Diminutive flames had replaced the incandescent glow of electric lighting. The light now danced and crawled about as the softest of gusts stirred the fires, turning the walls into moving pieces of art. Three rooms were lit, the entryway, a hallway, and the dining room; candles lined the floor and shelves in an ornate trail of stars, ready to lead him along.

Everything else was dark, all but three rooms of Carousel Boutique wreathed in darkness. She didn't need them, not a one. She'd already prepared everything, salads, gem cakes, wine, and herself.

Everything was to perfection, not a seam out of place. Violet silk clung to every curve of her body with emerald stitches trailing hither and to all across the fabric like sparks in a purple void. Her mane flowed along with her movements, flecks of emerald dust scattered through the waves and curls that would shine brighter than anything in the sky when the candlelight caught them. Shades of lightest cyan had been brushed upon her eyelids, a subtle cerise had smoothed itself over her supple lips, and her eyes; oh her eyes, how proud of them she was, how they shone.

Everything had led up to this moment. The months of pining, the shared adventures, the growing emotions, and so much turmoil. And yet, the years themselves didn't matter as much as a few singular days and experiences did. A fashion show, a fall to their death, a piece of jewelry wrought from a snack; all before one week of a struggle between herself and a mare she had once called friend.

Rarity sighed and her body shook in excitement, she knew what she was doing, knew she wanted this, knew that he wanted and deserved it. Spike would be hers, she would be his, and everything would be okay. Nothing would ever be the same, and Twilight might hate her, but she knew in her heart everything would calm down eventually. Everything always did in Ponyville.

She would be his, that part wouldn't leave her. She shivered again at the thought and found herself getting lost in fantasy.

Spike would come in, perhaps a little scared, but she could handle that. They would sit, they would chat, then they would truly talk to each other. They would bare the feelings they had at the park bench all over again. They would kiss as they had beneath the magnolias , only now it would be as lovers. She could already feel the nervous roaming claws and his awkwardly dancing tongue. His, his- oh she couldn't even think straight. Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced up the stairs, up towards her bedroom.

Rarity bit her lip and jumped when she heard the knock. She had taken a step forward when the knob began to turn. So bold for a distraught knight. She righted herself and smiled, waiting for him to be revealed.

Everything would be beautiful, if only her legs would stop shaking.

Three blocks between him and his destination, between Spike and Carousel Boutique.

He took his first step and immediately began to shake. He knew this was bad, knew it was from the very beginning. Rarity had hit Twilight, he had kissed Rarity, Twilight had kissed him; not a bit of it made sense anymore.

There was a feeling deep in his gut, the kind of no gravity floating feeling he got when he would fall from a high place, or when Twilight would yell at him. His claws were shaking, even as he brought them in front of his face and told them to just stop they kept moving. Nothing would calm them, not even wrapping them inside one another.

Two blocks between Spike and Carousel Boutique.

He wanted to look back, wanted to turn back, but he knew there was no point. There was no going back to just having a crush, no going back to Twilight just acting like whatever she used to be to him.

If I look back I am lost. He'd read that in one of Twilight's books once, something about a throne or something.

He shook his head, trying to physically toss the clutter from his mind.

He loved them both, he knew he loved them, but didn't know how. He'd pined for Rarity for so long, and he'd finally gotten her! But there was Twilight, there had always been Twilight. She loved him, there was no getting around that.

There was no getting around any of this. He couldn't run, there was no cave to hide in, no gems to quell his churning stomach.

One block.

It was coming, oh goddess it was coming and there was nothing to stop it. He looked and looked and looked and there were so many outcomes, so many endings, each with something that made them hurt. Rarity hating him, Twilight hating him, Spike hating himself, everyone just crying; he didn't want it like that, he didn't want it the way it was. He didn't want it like this now!

Not once, not once did he ever want anything to be this way, he just wanted a mare to notice him.

He got what he wanted, that was the irony that he could never fail to notice. Heck, two beautiful mares had taken a shine to him. Two of the mares he loved the most in the world. The two mares he knew cared more for him than anypony else.

The two mares he loved more than anything, and now they were all caught up in something his young mind just didn't want to be a part of.

He looked at his ever shaking claws and sighed. "This won't end well."

Carousel Boutique loomed before him.

He could see a soft light glowing behind the windows and thought he could smell something delicious wafting from beneath the door.

It wouldn't end well, no matter what was inside. No matter what he did it wouldn't end well. No matter what Rarity, Twilight, or anyone did, it wouldn't be okay.

He reached up and turned the knob with a shaking claw and stepped inside.

This won't end well.

Twilight smiled when she watched him go, she smiled even as a few more tears made their way down her face. She'd left her heart in his hands willingly and now she had to wait.

"No matter what happens", she said,"no matter what happens I will be here or him when he comes back." Twilight looked out the window, waiting for her dragon to come back.

"Please come home safe, Spike."

The door opened and Spike could smell perfume and food, his stomach rumbled and he gave it a smack.

"Fashionably late, are we?"

Spike looked up and gasped. There, right in front of him, was Rarity. Everything about her was absolutely perfect, her outfit, her makeup, everything.

So why did he still feel awful?

"I, uh, yeah I guess." He trailed off, trying to avoid eye contact with Rarity.

She chuckled and shut the door with a quick telekinetic push and turned around. "Come on", she cooed, walking away with a pronounced sway in her hips. She knew Spike would notice, young men always noticed.

A quick look back punctuated with a kiss to the air proved it, she had him. It wasn't as if she was leading him on, oh no, she was bringing him to a gift; and far away from that other influence that had been hurting him so much. She led him effortlessly into the dining room and patted the violet cushion she'd laid out for him. As Spike sat down Rarity let her lips brush past one of his frills.

He shuddered and it felt so good to know that she had caused it. "I see you've dressed casually." She cooed, taking her place at the cushion across from him, smiling confidently.

Spike looked at the food before him and felt nothing for the food he'd seen before only in his dreams. "Yeah, I couldn't, um, couldn't really expect this." He shrugged and looked towards Rarity, the knot in his gut tightening the more he stared.

"Not hungry?" Rarity asked with obvious concern. She'd cooked it special for him and he wasn't eating it, something had to be wrong. Spike had opened his mouth to speak as she stepped towards him. "Are you alright, Spikey?"

That name, that little nickname he used to jump for joy at hearing, that name brought more pain than a kick from a member of the Apple family. Spike clenched his eyes, fighting back tears that threatened to emerge. "No."

"Spike, I-"

"No", he interrupted, "it's not okay, it hasn't been okay." He grimaced and opened his eyes, staring right up at Rarity in a sudden surge of anger. "Everything's been going crazy!" He stood up, planting his palm against the table. "Nothing is okay! It won't will be ever again!"

"Spike."

He turned towards the table and threw his arms out wide. "I never even dreamed this would actually happen! I, I never wanted-"

"Spike, please."

"No, Rarity no, it isn't okay, it's just not-"

Spike fell silent against the kiss, that comforted Rarity a little. As she pulled away she could see the shock plainly on his face, even now it was cute. "Calm down, okay?" She whispered, affectionately petting his head.

"Rarity-" Another kiss shut him up. This one was stronger, more deliberate. Rarity wanted this, wanted Spike, wanted the night she had planned.

And yet, the moment she let her tongue brush against his smooth lips, he pushed her away.

Rarity opened her eyes and stared. Spike was crying and she felt like she was falling through the skies.

"I love you!" Spike shouted, tears streaming down his face. "I love you, but I can't take it! It's too much and I can't, I can't", he trailed off and pushed his face into his open palms.

Rarity moved towards him and he ran away.

In a blur he was in the hallway, soon enough she heard her door swing open.

Rarity immediately ran after, stopping at her open doorway to see an empty night.

What had she done wrong?

He had to run, had to get away. Spike couldn't handle it, couldn't handle the kiss, couldn't handle the way things were. He wanted to go back, wanted to go to Moon Dancer's birthday party, wanted to have eaten his fire ruby, wanted to have never gone to dinner with Twilight.

Carousel Boutique was one block behind him.

He wanted to be home.

The library was a block and half away.

He just wanted everything to be alright.
` One block.

He wanted to crawl in his basket and sleep, he wanted this to be a dream.

The door swung open and there was Twilight.

She had been drafting a letter when the door slammed open. If Twilight hadn't turned Spike might have hurt her. She wrapped her forelegs protectively around him, peppering his head with soft kisses and frantically spouting reassurances.

She learned what he'd done between sobs.

She didn't feel triumph, didn't feel like she'd won Spike. All that mattered was that he was crying in her arms. She'd put her own feelings out of the picture, she'd promised him that much. All she could do now was comfort him, all she could do was hold him and whisper anything sweet she had.

Eventually he had shed all his tears and they sat in silence.

"Twilight?"

"Yes, Spike?"

"It, it's not going to be okay is it?"

Twilight was silent, in all reality she didn't have an answer. She simply hugged him tighter and whispered, "I don't know."

All of Ponyville was silent by ten as it always was. Candles in a dress shop were blown out and the electric lanterns in a library were switched off.

The element of Generosity picked up a bottled of red wine and began to guzzle it down.

A dragons slept in the embrace of a mare that loved him.

The element of Magic closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

Nothing would be okay, not for a while. For now everything had been torn apart and there was no telling whether it would come back together. Despite all of this the sun would still rise in the morning,