//------------------------------// // Living Arrangements - Vexy // Story: SpikeDash Group Collab // by Vexy //------------------------------// Spike was sat across from Twilight, a cup of tea resting in his claws. It had never been his choice of drink, but Twilight had taken to it at some point after she had promised to cut down on coffee. He wasn’t sure whether tea was any better for her health than coffee, but regardless, she had fulfilled her promise and cut back to just one coffee a day. The two were sat next to a roaring fireplace in Twilight’s crystal castle. It was the only noise that filled the long expanse of silence. Not for the first time, Spike found himself staring at the brown liquid, swirling it around his cup experimentally. He took a sip, the bitter drink slightly scalding his tongue. Twilight had forgotten to add sugar again. Spike was about to make a comment on the absence of sugar in his tea, but Twilight cleared her throat, breaking the silence. “So it’s all been decided, then?” she asked, placing her own tea on the table next to her. Despite all the caffeine she took in, she looked tired. Spike wasn’t sure whether that was due to the lack of sleep or just the drain from the last few days. Princess Twilight preferred to keep her hooves full. “Y-yes,” Spike said, clearing his own throat due to its disuse. “It’s what I want to do.” Twilight said nothing. She simply stared right into his eyes, and he stared back. Her eyebrows were arched, betraying the pain hidden just behind her purple irises. She must have realized that she’d been staring for too long as she coughed quietly and looked away, picking up her tea once again. “You can always come visit, you know,” Spike offered hopefully. “I mean, you’ve got wings too. You’ve had them longer than I have.” “I know,” Twilight replied quietly. “I know.” Spike had hoped she might say more, anything to let him know what she was thinking. Instead her eyes crawled over to the fireplace, the shadow of a frown tugging at her lips. “Twi…” Spike said softly, “you’re happy for me, right?” Her gaze snapped back to Spike like a whip. “Spike,” she said firmly, “of course I’m happy for you, and I’m so, so proud of you—” “Then tell me what’s up, then,” Spike interrupted. “You’ve been acting up since I told you. You keep tapping your hoof against the chair and avoiding my gaze. Don’t think I’m not going to notice when something’s bothering you.” Twilight let out a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “I didn’t think you noticed that.” “Of course I do,” Spike said with a gentle smile. “We’ve lived together since forever.” “Until now,” Twilight pointed out. “Until now,” Spike replied. Twilight didn’t respond to that. Spike glanced down at his claws and realized some dirt had been rubbed into the scales. The two of them lapsed into silence for a few seconds more, the elephant in the room refusing to be addressed. “I really am happy for you,” Twilight repeated. “And Rainbow. I’m happy for you both. You deserve each other.” She blinked a few times, scratching an itch in her eye. “It’s just I want what’s best for you—” “You don’t think it’s a good idea for me to move in with Rainbow?” “No! That’s not what I meant!” Twilight said quickly. “What I mean is… I just… I can’t be there for you!” Spike swirled her words around his mouth, tasting them, before he replied. “You don’t always have to look after me, Twi,” he said slowly. “I know that,” she said sadly. “I truly do. It’s just…” Her words faded away before she could voice them, and she stared sadly into the fire once again, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Twi?” Spike asked in concern, reaching over to place a claw on her hoof. “I guess this is how Mr. and Mrs. Cake felt.” “Huh?” Spike scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and cocked his head. “When Pound and Pumpkin went off to College,” she continued. “When it was just them two at the bakery. When they were alone.” Twilight’s voice cracked as she whispered the final word. She squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head. “But I’m hardly here,” Spike reasoned. “I spend more time with Rainbow than I do here with you.” “I know that,” Twilight said with a nod. “I’ve always known that you’d leave eventually. I guess I just didn’t know when to expect it. When you would say you didn’t want to live with me anymore.” “Twilight,” Spike said sternly. “It’s not that I don’t want to live with you. It’s just that I want to be around Rainbow, I want to be with Rainbow.” He let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. “You both mean the world to me. But I can’t stay here forever.” Twilight didn’t reply. She sighed and got up, walking slowly over to the bookshelf. After a few seconds of searching, she found what she was looking for and plucked the book from the shelf. Suspending it in her magical aura, she floated it over to Spike. “What’s this?” he asked. “It’s a photo album. I’ve been preparing it for a while. It’s got all the photos since we arrived here at Ponyville. It’s a photo album of us. Just you and me.” Spike gawped in awe at the book in his hands. Delicately, he opened it to the first page, and a picture of his younger self stared back. It was taken not even a year after they had arrived in Ponyville, when they had helped with the Winter Wrap Up for the first time. “Twilight, I…” he breathed. “I don’t know what to say.” Twilight giggled through her tears and walked over to give him a hug. “Just thank you will do, you big goofball.” Spike returned the hug, closing his burning eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered. “You’re welcome,” she whispered back.