Rarity was knee-deep in bright neon fabric as she frantically sewed these fleece jackets and skintight vests.  Rarity knew that fashion usually cycled every 30 or so years, but she honestly hoped that the 80’s would never come back.  She nearly had a heart attack every time she thought about all the clothing she wore, the ridiculous mane styles she tried… it was a fashion disaster!  But everypony was willing to buy these clothes, so Rarity continued to make those horrid arm bands and hats.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door.  “Come in!” Rarity called out as she laced the thread.  She heard the door open and close, and footsteps coming up to her.  “Look, if you’re here for your vest, then it isn’t ready.”

“Oh, well I’m not here for a vest, but if you have one I’m sure it would be fantastic!”

Rarity heard the voice and was relieved that it was Spike.  “I’m so sorry about that, Spike.  I’m just really swamped with orders and my boutique is just a horrid mess.”  Spike looked around and nodded in agreement.  Rarity must have been so busy for the last few days because there was so many scrap fabric and boxes lying on the floor that he couldn’t see the ground anymore; just a neon sea.  “Actually, it’s a wonderful happenstance that you’re here, I would love some assistance.  Can you spare a few moments?”

‘Of course I can!  That’s why I came here!  Well, that and because I love you.’ Spike thought, even though his words were a little different; “Well, I guess I can help.  What do you need help with?”

Rarity turned around.  “Well, first we need to— OH MY GOSH SPIKE, WHAT IS THAT?”

“What’s what?”

“Did you… draw that?”

Spike turned around and looked at himself in the mirror—fake mustache and all.  It reminded him of the time that Twilight had learned her 25th spell, only this wasn’t a REAL mustache.  “Twilight…”  Spike knew that it had to have been her.  He had no idea how, but Twilight did it.  He would get her back later.  He looked in the mirror again.  It wasn’t that bad.

“Spike, I know you’re excited to grow up, but I don’t think this is the way to go!”  The two of them laughed for a long tie together.  It was times like these, when Spike saw Rarity so happy, that he felt butterflies in his stomach and wanted nothing more than to tell her how he really felt.  But fear always just barely stopped him.

The next few hours were filled with rarity finishing up her orders as Spike gathered all the pieces of fabric thrown onto the ground and burning the pieces that Rarity could no longer use.  He took the bigger scraps and organized them by color into different bins.  Spike used to hate doing this, but as he grew up with Twilight (the pony who once made him take out all the books in the library, wipe the shelves, and place all the books back exactly as they were) he could do these kind of tasks quickly.  

Spike looked up to see what had caused Rarity so much time and work.  They were neon bright vests, jackets, and hats.  To Spike, they looked like a mismatched set of oddly colored quilts draped over the pony mannequins, but since these were Rarity’s doing, and since she knew more about fashion than anypony he knew, they must be what was in style.  “Wow Rarity, those look… colorful!”

Rarity chuckled.  “Go ahead Spike; tell me what you really think about them!”

“No, honest!  I would definitely like one!”

“Really?  And you would wear it?”

“Well… yeah…”  Spike tried, but he didn’t know what to say about these very crazy pieces of clothing.

Rarity smiled.  “Thank you Spike for caring about my feelings about fashion, but even I have times when I find some fashion styles these ponies follow that are not very fabulous in my opinion.  Now, tell me what you really think about these vests!”

Spike looked at the vests.  He looked as long as he could.  “Honestly, the brightness kinda hurts my eyes.”

“Good, then I’m not the only one!  Honestly, I thought this fashion would be done away with in the eighties… I guess I was wrong.”

“Did you wear these kinds of clothes back then Rarity?”

“WHAT?  No, of course I didn’t Spike, I would never follow a style like this, no matter how popular it was back then!”

“Then why did you just flip over that picture over there?”  Spike knew she was trying to distract him, but he noticed her horn light up a picture frame on Rarity’s work table and turn it around.  She was hiding it.  “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing!  Just get back to work, please Spike?”

“If it’s nothing, then can I see it?”

“No, you can’t.  Please Spike, for me?”  She batted her eyes at Spike, trying to make him forget what they were talking about.  If he had been any younger, he would have fallen for it; but he had lived here for seven years, and was somewhat used to Rarity’s flirtatious ways.  Spike ran for the table and grabbed the picture frame before Rarity could levitate it any higher.

What Spike saw was, in his mind, one of the greatest sights he had ever laid eyes on.  It was Rarity, wearing a vest not unlike the ones she was working on.  Judging from the background in the picture, it was taken sometime when she was in high school.  Spike thought she looked cute, but what she was wearing nearly made him fall to the ground in laughter.  She was wearing an unnecessarily large amount of bracelets and necklaces, all different colors, and higher up on her legs were bright neon purple arm sleeves.  And her hair… she had abandoned her naturally beautiful curly hair and turned it into an enormous beehive.  She looked ridiculous, and Spike could tell Rarity thought so too by the way her face turned a deep shade of red as she walked over to him.

“In my defense, it was popular back then.  Please don’t tell anyone.”

Spike looked up at Rarity.  “Why are you so embarrassed?  I mean, it is a little strange at first, but you can pull it off!  You look really great, even in this picture!”

Rarity’s blush grew darker.  “My, Spike, you really are the charmer.  Thank you.”  Spike readied himself for what he thought was the perfect kissing moment.  “Now, GIVE ME THE PICTURE!”  

“Okay.”  ‘Dang, shot down again.’

The next few hours continued along as the two finished up the work.  Spike was exhausted, and Rarity was almost growing tired of sewing, but they were nearly done.  Spike noticed that it helped when Rarity sang as the two worked.  In all the years that Spike knew the unicorn, he never grew tired of hearing her lovely soprano voice, like a chorus of angels, ring through the shop.  This was just one more thing that Spike loved about Rarity.

“Spike, it’s nearly sundown!  You better go back home, you have helped me so much today!  Thank you!”  Rarity walked over to Spike and gave him a big hug.  Was it Spike’s imagination, or were the hugs slowly getting longer and longer every day?  He felt lost in her embrace.  Again, the butterflies came back and he wanted nothing more than to tell Rarity what she meant to him, and to ask if she felt the same way about him.  But once again fear stopped him as the words began to roll off his tongue.  Instead of words coming out, Spike could only grunt a few syllables.

“Spike, are you okay darling?”

“Oh, I’m fine…just need a little bit of water.”

“Okay, let me get that for you really quick!”

As soon as Rarity left the room, Spike started to silently yell at himself; “C’mon, Spike!  Why is it so hard for you to tell her this?  You’ve waited seven years, you know you love her, just say it?  What’s the worst thing that could happen?  I mean, besides her rejecting me… or telling everypony about my crush, and all of them start laughing at me…or if Twilight still doesn’t approve of us…”

Rarity came back into the room with a glass of water.  “Here you go Spike, I hope that this helps!”

“Thank you!” Spike took the glass and chugged the contents in one gulp.  There was a small moment of silence between the two.  ‘Spike, it’s now or never!’

“Rarity?”

“Yes Spike?”

“…see you later!”  And Spike rushed out the door without a hug or a goodbye from the love of his life.  Spike walked back to the library with a spirit of defeat.  He had the perfect opportunity, but fear got the better of him.  

Spike entered the library to the sound of pans clicking and hooves running rampant in the kitchen.  ‘Twilight, what is going on?”

“Oh, Spike!  Thank goodness you are here!”  Twilight sounded out of breath,and there was food splattered all over her face and mane.  “I need help preparing the food for tomorrow!”

‘Okay, another normal day for Twi’s number one assistant!’

“Sure thing Twi, what do you need?”