Love Springs Anew

The harsh winds bellowed an icy tinge on every bit of land, far to the North of Equestria. A place long abandoned, forgotten by Ponies and history. Somewhere far enough that, if one were to venture into the wastes of ice and snow, you'd find naught but the chilling grasp of a thousand baleful winters gnawing through your very bones.

Against the hide of a dragon, however, it was nothing more than a slightly uncomfortable breeze. Purple scales wrapped up in black attire stuck out from the never ending expanse of pure white, the few feet worth of a trail he'd drudged through already being covered up by the eternal storm raging above.

Although the cold chipped away at him through the thin fabric of his suit, the rage of the weather was nothing to him. The ice between his claws gave him no chill, and the wind whipping his face brought no sensation. Everything was dull against Spike, for all the pain his body and soul could muster had already been pinned to a single thought.

A mare.

"Rarity..." he hiccupped.

The ice on his face was a result not of the winds or hail above, rather the sheer heartbreak he'd endured over the last week alone. A force of nature hundreds of years in the making was but a barely present afterthought to the agony that crushed every inch of him. His legs and wings were worn and aching, trembling from the constant running and flying it took for him to reach this solitude. The dragon's heart, a mighty furnace that would last a thousand years without fail, could barely hold on to life, bled dry from sorrow. A few more steps into the uncaring cold were all his shell could take, and with a hollow breath, he fell into the snow.

Rolling onto his back, Spike's trembling hand held up a locket, an ivory chain with a single picture inside a cyan diamond. A white mare with an elegant purple mane smiled down on him. An angel given mortal form was always the way he'd describe her, the perfect mare with perfectly blue eyes, and a voice that sang a more beautiful sound than any choir could muster.

But the key word in that sentence was what he loathed the most.

Steely claws rapped his heart once more, the pain of watching her casket lowered into the ground burning his eyes until he screwed them shut. Spike curled into himself, gripping the locket as hard as his weakened body could. Tears flowed as freely as they could in the piercing cold, freezing solid mere seconds after they'd been shed. Every little thing that the week had piled onto him finally took its toll all at once.

The initial shock of hearing of her accident.

Seeing what was left of her carriage.

The funeral.

And the regret of never admitting his true feelings.

That last part dug deeper than any of the other daggers in his scales. Having kept the secret of his crush for so long, holding on to the vain hope that she'd reciprocate his love, all gone to waste. It was all pointless in the end, as he'd been too much of a coward to even try. There was no closure. No answer.

Spike screamed into the uncaring void around him, his scales lighting up with arcane fury as all of the pain in his body exploded into a baleful emerald flame.

\\\//////
Last Week
\\\//////

Rarity sighed as she fanned herself off with a magazine, leaning towards the open window in the carriage.

"Pardon my rudeness, dear, but can't a Princess afford a cart with a cooling charm in it? It's blazing hot!"

Cadance tapped a charm on the ceiling, fiddling with it in an attempt to charge it or get it to work somehow. Unfortunately, nothing happened, and she fell back onto the seat with a huff.

"I'm just as uncomfortable as you are, Rarity," Cadance said. "You'd think the maintenance workers in the Castle would have changed them out during Twilight's festival, but apparently not. I'm so drained after that show. Having to keep up with the Wonderbolts and juggling a dozen magic acts on top of it?" the Princess sighed. "Twilight's lucky we're family."

From above them, a compartment opened up to reveal a ten-year-old alicorn filly rooting around in the storage.

"Mommy, can we get ice cream?" Flurry Heart asked.

"Baby, please get down from there."

Flurry flopped out and into her mother's lap, Cadance grunting in pain as she was crushed by the small foal.

"Thank you," she groaned. "And, yes, we can get ice cream when we get to Ponyville."

"Yay!" Flurry cheered. "Miss Rarity, what kinds of ice cream do you have?"

"Hmm? Why ask me, precious?"

"Because mommy says you eat too much of it since Uncle Spi-"

A pink hand silenced Flurry by clasping her muzzle shut as Rarity and Cadance locked eyes. The Princess smiled wearily as Rarity's gaze saddened. She unfurled her magazine in hand and gazed longingly at the cover.

"Yes, well... I suppose I have," the fashionista said, trailing her fingers down the magazine. "I've done my best to stave off the fattening sugars of my sad snack cravings, but I can only put in so much sweat a day."

Cadance let go of Flurry's mouth, and in a second, the filly crossed the gap and sat next to Rarity, peering at the cover of all of her magazines.

"'Equestria's best bachelor', 'The hottest dragons of all', 'Scales are definitely in'... Aunt Rarity, do you have a crush on Spike?"

Rarity felt like smacking herself, if it was that easy to piece her interests together by just the covers alone. Though she couldn't have made it more obvious, given that Spike adorned the cover of each article she'd stashed away.

"Y-yes, I have," Rarity admitted.

"Then why didn't you go and kiss him? We were there for a week and you could have told him that you like-like him."

"I suppose I could, but I, um... there's more to a relationship than I think you could understand, dear."

"But he likes you and you like him, so what's wrong?"

"Flurry, dear, how would you like to ride on the roof for a few minutes?" Cadance asked.

"Can I, mommy!?" Flurry asked, her wings flapping and smacking Rarity in the face.

"Of course! But when I knock, you have to come inside, okay?"

"Okay!"

With a flash, the filly was gone, leaving the Princess and Rarity alone. Rarity spit out a feather and wiped herself down while Cadance adjusted her seat.

"You're scared," she said.

There was no question, the Avatar of Love was stating a fact. Rarity supposed it made sense, given the alicorn's affinity for love and emotions.

"Yes," Rarity whimpered.

"About what, exactly? I can only gauge so much from the ambient emotions, so having something more specific helps. What exactly terrifies you? The age gap? The species gap?"

Rarity twirled a graying lock of her mane and shed a tear.

"Both. I know I'm not an aged husk of a mare just yet, but I'm climbing there by the day. Spike, however, isn't even close to reaching his prime just yet. He's got centuries before he even begins to slow down, and even then, he'll have hundreds of years before he actually starts to become properly old for a dragon. I wanted to confess this weekend, I so desperately did. Every night for the last few months, I dreamed. I dreamed of saying those three little words, having this speech ready for when I was to pour my heart out, and dance until he swept me off my hooves and carried me off to start a family."

Rarity gazed out the window.

"But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized just what it was that kept me from going for him. For one, he has legions of fans, of all kinds of species, vying for his attention at all times of the day. I couldn't even get a single word with him in most circumstances during the last week, you know. So many suitable mares and such from all over the globe were there, wining and dining with him in the hopes of getting with him."

"But he said no to all of them," Cadance said. "Because he was probably waiting for you."

"Hmph. Right, Princess of Love, I suppose you could tell that he's still feeling for me, even after all these years."

Cadance nodded.

"Well, then I'm sure you'll know what I have to say next, but I want to get this off my chest either way, so if you'll allow me... I don't want to ask anymore," she said.

Cadance could feel the pain in her voice, and she could see the magic in her heart withering as she spoke.

"Spike is so very dear to me, but he lives on a level too much for me. I can't hold down three shops as well as trying to keep up with him during his constant travel across the globe. To spend so much time waiting for him to return, and wondering when he'll come back. I don't think I can handle that, especially not in my advancing age. Not to mention that I'd clearly be holding him back. I mean, in my hayday, I would think myself quite the catch, but I'm gaining weight every other week, I'm graying out, and I'm losing my flexibility, despite my constant practice. He'll live on far past my own... inevitable time, and I don't want him to lose a part of himself if we do start a family. Perhaps it's for the best he takes on a mare that will last him a few decades more, or better yet, a dragon that could stay with him for as long as he'll live. I don't like it, but I think that's for the best."

Cadance gripped her dress skirt and sighed.

"Rarity, I know you mean well, but you're forgetting something extremely important. Spike loves you. He doesn't adore you, he doesn't have a crush on you, he absolutely adores you. He's been with you through thick and thin. He's been there for you through it all, from your best to your worst, and he's never hesitated in taking your side. Spike's dedicated so much of his life to you, and you do feel for him too, but it's clear that you understand the kind of sheer difference between the two of you. But I think what's more important that you're forgetting is that even if you want him to be happy elsewhere, you need to give him closure. He needs to know you love him, and he needs to know why it won't work out. Like it or not, you've been avoiding the discussion for some time, and you can't run from this forever. I'm sorry, but the next time you see him, you have to talk."

Rarity leaned back and hummed, rubbing her temples as she tried to not cry.

"Alright darling, I'll do it."

The two exchanged a smile before Flurry teleported back in, grabbed Cadance, and popped out again.

Rarity had only a second to wonder what happened before the carriage was swept up in a rockslide, the rocks crushing the frame and the boulders breaking her bones. In the moments before the Royal Guards could find her, she couldn't stop thinking of Spike. The regret she held, unable to say her peace. The longing in her heart, to see him one last time. The realization she'd never see him again. In her final breaths, she begged to hold him one last time before her body gave out.