lucky enough."

Everyone turned to look at the yellow mare.

"It was a poem I heard from a friend," Fluttershy explained. "If you have the chance, you should take it."

"But I don't have the chance," he explained. "What if she turns me down?"

"Then you know," Scootaloo said simply. "Right now you don't."

Silence descended on the group, as Spike thoughts streamed.

"You really think I should?" he asked.

She nodded vigorously.

"So," Rainbow interjected. "I guess that's a 'no'?"

"I... don't understand," Sweetie Belle stated.

"What are you trying to say?" Rarity asked.

Scootaloo leaned forward. "I looked into Spike's eyes. The thought of being with 'every mare in town' frightened him. There's no way he'd do this intentionally. It's just not who he is. Now, I don't know why he thinks that way, exactly; Because that sorta runs counter to dragon culture."

"I'm sorry?"

"I think dragons are naturally monogamous," Twilight explained. "There's no way he'd do this intentionally."

The young unicorn shifted. "What?" she said, in a pained tone.

Scootaloo quickly pulled a book from her saddlebag. "I found this when I was in Neighton," she explained. "'An Analysis of the Intricacies of Dragon Society.' Apparently they do a lot of research on dragons over there. I wanted to give it to Twilight to put in the library, but it's in Neightonese, so... I'll probably need to translate it." She smiled.

"What does it say?" Rarity asked.

"A lot, but regarding this? They're... polygamous... very polygamous... uncomfortably polygamous." Her nervousness resonated across the room.

The unicorn was confused. "But how do they-?"

"They don't care."

"Oh."

"No dragon would do this intentionally," Twilight explained. "It's just a terrible misunderstanding."

Sweetie Belle gazed down at her teacup. "Rarity always told me to watch out for colts like that," she explained. "They would cheat on you, and lie to you." Tears started to brew again. "I thought Spike was different... But he's worse."

"Which is why they have so many rules regarding mating, to bring a bit of order to it. Spike never heard those rules, so he probably made up his own. I think one of them is having only one partner."

"So...?"

"He's subconsciously fighting his own instincts. It's not his fault."

"Sweetie Belle."

"He had every reason not to do this, but he did it anyway!" the heartbroken filly screamed.

"So, you're saying I should just forgive him?"

"... Yes," she said simply.

"I'll never forgive him!"

Knocking over her teacup, she ran out of the shop at a full gallop, leaving the stunned unicorn behind.

Twilight turned to look at the counter. Two foals quickly averted their gaze, and started whistling.

"I'm not so sure," Rarity responded. "After all, why would he do this in the fir-"

Suddenly, her eyes went wide in shock. She turned to look at her winged companion.

They both knew the truth. They both knew more about Spike than he did. They both knew exactly whom he was going to pick. And it broke Rarity's heart.

"He doesn't truly love me," she said. "Does he?"

"No," Scootaloo said, melancholically. "I-I don't think so."

The pain in her chest grew. She collapsed on the floor beneath.

"I'm sorry."

"Oh dear," Twilight said.

Chapter Fourteen - Water

Scootaloo's first day back home had barely started, and already it had been a rollercoaster.

Not that she didn't expect this, at least partially. But she presumed it would have something to do with her new role, not some relatively minor conflict between her friends.

She tried to wipe those thoughts from her mind. All the young pegasus wanted to focus on this day was her friends, and nothing else.

But it was difficult.

She strapped her helmet on, and pulled her scooter out of the small shed. Trotting back inside, she pulled out her favourite wagon, and attached it to the vehicle.

Her front door creaked open. Out trotted a solemn white unicorn, her eyes bloodshot and her hair lifeless. All of her cosmetics had been washed off, and her coat was disheveled.

It was apparent that at this moment, Rarity did not care about her own physical appearance. She was that distressed.

"Hey Rarity," Scootaloo said, as the unicorn slowly trotted over. "You... um... how're ya feelin'?"

"Slightly better," she replied. The unicorn sat on the ground and took a deep breath.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" the filly asked.

She raised her head slightly. "Yes," the mare responded. "When did you figure all this out?"

The pegasus took a seat on her scooter and took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, pretty much immediately after Spike first told me what happened. It seemed pretty obvious."

"Then why doesn't he know?"

Scootaloo scoffed. "Something like that, it's hard to figure out when you're in it. He's just not in the right position."

Rarity had another question. "If you knew he wouldn't pick me anyway... why did you want me to forgive him?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Why do you think?"

The unicorn paused for a second, before nodding in acknowledgement.

The pegasus brushed her hair aside. "I really am sorry."

Rarity released a slight chuckle. "I know."

An awkward silence descended.

"You know what you're gonna do?" the filly asked.

"No," came the simple reply. "I could fight for him. But... I'll always know I was just his second choice. And Sweetie Belle..." The unicorn shook her head solemnly. "It would not be fair to her..." Tears hit the dirt below. "I can't... I can't do that to my own sister, not when I know... this. It would merely be malicious, not..."

An alabaster hoof wiped the moisture away.

"So, you're gonna break up with him?"

Rarity thought for a second. "If I do 'break up' with him... Sweetie Belle will always question it. She'll always wonder if he really wanted to be with her." She turned her gaze to the young pegasus. "I'll have to lie."

Scootaloo didn't respond.

"It's the only way. Isn't it?"

She scratched the back of her neck. "I guess so."

Her eyes drifted. "I do not believe this."

"Neither do I." Scootaloo bit her lower lip slightly. "You gonna be okay?" the pegasus asked.

Rarity looked up. "I have to convince my boyfriend that we're still together, while you convince him that he's in love with my sister. Do you think I'm 'okay'?"

"No... probably not."

There were many thoughts running through Scootaloo's head: There are plenty of fish in the sea. You were too good for him, anyway. Better to have love and lost, than to have never loved at all. It'll get easier.

And she knew they were all stupid, and would only make her upset.

But one thing... one thing just might work.

Scootaloo stood up and trotted over to the alabaster unicorn, sitting on the dirt beside her.

"Take all the time you need," she said. "I'll talk to them, you won't have to do anything. You can go home, relax. Try to put it all behind you."

Rarity took several slow, methodical, deep breaths. Calming her heart, and controlling her thoughts.

It took at least a minute before she turned to the young pegasus, and said, "That will not be necessary. Only I can successfully convince Spike I forgive him, and that I'll fight for him. And that is exactly what I shall do. For my sister, I'll do anything."

Scootaloo smiled.

"But first, we shall stop at my home. I must look my best for such a performance. I also have a bottle of wine I wish to drink. Do you mind giving me a ride?"

"Yeah, sure, it's not a problem," she declared with a smile.

As Scootaloo took her position on the scooter, Rarity loaded herself into the attached cart.

"Oh, one more thing," the unicorn added.

"Yeah?" the pegasus responded.

"Congratulations," she said with a smirk.

Scootaloo smiled. "Thanks."

With a jolt, the two began their journey.

Sweetie Belle had no idea where she was, or where she was going. She just ran. Ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She didn't care where she'd end up. All she wanted was to be as far away from Spike, Rarity, Twilight, and Apple Bloom as possible. She wanted to be alone, and away from everypony. She just wanted to wallow in her own sadness and mourn the love she just lost.

How could this happen? How could a dragon whom she loved with every fibre of her being turn out to be such a jerk!?

He betrayed her, it was just that simple. There were no complexities, there was no minutiae. He betrayed her, and tore her heart out.

He was a bastard, and at that moment, that was all the reason she needed to hate Spike.

But she didn't. She couldn't. And that just made it all hurt even more.

Noises. Random noises. Voices? It didn't matter. None of it mattered. She just ran. Ran as quickly as she could.

Saline stung her eyes. She could see nothing. But she didn't care, she just ran.

Suddenly, a pressure on her flanks. A vice, holding her back. She couldn't run. She stopped.

She cried in despair, and collapsed on the grass beneath her hooves, allowing the tears to fall.

More noises, hoofsteps, voices. What were they doing?

"... didn't do a thing!"

"Is she alright?"

"I don't know."

Raising her head, Sweetie Belle wiped the tears away, and turned toward the voices.

"Sweetie Belle!" Applejack cried. "Are you alright?"

Her throat would not obey her commands. So the young unicorn merely shook her head.

"It could've been a lot worse," Rainbow Dash explained. "You need to be more careful, next time I won't be there to stop you."

The unicorn buried her head in her hooves, as her eyes continued to gush.

"Ow!" the pegasus exclaimed.

A shifting in the grass. "Somethin' wrong sug'?" the farmer asked.

Sweetie Belle nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head.

Silence. A shuffling of hooves.

"You wanna come inside?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Applejack's got hot chocolate!"

She lay there, motionless for several seconds, before eventually nodding in the affirmative.

"Great! Here, let me help you!" The weathermare reached down and lifted the young unicorn, who grabbed onto her neck, which quickly became soaked with tears.

"Okay," Rainbow Dash said, slowly floating toward the farmhouse. "So, you do have hot chocolate, right?"

"Somewhere."

Twilight wandered down the streets of Ponyville, searching for a missing unicorn.

The librarian knew she messed up. Her plan to get Sweetie Belle to forgive Spike had backfired so tremendously, that it felt like a bad joke she failed to get.

But it was worse than anyone else knew. For Twilight knew exactly where the dragon's heart truly lay; with Sweetie Belle, the one who now hated him.

Spike didn't love Rarity. Twilight knew that from day one. If he did, he would have never said 'yes' to Sweetie Belle. He would have never fallen for her at the carnival. He would have never allowed the charade to continue for as long as it did.

He thought he loved Rarity. That was the problem. He confused attraction with love. A superficial emotion with one that permeated the soul. That was why she knew his relationship with Rarity would never last, regardless of Sweetie Belle's involvement.

But now, Spike's first real chance at true happiness was gone, and it was all her fault.

"Twilight!" The sound of an orange and white blur flying past the unicorn, too close for comfort, knocked her out of her thoughts, and off her hooves.

The scooter skidded to a stop, and two familiar friends quickly disembarked.

Scootaloo ran toward the unicorn, shouting, "Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!" She was still wearing the same dress she wore earlier in the day, which struck the unicorn as slightly odd. But there were bigger problems to worry about.

"Twilight!" she shouted again, very much out of breath. "Where's Sweetie Belle? Didn't you go after her?"

"Uh... yeah... I did." the unicorn responded.

"Well, where is she?"

"Um... well... she... ran off."

"What?"

"Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed. "Are you alright? I know this may be difficult, but just remember, your friends are here for you."

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine, Twilight," the fashionista responded. "All thanks to Scootaloo here." She rubbed the top of the filly's head.

"Alright, Rarity," the pegasus said, restraightening her mane. "What do you mean, 'she ran off'?" she continued, back on the original track.

"Who?"

"Sweetie Belle."

"Is she alright?"

Twilight finally decided to answer. "Well, we were talking, and I pretty much told her everything."

"So," Rarity responded. "You did know everything."

The librarian grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Rarity. I should have told you a while ago."

The designer released a small smile. "It's alright, Twilight. There was nothing you could have done. Do not worry about the past."

"Rarity," Scootaloo interjected. "Focus."

"Oh, right! Sweetie Belle!"

"Uh, yeah!" Twilight continued. "So, I told her everything I knew, and I tried my best to get her to forgive him, but... I think it just made her more angry."

Rarity was taken aback. "How angry?" she asked.

"Well, um... do you want her exact words?"

"Please."

"She said, you warned her about colts like Spike, and that she'll never forgive him."

"Oh... this is a disaster."

"What? Wait, why?"

"Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed, grabbing her friend. "Those two belong together! They are in love!"

"What? And you're okay with that!?"

"Of course not!" She released the librarian. "But my love for Spike must remain secondary to my sister's happiness."

"Really?"

"Of course!" she responded with pride, before quickly shifting to sorrow. "Also, Spike and I have no future, regardless."

"What exactly did you say?" Scootaloo asked.

Twilight's gaze drifted. "Uh... well, I summarized the past month for her. Told her all about how she asked Spike out after he'd already started dating you." She pointed toward her friend. "I also told her the story about how you convinced him to ask her out, and... well, you know how Rainbow started flirting with him?"

"Yeah, I was there. She was pretty drunk."

"You sure that wasn't just 'Rainbow'?" Rarity asked.

The filly ignored her. "Did you tell her about how he reacted to that?"

"What? Oh, yeah, how he didn't take it well, and rejected it outright?"

"The 'every mare in town' comment?"

"Yeah, mentioned that. I think that's what ruined it."

Rarity's attention was caught. "How?" she asked.

"Well, since dragons are naturally monogamous, she was probably angry that Spike went against that."

The two ponies stared at her for several seconds. "What?" they said in unison.

"She was angry Spike went against his instincts."

"Of monogamy?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes."

A hoof hit her face in exasperation. "You told her dragons are monogamous?"

"Yes... why?"

"And where exactly did you hear that?"

Twilight was befuddled. "Um... I just presumed..."

"Rule number one when dealing with inter-species couples: Take their natural intuitions into account, and don't get them wrong! That's how most conflicts are created!"

"Huh?"

"Dragons aren't naturally monogamous, they're naturally polygamous!"

"What? Why do you say that?"

"Because that's what the book says!" she exclaimed, pulling a hardbound book out of her saddlebag.

"Alright!" Rarity exclaimed. "Enough! Twilight, do you know where Sweetie Belle ran off to?"

"No," she replied. "I have no idea!"

"In that case, I'll have to find her my own way."

"What? Why?" Scootaloo asked.

"Because, I should convince my sister to forgive Spike," the unicorn explained. "Such a situation is much more perilous. Scootaloo, I'll leave the rest in your capable hooves."

"Not a problem," the filly replied, with a salute.

Without another word, Rarity trotted away; leaving the two ponies behind.

"This book is in Tronese!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Neightonese."

"Oh..."

Sweetie Belle slowly sipped the mug of hot cocoa in her hooves. It raised her spirits only slightly.

Applejack sat at the table patiently, waiting for the ideal moment to ask a very crucial question.

She placed the cup down with a clunk, and the farmer asked, "Feelin' better?"

Sweetie Belle looked up, then down again, and shook her head.

"Wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head again.

Rainbow Dash scooted closer to the filly. "Can you at least tell us what's eatin' you?" she asked.

She shook her head one more time.

"Can I guess?"

Sweetie Belle didn't respond.

"Great! Okay!" the pegasus brought out her pensive look, and briefly stared into the distance. "Is it about Apple Bloom?"

No response.

"That's a 'no,'" she interpreted. "Is it about... your cutie mark?"

No response... again.

"Is it... is it about your sister?"

The unicorn flinched slightly.

"Rainbow!" Applejack scolded.

"What? I think I'm getting close!" the pegasus rebutted.

"Look, Sweetie Belle, if you don't want to tell us, that's fine," the earth pony explained. "We don't need to know anything you don't want us to."

Then the words just fell out of her mouth, without a thought. "It's about Spike," she explained.

"Ooo!" Rainbow replied. "What about him?"

Sweetie Belle hesitated slightly, rubbing her hooves together before continuing. "Me and him... we've been dating for the past month." Her voice started to choke. "But today, I found out he was also dating Rarity behind my back." The tears flowed once again.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle," Applejack responded, embracing the young filly. "It's alright. Everythin'll be alright."

"Why did he do this?" she cried between tears.

"I don't know," she replied. "I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you."

"But he did! He did!!!"

"But that makes no sense!" Rainbow explained. "Why would he go after you two, after turning me down?"

Applejack shot her friend a look that said, 'Shut up, Rainbow.'

The pegasus complied.

Suddenly, and without warning, Sweetie Belle's horn started to glow brightly, and faded just as quickly.

The distraction managed to silence the filly's sobs, as she asked, "what was that?"

The two non-unicorns shrugged.

In Ponyville's town square, surrounded by shoppers and commuters, one unicorn was oblivious to the crowds, and focused on her work.

Rarity's horn was aglow as she methodically moved it around, pointing the appendage in every conceivable direction.

Eventually, one particular corner of the town drew her attention. She smiled and ended the spell, before trotting in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

The day was looking up.

Author's Note

The author would like to personally thank Periphery for all his help in preparing this chapter for publication.

Chapter Fifteen - Fire

Scootaloo wasn't one to let anything go too easily. When someone said something stupid, she would let them have it... unless they were already doing that for her.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" Twilight asked, as the two trotted up the boulevard.

"No," the pegasus responded, coldly.

The silence ate at her. "Okay, I didn't know how dragon minds worked. Is that my fault? I just didn't think it was a big deal."

"It wouldn't be, if Sweetie Belle wasn't a pony."

Twilight sighed in exasperation. "I guess I'm still new at this." Then a realization hit her. "Wait, how do you know so much?"

Scootaloo tried to avert her gaze. "Uh... can we talk about this later?"

The two had arrived at the Ponyville Library, and Scootaloo wasted no time in dismounting her scooter, and trotting inside.

"It's not moving!" Apple Bloom cried.

"What the-!?" the pegasus reacted.

Before her, Scootaloo saw the large red crate, exactly where she'd left it, completely unscathed, save for the large crowbar jammed under the lid, with an earth pony filly and baby dragon hanging from it.

"Hey, Scootaloo!" the earth pony said. "Yeah, we were just trying to break this open."

Her wide-eyed shock turned into a cocky smirk. "Yeah, and you can't." She trotted up to the box as the attempted burglars released their grips. "Well, at least you kept busy."

"And what have you been doing?" Spike asked.

"I got good news," the pegasus said with a joyous smile.

"They've forgiven me!?" he said, wide-eyed.

She simply nodded. "But, we have to get going. I'm going to be on you like glue for the rest of the day. We're gonna figure out exactly what's going on in that head of yours. You ready?"

The dragon was skeptical. "I guess," he sighed.

"Great!"

"What is this?" Twilight asked.

"The box?" Scootaloo replied.

She nodded.

"I don't know yet. Come on, I need to move this thing." She got to the other side, and began to push, only for Twilight to levitate it up, through the door, and into the wagon in no time at all.

Scootaloo just stared. "Thanks," she said, before trotting outside.

Spike and Twilight quickly followed.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" the unicorn asked.

"Yep!" she replied.

Twilight looked over the scene, as her young dragon assistant slumped into the wagon without a care.

"Spike," the unicorn said. "Make sure that box doesn't fall out."

"Huh?" the dragon came out of his daze. "Uh... yeah," he said, straightening his stance.

"I hope you have a plan," Twilight whispered to the young pegasus.

She merely smiled, and said, "See ya!" before taking off as fast as she could.

Twilight trotted back inside, and straight into the kitchen, followed closely by Apple Bloom.

"Twilight? Is everythin' alright?" the filly asked.

As the librarian entered the room, she saw a pink earth pony stirring the contents of a mixing bowl quite aggressively.

"Uh... Pinkie?" she asked. "Don't you think that's enough cupcakes?"

The earth pony looked around the kitchen. Every counter was covered in trays of cupcakes, some stacked atop one another. It was a sea of cupcakes.

"Um... I'm not sure."

The oven dinged.

"OO!!" she ran off to remove several more trays from the oven.

"Why is she taking over my kitchen?"

"Twilight?" Apple Bloom said, poking the librarian in the flank. "Is somethin' wrong?"

"You mean besides Pinkie staging a cupcake coup?"

"Yeah."

Twilight paused to collect her thoughts. "Sweetie Belle hates Spike."

"What!?" both earth ponies exclaimed.

"It's hard to explain, but basically I said something that got her to hate him. Turns out I was wrong."

Apple Bloom started rubbing her chin. "Well, I guess that means-"

"Rarity's already broken up with him, he just doesn't know it yet."

"What?" the filly asked out of genuine confusion.

"And then, there's Scootaloo. Where did that box come from?"

"She pulled it out of that bathroom about an hour ago," the young farmer explained.

"What?"

"Yeah, I don't know either."

Twilight was pensive. "That just raises more questions."

"What questions?"

"Well, when I moved it, I felt something, a strong magical protection field that I've never seen before. I don't even know how something like that is possible."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it's big."

Pinkie watched all this unfold in silence. She was sworn to secrecy. She couldn't tell them about the favour Scootaloo asked of her. She could only hope the young filly knew what she got herself into.

At top speed, Scootaloo could move faster than anything. Her endurance was incredible, and her reaction time was unparalleled.

No one could beat her... normally.

But hauling a depressed young dragon, and a giant box filled with who-knows-what, impaired her significantly.

"You alright back there, Spike?" she hollered behind her.

"Yeah!" he screamed, with very little enthusiasm.

Scootaloo wasn't sure where exactly they should go. She just chose a direction and went for it. All she knew was that she didn't want to cross paths with Sweetie Belle, just yet.

On a hunch, she made a beeline straight for the least populated part of town. It was on one of the roads in from Fillydelphia. Rolling past the houses and shops, with nothing but grassy fields before them, Scootaloo could only think one thing: hopefully, she'll be able to help.

Rarity knew her journey would be the easiest part of her mission, on multiple levels. Trotting across town would be trivial compared to her final objective: Convincing her sister to forgive and date her boyfriend.

Just thinking about it made her a bit nauseous.

She followed the path, barely noticing her surroundings, particularly the tree directly in front of her.

As she recovered from the impact, her head was in a daze. Tiny little pegasi danced around her.

"You alright?" came a familiar voice.

Rarity turned to see Rainbow Dash, sitting on the ground further up the path.

"Need a hoof?" she asked the unicorn.

She shook her head aggressively, as a spike of pain hit her like a brick. Feigning health, she responded, "I'm alright, Rainbow Dash. Thank you for your concern."

"Really? Because you look terrible."

Rarity's eyelids lowered. "Well, good morning to you too, Rainbow Dash."

She ignored the unicorn's sarcasm. "Also... I heard what happened."

"Yes, that... well, it was a bit unexpected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing," she said with a smile.

"Are you kidding!?" the weathermare asked, incredulously. "He cheated on you, Rarity! How is that not a 'bad thing'!?"

"What?" she responded.

The pegasus froze. "Please tell me you know about Spike."

"Oh, that. Yes, I know all about him and Sweetie Belle."

"Oh, thank Celestia," she exclaimed in relief. "But... weren't you two an item?"

She solemnly nodded, trying to avert her gaze.

Rainbow was perplexed. "Okay, so why are you not freaking out?"

"Ladies do not 'freak out,' Rainbow Dash. But yes, I was upset at first, however, easy come, easy go. We had a good run."

Her immediate shock quickly dissipated. "Yeah right, Rarity. I know you too well to believe it's that simple."

"Well, why couldn't it be so?" the unicorn explained. "Spike and I had our fun, now it is over, no harm done."

She trotted up to her friend. "You're lying. I don't know why, but you are."

"Rainbow, darling, I appreciate your concern. Really, I do. But there are other issues."

"Yeah, I bet Spike's upset this blew up in his face. Serves him right."

"Rainbow, none of this is his fault!"

The pegasus was taken aback. "What? Okay, now I'm really confused."

"Spike made a mistake, granted. But that does not mean he should not be forgiven."

"Oh, really? Did you forgive him?"

The unicorn nodded curtly. "Yes I did," she said.

"I thought you said you broke up with him."

"I feel like we are going in circles." Rarity held up a hoof. "Listen, Rainbow Dash, I did forgive Spike, but that does not mean I can stay with him. I cannot. I do love him, more than anything, but that is exactly why I cannot be with him."

The weathermare started getting dizzy. "Stop trying to hurt my brain. I get enough of that from Twilight."

Rarity scanned the area for potential eavesdroppers before continuing. "He does not love me, therefore, I cannot stay with him."

"Yeah, still confused," she responded.

"He loves my sister, not me."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Wha-How do you know that?"

"It is not important, Rainbow Dash. Now, I assume it was Sweetie Belle who informed you of the situation."

She nodded.

"Very well, I must speak with her."

"Uh... I don't know about that, Rarity. She's pretty broken up."

"Rainbow Dash, I demand you allow me to speak with my sister."

"No."

"Really? I thought that would work."

"Why?"

She shrugged.

The speedy scooter flew across the plains. The wind tore through Scootaloo's tousled mane. Her dress whipped steadily in her wake.

But in the trailing wagon, Spike could barely be asked to care. He lost all that he cared about, and would likely never get it back.

He knew Scootaloo meant well, but he doubted her optimism. It was unlikely this day would be different from any other. He'd been trying to figure this stuff out for the past month, and nothing.

So they forgave him. That did not mean they would stay with him.

The scooter slowed to a stop. Spike took in his surroundings, and recognised the place immediately.

Fluttershy's cottage.

"Why are we here?" he asked.

"Oh, I figure this is as good a place as any! Hey, Fluttershy!" she cried, waving a hoof in the air.

Sure enough, Spike finally noticed that the yellow mare was standing in front of her home. Next to her was a tiny rabbit, who stared at the dragon, making him very uncomfortable.

Angel did not look very friendly this day, with one arm at his hip, the other holding a carrot, and his eyes holding an apathetic glare. And because of Spike's own insecurities, he assumed the rabbit was silently judging him.

Bit egotistical, to be sure.

"You coming?" Scootaloo asked. She turned back around, and trotted toward the home.

Spike took a few seconds, before resigning himself to his fate.

"Scootaloo," Fluttershy said, greeting the young pegasus. "I didn't know you were supposed to be back in Ponyville this soon."

"I'm not."

"Oh," the mare replied, slightly confused. "Um... okay."

"Yeah, decided to come back early. I really missed this place," the filly explained. "And I thought I'd come over... say 'hi.'"

"Oh, that's nice."

"I know! Also, I... we're friends right, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, of course we're friends, Scootaloo!"

"Great, because I was hoping you could help me out with two teeny-tiny favours."

The smile on her face answered the filly's question first. "Oh, certainly. What can I help you with?"

"Well, first of all. Spike's standing behind me, isn't he?"

She looked up, toward the scooter, and said, "Um... Yes?"

Scootaloo turned her head around, and noticed that Spike was only halfway between where she was standing, and her scooter.

"Move it!" she screamed.

The startled dragon suddenly decided to pick up his pace.

"Alright, first of all, Spike wants your opinion on a situation he's in the middle of."

"Really!?" Fluttershy exclaimed with visible excitement.

"No, I don't," he said.

"Spike!" Scootaloo said, chastising the young dragon. "Come on!"

"I don't wanna!"

"Oh," the caretaker responded.

Fluttershy always liked helping her friends in any way she could, at any opportunity. It's not that she couldn't say 'no,' it was that she enjoyed saying 'yes.'

It made her feel vital, important, a contributing member of the group. Sometimes, she couldn't help, and that always pained her. But she always tried, and often, that was enough.

And now, Spike needed her help. And he was rejecting it.

Her heart fell.

"That's okay, you don't have to tell me. It's fine."

Something about her tone, and demeanor, touched something in Spike. He suddenly felt several times worse than he did just a few minutes ago.

The dragon sighed. "Actually, I could probably use another point of view."

She suddenly perked up. "Oh, that's great. What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath in... and out. "About a month ago, me and Rarity started dating," he explained.

"R-really?"

"Yeah, then a couple days later... Sweetie Belle and I started dating, and today they just found out, and it's been eating at me this entire time, and I still don't know what to do."

He looked up to see a shocked yellow mare. Her eyes bugged out and her face contorted.

"What?" She responded.

Suddenly, a small white paw bonked Spike on the head, causing him to collapse on the ground.

The library floor was not the most comfortable location available to Twilight, but since she didn't have the initiative to actually move, it would have to do.

"This is my fault," she said to the ceiling.

To her right, an upside-down Apple Bloom responded. "No, it's Spike's."

The unicorn didn't reply.

Hoofsteps resonated.

"Would a dozen cupcakes cheer you up?" came an abnormally cheerful voice.

"Pinkie, shouldn't you be at work?" Twilight asked.

"But if I go there, I won't be here, and when everypony gets back, I won't see them live happily ever after!"

The unicorn didn't respond.

"You're right, Twilight," Apple Bloom said, getting back to her hooves. "I'm goin' back to Sugarcube Corner." She trotted to the front door. "I'm sure somepony will tell me everythin' when it's all over."

Swinging the door open, the young filly was shocked to see somepony standing there, preparing to knock. She was even more shocked to recognize her.

"Applejack?"

The mare looked down at her younger sister, anger slowly brewing. "Apple Bloom... what were you thinkin'!?"

"What?"

Sweetie Belle stared at her mug of formerly-hot chocolate.

It went cold a long time ago. And as she sat in front of it, alone with her thoughts, she couldn't be asked to care.

Hoofsteps echoed from the other side of the room. She didn't respond, or even move.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," Rainbow asked. "How're you feelin'?"

She didn't respond.

"You have a visitor."

Visitor?

Sweetie Belle slowly began to look up. Before her, on the other side of the room, stood her older sister, disheveled and depressed.

Rarity didn't even bother to plaster a fake smile on her face. Her makeup was non-existent. The fact that she cared so little angered Sweetie Belle. And she didn't try to hide it.

As the unicorn looked across the table, at her younger sister. She knew this would not be easy. It would be the hardest thing she ever had to do. Her first step was convincing Rainbow to let her through. Now, she had to get the filly to agree to listen.

Rarity slowly tried to avert her gaze, as Sweetie Belle tried to drill holes through the mare with hers.

"I'll just... be in the next room," Rainbow said, trotting away.

The two unicorns were left alone.

The silence was deafening.

They stood there, for what felt like hours, until the crucial question was asked. "What do you want?" the filly said, her voice thick with anger. "Are you here to gloat?"

Rarity felt a dagger drive itself through her heart. "No, I... I came to apologize."

Her anger quickly dissipated. "What?" she asked. "What for!?"

Rarity finally looked up, at her little sister. "I wanted to apologize for... getting between you and Spike."

"What?"

Spike sat on the large sofa in Fluttershy's cottage, claws folded in his lap.

Scootaloo was beside him, leaning against the cushioned arm, eyes drooping.

Fluttershy was opposite the two, slowly sipping her cup of tea.

"And today they found out," he explained. "And I'm completely lost, I have no idea what to do."

She kept sipping her tea.

"Got anything?" the young pegasus asked. "Anything at all?"

She gently placed the cup on the saucer in her hoof, and said, "Um... I don't know."

"Alright, see?" Spike said, jumping off the couch. "It's over, let's go!"

Scootaloo grabbed the dragon's arm before he got too far. "Come on, Fluttershy! You're smart, you know both of them pretty well. You gotta have something!"

She placed the cup on the table. "Um... well, have you thought about dating both of them?"

Spike froze. Then... slowly... he began to shudder. "No, I... I can't."

"Oh... but... why not?"

He turned around to face her. His mouth started to wobble as if he were speaking, but the words did not come out. Eventually, he did say something. "No, just no."

"Oh..." the mare responded, suddenly looking dejected. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I don't want..." He froze suddenly. "Just... no."

"Oh, okay..."

"Something wrong, Fluttershy?" Scootaloo asked.

"No, um... well... I'm just surprised it all happened so quickly."

"It was several weeks after the wedding!"

"I know, but... I was hoping that... um..."

The young pegasus could see the mare shuffling her hooves, as her face started to redden. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "That's why you suggested he date both of them."

The red began to deepen, as Fluttershy started to smile and cower.

The gears in Spike's head began to turn. "What? I don't..." he said, before everything snapped into place. Staring at Fluttershy, he asked, "Do you...?"

She nodded, coyly.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" he screamed, quickly bolting out the window, shattering the glass in his wake.

A surprised Scootaloo turned back to her friend, whose face was a mixture of shock, horror, and sadness.

Fluttershy's eyes started to water.

"I don't think he meant what you think he did."

She started bawling.

"What exactly was on your mind, when you decided to lie to your best friend!?" Applejack exclaimed, encroaching on the young filly.

"I... I didn't lie!" Apple Bloom responded.

"Of course you lied! You should have told her what Spike was doin' a long time ago!"

"But... but..."

"Applejack," Twilight said from across the room.

"And you!" the farmer responded with an accusatory hoof. "What were you thinkin' letting him continue this malarkey!?"

"I was thinking that Spike would resolve this on his own!" she exclaimed, causing her friend to take a step back.

"Applejack!" Pinkie screamed, getting between the two ponies. "Twilight was only trying to help!"

She scoffed. "Some help! And as for you, you're just as bad as Apple Bloom!"

"HEY!" came a scream from across the room.

"I was trying to help Spike!" the party planner replied.

"You should have been trying to help Rarity! Some friend you are."

Pinkie's heart broke. Her mane collapsed. She fell apart. Her eyes burst.

Between sobs, she responded. "You're right! I'm a terrible friend!"

Taken aback by the sudden reaction, Applejack felt horrible for what she said. "Aw, come on, Pinkie. It's not that bad. You... thought you were doin' the right thing."

"No," Twilight interjected. "We were doing the right thing. And on that, how do you even know what happened?"

"Why? You don't like that I found out?"

"Applejack..."

She hesitated for a brief second, before saying, "Sweetie Belle told me."

Pinkie's eyes dried up in an instant as she zoomed over to her friend. "What!? Where!?"

"She's at the farm! Why? What difference does it make?"

"Pinkie, it's alright," Twilight responded.

"What?" Applejack asked.

"We need to convince Sweetie Belle to forgive him."

"Why?"

"Because he loves her, and he made a stupid mistake because he's in love. And it's not all about Spike, it's about everypony. I don't want to see my friends hate each other, and I don't want to see them live in regret. And it's my fault she's angry, and it's my fault it didn't get resolved sooner."

"Twilight!" Apple Bloom interjected.

The unicorn held up a hoof. "It is. I should have made him decide a long time ago, but I was too timid to do it. And if they don't get back together, they'll just become bitter and spiteful. I don't want to see that."

Suddenly, Applejack's desire for justice was squashed. There were many things more important than justice. And the happiness of her friends and family were foremost among them.

She looked at the ponies around her, and sighed. "Dangit."

"If I knew you had feelings for Spike... well, this would not have happened."

Sweetie Belle was confused. "Wha... what do you mean?" she asked.

Rarity paused for a moment. "We... never talk anymore," she said, melancholically. "We haven't seen each other in over a month. And I am sorry."

She scratched the back of her head. "I've just been... busy."

"I was not, I actually chose Spike over you, and I should not have done that."

The filly bowed her head in sadness.

"Sweetie Belle?"

With a sniff, she replied, "he's a jerk!"

Rarity had her work cut out for her. "He made a mistake, there isn't any need to be angry over this."

"Why can't you just leave me alone, and go be with your boyfriend?"

Her sister's semi-mocking tone cut the designer deep. "Sweetie Belle..." she said, as her eyes began to water.

"I'll never have anything nice, because you'll always take it from me."

Scootaloo's scooter scooted along the path, as its driver kept her eyes open for any sign of the purple dragon.

Suddenly, to her left, she spotted something. She slowly turned off the road, directly toward a small hill, topped by a familiar form.

Spike didn't move a muscle as she approached and dismounted the vehicle. He was staring off into the distance, the sun at his back, high in the sky.

"You alright, guy?" the pegasus asked.

He shifted slightly, and quickly glanced in Scootaloo's direction. "I'm fine, I was just... scared."

She took a seat next to him. "Sorry, I didn't expect that."

"She's not angry at me, is she?"

"I don't think so."

In the distance, a flock of birds flew across the horizon.

"What was that anyway?" She asked, with genuine curiosity.

Spike turned to look at the young pegasus. "What?"

"Why'd you freak out like that?"

"I... I don't know---I was scared."

"I know, but why? And why are you so against the idea of dating both of them?"

He suddenly began to curl up in a ball, as tears ran down his face.

"Hey, Spike," she said, grabbing the dragon in a hug. "It's alright, you don't have to tell me."

He wiped a tear away, and replied, "No, it's alright. It's... um... remember my last birthday?"

She let go of him, and got a bit pensive. "Yeah, when you grew fifty feet and tried to steal everything in town?" she said with a smile.

Spike didn't smile.

"Hey, it's alright, you weren't yourself."

"I know, it's just... I don't want that to happen again," the dragon explained. "It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I lost control. I don't want to lose control again."

Scootaloo thought for a second. "Well, romance is a bit different. You don't own them."

"I know, it's just..." Tears started to flow. "I don't want to take the risk, and... it sorta feels like... they're mine, and I don't... I don't want to lose control again, and take every mare in town."

She smiled and said, "Well, that makes perfect sense."

As his tears began to ebb, Spike turned his head around, and looked at his friend's transport. "Alright, what's in the box? This is really bugging me."

She followed his gaze, and looked back. "You really want to know?" she asked coyly.

He nodded.

Scootaloo ran toward the big red box, without another word. Spike followed.

She quickly put a hoof to the clasp, and it clicked open. She flew the lid back, and they both stuck their heads inside.

"What the!?" Spike asked with genuine confusion.

Scootaloo's expression mirrored his. She reached inside and pulled out an object Spike had seen a few times before. They were sold primarily by the buffalos out west.

Made from a single tree branch, bent in the shape of a circle, and tied together with a series of small ropes in an intricate pattern.

A simple dreamcatcher, no bigger than her head. So why the huge box?

"Oh!" the filly exclaimed. "I hate her."

"A dreamcatcher?"

"It's like a cruel practical joke!" she mused.

"Why a dreamcatcher?"

"It's not a dreamcatcher, it just looks like one."

"Huh?" he asked, with genuine confusion.

She paused for a second to collect her thoughts. "You wanna know how my trip went?"

"No, I would never do that!" Rarity exclaimed in shock.

"But you did! You did!" Sweetie Belle cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You took Spike away from me!"

In her heart, Rarity felt the same way. Her sister took away the most precious thing in her life. But in her head, she knew it was not that simple.

Regardless, as she saw Sweetie Belle, torn up by the day's events, her heart broke. She had to end this.

"I didn't," Rarity replied.

"YES YOU DID!"

"He doesn't love me."

Her sobbing ebbed. "What?"

"Sweetie Belle, I know Spike too well. I saw him. He spoke about you, about us, and... I could see it in his eyes. He doesn't love me. Not as much as he loves you."

The filly shook her head. "You---you're just saying that," she said, wiping the tears away.

"No, I'm not," she replied, as a single tear rolled down her face.

Sweetie Belle's heart began to sink just a bit more, and her head fell in time.

"He loves you," Rarity explained. "But he is young, as are you, and he was confused. He did not know what love truly was, so he had an error in judgement. But he never betrayed you. I know that for certain. And I think you should forgive him."

Sweetie Belle raised her head.

Spike and Scootaloo looked over the horizon. The clouds flowed past the city. The wildlife chirped and scurried around them.

But Spike didn't notice any of that. All he noticed was the dreamcatcher that sat on the grass. "So, this is...?"

"Yeah."

He bowed his head. "And that means...?"

"Mmmmhmmm."

"And I thought I had a bad day."

Scootaloo burst into laughter. "Oh, it's not so bad," she explained. "I mean, somepony has to do it. And in my hooves, you don't have to worry about a thing."

Spike looked at the filly with skepticism. "Well, if you need any help..."

She smiled, and said, "Thanks."

The two looked out over the horizon, and let their thoughts brew.

"So, your problems don't seem so big now, do they?" she asked.

"I guess not."

"You know."

He turned his head. "What?"

"You know exactly who you want to be with. Deep down, you just have to tell the rest of your brain."

Spike scoffed, "and how exactly do I do that?"

She turned to face the young dragon. "Okay, one question, who do you love more?"

The dragon rolled his eyes, this was a question he'd heard many times before. "I don't know."

Scootaloo thought it through. "Who do you enjoy spending time with?"

"I don't know!" he replied, slightly annoyed.

"Well, talk it out," she explained, with a wave of her hoof.

He sighed, and explained. "They're both fun to be around. Rarity and I have had dinner together, gone dancing, and I loved it. Me and Sweetie Belle, we go out on picnics, walk in the forest, have tea together..." with a smile, he shrugged in defeat. "I really don't know."

The next question was crucial. So Scootaloo thought it through carefully. It needed to be expertly worded to get Spike to reach the conclusion that he needed to reach.

"Why?" she asked.

"What?" he responded in confusion.

"Why do you love them?"

He didn't quite understand the question, and the filly could tell.

"Let's start with Sweetie Belle, why exactly do you love her? What about Sweetie Belle do you love?"

Spike paused for several seconds to organize his thoughts. Eventually, he came up with an answer. "Well, she's kind, beautiful, patient. She's a great singer. And that thing her voice does when she gets excited."

The two of them laughed together.

"She's tenacious, intelligent, a fast learner, it's inspiring. She's adorable, fun and... she loves me."

The smile on Scootaloo's face faded slightly. "And what about Rarity?"

"Rarity? Oh, well, she's beautiful, she... um... she's been... no, that's not... uh... she's pretty smart, but... that's not really why... um... she has that dramatic streak, which is funny sometimes, but... well... um... OH! She's creative... about things I don't care about... uh..."

His eyes widened.

His heart raced.

His breathing stopped.

"Oh... oh no..." Spike said. "Darn."

Scootaloo smiled.

Author's Note

The author would like to personally thank Periphery for all his help in preparing this chapter for publication.

Chapter One - Night

Act One: Attraction

There comes a time in every young dragon's life, when thoughts turn to love. Within dragon society this time is full of celebration and joy, as they find their first mate and, in some cases, settle down for a lifetime of happiness. Conflict in this department, while common, is quickly quashed among them, as one of the core tenants of dragon society is to save your strength for the real fights. Time and energy is too precious to waste on lover's quarrels. Rules clearly set out how to resolve romantic disputes. Unfortunately, for one dragon, these rules are an unknown, a complete mystery. Which is a real pity for him, because this week, if anyone would need those rules, it's him.

The sun was just beginning to set in Ponyville, as a young purple dragon named Spike was getting ready for a major event in his life: His first date. He applied a bit of cologne he got the day before, not too much, he didn't want to smell like a rose garden; wore a simple red bow tie and dinner jacket, after all, it wasn't supposed to be too formal; and for his date, a simple, purple rose. He was looking forward to this since he first asked the mare out just a few days ago.

It was a sunny day in Ponyville, as Spike was helping a purple maned, white unicorn named Rarity in her dress shoppe: Carousel Boutique. She had elegance and poise, and Spike was quite in love with her.

In the middle of the Boutique, a young, orange pegasus was sitting grumpily on a dais. Her name was Scootaloo and she was getting ready for a trip to Neighton with her family. Which meant she needed a dress that she could look good in, for all the fancy parties her parents would inevitably drag her to.

Rarity was busy tailoring a dark purple dress onto her. One that was actually worn by Scootaloo's mother a long time ago, but was in really good condition and best of all, was the right colour to bring out her eyes.

"Hmmm," said Rarity. She looked at her subject. Something was missing... "Ribbon!" She declared.

Spike was working as her assistant that day, helping her out in any way he could. He rushed over with a basket of ribbons.

Rarity looked through, horn glowing, trying to find one that matched the colour of the dress. A purple ribbon eventually emerged, encased in a blue glow, she tied it around the filly's waist, making sure to get under her folded wings.

It was at this moment Spike noticed something: Scootaloo's eyes were closed. It looked like she was sleeping. On her feet. He didn't think anything like that ever happened, ponies falling asleep on their feet, but it gave him a great opportunity. All day he was looking for the words to say, and as time went on, he got more and more nervous. But now they had privacy...somewhat. He wasn't going to get a better opportunity.

So, as Rarity was tying a bow onto Scootaloo's back. Spike began talking.

"So, um...Rarity..." Spike asked.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Well, um...I was wondering...if..."

Rarity was done with the bow and was moving to the hem at the bottom of the dress which glowed under Rarity's magic, as she kneeled down to get a better look. "Could you get me that pin cushion on the bench there?"

Spike ceased talking and ran over to the bench to get the pin cushion. He used the time to think what his next words would be.

When he arrived back at the dais, the cushion was suddenly encased in a blue glow, which then levitated over to Rarity. As she took a pin out and stabbed the bottom of the dress with it: "You were saying?" She asked.

"Oh! Um..." It was too late to turn back now. He decided at that moment to just come out with it: "If you're not busy this Saturday..."

"Uh huh."

"I was wondering if you were free for dinner...just the two of us."

The dress was stabbed one more time. Rarity's eyes went wide. The cushion dropped as her magic died down.

"Oh," she said, "um," she continued. She got to her hooves before continuing, "well, Spike, I didn't have plans that day, but..."

Spike knew what was coming. But he knew that if she was going to reject him, at least she wouldn't be mean about it.

"...well...that is to say..."

Now she was stalling. He lowered his eyelids in exasperation.

"...um...well...where exactly-"

"Oh, for the love of Luna," turns out Scootaloo was merely resting her eyes. "It's a yes or no question, just answer him already," she said in a tired, deadpan voice, eyes still closed.

Rarity looked at Scootaloo, then back at Spike, who was still looking at Scootaloo, and was startled when he saw her looking at him.

"...yes," she finally responded with a smile.

"Great, I know this little Kitalian place on the edge of town, I hear it's nice."

"Sounds lovely."

It would be. Spike knew that.

He grabbed the rose and proceeded straight down the stairs leading from the main living quarters he shared with his boss: a purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. They both ran, and lived in, the Ponyville Library which was built into a very large tree in the middle of town.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say Spike ran the library, and Twilight wasted time studying random things or hanging out with her friends. Not that Spike was resentful or anything.

As Spike headed down the stairs he noticed his boss. There she was, in the middle of the library, reading one book while surrounded by piles and piles of other books. It was as if she was trying to learn by osmosis.

"Twilight," Spike said, "I'm going out."

"Yeah, yeah," she responded, fully immersed in the text.

He walked out the door, the sun had already set, and the night air chilled him just a bit. Immediately after he closed the door, he could hear Twilight behind it go, "Hey Spike, murmur murmur sandwich."

She didn't even notice he left. He walked away from the door in the direction of Carousel Boutique. He was a few feet away when he could hear the door open behind him.

"Spike!" he heard Twilight scream behind him.

He turned around. "Yes, Twilight?"

She hesitated for a second. "Have a good time," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, I will." He waved as he started to walk away, "I'll see you later, Twilight."

"Goodnight!" She said.

A purple glow encompassed the door as she closed it behind her. Tears were in the unicorn's eyes, her little Spike was growing up.

Carousel Boutique wasn't what one would call a large store-front, but it was spacious enough to accommodate several customers at once. Along the walls were ponikins adorned with all sorts of wonderful creations. Rarity showcased some of her best work here, as well as examples of her made-to-order dresses, where customers would give general requests, and she would design something around it.

Right now, all that space was getting well used, despite the 'Closed' sign hanging in the door. For you see, Rarity could have worn a hole in the floor with her pacing.

It wasn't like this was Rarity's first date. She's had experience with colts before, but this was different. She's never had a 'first date' with someone she knew so well before.

She thought back to why she agreed to this in the first place. She certainly didn't feel the same way for Spike that he felt for her. But he was a sweetheart, and he deserved a change to impress her, if nothing else. She had little to nothing to lose, so she agreed.

Of course Spike and Rarity did spend time together in the past, but the context was different this time. Which could be all that's needed to change her feelings for him. At least she hoped, because if she didn't feel anything more by the end of the evening, there wouldn't be a second date. That was probably her biggest fear. How could she turn him down romantically while keeping his friendship?

Her wardrobe this evening was simple: A white dress, ruby earrings, and baby blue slippers. It was perfect, but the truth was, she could have worn nothing and Spike would have been impressed. In fact, that was how they met. She didn't have to put much effort into her appearance, but she felt like she needed to. Partially because of her personal reputation, and because this was supposed to be a real date, where one is supposed to put some extra effort in any way.

Three raps on the front door brought her out of her trance.

She walked across the room, and magically opened the door. Standing in the doorway, was a young purple dragon wearing a bow tie and dinner jacket, and holding a simple, purple rose.

"For you milady," said Spike, holding out the rose.

Rarity took the rose and said, "Oh, Spike, it's beautiful." She then sniffed it, before biting off a single petal and eating it. "...and delicious."

Spike chuckled at that and said, "I guess we should head to dinner."

"Yes, let's," Rarity closed her shop's door and trotted next to Spike. The two began walking down the boulevard. It was a peaceful night, the sky was clear, the moon was shining bright, and Rarity kept thinking that this was the perfect night, they couldn't have picked a better one. Perhaps Spike bribed Rainbow Dash, the chief weathermare, to clear the sky specifically for them. If he did, that would certainly be impressive, but she doubted it.

"So," Spike asked, "how's business?" He wasn't sure if it was proper date-talk, but he had to say something. The silence was killing him.

"Oh, it's going fabulously," if she thought it was uncouth, she didn't show it. "I just got a big order from Modern Aesthetic in Canterlot. They've been very anxious to display my work in their store."

Canterlot, Spike's home town, he began to think. "Modern Aesthetic? That's a pretty classy shop."

"I know, so many ponies will see my work, it's a grand opportunity."

So far so good. At least she seemed happy.

"But enough about me Spike, how have you been?"

"Things have been going good, they've...been good," he couldn't think of what to say, after all, it was such a general question. They haven't even gotten to the restaurant yet, and already he was blowing it. At least, that's what Spike thought.

Rarity just smiled, she began trying to think of a more specific question, perhaps she could ask about one of his hobbies....unfortunately, Rarity didn't know what they were, and she was too ashamed to ask.

Thankfully, at that moment, they turned a corner, and saw the restaurant before them. The sign at the front of the large wooden building was clearly labelled: Cappelletti's.

It didn't seem busy at all, which certainly made Spike happy. They could have a quiet dinner with no interruptions. At least, he hoped.

As Spike was munching on the bread that came before the meal, he wished something would interrupt his date. Perhaps a kitchen fire, or maybe someone would try to rob the place, and he could defend Rarity from some evil...anything. Then again, who would rob a restaurant?

He noticed Rarity ate another petal from the rose, and an idea sparked in his head.

"So, you really like that rose huh?"

Rarity was a bit embarrassed, she was in this fancy restaurant and was munching on a rose Spike gave her. He probably didn't appreciate it that much. That would be like Rarity giving him a gem and him gobbling it up. Actually, she remembered he did do just that a few times. Then again, she did give it to him for that purpose. Was that why Spike gave her the rose? Knowing she would eat it?

"Of course Spike, it's delicious," Rarity said. "Where did you get it."

"Oh, from the flower box outside my window," he replied. "That was one of my favourites, always gave that bush a bit of extra attention, I always thought it was the perfect colour"

"Really?" She was more embarrassed now. She was eating his favourite rose.

"Yeah, that's why I grabbed that one, I figured somepony should appreciate it before the season ended."

"I...see," so...it was going to die soon, and he had no pony else to give it to?

"I would have given it to Twilight, but she wouldn't even eat it, she would just swallow it like she's starving...and she most certainly isn't."

"Spike!" Rarity was aghast, "That's not a nice thing to say." But she was smiling, in fact she was chuckling just a bit. Twilight wasn't exactly the lightest of her friends, everyone knew it. Partially because she stayed at home most of the time, studying. So it wasn't a lie, but it was still mean, but it was also hilarious.

"You're right," Spike said. "I'm sorry."

Rarity giggled softly, which caused Spike to smile.

Just then the waiter came with their dishes.

"For the gentleman, the Fettuccine Alfredo, with Larkspur, Chrysanthemum and Sapphire," Spike's large pasta dish was lowered onto the table within an orange glow. Normally they didn't serve dishes with gemstones, so Spike was glad he called ahead.

"...and for the mare, the Mushroom Steak and Aster Soup," her dish was also lowered to the table.

As Spike's empty glass was taken by the waiter, he interrupted him, "Could I have another?"

"Yes, sir."

"...and Rarity?" Spike pointed to her nearly empty glass. At the bottom was a small amount of amber liquid. They had quite a bit to drink. But at least they weren't tipsy yet.

Rarity levitated the glass to her, finished the drink, and moved it towards the waiter, who grabbed it from her as she said, "another, please."

"Very well," He walked away with the glasses.

The two started eating, and as Rarity levitated a spoonful of soup, she realized something. "You enjoy gardening?" she asked.

Spike slurped up a noodle as he looked back at Rarity, and smiled.

Spike and Rarity were walking back to the Boutique which served as her home. It was much quieter now, but this time, Spike didn't mind. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was a peaceful silence. A silence that came from the fact that they didn't need to say anything. It was such a beautiful night anyway. No words needed to be said.

As the two approached the Boutique, Rarity turned to her date. "I had a lovely time tonight, Spike," she said.

"So did I," Spike replied. He wasn't sure if it was the best response, but it was true. "Perhaps we can do this again?"

Rarity didn't hesitate in responding. "Definitely, next week?"

Spike wasn't expecting such a definite response, but he rolled with it. "I'll clear my schedule," he said with a smile.

"Fantastic," she said. "Goodnight Spike," she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then proceeded into the Boutique.

Once within, Rarity could hardly contain her joy. A mile-wide smile appeared on her face, as she lied down on the floor. She began kicking at the air, laughing! She was smitten!

As the door closed, Spike walked away. Correction, he did not walk away, after all there was only one thing to do at a moment like this: Strut.

He flipped up his collar and strode down the street with purpose, as a funky guitar riff played in his head.

This might have been the best night of his life, he managed to win the heart of Rarity, the mare he's loved for the past two years. That would make any dragon hard...metaphorically.

He proceeded down the boulevard towards his home...and walked straight past it. He was too psyched to go to bed just yet, and he knew the moment he got home, Twilight would insist he went straight to sleep, but that simply wasn't happening. So, he continued walking. He had no real destination in mind, he just kept walking.

Eventually, he found himself in Ponyville Park, just on the outside of town. It was very late this night, which meant everything was quite peaceful.

"DAMN IT!"

Well...almost peaceful. Spike turned to look at the source of the high-pitched voice. There was a small grouping of bushes to his left, he saw a strange pink glow coming from the bushes, which quickly died down.

"ARGHHH!"

He decided to go investigate. As he peeked through the bushes, he could see a young, white unicorn, sitting on the ground, with a rock in front of her. She closed her eyes and concentrated, her horn glowed pink, and so did the stone. The stone shook just a bit, the unicorn opened one of her eyes slightly to look at her progress, all it did was shake...and shake...and shake. Then the shaking ended just as quickly as it started. The glow dissipated and the unicorn began panting, from loss of energy.

"Oh, this'll never work," she said, exhausted.

"Didn't look too bad," Spike said, parting the bushes and stepping forward.

"GAH!" the unicorn was startled. She wasn't expecting an audience.

"All you need is practice," he said, his voice dripping with confidence. "Need some help?"

Chapter Ten - Infinitum

Spike sat on the library's front stoop, his chin was in his claws as he stared at the streets before him. Ponies of all colours passed him by, none paying him much attention.

His gaze moved to the sky above as several pegasi flew by, some moving clouds around, others doing backflips and tricks, while others were simply passing through.

He turned his gaze to the ground, and felt his head get heavier. He bent forward, burying his face in his arms.

His mind wandered. He thought about Sweetie Belle, Rarity, and the pain he will eventually put them through. It tore the dragon's soul apart.

"Spike?" A small, accented voice came from behind him.

He turned around, and saw young Apple Bloom, very confused and concerned. "Apple Bloom," he said.

She sat down next to the dragon, and just looked at the crowds before them. "Sooooo...whatchya thinkin'?"

He turned to look at her. "What do you think?" he said, before burying his face again.

"You really have no idea who you want?"

"No," came his muffled reply. He turned his neck to face her, still resting his head. "One of them is going to get hurt, and they're both gonna hate me for lying."

"No they won't!"

"Yes they will!" he yelled, throwing his claws up in the air.

Several heads turned his way, as he dropped his arms and lowered his voice. "I lied to them Apple Bloom. Why wouldn't they hate me?"

"Because they love you."

He stared at her for several seconds. "Maybe...I hope."

"They do."

He returned to hiding. "And I love them, so why am I doing this?"

"Because you're stupid."

He looked up and said, "Thanks."

Apple Bloom giggled a bit, and paused for thought. "You really don't want to date both of 'em?" she asked.

He sat up straight and said, "Of course not! Even if they're okay with it I...I just don't want to."

"Why not?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, but...there have been times, when I was with Sweetie Belle, and my thoughts drifted to Rarity, and there have been times when I'm with Rarity, and I thought about Sweetie Belle, and every time I...I felt a bit sick. It just doesn't feel right."

"Twilight said she thinks dragons are naturally monogamous."

He looked her dead in the eyes and said, "Really?" He buried his head in his claws and with a groan said, "She only knows one dragon, why would she say that?"

Apple Bloom shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe she's right, but...I don't know."

"Well, you don't act like other dragons anyway. So probably not."

He laughed. "What am I going to do?" he asked, his voice somber.

Apple Bloom put a hoof on his shoulder, and Spike turned to look at the young filly. "You'll figure this out, and I'll help ya," she said with a smile.

The dragon smiled back.

"Alright, who do you have more fun with?"

"I don't know."

She paused. "Okay, who do you enjoy spending time with more?"

"I don't know."

Apple Bloom was growing frustrated. "Okay, when you think about them, which one makes you happy more!?"

"I don't know."

"How could you not know!?" she screamed, again, attracting unnecessary attention. She continued quietly. "You're the only one who knows."

"I don't know, I...it's about even," he said, holding out his claws to demonstrate.

Apple Bloom sighed. "I thought this would be easier."

The workroom at Carousel Boutique sparkled with magic. Ribbons and gemstones flew around in a blue haze. Rolls of fabric crisscrossed the room, and in the middle of all of it, a shining unicorn was spinning around, humming a joyous tune.

Next to the mare, sat a bare dress form. Rarity danced around the figure as it was wrapped in red fabric. Scissors flew by and snipped the cloth off it's roll.

As a needle and thread flew in to stitch it all together, a pink earth pony hopped in with spirit and enthusiasm.

"Hey Rarity!" She beamed.

"Oh Pinkie, darling," she replied. "How can I be of service?"

The young mare didn't answer. Her eyes spinning around, trying to keep track of the flying objects.

"Pinkie?" The movement ceased as Rarity tried again. "Pinkie!"

"OH! Hi Rarity!" She screamed. "You're in a good mood."

"Oh, yes," the unicorn said, allowing the items to settle in designated areas. "I had an excellent day."

"OOO! Do tell!"

"Well, last night, I was so worried about me and Spike. Things have not been going well, he seemed...distant, for a few days. Last night we had dinner, talked a lot, and it felt right, like it always does. So after he walked me home, I asked him if he wanted to...spend the night."

"OOO!" Pinkie responded joyously as if she didn't know.

"But he said 'no.'"

"Oooo..." Pinkie responded sadly as if she didn't know.

"I thought it meant he didn't want to be with me, that it would represent the beginning of the end for us. But Apple Bloom came over, and said something that made me realize it was actually just the opposite."

"What did she say?"

"She said he didn't want us to move too quickly and sabotage the greatest thing in our lives."

Pinkie's eyes went wide. "Apple Bloom said that!?"

"Yes." She put a hoof to her chin. "I did not know she would be so knowledgeable on the subject of romance. You two have become close, has she had many lovers?"

"Uh...no, but she is a very pocopus little filly."

"Precocious."

"THAT!" the pink mare said with a mile-wide grin.

"Well, anyway, I just know now that things are going to go very well for me and Spike. Nothing can ruin it now."

Pinkie's smile faltered a tiny bit, as her best friend spun around in joy.

Sweet Apple Acres was a very large orchard. It was so big, hiding in it was not a problem. Much of the farm never saw any activity anymore, and other areas were used for very specific purposes that were not agricultural. One of these locations was near the edge closest to town. It contained a large treehouse, within which a young unicorn filly was lying on the floor, her mind wandering with presumptions and theories. She was so deep in, the hoofsteps climbing up the ramp did nothing to knock the filly out of her reverie.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," came the voice of her best friend. "You okay?" she asked, after coming to a halt in the middle of the room, slightly concerned.

"Fine..." she lied.

Apple Bloom trotted up to the unicorn and looked down on her. "Uh huh!" she exclaimed, skeptically. "What's going on?"

Sweetie Belle sat up and looked at the earth pony.

"Come on! I'm your best friend, you can tell me." Her voice was almost desperate.

"It's Spike...I think he's hiding something from me."

Apple Bloom's eyes went wide. "What?" she asked.

"I was at the library, and me and Spike were...kissing." She smiled as her face turned beet red. "And Pinkie showed up to give Spike some kind of recipe."

As the unicorn continued to talk, Apple Bloom got more and more nervous.

"They were in the kitchen and I sorta snuck up behind them. I didn't mean to listen, but...they said something about a decision, and me getting suspicious and..." her lower lip started trembling. The unicorn was genuinely worried. "Wha...what were they talking about?"

An internal struggle was battling itself in Apple Bloom's brain. There was a clear difference between hiding something from her friend, and outright lying. She couldn't tell Sweetie Belle the truth, but she didn't want to lie to her best friend either. "I don't know," she said.

The unicorn sighed as tears rolled down his face. "Why would he want to hide anything from me? I thought he...he loved me. What would he hide...?" As Sweetie Belle started to shake, worry taking over, she slowly collapsed on the floor.

The earth pony ran up to her friend, and embraced her. "It's okay, Sweetie Belle, I'm sure it's okay."

"How do you know?" she sniffed.

"Because...I just know. Spike's a good guy...he would never do anythin' to hurt you. I'm sure if he's hiding somethin' he'd tell you when he's ready."

"But why can't he tell me now!?"

"Be...because...he...maybe he loves ya so much, he doesn't want to scare you off."

She looked up at her friend. "What?"

"Yeah, maybe it's something like...he...um..." Apple Bloom's head started racing. "Maybe he has to leave town or something, and he wants to decide whether to stay, but doesn't want to scare ya."

"What?" Sweetie Belle's fear was palpable.

"I-I don't know, I'm just guessin', it could be anythin'!"

"O...okay..." Sweetie Belle got up on her hooves, as the earth pony released her.

"You okay?"

"I...I don't know. Are you sure everything will be alright?"

"I know he loves ya. Nothin' will change that!"

Sweetie Belle smiled and hugged her best friend. As Apple Bloom's face grew determined, only one thought entered her head: 'This needs to be fixed...now.'