Spike sat on the library's front stoop, his chin was in his claws as he stared at the streets before him. Ponies of all colours passed him by, none paying him much attention.
His gaze moved to the sky above as several pegasi flew by, some moving clouds around, others doing backflips and tricks, while others were simply passing through.
He turned his gaze to the ground, and felt his head get heavier. He bent forward, burying his face in his arms.
His mind wandered. He thought about Sweetie Belle, Rarity, and the pain he will eventually put them through. It tore the dragon's soul apart.
"Spike?" A small, accented voice came from behind him.
He turned around, and saw young Apple Bloom, very confused and concerned. "Apple Bloom," he said.
She sat down next to the dragon, and just looked at the crowds before them. "Sooooo...whatchya thinkin'?"
He turned to look at her. "What do you think?" he said, before burying his face again.
"You really have no idea who you want?"
"No," came his muffled reply. He turned his neck to face her, still resting his head. "One of them is going to get hurt, and they're both gonna hate me for lying."
"No they won't!"
"Yes they will!" he yelled, throwing his claws up in the air.
Several heads turned his way, as he dropped his arms and lowered his voice. "I lied to them Apple Bloom. Why wouldn't they hate me?"
"Because they love you."
He stared at her for several seconds. "Maybe...I hope."
"They do."
He returned to hiding. "And I love them, so why am I doing this?"
"Because you're stupid."
He looked up and said, "Thanks."
Apple Bloom giggled a bit, and paused for thought. "You really don't want to date both of 'em?" she asked.
He sat up straight and said, "Of course not! Even if they're okay with it I...I just don't want to."
"Why not?"
"The thought had crossed my mind, but...there have been times, when I was with Sweetie Belle, and my thoughts drifted to Rarity, and there have been times when I'm with Rarity, and I thought about Sweetie Belle, and every time I...I felt a bit sick. It just doesn't feel right."
"Twilight said she thinks dragons are naturally monogamous."
He looked her dead in the eyes and said, "Really?" He buried his head in his claws and with a groan said, "She only knows one dragon, why would she say that?"
Apple Bloom shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe she's right, but...I don't know."
"Well, you don't act like other dragons anyway. So probably not."
He laughed. "What am I going to do?" he asked, his voice somber.
Apple Bloom put a hoof on his shoulder, and Spike turned to look at the young filly. "You'll figure this out, and I'll help ya," she said with a smile.
The dragon smiled back.
"Alright, who do you have more fun with?"
"I don't know."
She paused. "Okay, who do you enjoy spending time with more?"
"I don't know."
Apple Bloom was growing frustrated. "Okay, when you think about them, which one makes you happy more!?"
"I don't know."
"How could you not know!?" she screamed, again, attracting unnecessary attention. She continued quietly. "You're the only one who knows."
"I don't know, I...it's about even," he said, holding out his claws to demonstrate.
Apple Bloom sighed. "I thought this would be easier."
The workroom at Carousel Boutique sparkled with magic. Ribbons and gemstones flew around in a blue haze. Rolls of fabric crisscrossed the room, and in the middle of all of it, a shining unicorn was spinning around, humming a joyous tune.
Next to the mare, sat a bare dress form. Rarity danced around the figure as it was wrapped in red fabric. Scissors flew by and snipped the cloth off it's roll.
As a needle and thread flew in to stitch it all together, a pink earth pony hopped in with spirit and enthusiasm.
"Hey Rarity!" She beamed.
"Oh Pinkie, darling," she replied. "How can I be of service?"
The young mare didn't answer. Her eyes spinning around, trying to keep track of the flying objects.
"Pinkie?" The movement ceased as Rarity tried again. "Pinkie!"
"OH! Hi Rarity!" She screamed. "You're in a good mood."
"Oh, yes," the unicorn said, allowing the items to settle in designated areas. "I had an excellent day."
"OOO! Do tell!"
"Well, last night, I was so worried about me and Spike. Things have not been going well, he seemed...distant, for a few days. Last night we had dinner, talked a lot, and it felt right, like it always does. So after he walked me home, I asked him if he wanted to...spend the night."
"OOO!" Pinkie responded joyously as if she didn't know.
"But he said 'no.'"
"Oooo..." Pinkie responded sadly as if she didn't know.
"I thought it meant he didn't want to be with me, that it would represent the beginning of the end for us. But Apple Bloom came over, and said something that made me realize it was actually just the opposite."
"What did she say?"
"She said he didn't want us to move too quickly and sabotage the greatest thing in our lives."
Pinkie's eyes went wide. "Apple Bloom said that!?"
"Yes." She put a hoof to her chin. "I did not know she would be so knowledgeable on the subject of romance. You two have become close, has she had many lovers?"
"Uh...no, but she is a very pocopus little filly."
"Precocious."
"THAT!" the pink mare said with a mile-wide grin.
"Well, anyway, I just know now that things are going to go very well for me and Spike. Nothing can ruin it now."
Pinkie's smile faltered a tiny bit, as her best friend spun around in joy.
Sweet Apple Acres was a very large orchard. It was so big, hiding in it was not a problem. Much of the farm never saw any activity anymore, and other areas were used for very specific purposes that were not agricultural. One of these locations was near the edge closest to town. It contained a large treehouse, within which a young unicorn filly was lying on the floor, her mind wandering with presumptions and theories. She was so deep in, the hoofsteps climbing up the ramp did nothing to knock the filly out of her reverie.
"Hey, Sweetie Belle," came the voice of her best friend. "You okay?" she asked, after coming to a halt in the middle of the room, slightly concerned.
"Fine..." she lied.
Apple Bloom trotted up to the unicorn and looked down on her. "Uh huh!" she exclaimed, skeptically. "What's going on?"
Sweetie Belle sat up and looked at the earth pony.
"Come on! I'm your best friend, you can tell me." Her voice was almost desperate.
"It's Spike...I think he's hiding something from me."
Apple Bloom's eyes went wide. "What?" she asked.
"I was at the library, and me and Spike were...kissing." She smiled as her face turned beet red. "And Pinkie showed up to give Spike some kind of recipe."
As the unicorn continued to talk, Apple Bloom got more and more nervous.
"They were in the kitchen and I sorta snuck up behind them. I didn't mean to listen, but...they said something about a decision, and me getting suspicious and..." her lower lip started trembling. The unicorn was genuinely worried. "Wha...what were they talking about?"
An internal struggle was battling itself in Apple Bloom's brain. There was a clear difference between hiding something from her friend, and outright lying. She couldn't tell Sweetie Belle the truth, but she didn't want to lie to her best friend either. "I don't know," she said.
The unicorn sighed as tears rolled down his face. "Why would he want to hide anything from me? I thought he...he loved me. What would he hide...?" As Sweetie Belle started to shake, worry taking over, she slowly collapsed on the floor.
The earth pony ran up to her friend, and embraced her. "It's okay, Sweetie Belle, I'm sure it's okay."
"How do you know?" she sniffed.
"Because...I just know. Spike's a good guy...he would never do anythin' to hurt you. I'm sure if he's hiding somethin' he'd tell you when he's ready."
"But why can't he tell me now!?"
"Be...because...he...maybe he loves ya so much, he doesn't want to scare you off."
She looked up at her friend. "What?"
"Yeah, maybe it's something like...he...um..." Apple Bloom's head started racing. "Maybe he has to leave town or something, and he wants to decide whether to stay, but doesn't want to scare ya."
"What?" Sweetie Belle's fear was palpable.
"I-I don't know, I'm just guessin', it could be anythin'!"
"O...okay..." Sweetie Belle got up on her hooves, as the earth pony released her.
"You okay?"
"I...I don't know. Are you sure everything will be alright?"
"I know he loves ya. Nothin' will change that!"
Sweetie Belle smiled and hugged her best friend. As Apple Bloom's face grew determined, only one thought entered her head: 'This needs to be fixed...now.'
Ah, this story is one of my favourites on this site.
Logically, he would have to pick Rarity. If he picks Sweetie Belle, and Rarity takes it badly, she could bar Spike from visiting the boutique and keep them apart, or even send Sweetie back to their parents. Though being the Element of Generosity, she might take the situation better than Sweetie, and Sweetie is more age appropriate for Spike...GAH!
There's only one way to decide this... a race
Okay, in all seriousness, this story makes you feel bad for everyone, accept Twilight. So many emotions swirling around and inner turmoil, and you write it all so well.
1680454 I thought about that later on. Regardless, the shit's gonna hit the fan.
This is getting better and better, or in Spike's case, worse and worse.
I love how this story is going! The breaks and the flow make it feel like a full-blown episode!...I just wish I could figure out who Spike ends up with. Something tells me it's going to be Sweetie Belle.
I think Spike should end up with Sweetie Belle. They are closer to each others ages.
I just hope he ends up with Rarity. She already got her heart broken before, it'd be just so unfair for her that now she foundher "true" love she just ends up losing it for her young sister. Also maybe SB has closer age to Spike, but he's been Rarity's friend long time before and now he finally gets her heart, it just can't go after her sister. Also he seems to be more mature than SB is.
Just don't want to see Rarity suffering, still like this story, even when I tend to hate Spike a bit. Just hope he find out how to solve this in a good way!
i don't car wich one spike it's going to choose bu i only hope that when he tell the he say it on subtil way
This is a wonderful story and will continue to be wonderful. Because wonder. However I do have a large problem with t right now.
"What would that be?", you may ask.
Perhaps its the large dissapointing word that reads HIATUS. It has made me very face.
So you take your break. I'll be waiting .
Ah the storm is building just perfectly!
Now it would be funny if the sisters told each other who they loved.
The reaction would be priceless!
"hey Spike!"
"what?"cdn.broni.es/images/emotes/mlp-seyebrow.png
"what if I told you they knew you was dating both of them?"
"when's the earliest train out of here!?"cdn.broni.es/images/emotes/mlp-swhat.png
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Sooo, is this story still "On Hiatus" then? Also, the proper decision is obviously to just BAIL OUT OF EVERYTHING. "Sorry guys, but I just don't think it'll work cuz y'know, I'm a dragon and you're a pony and I don't wanna outlive you by like five hundred years so KTHXBAI." It would be a hilariously unfitting end to the story. It also protects me from the ravaging feels that will arrive when somepony gets their heart broken...
... this is going to be one epic explosion when the wheels finally come off Spike's wagon of lies!
1681435 lol You have everyone's fav fashionista as your avitar, but your user-name reminds me more of a certain luckless pig-boy from Ranma 1/2
Only a matter of time.
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huh? my username is my real name, except for the "chan" lol I like P-chan anyway lol
Damn it! Why did I think it was a good idea to read, from the begining to current, a fic that JUST went on hiatus?
What was I thinking?!
Now Im in the "MOAR"boat lost in the hiatus sea with all the other story followers!!
Leave SweetieBelle Spike, and fulfil your destiny with Rarity! Together, you two will rule EQUESTRIA!!!
i feel like i'm Twilight course i've already figured out who it is he will choose,
Huh. Well, I agree with Apple Bloom. This needs to be fixed. I am no philanthropist, so I have absolutely no idea what will happen. I tend to predict in fiction, but I must admit that this one stumps me.
Ah, well. Have a nice day!
--Not a brony
Any particular reason this is On Hiatus?
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That's all based on the assumption that Sweetie Belle lives with Rarity. Which she doesn't. I made this pretty clear at the end of Chapter 2, Sweetie Belle lives with her parents.
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She did? When? You mean Blueblood? I don't think that counts because he didn't break her heart, she called him a cunt and ran off.
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I forgot to point this out. It's going on Hiatus so I can spend some time on other projects. Specifically A Waking Dragon, which stars Spike in a psychological tailspin; and a new story, With Rainbow Hair, which is basically my December project, and it'll be done by the end of the month.
Back in January with Chapter Eleven: Scootaloo.
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January!!! Oh Guezz, well at least you'll continue with Walking Dragon...
Now, you're right, I mean, yeah, Bluehood doesn't count. But she'll get a real dissapointment when the sweetest, gentlest and more generous dragon (or male) she ever knew finishes betraying her.
Now, both sisters has their counters, so I have to find another way as to what I think this should be solved.
Spike made a mistake, in the first place. If this mistake didn't happen, then he'd be with Rarity now. Yep, he should have told SB "No" when she dated him, and nothing of this had ever happened. Also, I'd like it more this way, not only because I'm a Sparity fan but because he's been waiting so long for being with Rarity, so now she finally falls for him, he'll just... leave her for her sister? And other thing, this would probably make their friendship ends, what wouldn't be good for anyone.
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1707918 I figured that out after the latest episode. xD
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All I gotta say is this:
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Great story. Can't wait till rest are made! will be watching this
I come here every day waiting for next chapter
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Love that you're interested. But this is going on Hiatus for the time being. I suggest you check out my other stories that I'm working on, My Little Destiny, and A Waking Dragon. Also, I'll soon be releasing a new short story, With Rainbow Hair.
Check 'em out.
I don't care who spike end up choose either way he has got himself a great mare, I just hope that by the end everypony can still be friends with each other.
i think he should choose Sweetie Belle because if he really loved Rarity he wouldn't have fallen in love with Sweetie Belle in the first place.
1685154 Oh my GAWD THAT'S HILARIOUS!!! Where did you first find that?!
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Don't remember. (maybe my little brony)
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Oh my god...how can this gon on for so long and just keep getting better? Sure, a shitstorm is going to come and it will be so massive that I fear for Ponyville but...wow, simply wow.
Both of the mares really love Spike, Spike really loves them too...but he can't be together with both of them and can't choose.
Maybe...maybe they should free Dischord and let Sweetie Belle and Rarity share the same body and his problems are gone? Nah, wouldn't work.
Shitstorm is comiiiiing.
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Amazing at everything? What are you talking about? He can cook, file books, and he knows magic (though he can't cast it). That's not 'everything'.
Now, maybe I've glossed over some of his character flaws, but I haven't seen a reason to bring them up. Then again, I can't really think of any off the top of my head.
Now, by 'commented on frequently', I assume you mean my brief mention of Sweetie Belle's cooking skills.
I think you're reaching on this.
Also, you do realize Spike is part of the main cast right? And that this is a romance? I could have set him up with a background or OC, but then, you'd be claiming that character was a Sue, and you'd probably be right.
Finally, you used the wrong 'main'.
He's fucked.
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dis gon b gud!enjoy a mustache!
I can't wait for the next chapter!
Holy shit, I can't wait for more.
...aand I didn't realize how close I was to the leading edge when I made the last comment. I hope the fact that the hiatus has been extended past January doesn't mean it's gone for good. "Hiatus" means different things from different authors; for some, it's as good as "cancelled."
So, let's see, thoughts. I suppose I ought to start by mentioning that I'm not a big Sparity fan. Given that, it's perhaps odd that I decided to give this fic a go in the first place, but as much as I tend to stay away from Sparity stories, I happen to love the sister dynamic of Rarity and Sweetie Belle. I think I came into this hoping to see their relationship tested by their mutual attraction to the same character. Perhaps my disappointment at seeing very little interaction between the sisters can explain why I wasn't entirely hooked until 8 chapters in (some might argue that I would have had to have been at least a little hooked to get 8 chapters in, but to them I say, "Hush, you're undermining my point!") Admittedly, I would have liked this more readily if there were more of a focus on Rarity and Sweetie, and less on Spike debating their relative merits, but hey, this isn't my story, it's yours.
Misgivings about the direction aside, the writing itself is... well, pretty darn good. I've seen a lot of authors use the rapid scene-transition conversations like you used early on when Rarity and Sweetie were telling their respective friends how they were falling for Spike, and most writers do a terrible job of it. Honestly, I braced myself for a major headache when I saw the rapid-fire scene breaks coming. But you somehow pulled it off really well. The parallel conversations flowed nicely together, and it was always very clear and understandable which line took place where. Plus, that sushi joke was brilliantly executed.
It's no ten-laughs-per-minute farce, but the jokes that are in there work pretty well, mostly. Fairly solid marks there, no complaints.
Now, the romance... Well, maybe it's my bias against Sparity cropping up and making me read into things, maybe you were intending to keep both relationships even but having trouble, or maybe it's even intentional, and it's what Twilight is picking up on when she says she knows what Spike should do. But emotionally, it feels like it's leaning a bit more towards Sweetie Belle. Everything that Spike is shown to be doing with Rarity is fairly standard, regular dating stuff. Dates at restaurants, cooking dinner for one another (come to think of it, there's a lot of food involved in their relationship. Have they mentioned a date in which the central attraction was not eating something?). By contrast, the time spent with Sweetie is more unique and imaginative. The scene with him helping her practice her magic was touching. The carnival date, meeting in the library, even the second-hand account of chasing one another across Sweet Apple Acres reads as more romantic and more personal than the time he spends with Rarity.
I only have an estimate, but I'd be willing to bet that the page space spent on Spike's activities with Sweetie Belle outweighs the space spent on his activities with Rarity by a fair margin. I see a few people in the comments rooting for Rarity in this (I don't really feel like paging back to see the comments for all the chapters to get an accurate count, but they are definitely more vocal than comments supporting Sweetie in this chapter at least), but most of their arguments come entirely from events outside of this fic. I think that, from the perspective of what is presented in this story, Sweetie Belle has a stronger position in this than Rarity. Spike liked Rarity first, yes, but here he is given reasons to like Sweetie Belle, while all he really has for Rarity is, "she's pretty, and nice."
I'm not going to pretend my reasoning or theories hold any sway over how you decide to end this story, though. Like I said, it's your story, not mine. You get to write it as you see fit. Here's hoping you'll do just that before too long!
(P.S. Wow, I knew my comment was going to be longer than average, but I didn't realize I wrote a novel! Sorry if I got a bit long-winded!)
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Well, it's shorter than most of the stuff I've written. I think I got out 5,000 words on the last episode of My Little Pony. Anyway, thanks a lot for the feedback.
Now, as for the hiatus, I give you my word, it's not over yet. The schedule was thrown off quite a bit after my hand got cut up, had to go into surgury to repair a severed nerve. But I'm back and chapter 11 is actually already done and posted on the main site. Everyone start reading there!
One of the things that bugged me about this story, is that the title, and the cover image, and the summary I gave, isn't really accurate of the story as a whole. It was always supposed to be about Sweetie and Rarity both falling for Spike at the same time. But I quickly realized that the story would be over very quickly once they both found out. And the whole point of this was to write a much shorter, and more subdivided story than My Little Destiny, but I got so many ideas in the middle that I decided to roll with.
So the conflict between Sweetie and Rarity will come up in the next few chapters.
And thanks for the love.