Glory Days

Spike shuffled through the knee-high puddle of streamers, confetti, confectioneries, and various party paraphernalia. He met with success, but only because his claws managed to squish into some cupcakes, and that made for a quick - if slippery transition from party floor to hallway. Trailing obnoxious pink streamers and a few wisps of smoke from his nostrils, Spike stomped towards the castle's entrance. He drew curious looks from several guards and more than a few glares from some cleaning staff, but he had more pressing matters on his mind than angering a pony with a mop.

Tromping out of the front doors and down the drive, Spike spotted his quarry bouncing happily his way. The exuberant bouncing came to a slow halt as she saw an angry amethyst dragon approaching her, and soon turned into abject horror as Spike broke into a slow trot.

"H-hey, Spike... Everything okay?" She asked warily. Spike's nostrils flared as he picked up into a run.

Say what you will, but a teenage dragon is a thing to be feared on a good day. Spike was not having one of those, and he was picking up speed.

"Too..."

"Spike?"

"Many..."

"Uuh, hey buddy mind slowing do-"

"STREAMERS!"

With a squeal, Pinkie Pie turned and ran as fast as she could away from the roaring dragon, still trailing fluttering pieces of confetti and a stray bit of icing.

After Spike caught up with the obnoxious pink party pony and chided her for her over-exuberance (with a few spanks and a good tonguing,) things ran rather smoothly. Spike wasn't terribly upset with her, but he knew how much Pinkie loved theatrics and she played the 'submissive prey' role readily. After cleaning up their second mess, it was back to work.

Planning a party for a princess was perturbingly perplexing and could possibly punctuate the period of planning with a few panic-fueled problems. Twilight Sparkle was celebrating her birthday, and Spike was determined to make it one for the ages. He had enlisted Pinkie Pie's assistance on promise of a good party (and a good fucking) once everything had gone off. Pinkie was one of those ponies that was unabashed in her advances towards Spike (and just about anypony else) over the course of their development. It was kind of just her way of showing affection. She loved to make her friends smile, be it in the form of a few tactfully-placed party poppers or a blowjob.

To Spike, the transition from 'friend' into 'friend with benefits' was a rather natural and easy-going one. Spike had been intent on fully sealing the deal with Pinkie sometime after he had begun sleeping with Twilight and Applebloom, but had never found the time in either his or the fluffy ball of fury's schedule. Over the course of this party, Spike was intent on sealing that deal. The tonguing and foreplay after the streamer incident was fun and all, but Spike was looking forward to making it an official erotic partnership.

First thing's first, he had to make it through the party. At the time, it was maybe nine in the morning, and Spike was wrapping up the last bits of preparation for Twilight's arrival. Much like the one party several years ago, Pinkie Pie had managed to book the castle's main ballroom for the party, just outside of the castle grounds. Spike had been told there weren't any high-brow functions just outside the large glass doors this time around, and Rarity had had plenty of time to prepare Twilight's dress before the day.

The ballroom was cleared of the knee-deep streamers in a way only Pinkie Pie could manage, and it involved some sort of temporal anomaly in Pinkie's gastric system, or at least a fair bit of magic she ought not to have access to. After the decorations had been redone and the confetti reigned in to what could be called 'respectable' levels, Spike and Pinkie Pie went to the train station to greet their friends.

"Spike! Over here!" Applejack's orange hoof shot up over the small crowd at the train station, and upon making the connection between the farm pony and the dragon, the way between them promptly parted. Spike chuckled as he and Pinkie waded down an aisle of wary onlookers towards the small entourage.

"Is this everybody?"

"Not quite," Applejack grinned up at him. "Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are flyin' in around noon. Meanwhile, yer stuck with us. Ah swear, you grow more n' more each time ah see ya. They feedin' you alright here in Canterlot? None of that frou-frou city-slicker baloney?"

"You could say that." Spike spared a quick glance at Pinkie, who blushed and coughed into her hoof to cover up the scent of one of her confectioneries. She had a penchant for cleaning out the 'after-cunnilingus' taste with a cupcake or four. "I'm doing good, AJ. how about you? Missing me in Ponyville?"

"Oh, you know how it is..." Applejack waved a hoof. "Some days we need yer help around th' farm, other days we just need yer help." She glanced up as a glimmer of magic crossed their ears, followed promptly by a stack of luggage that would have towered over even Celestia.

"Then again, some things never change."

"A little- NGH! Help would be nice, darling." Rarity grunted as she struggled with the massive load her magic was hovering, trying to maneuver one very unhelpful duffel bag around a bit of the railing on the train platform. Spike untangled the mess and hauled a few of the larger cases up onto his shoulders. "Thank you, Spike. My, you look lovely! I see Canterlot living has treated you well thus far."

"Uuh, sure." Spike shrugged. "Just getting by, you know... Day to day."

"Ah huh." Rarity beamed up at him as she hoisted her lighter load a little higher. "Well, shall we deposit these? I dare say we have at least a little while to unwind and catch up before everything starts."

"Follow me." Spike led the small party back towards the castle, though he couldn't help but feel there were more than a few eyes on him. Subconsciously, he flexed his muscles and swayed his hips a little more as he walked.

Behind, he heard Applejack trip over her own hooves and fall to the pavement with a curse.

After unloading, the old friends took a quick break for tea. Rarity had brought a set of her own, unsurprisingly. Steaming cups in claw and hoof, they sat back to relax and prepare themselves for the day ahead. Even Pinkie seemed relatively sober. Spike wondered how long that would last, considering her 'tea' could be described as a small mountain of sugar with a drop of the brew spattered on it for good measure.

"So, how are you settling in here, Spike?" Rarity asked after a brief silence. Spike smiled down at his cup as he turned it around in his claws.

"It's okay. Nothing special, really. You remember when I told you why I was leaving, right? What the reason was?"

"It was about y'all havin' some kinda magic, right?" Applejack arched an eyebrow. "You've been sendin' messages to Princess Celestia fer as long as ah've known yeh. Ah figgered it'd be somethin' like that."

"Well, you're not wrong." Spike sighed. His doubt about Celestia's motives returned for half a moment, but was soon replaced by a gentle hoof on the back of his claw.

"I'm sure there's more than one good reason you're in Canterlot, Spike. To be frank, I'm rather happy for you. You've grown up so much." At Rarity's kind words, Spike blushed. In truth, he did miss his friends and the familiarity of the farm town, but Canterlot was full of wonders that he had only just last week begun to explore. He had had a full two weeks to acclimate to living in the arcane city between Celestia's offer for lessons and Twilight's birthday. Celestia knowingly held off on beginning his lessons in light of that fact, so Spike got some time to himself to reconcile all that had happened.

He moped for a week, seeking solace in Luna once during one particuarly nasty night. But after that depressive week, Spike began to do some exploring. He figured it was time to reacquaint himself with the archaic city, and the few days he had spent wandering about, inciting mild panics, but mostly introducing himself to and talking with other ponies were well-spent. He didn't make any friends, per se, but he did explain to quite a few curious ponies what he was doing in Canterlot and why.

Granted, he hardly had the answers to those questions himself, but that didn't stop him from putting some fears to rest. After confirming that he was not there to eat their foals or burn their homes to the ground, Spike began to get different questions. 'How are you enjoying your stay,' 'where do you live,' and 'how long do you think you'll be with us?' took the place of shrieks and demands to know why he wasn't with the other dragons at spearpoint. All-in-all, it was actually a rather nice experience. Spike had emerged into the following week and planning for Twilight's party readily, and with a fair grin on his face. Ponies in Canterlot, it seemed, were indeed more uptight than their Ponyville cousins; but once they caught on, they warmed up readily. Spike could see himself growing comfortable in the city.

He sat and chatted with the three mares for a long while, filling them in about his time spent in Canterlot. Mostly, he was just adjusting the library to his tastes. He had re-arranged the couches to face the windows of the library so he could snooze under the starry sky whenever the fancy struck him. They moved on to his diet, where he got three different opinions. "Y'all need protien! Getchya some beans in yer diet, mister!"

"Puh-lease, darling! Spike needs amino acids and vitamins. You know, I heard there are fish markets for visiting gryphons, and you can get some fresh-caught trout to supplement your diet."

"Eew." Spike scrunched his nose. "That sounds nasty."

"Well, I woulnd't know." Rarity gave him a toothy grin. "I'm no predator, after all."

"Har har." Spike gave her a flat laugh, downing the rest of his tea. "Some of us didn't get to choose what species we were born as. So sorry my teeth intimidate you."

"What do you mean 'intimidate?' Your teeth aren't-"

Spike's neck snapped forward, his jaws opening and closing with an audible clacking sound. He had bit the air a scant inch in front of Rarity's nose, and the acrid scent he'd come to realize as an herbivore's natural instinct kicking their sweat glands into overdrive filled the air. Applejack fell off her seat with laughter, and Pinkie Pie was giggling so hard she snorted. Rarity, meanwhile, had paled a few shades (which was an admirable feat for a white pony.) When Spike pulled away, he took the tension with him, and Rarity devolved into a nervous fit of giggles.

"W-well, I take it back. Your teeth certainly are intimidating."

"And don't you forget it." Spike chuckled, watching as Pinkie Pie righted herself.

"Are you getting enough sugar in your diet, Spike?" She asked in a truly concerned tone, laying her hoof on the back of his claw. She sounded not unlike Granny Smith just then, as if she were truly concerned for his sugar intake. Spike just smiled and patted her hoof gently.

"Plenty, Pinkie, I assure you. They have a really neat store that sells rock candy here, from the crystals beneath the city. I stop by about once a week."

"Once a week?! If I were you, then I'd go once an hour! Oh but if I were you, I'd have that awesome tongue and I could do all SORTS of things with it!"

"Ahem." Rarity cleared her throat, the color returning to her cheeks now. "I hardly think that's an appropriate topic of convers-"

"Come off it, Rarity. Yer more into tongues than dicks anywho." Applejack quipped, sipping nonchalantly at her tea. Rarity darkened significantly, her mouth hanging open at Applejack's unabashed shot at her sexual life.

"Why, I never-"

"Except that one time after Hearths Warming Eve."

"Ooh, and that one time I let the one potion spill into my cupcakes!"

"Or the cider harvest before last."

"Or Gummy's seventh birthday party!"

"Or Twilight's third annual book-and-beer appreciation night."

"Alright, alright." Rarity flustered. "You don't have to tell Spike..."

"Hey, to each their own." Spike shrugged. He still admired Rarity something fierce, but learning she cared for mares more than stallions was kind of a put-off. There were a few mares around town like that, and they were rather up-front about their disinclination to phalli. Spike had been shot down several times in a fashion not so conducive to healthy bone growth. At least now he knew why Rarity had never responded to his advances before then. Looking back, he honestly couldn't blame her. Applejack drew their attention with another brazen question.

"How many o' us have you done it with, Spike?"

"Uum, everypony but Rarity and Fluttershy... And, I guess... Rainbow Dash?"

"That sounded more like a question than an answer, Spike."

"Well, I'm not so sure it counts."

"How so?"

"She's the fastest pony in Equestria." Spike let those words sink in, and the other three all gave soft 'oh's of understanding.

The party started like any of Pinkie's affairs could have. Fast and hard. Not unlike his nights with Luna, as it were. There was music, dancing, party games (of a markedly more 'adult' variety) and plenty of booze. Spike laughed, talked, kissed, and drank the night away. Things became a blur after Applejack broke out her 'special reserve' for their benefit.

All he knew was his head was splitting. Spike woke up in his bed (how he managed to make it from the castle to the library was a wonder in and of itself) and he was not alone. Curled up neatly on his chest was Pinkie Pie, snoring softly with bits of confetti and what he would guess was semen still in her hair. A few others were sharing his bed as well, though. Spike knew Twilight was stretched out on his left, and much to his surprise...

"Ugh... Remind me to never drink Applejack's reserve again..." Rarity moaned, wiping her eyes as she sat up. Spike froze for a moment, halfway considering running for it. Then again, Rarity knew where she was and whose house she was in. Even if he weren't there, she'd know where she slept.

She'd know what happened.

Then again, not even Spike was sure what went on last night. There was evidence of it in the air, sure, but he couldn't recall specifics.

"Uuh, good morning, Rarity..." Spike offered meekly. Rarity, rather than freeze as he thought she would, turned to him with a frumpy smile.

"Good morning, Spike. Sleep well?"

"A little too well, I think..." Spike groaned as he gingerly slid Pinkie off of his chest to rest on the bed beside Twilight. Almost instincively, she wrapped her hooves around the princess and clutched her tight. Spike chuckled at the sight, urging Rarity off of the bed so he could slide off. Rarity made for the bathroom, and Spike joined her cautiously.

"Hoping for a repeat of last night?" Rarity offered over her withers, the grin on her lips positively smouldering. Spike swallowed, rubbing the back of his spines carefully.

"What, uuh... what happened last night?"

"Oh thank the stars." Rarity laid a hoof on her breast. "You don't remember."

"I kinda want to, considering..." He sniffed the air tentatively. "Considering the scent."

"Well, I'll not go into specifics..." Rarity sniffed as she turned the water in his shower on hot. She stepped under the stream, the water automatically matting her hair down against her neck. "But it involved quite a few condoms."

"Ah huh." Spike surmised most of what happened last night, and given Rarity's slightly flirtatious behavior, he decided joining her wouldn't be the worst thing. In fact, as he slid into the shower beside her, she leaned against his side readily.

"But it was wonderful. I'll tell you that much." She looked up at him and pursed her lips. Spike took that for an invitation, pressing his own into hers carefully. She leaned into the insistent kiss, groaning from her throat as her tongue joined the fray. Spike returned the affection readily, wrestling her slippery appendage into submission with ease. She was panting within moments, and the way she writhed against him was nothing short of sensuous. But Spike couldn't help but feel a little... sluggish. His mind was certainly foggy, and he could hardly keep his legs from twitching now and then. He had a cramp somewhere in his thighs, and his tongue seemed listless at times. Almost as if he'd been using it too much...

Sure enough, just a few more moments into making out with Rarity, and Spike felt the long thing cramp up. Hissing through his teeth, Spike pulled his tongue back into his mouth, working his jaw to relieve the tension.

"Too much?" Rarity asked, her breath steaming even in the hot air of the shower.

"I feel wiped out." Spike affirmed, slowly lowering himself to the shower's floor. "You three must have done a number on me last night..."

"Shame I can hardly remember any of it." Rarity sighed, laying down beside him. She rested her chin on top of his leg, smiling wistfully. "But what I do remember was wonderful... Perhaps we could do it again some time?"

"That'd be nice." Spike mused, nuzzling her luxurious mane tenderly. "Though... Maybe... We don't have to have the others?"

"Hmm..." Rarity grew silent, probably contemplating his offer. After a short while, she cracked a soft smile. "That sounds divine, darling. I'll be sure to visit again soon... Now, are you going to help me shampoo my mane or no?"

"Yes, ma'am." Spike grinned like a child as he set to the task with gusto. Rarity laid on the floor of the shower, lavishing in the attention of Spike's tender ministrations. Despite his soreness, Spike couldn't help but feel rather excited that he even had this opportunity.

And hopefully, plenty of other opportunities after it.

"Uuh, hello?" Spike poked his head in the room he had been directed to cautiously. Celestia had sent a message just a few minutes after he had finished his shower that morning asking that he come to the palace right away. A guard at the front entrance had further directions, pointing him down and into the castle's interior. "Princess?"

"Come in, Spike." Celestia's voice came to him from seemingly all directions, reverberating off of the walls and back on him hauntingly. Spike stepped inside the room, scanning the dark corners with squinted eyes. It was a massive chamber, lit only by sparse torches on the walls. Their light didn't reach the cieling, which soared up and into blackness mysteriously. All through the chamber were columns, reaching up into that blackness like teeth pointed to the midnight sky, bereft of stars.

"Hello? Princess?"

"I'm here, Spike..." Celestia's voice rang against the walls and back to him, making Spike shudder slightly. It felt less like a summons and more like a scene from a horror movie. Nevertheless, Spike advanced towards the center of the room, step by slow step.

"Uuh, any reason you called me?" He asked to nobody in particular. He coulnd't see Celestia, and the echoes were beginning to make him think she wasn't even in the room at all.

"We agreed to help you with your magic, Spike. For us to help, we need to know more about your magic. And they say..." A soft giggle rippled through the room, making Spike shudder. He swallowed hard, his muscles tensing out of reflex.

"The best way to learn is by force"

Spike's eyes went wide as the first bolt of energy ripped through the room, moving straight for his heart.