Heart of Scales

**Heart of Scales

Turn 7: Chance**

The flier landed itself right in the middle of the clearing, under the stars that just began to show themselves in the evening sky. Most of the ponies had left before they arrived. The only part of Pinkie's commentary that they were able to make sense was when she announced that the race had been interrupted and was to conclude without a victor. Twilight and Fluttershy were the only two that had stayed behind to find out exactly what had caused the interruption during the race.

The propellers came to a rattling stop, making clear that some of the screws needed some tightening before it was safe to fly again. Applejack jumped out of the flier at once and got to Twilight and Fluttershy before Rainbow Dash landed right beside them. Spike glanced at Pinkie Pie who was drifting back and forth from sleep and decided to leave her in the basket. He dismounted the flier and followed Applejack to join the group of ponies.

"What in the world happened? Please don't tell me it was because somepony decided to go a little too far to win." Twilight gave Rainbow Dash with a very concerned look. Her mane and tail were singed at the ends. Not to mention that she also gave off a weak smell of sulfur.

"Not at all! You won't believe what happened." Rainbow Dash sounded triumphant after having escaped the jaws of death. It was the complete opposite of Twilight and Fluttershy who were anxious to hear their story.

"Do tell us. We were so worried when the announcing suddenly cut off," Fluttershy insisted.

"It was this big dragon." Rainbow Dash got up on her two hind legs looming over Fluttershy who shrunk into the ground, terrified to hear that there was a dragon lurking somewhere in the woods.

"Be serious, Rainbow Dash. You're scaring Fluttershy." Twilight sounded impatient. "Is this true, Applejack? Was it a dragon?"

"Yes m'am." Applejack confirmed. "We were running the race normally when it suddenly came up from behind. We managed to lead it into a river. It couldn't fly or nothing so it was swept away."

"Why would a dragon be in Whitetail Wood?" Twilight asked. "It's not exactly a place with lots of caves and gems. Dragons don't usually have much of a reason to wander into the area."

Fluttershy gave a small high pitched squeak at hearing that there had been a dragon on the loose inside the forest. She was still cowering on the ground, covering her face with her hooves.

"You were on the flier when the dragon appeared, right, Ruby?" Twilight placed a hoof atop Fluttershy's head to try and comfort her. "Did you see where it came from? From which direction, I mean."

"I was watching Applejack and Rainbow Dash at the time so I didn't exactly see where it came from. If I had to guess, I would say it came out of the forest."

To Spike, the dragon might as well have appeared out of thin air, but that was impossible. It had to have come from somewhere and Spike was going to stick with his story that it came out of the forest.

"You said you led it into the river." Twilight thought for a moment. "Are you sure it was swept away? It didn't run away somewhere else, did it?"

"I'm not sure, I was preoccupied," Spike said with a small laugh.

"I saw and heard the big splash it made in the water, but I didn't see any of it after that," Applejack said. "How about you Rainbow Dash? You must've seen something, flying in the air during it all."

"The dragon sunk into the water, but that's the last I saw of it. Must've drowned or something." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Why's everypony so concerned? Who cares what happened to the dragon? It's not a problem now is it?"

"I'm just worried. There's still a chance that it still might be loose in the forest. I don't believe in freak chances of a dragon wandering into the woods. There has to be something that attracted it." Twilight took her hoof off of Fluttershy on account of her trembling so much at this point. "It takes more than some water to take care of a dragon for good you know."

"Can we stop talking about dragons please?" Fluttershy pleaded, from under the hooves covering her face.

"It could have gone home," Applejack said. "Supper's hard to find for a dragon in a forest."

"Of course. Sorry Fluttershy, I was being a worrywart again, wasn't I?" Twilight smiled. "It's a relief that you two made it out alright. I'm impressed you guys were able to handle it all right. I'm glad that no pony got hurt."

At once Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned to Spike as if expecting him to speak or take credit for his actions. It became obvious that he wasn't going to do so. Applejack took the initiative and pulled him in closer just as he began to modestly back off.

"Ruby saved us," Applejack said with a grin. "Took on that dragon all on his own."

"He did? He beat a dragon?" Fluttershy removed a hoof from her face, revealing one of her eyes, wide in disbelief.

That wasn't true at all. It was all due to teamwork. Applejack knew it, so did Rainbow Dash. He definitely would not have made it out alive had Applejack and Rainbow Dash not come for him. He opened his mouth to give a more accurate account of the events, but was silenced after Applejack covered his mouth with her hoof. She then began telling Twilight and Fluttershy an exaggerated version of how it all happened. Maybe it wasn't exaggerated and he had really done all those things, but even he couldn't believe everything that had happened today.

"You should have seen him, jumping off the flier and ramming the wind out of that dragon from the side," Applejack told with much feel. Twilight and Fluttershy were absolutely taken in, giving him looks of amazement that made him want to cover his face as Fluttershy did after hearing about dragons.

"Ruby led the dragon away from us and towards the river. I thought he was crazy running straight into the water," Rainbow Dash giggled, preparing to reveal the best part of the story. "I thought I was seeing things when I saw him running on water! The dumb dragon was left to drown, but Ruby made it to the other side with just his two hind legs, dragging Applejack all along the way."

Apparently, this was harder for Twilight to believe than a dragon suddenly chasing her friends during their race. Spike was kind of glad she didn't take the two seriously. It didn't discredit their dragon story, however hard of a story it was to sell. Fluttershy didn't hesitate to believe. It's probably better for her, knowing that there was a pony in town that can clean out any dragons that wander in.

"It's a relief nopony got hurt," Twilight said. "Knowing you two, you're probably going to schedule a rematch as soon as tomorrow morning."

"Rainbow Dash maybe, but I'd rather stay away from doing any more races until we're sure that there won't be any dragons in the forest," Applejack said.

"Same here, but I'm not against it if you're up to the challenge." Rainbow Dash grinned, gliding over to the flier to pick up the limp Pinkie pie to take her home. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Tell us when you get that letter back, Twilight. C'mon Fluttershy, I'll take you home too."

"What about the flier?" Applejack asked jokingly. "You and Fluttershy should ride it back to Pinkie's place."

"Not even if both of my wings broke." Rainbow Dash laughed sarcastically before flying away.

"Have a good evening, everypony." Fluttershy softly flapped her wings, slowly bringing herself up into the air. "Thanks for saving Rainbow Dash, Ruby. See you around, okay?"

"Sure thing." Spike watched as Fluttershy followed Rainbow Dash up high and flew out of sight into town. Now it was just him, Twilight, and Applejack.

"Is there anything we can do for you, Ruby?" Twilight asked.

"Why do you ask?" Spike thought that he had misheard Twilight but indeed, she was asking him if there was anything they could do for him.

"You saved my friends. We have a lot to thank you for. If it's alright with you, we'd like to do something in return," Twilight explained as Applejack stood next to her nodding.

In that case, what should he ask for? What did he want? The problem was that he didn't really have anything that he wanted. Then was he satisfied with what he had now? No, it wasn't that either. That could only mean that he didn't really know what he wanted.

"Well shucks, can you give me some choices, options, anything?" Spike asked.

"How about we throw a welcoming party? Pinkie Pie's sure to organize one in a jiffy," Applejack suggested.

"That would be nice and I do like parties, but there's no need throw one just for me."

"How about we get something for you?" Twilight suggested.

"Not that either..." Spike felt sorry for having to turn them down because he was too modest to accept their offers.

Spike didn't often feel comfortable receiving things. He always tried his best not to lose control of his desires. After all that's happened, he can only feel that he's done a very poor job doing so. He knew that his personality would make him hard to approach to other ponies. It was a part of him he wanted to change for the better. On the other hand, accepting even the smallest offer, he had keep it from going too far. He mostly lived a life of giving, never asking for too much, never receiving anything more than what he earned, and even less than that in some cases. That was just the kind of dragon he used to be, the pony he was.

"You can always tell us when you think of something later," Applejack said with a small smile, knowing what kind of spot Twilight had put him in.

He had done his job, keeping Applejack and Rainbow Dash safe from the dragon. Applejack was here because he simply did what he thought was right. The same went for Rainbow Dash. They were still with him, and that was all he could ever ask for. He didn't need anypony doing anything in return.

That was it. Making others happy, made him happy. It was an endeavor that brought out the best in him instead of revealing his worst. It was the only desire safe from any form of greed, the purest kind. If others wanted to give him something in return for helping them, he could ask for nothing more than to let him continue. That was why there was nothing that made him happier than being Twilight's assistant.

Spike began to feel dizzy. All this thinking was overworking his brain, causing a rumbling sensation in his stomach.

"I want to make you guys dinner," Spike finally said.

Twilight had a surprised look on her face. Applejack was calm and collected as usual but did show interest in his proposal.

"Dinner? Is that what you want?" Twilight began to think. "I don't see why not. We were planning a return sleepover party for Rarity and Spike, but that didn't happen. There's a whole lot of food just sitting in the fridge. You're coming along, right Applejack?"

"Show me what you can do, Ruby. I'm impressed you have the nerve to suggest cooking in front of me after my pie." Applejack smirked.

"But why dinner?" Twilight asked Ruby.

"Your assistant isn't here which means you won't have anyone cooking back at home." Spike was sure such an excuse would pass.

"You worry too much," Twilight giggled. "I have a very helpful owl filling in for Spike. I've sent him away to Canterlot to deliver a letter. He should be back by tonight but I don't want to ask him to take care of dinner on top of making a trip to Canterlot."

"Is that a yes?"

Twilight nodded.

Thank goodness, Owlowiscious was doing his job all right. Spike hadn't left Twilight completely alone. However, the letter to Canterlot, for Princess Celestia, it was sure to be about Spike. The contents would most likely be about where Spike was and if he was alright. The Princess would know. After all, there's no doubt that she had a hoof in these series of events, the only one who knew his secret, sending him to Ponyville after saving him. This would be a good chance to get some kind of clue as to what the Princess's intentions were.

The walk to the library gave Spike more time to view the town. He knew it like the back of his old dragon hand. He had to be careful not to get too ahead of the group. He was supposed to be new here. He wouldn't know where the library was; let alone where Twilight lived, where he had lived. He made sure he kept behind the two ponies leading the way.

Spike entered the library, feeling most at home since he had set hoof in Ponyville. The nostalgic scent was thicker than ever inside the library, the source of it even. He was pleased to see that it wasn't as messy as he expected. It was fairly tidy around the main library. Not too many books were off their selves. Owlowiscious was doing fine, although Spike knew he would have done much better.

"Where's the kitchen?" Spike asked, already staring at the doorway that led to it.

"Follow me." Twilight walked ahead, leading Spike and Applejack into the kitchen.

Spike felt a small feeling of uneasiness the moment he noticed that the cooking utensils were untouched and the waste bin was filled to the brim with a week's worth of empty instant food containers. An owl can only do so much, it seems. Spike went up to the sink to find it completely empty, except for a few forks and spoons. The dishes in the cupboard were exactly as he had left them when he had left. He was sure that they had been completely undisturbed.

"Is there something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"The ingredients are in the fridge, silly." Applejack opened the door to the fridge.

Spike closed the cupboard doors and walked over to the fridge. It was maddening to know that he wasn't going to be able to come over and cook all three of Twilight's meals every day. He only had tonight to do so. In that case, he better make sure she was well nourished until his next chance to cook for her. This means that he was going to spend this entire fridge full of food and replace everything with leftovers that were sure to last Twilight until he secured some sort of a personal assistant job here. If not, at least as a personal cook, if that was too much, then as an assistant librarian. Anything that'll keep him close enough to Twilight to make sure she was eating correctly. Was it too big of a task? Of course not. It was possible.

"I don't think I'll need any help." Spike looked deeply into the fridge, then at his hooves. When he was a dragon, things would get difficult. Trying to use a disproportional kitchen built for ponies. Now he was just the size to make full use of everything and was pretty sure his food would improve as well.

"You guys can wait outside, while I do my thing." Spike began to pull out pots and pans from the cupboards under the counter. All the while being careful not to seem too knowledgeable of where everything in the kitchen was.

"Are you sure you won't need any help?" Twilight asked.

"We best not disturb Ruby while he works," Applejack chuckled as she walked out of the kitchen, winking at Spike. "Don't disappoint me now."

In his new pony body, Spike occasionally found it difficult to move as he did when he was a dragon. There were a few things that just didn't feel natural to him. Like this morning when he was bucking apples, or during the race when running on two legs made him faster than on four. Cooking was definitely not one of these instances. In fact, being in a pony body actually improved his already sharpened instincts. He went around the kitchen naturally as if he had been doing so for years. That was because he had been.

His movements were almost like a dance as he utilized the kitchen. There wasn't much thought required to do so. His arms moved on their own. He could have done most of it with his eyes closed. This gave him much more room to think as he was reminded of Rarity, who worked in an almost similar way as he cooked. Was Rarity the same when she worked on her dresses?

"Can you make for one more?" Twilight said into the kitchen. "There's a chance somepony else might drop by. Rarity, I mean."

"Rarity? What for?" Spike almost added too much salt in the boiling pot of water before him.

"I told her that Princess Celestia's reply would arrive sometime this evening." Twilight looked into the kitchen, smiling after witnessing Spike's clear talent for cooking. "We agreed to meet at the library so I can tell her about it. Maybe I can persuade her to stay for dinner. You make enough for one more can you, Ruby? There should be enough ingredients."

"It won't be a problem."

"Great, thanks again. I'll be looking forward to it." Twilight returned to the main library.

"Sure," Spike trailed off. He imagined having dinner with Rarity, suddenly becoming more concerned about the quality of his food.

Even in Canterlot, he and Rarity didn't have an opportunity to have dinner together. That was one of the things he was looking forward to be doing in Canterlot. Now that he thought about it, there weren't any times that he's had dinner with her before the trip. Not that he could remember. That was beside the point. Rarity wasn't coming over to have dinner with them. It was to hear Princess Celestia's letter.

What if Rarity couldn't care less whether or not there was any news at all? That she was just pretending to care to maintain her image? Would she really be that deceitful? There wasn't any reason why she wouldn't be. She had no problem acting around the ponies at the party before the fashion show. Saving her reputation was first priority. Was it not? Then it shouldn't matter if she does it again here in Ponyville around her friends.

Spike didn't want to believe that.

He wanted to believe that no matter what her reaction to his confession might be, the Rarity he knew would care if he went missing. She would come to see Twilight, not because she wanted to feign goodness, but because she truly cared to find out if her friend was alright. She might even be in the mood for dinner, who knows?

After finishing all the other dishes, Spike added the last few ingredients to the soup. He decided to set the table while it simmered. He tried to place the dishes and silverware in a different style than he did when he was still a dragon. This was another part of taking on a new identity. Things had to be different. The food was familiar enough. He didn't need the tableware giving away hints of who he was as well.

Spike set the table for himself, Twilight, and Applejack. The rectangular table felt incomplete with only three prepared seats. He's already prepared more than enough food for four ponies. He might as well put down another set of silverware for the fourth just to fill the space.

Spike did as he planned, making plenty of extra food for Twilight. It was the only way he could rest easy, knowing that she was going to be eating all right. He looked through the cupboards pulling out large plastic containers to fill the spacious refrigerator with the extra food. He fit the last box into the fridge, having replaced all of the ingredients inside with enough meals to last Twilight for at least a week.

There was just one more box on left of the counter. This wasn't for Twilight, however. It was his personal box which was purple with a green top, a fitting color. It was one that he used to use to store personal food. It wasn't packed with just a single kind of food. It stored an assortment of all the dishes he had made tonight. It was a little of everything.

What did he plan to do with it? He hadn't decided just yet.

He heard the sound of a knock at the front door as he reached into the drawer for another fork and spoon. Over the low simmering sound of the soup, he could hear somepony answering the door, and most of all, conversation going on in the main library. He stood still; hoof hovering over the silverware in the drawer, focusing only on his sharp sense of hearing. The visitor, it could only be who he thought it was.

"You came, Rarity," Twilight greeted cheerfully.

"Did the letter arrive yet?" Rarity's voice carried into the kitchen. It was faint, but Spike had no problem picking listening in. His ears were practically trained for this one voice.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's here yet." Twilight sounded apologetic.

Spike didn't hear a reply. He imagined a disappointed Rarity, about to return home without saying another word. He lifted his hoof ever so slightly from the drawer, expecting that there won't be a need to set the table for one more.

"We were just going to have dinner," Twilight asked urgently. "Won't you stay? The letter might arrive any moment."

There were a few seconds of silence. Spike once again placed his hoof on the silverware in the drawer, just waiting for the cue.

"I'm sorry Twilight. It's just not for me right now."

She sounded as if she really regretted having to turn Twilight down on her offer. He had urges to run to the front door and try to persuade Rarity herself, but that wasn't the way Spike wanted Rarity to decide. He wanted her to choose on her own. Not being peer pressured into staying when she would rather be somewhere else for whatever reason.

"I understand." Twilight was clearly trying to hide her disappointment. "I'll let you know when the letter arrives. See you tomorrow."

"Have a good night, Twilight, you too, Applejack." Rarity bid farewell.

"See ya," Applejack said.

Spike didn't feel like listening any further. He relaxed himself, realizing how tense he had been during the time Rarity had come by. He took a deep breath as he pushed shut the drawer. He walked to the main library to let Twilight and Applejack know that he was ready, almost bumping into Twilight at the doorway. She was on her way to check if he was done.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't get her to stay." Twilight was able to tell that he had heard the entire conversation. Moreover, the look on his face gave her the impression that he was as disappointed as she was for her failed attempt.

"I kind of had a feeling that it was going to be like this." Spike chuckled, assuring Twilight that it was nothing to worry about.

"Are you finished?" Twilight asked in anticipation.

"That's what I was about to tell you."

"Great! Cause all this waiting's got me hungry." Applejack suddenly appeared from behind Twilight, went right past the two ponies, and was first in the dining room.

The dinner was just as Spike had imagined. Twilight and Applejack were impressed with his cooking. It was clear that Twilight was enjoying the meal, while Applejack seemed to have quite a lot to say, but didn't mention anything about the food other than that it was up to her standards. She had rather the refined tongue for a country mare. It didn't stop her from eating the most out of the three ponies. Watching his two friends enjoying their meal was just what he wanted when he asked to make dinner for them. Making other ponies happy, made him happy, especially his friends. Then why did a part of him feel as empty as the extra seat at the table?

He felt silly for being so worked up about whether Rarity was going to stay or not. Even if he did care, he wouldn't ask her to waste her time with him again. He was supposed to be Ruby, the pony that Rarity had met on the train. It shouldn't matter to him if she visited or not, if she stayed for dinner, or try his food. There was supposed to be next to nothing between the two of them. The fresh, day old, thin thread of friendship was the only connection was all they had now, nothing more.

The same goes for Twilight and Applejack. He was just an outsider. This was a part of taking on a new identity and if he wanted to keep it, things had to be different. He was the one who chose this path. If he was still worth anything at all, he would have it in him to keep to it.

Spike was in the kitchen once again with a pile of dishes in the sink before him. Twilight came soon after, levitating a bunch of forks and spoons and lowered them into the sink with the tableware. She stood beside as he did the dishes, helping out by using her magic, which greatly lessened the workload.

"At least let me do the dishes alone, Ruby. I know that you wanted to make us dinner, but I can't help feeling that I still haven't done anything to make it up to you."

"I can't imagine." Spike smiled at his reflection on a clean plate. "I had a lot of fun. How about we do it again sometime?"

"That would be lovely. I'll make sure to invite the other girls. They really need to try your cooking."

"Then I might have to step up my game." Spike felt warm inside at the fact that he had at least one more dinner party to enjoy with his friends.

"With your talent, I'm certain you'll be able to do it. I have a number of good cookbooks and one or two on dinner parties that might help. Come by anytime, I'll lend them to you. That would be one way for me to help."

"Today was fun wasn't it? Even though it was just a simple dinner."

"I've been feeling kind of down these few days. Tonight's 'simple dinner' really helped cheer me up. I was sure it would have done the same for Rarity too."

"Everypony has their own way of coming to terms with things, I suppose. We can only hope she feels better enough to join us the next time."

"She's avoiding me. I just know it," Twilight sighed, clearly still feeling bad after she left.

"For losing your assistant?" Spike put down his plate, letting it sink into the water in front of him. For a moment he had thought that he may have said too much. Spike knew too well that it was going to happen sooner or later. He was unable to restrain himself this time. He hated the fact that he had caused this between his friends.

"How did you know?" Twilight asked.

"Applejack told me about Spike. I didn't mean to pry. Sorry for bringing it up."

"There's no need. On the contrary, since you already know this much, it would be nice to have somepony to talk to. Would that be all right with you, Ruby. Would you hear me out?"

Spike was honored that Twilight was comfortable being open with him. Even if he was just Ruby, he wanted to do all he could for her. Right now, she needed a good listener, and that's exactly what he was going to be.

Spike nodded at Twilight who returned a small smile.

"Like you said, I think Rarity is avoiding me because she feels guilty for losing Spike." Twilight continued. "But I feel I'm the one who should be feeling guilty instead of her."

"Why? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I knew from the start that it was going to be difficult for Spike, yet I kept encouraging him. After everything that's happened, how it turned out to be, I feel that it was my fault for not doing anything to prevent it from happening."

Twilight had doubts from the beginning. Then again, who wouldn't? She had been able to predict something that he was too foolish to see coming. What about their friends? Did they also expect Spike to be rejected? There was no way to tell if they were talking about him behind his back, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

"I was surprised to hear that Spike had confessed," Twilight went on. "I was even more surprised to hear that Rarity had said no."

"Surprised? How come? Were you expecting her to say yes?"

"You can say that. Maybe it was that part of me that was hoping for things to work out. I believed that love prevailed over any obstacle. I hoped that it was going to work, but I was just naïve all along. In the end it's not only Spike that's hurt, Rarity was hurt as well. That makes me a part of the reason it happened."

"Don't be talking like that Twilight." Applejack walked into the kitchen. From the looks of it, she had been listening to them the entire time. "You did nothing wrong encouraging Spike to go through with his feelings. If there's one thing that's sure, Spike was happy with Rarity. What are you supposed to be regretting? We just did what we thought was right, what was best for Spike. What was that for you Twilight?"

"Doing what I could to help him get close to Rarity, I suppose," Twilight replied with uncertainty.

"Exactly," Applejack gave a firm nod. "Telling Spike to quit before even trying, a good friend would do nothing of that sort. Friends are supposed to encourage each other. If it doesn't work out, help them back up, it's what we're here for isn't it? I sure as hay don't regret telling him to go for it. You shouldn't either."

"Yeah," Twilight agreed with a little more confidence. "You're right, Applejack."

"Spike would have put his life on the line if she asked him to. To turn him down after all he's done for her." Applejack frowned. "It's just not fair."

"It's Rarity's decision if she wants to accept Spike's feelings or not," Spike said bluntly. "We can't force her to be with Spike if she doesn't want to. She had the final say, and she said no."

"She must have not liked Spike in that way after all," Twilight said.

"It could be because Rarity wanted to be just friends, and Spike just misinterpreted their relationship." Spike said, staring at the ground.

"Not just Spike. From the looks of it, we all did," Twilight said with a look of sorrow.

"Speak for yourself, Twilight. I can confidently say that I didn't," Applejack said. "As much as I'm against Rarity's decision, she's a mare with a conscience. It was obvious to everypony that Spike liked her. I can bet every last apple on my farm that she knew about it. If she wasn't prepared to accept his feelings, she wouldn't have led him on to thinking so."

"Are you saying that she meant to say yes?" Spike asked feeling light headed.

"I'm saying that Rarity knew he was going to confess sooner or later. Knowing that, she still let him work with her, without doing anything to keep it from going too far."

"What is that supposed to mean? She said no. Is there anything more to it?"

"It means that Rarity's 'no' wasn't an absolute no." Applejack said in an assuming tone. "She's anything but cold and indifferent. If she's the emotional, overdramatic mare I know, she would have been moved enough by Spike's efforts to feel a good amount of attraction. I've seen signs of it a few times. It doesn't make sense to me that she said no. There must have been a reason. If it's anything otherwise, the worlds coming to an end."

"You're thinking too deep into it. It was a no, wasn't it?" Spike shook his head, backing away a few steps. "She said no and Spike had to understand it. What do you mean it wasn't absolute, that it didn't make sense? It makes absolute sense. If there's a reason, she had a good one to say no. Maybe it was because she didn't like dragons. Maybe at the end of the day he was nothing more to her than an assistant no matter what he did for her. Maybe her career and reputation meant more than Spike's feelings."

"Maybe Rarity... just wasn't ready to make that kind of decision," Twilight suggested.

Spike felt even dizzier as he began to realize that what Twilight and Applejack were suggesting could be true. He had promised to himself on the train back that he was done with Rarity. After everything that he ruined, they were telling him that there was a possibility that Rarity felt otherwise about "Spike". She couldn't be with Spike. She didn't wish to be with Spike. She had denied him, and that was before he wrecked her career, turned to ashes the dresses that she had poured her being into making, and had the nerve to run away without explaining. If there was any time to be sure of her feelings it would be now.

Don't make me laugh, Spike thought, Impossible, just impossible.

"Are you feeling all right?" Twilight put a hoof on Spike's shoulder, after he had walked off to the window side to calm down.

"I just lost myself for a moment there," Spike sighed, forcing himself calm. He looked at Twilight who appeared to be concerned for him anyway. "It's nothing really, I'm fine, honest. It's because I've been working all day."

"I don't doubt it." Twilight gave an understanding smile. "Apple bucking, riding Pinkie's flier, out running a dragon, and on top of all that, cooking, it's amazing you're still awake. Don't you think so too Applejack?"

"About time to head home, don't you think, Ruby?" Applejack asked.

"Before we do, I just want to let you know I used some of your plastic containers. I made lots of extra food, so there's plenty of food in the fridge," Spike said while massaging the bridge of his snout. "You'll have something to eat, for a while."

"You did?" Twilight went over to the fridge and opened it, at a loss for words after learning what Spike had done.

"Just fill up a plate with what you want and spin it around in the microwave for a few minutes and you'll have a meal." Spike stood next to Twilight and pointed out each of the containers.

"Thank you, Ruby. I don't know what else to say. Just what are you trying to do?" Twilight giggled staring suspiciously into Spike's eyes.

"I'm not trying anything, honest!" Spike grinned modestly, avoiding her gaze. She was well into his private bubble, as far as space was concerned. He backed away slightly. She tried to get him to meet eyes with her, as if doing so would reveal his hidden motives to her. Not that he had any to begin with.

"Um, I'm not sure if you two forgot, but we were just about to head home!" Applejack said sternly as she left the kitchen. "I'll be waiting outside. Come out when you two are finished."

There was a moment of silence after Applejack crossly left the kitchen. Spike looked to Twilight for an explanation, receiving a shrug in reply.

"I'll finish the rest of the dishes," Twilight finally said, getting back to the sink. "Oh yeah, can you tell me what this box is for? Was there not enough room in the fridge?"

Twilight was talking about Spike's old personal container, the one with a little of everything from the dinner that he had left on the counter.

"Oh, that," Spike said, still not having decided what he planned to do with the box. "That's for…"

"Hey! Look who's here!" Applejack suddenly barged into the kitchen before Spike could answer. Owlowiscious swooped into the kitchen following her and circled the kitchen before perching on the faucet in front of Twilight. He stuck out his leg, which had a small scroll tied onto it. Twilight untied it at once with her magic.