The sound of rain falling on the ground had grown fainter as the night went on, but Starlight barely noticed it.

After they’d finished their share of the cakes, they had insisted Pinkie should take the rest of their pastries as a way of thanking her for letting them use the kitchen. In turn, Pinkie had insisted they took an umbrella for the way back to the castle, but Spike said it wouldn’t be necessary. As she walked down the street with Spike’s wing extended over her, protecting her from the rain, she couldn’t argue with his decision.

Spike turned his gaze toward her and smiled when they made eye contact. The light of her barrier spell over him reflected in his eyes, and the way the light teal glow mixed with the green shine of his eyes made him look so handsome she wanted to stop right there and kiss him on the spot. That could wait until they reached the castle, though.

The light of her spell reflected on a puddle in front of them, and as she got closer to his body to sidestep it, Spike flexed his wing to make sure she was completely covered from the rain. She still got a few errant drops of water on her coat and tail, but she couldn’t care less about that. The heat radiating from Spike’s body was comfortable enough to stave off the cold, anyway.

“Hey, Spike,” she said, her voice sounding mellow even to her ears.

“Yeah?”

“I’m happy.”

His smile grew at her words, and brought his wing closer to her body.

“Really?” he asked her. His tone was playful, and Starlight knew he didn’t really need confirmation, but wanted one regardless.

“Really,” she replied, giving his neck a quick nuzzle before continuing, “today has been wonderful. Even with all the… unforeseen events, I don’t think I would’ve changed a thing, Spike.”

“Me neither, Star…” he trailed off, as if looking for something to say, before closing his mouth and smiling at her once more.

Neither felt the need to say anything else. They made their way through the empty streets of Ponyville in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company as they walked. It was hard for Starlight to try defining the sense of contentedness that enveloped her. She just knew she was and she didn’t have any real desire to question it, and honestly, she was more than happy to just enjoy it.

“What do you want to do once we get back?” she said after a few minutes of walking, doing her absolute best to not turn it into an innuendo. Unless he started, in which case she was more than willing to do the same.

“Well… As much as I’d like to work off the calories from the cakes, I should start doing some clean up. Twilight won’t arrive until Friday, but I don’t want to spend our last day alone in a cleaning frenzy,” Spike said, shaking his head around for emphasis.

Starlight only replied with a content hum. Spike was right. It wouldn’t do to let their responsibilities pile up until the last possible second. Then again, after all they’d done today she was feeling a bit tired, and could use some rest.

“I’ll help you out later, I just want to lie down for a while.”

Spike chuckled and leaned sideways to rub the top of Starlight’s head with his snout. “I’ll make sure to work slowly until then.”

Starlight let out a much less dignified bout of laughter, but still rubbed her head against him. “Oh, stop it. Ponies will say I’m enabling your laziness.”

“Let them talk. Who cares about what they think?” Spike said, dismissively.

Who indeed, Starlight thought as her grin morphed into a content smile.

Soon enough, the castle’s main entrance came into view, and she noticed how they both slowed down the closer they got to it. Almost as if neither wanted their little stroll to end. Now that she thought about it, they had taken a few more turns than absolutely necessary.

In spite of their stalling, though, they finally made it to the main entrance. The height of the castle, as well as the angle of the falling rain meant that this side of the building had remained mostly dry. Much to Starlight’s disappointment, it meant there was no reason to keep huddled like that. Spike retracted his wing, flexing it a couple of times, before folding it back towards his body. At the same time, she let go of her spell, leaving both of them standing in front of the large main doors.

Though faint, the sound of millions of water drops hitting the ground created a pleasant cacophony that served as the backdrop of their little postcard moment. Starlight wished she had a camera so she could preserve the image of them huddled close to one another in the chilly night. She’d have to make do with her memory.

Feeling bold once more, she stood on her hind legs, and pulled Spike for a kiss.

Though Spike’s body went stiff in surprise, it wasn’t long before he mellowed out and started to push forwards. The kiss itself was quite chaste. As much as Starlight would have liked to go for something a bit more adventurous, this was just fine with her. Just the simple expression of affection through the touch of their mouths. She still snuck in a quick caress of his lips with the tip of her tongue before breaking the kiss.

“Thanks for everything, Spike,” she said, giving her not-a-colt-coltfriend a warm smile.

Spike, for his part, still looked a bit dazed, but was quick to regain his composure. “R-right back at you, Star…” He trailed off, as he radiated a comfortable warmth just from his smile.

“Let’s get in, shall we? It’s getting a bit chilly,” she said before turning around—making sure to turn her head last as to keep eye contact for as long as possible—and opened the castle’s doors. Spike stayed behind, shaking off the water off his body. Stifling a few giggles, she headed for the stairs before calling out to him over her shoulder. “I’ll be taking a shower, Spike!”

“Take your time, Star,” was his only reply.

With a smile still plastered over her face, Starlight walked up the stairs and made her way to her bedroom. A quick shower, then rest for a while, and see where the day took them. It was starting to get late, but they could still have fun while indoors. She was liking this spontaneity, it had led to some fun experiences so far, and could barely wait to see what else it would mean for them.

She had a spring to her step as she entered the bathroom, and found she was humming as she slowly filled the bathtub, bobbing her head from side to side. In a flash, she brought forth several bottles from the many shelves around the room, picking whatever caught her eye.

A quick heating spell brought the water to the perfect temperature, the many oils and soaps turning the clear water to an enticing, bubbly turquoise. Starlight let out a satisfied sigh as she put the bottles back in place and—doing her best to resist the impulse of jumping right into the tub—dipped one of her hooves, and almost melted at the pleasurable sensation. Wasting no more time, she plunged her front legs until the water touched her face, and slid forwards until her thighs hit the edge of the tub.

She looked over her shoulder and saw her flanks sticking up in the air. For a moment, she imagined Spike walking in on her and getting a full view of her behind. Smirking in spite of her blush, she gave her rump a vigorous wiggle and lifted her legs, sliding the rest of the way into the tub.

Taking a deep breath, she submerged her head, alongside the rest of her body, and remained underwater, letting herself be enveloped by the warmth of the bath, feeling how the wear of the day was washed away, leaving only a calm mass of pony shaped happiness.

Starlight did her best to hold her breath. Part of her wanted to cast a water breathing spell and just lay at the bottom of the tub for half an hour, but she’d have to take into account the soap and oils she’d put in the water and add a filter to her spell. It was, all things considered, too much of a bother, so she decided to just come out. Her muzzle broke the water surface, and she blowed hard through her nose to get rid of any errant drops. After a few seconds, she pulled her head out of the water and rested it on the edge of the tub.

She let her body float in the warm, soapy water while her mind wandered, thinking back on the day’s events. It was hard to imagine that just that morning, she’d been consumed by her own nervousness, and now she was taking a relaxing bath after a lovely evening with Spike. A smile spread over her face as she thought about all they’d done since her confession a few days ago.

A contented sigh escaped her lips when she remembered their initial awkwardness, the dinner, the movies, their little dance that afternoon, the long walk under the rain… It all seemed too surreal. There was no way all of this had really happened, there was no way she had landed a special someone as great as Spike. But it was true. She had managed to bag a cute, loving, talented, and caring… uh… drakefriend? Yeah, let’s go with that.

Not to mention that he’s so enticingly hot, she said to herself, and it felt good to admit it, even if only within the confines of her mind. With a giggle, she shuddered as happiness coursed through her body. Biting her lip, she squirmed in the water, making little waves that splashed against the bathtub. Foalish, maybe, but finding herself in a state of pure happiness, she couldn’t help but bask in it. Wrapping her legs around her body, she let out a satisfied hum as she thought of Spike, and every little moment they’d spent together.

Perhaps sensing that she was in a good mood and was full of positive emotions, her mind recalled the dream that had ended abruptly that morning. It almost felt like a lifetime ago, but at that moment, the memories returned, as vivid as when they had first happened. However, she found that she was in no hurry to brush them away. Her half-lidded eyes scanned the empty room as her hooves slowly drifted down her barrel. She could still remember the way she’d felt when her mind had conjured up an imaginary Spike about to go down on her, and could feel a warmth that had nothing to do with the hot water spread through her body.

Well, she thought, no reason to leave that story incomplete.

With a heightened sense of self-awareness, Starlight’s hooves caressed her chest and stomach, slowly making their way downwards just as Spike had done in her dream. While the somewhat rough outer wall of her hooves were nowhere near as soft or deft as Spike’s gentle lips, they did the job well enough for her imagination to do the rest.

She closed her eyes and imagined her hooves were Spike’s claws, pressing down on her hips, firmly but gently, and bringing her closer to him. Her breaths turned slower and deeper as her right hoof moved in hesitant circles down her stomach. The water made her movements a little sluggish, but that complemented the reticence born from her embarrassment. It wasn’t as if she didn’t indulge in self-pleasure every now and then… It was a perfectly normal thing to do, after all. It simply had been a while since the last time. And at least now she had some basis for her fantasies with Spike!

She didn’t even bother scoffing at that thought, choosing to continue instead. She was far too busy focusing on the feelings her own hooves elicited. With a gentle prod, she gave one of her breasts a soft caress. At the touch, she drew a sharp breath, but kept going, slowly circling the curvature of her mounds, drifting closer and closer to her nipples before pulling back. Her thighs instinctively started rubbing against each other, increasing the pressure against her lower lips as she got closer to her nipples once more. Her mind replaced every touch of her own hooves with Spike’s mouth, kissing, licking, and pulling at her exposed skin.

Barely conscious of herself doing it, her horn lit up, and her magic made its way through the water until it made contact with one of her teats. She only realised she had been holding her breath when the tingling sensation of her magic enveloped her left teat.

Throwing her head back, she let out a long, sustained moan as she took in the pleasant comfort brought forth by her magic. It was a tender touch, letting her bask in the pure feeling of having one of the most sensitive parts of her body caressed and massaged in such an intimate and caring way… Just like she imagined Spike doing.

Closing her eyes, she imagined Spike pulling her closer and burying his muzzle between her teats, giving each a loving, sloppy kiss, letting his tongue move freely across her skin before he moved and gave a gentle lick to her erect nipples. She heard something between a mewling and a hum, and it took her a while to realise she was the one doing that. Spurred on by her own soft sounds of delight, she moved further down as she spread her rear legs. Her back hooves now rested on the edges of the bathtub, giving her full access to her burning lips.

I wonder if that’s because of all the oils I put in the bath, she wondered, but was too lost in her arousal to seriously consider that rather worrying prospect.

She dragged her left hoof back to her chest, pressing hard against her coat to feel the rapid beating of her heart while her other hoof brushed past her teats and towards her pussy. Her moans, low as they still were, became more prolonged when she started teasing the outer edges of her vagina.

In her mind, Spike had moved downwards with a trail of nips and licks and was now gently pressing his lips against her crotch, while his hands slithered across her flanks, holding her firmly in place. Her magic moved the way she imagined his tongue would, sneaking around the edges of her labia, lapping up the juices of her arousal. She slowly parted herself open, just barely holding back the need to be filled at that moment. The edge of her hoof traced the contours of her genitals, drifting closer and closer to her opening as her breathing became more laboured. She pressed the side of her hoof against her labia, imagining it was Spike’s muzzle pressing against her, his thin tongue poking in and out of his mouth, licking every part it could reach.

Her body reacted immediately to the increased stimulation. A wave of warmth exploded from her vagina, coursing through her body, up her spine and making her whip her head back as she let out a long moan. From that point, it became much harder to control herself. Her magic covered her pussy, spreading her lips and touching every bit of sensitive exposed skin.

With her hooves now free, she caressed her body, wrapping her front legs around her body, imagining it was Spike holding her close to him, and if she lost herself enough in the pleasure of her magic working on her pussy, she could imagine she felt his hard, warm body pressing against hers.

Biting her lips to stifle another moan, she closed her eyes so she could see Spike’s face in her mind, right in front of her, his muzzle hovering just a hair’s breadth away from her own. She imagined him holding her in place, his breath mixing with hers as he poked her nethers with his dick. She let out a few small gasps as she used her magic to slowly tease the edges of her opening, mentally replacing her aura with the tip of Spike’s dick.

Calmly, with gentle but deliberate thrusts, he made his way inside her, sliding into her with an enticingly slow rhythm that threatened to become too much to bear. Starlight’s hips jerked, as if trying to pull closer the body that wasn’t there. Her suppressed moans devolved into a long groan as more of her magic made its way inside of her, caressing every spot of her inner walls, making the pressure inside her grow with every centimeter it advanced.

She envisioned Spike moving slowly, in and out of her while holding her close to his firm, warm, hot body. In the meantime, her magic did its best to emulate the fantasies conjured by her mind. The magical aura moved forwards a bit before pulling back in a flash, advancing bit by bit only to recede at the same agonizing pace and then push forward in a quick motion that made the comfortable warmth growing in her spread through her body, from her deepest core to the tip of her horn, in a way the hot water only wished it could replicate.

“Keep… Keep going…”

Her whispers echoed in the empty bathroom, making her feel self-conscious about addressing her absent partner. However, any unease she felt was overshadowed by the thought of Spike’s body touching her, of his arms enveloping her body, his snout rubbing against her, their breath mixing, his beautiful green eyes staring deeply into her own, and his dick plunging deeper into her.

On instinct, her right hoof shot towards her lower lips, which had grown hotter as her arousal skyrocketed and her body started to tense. She pressed against her opening as her magic continued to extend inside of her, searching for her most sensitive spots and hitting them with unbridled passion, locking her in a continued cycle of bliss that kept growing and growing, as if feeding on itself while her mind thought of nothing but Spike.

Whether is was due to her approaching climax, the slight mist from the hot water, or perhaps both, Starlight’s vision started to fog. She could barely register that, however, since at the moment, all that she wanted—all she needed—was to keep going, to go faster and for Spike to take her, make her melt and lose herself in the mind-bending pleasure only he could give her, make her surrender to him completely and become her mare in body and spirit.

With a flutter of her eyelids she looked up and with whatever shred of focus was left in her, she whispered Spike’s name as she finally hit her peak and her magic gave out. If it hadn’t been for her rear hooves propped on the sides of the bathtub and her neck resting on the opposite end, she probably would’ve sunk into the water.

The tension that had been building inside of her released in an instant, making her whole body convulse as wave after wave of orgasmic ecstasy coursed through her bones. Her abdomen contracted as did her thighs, which wouldn’t stop shaking as her voice devolved into a passionate cry that died after a few seconds, leaving her to ride her orgasm in silence.

Her breathing was slow, deep, and perhaps a bit desperate. She felt a comfortable calmness dawn over her like a blanket that only made her want to drift off to sleep. Part of her was tempted to cast that water breathing spell and just nod off at the bottom of the tub. She let out a small giggle at that thought which soon morphed into a series of gasps as an aftershock of her orgasm hit her.

She closed her eyes once more and let out a long sigh as she let the last throes of her passion run their course through her body, each shiver down her spine adding to her satisfaction. The only way this moment could’ve been perfect would’ve been if Spike had really been there, hugging her and running his claws through her mane as they both drifted off to sleep.

And perhaps with a slice or two of that chocolate cake from earlier, her mind added.

Starlight let out a satisfied hum as she remembered the flavour and texture of the aptly named cake. She’d have to drop by tomorrow and see if Pinkie still had some left. The thought of the baker added to her content. Pinkie had taken their relationship so well, as had Fluttershy. It had all gone swimmingly. They had been supportive and happy about them, and the rest of her friends would probably be the same. She could imagine Applejack would give them a smile and a piece of old fashioned advice. Dash would certainly crack a joke or two, but would wish them well regardless. Even the still lingering anxiety she had towards breaking the news to Twilight felt much smaller now that she knew acceptance was a real possibility. Not to mention that Rarity would—

Her blood ran cold, and the warmth of the bath did little to alleviate that surge of discomfort. The silence of the bathroom, which only moments ago had felt welcoming and conspiratorial, was now oppressive and judgmental. She could feel Rarity’s name echo in her head, growing louder and louder as the implications of what she had ignored for the past couple of days crashed down on her.

Right… Spike had a crush on Rarity for quite some time, didn’t he?

Perhaps under different circumstances she would’ve noted how the voice in her head didn’t sound as smug this time around. Or perhaps it was herself speaking, not that she had actually stopped to think about what the difference was, any—

“Spike had a crush on Rarity!” she yelled, bolting upright, only to slide back into the bathtub, sinking into the water and accidentally swallowing some of it in the process. She fumbled out of the tub, coughing and sputtering and trying not to think about what else she may have swallowed other than water.

With haggard breaths, Starlight stepped out of the bathtub. She absent-mindedly went through the motions of cleaning the bathtub—and herself—as she thought of her drakefriend’s past infatuation with her friend.

Past, she reminded herself. Spike had a crush on Rarity, but that was years ago. He likes you now and that’s all that should matter to you. There is no reason to be jealous.

Though it wasn’t quite jealousy, she knew it wasn’t far from the truth. Spike had told her he liked her, and she didn’t doubt him. All of what they’d done that day should’ve been proof enough of how much he liked her, and she knew that. That’s not what made her feel uncomfortable.

Thinking back to the past couple of days, she noticed a worrying pattern. She had been worried about her insecurities and how she was so wrapped up in them to consider Spike’s side of things. So much for learning her lesson… here she was doing it again. Even though she had not been there to experience it in full, she was well aware of the infatuation Spike had on Rarity, and it was by no means a small thing. Spike’s feelings back then were quite strong if what she’d heard from her friends—amongst whom was Rarity herself—were to be believed. She couldn’t help but compare the feelings Spike had for her to what she imagined he had felt for Rarity.

Maybe jealousy did play a part, after all.

She chided herself for ruining the good mood she’d had all day. After their little heart to heart that morning, everything had been just lovely. Looking for the gramophone in the basement, laughing at Twilight’s record collection before choosing something, dancing, running to Sugarcube Corner, baking together… It had been a great day up until the moment she had to get wrapped up with her dumb Starlight thoughts.

What did she fear? That Spike still had feelings for Rarity? That even though Spike clearly liked her, it wouldn’t compare to the things she’d heard Spike had done for Rarity? That she was just a replacement of sorts in his life? Each thought tightened the knot she felt in her heart, twisting it in a horribly painful way.

Reaching with her magic, she twisted the right knob and stood under the stream of cold water coming from the showerhead, taking the freezing sensation as a punishment of sorts for acting so stupidly.

Was she going to keep doing this? Have a delightful time with her special somebody, think of something that made her uncomfortable, have a minor emotional breakdown, and risk ruining it all before forcing herself to have a heart to heart with Spike? She scoffed at the thought, yet realised she was already falling into that cycle. Was this going to become the basis for their relationship? What was wrong with her? Why was she doing this to herself? To Spike?

She half-expected to subconsciously start listing off her own defects and insecurities, just to rub in how much of a bad marefriend she was. Sure, let’s go look into the patch of foul land that was her personality and see what could be dug up. It wasn’t as though it would require any effort.

With a sigh, she twisted the knob and stood under the showerhead, dripping into the polished crystal floor of the tub. She stood there, not wanting to move as she recalled memories of times long gone.

You know…

She did.

Spike has probably never had sex before.

It was more than just probably. She’d known him for years, and he’d never had a marefriend. Plus, he sure wasn’t the type to have a casual encounter.

Unlike you?

Unlike her.

The silence in the bathroom was deafening and Starlight had to fight the urge to scream just to hear something other than the echo of her own thoughts inside her mind. However, it didn’t change the answer.

Spike wouldn’t care, she told herself, and found that she actually believed it. Of course Spike wouldn’t care, in the short time they’d been together, he had shown her how much he cared about her, how much he liked her. She’d be silly to think that would change just because… just because…

If it’s any consolation, this is your first real relationship. The other ones could hardly be called that.

Starlight didn’t know if that was supposed to be a consolation to Spike or to herself, but she wasn’t particularly keen on figuring that out. This was dumb, she was dumb for getting so worked up, dumb for thinking about it in the first place, and dumb for letting it affect her so much. She looked down at the water going down the drain and couldn’t help but feel it was representative of either her sanity or self-esteem…

A sigh reminiscent of a whimper escaped her as she dried herself. This would take her nowhere. Nowhere good at least. It was too much, and she didn’t want to put up with it anymore.

In direct contrast to how she had walked in, Starlight moved with sluggish steps as she entered her room. It must have been barely past eight, but she was already exhausted, as if the weight of the entire day had come crashing down on her. She didn’t think she could go face Spike like this, not tonight. She wanted nothing more than to lay down and rest. Maybe tomorrow she could talk with him.

Yeah, wait until the morning. Perhaps a clear mind and a night of sleep would help her sort things out in her mind. If Spike came by, he’d just tell her she was more tired than she thought.

Right now, she just needed to rest.

Author's Note

My, my... When will Starlight learn her lesson?
As you may have noticed, no recipe this time around, but I hope you've found this chapter to be equally tasty nonetheless. Funny thing, I almost wanted to make my own recipe for authentic Starlight mare juice, but I thought it wouldn't be tonally appropriate. Hopefully the chapter itself will leave you with enough of a sour aftertaste.