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Not Alone

"Twilight, are you up yet?" Spike asked knocking on the door to her room. When they had gotten back to the library, Twilight ran right to her room and locked herself inside. Spike had known Twilight long enough to know that meant she wanted to be alone. It also meant that she was hiding from something.

If he didn't get her out of there soon, she'd only get worse.

"I'm heading out to see Rarity, but I wanted to check on you first," Spike sighed and knocked again, "Please open up, Twilight. It's not good for you to lock others out. I'm worried about you."

After a second or two, the door clicked and opened slightly. Twilight cracked the door open a bit and stepped out slightly, still looking down.

"S-Spike..."

"What's wrong, Twilie," Spike asked using her nickname, "You've seemed upset since we got back last night. Did the nightmare scare you that much?"

Twilight, still not meeting Spike's eyes, shook her head. Spike tried to place a comforting hand on her cheek, but she stepped away. That wasn't a good sign. She was really troubled.

"Twili-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now..." she said softly, "Please, just go away..."

She was trembling, and Spike could tell she was about to cry. He wanted to press her, but he knew that would only push her further away. When she got like this, the only thing he could do was wait for her to come to him. Spike sighed again and put his claws up in surrender.

"Alright, I'll leave you alone. I'll be back later, okay? Maybe we can talk then."

Twilight shrugged her shoulders and closed to door as Spike turned to leave.

"....love you... Spike..." she said softly, just loud enough for Spike to hear. He smiled before turning to her.

"I love you too, Twilight," Spike said. He saw her smiling a bit as she closed the door. Feeling better, Spike left the library, confident that Twilight would eventually be okay. As he walked through town, he saw Rainbow Dash flying around. Didn't Twilight trust Rainbow Dash?

“Dash!” Spike called out. The pegasus flew down to him, and he was hit with a new awareness of magic and power.

Right, he thought, she's like Rarity now. An alicorn in a pegasus body. An Element of Harmony.

“What's up Spike?” Dash asked, “On your way to see your girlfriend?”

Spike rubbed the back of his head smiling, “Rarity and I aren't dating,” but he wouldn't mind.

“But you are going to see her, aren't you?” Dash asked in a slightly taunting manner.

“Y-yeah. Look, can I ask you a favor?”

“Shoot,” Dash said crossing her forelegs.

“Twilight seems to really like you, and you're the only other pony I've met besides my mom who knows how to talk to her.”

“It's not too hard,” Dash said flicking her mane to the side, “Except for her psychoses she's a regular pony, right?”

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that, Spike thought, “You'd be surprised how many ponies get that wrong. The point is, she's really upset after last night, and she won't talk to me.”

“What makes you think she'll talk to me then?” Dash asked.

“Last night, she reached out to you on her own. That means she trusts you. You don't have to go now, I wouldn't even recommend it. But think you could head over to the library in an hour or so and check on her?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Dash said honestly.

“Thanks Dash. She needs other ponies who she can count on,” Spike said running off to Rarity's. Now he knew that Twilight would be taken care of. If he heard correctly, she was the Element of Loyalty now. If there was any pony he would trust with Twilight, it was Rainbow Dash.

Actually, any of the Elements would be good for Twilight. Maybe Rarity would look out for her too.

He arrived in front of Carousel Boutique in a few minutes. For some reason his heart was racing. Was he worried that she was upset? She didn't seem upset when she asked him to come by. Maybe a little embarrassed, but not upset. He then thought back to what Rainbow Dash had said.

“Girlfriend, huh?” Spike asked right after ringing the doorbell. The only girl his age he had ever been close to was Twilight, and there was nothing sexual about their relationship. She didn't even see him in that way as far as he could tell.

Rarity seemed a little older, but not much. She wouldn't even be interested in him, would she? Well, she did seem to be really affectionate when they met, and she was clearly flirting with him. Being around women so much taught him that much.

“Hello?” a sweet voice asked, startling him out of his thoughts. He didn't even realize that the door had opened. He looked and saw a little unicorn filly that favored Rarity. He assumed this was Sweetie Belle.

“Hey there, are you Rarity's little sister?” Spike asked, the filly nodded.

“You're Spike, Rarity's friend, right?” Sweetie Belle asked, “She told me to let you in when you came by.”

“Thanks Sweetie Belle,” Spike said. Sweetie Belle smiled sweetly and moved aside, letting him walk in.

“Rarity, your friend is here!” Sweetie Belle called out.

“Thanks, Sweetie Belle! I'll be down in a minute!” Rarity called from upstairs. Spike sat down on the sofa, shocked when Sweetie Belle sat down on a chair close by and just stared at him.

“Can I help you?” Spike asked.

“Are you and my sister dating?” Sweetie Belle asked. Good God, was he that obvious?

“Um, I don't know,” Spike said honestly, “Why do you ask?”

“Because Rarity started smiling again,” Sweetie Belle said, “She stopped two months ago.”

Huh... I wonder, “Did anything happen right before then?”

“I don't really remember,” Sweetie Belle said, “But it was right after my school play.”

Just as Spike thought, “I see. Well, I can tell you this much, I like your sister a lot,” Spike said, “She's a lovely mare.”

Sweetie Belle beamed. Right before she could say anything, Rarity galloped daintily into the living room.

“Hello Spike,” Rarity said, “I hope I didn't keep you waiting long.”

Spike shook his head, “Your little sister kept me company, so I wasn't lonely.”

“Don't worry,” Sweetie Belle said, “I'm not interested in him.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow smiling, “That's good to know, I suppose.”

Whoa! Did she really just say that? Joking. She had to be joking. No way a mare like her would be interested in him.

“Spike, why don't we talk in my room?” Rarity requested, “That way we talk about certain “elements” of our relationship.”

“R-right,” Spike said, following Rarity as she trotted upstairs. Sweetie Belle stopped Rarity and pulled her down to speak into her ear.

“He's good,” she whispered, just loud enough for Spike to make out, “I think he's a keeper.”

“Well, we'll see in a bit,” Rarity whispered back to her. Spike was so confused right now. Was she just humoring Sweetie Belle? She seemed really sharp for a kid though, so she could have been serious. But there was no way...

They walked upstairs, and Spike was escorted to a room all the way at the end of the hall. Rarity ushered him inside the room, which was truly a sight to behold. She had a really large bed, the kind with curtains. The carpet was red, and the walls were white. The whole room had the vibe of a queen's bedroom.

He heard a click behind him. He turned around and saw Rarity standing in front of the door looking down. She had a very sad air about her, like she usually had.

This was the real Rarity.

“I'm sorry about my sister,” Rarity said, “She worries a lot about me. Funny, because all I do is worry about her.”

“You don't have to apologize,” Spike said shaking her head, “She's lovely, a lot like her older sister.”

Rarity laughed, but it was a sad laugh. She had that tragic look again, as if she would break down any moment.

“About last night...” Rarity started.

“I'm sorry if you're mad,” Spike said, “But if you came here to tell me to stay out of this, I can't. I'm not going to just sit by and do nothing after knowing about the nightmares.”

“I... figured...” Rarity said, “I didn't get much sleep last night, you know.”

“I imagine after fighting a nightmare you'd be too stressed to-”

“No, it wasn't that.” Rarity said shaking her head, “I've gotten used to that, sadly. I've been fighting for two months now, so even a labyrinth doesn't scare me.”

“Then what was it?” Spike asked. She was silent for a long, as if searching for the words.

“Ever since becoming an Element of Harmony, all I've ever done is sacrifice,” Rarity said, “I've given up my time, my happiness, and even my life. According to Applejack, since I'm the Element of Generosity, I have to sacrifice the most. For a while I resigned myself to that, always going after the things I truly wanted, since I didn't know how long I'd get to keep it.

“I'm not like Applejack. She's ready to just give up living, devote her life to the cause of stopping Nightmare Night, and she expects all of us to be the same, but tell me. Why should I stop enjoying life? Is it so bad that I want too?”

“I don't think so,” Spike said, shocking Rarity, “After all you've sacrificed, you should be happy. If there's something that you want, you should take it if you have the chance.”

Something in Rarity's eyes changed when he said that. Spike saw a fire, like a predator looking at her prey. She looked away quickly, but her breathing picked up.

“I don't know why I'm telling you this,” Rarity admitted, “No, that's a lie. I do know. You're the only person who can make me feel like this.”

“Like... what?”

Rarity bit her lip, a pained expression on her face, “Like a normal pony...” her tail began swishing back and forth, and she looked down in a way that made her mane cover her eyes, “When I revealed myself to you, I thought that it was my responsibility to protect you...”

“That's why you were so adamant in me not fighting,” Spike reasoned. Rarity nodded, still not turning to him.

“But then you surprised me... when you caught me... You, Spike, saved me...” she started trembling, and Spike saw tears stream from her eyes, “I haven't been able to get you out of my head since then. The way you held me in your arms, how your wings wrapped around me, and how close I was to dieing, but you... y-you caught m-me...” she started sobbing, “I know this is wrong... t-that I shouldn't even c-consider doing this, but...”

“Rarity... I-”

Before he could say anything, Rarity shifted into her alicorn state. Seeing her like this made Spike's heart race more than ever, but in an almost sad way. She was the epitome of beauty like this, but for some reason it was almost painful to see her like this.

“You asked me... to empower you so your fire could hurt the nightmares...” Rarity said, her voice even despite never turning to him, “I've decided... that I'm going to do it...”

“Y-you are?!” Spike asked, “Are you sure that's a good idea?”

“I don't care...” Rarity said, still trembling, “Because I... I...”

Spike walked over to Rarity, elegantly taking her foreleg in a comforting manner, “You don't have to do this. I'll find another way to-”

“I don't... want you to find... another way...” Rarity said through gritted teeth, “I want to be the way...”

“Huh?” Spike asked, eyes wide as the realization of what was happening hit him.

“I'll be honest, Spike,” Rarity said, “I'm attracted to you... and when you asked me to give you the power to fight... I almost said yes right there... because I didn't want to be alone anymore...”

“But you're not alone...” Spike said, “You have Applejack, and Fluttershy, and now-”

“NO!” Rarity screamed, “I am alone! Applejack hates me, Rainbow Dash is her friend, and I can't share my fears with Fluttershy! I have NO ONE!” she collapsed right there, falling to the floor and crying harder than Spike had ever seen a mare cry. He could feel it, her intense sadness, and it was too much for him to handle.

He had to save her.

Spike knelt down and took her hoof again, this time caressing it. Rarity stopped sobbing and met eyes with Spike, tears still streaming from her face.

“Then I'll be there for you,” Spike said, “If you feel alone, then I'll make sure you're never alone again. Empower my fire with your magic, and I swear that I'll fight alongside you.”

Rarity was blushing, and just looked into Spike's eyes. She was silent for the longest time, and then did something that threw Spike for a loop.

She pushed him to the floor and lied down on top of him.

“God forgive me...” Rarity said with a pained expression, “I can't hold myself back anymore.”

She pressed her lips against Spike's mouth. At first he was shocked, but soon he closed his eyes allowing himself to feel the bliss of being so close to this angel of a mare.

They parted and looked into each others eyes. Spike didn't know how far he could take this, but he knew how far he wanted to take it. He sat up, escorted Rarity over to her bed, and this time got on top of her, returning the favor of a few seconds ago ten fold.

Rarity opened her mouth giving him access, and their tongues met in a dance that was passionate and full of lust. While kissing, he allowed his claws to caress her flank, squeezing it and earning a moan of pleasure from the mare under him.

She wrapped her forelegs around him, and he broke the kiss, now kissing, licking, and sucking her neck. Once again she moaned in pleasure, her breathing becoming more erratic as she became more excited.

“Take me...” Rarity begged, “Make love... to me...”

That was the invitation he needed. As she opened her hind legs giving him access, Spike allowed his more carnal desires to take over. He hoped that Sweetie Belle was nowhere within range of the room. If so, she would hear things that no filly at age eight should ever hear.

Like Rarity's screams of pleasure as they both came ten minutes later.

Twilight stepped out of her room almost an hour after Spike left to do a little studying. Even if she was away from her teacher she had to stay on top of her magic. The princess told her that she was “continuing her studies” here, but she hadn't been given assignments since coming here. Maybe she should ask Spike to send a message to her.

Spike...

She was sort of mean to him earlier, asking him to go away. What if she hurt his feelings?

“This is why I don't have any friends...” she said closing her spell book. She hadn't been able to think straight since getting home from the labyrinth last night. It wasn't the nightmare that scared her so much, though it was part of it.

The reason she was so shaken up was Applejack, and the things she said. She was the chosen pony. What would happen to her when they found the other Element? Rainbow Dash was one now, right? When did that happen, and why?

Would she become an alicorn as well? Would she one day be expected to fight? Applejack had said that her tactics had saved their lives. Would she be expected to go into another labyrinth?

“No...” Twilight said shaking her head, “I don't want to fight... I want to go home...”

The library door opened, and Rainbow Dash slowly walked in looking around. She smiled when she saw Twilight and walked over to her.

“Just the mare I was looking for,” Dash said.

“Y-you were looking for me?” Twilight asked, “Why?”

“Well, I figured this would be a good time to just hang out. Since we're friends now, right?”

Friends... right. She and Dash were friends. She could trust Dash, especially since she was the Element of Loyalty.

“Um... I was going to practice magic...” Twilight said looking away. Sure, they were friends, but she wasn't sure she wanted to completely open up yet.

“You can do that anytime,” Dash said waving it off, “Come on. The sun is out, the spring air is warm, and you're about to commit the biggest crime in all of Equestria in wasting it.”

Something told Twilight that she lost this fight. There was something about Dash that screamed “listen to me or face the consequences”. Well, when she thought about it, she hadn't gotten much studying done, so maybe getting some fresh air would do her some good.

“Okay then...” Twilight said, “I'll go with you...”

“Sweet! I know this great place that sells the best hayburgers and fries! Let's go!”

She was so excited. Maybe she actually did want to be friends with her? That was weird though. No one ever wanted to be friends with her. She wasn't used to it, but she did like it.

* * * *

Dash was right. The hayburgers were divine. She was actually pretty refined, so she hadn't had food like this a lot in her youth, but now that she was here in Ponyville, she could relax a bit now.

She didn't think she could eat a hayburger with a knife and fork anyway.

“I take it you like it?” Dash asked.

“This is great!” Twilight said, “I wish Spike were here. He would love it.”

“Does he actually eat the same food as us?”

“Sometimes, but he prefers gemstones. Sadly they're hard to get outside of Canterlot though...”

“Well, I hear you can mine a lot of gems in the mountains south of town,” Dash explained, “I'll show ya later on. Now that I'm a super hero, I can totally protect you.”

There was that arrogance. Still, there was something endearing about her. That did bring up a question though.

“Um, what's it feel like?” Twilight asked slowly, “You know, having the magic of harmony?”

Rainbow Dash looked surprised by the question, but she closed her eyes in thought, “What's it feel like, huh? It feels... empowering.”

“Empowering?”

“Yeah,” Dash leaned over the table resting on her forelegs, “I feel stronger now, like I can fly even higher and faster than before. It's weird, because I can actually tell this isn't what I really am, but I can shed this form at anytime.”

“So, you aren't a pegasus anymore?” Twilight asked, feeling a little sad for some reason.

“Nope, now I'm an alicorn. I'm just taking the form of a pegasus to not scare anyone here,” she must have sensed Twilight's sadness, because she waved it off, “But hey, there's nothing to worry about. I haven't lost anything as far as I can tell. This just makes me even more awesome.”

Twilight smiled a bit, but she still couldn't help but feel bad for Rainbow Dash. Something had changed, but she couldn't tell what it was. It felt like she had lost something though.

“So, what do you plan on doing?” Dash asked, shocking Twilight.

“Um, what do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“Applejack told me that you fit the description,” Dash continued, “You know, of the chosen pony?”

“Oh...” Twilight said looking down, “I figured she'd tell you. I think Rarity and Fluttershy also think it's me. I don't know what to do, Dash. I'm scared. I'm not like you, or any of the others. I can't fight the nightmares.”

“You don't have to fight them,” Dash said, “Now you have me. Like I said, I'll look out for you anytime Spike isn't here. If that means I'm tied to the hip to you, then okay.”

“You don't mind?” Twilight asked, “I can be difficult, you know.”

“Ahh, it's fine,” Rainbow Dash said waving it off, “Don't worry about it.”

They stayed and talked for a little while longer, just getting to know each other better. Turned out, they both loved psychology, science fiction, and their favorite fantasy novels were the Daring Do series. They actually had a lot more in common than Twilight initially thought.

Both mares were laughing as they walked out of the fast food restaurant. Their laughter died a bit when they saw the mare waiting for them.

“Howdy Twilight,” Applejack said softly, “Can we talk fer a bit?”

Twilight didn't even need to know what Applejack was here for, she knew. It was written all over her face. She was here to ask Twilight something she was sure she'd say no to.

She wanted Twilight to be their strategist...