"Very impressive, darling!"

Twilight Sparkle smiled at Rarity's approval. The two had been meeting once a week for the last month or so to exchange spells, and Rarity always seemed to be impressed with her spells, even when they weren't particularly astounding. Her approval this time was directed at a spell Twilight had come up with to make words appear on paper. It really wasn't much; just a simple color-changing spell, except much more focused. Still, Rarity seemed impressed.

"Thanks, Rarity," Twilight said. "It's really simple to do, you just have to..." She stopped as she noticed more words appearing on the paper. The purple unicorn looked up to see Rarity smiling as she mimicked the spell exactly. Twilight laughed. Rarity was quite the quick learner. Before Twilight could say another word, the white unicorn's eyes motioned back down to the paper. Twilight's eyes followed hers, and she watched in wonder as the words began to leap off of the paper and dance.

"That's amazing!" Twilight mused, watching the words sashay and pirouette across the paper. Rarity smiled at her. Twilight was so talented when it came to magic (it was her special talent, after all), and it was a thrill to see her react so positively to a silly little spell like that one. No matter what new spell she showed her friend in these meetings, she always gave her a glowing reaction, something which Rarity really appreciated.

"Ooh!" Twilight suddenly exclaimed. "I just remembered a spell that I really need to show you. You're gonna love this one!" Twilight was nearly dancing at the thought of Rarity's reaction to the spell she wanted to show her.

"Oh?" Rarity said, her interest piqued. "And what's that?" She hadn't seen Twilight this excited since her first slumber party.

"This is right up your alley, Rarity," Twilight said, almost overflowing with excitement. "It's a spell that makes your coat glitter and shine!"

"Darling, that sounds simply marvelous!" Rarity said, her expression echoing Twilight's. "Do show it to me, please!"

"One glittering pelt, coming up!" Twilight said happily. Her horn glowed a deep purple as she pointed it at her friend. She rehearsed the procedure in her head; first, she'd focus her energy slowly from the base of the horn to the tip. She'd envision the shining in her head, something she usually accomplished by thinking of the words "heart of gold." This part probably wasn't necessary, but it was the first shining thing she thought of the first time she pulled the spell off, and she could sometimes be a bit superstitious when making sure her spells worked the same way every time. Twilight focused hard on the idea of a heart of gold, and felt the energy slowly channel up her horn. Just as she had solidified the mental image, the door burst open.

"Twilight!" Spike called in. Twilight was startled as she saw Spike gasp at the sight of Rarity. She had forgotten to warn him that she would be here, a warning which was always necessary due to his tremendous crush on the white unicorn. Suddenly, she felt her horn expel the magic energy that had built up inside it. Before she could stop it, the magic shot out, striking Rarity square in the chest.

"RARITY!" Twilight shrieked as her friend was knocked backwards into the wall.

"Uh..." Spike stammered, "...I'll get back to you OK bye!!" The baby dragon bolted, the door slamming behind him, as Twilight tended to Rarity.

"Oh, Rarity, I'm so sorry!" Twilight said, helping the white unicorn to a standing position. "I had the spell all set, and then Spike came in and distracted me, and I lost control...I'm so sorry!"

Rarity said nothing. She blinked a few times, but was motionless otherwise. Twilight looked closely at her friend, trying to inspect for any signs of lasting damages. After a good inspection, she deduced that nothing was wrong with her. She seemed a bit dazed, but other than that, she appeared to be OK. However, she figured she should ask, just to make sure.

"Rarity, are you OK?" Twilight asked in a hushed tone. Rarity turned slowly to look at Twilight. As her eyes focused on the purple unicorn, her expression changed from one of stunned confusion to more of a contented, albeit foggy, calm. As she looked at Twilight, her features softened into a wide smile.

"Darling, I've never felt better," Rarity said dreamily. Twilight gave her a befuddled look.

"Erm...are you sure?" Twilight asked. "You hit that wall kinda hard, and I don't know what that spell did..."

"My dear, I'm more than just OK," Rarity answered, staring straight into Twilight's eyes. "How could I be anything but spectacular as long as you're around?"

"What do you..." Twilight started to say. Then she got a better look at the situation. The dreamy, dazed speech, the unbreaking eye contact, that last comment...

"....Oh no," Twilight said upon realizing what was going on. "Nononononono..." Rarity moved closer, putting a single hoof up to Twilight's mouth.

"No need to speak, my dear," Rarity said, shifting even closer. "Love is its own language; words are unnecessary." Twilight let out a squeak that would have made Fluttershy proud.

"Rarity, you don't know what you're saying," the purple unicorn said, backing away from her over-amorous friend. "That spell I cast must have been a love spell, and it's the magic talking..." Twilight soon felt the wall behind her, and realized she was cornered.

"I know exactly what I'm saying," Rarity said confidently. "I love you, Twilight Sparkle."

Before Twilight could react, she felt Rarity's lips press against hers. She tried her best to pull away, but she couldn't back up, and when she tried to move to either side, the white unicorn matched her every movement. She hoped for something to come along and interrupt, and was immensely grateful to hear the door swing open again.

"Twilight!" Spike shouted from the doorway. "Is Rarity..." He froze in place at the sight of the two mares kissing. Rarity, realizing that there was a new presence in the room, pulled away from a grateful Twilight.

"Oh my...hello Spike," Rarity said to the shocked baby dragon. She then turned back to Twilight, smiling and starting to blush. "...I do apologize, Sparkle Kitten. That was not very ladylike of me. Rest assured, I will wait for your permission next time." This time it was Twilight who was speechless. She touched a single hoof to her mouth, still unbelieving of what just happened. After a moment of awkward silence, she finally spoke.

"Rarity..." Twilight said flatly, "I think it might be best if you wait upstairs while I try to work out a counterspell for this."

"But Sparkle Kitten, I simply can't survive when I'm not around you!" Rarity moaned.

"Rarity, please!" Twilight said. She noticed that she might have said it a bit loud, as Rarity looked hurt. She sighed. "For me?" she followed up, appealing to the fabricated feeling of love that Rarity had for her. The white unicorn looked at her for a second, then managed a weak smile.

"Oh, you know I can't resist those eyes," Rarity admitted. "But please do hurry up, my love." With that, she trotted up the stairs, slid a still-paralyzed Spike out of the way, and made her exit.

"Hoo boy...what a mess..." Twilight sighed, as she floated numerous books on magic over to her. As she started to open the first one, she was distracted by a presence directly next to her.

"Twilight!" the baby dragon exclaimed. "I can't believe you! You KNEW I had a crush on Rarity!"

"Spike, stop it!" Twilight responded. "She's under the influence of a love spell, nothing more."

"You cast a love spell on her?!" Spike cried. "How could you?"

"I didn't MEAN to cast a love spell on her!" Twilight shouted. "I had a different spell in mind, when SOMEONE burst in and distracted me!"

"Oh yeah? And who was that?" Spike asked petulantly. A glare from Twilight spurred his memory, and he lowered his head in shame.

"So now I have to try and figure out where I was in the spell when you interrupted me," Twilight said, turning to her book. "And then I just have to reverse-engineer the spell and work out a counterspell, so I need you to go upstairs and keep Rarity occupied so I have no distractions. OK?" Spike kicked at the ground.

"Oh, great," Spike said. "I finally get to spend some alone time with Rarity, and here she is all head over hooves over you!"

"Upstairs, Spike!" Twilight said sternly. Spike began to head upstairs, then turned back just as he reached the door.

"If you can't figure out a counterspell, am I allowed to watch?" the dragon asked.

"SPIKE!" Twilight bellowed. Spike practically flew out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

It had been about an hour and a half, and Twilight was very disappointed with herself that she hadn't figured out a counterspell yet. She had finally pinpointed the moment where the spell had gone awry, but couldn't figure out exactly what had happened to alter the spell like she unintentionally had. Try as she might, she couldn't figure that last bit out, and that was integral to the reverse-engineering of the spell. She had to admit, though, that her mind wasn't totally into it. She didn't know why, but every time she tried to really concentrate on it, her mind shot back to her kiss with Rarity. She wasn't quite sure why this was the case, but regardless, it kept happening, and it really bugged her. Luckily, Spike seemed to be doing a good job of keeping Rarity occupied, because neither of them had come downstairs to distract her further.

"Twilight!" Spike shouted, as if on cue. Twilight rolled her eyes as the baby dragon bounded down the steps towards her.

"What is it, Spike?" she asked, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Twilight, you have to let Rarity come down here," he said, looking upset. "I was doing a fine job of distracting her at first, but then we started talking about you, and she got more and more upset that she couldn't see you, and now she's crying and I can't stand seeing her cry! Please, let her come see you!"

"But Spike," Twilight started, "If I let her come down, she'll..."

"Twilight, listen to me!" Spike shouted, surprising Twilight with his sudden anger. "You cast this spell on Rarity, you put her in this situation, and it's YOUR responsibility to take care of her until you can fix it! Now, you let that poor crying pony down here right now!" Twilight was absolutely aghast at this outburst, but as much as she wanted to get angry at Spike for talking to her like that, she couldn't, because she knew that he was right. She sighed a heavy sigh.

"Alright, let her come down," Twilight said. Spike smiled, then turned around and motioned through the doorway. Twilight watched as Rarity slowly trotted down the stairs. Her reddened eyes and running makeup only increased Twilight's guilt.

"Thank you, Sparkle Kitten," Rarity said, nuzzling Twilight's neck while holding back tears. "I missed you so much..." Twilight smiled a little bit; something about that pet name that Rarity had come up with for her just made her smile. Still, she pulled away from Rarity before she could get too touchy-feely.

"I'm sorry for making you wait upstairs, Rarity," Twilight said, "But I need to figure out this counterspell, and if you're being all...THAT..." She emphasized this last word in reference to Rarity nuzzling her again. Rarity nodded solemnly.

"I understand, my love," the white unicorn said. "I'll try not to be a nuisance...but might I make one request?"

"What is it?" Twilight asked, trying not to be too short with her.

"Might I at least sit next to you?" Rarity asked. Twilight rolled her eyes and was about to say no, when she looked at her friend and noticed the desperation in her eyes.

"Well...alright," Twilight sighed. Rarity's frown instantly became a smile, and she situated herself right up against Twilight. Twilight nearly protested her close proximity, but remembered Spike's points and decided to let it be. The more she thought of it, the more she realized that it wasn't really so bad. It was a somewhat cold evening, and Rarity being so close did provide some warmth. After a few minutes, she barely paid the situation any mind, even when Rarity rested her head on her neck. In fact, Twilight was surprised with herself when she realized that she actually liked how that felt, so much so that she felt a little upset when Rarity raised her head off of her. Still, she continued to read through her spell books, her studies unfazed by Rarity's actions...until she heard a sniffle from her direction. The purple unicorn finally pulled herself away from her books for a moment and looked over at her friend. She could see the beginnings of tears welling up in her eyes once more.

"What's wrong now, Rarity?" Twilight asked. She was a bit bothered at being pulled away from her work, but her tone was a bit more concerned this time.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Sparkle Kitten," Rarity said, taking a deep breath to keep the sobs back. "It's just...I wish you would pay me a bit more attention..." She prodded at Twilight with one hoof as she said this. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Rarity, I'm very busy trying to figure out a counterspell..." Twilight said. When she saw that her words only made the white unicorn more miserable, she changed her tone. "What did you have in mind?" she asked, a little worried about what the answer might be. Rarity pondered this question for a moment.

"A kiss?" she asked.

"Rarity..." Twilight began, but she was interrupted.

"One kiss is all I ask," Rarity continued, "And then I promise that I will be on my best behavior for the duration of your research." Twilight tried to think of a reason to rebuke her, but she was excited by the thought of being able to finish her research in peace. Still, she wasn't quite sure about it.

"Please, Sparkle Kitten?" Rarity begged. That did it for Twilight. She couldn't explain it, but Rarity's use of that pet name just seemed to have some sort of soothing effect on her.

"ONE kiss," Twilight said. Rarity nodded, smiling widely. Twilight sighed, then shifted her position a bit, turning her head towards her eager friend, who did the same. She closed her eyes and leaned forward until she felt Rarity's lips against hers. The kiss lasted a bit longer than she'd expected, but she figured that if Rarity were to be placated by one kiss, it made sense that she'd want a fairly long one for her mind to dwell on. Her justification for this was so good that even she was convinced by it, so much so that when Rarity pulled away from the kiss, she found herself...almost disappointed.

"Thank you, Sparkle Kitten," Rarity said, a dreamy look in her eyes. "That was wonderful. I promise I shall no longer be a nuisance." The elegant unicorn settled herself down, resting her body up against Twilight's once more.

Twilight went back to her studies, but quickly found that she could not get a single thing done. The distraction that her thoughts of the first kiss had provided earlier were nothing compared to what was going on in her head now. Every single time she tried to look at her books, the thought of this latest kiss stopped her. The purple unicorn was incredibly confused by this. She knew she had only agreed to the kiss for Rarity's sake...but then why was SHE so hung up on it? Twilight looked over at Rarity to see if she was similarly distracted, but to no avail. Rarity simply rested, her head against Twilight's side, her eyes closed, a content smile spread across her face. A content...adorable smile. Twilight had never noticed how cute Rarity's smile was before now.

Twilight stopped herself. Was she really thinking like this? It was Rarity who was under the love spell, not her. And yet she couldn't take her gaze off of the white unicorn. Maybe the botched spell had a bit of a splash, and she was affected too? Twilight ran a quick magic scan over herself, searching for any residual effects, but she found none. Was she really having these feelings for Rarity?

Rarity's eyes fluttered open, and Twilight realized that she was still staring at her. Her mind raced, trying to think of an excuse.

"Uh...Rarity!" she stammered. "You said you wouldn't distract me anymore!" Rarity gave her a puzzled look.

"But I wasn't..." she began.

"Ugh, what is it going to take to make you stop distracting me like you were clearly doing just now?" Twilight continued. She never was a very convincing liar. "Would another kiss calm you down?" Twilight shocked herself with that one. Rarity looked at her as if she had just said the most perfect thing ever.

"Well, I don't understand how I was being distracting," Rarity said, "But if a kiss will remedy it, then I am ready for my punishment!" She giggled at the end of this sentence, something which Twilight found adorable. The two shared another kiss, this one even longer than the previous. Midway through the kiss, Twilight allowed herself to acknowledge it once and for all; she had fallen in love with Rarity.

It was getting late now. The two had relocated upstairs at Rarity's insistence, since she wished to go to sleep but did not want to be far from Twilight. While Twilight had acknowledged to herself that she had fallen in love with Rarity, she dared not speak a word of it to her. While her own feelings were genuine, Rarity's were created by a magic spell gone awry. Twilight had an obligation to find a counterspell and free her friend from the effects of the spell, even though it meant that she would have to concede her feelings for the elegant unicorn. Rarity always spoke of finding the right stallion; she simply wasn't the type to fool around with mares by her own accord. Twilight needed to figure out a counterspell for Rarity's sake, even if it wasn't particularly what she herself wanted. She had to embody the generosity that the white unicorn was chosen for.

Twilight gasped as she came to a sudden realization. She had found a passage in her latest book that described the exact spell she had unintentionally cast on Rarity. The lead-up matched what she had been doing in an attempt to make her coat glitter, the concentrated bolt that resulted was perfectly described...and listed directly under it was the counterspell! Twilight was overjoyed...and then crushed. While she wanted Rarity to be free from a spell she wanted no part of, she wasn't sure if she wanted to give up what they had just yet. Still, she knew that she had to do it, for the sake of her friend. Twilight approached Rarity's bed and gently nudged her awake.

"Rarity?" Twilight whispered. Rarity's eyes half-opened.

"What is it, Sparkle Kitten?" Rarity asked, a small smile crossing her face. Twilight's heart melted right then and there. Those seductive eyes, that darling smile, the adorable pet name...

"I just realized I didn't wish you a good night," Twilight said, completely abandoning her initial plan. "So...good night, Rarity. I promise you, I'll keep up the search for a counterspell tomorrow."

"I assure you I am in no rush for that, kitten," Rarity said, her tired face still managing to express a radiant joy. Twilight knew that those words were influenced by the spell rather than her real feelings, but she wished so much that they were real. She felt one of Rarity's hooves touch hers.

"Goodnight kiss?" Rarity asked. Twilight couldn't possibly say no to that face.

"Ugh...fine," Twilight said, pretending as hard as she could that it wasn't exactly what she wanted.

Twilight spent the next hour lying in her bed, unable to fall asleep. Try as she might, she found herself completely unable to get Rarity off of her mind. Part of it was coming to terms with her new-found feelings for her friend. She personally had no hangups about two mares finding love with each other, and she knew that none of her friends, not even Rarity, had problems with the idea of it either. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had been together for quite a while, and while Fluttershy and Applejack's relationship was still new, it was so intimate, an outsider would think that they had been together ever since they first met. Rarity was a different case. While it was clear that she was supportive of her friends' relationships, she never seemed like the type who would take well to another mare having feelings for her. Of course, it was completely possible that she was misjudging her; after all, none of them expected Fluttershy and Applejack to end up together.

The other part of her apprehension came from her own guilt at not having dispelled the love spell when she woke Rarity up earlier. She worried that she was being a bit too selfish in doing so. Spike (who had chosen to sleep elsewhere, still jealous over Rarity's affection for Twilight) had told her that it was her responsibility to take care of the ailing unicorn, and here she was, withholding the solution to her magical affliction for her own personal gain. The purple unicorn tried to justify it by thinking about how she was going to tell Rarity as soon as they woke up the next morning and how her still being under the spell caused no harm while the two of them were asleep, but she still found herself unable to shake the guilt. Twilight decided at that moment that she would get up, wake Rarity, cast the spell on her, and go back to bed guilt-free. She was about to get up, when she felt her mattress shift. Rarity's familiar scent filled her nostrils as the white unicorn crawled into her bed. She could hear Rarity's quiet giggle, and then felt her slide right up against her back.

"My apologies, Sparkle Kitten," she heard Rarity whisper, obviously to what she thought was a sleeping Twilight. "I couldn't stay away from you any longer." She felt Rarity's head resting on her neck, very carefully so as not to wake her. Twilight smiled. The counterspell could wait. Twilight loved the feeling of her friend pressing up against her, and decided that she would pretend to still be sleeping, and deal with it in the morning. She didn't have to pretend much longer, as she soon drifted into a happy slumber.

As Twilight's eyes slowly opened the next morning, she realized that she was once again alone in her bed. She looked up to notice that Rarity had relocated to the guest bed at some point. The white unicorn's eyes were focused on Twilight, unmoving.

"Good morning, Sparkle Kitten," Rarity chimed. "Has anyone ever told you how adorable you are when you're sleeping?" Twilight blushed. No one had ever told her that, and she appreciated it deeply. It hurt her that she could not express just how much that meant to her.

"Good morning, Rarity," Twilight answered. "Did you sleep well?"

"Oh, absolutely," Rarity told her. She then smiled a mischievous smile. "I never knew you were such a deep sleeper." Twilight was about to respond, but decided to keep her knowledge of Rarity's nighttime relocation a secret.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She knew she was a bad liar, but she hoped that it had worked.

"Oh, nothing," Rarity said. "Nothing at all." Twilight managed to hide her relief, but she knew that she couldn't keep up the charade much longer.

"Oh Rarity, you'll be happy to hear this!" Twilight said excitedly. "While I was sleeping, I had a dream, and I came up with the counterspell for my love spell yesterday! Isn't that great?" Twilight smiled, even though she didn't want this loveliness to end. Rarity, however, did not smile.

"But Sparkle Kitten..." Rarity said, tears coming to her eyes. "I don't want the counterspell...this is the happiest I've ever been..."

"You know that's just the spell talking," Twilight said, wishing it weren't true. "Now we have to get this counterspell over with. You and I both know we can't keep going on like this." Rarity lowered her head, a tear falling from her big blue eye. Twilight felt Spike's pain from the previous day; it crushed her to see Rarity cry. However, she had to stay strong for Rarity's sake.

"...I suppose you're right," Rarity said sadly. "I don't wish to be a burden upon you any longer." Twilight wanted so badly to console her, but she held her ground. The purple unicorn pointed her horn at her friend, and concentrated hard on casting the counterspell. The magical energy built up within her horn, until it erupted with a beam of purple energy. The energy struck Rarity in the chest, knocking her into a sitting position.

"Rarity, are you alright?" Twilight asked, running over to her. Rarity shook herself off and stood up, staring at her friend. Twilight saw the dazed look in her eyes, and became hopeful. Maybe being under the love spell had caused her, too, to discover some previously-latent feelings for Twilight, much as she had discovered for her?

"Oh, thank Celestia that's over!" Rarity exclaimed. Twilight's heart sank. She tried to smile for her friend's sake, but even then, her disappointment was fairly obvious

"Oh, darling, I didn't mean it like that!" Rarity quickly followed up. "I did very much enjoy spending time with you. Just...not the lovey-dovey stuff." Twilight managed a stronger smile, and nodded.

"Agreed," the purple unicorn said, even though she didn't.

"Well, I should really get back to my boutique now that everything's back to normal," Rarity said. "Thank you so much for...indulging me...in my time of need, Twilight. It was very generous of you to give of yourself like that." Rarity blushed a bit as she said this, obviously embarrassed at how she had acted, even though it wasn't by choice to act as such.

"Don't worry about it," Twilight answered. "Anything for a friend." The two shared a hug, and Rarity turned towards the door.

"Have a lovely day...Sparkle Kitten," Rarity said, giggling, as she left. Twilight felt goosebumps from hearing that name again. She felt a stab of disappointment upon realizing that it was likely the last time she would hear Rarity call her by that name. She knew that it would take all of her willpower to subdue the feelings she'd realized for the white unicorn, but figured it was for the best. Rarity's display of happiness at being released from the love spell made it quite clear that she did not feel the same way, and to pursue such a fruitless endeavor was pointless, and not worth risking their friendship over. Twilight managed a smile. At least she would always have the memories.

Rarity sighed as she made her way towards Carousel Boutique. She had come so close, and yet remained so far. She reflected on the past day's events with a mixture of joy and disappointment. She was so pleased with herself for figuring out the counter to Twilight's love spell on her own shortly after she'd first gone upstairs. She soon realized, though, that she had very much enjoyed the kiss that they'd shared. After being hung up on it for a good hour, she had decided to pretend to still be under the spell in order to get closer to Twilight. After all, if she still believed that Rarity was under the spell, there was no harm done. She had hoped that maybe the affection she showed the purple unicorn would make her yearn for her in the same way. At times, particularly when Twilight had initiated a kiss herself, she thought that maybe it had worked, but seeing Twilight's insistence on discovering and casting the counterspell, that clearly was not the case. Rarity decided not to let her friend know of her feelings, not wanting to ruffle any feathers. It hurt her that she had to keep it private, but at least she would always have her memories of the time spent with her Sparkle Kitten.