Twilight sighed, feeling the sea breeze caress her body and shake her mane. She was standing on top on a cliff and contemplating a heavenly view of a clear sea that reflected the moon and the stars like it was a giant disco globe.

The breeze was blowing a cold wind that made Twilight lean on her husband’s body, who soon put her under his arm.

“What are you thinking?” He asked.

“About how fortunate I am to have you as my husband and we can enjoy a moment like this” She answered, rubbing her body against the scales of his neck.

“And to think that not even 6 months ago, I wouldn’t have imagined even in a million years we would come to this”

“It’s my fault. I was so busy trying to find my 'special pony' that I never stopped to consider maybe I didn’t have to go look for them anywhere, because they had always had been by my side”

“It must have been you never realized the love of your life would be a dragon and not a pony. I don’t blame you for that” He responded comprehensive while moving his head to rub his face against hers, in one of those displays of pony affection.

“Thank you, Spike” She said, getting lost in her husband’s eyes.

“We should come back to the hotel. It’s getting cold”

“I can think of a way to warm us” Spike replied with a mischievous smile.

“I like how that sounds” Answered Twilight while blinking sensually.

They began to kiss with a growing passion. Spike grabbed Twilight by her shoulders and pushed her against the ground, positioning above her. Twilight never minded if Spike took the lead. He was firm and strong, but also gentle and caring, always worried the experience was as pleasant to her as to him. It was one of the many things that drove her crazy.

“We really should come back to the hotel” Said Twilight difficulty between their kisses.

“Aren’t you interested in experimenting outdoors?” He answered, separating their mouths to form a mischievous grin.

“Mmmm? And what experiment do you think about?”

“One called… THE BREAKFAST!” Yelled Spike in a tone that shattered all the sensuality of the situation.

“What?”

“Twilight, the breakfast is ready!”

“What? Who?” Asked Twilight, confused when she noticed Spike’s voice was heard as if there was a wall between them.

She blinked several times until her vision blurred completely, remaining a black emptiness. Moments later, her vision returned and she found herself in her bedroom.

“Twilight, did you hear me? It’s time to wake up” Said Spike while entering Twilight’s bedroom and he found her on her bed while she was looking at the ceiling with exorbitant eyes.

“Twi, are you ok?”

“Huh? Yeh… Yes, I am. It’s just… Never mind. I’m soon coming down” She answered, not turning to see him.

Spike nodded and let the unicorn alone.

“A dream… Nothing but a dream” Lamented Twilight while hugging her pillow.

“But… A dream that will soon come true!” She said with determination.

She jumped from her bed and went to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, combed her mane as best as she could, in addition to her fur.

“Should I makeup a little? No. I never use makeup. If I now do, Spike will notice there’s something wrong and maybe it will make me look desperate”

When she thought she had groomed enough, she mentally prepared herself mentally for what was going to happen. She knew Spike could possibly not love her back and that scared her a lot. Not losing wasn’t an option. She had to show him how much she loved him and how happy they could be together. She had to prove him she didn’t see him as her little dragon assistant, but the mature, smart and noble dragon he had become and she had fallen in love with.

“Well… Here we go”

“Good morning, my sleeping beauty. Look at who just came back” Said Spike while pointing to the bar table, where stood Peewee.

“Hey, you little friend! You had us worried”

Next to her, on the table, Twilight found a bowl with cooked pumpkins covered with butter and cheese, accompanied by cucumber and pineapple juice. The same Spike was using to accompany the gems he was devouring one by one.

Twilight was waiting anxiously for the time of his confession. She stayed on her chair, waiting for Spike to finish with the dishes.

“Ready. Do you have any activities for today, Twilight?”

“Well… Not exactly, though there is something I want to talk to you about”

“Really? About what?” he asked innocently.

“Well…” Twilight felt the nervousness and anxiety take over her when she realized the time had come for the great confession that could change her future and her assistant’s. She inhaled deeply.

“Spike, you yourself said we’ve always been together. Since the day you were born, there hasn’t been a day I didn’t thought of you. Together we have lived everything and have shared everything. From wonderful and unforgettable moments, to near-death experiences” Twilight was sure her cheeks were getting colored red when she saw how the dragon and the phoenix were looking at her attentively.

“You’ve been always there when I needed you. When I was alone, you were there to keep me company. When I was sad, you were there to cheer me. When I gave up, you gave me strength to go on. Without truly realizing I got more dependent on you than you ever on me… My point is that… I don’t know…”

“Twilight, have you finished?” Spike abruptly interrupted her.

“What?” Twilight asked confused as if her brain was a train that had just derailed.

“It’s getting late and last night I promised Applejack I’d help her today with an order about collecting a lot of apples for Tuesday to one of her best customers in Trotenhein. And as her workers don’t work on Sundays, she asked me to help her harvest and advance the request, or else tomorrow they’ll be killing each other to have time to complete the order”

“Applejack? I mean… You and Applejack together?” Asked Twilight.

“Well yes, right? That’s what teamwork is all about. I’m sure Applebloom and Big Machintosh will be there too” He said, not noticing his companion’s look.

“Whatever. What did you want to tell me?”

Twilight remained silent. Her head was showing her the memories of the last night when Spike and Applejack were dancing while smiling and enjoying each other’s company. Consequently, the feelings that vision had awakened in her started to return.

“Twilight, are you there?”

“Huh? Ye… yes, it’s nothing” She excused herself, coming back to reality.

“Well… Then I think I’m leaving. I’ll see you later” He said while going to the door, only to feel a strong grip hold his tail, stopping his progress.

“No” Twilight said firmly.

“No? Why not, Twi?” The dragon asked confused when he noticed the force that had stopped him was Twilight’s telekinesis.

“Because…” Twilight hadn’t prepared herself for something like this, and the jealousy going around in her head certainly did not help either.

“Because we have some work to do”

“Really? What work?”

“We have to… get ready for a special session of astronomical research tonight!”

“Then what’s the problem? I’ll be back in time for that. We aren’t going to harvest all the apples today. Applejack only said we would harvest only a few so they wouldn’t be so busy tomorrow” Spike answered relaxed.

Twilight felt a stab of panic when she saw their chances of keeping the dragon at home were running out, as well as another stab of jealousy when she heard him speak his friend’s name.

“You’re right! What a fool I am. But it wasn’t actually that. I wanted us to go to Ponyville Lake to… make a census of the new population of toads!” She said nervously.

“But… The toads won’t reproduce until the next two months, Twi. Besides you hate toads… And in any case isn’t it Fluttershy’s task?”

“Well yes, but I wanted to try to make new researches. I didn’t remember the mating season of the toads wasn’t until the next two months, heheh”

“Well, then… I now remember. I wanted to reorganize the library” She said more like a proposal than as an assertion.

“You mean how we did it last weekend” Said a Spike who was starting to piss off.

Twilight was drowning in her nerves. She didn’t know what to invent. Spike walked up to her while frowning and seeing her accusingly.

“Twilight, are you trying to invent excuses so I can’t go to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“N… No, of course not!” She protested.

Peewee had cornered himself when he felt the tension that had been formed in the air.

“Well, I’m sorry, but that’s what it seems to me”

“Well it’s not. We actually had a lot of work to do, but I don’t remember what it was” She said, turning around to not face him.

“And why not? What’s the problem?” He said, this time kind of annoyed when he saw how she was avoiding him.

“There’s no problem but a lazy dragon who doesn’t let me concentrate, because he’s more interested in going to have fun with his cowgirl friend instead of helping his lifelong companion” She cruelly shouted.

“Very well, IT’S OVER! I don’t know what’s happening to you this morning, but keep Applejack out of this. And exactly who are you calling lazy?” Said Spike, very furiously.

Twilight felt as if all her fighting spirit had been drained when she saw she had crossed the line.

“The dragon who has broken his back for all his life by working for you and just for you! I have the right to do whatever I want, even if it’s Sunday. Just so you know I’m not going there to play, but work”

“I…I…”

Twilight was retreating before Spike’s advance, with a face that was increasingly getting disfigured because of the shame and sadness, but the dragon didn’t notice it.

“And for your information, the ‘cowgirl’ at least never forgets to give me some shows of gratitude! From compliments to gifts. With you instead, I’m supposed to consider myself lucky if you thank me. And you know what else? I don’t have to listen to you if you don’t even appreciate what I do for you anyway. I’m going to Sweet Apple Acres, you like it or not.

Spike turned around, slamming the door behind him. Twilight said nothing; she didn’t even try to stop him by any means. She felt an intense pain in her heart and felt all her strength migrate from her body. She collapsed on the ground and buried her face in her front legs while weeping uncontrollably.

After a moment she felt something stroking her neck. When she looked up, her vision blurred by her tears, she saw Peewee looking at her with concern. Twilight tightly hugged the phoenix, who didn’t resist, though he let out a moan of pain because of that strong grip.

“Oh Peewee! It could not have gone worse! Now he hates me!” She kept crying.

When Spike arrived at the farm, he had an angry expression and smoke coming from his nostrils for some reason. The apple family decided it was best not to ask.

Spike was hitting the apple trees with a single fist, making them shake and drop all their apples. He made the apples fall down, Applebloom and Applejack collected them and Big Mac carried them with the wheelbarrow back to the farm where they would package them then.

Why did she act that way?

“Ehh… Spike?”

Why didn’t she want me to go here and why was she inventing all those excuses?

“Spike, you should stop, buddy”

Why did she call me lazy? She has never talked to me like that!

“Spike, enough!” Shouted Applejack, finally pulling the dragon from his trance.

“What, who, how? Why?” He asked while looking at his friend.

Firstly because you’re working too fast. Look around. You’re bucking apples much faster than we can pick them up. And secondly because we’re not supposed to do all the work, we’re just furthering a bit, remember? At this pace, you won’t leave anything tomorrow for my employees.

“What are you talking about?” Asked Spike.

“Spike, it’s going to be 13:00 o'clock” Applejack corrected “And you’ve already harvested half of the apple trees by yourself. Did Twilight give you double chocolate ration this morning or what?”

“No, that’s not what happened” He answered with embers coming from his mouth.

Applejack then knew something wrong had happened that morning.

“Applebloom, finish to collect the apples now, will you?!”

“Why do I have to do this by myself? What are you and Spike going to do?” Complained the filly.

Applebloom was now almost as tall as her sister. And just like her, she had an athletic body, polished by her daily hard work. She had finally gotten her cutiemark, which to no one’s surprise, it was a red apple, but it was heart-shaped.

“I have to talk with Spike about something important. In return I’ll do all your work tomorrow, except wash the dishes”

“Ok!”

Applejack turned around and told Spike to follow her to a more secluded place in the garden where they could talk alone.

“What is that so important thing we’re going to talk about?”

“You tell me. What exactly happened this morning before you came here?”

Spike turned his head to prevent Applejack from seeing him.

“Don’t tell me it’s nothing. You rarely, if not never, are in a bad mood. Something wrong has happened”

“Don’t get offended, but it’s none of your business” He responded defensively.

Spike felt how Applejack covered his left hand with one of her hooves.

“It's my business because you and Twilight are part of my best friends and if something is wrong, I want to know how I can help you. Please Spike, tell me what happened” She said softly with a sincere smile.

Spike smiled and sighed with resignation.

“You’re bad at telling lies, but very good at people telling you their secrets, Applejack. Did you know that? Ok, Twilight and I… We have had an argument this morning”

“About what?” She asked confused. Applejack couldn’t remember the last time the dragon and the sorceress had an argument.

“I don’t know. We were having breakfast and when I told her I would come here to help you, things got strange. She started to invent we had a lot of tasks to do like she didn’t want me to come here”

“Why would Twilight want you not to come to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“I don’t know. I asked her why she was making up excuses and… she called me lazy and you a ‘cowgirl’ in a derogatory tone. So I shouted at her and I left”

Applejack was perplexed. Twilight was the kind of pony who never, EVER used derogatory terminology. What could have made her say something like that, especially to Spike?

“Did that come out of the blue? Do you have any idea why she got like that?”

“No, I don’t. Though now that I think about it… Twilight has been acting weirdly lately” Said Spike confused.

“What do you mean?”

"Well… Lately she strives more so that we spend more time together, most of the time asking me to help her or simply stay with her to take notes when she makes an experiment or research."

“Anything else?”

“When we’re eating… Especially when we’re having dinner, Twilight always remains silent and avoids looking at me. But the weirdest thing is she turns to see me when I I'm not watching, but when I look at her, she turns away”

Applejack was listening to him while carefully constructing the puzzle of the situation.

“Any other thing? How exactly was her reaction this morning when you told her you would come to the farm?”

“Actually… She seemed more bothered by the fact I was going to be with you and not with her than by anything else. Can you think of any explanation?”

Applejack kept reasoning for a moment until a smile appeared on her face. She put her hoof on Spike’s shoulder with a wave of emotional support.

“Spike, you and Twilight have been together for all your lives and it’s obvious she has always loved you. And in the last years you’ve changed a lot. You’ve become bigger, stronger, independent, and though I’m the one to tell you, very handsome” She said emphasizing the last part while poking him with her elbow and winking.

“Though to me and the girls, you’ll always be our little Spikey Wikey” She said while putting a loving tone in the last part and rubbing Spike’s forehead like a baby’s.

“What does that have to do with all of this?” He asked while taking away her hoof on his forehead.

“I think in the recent months, Twilight has changed her way to see you and instead of seeing you as her little assistant, she now sees and loves you a different way as she’d always done”

“I don’t think I follow, Applejack”

“Well, there are things that never change” Applejack sighed, still recognizing the old and little Spike speaking.

“I’m saying that maybe… Maybe… The love Twi has always had for you has now become… ANOTHER kind of love” She said while moving her leg so could connect the cables.

Spike processed the conversation a moment before his eyes widened enough to scare Applejack.

“Do you mean she may have fallen for me?” He said while smiling from ear to ear.

“Well yes. I think so” She said nervously. Why so happy?

“M… M… Me? W… Well it’s… You see, I…”

Applejack raised an eyebrow to see how Spike had turned redder than her cutiemark and more nervous than a sheep before being shaved.

“Spike… Are you…?”

They looked at each other for what seemed an eternity, as if they tried to read each other’s minds.

“It’s… It’s a long story” He knew he couldn’t lie to Applejack. He was a better liar than her, but he would never lie to one of her best friends.

“APPLEJACK, SPIKE! Come and eat, lunch is ready!” Applebloom shouted from afar.

“Right away we go!” The cowgirl said while shaking her leg.

She looked at her dragon friend, who was playing nervously with his hands with an expression that was showing more emotions than he could count.

“Would you like to tell me something about that story of yours after lunch, sugar cube?”

“Ok” He answered.

Twilight was walking crestfallen without paying attention where she was going. She had no particular direction. She only wanted to walk as if that let her escape her sorrow. She was looking at the ground with her eyes half open, irritated for crying so much.

She knew Spike wouldn’t come back to eat, so after eating something at the nearest restaurant she had gone for a walk errantly through the village, not wanting to go home, for if she met the dragon again, she would have no idea what to tell him.

“It’s all my fault. How did I let this happen?” She lamented.

In her dreams she had prepared more than 4 ways to handle the situation, either Spike reciprocated her feelings or not, but she had never prepared for something like this. A situation when her jealousy would take over her and it would cause a terrible misunderstanding between them.

“But the worst thing isn’t you’ve ruined your confession, but you now have less reasons than ever to complete it”

Their little great argument had revealed many things. Spike had made her know how insensitive, ungrateful and oppressive she was before his eyes.

“And he’s right! How could I be so stupid?! Why would Spike… Why would any thinking being in the Earth love the one who enslaves them?!”

To this point, the neurotic part of her personality had taken full possession of her mind, not only dramatizing in the worst way possible the current situation, but also showing her many Twilight’s memories when Twilight appeared as the bad one.

“I… I’ve never done anything for him. Nothing really worthwhile. Year after year, I’d give him a useless book for his birthday. At least if you had given him some gems, he would have liked it, Twilight! When he used to be in love with Rarity, all I did was to take away his hope and stop his efforts. And yet you had the insolence to think you were trying to help him!”

She kept walking while punishing herself and sinking in her misery.

“But Spike said… He said I was the most important pony in his life. He said I was his greatest treasure. Does that mean I still have a chance?... Ugh! Why does love have to be so complicated?” She yelled furiously while shaking her head many times, just to end up nail the horn on the tree.

Twilight put her hooves on the trunk of the tree to be able to free her trapped horn. After a while she finally managed to free herself, but the strength of her legs threw her back making her fall on her back and hitting her horn with a rock on the ground.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” Yelled Twilight, thrashing around while covering her horn with her hooves.

She stood up and saw the rock, kicking it with contempt toward the woods.

“Can this day get any worse?!” She yelled very angry.

Twilight took a moment to breathe. The sun was setting on the horizon, which was out of Twilight’s sight because of a big quantity of trees and vegetation around her.

“Wait… Where is this flora from?”

Twilight looked around and realized where she had ended up.

“I’m in the Everfree forest… I must have entered here without noticing it while I was walking errantly. What part am I in? I don’t remember this place”

She tried to focus her magic and teleport herself home, but she only got a strong and stabbing pain directly into her brain.

“I… I can’t use magic!” She shouted in panic.

“Calm down, Twi. You’ve been in this forest a thousand times. You don’t have magic, a big problem, but I only must orient myself a bit and I’ll get out of here before nightfall. Yes, there’s no reason to be afraid” She nervously said while walking in the same direction that, according to her, she had been taking when she arrived there.

But she suddenly heard noises in the bushes that were nearby and felt uncomfortably observed.

“On reflection…” She said while moving back slowly until she managed to see a couple of red eyes in the shadows.

Without hesitation she turned around and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. From the bushes came a manticore whose wings and scorpion tail had a black color and brown fur.

Twilight’s size allowed her to move easier in the flora, but she had no idea where she was running and her legs and lungs weren’t used to so much physical activity and could not long endure the persecution.

“Come on, work! Teleportation, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, anything! But do something, stupid horn!”

Twilight suddenly stumbled onto the ground rolling several times before stopping in front of her predator. A few feet away, an intense green pillar of fire appeared forming a wall between the two creatures. A purple figure jumped where some moments ago the fire had been, with their claws extended and the spines of her back erected.

“Touch one of her hairs and I swear I’ll kill you!” Growled Spike.

The manticore also growled and ran towards Spike. Spike tried to burn the monster, but it dodged the fireball and reached Spike with a resounding blow that sent him flying several meters.

“SPIKE!” Shouted Twilight when she saw helplessly what was happening.

Spike got up just in time to stop with his claw the manticore's paw, followed by the other. Spike may have gotten very strong, but he wasn’t at his opponent’s level. But he had something his enemy didn’t: knowledge of martial arts.

He let the manticore win the strength competition and when it lost its balance, Spike pulled it with all his strength against a tree. Before it could get up, Spike threw more fire into his enemy. The manticore thrashed around for a moment, but managed to charge against Spike, knocking him down. It tried to catch his whole head in its mouth, but Spike stopped it with both of his claws. But before he could throw more fire in the mouth of his enemy, its stinger made its way through its mane and dug it into Spike's left shoulder.

Spike screamed in pain, releasing the monster's jaw, which nailed its teeth on his other shoulder.

Twilight was seeing the manticore shake Spike as if it wanted to rip his arm before throwing him like a piece of rotten meat. Twilight was horrified with cascades of tears in her eyes. She had to do something or ultimately her love story would end before starting. She looked for objects such as rocks and branches and began desperately to throw them against the manticore.

“Stay away from him, you horrible monster!”

Annoyed, the manticore pounced on its original dam. Twilight barely managed to dodge its paw with a jump, but it had managed to cut off the tip of her tail.

Twilight stared at the predator, ready to dodge another attack. But then Spike jumped on the back of the monster and took its stinger with his claws and nailed it right on his enemy’s neck. The manticore couldn’t even scream. It shuddered for a moment while its eyes were getting painted red and a green liquid escaped its ears and eyes. Finally the beast collapsed on the ground, stiff and dead.

“I said I’d kill you if you dared to touch her” Whispered Spike.

“Spike” Shouted Twilight while running towards her savior and overflowing with tears of relief.

“Thank Celestia you’re ok! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Forgive me! Please forgive me for being so insensitive, selfish and stupid! If I hadn’t been so rude this morning, this would have never happened” She begged while crying.

The dragon hugged her.

“Twilight, don’t cry. That was only a misunderstanding. That happens to everyone. I’m fine, really”

“How can you say that? It’s not strawberry jam what flows from the wounds on your cheek and your shoulder, Spike!”

“But I am ok, Twilight. It doesn’t hurt at all… In fact… I feel nothing at all” he said while realizing something was indeed wrong.

He looked at his hands before his face, not being able to feel they were there. He started to feel his strength disappear and a big dream and disorientation fill everything.

“Spike?”

Spike slowly let himself fall to the ground, feeling progressively more distant from this world.

“Spike, Spike, you have to stay awake! We have to go to a hospital!” Twilight shouted while trying to make the dragon get up.

“Twi… Light” Spike muttered weakly.

“Spike, please, you have to resist” She begged.

“Twi… I…” He couldn’t finish as he closed his eyes.

“No… No! SPIKE! Wake up, please! Please, don’t do this to me, Spike! Stay with me!”

But Spike wouldn’t wake up and what was worse, was his body was losing its body heat and his breathing was becoming longer.

“Spike, I beg you! Don’t do this to me! You promised it! You promised we would always be together! You promised you would never leave me alone!” Twilight was tearing up as if there was no tomorrow.

Her assistant, her guardian and her great love was dying in front of her and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

“No, it can’t end like this. I won’t let it end like this!” She yelled with determination.

She gathered every fiber of her body's energy and concentrated it on her dejected horn.

“Please, please work!”

Finally her body shone and a moment later, a purple magical sphere enveloped them, disappearing from the forest.

Author's Notes:

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, but I have bad news for you. This week and the next one I have to study as if my life depends on it.