Twilight had found the note when she woke up in the middle of the night. The next day, she had promptly gone off to speak with Rarity. She managed to convince Spike that he wouldn’t be needed, and the dragon happily went off to do his own things.
Based on the note, it wasn’t hard to deduce what was wrong. Twilight had been hearing from the rest of the Mane Six of Spike’s “exploits” with Rarity; she was quick to guess that this had something to do with Spike’s crush.
The crush itself had been evident since the very beginning, back when Twilight had arrived in Ponyville. She had thought that the crush would not have stayed for long, and had hoped that it would at least simmer down to a simple friendship. Yet Spike held onto that crush; and had somehow had turned it into something quite uncomfortable for Rarity.
Twilight found herself remembering something from her childhood, something similar; but she shook it off. Right now, she had to help out her friend.
She knocked on the door of Rarity’s Boutique, noticing how oddly silent it was. Rarity didn’t seem to be working, as there was an absence of sowing and threading. Even Sweetie Belle’s normally vibrant voice was gone; perhaps she had been shooed out, or on another misadventure with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In contrast, most of Ponyville was already up and working, the streets filled with morning greetings and laughter.
Rarity must be in bad shape, Twilight thought.
She heard somepony slowly trotting up to the door. The knob turned, and the door was pushed slightly aside. A bright blue eye met her purple irises, taking a moment to consider. The door suddenly was thrust open, and before Twilight had time to greet her friend, she was pulled inside. The door was quickly returned to its default closed position.
“Oh, thank goodness you’re here, Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed breathlessly. “I have a huge problem—”
“Yeah, I heard. Spike. Date. Crush. All that.”
Rarity gave her an incredulous look. “Does everypony in town hear about everything?”
“No, no!” Twilight protested. “It’s just… well, it was kind of obvious, especially since you told me to come here without Spike.”
Rarity sighed. “I suppose that wasn’t at all subtle. Yes, it’s about ‘all that.’”
“And, based on what my friends have been saying, you’ve been asking around for advice on how to handle this.”
“Yes.” Rarity looked away, still feeling hesitant.
Twilight noticed the action. “Rarity… why didn’t you come to me first? I know Spike the best.”
“I know, I know. It’s just…” Rarity looked back Twilight, eyes a bit fearful. “Well… you and he are so close. Like brother and sister. And I thought—”
“That I wouldn’t be able to come to a sound conclusion without a bit of bias?” Twilight concluded.
Rarity gulped and nodded. She cringed, expecting something harsh to come out of Twilight’s mouth.
All she got was a sigh. “Rarity,” Twilight began, “I know Spike and I are close… but that doesn’t stop me from putting him in his place.” She smiled kindly at the white unicorn. “You are my friend; and I won’t let my personal relationship with my number one assistant get in the way of assisting you.”
“R-really?” Rarity asked, surprised.
“Of course! What kind of friend would I be otherwise?” They shared a short laugh, before resuming a subdued silence.
“Ah heh heh,” Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Though it has been kind of cute watching Spike have a mock wedding with you…”
Rarity could only look at Twilight in shock. The lavender unicorn sighed.
“Uh, nevermind that,” she said. “I have to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
Rarity considered the question. Spike was a dear friend of hers, and she would rather have not come to such drastic measures. Did she want to risk losing her friendship with the dragon?
“... No, I’m not,” she finally answered with a sigh. “But… this is the only option that I can see.”
“Do you like Spike?”
Rarity looked back at her friend, resignation in her eyes. “Only as a friend.”
Twilight nodded. “I understand. But…” She looked away, and spoke in a softer tone. “It will break Spike’s heart, you know.”
“I know.” Rarity closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “Twilight… if there were any other way out of this, believe me; I would have taken it.”
“Rarity, I get it. Spike’s been acting overboard, and needs to take it back a notch.”
“Or several,” Rarity snorted.
“Regardless, I still think it’s the right choice to tell him your true feelings.” She placed a hoof on Rarity’s chest for emphasis. “Keeping it all in there won’t do either of you any good.”
She began to walk out, but gave one final glance at her friend. “Please. Tell Spike the truth. I promise you, you’ll both end up better this way.”
Rarity hesitantly nodded, and the door closed, leaving her to her thoughts.