Of Pony Princesses and Floral Friends

by SociallyAnxious247

Chapter 5 - It Just Dawned On Me...

Twilight had woken up several hours ago. Now she was sitting at the breakfast table, poking at the perfectly cooked waffles Starlight had saved for her, bleary-eyed and depressed. She took a reluctant bite, then leaned back in her chair with a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong, Twi?” Spike asked, jumping up onto a chair next to her, holding a ceramic bowl of gems.

“I… had a rough night, that’s all,” Twilight mumbled. “It’s nothing to be worried about. I just… probably destroyed a friendship and ruined the chances of it growing into anything more than broken hearts and shattered trust. No, it’s fine.” Her voice was sad, but it dripped with sarcasm.

“Oh. Do you… want to talk about it?” Spike leaned over and put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder, stroking up and down to comfort her.

“I mean, we met two days ago,” Twilight said, holding her hooves out in front of her as if something was obvious. “If you’re going to fall in love with me, can’t you at least wait a couple weeks before making a move? But even if he was going a little too fast, I can’t help but feel bad for him. He was so lonely before I came there. I don’t know if… I don’t know if I…” She held back a sob, pressing on if only to vent. “I don’t know if I can face him anymore, after what I did- what I said last night. I just… I want him to understand that it’s not his fault.”

“It’s okay, Twi,” Spike said soothingly. “There’s still time to fix this, right? You can go back tonight and explain everything.”

“It’s not that, though! I think he understands, but… I don’t think he wants to accept it. He’s already gone through enough as is, and I just put him through more heartache. Even now, I don’t want to accept it because… he’s in so much pain right now. He has been for years and I made it worse. What kind of friend makes your pain worse?!”

“A perfectly normal one,” Spike said. “Think about it: It wasn’t intentional, was it? You didn’t say whatever you said with his suffering in mind, did you? Of course you didn’t. That’s not the Twilight I know. The Twilight I know would tell him the truth, without trying to sugarcoat it, so that he could understand what was happening. She would be as friendly as she could, despite their differences. And she wouldn’t avoid him just because she’s afraid of facing him after telling him exactly what she thought of him and his badly timed confessions.”

“Spike, no, you don’t understand…” Twilight sighed, resting her hooves on the table. “I don’t even know if that is really what I think of him. Is it love if I just… like being around him? Is it love if I like talking to him? If I’m okay with falling asleep with him in my hooves-?”

“Woah, what?”

“What?”

“Is that something you’re fine with? Just… falling asleep with him?”

“I mean, yeah… That’s what I’ve been doing the past three days. He can’t sleep without someone next to him- he has nightmares.”

“Oh.”

“Is that a bad thing? Is it unacceptable to do that with friends? I’ve fallen asleep with Princess Celestia sometimes, when we stay up late studying and practicing magic together. Do you think I’m leading her on? Wait, Spike, take a letter. I need to make sure she doesn’t think I’m interested in her like that.”

“Twi, stop! It’s fine! Just a little… intimate for friends for three days. I think…? I’m not really an expert on the classifications of relationships ranging from platonic to romantic, so I couldn’t be sure.”

“Have you been reading a lot lately?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess. Why?”

“That was just… a lot of long words that I never thought I would hear you say. Like, ever. Anyways! Back to the problem at hoof. I don’t know what to do, Spike. I’m not sure how I feel about him.”

“Well, what kind of a move did he make on you?”

“He got really close and asked if he could do something weird,” Twilight explained. “And I thought, ‘I’ve met Pinkie, so it can’t be that bad, right?’ So I said that he could and then… he kissed me.”

“He kissed you?”

“Yes. He had already kissed me once before, on the cheek, but this time it was on the lips. I… I’m not sure how I was supposed to react, but I pushed him away and reminded him that we just met. I was going to come home… he asked- practically begged, actually- me to stay with him, so I did. In the spirit of friendship.”

“How did you feel during the kiss?”

“It was… nice, I guess. I’ve never kissed anyone before, but it was a… good first time. I just wish I could’ve kept it there longer. He looked so sad when I pushed him away.”

“Twilight, I think you love him.”

“Wait, what?”

“For one, you’re concerned about him a lot. You’re worried that he’ll be lonely without you and that you broke him even worse than he was before. Second, you fall asleep with him and you think it’s fine. While friends can do both of these things, it’s a little strange to see it in two people who have known each other for three days. Third, he kissed you and you liked it. Not only that, but you’re still worried about how he felt rather than yourself.”

“That’s just what I would do for my friends! Right…?”

“Would you find it weird if you fell asleep with Rainbow Dash?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “You have a point there.”

“Exactly. I think you love him.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Twilight asked. “I pushed him away last night! He probably won’t want to see me again… Not only that, he’s very small. Not that that’s a problem in itself, it’s just that… it would be weird, right? And need I get into the logistics of having a relationship over two different worlds? That would be like a long distance relationship but worse! The entire concept is illogical and irrational.” She sighed. “This is why I hate being an overthinker. I wish I could be comfortable acting on impulse like he does. Speaking of which, is that a bad thing? To act on impulse, I mean. It could end up tearing us apart if we can’t agree on a course of action.”

“I don’t think, if you got in a relationship, that would be too much of a problem,” Spike said. “Before he actually kissed you, he asked, didn’t he? He respected your decision there. Kind of. It was a very vague question, to be fair.”

“So what side are you on, Spike?” Twilight asked, frustration clear in her tone. “Do you think I should try to mend it or not?”

“I think you should talk to him,” Spike said. “Work out all the details, agree on something. I think you should give him a chance and ask him to give you a second chance. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out and that’s that. But first, you should have some food.”

“Fair enough,” Twilight groaned. She leaned forward onto the table again and started eating her food. “When do you think I should go? Tonight?”

“As soon as you can, I’d say,” Spike said, munching on a gem.

Twilight exhaled through her mouth. “I’ll go after I finish my waffles.”

Author's Note:

I feel the need to point out that this takes place a tiny bit after the previous chapter, but not a lot. That's... all I have to say, actually.