Three weeks.

Twilight kept track of every day since her first 'lesson.' Ever since that night, things just weren't the same. And now that his body was all healed up, his large figure was something she constantly gawked at. She'd gone around with him to help find a job so he could get another home, all of which proved fruitless. He was getting less and less hopeful, and she couldn't stand seeing him that way. He rejected all offers for a job in the library, saying he wouldn't want to ask any more of her.

Just seeing him so frustrated made her even more determined to help. Now though, she was busy reshelving the library while he was out looking for a job, and at the same time helping around the markets. He took up the habit of being around the market for hours, getting what few bits he could. The tireless hours brought him home tired and worn out, and each day he came back more and more disappointed. Today was no different; Twilight's ears perked up at the sound of the door opening and slamming shut forcefully.

"Hey, Strong," Spike said. "Find anywhere to work?"

She heard his silence, meaning he had shaken his head. "Maybe I'll find something tomorrow," he said in a low tone.

The young drake walked into her study and went to his bed. "Strong's back," he sighed. "He looks worse than yesterday."

Twilight nodded and finished the last of the shelves. "I heard," she smiled. "Go to sleep, Spike. Rarity said she needed your help again."

Spike yawned slightly, a weary smile on his lips as he nestled into his pillow. Shaking her head with a giggle, she trotted down the stairs. Strong was sitting on the couch with his head on layed back. Her hoofsteps reached his ears, and he sighed as he turned to look at her.

Well, stare at her really. The 'practice' they had some weeks ago changed the way he looked at her. At first he was hesitant on continuing her lessons, since everytime he thought back to their kiss it just made him feel awkward. But as time went on, and she helped him as best she could, he realized what she really meant to him. Not a friend, not even a really good friend. Best friend was still irrelevant.

He wanted her. Not lustfully, but lovingly. There was no denying love, because he knew the signs from both seeing it and experiencing it. That kiss was just the tip of the iceberg with how he could show his love. But there were two problems. One of which was the fact that, like Rarity, Twilight wasn't as easily readable from body language. Sure, discomfort and embarrasment here and there, but that was to be expected since their little kiss.

The second, was his own fault: uncertainty. He did love her, more so than he knew, but he just didn't think he was ready for it. Not again… at least. All he was comfortable with was the idea of a quick lay, but he'd just be a scumbag if he did that to Twilight. And her behavior didn't really suggest that she was comfortable with such intimate things, not with somepony she'd known for a month, at least.

"How'd it go?" Twilight asked. He sighed again, rubbing his recently healed shoulder.

"No jobs open. But there have been a ton of heavy liftings for some merchants," he chuckled bitterly. "This is just pointless."

She watched him rub his shoulders painfully, no doubt he was doing this all day. Unsure of what to say or do, she could at least help him ease up instead of hurting himself. Walking up behind he couch, she moved her hooves beside his, then gently pressed on his shoulders. Strong's eyes widened momentarily, and a blissful sigh left him.

"Twilight, you don't have to-"

"It's the least I could do to help," she interrupted.

He sat forward, her hooves leaving his shoulders. "The least you've done is more than anypony's ever done," Strong countered. "You've given me a home, food, and a place to sleep. This is probably the most you could do."

She smirked, and used her magic to push him back against the sofa. "Then let me do the most I can," Twilight quipped, reaching a knot near his neck.

He hated when she got determined, but at the same time, he was enjoying the massage. Deciding to just let it happen, he sighed again as her hooves moved to the scarred parts of his shoulder. He couldn't feel her touch on his coat, but the knots easing up were good enough for him. Closing his eyes, he layed his head back, his muzzle mere inches from her own.

Even with his stress being relieved, the bulk of his shoulders showed just how fit he really was. She could have been massaging marble topped with fur and flesh for all she knew. Though it wasn't as hard, given how he had a constant need to keep himself clean and neat. It was like a subtle, male version of Rarity. And quite muscled as well.

Twilight soft hooves gently kneading his aching shoulders had to be one of his most pleasant experiences. Aloe and Lotus were extremely skilled, as he'd learned, and she wasn't as skilled as they. But the fact that it was Twilight rubbing him (not that way) just made it that more comfortable. It wasn't to say she was bad, because she was relieving many sore spots of their pain. Two particularly worn parts near the sides of his neck had Twilight's touch forsake their pain.

She blushed mildly as his peaceful sighs blew at her. "S-Strong," she stammered.

"Yeah?" He opened his eyes, looking into hers from his opposite position.

"Do… do you think, you could show those… lessons again?" Strong's feverish cheeks were nothing compared to hers.

"You sure?" he asked. "Not that, I won't do it but… do you want to?"

She nodded quickly, much more eagerly than she intended. "It's just practice, right?" she smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah. Just practice," Strong said. "S-So, where we last time?"

She pulled her hooves away and came around to sit next to him. "You were showing me… how to kiss my… date," she forced herself to say. "Should we start there? Or if you want to show me again…"

Strong would jump at the chance to have her lips against his own. And again, he had too much respect to force her into this. "We'll continue from there," he said. "So, if you're going to kiss and all that, remember, whether or not it gets more intimate is your choice. If he pressures you into it, he just wants sex."

"And if I want it, I should be the one to suggest it?" Twilight asked.

"Exactly."

She must've caught on since last time. Romancte eacher of the year!

"S-So, should we go upstairs?" Her words came out shakily, and a bit hesitant.

Strong took much notice to this. The first time he showed her the ropes, she had no problem acting seductively and professional at the same time. "Yeah. Remember, I'm the stallion, you're the mare. Show me to the room," he said, holding his hoof out.

Taking his hoof slowly, Twilight rose with him, walking slowly towards the steps. "If you're gonna persuade him, try swaying your hips." She did just that, except a bit exaggeratedly. "Not like that," Strong chuckled.

"Like this?" She placed a hind leg on the bottom stair, letting her flank dip slightly.

"Y-Yeah," Strong forced himself to say. His eyes were glued to the sight of her firm flanks teasing him, her tail going with the motion but not revealing anything.

Reaching the top of the steps, Twilight decided to guide him to an empty bedroom. Strong was going to question why she hadn't let him sleep here, but all he had to do was look at the room itself. Books were scattered in piles around the room, a thick layer of dust covering them. It was empty except for the single mattress near the far wall. There was a closed window to the right, and that was pretty much it. Twilight sat on the bed, Strong following suit with his hoof still holding the unicorn's.

"Make sure you use your room," he chuckled. Twilight laughed weakly, adjusting her grip on his hoof.

"W-What now?" Twilight quivered. Her hoof held his tighter, causing Strong's mind to delay for a moment.

Shaking from his momentary trance, Strong thought back to his lesson. "Uh, so, now that you've got him here, there's no turning back," Strong said. "Don't just rush into it. There's a bit of kissing, then foreplay, until you two start… messing around."

Twilight blushed profusely, scooting closer to him. "And I'm supposed to… give him the okay." Strong nodded, his eyebrows going into his mane as Twilight moved forward.

Their lips met for the second time. Strong forced himself to think that this was only practice, but Twilight's tongue sent that notion out the window. He parted his lips, letting her explore his mouth. She'd learned a lot from their last open-mouth kiss. Her wet muscle swirled around his, stroking it at times and never keeping the same pattern. His hoof made it's way up to her cheek, and hers resting on his shoulder. Seperating for a quick second for air, their calm pace elevated to a fervid degree, Twilight falling back with Strong following.

She moaned into him, wrapping her hind legs around him and pressing her lips harder. Forgetting their goal of the lesson, the two took in every detail of the moment. Strong's tongue deftly overpowered Twilight's, eliciting increasingly high moans and squirms. He savored her smell, but her taste combined with his was what he craved.

Twilight's hooves held him tighter as his skilled motions brought pleasure she never expected to come from her mouth. Her mind screamed for her to stop, since Strong was just helping her, but her brain was failing her miserably. And she couldn't be any more indifferent about it. Toppling him over on the bed, she forced his tongue back, wildly and messily wrestling around with it. The fire between her legs begged to be sated, causing her to grind herself into his crotch. The feeling alone broke Strong's last voice of reason.

Twilight moaned happily as Strong flipped them over, his hooves running down her back. Her eyes clenched when he came to grope her flanks. Finally parting lips, he planted a few kisses and nips around her neck. The lavender mare squirmed as his shaft slipped out of his sheath. He squeezed her ass tightly, breathing huskily beside her ear and groaning as his shaft rubbed up against her soft coat. Twilight's moans turned to grunts as she weakly tried wriggling away.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"P-Please! D-Don't-AAAHHHH!

"You're… so fucking tight!

"Stop! Stop! He-Help! Please! S-Somepony!"

"No…pony can… hear you… oh FUCK!"

Strong's had to say. Before things got out of hoof he needed to tell her. He wouldn't do this without her knowing. He lifted himself to look at her, but a blast of magic sent him into the far wall.

"GET OFF OF ME!"

Strong shook his head, his vision clearing up as Twilight stomped over to her. Just as he opened his mouth, her hoof smacked him across his muzzle. He kept still in disbelief, looking at her and trying to understand her anger.

"DON'T EVER TOUCH ME LIKE THAT!" she screamed.

Strong watched as she galloped out of the room, leaving him to sit and wonder: What did he do wrong? Was he really that out of control? Did he hurt her? Or did she not want him to touch her like that because…

…she didn't feel the same way.

She didn't feel the same way.

She doesn't feel the same way.

Strong ran his hoof through his mane, his member long having since receded back into its sheath. "Idiot." He smacked himself harder, ignoring the greater stinging on the spot where she'd hit him. "Stupid, dumb, fucking, idiot!"

Of course she didn't love him. She probably never did. He stomped out of the room, went downstairs, and slammed the door shut as he left the library. A tiny puddle of a stray tear sat on the doorstep of the great tree.

Twilight cursed at herself for everything she'd done. Taking it as far as she did with him, not controlling herself, and for hitting him, above all. She did like him, more so than any stallion she had ever known. He was handsome, kind, willing to help her see other stallions, and even when he was agitated he wouldn't ever take it out on her.

But she couldn't… never…

"Never… again." She muffled her sobs into the pillow, her assistant's snoring helping drown them out.

Strong threw open the doors, taking a seat next to some green stallion and tossing a bag of bits onto the counter. "Give me one of however many this gets."

The bartender looked delightedly at the large bag, and quickly began filling mugs and glasses. Downing one by one, Strong planned to get himself totally wasted, then maybe move back to Canterlot for his parents' sake. The stallion next to him watched with amusement while he sipped his own mug. Strong waited for the next drink, mumbling curses and 'stupid' to himself.

"Rough day?"

Strong threw his head back, grimacing at the salt filled liquor. "Yeah. Fucking rough," Strong chuckled darkly. "You know what… fuck mares. This is why… this is why I… why I just fuck and go, y'know? Makes things so fu-fucking easier. No lovey dovey shit."

Strong looked at the stallion, his tipsy mentality recognizing him immediately.

"Hey… you're that sonuva bitch that fucked with Green," he slurred. "How's life, fuckface?"

The stallion glared at him, smacking his drink away from him. "I thought you'd learned not to mess with me," he sneered. "Now get out of here you big oaf. It's no wonder you came here in the first place."

Strong growled and smacked his drink away as well. "Fuck you!"

The green stallion punched him, causing him to fall back. "Hey! Knock it off!" The bartender came around to pull the two apart, but instead was bucked in the face by Strong.

"I thought putting you on the streets was enough!" The stallion punched him right in the muzzle, but Strong balanced out and swung his hind leg around.

"What'dya mean you…" The gears slowly turned, and Strong snarled fiercely. "You son of a BITCH!"

He tackled him to the ground, headbutting him continuously until a headache formed. Strong punched him multiple times before a guard came through the doors and tackled him off. The Solar Guard was tossed off as the enraged stallion went back over. It took another four guards, two of which being there when he was arrested a month ago, to pull him off and haul them away. Strong struggled the entire way there, even as he was thrown into a cell. Bucking pointlessly against the bars, he slumped back against the wall sighing as his mentality finally gave way.

He sobbed like a colt, sniffling in his drunken stupor. "Fuck you, Twilight… Fuck you… I… I love you…"

He would have kept crying, but when he felt a wing wrap around him, he looked up. Smiling softly, was the very princess of the sun, and co-ruler of Equestria.

"P-Princess Celestia?" He smacked himself again, only to realize he wasn't dreaming. "What are you… wait… did you hear that?"

She nodded, and raised a brow as he rose his hooves in defense. "I'm not going to hurt you," Celestia laughed softly, casting a sobriety spell on him.

Strong shook his head, feeling as if a bucket of ice water was thrown on him. "Ugh… thank you," he groaned. "Listen, I mean, I'm very sorry for what I-"

Celestia placed a wing on his lips, opening his cell and gesturing towards the exit. "Walk with me," she said. He nodded slowly, keeping up with the regal alicorn outside.

"Where are all the guards?" Strong questioned.

"I had them keep an eye on Green Leaf, in case he acted up," Celestia replied, looking up into the night sky.

Strong walked on with her in silence, until he couldn't hold his curiosity back any longer. "So… why are you here… Princess?"

"By now I would have been resting as my dear sister watched the night. But she came upon something… interesting." Strong gulped audibly, remembering exactly what he had said about her beloved student.

"L-Like?"

Celestia giggled softly, much to his surprise. "It's alright, Strong Spirit," Celestia said soothingly. "I've met your brother. You two are very much alike, and as such I know you meant none of what you said."

Strong sighed with relief. "Wait. You met Silver?" Strong asked. "How's he doing? Is he in Canterlot?"

She nodded, looking back to the sky. "Lieutenant Silver has earned himself quite the reputation," Celestia smiled. "But that's not why I have come. My sister had told me of certain memories of Twilight that had haunted her through nightmares, and to see the reason behind their sudden occurences I've…"

The slight look of hesitance threw him off. "You what? I mean, what's wrong?"

"I casted a spell to view a recollection of memories over the past week," she sighed. "I do my best to give my subjects their privacy, especially Twilight. But these nightmares were related to an incident in which she would only speak with her family. Not even I could get her to speak."

To think, that Princess Celestia, Twilight's mentor, and highly spoken of friend, couldn't get her to talk. "Did you… see what we did?"

Celestia nodded with a straight face. "I looked past the week and into the month. I was extremely proud of my student's willingness to give a friend a home," she said proudly. "And even happier when I discovered she had gone past her lessons of friendship and into the next step. Love."

Strong gasped, stopping to stare at the princess. "She… she loved me?" He had to know. He had to know now, not later, so that he could know whether or not he did the wrong thing in thinking he could be with Twilight.

"She does," Celestia said. "And I understand how much this meant to you."

"Did you-"

"I just wanted to know why you were so hesitant at first," she interrupted quickly. "I give you my word that nothing more was seen."

He sighed, having no choice but to believe her. "That was a long time ago," he sighed. "I'd… rather not remember it."

He walked away from her, deciding to just try wait for the next train to Canterlot. Celestia flew over him and landed in his path, forcing him to stop.

"Twilight loves you, Strong Spirit," she said much more powerfully. "Don't doubt this becuase of her outburst."

"So if she loves me, why did she hit me with magic then slap me in my face and tell me to never touch her? Explain that, Princess." He waited for an answer, more importantly, waiting for her to tell him some bogus reply.

"Twilight was raped as a filly."

…

…

…

Oh fuck.

Strong's jaw dropped in guilt, and he fell onto his haunches. "She… when she was… Damn it, what've I done?" He rubbed his temples roughly, once again cursing himself for it.

"Do not blame yourself, Strong," Celestia softly said. "Even her closest friends are unaware of the tragic incident."

"No… but still-"

"There are no but's when it comes to somepony else's secrets," Celestia chided reassuringly. "You could not have known unless she told you. And even though you unknowingly reminded her, I want to speak to you about your previous relationship."

"Shouldn't we be speaking to Twilight or something?" Strong asked. "She's remembering getting raped, isn't she?"

"She is being taken care of," Celestia smiled. "I just want to speak about you."

Author's Note

Ah, yes. We are nearing the end of this fic. And you all know what that means. Sexy times cometh, and it shall be my very first clop writing EVER! So just let me know I do, and remember, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!