What have I done...

His arms still fell around her, warm in the shared heat of their intimacy. No matter the guilt, he could not bring himself to pull away.

He had broken his promise. He wished to loathe himself, to feel depraved and worthless.

Why, then, did he feel so whole?

Had he betrayed his heart? Or had his heart betrayed him?

Contempt raged through him. He exhaled a ragged, trembling sigh, as if to extricate the confusion and guilt, but the action brought no clarity. What would she say? Would she cry? He gulped, the lump in his throat expanding another notch. What of their friendship? Of Twilight's friendship?

The questions were handfuls of hail thrown even after he had curled up, waiting to freeze.

What can I do...

He wanted desperately to turn away, to stand up and trod to his room, to be alone in his misery... But the being of his greatest turmoil was nestled sweetly beneath him. Her chest rose and fell, breaths coming calm and warm, ignorant to the sensations they procured. Her soft lavender scent entranced him in all the ways he wished to ignore.

As much as his pride begged him to leave, he knew he must stay. He hunched over her, letting his sobs torment his body once more, and pulled her closer against him.

A response. Her hooves pressed against him softly, doing their part in the embrace.

"Mmm..." she murmured, squeezing her eyes together as she stirred. "Spike?" The response was equally beautiful and terrifying.

He tried to choke his sobs, rubbing his face into the pillow, but small whimpers escaped, refusing to be smothered.

"Spike...?" she called again, drawn further out of slumber by his trembles.

Spike sniffed, trying to clear away his tears. "Uh... uh-huh?"

Twilight pulled her head out of its warm nook, opening her eyes a sliver.

"Spike... are you... have you been crying?" she whispered, her face next to his on the pillow.

He rolled over to face the other side of the room. "N-No... it's just... just..." his words trailed off into a long pause. No excuse found its way into his mind.

"Oh, Spike..." Twilight murmured, wrapping her hooves around him. "It's okay."

Still, he fought against himself, antagonized by his ignorant awoken partner. He coughed forth a choking sob, clenching his body in disgust.

"Spike... what’s wrong?” she asked, voice still languid from fatigue.

She pulled on his side, pressing him to turn over and face her, but he resisted still. She sighed, instead shifting herself close to him, and nuzzling into the back of his neck.

He felt his heart flutter as her lips landed on his scales. She began placing slow, soft kisses on his neck. His body crawled in contempt, trying desperately to inch away from her irresistible antagonizing.

"S...Stop."

She pulled back. "So, this is about me."

"No!" he hissed, cringing at the dejected tone in her voice. "No..." he repeated with a sigh. "It's about me. Just... go back to sleep. I'm okay; I promise."

"Spike..." she said, her voice low with worry. She let her hooves rest on his back, and let the silence roll on for a while.

She would blame herself... The notion ate at him angrily, confused desperately between self-loathing and appreciation for his caring friend. This was his issue to bear. After moments of hesitation that brought nothing near the clarity he so desperately desired, he turned slowly to face her.

"It's not your fault," he said, frowning dejectedly and looking past her.

"Then what is it?" she pushed, trying to meet his errant gaze.

He sighed. "I... I don't want to talk about it. I can’t..."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "Spike... there isn't anything you could tell me that would make me think less of you. Especially if it's troubling you. Please..." Twilight moved her hoof to comfort spike, but he stayed silent, shuffling further under the blankets.

Twilight spoke up before he could go any further. "This is about what we did, isn't it. I... I knew I shouldn't have... I knew you would regret—"

As soon as the words hit his ears, Spike's heart took the reins. "I could never regret that," he reprimanded, finally fixing his gaze on her. "This is something I did, not you."

She half-smiled, comforted slightly by his words, but pressed on. "Well then I can help you with it. Spike, before anything else, you're my friend."

“I...” Spike started to speak up, but let it die with a crestfallen sigh. He wished to keep his misdeeds to himself, but she had played a role... If anything, she deserved to know at at least that. “Just... promise you won’t hate me, okay?”

“Spike...” Twilight said quietly with a frown, "I could never hate you..."

Spike hesitated; no words that came to mind seemed proper, as if even his vocabulary was disgusted is his misdoings. “...I messed up bad, Twilight," he said with a gulp. "I don't know what to do." He closed his eyes and took a deep, long breath before opening them to address his friend again.

"In Canterlot... Rarity and I went on a date. Finally. It was just like I had always dreamed." He sighed looking away in shame. "We got... kinda close..." his mind danced around the specifics, not wanting to revisit them, letting his words trail off."But then...I saw you and I just... forgot."

Twilight's eyes widened, and she looked down, away from him.

"I didn't know how you felt,” Spike continued, his voice rising, “and so... when you told me, all I was thinking about was us, together. And... I wanted it. More than anything I've ever wanted before, I knew I had to be close to you, and—"

"You cheated on Rarity," Twilight said, a slight gasp leaving her lips with the words. "You cheated on Rarity with me."

Spike whimpered slightly, cringing as the words he so dreaded were finally said aloud. "Please... please don't be mad."

"Spike... I'm not mad. I just..." She furrowed her brow, closing her eyes and exhaling. "Oh no..."

"I-I'm sorry... I never meant to—”

Her own body began to shake as she began to consider the gravity of their deeds. “I know you wouldn’t mean to...” she said as softly as she could, trying her best to compose herself and be comforting despite her racing mind. “I would never mean to. What matters is that we did.”

“N-No,” Spike said, shaking his head. “You didn’t do anything. Twilight, you couldn’t have known...”

“Of course I knew.” Twilight closed her eyes and rolled to face away from Spike. “I’ve known how you felt about Rarity from the first time you laid eyes on her.”

Her mind mulled over the implications of her self-accusation, twisting her conscience into a guilty knot. All she had wanted was to for once, finally, be able to express how she felt unrestricted.

“Spike... I knew that if I waited any longer I could lose you to Rarity. I knew that something could have happened, and that’s what pushed me forward. This is my fault.”

Spike gave a frustrated groan, clasping his head between his claws. “No, Twilight, you can’t—”

“Ssh.” She lowered her eyebrows, ardent in her position. “It doesn’t matter why it happened, it matters that it did.” She paused her words, softening her gaze and putting a hoof to his cheek. “Look, Spike. I... enjoyed what happened,” she said, her body shivering slightly, feelings grossly understated. “I just... I just need a minute to think about it, okay?”

“But...” Spike started, before quieting himself and replacing his sentence with a bated sigh. “Yeah... I do too.”

For the first time in her life, Twilight could not help but be terrified that a friendship could slip away... but despite the worry, despite getting hurt, and despite the ever-so-ominous feeling of confronting what must come next, she could not imagine having to trade even a single moment.

Spike had walked in vulnerable. He had even tried to avoid her, and she chased him down and cornered him for what she wanted; not what he did.

“Of course he doesn’t want you,” her mind lashed out, “Who would?” The dark room seemed to close in around her, and an overpowering desire to be alone began to overcome her.

Worst of all, she had come between him and his dream; he had ached for Rarity for even longer than she had struggled with her own crippling loneliness. It was not only her own failures that devoured her inside, but the feeling that she had shared them like a plague.

She shifted uncomfortably upwards, cheek landing squarely on where Spike had earlier buried his tears. The same pillow that had taken all of her own sleepless, sobbing nights.

No, she thought, eyebrows narrowing as her mind filled with purpose. As Celestia is my witness, I will not let this happen.

She trembled as a thought pushed itself into the forefront of her mind. No matter what it takes...

Twilight steeled her resolve, and finally turned to face Spike again. “I’m sorry,” she started, looking him square in the eyes. “I took advantage of you. I chased you down. I put you in this situation.” She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “Let me make this right.”

Spike’s brows furrowed in frustration, opening his mouth to object, but Twilight placed a hoof against his lips.

“Forget about me.”

“Tonight, the night on the hill, and the one by the fire: everything. I... I want you to be happy, Spike. I know Rarity will be able to do that for you. So just... forget I ever told you how I feel, okay?”

“After we wake up in the morning, I won’t mention it ever again. You can be with Rarity, and... I’ll find someone else.” She hesitated for a moment, dropping her gaze from his as her mind continued spitefully on. Eventually.

“I’m not asking you to say yes; not right now. I’m not saying it’s the best thing to do... If you wake up and you want to tell Rarity everything, I’ll even go with you, look her in the eyes, and tell her exactly what I did. I’m just saying...” Twilight’s voice trailed off, and she let out a hesitant sigh. “Sleep on it. Okay?”

After a moment of hesitation, she slowly pulled her hoof back from his mouth.

Finally, Spike was given a chance to speak his mind. “Twilight, you can’t honestly be suggesting that...”

Twilight’s gaze remained serious and unwavering, breaking down Spike’s resistance with every word he pushed from his lungs. After a moment of frustrated realization, he simply gave a dejected sigh and nodded.

“ I’ll sleep on it,” he relented, finally resting his head against the pillow once more. “But only if you promise...”

Twilight blinked, and raised a curious eyebrow. “Hmm?”

Spike softened his gaze, putting his claws on the mare’s shoulders as he addressed her. “You can’t blame yourself. No matter what you said, this is not your fault. This is mine to deal with, okay?”

Twilight looked away as the words reached her ears. “Spike, I... I don’t know...”

“Promise,” he repeated, shifting closer and putting his face against her own.

Again, she looked unsure of herself, but with a bated sigh she nodded. “I’ll try... but only if you promise me something.” A moment of silence crept over them as Twilight hesitated to speak. “I...I don’t want to forget. Not yet.” Her voice was a low whisper as she peered through the darkness into his curious eyes. “Stay here. Just... just one more night. Please.”

Spike smiled, and rubbed his nose against hers sweetly. “It’s a promise.”

Twilight’s returned his warm smile, feeling her heart flutter. Eyes half-open, she pushed forward to express herself through a kiss, but recoiled in sudden realization before their muzzles met. In the beginnings of shame, she turned her face downward to avoid the desire that came with their lingering eye contact.

She felt a claw tickle the bottom of her chin as Spike guided her gaze up to his. His claw trailed up, pushing her hair out of her eyes and caressing her cheek softly. His face moved closer to hers in a slow, purposeful way, until their noses rested warmly against one another.

She noticed her racing heartbeat as he rested his splayed claw across the crook of her neck. Warm breaths poured down her muzzle, cascading over it’s crooks like a wave of relief.

More than her limbs strewn perfectly about the blankets, more than the rise and fall of her breaths as they tickled his face, more than the glow of her eyes amongst the shadowy miasma of the night, Spike’s mind found itself entranced in the scent of his guilty partner. Sweet, enchanting wafts of lavender found their way not only into his breath, but into his mind, absolving him of each and every transgression that burdened his consciousness. Drawn on by her special brand of a siren’s song, he entertained his fantasies of becoming closer... closer...

Spike’s lips pressed against her own and her shoulders perked up in bliss as she inched herself into the kiss. His hand stroked down her neck tenderly, making long strides that paralleled every movement of his lips.

The trembles began again, against her will and better judgement. Though she knew the stakes and the barriers between them, her heart could not. Desperately she wanted to pull away, to do the right thing, but she could conjure no force from within to do so.

Their eyes remained open, locked firmly on one another as the kiss rolled from seconds, minutes, until time was no longer of concern.

Waking up seemed a foggier burden than it ever had before. Spike’s claws flexed experimentally, expecting warmth but feeling no fur beneath them. He groaned, and pushed his arm outward, feeling cold, empty mattress everywhere he could reach. Discontent with the results of his probing, his eyes peeked slowly open.

She was gone. With a small frown, he felt his heart pushed to the precipice of disappointment. She did often wake up earlier than he did, but he had hoped...

With a sigh, he forced himself up and gave a great, shuddering yawn. Claws clacked against the wooden floor, which in turn creaked as he stood up and began shuffling towards the door. With another smaller yawn, he opened it, looking over the balcony of the library as he stepped outside.

The first floor of the building was as inactive as his still-languid mind. With a shrug, he shuffled down the hall and into the bathroom, closing it behind him with a soft click. Mindlessly, he stumbled forward and entered the glass shower, flicking the “Hot” knob as far as it would turn.

The magically-heated water poured over his shoulders and onto the ground, vaporizing immediately into steam. Spike breathed a deep, relaxing sigh of relief as the smell of fresh, clean water surrounded him.

This morning, though, the clean smell seemed a little... sweet? The inclination sparked a bit of life out of the groggy dragon, piquing his interest and pushing him to take a single, deep breath, attempting to capture the oddly familiar scent.

It... Was that... Lavender? He took another deep breath and, like a flood of cold water that poured over him, mirages of soaking fur, sparkling eyes, and bodies locked in lust bombarded his senses, staggering him and forcing him to extend an arm to the shower wall for support.

This was a bad idea. He trembled as he pushed his mind to conjure any other memory. As if fighting against him, the more desperately he tried to forget, the more vividly he could feel the warmth of her body against his own.

Twilight’s choice meant besmudging everything that had happened here, and whether he appreciated the memories coming back or not, he could hardly think about tossing them away completely. Or even trying to.

But even if he could casually “forget,” everything that happened between them, he couldn’t just lie to Rarity about it. No— forgetting was the wrong answer; the trouble was that he didn’t know the right one.

He groaned, overcome with a feeling of uselessness that put his days as a baby dragon to shame. If Twilight was anything, it was a wellspring of knowledge. If she had asked him to choose, then surely she had insight as to why.Finally armed with a sense of shaky direction, he exited the shower and dried his slick scales off with a towel.

He walked out of the bathroom door, trudging down the stairs, smelling the pancakes she was cooking before he could even see them. She looked back to him and smiled her greetings as he walked over and sat down into a kitchen chair. “Good morning, Spike. Did you sleep well?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Uh. Sorta. Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said last night, and I could really use some help thinking this through.”

Spike leaned back in the chair and gave a hesitant sigh. “About the choice; I... I don’t think I’m going to be able to just forget. But at the same time I don’t want to give up my chances with Rarity. And... I know how much this has all meant to you. It’s meant the world to me, too. But to throw everything with Rarity away because of one night seems...” his mind ached as he tried to find the word. “Senseless... I... I just can’t see a choice that’s fair to both of you.”

Twilight did not turn around, continuing her work facing away from Spike. “Choice? What choice?”

Spike blinked, cocking his head in confusion. “You know... if I should forget what happened between us? You said for me to sleep on it?”

Twilight stuttered the beginning of a sentence, before clearing her throat and walking over to a far counter to chop up some carrots. “S...Sorry, Spike, I just don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

Spike narrowed his eyebrows, and leaned forward in his chair. “What do you mean you don’t have any idea? How could you forget? You know... I came home... The shower... the—”

“Sorry.” she said, voice stressed as she interrupted him. She hesitated oddly before speaking again, and began chopping the carrots as if he had not been speaking at all. “Must have been a dream, huh Spike?”

Spike’s jaw dropped open, feeling a nervousness pile up inside of him as the words entered his ears. “T...Twilight,” he stammered, a slash of pain panging through his heart. “You can’t...”

Twilight stood still, not dignifying him with an answer. The swell of nervousness and confusion began to rumble within him as his mind processed what was happening.

She was making the choice for him.

He began to tremble as his hesitance boiled slowly into rage. He slammed his fist onto the counter, standing up so quickly that the chair beneath him clanged to the ground.

“A dream?!” he shouted, his anger overflowing. Twilight winced uncomfortably, but still did not turn to address the dragon. “You... You think you can just pass off everything that happened as a stupid dream? Doesn’t it mean more to you? Don’t I mean more to you?”

Twilight remained sturdy, keeping her head low and her eyes behind her mane as she continued with her work.

“You can’t do this, Twilight. You can’t just pretend to make it all go away! What, you think we can just go back to being friends like none of this ever happened? It will never... I will never...” he let his words trail off, realizing the gravity of what he was saying. His heart was awash with pain, and his mind was enveloped in an inferno of anger.

“Didn’t you mention you were going to see Rarity today, Spike?” Twilight said, calm and collected. “I had hoped you’d stay for breakfast first, but it seems like you’re in a hurry.”

Spike’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He stood in silence, letting his anger burn inside.

“Fine!” he yelled, slamming his fist down on the counter again. “Fine! Let everything go to waste. Let it all die. Go on, forget, keep living your life like it never happened.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a single step forward. “But I can’t forget, Twilight. I’ll never forget. I... I...”

He killed his words after a long silence, instead breathing in a deep breath.

“I hope you like being alone. Goodbye.”

Twilight cringed, but did not turn to watch him leave. Only after hearing a series of heavy footsteps, then the slamming of their front door did she let her wobbly knees buckle, falling to the floor as the despair welled inside of her.

Finally, she let the tears come. In a way, it was relieving to feel them trickle down her face. She let the knife clang to the kitchen floor as the sobs began to wrack her body. So desperately her heart told her to run, to chase him down the streets and say it was all okay.

But her legs would not move, and the inclination that she would rather be alone in her misery began to creep in.

Finally, it was over.

Knock, knock, knock. Rarity’s ears twitched as she noticed the sudden noise that infringed upon her peaceful bathtime. With a sigh, she leaned forward and turned the spigot off with her magic, climbing carefully out of the tub.

Now, whoever could be interrupting my bath?she wondered, her snout crumpling in irritation. Grabbing a white, cutie-mark embossed towel off the wall, she wrapped herself in it carefully, making certain that she would not drip water onto the wooden floors. Grumbling in discontent, she opened the door with a flick of her head and a huff. Before she left, she scowled into the mirror, making sure her glare of annoyance was perfect– and for a moment, it was.

The next moment, she trod down the stairs and noticed who was behind her window: Spike, standing tall and waiting expectantly behind her door.

The next moment, she noticed his confident smile as he gazed into the distance.

The next, she remembered the night before; the way their bodies pressed together; the way his scent lingered even still in her mind, and just how close she had been to dragging him back to the boutique, refusing to let him leave until the sun rose in the morning.

By the time her horn glowed, swinging the door open, Rarity could not even be sure if she was shaking from the brisk air or from indulgent anticipation.

“SpikmmMph?!” As she opened her mouth to speak, the dragon swept her off her hooves and pulled her against him into a deep, passionate kiss. Almost as quickly as it came, the surprise went away, and Rarity felt herself melting beneath his claws, leaning against him and purring happily.

As the kiss began to end, Rarity found herself absolutely speechless. Her mouth stayed completely agape as if it were blissfully unaware that words simply were not coming up. She was now practically hugging the dragon for support to stay standing.

“Rarity, dear, is something the matter?” Spike hummed through a clever grin. “You look positively pale as a ghost this morning!”

“You...” Rarity breathed as her senses came back to her. She once again became acquainted with her own heartbeat, though she was half-certain someone had replaced it with an excited hummingbird. She simply giggled a bubbly, girly giggle and nuzzled herself lovingly into Spike’s neck. “Don’t take this the wrong way, dear, for the effort is more than appreciated, but... What’s gotten into you?”

The dragon gave a cocky smirk. “I’ve just come to realize how lucky I am to be with the mare of my dreams.” He moved his claws down to where her cutie marks rested and gave the mare a single, playful squeeze.

With a grin, Rarity hopped down and trotted away from the dragon. “If there’s one place flattery won’t get you, my dear, it’s between my sheets” Her voice was low, yet rife with hidden invitation. “Well. Not before a proper dinner, at least,” she continued tossing a seductive smirk back over her shoulder.

“Oh, I know,” Spike said, with a sly smile as he slid inside the house. “Which is why we’ve got reservations for Le Cuisine du Rose this evening.”

“Le Cuisine du Rose?!” Rarity said, turning with a gasp. “On such short notice?”

“Mhm. Let’s just say a certain apple fritter merchant I know is a little more influential than I gave her credit for.”

Eyebrow perking curiously, Rarity opened her mouth to inquire further, but simply settled for rolling her eyes and shrugging. “Well aren’t we the popular one as of late? You... you mentioned our reservations are for this evening, correct? May I be so presumptuous as to inquire when this evening?”

“When?” Spike said, blinking once. “Seven o clock! Sharp!”

“Seven o clock?!” exclaimed Rarity, jumping in surprise. “Spike, that’s an hour from now! And I’m right in the middle of... Oh my... I must make haste!” She pranced around in a small circle as her mind decided her first direction. “Uh... Hm... Spike, feel free to make yourself at home; I’ve got some tidying up to do!”

With that, Rarity dashed upstairs, leaving Spike to his own devices.

A wave of soul-sucking energy moved in to occupy the void Rarity’s presence left. Spike slumped over, shuffling slowly to the nearest chair and plopping down it it. The vibrant purples and blues of Rarity’s boutique filtered into his mind as shades of dusty grey, ashes of once-beautiful architecture. His mask of enthusiasm had disintegrated, replaced with a languid, somber gaze as he looked out the window.

He felt tired; more mentally exhausted than he ever had before. This is what you want, isn’t it?

As Fluttershy stepped into her kitchen, her ears perked up. Was that... could she hear... thumping? It was soft, and it did not persist, but she was certain she had heard somepony or something knocking on her front door.

Sighing, she turned around and trotted slowly to the front door. As she approached, a peculiar noise droned it’s way into her mind. It seemed almost like... crying? The thought disturbed her, but as she stepped closer and closer, heavy sobs became more and more audible.

With confused haste, she rushed forward and opened the door with her wing.

Twilight Sparkle sat sobbing into her foreleg, peeking out as she heard the door open in front of her. “F...Fluttershy,” she managed between sobs.

“Oh, no...” Fluttershy murmured, stepping forward and immediately wrapping her wing around the distraught unicorn. “Come here, come inside...”

Rarity’s eyes sparkled as she trotted giddily into Le Cuisine du Rose, eyes panning around the restaurant like a school-filly on a field trip. She was surrounded by flowing tapestries of pink, purple and deep blue; even the walls were painted to match the vibrant-yet-dusky feel of the place. It was not often she got to wear a dress for an occasion, but Rarity felt right at home, having picked a deep blue dress that poured over her curves like a bottle of fine wine being poured into a glass.

“Tre magnifique, no?” a nervous-looking earth pony mare half-stuttered as she approached the pair.

Rarity stifled a giggle. It had been a long time, but the falsified accent made Rarity fairly certain that the waitress’ Prench was... not actually Prench.

The waitress seemed to immediately pick up on the infraction, her light blue coat flushing a pale red. “S-Sorry. It’s, uh, my first week here.”

Rarity gave a warm smile and nodded. “Oh, it’s quite alright, Ms...” she paused a moment to read the nametag, “Sleepy Reprieve! I couldn’t honestly expect Ponyville to find tried-and-true Prench speakers. The atmosphere more than makes up for it. Don’t you think so, Spike?”

The dragon shook his head, as if suddenly awoken from a dream. “Huh? Ah... uh... Yes! Of course! It’s beautiful, Ms. Reprieve.”

“Thank you!” The waitress mare smiled a practiced smile, seeming to relax at least a little. “Would the two of you care to sit on the lower deck, or the higher one?”

Rarity bit her bottom lip, tossing over the option in her mind. On one hoof, the lower area seemed a bit livelier, with warmer lighting and tables placed closer together. On the other, though, the upper seemed much more personal, with low candle-like light bathing the deeper blues and purples. Of course, for a date, the obvious choice was...

“The upper deck, please,” hummed Spike as he stepped forward in confidence. “I rather think Ms. Rarity’s mane would look beautifulin that lighting. Don’t you agree, Reprieve?”

“Ah... Oh... Of course! Wonderful!” she stammered, throwing Spike a sly toothy smile as she caught on. “Well, then, just follow me!”

Spike shot Rarity a quick glance back, winking and procuring his signature grin. She looked dumbfounded back at Spike, beaming in surprise as she followed his and the waitress’ gait.

They ascended a short staircase and found themselves at a table against a large window, Reprieve dismissing herself to allow the two to look over their menus. At once, Spike stepped forward and pulled out a chair, gesturing to Rarity. “My lady.”

Rarity let out a pleasant giggle as she slid into the seat. “My, my, such a gentlecolt this evening.”

“Gentledragon,” he corrected with a playful smirk as he found his seat.

Rarity rolled her eyes, but could not help but pick up on his infectious grin. “Oh, forgive me, my dear gentledragon,” she replied, voice thick with the same crafted emphasis. The two shared a long moment of parallel grins before Rarity cracked, bursting out into a fit of laughter.

Her horn glowed, and she rose her menu to eye-level, admiring it’s stylish layout as she pondered the options. “Don’t you simply adore the charming colors they used as their motif?” Rarity commented casually, glancing up at Spike, who had a look of confusion on his face as he gazed over the menu.

“The... colors?” He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Oh, yeah, of course. They’re very... purple.”

Rarity giggled into her hoof, appreciating the attempt. “Purple is certainly one word for it. Forgive me; it’s simply the designer in me that I can’t quite silence. I do appreciate the attempts the staff made to make their establishment feel uniquely... Prance, but in Ponyville!” She continued, letting her eyes drift around the room once more. “Ah... though I do hope I’ll be able to see Prance in it’s own right, someday.”

Spike leaned forward and tapped his chin. “So why don’t you go?” His expression paused for a bit as his mind seemed to work through something. “Or, hey! Why don’t we go?”

“What? Just drop everything and take a trip to Prance?” She chuckled heartily, entertaining the idea for a moment. “Well, as much as I would love to, I can’t rightly say I could afford to lose all the work...”

Spike shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it. You’re the only dressmaker in Ponyville. So they’ll have to hold off a week. You, out of everypony, deserve the break.”

Rarity smirked. “I... suppose,” she said, playing with the words tentatively as they left her throat. “But what about you? Don’t you have the Library?”

As if she had uttered some unspeakable curse, Spike went pale and his confident expression melted. “I...” he struggled, picking up his menu and clawing through it again. “I... I could use to get out of that stuffy old place more often,” he settled with, his smile returning weakly.

He took a deep breath, his confident air returning more and more with each errant moment. “B...But enough about that! Can’t you just imagine it? Prance... the lights... the boat rides; it would be fantastic! Everything a hard-working, beautiful mare like you deserves.” He emphasised the compliment with a wink as he said it, and Rarity flushed in adoration.

“Well, with a hook like that, how could I say no?” Finally, she began to entertain the idea seriously: Prance, with Spike, underneath the stars. The idea of it sent her mind reeling in joy. She leaned forward, gazing into the dragon’s eyes and extending a hoof across the table. “Fine,” she concluded as Spike took her hoof in his claws. “Life is meant to be lived, yes?”

“Yes!” Spike agreed, smiling and gazing into her eyes. Rarity felt her insides flutter with glee as if in anticipation for her words.

“Then yes; someday, we shall go to Prance!” she sang, practically squealing in excitement. Rarity bubbled inside, closing her eyes and allowing the warm glow of joy to radiate through her cheeks.

“There, there...” Fluttershy cooed, her comforting hoof making another countless lap up and down Twilight’s back. She knew her words held no meaning; whatever had happened to Twilight, she would have to cry it all out before any progress could be made.

The tears had not ceased, despite nearly an hour of despair. In between the cracks of the overpowering grief Twilight could feel only her cold, wet tears streaming down her cheeks.

“T-Thank you... Fluttershy,” Twilight sobbed for the thousandth time, squeezing her again. Inside, it felt like she had deflated slowly over the last hour, and finally she began to feel that soon there would be no tears left to cry.

“It’s alright, dear...” she hummed, patting Twilight’s head. She wondered briefly if Twilight noticed or cared that she had been speaking to her as if she were a wounded animal, but after so long, she could not bring herself to deviate from her default words of comfort.

Eventually, Twilight’s sob’s devolved into dry chokes as her chest convulsed weakly, and she pulled back from where she had rested her head against Fluttershy’s neck. “S...Sorry for...” she mumbled, glancing errantly at the damp and matted fur that composed Fluttershy’s neck.

“Don’t you worry at all, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, smiling warmly and moving her hoof to rest on Twilight’s. “Now... do you want to talk about what happened?”

Twilight’s pressed her wet eyes together as she considered the question. She pulled in a long, wet snuffle, and nodded weakly.

“I... It’s...” she started, but sighed, and stopped her words as they came. She lifted a hoof to her eyes and wiped them as dry as she could manage before trying to start again. “It’s about... Spike.”

“Spike?” Fluttershy gasped, nodding for Twilight to continue.

“He... We...” Her breathing became more and more rapid as she thought back to the night. Her frantic neuroticism raged, pushing forth a swell of buried anxiety from within her, building and building until she felt she might throw up.

“Oh no... Twilight, are you—”

“We had sex!” Twilight shouted, more loudly than she had intended to, breathing heavily as a long silence crept it’s way into the cottage.

Fluttershy paused, unsure if she had heard correctly. Her face began to flush red as she processed the words. “Oh... Oh my...”

Twilight sniffed, and buried her head in her hooves. “I know...” she groaned. “It was stupid...”

“No, no...” Fluttershy began to comfort, inching closer to her friend and wrapping her wing around her. “A-And... You... Regret? That?

Twilight groaned even louder. “No. The farthest thing from regret. I... It was...” she gulped, shifting her eyes uncomfortably. “No, I don’t regret it. It’s that... W-Well, you see...”

“He’s in love with Rarity?” Fluttershy offered experimentally. Twilight’s hesitance had given her plenty of time to put the pieces together in her own mind, thinking ominously back to only a day before when she walked in on Spike and Rarity kissing on her couch.

“Y-Yes... But... No? I’m not sure, and I don’t think he is either,” she said with a sigh, lowering her head in dejection. “It’s that... he told me afterwards that they were already seeing eachother. I... I figured he might have, but I...” she stopped as she considered her words. “I was afraid to ask.”

“So, he couldn’t choose... I... I knew what he wanted. Rarity has always been his dream.” She turned her gaze upwards and looked desperately into Fluttershy’s eyes. “I couldn’t come between that. I told him to forget about me... to forget about everything that happened. I could never ask him to choose between us. I chose for him.”

“Oh, no...” Fluttershy murmured, shaking her head slowly. “Twilight, you didn’t...”

Twilight nodded slowly, looking down in shame. “I... there was nothing else I could do... he yelled at me... he said... said we would never be friends again... and I...” A sob assaulted her stream of words.

Fluttershy hesitated, choosing her words carefully.

“Twilight... do you love Spike?”

Twilight blinked in surprise, avoiding Fluttershy’s gaze as she thought about the question. “L-Love? I... I just...” she stammered, unable to procure an answer.

“Yes, Twilight,” Fluttershy said softly, moving her hoof to her cheek. “Are you in love with him?”

Twilight went completely silent, feeling her heartbeat in her ears. She twiddled her own hooves, finding it hard to even approach the question within her own mind. Instead, memories of their nights together found their way into the forefront of her mind. Even now as she thought back to their playful experimentation, her heart fluttered and her fur stood on end. Even though despair, the images that danced across her mind’s eye coaxed a small smile from her.

Again her breathing picked up, and she looked around the room as if her eyes grew anxious from sitting in the same place. She thought to better days, to when Spike would have picked her up and held her if she was crying, playing the role of a true friend. She thought to their first kiss, as his lips pushed softly into hers, how his claw pushed the hair sweetly from her eyes. She thought to just the previous night, how the feeling of ominous despair had evaporated as she slept against him, feeling his arms around her body.

She thought of the morning. How hard it had been to pull away. How broken she had been when she denied their bond. How alone she had felt when he walked away.

“Y... I... I think I’m in love with him, Fluttershy,” she said, she words coming slowly, the realization foreign and exciting. Immediately her breath became frantic and rapid, and she looked her friend straight in the eye.

Fluttershy beamed wider than Twilight had ever seen her smile before, leaning forward and pulling her into a warm embrace. “Oh, Twilight, this is so wonderful...” she chirped.

“W...Wonderful?” Twilight asked as she pulled away. “Fluttershy, this is awful... Spike... He’s... He’s with Rarity, now.”

“No, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, her gaze becoming more assertive, despite the smile lingering on her face. “He may be with Rarity, but his thoughts are with you.”

Twilight blinked, confused at the notion. “Fluttershy, how would you know if...”

“Trust me, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, pushing her hoof into Twilight’s chest to punctuate her words. “The heart works in pairs.”

Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward. “Run to him, Twilight.”

“W...Wha... F-Fluttershy, I can’t just—”

“Twilight, just... listen to me, please,” Fluttershy said with a sigh. “Love is not to be ignored. Love is precious— fleeting. Some ponies go their whole lives and never learn the meaning of the word. You can’t let it pass you by.”

“B...But what about Rarity?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “If Spike doesn’t love Rarity, we’re saving her from mountains of trouble in the long run. Trust me, Twilight.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she heard the soft wisdom of her friend. Slowly, yet ever so surely, she began to nod.

“F-Fluttershy... y...you have to help me. He could be anywhere! Please; we have to go now, before it’s too late!” Twilight said, jumping up from the couch and prancing around in frantic circles.

Fluttershy remained calm and collected, smiling and raising to her hooves. “Come on now; the sun is just setting. It will be easier if we have light.”

Twilight nodded, and rushed to the door. In an instant, she threw it open, rushing down the beaten dirt path from Fluttershy’s cottage and into Ponyville.

“Are you quite alright dear?”

The words snapped Spike out of a hazy stupor like a kick across the head. He blinked, then remembered his mask, and pushed his cheekbones into a confident smile.

“You’ve hardly touched your food...” Rarity finished, voice wavering with worry. “Not enjoying it, I presume?”

“Hm?” He hummed, looking down to the revolting tangle of ivy and flowerbuds that the Prench called a meal. “No, no; It’s great!” he said, the words thrashing at his insides as they escaped. “I just made the mistake of eating right before I came to get you.”

“Ah, well, that’s unfortunate,” Rarity said, dabbing her mouth politely with a napkin. “I can assure you, it’s quite well worth the hype! Ah well; sometimes these things happen. At least you can still enjoy the atmosphere!”

“Oh, yes. Beautiful place,” he agreed, the inferno within roaring in discontentment. The purples, pinks, and blues of the restaurant clashed angrily, forcing his eyes downward to avoid a piercing migraine.

“I quite enjoy that quaint little fireplace most,” Rarity commented, gesturing a hoof over to the center of the lower-floor. “It really brings the whole feel of the black and color together in a cozy way!”

Spike turned his eyes to the fireplace; he had not even noticed it before. As his eyes panned over the dancing flames, he flexed his claws, remembering oddly how enjoyable it was to feel fur between his fingers.

As if his mind had started on a downhill slope of ice, his eyes widened as he remembered holding Twilight next to the fireplace inside the library. ‘No,’ he said to himself as the sensations of warmth and the beauty of touch filtered into his mind. ‘No, no, no, no,’ he repeated, beginning to tremble, expression melting away, a total loss of self-control.

“Spike?”

He blinked, and his head snapped to look at Rarity.

“Are you alright?” she pushed, leaning forward and clutching his claw between two hooves.

The flames burned inside.

“Perfect. I couldn’t help but imagine how beautiful you would look by that fire,” he said, gaze softening as he leaned forward. “Sometimes I just get overcome by how lucky I am.”

“Oh, Spike...” Rarity purred, smiling in joy. “You flatter me, dear. But... you need not flatter me so much. I’m here for you, Spike.”

The blaze raged hungrily within.

Spike smiled warmly. ‘I mean it though.’ “I mean it though,” he repeated, accepting the instruction blind as his mind spat it out.

Rarity gave a sly smile, leaning back in her chair and staring half-lidded at him. “You know what they say about that, don’t you, Spike? Show... don’t tell?”

He blinked. The gears did not work quickly enough, and so she continued, leaning forward and motioning for him to meet her in the middle. Slowly, he leaned forward until their faces were inches from one another.

“How would you like a chance to show me, hm Spike?” she whispered into his ear, trailing a hoof along one cheek and slowly kissing the other.

The inferno inside roared in anger.

Spike trailed his nose across the tip of her muzzle, meeting her gaze and feeling her breath on his face. “I’ve been waiting since last night to hear those words,” breathed Spike, stomach tying in knots as he tried hard to avoid thinking about what he had said.

“I’ve been waiting since last night to say them, my dear.”

“Well, then, what are we waiting for?” he replied, heart furiously slamming into his ribcage. Dumping far too many bits onto the table, the pair stood up. Rarity wrapped her tail around Spike’s leg and, just as the stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky, the two walked out of the restaurant and into the evening air.

Hard hooves slapped against the stone and dirt roads of Ponyville as Twilight Sparkle gasped for air; she had teleported around north Ponyville until her horn felt like a nail that was being driven through her skull. Though her lungs were on fire, she ran on, coming around the last mysterious corner.

Everywhere she went she had seen ponies: ponies on the road; ponies selling their wares; ponies on benches. But the town seemed to be surprisingly absent of a certain green and purple dragon. She wondered, briefly, if the two had absconded to Canterlot again, but she knew Rarity was tied to her boutique for work come the next morning.

Just as her legs were about to give out, she spotted a slowly-flying yellow pegasus above, and pushed on towards her beacon of hope.

“Flutter... Fluttershy!” she called, panting as she trotted up to her friend.

“Any sign of them?” asked Fluttershy softly as she landed on the ground.

Twilight groaned. “I... I was going to ask... You the same thing...” she said, catching her breath between fragments.

Fluttershy gave a concerned smile. “Don’t worry, Twilight. Carousel Boutique is right across the square!” Fluttershy said, turning her head to show her friend. “It’s getting late; surely Rarity will have to come home some— AH!” Her words cut off in a surprised squeak.

“What!” Twilight asked, raising her head.

The two peered across the square, and in the low-light were able to make out Rarity and Spike, ascending the steps into Carousel Boutique.

“W... Wait!” Twilight called, trotting forward slowly, but her voice was hampered by the fatigue of exhaustion. As she mustered her second wind, she began to pick up speed.

As Rarity’s horn glowed to open the door, she wrapped her tail around Spike’s neck and gave him a devious grin. Spike pulled Rarity off her front hooves into a deep, kiss, and, locked in embrace, they bumped their way inside the building.

Twilight stood not twenty feet from the door when she felt her heart break. Her eyes went wide, and she dropped to the dusty ground, wanting to scream at the sky but too exhausted to do so.

“Oh no....” Fluttershy lamented, flying over to her friend. Slowly, she helped Twilight to her hooves again, and supported her over to a patch of soft grass.

“It’s... It’s too late.”

Rarity’s shapely flanks swayed back and forth as she led Spike, hoof after hoof, up the stairs. She had not bothered to turn on any lights as they pushed into the door, and so Rarity’s round behind was the only thing in sight.

She stopped at the door to her room, turned around, and hopped up on her hind legs so their faces were on the same level. “Now, you wait right here,” she said, biting her bottom lip in pause between her words, “and when I’m ready, I’ll call for you.”

Spike nodded mechanically, giving her a short parting kiss and watching her prance inside, closing the door all but a sliver behind her.

Everywhere he looked was black; he could make out the vague shapes of the walls and bannisters of the building, but that was it. He wondered, briefly, if he was looking at the confines of his own mind, but he quickly abandoned the notion.

This is going to be fantastic. He repeated, wearing a blank stare at nothing in particular. This is everything you ever wanted.

After a brief amount of shuffling about from inside the room, he heard Rarity call his name through the darkness.

Raise your arm. He did, and pushed open the door.

Walk inside. Slowly, he entered the dark room.

Rarity was lying on her side on the bed, and her blue eyes glowing through the shadows, staring directly into his. She had pulled the bottom of her dress up to reveal only the tip of her cutie mark, her slender curves only more beautifully mysterious under the cloth. As his eyes ran up and down her body, she flicked her tail in his direction, biting her lip as she did so.

Truly, she was the most beautiful mare alive. Truly, she was the most beautiful mare alive.

One after the other, Spike raised his claws and stepped forward, the scratching of his feet against the hardwood floor filtering into his mind as metal on metal. His heart thumped eagerly, like a pump being overburdened with liquid.

He placed a claw on her thigh, and ran it up and down the length of her body, feeling her shiver in anticipation under his touch. He pulled up a knee and slid onto the satin sheets of the bed, laying himself out next to her.

As he pressed their faces together her warm lips breathed life into his cold and despondent flesh. His body went through the motions: slow, sensational kiss with only the lips; share warmth, pressing tongue in lightly; passionate, driven kiss, pressing together tightly.

His senses were unresponsive. He simply raised his claw, and began removing the dress. Strap. Strap. Slowly pulling down the zipper. He slid the cloth off her form, breathing in her shapes and curves as his eyes rested over them naked.

Her fur was matted in places; that was cute.

Her hooves wrapped around him, pulling him atop her; that was sexy.

Slowly, he planted kisses down her muzzle, and to her neck, beginning to suckle softly. Soft, enticing moans escaped her lips, and the hooves on his back flexed blissfully. His claws squeezed her flanks, pulling her against him, his own cold scales drinking in the heat of her body. But through her soft moans, and through his own trance, a familiar, dreamlike scent wafted into his mind.

Lavender.

His body convulsed.

Why did she smell like lavender.

He took a deep, sudden breath of air and pushed himself off her, beginning to breathe heavily as anxiety took hold. No; not here. Everything was perfect. Not here.

“Spike... what... wrong?” shot into his mind in fragments like pieces of a greater lightning bolt. He clutched his head between his claws, and began to curl up into a ball, wishing for all the stimuli to leave him alone.

Aided by the scent that lingered on his tongue, the mechanical stupor melted away.

Finally, the world came back.

“Spike!” Rarity called, her eyes darting around in a panic. “Spike!”

“Why do you smell like lavender?” He demanded, glaring spitefully at her as if she had accused him of some horrible crime.

“Why... W...What?!” she recoiled, blinking in surprise. “Lavender? It’s... perfume! I put it on while you were outside...”

Spike began to tremble, shifting himself away from Rarity. “I... I can’t do this,” he said, gulping as he pushed himself off the bed and rose to his feet. “I can’t...”

“Spike... What’s wrong?!” she appealed, flustered, her pleading sapphire eyes pushing through the darkness. “Do... Do you need more time? Do you not like the perfume? I can—”

“I cheated on you,” Spike said, turning and looking Rarity dead in the eyes.

“I cheated on you with Twilight,” he repeated again, finally turning away and sitting on the edge of the bed. “And... I can’t do this. Not this, Rarity, but all of this. I...”

He gulped, and dropped his head between his claws as he uttered the words.

“I’m in love with her.”

Like a calm before a storm, a silence creeped in as Rarity’s jaw dropped lower and lower. As if the words hung in the air itself, she began to shake.

Then, she smacked him.

She slapped him hard across the face, fury in her eyes. “How dare you!”

“Is that any way to treat the mare you love, Spike?” she demanded as he recoiled in shock. “To run around behind her back, charming and beguiling those who would be so ignorant as to play along with the little ruse?”

“I...I know, Rarity, I never should have done that to you. And I’m sorry, but I hope—”

“Me? To me?” she continued, stomping forward and staring into his eyes inches from his face. “No, Spike, to her. You’re in love with Twilight, and yet you run away from that, trying to convince yourself otherwise? Let me tell you something...”

“A man does not run from love, Spike. A man does not hide behind what he should do; he does what must be done. And you and I both know that you are a man.” She took his claw in her magic and glared into his eyes

“Now find her, and be sure to bring her what she deserves, because Celestia as my witness you will not break two hearts tonight.”

“Go,” she ordered, letting her magic fade and turning her head away at once.

Now Spike was the one who’s jaw had dropped, but he had no time or willpower to indulge in his surprise. He stood up and dashed to the exit, hesitating only in the threshold to look back upon the mare he was leaving.

Rarity was hunched over, mane falling down her her eyes as she trembled.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke, words pushing through the darkness as a broken, battered parting gift.

The first of many tears dripped down onto her satin sheets, twinkling in the moonlight as they fell.

“I know.”

He rushed out the door, down the stairs, and out into Ponyville.

Rarity let her sobs take her completely. Her horn glowed as she reached out into the bathroom, and turned the spigot on her bathtub. As she heard the water begin to fall, her magic gripped an object under her bed, and she pulled her diary before her as she cried.

“Dear Diary,

‘Tis not the ones we lose that harbor the most suffering, but the ones forgotten.”

Like a lightning bolt cracking through the sky, Spike burst out of Carousel Boutique full of energy and fervor. Claw after claw, he ran across the square to the library, pulling open the door as if an Ursa Major was chasing him.

“Twilight!” he called into the dark building as he dashed inside.

“Twilight!” Fluttershy spouted, jerking upright in the grass as if she was struck by a lightning bolt.

Twilight recoiled in surprise, looking through tear-stained eyes at her friend. “What?”

“Spike... He just ran out of the Boutique! Right towards the library!” Fluttershy said as quickly as she could muster, jumping to her hooves.

Twilight blinked as her mind processed the words. “To the library?”

“Yes! To the library! Come on, Twilight!” Fluttershy pleaded, beaming as Twilight hopped upright.

The two dashed across the square, burning desire renewed by a kindling of hope.

She wasn’t here. Spike had looked through all the rooms, but no lights were on, and no unicorns were present. It didn’t matter— all that mattered now was that he needed to find her elsewhere.

Jumping down all the stairs of the library at once he stumbled as he hit the floor, but pushed out the same door he had entered only a minute ago.

As soon as he was outside again, he scanned his surroundings, trying to decide which direction he would pursue first.

Through the darkness he spotted a lavender-furred mare, running towards him across the square, pink streak in her hair and fire in her eyes.

Twilight’s heart leaped as she saw Spike exit the building, his eyes falling directly on her. She beamed in joy, shaking her head as if to cleanse her of all of her worries, and took a deep breath.

“I love you!” they both shouted in unison across the square, all the remaining townsponies turning their heads at once.

Twilight leaped into Spike’s arms and threw her hooves around him, pulling him into the truest kiss either had ever given. Twilight had pressed her eyes shut, but Spike’s were wide open, glistening with the beginnings of happy tears as he held his love. Spike slammed back into the closed library door, but flipped himself around, pushing Twilight against it and pushing his lips into hers.

Though nearly all the jaws of the townsponies had dropped, a quiet yellow pegasus and an apple fritter merchant across the square began cheering together. Soon, the cheer grew infectiously into the small crowd, until everypony was shouting their approval in unison.

Neither Spike nor Twilight heard the cheers above a soft whisper, enraptured so totally in the love and lips of one another that not even Celestia herself could have pulled them apart.

Author's Note

Special thanks to Norrie for being the best writing partner I could ask for.

A note: I realize Rarity says "man." Surely some of you realized that too. I couldn't find an appropriate word. Gentlecolt, Genteldragon, Stallion... none of them fit, all for different reasons. The meaning to me is more important than the semantics of wordplay. Sorry if that bugged you.