//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Inner Conflict // Story: Reflections of the Heart // by TheCloudtop //------------------------------// Spike had grown quite large in the last ten years. His once soft spikes were now razor sharp, and his claws were strong enough to pierce a manticore’s hide. His flame was hot enough to reduce steel to a bubbling puddle in mere seconds. But while he had grown nigh impervious to any physical assault, his heart was an entirely different matter. ______________________________________________________________________________ Screw this. Why should I even bother? Because you love her. She doesn’t love me. Why should I care? Because if you don’t, how else are you going to get her to love you back? That is the stupidest reason I have heard. That one makes your last reason look smart, and you know how I felt about that one. The fact that you would have made Rarity happy was not a stupid reason, and you know it. Look, I’m tired of arguing with you. That is the only reason that I am doing this. Tired of arguing with me? I AM you. Oh, shut up already. You're giving me a headache. Just knock on the door and I’ll go away. Spike looked up at the door in front of him and sighed. “Surprise surprise. Rarity wants me for something, how shocking. It seems to be all she has to do with me lately. It is never ‘Hey Spike, how are you doing?’ or ‘Would you like to go to dinner with me?’” Spike rolled his eyes, an extremely impatient look on his face. He stared at the door, the door that he had gone in and out of more than that of his own home. He stared at it for a few minutes, sighed, put on his emotional armor, and knocked on Carousel Boutique’s front door.                                                     ******************** Rarity was in her room, preparing for Spike’s visit. Oh, I hope Spike comes over! I asked Twilight to send him over.  I really need to talk to him. Rarity paced back and forth in front of her full size mirror, anxiety coloring her features. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, checking to see if her mane was just right. I need to look my best, no matter what. I can’t be looking like a slob. That would be very unladylike. Rarity jumped a little at the sound of knocking on her front door. Knock, knock, knock. She turned, took a deep breath, and opened the door.                                                        ******************** The door opened, and there she was, standing just beyond the threshold, was the very center of Spike’s desires, Rarity. Oh, how he loved her! Her beauty was beyond compare, as far as Spike was concerned. His heart hurt, just like it did every time he looked at her. He hurt because, when he looked at her, he saw somepony that he was sure that would never be his. Why did I have to fall for somepony like her? Somepony that will never look at me as more than a friend. No, you can’t think like that! She will be mine, someday... He looked at her more closely. On further inspection, she looked just as hurt and confused as he felt. Is it possible? Is she just as lost as I feel?                                         ******************** Rarity looked up at Spike. It was weird for her to have to look up at him, when she had looked down at him for so long. He had gone through his first growth spurt just a little over four years ago, and he now stood almost twice as tall as Big Macintosh. He really has grown. He is no longer a child anymore. How do I do this, and it not make things more complicated than what they already are? How about you just be honest with yourself and him? whispered a voice in the back of her mind. What, tell him that I realized that I never truly appreciated him? That even after he saved me more than once from brutes, that I just took him for granted? Yeah, that really sounds wonderful. Or you could just go on doing what you have always done. Not allowing yourself to be open with how you feel. Because that seems to work so well for you, the voice in the back of her mind said sarcastically. Oh, do be quiet. I will handle this my way, without any help from some voice who thinks they know better than me. “Rarity?” I am you, darling. I am everything that you don’t want to hear and don’t want to see. I embody the truth that you push away everyday. Now, you will not push me away anymore, because I have things to say that you need to hear, and WILL listen to, said the voice in a smug tone. “Hellooooo?” Rarity’s head snapped up. She had not noticed that she had zoned out. “Are you okay?” “Yes, sorry Spike. I have been...distracted as of late. Please, do come in.” Rarity backed up, and opened the door wider so that Spike could get inside. __________________________________________________________________________ They both went into the living and sat down on the couch, neither one of them wanting to start the conversation. After about five minutes of awkward silence, Rarity thinking to herself how she would broach the topic she wanted to bring up, and Spike trying to keep his emotions under control, Spike finally turned in his seat and said “So, Twilight told me that you wanted to see me? Rarity perked up at this. “Yes, I did want to see you. You see Spike, I came to a realization yesterday. I know that I haven’t always been... the most generous pony, when it comes to you. That being said, I wanted to talk to you about my less than fabulous attitude towards you. You see Spike, I knew that you had a crush on me from the very start. I just never put any real thought into what that meant for you. And for that, you have my deepest apologies. I was, and am, used to ponies falling head over hooves for me, so when you did, I just brushed it off as a typical reaction. I am much more than just my good looks and business acumen, yet most ponies don’t see past the surface when it comes to me. However, you are the one individual that saw past the surface, besides our friends. You saw me for me, and I had no idea how to handle that, and frankly, I still don’t.” Spike looked calm and collected on the outside, but his mind and heart were in an uproar. What does this mean? Does this mean that I have a chance with her? That she finally has recognized that I truly care about her? Don’t be so hopeful. This could just be her way of apologizing, without it actually meaning anything. She has done this sort of thing before. Never like this though. She has never been this... well, unguarded in front of me. I can tell she is being genuine. The sound of Rarity’s voice shook him from his inner monologue. “But, and this is really hard for me to say, I cannot reciprocate your feelings."