//------------------------------//
// Dreams of a Dragon 
// Story: Unfamiliar Patterns 
// by TheVClaw 
//------------------------------//

No one was sure how long that moment of looming silence lasted within Rarity's bedroom. Aside from the faint sounds of heavy breathing and pounding heartbeats, not a single soul moved from their position. Seeing Zecora on the bed with Rarity on top of her, Spike wasn't able to utter a single word. Instead, the baby dragon's mouth merely hung open in shock, his unblinking eyes staring straight at the worried unicorn looking back at him.

"No…" muttered Rarity in a faint tone of pure dread. Knowing how much Spike cared about her, the unicorn couldn't think of a single other friend that would've been a worse choice to walk in on her like this. "… No… no no no no no no…"

Rarity tried to lift herself up from her stance on top of Zecora; however, Spike took a step back as soon as Rarity lifted a hoof. Meanwhile, the dragon's emerald eyes never peered away from the mare. Instead, they started to well up with tears.

"Spike…" Worried about how the dragon's well-being could change from seeing her like this (as well as what would happen if he ran off now to tell everypony), Rarity made her movements as faint as possible as she tried to talk to him. "Spike, please… let me expla—"

Spike's face clenched in for a second before he darted off, making Rarity shoot out of her bed like Nightmare Moon was on her tail. "SPIKE!!!"

By the time Zecora jumped off the bed, Rarity was already running down the hallway at top-speed. She managed to catch up to Spike before he could reach the stairs. Lighting her horn, the unicorn tried to get a magical grip around Spike; however, the baby dragon managed to break free from the aura before Rarity could reach him with her hooves.

"SPIKE, PLEASE!!!" yelled Rarity in a panic as she tried to lunge at him.

Instead, Rarity only stumbled to the floor after Spike dodged her. With tears coming from his eyes, the dragon tried running down the stairs as fast as he could. However, Zecora managed to make an impressive acrobatic jump down the length of Rarity's stairway, landing on her hooves at the base of the stairs in front of Spike.

Spike stopped at the middle of the stairway, Rarity and Zecora standing at both ends with fretful looks on their faces. Darting his head back and forth to look for an escape point, several tears flung from his eyes as he looked around frantically. As Rarity tried to rush down the stairs toward him, Spike gritted his teeth before he jumped over the hoof-rail, making him fall several feet from the side of the stairs to the floor of Carousel Boutique.

With a loud whump! Spike hit the floor surprisingly hard; that didn’t stop the dragon at all as he quickly rose to his feet. Seeing both Rarity and Zecora trying to get to him from the stairs, Spike started to lose all logical focus, his eyes becoming more blinded by tears. Not wanting to face anything right now, Spike ran to the first door he could see, slamming it behind him as hard as he could.

Breathing heavily, Rarity and Zecora reached the door, slowing down tremendously as they saw which one it was. Even though they were both worried about Spike more than anything, neither of them believed anything that bad could happen right now. With Spike now locked in her closet, Rarity tried to breathe normally before she attempted to speak through the door.

"Sp… Spike?" Rarity tried to slowly open her closet door. The door wouldn't move when she tried to press it with her hoof, despite the fact that it didn’t have a lock. Knowing that Spike probably propped up something against it (or was leaning against it so nopony could get in), Rarity pulled her hoof back from the door before speaking again. "Spike… Spike, please… open the door…"

Only silence came from the other side, which worried Rarity even more. Even though she always brushed it off as a simple crush, Rarity still knew that Spike was rather infatuated with her. Now, all Rarity could think about was how heartbreaking that sight must've been for him, which made her feel even worse about everything.

Clenching her eyes shut, Rarity leaned against the door and tried not to cry out of guilt. "Spike, please… I'm so sorry… I am so, so sorry… I did not want it to happen like this…"

A faint sniffle could be heard from the other side of the door, which made Rarity feel even worse. While she was grateful to hear something from him, the fact that he was crying just made her heart weep in regret. In the years Spike lived in Ponyville, it wasn't hard to tell how strongly he felt about Rarity. So with the realization that she was not only with someone else, but with Zecora, Rarity couldn’t imagine how damaging this could be to him.

"Spike," pleaded Rarity in a whimpered tone as she stayed in front of the door, hoping more than anything that he would listen to her, "I know you can hear me… You have to believe me, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you… Please, Spike… please open the door…"

The door didn’t budge. Instead, a more audible sob could be heard from inside the closet, which made Rarity feel like her heart was being hacked by an ice pick. Wincing from hearing one of her friends react like this, Rarity backed away and tried not to cry.

Zecora, who at this point was standing away from the door with a worried look on her face, decided to attempt to intervene. Walking up to the door, the zebra lifted a hoof and knocked a couple of times.

"Spike," began Zecora in a low and soft tone of voice, "I know that thi—"

"GO AWAY!!!" shouted Spike from the other side of the door.

Zecora flinched a little and backed off from the closet door. Afraid of what could happen with a dragon acting like this, Zecora hoped that he wouldn't turn into something nasty because of her. Remembering how he could turn when he was greedy, the zebra put the utmost caution in her movements as she tried to speak again.

"Spike… I'm re—"

"I SAID GO AWAAAAAAAAAAY!!!"

Now, even louder sobs could be heard from Spike in the closet. Rarity quickly pulled Zecora back with her magic, dragging her by her hooves to the other side of the room. Keeping her voice as quiet as possible, Rarity pulled Zecora in and tried to keep Spike from hearing.

"Zecora, right now, I think I need to talk with him myself. I don't want him to react badly if he hears you, so it might be best if you let me be alone with him for a while."

With a worried look still on her face, Zecora slowly nodded to the unicorn's plan. The zebra opened her muzzle, planning to say something; however, Spike's poor reaction to her very voice was enough to make her rethink doing anything. Instead, Zecora looked over at the closet for another moment before she reclosed her muzzle, keeping herself silent for Spike's sake.

"Hello?"

The sound of a filly's voice made the two look over to the front of Rarity's shop. The front doors opened, bringing in Sweetie Belle with the pink suitcase she had borrowed earlier. "I brought back the bag, Rarity!" said Sweetie in a happy tone as she dragged it towards her. "Mom says thanks for letting her use it."

"Oh, um…" Despite being in the middle of a rather unsettling situation, Rarity didn’t want her little sister to catch wind of anything being amiss. So, she kept a faux smile on her muzzle as she took the suitcase with her magic. "Thank you very much, Sweetie Belle."

"You're welco—" Sweetie Belle's voice was cut off when another sob could be heard from the closet. Rarity's heart shot up to her throat when she saw the filly look at the closet with a skewed eyebrow. "Wait, what's that?"

"Oh, that. Ummm…" Feeling extremely worried about Spike doing or saying anything to make Sweetie Belle suspicious, Rarity moved herself between her sister and the closet door as she tried to get her away. "Listen, Sweetie. Maybe now isn’t the best time to—"

Another whimper came from the closet, making Sweetie Belle look past Rarity curiously. "Wait a minute… is that Spike?"

Rarity then pushed Sweetie Belle back several feet from the door, hoping to keep her from hearing anything Spike may or may not say. "Sweetie Belle, this is nothing to worry abou—"

"What the heck is going on?" asked Sweetie in a more insistent tone of voice.

Rarity tried not to cringe as she looked away from her sister, knowing that she couldn’t just brush this past the filly. Taking a deep breath, Rarity turned back to Sweetie Belle before she spoke in a more stern tone. "Sweetie, Spike's been having some troubles, and he's in the closet right now. Because of that, I need to talk with him alone, alright?"

Sweetie Belle blinked a couple times as she looked first at her sister, then over at the closet door. "Really? He's in the closet?"

"Yes," said Rarity as she tried to keep Sweetie in her focus. The filly looked slightly more confused as she looked between her sister and the closet. After a couple seconds of silence, Sweetie Belle looked back up at her sister before making a reply.

"But… I thought Spike had a crush on you."

Rarity winced and looked back at the closet, hoping that Spike didn’t hear that. Of course, before she could check on the dragon, Rarity immediately looked back at her sister in confusion. 

Realizing what Sweetie just said, Rarity tried to figure out what to ask first: how her sister knew about Spike's crush on her (even though it was fairly obvious), or why she even said that in the first place. Realizing what made her sister say that, Rarity shook her head as she tried to clarify, "No, Sweetie Belle! Spike is literally in the closet!"

"Ohhhh…" With her eyebrows raised in revelation, Sweetie Belle merely nodded to Rarity's answer.

Before she could face-hoof at what was going on, Rarity groaned in frustration before lighting her horn. Levitating several bits from her desk in the showroom, Rarity floated them over to Zecora before speaking to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie, I need to talk with him right now, so how about you go with Zecora and get some ice cream, alright?"

Sweetie Belle's face brightened up immediately, almost as if she instantly forgot about Spike at the mention of ice cream. "Sure!"

Glad to see the filly respond like that, Rarity turned over to Zecora, nodding at her to make sure she understood. The zebra nodded back at Rarity and took the bits in her hoof, looking back at the closet one last time before she began to walk off with Sweetie. After the two made their way out of Carousel Boutique, Rarity waited a moment to make sure she was really alone.

Letting the silence sink in, Rarity took a deep breath before she went back to the closet door.

"Spike…" Slowly, Rarity pressed a hoof up to the door, holding it there while she spoke in a soft tone. "Spike, nopony else is here right now. I promise you, I'm the only one here…"

Rarity closed her eyes again. Leaning against the door, she pressed her head against the wood while she took a moment. Since she knew Spike was still very young—especially for a dragon—Rarity wanted to choose her words wisely with him. While she didn’t want to sugar-coat her new relationship to him, she really didn't want to break his heart anymore than she already had.

"Spike, I… I can even begin to imagine how you must feel about this… And… I am so sorry if I hurt you…"

Rarity kept her eyes clenched shut as she breathed in, knowing what she had to say. Spike was a baby dragon, but she knew he was still mature enough to deserve the truth.

"But… I… I am with her… It… it is real…"

Another whimper could be heard from the other side of the door, which made Rarity wince in pure guilt. "And…" Despite knowing how bad it had to be for Spike to hear this, Rarity knew she had to be upfront about this to him. "And… it's not something that I want to end…"

Before another sob could resonate from inside the closet, Rarity reopened her wettened eyes before she spoke more insistently. "But! Spike… I just want you to know, and I mean this with all my heart… Nothing is more important to me than my friends… And that includes you…"

Rarity looked down to the floor and breathed in. Even though she was unsure of what to say, she knew that she couldn't lose Spike like this. Remembering what all the dragon had done for her over the years, the last thing Rarity wanted to do was make him think she didn’t appreciate him.

"Spike," began the mare as she looked back up to the door, "you are one of the closest friends I've ever had… I really, truly do care about you, Spike… So please don't think that I don't…"

Rarity's breath came out slowly, in almost a shudder as she tried to muster the right words out. With each statement that came from her muzzle, Rarity was grateful to know she meant every single word to him. But even then, actually speaking this honestly was a big step forward. Before continuing, Rarity breathed in once more.

"Spike," began the unicorn, "You've always been one of the most loyal and caring friends I've ever had, and I don't want to even think about that changing between us… I…"

Rarity clenched her eyes shut again. Even though she hated to say this, she knew it had to be done.

"I… I know that you… that you've had feelings for me… And that just makes this so much harder…"

Rarity slowly opened her eyes again, her building tensions finally starting to show. A single tear, built up from her words before, finally began to run down her cheek.

"But, Spike…" Rarity struggled not to have her voice break at this point. "I want you to know, and I mean this more than anything… You hold a place so close to my heart, that I can’t stand to even imagine that going away…"

Rarity took a deep breath before she kept going. Despite how much emotion was coming from her, she didn’t feel a shred of hesitation or dishonesty as she spoke. Keeping her hoof pressed against the door, Rarity felt a faint smile appear on her muzzle when she realized what she wanted to say to her friend.

"Because… because that's how I feel about the friends I care about… and…

"That's how I feel about those that I love."

Rarity wasn't able to look through the door to see Spike (another spell she really wished she learned from Twilight right now), but she didn't need to at that moment. Despite the silence not changing a bit from before, Rarity could still tell that Spike heard that. A quick breath came out of Rarity's muzzle and her smile became clearer before she spoke softly again.

"I… I do love you, Spike. And that is never… ever, going to change."

After another bout of silence, Rarity finally lowered her hoof from the door.

"Spike, I'm asking you as one of my dearest friends, to please open the door. I promise you, I'll answer any questions that you have, and I'll tell you as much as you want… I just want you to understand… And I want to keep you as my friend…"

The seconds passed by as Rarity waited patiently in silence. Despite the looming tension, Rarity kept her poise as she stood in front of the door. Even though Spike was just a kid, the unicorn was confident that he would make the right decision.

After what felt like an eternity, Rarity saw the doorknob turn slowly.

With a loud creak, the closet door reopened, revealing Spike standing at the doorway. With the dragon's green eyes reddened, and his cheeks soaked with tears, Rarity's heart almost broke in two at seeing him look like that. However, Spike didn’t look like he was crying at that moment; instead, his face carried a more understanding expression as he looked up at Rarity.

Before Spike could utter any words, Rarity lunged forward at him and wrapped her hooves around him tightly. Hugging him as tightly as she could, Rarity clenched her eyes shut in an attempt to hide her tears. But, despite her efforts, a couple more drops escaped from her eyes, wetting the fur on her cheeks as she felt Spike hug back.

Spike closed his eyes as he returned Rarity's hug. Even though he certainly had a lot to ask Rarity, he didn’t utter a single word in that moment. Instead, he just let the silence sink in, enveloping the two as they held each other within Carousel Boutique.

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Zecora kept a steady pace as she trotted along the streets of Ponyville. Along the way, most of the ponies that walked by gave a kind wave or greeting to her, which made the zebra feel slightly more comfortable. However, even with all the nice replies and waves she gave back, Zecora still felt a looming discomfort inside of her with each passing step. Getting closer to the Ponyville Library, the zebra's heart grew much heavier as the tree started to come into view in the distance.

It'd only been a few days since Zecora's unfortunate incident with Spike, when he’d seen her with Rarity. Ever since that day, she hadn't seen the dragon; although, the fact that she hadn’t left her hut that much since then was probably the biggest reason for that.

Despite Rarity's assurances that Spike was alright to talk, Zecora wasn't looking forward to this. However, even though her worries about facing the dragon rivaled the feelings of knights who fought the creatures in old fables, the zebra knew that she had to talk with him. If she wanted to keep this relationship with Rarity going well, there couldn’t be any issues that could get in the way.

And that included something as small as a baby dragon.

Reaching the Ponyville Library, Zecora took a deep breath before lifting her hoof. With the weight in her saddlebags nearly matching the weight in her gut, the zebra exhaled slowly before opening the door. Since it was a library, it was normal to expect the place to be quiet.

As Zecora made her way inside the massive tree, the silence enveloping the space wasn't the normal kind of quiet. Instead, the space almost felt muted, which made the stillness of the books and scrolls along the walls feel that much more eerie. And with each step from her hooves, Zecora's careful steps still felt like deafening stomps along the hardwood floors.

Before she could cringe from how loud she thought her hoofsteps sounded, another pair could be heard from upstairs. With a curious look on her face, Twilight Sparkle came out into view, holding several books in her aura as she reached the stairs.

"Oh, good afternoon, Zecora!" Twilight said with a smile as she trotted down the stairs. "How can I help you today?"

Despite the growing feeling of worry in the back of her mind, Zecora showed no tension on her face as she spoke clearly. "Well you see, Miss Sparkle, there's something I must do. I'm needing to work on a special type of brew."

"Oh?" Twilight kept a curious look on her face as she smiled. "What kind of brew?"

"Well," began the zebra, readjusting the saddlebag on her back before she went on, "I found a recipe which I really wish to claim."

Zecora then took a glance up the stairs, hoping that this idea would work. "But in order for it to work, I need a dragon's flame."

"Ooh! I heard about this sort of thing!" Now with an excited look in her eyes, the Princess quickly rushed over to one of the walls of books. "Are you needing the flame for its magical qualities, or for its specific heat signatures? Because I've learned about how effective either one can be for specific medicines or spel—"

"Twilight, please." Holding a hoof up, Zecora waited until the alicorn was silent again before she continued, "I was needing the flame for the power it can hone." Zecora then took another glance up the balcony, knowing that Spike was probably upstairs right now. "But for the process to work right, I need to speak with him alone."

Twilight's eyebrows raised in surprise at Zecora's last statement. "Oh," she said as she looked up to the balcony as well, "I… I guess that would be alright… But…"

Zecora noticed how Twilight looked a little more unsure in her stance. Fidgeting a little, the alicorn bit her lip as she looked back to Zecora, a more worried look on her face.

"Just so you know," said Twilight in a more upset tone, "Spike's been acting a little distant the past couple of days."

Zecora gritted her teeth a little and averted her eyes from the alicorn, hoping that she didn’t notice her light cringe. "Oh, is that so? That's… bad to know."

"Well…" continued the Princess as she looked back up to her bedroom, "I tried to talk with him, but he seems a little upset about something. I'm not sure what, though."

Zecora pursed her lips shut for a moment, then looked back to Twilight with a more strong-minded stance. "If you may allow, I could talk with the drake. I already need him, for the potion's sake."

Even though Twilight looked hesitant regarding Zecora's proposal, she only pondered it for a moment as she kept her eyes on the balcony. After thinking it over with her hoof under her chin, Twilight looked back to Zecora with an optimistic smile. "Well, if you think you're up for it, by all means, go ahead."

Zecora gave a light nod to Twilight and headed up the stairs. Reaching the doorway to the bedroom, Zecora took a quick glance behind her, making sure that Twilight wouldn't intervene. Seeing that the alicorn was busy reorganizing the books along the shelves, the zebra breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the Princess would be too preoccupied with that to focus on anything else. With that, Zecora looked back to the door, taking a deep breath before knocking gently.

"Spike?" asked the zebra in a clear and low tone of voice. "It's me. I… was wanting to talk with you."

No reply or sound could be heard from the other side of the door. While it definitely made sense considering their last encounter, it still worried Zecora a tad as she continued her rhyme. "I… really think this is something we should do."

Again, no noise came from the other side of the door. Standing in a worried manner, Zecora waited for any kind of response. However, after what felt like an eternity, Zecora sighed in defeat, realizing that this was likely to happen. Closing her eyes, the zebra huffed a little under her breath before she began to walk away.

"Z-Zecora?"

The sound of the dragon's faint voice paused Zecora's movements. Realizing that he was responding to her, the zebra reopened her eyes and looked back at the door. After another brief moment of silence, Spike's voice could be heard again, albeit in a more defeated tone.

"Umm… fine. Come… come on in."

Even though she wasn't that hopeful about the dragon's attitude, considering how sullen he sounded, Zecora was still glad that he was at least willing to see her again. Breathing in, Zecora lifted a hoof to open the door, then walked inside.

Entering the bedroom of Twilight Sparkle and her assistant, Zecora was surprised at how humble the space was. While her own living spaces weren't exactly lavish by any means, the zebra was astounded at how minimal the Princess's living space looked. Other than a few framed photos on the nightstand and a large trunk at the base of her bed, barely any large decorations or setups were found here.

In fact, if it wasn't for the dragon's small bed next to hers, which had a nice, purple blanket and a few small toys, Zecora would've guessed that this was just a regular guest bedroom.

However, Zecora's attention quickly shifted when she noticed Spike. The baby dragon, who was sitting on Twilight's bed, was looking away from the zebra. He instead looked out the large window.

Before she could think that he wasn't in a good state to speak to her, Zecora noticed a reflection of Spike's face from the window. From her perspective, Zecora didn't notice any tears, or even reddened eyes. Hoping that was a good sign, Zecora closed the door behind her and reached into her saddlebag.

Spike's ears perked up as he heard the familiar jingle from Zecora's bag. Turning his head around to face her, Spike's eyes widened as he saw what Zecora was holding in her hoof. In a large burlap bag, Zecora collected enough gems from a nearby field to fill it completely, making it noticeably heavy as she plopped it onto the mattress.

Placing the large sack between them, the zebra hoped her offering was good enough to make Spike more willing to talk. However, as Zecora looked up to the dragon with a hopeful smile, she didn’t see Spike react as she expected; instead of him drooling over the gems or looking like he won the lottery, Spike looked more worried than anything else.

"Ummm… Zecora?" Lifting a claw, Spike kept a troubled stare on the zebra as he tried to clarify something. "Just so you know, I already Pinkie-Promised Rarity I wouldn't say anything about you two. And… I'm not going to break that, okay? You really don’t have to bribe me or anything."

Zecora's eyes widened in shock at Spike's statement, making her throw her hooves up in innocence. "Whoa, Spike! This isn’t a bribe, I swear!"

The zebra backed away from the bed a couple steps, hoping to prove her sincerity as she kept a hoof raised to him. Noticing Spike's skewed eyebrow, Zecora took a moment before she tried to continue. "I just wanted us to… clear the air."

Zecora started to look more embarrassed with herself and averted her eyes from the dragon. Realizing how her bag of gems would probably lead Spike to assume something like that, Zecora silently cursed herself for doing something so stupid. However, she also didn’t want to mess anything up right now.

Knowing that Spike was willing to talk (as well as stay silent about her and Rarity), Zecora regained her composure enough to face him again. Before she could begin to speak, Spike looked away from her again before sighing under his breath.

"I… I'm sorry, Zecora."

Zecora's half-open muzzle closed again, and her eyebrow skewed in confusion. After what Spike caught her doing with his crush, Zecora was expecting herself to be the one to apologize. However, Spike continued after taking a deep breath, "I… I'm sorry that I yelled at you the other day. I mean… I was mad, but… that doesn’t excuse me acting like that."

Spike then turned back to the zebra. "Seriously, I… I'm really sorry."

Seeing how genuine the dragon looked as he said that, Zecora almost felt her heart melt from gratitude. "Oh Spike, it… it's quite alright."

The zebra almost thought about placing her hoof on his shoulder, or even hugging him at that moment; however, she knew she had to keep her distance for the time being. Despite his apology, that didn’t mean there weren't things to bring up. Feeling bad about how things went, Zecora looked down to the floor in embarrassment as she continued, "A… a lot happened that night."

Spike could only nod in agreement. Zecora looked back up at him, keeping a worried tone on her face as she said, "Listen, I first want to apologize, for seeing us in that… way."

Spike face blushed a little as he looked away from Zecora, making the zebra feel more embarrassed as well. Knowing how strongly he felt about Rarity, Zecora knew that he probably didn't have the best opinion of her right now. Taking a deep breath, Zecora closed her eyes as she continued in a more morose tone. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, but… if you hate me, I know there's not much to—"

"Whoa!" shouted Spike in a more insistent tone as he brought up both claws to stop the zebra's rhyme. "No, Zecora, no! I… I don’t hate you…"

Zecora's eyes reopened in surprise, not expecting that kind of response. Keeping an insistent look on his face, Spike didn't wait for a reply from Zecora as he turned toward her and kept going.

"Seriously, Zecora, I… I really don’t hate you or anything! I mean…" Spike looked away from Zecora for a moment as he thought things over, looking slightly more guilty as he said, "I mean, yeah… I… I may have been mad about seeing you with Rarity… And… I may have disliked you for that…"

Zecora gritted her teeth to hide how she was wincing. However, Spike immediately turned back to her and tried to make himself clear.

"But… I'm not mad anymore! Really!" Keeping his claw raised, Spike waited until Zecora was no longer upset before he continued in a calmer tone. "I mean… after you left, Rarity talked with me about it, and… she said a lot of nice things about you…"

Zecora's eyebrows rose at hearing that. When she talked with the unicorn about what was said to Spike, Zecora didn’t remember any mention about that sort of thing. Rarity said that she explained it enough to make Spike understand and not tell anypony, but she didn’t mention to Zecora that she said nice things about her to him.

"And…" continued Spike as he kept his attention on Zecora, "I get it. Well… I don’t get it, get it, but… I get it enough, you know?"

Zecora stayed silent, unsure of what statement she could make in response to Spike's words. Spike slowly lowered his claw, letting it rest beside him as he sat on the bed in front of the zebra.

"I… I don't understand it completely, but… I'm not mad about it." Spike then pointed a claw at Zecora as he re-clarified, "And I really don’t hate you! I mean, seriously…"

Spike lowered his claw again, but he kept both palms open as he looked down at them. "I… I honestly can’t say that I hate anyone. I mean, that's not my thing. I… I don't really see the point in that, you know?"

Looking at the dragon, Zecora kept a surprised look of amusement and gratitude on her face. While she knew Spike to be mature for his age (despite his occasional bout of greed or stupidity here and there), she seriously didn’t expect him to have such an adult manner about her and Rarity. And after hearing that last statement, Zecora was rather impressed with how Spike was—

"Wait."

Spike held up a claw and kept his eyes down at the bedding. Unsure of what else the dragon had to say right now, Zecora kept silent as she stood in front of him. After a few seconds of contemplation, Spike's face turned more bitter as he kept his gaze away from the zebra.

"Chrysalis."

Zecora's eyes narrowed on Spike in confusion, not sure of why he said that.

"I… I really hate her."

Spike then looked back up at the zebra as he explained, "You know, that Changeling Queen thing? The one that almost wrecked the Royal Wedding?"

Zecora's eyebrows rose back up in understanding, realizing what Spike meant. After hearing Rarity's recollection of what happened before that wedding, Zecora knew how much that bug-creature compromised Twilight's relationship with everyone. Nodding to the dragon to show understanding, Zecora stayed silent, noticing how Spike was getting angrier at just the mention of her name.

"I…" Spike squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to control his anger. "I… REALLY hate her!"

The dragon clenched the blanket underneath him as he bit his tongue, worrying Zecora enough to make her step back a few steps. Spike took a few seconds while he gripped the bedding underneath him, breathing hard enough to make a couple plumes of ash shoot from his nostrils. However, the dragon's seething anger began to subside after a few deep breaths.

Zecora's eyes were widened with worry at seeing Spike act like that. While it was certainly understandable from Spike's perspective to feel that way about a manipulating figure like Chrysalis (especially considering how close he was with Twilight), seeing him almost shoot out flame about it wasn't what Zecora expected. Before the zebra could try to talk him down, or try to reassure him he did nothing wrong, Spike's eyes reopened slowly.

"That… that's probably the only thing I can say I actually hate. But… nothing else…" Spike then looked back at Zecora before he spoke more calmly. "And certainly not you."

Despite still being in light shock at a dragon almost losing control in front of her, Zecora was alright enough to nod to Spike. Noticing how she was looking at him, Spike looked down at himself, realizing that there was a light dusting of ash on himself and the bed. "Ooh, man… I… I'm sorry about that. It's just… it gets to me sometimes…"

"It's alright, Spike," assured the zebra as she walked back toward him and placed a cautious hoof on his shoulder. "It's normal to let these things out. But you shouldn’t feel bad from that moment of doubt."

"I know," said Spike as he looked away from her, "Twilight talked with me about it after everything. She said she's alright, but it still… Wait, wait!"

Spike quickly shook his head clear, realizing he was getting off topic. "That… that's not why you're here!" Spike then looked back at Zecora. "You're… you're here to talk with me about Rarity, right?"

Zecora quickly remembered why she was here, making her recollect her thoughts and remove her hoof from Spike's shoulder. "Oh yes, that… that is true."

Zecora looked down to the ground and thought it over, trying to recall what Spike said about Rarity. Realizing what he said earlier about Rarity talking with him about it, Zecora kept a curious look on her face as she faced him. "So… what did she tell you?"

"Well…" Spike looked down to the bedding again as he thought it over, running a claw along the blanket as he spoke. "She told me that you two have been together for a couple weeks… And… She said it started after her date with Thunderlane…"

Zecora cringed a little at hearing that. After how he reacted to seeing her with Rarity, she hated to think how he did at hearing about a stallion dating her. However, Spike seemed more indifferent than anything else as he continued to recall, "She… she told me that nothing happened then… and… that she was already thinking about you…"

Zecora's eyes widened in genuine surprise. Even though she already figured that Rarity was developing feelings before that first kiss between them, she was never told upfront about it like that. Looking at Spike with legitimate curiosity, Zecora stayed silent while she patiently listened to the dragon.

"She… also mentioned that she didn't predict any of this to happen." A light chuckle escaped Spike's mouth as he kept his eyes down to the bed. "I… I guess I can’t blame her for that…"

Spike wasn't looking at Zecora, so he didn't notice how the zebra was nodding in agreement. Slowly, the dragon's light smile lessened as he kept moving his claws along the blanket. "Well… Rarity also told me that… while she didn't expect to be with anyone… especially a girl… that… it was something she was glad she did."

Spike looked a little more saddened saying that, which Zecora could understand completely. Since the dragon had such a big crush on her, it would only make sense that he would feel crushed at the realization that she was in a relationship with someone else. And with the added notion that she was also in a relationship with someone of the same gender, it would be hard to tell how someone like Spike would react to that.

However, before Zecora could try to speak up and try to cheer him up, the dragon kept talking in a more subsided tone of voice.

"And she said that… she hasn't been this happy in a long time."

Even after everything else that Spike said, that fact surprised Zecora the most. Despite how close the two had gotten in the past couple of weeks, she didn’t expect to hear that she was making such a profound impact on Rarity like that. Looking down to the floor, Zecora tried to think it over herself, hoping to recall anything that would've hinted that.

Thinking it over, Zecora wasn't sure what specifically would make Rarity say she was so happy with her; however, it certainly made sense on an overall scale. Remembering how Rarity was before they got together, Zecora could recall that the unicorn always seemed stressed or overworked about something. Whether it was about an order deadline, something involving her friends, or some disastrous incident caused by her little sister, Rarity always seemed like she was dealing with something to make her on edge.

Ever since she started her (sort of) secret relationship with Zecora, Rarity had been far less overwhelmed with her work or personal life to become unnecessarily stressed. And as she remembered how Rarity looked in the past few weeks, Zecora could definitely say one thing that couldn’t be denied by anypony: Rarity looked a lot happier.

"And…"

Spike's voice made Zecora look back at him.

"You know what?" A strange smirk came up on Spike’s face, as if he was trying to cover the fact he was so weirded out by everything. "I… I kinda agree. I mean… I've been friends with her for a while, but… I don’t think I've ever seen her act this happy, for this long at a time. I… I was actually thinking something happened recently, but…"

Spike gave a light sigh as he kept his eyes locked down to his feet. Slowly, the dragon looked back up to Zecora, staring at her with a mix of uncertainty and attempted understanding. Looking at the zebra, Spike took a few seconds as he let his own recollections sink in. After a moment of silence, Spike breathed out deeply before finishing his statement.

"I… I really didn’t expect her to be happy because of you."

Zecora managed to muster out a faint smile as she nodded. Even though she was still surprised to find that out, she couldn't think of anything to say in an attempt to deny Spike's claim. "Well…" began the zebra in a weak tone, "to be honest, neither did I… But… I guess I can’t say that's a lie…"

Zecora's eyes went away from Spike for a moment as she thought some more. Biting her lip, Zecora began to think more about what this relationship has done for her. Looking back, the zebra realized that she'd been rather happy about how things went as well. Besides being caught by a baby dragon, Zecora couldn’t say she had many regrets regarding her new relationship with Rarity. After a faint smile grew some more on her face, Zecora looked back up to Spike.

"To be perfectly honest… I'm quite happy too." Zecora kept her smile as Spike nodded to her; however, her smile went away a little before she added, "But I am still truly sorry if I hurt you."

"It-It's alright," Spike said quickly, raising a claw in assurance. "Seriously, I mean…" Spike blinked a few times as he bit his lip, then sighed under his breath. "I… I don’t know how to react to this, but…"

Spike looked down to the bed once more as he continued, "I guess I can't really be that upset about it. Like… it's not like I can make her straight or anything…" He chuckled nervously again before his smile fell and he continued in a more honest tone, "But Rarity is my friend, and… if she says she's happy about this, then… I'm not going to mess with it…"

Spike took another deep breath before looking back up to Zecora. However, his face carried a more determined tone as he finished, "I already promised Rarity I wouldn’t say anything, and I meant that."

Zecora nodded in understanding. However, there was still one thing she wanted to clarify before anything could be done. Despite how mature Spike was acting, there was still a chance he was feeling a little animosity towards her right now. Putting caution to the wind, Zecora cleared her throat before she spoke honestly.

"I'm glad that you told me that, and I don’t want to sound like a fool…" Zecora exhaled deeply before she continued, "But… just to be clear… are the two of us, as you might say… well… cool?"

Spike's eyebrows rose a little at Zecora's question, but he didn't look skeptical or disapproving. Instead, the dragon looked away for a couple seconds, breathing in deeply before looking back at her.

"Well… I still might need some time to let all this sink in…"

Zecora bit her lip and nodded.

"But…" Spike sighed once more before a more understanding smile spread across his face. "Yeah… I think we'll be alright…"

Spike then put out his claw for the zebra to shake. Seeing it, Zecora started to smile again as she put out her hoof, shaking Spike's claw.

However, before Zecora could pull back, Spike's grip tightened surprisingly hard around her hoof. In an instant, Spike's smile vanished completely, as a new, stern look came up on his face. Before Zecora could react, the dragon pulled her hoof in, making it so his face was just a few inches from hers.

"But I swear, Zecora…" Spike's voice was now at a low and venomous growl as stared her down, making the zebra legitimately worry when she saw how intense he looked. "If you ever… and I mean EVER… hurt Rarity in ANY way…"

"Spike," Zecora said in an insistent tone as she lifted her other hoof. Despite how worried she was getting with Spike acting like this, Zecora managed to keep her cool enough to speak clearly. "I assure you, that will never occur. The last thing that I want to do is hurt her."

Spike's grip and stare didn’t change a bit as he held her in close. Knowing she had to say something more, Zecora kept her hoof raised as she spoke sincerely. "I promise you, with my heart and with my pride. I will never hurt her while she's by my side."

Again, Spike didn't change his glare on her. Though, the dragon's free claw started to rise from his side. Holding his claw out, Spike slowly extended out his pinkie appendage. Keeping a death stare on the zebra, Spike's glare became even stronger as his eyes narrowed on her.

"Pinkie Promise."

Zecora almost giggled at how seriously Spike said that, but she was fortunate enough to not let any sign of that show in her expression. Sighing in relief, Zecora used her free hoof to make the gestures, and recite the familiar oath with a smile on her face.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Spike's grip only stayed for another moment before he finally let go.

"Okay," said the dragon as he let her back off. "Sorry about that, but… I have to make sure, you know?"

"It's alright," assured the zebra with a warm smile, "I understand your concern." Looking around the room, Zecora chuckled to herself as she realized how easily this conversation went. "I'm just grateful that our bridge didn’t burn."

Spike sighed with a smile before replying, "Yeah, don’t worry about that. As long as you don’t do anything worse than Chrysalis, I think we'll be cool."

"Well, that's good to know," said Zecora with a grin before she began to head off, "so I'll let you go." However, the zebra paused before she reached the doorway.

Looking back, Zecora pointed at the large bag of gems on the bed before looking at Spike with a firm stare. "You better not eat all those in one sitting. To have Twilight on me would not be fitting."

Spike chuckled as he grabbed the bag with a claw. "Yeah, sure. I'll only eat half the bag today."

Zecora chuckled herself as she shook her head at Spike's sarcasm (at least, what she hoped was sarcasm). After seeing that Spike really was alright, Zecora kept her warm smile as she exited the room.

Even though she was still worried about Spike, hearing him act like that was more than a little comforting. With a confident smile on her face, Zecora hoped to catch Rarity before nightfall and tell her the good news.

Meanwhile, Spike lugged the bag of gems on the ground beside his own bed. Plopping himself onto the soft bedding, Spike grabbed a clawful of gems as he laid back on his pillow.

"So…" muttered the dragon under his breath, "girls eat chocolate or ice cream to deal with this sort of thing, and I'm eating gems…"

Spike sighed before he stuffed his mouth with the gems. Chewing the various jewels in his mouth, he looked up to the ceiling as he thought it over. After a moment of contemplation, Spike merely shrugged.

"Oh well," he murmured with a mouth full of gems, "I gueth thingth could be worth."