//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: The Past // Story: Learning to Forgive // by The Fields of Ice //------------------------------// Twilight awoke the next morning to the sound of her door closing. Concerned as to why Spike may be leaving, she quickly leapt out of bed and into the living room. As she opened the door into the hallway, she caught sight of Spike about to turn a corner; however, upon hearing the door open, he stopped to face her. “Twilight, I thought you were asleep,” he said, a confused look upon his face. Twilight trotted forward. “I was until I heard the door shut.” Spike now looked a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” She smiled. “It’s fine, I was just wondering where you were going.” Spike was now beginning to form a theory of why Twilight may be so curious. He decided to make sure she knew these assumptions to be false, so he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. “I’m not leaving, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just needed to go get something from upstairs.” Twilight nuzzled against him as he held her. “Then I’ll walk with you.” Spike broke the embrace, which caused Twilight to feel a depressed; that was until she saw his smile. “It’s okay. I’ll be right back, besides I already made you breakfast before I left.” Now she felt upset, and was certain no smile would correct it. “Are you sure?” He nodded. “I promise I’ll be right back.” Twilight sighed. “Okay,” she said as she began to turn towards the door. Though, as she did this, Spike noticed her somber expression, and decided to do something about it. So he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek. He found it extremely adorable when her irises shrank in shock and her face turned bright red. He chuckled. “I’m coming back.” Twilight quickly turned away in a mostly failed attempt to hide a growing smile. “Okay,” she replied as she stepped towards the door. Twilight could hear Spike continue to laugh as he made his way down the hall. As Twilight closed the door behind her, she began to laugh as well. She was almost certain that Spike had a crush on her too; all she had to do now was wait for him to admit it. She stepped into the kitchen, and found that her nose was greeted by the sweet scent of freshly baked muffins. She smiled as she thought of how Spike would always love making them the treat for breakfast when they lived in Ponyville. She also remembered how she would always tell him she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea since his muffins were so sweet they were borderline cupcakes. Despite that, she sat down and began enjoying the treat. As she took the first bite, she quickly noticed something. She couldn’t quite tell what it was, but this style of muffin was just important to her. It didn’t taste any better than the others, but it was different for some reason. Suddenly, she remembered that reason. Six years and three months ago… Spike and Twilight sat across from each other, each picking at the chocolate chip muffins before them. Neither was all that hungry that morning, despite how they may have tasted. Today was Hearts and Hooves day, and both hadn’t exactly had the best luck at attracting the object of their affection. Spike had planned on making this the year he’d ask out Rarity; only to find out that some stallion had beat him to it. Twilight’s infatuation with Flash Sentry had hit a similar brick wall. Spike sighed and looked to Twilight. “So, what are your plans for today?” Twilight didn’t look up. “Nothing besides read a book. Why?” He began picking at his food once more. “Just wondering if I was the only one with the same idea… Our moving company sucks by the way.” That last part made her laugh. “Yes, I know your bed still isn’t here. Maybe it’ll get here sometime today.” He leaned back and crossed his arms. “Easy for you to say; you’re not the one sleeping on the floor.” She looked to him with an indifferent stare. “What do you want me to say, Spike?” “I don’t know. You’re a princess for one thing, so maybe you could have had the Royal Guard move it or something.” Twilight’s expression dropped even more than it had at the mention of the Royal Guard. Spike quickly threw his hands over his mouth. “Oh crap, I didn’t mean to bring it up.” She raised a hoof. “It’s fine.” “I’m sorry.” “It’s fine, okay? So can we just talk about something else?” Spike looked down. He had made it a personal rule not to bring up anything related to the source of Twilight’s depression, but him and his big mouth just broke it. With a sigh, he stood and placed the unfinished muffins on the counter for later. ---------- Spike lay atop his bedroom floor flipping through his comic book; however, it was not the primary focus of his attention. He found himself far more concerned with thoughts of Rarity. He thought of all the things he could have done differently to make her his, all the times he could have been there for her, and most of all, when he should have asked her out. Never more in his life, had Spike wished that he had the ability to see the future; perhaps if he had seen where he is now, he could have done something to prevent it. Spike’s grip on his comic tightened. Then, in an instant, he threw it across the room. “Stupid thing!” he shouted. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He absolutely loathed this holiday. Each year he spent alone just made it that much harder the next. Then suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. If he felt this way, how must Twilight be feeling? After all, they were both in the same boat. He turned on his side and thought a moment. Spike considered all of his possible actions, but found none that may alleviate the heart break both of them were feeling. Every plan would leave one or the other still suffering, or would only serve as a temporary distraction. Spike smirked. Maybe a temporary distraction would actually be best for the both of them. However, he should probably make it a very clear point that this is only for today. Spike approached Twilight’s door, but just before he entered, he hesitated. His entire plan hinged on her reaction, and if it was bad, it wouldn’t end well for either of them. Summoning up his courage as he inhaled, Spike opened the door. Twilight sat atop her bed, a book before her. Though, judging by the expression on her face as well as the direction of her gaze, Spike assumed she wasn’t doing much reading. With that same look, she turned to him, but upon seeing her friend, her expression softened. “What is it, Spike?” she asked. The dragon put his palms together and took a seat beside Twilight. He was obviously embarrassed by what he was going to ask, but had made up his mind to go through with it. “Hey Twilight, are you busy?” he asked, not allowing his gaze to fall upon her. Twilight found his current appearance, as well as the question, puzzling. “No, I was just reading,” she lied. “Why do you ask?” Spike felt his hands grow cold as they dampened with sweat. “Well, I just thought, since we’re both having a bad day, maybe we could do something to make it better.” Twilight tilted her head. “What do you mean?” He sighed. “I just thought that maybe, only for today…” Spike found himself unable to finish that last bit. She leaned forward, beginning to feel a smile tug at her lips. “What?” Spike clinched his fists. “I was wondering if… you could… be my special somepony.” Instantly, he slammed his eyes shut, regretting this entire plan. But as he began to mentally slap himself, something unexpected happened; Twilight threw her hooves around Spike and pulled him into an exceedingly tight embrace. “Awwww! That’s so sweet, Spike! Of course I will!” This reaction caused his blush to intensify drastically. “Only for today!” he added. Twilight continued to hug her friend, regarding his words as a simple formality. “Whatever.” ---------- “Can I come in yet?” asked Twilight, growing ever more excited as well as impatient. “In a minute,” called Spike, from the kitchen. Twilight sighed and leaned against a nearby wall. Normally she would have been more grateful for what Spike was doing, but his slow pace and the aroma emanating from the kitchen was proving to be utter torture. She turned and was beginning to walk away, when Spike poked his head around the corner. “Okay, now you can.” Twilight’s face lit up. “Finally!” As she galloped into the kitchen, ready to devour whatever Spike had made, her overjoyed expression suddenly shifted. There before her was a dark candle lit room, their dining table draped with a pearl white table cloth, and two plates of beautifully cooked pasta; each placed one across from the other. Spike was smiling as she entered, but upon seeing her expression, he began to feel unsure. “Were the candles too much? If you want me to get rid of them I can.” Twilight, still in shock, shook her head. “No, it’s perfect. I just can’t believe you’d do all this for me.” He smiled. “Well, we may not be in the company of whom we envisioned, but we might as well do what we had planned.” Spike then turned and pulled out Twilight’s chair. “Well?” he asked, still grinning to her. Twilight blushed and returned the smile, as she took her seat. Spike took his seat and began to eat. The pasta was tender and cheesy with a light dusting of amethyst. As he enjoyed his meal, he quickly noticed that his “date” wasn’t doing so. She was far too busy staring at her surroundings, but mostly at Spike. “You okay?” he asked. “Yeah, it’s just…” she paused. “Spike, you didn’t have to do all this.” He shrugged and shot her a playful grin. “Well, half of it was for me so…” Spike’s comment caused her to smile, yet she was still astonished. “Thank you. This means a lot.” Spike now found himself blushing. “You’re welcome, though you really should eat. Your pasta is going to get cold if you keep staring at it.” Twilight made no action to acknowledge Spike’s last comment. Instead she leaned forward. “I’m being serious, Spike. This is really nice.” Spike looked to her with a smile. “Well, somepony as nice as you deserves it.” --------- Spike had just finished washing off the dishes and was about to call it a night, but on the way to his room, Twilight caught sight of him. “Hey,” she called. Spike turned to see her at the end of the hallway. She looked as though she were about to turn in herself. “What is it?” Twilight looked away, embarrassed. “Are you going to bed?” He noticed her expression and thought it to be odd, yet still nodded. “Well, would you like to sleep in my bed?” He threw out a claw dismissively. “No, you don’t have to sleep on the floor, Twi.” She began to blush. “That’s not what I meant. I was wondering if you’d like to sleep with me.” Spike’s face instantly flushed red. He was now completely aware of the reason behind her expression. “Um, that’s okay. You don’t have to do that.” Twilight shook her head. “After the nice dinner you gave me, I think it’s appropriate to at least give you a place to sleep. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t slept in the same bed before.” “Yeah, but that was when we were kids.” As he said this, Spike could see Twilight’s expression fall even more. He sighed. “Would it make you feel guilty if I didn’t?” Twilight nodded. “Okay, but only for tonight. And don’t expect a candle lit dinner every day.” She giggled. “Okay.” Spike once again entered Twilight’s bedroom with the same amount of hesitation as before. He dearly hoped that this choice wouldn’t affect their friendship. As Spike slid into bed with Twilight, it quickly became apparent that he had forgotten how much warmer the bed felt when sharing it with another. He laid down with his back facing away from Twilight, trying to make sure that this encounter would seem as unromantic as possible. “Good night,” he said. Twilight laid down, facing Spike, which caused him to become very uneasy. “Good night.” He closed his eyes tight, hoping that unconsciousness would come soon and rescue him from his current state of embarrassment. And much to his joy, it did. However, Twilight, on the other hand, found no such rest. She had always thought of Spike as her best friend, but what he did today didn’t seem like something best friends would normally do. This caused her great confusion, though some of this confusion wasn’t just in her head, for some of it had found its way into her heart. She continued to lie still for the next few hours. Then just as she thought sleep might finally be on the verge of taking her, she felt the dragon she was sharing the bed with, begin to shift. She had assumed he awoke for some unknown reason, but when she felt him wrap his arms around her, she knew this couldn’t be the case. Twilight looked down to see a sleeping Spike cuddling her like a teddy bear. This display caused her cheeks to burn with embarrassment, yet at the same time, she found herself smiling at how absolutely adorable it was. She then decided to do something that an awake Spike would never let her do; she kissed him on the forehead. “You’re the best assistant ever.” ---------- Present Day… Spike ran his fingers along the dust covered walls of the tower’s room. He carefully prodded each brick for fault, yet found none. After almost thirty minutes of this, he was beginning to grow frustrated. “Come on, where is it?” he muttered. Just then, his hand brushed against a brick that shifted slightly. This caused him to smile. The dragon then went about wiggling the brick out of place. Once enough of its sides were exposed, he grasped the brick and pulled it completely out of place. This action caused a large amount of dust to be set free. Spike set the brick down and reached into the small space. He dearly hoped the desired object of this venture still remained. He was absolutely over joyed when he felt his hand brush against a piece of parchment. He pulled out paper after paper and looked to each one. They were folded pictures he drew of him and Twilight. Each drawing had a heart somewhere on it. Sometimes it would be around him and Twilight, but on others it would have one half green and the other purple. It was quite obvious what these drawings were; Hearts and Hooves day cards.