//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - Going Towards What The Heart Truly Desires // Story: Always Together Besides Me and Forever Inside My Heart // by Turtleboy76 //------------------------------// Silence played between the usually ringing rafters of the Carousel Boutique. A dark gloom had settled over the normally joyous building seemingly seeping into the very woodwork, never to leave. On the front door hung a rarely seen closed sign putting the final touches on the scene. Upstairs the bedroom door opened slowly as a defeated mare retired to her make-up counter. She slowly reached out for her prized jewellery box with a trembling hoof before violently hitting it off the counter. It crashed resulting in a cluster of gold and gems to spread out over her floor. Rarity's eyes continued to sprout a seemingly endless stream of tears as she slammed her hoof into the desk, professing her sorrow in groans as she did so. Hours passed like this until the mare grew tired; she rested her head on her hooves. Sliding out of the chair lying limply on the ground the mare sat wondering where she could have gone wrong. With time the ivory mare's eyes opened and beheld a large ruby heart that had fallen out of the jewellery box seemingly hours before. Her hoof reached out trembling once more and brought the precious gem cradling to her chest as if the tears streaming down the pristine flawlessness of the gem could bring back the love, which had been ripped from her heart. It lay before her to be examined like the jewels pristine facets. Oh how she hated that gem and yet... How she loved it. "WHY!?" She cried as sorrow was once again pulled up and renewed, like salt onto a fresh wound. "Spike was mine! I held his heart in my hooves and like a fool I did not give him mine in return until too late. Until his heart had been taken by that lavender...that lavender THIEVING HUSSY! He was meant to be with me...my Spikey Wikey...This isn't fair, I don't want to lose like this! I CANNOT LOSE LIKE THIS! This heart meant so much to him and so much to me. It was suppose to symbolize a love that would grow and build over the years. Grow large and strong...Now all I have is the jewel...but it's not the heart I want, not even close." The distraught unicorn continued to wallow on the floor. Raving to express the wound that she felt was only growing wider and deeper with each moment. Part of her wanted to turn inward. To be lost in memories of what was...and imaginings of what could have been. Her Spiky Wikey, her scaled knight, strong brave and true, her one and only. Rarity's vein riddled eyes came forth from beneath her eyelids, "Alright if I cannot have this heart; NO ONE CAN!" The mare stood up, her horn glowed as her magic opened a window, which she began to run towards. Fine this heart can go, this cruel world can ha- Rarity stopped at the window with the heart in her raised hoof, her mouth started to shiver and the floodgates re-opened as she couldn't comprehend what she saw before her. "But, why then?" she whispered softly "WHY?" Her voice rang to the heavens. Not caring who heard." THIS ISN'T FAIR! He was mine and I was his!" She stood up, unwilling to wallow any longer. For a time she raged and stomped around mumbling about Twilights betrayal and what had been lost. Soon the troubled mare found herself looking out her window onto the town of Ponyville all around her. The sun shining, fillies playing, ponies continuing their normal daily lives, just living as time continued to pass. How? “How can it be that everypony can look as though nothing is going on? Why is it just me? It feels like I have nothing now!” The ivory unicorn lowered her body as her front legs sloppily rested on the windowsill along with her head, continuing to look at the sunny and happy day that it was in Ponyville. Her gaze drifted towards her little sister Sweetie Belle and her friends. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were playing outside without a care in the world; everything looked to be fine; until Scootaloo tried to fly again. Storing up speed on her scooter, she zipped past Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom before leaping off while trying to ride the momentum into flight. CRASH! The young orange Pegasus crashed into a tree, as her shaky and sore body sat up her face frowned. Her eyes watered as another failed flying attempted fell heavily on her mind. Before feeling her worst a pair of yellow and white hooves wrapped around the Pegasus, embracing the orange filly in a hug. The crusaders were always there for each other after all. The kind act reminded what Rarity of what she used to do when she was sad or angry. Call Twilight. How nice it had been to be comforted by her good friend... Part of her knew Twilight was not to blame; the mare was simply following her heart, Rarity could not deny her that. She wiped her eyes, and exhaled a large sigh, trying to regain her composure, "If only life were as simple as it was when I was a filly. I don't suppose my horn leading me to a large rock will get me out of this issue though. Rarity looked down at the ruby heart, holding it to her chest for one final embrace before encasing it in her blue magic; levitating it and her other sparkling accessories back into the jewellery box. The mare retreated onto her bed as she could no longer feel any energy to cry to yell, both mentally and emotionally exhausted. Lying atop the sanctities of linen and down, she only stared in the direction that her seemingly lifeless head was pointing; hmmm that's right, I did have some unfinished designs left didn't I? Faintly her horn lit up as she slowly moved some sketches over to her bed. Her body rolled onto her back as the images levitated directly overhead, "I suppose if I put so gems around the trim and try some new material combinations on the bodice of the dress that could contrast rather nicely." "Oh and some frills and lace there could look quite good here," she said smiling slightly before that faded back into being a frown. The mare sighed before finding the strength to stand up again, she started to pace around her room looking at designs and concepts she had covering her walls and boards. "Life truly can be cruel and unfair sometimes, but..." she looked out the window to see her sister and her friends playing together, "but I know that it isn't all bad and things can get better, albeit not right away. I never want to feel like this again, but I must try to not dwell on it." Her fiery spirit could never let Rarity wallow for long. Moving forward was all she knew. After all it is how a mare builds her own business in a town where her craft is a luxury at best. "I MUST move forward! At least I have enough to take my mind off of it." A pair of red glasses slowly lowered onto Rarity's muzzle before she turned her attention towards her sketches. "Rarity you have some work to do." Meanwhile Two pairs of violet shaded lips were intertwined; warmth and passion fueling what seemed like a never ending moment at the entrance of Carousel Boutique. Their breath caught between heartbeats, never to be caught again or have the desire to do so. "WHOA!!!! What the hay is going on here?" A stunned cyan Pegasus shouted out as she slowly descended towards the couple. Her face showing both shock and confusion due to the sight of her horned and scaled friends locking lips. The unicorn and dragon's eyes snapped open as they pulled back from each other and looked towards the sky to see their friend Rainbow Dash looking at them with a growing smile. "Oh, hey there Rainbow Dash" said the dragon awkward as he rubbed the back of his head and limply waved at the flying mare. She slowly descended towards ground to look the two in the eyes. Lips trembling with the urge to burst out laughing, "so what has been going on here?" she said with a teasing smirk. Twilight and Spike turned to look at each other before smiling themselves and blushing slightly and in perfect synced replied; "well, I guess we are together now." Spike's hand moved over to Twilight and wrapped his fingers strongly around her hoof. Dash raised an eyebrow and looked at the two now hoof and hand together, "did I miss something? When did this all happen?" The couple leaned towards each other and rested their heads together; the lilac mare simply replied "I guess it just kinda happened." Rainbow laughed aloud before sticking out her tongue, "eww this is too lovey-dovey for me," She started to levitate into the air. "This is gonna take some time to get used to, have fun you two" she said snickering before bolting off into the sky leaving the lavender pair behind. Wait until I tell everypony else about this. "She took that well," the dragon said sarcastically. "Yeah I guess so." Twilight replied with a smile and nuzzle. "So what's next?" Spike asked blushing. "That’s a good question; I guess we probably need to tidy up the library." "That's a good point; shall we be off...sweetie?" Twilight blushed as she and her new partner stood up and began to walk towards their home. She couldn't help but look at Spike from time to time and simply admire him, her cheeks turning red each time, as she leaned against him while walking, all the while being embraced by one of his arms around her, it was simple but made her feel as if she was the happiest mare in all of Equestria. Spike, thank you, you are always by my side... Hopefully now you will be forever. The mare hugged the dragon next to her tightly before continuing their walk home. Later that evening Spike and Twilight had cleaned up the mess that resulted from the day's earlier misunderstanding digression. Still being new to the fact that the two of them were now officially an 'item' they were not sure at first how to handle themselves before bonding in front of a suddenly romantic fireplace. The warm flames aura radiated throughout the room; the heat being felt on their scales and fur, putting them in a total feeling of relaxation together. Twilight's head and torso resting atop Spike's lap as the dragon simply stroked her long silky mane, the two losing track of time as they had now entered their time together. "So Spike, when did you start to feel this way about me? Here I thought it was only going to be a one sided feeling." "Huh? Where did that come from?" "I'm just, you know...curious, I had these feelings for you and I thought something was wrong with me, but then all this happened." "I don't really know when I started to get these feelings, but I did admit to myself that they were real though." "Here I was thinking that falling in love with your best friend was some kind of bad joke from some teenage romance novel, but the more time we spent together, I realized more and more that I didn't want to be away from you Spike." "And I was worried that those feelings would push us further away from each other." "Spike that would never have happened anyway, those three months...well honestly they were some of the best moments in my life so far, I couldn’t think about you not being in my life." "Just three months, that's nothing." Twilight jolted up and looked at Spike with a shocked expression, "what do you mean nothing Spike, I thought that time was special." "Whoa, whoa there Twi, that's not what I meant; what I was meaning, is that those three months will be like nothing. You know, considering that we have the rest of our lives ahead of each other." The lilac mare blushed, trying to form a response; nothing could form out of her mouth, instead wrapping her arms around Spike with the dragon returning the gesture. "You know that I love you right?" "I do too." After being released from their loving embrace, Twilight had noticed the time on the clock and how late it had gotten. "Oh wow, we should probably get to bed," Spike looked at the clock and agreed. The unicorn's horn lightly glowed and extinguished the flames as the two made their way to the bedroom. Upon reaching the room Twilight's magic lifted the blankets as she made her way under the sheets. The purple dragon was also following the trend and about to get into his bed. "What do you think you are doing?" "Getting into bed, what else would I be doing?" "Spike, I don't know if you will need that bed anymore." Twilight's magic lifted up the blanket on the opposite side of her bed, inviting the young dragon to the linen resting place. "Are you sure Twi?" "Come on Spike, we are going to be together forever, and I ahh" Twilight started to blush, "I would like being able to wake up next to the dragon I love." Spike's cheeks turned rosy as he retired under the blankets with his lilac partner. Twilight moved her body and rested her head on Spike's chest, allowing him to encase her with his arm. "This feels nice." "Yep, it's the only place in all of Equestria that will always be just for us, where nothing else matters, just us." "Quite an eventful first day wouldn't you say?" "A rough beginning must be a good sign of something, tomorrow and the day after can only get better and better. Spike smiled, "I love you Twi." "I love you too, Spike." Their lips connected as their embrace continued both falling asleep next to each other, thus ending only the first day. The first day of their new lives, together.