> Twilight's secret > by castlemaid > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Sadness and a Question > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "See yah later, Twilight," Spike said with a cocky voice and toothy grin, "Don't expect me to be home anytime soon." "Bye Spike!" Twilight waved goodbye, not glancing up from the book as she silently wished him luck in his endeavors. Spike was on his way to carousel boutique, determined to finally ask out Rarity for the first time. He was no longer the baby dragon everypony once knew. In only two years he had grown three feet, standing just above the height of the average pony. His physical build changed as well. His arms almost reached his knees when relaxed. His muscle became more prominent and his strength nearly tripled. He could easily lift a tree and throw it a few dozen yards if he wanted to. And along with this sudden growth spurt came an increase in maturity. His snide remarks and sarcastic comebacks were hardly ever heard anymore. He would help out whenever Twilight and her friends would need it, and not make even one sound of complaint. 'I'm not going to chicken out this time, I'm gonna do it.' Spike had a sheer look of determination on his face. I'm going to ask Rarity out! His face contorted so much he looked constipated. He was so concentrated on psyching himself up that he tripped on a large stone of the road. "Gah!" Spike yelped as he slammed face first into the cobblestone. "Are you okay Spike?" an elegant voice shouted in concern. Spike's vision was a little blurry from the hard impact. He slowly got up into a crawling position, and shook his head to clear the fuzziness from the sudden impact. "I'm fine, just lost... in... thought," Spike slowed and quieted his words realizing who the mare was that called out. He quickly stood up and brushed himself off. "H-Hi Rarity." He closed his eyes, giving her an awkward smile, and chuckling nervously. "What brings you here today Spike?" Rarity asked in her usual friendly tone, giving him a sweet smile. She had her red rimmed glasses on her forehead, though he noticed the usual measuring tape that accompanied them wasn't around her neck. "I just came to see if you needed help with anything," Spike replied. "Actually I finished all my work for the week yesterday, so I've been working on some new designs. Would you like to come in?" Rarity stepped aside, holding the door open for Spike. He stumbled into the house, almost tripping again. "You aren't going to fall again are you?" Rarity teased, giggling softly at her own quip. "Nah I'm fine," Spike said half sarcastically half nervously, putting his hand behind his neck, again. He reassured himself, 'Easy right?' *** Spike and Rarity sat at the table drinking tea. They'd been catching up on the events of the week. Spike was rolling his cup back and forth in between his claws in contemplation. "So, uh...Rarity?" Spike started nervously. He began to sweat nervously, fidgeting with his feet. "Yes darling?" Rarity was quick to respond. She had her head tilted slightly, her eyes closed, and had a cute smile plastered on her face. "Well, I...uh...wanted to ask you if...um...you would like to go on a date with me?" As Spike finished the question and everything around them stopped. All Spike knew was that Rarity was in front of him, and he was awaiting an answer. Rarity's smile receded into a sad frown. "I'm sorry Spike, I...I...can’t" Rarity said nervously then let out a long sigh. Spike's heart nearly stopped at these words. "Wait, you can’t?! Why? Did I do something wrong?" Spike said, shock filling him from the blatant rejection. He slumped back in his chair just enough to hide his face in the darkness to hide the visual sadness. "I'm sorry Spike, I've known about your feelings for me for a long time," Rarity began, holding back tears herself, "I just don't feel the same way about you, but I didn't want to break your heart." Spike's eyes were red and watering, but his expression stayed firm. He slumped further in his chair. "I'm sorry Spike. You're a really good friend, you truly are...but...I don't have the same attraction to you as you have for me." Rarity's voice was cracking from her sorrow for the poor drake, tears starting to silently flow. "I was hoping that it would pass over as a simple crush and it wouldn't have to come to this, but you never seemed to give up, persistent as you are." "But...but..." he tried to keep as steady a tone as he could. Rarity noticed the continuous trail of tears trailing down his cheek. His eyes shown red and puffy as the moonlight revealed his face. "I'm so sorry Spike," Rarity said shakily, "I never thought it would hurt you this much," Rarity was on the verge of breaking down herself as her own tears were shed. It pained her to see the heartbreak in his eyes. Spike sat still in his chair. He was silent as the tears flowed freely down his face. He slowly got up and opened the front door with a shaky claw, bolting as fast as he could back to the library. A couple ponies saw Spike run by, asking him what was wrong, but he gave no responses. Rarity collapsed as the door remained open, softly crying to herself as she shakily closed it with her magic. *** Spike entered hastily, slamming the door shut, throwing himself onto the couch. He began to cry his eyes out as he hunched over in a ball. Twilight had dropped her book, startled from his sudden violent entry. She went over to him, “Spike? Spike what happened?” She sat next to him and put a hoof on his back for comfort as he convulsed. “I...I don't want to talk about it,” Spike mumbled through the couch cushion. He looked up at her his eyes bloodshot from his crying. He hunched over, claws holding his forehead as his body convulsed with each sob. Twilight said nothing, instead leaning over Spike and giving him a hug. He threw his arms around her, returning the embrace and calming down as she rubbed his back with a hoof. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Twilight asked softly. She pulled him back so she could look at his face. She saw the weakness and heartbreak in his eyes and knew what was coming. “R-Rarity, sh-she..." He leaned back into her chest trying to hide from the truth. Twilight had a few tears rolling down her cheeks in empathy. Twilight tried to find a way to calm him down. "Could you tell me what happened?" She continued to rub his back comfortingly. Spike finally calmed down enough to stop hiccuping. "I finally got the nerve to ask her to go out with me, but...but..." He felt the urge to sob again. "But what?" Twilight bit her lower lip, preparing for the worst. She was on the verge of crying herself, seeing her best friend this upset. Spike started as soon as he was calm again. "She told me that she knew about my crush, but she thought it would die off. She also said she never wanted to reject me like that. She explained that we were just friends, and it was never meant to be anything more." Spike began sobbing again. They sat there, Spike crying into Twilight's shoulder. Spike slowly shifted from his crying to a soft slumber. Twilight followed close behind from their shared emotional exhaustion as they both drifted off to sleep. *** Twilight woke up and stretched, but stopped moving when she realized Spike was still asleep next to her. She noticed he was facing her. His face inches away from her own, heat rising in her face. She got up slowly, as to not wake up Spike, and went to make some breakfast. "Unngg... Twilight," Spike mumbled in his sleep. Twilight's ear flicked at her name causing her to stop and listen. "Wha... what are you doing Twilight?" she heard him mumble. She went back to the living area to listen in. "GAH!" Spike yelped as he awoke from his agitated slumber. "Ahhh!" Twilight screamed as she fell to the floor. She got up noticing Spike's heavy breathing, as if scared by something. Twilight sat down next to Spike and wrapped a hoof around him in a half hug. "Spike, are you alright?" "Y-Yeah I'm fine, just a n-nightmare," Spike answered quickly before letting out a huge yawn. *Growl* "Somepony sounds hungry," she pointed out with a giggle. "How about some blueberry pancakes?" Twilight started for the kitchen, already knowing the answer. "Sure, and how about some of that special syrup recipe of yours?" Spike got up and fixed the couch. "I'll just do my morning chores, and I promise I won't peek to see your recipe." "Oh Spike," she playfully batted a hoof in the air, "You know that everypony knows my recipe just calls for a little of each major brand syrup with some brown-sugar and a pinch of cinnamon." She went into the kitchen to start breakfast, as Spike began cleaning the living room. *** Spike chewed on the last bit of pancake in his mouth. He and Twilight were eating at the small table they had in the kitchen. Twilight had finished her pancakes and had begun washing the dishes. "You certainly must've been hungry, you ate 9 whole pancakes, but I still can't comprehend how you tolerate eating that slow." Spike laughed at the comment. "You know I like to enjoy my food, especially when a culinary master like you prepares it for me." Spike began to sit back and put his arms behind his head. "Oh, you're just being nice." Twilight blushed as she put the last of the dishes she was washing away. She went over to spike and gathered his dish and utensils. "Spike?" Twilight took on a serious expression. "Yeah?" Spike snapped out of his daze. returning to a sitting position. He leaned forward onto the table with a somewhat serious expression on his face. "What were you dreaming about this morning that caused you to jump?" Twilight asked nonchalantly. Spike began to fidget with his hands shyly, not wanting to answer. "Spike?" Twilight turned around to look him in the eye. Her expression showed she had every intention of finding out about his dream. Spike contemplated telling her, but he felt it would be too awkward. "I...you were..." Spike was cut off by Twilight. "Let me guess, I was lecturing you again." Twilight smirked and giggled remembering the last few times he had that dream. She chuckled at the memory of the time he had nightmares about trigonometry. "Yeah... you were." Spike chuckled half-heartedly. 'You were "lecturing" me alright' Twilight felt a sudden stirring in her stomach, but it was pleasant. It was warm and fuzzy, and she couldn't explain why. "Well how about you get the rest of your chores done. I've got some things to do." Her face held a rather nervous-looking smile. Spike went to the lobby to finish his chores while Twilight went up to her room. *** 'Where's that damn notch?' Twilight dug through her bottom desk drawer. "Aha! There it is." Twilight pulled a small hidden notch in her bottom desk drawer, revealing a very dusty book. She picked up the book holding it up to her mouth to blow the dust off. Personal Journal was written in neat cursive on the front. It was a simple brown leather bound book. She opened it up to the first page. Twilight Sparkle's Personal Journal was written in neat, purple cursive. Twilight never liked the idea of calling it a diary because she felt they were often depicted generically as gushy and thoughtless. She prefered to call it a journal because she wrote many factual statements about her days and not mushy gushy thoughts about her day or drama like that. She hadn't written in that book for over a week. She turned it to her most recent entry. Journal Entry 800 Today was a typical spring day. Not too hot, not too cold. Spike did his chores before noon and spent the rest of his day reading. I went to restock on ink and quills and I also got rid of books that were no longer being read to make way for new ones. Today was uneventful, but I happened to notice myself staring at Spike. I wonder what came over me, or if it was just coincidental that I just so happened to phase out when my gaze fell upon him. ~Twilight Sparkle 'I've been staring at Spike during the past week!' Twilight was confused. 'Do I... Do I...Like Spike?' She realized she needed to go to the one pony she could ask for advice advice on the subject, Rarity. She heard a loud thump against the ground. She had dropped her book. "Twilight are you okay?" Spike called from the lobby, "I heard a loud noise." "Yeah, I'm just fine," She called back, "I just dropped something." She hesitated before continuing, "Spike, I'm going to go out and run an errand." She glanced at the clock, it read nine-thirty. "I'll be back, by noon probably." "Okay Twilight," Spike's voice was muffled again as he entered another room, "I'll finish my chores then I'll just..." His voice became too muffled to hear as he entered the next room. 'If anypony can help me with this, it's Rarity'Twilight grunted at the thought of seeing her about this after what happened last night. She took her journal and put it in her saddlebags and left to go out. "Bye Twilight!" Spike said as he passed through the lobby. "Bye Spike," Twilight said back, "See you later." With that, Twilight was off. > Twilight's Day > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Twilight walked to Carousel Boutique she kept debating with herself, but knew she needed to. Her face contorted in anger every time the previous day's occurrence popped into her head. Then her face became worried and confused when she thought about her actions during the past week. She lost her train of thought as she noticed she was just outside of Rarity's Boutique. 'I know I should see her about this but can I... No I need to do this.' She became focused, using the technique she read about removing emotions from oneself temporarily. She silently meditated to focus her mind. She was stopped before she could finish when she heard the door being opened. "Twilight?..." Rarity asked confused, her voice somewhat cracking as she had been... crying? Twilight noticed Rarity's fur was matted from sobbing and her eyes were bloodshot. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, but I knew you'd want to talk," Rarity's voice was more focused but it was still evident that she was an emotional wreck, "After Spike left the way he did, I knew you'd want to talk." She stepped aside to allow Twilight entrance, "Come in, I'm sure you have some questions." Rarity began to calm down as the two of them sat on the couch in the middle of the living room. "Rarity," Rarity nodded in response, "Why did you reject Spike?" Twilight's tone was a little harsher than she intended. SHe winced realizing she said it a bit harshly, but Rarity was still blank faced. "I didn't so much reject him as much as I just refused to go out on a date with him," Rarity replied in an expressionless voice, "I didn't say no because I didn't want to, It's because of you." Twilight's face contorted as she tried to process why Rarity said that. Rarity started to smile, "You know what I'm talking about, Twilight. You didn't come here to scold me about yesterday, that would be preposterous." Twilight began to feel heat rising in her cheeks. Her voice was quiet, "No, I didn't come here because of yesterday. I came here about what's been happening in the last week." Twilight remembered what Rarity had just said, "Wait..." Rarity looked confused slightly, "Why is it because of me?" Twilight looked slightly aggravated. Rarity regained her smile, though a tear left her eye. "You've been staring at Spike more and more often," She began, "I was hoping that he'd notice you, but then yesterday happened." Her eyes began to openly flow with tears. Her voice began to crack "I would've said yes if I actually felt for him the way you do," Rarity sniffled before continuing, "You may not know it yet or you may not be willing to accept it, but I know that you'll know what your heart desires when the time comes." Rarity began to openly sob. Twilight began to cry alongside her friend. Her voice stuttered, "Th-thank you rar-Rarity." They hugged each other tightly as they cried. Rarity kept sobbing into Twilight's shoulder. Twilight began to comfort her friend, "It's okay Rarity, thank you for being such a good friend." Twilight nuzzled the top of Rarity's head. Rarity pulled back after she calmed down. "Twilight?" Twilight responded with a *mm-hmm* "How was Spike when he got back to the library last night?" Rarity looked at Twilight with teary eyes. "I didn't hurt him that bad did I," Rarity spoke with fear in her eyes. "He cried himself to sleep with me on the couch," Twilight used a soft comforting voice, "I fell asleep crying with him." Twilight started to explain what happened in the morning, "When I woke up we were face to face and I felt what I think you call butterflies in my stomach." She blushed at the memory of him waking up, "He woke up after saying my name and asking what I was doing," Her blush went a shade darker when she thought about why he'd wake up, "He acted shocked when he woke up, and later explained that I was 'lecturing' him, but I have a feeling it was something well... let's just say different." Twilight's cheeks were now evidently red. Rarity was blushing slightly as well. Rarity voice expressed her embarrassment, "Well I think I get your meaning." Rarity's smiled at her friends words, "There's nothing that I can tell you for sure, you need to find some answers on your own sometimes." Rarity gave Twilight a reassuring smile. "Thank you Rarity, I knew you could help me," Twilight said as she squeezed Rarity in a tight hug. "You're a good friend," Twilight's eyes shined with her thanks. "Spike will be okay, I'll make sure of it," Twilight smiled when she saw Rarity start to smile. Twilight began to walk to the door. "Twilight, If it works out with the two of you," Twilight turned her head to look at Rarity, "No... When it works out for the two of you could you tell Spike the truth for me?" "I could never face him knowing how much I hurt him," Rarity looked down with shame. Twilight walked back over and put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "I'm sure he won't hold it against you," Twilight reassured her, "But it'll take some time to heal his heart." Twilight began to walk out again. "Goodbye Rarity, thanks again." "Goodbye Twilight," Rarity said, "Thank you for cheering me up." *** Twilight walked inside her home and looked at the clock It read three thirty-four. 'That took longer than I thought.' "Spike," she called out for him. She got no response. 'He must be on one of his walks again.' "Well since I'm alone right now..." She thought out loud. She pulled out her journal and began to write. Journal Entry 801 Today I went to Rarity's for advice on what to do about my recent "revelation". I have discovered that I am developing feelings for Spike. During the past week I've caught myself staring at him absentmindedly. Now that this has come to my attention I wonder what he means to me. I know he's one of my best and closest friends. Whenever I've been hurt he's been there for me. During my severe breakdown about the letter to Celestia, he was the one who helped me through it by sending for the princess. After he looked through Sombra's door I made a vow that I'd never send him away. Whenever I'm upset or feeling bad he's been there to turn my day around. He's always been there for me. I...I'm not just developing feelings for him, I'm realizing something more. I'm...I'm...in love with him. ~Twilight Sparkle Twilight finished the entry and dropped the quill. Her eyes were wide at her realization. 'I'm in love with Spike.' > Spike's Day > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike was picking up the books that Twilight had left lying around. After he finished reorganizing the books he began to dust the library. He continued his usual chores at an unusually quickened rate. Normally he'd take his time, but instead he had one thing in mind. 'I need to write' He heaved a sigh of relief as he finished the last of his chores. He rushed to his room and sat at his desk. He pulled out a pair of glasses. He then reached for the odd looking bottle of ink and a quill. He placed them on top of the desk. He put on the glasses and looked at the shelf of books on his desk. To the naked eye it was just a bunch of ordinary books, but with those glasses, one could see a green glow around one in particular. Spike grabbed the book and placed it in front of him. The front read Journal in a pristine, green calligraphy. Spike opened it to something he wrote three days prior. It's been near seven months since I've realized it. I love her with all my heart. She's always so confident and ambitious. I'm still scared to tell her how I feel. I know that some ponies have come to consider her my sister in a sense. She's always been there for me, and I don't ever want that to change. She is my heart, my soul, everything I need is within her. If only it could be. We've been friends for as long as I can remember, and why would that change now? I still think about what I almost did before I started writing in this journal. I almost... I don't want to remember it. 'Til Next Time, Spike 'I still can't believe I almost molested Twilight!' Spike cringed remembering taking an hour long cold shower after he had started drooling. Spike shook the memory away and refocused of his journal. He turned to the next page and grabbed the quill. I was rejected by Rarity yesterday. It hurt for the most part, but it didn't make me sob like a baby. It took forever to get myself psyched up enough to even ask her out. The fact the she said no bothered me because of how much effort it took to convince myself to ask. It's in the past now and I will apologize for my actions soon. When Twilight showed her concern for me when I came home, that tore me apart. When I saw her start to cry I broke down further. I hate it when she's sad, especially if it's my fault. The way she comforted me, I fell asleep in her embrace. This morning was amazing. I woke up and brushed some stray hair out of her face. She began to stir so i closed my eyes, then opened them just enough so I could see. I saw her blush and was thankful that she got up soon after. Those horrible thoughts came back and I shot up and shouted. I hated lying that it was a dream, though I didn't lie about the dream I had. Too bad it'll never be. 'Til Next Time, Spike Spike sat back in his chair and sighed. 'I love you Twi, someday... someday I'll tell you.' Spike pulled out some papers. They had the same enchanted ink on them as the ink he used in his notebook. They were lots of pictures, all containing Twilight in different areas and poses. He began to draw another picture. He was careful to make it match her features, from the way her body curved, to the way her hair fell across her face. He was drawing Twilight with a blank expression, and a book in front of her. He kept on moving the quill confidently across the paper. He decided he'd finished after working on it for five hours. 'Time really does fly.' He chuckled at how it had felt like only minutes passed. 'I wonder if Twilight's home yet' He put everything back in their proper places. He walked into the main room and saw Twilight with a shocked expression on her face. Spike ran to her side, "Twilight!" He wrapped an arm around her in concern, "What's wrong?" Spike held her comfortingly, brushing some of her mane out of her eyes. Twilight jumped, not having realized Spike was there. "Spike," Twilight blushed in embarrassment, "I thought you were out on a walk or something." Twilight avoided looking at Spike, and decided to take interest in the floor. "I was in my room, must've not noticed," Spike laughed a little then looked at Twilight with a concerned expression, "What's wrong Twilight? You look like your brain was hit with a brick of knowledge." Spike held her shoulders in his claws. Twilight bit her lower lip as she looked to the claws on her shoulders, thinking about how good it felt to be held. "I was just deep in thought." She awkwardly smiled. I've never noticed what a handsome young drake he is. She stared absentmindedly at how Spike's scales were accented with the outside light. She kept on staring with a drunken smile. She felt her face get a light slap. "Twilight," Spike called, waving his hand in front of her face, "Hello, Twilight?" Spike's face was a foot away from her's. "Huh..." Twilight fell out of her daze. She blushed noticing how close their faces were. She could feel his breath on her muzzle. She shivered with each sensation as she took full notice of them for the first time in her life. She noticed his chest expanding and retracting with each breath that he released towards her. The muscles of his arms and abdomen contracting while he held onto her shoulders. His eye's were void of everything but her at the moment. she could she the concern in Spike's eyes. She smiled and gave him a hug. "Twilight?" Spike was confused, but hugged back, "Are you okay?" "I guess I just needed a hug," Twilight smiled, "Thank you Spike." Spike smiled and continued to hold her, not that he had a problem with the prolonged embrace. Twilight pulled away from the hug and beamed as soon as she saw his smile. "Spike?" Twilight asked hesitantly, putting on a look of curiosity. She looked him in the eye. "Yes?" Spike responded with a smile. He noticed a certain gleaming in her eyes. "Why couldn't you hear me call you when I got home?" Twilight asked, she held a hoof to her chin in thought, "Shouldn't you have heard me from your room?" Twilight looked at him with a pondering expression. "I was just drawing." Spike tried to brush it off, "Must've been really concentrating." Spike didn't look at her directly. He could feel her eyes on him. Twilight brushed some stray hair away with her hoof. "What were you drawing?" Twilight asked nonchalantly. She noticed Spike beginning to sweat. 'What's got him so flustered?' She thought to herself. She kept looking at him with a bright smile. "You...Uh..." Spike went wide-eyed realizing he just told her that he was drawing, well, her. Spike was flustered to say the least. Spike held his head in his hands. 'Idiot' he screamed mentally at himself. Spike felt his heart begin to beat faster. He looked at the door feeling trapped. "Me?" Twilight's face took an expression of confusion, "Why me?" Spike didn't answer and had started to breath heavily, his eyes still open widely. "Spike?" she poked him. "Why were you drawing me?" she asked again, her voice more stern. "I'm gonna take a quick walk bye," Spike blurted and ran out the door before Twilight could respond. Twilight sat there with so many things running through her head. 'Why would he...wait. Does he...no. That would be ridiculous...right?' Twilight sighed and picked up her journal and headed up to her room. 'I need to look at this logically' Twilight walked up the stairs and into her room. > Confusion and Confessions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" Spike repeated as he slammed his head against a wall. Spike had ran a few blocks until he felt he was far enough away. "How could I have been so stupid to let that slip?" he said with a nervous laugh, slapping a hand to his forehead. "I'll just tell her it was for Rarity so she could design some clothes for her," Spike said to himself triumphantly. "No she'll ask to see it, and of course she can't, it's invisible," he countered. "I'll just be silent then." He smiled and planted a fist in his palm. "No, she's Twilight, she'll get suspicious." His brows furrowed. Ponies walking by had stopped and stared as he made a scene. Spike noticed them and slowly looked around. He swallowed audibly as he realized how ridiculous he must have looked talking to himself. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly, side stepping into the alleyway to his right. "Maybe if I..." Ooof Spike was cut off by somepony bumping into him from behind. "Oh, um... Spike, I didn't see you there. Are you okay?" Rarity helped spike to a sitting position and magically floated the book she'd been reading into her saddlebags. "Rarity?" Spike rubbed his head with a claw, using the other to support his weight. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he got on his feet and brushed himself off. "I always take this alley to and from the marketplace," she said, looking over her shoulder, "It takes ten minutes less than if I were to walk on the main roads, but enough of that. What are you doing out here?" "Well um-" Spike said quietly, but was cut off by Rarity. "You don't have a checklist on you, so you couldn't possibly be running an errand for twilight." "Um...Rarity?" Spike said a little louder. "You two didn't have a fight, did you?" Rarity had an exaggerated, worried look on her face. "Rarity!" Spike yelled louder than he wanted to. He looked at her with a slightly annoyed expression. Rarity blushed slightly from her own embarrassment. "Sorry Spike," she said softly. Giving him a smile, she sat down on her haunches, waiting for him to continue. "I'm not on an errand, and we didn't have a fight," Spike said, the let out a heavy sigh, "Rarity, I want to apologize about yesterday" Spike gestured with his hand sighing once again. "No Spike-" Rarity was cut off by Spike's finger on her lips. "Rarity..." Spike paused to take a deep breath, "let me explain" "please d-" Rarity was silenced again by Spike's finger. "I'm sorry, can we have this conversation somewhere private," he said giving her a knowing look. "The Boutique is right over there," she said, pointing to Carousel Boutique, which was conveniently close to the alleyway. 'How'd I miss that? Spike thought as the began to walk towards the Boutique. They entered the Boutique and Rarity headed for the kitchen. "Would you like me to make some tea?" she asked in a soft tone. "If you don't mind I'd like some chamomile please," Spike said from the couch. 'If I'm gonna get tea in the face, might as well be chamomile.' Spike chuckled to himself. "Coming right up," Rarity said happily. She magically pulled two chamomile tea packets, two cups, and a kettle from the cabinets. She levitated the kettle to the sink and turned the faucet on with her magic. 'Oooh I could practice that new spell.' She thought giddily to herself. She shot a spell at the kettle and the water was at an instant boil. She smiled widely at her success. She filled both cups with the water and put the packets in. "Well that was fast," Spike said, sitting up on the couch to make room for Rarity. “Even with my abilities with fire, I still can’t boil water that fast,” he mused with a chuckle. Rarity sat on the couch and handed him a cup of tea. “It was a new spell I learned, I originally wanted to use it for ironing, but it seems it has more practical uses,” Rarity explained as she sipped away at her tea. Spike gave a short chuckle, but his smile faded away soon after. “Rarity…” Spike looked her in the eye, “I should never have asked you out.” Rarity stopped sipping tea as pure confusion set in. “What?...” Rarity said still pondering the statement, then it clicked, her eyes took on a look of slight annoyance, “Excuse me!” Rarity felt like she had just been slapped in the face. “Rarity, please let me explain,” Spike said, trying to calm her down. It worked, but only slightly. “I never had feelings for you,” Rarity’s face contorted into utter confusion, “I was using you as a distraction,” Spike’s eyes began to water as he took a deep breath, stuttering the exhale. “Distraction? From what?” Rarity was confused and was trying her best to follow along. “Not what…” Spike took another deep breath, “who.” “Who then?” Rarity asked blatantly albeit she was still very confused. “Twilight…” Spike almost whispered the name. He stared blankly at the ground. “Oh Twilight…” Rarity just sat there confused, and the gears finally started turning in her head, “Wait, TWILIGHT?!?!?” she nearly shouted. “Yes, Twilight,” Spike repeated, “I feel like such a fool for doing this, and I’m sorry for what I’ve done.” Spike chuckled slightly, “You want to know why I was in tears last night, because it wasn’t you.” Rarity remained silently focused on his words. “I was in tears because of how much effort I put into convincing myself to ask you out, but that wasn’t set me off, it was seeing Twilight break down because I was in tears,” tears began to flow in Spike’s eyes, “I nearly lost it seeing her cry, and it was completely my fault.” Spike began to silently sob. “Spike, are you telling me you love Twilight?” Rarity lifted Spike’s head with a hoof, looking him in the eye. “Yes…” Spike said just above a whisper. Rarity’s eyes went wide. She gasped and put a hoof to her mouth. “Spike…” Rarity put a hoof on his shoulder and smiled, “She loves you too.” It’s was Spike’s turn to take a wide-eyed gasp. “WHAT!?!?” Spike shouted, “wait, how would you know?” Spike looked at her inquisitively. “Because she told me this morning,” Rarity explained. ’Thank you for being so considerate’ Rarity thought and smiled at Spike. “Now I really feel like an ass, pardon my french,” Spike palmed his forehead, “I ran out on Twilight after I told her I was drawing her.” “With the invisible ink and the enchanted spectacles I presume?” Rarity asked. “How’d you know that?” Spike broke out hysteria. “I’m the one who gave to you, remember,” Rarity laughed at his dumbfounded expression. “Right,” Spike’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, “Well, I should really go talk to Twilight then.” Spike got up to leave, “Thank you for the tea, and I’m really sorry about causing this mess.” “Spike…” Rarity whispered inaudibly, smiling. Spike left to go back to the library with one thought in mind, to tell Twilight he loves her.