Every muscle in Spike's body was as tense as could be, out of both shock and concern. He still wasn't sure how he should be reacting to this situation.
He had come here tonight expecting the proud, happy, and high-chinned Rarity that he knew and loved. But instead, he found a weeping, helpless, and what appeared to be broken-spirited mare, which was saddening, because he hated to see her in such a weak and helpless state, but he was also mildly disappointed as well; he was hoping that he would have had the chance to kiss her and ask her on a date. He cursed himself for thinking this, knowing that his own wants should be the LAST thing on his mind, and he quickly banished these thoughts.
Part of him was angry as well, because when he asked Rarity if someone had hurt her, she replied "in a way, yes". This was reason enough for him to assume the worst, and though he wasn't entirely sure what she meant, his protective instincts took hold, and he gripped her tightly as she continued to to cry upon his chest, thinking of what was going to happen to the person that hurt her if he discovered them. He greatly anticipated the explanation she promised, hoping to ease his nerves, but he could tell that Rarity wouldn't be able to speak clearly right now, even if she wanted to; the constant flow of her tears running across his chest made that much obvious. As worried and anxious as Spike was, the last thing he wanted - and the last thing she needed - was to put pressure on her or make her feel uncomfortable, so he continued to allow her to release whatever was causing her sadness until she was done, holding back tears of his own.
He remembered that he had promised Twilight Sparkle that he'd be back home by midnight at the latest, but that was the least of his concerns anymore. She needs me right now, and Twilight is gonna have to deal with it. He had no intention of leaving unless Rarity forced him out the door herself, which he knew wasn't going to happen, so he pretty much had no intention of leaving at all. So, knowing that he was going to be here awhile, he pulled Rarity tighter into his arms and laid his head on hers, stroking her mane and comforting her until she regained her composure.
Her whimpers became less and less frequent as time progressed, and about an hour later, they pretty much had stopped all together. She lay peacefully there on his chest, her front leg still wrapped around his body, completely motionless except for her steady breathing. He couldn't see her face, so he couldn't be sure if she was sleeping or not, but it was safe enough to assume she was, considering that she hadn't made a sound in several minutes. Well, so much for explaining what's upsetting her... But, once again, he knew it was selfish to think in this way. She had obviously been through a lot, and she needed to sleep, to recharge both her mind and body.
Suddenly, Rarity drew in a deep sigh. "Spike... I have never before told anypony what I am about to tell you. And I would like to keep it that way. I trust you with every fiber of my being, and I know that you can keep a secret, but you must PROMISE not to tell anyone, alright?" Her head was still curled up into Spike's chest, so he couldn't see her facial expression, but there was a palpable severity in her voice.
"Yes, of course. I promise."
She sighed again. "Well, I am not entirely sure how or where I should begin this... I suppose 'twould be best if I started with the whole ordeal with Sweetie Belle's birth...
"I was a mere ten years old, and, as I'm sure you could guess, I was just ecstatic with the idea of being an older sister. I had always dreamed of having someone that I could play with, someone to dress up in all kinds of outfits, someone to talk to and share a laugh with, you get the idea. Well, the day was to be both the happiest, and saddest day of my life so far.
"'Twas was early that morning, and I remember waiting anxiously in the lobby of the hospital, waiting to to see my mother and my new baby sister. My father said that she was in "labor", and thought I was not sure what that meant - or what it entitled - at the time, I had a pretty good idea. While I was simply giddy with joy, my father wasn't so much; he disliked the idea of having another filly. Even though he "loved" me, he never necessarily "liked" me, so the notion of having another, younger version of me in the house wasn't something he accepted fondly. However, I didn't know that much at the time, so I sat there, happy as ever, thinking that it wouldn't be long before our family grew to a family of four....
"I was mistaken. JUST when everything seemed to be going well, I heard one of the doctors shout over the intercom that he 'needed IMMEDIATE emergency teams to Sapphire Star's room' followed by several more orders that I don't recall. Although I didn't know for the most part what they were speaking of, I understood two things: Sapphire Star, which was my mother's name; and the word 'emergency'. When I put the two together, I began to worry profusely, as you can imagine, and seeing that my father was also beginning to panic, I only grew MORE frightened.
"Several minutes passed, but it felt like several hours to me. Not much was happening in the lobby at that time, which seemed to make it worse. In my young mind, I envisioned every nurse, doctor, and surgeon in the hospital gathered around my mother in her room, trying to treat some horrible complication that might have come up. In a way, my mind was right; although, of course, not EVERYONE in the hospital was there in her room, but there was indeed a dreadful catch in the procedure.
"It wasn't much longer before a surgeon ran into the waiting room, and began talking to my father and I, informing us of what the problem was. We were told that Sweetie Belle's umbilical cord had gotten wrapped around her neck, and was choking to death as she was begin birthed, suffocating on the very thing that had kept her alive up til that point. This, however, I DID understand, and now that I had a clue as to what was going on, I became more worried than ever, and I hardly thought that was possible. Was Sweetie Belle going to be okay? Was my mother going to be okay? I asked my father these questions, but he merely shrugged me off of him, as he normally did. After a few more minutes, I could tell that the suspense was quickly becoming too much to bear, so he told me sternly to stay put, and that he was going to my mother's room to see if she was alright. Of course, he wanted to see if SHE was alright, he could hardly care less about little Sweetie.
"Not that he was much company to begin with, but in his absence, the loneliness and lack of knowledge of what was going on in that room made me sick to my stomach. I began crying, telling myself that everything was going to turn out just fine, and that both Sweetie and my mother would be okay. I was probably crying for about a half-hour before a felt a presence beside me. Looking up, I saw one of the doctors sitting there, a grave expression on his face. He put his hooves around me and hugged me tightly, and I knew whatever he had to say couldn't be good. And it wasn't.
"I learned that, in order to save Sweetie Belle, they practically had to gut my mother. The saddest part is, that my mother knew this, and she more or less ORDERED the doctors to murder herself in order to save Sweetie." Rarity's tone stiffened. "Spike, do you know the amount of bravery that must have taken? Knowing you had to die to save the life of another?" She asked rhetorically.
Spike had nearly forgotten Rarity was talking. It didn't feel like he was listening to a story, rather he felt like he was ACTUALLY there, in Rarity's place, feeling the same pain and fear she must have felt. And really, in a way, he was feeling the same pain; this was something he never could have guessed about either Rarity or her little sister. Rarity's mother had died in labor with Sweetie Belle... The thought was sickening, for the little white filly had practically become like his own sister. It was almost as if he was learning this about a member of his own family, like he was learning that Twilight had nearly died, only to be saved by the mother he never had donating their life to her.
Rarity sighed. "Well, now that you have THAT background knowledge, I suppose that brings me to the 'main point' so to speak..."
THAT was just background knowledge? Spike cringed in fear of what might come next, if that was comparably just "background knowledge".