"No, no, no, no! This won't do either!" Rarity groaned, magically crumpling up the piece of paper and tossing it over her shoulder to join the others, forming a hill of paper balls tall enough to bury her should it topple over. The design she'd just came up with featured a half-cloak over the right shoulder, a military coat-type bodice with a high collar and a flowing skirt with a slit up the right hindleg. While not a terrible concept, it was overall...average and the proud owner of Carousel Boutique strived for perfection. Her unofficial motto was, "It's perfection or nothing" and it was one that she severely held onto. Her friends often found her pedantic outlook on fashion to be a bit on the obsessive side, but Rarity paid them no mind; her business would've crumbled years ago if not for her dedication.

Taking a dainty sip of her chamomile tea, Rarity removed her red glasses and trotted over to her fainting couch, throwing herself upon and stretching her foreleg over her eyes dramatically. "Oh Opalescence, what has become of me? I used to draw up sketches for spectacular designs in an instant! Now it is as though the creative well has dried up! What could've caused this?" The white cat merely rolled her eyes and began to lick her tail, clearly fed up with her mistress' theatrics.

Rarity sighed and her wandering eyes targeted a picture of herself and the other Elements of Harmony. picking out a certain brainy purple unicorn. Oh right. Now I remember. Twilight had willingly given herself up to be King Sombra's prisoner in exchange for their lives, something that Rarity had to admit that she herself would never have the will or constitution to do. Rarity missed having Twilight around; even if she wasn't keen on fashion, she was very organized and had an eye for detail. More than that, however, was the fact that Twilight's cleverness and natural leadership skills were the glue that held the Elements of Harmony together. Without her, they fell apart like a house of cards.

Gazing into the glass' reflective surface, Rarity noted her baggy eye sockets, frizzy hair and, Sweet Celestia, a wrinkle on her cheek! No, I'm too young for wrinkles! She tore her gaze away from the picture and buried her face into her hooves. Sleep eluded the ivory-colored unicorn and her creativity block was putting a hamper on her business and her downtime. What was once an innate talent and source of relaxation had now become a chore, one that threatened her very livelihood and reputation. Rarity glanced around the empty building and sighed, missing her friends, mostly Twilight and Spike, who anypony barely saw anymore. What did happen to my Spikey-Wikey anyhow?

"And almost...done!"

Spike wiped his brow and took a step back to admire his handiwork, amazed at how sparkling-clean the library was and knew that once Twilight got back, she'd faint with delight. Two and a half hours of dusting, scrubbing, sweeping, and reorganizing turned it into a bookworm's paradise. And to think, this was the third time that day the young drake had made the library look so nice and neat. "So Owlowiscious, what do you think?"

A gray-brown owl atop a wooden perch rotated his head sideways and replied, "Who-who?"

"You're right; I forgot to double check the list," Spike nodded, completely unaware of what Owlowisicious actually said, which was, and I quote, "Don't you find all of this cleaning a bit excessive?" This left the owl feeling quite annoyed and shaking his head pitifully at his draconic friend. Yanking a long scroll from off of the coffee table, Spike unfurled it and cleared his throat. "Let's see: 'Scrub the bathroom, replace the sheets on Twilight's bed, refill the ink wells, rearrange the quills from longest to shortest, organize every single book in the library alphabetically by title and subject, dust the shelves, sweep and wax the floors, wash the windows and polish the door handles.' Done, done, done and done." Rolling the list up, Spike fluffed up his spot on the couch and sat facing the door, eagerly awaiting the return of his big sister and whatever nerdy activity she had planned.

A nearby ticking clock was the only source of sound for the hour and half Spike spent waiting, his tail furling and unfurling as he stared at the door, an eager smile forcefully stretched across his face. Any minute now. Any minute now... He tried his best to ignore the bowls filled with glittering gems that rest next to the door, consolation gifts from his friends that he felt he couldn't eat until Twilight returned. Then, and only then, could he deserve such delicious treats. A rapping on the oak door made his heart skip a beat. Finally, it took you long enough! "Come in!" Spike shouted, ready to pounce on his visitor as the brass handle turned, the excitement threatening to blow up his tiny body.

Instead of Twilight, a familiar white unicorn carefully pushed the door open and posed theatrically, wearing a yellow sunhat and a transparent light blue scarf. "Oh, hi Rarity," he sighed. Usually, whenever Spike caught a glimpse of Rarity, his heart would start pounding and all of his attention and focus would zero in on her and her alone. On this occasion however, his cartoonishly large grin vanished and he sagged into the couch cushion, a dejected sigh escaping his lips. It was as if the supposed love of his life wasn't standing in front of him. For all Spike cared, it could've been a random pony off of the street. Rarity must've caught onto to this because she stopped posing and stared at the dragon with a mix of heart-aching sadness and ego-destroying disappointment.

"Spike, are you alright, dear? And look at this. You haven't eaten the gems everypony brought you."

"I'm okay. I'll eat them later," Spike stated monotonously, even as Rarity stood right in front of him and gently rubbed his cheek, being close enough for him to smell the lilac and honeysuckle perfume she knew he loved. He really was a sad sight: his light mulberry scales were a muted magenta and coming off in large, flaky chunks, giving him the appearance of a sickly lizard. Once vibrant emerald eyes now gleamed with a dull listlessness beneath a furrowed brow and his head spikes hung askew on his head. If somepony were to guess Spike's age, they would've said something closer to twenty instead of twelve. Even though he was an adolescent admirer with a crush, Rarity still saw him as a valued friend and it genuinely pained her to see him look so lifeless.

"Um, Spikey-Wikey? Why were you just sitting there? Are you expecting company?"

Scratching his neck, and peeling off a small patch of skin in the process, Spike regarded his guest with lackluster eyes. "I was just...waiting for Twilight to come in. I've spent all day cleaning the library and I know she'd appreciate it." The only thing sadder than Spike's appearance was the little smidgen of hope that managed to break through the tedium. Rarity was momentarily taken aback by this statement. Wasn't he there when Twilight traded herself for them in exchange for being King Sombra's prisoner forever? Doesn't he know that she's not coming back? She was about to remark on the dragon's childishness when she mentally slapped herself. Of course he's acting childish, he's a child! Poor thing, he's got to be in denial about the whole thing.

Carefully taking a seat next to Spike, Rarity removed her hat and scarf to put an arm around him, which he seemed to treat as though it were a normal, everyday activity. "Spike...," Rarity began, trying to choose her next words carefully, not wishing to upset him any further than he already was. "Darling, you do know what's happening, don't you? Where Twilight is and why she's not here with us at the moment?" She bit her lower lip as Spike looked up at her, considering her as if he'd just noticed her presence for the first time since she'd arrived.

"Of course, Rarity. I'm not stupid. Twilight is at the Crystal Empire with King Sombra. But she's strong and really smart so she'll be back here in no time and everything will be like it was before."

Rarity hung her head low. "Spike, Twilight is...well, she's not coming back. Ever. You heard King Sombra, Twilight is going to stay with him and...you saw how powerful he is. I don't think Twilight's going to be able to get away this time."

Spike leapt up onto the couch faster than Rarity could blink. "How could you say that?! Of course she's coming back! She has to. There's no Elements of Harmony without her and without her, the rest of you are nothing!" Angry tears flowed freely as he vented. "Twilight told me she loved me, that I'm her little brother. Well, she's my big sister and that's why she has to come back! You need her, Equestria needs her but most of all, I...I need her! Without her, I have no one!" Now that his defenses were down, Spike crumbled to his knees and cried harder than he ever had before, numb and in agony over the absence of the only family he'd ever known. His arms found their way around Rarity's neck and the mare pulled him in tightly, gently murmuring for him to let it all out. They stayed like that for a while, locked in a tight embrace, saying nothing as nothing needed to be said between them. They both missed their friend. They both missed their sister.

Author's Note

Okay, writing Rarity's part was...slow. Honestly, she's my least favorite of the Mane Six (although she still gets a chuckle out of me from time to time) and is just uninteresting. Spike, on the other hand, was easier but also harder, as I wrote him like a puppy whining and waiting for his master to come home. Spike is just adorable and the thought of him in misery is just sad to me.