Twilight was deep in thought as she left the library.
He hasn't been himself these last two weeks. But what can I do about it?
She wasn't exactly the most experienced mare when it came to matters of the heart, and she was the first to admit that. But who was she supposed to talk to about this? Under different circumstances, she'd probably have picked Rarity, but that wouldn't work - she was too deeply involved in the whole affair, even if she didn't know that. As much as she liked Pinkie, she wasn't really the right pony for this. Rainbow Dash? Twilight had to suppress a rather unkind laugh at the very thought. That left Fluttershy and Applejack, neither of whom seemed particularly suited to the role as confidant in this matter.
Still lost in thought, Twilight only realized that she'd reached her intended destination when she nearly collided with one of the doorposts of Sugarcube Corner. She shook her head and entered the bakery.
The others were already there, waving at her from their regular table, all except Rarity, and that didn't really surprise Twilight - they had hardly seen each other over the last two weeks. Guess she has better company at the moment, Twilight thought with a smile - and just a little twinge of envy.
"Hiya, Twilight!" Pinkie bounced up to her and smiled. "What can I get you?" Her face took on an exaggerated salespony expression, and she affected an equally overdone 'Canterlot waiter' tone. "The cupcakes are particularly good tonight, ma'am. As are the muffins and the éclairs."
"Éclairs?" That was a new one. "Don't tell me you took inspiration from your rivals from the competition?"
"Yep!" Pinkie bounced up and down. "Oh, Gustave wouldn't tell me the recipe, of course, but I found it! Well, not his recipe, but it was a recipe for éclairs, and I wanted to try."
Twilight moved to the table and sat down. "It's an experiment, then. Éclairs it will be."
"Okie dokie!" Pinkie bounced toward the kitchen.
Twilight looked around. Applejack was busy attacking a slice of apple pie, Rainbow Dash almost disappeared behind a pile of what looked like daisy pancakes. Fluttershy, whose plate was currently empty, turned to her. "Hi, Twilight."
"Hi, girls." Twilight pulled one of the teacups closer to her. "So, what's new?"
"Oh, nothing too special. I've started training the bird choir for the Running of the Leaves, but that's still quite far off." Fluttershy took a sip of tea. "Applejack is busy at the farm preparing for the harvest ..."
"Sure am." Applejack interjected. "That south field needs to be cleared by tomorrow afternoon." She took another bite, then looked at the yellow pegasus. "Oh, sorry, Fluttershy, didn't mean to break in there."
"Oh, I don't mind," Fluttershy replied, then turned back to Twilight. "And we'll be helping the rabbits dig a few new burrows sometime next week, it's getting time for that too."
"What about you, Rainbow Dash? Busy times?" Twilight looked at the pegasus and frowned slightly. She could have sworn there had been enough pancakes to last her a day or two, but now only several empty plates lay scattered on the table before Rainbow Dash.
"Don't get me started, Twi. The weather team have been working their flanks off trying to get this freaky storm out of the Everfree Forest under control." Now that Twilight had a better look at Rainbow Dash, she noticed the haggard look on the pegasus' face and the dark circles around her eyes. "This is the first time in five days I have any free time, and even then," she glanced at the clock on the wall, "it's not much. I've got to get going in half an hour."
Pinkie came bouncing back to the table just then, carrying a plate of éclairs and another pot of tea, which she set down before Twilight. She then looked around the room. "Isn't Rarity coming?"
Applejack frowned. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her around much these last two weeks. Anypony know what's up with her?"
Twilight bit her lip. She actually had a pretty good idea what Rarity was doing, but she wouldn't talk about that before speaking to Rarity in private.
"Nah. Haven't heard from her in over two weeks either." Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy. "What about you? You have those regular spa dates with her, have you seen or heard anything?"
"Um ..." Fluttershy blushed and cast down her gaze. "Actually, yes, I have. But I promised her not to tell you about it."
"About what?" Rainbow asked, but Pinkie immediately shook her head.
"Oh no, Dashie. If Fluttershy promised to keep the secret, she'll have to keep it!"
"If you say so, but I sure hope she comes around soon." Applejack stood up. "Sorry, girls, gotta run. Can't let my brother do all the hard work by himself." She laughed. "Well, I could, but I won't. See y'all." She picked up her hat and walked out the door.
Shortly afterwards, Dash got up as well. "Sorry, gotta go. Shift starts in half an hour. Wish us luck."
"I know you'll manage, Dash. You always do." Twilight smiled encouragingly.
The pegasus just nodded and left.
"Ooh! Is that an empty table I see?" Pinkie jumped up. "Well, we can't have that. Just a moment!" She disappeared into the kitchen.
That little bit of privacy was exactly what Twilight needed right now. "Fluttershy?" The pegasus looked up. "I won't ask you to break your promise, but I think I know what Rarity is trying to keep from us, though I have no idea why."
Fluttershy seemed to shrink a little. "You know? How?"
Twilight thought for a moment, then decided she could trust Fluttershy with this. "Spike saw Rarity and Fancy Pants two weeks ago, kissing by the lake."
The yellow pegasus' eyes widened in horror. "Dear Celestia. So that's why I haven't seen him around?"
"Yes. He's been holed up in the library since then." Twilight tried to keep the worry out of her voice, but she could tell she failed. "He seems to be holding up, but I don't know what to do. I've never had to deal with a lovesick dragon before."
Fluttershy sighed. "So now we have two problems."
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.
"Rarity is head over heels in love with Fancy Pants. She actually reminds me of how Spike behaves when he's around her, or how ..." Fluttershy broke off and pressed a hoof to her mouth.
Twilight looked at her, now even more lost than before. "Or how?"
"Sorry, Twilight, I can't tell. I've already said too much." Fluttershy lowered her head.
"Okay, then let's get back to Rarity. Why is it a problem that she's so in love?"
Fluttershy peeked out from under her mane. "You don't understand, Twilight. The one time I've seen her in these two weeks, she wouldn't speak of anything or anypony else. She's incredibly happy, and I'm happy for her, but ..." She hesitated. "I'm scared we'll lose her friendship if it goes on like this."
Twilight reached out a comforting hoof. "I trust Rarity too much for that, Fluttershy. She wouldn't do that. She might be head over heels in love, but from what I know, that feeling doesn't last very long." She frowned. "What I'm wondering is, why doesn't she tell us?"
"Because she's scared." Fluttershy's voice was barely above a whisper. "She's afraid we won't accept him."
"Oh, for Celestia's sake!" Twilight felt a twinge of anger. "Doesn't she trust us?" She stood up and started pacing around the room. "You're afraid she's falling away from us, she's afraid we'll shun her, and yet again, nopony is actually talking to each other."
"We aren't?" Pinkie came bouncing out of the kitchen. "But aren't you talking to Fluttershy right now?"
"Ugh." Twilight pressed one hoof against her forehead. "We were talking about Rarity, and why we're not seeing anything of her."
"You didn't tell Twilight, did you?" Pinkie cast a stern gaze at Fluttershy, who shrank back and whimpered. "Losing a friend's trust is the fastest way ..."
"No!" Both Pinkie and Fluttershy stared at Twilight in surprise - she had almost screamed the word. "No, Pinkie, it isn't! There is one faster way - jumping to conclusions because you don't speak to one another!"
Pinkie seemed to actually think about that for a few moments. "Oh, like back on the train for the competition?"
"Yes! Only this time, it's not about a crime. It's about our friendship with Rarity, and how her having a coltfriend will affect that!"
When Twilight noticed the icy stare by Fluttershy and the look of poleaxed astonishment on Pinkie's face, she realized what she had just said out loud.
"Rarity. Has. A. Coltfriend?!" Pinkie asked, taking a step toward Twilight with each word.
"Oh, Celestia." Twilight hung her head and sat down on the floor. "Yes. I'm sorry, Fluttershy, I wasn't thinking."
Fluttershy stepped closer to her and stared down at her. "You're right. You weren't." She sighed. "But if we want to deal with this mess, we need to tell the others anyway."
Twilight looked at Pinkie. "Could you get a party ready by tomorrow night? Just the five of us."
"Sure." Pinkie hopped to the counter and started scribbling plans.
"What about Spike?" Fluttershy asked as they headed for the door.
"I'll talk to him tonight. You're right, we need to deal with this whole mess, and quickly, before it damages our friendship." They stepped outside and went their separate ways.
Nopony noticed the slight hiss emanating from one of the corners of the now empty café, or the high-pitched laughter echoing around the room.
***
Spike woke up when he heard the door. He looked at the clock and saw that his "little nap" had lasted a bit longer than he'd intended.
Dang. I should have started on my chores two hours ago if I'd wanted to finish on time. He got up and walked to the stairs. Looking down, he saw Twilight sitting at her reading table, absent-mindedly scribbling on a piece of paper.
"Twilight?" Spike walked down the stairs. "Something wrong?"
She raised her head, seemingly wondering for a moment who he was and why he was here. Goodness, she's really out of it today. What happened?
"Well, the girls and I talked." She hesitated. "About Rarity, and why we haven't seen her in two weeks."
The pain flared up, though it still was nowhere near as bad as before Apple Bloom's visit, so Spike took a moment to realize what Twilight had said. "Wait - two weeks?"
"Yes." Twilight stood up and started pacing around the room. "And Fluttershy eventually came out with the truth. We haven't seen Rarity because she's been spending all that time ..."
"...with her coltfriend." To his surprise, Spike found he could say the words without getting dizzy. Considering that even thinking the words "Rarity's coltfriend" had made him dizzy before today, that had to count as progress.
"So we're worried that she might start forgetting about us, and she's worried that we won't accept Fancy Pants, and that's why she hasn't spoken to any of us except Fluttershy over the last two weeks." Twilight seemed to have forgotten that Spike was there, she was speaking out loud to analyze the situation. She only snapped back to reality when Spike clicked his claws directly in front of her nose.
"Hello? Equestria to Twilight Sparkle, please respond!" Spike said in his best "commander" voice.
"Oh no!" Twilight looked close to panic. "I've done it again, haven't I? I've said something out loud that I didn't want to say out loud, and now ..."
Spike had to bite back a laugh. "Calm down, Twilight, please." He turned her words over in his mind. "So, why don't you girls simply talk this over with Rarity, then?"
"We will. I've arranged for Pinkie to throw a party tomorrow night where everypony except Rarity will be, and we'll talk about what to do now," Twilight said.
"Why not Rarity?" Spike asked.
"Because some of the others don't even know that she has a coltfriend yet," Twilight answered mechanically. Then she seemed to realize that something about Spike had changed. She gave him a quick once-over, and her eyes narrowed. "Spike? What happened?"
"Uh ... what do you mean?" Spike fidgeted with his claws nervously.
"You look different." She took a few steps in his direction. "Not as sad as this morning. And you're freely talking about Rarity, where her name would have brought tears to your eyes just a few hours ago. What's going on here, Spike?"
"Well ..." Spike cast about for a plausible explanation. He didn't want Apple Bloom's crush on him to become known to anypony else just yet, and that went double for Twilight - he'd never hear the end of it. "I guess I'm finally starting to get over Rarity, you know? I mean, I should be happy for her." A sudden flash of inspiration hit him, showing him a way out of this interrogation. "And so should you girls! Why don't you just go and talk to her?"
Twilight had obviously not expected to have her question thrown back at her in this way. She seemed to waver for a moment, then she fixed Spike with a stare she reserved for special occasions. "I will, Spike. But we're not done with this yet. I'll get to the bottom of this, just you wait."
Spike felt a mixture of relief and dread wash over him. He would have to explain all this at some point - Twilight never let go once she had sunk her teeth into an investigation of any kind -, but he had turned her aside for the moment, at least. And perhaps he might play some small part in keeping his friends from drifting apart.
Twilight's next words, however, drained the relief while cranking the dread up to maximum. "I will go to Rarity and talk to her. And you will come with me."
Spike felt a sharp pain and realized that he had bitten down on his tongue in surprise. "What?" he slurred, tasting blood.
"I said, you will come with me to Rarity's. If the girls and I need to talk this over with her, that goes double for you." Twilight's tone left no doubt that she was completely serious. She would drag him by the tail if necessary.
Spike took a moment to turn the thought of seeing Rarity again over in his mind. He was scared as never before in his life. Facing off against the three teenage dragons suddenly seemed child's play. He'd have gone up against Discord himself before daring to face Rarity right now.
He noticed that Twilight's lips were still moving, but he wasn't hearing anything. Images started up in his mind's eye.
***
His fear and pain were a vast black ocean threatening to swallow everything. There was nothing else but that dark, icy cold water.
And then he saw it. Right in the middle of that black ocean, a monolith rose from the waves, and that rock seemed to defy the ocean, turning the water away. The stone's surface was inscribed with the same symbols over and over again.
The Elements of Harmony. My friends. He felt a fire blaze up inside of him, and he knew that whatever happened, they could manage as long as their love and friendship was still there.
He flew closer and saw a blueish light emanate from atop the monolith, out of a black lattice resembling an oversized lantern. The waves, growing larger and larger, attacked the light, until their crowns poured inside the lantern and the light began to flicker. Spike felt something inside him begin to freeze.
Just as the light finally surrendered to the waves' onslaught, a filly's voice cut through the shadow.
You will need them. They will need you. And so will I.
Apple Bloom. As he thought the name, the lantern suddenly flared up again - not blue, as before, but bright orange. The ocean seemed to hesitate, even to draw back, and then ...
***
"Spike! Spike, talk to me!"
He opened his eyes and realized that he was lying on the floor. His fingers and toes felt like icicles, but at the same time, the small flame in his chest seemed to have grown into a bonfire. Twilight was standing over him.
He clambered to his feet. "It's alright, Twi. I'm fine."
"What happened? You just fell over while we were talking," Twilight said.
"I had a - I don't know, a vision?" Spike said hesitantly.
"Really?" Twilight's concern now was joined by curiosity. "What did you see?"
"Later, Twilight. We need to see Rarity," Spike said, astonished at his own self-confidence - he just knew that they had to keep the friendship between Rarity and the others intact. This was important, vitally important, though he could not have said why.
"You ..." Twilight broke off. "Perhaps you're right. We will talk about this later, though."
Spike looked at her and felt the confidence drain away slightly. Why was he ordering her around like this? What was going on here?
"Twi?" He sounded pitifully weak, but he didn't mind.
She had already made her way to the door and now looked back. "Yes, Spike?"
He ran up to her and hugged her. "Promise me everything will be alright."
She returned the hug. "I promise."