Spike rejoined the party: it was as if he had never left. This time, however, he made no attempt to socialise with the guests and he moved to sit at the garden bench where he had been resting earlier. While seated he began to gather his thoughts and think about what Sweetie Belle had said to him. Why did she feel that that moment was the most appropriate time to tell him such a thing about Rarity? Was there really something bothering her? He tapped his tail against a leg of the bench in thought. There were too many questions and this was not the time or the place. But... why did Sweetie Belle chose now? It must be urgent. Did something happen between Rarity's arrival and Sweetie Belle's intervention? Did it have something to do with his birthday? Maybe when he-
"Knock knock?" said Rarity.
Spike jumped, snapping out of his worried daydream in an instant. Rarity chuckled and gently tapped Spike's front leg with her hoof. "This is no time for dreaming, Spikey. It's birthday cake time and I will not let you miss such a tradition because your head is up in Cloudsdale somewhere. Besides," she added, her eyes twinkling, "you have to think of your wish first."
Spike grinned. "Maybe I should wish for a horn so I can put Twilight in her place." Rarity laughed at his joke and gestured over to the centre of the lawn where the party guests were already forming a large circle, awaiting the arrival of the cake. Spike weaved his way through the crowd until he was the centre of attention once again and he took the opportunity to lift his spirits; he began to flex his spines and make pseudo-arrogant comments for comic effect, acting as the compere he wished he could be. The laughter of the ponies at his antics made him forget about Sweetie Belle's comments and, as the gigantic ruby-iced cake was wheeled in to the centre of the circle by Twilight Sparkle, his worries were all but forgotten.
"For he's a jolly good draaa-gooonnn," Twilight began and before long the other guests had joined her in song, their united voices catching on the breeze. Spike glowed with happiness: at moments like this, life was a joy. As they sand he looked around the circle at his friends and peers, their eyes shining with pride for their friend. As the song reached a crescendo Rainbow Dash took to the air, soaring in an arc over the proceedings to light up the town with a rainbow that shimmered in the moonlight. Pinkie Pie screeched the last few notes and Applejack lead the applause; the lawn then thundered with the sounds of dozens of hooves applauding Spike, their much beloved dragon. All looked happy and excited except for Sweetie Belle who Spike could spy n the crowd from his high vantage point; she stood a little way from the others with a slight yet absent smile upon her anxious-looking face.
And then there was Rarity. She stood at the edge of the circle opposite Spike, almost hidden behind the tall tiers of the cake. Her smile was not as enthusiastic ast that of the other ponies: if anything, she looked as anxious as her sister did at this point. She was watching him intently as he drew a big breath and blew out the eighteen candles; a puff of smoke curled and twisted into the air above the cake as the guests broke out into applause again and returned to talking amongst themselves as Twilight wheeled the cake away to serve it to the hungry-looking ponies. Spike used one of his claws to wave away the troublesome smoke; while his attention was diverted Rarity approached him, a smile back on her pale face.
"Spike, sweetie?" she said softly. Spike jumped for the second time in a few minutes, a second puff of smoke finding its way out of his nose in response.
"Anything I can help you with, Rarity?" he asked, waving away the fresh puff of smoke more anxiously than before. The smoke was irritating the glowing stars, the ethereal lights within the paper dancing violently as they were disturbed.
Rarity giggled at Spike's behaviour . "Do you think we could have a word, just you and I?" she asked almost cautiously, glancing up at Spike as he adjusted the origami back into position. "I haven't had any time to speak to you recently. But if you want to stay with your guests then I completely understand-"
"It's no problem, really," Spike interjected, glancing over at Sweetie Belle who had caught his attention yet again. She had not taken her eyes off him since the guests had sung happy birthday; she stood still as a statue at the peripherals of the party and she looked as if she were leaning forward slightly , like she was trying to hear what they were saying. "Shall we, um, go, there...?" Spike gestured vaguely in the direction of the town square which he knew would be deserted at this time, considering that the majority of the town was gathered on the lawn with them. It would ensure maximum privacy for whatever she wished to say, he thought.
"That sounds splendid, Spike," Rarity replied politely. Together they walked away from the lawn towards the town square in silence and, as far as Spike could tell, nobody noticed them leave; nobody except for Sweetie Belle who only moved to turn her head as she watched them go, her face as unreadable as a blank page.
The night was getting cooler. The gentle night breeze was no longer as warm as it had been and Spike noticed Rarity's fur bristle in response to the sudden chill as they walked.
"Rarity, would you like a coat? I can run back and get one for you if-"
"No, Spike, that won't be necessary," Rarity said quickly, gritting her teeth as if in response to the cold. As she did this Spike picked up on a sudden worrying vibe that Rarity appeared to be 'giving off' as they walked; she was walking a few feet away from him and her head was not held as high as usual. Maybe this was not what he had been expecting. Maybe he had the wrong end of the stick entirely. Maybe-
"Are you having a good birthday, Spike?" Rarity asked suddenly. Spike nodded as Rarity went on about how lucky he was to have so many ponies attend his party and how many presents he had received, some of them posted as far away as Canterlot and from such prestigious individuals such as the Royal Sisters themselves. As she made what appeared to be small talk - small talk...? - she began to look away in the distance as if she were searching for something in the clouds above the town.
"What is this really about, Rarity?" Spike asked suddenly with a tinge of impatience as Rarity discussed how beautiful his cake had been. She snapped her jaw shut with an indignant click and said nothing more about the party yet she did not answer his question. Spike instantly regretted his harsh interruption and decided that it would be best to be courteous to the classy mare. "Would you like to take a seat, Rarity?" he asked her politely, indicating a bench in the square that was surrounded by new spring buds. Rarity nodded ad the two of them sat down on the bench in silence; from here they could hear the chatting of the ponies and see the long shadows that the origami stars cast upon the ground.
"I brought you out here to give you your present, Spike," Rarity said, breaking the silence. "And no, before you say it, that was your other present. That silly old thing isn't my true gift to you, it's just there so I didn't appear to be rude. I have your real present right here, Spikey. I wanted to giveit to you in private." The unicorn smiled up at the dragon, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. Spike resisted the urge to gulp, shiver or even stare at her too intently. He was not expecting a present like this, one that needed to be given in private, as she put it. She levitated a small velvet box out of the folds in her dress and levitated it towards Spike: he opened up his claws and the box dropped into them, the blue velvet colour clashing against the purple of his scales. "Open it, please do," Rarity encouraged in her soft, sweet voice. Spike opened the lid.
Inside the box was a small emerald. The gem was dull and far from shiny and was small in comparison to most of the jewels Rarity would use on the average fashion design. It was mounted on a thin gold chain like a necklace, however, the chain was short and it looked like it would barely fit around Rarity's head, let alone Spike's.
"Do you remember me telling you my cutie mark story, Spike?" Rarity asked in a voice so soft that Spike almost missed it. "When I found all those jewels in that rock I felt like my dreams had come true, that I had found my reason for living. I went all out decorating those costumes for the performance but I knew that I would want a reminder of how I found my destiny just in case I... forgot." She levitated the gem out of the box and stretched out the chain so it floated in the air as if it were worn by an invisible pony. "As a filly I mounted the gem onto this chain so I could wear it as a necklace so I could in some way accessorise my cutie mark. As I grew the chain was too small to fit around my head and I felt like it was no longer necessary to keep the gem as a constant reminder as I entered the world of fashion and worked with gemstones every day. But I never disposed of this gem because of what it meant to me." Rarity looked up at Spike with a warm, enveloping gaze and the dragon felt the world melt away for the second time that night as the enormous value of the gift suddenly came clear.
"Rarity, I..." Spike began, his voice weak as his throat became dry. "I... don't know what to say. Why do you feel the need to present me with such a... valued gift?"
Rarity crinkled up her eyes again as she smiled. "Because you love gemstones as much as I do, Spike. Sure, we love them for different reasons: I love to create with them and you love to destroy them, as it t'were. But that doesn't mean that we are opposites. I like to think that we are part of some kind of... circle." She suddenly blushed and turned away. "Oooh, Spike, ignore that last remark. It was possibly the cheesiest thing I have said in a long time."
Spike chuckled but said nothing. He plucked the necklace out of the air from where Rarity was holding it and he rested it upon his claws, watching the fluid way in which the chain moved as he flexed his fingers. It was such a delicate necklace: hardly the item for a dragon to handle. Yet Rarity felt it important to share one of her defining features with him on this night of all nights: he was hardly one to complain. If she was brave enough to open her heart to him then he would be brave, too. "Rarity, I..." he began.
"Hold on Spike, I'm not quite finished," Rarity said quickly, her tone suddenly a touch more stern than it had been a moment ago. She shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. Spike could sense that another deep conversation was coming. These unicorns: they were just so passionate! She turned to face him and tilted her head slightly, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "What do you think of my sister?"
Now it was Spike's turn to frown. "What do you-"
"I mean, do you think she's nice? Do you think she's friendly? Do you think she's pretty?"
"I never really-"
"Oh, you must have thought something," Rarity said sharply. She had suddenly come over all fierce. Those sisters are more alike than they realise, thought Spike. "She's a beautiful young mare, you must have noticed that. She is one of the most popular ponies in the town and everybody loves her. And her singing voice is hypnotically beautiful, as you know."
Spike lowered his head slightly so his eyes lined up more with hers. "What are you trying to say, Rarity?" The mare sighed, looking away into the distance again, as if something out there had caught her eye. She took a deep breath before speaking.
"What I'm saying, Spike, is that I have the impression that you... feel something for my sister. I never had this impression before tonight but somehow at this party I realised that she has been catching your eye in a way that, well... that I knew would come eventually. It has not escaped my attention that Sweetie Belle is possibly one of the most beautiful mares to live in Ponyville, even... even more so than I. I knew that one day she would attract the attention of a suitor who would treat her as if she is the princess she should have been. I love her more than anything and all I want for her is happiness. It has also come to my attention that she returns your feelings so I see no reason why you should not approach her with a proposition, as it t'were-"
At this point, Spike suddenly snapped out of his dream. His dream over the course of Rarity's speech had ceased to be a world of bliss and undeniable calm but a sinking, despairing hell: the clouds in his heaven had turned black and his stomach had ceased to have a bottom, the feeling of nausea creeping to the tip of every claw. Rarity's voice had become a distant echo in his mind as he listened to her words but at this latest revelation he felt the need to engage with reality once more.
"Wait one moment, Rarity. You say that... that Sweetie Belle has feelings for me?"
Rarity nodded. "Yes," she whispered.
Spike looked away quickly. "For how long?"
Rarity shrugged. "I am not sure. I think she has felt this way for a couple of years. But she has only recently come clean, you could say, recently. I was convinced that you didn't feel the same way but tonight I realised that I was wrong. I was tempted to act in the defensive big sister role but I know now that that would not do any good to either of you." She looked up at Spike again, her eyes damp and glistening in the evening light. "Just... please do one thing for me, Spike."
"Anything," Spike murmured.
"Treat her well, Spike," Rarity whispered. "Love her as she deserves to be loved. She is the most amazing mare in Equestria and you... you are the finest dragon that has ever lived, I should think. If anyone could treat her in the way that she deserves it would be you." Rarity smiled weakly and stood up, sweeping her mane back into position and dabbing the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "If you don't mind, Spike, I am going to have an early night. It has been a fantastic party, as always. My compliments to Twilight Sparkle for such a lovely evening." Before Spike could say anything more she was gone, her dress whispering on the ground as she hurried away into the night, leaving Spike seated upon the bench in the cold night air, Rarity's necklace still resting in his claws.