“Rarity! “Spike!” “...” “R-Rarity! I haven’t seen you in so long!” “It’s… been a lifetime, dear.” “Oh it has, hasn’t it?” “Y-Yeah, Spikey, it h-has.” “Rarity…” “I’ve missed you so much! Why did you have to go to war?” “...I—” “Why didn’t you think about me when you went?” “I did Rar—” “And why did you leave me alone without a letter saying ‘I’m alive’ y-you…” “Rarity I—” “You left me alone… for years, waiting just for the day to see you again. Even when I heard you died, I waited. The light was on, and your pyre was burning every night. It hurt me so much to hear the knocking on the door just to see another pony standing there. But that wasn’t it. I contemplated leaving too. The girls kept me there though. I wanted to make sure that they lived without having to worry about me killing myself just to see you!” “Rarity… why would you…?” “Because I love you, darling! I love you so much! I—[i]hmmph[/i]!” “...” “S-Spike, you don’t take advantage of a lady—” “It’s not taking advantage when it’s a necessity.” “...” “Rarity, I’m not going to sugarcoat this, because that’s Pinkie’s job and she’s not around to give us some tasty sugar cookies. I have been waiting for so long to hear you say those words to me. You know how long, don’t you?” “Yes, I do, Spike.” “I’m glad you knew, because it makes me happy that you never broke my heart when I was younger.” “Breaking an aspiring mare-killer of a dragon? Darling, that’s not my bourbon.” “Bourbon? I thought you liked—” “A mare doesn’t—” “—kiss, tell, or share drink preferences unless influenced by heavy amounts of liquor, I know.” “My, h-how matured you are, Spike.” “Shut up.” “...” “It isn’t funny, Rarity.” “...” “I have never heard of a [i]lady[/i] in hysterics before.” “Hysterics? This isn’t hysterics, Spike. Hysterics is when I lay down and eat this—” “Ice cream?” “...” “Rarity, screaming does not work here. All it does is wake up the dead.” “Ahh—Wait, wake up the dead?” “My friends from the war…” “Oh.” “Yeah…” “...” “Rarity, I—” “No, Spike, I shouldn’t have done that. I apologize.” “It’s okay, Rares.” “Rares?” “You don’t mind the nickname, do you? I’ve always thought that it works quite well with—[i]hmmph[/i]!” “...” “Darling, it’s more than okay.” “Wow, just saying Rares gets you to do [i]that[/i]?” “No, I just felt like it.” “...” “What?” “Is that what love is?” “You don’t know how love feels, Spike?” “Rarity, I’ve been blinded by it for centuries. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve grown numb to love. Plus, I’m dead. I can’t feel anything but what I felt when I died.” “Wait, really?” “Yes. You probably felt anxious to see me and wanted to express your love, while I have been waiting here, upset about my comrades and upset about you living on without me. I died in tears, Rarity. I was sad and regretting that I ever made a promise to you girls saying that I’d make it back.” “War is cruel, Spike. It sometimes makes us lie even if we don’t want to.” “...” “Spike?” “It made me lie twice. Once to you girls, and twice on the ground with a burnt face and several spears piercing through my chest. I laid there, thinking about you all and if signing up for the Celestial Regiment was a good idea after all, if my contribution to it was worth anything. And I remembered I wanted to protect you all, no matter how cliché that sounds.” “Spike…” “I think I’m glad that I did it. I wanted you all safe. And since you all survived, I think my contribution was worth it.” “But you died and—” “I know, I know. The girls kept you there though, didn’t they? You loved them like you loved me, right?” “Well, not romantically speaking, but I did love them as if they were family. I can never—” “—leave family behind without saying goodbye, yeah.” “...” “Spike?” “Hmm?” “Does this make us...” “Soulmates?” “Mhm.” “Do you want to be?” “Yes, darling, I—um…” “What?” “I don’t want to call you darling, Spike.” “Why?” “Because that’s a lie too. You’re not like the others. You’re more than that. I… want to be soulmates. No matter what.” “No matter what?” “Yes.” “Even if that means running through dirt and mud puddles and—” “Shut up, mister!” “...” “I hate dying.” “Me too, Rarity.”