Obsession

Chapter 1

The sun was setting as Celestia pulled the sun across the sky. Peppermint Twist was trotting down the street on her way home after Diamond Tiara’s cuteceaneara. She couldn’t help but be happy that Apple Bloom had found two new friends to help her find her cutie mark. It was probably time that they parted ways as friends anyway. Apple Bloom had become so obsessed with her cutie mark that it dominated a majority of their conversations. Peppermint Twist was much more reasonable when it came to getting her cutie mark. She knew she would one day discover her special talent and earn her cutie mark, unlike Apple Bloom who assumed that her cutie mark would never come unless she did something.

Twist knew from experience that a cutie mark appeared when you least expected it. When you were doing something that made you happy or glad, it was then that a cutie mark appeared. She turned and looked at her cutie mark. Two candy canes in the shape of a heart representing her love of candymaking. She would have never discovered that if she tried everything else in an attempt to find her special talent.

Her musings were interrupted as she bumped into someone. The impact was enough to knock her glasses fell off her face in the collision leaving her practically blind. She could barely make out the figure in front of her face as she scrambled to find her glasses.

“Oh no, my glasses! My glasses! I can’t see anything without my glasses.” She said trying to make them out on the ground but her sight made it hard to see anything but blurs.

“Don’t worry! I got them.” The purple blob in front of her said. He carefully put her glasses back on brushing the sides of her face as he did so. He didn’t feel like a pony at all as his warm, smooth claw made contact. With her glasses back on, she could finally make out the figure in front of her.

“I’m sorry about knocking your glasses off. I was carrying all these books and I guess I didn’t see you there.” The purple dragon said gathering his books in a pile. Peppermint Twist was in awe of this handsome stranger before her.

“Are you alright?” He asked waving his claw in her face.

“Oh! I’m fine. I just got a little dazed. Umm.. What’s your name?” Peppermint Twist asked the dashing creature’s name.

“I’m Spike. What’s your name?” Spike asked as he put the final book on the stack.

“I’m Mint Peppertwist…. I mean Peppermint Twist. I-It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The filly said holding out her hoof.

“It was nice meeting you too.” Spike said grabbing her hoof and giving it a firm shake. Peppermint Twist felt like she could melt as Spike’s warm claw grasped her hoof. Spike picked up his books and started to walk away. Twist stood there and held the hoof against her chest letting the warmth resonate with frantic beating of her heart.

“Will I ever see you again?” Peppermint Twist shouted to him as he left. Spike turned around with the stack of books in his claws and smiled at her.

“I live at the library. You can come by if you want.” Spike said before continuing on his way.

Peppermint Twist stood there for awhile until Spike was completely gone from view. The hoof he touched still pressed firmly against the rapid beating in her chest. A feeling of yearning that she had never experienced started to fill her entire being.

“Wowzers! I’ve never met anyone like him before. He’s so dreamy.” The filly sighed as the image of him smiling back at her washed over her mind. She skipped all the way home in a state of absolute euphoria. As she made it to her room, she couldn’t stop thinking about that fateful encounter with Spike.

“He smiled at me of all ponies!” She said hopping on to her red and white checkered bedspread. She grabbed a pillow and squeezed it to her chest as tightly as she could. The filly rolled around for a few minutes unable to sit still out of sheer excitement. It was like her body was bursting with energy after meeting Spike.

Twist finally managed to stop and looked up at the ceiling. The pillow still firmly clutched in her hooves. She started to remember the moment where Spike shook her hoof. She took the hoof and raised it into the air. She wondered if Spike was thinking about her as well. Was he laying on his bed looking at his claw as well? Twist stretched her hoof outwards as if trying to reach out to that claw again.

She closed her eyes and imagined Spike pulling her up by that hoof into the ceiling. As they passed through the ceiling, Twist found herself standing in a beautiful, sunny meadow with an impressive array of colorful flowers on display. Sitting next to a beautiful waterfall was Spike twisting a rose in his claw. He turned and looked at her with his beautiful green eyes set in a low, nonchalant gaze. He lifted his other claw and slowly beckoned her closer. Spike seemed to glisten as the moisture from the waterfall and the reflection of the sun hit his body.

“For you.” He said offering the rose to Twist with that same wonderful smile she couldn’t get out of her mind. Twist walked over and sat next to him. Spike tilted the rose towards her mouth letting her nibble one of the petals.

“It’s delicious, Spike.” Peppermint Twist said enjoying the soft, sweet taste of a single petal. The dragon placed the flower on the ground and lifted her hoof with both claws. His expression turned into more serious one as he held her hoof. The filly could feel her cheeks burning as Spike leaned closer.

“Twist, I have something important to tell you. I know we just met, but I’ve felt this powerful connection between us since we first met. It’s like fate is telling me something and I know exactly what it is.” Spike said dramatically.

“What is it?” Peppermint Twist asked. Her heart was racing like crazy as Spike reached behind his back and pulled out a black velvet case.

“Oh my gosh!” Twist said placing a hoof over her mouth.

“I have something to ask you, and I hope you’ll say yes.” Spike said leaning in a bit closer. Twist could feel their breaths practically mingling as they were inches from kissing.

“What do you want for dinner?” Spike asked in a completely different voice.

“Huh?” Twist said awaking from her daydream. She realized that it wasn’t Spike but her mother calling from downstairs. She sighed and put her hoof down as reality set in. She wasn’t in a beautiful meadow with the dragon of her dreams. She was lying in her bed alone hugging a pillow. She could take a small amount of comfort in the fact that she could see him tomorrow. Still she desperately wanted to be close to him now.

“Hey, mom? Do we have roses?” Twist called out to her mother.

The Next Day

Peppermint Twist was sitting in class anxiously waiting for the clock to strike three o’clock. She had barely been able to unable to focus on class all day. One overriding thought occupied her mind as she listened to Miss Cheerilee drone on. She watched the clock as less than one minute was all that stood between the freedom to see her beloved Spike again. Just as the clock was about to strike three, Cheerilee stood up and addressed the class.

“I’d like everypony to study the chapters thoroughly. This test is important and some of you can’t afford to fail.” Cheerilee said looking directly at Snips and Snails. As the bell rang, everypony gathered there things and prepared to leave. None faster than Peppermint Twist who was set to beat Snips and Snails for the record of leaving first. Once her saddlebags were packed, she raced to the door.

“Peppermint Twist, I’d like to speak to you for a moment.” Cheerilee said before she could make her escape. Peppermint Twist stopped dead in her tracks and walked back to Mrs. Cheerilee’s desk. The class making the obligatory “oooooo” sounds that came when any school official asked to see a student in private.

“Looks like the teacher’s pet is in trouble. Maybe Miss Cheerilee will hit her with a rolled up newspaper.” Diamond Tiara said eliciting a laugh from Silver Spoon.

“Makes sense seeing as she’s a total dog.” Silver Spoon said laughing with Diamond Tiara. Peppermint Twist shrugged off the remarks. It was just Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon being mean again. She had learned long ago that it was best just to ignore their abuse.

“Since you two are in such a good mood. Why don’t you two do the questions at the end of chapters three and four? I expect them on my desk by tomorrow.” Cheerilee said silencing their laughter. The two of them were about to protest when Cheerilee shot them a look that spelled the end of any discussion on the matter.

“I’ll make you pay for this, Twist.” Diamond Tiara swore under her breath as she and Silver Spoon left the classroom in a huff.

“Are you okay, Twist?” Cheerilee asked.

“Yes, Miss Cheerilee. Did you want to see me?” Twist said glad to see her bullies get their comeuppance. She would have never been able to stand up to those two on her own. Confrontation was definitely not her strong suit.

“I just wanted to check on you since you seem so distracted today. You didn’t raise your hoof or even ask me a single question today. Is everything alright?” Cheerilee asked standing behind her desk as the rest of her class departed. It was quite clear to her that something had changed. Peppermint Twist was her best student and it was unheard of for the studious filly to not participate in a lesson.

Peppermint Twist thought about discussing her feelings for Spike. Cheerilee was always somepony she could confide when she was unsure of something. She was also dying to tell someone about her crush on Spike and Cheerilee was definitely a pony she could trust.

“Actually, something did happen yesterday. I met someone and I like him a whole lot.” Twist said with a shy smile on her face. Just talking about Spike made her feel all warm and fuzzy.

“That’s wonderful, Twist. Having a special somepony is beautiful and magical experience.” Cheerilee said happy for her student. Discovering the joys of romance was important part of any filly’s life.

“Umm…. He’s a dragon actually. I met him after the party. Ever since we met, I can‘t stop thinking about him. I was going to visit him after class.” Twist revealed with great glee. Cheerilee was more than a little surprised by Twist’s choice, but she was happy for her all the same. Spike seemed like a nice dragon from what she had observed. There was one thing Cheerilee wanted to touch upon before she let her go though.

“Peppermint Twist, I know you’re excited about all this, but you should be careful not to rush into things. You‘re at that time in your life where your body‘s going through some weird changes. Now that you‘re considering a relationship, it‘s important that you understand the urges that come with such a partnership.” Cheerilee said speaking a bit more serious than before.

“Urges?” Twist asked confused as to what Cheerilee was implying. The mare could see the confusion in the fillies’ eyes as she tried to understand.

“Tell me, Twist. What do you think happens when two ponies…. or creatures like each other?” Cheerilee asked trying to get an understanding of how much she actually knew.

“They go on dates and stuff. Then they get married and have foals.” Peppermint Twist said. She had gathered that much from talking to her parents about it, but they didn’t elaborate on any of the finer details of what really happened.

Cheerilee wasn’t surprised by her answer. It was probably what everypony in her class would say if asked the same question. She could see that a lesson on the birds and the bees would probably be necessary in the near future. Unfortunately, she couldn’t teach such a sensitive topic to her students without permission from their parents. Still she had to make sure Twist wasn’t making any decisions she’d regret.

“That’s right, Twist, but there’s a little more to it than that. Now I want you to promise that if you and Spike decide to do something drastic, you’ll talk to me about it beforehoof.” Cheerilee said. She knew Peppermint Twist was a good filly and she’d almost certainly do as she was told in any case. Although she wanted to be clearer about what she should avoid, she’d be overstepping her bounds as an educator. It was the parents’ right to decide when and where their foals learned of such topics. She could still make sure that she didn’t do anything hasty.

“Okay, I promise, Miss Cheerilee.” Twist said with a nod.

“Good. Now run along, I know how much you want to see Spike.” Cheerilee said allowing her pupil to leave.

“Thank you, Miss Cheerilee. See you, tomorrow.” The filly said rushing out of the classroom. Cheerilee was filled with pride as she watch her student embark on a new adventure. She knew it was a wonderful thing to be in love and wished her well, no matter what happened.

“I guess they really do grow up fast.” Cheerilee said wistfully as she watched Peppermint Twist leave.

Peppermint Twist raced towards the Ponyville Library as fast as her hooves could carry her. She had no idea what Cheerilee meant by urges. Her only urge now was to see Spike and talk to him again. Still if there was something that she could do to be even closer to Spike, why would it be so bad for her to do it? The very notion that there was some forbidden way of being with Spike seemed pretty exciting.

The little filly made it to the library in record time. It had been awhile since she’d been here. She always had an avid love of reading, but the former librarian was extremely strict. It was her mission in life to drive anyone who came to the library off by being as rude and inhospitable as possible. At one point, she accused Twist of breathing too loud. After that Twist had decided to avoid the place all together. Although that pony had retired awhile ago, the memories of that curmudgeonly, old mare kept her away, until now of course.

The filly was out of breath as she finally reached her destination. As she stood before the door of the massive tree, she wondered what the new librarian was like. Spike was way too young to be left in charge of the place so there had to be someone else. The memories of the former librarian came flooding back. What if the pony Spike was living with someone who was worse than that old librarian? The filly took a deep breath and tried to prepare herself for whatever was inside.

“This is for Spike.” Twist said letting herself in. To her surprise, she recognized the mare as she walked in. It was that purple unicorn who stood up for Applebloom when Diamond Tiara started making fun of her for not having her cutie mark. The mare was sitting at a desk when she looked up and spotted the redheaded visitor.

“Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle. Can I help you?” The mare said happy to have a visitor. She was beginning to believe that ponies in this town didn’t read at all. It was finally nice to have a visitor that wasn’t one of her friends for once.

“I’m Peppermint Twist. Are you the new librarian?” The filly asked hopefully.

“Yes, my assistant and I moved in just a couple of weeks ago.” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Your assistant?” Twist said as her curiosity was piqued.

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked unable to comprehend that last word.

“I mean your helper.” Twist said rephrasing her response.

“Oh, you mean Spike! He’s out right now. Are you a friend of his?” The curious mare asked. Peppermint Twist couldn’t exactly call herself a friend of Spike’s. They had bumped into each other just once and talked for a couple seconds.

“We met the other day when he bumped into me. I was just hoping to talk with him.” Twist said as something occurred to her. She had been so caught up in trying to see Spike again that she had no idea what to talk about when she confronted him. It would be weird if she just showed up to see him and had nothing to discuss.

“He’ll probably be back sooner or later. If you’d like to speak with him, you could just wait here for him.” Twilight offered. The filly decided to just stay and wait for his return. Running around town searching for him would make it easy to miss him. She could also stay and find out more about Spike from Twilight Sparkle.

“Okay, but may I ask you a few questions about Spike?” Twilight Sparkle was beginning to see her visitor had a rather odd fascination with her young ward. She had received questions about Spike before, but something about this filly seemed different from the natural curiosity that comes with seeing a baby dragon for the first time.

“Sure, I guess I could answer a few questions. What would you like to know?” Twilight said prompting a deluge of questions to spill forth from the little earth pony who stood before her.

“Where did he come from? How did he become your helper? What was he like before he came to Ponyville? What’s his favorite food? Does he like candy? If so, what’s his favorite kind? What does he do for fun? Does he-” Twilight quickly placed a hoof over the filly’s mouth. She hadn’t seen anypony take this much of an interest in her number one assistant, even Fluttershy didn’t ask this many questions when she met Spike.

“Whoa! Hold on a second, Twist. Before I answer your questions, can I ask you why you want to know all this?” Twilight asked removing her hoof. Peppermint Twist looked down and rubbed her foreleg nervously. She had gotten too excited and know Twilight Sparkle was on to her. Maybe she could lie her way out of it, but she was terrible at that sort of thing.

“Uhhh…I just want to be Spike’s friend.” Twist said stepping back. She knew it was a terrible lie. Nopony would buy such a blatant fib.

“So you just asked all those questions because you want to be his friend?” Twilight Sparkle asked suspiciously. It was too late to take it back. Twist knew how smart and wise Twilight was from her speech at the party. She had probably seen through her ruse already.

“Ummm…yeah.” The filly replied still clinging to slim hope that her lie might succeed.

“Come on, Twist. I think we both know what’s going on here. You obviously don‘t want to be his friend.” Twilight Sparkle said causing Twist to panic. She had been caught. It was so stupid to lie to somepony as intelligent as Twilight Sparkle. She definitely knew Twist had a huge crush on Spike.

“You obviously want to be his best friend!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

“Wha-” Peppermint Twist said completely flabbergasted.

“Don’t try to deny it, Twist. I think it’s a great idea. This is an excellent opportunity to show the princess that my studies in friendship are going well. As a matter of fact, I promise to do everything in my power to make sure you and Spike are absolutely inseparable.” Twilight Sparkle said excitedly pacing around the room. Twist was at a loss for words as she watched Twilight walk around the room. Was this really happening? It seemed to be too good to be true.

“So you’re going to help me get closer to Spike?” The filly asked still suffering from mild disbelief. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Twilight’s help. It was probably a bigger boon than anything to have Spike’s guardian assisting her as she attempted to get closer to him. It just seemed too good to be true.

“Of course, I will, and I know exactly where to start.” Twilight walked over to a chest and levitated out a giant photo album with a crudely drawn dragon on the cover. It was a book she received from Princess Celestia when she was younger. It was from when she first took Spike under her care. With some help from Princess Celestia, she had managed to keep a detailed record of every important moment of his entire life up till now.

“What’s that?” Peppermint Twist asked as she watched Twilight place the book on a table before them.

“I’m going to teach you everything you need to know about Spike. By the time we’re done, you’ll know more about him than he does.” Twilight said as she opened the book. Peppermint Twist listened and absorbed every significant memory of Spike’s life over the next couple of hours. Her keen mind committing it all to detail. The two ponies lost track of time as Twilight revealed every personal detail of Spike’s life to the filly. Twilight Sparkle looked out the window to see the sun starting to set and Spike still hadn’t returned.

“It’s getting pretty late, Twist. You should probably get home. I wish Spike was here though.” Twilight Sparkle said wanting to bring Spike and Twist closer together. She couldn’t very well create a friendship between two people if one of them wasn’t there.

“It’s okay, Twilight. I’m just so happy I got to learn so much about Spike.” Peppermint Twist said happily going over everything she had learned. Spike was kind, helpful, and always looking out for his guardian, Twilight. Although she hadn’t seen him today, her infatuation with the dragon had grown to new heights.

“I’m glad I could help you. Why don’t you come by tomorrow and I’ll make sure he’s here.” Twilight said inviting her back.

“Okay, I’ll be there. See you tomorrow, Twilight.” Peppermint Twist said cheerfully as she put her saddlebag on and left.

The filly skipped home positively ecstatic. She didn’t get to meet Spike, but she had made a powerful ally in Twilight Sparkle who promised to help her become Spike’s best friend. It may have been a bit misleading, but Twist figured when they started dating they’d be best friends anyway. Twilight would get to impress the princess, and she and Spike would be together. It was a win-win for everypony involved.

As the redheaded earth pony skipped down the dirt path towards her home, she was being watched by two ponies secretly lying in wait in a bush. It was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They had tracked her to the library by asking around. After hours of waiting, their target had finally revealed itself.

“Are you sure about this Diamond Tiara?” Silver Spoon asked feeling bad about this whole thing.

“Of course, I am. It‘s all her fault that we got that homework assignment.” Diamond Tiara said as if it made perfect sense. Silver Spoon knew it was their fault for making fun of Twist. She had been trying to convince her of that for the past couple of hours, but Diamond Tiara remained adamant that Twist was to blame.

“Okay, but throwing hardboiled eggs at her seems kind of harsh.” Silver Spoon said looking at the dozen eggs Diamond Tiara had brought. It was practically like throwing rocks at her.

“I’m sick of your complaining, Silver Spoon. If you don’t like it, just go home already.” Diamond Tiara said waiting for Twist to past the bush so they could ambush her. She’d do this without Silver Spoon if she had to.

“I’ll be quiet.” Silver Spoon said resigning herself to Diamond Tiara’s whim. Ever since the disaster at her cuteceanara, Diamond Tiara had changed. She was far more vitriolic and unstable than ever before. Silver Spoon realized that whatever good was in her friend was pushed even further down by the embarrassment of what happened that day. At this point, she was scared of what would happen if she left Diamond Tiara’s side. She could be the next one being pelted with hardboiled eggs or worse.

Peppermint Twist was humming a cheerful little tune as she passed by the bush, unaware of the trap that was about to spring. Her happiness only made Diamond Tiara more bitter towards the filly. She wondered what reason she had to be happy at all. She was ugly. She didn’t even have a cuteceanara because her stupid family was dirt poor. How dare she be happier than her? The enraged filly picked up an egg in her hoof and stood up.

“Hey, egghead! Special delivery!” Diamond Tiara shouted as she hurled the hardened projectile with all her might. Peppermint Twist turned around to see the egg coming straight at her. She was nowhere near athletic enough to move out of the way in time. She closed her eyes and prepared for impact.

Suddenly someone pushed Twist from the side to the ground and shielded her. At first, she had no idea what was happening as the stranger stood over her. Whoever it was covered her head with his arms and pushed his body down over hers. She should have been panicking like crazy, but something told her that this person was trying to help her.

“I think someone’s protecting her.” Silver Spoon said. Diamond Tiara didn’t care though.

“Grr! Keep throwing!” Diamond Tiara barked at her friend. Silver Spoon did as she commanded and continued to pelt the purple figure covering Peppermint Twist.

Peppermint Twist began to feel funny as she realized who it was shielding her. It was Spike. The smooth, warm surface of the his body awakened something in Twist. As her savior body’s lay atop her, she wanted to hug him as strange as it seemed. It was like she wanted to push him inside of her. As ludicrous as the idea seemed, it somehow made perfect sense.

Diamond Tiara reached for another egg only to find the entire dozen had been exhausted. She looked over at Twist who was still unscathed and growled. She wanted to scream as she realized her plan had failed.

“Come on, Diamond Tiara. Let’s get out of here.” Silver Spoon said pulling her leg. Diamond Tiara reluctantly complied but not before making another promise.

“I swear I’ll make you pay, dork!” Diamond Tiara said as she and her friend retreated.

“I think they’re gone.” The voice of her savior said. Twist recognized it almost immediately.

“Spike?” Twist said looking at him as he got up. The dragon stood up and extended a helping claw to her. She placed her hoof upwards as Spike lifted her to a standing position. The feeling of his claw wrapped around her foreleg brought back tender memories.

“Are you all right?” Spike asked as he wiped bits of egg off his back. Peppermint Twist was left speechless as she watched her hero clean himself off. Everything inside of her wanted to embrace him and kiss him for his selfless act. She even wanted him to lie on top of her like when she protected her.

“Umm… I think you had an accident.” Spike said pointing between her back legs where a trickle of clear liquid could be seen falling down her legs. Peppermint Twist didn’t even realize it till Spike pointed it out. Her face turned completely red as she quickly fled the scene.

Spike watched as the filly ran away. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. He looked over to the ground and spotted a saddlebag lying on the ground. He picked it up and inspected the inside flap for any information. Luckily, there was an address sewn to the inside of the bag.

“I guess I’m going to be pretty late getting home. Twilight‘s going to kill me later.” Spike sighed as he slung the bag over his shoulder and headed towards the address.

Author's Note

I actually started writing this a year ago. This was actually what I started on after Spike's Sexual Revolution. I never published it because I was too afraid of how it would be recieved. I still continued to work on it though and after seven chapters I'm proud to finally present this thing to the internet public.