The only thing on Twilight Sparkle's mind was studying.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. Other things were on her mind. Thoughts of her friends, pangs of hunger, and scads of royal duties attempted to permeate the thick protective veneer in which her urge to study lay. None succeeded. Her other thoughts were forced to sit silently and concede defeat, no a single one invasive enough to derail her current plan of action.
Revision: the only thing on Twilight Sparkle's mind was not studying, but it was certainly the most prevalent.
She had woken up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, at 6:00 AM. After a shower and brushing--which left her tail considerably less bushy than it had been--it was straight downstairs and to the books with her. After all, Rarity was due to arrive at noon, and between that and the shower, that only left Twilight with a mere four hours, eighteen minutes, and thirty-six seconds to read. Breakfast would have to take place alongside her studies, as it often did.
Twilight chomped idly on her cereal as she read through her latest book. She'd bought a nice surplus of the stuff after her good friend Applejack had extended her farm repertoire to include breakfast cereals. It still made her smile each time she looked at one of the boxes with her friend's face on it. She probably would have bought them either way; Apple-O's were delicious, and Applejack's smiling face on the box was just an added bonus.
Twilight reached over for the bowl and misjudged its proximity to her, knocking it over. Her attention had been focused squarely on her book, a situation she often found herself in. Quick thinking allowed her to catch the cereal with her magic before it even touched the floor. Had Spike been present, he would have likely made some sort of playful comment about how he was glad that she was having a well-balanced breakfast. He had been picking up quite a bit of snark recently, something which Twilight knew she was partially to blame for. Today, however, Spike was not home. He'd recently started seeing Sweetie Belle, and he and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were spending the weekend at Carousel Boutique. Rarity had planned a wonderful weekend for the group, including sleepovers each night and a trip to Canterlot for a musical this evening. It was all very generous of her, but then again, that was to be expected. Twilight did miss having Spike around the house, but at least it did allow her some uninterrupted study time and a reprieve from his newfound sarcastic streak.
Twilight gasped as she caught a glimpse of the clock. Had four hours, nine minutes, and fourteen seconds really gone by so fast? Time really flew when she was absorbed in a good book, and the one she had been reading for most of this time was definitely a goodie. Ever since her ascension to princessdom--a move which had seemed to be more parallel than upward for the most part--her magical ability had been increasing steadily. With more magical ability came the opportunity to learn even more powerful spells, and there were few books in her repertoire that spoke of spells more powerful than the ones in this tome. There were so many amazing spells held within the bindings of this book, and Twilight wanted to eventually be able to cast each and every one.
Today, though, there was only one spell that she cared about casting. She knew that Rarity was expecting to come in, get the dress she had bought for her, and leave. After all, Rarity knew that Twilight was studying today, and with the two of them having been together for so long, she knew that when Twilight was really engrossed in studying, it was best to let it get out of her system. What Rarity certainly was not going to expect was Twilight waiting for her by the dress with this spell active.
Twilight giggled to herself as she headed upstairs. Even though Rarity had to get back home to get ready for the trip to Canterlot, there would be no chance of her resisting a bit of time with Twilight when she had this spell active. She read over the spell once more as she reached her dresser, where the beautiful dress she'd purchased for her marefriend lay. Rarity would first be surprised by seeing that Twilight had pulled herself away from her studies, and then even moreso when she rested a hoof on Twilight. This spell, from what she'd read, would give her body the texture of smooth, flawless silk, and she knew exactly how much Rarity enjoyed the feeling of silk. As soon as she touched Twilight's silky body, she would be enraptured and more than willing to stay for just a bit. Plus, the spell would last for a full 24 hours, so she could possibly sneak out to the boutique when Rarity and the others returned from Canterlot. It was a fantastic plan, the alicorn had to admit.
Twilight concentrated hard on the spell that she intended to cast. Concentration was key with these advanced spells, especially those having to do with transformations of any sort. She knew from experience that messing up a transformation spell was bad news. She had misread a spell from this very tome earlier in the week and had been very thankful for its short duration. She wasn't sure if she could have stood being a peach for more than the minute that she was, and she wasn't willing to try it again in order to find out. Luckily, nopony found her in that minute; she didn't even want to put any thought towards what might have happened.
This time, though, there would be no errors. The Silk Pony spell would go off without a hitch. Nothing would break her concentration. Nopony would distract her from the proper casting of this spell. She was Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, and she would get this spell right!
The room shone with a brilliant pink light as pure magical essence blossomed from the tip of Twilight's horn. The alicorn closed her eyes, a content smile adorning her face, as the magical cloud that had formed above her condensed into a shimmering liquid, pouring down and somehow only touching her. She felt a cool, tingly feeling all over as the magic soaked into her pores, giving her body a brief luminescence before fading out.
Twilight beamed, positive that she'd followed every single instruction she'd read in the spell. The shining, the blossoming, the condensing, the shimmering, the tingling...it was all there, Just as she'd expected, she'd pulled the spell off without a hitch. She picked one foreleg up and ran her hoof down her other foreleg. Sure enough, it felt as smooth as silk. Rarity would absolutely love this.
Twilight then felt an extra tingling feeling start up. She was confused; wasn't the spell finished? Her body felt like silk, the transformation was complete. So why was this feeling starting up again? Before Twilight could ponder this any further, she began to feel lightheaded. She figured that it could have been an effect from the change in physiology, but as the feeling intensified, she began to worry. She reached towards the table for the book, leaning closer to look at it. Her hoof, which was starting to feel slightly weak, slid across the page until it found the spell she had cast. She worked through her lightheadedness, despite how bad it was getting, to read the entry, and hummed to herself when she noticed "lightheadedness" under its effects. She wasn't sure how she'd missed that; she'd read the Silk Panty spell over completely...
Twilight reread the title of the spell. For a brief moment, she cursed the small text that the book was written in. The next few moments were spent desperately clawing at the book to find a quick counterspell. An errant hoof knocked the book off of the table, and before Twilight could react, she began to lose the ability to move her front legs. She tried to rear away from the table, but her hind legs seemed to be even more useless than the fores. The muscles in her fores gave out, and she flopped with a wince atop the table. Everything about her body tingled, and she began to feel much, much lighter.
Twilight Sparkle decided, at that moment, that perhaps she should begin to wear reading glasses.
~~~~~~~~~~
Rarity was fashionably late. Rarity was fashionably everything, so it fit rather well. In fact, it was not completely outside the realm of possibility that Rarity, upon having heard that particular term, had made a conscious decision in her mind to be fashionably late for everything.
Upon her arrival at the library, Rarity noticed a note tacked to the front door, with her name written in large letters on the top. She decided to read it, a practice which she often employed when finding a note that was addressed to her.
"Rarity. I'm studying in the basement. Your present is in the bedroom. Love, Twilight."
Rarity smiled and entered the library. She did wish that Twilight had time to talk a bit, rather than just leaving her to get her present and take her leave. However, she understood quite well how important Twilight's studies were, and it wasn't like the two never had time with each other. It worked out well, too, since Rarity did need to get home. She couldn't exactly leave her sister with her boyfriend and her best friends for too long without any supervision. As much as she wanted to trust the group, the disarray that they had left the boutique in a few weeks ago did not exactly do wonders for her perception of their responsibility.
The fashionista made her way upstairs excitedly. Twilight had not even given her a single hint as to what this present was, and her mind had been racing with possibilities since she had been informed of it. Perhaps it was a fancy new chapeau? Or tickets to the town spa? Knowing Twilight, it was likely to be a book. Even if it was, though, Rarity knew that it would be a book that she would love. Twilight had a way of finding just the right gifts to give to her marefriend and her friends. She always managed to add her own personal flair to whatever gifts she gave.
Rarity opened the door to Twilight's bedroom, looking around excitedly. Her eyes shot to the dresser, and she knew in an instant that the sight before her was her present from Twilight. Granted, the dress wasn't nearly as extravagant as her usual fare, and she had to admit that she would have stitched it better if she had made it herself, but it was still a lovely thing, and a gift which she truly appreciated for the thought behind it.
Rarity's eyes then strayed next to the dress, and what she saw made her blush and giggle. The dress, while lovely, did not quite capture the personal flair that she knew Twilight's gifts to have. The accompanying panties, however, fit the bill perfectly. Twilight had recently given hints about her desire to take steps forward as far as their physical relations were concerned, and Rarity found this particular hint to be adorable. She inspected the panties all over. Their color matched that of Twilight's coat, and the lace trim around the leg holes was patterned with colors matching her mane. On the sides, stitched impeccably, were Twilight's cutie marks. Rarity picked the panties up with a giggle, and was delighted to find that they were made of the smoothest silk.
Twilight felt the strangest feeling as Rarity lifted her up. Naming this as the "strangest feeling" was certainly saying something, considering all the strange feelings she'd been subject to since being transformed into a pair of panties. She was completely inanimate, helpless to do anything but lay there. She was inexplicably capable of hearing and seeing, despite her lack of any ears or eyes to facilitate such senses, and she felt the chilly feeling of the dresser against the back of her, a chill which refused to fade due to her lack of body heat. All of these were strange feelings, but none as strange as being picked up by Rarity. She felt her entire form flop limply and cascade over Rarity's hoof. She tried to cry out and tell Rarity what had happened, but she lacked the capability to do so.
"Ooo, these are marvelous!" Rarity swooned, running her hoof along them once more. "I must thank my darling Twilight for all of this. I daresay I like these even more than the dress!" Twilight thought of sighing as Rarity stroked her and ruffled her trim lightly. Not only was she stuck as a pair of panties for a day, but Rarity didn't seem to think too much of the dress she'd chosen for her. Although she had to admit that the former was the bigger problem of the two.
It made Twilight feel even worse when she realized that Rarity would not be able to keep the perceived part of her present that she liked the most. When she changed back tomorrow, she'd simply explain the situation to Rarity, then custom-order a set of panties that looked like she did now, as odd a thought as that was. As it was, she figured that she was going to have a very boring 24 hours of sitting in Rarity's room. Hopefully she'd put her near an open book, so she could at least read the visible pages over and over.
"Hmm," Rarity said to herself, looking between the panties and the dress. "I am heading out to Canterlot shortly after I get home. I suppose I could wear this lovely ensemble for the trip."
Twilight paled. Or she would have paled, had she any blood to drain from her face at the time. Or a face. She wasn't really going to...
Twilight felt Rarity's magical aura overtake her. She was going to. She tried to struggle away, but the fact that she was still inanimate stopped her from doing anything of the sort. She had truthfully wanted to move the physical part of her relationship with Rarity forward a step, but what was about to happen was something that was equivalent to an entire staircase worth of steps.
Twilight was helpless to resist as she was lowered to the ground near Rarity's hind hooves. She watched as her marefriend's pristine right hind hoof lifted off the ground, daintily placing itself through one leg hole. Twilight felt her body pulled and stretched out as Rarity's other hind hoof found the other hole. Before she knew it, she was being drawn up her marefriend's legs, feeling a tickling sensation as her frilly lace trim ran over Rarity's soft coat. She soon felt Rarity's trim leg muscles make contact with her fabric, and she braced herself for what was to come next.
Twilight was quickly forced to amend her earlier opinion that being picked up by Rarity was the strangest feeling ever as she was pulled up between Rarity's legs. She felt herself hanging loosely there for a moment, just inches away from her marefriend's most private place; territory which she had yet to tread. It was safe to say that she had envisioned her first time making contact with that area to go far differently than it was. She was left with no more time to ponder things as a yank at her waistband pulled her taut against her marefriend's privates. She was stretched over Rarity's flanks; terrain that had never seemed anywhere near as wide and expansive as they did at this very moment. Finally, with one last tug, Twilight's waistband found its way around Rarity's svelte waist, the elastic snapping against her belly.
Rarity glanced over her shoulder, looking at herself in the mirror. She smiled and shifted her hind legs, posing for the mirror. Twilight felt Rarity's rump muscles shift under her as she hugged every curve of Rarity's back half.
"Mmm...they're so tight," Rarity cooed, taking a moment to trot around Twilight's room.
Twilight couldn't even describe the bizarre feeling that came from containing Rarity's soft curves as her muscles shifted and flexed. She had thought about touching those wonderful curves many a time. She'd spent many a long, sleepless night figuring out how to tell Rarity that she wanted to take the next step and, to put it in somewhat simple terms, get a hold of her. But the way that she hugged them now was something far different. She wasn't even sure whether she liked this feeling; it was far too bizarre for her to properly judge her feelings on it.
Twilight's world suddenly went dark as Rarity slipped into the dress that was actually intended to be her gift. Her feelings were raised slightly when she heard Rarity speak about how lovely the dress was, but the situation was just too much for her. It was embarrassing enough being worn as she was; being covered by other clothes--referring to the dress as "other clothes" was bad too, since she was admitting that she was merely clothing herself--was just another demeaning part of the entire process. She had no intentions of wishing to be seen like this, but the fact that she was specifically covered in such a manner stung for some unexplained reason.
Twilight frowned. Or she would have, if she had a mouth. She might have been clothing, but there was no chance that she would allow herself to think like clothing. She was a pony, darnit, and she would not allow anything to let her forget that!
Twilight felt some more shifts as Rarity began trotting again. A slight change in Rarity's gait caused an unexpected shift, and Twilight felt part of herself become wedged between Rarity's soft, supple haunches. This only lasted for a few more steps before she felt the walking stop. Rarity's magic aura took hold of her and discreetly picked her before continuing her stride.
Twilight's spirits fell. At least for now, she was nothing but clothing. Clothing that could see, hear, and think...but clothing regardless.
~~~~~~~~~~
The walk between Golden Oaks Library and Carousel Boutique had never felt as long as it did to Twilight today. Typically, a trot from one to the other with Rarity would be a nice opportunity for close together time and pleasant conversation. This time, conversation was out of the question. And while she was certainly having some close together time with Rarity, it just wasn't the same, especially since Rarity was not even aware that Twilight was there.
Twilight found herself nearly lulled to sleep by Rarity's perfectly rhythmic trot. If her mind wasn't full of thoughts of "oh Celestia why didn't I read that spell's title correctly" and "why would that spell even exist in the first place," she probably would have found this to be a fascinating insight into pony anatomy and physiology. She had studied anatomy rather intensively in the past, but being this up close and personal with her marefriend's rump and feeling each of her muscles in that area flex or relax was an experience that very few ponies would ever find themselves privy to. Her natural interest in new information, especially that which had never been experienced by anypony before, was nearly enough to distract her from her plight. "Nearly enough" wasn't nearly enough, though, to make her forget that she was stuck in this form for a minimum of 23 more hours. At least Rarity's body heat was making it warm down here.
Twilight heard the familiar ring of the bells on Carousel Boutique's door, accompanied by the sounds of Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders laughing and having a good time. Twilight still couldn't see a thing, but something about the sight upon entering the boutique must have disturbed Rarity greatly, judging from the loud shriek she made. Twilight felt Rarity take off into a short gallop, a feeling that was even stranger than her walk. She felt herself get shaken about as Rarity galloped, thankful to see it end quickly as her marefriend skidded to a halt. She wasn't sure how long she could stand the running.
From what Twilight could tell, Spike and the girls must have made a mess of something, because Rarity was currently speaking very sternly to them about responsibility and cleanliness. Rarity's subtle changes in stance in relation to emotion were so much more evident to Twilight from her current position, and she made sure to take mental notes of it. When Sweetie made a snarky comment to her, she tried her best to speak back calmly, but Twilight felt her storing quite a bit of tension in her hindquarters. She would have to watch Rarity's hindquarters for tells like this in the future. And possibly for other reasons too.
Twilight listened to Rarity tell the youngsters that they needed to clean up the mess they made or she would not bring them to Canterlot at all. Then Rarity got to trotting again, her gait changing once again as she must have been heading upstairs to her room. Twilight was getting used to this by this point. It still wasn't an optimal situation to be in, but the initial terror of the situation had passed. The slow fading of her worry was allowing her to become calmed by the darkness and the feeling of Rarity's warmth and rhythmic motions. She supposed that things could have been much worse somehow.
Light suddenly shone upon Twilight, and she would have winced and rubbed her eyes, had she the body parts necessary to do so. She surveyed her surroundings, and found that her earlier assumptions were incorrect. They were not in Rarity's room, but rather her upstairs bathroom. She watched as Rarity carefully hung the dress on a hanger. She felt her marefriend's magic gently grasp her waistband, but then stop. The fashionista had caught sight of herself in her full-length mirror, and Twilight watched as she gave the mirror a demure smile.
"Why Twilight," Rarity whispered to her reflection. "Thank you ever so much for this gift. It's simply delightful." Rarity turned slightly, pointing her Twilight-covered rump at the mirror. "How do I look, darling? Do you like what you see?" Twilight wished she could say yes as Rarity gave her rump a little shake, then giggled cutely. Even with the knowledge that she was the article of clothing currently covering her marefriend's backside, she couldn't help but find the sight alluring.
"Mmm...I know I'm lovely, dear, but not as lovely as you," Rarity cooed quietly. Twilight felt a certain amount of pride as she heard Rarity say this. Rarity always called her lovely and insisted that she was the prettier of the two, but something about being present to hear her say this in such a private moment melted the heart that she was currently not in possession of.
Twilight felt Rarity's magical grip take a hold of her waistband once more. She was drawn carefully along the base of Rarity's spine, and she felt a tickling sensation as her marefriend slid her tail out from the hole meant for it. She couldn't help but stare in the mirror as Rarity pulled her waistband taut, then slowly downwards, giving the mirror a teasing glimpse of what hid below. Twilight watched, hypnotized, dreaming of the day where she might be watching this as herself, rather than in the form she was in now.
Then, all at once, it was over. Twilight felt herself be pulled the rest of the way down the length of Rarity's smooth legs. One hoof stepped out of her, then the other. Twilight, despite her protests at being in this form in the first place, instantly missed the feeling of hugging her marefriend's backside. She felt two quick pinches on her waistband, and was then levitated into the air. Rarity smiled lightly, then turned to her shower, turned it on, and entered it as Twilight found herself dangling from a hanger.
Twilight found herself feeling cold as she watched steam billow from the shower. She had been taking the warmth from Rarity's body for granted; without it, and with no body heat of her own, the winter chill was terrible. Even when the steam did reach her hanging place, it wasn't enough to warm her up completely. As bizarre as the thought was, she longed for Rarity to put her back on. Her true preference was to simply change back to normal (although doing so in Rarity's bathroom while she was showering would raise some questions), but barring that, she would take being worn over just dangling here in a heartbeat.
Rarity's shower seemed to take forever. This was no surprise; even Twilight and her eidetic memory had trouble counting all the times she'd come by for a date with Rarity, only to wait for ages for her to finish her shower. Of course, this was the only time that she was stuck in a predicament like this while waiting. It relieved her greatly to see Rarity finally step out of the shower. Rarity began to dry herself off, and Twilight wished at that moment that she could have a sense of smell to pick up the scents of her marefriend's body wash and shampoo. Upon further rumination, though, she figured it might be best to not have a sense of smell until she was a pony again.
Twilight watched as Rarity reached in her direction, only to be disheartened as she grabbed the towel on the other hanger instead. As Rarity began to dry her hair, the corner of the towel whipped out, shaking Twilight from her hanger. The terrified former-pony plummeted to the tile floor below, landing in a heap. The floor was even worse than the hanger, chilling poor Twilight to the core. Thankfully, her time on the tile was short-lived, as Rarity quickly noticed what had happened and delicately scooped her up.
Twilight was once again brought down by Rarity's hind hooves. This time, being put on wasn't as odd an experience. Having been through it before certainly helped, and she welcomed Rarity's warmth with open...well, not arms, at the moment. But she welcomed it greatly, regardless of metaphor. The nearly-burning warmth of Rarity's rump and privates felt amazing compared to the chills she'd felt from the tile. She was once again shrouded in darkness as the dress covered her, and it was another 30 minutes before Rarity finished styling her mane and tail and was ready to go.
The time between Rarity leaving the bathroom and getting to the train station with Spike and the girls was fairly uneventful, and gave Twilight plenty of time to study her marefriend's behaviors more. She had to admit to herself that she would often sneak a glance at Rarity's rump whenever they went walking together, and always thought that she had quite an alluring shake to her step. That shake seemed to be practically absent throughout the walk with the youngsters. Twilight couldn't help but feel good at this revelation; Rarity didn't need to do anything to make herself more alluring, but had apparently been going so far as to even walk differently in order to up her appeal and give Twilight something more to look at. A pony really gained a new perspective on another pony when she was wrapped snugly around her hindquarters.
Hearing the way Rarity spoke to the others about her also lifted Twilight's spirits greatly. Sweetie Belle had asked Rarity at one point what her one-month anniversary with Twilight was like, since she and Spike were nearly at theirs. Twilight remembered the day instantly, but worried that Rarity might not have, since she wasn't known to have quite as detailed a memory as Twilight did. To her surprise, Rarity recited every bit of that day, down to the very last detail. The joy in her voice as she described Twilight's carefully-made plans that day was infectious, and Twilight swelled with pride. She loved this mare so much.
Twilight suddenly realized that the group must have boarded the train. She came to this realization when the entirety of Rarity's weight came down upon her. She found her flat form pressed snugly between her love's rump and the train seat, and found it to be a very odd feeling indeed. The odd feeling only became odder as Rarity shifted around in her seat, trying to get nice and comfortable. Rarity was practically grinding against her in an effort to become comfortable. Twilight could imagine the blush on her marefriend's face if she realized just what she was doing at the moment; it would be the same as the kind of blush she'd have now if she were capable of it. It was a bizarre feeling, but Twilight couldn't deny that it was far from unpleasant.
After a few more shifts and a couple of surreptitious picks when Twilight got too bunched up, Rarity was finally comfortable. Twilight simply lay there, now enjoying the position she found herself in. While she much preferred being her normal self, she supposed this peculiar situation wasn't the worst thing in the world. She felt an intimate closeness with her marefriend, despite the fact that Rarity wasn't even aware that she was there. And plus, this would certainly help her nervousness about moving things further in a physical sense. She'd spent a large portion of the day wrapped around and between Rarity's haunches and still had a long time to go. Putting a hoof down there would be a cakewalk.
Twilight had become much more accepting of her temporary position by the time the group arrived at Canterlot. She wasn't sure if it was Stockholm syndrome settling in or if she really was okay with it, but it felt okay either way, and that was really all Twilight could have asked for at this junction. Even the gentle flapping of the dress fabric against her felt nice as Rarity strode along the streets of Canterlot with her little entourage.
The musical itself was fairly uneventful. The theater seat was cushioned and far more comfortable than the train seat, and Twilight felt like she was sandwiched between three pillows, rather than two pillows and a wall. Twilight regretted not being able to see what was going on onstage, since Rarity was far too much of a proper lady to allow an upskirt, but the music and the singing were very nice. She figured that she would buy tickets to the show for herself and Rarity once she was a pony again. Judging from Rarity's reactions, she figured she wouldn't argue against a second viewing. If that weren't enough to convince her, she even overheard Rarity say to the others after the show that she would love to bring Twilight to see it. That solidified it; the purchase was as good as done once Twilight was Twilight again.
The gentle, measured shifts of Rarity's haunches had become very calming to Twilight by the time they had reached the train station. She didn't wish to stay in this form any longer than she had to by any means, but she had at least come to make the most of it. She was very happy to have such a soft marefriend. Even the hard, uncomfortable train seat was made bearable once again by Rarity's softness.
The group finally arrived back at Carousel Boutique after a long, busy day. As Rarity led Spike and the girls to bed, Twilight was feeling rather sleepy herself, despite the fact that she couldn't have exerted herself physically even if she wanted to. She wasn't quite sure how being wrapped around Rarity's hindquarters all day could possibly be exhausting, but here she was, ready to drift off.
As much as she wished she hadn't misread this spell, Twilight had to admit to herself as Rarity removed her dress that she was looking forward to spending the rest of the night in bed with her. They had been so close all day; staying together overnight would be the perfect way to end it. She would spend the night with Rarity, who would take her off in the morning, and then once the spell ran out, she would explain to Rarity what happened, and they'd have a big laugh and an even bigger bout of embarrassment. The experience, in the end, would help their relationship grow as a whole, and Twilight had an entire night of being with Rarity to look forward to.
Twilight suddenly felt her waistband gripped by Rarity's magic. It was at that moment that she learned something about her marefriend; she slept in the buff. With a smooth motion, Twilight was removed from Rarity's body and tossed into her hamper, the dress tossed on top of her. Instead of staying wrapped around her warm marefriend, Twilight was now left chilly and lying in a pile of dirty laundry.
Twilight could not wait to change back.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Good afternoon, Spikey-Wikey," Rarity sang to the baby dragon as he dragged his feet into the kitchen. "You are up rather late, aren't you? Are the girls still asleep?"
"Yeah...we kinda went to bed really late," Spike answered. "We got caught in a big game of Monopoly. You probably heard the yelling."
"Indeed," Rarity responded, sipping her tea. "That Scootaloo is a very willful little pony, isn't she?"
"If 'willful' means 'a big old jerk when she has to pay rent on your railroad,' then yeah, she's willful," Spike said with a huff. Rarity giggled lightly, taking another delicate sip of tea.
"Oh, Spike?" the fashionista asked as she set her cup on its saucer. "Would you be a dear and do me a favor before I cook your breakfast?"
"Of course," Spike answered, happy to please his former crush and marefriend's sister. "What is it?"
"Would you mind putting my laundry in the wash?" Rarity asked, taking another quick sip of tea. "I would do it myself, but I don't want you or the girls to have to wait too long for your breakfast."
"Sure thing!" Spike said with a smile. "Leave it to Spike!" He gave Rarity a salute, then headed upstairs.
Spike entered Rarity's bedroom. A few months ago, this would have been the promised land. His crush had persisted despite the fact that Rarity was seeing Twilight, but now, the only pony who could capture his heart was Sweetie Belle. And he'd spent the last two nights sleeping in a sleeping bag in her bedroom, so by this point, Rarity's room was just another room to him.
Spike made his way across the room, taking note of how clean it was. He figured that this must be something else that Twilight saw in Rarity. Neat, organized rooms were definitely the kind of thing that she'd go nuts over. He'd make sure to brag to her about how he was in both Sweetie and Rarity's bedrooms when he got home later today. She'd probably turn red and scold him for such a comment, but it would totally be worth it.
Spike reached over and lifted the hamper lid off. He intended to place it gently on the ground, but this plan went straight out the window when Twilight's head popping out of the hamper startled him enough to drop it.
"...Twilight?" Spike asked, completely confused. Twilight stared at him, the dress from yesterday draped over her back and a pair of black lace panties dangling from her horn.
"Don't ask," was all she said.
