With Twilight having left Spike alone, he had little to do but mull over that kiss.
That was weird. Not what I was expecting at all. I mean...did I even like it? I mean, yeah, it’s Rarity, but...she was so out of it. How does she even feel about me, if she’s willing to do that but only when she’s “on something,” or whatever Twilight meant by that. Is she too scared to kiss me when she’s sober? Or maybe she doesn’t like me and she was just being loopy…
Spike groaned and lied down in his basket, staring at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, but his mind was still whirring and he couldn’t shut it off.
What should I do? Should I go to the boutique tomorrow and talk to her? Or should I leave it alone and wait ’til she’s ready to talk to me? What does this mean about us? Is there an us?
Spike groaned and turned over on his side.
I’m too young for this…
He heard hoofsteps coming up the stairs. Assuming it was Twilight, he didn’t respond.
“Yoohoo, Spike…” came a sultry voice that definitely didn’t belong to Twilight.
“Rarity,” Spike replied nervously, “what are you doing back here?”
“Twilight and I had a talk,” Rarity said, “and she agreed to let me back up here. I came to...finish what I started, so to speak, and I won’t leave until I’ve finished properly.”
“What are you talking about?” Spike asked.
Rarity remained silent, instead choosing to saunter over to him and plant another fiery kiss on his lips. Spike was sent off on a whirlwind as he returned the kiss eagerly, reaching out to touch her face.
“Spike!” Twilight called, shaking him from his reverie. When he opened his eyes and saw Twilight, he realized it had been a dream. He rubbed his eyes and turned to her nervously.
“Twilight, what am I gonna do?” he stammered. “Rarity, she...I didn’t expect her to do that, and I wanna know why! Does she like me? Was she just wasted and not herself? What am I gonna do the next time I see her? What do you think—”
“Hush now, Spike,” Twilight said softly, and already he could feel his nerves settling. “To be honest, I have no idea what was wrong with Rarity tonight. She fell asleep while I was levitating her, so I just set her softly to bed.”
“By herself?” Spike asked. “But we don’t know what she was on! What if it kills her?”
“Spike, it’s not going to kill her,” Twilight responded. “I checked her vitals when I set her down. Her pulse and heartbeat were normal and she was breathing soundly. Besides, Roseluck saw us and agreed to watch over her for the night when I told her what had happened. It’s going to be fine.”
“But Twilight,” Spike said, “what am I gonna do tomorrow? What do I say to Rarity if she comes over, or if I see her out in Ponyville? What if she doesn’t remember what happened? What if she does remember and it didn’t mean anything to her?”
“Spike, please,” Twilight said, stroking his head. “Let’s just think logically for a minute. Has Rarity ever shown signs of liking you that way?”
The question made Spike think, allowing him to calm his emotions and handle the situation more pragmatically. “Well, she always smiles when she sees me, and she gives me gems to eat whenever I help her, and she’s always really nice.”
“It’s because she’s a good friend,” Twilight replied. “She’s deeply grateful for all the help you give her, and she is always happy to see you, but that doesn’t mean she likes you that way.”
“Well then why did she kiss me? That’s not something a ‘friend’ would do.” Spike crossed his arms and pulled away from Twilight.
“Spike, I think...well, whatever she took tonight, it might have warped her thinking a bit. Perhaps it was her own bizarre way of sharing her gratitude with you. Her head wasn’t thinking clearly, but I think her heart was in the right place. Does that make sense?”
Spike sighed and faced Twilight again angrily. “No, it doesn’t make sense! A kiss is a kiss, no matter how it happens, and you can’t mistake that for anything! I’m gonna go over to Carousel Boutique tomorrow and get her to confess how she feels about me.”
“And what do you think will come of that?” Twilight responded, noticing a sharpness in her voice that reflected her waning patience. “I mean, do you honestly expect a full-grown mare to fall in love with a dragon who is still in his infancy?”
“I’m old enough to know what’s going on!” Spike shouted back. “And what does age have to do with it? It’s just a number.”
Twilights sighed and rubbed her temple. “Spike, look. I know you’ve had a crush on Rarity for a long time, and up until now, I’ve just accepted it as a young drake’s hormones developing in a healthy way. But if you confuse this for an actual chance at a relationship, I think you’re going to get your heart broken needlessly. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you’re just too young to even attract Rarity, let alone start to date her.”
Spike let out a deep sigh, and tears began to well in his eyes. “Why can’t this work out? Why do I have to get stuck being her friend when we both know I’m hoping for more?” A few tears leaked out of his eyes and ran down his cheeks. “I almost don’t even wanna see her anymore. It’s too painful.”
“Spike, you know that would break Rarity’s heart,” Twilight said. “She wouldn’t dream of putting you through so much torment, and she would hate to see you this sad. But you have to accept reality, and realize that there will be other ponies, or dragons, or maybe even a griffon.”
“Yeah, but it won’t ever be the same,” Spike grumbled.
“I know it hurts right now,” Twilight said, “but it’ll get easier over time.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Spike said, “but I don’t have to take your word for it. I’m going to Rarity’s tomorrow and hearing it straight from her. Then we’ll see if you’re right.”
Twilight smiled. “If that’s what you want to do, I think that will be all right. Would you mind terribly much if I went with you?”
“I’d rather it be kept private,” Spike said, glaring at Twilight.
“I’d only go to make sure Rarity understood what happened. For all we know, she might not even remember it, so it’s only fair to give her all the facts before hearing you out.”
“Fine,” Spike said. “I’m tired and I wanna go to bed.”
“Okay,” Twilight said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Goodnight, Spike.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said before shutting his eyes and drifting off to sleep.