One Sided Crush

by Arctofire

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Rarity, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Drama
Length: 14534

What happens when Spike's crush on Rarity goes too far?

Set in season two canon.

Nearly everyone knows that Spike has a crush on Rarity. Even if they haven't been told directly, the evidence isn't exactly hard to interpret.

But what happens when that crush goes to far.....?

A collaboration with Jarvy Jared.

Published 2015-07-05 19:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-07-12 06:59:33 UTC

Chapter One

Rarity yawned as she stretched her arms. She sat in her bed, looking out the bedroom window. A gentle smile came across her face.

“Another fabulous day,” she murmured, rising to get out of her red, queen sized bed. She briefly glanced up at the purple canopy overhead, before walking past the mannequins that stood at the side of the room.

She trotted over to the washroom, She hopped in the shower and began washing herself, before getting out and drying herself on her purple towel. She then got up and looked in the mirror. An alabaster unicorn with a purple mane stared back at her through slightly tired, blue eyes. Her mane was unkempt with the water and was still damp, so she levitated over her hairdryer and comb and began brushing and drying at the same time.

“What shall I do today?” she said to herself as she brushed and dried. “I have a line-up of dresses I have to work on. I’m going to need some materials, though.” She frowned in contemplation. “Do I have enough fabric for the gown? I certainly hope so; I’ll have to check.”

Her mane managed to curl back to its traditional pose, so she stopped. Placing the comb down and putting the hairdryer back onto it's shelf, she levitated over her makeup kit, and began blushing up her cheeks. “Hopefully I’ll be able to complete my orders by the end of the week,” she mumbled, eyes closed. “Celestia knows that I’d like to be free this weekend.” She smiled. “Maybe I’ll take Sweetie Belle out for a trip to Canterlot. Or maybe Fillydelphia. I don’t know.”

She stopped with the powder, and moved onto the mascara. She picked a sky-blue color, and proceeded to color her eyelids with it, squinting gently as the marker gently pressed against her eye. “Fancy Pants mentioned something about getting together for a luncheon one day. Perhaps I’ll send him a letter, asking about the details.” She smiled. “And would it really be so uncouth of me if I tried to advertise my business? I doubt it; Fancy would allow it, anyway!”

She quickly finished up with the mascara, moving onto the eyelash brush. Carefully, she groomed her eyebrows with the brush using her magic, wiping upwards so as to curl the lashes.

“There! All done!”

As she put the kit away, she glanced once more at the mirror. There stood Rarity, the loveliest and most graceful of all the unicorns! Not on par with the likes of Princess Celestia, of course, but certainly in a league above the rest!

She sighed. That image, while certainly endearing and lovable, had grown slightly tiresome. Partially due to the comments made by a certain dragon…

She shook her head. “Now’s not the time for that,” she said. She walked back out to her room, looking out the window.

Celestia’s sun shone down on her, warming her face and bringing a smile to her elegance. A few birds chirped a morning song to her, the bluejays and cardinals singing a small chorus. She hummed with them for a moment, eyes closed, listening as the song was carried with the wind. She guessed that it would soon travel down the rest of Ponyville, perhaps all the way to Sweet Apple Acres. I should count myself lucky, she thought. I get to hear first morning’s sweet song!

She opened her eyes once more, resting her gaze on the horizon. The tip of Luna’s moon could be seen falling behind a few hills. Her smile grew as she watched it wink at her before vanishing.

“It certainly is a beautiful morning,” she commented to herself.

“Not as beautiful as you, Lady Rarity.”

She screeched at the sudden voice, jumping up in. She turned, charging her horn at whoever had spoken.

“Spike!” she gasped, her magic dying away. “How did you get in here!”

Spike the baby dragon shrugged. “I walked through the front door.”

“It was locked!”

“And I unlocked it,” he responded, seemingly finding nothing wrong with his action. “What’s wrong, Rarity? You seem a bit frazzled.”

She took a moment to breathe in and out slowly. She managed to recover just enough to respond, “It’s nothing, Spike… just a case of nerves.”

“Oh! I know what’ll calm you down!” He raced downstairs before she could protest, returning moments later with a cup of some brown liquid. She assumed it was coffee.

“Thank you Spike,” she started, “but I don’t think I’ll be needing that—”

“Nonsense!” He quickly crossed the room, cup in hand. “It’ll calm you down for sure!”

“Spike, I—” She was cut off as the cup suddenly met her muzzle. Spike somehow managed to force her head back, making her swallow the liquid. She resisted the urge to grimace, as the “coffee” was cold and too sugary.

“Better?” Spike asked, oblivious to Rarity’s disgust.

“Er, yes,” she mumbled.

“Good! Now, come on downstairs; you’ve got to eat breakfast! I’ve prepared it myself!”

“Th-thanks, Spike,” Rarity murmured, not having the heart to tell her friend that she had planned on going to the Sugarcube corner for a muffin.

“It’s no problem, Lady Rarity!” Spike answered back cheerfully. “What stallion wouldn’t want to serve you, oh mistress of grace and wonder?”

The title made her pause with worry, but Spike didn’t notice, dragging her downstairs with him.

***

Breakfast was certainly more enjoyable than she expected. She finished up the last of a bagel that Spike had prepared, levitating over a napkin to wipe her mouth. She then wiped up the crumbs and tossed the napkin into the trash. She levitated the plate over to the sink, intending to wash it, but was stopped by Spike.

“Let me wash it, Rarity!” he implored.

“Spike, dear, it’s alright. I can do it—”

“And risk damaging your perfect complexion? No way, Rarity; let me do it!”

She was slightly miffed at this is. "Just because I insist on looking my best doesn’t mean I can’t do anything remotely gritty!" Sighing, she simply placed the plate in Spike’s hands. “... Alright. Fine.”

Spike happily nodded, grabbing a stool and bringing it over to the sink. He began washing the dishes, scrubbing away the grime and crumbs.

Rarity sighed. Sometimes Spike could be quite the handful. Sure, she appreciated his help, but she didn’t like it when he considered her unable to do the simplest of things. Maybe I should tell him. She shook her head, dismissing the thought. Now was neither the time nor place for such a confrontation.

“Oh Rarity, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind! Hey, Rarity!” Spike was singing.

Rarity lowered her head to the table. Great; now he’s singing that annoying song with my name instead of Mickey!

“Hey, Rarity! Come check this out!”

“What is it, Spike?”

“Just come over and look!”

She let out a huff, rising from her seat and walking back over to the sink.

Spike had morphed a set of soap bubbles into a crudely shaped heart. “Look! I made it for you!”

“That’s… great, Spike,” Rarity said, trying not to look annoyed.

Spike didn’t seem to notice her tone. “See? Even bubbles know you’re lovely!” He waved his hand around, morphing the bubbles into the shape of Rarity’s face.

She managed a small smile. “Well, look at that. You certainly have a talent with bubbles.”

He beamed. “I know! I learned how from a book I read last night!”

She started. “W-what do you mean?”

“I learned how to morph bubbles just to show you how much I care,” Spike answered cheerily.

She didn’t say anything to that, turning away and returning to her seat. Spike didn’t notice, going back to washing the dishes, humming a little tune.

Rarity’s skin crawled the more she thought about it. On one hoof, she thought it was somewhat flattering that Spike admired her so much. On the other hoof, though, it was creepy that Spike had practically broken into her home just to show her bubbles. The breakfast had only slightly toned down the creepiness, but now the bubbles left her with a feeling of dread in her heart.

Spike’s crush on Rarity was no surprise to anypony. Rarity herself knew of it the moment they had met. Out of respect for Twilight and the dragon, she had refrained from letting on that she knew, even though the crush could sometimes get a bit out of control.

Okay, maybe it got bothersome after a while, but that still didn’t mean that she should feel annoyed by it, right?

Right?

“Rarity?” Spike called.

“Oh!” She turned and forced a smile. “What is it, Spike?”

“I finished the dishes. Do you need help with anything else?”

“Uh, well…” Her voice trailed off as she looked away, thinking. “I-I suppose I could use some gems. But,” she added, turning back to him, “you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

“Aw, no problem, Rarity!” Spike answered, smiling. “It would be my pleasure to serve somepony as magnificent and beautiful as you!”

“Th-thanks,” she stuttered. He nodded, and walked out, whistling to himself.

Right as he left, Rarity placed her head between her hooves and groaned. Dear Celestia, what is this that I am feeling? All these chills going down my spine, all these feelings of discomfort; why am I feeling this way?

She had no answers. Rarity sighed, getting to her hooves. “I might as well get to work,” she murmured, hoping that staying busy would absolve her from her nervousness.

***

Rarity was working at one of the sewing machines she had in the Boutique. The gentle humming of the machine managed to push aside her thoughts on Spike’s crush, and she found herself losing herself in her work. She concentrated hard on the fabric, making sure that the dress would not be ruined.

“Rarity!”

Startled, she kicked back from the machine and turned—

Only to see Spike standing in the doorway.

“Spike!” she yelped. “Please, dear, at least try to knock before you shout my name like that!”

“Sorry, Rares,” he said sheepishly. Rarity’s widened at the sudden nickname. “Anyway, um, I got the gems you wanted!”

She managed to smile. “That’s nice, Spike—”

She cut herself off as Spike entered the Boutique, pulling behind him a rather large wagon. On it were two oak barrels. The load was evidently heavy, as Spike gasped and wheezed as he pulled the wagon in.

“Spike!” Rarity gasped. “Wh-what is this?”

“These,” Spike said, gesturing behind him, “are the gems you asked me to get!”

“B-but, Spike! Barrels?” She practically screeched the last word out, though Spike paid no attention to her shock.

“Yep!” he said proudly. “I got you all the gems I could find!” His eyes glossed over as he stared at her. “The loveliest, prettiest, most voluptuous—” At that, she gasped and blushed darkly; “—mare deserves more than a handful of gems!”

“T-that’s-well—” She couldn’t even find the words to thank or rebuff him.

He shook his head. “No need to thank me, Rarity. All in a day’s work!” He brushed himself off before turning to leave. “Now, if you excuse me, I have to go refill some holes!”

He left her staring in shock at the barrels. She fell to her haunches, sitting back in complete bewilderment.

I don’t even need a single barrel's worth of gems! What on Equestria am I going to do with this many jewels?!

And that word he used! Voluptuous! Surely he knows how uncouth that word is! How dare he say that to me—

She stopped. Oh, my dear Celestia… What have I gotten myself into?

She got to her hooves unsteadily, eyeing the wagon with distaste. She didn’t have the heart to throw the barrels aside. She sighed heavily, before using her magic to take hold of the wagon’s handle, pulling it to the storage room.

“Please let this be a one-time thing,” she prayed to nopony in particular.

Author's Note

Written by Jarvy Jared, and proofread by me.

I hope your enjoying the story so far.

Chapter Two

Rarity couldn’t quite comprehend the events that had happened that day. She felt truly outraged by Spike’s obsessive lust over her, as it was making her feel incredibly uncomfortable; yet she didn’t want to hurt the little drake’s feelings. After all, what he’d done for her that day had been kind and generous, even if it did make her feel uneasy, and she couldn’t scold him for doing such favors.

“Well…” she said to herself, “I suppose this ample supply of gems will make me not have to dig out anymore for a while.”

She walked over to the barrels and examined them, then looked out of her window to see Spike walking off into the distance.

Surely Twilight would know what he had done today and tell him to to take it easy on the crush.

She hoped.

***

It had been a couple of days since that little incident, and Rarity hoped very much that it wouldn’t happen again.

She was wrong.

She heard a knock on the door. She stopped sewing up part of her future line up of dresses inside her work room and trotted off to answer the door, hoping very much that it wasn’t Spike.

Of course it was Spike.

Well, that didn’t necessarily mean it would be a repeat of yesterday. Maybe Twilight had told him off and he’d come to apologize.

He hadn’t.

“Hello, most beautiful one,” said Spike, as he bowed to her on the porch.”Today, I have for you a very special gift.”

He showed her a huge bunch of bright red roses, and shoved them in her face, causing her to splutter at the sudden onslaught of red petals. She managed not to sneeze in surprise.

“I spent all of my pocket money on them, but of course it was worth it for you, my lady.”

Rarity resisted the urge to facehoof and start screaming, but she stayed calm. Maybe she could convince Spike to leave her alone without sounding rude.

“Oh…” she started to say, still completely bewildered and incredibly annoyed that Spike had come yet again, although she tried her absolute best to hide it. “That’s very nice of you, Spike.”

“I wouldn’t do anything worse for you, beautiful Rarity.”

Why wouldn’t he just stop!?

“Um… Spike, it’s incredibly nice of you to pop round, but.. surely you have other places to be, or stuff you’d rather be doing? Don’t worry about me... I think you’ve done enough around here.”

“Twilight doesn’t need anything doing,” Spike replied. “And there is nowhere I’d rather be than with than you, lovely Rarity.”

He then went and grabbed her hoof, and pecked it. Then he ran inside before Rarity could stop him, her being still disgusted and appalled with the kiss on the hoof. This was the first time the crush had got physical, and it was not a pleasant experience for her.

She followed after Spike, attempting to try and get him out of the house, but he was too quick. He went into the kitchen, got a jug, filled it up with water, put it onto the table, and put the roses into the jug. When Rarity caught up with him, he did a courteous bow, and forcibly lead her to the table, almost pushing her into a seat.

“Is there anything I can do for you today?” he asked, standing up like a gentlecolt.

Rarity felt absolutely furious, and was now resisting the urge to go up and smack him.

But then… maybe she wouldn’t be his friend anymore, maybe he’d start hating her. His crush was huge, and if she was direct with him, he would be completely heartbroken. She didn’t want to think of how the dragon would react if she told him her true feelings; so, despite being incredibly appalled by his obsessive behavior, she stayed put.

However, she needed to find a way to get him out of the house. Anything would do. She was prepared to lie to him, just as long as he left her alone.

“Spike, I am touched that you are so affectionate of me, I really am, but, I think I remember Twilight saying that she needed you back at the library at this time,” she lied.

Spike raised an eyebrow.

“When did you hear that?”

“Oh…” she quickly thought of something. “E-e-earlier today… she said you could hang around at my place for a bit... and then she needed you back.”

“But I’ve only been here for a couple of minutes,” he replied.

“Oh… perhaps you were a little late and you missed your time with me,” she replied. “Never mind, Spike… I’m sure you can come around some other time.” She smiled sweetly, further trying to persuade him to leave.

Spike hesitated, but then stood up even straighter.

“Well, if that’s true, then I better cut straight to the chase.”

Rarity cringed when he stared at the window for a few seconds. This was not going to be good.

“Rarity, I want you to be my marefriend. Maybe we could hang out sometime, maybe at Sugarcube Corner, and go for a date.”

Rarity didn’t know what to say. She had gotten used to Spike saying hugely inappropriate and over the top romantic things to her. Her real answer was no, not in a million years. There was no way on Equestria that she would ever be in a relationship with a baby dragon! There were over a million ponies she’d rather date.

But what would Spike do if he heard the truth? She had to sugarcoat it somehow, someway, to keep him feeling happy. Or even say something completely different.

She thought long and hard about something to say, and then decided on something. Although it was exceptionally far from the truth, she was only saying it to keep him happy and not break down.

“I-i’ll think about it… But, you best be going now.” She put on a fake smile. “Don’t want to be late for Twilight.”

Spike started making his way towards the front door, moving out of the kitchen and coming through the hallway. Just as he walked out of the front door, he turned to face her.

“You won’t regret it!”

Author's Note

Written by me, and proofread by Jarvy Jared.

Chapter Three

The following morning, Rarity woke up without her usual cheeriness. Her eyes glanced up at the purple canopy above her bed, tracing the lines all the way down the post. She followed the lines down to the floor and then towards the washroom. She sighed, shuffling out of bed and going about her daily routine.

Makeup, check.

Blush, check.

Curled eyelashes, check.

I look fabulous!

… So then why don’t I feel the same way?

She groaned, and her reflection groaned with her. She glared at herself, before looking down at the sink. “Just give the kid a chance, Rarity,” she mumbled. “After all, he’s your friend; he should be treated no less!”

But what was less? Telling Spike the truth? Why would that be considered less-than-desirable behavior?

He’s just a kid; he wouldn’t fully understand anyway. Spike has his head in the clouds for me; if he were a stallion, perhaps I’d be flattered, but he’s a dragon. And I’m a pony.

She clenched her eyes shut. Oh, sweet Celestia… what have I done? What am I getting into?

“It’s just a friendly date, girl,” she tried to assure herself. But deep down, she knew it wasn’t.

Spike will think this is the next step in our “relationship.” She almost gagged at the word. Pretty soon, he’ll be making us go on another date; then another, and another; then our first anniversary date, then the second, the third—

“Get a grip, Rarity!” she exclaimed looking back up at her reflection. Tired eyes met hers, and she realized how much stress she was under.

“Maybe I could come up with a ruse,” she murmured. “I could say I have a headache, that I can’t go out today, doctor’s orders!”

She thought for a moment, before shaking her head sadly. “No, I could never do that. Not even to poor Spike… I can’t just lie to my friend, after all. It would be rather rude of me.”

So what could she do? Perhaps Spike had forgotten that their “date” was today; maybe he’ll walk on by, and not notice Rarity. She smiled a little. Yes, that was it; he would miss her, and they wouldn’t have to go on the “date”—

“Where are you, my beloved?”

Rarity face hooved. Of all the miserable luck… She sighed, looking back at the mirror. “I guess I have no choice, then,” she said dejectedly.

She hesitantly left the room and made her way downstairs, trying to make as little noise as possible as she walked down the steps. She held onto the hope that, if she was quiet enough, Spike would think that she wasn’t there—

“C’mon, Rarity, I know you’re in here!”

Well, so much for that.

She cringed as she trotted up to the door, almost as if in pain. Using her magic, she held the door slightly ajar. “Spike?”

In response, the door was flown open on the opposite end, revealing Spike in a black tuxedo and wearing a fake mustache.

“Here’s looking at you, foal,” he quoted, giggling as he put aside the stache. “Good morning, Rarity! Ready for our date?”

Rarity was still in shock over Spike’s appearance, but she managed to recover enough to murmur out a “yes.”

“Good! For a second there, I was thinking that you had forgotten about today!”

She inwardly groaned in frustration. “Yes, well… I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t, huh?”

“Absolutely! Come on; we’ve gotta get a move on!”

Without warning, Spike suddenly began dragging Rarity out the door by her hoof. He didn’t see Rarity’s growing discomfort crossing the mare’s face.

***

Rarity did her best to wave off the questioning stares of the town as she and Spike made—well, in her case, she was dragged—their way to Sugarcube Corner. Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon were particularly curious as to what she was doing. They seemed to want to come over and talk but, with growing anxiety, Rarity waved them away. She put on a seemingly confident smile so as to ward off other snooping bystanders.

“What do you want to eat when we get there?” Spike asked her.

She started. “Uh, well, I-I’ll decide when we get there.”

They arrived at the door only moments later. Spike was quick to open the purple door, leading Rarity inside.

The unicorn took note of the inside of Sugarcube Corner. She smelled the morning scent of the bakery coming somewhere from the back, and her stomach growled as she remembered that it was breakfast. Her eyes wandered to where they had set up a row of baked goods, tongue slipping out of her mouth and licking her lips.

If it weren’t for the awful situation she was in, she was sure she would have bolted for the good right there and then.

She did her best to compose herself as Spike led them to a table, doing her best to avoid attracting attention. Yet her defenses were easily breaking with each passing minute, and her face cracked underneath her glossy complexion, revealing the face of a mare worried beyond belief.

“Well, good morning, Spike and Rarity!” Mrs. Cake greeted. “How may I serve you—” Her voice faltered as she saw the look of fear in Rarity’s eyes. “—you…”

“I’ll have an order of the croissant with cheese and butter, please!” Spike said.

“And for you, Ms. Rarity?” Mrs. Cake asked carefully, not breaking her gaze with the mare.

“Uh-I-I’ll have the… um… “ She seemed unable to complete her sentence.

Sensing something was wrong, Mrs. Cake was quick to offer a suggestion: “Blueberry muffin?”

“Blueberry muffin!” Rarity exclaimed. She blushed at her outburst. “I-I mean-yes, please, thank you.”

Mrs. Cake nodded slowly, before going back to her husband near the oven.

“Something’s wrong with those two,” she whispered to Mr. Cake.

He nodded. “I noticed. Rarity seems awfully uncomfortable.”

“Do you think we can do something, Carrot?”

He narrowed his eyes in contemplation. “Maybe…” He glanced back up at the table, seeing Rarity turning away from Spike while the dragon droned on about how 'beautiful and majestic' she was.

“I have an idea,” he whispered to his wife. She raised an eyebrow, but listened anyway. When he had finished, she gave him a worried look.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“It’s the best we can do right now, Cup,” he answered.

“Hey, Spike?” he called. The dragon looked up at him in confusion. “Want to help me bake the croissants?”

Spike’s eyes lit up. “Sure!” He glanced at Rarity. “Hope you don’t mind, Rares.”

Rares resisted the urge to gag at the name. “It’s nothing, Spike,” she said, secretly relieved that he would be gone for a little while. “Go help Mr. Cake out.” The dragon nodded, and walked over to the back. The two of them disappeared behind a wall, and Rarity heard the distinct sound of an oven being started.

Once the two had gone, Mrs. Cake walked up to Rarity. She sat down at Spike’s seat and stared at the unicorn. Rarity felt a bit small under her gaze, and she unconsciously shrunk herself down.

“Rarity,” Mrs. Cake called, making the unicorn look up, “tell me what’s wrong.”

“W-wrong?” Rarity stuttered. “N-nothing’s wrong—”

“Does this have anything to do with Spike’s crush on you?”

Rarity sighed. “Is it really that obvious?” She rubbed her eyes. “Yes, it has everything to do with it.”

Mrs. Cake eyed her for a second, before saying, “Tell me what’s happened.”

***

“He did what?!” Mrs. Cake nearly screeched.

“Please, quiet down!” Rarity hissed. “I don’t want Spike to know about this!”

Mrs. Cake calmed down somewhat. “Sorry, it’s just that… he practically broke into your home!”

Rarity sighed. “Yeah, well, he’s just a kid. He didn’t know any better.”

“And now you two are on… a date?”

Rarity cringed at the word. “At least, I guess that’s what he thinks this is.”

“But you don’t feel the same way, do you?”

“How can I? He’s just a kid; I’m a full-grown mare! I like him as a friend, nothing more! But this crush of his—” She looked away, suddenly feeling panicky, “It’s become bothersome.”

“I see…” Mrs. Cake placed a hoof on her chin, thinking.

“Is there… you know… any advice you can give me?”

Mrs. Cake raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know if I have any advice to give.”

“Are you sure? I mean, you are married. I just thought—”

“Just because I am married, does not mean I know the ins and outs of love, Rarity, dear.” Mrs. Cake sighed. “I truly am sorry for your situation. Believe me, if there was anything I could do to help, I would.”

“But… what do I do? I don’t want to keep lying to him forever.”

Mrs. Cake sighed again. “Rarity, if there is one thing in life that I’m sure of, it’s this: you have to follow your heart.”

“Follow my heart?”

“It may surprise you to know that it hardly lies to its owner.” Mrs. Cake smiled. “And it will lead you to making the right decision, I assure you.”

“But…” Rarity looked down. “How will I know that it’s the right decision?”

“Because your heart will tell you it is.”

She stood from the table, giving Rarity a caring smile. “I know this sounds confusing, but please, give it a shot. You’ll be surprised in the long run on how happy everypony will be in the end.”

Rarity nodded, still unsure. She returned a slightly strained smile. “I… I’ll try.”

“Good.” Mrs. Cake nodded, before walking back to the bakery section.

Mr. Cake and Spike emerged shortly after, carrying their orders. Spike saw Mrs. Cake leaving the table, and he raised an eyebrow. He nodded a thank you to Mr. Cake, before going back over to the table and sitting down, placing down their food.

“What was Mrs. Cake talking to you about?” Spike asked.

“Just… something confusing,” answered Rarity.

“Eh, don’t worry. You’re very smart; you’ll figure out what she meant eventually.” He proceeded to dig into his croissant.

“Yeah, maybe,” Rarity murmured, glancing out the window with a distant look.

***

Sweetie Belle was concerned.

No, more than concerned.

She was distressed. Troubled. Fretful. And a whole bunch of words that meant worried.

Her sister refused to leave the couch, even when a friend popped by for a friendly hello. At first, Sweetie had reasoned that Rarity was feeling under the weather. But she remembered how, in the past week, she had shown little signs of a sickness creeping up on her. Sweetie was by no means an expert in medicine, but even she knew when somepony was getting sick.

Her final proof that something was amiss came when Rarity outright refused to see Fancy Pants.

“Are you sure, Sweetie?” Fancy had asked her. “Rarity’s feeling down?”

“Yep,” she had answered. She had glanced back at her sister. “I’m not sure when she’ll get better.”

“I see… I suppose I’ll hold off on the luncheon, then.” He had turned to leave, but then added, “I know it’s not my place, but… I suggest you talk to her.”

She had nodded, and now here they were.

Next to her big sister who was chowing down on buckets of ice cream.

Sweetie cringed. “Rarity, you know that this isn’t going to help you keep your figure.”

“It’s not my figure I’m worried about!” Rarity exclaimed through a mouthful.

“Then what is it?” Sweetie looked at her with wide eyes. “Please, Rarity, you’re worrying me. You haven’t moved from that couch ever since you got back this morning!”

“Well, maybe I don’t want to move! Have you considered that?”

Sweetie ignored the outburst. She knew that when Rarity got angry, something else was wrong. “Please, just tell me what’s wrong.” Her eyes turned pleading, the pupils enveloping the whites of her orbs.

Rarity took one look at her sister’s face and felt her anger fade away. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for snapping, Sweetie Belle. I’m just under a lot of stress right now.”

“That’s okay, Rarity,” Sweetie said, smiling. “Just tell me what’s wrong. It might make you feel better.”

Rarity let out a slow breath. She wasn’t sure if Sweetie could truly understand; she was certain that the filly had no experience in this particular type of experience. But a part of her told her that she needed to talk about this; she needed advice, from whoever she could get it from.

“It’s… Spike,” Rarity began.

Sweetie gasped. “Oh, no, what happened?”

“He’s been acting… oddly…” Rarity quickly told her of the past events, starting with Spike’s sudden entrance in her room to their recent date. Sweetie, like many other ponies, was well aware of Spike’s crush on her sister (he wasn’t particularly good at hiding it). It surprised her, then, to learn that Spike was actively being forward in their “relationship;” it was quickly delving into creepy territory.

When Rarity was finished, Sweetie placed a hoof on her chin and thought. She and Spike were good friends; she ought to know what to do.

But she didn’t. Mostly because she had no extensive knowledge in the workings of love and crushes. The little experience she had was when she and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had accidentally given Big Mac and Ms. Cheerilee a “love poison.” She shuddered as she remembered the outcome of that fiasco.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity wailed, leaning back and placing a hoof across her eyes. “Whatever shall I do?”

“I… I don’t know,” Sweetie answered guiltily. “I mean… I don’t really understand how this crush stuff works…”

“Then it’s all hopeless!” Rarity continued wailing. “Oh, woe is me, woe is me!”

“Hey!” Sweetie jumped up onto the couch and removed the hoof from Rarity’s eyes. She glared at her big sister. “Just because I don’t know what to do doesn’t mean you can lose hope!”

“B-but what can I possibly do?”

Sweetie looked up in contemplation. “Why don’t you ask your friends?”

“My friends? The girls?” Rarity looked at her sister with uncertainty. “I don’t know if any one of them have ever had somepony—or some dragon—crushing on them.”

“Well, you still have to try!” Sweetie insisted. “And besides, their your friends; they’ll do their best to help you out, even if they have no idea how!”

Rarity wiped away her tears and sniffled. Her sister was right; she knew that. Looking at Sweetie, she managed a small, grateful smile. “Y-you’re right. I should.”

Sweetie nodded, but gave her sister a pleading look. “Please, go talk to them. Alright?”

Rarity hugged her sister gently. “Of course I will, Sweetie Belle. In fact, I should go right now!”

They unlatched, and Rarity got off the couch, making her way to the door. She hesitated for a moment, then opened the door with her magic and walked out.

Sweetie watched her go, still worried. I hope my sister manages to find an answer to her problem. She fumed. The moment I see Spike again, I’m going to give him a good lecture on how to not treat my sister!

Author's Note

Written by Jarvy Jared and proofread by me.

Chapter Four

Rarity let her sister's advice wash over her as she went for a evening walk, hoping to try and burn off the tremendous amount of calories she had consumed in her anxiety. The evening light was exceptionally beautiful, being a painting of deep blues, yellows, and pinks. She could not have asked for a more delightful evening, which was ironic considering the beauty of the light was the exact opposite of what she was feeling.

She was walking in a circle, which would hopefully take her from her house to the border of the Everfree forest and back. Right now, she was walking through a light wood nearby Fluttershy’s house. Maybe a quick chat with her friend would soothe her a bit.

She trotted down a path that would lead her to Fluttershy’s house, and before long, the cosy home came into view. Fluttershy was outside, currently attending her garden. She looked up and saw the white unicorn coming towards her.

“Hello, Rarity,” Fluttershy called out, stopping what she was doing.

Rarity, for a moment, tried to put aside her problems so that she could give her friend her full attention, but she didn’t do a good job of hiding it, especially for someone as caring and thoughtful as Fluttershy.

“Hello Fluttershy,” she said with grace. “You're out late, usually you go to sleep at around 8:00; it’s nearly 9.”

“Oh, I was going to go to bed,” Flutter’s replied. “But I was occupied nearly all day looking after Angel. When I was about to go to bed, I looked out the window and saw that there were lots of weeds in my garden, so I thought I better do some late night gardening.”

“It’s not that late Fluttershy,” Rarity laughed, “just for you it is.”

Fluttershy paused a minute, and eyed her friend closely.

“Rarity… I sense something's troubling you.”

Rarity was secretly a bit annoyed that her friend had seen through her happy disguise, so she tried to deny it.

“What? Nothing’s wrong, dear,” she replied.

“Rarity… come on, tell me. I promise I won’t tell anypony.”

Rarity sighed and decided to give into the demands of her friend, but with great care. However, she was still hesitant about revealing too much, so she opted for the more indirect route.

“Fluttershy… Imagine a young colt wanted to court an older mare and was head-over-hooves about her, but the mare wasn’t interested in the colt the same way. What would the mare do?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment, but then looked knowingly at her friend.

“It’s Spike, isn’t it?”

That mare was too good; she had seen through all of Rarity’s disguises. Part of the white unicorn felt annoyed that she had, but another part felt incredibly lucky to have such a caring friend.

After sighing a few times, she confirmed:

“Well of course it’s bucking Spike!” she almost shouted, putting her hoof over her face. Fluttershy flew over to her, and started stroking her mane.

“Oh… Rarity,” she said sympathetically, as she took her into a hug. Rarity, however, suddenly broke the hug and made an incredibly over-dramatic face.

“But what can I do!” she exclaimed.

Fluttershy thought for a moment, but she couldn’t come up with a proper answer.

“I-I don’t really know. I don’t think I’ve ever had somepony who’s interested in me before.”

The white unicorn felt disappointed that her friend couldn’t be of any help. She knew she was right; her friends wouldn’t have any clue on how to deal with a situation like this. Or, at least, Fluttershy didn’t.

“But…” Fluttershy suddenly said. “I think it’s best if you told him the truth. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“...I’m not quite sure he would understand,” Rarity replied. She paused, considering Fluttershy’s words. “But… thanks for the advice Fluttershy, I think I’ll be off now… It was nice talking to you.”

“Bye, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, as Rarity started to walk back down to the woods so that she could continue her walk.

***

The following day, Rarity was on her way into town to get some fabric as she was running short. She passed many familiar faces, and waved to them happily, again trying to hide her anxiety. She finally arrived at the the stall in the town center, and bought what she needed to buy.

When she was on her way back home however, a bright blue pegasus zoomed above her, before landing in front.

“Hey Rarity, what ya doin?” asked Rainbow Dash, tucking her wings away.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity greeted with a bit of disdain. “I was just getting some fabric for my new line. Those looked like some good moves, although I wouldn’t know very much about that sort of thing.”

“Thanks,” the rainbow haired pegasus replied.

Rainbow Dash then looked at Rarity with a grin.

“So, you’re going out with Spike? He told me all about i-”

“He forced me to!” Rarity interrupted and flipped out. “Do you think I want to go out with a BABY DRAGON?!” She stomped her hoof, and got some stares from some fellow townsfolk. She hung her head in shame; ponies she didn’t even know knew about it now, and she started to shed tears.

“Rarity, take a chill pill,” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered around her friend. She then pulled Rarity towards herself.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said whilst pulling away, still incredibly embarrassed at what had happened. “Why did you say that!? All of those ponies know now, and if YOU hadn’t brought it up, then they wouldn’t!”

“Look, sorry, okay?” Rainbow apologized. “But why don’t you just say that you’re not interested?”

Rarity, beginning to calm down although still angry and embarrassed, told Rainbow everything. Rainbow Dash thought for a moment before facing Rarity, her look clueless.

“I don’t really know that much about this kinda stuff… maybe you should go and ask someone else,” she replied.

***

Rarity had gone to speak with Pinkie Pie and Applejack later that day, and they both basically said the same thing: tell him the truth. She was still enormously nervous that doing so would break apart their friendship. She was incredibly fond of the dragon, even if she didn’t return the same feelings towards him as he did towards her. To lose that friendship would simply be unbearable.

She needed to speak to Twilight. She knew Spike the best; maybe she would help her properly solve the problem without breaking his heart. She had to get her alone without Spike though, which was going to be difficult considering they both lived together.

She decided to write her a note when night struck, and post it through her window next to her bed. That way Spike wouldn’t be answering the door, and Twilight would be reading the message first. So when that time finally did come, she wrote the note.

Dear Twilight,

Please come to my house tomorrow or today (depending when you're reading this,) at 10:00 AM WITHOUT SPIKE.

Rarity.

Author's Note

Written by me and proofread by Jarvy Jared.

Chapter Five

Twilight had found the note when she woke up in the middle of the night. The next day, she had promptly gone off to speak with Rarity. She managed to convince Spike that he wouldn’t be needed, and the dragon happily went off to do his own things.

Based on the note, it wasn’t hard to deduce what was wrong. Twilight had been hearing from the rest of the Mane Six of Spike’s “exploits” with Rarity; she was quick to guess that this had something to do with Spike’s crush.

The crush itself had been evident since the very beginning, back when Twilight had arrived in Ponyville. She had thought that the crush would not have stayed for long, and had hoped that it would at least simmer down to a simple friendship. Yet Spike held onto that crush; and had somehow had turned it into something quite uncomfortable for Rarity.

Twilight found herself remembering something from her childhood, something similar; but she shook it off. Right now, she had to help out her friend.

She knocked on the door of Rarity’s Boutique, noticing how oddly silent it was. Rarity didn’t seem to be working, as there was an absence of sowing and threading. Even Sweetie Belle’s normally vibrant voice was gone; perhaps she had been shooed out, or on another misadventure with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In contrast, most of Ponyville was already up and working, the streets filled with morning greetings and laughter.

Rarity must be in bad shape, Twilight thought.

She heard somepony slowly trotting up to the door. The knob turned, and the door was pushed slightly aside. A bright blue eye met her purple irises, taking a moment to consider. The door suddenly was thrust open, and before Twilight had time to greet her friend, she was pulled inside. The door was quickly returned to its default closed position.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here, Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed breathlessly. “I have a huge problem—”

“Yeah, I heard. Spike. Date. Crush. All that.”

Rarity gave her an incredulous look. “Does everypony in town hear about everything?”

“No, no!” Twilight protested. “It’s just… well, it was kind of obvious, especially since you told me to come here without Spike.”

Rarity sighed. “I suppose that wasn’t at all subtle. Yes, it’s about ‘all that.’”

“And, based on what my friends have been saying, you’ve been asking around for advice on how to handle this.”

“Yes.” Rarity looked away, still feeling hesitant.

Twilight noticed the action. “Rarity… why didn’t you come to me first? I know Spike the best.”

“I know, I know. It’s just…” Rarity looked back Twilight, eyes a bit fearful. “Well… you and he are so close. Like brother and sister. And I thought—”

“That I wouldn’t be able to come to a sound conclusion without a bit of bias?” Twilight concluded.

Rarity gulped and nodded. She cringed, expecting something harsh to come out of Twilight’s mouth.

All she got was a sigh. “Rarity,” Twilight began, “I know Spike and I are close… but that doesn’t stop me from putting him in his place.” She smiled kindly at the white unicorn. “You are my friend; and I won’t let my personal relationship with my number one assistant get in the way of assisting you.”

“R-really?” Rarity asked, surprised.

“Of course! What kind of friend would I be otherwise?” They shared a short laugh, before resuming a subdued silence.

“Ah heh heh,” Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Though it has been kind of cute watching Spike have a mock wedding with you…”

Rarity could only look at Twilight in shock. The lavender unicorn sighed.

“Uh, nevermind that,” she said. “I have to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Rarity considered the question. Spike was a dear friend of hers, and she would rather have not come to such drastic measures. Did she want to risk losing her friendship with the dragon?

“... No, I’m not,” she finally answered with a sigh. “But… this is the only option that I can see.”

“Do you like Spike?”

Rarity looked back at her friend, resignation in her eyes. “Only as a friend.”

Twilight nodded. “I understand. But…” She looked away, and spoke in a softer tone. “It will break Spike’s heart, you know.”

“I know.” Rarity closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “Twilight… if there were any other way out of this, believe me; I would have taken it.”

“Rarity, I get it. Spike’s been acting overboard, and needs to take it back a notch.”

“Or several,” Rarity snorted.

“Regardless, I still think it’s the right choice to tell him your true feelings.” She placed a hoof on Rarity’s chest for emphasis. “Keeping it all in there won’t do either of you any good.”

She began to walk out, but gave one final glance at her friend. “Please. Tell Spike the truth. I promise you, you’ll both end up better this way.”

Rarity hesitantly nodded, and the door closed, leaving her to her thoughts.

Author's Note

Written by Jarvy Jared and proofread by me.

Chapter Six

The sounds of the sewing machine busy at work was like music to Rarity’s ears. She hummed quietly as she fiddled with the device, easing the fabric on the pedestal. The machine quickly lay down the thread, creating a slightly diagonal line. Rarity stopped the machine, levitating the cloth over to the table where she could actually thread it. She brought over her golden spool, and used her horn to levitate a needle.

As she moved the needle through the fabric, her thoughts drifted back to what her friends had all been saying. They encouraged her to come out and say the truth to Spike; and while she knew they were right, she still felt unsure. The fact that Spike was still a child had to be taken into account; he could not possibly understand immediately what Rarity meant. If Sweetie Belle’s behavior around a certain colt named Button Mash could show anything, it was that kids did not truly understand the inner workings of love.

Love, she mused. Such a wonderous thing. Like music, really. When two notes come together, they can create something truly breathtaking, wonderful and exhilarating. Much is the same when two ponies come together. They have to connect, on both sides, in order to create something harmonious.

And yet, like music, not all notes—or ponies—can come together. One note may sound fine; but the other may not work well with it. It creates something that sounds sour; only those with limited knowledge could possibly say it sounds fine.

A crush is little more than a test symphony. It can be honored, yes, but in time, it must be willing to improve. It is vital that the symphony—if the owner wishes it—become something much more, perhaps something even greater. But, in order for that to happen, the orchestrator must work with his players and music writers. You cannot have a sweeping orchestral arrangement without all three.

And you can’t have love, when only one side feels it.

She frowned, pausing. She did not love Spike; at least, not as anything more than a brother. She knew that; everypony knew that. Yet she still could not bring herself to talk to him, to be honest with him.

For what reason could she not? Was it because she was afraid? Surely the dragon’s friendship with her did not mean that much—

She shook her head. Of course it meant that much. The problem was, she was dealing with highly unstable emotions. Love and crushes, care and friendship; these concepts, while not new, never were easy. Yet they were as vital to the body as much as food and shelter were.

So, her friendship with Spike was important. That was simple. What she did with that friendship, was not.

Would telling Spike cost her his friendship? Perhaps. Spike, normally levelheaded, was still a kid. And a kid was still growing, maturing, not fully understanding the world around him. What he saw in this world would vary in understanding from an adult’s. The things that could not be seen—like love, and friendship—could be more easily grasped by adults than a child.

Spike’s love for Rarity was fragile; and though she enjoyed his company, and his constant desire to help her, she knew that it was far too complex for any child to handle.

She gave a frustrated sigh, placing the fabric away. That amount of ruminating had done little than to confuse her even further. She so badly wanted to tell him. Her very soul cried out to be released, to let the dragon know what she truly felt; and yet, she could not. Why she couldn’t, she did not understand.

Why is love still so hard to understand? At what point does one draw the line between caring and loving? Is there even such a line? Is not care another aspect of love?

Spike has puppy love for me; I have caring love for him. That is where our relationship diverts; yet, he can’t seem to see that, and I can’t bring myself to say it.

She groaned, placing her head in between her hooves. Her mind ran in circles, asking the same question over and over again:

What do I do?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Expecting a customer, she called, “Come in!”

A well-dressed stallion unicorn, in a slate tuxedo with a cream dress shirt and navy tie, trotted in. He seemed a bit nervous, but he managed to give Rarity a smile, which she returned.

“Oh, hello, sir!” she said. “What could I do for you today?”

“I have a request, for a particular dress,” the stallion said, walking over to the unicorn. He began describing the size and colors of the dress. “It’s for my marefriend, you see,” he explained, a bit excited. “It’s her birthday in a few days.”

“Oh, how nice!” complimented Rarity, smiling. “I’ll get right to work on it. May I have your name, please?”

“Storm Shine. Thank you, Miss Rarity!” he said, giving her a genuine smile.

He turned to walk about, but something fell out of his pocket. He yelped in surprise! Rarity saw this and lit her horn, catching the item before it hit the ground.

“Phew!” she breathed. “That was close!” The item was a small, white box, about her hoof size. “Er… what is it?” she asked.

“Oh! Um, well,” he answered, walking over. “Well, I guess since you are making my dress, and since you sort of saved this from breaking…” He winked at her. “Why don’t you take a peek?”

“A peek? Are you sure?” He nodded. She carefully removed the lid and gasped at what she saw.

Inside was a diamond-encrusted ring, with golden edges and an opal underside. It shone brilliantly in the morning sun. As she tilted it slightly, she noticed how it acted as a prism; it reflected all the colors of the rainbow at various angles.

“Oh, my goodness,” she gasped, looking back up Storm Shine. “This is… for her, isn’t it?”

He nodded ecstatically. “Yep! I’m planning on proposing to her on her birthday!” He let out a happy sigh. “She always loved your work, you see. But she didn’t have the funds to buy one of your dresses. So, I saved up all my money and bought that ring and made sure to get her the dress she wants!” His smile fell slightly. “I hope she says yes… there are so many things to consider!”

Just like with me and Spike, Rarity found herself thinking. Her smile dropped, but she forced it back up again. “Oh, that’s just wonderful!” she gushed. “I’m sure she’ll love it—she’ll definitely say yes!”

Storm, however, had noticed the forcefulness of the smile. “Well, I appreciate your encouragement, Miss Rarity—”

“Please! Just call me Rarity, dear.”

“But… you seem… I don’t know… a bit anxious.”

“Anxious?” she sputtered. “Well-I-I’m just so ecstatic about hearing that you’re going to propose! And I want to make her dress look absolutely stunning!”

He stared at her for a few seconds, before shaking his head. “... It’s more than that, isn’t it?”

“What? No, why would there be anything else to it—”

“Is it that dragon fellow that we sometimes see with you in the Boutique?”

She winced. How could she have forgotten? She knew that nearly everypony knew about Spike’s crush; why had she figured that this stallion would not?

Nonetheless, she tried to save face. “P-please, Mr. Storm Shine, don’t be silly—”

“Rarity,” he said sternly. “I’m a professional psychologist as well as former Head of Police Investigations in Canterlot. I know you’re lying to me.”

She started, but finally sighed. She crossed her hooves and looked away. “Look, Mr. Storm. I appreciate your concern, but really, I’m alright—”

“Another lie.”

“I-I’ve already talked to my friends about this.”

“Then perhaps you need to talk to one more.” His gaze softened. “Rarity, please, just let me help. I know we just met and all, but I still want to help you.”

She sighed again. “… Very well. Where do I start?”

***

“I see… that Spike fellow certainly has quite the crush on you,” Storm said after Rarity finished telling him all that had happened. “But you don’t feel the same way?”

She shook her head. “I never have. He’s like a little brother to me; not some lover.” She sighed. “I just wish I could tell him how I feel.”

“So why don’t you?”

“I don’t know,” she confessed. “I mean, it should be that easy. It’s only five words: ‘I don’t like you, Spike.’ And yet… I just can’t find it within myself to break the poor dear’s heart.”

“But if you don’t, you’ll end up hurting him even more.” He leaned back slightly. “True love is felt on both sides. A one-sided love isn’t love at all.”

“I know, Storm,” she said, sighing. “But I just don’t think it’s a good idea, telling him the truth.”

“But do you feel it?”

She looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Do you feel that it would be the right thing to do?”

“Well… I guess… but I just don’t think—”

“See, there’s the problem.” He pointed a hoof at her. “You’re thinking about this way too much. Sometimes, you’ve gotta just feel something and know that it’s right.”

She still didn’t understand, as shown by her confused expression. He sighed, considering his next answer.

“… When I first met the unicorn that was going to be my marefriend,” he began, “I was nervous as heck. I wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do. I was scared that she would reject my advances.

“To my surprise, she didn’t. She accepted, and we went on a date. Then another, then another, until we actually became a couple that lived and breathed and loved together. A few years passed, and I confessed to her that I was always nervous around her, afraid of messing up.

“And she would laugh, and say, ‘That’s because you were thinking too much, silly!’ And she was right; I had known her for years. I shouldn’t have to continuously think. I should feel. In times past, when I spoke to her, I spoke with my mind. I would have a preconceived question or prompt, with a preconceived response.

“On her birthday, though?” He glanced up at Rarity, the alabaster unicorn watching him with growing curiosity. “I’ll do something different. I’m going to speak with a different part of me. And it’s the same part I want you to speak with, when you tell Spike the truth.”

He reached over and placed a hoof on her chest, right where her heart was. She gasped at the sudden touch, but noticed the kind smile Storm had on his face.

“Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “Your heart is often smarter than your brain. It knows when something is the right thing to do.”

She nodded slowly, and he retracted the hoof. He stood, smiling down at Rarity. He turned to leave, but before he did, Rarity called out, “Thank you.”

He glanced over back at her, still smiling. “It was my pleasure. If my marefriend, Jade Sonnet, says yes—”

“When,” she automatically corrected, smiling.

His smile grew even bigger. “When she says yes, I’ll be sure to invite you to the wedding.”

He said farewell, and walked out, leaving Rarity with her thoughts.

Perhaps he is right, she thought. I’ve been spending so much time worrying about Spike. And while that’s okay, I have to consider myself as well.

Love is like music. It’s never easy to perform, and only certain types of it are appealing. And yet… even the kind of “love” I have for Spike—I love him as a brother, not as a lover—can create a beautiful symphony that will span the test of time.

My friendship with him will be tested, but I have to try. It’ll be better for the both of us.

She heard Storm singing quietly as he made his way back him:

“Don’t fall apart! Speak with your heart! And always take it with you back to the start!”

She found herself smiling. She couldn’t guarantee that Spike would understand; but she knew—she felt—that this was the right thing to do.

Author's Note

Written by Jarvy Jared, and proofread by me.

I will not be writing for this story anymore, however I feel that is a good thing, as JJ's chapters were much better than mine. I was going to just go straight onto Rarity confessing in this chapter, but when JJ wrote this I was thrilled, because I felt this was exactly what this story needed to give it more effect.

Chapter Seven

She was going to do it today, she had to.

After days of internal struggle and Storms speech, Rarity knew what was best. She had to tell him the truth, at whatever cost.

***

She knocked on the door of the Golden Oaks Library, hoping to take Spike out for a peaceful walk to tell him that she did not return his feelings. When he opened it, he beamed at her.

“Hello, my beautiful marefriend,” he said as he bowed.

Rarity had grown numb to his antics so she just continued, although she was still nervous about what she was going to say to him later on.

“Hello Spike, I was wondering if you would like to go for a stroll with me. Would that be okay with you?”

“Of course,” he replied. He shouted to Twilight saying he was going out, and then went to Rarity’s side as they began to walk.

***

After walking for a little while peacefully, Rarity decided on a place to sit. It was a bench facing the river, and since nobody else was around, it was remarkably peaceful. She called Spike to sit down as she did likewise, and took a deep breath. Despite the incredible calamity of where she was sitting, she still felt exceptional stress.

“Spike… we need to talk,” she finally managed to say.

“Sure, what about?” He said enthusiastically.

Rarity was about to violently shift his mood, but it was the only way.

“This needs to stop.” She said.

“What needs to stop?” Asked Spike.

“All of this!” She said, finally letting out all of her frustration and annoyances that she'd been holding back for days on end. “The flowers, the invitations to dates, the constant work around my home. It’s not that I don’t appreciate your help and affection towards me, but-but.” She paused and took in a deep breath, realizing that she'd gone overboard.

"Spike... I just don't like you in the way you like me, I'm sorry, but that's the truth," she said in a much more gentle tone.

Spike’s face suddenly went from happy to exceptionally miserable. It broke Rarity’s heart seeing him upset. What had she done!? Why had she been so direct!? This was it, he’d hate her now, they would never be friends again.

Trying desperately to undo the effects of what she had said but yet not take it back, she put her hooves around Spike, and tried to continue.

“It’s not that I don’t like you as a friend Spike, it’s not that I don’t appreciate everything that you do for me, it’s just- it’s just.” She started to cry in desperation, and put her head in her hooves, desperately trying to say something which would ease his pain. “Look, listen, is their anything I can do-”

“So all those dates we went on, all that affection towards me; it was all a lie.”

Spike pulled away from Rarity and looked up at her, anger and heartbreak clear in his eyes.

“No, no, well, sort of, just-”

Spike got up from his seat and started to run back towards the library, tearing up.

“Spike, Spike, come back.”

Suddenly, a bolt of fire came rushing at Rarity. She dodged it quickly, but it hurt just as much. The dragon looked at her, furious.

“Never. Speak. To. Me. Again.”

He ran off into the distance, still weeping. And after a couple of seconds to process it all, the beautiful white mare did the same.

Author's Note

Written by me.

Yes, I decided I had to do this chapter, because I had an idea on how it needed to play out. JJ will be doing the rest. He's busy so he didn't proofread, I hope that there are no grammatical errors.

It was a very short chapter, but I don't think it needed to be very long. We've had all the build up, and this is the pay off. I made some changes to this chapter whilst I was writing it as well. Originally, Rarity shouted at Spike as she had been bottling up all of her frustrations and annoyances, but after re reading JJ's beautiful chapter 6, I realized this was a very bad move and not in line with Rarity's opinion of Spike, so I changed it slightly.

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Spike stared out into the Everfree Forest, eyes glazed over as he became lost in his thoughts. He sat at the border between the forest and Ponyville, his clawed hands on his chin and his back slouched over. Emerald eyes blinked back crystal tears, and he sniffled a bit, wiping his nose with the back of his arm.

Luna’s moon shone down upon him brilliantly, casting his reflection on a nearby puddle of water. He found himself glancing at it, oddly fascinated with his features. I just don’t understand. Where did I go wrong? He closed his eyes as he tried to remember everything up to that point. I tried to act as a gentleman would. I helped out, gave her roses, took her on a date…

He clenched his hands into fists as a wave of anger took hold of him. All I ever did was appreciate her! And she threw it all away. She never cared for me, never appreciated all my efforts! I’m probably worth less than the dust on her dresses to her!

His mood grew more somber. And… perhaps that’s for the best. Maybe… maybe it wasn’t going to work.

That doesn’t matter! his angrier side continued to argue. She lied to me; lied to my face! All those times she said ‘Thank you, Spikey-Wikey;’ they were all without heart! She wasn’t thanking a friend; she was thanking the hired help!

Is that all that I am to her? Hired help?

More tears fell down his purple features, but he didn’t blink them away. He stared at his reflection in the puddle, willing an answer to form, knowing that one wouldn’t.

***

Twilight had been watching from a safe distance when Rarity confessed to Spike. When the baby dragon ran off, she feared the worst, and was quick to question Rarity. The alabaster unicorn told her that Spike had not taken it well. After a moment of consideration, Twilight decided to go after Spike. Rarity followed her from a safe distance.

Twilight saw the baby dragon sitting on the dirt road that led to the Everfree. At first, she worried that he was considering running away; yet, he appeared to not want to move. Cautiously, she approached, her hooves stamping lightly on the ground.

She sat down next to him, both of them staring out into the Everfree. Neither said anything, choosing instead to keep to a solemn silence.

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw that the dragon was fighting a wave of emotions beneath his somber expression. Anger clashed with sadness, hatred fought with depression. Spike could not battle these emotions on his own; and she realized that if she didn’t do anything, he would lose not just this battle, but something even more valuable.

She knew he wouldn’t like the next few words out of her mouth, but she realized that they were necessary.

“Spike… Rarity still likes you.”

“Don’t give me that, Twilight!” the dragon suddenly exploded, glaring at Twilight with fire in his eyes. She did not flinch under his startlingly menacing gaze. “It’s not true and you know it!”

She didn’t say anything to that, allowing him to vent.

“I’ve always helped her out! Always did my absolute hardest to make her happy! ‘Oh, Spikey-Wikey, could you be a dear and fetch me some gems?’ ‘Sure thing, Rarity, it would be my pleasure!’ ‘Thanks, Spike! By the way, I don’t like you!’” He gave a disgusted snort. “Some thanks that was.”

He fell silent for a moment, Twilight looking at him with pity in her eyes. “She never liked me,” he finally whispered. “I was nothing more than a drone to her. Something to be manipulated, to be used…” He could no longer hold back the emotions within him, and he started to cry. His voice started out as sobs, before dying away. His body shook with no sound as the well of emotions flooded, his entire being flooded with his soul’s passion.

Twilight wrapped a hoof around him and held him close, letting him cry into her soft fur. “Spike,” she said quietly. “I’ll say it again… Rarity still likes you.”

He did not respond, gripping her fur weakly.

She continued: “Perhaps not in the way you had hoped for, but she still cares for you.”

She took a moment to remember that fleeting childhood memory she had when she had gone to talk with Rarity. She managed to grab hold of it, and it became vividly clear in her mind. She remembered the feelings of times past, the fast-paced beating of her heart when he came into view, the nervousness that always built up inside of her.

She wasn’t sure if Spike would understand, but had to try.

“When I was a little filly,” she started, making Spike look up at her, “back in Canterlot, there was this… colt in my school. He was cute, charming, and witty.” She sighed as she remembered. “He was everything a girl could have asked for. He was always a gentleman, holding open doors for us, placing his jacket on puddles to let us cross.

“I… had a crush on him. A big one at that. It was my first true experience with ‘love.’ I wanted to confess to him; but I didn’t know how. I was scared, but managed to work up the courage to try.

“On Hearts and Hooves Day, while we were making valentine cards in class, I addressed mine to him. When he wasn’t looking, I slipped the card into his locker, hoping he would find it the next day. I went home with butterflies in my stomach, wondering if he would understand what I was feeling.

“The next day, he confronted me about the card. He was very understanding, and had long been aware of my crush on him. He wasn’t mad that I liked him; he was flattered. But…”

Twilight looked away, prompting Spike to ask, “But what?”

She took a slow breath before continuing, “But he didn’t feel the same way about me. He thought of me as a friend, nothing more.”

“Despite his careful wording and endeavour to make sure that he didn’t come off as sounding callous, I was heartbroken. My first crush, not reciprocating my feelings towards him… It was a lot for me to take in. I told him it was okay, but inwardly I felt horrible. I wasn’t sure whether to feel anger towards him, or myself, if I was supposed to feel anger at all.

“I wanted to scream, to cry, to yell; but I didn’t. So, as calmly as I could manage, I thanked him for his honesty, and left. I went home… and absolutely bawled my eyes out.

“My mom came in, asking what was wrong. I told her what was, and she sat down on my bed next to me and held me close. She told me something I’ll never forget:

“‘Love is a strong emotion, and one of the richest and most pure of feelings out there. And when two ponies feel love for one another, a relationship is born. But relationships are never one-sided; there are two ponies involved, so two different perspectives. You may feel love for somepony, but they must feel love for you as well. It’s just as much about the other pony as it is you.’

“Spike, I know your crush on Rarity is strong. You have to accept that she doesn’t feel the same way for you. But you also have to remember that that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like you. She still cares for you.”

Twilight looked at Spike, a caring smile on her face. He wiped his eyes as he considered her words. “… y-you’re right,” he said, looking up at her. “I… I shouldn’t have pressured Rarity into going out with me. In my blinding love for her, I didn’t see that she was uncomfortable with it all.” He let out a slow breath. “I’ve been such a fool. I should never have done all those things. I should have realized that Rarity was growing wary of me.”

Twilight held him close, neither saying a word for a few minutes. They stared back out into the Everfree, though the atmosphere was much calmer. All that pent-up rage and frustration Spike had was gone, replaced with a soothing sense of peace.

***

Rarity had been watching the whole conversation with tears in her eyes. While she knew that what she did was right, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for causing the baby dragon so much pain.

She was glad that Twilight had come along when she did. It appeared that the purple unicorn had calmed Spike down immensely, and Rarity felt a bit confident. She started to approach, but then Spike asked something that struck a chord with her.

“Twilight,” Spike asked, “after all I’ve done… all the things I’ve done to Rarity… all the dates, the love-talk, the gift-giving… do you think I’ve lost her as a friend?”

He was suddenly wrapped up in the foreleg of another mare. He looked up, and gasped in surprised when he saw who it was.

“R-Rarity?”

She nodded, smiling through her tears. “Spike, even after all those things you’ve done, I would never forsake my friendship with you.”

“B-but why?”

“Because you're my friend as much as ever; no more, no less.”

Spike cried into her coat, and she cried with him, every emotion rushing out like a swirling river. Twilight came over and hugged them gently, smiling as she did so.

The road to love is never easy, she thought. But the journey is more important than the destination. The friendship you create with everypony you meet on your journey of love is just as important and finding that love yourself.

Luna’s moon shone brightly on the trio, illuminating happy tears, as the three took the next step in their journey.

Author's Note

Written by Jarvy Jared, proofread and edited by me.

Last chapter coming up next, and it will be a very short one. Just a quick little epilogue. We're also going to have an additional BTS chapter involving Jarvy taking in length about the story.

Chapter X: Reflection On One Sided Crush

BEHIND THE SCENES: ONE SIDED CRUSH
REFLECTION
______________________________________________________________________________
Hello! My name is Jarvy Jared. You may refer to me as such, or as Jarvy, Jared, or JJ. I am a Sonic the Hedgehog fan, as detailed by my avatar, and have been a brony for a whopping seven months! (Woo)

As you are probably all well aware, I am co-author of Arctofire’s story, One Sided Crush.

Believe me, this was not an easy task. Looking back over our inbox, we have sent a total of 129 PMs to each other. Most of them were about other ideas we were considering that we eventually threw out. (And half of them have been deleted automatically by the system…)

In fact, in the planning stage, our idea was centered around the return of a G1 villain. Now, as I am a very new brony (in fact, I was converted from a hater to a lover), I felt a bit unprepared for writing an adventure story with a G1 villain’s return. Nevertheless, we tried to formulate several ideas. In one, we had Celestia die, and had a series of political uprisings occur in the wake of her death. This, of course, proved to be too much for us, as I have little political know-how and the story was going to be way too big. Another idea had me suggesting we give Grogar a chance to shine; but, as I found out, he was not the best villain to bring back.

One of our more weirder story ideas was a sequel to Cupcakes. I must confess, I do not like writing dark fics, and though I was prepared to write one with Arcto, he graciously decided not to impose it.

Eventually, we settled on a topic that I found interesting and which Arcto was extremely vibrant upon: Sparity. Or, rather, Anti-Sparity.

For those of you who don’t know, Sparity is the shipping name for Spike and Rarity. While I am not much of a shipper, I do get that this pairing is a bit odd. For starters, Spike is a baby dragon, while Rarity is a full-grown mare. That is downright pedophilia, should a relationship even start. And while I understand that, in Sparity stories, Spike has been raised to the age of consent, realistically speaking, as Spike aged, so would Rarity. And old feelings and crushes would die away. (Then again, realistically speaking, watching a show about pastel-colored ponies is rather insane.)

(On a side-note, I prefer SpikeBelle. And I may or may not have read several stories shipping Sonic the Hedgehog characters with the Mane Six…)

Anyway, once we settled on the central idea, we began to spout out any kind of central plot. I especially liked the ideas brought up in Silver Quill’s Spike Speculations. We eventually decided to write a story with Rarity growing increasingly uncomfortable with Spike’s romantic endeavors.

We threw around idea after idea, structure after structure, trying to come up with something decent.

We did this several times, discussing various sequences and structures, before we settled on the one you see here.

We set it up so that each of us did one chapter. I was to do the odds, Arcto the evens. We also decided that, since Arcto had no stories on his account, to put it on his.

I must admit, I was pretty wary about doing this. I had never collaborated with another author before, and I was worried that my style of writing would clash with Arcto’s. This was a learning experience for both of us, as we had to figure out a way to play off of each other’s various writing techniques. Experienced and well-observed readers will notice that our chapters differ greatly. I write more fluff and take the ordinary and try and make it new and interesting; Arcto is more direct, quickly getting to the action and making the dialogues flow. As such, my chapters were noticeably longer, while his were much shorter.

Now, I’m not saying this is a bad thing. A lot of great writers prefer to cut the fluff and jump right in. Many don’t like to toy with the characters, preferring to thrown them in realistically unprepared and let them solve their problems from there on out. In fact, fluff is actually one of my biggest weaknesses; not because I can’t do it well, but because I do it too well. I have a bad habit of adding too much fluff to a story and completely ruining the pacing of it. As I wrote this story, I tried my best to curb that habit to the best of my ability.

And the story turned out better than I expected. It got many likes, plenty of constructive and positive comments, and an eager audience. It surprised me that such a simple story could garner so much attention; none of my other works have ever received this much earnest!

I suppose my favorite chapter of the story was Chapter Six. Not because it was written by me, but because of the unique challenge it offered. I wanted to discuss the concept of love differently. I didn’t want to attribute it to just a feeling; I needed an analogy, something for it to liken to. And I wanted it to occur seamlessly in Rarity’s head. I wanted her to think through her problem and consider what love is to her.

So, I wrote a comparison—in Rarity’s thoughts—between love and orchestral pieces, detailing how the two can be similar. I offered up the idea that both love and orchestra need the pieces involved to work together, else they result in something awful. I also decided to expand on what I believed to be Rarity’s true feelings for Spike—she would, in my head, love him as a brother, not a lover. This, I believe, is a different love, a caring love. Not a romantic love, like the one Spike has for Rarity.

Of course, I could have just gone into Chapter Six with Rarity ruminating for a bit before a male customer showed up and helped her. But, I wanted to interject a bit more to it. We had planned to have the male customer be getting ready for the wedding, but, using Cash Cash’s song Speak With Your Heart as inspiration, I managed to craft a conversation between Rarity and the male. I tried, to the best of my ability, to make the male character memorable, and to make the advice he gave reasonable and realistic.

Interestingly, if you think about it, love, as wondrous and amazing as it is, is mundane. We take it for granted, tossing it around like it has little value other than a word. Only a few truly understand what it means for them, and for others. Writers are among the few that can.

There’s a saying for this kind of phenomenon, a sort of writer’s philosophy: “Writers take the new and make it familiar, and make the familiar new.” Indeed, taking something as common as the concept of love and turning it into an analogy for a beautiful orchestral symphony was, admittedly, something different. And, injecting philosophy into my stories has become my trademark—but only the truly observant will catch these snippets of philosophical understanding.

I guess I had written this chapter very well, as Arcto was incredibly awed by it. I don’t consider it my best work, but it’s certainly up there.

My main story, Nix: Identity, has received less than positive reviews; and Cycles, my first Slice of Life, has been mediocre at best. Arcto has had to remove several of his stories due to poor reception. It is my wish that, through this story, we have both improved—and I hope that readers will continue giving our stories the chance they deserve.

It has been an immense pleasure working with Arctofire. Though he was a bit nervous when we started this, I found that he grew more confident as time went on. He certainly has numerous ideas in mind that I hope one day he’ll be able to write. Though he may call me his writing superior, I attest to his ability as a writer. We are all growing and learning to write better; none of us ever start as masters at our craft. Through practice and diligence, we may be graced with getting noticed. Or we may not. Yet, I find that the journey of a writer is more important than the destination of fame, and I hope that many of the readers will understand that.

(Would you look at that; this is only a reflection, and I’ve already added so much fluff and backstory to it!)

Arctofire, you have my utmost thanks for deciding to produce this story with me. It has been an honor working with you. Hopefully, you’ve learned something from all this; and I hope that something involves always trying to write. My thanks also goes out to Azrael, who assisted with sending PMs to Arctofire while there was a glitch with the system. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with that mess in the future. Finally, I thank the readers for their positive feedback and encouragement for the story; without your insistence, this story might have fallen into disarray.

Sincerely yours, and with the hope that you all will try to support the both of us,

Jarvy Jared

***

Hello, it's Arctofire here. After that wonderful reflection from Jarvy, I just want to add some of my own thoughts.

Before writing this story, I was very anxious and unconfident in writing. I like to take into account that maybe it was because I'm a very unknown brony reviewer, and can find it hard to keep up with my own standards. Whilst that is true, it's also due to the fact of downvotes.

I have written many, MANY, stories before this one, but all of them received mixed reviews at best or were shunned at worst. Due to all featured and well known fanfictions being 90% upvotes, and me still finding HUGE problems with the grammar, narrative, and storytelling a lot of the time, the fact that I had a lot of downvotes was excruciating, as my story was obviously REALLY bad, so I deleted all of them due to this reason.

Now, this story has got more downvotes than I would like. But JJ helped me realize that downvotes don't mean everything and what's really important is if your proud of your work. He also said and now I completely realize that people can downvote stories for really stupid reasons. Some are just trolls, some are hardcore shippers,.... etc. What's also helped me gain confidence with this story and has made me want to write in the future regardless of downvotes, is how supportive the fans of the story have been. I can't thank you enough for the support you've given us, and you are part of the reason why I am fully prepared to write again regardless of downvotes. You can expect more from me in the future, so look forward to that.

Arctofire

Chapter Nine: Epilogue

Spike, Rarity, and Twilight were all sitting in the library the following day. Rarity had met up with Storm earlier, who had gone to her boutique specifically to see her, and to tell that his girlfriend had accepted his proposal. Rarity was thrilled for him, as love really was a beautiful thing both people felt the same way,, and in this case, that was true. She had been invited to the wedding, and was very much looking forward to meeting his new wife.

Anyway, the reason why they were here in Twilight’s library had nothing to do with that however. The reason she was there was related to what both Spike and Rarity had learnt from their experiences over the past few days.

“So, Spike and Rarity,” Twilight said as she walked around whilst the other two sat at the table. “I think this deserves a friendship report. Don’t you think?”

“Very much so,” Rarity replied. “Can I write mine first?”

“Of course,” said Twilight as levitated a quill and scroll towards Spike. “Spike, is it okay if you write out Rarity’s as well as yours, and have them on the same scroll.”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied as he started writing down what Rarity was saying.

Dear Princess Celestia

Over the course of a couple of days, I learned something very important. That is that if someone is holding romantic affections towards you but yet you don’t return them, you must not pretend to, as that only worsens the problem. I’ve known for many years that love is a two way thing, but never before has that been more true than in the past couple of days, as a relationship can be quite nasty if both people don’t share the same feelings.

Best wishes

Rarity

After Spike was finished, he moved the scroll along a little bit so he could have some space to write on, then, he started to write his report.

Dear Princess Celestia.

Today I realized that love and relationships are indeed a two way thing, and that if only one person feels romantic feelings, but the other doesn’t, then a relationship is truly forceful and not the right thing. I realize I made a mistake in forcing Rarity to go out with me, even when she didn’t want to, and now I know that that is not the right way to go about things.

But just because they don’t harbor romantic feelings, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t like you as a friend.

From Spike.

Author's Note

Written by me.

We're doing a BTS chapter to finish it off. So whilst this is the end of the story, you can still wait for more.