Crystal Affair

by FamousLastWords


Voices

Cadence slowly crept into her room. It was late, and she didn't want to wake Shining up, lest she would be forced to have a conversation with him.

She had stayed up a few extra hours going over the dismal situation with Spike, and then spent an additional hour gorging herself on chocolate ice cream in the kitchens.

More importantly, however, she and Spike had managed to concoct a plan that may finally reveal their mates' true intentions and motives.

Cadence was ready to end this drama once and for all.


Spike stared up at the ceiling, using his exceptional night vision to trace along every intricate pattern that was painted upon it. He was able to notice that the paint had been chipping away at certain areas for some time, and it became rather distracting to his eyes. It was nothing that could be seen with a passing glance, but with careful inspection, one could see that some major touch-ups were needed.

Spike felt like his relationship was that ceiling.

From the outside, he and Rarity had a great relationship. It was honest, intimate and loving. But after the events of the past few days, perhaps it was starting to unravel. Or maybe it had been unraveling for some time and he had just failed to notice?

Either way, his plan would hopefully put an end to all speculation.

It was incredibly simple, really. At breakfast, he and Cadence would simply excuse themselves, leaving Shining Armour and Rarity alone. They would then eavesdrop on them and find out exactly what kind of scandalous plot they have cooked up.

It was foalproof!

“Mmm, Spike, I’d love another chocolate-dipped strawberry,” Rarity mumbled in her sleep. She cuddled closer to him and buried her face into his chest.

“Oh, please,” Spike said.


Nuzzling into her covers, Cadence could hear the low breathing sounds of Shining Armour as he was dreaming. Not even a few weeks ago she would have been wrapped in his hooves, warm and happy. But now, his closeness just left a searing pain in her chest.

Its all that stupid Rarity's fault. What with her being beautiful and put-together all the time. It's so not fair.

Cadence had to double over what she was thinking. It sounded so immature, just blaming Rarity for everything going on. But the only other option would be the one thing she had been terrified to think about this entire time.

What if it's been me pushing him away this entire time?


Spike tossed and turned in his bed trying to get comfortable. After so long, he got used to sleeping close to Rarity, having her nuzzled in his arms. The smell of her mane and the warmth of her coat would always lull him to sleep.

But now the mare next to him felt like a stranger.

Spike turned over and looked at his wife. She had her sleeping mask on as usual, and she had the same content smile she always had.

Why, Rarity.... please tell me.

Spike reached his claw over and gently stroked her mane. Instinctively she moved into his body and cuddled close, asleep all the while.

She was so beautiful, so perfect, yet she broke his heart like it was nothing.

Spike leaned forward into her and held her close to him, burrowing his face in her mane. Depending on how things went in the near future, this may be the last night they would spend together.

He missed her already, even though she was wrapped in his arms.


Cadence tossed and turned in her sleep, vivid dreams starting to encroach upon her subconscious.


Cadence forced her eyes open, feeling as if she just dragged herself out of bed after a horrible night’s sleep.

“Oh, my head…”

She rubbed her temples with her hoof, trying to get rid of the throbbing pain that had built inside her head.

“Here, darling, allow me to help.”

Cadence jumped in surprise. “Sh-Shining?”

“Of course,” Shining said, gently caressing his wife’s cheek with his hoof. “Were you expecting somepony else?”

She quickly swatted his hoof away and turned her face away. “What do you want? After what you did to me, why do you think I’d want to see you?”

Shining Armour let out a deep sigh and followed it up with a light chuckle. “Heh, you really don’t understand what’s going on, do you?”

Cadence’s eyes widened and she snapped her head around to face him. “What exactly am I supposed to understand? That you cheated on me? That you never loved me in the first place?”

“Of course not, my love. I do love you. Do you not see where I brought you?”

 It’s not what you think.” Shining inched closer to Cadence, and gently stroked her mane with his hoof.

“Then please tell me what it is!” Cadence could feel her brain throbbing, as if something was trying to force it’s way inside. A powerful migraine with absolutely no remedy.

“Why tell...when I can show you?”

Without a word, Shining pulled Cadence toward him and he placed his lips on hers. Cadence tried to pull away, but something warm began flowing through her. The pain in her head started to vanish and all she could feel was warmth of his touch.

She started to move with the flow of the moment and wrapped her hooves around him, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. It was intense, warm and passionate. It reminded her of the first kiss they shared so many years ago. The kind of kiss that sparked intense love from the heart.

Perhaps she was wrong about Shining. Maybe he did love her still…

A few more seconds passed by, the kiss growing deeper.  Cadence could feel her heart beating faster and faster. The moment was getting more and more heated.

But something was wrong.

As the kiss continued, Cadence could feel the fur around her husband’s face start to disappear. The familiar sensation of his hoof flowing through her mane was replaced by something, sharp, prickly almost, trailing through her fur.

Cadence opened her eyes, expecting to be greeted with Shining’s soft gaze, but she was instead faced with a pair of slitted green eyes.

“Ah!” She jumped back in complete shock of what happened. Her husband, the pony she had been kissing had morphed completely into, into…

“Spike?”

She had to blink several times to make sure of she was seeing.

“Cadence?” he responded, eyes wide and mouth agape.

She shook her head in disbelief and looked around the room. Shining was nowhere to be found. Spike was the only one with her.

Something was very wrong.

“What’s going on?!”


“Ahh!”

Cadence thrust her head up from her pillow and thrashed around in her covers. She darted her eyes around the room, her heart beating a mile a minute.

Sunlight streamed through her large bedroom window, illuminating her surroundings. She was alone in her bed, in the safety of her room.

“It was just a dream,” she said with a deep sigh, collapsing back onto her pillow. “It was only a dream.”

She could feel her heart rate die down as she lay in her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She turned her head over and felt the empty spot next to her, signifying she was alone. That in turn meant she needed to get up and go down for breakfast.

But she needed a moment to herself before she could face the imminent challenges of the day.

Scenes from the dream kept popping up in her head. It was so intense, so real. She could feel the cold spot where her sweat drenched her pillow over the night.

It was just a dream, right?

What did it all mean? Was she supposed to forgive Shining and move on? Or not? Why in the name of all that is holy did Spike show up? Especially during such an...intimate moment.

So many questions. Absolutely no answers.

Confusion seemed to be a running theme in her life recently.

“Ergh, what’s going on around here?!”

knock! knock!

“Ah!” Cadence shrieked, snapping to attention. “One minute!”

Cadence jumped out of bed and cast a quick-fix spell on herself to remove any signs of wear and tear the night may have had on her.

“Come in!”

The door flew open and a purple dragon dashed in.

“Spike?”

Spike hopped up onto the bed so he could be at direct eye level with the princess. “Cadence, we’ve gotta talk.”

“About what?” Cadence asked.

Spike took a deep breath and looked Cadence right in the eye. “I think there’s something seriously wrong here. I had a really weird dream last night about Rarity and me in the Saphirum and-”

“Wait,” Cadence said, putting a hoof over his mouth. “You had a dream about the Saphirum, too?”

“Yeah. It was really strange, too.”

If this was going where she thought it was going, she really did not want to go there.

“What happened in your dream?”

“Well, me and Rares were just randomly in the Saphirum together, and she was all over me. Like, she was apologising for what happened, saying how much she loved me, all that good stuff. It was actually kind of nice.”

Oh no… It’s going there.

“Anyway, after that, she randomly started kissing me. Like, hardcore kissing, you know? But that’s when things got weird…” A rosy tint began to form around Spike’s cheeks and he turned his head to the ground.

Oh, sweet Celestia. We are almost there.

“After a few more minutes of kissing, well, I looked up and she wasn’t there anymore. You were there...”

And there it is.

“Umm, so yeah. When I woke up a bit ago, I noticed Rarity was gone. And she left her false eyelashes on the table, so she must have left in a hurry!”

Cadence needed a moment to sort everything out, but that would have to wait. Time was a luxury at the moment.

“Spike, I agree. There’s something weird going on. I had an identical dream last night, but with Shining...and...you.” Cadence could feel her face heat up. “Anyway, on top of that, Shining is gone, too.”

Spike let out a sigh and frowned. "You don't think they..."

"Ran off somewhere, together? I don't even want to think about it." Cadence rubbed  her forehead in a desperate attempt to ward off the approaching headache. "Let's just go down to breakfast. I would imagine somepony must know where they are."

Spike nodded in agreement and followed Cadence out the bedroom door and toward the dining room. Both of them remained quiet on the brief trip, both lost in thought about what new pain-inducing ventures would await them throughout the day. Heartache, jealousy, hate and revenge seemed to be the predominating theme for the past several days, so why would this be any different?

Cadence paused before levitating open the large doors leading to the dining area. Her mind flashed to the Saphirum, to Shining...to the dragon next to her. All manners of scenarios of what things could be like at the end of the day passed through her head.

Spike experienced a similar rush in his head upon approaching the closed doors. Images of Rarity's beautiful face flashed through his head, followed swiftly by images of Cadence pressed against him, tightly wrapped in his arms. It all led to a strange, ominous feeling in his belly.

Both of them knew something was going to go horribly wrong this day.

Neither of them,however, would have ever guessed what awaited them in the room beyond.

As the doors opened, allowing the two of them entrance, they were immediately greeted with a sight were not expecting.

Sitting at the centre table were Rarity and Shining Armour. However, as opposed to the happy, flirtatious banter they would have expected, they were met with something entirely different.

"Rarity... Are you okay?" Spike slowly approached his wife who had tears freely flowing down her face. Her mane was a wreck and the matted fur on her face only further proved these tears had been going on for some time.

Sitting across from her,Shining had his face pressed firmly into his hooves, not even willing to acknowledge his wife's presence.

Spike glanced at Cadence who seemed just as lost as he was.

Spike inched closer to his wife,his lips turned into a concerned frown. "Rarity, talk to me,what's wrong?"

Spike gently reached out to touch her shoulder but his claw was quickly smacked away by Rarity's hoof.

Spike jumped back as Rarity jumped to her hooves, her look of sadness intensifying into anger.

"Spike, how could you?!" Rarity moved forward and connected a strong hit with her hoof right across his left cheek. "How could you do this to me?!"

Spike shook off the smack, eyes wide in confusion. He tried to respond, but was cut off immediately.

"How could you?! I thought you loved me!"

"Rarity, how could I what?" Spike looked her straight in the eye only to see a barrage of fresh tears flow down her cheeks.

"Cheat on me....with her!" Rarity lunged a hoof in Cadence's direction. "I saw you two kissing last night.... Spike, why?"

Rarity collapsed to the floor in front of Spike, a mess of tears and sobs.

Spike had no idea how to respond, and judging from the blank stare Cadence wore, she didn't know either.

Spike looked back to Rarity, unable to find words to explain. Instead, he could just hear her whimper out the same words over and over.

"Spike, why? I love you..."