There was a stillness of sorts in the basement. An unbroken spell that kept the small room isolated from the passage of time save for the errant specks of dust dancing an erratic choreography under the lone beam of lights that filtered through the lower edge of the door. The harmonious monotony did not last, as it was summarily and unceremoniously interrupted when the door atop the stairway flung itself open and a couple made their way down into the room.

“Are you sure it’s in here?” Starlight asked as she lit up her horn.

“Sure as can be,” Spike said, raising a lamp of his own.

“You said that the last three times,” she replied with a sardonic edge.

“No, I said I was pretty sure, that I was confident, then that I had a good hunch. Now, on the other—”

“Oh, har har,” Starlight shot back, giving him a gentle shove.

Spike let out a soft chuckle, but didn’t try to come up with another remark. Instead, he rose his lamp to better light his dim surroundings.

There were, as far as both of them could see, an endless amount of cardboard boxes, all piled up haphazardly across the entire basement. Some as small as a teapot, while others were almost as big as Starlight herself.

“Any idea where it might be?” Starlight asked him.

“It’s got to be in one of the largest boxes,” Spike said as he set the lamp in a high spot and started to look through the contents of one.

“How come there are so many boxes still packed after all this time?” Starlight asked as she opened the nearest box. “Aren’t there still dozens of empty rooms in the castle?”

“Twilight thought it would be wasteful to fill every room if we’d never use them. On the plus side, that means we can use any of those,” Spike replied as he inspected a wooden carving of a horse head.

Starlight found it surprising Twilight hadn’t designated every room in the castle for some purpose or another. The abundance of empty rooms had overcome even her mentor’s penchant for organisation, it seemed. In fact, now that she thought about it, it wasn’t until six months after she arrived to Ponyville that they got around to even making a simple map of the layout of the castle. Apparently, being a Princess who lived in a castle bestowed upon her by harmony itself made you exempt from adhering to Equestrian Building Code. The castle probably wasn’t EDA compliant, either.

Shaking off those thoughts, Starlight kept rummaging through another box, past some small garments and two large gem-studded bow ties, until she heard Spike calling out for her.

“Did you find it?” she asked, closing the box and putting it back into its place. Turning around, she saw Spike pushing a considerably large crate.

“Yup, it seems to be in good condition,” he said as he dusted his claws and pried open the crate.

The first thing Starlight noticed was the shiny surface of the device. Despite its age, it still looked brand new.

“I still can’t believe you’ve never seen a movie before,” Spike said.

“I spent a good chunk of my life away from civilization, I didn’t put time aside for recreation,” she said with a half-hearted smirk, resting her hooves on the edge of the crate.

“Good,” he said as he took out the film projector. “That means I get to share your first time.”

She blinked. Starlight didn’t say anything, just let out a soft giggle as she felt her cheeks reddening. She’d get back at him for that.

Spike had that same glint in his eyes he’d had earlier that day when he asked her to watch a movie with him. She knew what a movie was, she wasn’t that ignorant, but she hadn’t exactly been around when they became big in Equestria. Even in the past couple of years, she had been so wrapped up with her life in Ponyville she hadn’t had the chance. That the nearest actual movie theatre was all the way in Canterlot didn’t do much to help.

“I’ll take this upstairs, can you bring the film reels?” Spike asked her, breaking her train of thought.

“Sure thing,” she said, spotting the stack of metallic canisters still inside of the crate. Soon enough, they both were back at the higher corridors looking for a suitable room. Spike must have been looking for a room with certain specific accommodations, Starlight thought, although she didn’t know what they were. As far as she was concerned, they could use any room. Heck, they could probably use a different room every hour before Twilight returned and not repeat any of them even once.

“I think this one can work,” Spike said as he peered into one of the rooms. “What do you think?”

“I wouldn’t know, so I’ll take your word for it,” she replied.

“Right… Sorry, let’s just get in,” he chided himself.

Spike then opened the door and walked into a relatively small room. It was barely a few strides wide, and a similar distance across, the walls were bare save for the crystal plinth protruding from the floor, and a lone window overseeing the far east of Ponyville. Setting the canisters aside, and giving Spike some room to set up the projector, Starlight walked to the window and looked outside. The sun was past its highest peak and had started its downward trek; soon the night would arrive and that would mark the end of the first day Spike and her had spent as a couple.

It was odd. Time had flown by her so fast since last night, and yet it seemed to have lasted for far longer than that. Perhaps, Starlight thought, that wasn’t too bad. She was still getting used to this whole “couple” thing, but she enjoyed every part of it so far.

“This shouldn’t take long,” Spike said, standing up and away from the projector. “Want to get started on the popcorn while I set everything up?”

Starlight nodded, and left the room. She had to admit she felt somewhat excited at the prospect of watching her first movie, and even more so knowing that she’d do it with Spike. She stepped into the kitchen with a dancing rhythm to her step, and started to work on their snack. Soon enough she’d be cuddling up with Spike while watching a movie all alone.

She blinked.

It’d be just the two of them, all alone in a small room. Alone in a small, dark room. Sitting right next to each other on a small couch. Alone.

She blinked again.

Focusing on the pot in front of her, she gave it a firm shake so the corn kernels would spread all over the bottom and get evenly coated with oil. Once she was sure, she looked through the cabinets in search for the salt. She just wanted to get the popcorn right, she wasn’t trying to actively think of anything that would prevent her mind from following her previous train of thought. Of course not, definitely not.

…Maybe a little bit.

Starlight reprimanded herself. She was the older one and yet here she was acting childish once again. What’s wrong with her? Things were going well already, so why couldn’t—

The sound of little explosions coming from the pot drew her away from her thoughts. Somewhat startled, Starlight let out a sigh as she gave the pot a few shakes. She wished she was making something more elaborate, maybe that way she could have occupied her mind with the act of cooking; but as things stood right now, she was stuck with her own thoughts.

She had to wonder what the source of her worries were if having settled things with Spike that morning wasn’t enough to calm her mind. It was odd that she still couldn’t shake off the feelings of unease that had plagued her since her confession last night.

Except, you do know what the problem is. Don’t you, Starlight?

She grimaced, and started to wonder if growing a conscience had been really worth it after all. Still, she couldn’t deny that the voice in her head was right. She was well aware of what irked her. The answer laid squarely upon the age difference between her and Spike.

Her shoulders slumped as she let those bothersome thoughts escape the corners of her mind to which she had relegated them. Sure, it wasn’t a huge difference, but there were still several years between them. Enough to raise more than a few eyebrows, even though she doubted any of their friends would give her a hard time apart from a good spirited jab.

And yet, it probably bothered her because she knew her attraction to Spike hadn’t started the day he turned eighteen. She might have never acted out on those feelings—she was always quick to dismiss them, or rather, she was never willing to acknowledge those feelings for what they were—but they were still there, and as a result she had let them grow inside of her as she played blind to their true nature.

She sunk even more as she waited for the popping sounds to stop, idly eyeing her reflection on the silver pot. Maybe you’ve had feelings for Spike for quite a while, maybe you haven’t. That doesn’t change the fact that you do have feelings for him, her conscience chimed in. And he reciprocates your feelings, so shouldn’t you be able to look beyond his age?

She gave her reflection a slightly amused look. The slightly distorted Starlight looking back at her was right, of course. Regardless of his age, Spike had never acted childish, at least not to her eyes; he’d always been a good friend, someone who would stand by her side, with whom she could share joyful or sad moments, someone whose mere presence was enough to cheer her up, even if just a little bit. Did anything else really matter all that much? They were both adults, so that should be the end of the argument. Starlight raised her head and gave a confident smile to her reflection. Yeah, they both had feelings for each other, and they had decided to give each other a chance as a couple, and that’s all that should—Wait, what’s that smell?

She blinked a couple of times to break her trance, and in doing so became painfully aware of the faint traces of black smoke rising from the pot.

“Eeek!” She yelped and quickly levitated it away from the stove. Turning it off, she ventured a glance into the contents of the pot, decision that she almost immediately regretted once she caught a whiff of the burnt kernels within it.

“Cooking and introspective analysis don’t mix, duly noted,” Starlight lamented, and set off to make more popcorn after cleaning the ruined pot. Time was of no worry, after all.

A new batch of popcorn later, and a quick disposal of her botched first attempt, Starlight returned to the room where Spike had already finished setting the film projector.

“Took you a while,” he said, greeting her from the couch he had brought into the room.

“I had a, uh, disagreement with the popcorn,” Starlight said, levitating two bowls with her.

“Hopefully nothing serious.” Spike picked one of them and moved to the side of the couch so Starlight could sit.

Considering the relatively small size of the room, She should have expected the couch to be small as well. However, the piece of furniture in front of her was more akin to an oversized lounge chair than a two body couch. An intentional choice from Spike, no doubt.

“Nope, not at all,” she said as she sat right next to Spike and made a big deal out of looking in the other direction.

“We’ve got quite a few options to choose from,” Spike said as he held up a few film reels.

“Any recommendation?”

“Well, Twilight snatched a copy of the first Daring Do movies once those came out, and then proceeded to stash them in the old Library’s basement after watching them once.”

“Ohhh… It sounds like there’s a story in there,” Starlight said, her curiosity piqued.

Spike, for his part, only let out a short laugh. “I doubt I can recapture the same passion Twilight had when she gave her speech about how making Ahuizotl an MGI model instead of using practical effects ruined her immersion.”

Starlight couldn’t help but laugh heartily at the thought. “That does sound like Twilight. I can’t imagine it being too bad, though.”

“Eh, it’s alright. I mean, the latest movies look much better, but the early ones still hold up, in my opinion.”

“I guess I’ll be the judge of that, let’s see it,” Starlight said, watching as Spike kneeled next to the projector.

She’d be lying if she were to deny that a few racy thoughts crossed her mind as she saw Spike flexing his back, shaking his wings, and struggling to put the film reel in place. She was quick to stuff her mouth with popcorn, if only to avoid saying something out of place again.

“There we go. Could you turn off the lights?” Spike said, standing away from the contraption.

Starlight did as requested, without looking away from him even once. In the past couple of years, with Spike growing as a result of his draconic biology, his body started to change. This wasn’t limited to his new wings, his baby fat was slowly replaced by muscle tissue. Once he noticed the changes his body was undergoing, he took the time to go to Sweet Apple Acres and lend some help come applebucking season. This, combined with a regular flying schedule strictly enforced by Rainbow Dash, did wonders for his physique, in Starlight’s opinion, even though she didn’t have much of a frame of reference to gauge—

“Ah, it’s starting now,” Spike crashed Starlight’s train of thought with cheerful glee.

Silent still, Starlight was quick to avert her eyes and look straight to the projection on the wall. Her mind was keen on setting her down dangerous paths, it seemed, but she was not going to let a few inappropriate ideas ruin their movie night.

Her thoughts were quickly dissipated once she saw the shapes projected against the white wall. Still images of logos and company names flashed briefly before showing a bright blue sky as orchestral music started. Suddenly, as the music increased in rhythm, the words “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone” appeared across the wall.

Starlight raised an eyebrow at that, “Hey… I never really thought about it, but isn’t that title a bit redundant?”

Spike looked at her with a bemused expression. “What do you mean?”

She bobbed her head, making sense of the thoughts in her mind, “Well, isn’t a sapphire a precious stone? So calling it a sapphire stone would be a tautology.”

“Seems some of Twilight is rubbing off on you,” Spike said with a smirk pulling at his lips.

“Oh, don’t you start,” she replied, throwing an unpopped kernel at him.

“Well, it could be using sapphire as an adjective. At least, that’s what Twilight said,” Spike said with a shrug.

“Really, now,” she answered in disbelief.

“That is unless you buy into the theory that the story was supposed to be titled ‘the Quest for the Sapphire Statue’ and was later changed to Stone because the publishers wanted to dumb down the title so it could reach a bigger audience. Twilight told me about that once, but I can’t remember all the details right now. I think even Rainbow Dash found that to be boring.” Spike seemed as though he had more to say, but the movie—perhaps sensing the overtly critical mindset of its spectators—chose that moment to start.

The couple quickly set aside their thoughts and focused on the scene playing out in front of them. Amidst the dense jungle, they spotted a mustard coloured mare making her way through the trees and vines.

Starlight still had memories of the time she read the Daring Do books, and was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the movie was turning out to be. She allowed herself to get lost in the tale of action and adventure, and in the company of the dragon next to her.

During a particular lull in the narrative, as Daring rambled on in an exposition-heavy flashback, Starlight took the chance to shoot a few furtive glances at Spike. They were barely a few hooves apart from each other, and she was able to feel the dragon’s body heat even at that admittedly short distance; not only that, but she had to admit she liked it.

A tiger roar quickly made her lose her focus. She blinked a couple of times, looking forward once again, and tried to concentrate on the events of the movie. Daring Do had left behind a group of fearsome predators and a small kitten and was now making her way to a rundown jungle temple. The temple itself was very obviously a set, the slabs of rock that composed it were a bit too perfectly made to pass as ancient but that was a very minor detail and certainly not enough to break her immersion. She couldn’t help but grin at that; she was enjoying herself more than she thought she would.

As Daring Do made her way through pits, hazards, and trap-filled corridors, an idea crawled its way through Starlight’s mind. It was an entirely innocent idea that, she had to admit, didn’t carry entirely innocent connotations.

She threw a few popcorn kernels into her mouth, and chewed idly as she pretended to be invested on whether or not would the volley of arrows hit Daring Do. She shifted on her seat, a small motion that could very well be interpreted as an attempt to get more comfortable, but for Starlight it was all part of the plan.

Daring had taken the idol off its pedestal, and the whole temple was rumbling, threatening to collapse. Starlight, for her part, levitated a few kernels and floated them around as she kept looking straight ahead.

The distressed pegasus looked around the temple, hoping to find a way of escaping a fiery death as the treasure room started to fill with lava. While Starlight didn’t know of any spell that could keep lava stored away in a molten state for convenient use in traps, she didn’t mind all that much.

Jump after jump, Daring Do made her way to the top, getting ever so close to the skylight of the temple. Likewise, Starlight closed the distance between Spike and her, slowly enough for it not to be noticed as a conscious action.

The treasure room soon would be filled with smoldering lava that would reduce everything it touched to nothing. Starlight eyed the bowl of popcorn Spike held between his claws; she reprimanded herself for not making a single bowl for them to share, had she done that this would feel much more natural.

With a final jump—and a very convincing performance from the actress— Daring Do escaped the treasure room by the skin of her teeth, just as the rising lava came close enough to singe the end of her tail.

Starlight took a deep breath.

Daring pulled herself up, sweat running down her face both due to the strain and the sea of liquid fire behind her.

Starlight closed her eyes, and as a jet of steam threw Daring Do up in the air and away from the temple, she tilted herself sideways and rested her head on Spike’s shoulder.

She may or may not have seen a trail of smoke come out of Spike’s snout, but she did feel his wings give a gentle flutter once he felt her body leaning against his, and at this she couldn’t hold back a smirk. He seemed as though he wanted to say something, but before he could, a deep, smooth voice spoke.

“You thought you could evade me and capture the relic for yourself,” the slightly cartoony MGI Ahuizotl said with a cocky slur, “but you were sadly mistaken, Miss Do.”

“Ahuizotl doesn’t look that bad, in my opinion,” Starlight said, and she made sure to pour additional innocence in her words.

“Y-yeah, he… uh… it’s alright, I guess,” Spike cleared his throat and quickly stuffed his mouth with popcorn, taking care not to disturb Starlight or accidentally push her away.

He was so obviously getting flustered, and Starlight loved it. She wouldn’t push it further, though, at least not for the moment; she was more than happy to let this play out. Her and Spike, leaning against to each other as they watched a movie. Honestly, she couldn’t ask for more.

Well, except maybe for Spike to relax, he felt a bit stiff.

Come on now. It’s not as if you didn’t expect this to happen, did you, Mr. “I got a tiny couch just for the two of us”? she thought, her smirk getting more pronounced as she did.

It came as a surprise when she felt Spike move his arm away from her, but before she could protest, the dragon reached around and drew her even closer. She felt air escaping her lungs as her body was seized by a series of chilling waves that paradoxically warmed her to her very core. If it weren’t for the movie still playing in front of her, she would have assumed time had stopped.

And then he brought one of his wings around her, like a scaly and leathery cover. She felt as though wrapped in a comfortable cocoon; warm, but not suffocating; firm, but not tough. Just perfect.

Spike gently scratched her arm and shoulder; a simple action, but one which held a deep sign of affection with each small stroke. She let out a contented sigh and nuzzled her yet-to-be-defined partner, who looked at her with an affectionate smile that threatened to turn her smile into a dumb grin. Not wanting to ruin the moment, she focused on the movie, rubbing her cheek against Spike’s chest as she did so.

She watched as Ahuizotl’s minions tied Daring Do to what appeared to be an altar for sacrificial offerings, and found that she rather enjoyed movies, making the prospect of them spending the rest of the afternoon watching more movies together cuddling on the couch all the more appealing. And who knew what would—

The smirk disappeared from her face.

What, exactly, did she think would happen afterwards? More to the point, what did she want to happen?

Starlight watched as the room in which Daring Do was trapped slowly filled with pouring sand. Had it not been for the fact that she felt in a very similar situation, she may have called out the writer for essentially using the same plot point only twenty minutes apart.

She took a few slow, measured breaths as she tried to regain her composure, although she had a hard time doing so considering the fast-paced action scene unfolding in front of her. To make matters worse, seeing Daring Do escape an elaborate death trap was a mindless enough activity that she couldn’t help thinking back to her situation: Spike and her hugging each other on a small couch, bodies in direct contact, when it was just about to be nighttime.

Oh, dear…

The realisation hit her like a pack of bricks, igniting dozens of different thoughts, all of which revolved around the annoyingly enticing dragon who was hugging her at that moment. Suddenly, the room started to feel much hotter; whether that was due to them being so close together, his wing around her, having spent well over an hour in the cramped space, or Spike’s natural, alluring body heat which made—

Get it together, Glimmer! This is not the time! she heard her conscience scold her. She closed her eyes in an effort to clear her mind and drive away those errant thoughts, but only succeeded in visualising them more clearly.

Not that there’d be anything wrong with that, another voice said. It was a different, calmer voice that resonated somewhere deep in her mind amidst the maelstrom of off-colour thoughts. She opened her eyes once again, just in time to see Daring Do closing in on Ahuizotl’s throne.

Snap out of it, you’re very well aware of the implications of your actions, the new voice said. You’re both adults. Besides, weren’t you the one who just accepted age shouldn’t be factored into your relationship?

Starlight gulped as she processed the words of the new voice in her head. While the thought of hearing voices and actually considering what they were saying was a bit worrying, she didn’t want to focus on that at the moment.

You didn’t object at any point, so there is a part of you that wanted something to happen, right?

Knots formed in Starlight’s throat, making it harder for her to breathe. She told herself that wasn’t the case, that she didn’t have any ulterior motive and that she honestly didn’t expect anything to come out of their movie night.

Although… could she have been hoping something would?

As her magic scoured her empty bowl, she cursed herself for not making more popcorn with which she could have busied herself. Still, this wasn’t something she could ignore for long.

Tentatively, as if asking her limbs for permission, Starlight lifted her hoof to meet the claw Spike had over her shoulder and held it tightly. Spike reacted by leaning closer and gently caressing her hoof.

If something happened… If anything happened, she wouldn’t fight it.

With a sigh of relief, Starlight allowed herself to get lost in their embrace. Daring Do had already taken the Statue from Ahuizotl; the creature was cursing her name to the wind as she got away and the story would soon wind up.

“The book ended right here, didn’t it?” Starlight mused out loud.

“Yeah, but they added a few scenes at the end when they made the movie. Something about reaching ‘feature length’, I believe,” Spike said. Leaning over his chest as she was, Starlight could feel the vibration of his vocal cords as he spoke. The sensation elicited made her body jitter.

“Do that again,” Starlight whispered, snuggling closer to Spike.

“Do what?” Spike asked, turning around ever so slightly, but that motion was enough for Starlight to get closer to his throat, and take the full range of his vocal cords vibrating against her ears.

Starlight let out a short giggle and pressed harder against Spike’s body, biting her lip as she slurred a single word. “That.”

Spike’s face heated up, and she could feel it. Daring Do was boarding a plane back home, ready to embark on her next adventure, but the couple on the couch didn’t really care.

“Oh…” Spike said, drawing out the sound for as long as he could. He had noticed Starlight’s reaction, and seemed keen on continuing their little game. Dropping his voice an octave or so, he spoke again. “Is this… More to your liking?”

“Definitely,” Starlight answered, her voice once again just loud enough to be heard above the dialogue of the movie.

“Hmmm… Good to know,” Spike said, his voice getting deeper and stronger with every word spoken. The movie had ended, and the white text of the credits rolled against a black background, plunging the room into near total darkness. By now the sun had sunk beyond the horizon and given room to the night, and the vibrant purple glow it cast over Equestria served only to accentuate the mood in the room.

Starlight rubbed her head gently against Spike’s scaly neck, taking in the wonderful sensation of his tough, warm body. So lost was she in her actions, that she almost didn’t notice when Spike’s claw let her hoof go, and slowly made its way down her arm.

Almost.

A spark of excitement lit up deep within her. The eagerness and enthusiasm coursed through her body, from the tip of her horn to the underside of her hooves; and as these feelings washed over her in rhythm with Spike’s tender strokes, they gave room to a fervent yearning inside of her. Almost immediately, she let the empty bowl fall to the ground and her free hoof rose to Spike’s chest. As soon as she made contact with his scales, Spike let go of his own bowl and went to hold Starlight’s hoof, pressing tightly but lovingly against his body as his wing wrapped around her, drawing her even closer. She wanted to urge him, to tell him he could go on, that he could go further and he wouldn’t hear a word of protest from her.

“Star…” he trailed off.

Starlight closed her eyes, contenting herself with closing the distance between them until all she could feel was the contact of his warm, fit body. At that moment, nothing else mattered. All those wayward thoughts, insecurities, and doubts that had plagued her since she noticed her feelings for Spike starting to blossom, they all were blown away by his delicate caress.

“Spike…” she said in a faint voice that betrayed the hunger inside of her.

She realised soon enough that they were at an impasse. They wanted to go down the path they were treading, that much was obvious; but it seemed neither of them wanted to take the first step, neither wanted to be the one to break the spell they were in.

A part of her would have been satisfied with staying there, holding each other, sharing a loving embrace without a care in the world, isolate and apart from the rest of Equestria in this room that existed just for the two of them. The rest of her, however, could barely contain her desire to lunge forward and pin him down with a surge of excitement, affection, love, and—if the growing heat in her nethers was any indication—lust.

Opening her eyes a little, she looked up to find Spike’s mellow gaze staring back. His face was alight with a vibrant red colour that was noticeable even in the dim light of the late evening, and she had to wonder if her own face was in a similar state. Not that she minded.

Raising her head a bit, she nuzzled him just under his chin. Her affections seemed to be effective, as Spike let out a long sigh that made the tip of her horn tingle a little.

Starlight kept nuzzling, but slowly made her way up Spike’s head, and he lowered his neck in return. She went on until she found herself rubbing her right cheek against the left side of Spike’s head, and the very corners of their mouths gave the barest hint of a touch.

So much for not kissing on the first date, huh? The smug voice inside of her said, but Starlight was quick to ignore it.

Spike was now trailing his claws through Starlight’s mane, going slow but steady, sending waves of delight down the mare’s spine.

It was hard to know just how long they had spent sitting there, lost in each other’s embrace. They only knew that it had seemed to last an eternity and yet not long enough. So much was said between them without uttering a single word, but they knew one of them had to say something sooner than later. Therefore, Starlight thought, she would take the lead.

“Spike…” she said, her voice coming out strained after minutes of absolute silence. She looked deep into the emerald eyes of the dragon, mesmerised by the flame within them.

Spike seemed to be about to say something too, but he suddenly arched his back and looked away.

Starlight looked at him, worry taking over desire as she separated herself from the dragon. “Are… are you alright?”

They separated from one another as his shoulders gave a spasm, a quick rise before slumping down back again, and his cheeks bulged just as a flame of green fire burst out of his mouth, materialising a thick scroll between them.

They stared silently as the rolled up parchment fell to the floor, but Starlight managed to get a glimpse of the seal that closed it. It didn’t bear the bright yellow wax used by Princess Celestia but a different type, one that was all too familiar to them.

“Twilight sent a letter,” Spike stated, matter-of-factly, in what Starlight thought was an attempt to dispense with the awkwardness of having been interrupted in such an abrupt fashion.

“S-so it seems,” Starlight said as she tried to regain her composure and her mind finally processed what had almost happened.

Not knowing what else to do or say, Spike reached forward and opened the scroll. As he read, Starlight averted her gaze, hoping to find something that would occupy her mind. The mood had been summarily executed, that much was clear. It’s almost as if Twilight had somehow known—

No.

She couldn’t have… There was no way Twilight could have known that they were almost about to… Uh…

Yes, Starlight. You were about to. You know it and Spike knows it, her conscience lectured her, replacing the smug voice that had occupied her mind so far.

Oh, you’re one to talk. Where have you been for the past twenty minutes? she shot back. However, she couldn’t deny that the thought of Twilight finding out about her relationship with Spike before they could break the news to her themselves was worrying, to say the least.

Not as worrying as what had almost happened, though…

Starlight shook her head in hopes of clearing her mind. They had only been together for less than a day, and she was already throwing herself at him? What was wrong with her?

An uncomfortably cold shiver ran down her spine. Resigning herself, she focused on picking up the empty bowls from the floor.

“Well, that’s… Huh…” Spike said as he rolled up the scroll.

“What does Twilight say?” Starlight asked, hoping the disillusionment in her voice wasn’t too evident.

“You know how Twilight was supposed to stay in the Crystal Empire until tomorrow?” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Well, apparently there’s been a change of plans.”

She looked back at him, her dread turning into curiosity for the time being. “Change of plans?”

“Flurry Heart had a few magic bursts these past two days and Twilight wants to stay until they’re under control…” he paused for a brief second as a chuckle made its way through his words, “…and until Shining Armor grows his mane back.”

Starlight let out a short laugh that thankfully didn’t come out as a snort. “What did she do?”

“I’m sure Twilight will be more than happy to fill in the details for us once she comes back this Friday,” Spike finished with a smile.

She did a double take at that. Twilight was only supposed to be gone for the weekend and return on Monday, meaning tomorrow, but if Flurry Heart’s magic outbursts were serious enough to warrant her oversight, that meant…

“We have… four more days on our own?” she said, not fully believing her words.

Spike broke into a grin. “Yeah.”

He didn’t say anything more, nor did he have to. Starlight could already infer a lot from his look alone.

She meant it earlier when she told herself she wouldn’t be averse to… further developing their expressions of affection. However, that didn’t change the fact that it was probably a bit too early into their relationship for, well, for sex.

“Hey, Spike?” she said, deciding to dive into the problem headfirst. “About what just happened right now…”

The crimson colour returned to the dragon’s face. It was undeniable he had been thinking about the same thing. “Y-yes?” he said, trying to be nonchalant and failing adorably at it.

Starlight let out her breath as the outline of a smile tugged at her lips. “Listen, we both know what just happened. What almost happened.” Spike tensed up when he heard this, but Starlight was quick to assuage his worries. “I just wanted you to know I… I wouldn’t be against it.”

Spike perked up at that, although the bright red of his face didn’t fade away. If anything, it got more intense. “You… you mean…”

Taking another deep breath and smiling as wide as she could, Starlight held one of Spike’s claws with her hooves. “I do.”

Spike let out something akin to a gasp and a choke, but before his excitement grew too large for him to handle, she spoke again. “Still, I think it’s a bit early for us to be thinking about… making love.”

Okay, that sounds better, she thought. Spike seemed to be taking the news well, at least.

“I… I… You’re right, Star,” he said, returning her smile. “I mean, not that I wouldn’t love that, but you’re right. I think I’d prefer it if our first time wasn’t just because we lost control of ourselves.”

Starlight’s smile widened. She appreciated his honesty, if anything. “Thanks, Spike. For understanding.”

“Hey, don’t mention it,” he said, and with a smile of his own, they both felt the tension leaving the room. “D-do you want to watch another movie?”

Starlight looked through the small window of the room. The sky was now completely dark, with only the stars bringing contrast against the dark blue of the night.

“I think we should have dinner first, that way we can clear our minds,” she said.

“Heh… guess we kinda skipped lunch didn’t we?”

“Let’s get to it, the movies won’t go anywhere.”

With a shared smile of reassurance, the couple stepped off the couch. Spike paused for a moment to turn off the projector and pack the film reel back into its canister. Starlight looked at him from the doorway, her gaze following his every move as the cogs of her mind refused to stop whirring.

“Hey, Spike,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear her.

“What is it, Star?” he ask, walking towards her.

“I think I’m going to break my own rule.” She didn’t wait to hear his reply. She didn’t think about consequences, nor did she pay attention to the nagging voices in her mind. She seized him with her magic, forcefully pulled him towards her, and kissed him.

The whole world seemed to fade out in that second save for the sensation of their lips. The warmth that sent shivers down her spine, the wetness that dried her mouth, the firmness that managed to feel so soft. The utter serenity that blew away the remnants of insecurities inside of her. Neither of them pulled back, nor did they push it. They simply let themselves savour their kiss and get lost in the bliss it brought.

And yet, it had to end. As the seconds ticked away and the minutes piled on, it became difficult for them to breathe properly, not to mention the awkwardness of having Spike slightly bent over.

“It was a good first date,” Starlight whispered as she brought the kiss to an end.

Spike didn’t say anything, and he continued to not say anything as Starlight let go of her magic grip on his neck.

“I’ll get started on dinner,” Starlight whispered, and turned around, making an effort not to let Spike see the self-satisfied smirk she sported.

“…be right behind you…” Spike managed to mumble, still standing dumbstruck under the doorway.

Four whole days, Starlight thought to herself. There’s plenty of time to take things slowly.

Her smile widened until her cheeks started to hurt.

There’s no rush…

Author's Note

Try it yourself!
I want to believe you can make popcorn without a recipe. Just abstain from introspective tirades while you're cooking and you should be fine.
On a sidenote, it took me almost 20 years to try seasoned popcorn. It's amazing. I try a different blend of spices whenever I have the chance.