Twilight gently roused from her restful sleep as Celestia's sun began to peek its bright form over the mountains in the distant horizon, waiting for its smaller sister to descend from its position in the sky before moving in to start the day. The lavender unicorn crawled out of her warm bed and stood on her numb hooves with a silent yawn slipping past her soft lips, stretching forward akin to a lazy feline as she popped the slight kinks that had formed on her back, bringing a very much enjoyable sensation to herself as the pent-up tension was released.

After riding her body of its lingering stiffness, Twilight began to trot over to her vanity mirror, spotting Spike's curled up form huddled up in his precious childhood basket. A frown found its place on her expression as she noted the marring traits he had adopted overnight; his face was coated in both dried and fresh tears of sleepless sorrow, and the little purple drake would stutter on his breath every so often as a nearly imperceptible sob escaped his throat.

Twilight's horn lit up in a violet aurora as she levitated a handkerchief out of her bedside drawer, using its finely threaded satin to delicately dry the salted rivers escaping Spike's clenched emerald eyes.

'Poor Spike, all of this must really be hard for him.' Twilight conversed with herself as she idly stroked away at her horrific bed-mane, grooming it out of existence before she had the displeasure of letting anyone else see it in all of its unorderly glory, 'I should let the little guy relax today, just letting him have the entire day to himself. He has been working extra hard recently, and this thing with Rarity must have really put him out'

Twilight set down her brush after quelling her ravenous hair and making up her mind in regards to her assistant's schedule for the day, trotting over to Spike's basket on her way out. She planted a small, affectionate peck on his forehead before backing away slightly from the basket, watching as his troubled shuffling came to an end and a silent smile of nostalgia replaced the distraught grimace his apparent nightmares had induced. Twilight, content with the soft snores of peaceful slumber now slipping into the air, made her way downstairs to begin her busy day, booked with having to handle the combined weight of Spike's and her own chores, yet she knew that she wouldn't regret her choice, not if she got to see her lifelong friend happy once again.

Twilight spent much of the morning serving as the Harbinger of Destruction to the various dust bunny kingdoms secretly hidden around her library as she reshelved and reorganized her entire library in a whirlwind of objects being carried in a purple aurora. It was two in the afternoon by the time Twilight had finally been able to check off the final task on her extra-bulky Sunday schedule, and she had just taken a seat on her comfy couch to enjoy some light reading before a delicately timed knock came from her front door.

With an annoyed huff at the noise's intrusion on her private literature time, preventing her from being able to read at least one more page from her book on teleportation runes, Twilight briskly made her way to the library's main entrance. Upon opening the wooden doorway she discovered none other than Rarity herself waiting outside, clad in a deep purple scarf that matched perfectly with the saddlebags she was wearing, but even their fashionable appearance couldn't hide the nervous twinkle plaguing her sapphire eyes.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Rarity." Twilight noticed the forlorn look to her friend's face without directly addressing it, not at all liking the unfamiliarity it held before she attempted to cover up her own surprise at the alabaster mare's expression with an innocent introduction, "The library is closed for today, cleaning day and all, but I can find you something if you need it."

"Thank you, Twilight dear, but no." Rarity shuffled with her hooves nervously as a slight frown spread across her muzzle, "I just...wanted to see how Spike was doing. He looked pretty distressed about our little encounter yesterday and I was worried about what he might have done."

"Well, he was pretty upset yesterday, but I managed to get him to get some sleep and decided it would be better if I just took over his chores for today." Twilight patiently recalled the previous night as if it hadn't been stuffed to the brim with youthful drama and consolations, "He's actually still upstairs sleeping right now."

"I-I'm sorry about all this, Twilight, I didn't want to have to let him down like that." The frown on Rarity's muzzled devolved into a downtrodden look not many got to see from her as the painful memories of Spike's confession came back to her, festering in her mind.

"You don't have to apologize about anything, Rarity, sometimes things like this happen," Twilight understood the guilt her close friend must have been feeling at that moment and decided to try and console her before her mood could sour even further, "and both of us knew this day would come eventually, no matter how much we didn't want it to."

"I know, darling, but it doesn't make it any easier to bear with." A forlorn sigh of relent escaped the designer before she spoke up again, "Anyway, I brought something for Spike to try and cheer him up, but since he isn't awake could you please give them to him when he wakes up?"

Rarity's horn lit up in its naturally azure aurora as she unlatched her precious saddlebags, floating out a small cloth bag filled with an assortment of cut gems, letting her own aurora shift into a lavender one once she hoofed over the telekinetic control to her bookish friend's much more powerful magic.

"Sure thing, Rarity, I'll make sure he gets them once he wakes up. Thanks by the way." Twilight set the bag of gems on her back before letting her magical aurora die down.

"Don't you fret over it, Twilight. Spike helped me dig up most of those gems anyway, and I see no problem in giving a couple of them away." Rarity waved away the unnecessary gratitude with her manicured hooves as she spoke, losing the negativity that had been plaguing her just seconds ago, "Well, I guess I'll see you later then, darling. I need to check up on Sweetie Belle and her friends, crusading and the sort, ta-ta!"

"Bye Rarity!" Twilight called out to her departing friend before trotting back inside her cozy oaken library, her spirits high now that she had mostly cleansed Rarity of any lingering guilt she might have had clinging onto her.

"Well, I guess that went alright." Twilight mused to herself as she poured the chromatic array of gems into a plastic bowl that she then stored away. With that done, she happily trotted back to her book, eager to discern the quantum physics on sealed teleportation spells.

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Spike groaned groggily as his eyelids slowly pulled back, allowing him to take in the late-afternoon's soft, orange glow as he awoke. He could still feel the salted streams on his cheeks, both old and new, and he felt as if he hadn't had a wink of sleep the past night, drained of the usual energy he usually carried.

In a burst of sensory overload, the images of his memory-induced dream flashed through his head. He gripped his head with his claws as he cringed as the physical pain caused by the emotional stress festering within his head for the longest of times came crashing down on him.

"Ow, that's just great, a headache. Can this day get any better?" Spike's voice positively dripped with sarcasm as he spoke to the empty bedroom he was in, and it was then and there when he realized that he was alone.

Seeking out his caretaker, Spike's emerald eyes scoured the cozy bedroom for the mare he shared it with, finding nothing but the orange glow of the sun trickling in through the windows. As soon as he finished his survey of the room, his brain registered that it was, in fact, very late into the day and that none of his appointed chores were done. His stubby legs scrambled to carry him to the library's main lobby, nearly causing him to trip down the stairs in his frenzied pace.

"Oh crud, Twilight is going to...kill...me?" Spike's voice faded away in synchronization with his panic when his sights fell upon the library's main chamber, a confused spark igniting in his eyes upon realizing that everything was already cleaned and that the various other miscellaneous chores assigned to him had already been finished.

"Hi Spike, did you sleep well?" Twilight's calm voice startled Spike out of his dazed trance, prompting him to turn and face her. She was seated on one of the library's couches not too far away from him with a heavy tome in her telekinetic grip and her dark mane tied back into a bun, the very sight causing Spike's mind to fumble with words as it failed to create a response to her question.

'Come on, just answer her!'

"Uh...okay, I guess." Spike spoke slowly, still trying to snap out out of the numbness that had befallen his mind, "Lots of weird dreams though."

The shadow of unexplainable hurt that flashed on Spike's expression didn't go unnoticed by Twilight, and she promptly made her way over to her little assistant and pulled him into the warm embrace of a comforting hug, hoping to soothe a pain she didn't yet understand with her act of affection. A lost sigh slipped past her lips before she spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry for asking, Spike, I'm just worried about how you might be feeling."

Spike barely managed to register what she had said before he was completely absorbed by the sensations of her intimate contact, lost to the wonders flooding his mind. The warmth she shared with him spreading through his smooth scales, her steady heartbeat a primal symphony lulling him into comfort, all of the lucid feelings acting as the perfect bait to bring forth a soft pink blush to his purple cheeks.

'Wh-...why am I blushing? It's not like she hasn't hugged me before but...this feels different, warmer...why?'

He dug through his extensive memories to find those of any hug he had ever given Rarity, and warmth was surely found within them, but it wasn't the unique sensation piercing through his confusion and sorrow at that very moment. Twilight's was a testament to the unknown, to the rejovinatingly new, as its aurora of ethereal calm transferred into his chaotically discordant enigma of being. He wished more than anything that it was something he could keep forever, to remain within its haven of safety, but he understood that it had to come to an end.

"It's okay Twilight, really. I know you're worried for me, and you'll never know how much I appreciate that, but you don't have to apologize for every little thing you know?" The drake chuckled as he reluctantly broke away from the embrace, his headache long gone and his mood revitalized. However, the questions were still there, wading through the depths of his subconscious mind.

'How the heck am I being so smooth with all of this? Rarity flat out rejected me, and...and, why don't I care anymore?' It seemed to Spike that for every question that he tried to answer, a new one would pop up, each more difficult to decipher than the last. He couldn't linger too long with his internal dilemma for long, however, lest he remain in a trance in the external world.

"By the way, what's up with the mane? You aren't going to go get some glasses and a school-mare uniform are you?" Spike's playful teasing caused a patch of pink to grow on Twilight's lavender cheeks, highlighting the sheepish smile spreading across her muzzle.

'Even though I bet you'd look cu-, WHOA, what the heck am I thinking about!?'

"No, Spike, it's nothing like that." Twilight's giggle nearly interrupted her response as she spoke to her trusty assistant, "I just thought I'd try this out a couple of weeks ago since my mane keeps getting in my eyes."

"Then how come I've never seen you with it before?" Spike continued to prod his fellow library-dweller as the curiosity within him began to surge.

"Hehe, well, lets just say I forgot to undo my mane by the time you got down here. It might make me feel better while I'm reading, but I can't imagine actually wearing this to talk with anyone, besides you obviously." Twilight's laughed internally as her mind brought up embarrassing images of herself walking around town with the unfamiliar hairdo, something she'd never find the courage to actually do.

"Anyway, your librarian look aside, is there anything you need help with around here?" Spike was at the ready to service his caretaker in any way she needed, but he relaxed a little when she shook her head in response to his question.

"Not really, Spike. I did most of the chores this morning and already made myself a daisy sandwich. Oh, that just reminded me that Rarity came by a while ago and left you a couple of gems." Twilight's hoof slapped against her mouth a second too late after she mentioned Rarity's name in front of Spike, expecting another breakdown from her emotionally unstable assistant, which was why she was left in surprised confusion when he simply expressed his thanks and walked towards the kitchen with his tail wagging in anticipation of the delectable treats.

"Where did you say the gems were, Twilight?" Spike's questioning tone snapped her out of her mild surprise as it rang out through the archway leading into the kitchen. The unicorn shook her horned head to fully escape her daze before responding to her young companion's question as she made her way to the room he was in as well.

"They're inside the cupboard Spike, in the blue plastic bowl."

Spike sat down on one of the floor cushions around the dining table after retrieving his bounty, getting comfortable just before he was joined by Twilight, whom had settled on drinking a glass of warm milk.

They enjoyed their respective treats in the cozy silence they shared, neither having much to say and both having much to ponder, but it was only the purple dragon who had become completely lost within his thoughts at that moment, eating the chromatic gems absentmindedly.

'Should I ask her about the dream? Nah...well...at least not yet. I'd hate to ruin the day again by risking being put in an awkward situation.'

Spike continued to ponder his plan of action for the remainder of his meal, refusing to leave the subject completely at rest until his claw scraped against the bottom of the empty bowl in front of him. A small frown tried to crawl onto his face in response to him not having properly enjoyed his gems due to his mental inquisitions, but a yawn he hadn't known he was suppressing escaped him before the sad expression could develop, with Twilight following suit herself.

"Still tired, Spike?" asked Twilight with a lazy smile tugging at her lips. The day's chores had taken her toll on her, and her drowsy tone told tales of her exhaustion.

"I didn't exactly have the most restful sleep you know."

"Well, come on then, time for bed don't you think?" Twilight's offer was taken up instantly by the dragon, who went on to drop off his bowl in the dishes and walk up to his caretaker's side.

"Heh, don't mind if I do, Ms. Sparkle." Spike chuckled at his own teasing as he flicked Twilight's bun, her feminine laugh backdropping his own as they climbed up the stairs to their shared bedroom.

The duo of lifelong friends walked lazily towards their respective beddings, letting themselves fall into the plush wonders of their furnishings before bidding each other a good night, slowly slipping away into sleep's embrace once again.

"Goodnight Twilight."

"Sweet dreams, Spike."

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Obnoxious blurs of green, blue, and white started to meld together just as they had done the previous night, but they were now accompanied by a distressed lavender blur. Spike kept his patience this time and simply allowed the memory to come this time instead of trying to force it out, and he soon found himself in a slightly older body than the last memory he visited. Around him the royal Canterlot Gardens, where a filly-Twilight was surrounded by Spike's original torturers.

'Oh no...'