Azure Edge

by Leaf Blade

41. Excommunicated

The coffee that floated in a blue aura beside Rarity’s head was almost as warm as her smile as she hurried through the sleepy morning streets of Canterlot’s Moon District to get to her new favorite place; the Golden Oaks Library.

It had been a week now since she entered the library for the first time, and what began as a silly, immature crush on the librarian had now blossomed into a genuine rapport.

Rarity had spent nearly all the nights in the past week talking with Twilight from the moment she closed the library to the moment the sun rose in the morning, which was an absolute disaster for Rarity’s sleeping schedule, but sleep could be sacrificed if it meant spending more time with her dear friend.

Honestly, Rarity felt rather silly for how nervous she had been when her relationship with Twilight was just starting; true, she had several fancy tales and grandiose fantasies of her and the librarian getting swept into a whirlwind affair of passion and intrigue, but the reality of the situation was much better.

They were friends. Nothing more, nothing less. And Rarity wouldn’t want it any other way.

Well… perhaps there would be time for passion and intrigue later, but for now, her friendship with Twilight Sparkle was enough.

It was just before noon as Rarity headed over to the library, which was rather early for Rarity to even be awake, much less out the door, but she wanted to surprise Twilight with an earlier visit than usual. Or perhaps she was just that desperate for the warmth of the library and Twilight’s company that she simply couldn’t bear to stay away for even a single minute.

Oh, Rarity, she chuckled to herself as she took a sip of her coffee and slapped herself awake, ever the drama queen.

Rarity breathed a contented sigh and allowed herself to smile ear to ear as the library came into view. She could already feel its warmth as she approached the towering, sheltering tree, and her hand jittered with anticipation as she reached for the doorknob.

Though her anticipation was replaced by curiosity and slight frustration as she tried to open the handle and it resisted her.

She wasn’t about to try and tear the handle off the door like she had nearly a week ago, but she was slightly concerned. True it was still fairly early, but it was almost noon and Twilight always had the library open by this time, even despite the havoc their late nights had wreaked on Twilight’s own sleeping schedule.

Rarity couldn’t help but feel something was wrong, and a pulsating throb in her gut accompanied the thought that it might have been her fault somehow.

Rarity knocked her knuckles against the door. No answer.

She knocked again, louder and more intensely this time.

Silence greeted her, and she bit her lip as curiosity and concern melted away into worry.

She’s probably just still sleeping, Rarity told herself, though if that were the case, usually Spike would still open the library regardless. Something was definitely not quite right here.

Rarity raised her hand to knock again but froze as she heard the latch open on the other side of the door. She wasn’t about to knock on Twilight’s forehead again; Twilight refused to let Rarity forget that it happened the first time.

The door creaked open ever so slightly, revealing a pitch-dark library and a single violet eye peeking out from behind it.

“There you are, Twilight!” Rarity said cheerfully, feeling relieved that Twilight was at least present in the library. “Honestly, you had me worried for a moment! I thought perhaps you had been whisked away by some other charming hunter who had come and swept you off your feet!”

Twilight said nothing, simply continued to peer out at Rarity in silence from the darkness of the library.

“Darling?” Rarity’s worry returned. If there was something ‘not quite right’ with the library, then there was something very wrong with Twilight. “Is something the matter, dear?”

“Um,” Twilight let her fingers slide into the sunlight as they gripped the door, “I got into a fight.”

“Oh no!” Rarity gasped, hand pressed against her fretful heart.

“With Spike.”

“Oh,” Rarity said concernedly, dreading how this sentence was about to end.

“About you.”

“Ah.”

And there it was, what Rarity had been dreading.

Truth be told, it felt better to have it out in the open at least. Rarity had heard, from Twilight and even from Rainbow Dash, that Spike had become quite a bit grumpier since Rarity started visiting the library, but she merely chalked it up to coincidence, even if in her heart she knew better.

She simply didn’t want to face what she knew was the truth; that her presence in Twilight’s life was disturbing the peace that Twilight had built for herself and her son.

“What exactly did you fight about?” Rarity drew herself up and elected to get to the bottom of this; no sense moping about it, not unless she had all the facts at the very least. “If I may ask?”

Twilight tried to stand up straight, but the weight of her sadness and worry pressed down on her shoulders like a heap of stone, and her posture suffered for it.

Twilight cleared her throat and opened the door a little bit wider, and as the light hit her, Rarity could see that Twilight was an absolute mess; hair frazzled and disheveled, eyes heavy with fatigue, and fur damp with sweat. Rarity couldn’t pinpoint when exactly this fight with Spike happened, but she could see that Twilight not only hadn’t slept, but had worked herself into a state in the time since.

“Ever since Rainbow started coming to the library,” Twilight said, “and things became much busier around here, I’ve still always spent my mornings with just me and Spike. That was our time, but, well, I’ve been sleeping through the mornings lately.”

“Because of me,” Rarity said casually, and while Twilight was visibly determined not to say as much, she ever so slightly nodded. Rarity took a deep breath and gave a glance over at the frazzled librarian, sadness and sympathy washing over her as she looked at the poor dear, not only for Twilight but for Spike just as much.

Rarity thought about Sweetie Belle, and how jealous the poor girl could be whenever someone would ‘steal’ Rarity’s attention away from her. When you had someone in your life who you so greatly respect and admire, it can be difficult to share them, especially when you’re worried that this new person is going to replace you in your favorite person’s heart.

“Twilight?” Rarity allowed a small smirk to grace her lips as Twilight winced at the sound of her name. “Was your response to this conflict, by any chance, to try and shut me out of the library?”

“Um,” Twilight shrunk into herself, and Rarity was certain Twilight would transform to the size of a mouse if she could, “not just you. But if nobody comes back to the library, then no one can be mad at anybody else.”

“And you just get to be lonely forever?” Rarity asked. “How is that fair?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Twilight said sternly, and the sudden intensity she spoke with caught Rarity by surprise. “My first priority is Spike, and if the way I’m taking guests into the library is hurting him, then I have to—”

“Excommunicate all the new friends he’s making as well?”

Rarity took a sip of her coffee while Twilight stammered to try and think of something clever to respond with.

“Sweetheart,” Rarity put her hand on Twilight’s cheek and secretly delighted in the way Twilight leaned into her touch, “is it possible that perhaps, just perhaps, you jumped to a rather extreme and unnecessary measure? I know I’m a tad biased, but don’t you think there’s a better way to resolve this conflict other than shutting the door on all your friends?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Twilight whispered, the desperation in her voice breaking Rarity’s heart. “I made him cry, Rarity. I promised him that I would never hurt him, but you should have seen him when he was yelling at me. I let him down. I’m an awful parent.”

“We can’t help hurting the ones we love from time to time,” Rarity caressed Twilight’s cheek as she spoke. “It’s simply a matter of how we handle it that speaks to our character, and our priorities.”

“But I don’t know what to do,” Twilight said coldly, her eyes closed as she leaned her head against Rarity’s hand.

“Let me handle this,” Rarity’s words caused Twilight’s eyes to snap open. “Spike’s conflict is with me, not with you, so let me talk to him and we can figure this out. I think I understand what he’s going through, and I think I can convince him that he isn’t going to be replaced—”

“He could never be replaced,” Twilight said abruptly, as if the very notion sickened her.

“I know,” Rarity said softly. “But you know as well as I do that worry is not rational. So let me talk to him, and we can figure out how to resolve this whole mess together.”

“You would do that?” Twilight said, her hands trembling as they clung to Rarity’s hand for dear life.

Rarity flashed Twilight a serene smile as she wiped a tear away from Twilight’s cheek.

“It would be my pleasure, darling.”

Author's Note:

problem solving with ur horse

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!