And thus the story ends. I cannot begin to thank you enough for the tremendous effort you have put into making this wonderful story a reality. I enjoyed every word of it. Thank you, and a thousand congratulations for finishing it.

Well, though I felt the Spilight was the weakest relationship throughout, the lust to the Sparity's love as it were, in the end that's the one that happened. Can't win them all I suppose. Still a good story if the ending disappointed me a little.

2623872
It was a bit of a battle between intimacy and passion.

Personally, intimacy resonates with me more, and the passion came later.

2623874
...yes.
I expect to get a lot of comments like this. Nature of the beast, I presume. That's okay though.

2623877

That's my point though, I never really felt any intimacy in the Spilight, just Twilight's terror at the thought of being alone. Frankly, I thought that was the point of chapter 6, to emphasize that their emotions were just lust as opposed to love, clearly I was wrong. Its a failure on my part, nothing more.

2623897
Really? I found plenty of intimacy between Spike and Twilight. Most of it took place in the early chapters, though, and might be worth a re-read.

Whoa, was not expecting that to be the result! Did he suddenly forget Luna's advice, or did he chose not to listen to it?

I wonder if there will be more to this story in the future.

2623927

Yeah, that was the plot, I understand that, its in the description of the story. What i mean is I never saw any real intimacy beyond the concept of the Spilight being there to teach Spike how to act around girls. It was a play relationship, and I never saw it as actual intimacy, or any actual feelings on Twilight's part beyond fear of being alone. Like I said though, clearly that was wrong.

2623939
I think it was more a matter of finally experiencing what it's like to have someone, to not be alone anymore, rather than simply not wanting to be alone. It was something Twilight had never felt before, and when she finally did, she latched on to it, especially because it was someone she was very close with already. So no, I do not believe it was a simple matter of being "afraid" of being alone, but rather the sensation of not being alone anymore. A powerful feeling that I can relate to personally from my first relationship.

2623956

And I interpret it just the opposite, what you described I would see as the very definition of afraid of being alone, and in my experience nothing kills relationships, romantic or friendly, faster than letting the rush of having someone override your good sense.

It is clear we simply have different views on this matter. Mine was simply the wrong interpretation of the story, that's all there is to it.

2623968
Fair enough, we can agree to disagree. If everypony viewed things the exact same way all the time, the world would be a dull place indeed.

2624042
It would sound a bit odd to me, considering buck is also a word for kicking things with your horse legs.

My rationalization for man was that Rarity calls herself a Lady all the time. I know Lady isn't as species specific, but it seems like the term that goes with it in a pair.

2624068
It shouldn't be.
I imported it from GDocs for once, though, so it MIGHT have fucked up the formatting a teensy bit.

Guh. Stab me in the heart, why don't you.

Really glad you saw this one to the end, sir. Gotta admit again, I really did start reading this for the Sparity, but goddamn if you didn't turn it into one hell of a TwiSpike fic instead. And while there were some rough and muddy spots in the middle, you really came through with the last few chapters and knocked it out of the park. A thousand kudos, and congratulations on the finished fic. I'll be looking forward to your next project.

--CG

(PS: I've got the next bit of my own story rough-drafted out, so shoot me a PM if you are interested in continuing to pre-read and we can properly trade contact info this time. XD)

2624090

Thanks man; that really means a lot to me. I had this story in my head from the very beginning... I know a lot of you are going to be less than perfectly excited, but...

Well, let's just say there may be A Night in Prance somewhere in the future for all of you "why can't they just ALL be together," fans. Spike is a dragon of his word, after all...

2624098
heh
I'm glad you liked it. I had hoped the ending wouldn't come off as too corny or whatever.

ONE of the best Spilight stories EVER created, Gods, this was a read, a very, very serious read.....now I know why Spilight is and shall always be my favorite, thank you so much for reminding me why, you are one of the best author's I have had the privilege to get to know, I'm am truly honored Much as I'm not a fan of Rarity I honestly feel bad for her...that's a first.

You should know I'll be awaiting to see what you have in store for future stories and I got your back if you ever need any ideas or advice, people may not know it....but you are a legend

2624119
All be together you say? I do so love me some group-shipping, too!

2624125

Somewhere in the future! Perhaps!

But it's an interesting idea.

2624123
I like Spilight too.
I actually like Sparity more, but the concept of friends-to-lovers in a situation like this plucked my heartstrings in the right ways. I can only hope it did the same for everyone else as well. I'd still like to write a proper Sparity story some day.

2624123 Agreed.

You have just made my day. Being a little spilight here, I was overjoyed at the ending and I see sparity fans being heartbroken, can't cater to all I suppose. Anyway, my sincerest congrats to the talented author for writing this extraordinary story!

I don't normally keep stories on my favourite list after they're completed, but I think this time I'll make an exception.

2624252 Wha... excuse me but, what's the point of having a favorites list if you only use it for incomplete stuff? Sorry it's just... reading that agitated and confused me thoroughly...

2624352

Tracking, duh. I never understood why Knight combined the tracking/favourites list.

2624390 So you just read something once and are done with it forever? Do you even like?

2624352 I assume it's like in my case, I only keep ongoing stories favorited to track their updates. Once they're complete, there's no point in keeping them in the list. I don't usually reread stories. Edit: Dang, I was beat to my answer. Oh well.

On the story itself, I'm on the side of the disappointed people, to me the sudden change to not loving Rarity and instead loving Twilight was way too abrupt. Maybe I didn't pick up on various clues or whatever, but I felt that with Twi it was always some spur of the moment lust thing, and Rarity he did genuinely love. So I'm pretty disappointed with the ending. I don't like the Twi+Spike pairing at all, and Sparity I actually like. Being Spike's crush/love interest is pretty much a part of the character of Rarity for me, so yeah. It was a good story with a slightly awkward setup, but still enjoyable to read until everything did what I felt was a complete 180. It pretty much was "cheated on his love, liked it, abandoned his love immidiately" for me. I dare say, I'm even slightly angry at Twilight for this.

2624352 Because if you fave it, it'll send you e-mails telling you it updated.

2624449 I knew the whole email thing... I'd check this site before my email, just assumed everyone does. Thought I'd clarify.

2624466 Nooope.

Wow! This made me tear at the end!!

I do feel kinda bad for Rarity, but at least everypony's all up on at least civil terms...Spilight won the day! I'm proud that Spike dragon-ed up and admitted to sleeping with Twilight and essentially cheating on Rarity, but as the story unfolded, we could tell that Twilight has longer, deeper, more profound feelings for Spike, whereas Rarity seemed to just recently see Spike as more than just a friend. Love ultimately conquers lust about every time, with few exceptions. Essentially it looks both Rarity came to the party too late in the race to overtake Twilight for Spike's heart. This is what happened by delay--you lose out on something you may have really wanted.

I guess in a way or TL/DR, one could say that it is a little bittersweet for me. Yes Twilight gets Spike as her boyfriend which is great for her, Spike finally listened to his heart as opposed to his penis and finally saw the truth about Rarity and Twilight, great for him. But boy, poor Rarity. She poured her entire heart out to the drake, finally gives him the chance he's always wanted, only for her heart to shatter into a million shards. I just hope that the three of them remain friends at least, and Rarity is able to get her a new "Spike"--as it were--in Canterlot. I just know that's gonna be a while, though.

2624417

Yes I like, and no, I do reread stories. I just don't keep them on my favourites list.

2624384
2624421

Actually, I never ever had Spike say that he was in love with Rarity. Even though his longing for her was great, one of the things I wanted to explore in this fic was the dichotomy between what one thinks they want and what they actually do.
In fact, they only had one date under their belt! Granted, it was written to be a passionate and emotional date, but still a lot to presume that he's fallen in love with her. It was certainly enough to make the choice difficult... but...

Perhaps it would have been a slower fall if Twilight pushed him away. As people, we tend to only really know we want things when they're gone.

...perhaps this story could have used another 10k words or so, but I am glad to know that it is done, and I am proud of it as it is (despite the things I would change, looking back on it).

2624477
Thanks!

It is a bit sad, but (as much as it hurts to think about) heartbreak is as much a part of life as breathing is. Rarity's strong. She'll move on. That's why I even added the train to Canterlot; to show she's capable of doing so.

2624493

Well, anyways, I really appreciate the support! Thank you man.
I am planning on continuing writing, by the by. In fact I've got another project in the works as we speak; it's a collab with a friend of mine, and I'm personally really excited about it!

2624510

That's good to hear. Any hint on what it entails?

2624521
I'd love to give you an idea of it, but I don't want to do so without the permission of the other author in question.

2624528

That's fair enough. I eagerly await, regardless.

2624507 I pretty much thought that his crush developed into a full-on love towards Rarity before the story even took place, and I didnt't even feel like I needed a confirmation from the story. See, I agree with you about intimacy being more important than passion, it's just that I got the complete opposite feeling from what you were trying to convey: I thought that Spike was really in love with Rarity, and Twi first pretty much seduced him and then guilt-tripped him. When he said that he loved Twilight to Rarity, I was screaming in my head "No, what the fuck are you talking about you fool? You just pity her, and feel bad about it, and you have enjoyed cheating on Rarity you sonuvabitch, but don't give in and abandon your actual love!". Probably because I really didn't get that he had any romantic feelings towards Twilight. I guess it's (at least partly) my fault for coming into the story with the wrong assumptions, but they weren't really challenged through it's course, until the last two chapters where the story just said "Nope! You were wrong, asshole"

Still, it's a good story since it inspires thought and discussion like this, and I really enjoyed it before, but these chapters and the ending just kinda ruined it for me. Sorry

2624547
Aw. I'm sorry. I intended for the whole "Twilight is his mentor but actually is discovering her feelings for him and vice versa" to BE that challenge to Rarity. If that didn't resonate with you at all, between the fireplace and the hilltop, then I simply have not done a good enough job.

Thank you so much for your comments though! It's stuff like this that really teaches me what to focus on next time.

2624547
These were my thoughts on the matter as well. I knew it was a contest between passion and intimacy, I just thought that Sparity was the intimacy and Spilight the passion.

Beautiful story...and I almost cried at the end.

2624570 Both those moments felt more like "spur of the moment guilty passion" and less like something real and with a future. I wouldn't hurry to assume that you did a bad job, I think it has more to do with different people perceiving all these romantic setups and situations differently. After all, some moments were really powerful. That one time when Twilight pretended that "it was all a dream" really, and I mean REALLY got to me. Where things went after that I don't care so much about, sure, but that was a great moment. But yeah, I was honestly expecting that Spike wouldn't let this sudden development deter him from his big dream. Sure, the fact that Twi really did have feelings for him was a complication, but I expected either some sort of crazy threesome relationship (which, let's be honest, would not be realistic in the slightest and in retrospect I'm glad that it didn't happen, this story is more serious than that) or Twilight "getting over it" and realizing that she was just confused and mistook some sort of infatuation/crush on Spike as love. Sure, you might say that Spike's feelings towards Rarity were even less real, but I guess to me the idea that he loves her is too deep-seated and just something I go into any sort of story involving them with. In any case, I do still think I would enjoy the story more if it ended this way, even if it would end up being pretty pointless by the end: Twilight's feelings towards Spike are revealed, she gets over them, nothing's changed, the end.
Huh. I think I just argued myself into thinking that the story did end the best way it could for a story, but yes, if I disregard the integrity of the story and all that stuff, and take the situation purely as is out of any context of being a complete work of fiction, I'd prefer if it was resolved the way I said. If that makes any sense

2624600 Yep, exactly. The fact that I'm not alone in this perception of the story makes me feel a bit better, even if I really don't want to push the fault for me not enjoying the ending from my shoulders to the author's too much. I guess it's safe to admit that while the story is good as it is, it could've been handled even better to slowly prepare people like you and me for the ending somehow. Dunno how, I'm not a writer

2624651

I know that feeling. Truthfulky I thought it was so obvious the Spilight was just hormones on their part that I didn't think there was the slightest possible chance it could end with them together. Shows what I know.

2624639

I have this other point to make, but I don't think you'd like it that much if you haven't already picked up on it. Rarity's dates were all sort of superficial. Grandiose in Canterlot. Token romanticism. Big sweeping displays of showboatyness that a Rarity relationship is sort of expected of.

Which isn't to say they didn't MATTER or they weren't REAL, but that's what I was counting on to push the "Over the top passion." Not necessarily the lust itself (which was present in both iterations of romance) but the types of encounters themselves.

Twilights, conversely, are all down-home and spur of the moment. Simple homey things like hanging out and cutesy thoughtful things like doing something special for your special somepony. I was really relying on this down-home approach to push the intimate scenes.

I don't expect you're happy to hear this (because honestly it sounds a little contrived) but those are the methods I chose to push my theme. Don't get me wrong: I love Sparity. A lot. I just didn't feel it was as tonally concise with the story that I wanted to tell.

Thanks for your comments, again.

2624670

See my post here: 2624673

I would actually blame me. I picked things that I thought were compelling to push my themes, but not everyone is going to pick up on things so subtle and there are people out there who would really love the grandiose and token romantic.

What a great story, absolutely enjoyed it. Great job!

2624534
Collab partner here. Although Idylia and I have a pretty good outline thus far and we have actually put a half-decent amount of words on paper, I still consider the story to be in the planning phase, and as such, I don't think it'd be a good idea to share the details of it just yet.

What I can say for sure, though, is that it will be a romance between two unlikely ponies surrounded by hardship, who find a light in each other, but that light can be a world away even when they are close enough to touch it.

Stay tuned. I have a feeling this will be a beautiful story many of you will come to enjoy.

2624707
2624534

It's going to be sad. I know THAT much. But HOW sad is still up in the air, yes.

2624686

Honestly, the difference in the 'dates' never even crossed my mind, simply because Rarity an Twilight are two very different ponies. All I paid attention to were the feelings present in each scenario, and as we've covered, I was incorrect. The fault lies mostly with me, but I never felt the Spilight was based on anything real. Its not your fault, just a faulty interpretation on my end.

2624710
We'll have to see how much I'll manage to corrupt everypony's dear Idylia. Sad stories is what I do best.

Perfect.

That´s not the only word I have to describe this whole story I so longingly waited for its end to appear, but the most fitting.
Everything is and was just perfect.

The romance.
The depicturation of everything.
The comprehensibility of the character´s feelings and reactions.
The whole mind game from its beginning till the very end.
The tension, which never ceased but slowly and steadily grew.
The fact that there was no way to predict an ending in the slightest. All the time you would ask yourself, if things will be fine in the end, which one would Spike choose, how would the rejected one react?
And finally the fact that I have tears welling up in my eyes.

So yeah:

Simply perfect!

2624673 Yeah, maybe those methods did have the opposite effect on me. The dates felt like an expression of achieving Spike's dream, Rarity and him going out for real, just like he wanted - a proper date with everything a good date should be, like Rarity deserved. The fact that Twilight's moments are so spur of the moment made exactly the wrong impression on me: it all felt like something that they shouldn't be doing, something wrong and a display of weakness on both their parts. Maybe it's because that it was established at the time that Spike was going to go for Rarity (I think the picture of Spike and Rarity that your story uses may have also helped trick me into believing that) and what they did with Twilight never registered as anything that I should be looking at as something substantial, a true developing relationship. I guess I can see things from your point of view, and I do think that a relationship like the one you describe with Twilight is a lot better and more attractive to me than the one you describe with Rarity, I myself am not much for dates and such things, but I just honestly didn't see things like that when I was reading. Hopefully you can also see things from my point of view as I tried to describe and explain it, don't know what use it would be to you but I'd honestly be happy if I knew that you understood why I came to my conclusions and not the ones you intended.

2624731
I definitely can; I really appreciate you sharing your point of view with me, actually, because the more perspectives I have the more I can understand how to appeal to a wider range of people in the future. I really do think your perspective will help me moving forward, and I can definitely see where you're coming from. I, too, am at fault for not considering YOUR point of view. Heh.

2624713
Well, then, I must at least apologize for having you fooled for so long. It was not my intention to lead you to read something you were going dissatisfied with, so for that I truly am sorry. It is, in a way, the nature of the beast though.

2624725
Wow. Awesome. I am so glad that my story really hit you where I meant it to. I'm really ecstatic to hear you enjoyed it so much! I really did want the drama of everything to build into one wonderfully heavy peak, so I'm glad that the way that I did it really plucked your heartstrings. Thanks for the encouraging words.