Learning to Forgive

Chapters

Chapter One: A Shattered Past
Chapter Two: I Missed You
Chapter Three: You're Not Alone
Chapter Four: By Your Side
Chapter Five: The Reunion
Chapter Six: Old Friends
Chapter Seven: The Past
Chapter Eight: I Didn't Mean to Hurt You

Chapter One: A Shattered Past

Six Years Ago-

A teenage dragon stared out of the window overlooking the Manehatten skyline. A grim look painted upon his face. How he desperately wished to go back to Ponyville, to see his friends, to live the way he used to, and above all to be happy.

He smiled slightly thinking of the days he would spend playing with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Remembering how one day he and Scootaloo had attempted to go zip lining. Of course their attempt didn’t exactly end the way they had wished, but they still enjoyed their time together nonetheless. Then another thought appeared. A thought of a pony he hadn’t seen in ages; Rarity. How he would always find himself day dreaming of her and how kind she was. Finally he remembered the day Twilight became an Alicorn; the beginning of the end. Slowly a tear rolled down Spike’s face.

“I’m back, Spike,” called the familiar and cheerful voice of his friend.

Quickly, Spike wiped away his tear and turned around. Before him stood a pristine lavender Alicorn. Her crown shimmering beautifully in the moonlight, her dress tailored perfectly, and her mane curled in an absolutely stunning manor.

Spike smiled. “Hey Twilight, how did the meeting go?”

She chuckled as she slid off her crown. “Well, the Hooviets and Zebras still hate each other, but I think we’re making progress.”

“Well, that’s good news at least.”

Twilight smiled briefly, but it quickly began to fade. “Spike, are you okay? You looked a little upset when I walked in.”

Spike sighed. “I was just thinking about Ponyville. It’s nice that we can still see it from here.”

Spike’s last sentence caused Twilight to recoil to some extent. She knew that what she was about to say would hurt Spike greatly, but how deeply it would hurt both of them could have never been foretold.

“Is something wrong with you, Twi?” Spike asked, cocking his head slightly.

The Alicorn sighed. “Listen Spike, we need to talk about something.”

The young dragon keyed in on her suddenly distressed tone, causing him to raise an eyebrow. “Like what?”

She bowed her head, trying to avoid Spike’s eyes. “I was just told by Celestia that we need to go to Vanhoover.”

Instantly Spike felt a rush of relief. “Oh, that’s it? How long?”

“That’s the thing. We’re not coming back to Manehatten.”

“What!” he shouted.

“I know, I know. But we have to go.”

“No we don’t!” Spike threw his arms up. “What’s next? We move to Saddle Arabia because you become an ambassador or something?! I mean Vanhoover is on the other side of the country! At least here our friends can visit!”

Realizing that this wasn’t going to resolved rationally, Twilight found herself going on the defensive. “Look Spike, I didn’t want to go either, but we have to! It’s my duty as a princess!”

“Your duty?! Your duty?! What about your duty to stay loyal to your friends! What about that?!”

Twilight gritted her teeth, feeling those words cut deep into her heart. “That was low, Spike. We both know why we had to leave.”

“Oh yeah, because your duties came first! Just like they always do!”

“When will you realize that I’m a princess, Spike! Things have to be sacrificed!”

“At the price of our friends?! For crying out loud, I sacrificed Rarity for you!”

“Oh not this again! We both know you didn’t have a chance in Tartarus with her!”

The young dragon clenched his fists, and with every moral fiber of Spike’s being, he resisted the urge to rip Twilight to pieces right then and there. However, this didn’t stop the small flames currently emanating from Spike’s nostrils. “Don’t you ever say that! You don’t know!”

As Twilight let herself slip deeper and deeper into a seething rage, she began to lose sight on what was right and began to transition her focus on one thing; hurting Spike. “You know what Spike, if you hate it here so much, why don’t you just leave!?”

Tears were beginning to form in the base of Spike’s eyes, for Twilight could have no comprehension of how deeply that hurt. It was as if those last two words able to crush his very heart. “Really?” he asked calmly.

“Yes! If you want to, leave!”

“Fine.”

Present Day-

Spike awoke gasping. He quickly clutched his chest, trying to slow his breathing. Feeling a cold chill around him, he looked down to see his sheets covered in sweat. He let out an annoyed grown and slid out from underneath them.

“Looks like I’m not getting back to sleep tonight.”

As Spike began walking towards the bathroom, he caught sight of his alarm clock. It’s dim red lights read “4:50 AM”.

“Close enough.”

The now adult dragon looked into his mirror. His typically youthful purple scales now all but drained of their color. Each time he had dreamed of Twilight this would be the face that would greet him. However, this time it seemed to affect his appearance much more than it normally did.

Spike reached down and turned his sink to hot. Allowing the steaming water to pool in his hands, he took it and splashed it upon his face. It seemed to bring some color back to his features, but it was nowhere near normal.

Sighing, Spike walked out of his bathroom and flipped on the light switch. His room filled with light to reveal an ugly brown carpet, an old bed, and a window that overlooked the features of the next apartment ten feet away.

Walking over to his closet, Spike opened the doors and lifted up a blue, stained, jumpsuit. He sighed and took it off of the hanger.

“Looks like I’m going to work early today.”

Stepping off of the train, Spike looked above a cave with an opening held up by several large boards. Above it he saw a large black and white sign. “Stalliongrad Mine”

As he approached it, he stopped at a large metal grate. He flipped it open, looked to the clock inside, and wrote the time and his name on a board next to it. He was about to close the grate, but a tall grey stallion wearing the same uniform stopped him.

“Hey zere Spike, let me at least clock out first,” he said with a thick Hooviet accent.

Spike smirked at his friend. “Don’t tell me you’re working nights now, Yulian.”

The colt picked up the pen and began to write. “Does it really matter? When you’re down zere you can’t tell if it’s night or day.”

Spike shrugged. “Still nice to know it’s sunny outside, I guess.”

Yulian grinned. “To be honest, I zink I see more sunshine zan any of zese ponies. I just sleep through it.”

The young dragon returned a smile. “Whatever you say night owl.”

“You’re just jealous that I can stay in ze clubs until closing!” he exclaimed with a chuckle.

Spike let out a laugh. “And yet you still can’t get a mare.”

“Oh look who’s talking mister only dragon in Stalliongrad.”

He chuckled a little more. “Well you go on home. I better get down there before I get a chewing from the boss.”

The colt nodded and handed Spike his helmet. “Da, I should. Well see ya, Spike.”

“See ya.”

As the young dragon finished moving a large beam into place, he heard a familiar voice from behind him, however he couldn’t quite understand what was being said. Turning around he saw his old friend Viktor, a brown earth pony with a jet black mane.

“What are you deaf?” Viktor asked sarcastically. “I said come on, it’s our lunch break.”

“Give me a few more years of working in this place and I probably will be. What did ya bring?”

“Some potato soup and a sandwich.”

“And?” Spike insisted.

The brown stallion smirked. “And some rubies. I swear if I didn’t know any better I’d zink you were just my friend because I work on zat side of the mine.”

“Oh no Viktor,” Spike said jokingly. “I’m your friend because I’ve known you for five years… And you work on that side of the mine. Now let’s get out of here.”

Viktor rolled his eyes and turned towards the tunnels which led to an exit.

As Spike stepped out of the mine and into the sunlight, his eyes stung slightly. Looking around, he saw that a few of the ponies on break were already outside. Suddenly he felt someone poke him in the side. Looking down, he saw Viktor holding out a cloth bag.

“You want it or not? Zis is heavy.”

Spike smiled and gladly took the sack. “Thanks.”

Trotting over to his usual seat, the brown colt sat down. He was soon followed by Spike as well.

“So Spike, you mind telling me what’s bothering you?”

Raising an eyebrow, he looked over to Viktor. “There’s nothing… Oh why do I even bother?”

Viktor smirked. “To waste my time apparently. I seem to be as good at detecting lies as your friend Applejack. Now you look like crap so what happened?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll tell you. I’ve been having dreams about Twilight again.”

“Ah, zis again. The good kind or bad?”

The young dragon made a confused expression. “What do you mean by- Oh good goddesses! Bad! They’re bad.”

Viktor couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, you can never be sure with dreams.”

Again Spike rolled his eyes as he reached into the sack. Taking the first gem he could feel, he lifted it out of the bag and examined it. The ruby was a bright red, glistening in the sunlight; just looking at it made his mouth water.

“So, what happened this time?”

Spike took a large bight out of the gem and looked over to Viktor. “Same as last time. I keep dreaming of the night I left,” he said with a mouthful.

“Well, maybe zat should be telling you something.”

The young dragon swallowed down the gem shards. “Like what?”

“Zat maybe you shouldn’t have left.”

Spike sighed. “Well, it’s a little late for that.”

Viktor nodded. “True, but it’s never too late to go back.”

“Oh trust me Viktor, it is. You weren’t there.”

“Wanna bet? From what you’ve told me, she sounds like a nice mare; not one to hold a grudge.”

Spike looked down at his gem and dropped it back into the sack. “I don’t know, Viktor.”

The stallion placed a hoof upon Spike’s shoulder. “Let me ask you a serious question.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“What do you zink of zis mare?”

Spike looked away in thought. “Well, she was very nice and was always there for you, when you needed someone.” He sighed. “That is until you start talking badly about her friends.”

Viktor shook his head. “No, zat’s not what I mean.” He poked Spike in the chest with his hoof. “What do you zink about her in here?”

“I… don’t really know.”

Viktor raised his brow. “Don’t know, or don’t want to believe it?”

Spike shoved the pony. “What are you getting at?”

He shrugged. “Listen, all I’m saying is zat zis has been going on for too long for it to just a bad dream. I zink what you really feel isn’t what you zink it is; it’s a longing to see her again and maybe something else.”

Spike stared at Viktor for a moment. He really thought about it, but after a moment began to laugh. “Viktor, screw the mine! You need to be a therapist.”

The stallion laughed as well. “I really should… But seriously, I zink you need to go see her. It’s the only way to get rid of these dreams… And who knows, you may even get laid.”

Spike’s purple scales flushed bright red. “Viktor! Too far!”

Viktor was too busy laughing at Spike’s reaction to even regard his words of protest.

As soon as Spike walked into his home, the first thing he did was turn on the radio. He figured some music would be good after today. At first he appeared to be right and even hummed along to a song he knew as he took off his uniform. However, as soon as the news started, his happier mood instantly fell flat.

“And in other news, princess Twilight Sparkle has managed to get both the Hooviet Union and the Zebra Empire to sign a trade agreement allowing both countries to exchange goods freely. This step will greatly improve relations between the two nations as well as improve Hooviet medical care and Zebra infrastructure. Also at the top of the hour, Twilight Sparkle has announced that-“

Before the reporter could finish his sentence, Spike reached over and flipped off the radio. He felt as though he had heard enough about a certain purple princess. Letting a yawn escape his lips, he assumed it was time for him to get some sleep instead. However, unknown to him, neither of these things would come to fruition.

Spike awoke gasping once again a mere three hours after going to sleep. Sighing, he threw the sheets off of him and laid his head into his claws. However, instead of feeling sad and angry like he normally would, Spike could only feel regret. He knew Viktor was right, but just didn’t want to face it, or her.

Despite that, he slowly turned to his night stand, but instead of looking at his clock, the first thing that caught his eye was the phone. Hesitantly, he reached for it and began to dial the number of the mine’s office. After a moment Yulian answered.

“Hey Yulian,” began Spike, “ I’m gonna use a few of my off days now. I need to visit an old friend.”

The stallion chuckled softly. “Are you finally going to see zat Canterlot mare?”

Spike smiled. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well good luck, my friend.”

“Thanks Yulian, I’m gonna need it.”

Chapter Two: I Missed You

Through the cool night air trotted two regal Alicorns, one lavender the other pink. Each was sporting the most exquisite gowns in all of Canterlot. They giggled and laughed as they talked about their prior meeting with the zebras and Hooviets. It was quite obvious they were most pleased with the outcome.

“Did you see the look on that Zebra’s face?” giggled Cadence.

Twilight let out a laugh. “When I stood up, I thought he was about to wet himself! And look who’s talking Mrs. We will end all trade!”

The eldest Alicorn rolled her eyes. “Well it got his attention, didn’t it?”

Twilight chuckled a little. “Wow, we really should have become actresses instead. We’d make a killing!”

Cadence smiled to Twilight before looking to a guard standing at the castle gates. Instantly, he stepped forward and began to open the massive entrance. As he did so, the metal creaked and groaned as you’d expect from such an old castle.

“So,” began Twilight, shooting Cadence a playful look. “Shining still in the dog house?”

She giggled. “What do you think?”

“I’ll take that as a yes then.”

Before either of the two mares could look up, a second guard noticed their approach and began to open the doors to the majestic castle. Inside was an absolutely pristine galley. Its shimmering white walls were adored with massive silk flags of Equestria, each only inches away from the ceiling and floor. At its center was a huge stair case carved of the finest marble, which led to the rest of the castle’s many rooms. However, both princesses had seen this magnificent work of architecture and decorative skills many times before, so they didn’t pay much mind.

Stepping inside, Cadence let out a yawn and stretched out her forelegs slightly. “Well, I’m beat. I think I’ll head back to my room.”

Twilight gave a yawned as well. “Yeah, I’m a little tired myself, but there’s a few things I need to get done.”

As Twilight closed the door behind her, her cheerful expression quickly turned to one of sorrow. With the glow of her horn, she flicked on a few lamps and sighed. Looking to the nearest wall, she could see several pictures of her and Spike; some were from before they had moved to Ponyville, others after.

Unknown to Spike, was the fact that he was not the only one having these dreams. However, in the case of Twilight, hers were much more intense. She blamed herself entirely for making Spike leave, and because of this, the past six years of her life have been an absolute hell. She dared not to tell many her true thoughts, but found refuge in discussion with Cadence. Even so, she did everything she could to hide how much this issue was truly affecting her.

Twilight went over to her bookshelf and slid out the latest Daring Doo book. She figured something completely unromantic and off the wall might send her train of thought down a different set of tracks. She found this to be utterly false, for after only a few minutes of reading, she couldn’t help but find the secondary character somewhat reminiscent of Spike. She found her dopy yet still funny and compassionate personality mirrored his. Because of this, she set the book down and just leaned back in her seat.

She closed her eyes and just let her mind wonder. On nights like these when fighting it was proving useless, she just found it best to let her emotions take hold. She wondered what Spike was doing right now, if he was happier, and above all, if she’d ever see him again.

“Perhaps this was for the best,” she thought.

Though she dearly missed him, she only wished for him to be happy, and if where ever he was gave him happiness, then that was fine by her. However, she couldn’t escape the pang of sadness that struck her heart at this thought.

Similarly to Spike, Twilight had begun to have mixed feelings on the issue as well, but she had a clear understanding of what they were. She felt sorrow for losing years of happiness with him, anger for her actions, regret for that fateful night, and lastly, love.

She had discovered the final emotion not long after Spike left. Though she had always cared for him, she had never really known just how much until he was stripped from her life. Now however, that very same spark struck nearly six years ago has become the roaring blaze of longing that filled her heart today.

Twilight wished dearly each night to be able to hold her love in her hooves and tell him how she truly felt, but she feared that now she’d never get the opportunity to affirm it. She also knew that such an emotion being returned was unlikely, but even so, just having him back would go a very long way at repairing the damage.

With a sigh, she stood and trotted into the kitchen. She assumed based upon her emotional standpoint that her dreams would once again grant her no sleep, so she set about making herself some tea.

After a few minutes, she had a kettle of water boiling. She hoped that some of her favorite tea might take some of her emotional edge off, yet she doubted this. Her mind was just too clouded tonight for her, at least weekly, remedy to have any desirable affect.

As Twilight stirred the steaming glass, she heard a sudden knock at the door. She sighed, not exactly wishing to entertain any visitors at the moment. Looking to her clock she saw that it was almost ten thirty. She found the timing of such a visit to be a little odd, especially considering that she was a royal after all.

‘This better be important,’ she thought.

As she trotted over to the door, she heard the visitor knock once more.

“One second,” she called back.

Quickly, she opened the door and what she saw caused her very blood to run cold. There before her, stood Spike. Each of their expressions seemed to mirror each other’s with a mixture of fear and disbelief.

“H-Hey Twilight,” stuttered an astounded Spike.

Twilight offered no such reply and only continued to gaze into his emerald eyes. Since her facial expression was unwavering, Spike began to feel a bit nervous, afraid that she might go so far as to throw him out. However, as he noticed tears beginning to well in her eyes, he knew this not to be the case.

Once her mind had been given enough time to process these events, Twilight instinctively jumped up and wrapped her hooves around her friend. As of yet, she still was having trouble fathoming that this was truly happening.

As she felt the warmth of his embrace envelop her as well, she found herself beginning to bawl.

“Sp-Spike, I’ve missed you so much.”

Spike soon found that Twilight’s joyous reaction was beginning to rub off on him, for he was beginning to feel his eyes grow wet as well.

“I’ve missed you too.”

Twilight pulled back from the embrace just enough to look into his eyes once more. She did this to make sure she got an honest reaction from her next statement.

“B-B-But I thought you hated me.”

Mentally flinching at those words, Spike took a step back. “Twilight, I have never and will never hate you.”

This caused her to smile. “Well, do you wanna come in?” she asked, her voice still cracking.

The young dragon wiped away a tear of his own. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

As Spike took a seat upon Twilight’s sofa, he noticed the several pictures adorning her walls. He quickly found himself lost in the memories of times long since passed. However, he just as rapidly, found himself swept back into reality by Twilight’s cheerful voice.

“I hope the guard didn’t give you too much trouble,” said Twilight as she took a seat next to him.

Spike moved over slightly, as to grant her more room. “Are you kidding? Night Light was one of the guards that were here when you and I were young, remember? It’s not like too many other purple dragons are requesting to see Princess Twilight you know?”

Twilight giggled. “Yeah, I-I guess not.” Pausing briefly, she allowed her joyous expression to take on a more serious tone for her next question.

“Spike, why did you come back?”

The dragon sighed before looking back to Twilight. “Twi, I came back because” Spike paused. “I came back because I needed to see you again. I’ve thought about you all the time.”

Suddenly, he felt a hoof lay upon his hand. Looking up he saw Twilight smiling at him with eyes cradling yet unfallen tears. “Spike,” she began. “you’re not the only one whose been feeling this way.”

The young dragon could feel a smile begin to tug at his lips. So slowly he reached over and pulled Twilight into an embrace. “Then I’m glad it’s not just me.”

She giggled slightly before leaning out of the hug. “Well, uh, can I get you anything? I just made some tea if you’d like some.”

Spike nodded with a smile. “That’d be great.” However there was one more pressing matter he needed to discuss. So as Twilight began to trot away, he reached out to her, gently grabbing one of her front legs. “Wait, there is something else I need to say.”

Twilight looked to him with some confusion as she retook her seat. “What is it?”

Spike looked away in thought, examining his next words carefully. He then looked over at Twilight. “Twilight, you have no idea how sorry I am. I never should have gone off like that. It was wrong of me and I’ve regretted it ever since that night.”

The Alicorn retook her seat and put a hoof around Spike. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. I know why you reacted the way you did, but what I did was so much worse. I’ve always wanted to take those words back and instead tell you how much you mean to me. We have a habit of saying stupid things when we’re angry, and I promise you I didn’t mean any of it.”

Spike felt a small tear of joy roll down his cheek as Twilight spoke. He’d been waiting six years to hear this and the only thing bothering him now is that he didn’t come back sooner.

Twilight stood, smiling to her draconic companion. “How about that tea now?”

After a short few moments, Twilight came trotting back into the living room wielding two steaming cups in her magical grip. Spike took the cup that was presented to him and thanked her before taking a sip. It had a sweet peach flavor to it.

“So, where have you been all of this time?” she asked.

The young dragon rested his cup on a nearby table and began to explain. “Well, I’ve actually been working in Stalliongrad.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Stalliongrad? Never thought I’d see a dragon there.”

Spike chuckled briefly. “Yeah, kinda why I chose it. I just wanted to get away without actually leaving Equestria.”

The Alicorn nodded. “I understand.”

“Now your turn. Why are you back in the old Canterlot Castle?” questioned Spike as he looked around the room.

Twilight found herself blushing slightly, her playful joy completely receded. “I moved back because of you. I figured that if I came here you might come back one day to see Celestia. That way I wouldn’t miss the chance. To be honest, you’re the reason why I decided not to move to Vanhoover.”

Spike leaned back in surprise. “Me?” he said as he placed a claw over his chest.

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, and don’t worry. I left everything in your room just the way it was, and so did Celestia.” Twilight looked away sadly at the mention of her former mentor’s name.

“Is something wrong, Twi?”

“No, it’s just… After you left, Celestia... She thought everything was my fault. And to be honest, I don’t blame her. You were raised as her son after all.”

Spike averted his eyes. “I’m so sorry Twilight, I didn’t even think about that.”

The Alicorn waved a dismissive hoof. “Don’t worry about it. Now that you’re back I’m sure she’s happier than ever.”

Spike withdrew a little, knowing what he must tell Twilight.

Keying in on the dragon’s behavioral change, Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You did tell her, right?”

“Twilight, I had to see you first. I’d been living without her for a while anyways, but with you…” Spike shrugged awkwardly. “Gotta set things right first, right?”

Twilight laughed lightly. “Okay, but we’ll do that first thing in the morning. You are staying the night, aren’t you?”

Spike tried not to seem expecting of such, so he replied “Only if you want me to.”

“Yes!” Twilight yelped a little more loudly than she meant to. Instantly, she threw her hooves over her mouth and tried in vain to fight off an oncoming blush.

The young dragon laughed briefly. “I’ll take that as an okay then.”

As Spike slid his scaly body under the sheets of his old bed, he found himself being rather thankful for how Celestia had a habit of spoiling him. For instead of a small basket, like in Twilight’s library, Spike was instead laying in a twin sized bed with beautiful silk sheets and the finest feather pillows. As expected, it only took a brief amount of time for Spike’s eyes to begin to grow heavy and finally close. However, not everyone in the castle was yet asleep.

After only a few minutes, Spike’s bedroom door opened and in came trotting Twilight. She tried her best not to wake the sleeping dragon, but even if he stirred she had no intention of altering her plans. So, slowly, she leaned over Spike and kissed him on the cheek.

Chapter Three: You're Not Alone

Spike slept peacefully until suddenly he heard his bedroom door open. Instantly he was catapulted into conciseness, but upon realizing his surroundings, he quickly inferred that it was most likely Twilight, so he closed his eyes and started to drift back into a rather pleasant dream. However, this state would prove to be very brief, for the second the young dragon felt a pair of lips upon his cheek, his eyes shot open.

Spike tried his best not to move for both of their sakes, for he could not imagine how awkward that moment of realization would be. Nonetheless, he did look to the nearby wall to see a dim silhouette trotting away from him, but at this angle it was hard to say whose. Then, almost on cue, the pony turned sideways, presumably to look at Spike’s sleeping form once more. Instantly the mane’s shadow was recognizable.

The young dragon lay still for a moment or more after the door had closed, and then sat up. Slowly he brought his claw to his cheek and looked towards the door.

“Twilight?”

As morning broke, an Alicorn could be found rushing through her small kitchen. Normally she would have asked a royal servant to prepare something, but today was different, today was special.

A wide smile broke across Twilight’s face as she opened the oven and pulled out a large golden-brown cake. She had prepared it with one half vanilla-strawberry flavored, the other vanilla-emerald. Twilight figured it would be a good excuse to have a meal together and maybe bring about more conversation. Now of course she was opposed to the idea of one having cake for breakfast, but she remembered how long ago in Ponyville, she had always made Spike his favorite cake for breakfast on very special occasions and hoped it would bring back good memories.

Just then, a young dragon came walking into the kitchen with a groggy smile on his face. He could smell a gem cake a mile away and nothing would stop him from getting a piece. Spike lifted a claw to his eye and began to rub as a faint yawn escaped his lips.

“Good morning Tw-“

Suddenly every memory from the night prior came rushing back to Spike, but that isn’t what stunned him the most. There before him was Twilight; her mane done in as style that perfectly suited her, her eyelashes straightened, and a light blush that Spike couldn’t tell if it was from her makeup or simply seeing him. However, what caught his eye the most was the dress she was wearing.

It was a simple yellow dress that their friend Rarity had made for her many years ago. All at once he remembered that day. Twilight had moved her birthday to Canterlot which had of course upset Spike, since he couldn’t attend, but he remembered the following days when he and Twilight did everything he suggested, to make him feel better. Nearly every day they did something fun together she had that dress on. Then he remembered telling her how pretty she looked in it. At that memory, Spike began to blush, for this fact remained the same.

“Tw-Twilight you look beautiful,” he said with a blush.

Twilight smiled and turned a deep crimson. Of course she was embarrassed, but Spike noticed that her expression was suggesting something else was present as well.

“Thanks Spike.”

Turning away Twilight lifted up the cake tin behind her, but she took a little longer than was needed, secretly relishing in her best friend’s statement. Though, just before any suspicions were raised, she turned back to the table and levitated the trey to its center.

“Um, you want some?” she asked with a slight giggle.

Instantly Spike was awaken from his inner daydream of admiration. “What? Uh, yeah,” he said nervously, still unable to believe that he’d somehow forgotten the entire reason he came into the kitchen.

The Alicorn giggled and proceeded to magically split the pastry. Even as she levitated each piece to their individual plates, Spike didn’t break his gaze for a second. He thought each newfound sensation rather odd. After all, it was Twilight who he was perplexed by, his best friend, yet he looked at her as he once did at Rarity. Spike even began to feel the same as he did when he first became infatuated with her, but with Twilight something was different.

Twilight seemed completely oblivious to this as she cut apart her slice of cake. After taking a bite, she looked over to Spike and asked “So, do you want to see Princess Celestia today? I’m sure she’ll be overjoyed to see you.”

Once again, Twilight interrupted his stare, but this time Spike was more prepared and able to play it off.

“Oh, uh no, not today.”

He took a bite of the cake. It was moist and soft, the vanilla and emerald amplifying each other’s taste drastically. However, there was something about it that seemed familiar, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“This is really good, Twilight. When did you learn how to cook so well?”

Twilight looked away blushing. She hadn’t anticipated this question, yet didn’t wish to lie to her friend.

“I… Um, sort of read your cookbook after you left.”

Spike, who was now beginning to worry, eyed her carefully. “Oh, what else of mine did you read?”

Twilight threw her hooves up, waving them in a dismissive motion. “Nothing else! I swear… I just really liked your cooking is all.”

Spike couldn’t help but smile at this. He also found her pleas of innocence somewhat adorable in the way that only Twilight could pull off.

“It’s okay; I mean your cooking paled in comparison to mine,” he said while playfully shooting her a grin.

Twilight glared at him. “Well… I, um…” It quickly became evident that she really had no honest reply to this. “Shut up!”

Spike let out a laugh, though as it died down, he thought it time to move on to his next question.

“So, what are your plans for today?”

Twilight raised her brow. “What do you mean?”

Spike blushed slightly, but Twilight didn’t seem to take any notice.

“Well, I was wondering if you might want to go out with me?”

Twilight’s eyes widened and the bit of food she was currently swallowing threatened to choke her. She coughed a little, earning her a concerned look from Spike, but quickly recovered.

“You mean, as in a date?” she asked a little louder and more forcefully than she meant. Instantly she began inwardly scolding herself for not showing the least bit of joy she was feeling.

Spike frantically waved his arms in a dismissive gesture. “Oh no! I mean just as friends, Twi.” But despite his reaction, Spike was rather hurt from being shot down so quickly.

Instantly, Twilight could feel her inner happiness fade to sorrow. “Oh, okay. I just thought… Never mind.”

Trying his best to hide his sense of awkwardness, Spike decided to continue the conversation. “So, do you want to?”

Twilight was currently trying to fight of a blush from both Spike’s question and her undesired reaction. Needless to say, it was a losing battle.

“I-I-I’d love to,” she stuttered. “It sounds fun. You have anywhere in mind?”

Spike pondered this for a moment. He had only gotten his train of thought to the point of asking her, not what to do if she actually said yes.

Spike swallowed the bit of cake he was chewing. “Well, um… How about you decide?”

She looked to her plate. ‘Don’t think romantic! Don’t think romantic! Don’t think romantic!’ thought Twilight. Suddenly an idea clicked.

“We could go to the park.”

‘Ahhhhhhh! Why did I say that!? Of course that sounds romantic! Why!?’

Despite Twilight’s mental panic attack, Spike seemed to be completely oblivious to her concerns. However, he did find the destination somewhat strange, yet still desirable.

“Okay, you want to go today or tomorrow?” he replied with a smile.

Twilight let out a massive, albeit silent, sigh of relief. “Tonight sounds good.”

Spike was sitting in his room, still a little sad about Twilight’s reaction at breakfast, yet he was also optimistic about tonight. However, at the moment, he was busy entertaining himself with his past memories, for he was flipping through an old photo album of him and Twilight when they were young. He guessed that Twilight had put them in his room after running out of space; though he found the idea of the Twilight Sparkle running out of room for books quite humorous.

Many of the pictures he found rather amusing, but there were a few that made him feel warm inside as memories from long ago came rushing back. After a while he had gone through all of the photos, so he picked up another photo album. This one seemed newer than the rest so he was of course eager to look through it.

The first few pages were from when they had lived in Ponyville, but the rest of it was from their time together in the city. Back then it was just the two of them, no elements of harmony, just Twilight. He smiled, thinking of how each page seemed to reveal more and more of her beauty the older she got. Then, without warning, the happy photos came to an abrupt stop. He flipped through a few more pages, only confirming the lack of pictures from that point on. He found it odd of Twilight to leave an album unfinished, so he flipped back to the page of the last photo to look at it closer. He remembered this one. It was of him and Twilight in Manehatten Square. It was taken four days before he left. Spike could feel sorrow beginning to grip him as he looked at their happy expressions.

As depression began to sink in, the events of last night crossed his mind. Even after all he did to Twilight, she still cared about him. And that kiss; it only proved this fact. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of a bond she must feel towards him, but he dearly wanted to return the favor.

Twilight lay smiling in her bed, her eyes closed tight. She had told Spike she wanted to take a nap before their outing or, in her eyes, date, though for the most part, all Twilight was really doing was relishing in her joy and letting out the occasional “squee.” Now, despite the fact that Spike had stated it would have no romantic value, she couldn’t help but think that perhaps something romantic may accidentally come of it.

Suddenly, Twilight heard her door creak open. She knew that it must be Spike, for who else would dare walk into a princess’ bedroom as she slept. Without knocking for that matter.

This thought caused her to disregard the intrusion and still appear as though she were asleep. However, she was still curious as to what exactly he was doing in her room. This was quickly answered when she felt his claws gently push a piece of her mane over her ear.

‘No, is he about to do what I think he is?’ she thought.

Her reply to this question was a pair of lips pressed against her cheek. At this, she couldn’t help but smile. Yet, at the same time, she was fighting with every fiber of her being to resist the urge to jump up and wrap her hooves around him, right then and there. She knew the embarrassment and shock might prove far too overwhelming to the poor dragon.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Spike suddenly noticed that he had let a tear escape his eye. Quickly, he wiped it away as not to awake Twilight if it were to fall. As he did this, he saw her, thought to be, unconscious smile and couldn’t help but feel her reaction to be utterly adorable. He returned a smile himself.

“You are so cute.”

The dragon continued to smile to his friend, before he made his way over to the door and carefully closed it behind him. As soon as she heard the click of the doorknob, Twilight shot up in bed and grabbed the pillow her head had been previously resting atop. She pulled it in close to her and let out a muffled squee into it. She was already overjoyed with Spike’s return, but this had just made the past two days perfect. Time would only tell if her outing could improve upon it.

Chapter Four: By Your Side

Spike had just finished buttoning up his suit and was currently examining himself in the mirror. His suit was a plain black with a red tie, but he was most concerned with his scales, which after a thorough cleaning, had a slight shine to them. He seemed pleased with his appearance and turned towards Twilight’s room.

“Okay, I’m ready. What about you?” called Spike.

“Just a minute,” she replied.

Spike took this time to do a final quick check in the mirror. Still nothing seemed to be out of place.

“Okay, how’s this?” Twilight asked timidly.

He looked to the voice’s source and what he saw threatened to cause his mouth to drop. There standing in the doorway was Twilight; her hair not at all resembling her usual style, instead it looked much straighter with a small playful piece across her face, her eyelashes were done perfectly and her eyelids had just the right amount of eye shadow, and Spike’s favorite, she had on a magnificent sapphire dress. The dragon couldn’t help but look her over more than once. This caused Twilight to shift her hooves so that more of her was covered, and her face to take on a bright crimson.

“Th-This is too much. I should probably go change,” said Twilight, obviously taking note of Spike’s beet red face.

“N-No, I love it,” he assured her with a smile.

Twilight returned the smile and began to relax her front legs.

“Sh-“ Spike’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat and attempted to speak once again. “Shall we go then?”

She giggled. “I don’t see anything stopping us.

As the pair walked through the brisk night air of the park, Spike kept glancing to the stars. It was and astoundingly clear night. This in turn gave the dragon an idea. However, not all eyes were on the sky, for though Twilight was looking at a body, it most certainly wasn’t celestial.

Spike looked over to Twilight, yet, through the dim night, didn’t notice her quickly avert her gaze, nor her currently increasing blush.

“So Twilight, what made you choose the park?” he asked.

Twilight looked away, thinking for a moment.

‘Oh crap! Um, how do I put this and not make it sound romantic? Uh, oh that’s it!’

“I just thought it’d be peaceful, plus I remembered how when we used to live in Ponyville, we’d like to take walks like this.”

Spike smiled. “Well, during the day maybe.” He blushed. “And never with you looking quite this nice.”

Twilight smiled as her cheeks grew even hotter. “Well, I just thought I should look nice for you. It’s not every day you get reunited with your best friend.”

Spike’s expression dropped at Twilight mentioning this. He had hoped she wouldn’t bring up that topic tonight, for all it did was bring back Spike’s sense of guilt.

Twilight saw this and instantly regretted her words. “Spike, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring-“

“It’s okay,” he replied, cutting her apology short.

She looked away, now feeling guilty herself. For a few seconds they walked like this, each passing moment seeming to grow more awkward, that was until Twilight decided to try something.

She pulled her head back slightly and nuzzled it right against Spike’s side so that, whether he wanted to or not, his arm would briefly be around her.

Spike felt her soft fur brush against him as she leaned into his side. Recoiling slightly, he asked “What are you doing?”

Twilight looked up to him with a playful smile. “Exactly what you think I’m doing.”

Spike couldn’t help but chuckle at her immense adorableness and began to grow more relaxed. He then brought his raised arm to rest around Twilight.

In that moment she fought as hard as she could to not let a yelp of joy escape her lips. Though her ultimate test would be when she felt him pull her closer. She just couldn’t describe the joy she felt in that moment.

The two continued to walk like this for a few more minutes, but when they came to a bench, Spike thought it might be best if they took a seat. After all, spending the entire time walking isn’t very much fun, besides, there was something he needed to let her know.

“Hey Twilight, could we sit down for a second?” he asked gesturing to the bench.

She was reluctant to do so, since sitting would require Spike to remove his arm, yet still complied.

The two took a seat and Spike once again found himself gazing up at the stars. He always found this as a way to clear his mind, and he most certainly needed a clear mind for what he was about to say.

He looked to Twilight. “Twi, there’s something you need to know.”

Spike briefly looked away, but when his gaze returned, he saw Twilight’s awaiting violet eyes there to meet it.

“I was awake when you kissed me last night.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in terror. ‘No! No! No!’ she thought.

“Spike, I’m sorry! I just wanted-“

He raised a claw to silence her. “I’m not mad, at least not at you.” He looked away. “I’m mad at myself, I mean, after what I did, I don’t deserve for you to still care about me.”

Twilight quickly began to understand that Spike still had no inclination of her crush. This caused her great relief, yet she was still upset for seeing her friend in such a state of self-loathing.

Gently, she rested a hoof atop his hand, which caused him to look up at her. “We’ve been over this. Nothing would ever make me stop caring about you because I know you, the real you, and he is so deserving. Just please stop beating yourself up over this.”

Spike sighed. “But you-“

Before he could finish, Twilight wrapped her hooves around him and pulled him into an embrace.

“Stop.”

This managed to catch Spike off guard, but once he realized what was happening, he couldn’t help but smile. He then wrapped his arms around Twilight as well, pulling her in closer to him.

“You’re the best friend ever.”

Twilight found herself blushing heavily as Spike’s arms grew tighter. She couldn’t help but relish the warmth of his embrace. She was also enjoying the complement, yet at the same time it made her worry that she’d found her way to the dreaded friend zone.

Slowly, not truly wishing for the moment to end, Spike began to pull away. Twilight had about the same amount of reluctance.

Spike then smiled. “Well, how about we get off this depressing topic? How are the girls doing back home?”

Twilight smiled briefly from seeing Spike’s grin, but it quickly faded as the question was posed.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them since we stopped looking for you.”

Spike raised his brow. “You all looked for me?”

She nodded. “Of course we did. What kind of question is that?”

He shrugged. “I just never really thought… Anyways, go on.”

“Well, the day after you left, I went to Ponyville, thinking you’d have gone home. We looked, but you know how that went. After that we started going from city to city. For about a year we looked, but by that point it was just Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity.”

“Rarity?” he asked.

Twilight nodded, and hid the fact that this question brought great pain to her. She dearly hoped that Spike’s childhood crush had finally run its course. Though, she quickly assured herself that this fear was ill-founded, for it wasn’t Rarity’s doorstep which Spike had come to, it was hers.

“Eventually though, it was just Applejack and I. Everyone else had to get on with their lives, but you know Applejack,” she continued.

This unexpected information caused Spike to smile. “Yeah, Applejack is stubborn until the end... So, when did you finally stop?”

Twilight looked away ashamed. “About two years afterwards.” She then looked up to Spike with pleading eyes. “But I never gave up hope. Please just know that.”

Spike gently placed a hand upon the back of Twilight’s head. As he did this, Twilight looked into his eyes and saw not anger or sorrow, but happiness. He was happy to know just how long Twilight had tried, even if she didn’t think it was long enough, he did. He then leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead.

Twilight sat there in complete shock. She already had tears lining her eyes, yet those of sorrow were quickly being replaced with happiness. She truly had no idea how to react in this moment.

As Spike pulled away, he saw Twilight’s expression and couldn’t help but grin.

“You okay?” he asked.

Twilight, whose eyes were still as wide as saucers, only nodded.

Spike chuckled. “Hey, let’s go back to the castle.”

Now having the ability to come up with a response, she looked up to him. “What? Why?”

“Just trust me.”

Spike quietly ascended the stairs, trying his absolute hardest to make sure he didn’t run into anyone who would report him to Princess Celestia. Though what he feared most was the thought of running into Princess Luna. Surely if he had the unfortunate luck of running into her his time alone with Twilight would be over. Despite this, he was quite honestly excited about seeing his adoptive mother once more, but he wished for it to be on his own terms.

“Spike, where are we going?” asked Twilight, obviously not understanding the fact that he wished for her to remain silent.

He turned to her and whispered “You’ll see, but just be quiet.”

Just then, the stairwell came to an end, however, at that end was where the hallway branched off. Cautiously, Spike and Twilight hugged the wall as they drew closer. Just as Spike was about to hurry across to the other side, he caught sight of the unmistakable shadow of Princess Luna. Quickly, he raised his hand, instructing Twilight to stop.

The two held their breath as the seconds passed, and then finally, Luna began to trot away. They both sighed and darted down the hall. Spike then found what he had been looking for; the staircase to the tallest tower in the castle. Feeling as though they were finally home free, Spike began to become less cautious.

Having a good idea of where they were going, Twilight found herself wondering only one thing; why were they going there?

As the two stepped inside the tower’s room, Spike looked around, noticing how much it had changed. The pristine flags that once draped these walls when he was a child were nowhere to be seen. And the shining gold suits of armor at its entrance, now sat dull and dust covered. This sight made Spike a bit upset. However, the one thing that remained the same was the balcony.

Spike smiled as he went over to it. He overlooked the edge and saw beyond to the city below. Though the buildings were different, the sight was still as breath taking.

“Spike, now do you mind telling me why were up here?” asked Twilight.

He didn’t reply, instead he leaped atop the brick railing and took a seat. This action horrified Twilight, though when she saw him look back to her with a grin as he patted the spot next to him, her fears were put to rest. However, Spike still earned himself a glare.

Once Twilight had taken her seat, Spike finally began to speak.

“Do you remember this room?” he asked.

Twilight shot him a look that read ‘you’ve got to be kidding.’ “Of course I remember, we used to play in it all the time.”

Spike smiled, expecting her expression. “Well, I just thought it’d be nice to see it again.”

Twilight returned the smile. “Is that all?”

He didn’t validate her question and instead looked to the night sky. “How often do you still go star gazing?”

Twilight shrugged. “Honestly, I haven’t really done any since you left. That was kind of a you and me thing.”

He grinned at her. “Exactly.” He then reached over and put an arm around Twilight.

She blushed and tried her best to hide her face as she couldn’t help but smile.

“So, what made you want to do this?”

Spike sighed. “I don’t know, I just haven’t done it in a while either and thought, hey why not?”

Twilight leaned closer to Spike and snuggled against him slightly. “Well, I’m glad you did.”

Spike chuckled as she tried to get comfortable against his scales. “You know, you really are cute when you act like this.”

She could feel her heart flutter as he said this, yet what came to mind most was the fact that this wasn’t the first time Spike had called her cute. She decided she might as well take the opportunity to inform him that she was awake as well.

“Yeah, I know. You told me once before,” she said while looking up at him with a mischievous grin.

Spike was confused. As far as he knew this was the only time he’d ever told her this, not including the time he… His eyes suddenly went wide and his face was covered in crimson.

“Twilight, I was thanking you for letting me stay,” he lied.

She wrapped a hoof around Spike and snuggled against him a little more.

“Yeah, whatever. You still called me cute.”

The tighter she held him, the more embarrassed he became. “Shut up.”

“Who dares sneak about this castle!” shouted a very familiar royal voice, or, better put, ‘royal Canterlot voice’.

Author's Note

I thought I might as well add a visual aid to better explain Spike's reaction to seeing Twilight, before their outing.

Add a blue dress to this, and there you go.

Make Spike about 23, and there you go.

Chapter Five: The Reunion

The pair turned only to be blinded by a bright light currently emanating from Princess Luna’s horn. Both quickly raised their hands and hooves to block out some of the offending light.

“Luna, stop. It’s me,” said Twilight.

Unfortunately, the young Alicorn’s wishes went unheard, for the moment Princess Luna set eye upon Spike, she could only stare.

“Luna?” asked Twilight.

The princess of the night was suddenly knocked back into reality, causing her horn’s light to cease. Yet, she couldn’t stop looking at Spike.

“Sp-Spike?” she stuttered.

The dragon smiled to her. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Suddenly, the princess rushed over to him. As she wrapped her hooves around him, Spike felt as though he might almost fall over the edge of the balcony, yet once her grip was attained, he felt the exact opposite happen.

Princess Luna could feel her eyes begin to fill with tears as she held Spike close to her. “Spike! I can’t believe you’re back! Every pony in the castle has missed you so much, especially Celestia. She must be so happy you’re back! My goodness, this calls for a celebration!”

Twilight put a hoof over her mouth, trying to hide a giggle as Spike looked to her with an expression that said “Please help me! Can’t breathe!”.

“Luna, you may want to loosen your grip,” suggested Twilight as she rested a hoof atop her fore leg.

The princess instantly dropped Spike and took a step back. “Oh! Of course. Sorry Spike.”

As soon as she did this, Spike felt an unpleasant burning sensation as deep breaths finally began to deliver, much needed, oxygen to his blood.

“I… missed… you… too,” he said, with breaths in between each word.

Princess Luna giggled. “Well, come now.” She made a somewhat angry expression. “I must know why my sister decided to keep such knowledge from me.”

As she turned away, Spike jumped up to stop her. “Luna, wait.”

She turned to him, confusion evident in her expression. “Yes, what is it?”

Spike began to look a little embarrassed. “Well, you see, I haven’t told Celestia I’m back yet.”

She raised her brow. “Oh?”

“And I’d like to surprise her myself tomorrow. So, do you think we could keep quiet about this for tonight?”

Surprisingly, Princess Luna began to grin. “Only for tonight, Spike, for I dearly wish to see her reaction.”

Spike smiled. “Of course princess.”

As the regal mare trotted off and was just out of earshot, Twilight leaned over to Spike. “Well, that went better than expected.”

He chuckled. “You think?”

As the rays of Celestia’s sun began to cast themselves across the land, a young Alicorn began to stir in her bed. Her thoughts were a blur as she began to comprehend the fact that she was conscious, but once she did, she began to smile as she remembered the day prior.

Though she would probably never get Spike to admit it, she found yesterday’s experience to be most like what many would call a date. However, what really brightened her spirit was what occurred near the end of their outing; spike holding her close to him, his warm embrace ushering her thoughts to complete and total euphoria. She then remembered a second event that caused her a similar reaction; he kissed her. Though this wasn’t a romantic kiss, the emotions she was experiencing in that moment most assuredly were.

In Twilight’s eyes, yesterday was absolutely flawless, which caused her to wonder what perfections today held. So, she slid out from under her sheets and went about finding her draconic love.

As she opened the door to his bedroom, she felt her spirits sink upon seeing his empty bed. It then occurred to her that he may very well be preparing them both breakfast. Though as she trotted into the kitchen, a wide expectant smile painted across her face, she was once again met with the same dragonless sight.

Now she was honestly beginning to grow worried. It crossed her mind that perhaps last night was a way of saying he was sorry for leaving again. This idea caused her heart to sink; that is until she looked to the table and saw a steaming plate of scrambled eggs, toast, a glass of orange juice, and a small folded note beside it. She picked up the note with her magic and began to read.

“Twilight,

I’m sorry if I scared you, but let me begin by saying I am not leaving you, not again; I’m only going to see Princess Celestia. I remember you telling me how she’s mad at you over my leaving, so I thought it best to talk to her alone first. I promise I’ll do everything I can to patch things up between you two. See you again soon, Twilight.

-Spike”

Twilight laid the note down smiling. As she did this, she made a mental note of her own to give Spike a huge hug when he got back, simply because of how sweet he could be.

As Luna and Spike drew near the massive wooden doors of her and Celestia’s throne room, she couldn’t help but notice how much Spike was fidgeting. She of course understood why this was, yet as a good friend, and somewhat of an aunt, to the dragon, she decided to take it upon herself to put some of his fears to rest.

The princess laid a reassuring hoof atop Spike’s shoulder, which caused him to look to her. When he did this, Spike was met with a smile and two soft caring eyes.

“Don’t worry, Spike. It’ll be just fine.”

Spike smiled as he felt a newfound ease. “Thanks, Luna.”

Deciding to put even more of his fears to rest, the Alicorn decided to make a second offer.

“Hey, if I were to go in first and see what kind of mood she’s in, would that make you feel even better?”

Spike nodded, though he didn’t see much point in it, since he knew the princess to typically be in a good mood by nature, but then again, you never know.

As the princess of the night stepped through the doors, Celestia looked up to her from her throne and smiled. Luna returned the smile, obviously taking the hint that this was a good sign.

“What are you still doing awake, Luna? I thought you’d be in bed by now.”

Princess Luna’s grin widened. “Well, I normally would be, but today I have a little unfinished business to attend to.”

Celestia’s expression turned to that of confusion. She was now becoming suspicious to the fact that her sister was indeed hiding something from her, and judging by her excitement, was currently milking it for all it was worth.

“Is that so? Might I ask what that may be?”

The youngest Alicorn giggled. “Well, earlier I discovered someone wondering about the castle, and thought I might bring them to you.”

The princess’ expression now turned to one of concern. “Then, please do send in this trespasser.”

Just as those words left her lips, the great doors began to swing open and the moment her gaze rested upon Spike, she froze. Her mind truly had no comprehension for what was occurring in this moment.

The look she gave him caused Spike to feel the same as he did when he first saw Twilight; unsure of his next action and slightly fearful.

The princess of the sun then stood and began to gallop over to Spike, completely disregarding the fact that one of her royal horseshoes fell off as she did so. This action only seemed to increase Spike’s sense of dread, but when he felt her comforting embrace surround him, he knew these fears to be false.

As Spike raised his arms to hug her back, he could feel the princess begin kissing the top of his head. This of course caused him a little embarrassment; however Princess Luna on the other hand was very much enjoying the display.

“Spike!” she exclaimed, tears now beginning to make their way down her face. “You’re back! I’ve missed you so much!”

Spike’s grin mirrored the one he had when Twilight was holding him this way. “I missed you to, your highness.”

She then pulled back enough to look into his emerald eyes. “Never do that to me again.”

Spike nodded. “I promise.”

Just as those words left Spike’s lips, Princess Celestia pulled him in once again, closing the gap.

“Well,” interrupted a now increasingly awkward feeling Luna. “I suppose I’ll see myself out.”

Neither validated her comment, for they were too transfixed on each other in that moment. This caused her to feel even more out of place. So Princess Luna made her way out the doors, but as they closed behind her, she couldn’t help but giggle.

Slowly, Spike began to reluctantly break the embrace. “Princess, I was wondering if maybe I could talk to you about something.”

She nodded as she wiped away some of her tears. “Of course, what is it?”

Spike’s happy expression began to grow more serious. “You see, I spoke to Twilight before I came here.”

Princess Celestia now had a fairly good Idea of where this conversation was going. “Go on.”

Spike rested a claw atop her shoulder. “I don’t want you to be mad at her. This whole ordeal isn’t her fault; it’s mine.” He looked away, feeling mostly ashamed. “I didn’t think about how it would affect everyone else, and that was selfish of me.”

The princess gently placed her hoof beneath Spike’s chin and lifted it to face her.

“Spike, now that you’re back, I don’t blame anyone. I no longer care for the past, for it’s not important. All I care about now is having you back in my life.”

This caused him to smile. “Thank you, mom.”

Those words caused another tear to fall from Celestia’s eye. She then leaned forward and kissed Spike on the forehead.

As Spike stepped through the doors to his and Twilight’s room, he found the Alicorn to be standing their patiently awaiting his arrival. He grinned; noticing how the moment he walked in, her expression seemed to brighten exponentially.

Before he could even manage to utter a single greeting, he quickly found himself wrapped in Twilight’s hooves. He even had a quick kiss planted upon his cheek. This surprise in turn caused him to blush immensely.

“What was that for?” he asked.

Twilight giggled as she continued to pull him in closer. “Oh nothing, just for being the best friend I could ask for.”

Spike began to break the embrace, feeling more and more embarrassed with each passing second.

“Is this about the note from this morning?”

She nodded excitedly. “That, the breakfast, oh, and I may still be a little happy about our outing last night.”

Spike chuckled. “Well, I hope you’re ready to go out again.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but quickly took the opportunity to make a joke. “Spike, are you really asking me out again? If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think you had a thing for me.”

Spike’s blush had finally begun to recede, but that comment brought it right back. “Oh quiet. What I meant was, Princess Celestia wants to have a celebration for my return.”

She giggled, finding his embarrassed expression to be exceedingly cute. Though she decided her fun was not yet over. “Oh, so you’re asking me to be your date? Aw, that’s so sweet, Spike.”

Once again, the dragon’s scales were beginning to resemble those of Garble. He then turned away from Twilight and threw his arms up. “I’m out!”

Twilight trotted over to his side, making a faked sad face. “Aw, but we were having so much fun.”

Spike simply rolled his eyes.

The Alicorn now decided that it might be best if her teasing ceased, so more serious conversation could develop.

“Anyways, how did things go with the princess?”

Spike smirked at Twilight. “Well, we’re going to a party in my honor tomorrow, how do you think things went.”

She giggled. “Yeah, I guess that’s a good sign.”

“Oh and you don’t have to worry about Princess Celestia being mad at you anymore. She said now that I’m back, it doesn’t-“

Spike was suddenly cut off by yet another hug. “Thank you, Spike.”

He chuckled before he raised his claw and began to stroke the back of her mane. “You’re welcome.”

Chapter Six: Old Friends

Once again, Spike found himself in front of the same mirror, fastening the same tie. This was the first time in his life that he’d worn a suit twice in one week. However this time, he wasn’t as focused on appearing his absolute best since he assumed the night wouldn’t be devoted to the one pony he was trying to impress. Twilight on the other hand, appeared to have a different idea all together.

As she stepped out of her room, she caught sight of Spike beside the mirror. Carefully, she did her best to stay out of his sight. Twilight then came up right beside him, and tapped him on the shoulder. The un-expecting dragon jumped slightly, but when he saw the full beauty of the mare beside him, all he could do was stare.

Twilight stood before him, her mane resembling a similar fashion to the one in which it was done on their outing, her eyes were as well, but what wasn’t the same was her dress. Tonight, she was wearing a beautiful yellow dress that wasn’t too revealing, yet at the same time was very slightly seductive.

Twilight hadn’t really considered that Spike would react like this, but as long as it was him looking at her this way, she didn’t mind. This, however, did nothing to stop a blush from creeping up upon both of their faces.

“So, um, do you like it?” she asked, her tone obviously embarrassed.

Spike’s mouth opened, but all that managed to escape was an inaudible squeak.

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at this. “I’ll take that as a yes then?” she asked, still giggling.

Spike only nodded.

Again, this caused Twilight to giggle.

As the pair descended the stairs to the castle’s main room, they were greeted with the sight of hundreds of ponies they were unfamiliar with. They then looked to the bottom of the staircase to see Princess Celestia smiling to both of them.

“Spike, you look very handsome.”

The dragon smiled. “Thank you, princess.”

She then looked to Twilight. “And you look beautiful yourself, dear.”

Twilight was taken aback by this. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time Princess Celestia complemented her. Despite that, she found herself smiling.

“Th-Thank you, princess.”

She then leaned in a little closer. “Do you think that I could speak to you in private for a moment?”

Twilight’s expression quickly shifted to one of confusion, but Celestia’s warm smile was somewhat of a reassurance.

“Of course, your highness.”

She then looked to Spike, who appeared as confused as herself.

“I’ll catch up with you in a minute, okay?”

He nodded before walking off.

“What is it, your majesty?”

Princess Celestia sighed. “Twilight, Spike spoke to me after his return, and I just wanted to apologize for how I’ve been treating you these past few years.”

Twilight’s smile once again returned, though this time, it was more somber. “It’s fine princess, I’m not worried about that anymore.”

Celestia returned the smile. “Either way, I still want to make up for it. Now, I know since moving to Canterlot, you haven’t been seeing much of your friends. So, I managed to get them all here for this occasion.”

Those words caused Twilight’s expression to fill with excitement. “You did!?” Just then she leapt up and wrapped her hooves around the princess.

Princess Celestia chuckled. “I know it’s not much, but I’m glad you’re happy about it.”

“Thank you so much!”

“TWILIGHT!” screamed a familiar high pitched voice.

She turned to see Pinkie Pie darting through the crowd of ponies, completely disregarding any one in her way. Then, just as Twilight broke the embrace with Celestia, she found herself tackled to the ground in yet another hug.

The pink ball of energy then proceeded to lift up her friend, not for a second loosening her grip. “Oh Twilight, we missed you so much! How have things been in Canterlot!? What have you been up to!?”

She laughed. “I’ve missed you too, Pinkie.”

The rest of the mane six then made their way through the crowd, and over to their friends.

“Uh, Pinkie, you gonna let the rest of us have a chance?” asked Rainbow Dash.

The pony looked to her friends with embarrassment. “Oh, sorry,” she said as she made room for all to get in on the embrace.

Twilight soon found herself at the middle of a group hug, yet this wouldn’t last long, for unknown to the six friends was the fact that a young dragon was currently walking up behind them.

“For a second there, I thought there was a fight happening,” said Spike.

All eyes were suddenly on him, and in that second, Pinkie Pie leapt over her friends and tackled Spike to the ground.

“SPIIIIIIIIIIKE!” she squealed.

Spike found himself with the wind knocked out of him, not having the briefest second to brace for impact. Though, he really should have expected Pinkie Pie to act in such a manor.

Twilight smiled as her friends jumped from her to Spike, though as she watched the affectionate display, something caused her to do a double take; Rarity. As she looked at her red dress, she was quickly reminded who the creator of her own dress was, for the only difference was the color.

‘You have got to be kidding me!’ she thought.

As her friends began to unleash a barrage of questions unto Spike, Twilight began to trot away. She figured she wouldn’t get very far in their reunion while Spike was at the center of attention. She wasn’t jealous by any means, but she felt awkward just standing there watching.

As Twilight made her way to the punch table, and began pouring herself a glass, Rarity caught sight of this and decided to reintroduce herself. She smiled as she walked over to Twilight.

“Good evening, Twilight.”

She looked to her and returned a halfhearted smile. “Good evening, Rarity. Already done welcoming Spike?”

Rarity shook her head. “Heavens no, I just assume we’ll have plenty of time to talk after Pinkie Pie finishes playing twenty questions.”

Twilight giggled. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m afraid you may be waiting half the night for that.”

Rarity giggled as well. “Hopefully the dear will get distracted by something before then.” She then eyed Twilight’s dress. “Though, that’s quite an interesting fashion for you darling.”

The Alicorn eyed Rarity’s dress as well. There was absolutely no doubt, it was almost exactly the same as hers.

“Yeah, you as well.”

At this, the conversation began to take a turn for the awkward. The two shuffled around, looking in no particular direction, both awaiting the other to say something conversation worthy.

“Soooo,” began Rarity, “How are things living with Spike again?”

Twilight smiled at this, thinking of all they had done since his arrival. “Oh, it’s wonderful. He’s gotten much more mature, and all he’s been is a tremendous help.”

Rarity returned the smile. “Is that so?”

Just then, the dragon who was the topic of discussion, walked over to the two mares.

“Good evening ladies,” he said with a grin.

For the briefest moment, Twilight found herself wondering if Spike was going to ask her to dance. Unfortunately though, this thought was quickly shattered when he turned away from her, to face Rarity.

“Would you like to dance?” asked Spike as he extended an open claw.

Rarity allowed him to take her hoof. “Of course, Spike.”

This action filled Twilight with the utmost rage. Though she was currently doing a good job at hiding it, she was seconds away from exploding with anger. Though what truly sent her over the edge was when, as they started dancing, Rarity rested her head upon Spike’s chest. With a shaking magical grip, she laid her glass of punch atop the table and was fully content with acting out one of the various, mostly violent, fantasies currently playing out in her mind.

“I swear that boy will never learn,” came the voice of a familiar cowpony.

Twilight looked up to see Applejack standing beside the punch table, a few feet away from her. Once her rage had subsided to the point at which she was able to comprehend her statement, Twilight began to laugh halfheartedly.

“Yeah, you think?”

The pony chuckled and trotted over to Twilight. She rested a hoof atop her shoulder and turned her away from the dancing couple. They were now facing one of the castle’s many balconies.

“Now Twi, before you blow a blood vessel, how about you come talk to me outside? We have a lot to catch up on.”

Applejack’s comforting smile was enough to convince Twilight. “Okay,” she replied, shooting her a smile of her own.

As the two mares trotted out into the brisk night air, Applejack began to shiver.

“Wow! It is a cold one tonight.”

Twilight giggled. “It appears you’re not used to Canterlot’s elevation, AJ.”

“You’re darn tootin’!”

Once Twilight’s laughter died down, her expression began to grow more serious. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Applejack looked up to her with a smile. “Well, I could ask you how things have been goin’ since I last saw you, or we could talk about your obvious crush on Spike.”

The Alicorn’s cheeks flushed a bright red. “Is-Is it that obvious?”

She smirked. “As the moon, Twi. I mean, preparing to rip a pony’s head off is kind of a dead giveaway. So, when did all this begin?”

Twilight sighed. “Well, I always used to like him when we were little, but I didn’t really start to like him until after he left.”

Applejack nodded. “About how long after?”

“About two months, why?”

The earth pony looked into her friend’s eyes. “I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but I want to see if you really do like him.”

Twilight raised her brow. “Of course I like him. What kind of question is that?”

Applejack shrugged. “You’d be surprised how badly we can misinterpret our feelings. What many feel as love may simply be loneliness, not true love. Or in your case, it could be regret… Did you ever like him before he left?”

Twilight thought a moment before she began to smile and blush heavily. “Hearts and Hooves day, a few months before.”

Now it was Applejacks turn to raise her brow. “Go on.”

“I-I don’t really want to talk about it,” admitted Twilight, her voice full of embarrassment.

The cowpony began to eye her carefully. “Um, you two didn’t, uh…”

Twilight looked to her with confusion. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she fully comprehended what was being said. “Applejack! No!”

She couldn’t contain her laughter. Seeing Twilight’s reaction to statements even close to that topic were always priceless.

“Just checking, Twi,” she said as she wiped away a tear. The pony then looked back to the dance and noticed a song was ending. “Hey, I’m gonna go get some more punch, be back in a few.”

As Applejack trotted back into the castle, she caught sight of Spike making his way towards the balcony. This caused her to grin immensely.

‘Dang, I’m good!’ she thought.

Twilight looked up to the night sky as she awaited Applejack’s return. She let her mind wonder to many different aspects of her life, but each time she did this, she’d always find her way back to Spike. This caused her to sigh in disappointment.

“Twilight?”

Upon recognizing the voice, she quickly spun around to see Spike. However, she did a fairly good job at hiding the excitement she was feeling.

“What do you want?” she asked.

Spike looked down, obviously a little embarrassed. “I was wondering if you might like to dance.”

Twilight turned away from him, yet as she did this, she thought to herself ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’

“What? Get tired of dancing with Rarity?”

Spike’s expression became one of confusion. ‘Oh my gosh! Is she jealous!?’ he thought.

He laid a hand atop her shoulder, which she promptly shook off.

“You know, I didn’t just dance with Rarity. I danced with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie too… Though to be honest, I wasn’t really counting on you to be jealous.”

Twilight quickly went on the defensive and turned to face Spike, though as she did this, he couldn’t help but notice how deep of a blush she had. “I’m not jealous!” she snapped.

Spike grinned. “Okay, that reaction right their just proved that you are.”

Her blush intensified. “I… Er… Shut up!”

Spike couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, do you want to dance or not?”

“No!” Twilight lied.

He leaned forward and placed a hand atop her shoulder. He was pleased when she didn’t attempt to pull away this time. “Twilight, if you want to know the truth, I’ve kind of been looking forward to dancing with you. I was only saving the best for last.”

This caused Twilight’s eyes to widen. “You were?”

Spike nodded. It’s then that Twilight noticed his other hand out stretched towards her. “Shall we?”

Hesitantly, she gave him her hoof. “O-Okay.”

The two made their way onto the dance floor just as a new song was beginning to play. Twilight recognized this piece of music, and smiled for it was one of her favorites. However, her attention quickly shifted from the music, to Spike wrapping his arms around her.

As Spike did this, he couldn’t help but notice how tense she was. “Twilight,” he said softly, “you don’t need to be so nervous.”

She once again found herself blushing. “I’m sorry, it’s just, I never really dance with anyone.”

He chuckled. “It appears that’s one thing that hasn’t changed about you.”

“Oh quiet,” she scolded jokingly, though as she did this, she noticed Spike pull her in a little closer.

“So, what were you and Applejack talking about?”

“Oh, we were just catching up,” she lied. “Wait, how did you know we were talking?”

Now it was Spike’s turn to be embarrassed. “I… Um… I saw you two leave together.”

She smirked. “What? Was someone worried about me, when they were supposed to be keeping their eyes on a certain unicorn?”

His face turned bright red. “No, I… Shut up.”

Twilight giggled and leaned her head against Spike’s chest. This action surprised him, since Twilight was rarely one to take the lead in anything. Despite that, the less distance between them allowed Spike to envelop his arms around her more easily. The pair continued to hold each other like this for several more minutes, as they swayed gently with the music.

“Spike,” began Twilight.

“Yes?”

“Can you promise me something?”

He looked down to her to see her head still resting atop his chest. “What is it?”

“Just promise me you won’t leave… again.”

Spike held Twilight closer to him. “I promise I won’t.” He grinned. “Besides, I don’t think I could leave anyone who acts this cute.”

This caused her to giggle as she nuzzled against him. “Thank you.”

Spike slowly leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Thank you, too.”

Chapter Seven: The Past

Twilight awoke the next morning to the sound of her door closing. Concerned as to why Spike may be leaving, she quickly leapt out of bed and into the living room. As she opened the door into the hallway, she caught sight of Spike about to turn a corner; however, upon hearing the door open, he stopped to face her.

“Twilight, I thought you were asleep,” he said, a confused look upon his face.

Twilight trotted forward. “I was until I heard the door shut.”

Spike now looked a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She smiled. “It’s fine, I was just wondering where you were going.”

Spike was now beginning to form a theory of why Twilight may be so curious. He decided to make sure she knew these assumptions to be false, so he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arm around her.

“I’m not leaving, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just needed to go get something from upstairs.”

Twilight nuzzled against him as he held her. “Then I’ll walk with you.”

Spike broke the embrace, which caused Twilight to feel a depressed; that was until she saw his smile.

“It’s okay. I’ll be right back, besides I already made you breakfast before I left.”

Now she felt upset, and was certain no smile would correct it. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I promise I’ll be right back.”

Twilight sighed. “Okay,” she said as she began to turn towards the door. Though, as she did this, Spike noticed her somber expression, and decided to do something about it. So he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek. He found it extremely adorable when her irises shrank in shock and her face turned bright red.

He chuckled. “I’m coming back.”

Twilight quickly turned away in a mostly failed attempt to hide a growing smile. “Okay,” she replied as she stepped towards the door. Twilight could hear Spike continue to laugh as he made his way down the hall.

As Twilight closed the door behind her, she began to laugh as well. She was almost certain that Spike had a crush on her too; all she had to do now was wait for him to admit it.

She stepped into the kitchen, and found that her nose was greeted by the sweet scent of freshly baked muffins. She smiled as she thought of how Spike would always love making them the treat for breakfast when they lived in Ponyville. She also remembered how she would always tell him she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea since his muffins were so sweet they were borderline cupcakes. Despite that, she sat down and began enjoying the treat.

As she took the first bite, she quickly noticed something. She couldn’t quite tell what it was, but this style of muffin was just important to her. It didn’t taste any better than the others, but it was different for some reason. Suddenly, she remembered that reason.

Six years and three months ago…

Spike and Twilight sat across from each other, each picking at the chocolate chip muffins before them. Neither was all that hungry that morning, despite how they may have tasted.

Today was Hearts and Hooves day, and both hadn’t exactly had the best luck at attracting the object of their affection. Spike had planned on making this the year he’d ask out Rarity; only to find out that some stallion had beat him to it. Twilight’s infatuation with Flash Sentry had hit a similar brick wall.

Spike sighed and looked to Twilight. “So, what are your plans for today?”

Twilight didn’t look up. “Nothing besides read a book. Why?”

He began picking at his food once more. “Just wondering if I was the only one with the same idea… Our moving company sucks by the way.”

That last part made her laugh. “Yes, I know your bed still isn’t here. Maybe it’ll get here sometime today.”

He leaned back and crossed his arms. “Easy for you to say; you’re not the one sleeping on the floor.”

She looked to him with an indifferent stare. “What do you want me to say, Spike?”

“I don’t know. You’re a princess for one thing, so maybe you could have had the Royal Guard move it or something.”

Twilight’s expression dropped even more than it had at the mention of the Royal Guard.

Spike quickly threw his hands over his mouth. “Oh crap, I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

She raised a hoof. “It’s fine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, okay? So can we just talk about something else?”

Spike looked down. He had made it a personal rule not to bring up anything related to the source of Twilight’s depression, but him and his big mouth just broke it. With a sigh, he stood and placed the unfinished muffins on the counter for later.

Spike lay atop his bedroom floor flipping through his comic book; however, it was not the primary focus of his attention. He found himself far more concerned with thoughts of Rarity. He thought of all the things he could have done differently to make her his, all the times he could have been there for her, and most of all, when he should have asked her out. Never more in his life, had Spike wished that he had the ability to see the future; perhaps if he had seen where he is now, he could have done something to prevent it.

Spike’s grip on his comic tightened. Then, in an instant, he threw it across the room. “Stupid thing!” he shouted.

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He absolutely loathed this holiday. Each year he spent alone just made it that much harder the next. Then suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. If he felt this way, how must Twilight be feeling? After all, they were both in the same boat.

He turned on his side and thought a moment. Spike considered all of his possible actions, but found none that may alleviate the heart break both of them were feeling. Every plan would leave one or the other still suffering, or would only serve as a temporary distraction. Spike smirked. Maybe a temporary distraction would actually be best for the both of them. However, he should probably make it a very clear point that this is only for today.

Spike approached Twilight’s door, but just before he entered, he hesitated. His entire plan hinged on her reaction, and if it was bad, it wouldn’t end well for either of them. Summoning up his courage as he inhaled, Spike opened the door.

Twilight sat atop her bed, a book before her. Though, judging by the expression on her face as well as the direction of her gaze, Spike assumed she wasn’t doing much reading. With that same look, she turned to him, but upon seeing her friend, her expression softened.

“What is it, Spike?” she asked.

The dragon put his palms together and took a seat beside Twilight. He was obviously embarrassed by what he was going to ask, but had made up his mind to go through with it.

“Hey Twilight, are you busy?” he asked, not allowing his gaze to fall upon her.

Twilight found his current appearance, as well as the question, puzzling. “No, I was just reading,” she lied. “Why do you ask?”

Spike felt his hands grow cold as they dampened with sweat. “Well, I just thought, since we’re both having a bad day, maybe we could do something to make it better.”

Twilight tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

He sighed. “I just thought that maybe, only for today…” Spike found himself unable to finish that last bit.

She leaned forward, beginning to feel a smile tug at her lips. “What?”

Spike clinched his fists. “I was wondering if… you could… be my special somepony.” Instantly, he slammed his eyes shut, regretting this entire plan. But as he began to mentally slap himself, something unexpected happened; Twilight threw her hooves around Spike and pulled him into an exceedingly tight embrace.

“Awwww! That’s so sweet, Spike! Of course I will!”

This reaction caused his blush to intensify drastically. “Only for today!” he added.

Twilight continued to hug her friend, regarding his words as a simple formality. “Whatever.”

“Can I come in yet?” asked Twilight, growing ever more excited as well as impatient.

“In a minute,” called Spike, from the kitchen.

Twilight sighed and leaned against a nearby wall. Normally she would have been more grateful for what Spike was doing, but his slow pace and the aroma emanating from the kitchen was proving to be utter torture. She turned and was beginning to walk away, when Spike poked his head around the corner.

“Okay, now you can.”

Twilight’s face lit up. “Finally!”

As she galloped into the kitchen, ready to devour whatever Spike had made, her overjoyed expression suddenly shifted. There before her was a dark candle lit room, their dining table draped with a pearl white table cloth, and two plates of beautifully cooked pasta; each placed one across from the other.

Spike was smiling as she entered, but upon seeing her expression, he began to feel unsure.

“Were the candles too much? If you want me to get rid of them I can.”

Twilight, still in shock, shook her head. “No, it’s perfect. I just can’t believe you’d do all this for me.”

He smiled. “Well, we may not be in the company of whom we envisioned, but we might as well do what we had planned.”

Spike then turned and pulled out Twilight’s chair. “Well?” he asked, still grinning to her.

Twilight blushed and returned the smile, as she took her seat.

Spike took his seat and began to eat. The pasta was tender and cheesy with a light dusting of amethyst. As he enjoyed his meal, he quickly noticed that his “date” wasn’t doing so. She was far too busy staring at her surroundings, but mostly at Spike.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s just…” she paused. “Spike, you didn’t have to do all this.”

He shrugged and shot her a playful grin. “Well, half of it was for me so…”

Spike’s comment caused her to smile, yet she was still astonished. “Thank you. This means a lot.”

Spike now found himself blushing. “You’re welcome, though you really should eat. Your pasta is going to get cold if you keep staring at it.”

Twilight made no action to acknowledge Spike’s last comment. Instead she leaned forward. “I’m being serious, Spike. This is really nice.”

Spike looked to her with a smile. “Well, somepony as nice as you deserves it.”

Spike had just finished washing off the dishes and was about to call it a night, but on the way to his room, Twilight caught sight of him.

“Hey,” she called.

Spike turned to see her at the end of the hallway. She looked as though she were about to turn in herself.

“What is it?”

Twilight looked away, embarrassed. “Are you going to bed?”

He noticed her expression and thought it to be odd, yet still nodded.

“Well, would you like to sleep in my bed?”

He threw out a claw dismissively. “No, you don’t have to sleep on the floor, Twi.”

She began to blush. “That’s not what I meant. I was wondering if you’d like to sleep with me.”

Spike’s face instantly flushed red. He was now completely aware of the reason behind her expression.

“Um, that’s okay. You don’t have to do that.”

Twilight shook her head. “After the nice dinner you gave me, I think it’s appropriate to at least give you a place to sleep. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t slept in the same bed before.”

“Yeah, but that was when we were kids.” As he said this, Spike could see Twilight’s expression fall even more.

He sighed. “Would it make you feel guilty if I didn’t?”

Twilight nodded.

“Okay, but only for tonight. And don’t expect a candle lit dinner every day.”

She giggled. “Okay.”

Spike once again entered Twilight’s bedroom with the same amount of hesitation as before. He dearly hoped that this choice wouldn’t affect their friendship.

As Spike slid into bed with Twilight, it quickly became apparent that he had forgotten how much warmer the bed felt when sharing it with another. He laid down with his back facing away from Twilight, trying to make sure that this encounter would seem as unromantic as possible.

“Good night,” he said.

Twilight laid down, facing Spike, which caused him to become very uneasy. “Good night.”

He closed his eyes tight, hoping that unconsciousness would come soon and rescue him from his current state of embarrassment. And much to his joy, it did. However, Twilight, on the other hand, found no such rest. She had always thought of Spike as her best friend, but what he did today didn’t seem like something best friends would normally do. This caused her great confusion, though some of this confusion wasn’t just in her head, for some of it had found its way into her heart.

She continued to lie still for the next few hours. Then just as she thought sleep might finally be on the verge of taking her, she felt the dragon she was sharing the bed with, begin to shift. She had assumed he awoke for some unknown reason, but when she felt him wrap his arms around her, she knew this couldn’t be the case.

Twilight looked down to see a sleeping Spike cuddling her like a teddy bear. This display caused her cheeks to burn with embarrassment, yet at the same time, she found herself smiling at how absolutely adorable it was. She then decided to do something that an awake Spike would never let her do; she kissed him on the forehead.

“You’re the best assistant ever.”

Present Day…

Spike ran his fingers along the dust covered walls of the tower’s room. He carefully prodded each brick for fault, yet found none. After almost thirty minutes of this, he was beginning to grow frustrated.

“Come on, where is it?” he muttered.

Just then, his hand brushed against a brick that shifted slightly. This caused him to smile.

The dragon then went about wiggling the brick out of place. Once enough of its sides were exposed, he grasped the brick and pulled it completely out of place. This action caused a large amount of dust to be set free.

Spike set the brick down and reached into the small space. He dearly hoped the desired object of this venture still remained. He was absolutely over joyed when he felt his hand brush against a piece of parchment.

He pulled out paper after paper and looked to each one. They were folded pictures he drew of him and Twilight. Each drawing had a heart somewhere on it. Sometimes it would be around him and Twilight, but on others it would have one half green and the other purple. It was quite obvious what these drawings were; Hearts and Hooves day cards.

Author's Note

Never more in his life, had Spike wished that he had the ability to see the future

What? Did you honestly think I was subtly hinting at one of my future stories? Oh come on, who does that? I mean, Future Gazer has nothing to do with this story, besides the fact that there is going to be a massive amount of Spilight shipping in it. Other than that, Future Gazer has nothing to do with Learning to Forgive.

Chapter Eight: I Didn't Mean to Hurt You

Spike laid atop his bed, flipping through each Hearts and Hooves day card. He couldn’t help but feel a smile tug at his lips as each card brought back memories from farther and farther back in time. It was quite evident that with age, his skill with the crayon had increased drastically.

For the most part, each card would usher in memories of warmth and happiness, for though he hadn’t given them to Twilight, he could clearly remember the day he spent with her, something, at the time, he honestly considered a date. He then came to the last card. It was the oldest, and the moment Spike’s eyes laid upon it, his expression dropped. He remembered this one, and the emotions attached to it; none of which were happiness.

Seventeen Years Ago…

A six year old Spike, who had just recently discovered his hiding place, slid his Hearts and Hooves day card into the small space between the brick and the wall. He decided not to place it behind the brick, since he assumed it would only be a few hours at the most, before he gave it to Twilight.

Spike then stood and made his way to the tower’s staircase, to go find the mare in question. However, as it would happen, that mare found him, for just as he rounded the corner, he was knocked clear on his rump.

“Ow,” he said as he rubbed the point of collision on his forehead.

Twilight, who had seemed to fair much better, extended a hoof to Spike. “Are you okay?”

Spike nodded as he took it. “Yeah, but what are you doing here?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and made an expression which seemed to say ‘isn’t it obvious?’. “I was looking for you,” she explained.

“Wha- What? Why?” he asked nervously. “Did mommy say I was in trouble?”

The filly giggled. “No, I was just bored… What are you doing up here anyways?”

Spike’s expression began to shift to one of embarrassment. “Oh, I was… Um.”

Twilight tilted her head and grinned at Spike. “Is it a secret? It is, isn’t it?”

At this, Spike’s face seemed to have its normal purple tone completely replaced with crimson. “I… Uh…”

Now confident that her assumptions were correct, she leaned forward. “Tell me! Come on! Please I won’t tell anyone! Please! Please! Please!”

Feeling himself cornered, Spike turned away. “I can’t.”

Twilight’s expression dropped drastically. “Aw! Come on. You’re my best friend; we tell each other everything!” she pleaded as she trotted to his side to face him.

“I’ll tell you later,” he said, snapping his head to face away from her.

Twilight’s ears dropped to the side of her head and she made an exaggerated sad face. “Please?”

The poor dragon had the misfortune of peeking at this sheer display of adorableness. For a moment he seriously considered telling her, but quickly pushed that thought out of his head. Instead he rested a hand atop her shoulder.

“Soon, Twi.”

She sighed. “Okay.”

“How about we play something?” he asked, hoping she’d take the bait and stray away from her current disappointment.

Twilight instantly perked up. “Okay!” She then jabbed Spike in the chest. “You’re it!”

He sighed, mentally slapping himself for not seeing this coming. “Okay!” he exclaimed, now sporting a determined grin.

As Spike chased Twilight, he quickly found that she had a tendency to weave in between the suits of armor, in an attempt to lose him. However, he was utterly determined to not let this happen. After a few seconds, Spike was finally beginning to gain some ground on the filly, but just as he thought he could reach out to her, Twilight jumped to the right, leaving the rows of armor behind. Spike saw this as only a minor setback, and darted through the next gap.

“You’re going to have to try harder than that!” teased Twilight.

Spike, who was actually giving it his all, didn’t take too kindly to the remark. “We’ll see whose laughing when this is all over!”

At this, Twilight’s only reply was looking over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at Spike. This in turn caused her to not see the large suit of armor and the golden spear handle it was holding. The moment Twilight’s head maid contact, she was knocked on her back.

“Twilight!” Spike shrieked.

He was still running towards her, but now for an entirely different reason. It took her a moment, but Twilight eventually began to cry. This filled Spike with sorrow, but also relief at the fact she wasn’t unconscious. When he reached her side, he sat on the floor beside her and gently began to lift up her head. Spike didn’t see any blood, which he was grateful for, but knew for a fact she’d soon have a bruise.

“Twilight, are you okay?” he asked, fear evident in his tone.

She was now able to sit up on her own, yet her tears still flowed. “M-My forehead.”

Spike thought a moment about what he was going to do, but had assumed since adults did it, there was nothing wrong with him doing it. He leaned forward and kissed her head.

This caused Twilight’s eyes to widen and her to jump back. “Spike! That’s nasty!”

Spike jumped back as well, but mostly out of shock; he saw nothing wrong with what he had just done.

“But grownups do it, so I thought it’d help.”

Twilight shook her head, which caused some tears currently clinging to her eyelashes, to fall. “It’s different when adults do it! You’re like my little brother!”

The moment those words left her lips, Spike could feel himself be gripped with an all-encompassing sorrow; it’s tendrils of despair reaching into every shadow of his heart. To him, there was now absolutely no point in giving Twilight his card, or admitting how he felt. Every variable in his plan had been factored in; except for the possibility that Twilight didn’t see him the same way. For the first time in his life, Spike was heartbroken.

Present Day…

Spike sighed, recalling each night for the next week in which he’d cry himself to sleep. He may have been young, but, at the time, he truly did care for Twilight as more than just a friend.

He picked up the other cards, but now he only felt the same sense of sorrow, for each time he would be seconds away from admitting his feelings, this memory would find its way into his mind. Simply put, this one memory was responsible for holding him back from his goal for seven more years. After that, he had moved to Ponyville and decided attaining love from Twilight would prove to be utterly impossible. So, he moved on to someone else.

Suddenly, the door began to open. Fearing Twilight’s reaction, Spike began frantically gathering up the papers.

“Hey Spike, I was…” Twilight trailed off as she watched the, more and more crimson faced, dragon attempt to hide some parchment behind his back. She tilted her head in confusion.

“What is that?”

“Nothing! Don’t worry about it,” he said more forcefully then he meant.

She was now beginning to suspect that whatever it was Spike was hiding, might be something bad, or even worse, something bad about her. “Spike, we both know that whatever it is, I’ll eventually find out, so what is it?”

Spike knew this to be true, given the fact that Twilight could easily teleport into his room and find them long before he could stop her. She had a massive upper hand with her magical abilities.

He looked away ashamed. “Twilight, if I show you this, just promise you won’t think I’m weird.”

Twilight was now immensely curious. “Of course I won’t. Now, what is it?”

Spike slowly began to bring the handful of parchments out from behind his back, but he instead closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before gently throwing them on the floor before her. However, he couldn’t resist but peak at Twilight’s reaction as she looked to the first card; it was a mixture of shock, embarrassment, and something else he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Twi, let me explain. You see, I went upstairs to see if these were still there. I drew them when I was a little kid; I didn’t know any better.”

As she held each Hearts and Hooves day card before her, with her magic, Twilight couldn’t help but feel her eyes begin to grow wet. Twilight felt all of her initial feelings of disbelief and embarrassment be erased by the sheer flood of happiness overtaking her.

“Spike, this is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

Still on the defensive, Spike took no note of her words, or the amount of joy within them. Instead, he only continued to prove how outdated the cards were, in a desperate attempt to save the friendship he feared they had destroyed.

“I promise they don’t mean anything. I don’t like you like that, not anymore.”

It pained Spike to say this, for after the time they had spent together, it was certainly no longer true, but it paled in comparison to the surge of emotion he felt when he looked to Twilight. He saw it; he saw the exact same expression he had all those years ago, one of absolute despair, and heartbreak. This caused him to stop dead in his explanation.

For the briefest moment, as their eyes locked, Twilight feared that he was reading her emotions like a book. Because of this, she quickly turned away and began trotting out of the room.

“I have to go do something,” she lied, barely able to keep her voice from cracking.

As she closed the door behind her, Spike stood, ready to admit his feelings to her, but for some reason he stopped himself. It was obvious she had feelings for him, but there was still a lingering fear in the back of his mind, something he still couldn’t get over.

Twilight trotted down the hallway of the castle, now openly weeping. She cared not for any guard who may see her, or the judgment they may pass upon her. She only wished to get away from Spike.

The mare raced to the staircase and began to climb. As she did this, she thought of how much of a fool she’d been for assuring herself that his affection was her feelings for him being returned. Twilight now assumed that all that had been was simple pity for her, and a way of relieving some of his regret. There was no way Spike could ever love her.

The dragon sat by the door for several minutes, expecting that Twilight would come bursting back in at any second, but as time passed, this hope began to fade. He wanted to find her and tell her how he felt, but there was always that one voice in the back of his head telling him he was wrong.

Spike gritted his teeth before he finally stood. He wasn’t going to sit idly by and let himself suffer, but above all, if he was right, he wasn’t going to let Twilight feel the same way he did.

He darted up the stairs, certain of Twilight’s location, but even if he was wrong he would still have a good vantage point from there. Though, it would appear that his search wouldn’t require that, for as he entered the castle’s tower he found Twilight, sitting upon the floor next to the balcony. She was crying, but the moment she saw Spike she turned away and desperately began to wipe away her tears.

As Spike drew closer to her, he could tell just how uneasy she was. She now knew that there was no use in hiding her feelings from him, but if he didn’t return them he could look at her as some kind of freak, or even worse, feel like he needed to leave.

Spike took a seat next to her and leaned against the wall. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, but just didn’t know how to say it.

“Twilight…”

“I’m sorry,” began Twilight. “I came up here because I didn’t want you to see me like this, okay?”

Spike moved closer to her. “So you come to the spot you know I’ll look first?”

Twilight forced a laugh, which set a few tears free. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“I’m sorry about what I said. I-I didn’t think it would hurt you like this.”

Twilight looked up at Spike. “It’s okay, I don’t blame you.” She turned away. “After what I said to you, I understand why you don’t…”

Spike rested a hand atop Twilight’s hoof, which caused her to face him. “I didn’t mean what I said; I do care about you.”

Twilight was overjoyed to hear this, but still hesitant to trust, so she pulled her hoof out from underneath. “If you don’t mean something, you don’t have to say it just to make me feel better.”

Spike faced Twilight, hurt evident in his eyes for her action. “Twilight, it’s the truth. I want to be with you. I…” He paused, unable to believe what he was finally going to say. “I love you.”

For a second, she only sat there, staring at Spike as she processed what had been said. Though the moment her mind could comprehend it, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Without warning, Twilight leapt up and wrapped her hooves around Spike. “You do?!”

Spike smiled as he pulled her in close, and quickly found his eyes growing wet as well. “Yes, I promise I love you.”

As he said this, Twilight’s grip tightened. “I-I love you too. I have for so long.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, me too.” Slowly, Spike began to break the embrace.

Twilight was confused as to why he would want to cut this moment short, but when she looked up to ask, a pair of lips pressed to hers was her answer. The moment prior may have been wonderful, but now it had been replaced with the pinnacle of perfection.

Author's Note

I know this isn't the ending you were expecting, but I was faced with a choice. You see, this story is doing pretty good, but I have extensively thought out another Spilight, that I'm insanely excited about. I honestly believe it will be the best thing I've ever written. The only downside is the sooner I finish this story, and "The Warmth of Winter" the sooner I can start on it. However, I will write an epilogue as soon as I finish "The Warmth of Winter". One of my blog posts explained this.

I really do think this upcoming story will turn the idea of a "shipfic" on it's head. I mean, it's nothing like anything I've ever attempted before, and nothing like any romance story I've ever seen. Also, it's incredibly long. The plot alone was over 4000 words, and I haven't even started on the afterstory's plot, and that's another 2/5 of the story. Yeah, I kind of had to break the story into five parts which are each the equivalent of my usual stories. Just trust me, it's going to be good. Though be warned, it gets dark, but no, there isn't any blood or cussing; it's more psychological.

So, keep an eye out for "A Dragon's Flame" or "A Dragon's Fire". I still haven't really decided on the name. I mean "A Dragon's Flame" hints at the romance, but "A Dragon's Fire" hints more at how dark the story will get. Tell me which sounds better, but honestly I'm pulling for "A Dragon's Flame" since the romance is more important than the darkness. I'm just worried it sounds too cheesy.