Starlight’s chest rose and fell as she took a series of deep, calming breaths. She feared that, lest she focused on every intake of air, she would start hyperventilating. And her fear was not without reason.

Spike stood in front of her, his snout a mere hoof away from her muzzle. At first glance, the dragon seemed calm in a way that contrasted heavily with the barely restrained eagerness that coursed through her body. However, being this close meant that she could notice the little signs that betrayed his façade: the tightness of his smile, the stiffness of his shoulders, the light shaking of his spines. Spike was just as nervous as her, she was just handling it worse than him.

The silence was becoming more than she could handle, but regardless of how many times she opened and closed her mouth, no words came. Spike seemed to notice her trepidation, he lifted one of his claws and gently pressed it against her lips.

The sensation was over far too soon for her liking as Spike drew back his claw, pulling down her bottom lip with a pleasant touch. It didn’t go far, though. It lingered just under her chin, close enough for her to feel her fur brushing against it. That she kept herself from biting down was a testament to Starlight’s diminishing restraint.

“It’s alright, Star,” Spike said, his eyes piercing her own as two beams of emerald fire, “Try not to think about it too much.”

Spike’s claw moved to rest on her shoulder and the contact of his scales against her coat sent shivers of anticipation down Starlight’s body.

“I’m just nervous…” she trailed off, but didn’t take her eyes away from Spike’s. As anxious as she felt, his reassuring stare was a rock in whom to take refuge. “It’s been a while since I’ve done something like this.”

“Do you trust me?” Spike said, tightening his grasp on her shoulder.

She nodded as it was all she could bring herself to do without succumbing to her nerves. For his part, Spike’s smile softened as his own eagerness dwindled. He eased his hold and slowly let his claw drift downward, rustling her coat as he slowly reached for her hoof.

“Just follow my lead,” he whispered.

Starlight nodded once again, deciding it was better than attempting to speak. Speaking got her in trouble, trouble got her into overthinking things, overthinking got her into soul-crushing debates with voices in her head and really, who wanted more of that?

Spike looked away from her for a moment but Starlight’s eyes never left him, she probably couldn’t have torn her gaze away even if she tried. She was once again letting her nervousness get the better of her, but at that moment, she didn’t mind. It was enthralling in a way. She could see Spike playing around with a small device whose name eluded her and she didn’t particularly care about remembering. Right now, the sole object of her focus was her partner.

“Are you ready?” Spike asked, still facing away.

“As much as I think I’ll ever be,” she whispered.

“Great. Let’s start, then,” Spike said with a smile.

There were moments, Starlight thought, when such a gesture was all that was needed to reaffirm a sense of confidence in a pony. When the warmth of a beaming grin was all it took to wash away even the most crippling of doubts and fears. Was it not Starswirl the Bearded who once said, “Give me a smile and a bottle of cider and I shall cross all of Equestria by hoof”?

Well, with all due respect to the elder stallion, at the moment she thought that was nothing more than a bunch of horse apples, because a smile was most definitely not enough to make her heart beat normally.

Starlight wanted to smile back, to let the eagerness and bubbling joy take over her and bask in shared happiness with Spike; however, that didn’t seem to be possible at the moment, if the deep-seated nervousness that had settled in her mind was anything to go by.

Spike, perhaps sensing her worry, looked back at her with that smile still plastered over his face. He wasted no time in helping her stand in her hind legs and pulling her closer to him. She was a bit wobbly, and the jitters running through her body made it all the harder not to fall down. But it was alright, Spike was holding her.

He got closer, enough for her to lay her right hoof on his shoulder. As she did this, Spike reached for her hips with his free claw and she suspected it wasn’t purely to help her keep her balance. That’s not to say she’d object, though.

A few strides away from them, a faint sound gained momentum, growing slightly louder with every passing second until it exploded into an amalgamation of musical instruments playing all at once.

“Let’s dance,” he whispered, and once again Starlight found that nodding was all she could do. The melody shifted to the sound of soft strings and soon a crooning voice filled the room, though she was only vaguely aware of what the words said.

Spike never broke eye contact as he took the first step. His left foot moved backwards, and his whole body trailed off with him. Trying to keep up, Starlight moved forward, though her tempo was off for a few seconds and she nearly tumbled on top of Spike as a result.

“Easy…” Spike said as his grip on her grew stronger, making sure she wouldn’t fall.

“Sorry,” she said.

Spike didn’t pay her mistake any mind, he simply kept moving in time with the music, guiding her every step of the way.

As he stepped to the side, he gave her a gentle pull to keep her moving with him. She let herself be guided by him. Spike’s movements were gentle, but firm enough for her to be comfortable. She appreciated his patience, it was hard to keep her rhythm while balancing on her hind legs, but seeing how it brought her chest closer to Spike’s, she was willing to make that compromise.

A trombone played in the background, bringing her back from her reverie. With decisiveness, she took a step forward in time with the music. Spike, in turn, gave a step back, turning around as he dragged Starlight with him. Maybe he still wasn’t big enough or strong enough to lift her, but by Celestia he was getting there.

The unicorn let out a soft giggle that was drowned by the singing voice, but the smile that bloomed on her face grew unabashed.

Slowly, they fell into the rhythm of the music. Starlight still had a misstep or two every now and then—a moment when she got ahead of the music or fell behind—, but every time Spike was quick to make up for her mistakes, and she more than made up with the next move.

As they swayed across the polished floors of the castle’s improvised ballroom, Starlight’s grip grew firmer, more confident, almost as if through her touch she tried to let Spike know she was enjoying herself.

Moving alongside the dragon in time with the orchestra, she realised how easier it got to dance the less she actually thought about it. She wouldn’t deny that focusing on Spike’s gaze helped a little bit.

A step forward, followed by a step back, then a step forward, and forward again. She made the effort to give an extra twirl with her hind leg as she moved, even in spite of her heart fluttering every time her fur brushed against the scales of his chest.

When the singing stallion made a brief, lingering pause, Spike dragged his claws across her side, rising from her hips and towards her back. As his fingers traced a meandering path on her coat, she felt small jolts of electricity course through her body that she knew couldn’t be chalked up to static.

Without losing focus on her own steps, Starlight’s hoof dropped until she held Spike’s arm, giving it a gentle squeeze that seemed to say “Bring me closer.”

They slowly spun in place, their eyes never leaving each other’s. Starlight nearly lost her rhythm, but a few steps after that, it was as though it never happened.

Starlight could feel the sound of violins long before they actually started playing. Before she had the chance to react to the change in the song, Spike pulled her back, letting go of her hoof as he made her spin in place. She gave a few whirls, always guided by the dragon’s gentle oversight, before he took her in his arms, making her come to a stop and slowly let her body lean back.

As her mane hung limply, she felt a soft breeze caress the fur on her nape and it was in that moment that she realised how hot she felt.

Probably in more ways than one, a voice in her mind said, but she was quick to ignore it. She was having far too much fun to let her thoughts get in the way.

With the tenderness that characterised his movements, Spike made a sweeping motion that brought Starlight back up, his snout almost grazing her lips. They stood immobile for a second that seemed to stretch eternally, but just as Starlight’s breathing threatened to descend into shuddering gasps, Spike gave a step to the side and quickly circled his partner until he was standing right behind her, his chest pressed against her back.

For a brief moment, Starlight felt as though her heart had stopped in shock. It seemed to think so as well, seeing how it dramatically increased the rate of its beating as if to pick up its slack.

Spike’s claws never left her body, he had her wrapped in his embrace. She could feel his heart beating against her own body, but her own erratic heart made it hard to notice whether or not he was anxious as well.

With one claw holding her by her barrel, the other one was free to caress her shoulder, going down her foreleg until he held her hoof in his grasp. She could feel his hot breath on the side of his face as he leaned closer, rising her foreleg over their heads.

Soon, the melodious flow of the violins was replaced with a quick string staccato, and at this change Spike gave a step back.

Starlight didn’t know what to make of that sensation. On one hoof, she missed the heat that Spike’s body emanated, now replaced by a rush of cold air; on the other one, she probably shouldn’t get too hung up on something so inconsequential.

Spike didn’t give her time to ponder the thought any further. With a quick yet gentle pull, he sent Starlight spinning towards him once more. She lifted both of her forelegs above her head as Spike kept guiding her across the room and just before she could start getting dizzy, she bumped into him.

Forelegs wrapped around his neck, Starlight stepped closer and gave the underside of his jaw an affectionate nuzzle. She once again felt his hot breath tickle the tip of her horn, sending pleasurable jolts through her body.

Spellbound as they were, they still managed to pull themselves back to reality as the strumming of the guitars continued.

They slid across the floor, bodies moving in unison, crouching ever so slowly as their legs spread apart only to quickly come back together. Another step to the side, quicker this time, and then another.

Spike’s hands stopped just above her hips, and she gave a little surprised yelp as he lifted her off the ground just enough for both of them to be able to spin together.

Perhaps he was strong enough.

Starlight’s legs gave out as Spike set her down, thankfully she still had her forelegs over his shoulders, so her little slip seemed more of an endearing—if a bit audacious—gesture than a mistake.

Pulling herself together, Starlight stood up without ever breaking eye contact or withdrawing her hooves, and made the next step in beat with the trumpets.

For added effect, she crossed her legs with each step she took, swaying her hips as she did so and was more than pleased to see Spike’s eyes follow her every move.

The stallion’s voice grew stronger as he moved onto the last stanza of the song, time to go all the way.

She let herself move a few steps away from him without letting go, her hooves going down his chest, feeling the tight muscles underneath his scales. Sliding one of her rear legs all the way to the back before coming back right in front of him with a thrust, Starlight did her best to charge each motion with all the burgeoning desire that burned inside of her.

Spike closed the distance between them, holding her by her hips as he spun in place. A kick to the air with every step along the fading rhythm of the song, a quick twirl as the tempo of the strings grew, a quick brush of her tail against his thighs, a stroke that threatened to veer too low before coming back to place. These little actions kept piling on the tension growing between the two dancers, and Starlight could see it in the rising hunger in the dragon’s eyes.

As the last strings and marimba beats faded away, Spike spread out his legs and gently leaned forward, carrying Starlight with him. Not to be outdone, Starlight let her own hind legs wrap around Spike’s right thigh.

Soon enough, the music faded away, only to be replaced by the sound of their heavy breathing. Neither of them wanted to tear their eyes away from each other, preferring to bask in the heat of the moment.

“I think I enjoyed that…” Starlight finally said after a few moments of silence. She was sure she had a goofy smile plastered all over her face but she didn’t care, she felt far too happy to worry about appearances.

Spike returned her smile, with equal smugness from his part. “I think I liked it, too,” he said. Still holding her by her back, his snout only a breath away from hers, Spike freed one of his claws and raised it to sweep away an errant strand of hair from her face. “Wanna go again?”

Starlight let out a short laugh while doing her best to give the dragon her most seductive smile. She ended up enjoying their little dance much more than she thought she would, and would definitely be up for another round. Her hooves played with the spines on his back as she eyed him up and down, biding her time before she answered.

“Well?” he prodded her.

She inhaled softly, taking in the slightly musty scent that started to permeate the air around them. Yes, she’d like to go again. With that smile still across her face, she gently tilted her head to the side and, leaning closer, she said—

“O-oh my…”

Under different circumstances, Starlight may have found funny how quickly the heat she felt morphed into a cold that chilled her to the bone. And if Spike’s expression was anything to go by, he was experiencing a similar phenomenon.

They turned their heads in unison to face the source of the intruding voice. Just outside of an open door stood a quivering yellow pegasus with a bright red face clad in an equally yellow raincoat, holding a half-covered cage with a grey and brown feathered bird in it.

“Hoo…” the old bird let out.

“I… I… I didn’t… I didn’t mean to—” Fluttershy said. Her left hoof was covering her mouth and even behind her hat and flowing mane that hid most of her face, it was clear her cheeks were burning up with a furious blush.

Realising they were still in a somewhat compromising position, Starlight let go of Spike’s neck as she turned herself around without ever making eye contact with either of them.

“Uh… Hello, Fluttershy,” Spike said, in what Starlight thought was an effort to defuse the awkwardness in the room.

“Owlowiscious was feeling better now, and I was going to bring him back earlier today, b-but I lost track of time, and the rain was coming down really hard, and I—” She kept speaking, running over her own sentences as she tried to excuse her herself.

The elder bird looked at them, barely moving its head before once more looking towards Spike. Starlight could’ve sworn he smiled.

“Why don’t you let me take care of him?” Spike spoke in a calming tone as he walked towards Fluttershy.

The pegasus gave a jerky nod, as if the muscles in her neck had grown tenser, and extended the cage for him to take.

“Let’s go, big guy. I’m going to take you to Twilight’s room, it’s alright,” he said, doing his best to sound comforting. If his tone was meant to soothe just the owl, or her as well, Starlight didn’t know, but she wanted to believe it was.

With no small amount of hesitation, Starlight looked back at Fluttershy. Once they made eye contact, the shy pegasus let out a squeak and promptly bursted into another apologetic tirade.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt, I’m sorry I did! It’s just that Twilight left Owlowiscious in my care before she left for the Crystal Empire, you know how he’s been now that he’s so old. And then she didn’t come back, so I got worried, and it’s not like I didn’t want to keep Owlowiscious back at my cottage, but it’s better for him to see familiar sights. That’s why I brought him here, honestly.”

“Right, uh… Fluttershy…” Starlight started, trying to calm her down, but the pegasus kept talking.

“If I’d know you were busy, I wouldn’t have come. I didn’t know you were making out, I’m sorry I interrupted.”

“W-we, we weren’t—”

“I-I didn’t even know you were together! Congratulations, by the way.”

“Fluttershy,” Starlight said, grabbing the pegasus by the shoulders, “please calm down.”

Fluttershy’s features softened, if only a bIt, though the shock never left her eyes. Perhaps she would at least be more receptive to listening her.

“This isn’t really how we would’ve liked ponies to find out…” Starlight trailed off. It’s funny how one can remain completely oblivious to some things until you’re forced to acknowledge them.

All this time, she hadn’t thought about how they’ll break the news to their friends. They would have to tell their friends, of course, it’s not like she wanted to keep it a secret. She wanted to tell their friends, so they could all be happy for them. It’s just that they had been cooped up in the castle almost since Twilight left a few days ago with no company other than each other and, while she couldn’t argue with the results, it probably hadn’t been the healthiest thing to do, in hindsight.

No wonder she had started hearing voices.

She then noticed she’d spent the last minute in silence, and Fluttershy was eyeing her with worry. Shaking her head, she spoke, “We, uh, we just hadn’t gotten around telling anyone. We’ve only been together for little over two days.”

Fluttershy remained sheepish for a few seconds before her lips stretched into a smile. “I didn’t know you liked each other… Still, I’m happy you’re together.”

“It’s been a long time coming, really. We’ve been close for so long, those feelings kind of crept up on me,” Starlight admitted, giving Fluttershy a smile of her own.

“A long time, huh?” Fluttershy asked, and Starlight couldn’t sense any ill intent in her words. No judgement, no contempt. Just genuine curiosity.

Why had she been so worked up all these days?

“Yes… He was always by my side when I started learning about friendship. Every light jab, every playful joke, every time he lend me an ear when I needed one… They all made me appreciate me more, and I guess with time those feelings got more intense.”

“Yeah, no wonder she fell so hard for me,” Spike said from atop the staircase, catching both mare’s attention.

Starlight could feel her cheeks reddening, but didn’t let the embarrassment get to her. “Is that so? Because I don’t remember you putting much of an objection,” she said, giving they young dragon a playful look as he sauntered down the stairs.

“Starlight, please,” Spike replied, an expression of mock indignation in his face, “how could a noble gentle dragon such as myself deny the request of a beautiful mare who poured her heart to me?”

Now it was her turn to put on an expression of mock hurt. Looking at her friend, who had stayed silent throughout their exchange, Starlight said, “Did you hear that, Fluttershy? He only wants me for my looks!”

Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof, and soon the sound of soft giggling filled the room.

“Wow,” she said, her eyes going back and forth over the couple, “you really look like a couple.”

Walking up to Starlight, Spike wrapped an arm around her neck and brought her close to him. “We feel like one, too,” he said as he gently scratched the side of her face.

With a flushed face and a goofy grin, Starlight leaned into the hug, rubbing her cheek against the dragon’s chest. Her dragon, her mind added with no small amount of satisfaction.

“Aw… That’s so sweet.” Fluttershy said, a wide smile on her face. However, Starlight saw that smile waver for a second as the pegasus looked at Spike. It seemed as though she wanted to say something to him before she blinked and turned her gaze downwards. Weird. After a few seconds of silence, she looked back at the door and turned to give the couple an apologetic smile. “I, uh, I have to get going. The rain won’t stop until nighttime, and I have to make sure my animals are okay… And congratulations, once more.”

“Take care, Fluttershy,” Spike said. “You’re preemptively invited to the party Pinkie Pie will be throwing for us once she finds out.”

Fluttershy let out a soft giggle, and soon enough the three of them were sharing a laugh as the last remnants of tension left them. With nothing more to say, Fluttershy adjusted her raincoat and headed back to her cottage while Spike and Starlight stood under the doorway, looking at their friend walk away.

Spike brought up a good point, though. They were going to tell the rest of their friends about them, they’d had to. Knowing Pinkie, she’d make a party to celebrate it. And if the last few days had taught her anything was that there was no better time than the present, so why wait?

“We should tell her,” she whispered as she enjoyed Spike’s embrace. The words came out so naturally, it took her a moment to realise she’d spoke out loud.

“What?”

“Pinkie Pie. We’re going to tell everypony else, and we have to start somewhere. Besides, I’m sure she would appreciate the extra time to plan the party.” She looked up at him and smiled. “Besides, I’m sure Owlowiscious would like to have some peace and quiet for a while. The gramophone will still be here when we come back.” Just to sweeten the deal, she winked at him.

A mellow smile found its way to Spike’s face. “Sure thing, Star. Let me get an umbrella and we can—” just as he turned around, Starlight pulled him back with her magic.

Starlight looked at him with a playful smirk as she tugged his tail.

“Hey, Spike…” she said, the singsong of her voice giving the dragon pause.

“Uh… Yeah?”

Keeping him in place, Starlight gave a slow step towards him, putting deliberate sway to the movement of her body, just as she had done when they were dancing, applying what she had learned like a good student.

Spike, meanwhile seemed to be too preoccupied with sending blood to his face to do anything else. He eyed her warily, but never broke eye contact. As she got closer to him, though, she could see the little signs of his nervousness: the way his shoulders rose ever so slightly; how his jaw hung loosely, making his lips part; how his eyes didn’t know where to focus, if her face, or her whole body… Being able to elicit these reactions from him caused a small flicker of pride to course through her.

She was close enough that she could make out the scales on his face.

Or simply make out, the voice said after a whole afternoon of absence. Starlight wondered why it had been silent through Fluttershy’s visit.

“What… do you say… if…” she said, her volume dropping with every word as she leaned forward, tilting her head and closing her eyes slightly.

“Yeah…?” Spike asked her, a nervous edge still in his voice, but it felt more expectant than worried.

Starlight closed the distance between them as she pursed her lips, bypassed his mouth, got close to his ear, and whispered, “Last one at Sugarcube Corner buys the snacks.”

She didn’t wait for his reaction, as sweet as she knew it’d be, but rather turned around and ran away from the castle and into the rain.

That had been foalish, and perhaps a bit mean-spirited. Still, her chest bubbled with some undetermined mix of emotions which made her feel so giddy. She was having fun. Plain, unadulterated fun, and she was loving it.

A look over her shoulder let her know Spike was closing the Castle’s door in a hurry, and with less than a second of hesitance, jumped down the stairs and started to run after her.

The rain dampened her coat and mane, and even though the coldness started to make its way to her skin, the warmth coming from her chest overshadowed it.

As she ran, cold, wet, and happy, Starlight couldn’t help but laugh.

Author's Note

No recipe this time!
Shocking, I know. Back in my original outline, chapter five and six were one single chapter, but it ended up being bigger than I expected. Starlight would know.
Don't worry, though, there'll be plenty of cooking in future chapters.
Either way, rather than sharing a recipe with you this time, I'd like to know if you can identify the song playing when Starlight and Spike were dancing.
If you do, you'll earn a smug sense of superiority from knowing you were right and everyone else was wrong.