"I could not care less about Fleur. Or any other mare except you, for that matter."

Spike didn't know why he had chosen tonight of all nights to go for an evening stroll in the park, but he was obviously not the only one to enjoy this warm summer night by the lakeside. The voice he'd overheard belonged to a stallion, upper-class Canterlot by the sound of him. It was naggingly familiar, but where ...?

"Really? Fancy, I don't know what to say."

That voice, on the other hand, Spike would have recognized anywhere. What is she doing here?

"In all the time since that party, I simply could not get you out of my mind. I just had to see you again."

The path Spike was following went around a large tree just then, and they came into view - Rarity and a white unicorn stallion with three crowns for a cutie mark. Now Spike recognized him. Fancy Pants. I met him once at Hoity Toity's.

"Fancy, I ..." Rarity seemed lost for words. "Don't you think this is awfully sudden?"

"Sudden?" Fancy laughed, a sound that seemed to drive an icicle through Spike's heart. "Rarity, it has been six months. By what definition does this qualify as 'sudden'?" He looked at Rarity with an expression on his face that Spike recognized all too well. I look like that when I see her.

Worse than that familiar expression, though, was the look on Rarity's face. Her eyes were sparkling, she was blushing slightly, she was fighting - and failing - to suppress a smile of pure happiness.

She bowed her head slightly. "And what would the most eligible bachelor in Canterlot see in a humble dressmaker like me?"

"Oh please, don't sell yourself short like that. You are anything but a 'humble dressmaker', my dear." Fancy smiled. "You are the mare of my dreams, and I believe it's time to make those dreams a reality."

Fancy Pants lowered his head and took a step towards Rarity. Everything inside Spike was screaming at him to run away, to close his eyes, to not torment himself with the inevitable conclusion to this scene, but his body refused to obey him. The dragon watched in horror as Fancy and Rarity kissed, enveloped in a beam of moonlight that had picked this particular moment to shine down on the newly-minted couple. They broke the kiss, looked at one another and turned to leave, down the path away from Spike's position.

Spike felt as though somepony had replaced his insides with ice cubes, yet at the same time, he felt a burning sensation deep in his stomach. He wanted to cry, to scream, but nothing came. He was beyond tears and beyond rage, lost in the darkness of despair.

He sat down at the lakeside and just stared into the distance.

***

Spike only returned to his senses when he noticed the eastern sky turning blue. A thought cut through the shadows inside his mind.

Twilight! She's probably worried sick by now.

Spike made his way back to the library as fast as he could. As he approached the door, panting slightly his steps slowed. He had never before been away without telling her.

The dragon breathed in deeply. Nothing to be done about it, I guess. Here goes nothing.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside. The next thing he knew, a purple blur shot towards him and crushed him in a hug. "Spike! Oh thank Celestia, you're alright!"

"Mmf ... can't ... breathe ... " Spike was struggling to get the words out.

"Oh, heh. Sorry," Twilight said as she released him and stepped back. "Where have you been, young dragon?" Her stern facial expression reminded him uncannily of Princess Celestia.

Spike swallowed. "I was in the park."

"The park? At night, by yourself? Are you crazy?" Twilight was really gearing up now. "Why? What possessed you to do something like that?"

Spike felt the memories of last night flooding back, and he suddenly felt another rush of dizziness. He swallowed hard and then decided to take the plunge. If anypony understands, it'll be her.

"I was out for a nighttime stroll, and I ..." He swallowed again. "I saw Rarity and her coltfriend."

"Her what?" The astonishment on Twilight's face might have been funny at another time. "Why don't I even know she has a coltfriend?"

"It only just happened last night." Spike lowered his head. "I saw them kissing, and ... I don't know, I just sat there for hours. Sorry."

"Oh, Spike." The pity in Twilight's voice was almost worse than the anger had been. "I'm so sorry. Can I do anything?"

"Could I have today off? I really need some time to myself," he said.

"Of course." While the look on her face told him that they'd talk more later, for now, she was giving him his space.

"Thanks." Spike walked up the stairs to his basket and fell into an uneasy sleep.

***

Over the next few days, he practically worked on autopilot. He did his chores, though he really wasn't up to his usual standards. Twilight noticed, he was sure, but she kept quiet.

One bright Sunday morning, two weeks after the incident at the park, Spike was sitting in the kitchen chewing on a large ruby. Twilight had gone out for the girls' weekly meeting, so Spike had the library to himself. As he sat there chewing, his thoughts going from Twilight to her friends, and from there to Rarity, he suddenly realized that he could think her name without feeling tears well up.

It's still bad, but I think I can live with it.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. Weird. Twilight must have forgotten to put up the sign.

Spike made his way to the door, calling out as he went. "Sorry, we're closed at the moment."

"Uh ... alright then, I'll be back later!" a voice rang out. Spike blinked in confusion. Apple Bloom? What is she doing here?

"Erm ... hold on a moment." Spike opened the door. Apple Bloom, turned away from the door, looked back in surprise - and something else, something Spike couldn't quite place.

"Oh ... hi, Spike!" She smiled brightly.

"Hi. Not to sound rude or anything, but why are you here?" Spike asked.

Apple Bloom pulled a book from one of her saddlebags. "To return this."

"Ah - okay?" This actually served to deepen Spike's confusion. He couldn't remember Apple Bloom taking out a book. He looked at the cover.

'Farming Stories of Ancient Equestria'? He looked back at Apple Bloom. "You didn't take this out, did you?"

"Nope. Applejack did. She wanted to get Granny Smith to check if any of these stories were true." Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "You know Applejack, she's not one for reading. But if it might help the farm, anything's worth a shot."

"Did it work?" To his surprise, Spike found himself actually interested. "Did they find anything?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard them laughing a lot when they were reading it. Must have been mighty funny," Apple Bloom said.

"Well, in that case, it probably wasn't that useful," Spike said while he re-shelved the book next to the door. "So why are you bringing it back and not Applejack?"

Strangely, that made the filly blush slightly. "Applejack's busy at the moment, and I was on my way to meet with the Crusaders anyway."

Spike didn't think of himself as the most sensitive of dragons, but there were some things he did notice. Apple Bloom had her head turned half away from him, was fidgeting with her front hooves and was avoiding his gaze. He took a closer look at her. She was still flushed, her face tinted slightly pink, and the look in her eyes as she noticed his scrutiny and turned away was naggingly familiar to the dragon. He racked his brains trying to remember where he had seen this kind of behaviour before, but he couldn't place it.

He smiled. "Well, then, have fun. And try not to set any houses or trees on fire again."

"Hey!" Apple Bloom cried out. "That was just the one time! And we planted three new trees for that one!"

The smile turned into a grin. "Happy crusading, Apple Bloom."

"Thanks!" She turned away and skipped - yes, skipped, almost like Pinkie Pie did - down the street.

Spike put up the 'Closed' sign, shut the door and turned to walk upstairs again.

Halfway up the stairs, it suddenly hit him. He hadn't seen behaviour like Apple Bloom's - he had behaved like that himself.

Whenever I was around Rarity.

Spike's brain still wasn't working at full power, so he took a few moments to realize what that meant. When he finally did, he almost stumbled. He clung to the railing, suddenly dizzy.

Can this be true?

Now that he was aware of it, he saw several signs that should have told him ages ago. Apple Bloom was always inexplicably quiet when he was around, nothing at all like her usual self. Yet over the last few weeks, she had started to come up with excuses to have Spike around. Like that one time, when they were trying for Cutie Mark Crusader Acupuncturists. He shuddered at the memory - playing pincushion for Rarity had been one thing, but these three...

He made his way up the stairs with some difficulty and collapsed into his basket. His mind was racing. A thousand thoughts battled each other for supremacy, and one won out in the end.

How do I feel about this? How should I feel about this?

The pain was still there, but it was no longer alone. It felt like a flame had been lit in his heart, defiantly holding out against the shadows.

Life goes on. A broken heart heals. He had said that to himself many times over the last two weeks, but for the first time, he felt the truth behind those words.

He was smiling as he drifted to sleep.