“Twilight. Twilight! Can ya hear me, Twilight?”

“… ugh,” was the most eloquent and coherent sound Twilight could muster. Her brain felt like it was being split in two. There was a terrible ringing that was far too reminiscent of the tardy bell, which only added to Twilight’s discomfort. Her body ached all over. It was like the strain of running too fast… had caught her cheating with its spouse and was trying to exact some sort of divine wrath upon her. Twilight was so out of it that she could barely even register the absurdity of the analogy.

Beyond the pain and general discomfort, Twilight felt strange. It was like her mind was adrift in the ethereal void. She felt the sensations of her body, but they were distant and didn’t feel entirely real. Twilight likened this to hearing a story about some painful accident and then imagining what the poor shmuck must have felt. Sympathetic pain! That was the word she was looking for.

But hold on. This was her body, wasn’t it? Why was she only feeling sympathetic pain instead of, well… real pain? Twilight sat back upon nothing as she drifted through the nothingness around her. She felt herself being… there? … here? … this place that she was, but she couldn’t see anything. There was nothing to see. Obviously. There wasn’t even a her to see. This too felt obvious, which was probably why Twilight felt no panic about not being able to see her own form, assuming she even had one.

Twilight decided to put existential ruminations aside for the moment in favor of something productive. That seemed like something she’d do. Yes. Thinking about something worthwhile was definitely a Twilight thing to do. Twilight performed a facsimile of a smile at her accomplishment in overcoming such a mental hurdle. However, after basking in the glow of her triumph for an immeasurable amount of time, Twilight then began to question what constituted a productive and worthwhile course of thought.

The first things to spring to Twilight’s mind were old theorems and formulas of some of her favorite scholars. Those had always niggled at the back of the mare’s thoughts; taunting her, tempting her to find solutions to problems that had gone unsolved for centuries. It was only right that she, as Princess Molestia’s prized student, would do such a thing, after all.

Oh right! Twilight thought, feeling words finally congeal in her mind. I’m the Princess’ student. Surely a productive course of thought would be something that would make her beloved mentor proud of her. That made sense. Well, Princess Molestia told me to study the magic of fuck buddies after assigning me to… to…?

Twilight’s train of thought was derailed by new sensations coming from her body. There were sounds now. Wait. No, that wasn’t right. There’d been sound for a while now. Had she only recently become aware of it? What did that mean? There was also pressure across her body. Twilight tried to focus on the distant sensation and bring it close. Scales. Fingers? Hands? Spike!

Twilight felt her breath hitch despite the absence of air. She even felt her recently manifested heartbeat begin to quicken. Spike was touching her, but was that really cause to be so happy? He was pushing at her ribs and cheeks. Her cheeks suddenly stung. Did Spike just slap her? Spike? Twilight asked uncertainly.

It only now occurred to her that the sounds she’d been hearing for the last arbitrary measure of time were words. Someone was saying words to her, or maybe at her. Around her? Spike’s voice was among them. He sounded upset. Twilight felt like an arrow had been shot through her heart at the mere thought of such a terrible occurrence. She remembered how much she hated it when Spike became upset. She also remembered that there was a difference between him whining for the sake of whining and being genuinely, truly upset. This was definitely the latter and she felt the urge to reach out her hooves and pull him into a hug. For some reason this compulsion struck her as both odd and natural all at once.

Thinking about hearing caused her ears to form as she tried to listen to the other sounds. She knew they were words, but couldn’t make them out. Instead she tried focusing on the tone of the voices as names popped into her head. Rarity was trying to keep calm, but there was an undertone of worry to her voice. Fluttershy was making squeaky whisper sounds and… Is my head in her lap? Twilight asked herself. The warm softness of the fur against her cheek seemed to answer her, filling Twilight’s increasingly tangible mental projection with warmth.

Finally, came a voice other than Twilight’s. We had feared that thou had been rendered too far gone for retrieval.

Twilight turned around in the nothing and faced her first point of reference in recent memory. Princess… Luna?

The small, blue alicorn smiled sweetly. Her wings flapped, propelling her through the nothing towards Twilight. The same. She reached out a hoof and touched Twilight’s astral cheek. T’is good to see you again, young Sparkle.

Twilight’s cheeks, now much more solid than before, grew warm under the young Princess’ loving gaze. But then a new thought occurred. Wait, Twilight said as a hoof that hadn’t existed before pushed Luna’s hoof away. Memories were coming back and an idea was forming. Is… is this the dreamscape?

Ha! Luna bellowed heartily as she threw her head back in mirth. Sister had told us that thou were’t clever, but we had not anticipated such lucidity so soon after such an ordeal.

Ordeal? Twilight asked. Luna was impressed with her, and happily so. That seemed like a good thing. But she’d also sounded surprised. Why? Twilight had read the article in the news not three weeks ago describing how Luna would be slipping back into her role as a guardian of ponies’ good dreams. Why would such a trivial recollection warrant such praise? The answer came in the form of rows of pearly white and razor teeth opening before the purple mare’s mental eyes. The ursa?

Luna nodded, her expression hardening. T’was a brave thing thou did, Ms. Sparkle. For a single unicorn to vanquish an ursa, even an ursa minor, is truly a legendary feat.

Twilight blinked freshly manifested eyelids. Ponyville! The one word caused an avalanche of memories to bombard her consciousness. Are they-

Be at ease, Sparkle, assured Luna as she set a comforting hoof on the purple mare’s shoulder. Our night guard was enroute to thine humble hamlet from the moment of the ursa’s first roar. Alas, they had arrived mere seconds after thine decisive defeat of thine foe. Now they labor in tending injuries, assessing damages, ensuring that thine foe stays sedated, and securing the foolish mare responsible for this mess.

… Trixie.

Luna nodded. Indeed. Normally we art only capable of communing with our subjects in this, she waved her hoof about, the realm of dreams. However, our night guard has received special training with which to commune with us at all times, ensuring that we are constantly kept abreast during emergencies.

And that’s how you know what she did, concluded Twilight.

Again Luna nodded. Such is also how we came to learn of thine own deeds during this crisis. It was, Luna licked her lips, quite the show.

Twilight felt her blush deepen as her nether regions grew warm.

Oh dear, gasped Luna, feigning surprise. Such terribly lewd thoughts for one who only minutes ago completely depleted their mana pool.

I depleted my what!? Twilight shouted in alarm. Already her mind was racing with a flurry of worst case scenarios born from her reading of medical textbooks. Worst among worst was the very real possibility that, once a unicorn had fully expended her magic, the resulting damage would forever hinder that pony’s ability to ever use magic again.

Calm thyself, Sparkle, Luna urged as she pulled the unicorn into her embrace.

Luna and Twilight were roughly the same size, but their bodies could not have been more different. Despite being smaller than her sister, Luna’s frame had an exquisite level of muscle to it. It wasn’t as profound as Apple Jack’s sturdy earth pony body, but the hard ridges still sent a shiver through Twilight’s astral self. The alicorn’s fur was softer than the finest of silks and her feathers were even more so. When combined with the warmth of the elder mare’s body, Twilight had no choice but to snuggle in close for comfort.

Our medics have already examined ye, Luna informed after Twilight had calmed. Thou hath exhausted thineself, but there appears to be no permanent damage. Alas, thine magic will be greatly weakened in the coming weeks, so it would be best if thou were’t to relax until informed otherwise.

Twilight’s astral self gave a sigh of relief. The feelings from her body felt much closer than before, which she reasoned to mean she was waking up. Her mind suddenly became cluttered with all manner of questions for the alicorn. She wanted to know what special kind of magic allowed one to consciously access the dream realm. She wanted to know the history of the spell, how it started, and what improvements had been made since its inception. She wanted to ask about Luna’s own history; the details that had been forgotten in the last thousand years. She wanted to know about ursas, if Molestia was being taken care of without her favorite fuck toy, why certain historical figures had been granted constellations while others didn’t, if Starswirl was really a cross dresser, and a myriad of other things her overclocked mind was unable to consider simply waiting to ask later. And yet in all of this, one question managed to bubble to the surface.

What about Trixie?

Luna pulled back just enough to stare down into Twilight’s eyes, her own gaze curious. She then looked away as if hearing something that distracted her. Twilight followed her line of sight, but saw only more void. Eventually, Luna turned back and gave Twilight a wry grin that made her go weak in the knees. That, we suspect, will be quite interesting.

***

“Oooh,” Twilight moaned, finally returning to the awfulness of the waking world. Everything hurt, and it wasn’t just sympathetic pain this time. “I feel like… like…” She coughed. It hurt too much to talk.

“Here,” came Spike’s voice as he held a claw behind Twilight’s head and gently lifted her up. “Drink this.”

Twilight lacked the strength to open her eyes, but it took little convincing for her to trust Spike. She parted her lips and allowed the heavenly cool liquid to wash down her throat. She’d had no idea just how painfully hot her body was until it’d been countered by such a refreshing contrast.

“How is she, doctor?” Rarity asked.

“Doing fine, Miss,” replied a voice Twilight didn’t recognize. The doctor, a mare, gave a quick rundown of Twilight’s condition to those in earshot, essentially repeating Luna’s message from the dream.

“Hear that, Twi?” Spike chided.

“Wha?” asked Twilight, still dazed and having yet to open her eyes.

“She said you’ve got to take it easy for the next three weeks,” clarified Spike. “No magic. Period! Doctor’s orders.”

“No magic for the first week,” the doctor clarified. “She needs time for her reserves to refill. That’ll take a lot longer than normal, given the strain of emptying everything at once. After the first week, have her follow this special training routine.” There was the sound of papers shuffling. “Just basic levitation interspersed with the occasional heavier spell. Nothing too complex until your regular doctor gives you a clean bill of health.”

“You got it,” Spike avowed.

Twilight managed a smile as she imagined him giving a little salute. Spike always looked so cute when he got serious.

More papers were shuffled. “Right then,” Spike said. “You can count on me. I’ll have Twi back to 100% and ready to go before you know it.”

There were additional vows to help from the other mares Twilight recognized as her friends. However, Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash weren’t present for some reason.

“Twilight’s a lucky mare to have so many friends looking out for her,” the doctor said, a smile evident in her tone.

“What about the others?” Pinkie asked. “You know, those ponies that exhausted themselves orgasming by the jokey poison stuff.”

“Indeed.” Rarity added. “I’m also a bit concerned when my mane will go back to normal.”

“I’ve talked to my colleagues,” the doctor said. “And it’s more or less the same treatment. Lots of bed rest and minimal exertion for the next few days. And as for you, Ms. Rarity, your magic was only marginally effected, so there shouldn’t be any repercussions and your mane should be back to normal in a couple days.”

Rarity gave a relieved sigh. “Well, that’s a load off my shoulders.”

The doctor and Twilight’s friends exchanged a few final pleasantries before the unseen mare packed up her gear and departed.

“G-guys?” Twilight said, finally finding the strength to speak. She cocked a smile. “H-how’d it go?”

“You were absolutely divine, darling,” Rarity said, measuring her volume. “I’ve never seen a single unicorn cast such a complex series of spells all at once. Although, given that you were hoof chosen by Molestia, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“That was a really great idea you had,” Fluttershy said, not needing to bring her volume any lower than usual. “You gave that cranky little ursa just what she needed to calm down.”

“Y-you too,” wheezed Twilight.

“Oh… well…” Twilight imagined Fluttershy backing away and attempting to hide behind her mane.

“She’s right, ya know,” chirped Pinkie. “You, Gilda, and all those other pegasusususes were super amazing in keeping the ursa distracted until Twilight was ready to swoop in and save the day, thereby stealing all glory for herself.” She giggle-snorted.

“Now Pinkie,” Rarity chided. “A little ribbing is fine now and then, but Twilight’s been through a serious ordeal. Do be a bit more gentle with her.”

“Okey-dokey-loki!”

“Goodness,” tittered Rarity. “To hear such words from my lips? Truly this has been an ordeal for all of us.”

“Rainbow?” Twilight asked. Her voice was raspy, so Spike offered her another drink.

“Don’t worry, darling. She, Apple Jack, and all the others are being tended to by the medics of Luna’s night guard. And, last I saw of her, Gilda had practically glued herself to Rainbow’s side,” she said in approval.

Twilight nodded. It sounded like good news all around. Between the memory from her dream and all she’d heard in the waking world, it sounded like everything was under control. However, as she started planning a schedule around minimal magical use, the same thought from her dream had reasserted itself once more. “Trixie?”

“I think I heard somepony say she’s going to be taken away for trial,” Pinkie offered perkily. “Something about this whole mess resulting in an attack on the Princess’ favorite student, and therefore the Princess, so the case’ll probably be sent straight to her.”

“Serves her right if you ask me,” Rarity said with a huff. “If you ask me, after getting such rancid magic in my mane, whatever punishment she gets will be too good for her.”

“N-no,” Twilight struggled to say. Finally she was starting to blink her weary eyes open. The world consisted primarily of colored blurs in a dark background, but things were solidifying quickly. “That’s not… it was me.”

“Easy Twilight,” Rarity consoled. “What are you trying to say?”

It needed to be said. “It was me. I’m the one who sent Spike on that stage to try and throw Trixie’s magic off. None of this would have ever happened if it weren’t’ for me.”

“Twi,” Spike said sympathetically as he stroked her hoof.

“Well, I played a part, too,” offered Fluttershy meekly.

“But neither of you were knowingly getting involved with illegal substances,” countered Rarity logically.

“S-Spike,” Twilight gasped urgently. “T-take a letter. I need…” she trailed off a moment as the words evaded her.

“Twi?”

“Molestia. I need,” she winced, “I need you to send a letter to Molestia. Tell her what really happened.”

“Why, whatever is the matter, darling?”

“It’s… not right,” Twilight managed. She paused to allow Spike to give her more water. “What Trixie did was wrong, but none of this would have happened if… if…”

“Easy there, Twi,” cooed Spike. “We already gave statements to the night guard; me included. I had a feeling you’d be a stickler for the details, so I told them everything,” he informed with a kind smile.

Twilight’s vision had returned enough that she could vaguely distinguish Spike from his surroundings. Turning to face him fully, she awarded his diligence with the best smile she could manage. “And that’s why you’re my number one assistant.”

Spike gave a toothy, prideful grin. “Hehe. Damn straight!”

As Twilight endured the new ordeal of holding up her heavy eyelids, she turned to face each of her present friends. Their faces were a welcome sight after all that she’d been through. Even the way Rarity had to keep smacking her mane with her hooves to keep it in line was a much needed source of mirth. “You guys…” That was all she managed to say before the ordeal proved too much and she slipped back into unconsciousness, satisfied that she done everything in her power to help.

***

Between the knowledgeable night guard, the non-hospitalized dedicated townsfolk, and the mayor finding just the right spot from which to stand and look important, the repairs to Ponyville were being completed well ahead of schedule. Fluttershy led the team that transported the ursa back to her habitat, thankfully before her mother had noticed her absence. While the hospital was packed with ponies, actual injuries were few. Most were just cases of some especially bad bruising. The doctors had to empty out their stores of pain tonics, which was just one more thing the night guards vowed to reimburse on behalf of the crowns.

As much as Twilight hated not being able to help, Spike’s quick thinking had managed to keep her pacified by laying her in a bed beside the tuckered, shrunken AJ.

“Rough night?” the country mare asked in that accent Twilight hoped she’d never get bored of.

“Yeah. Vanquished an ursa,” the purple pony replied casually while snuggling closer. “You?”

“Little sis got big ‘n’ fucked me ‘til Ah done near passed out,” AJ replied with a yawn. “Purty sure mah hips ‘re gonna be sore for a few days,” she groaned, all while keeping that fetching smile of hers. “Ah’m so proud o’ her.”

“I don’t blame her for getting a little rough,” Twilight said as her hoof found its way over to AJ’s side of the bed. There she began stroking the little filly’s disproportionate cock, savoring the sounds her pintsized crush made from the stimulation. “Ya know,” Twilight continued, delicately sliding the tip of her hoof over the filly’s sheath, trying to coax its occupant out of hiding, “if I weren’t so exhausted, I think I might foalnap you, lock you up in my basement, and keep you as my little prisoner forever.”

AJ hummed, both in thoughtful consideration as well as delight at the welcome stimulation. “Hmm. Temptin’,” she said evenly, making it very difficult for those who didn’t know her well to tell if she was being serious or just taking the piss. “What’ll the accommodations be like? Cuz Ah ain’t settlin’ fer no cheap, dirt floor stable.”

Twilight giggled softly. “Don’t worry. You’ll have a nice diamond encrusted collar with a long chain for you to run around. I’ll take you on walks twice a day, and feed you all the cum and apple pies you can eat.”

“Oh yeah?” AJ asked skeptically. “Whose makin’ em? Cuz I heard you once set the kitchen on fire tryin’ ta make cereal.”

Twilight blushed and her teasing hoof came to a halt. “That wasn’t my fault,” she whined. “I was four, and no pony told me cereal doesn’t go in the oven.”

AJ chuckled at purple smart’s flustered expression. Twilight would have been angrier, but there was just something about that thick accent of AJ’s that caused all tension in the unicorn’s body to run for the hills. Eventually she sighed her defeat and scooched in closer to the mini mare, pulling her into a hug and pressed her muzzle into the blonde’s mane. Just because foalnapping was off the table, that didn’t mean there weren’t other ways for Twilight to enjoy her travel sized crush. She inhaled deeply the smell of miniature country mare, feeling her cock twitch in its sheath while her pussy grew just a bit moist.

“How long they say we gotta stay here again?” AJ asked with a contented yawn, snuggling closer to Twilight. She, too, was planning on taking full advantage of their predicament for as long as possible.

“I think you’ll be released day after tomorrow,” Twilight replied. She gave the tiny mare a light squeeze. “You’re body’s already starting to grow back to normal,” she said with a hint of disappointment. “I’ll probably get to go the next day.” She yawned again.

“Hah. Slackers,” jeered Rainbow from the next bed over. “Doc said I’ll be ripe-roaring and rearing to go tomorrow,” she crowed. “A good thing, too. Normally I’m not into the mushy stuff, but if I didn’t have you guys to watch, I’d probably be bored out of my skull.”

“Ahem,” was the sound of Gilda’s cough. She was sitting next to Rainbow’s bed with a talon reaching under the mare’s sheets, causing slow and rhythmic movements around Rainbow’s groin area.

“Oh, hey Gilda. When did you get here?” Dash greeted with a shit-eating grin.

“Ya know, I don’t actually have to be here,” the griffon replied with a scowl. “The food sucks pig ass and the smell of all these chemicals is enough to make a girl sick. You know, instead of keeping an ungrateful dork company, I could be back home, raiding your pantry and living it up in an actual cloud castle.”

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow challenged. She set a hoof down over the sheets, catching Gilda’s claw mid stroke.

“Yeah!” Gilda stood up to her full height and loomed over Rainbow, casting a shadow and a dangerous glare over the bedridden mare.

Dash gave no signs of nervousness as she stared up into Gilda’s avian eyes. She merely flipped her mane back and shot the griffon her trademark cocky grin. Her well-brushed teeth even twinkled a little. “And who said I wasn’t ungrateful?” she asked with a vicious eyebrow wiggle that made Gilda whimper. The griffon tried to pull away, but Rainbow held her claw in place. “I’m just saving my strength for when I can show you just how much I appreciate you.”

“I…” Gilda trailed off, suddenly feeling her knees go weak. She sat back down. “You’re lucky I’m not in the mood to be alone right now,” she added defensively, wanting to save face in front of the ponies she still didn’t know all that well. “Maybe if I knew more ponies who weren’t so lame, I’d invite them up and we’d totally trash your place with the sickest party ever.”

“Hah! Yeah, right,” Rainbow laughed and turned to face the others. “She’s just afraid of going to sleep without smelling my cunt first. Says it makes the place feel more like home.”

“Daaash,” Gilda whined petulantly, making all three mares laugh.

***

All things, in time, come to pass.

As Rainbow had predicted, she was the first to be released from the hospital. This was followed by her immediately going back inside. Her other friends had come by for their daily visit and Rainbow had no intention of being left out. She also made out with Gilda, teasing her bedridden friends for still being bound to the hospital’s rules that forbade patients from such exertions.

The relatively well-off mares gave general status reports of the town, describing how everything was almost back to normal. Spike followed up with a list of all the precautions he’d taken to safety proof their home until Twilight recovered. This included hiding all of her sex toys, save the ones that met the doctor’s approval for not being overly stimulating. Twilight’s resulting whine very nearly broke all glass in the vicinity, making the others laugh.

The next day, after a fully recovered AJ and the others had made their departure, Spike stayed behind to read a few books to Twilight. He’d decided to do so while sitting on the edge of the bed. This afforded him the chance to use his tail to caress Twilight’s belly while reading.

“Spike,” Twilight interrupted.

“Yeah, Twi.”

“It’s been four days. Has there been any word about Trixie?”

Spike blinked. “No, but why do you care? It’s not like you’ve asked about anypony else.”

“I’ve been repeatedly assured that everypony is doing fine,” Twilight reasoned. “If there were any exceptions, especially among those whose names I actually remember, I’d have been told by now.”

“Fair enough,” conceded Spike. “But what’s with this Trixie obsession? Should I tell AJ you’re leaving her for a showmare?” he asked with a wry grin.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure why, but I can’t seem to get that blue idiot out of my head. Something…” Twilight sat up in alarm, only to immediately regret the sudden movement when several muscles voiced their protest. “Ow!”

“And stunts like this are exactly why the doctors won’t let you go home,” Spike lectured while gently guiding Twilight back to a resting position.

“Ugh. Thanks Spike. But I just remembered. It was Luna!”

“Oh yeah. You’d said she spoke to you while you were unconscious.”

“I did,” she affirmed. “But when I brought up Trixie, she… I don’t know. There was this… look she gave me.” She turned her head to face Spike fully. “It was the same kind of look Molestia gave me just before a big pop quiz.”

“Ah,” said Spike in understanding. “I see. So, you think Trixie’s gonna be used for some kind of quiz?” He waited for her to nod. “Fair enough. So, what kind of quiz are you thinking?”

“That’s just it. I. Don’t. Know!” the mare groaned her exasperation. “I doubt it’s anything as conventional as an oral exam. I mean, the mare had to use an illegal substance to get other ponies off. That’s not exactly an encouraging sign of her skills.”

“True,” Spike agreed. “But you’re learning how to be a good fuck buddy, so maybe there’s something there?”

Twilight ponderously touched her hoof to her chin. “Maybe… Maybe it’s something about forgiving those who wronged you so you can enjoy makeup sex? No,” she quickly answered herself. “I’m more annoyed than angered at her, so there’s not really anything to forgive.”

“Makes sense,” affirmed Spike. “And, knowing Molestia, she’s probably already aware of that.”

“Grr! I hate pop quizzes. Molestia always makes them so random. There’s just no way to prepare.”

“Fairly certain that’s the point,” offered Spike.

“… shut up.”

Spike grinned. “Well, whatever it is, I think it’s safe to say you won’t be getting quizzed on anything until you’ve got your magic back. Now, just lay back, relax, and let me read to you until you’re all better.”

Twilight did as instructed, allowing Spike to manipulate her back and fluff her pillow. Then, just before he could start reading again, she chuckled.

“What?”

“Just remembering the last time one of us was out of commission,” she tittered. “Only then, it was me looking after you, if I recall.”

Spike groaned, shrinking down into his seat. Reflexively he crossed his legs as he recalled the incident. “I was kinda hoping never to remember that again.”

Twilight smiled sympathetically at her assistant. Spike had used his allowance to purchase a flesh-light that was advertised to be an exact replica of Molestia’s pussy, complete with realistic secretions. Supposedly it was for the both of them to share, but the little drake had gotten a little overeager in waiting for Twilight to return from class. Twilight still wasn’t 100% on all that had taken place. All she knew for certain was that, upon her return to her room, the place was a mess, burn marks from dragon fire were all over the place, and Spike was in agony. Even the doctors were unclear on what happened and Spike was too embarrassed to go into full detail. Suffice to say that Spike had been confined to the infirmary for a while, and Twilight had come to visit him every day.

“I read to you every day,” Twilight said. “I went to you straight from class every day and read to you, just like you’re doing with me now.”

Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah. Well…”

“But I didn’t just read,” Twilight continued her reminiscing. “I’d basically commandeered your room as my temporary work station. I brought in all of my study materials and just dropped them wherever looked good.”

“Oh yeah,” Spike chuckled. “I think that was when I realized that, without me, you were kind of shit at actually organizing things.”

Twilight laughed too. “Funny. I actually remember thinking the exact same thing. I also remember getting a little mad at you for taking so long to get better.” She gave a wistful sigh and spent a few moments listening to the ticking of the clock. Then she flinched as if struck. Something important had just occurred to her, even more important than Trixie, and it needed to be addressed immediately. “Spike.”

“Yeah.”

“Did… back with the ursa…”

“Yeah?”

“Did I remember to thank you for helping me like that?”

Spike blinked as he thought back. “Huh. I guess not,” he replied evenly.

“Well,” Twilight started, “in that case, I-”

“Of course, you don’t really have to,” Spike cut her off, leaving her to blink in befuddlement. “I’m your number one assistant,” he said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Eating you out when you need me to is kind of in my job description.”

Twilight blinked blankly at the drake. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she suddenly felt a spike in her internal temperature. “I don’t recall ever seeing such a contract,” she deadpanned.

“Well, it’s real,” Spike replied. “I went through an application process and everything, so it’s nice and official. Contract’s got fancy gold trim, too.”

“Sounds nice,” Twilight replied flatly. “I assume it was cosigned by a mutually trusted party.”

“Molestia. Your folks and brother were witnesses.”

“And in this contract, there is a clear description of your duties that covers all conceivable scenarios we might face?”

“Uh huh.”

“Including fighting an ursa minor that’s been tainted by an illegal substance?”

“Article 12, paragraph 15, subsection 3,” Spike answered, never missing a beat.

Twilight nodded. As much as he acted like a child sometimes, Spike was really something else when he put his mind to it. However, reaffirming such understanding only served to make the mare feel even warmer. “So, as your boss,” she trailed off. Something about that word rubbed her the wrong way. “What does this contract of ours say if, hypothetically, I ordered you to kiss me?”

Spike smirked confidently. “Where?” He emphasized his point by flicking his tongue out.

Twilight gulped. She knew exactly what he was implying, but she had somewhere else in mind. “On the… lips.”

“Lips?” Something about Twilight’s tone was making Spike a little anxious.

Twilight nodded back. “My, uh, upper lips.” She puckered up, momentarily imitating a fish.

It was Spike’s turn to gulp. It’s not like he and Twilight had never kissed before. They kissed each other all the time. They kissed on the lips, on the appendages, on the neck, on the genitals, and just about everywhere else that Spike’s suddenly hazy mind could think of. “Is, um… is it getting hot in here?” he asked nervously.

“Spike,” Twilight gently chided. “The question.”

“Oh, right. Um…” Spike clucked his suddenly dry tongue. Seeing the glass of water meant for Twilight on her nightstand, he swiped it and down the glass in one gulp. “Well, if we think things through logically…”

“Yes?” Still laying down, Twilight pushed herself closer to Spike.

“I guess…”

“Uh huh?” She pushed even closer.

“I’d… have to kiss you… on the lips, j-just like you want,” Spike finally concluded. He looked up, ready for this session of unsure awkwardness to continue on to an unknown conclusion. However, all jumbled thoughts were blasted from his mind when his vision became encompassed by pony muzzle and his lips were engulfed by something soft.

Twilight wasn’t sure what she was doing, or what kind of effect it was having on her. Her heart wasn’t beating as rapidly as she’d expected. If anything, the beeping of her heart monitor told her that her pulse had actually evened out. Kissing Spike was calming, even reassuring, but this didn’t seem quite right. Twilight felt something stirring deep in her gut. It wasn’t like the feelings she got when she kissed AJ, Molestia, or even her family; although the latter seemed like the closest comparison Twilight could make.

As Twilight thought, she was only barely cognizant of what was going on with her mouth. She wasn’t sure if it was she or Spike who was leaning into the kiss, but there was definitely some force being applied that made her lips hurt just a little. Likewise, she wasn’t sure which of them had first probed the other’s lips with their tongue. All she knew was that both oral appendages were dancing between their mouths. Twilight had strength, Spike had length, and both were roughly even as far as skill went. They’d ‘practiced’ kissing a lot, and so were about on the same level.

Spike wasn’t faring any better. He was only aware of what was going on with his mouth, and then only barely. His brain refused to register any part of the outside world that wasn’t related to the kiss. His lips and tongue, near as he could tell, were operating independently of any conscious thought on his part. It was like a switch had been flipped and his mouth was running on automation. Spike thought – with what little of his brain was still functional – that this made a certain kind of sense. After all, he’d kissed Twilight plenty of times before, and so knew what she liked.

Purple smart’s normally organized thoughts had been blown to chaos, leaving only feelings. Right now, her feelings for Spike were… well, they just were. What little logic Twilight could assert told her that Spike was important to her, but she’d already known that. Needing to articulate to get herself in order, she finally broke the kiss. “Spike.”

Spike didn’t respond right away. His mind had gone even more blank than Twilight’s, registering nothing else in the world except for those soft lips. Eventually he snapped out of his stupor and stared straight at the mare who had rendered him momentarily brain dead. His feelings were conflicted and he could taste her breath on his tongue.

“Spike. I think I have feelings for you,” Twilight began.

“Uh huh.”

“You’re important to me, Spike.”

“I kinda already guessed that,” Spike replied. Even he was able to tell that the resurgence of his snark meant that he was growing in lucidity.

“But I’ve got all these weird new feelings,” Twilight continued. “You’re important to me, but… maybe in a way I didn’t know about before.”

Spike nodded along as he listened. “Okay. What does that mean?”

“I… have no idea,” Twilight confessed. “What do you think it means?”

Spike opened his mouth, uncertain of what his answer might be. Then his stomach growled and he blushed. “That… the sooner you get better, the sooner we can leave and do important things… like eating food that isn’t total crap?”

Twilight, after giving Spike’s words all due consideration, placed her hoof on his forehead. “You are wise beyond your years, young drake.” She then gave his head spines a friendly ruffle.

Spike pulled away, laughing at the gesture. “Hehe. Quit it.”

Twilight settled back into bed and stared up at the ceiling. “Those feelings are still there,” she said as much for herself as Spike. “I don’t want to say they’re any less, but whatever’s going on, I think it’s less intense than before.”

“Uh huh,” Spike agreed uncertainly, adjusting himself on the bed. Then he reconsidered his position and, book in hand, scooted closer to Twilight on the bed.

Twilight eyed him curiously as he moved. “Why’d you do that?” It was such a small gesture that, at first glance, seemed to have little to no meaning, yet Twilight’s gut told her that something was up.

“Don’t know,” Spike admitted, not meeting Twilight’s gaze as he reopened the book and searched for where he’d left off. “Just wanted to, I guess.” He swallowed. “Do you… not want me here?”

“NO!” Twilight answered quicker and louder than she meant to. “I mean… its fine, I guess. You can sit wherever.” She was trying to feign disinterest, but felt her performance was subpar at best.

Spike scooted closer until his knees were pressed against Twilight’s elbow. She didn’t pull away, which seemed important somehow. “Is here fine?”

Twilight gulped and nodded. “Feelings are getting weird again, but I don’t think in a bad way.”

Spike clucked his tongue once more. “Ever, uh, think about getting a regular diary instead of using me all the time?”

“I did,” Twilight replied evenly. “I figured you’d just end up reading it anyway, so I might as well cut out the middle mare.” That earned a chuckle from the both of them.

“Can’t argue with that,” Spike admitted, sounding a bit more relaxed. “But if I did read your diary, it would only be to see how I could help.”

“I know,” Twilight replied contentedly, “Any blackmail material you’d find would just be a bonus.”

Spike snorted. “You’re not wrong.”

After a time, the awkwardness eased and Spike managed to resume his reading. He and Twilight didn’t feel the need to really speak any more after that. Whatever had just transpired between them, they would both need some time to process it. The best time for that, they both reasoned, was once they were back in the library.

***

Not a moment too soon, Twilight was finally released from the hospital. Her legs ached from lack of use. Although Spike had offered to push her in the wheelchair back to the library, she had vehemently refused. Her doctors had stressed the importance of physical recovery to the restoration of her magic. That meant, in whatever way Twilight could manage and Spike would allow, she had to get back to her previous level of physical activity as quickly as possible to aid in this recovery.

Upon returning to her library home, the first thing Twilight did was take a deep inhale of one of the older books. The unique odor of the aged parchment caused her penis to give a slight twitch in its sheath. Looking around, the mare was delighted to find that everything was in perfect order. Of course, that should hardly have been a surprise. With Spike managing things, whatever might have been shaken loose by the ursa’s stomping would have been cleaned up long ago. Not to mention, loathe as she was to admit it, ponies rarely came to the library even when she was around, so the odds of any guests that might have potentially disrupted her system was next to zero. On the other hoof…

“You didn’t happen to throw any wild parties while I was away, did you?” she asked teasingly of Spike.

Spike held out his claws and began listing. “Four Mr. Ed’s witnesses, two salesmares, a foal scout selling popcorn,” he belched, but tried to play it off as if nothing had happened, “three times Pinkie came over demanding that I let her use the library to throw some of her more exotic sex parties-”

“Wait.” Twilight held up a hoof. “Exotic?” The idea of Pinkie calling something ‘exotic’ held implications that both intrigued and terrified the young scholar.

Spike pursed his lips. “She tried explaining it to me, but I think she stopped using real words after a point and just started making sounds she thought were sexy. Either way, it sounded messy, so I told her she’d have to wait until you were better.”

“Good boy, Spike.”

He blushed. “Oh, and a booty call,” he added, pushing his chest out in pride. “Apple Bloom wanted to see what having sex would be like while she was still big.”

“And?” Twilight encouraged, eager to hear about Spike’s progress with making friends his own age.

“She…” Spike trailed off, suddenly sounding less proud. “Lasted only ten seconds before she was spent.” He slumped in disappointment. “She hadn’t fully recovered from the poison joke, so she still had a bit of a hair trigger.”

Twilight patted the drake’s shoulder sympathetically. Although she’d never had this problem with her admittedly short list of lovers, she’d read enough to know that such incidents were often a source of disappointment and shame for all parties involved. “You know, she’s probably recovered now. You could always-”

“Nope,” Spike said flatly. “The moment I leave, you were going to start hunting for where I hid your sex toys, weren’t ya?”

Twilight’s face remained perfectly stoic, even as her ears folded back in meek submission. “You can’t prove that.”

Shaking his head, Spike chuckled as he set his claws on Twilight’s rump and pushed her to the table in the middle of the library. “Yeah, yeah. Just have a seat here and I’ll go make us a snack. The doctor said you’re still allowed to use some of your simpler toys, which you can play with as soon as you’re done eating.”

Twilight blinked incredulously down at the drake as he made for the kitchen. “Are you channeling my mom or my dad right now?” It was a fair enough question. In all of Twilight’s life, the number of ponies who had talked to her like this could be counted on her hooves.

Spike grinned over his shoulder. “Which one are you more likely to listen to?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes on the cocky purple lizard. “Just get your ass in gear and get me some juice,” she whined, deliberately trying to make herself sound more foalish.

“Ah. So your brother, then.” Spike laughed as he ran into the kitchen, closing the door just in time for a pencil to be thrown his way.

“Stupid Spike,” Twilight grumbled quietly to herself. She considered using her magic to clean up the mess, but decided a bit of manual labor would be safer. “Always teasing me, and laughing at me, and making me snacks…” The mare paused with the pencil in her mouth as she thought. She wanted to be angry at Spike, to say things about him that upset her. Making her snacks seemed counterintuitive to that goal. “Always… taking away my toys…” Yeah. That was it. “And listening to me, and… and… Dammit. I could have sworn this used to be easier.”

“I eavesdrop when you talk to yourself,” Spike called from the kitchen.

“Stop helping!” snapped Twilight.

“No!” Spike replied jovially.

Double dammit! Spike had Twilight backed into a corner on this one. She needed to think of the perfect comeback, something really good to throw him off his game. She’d already sat back at the table by the time she knew the best possible thing to say. “Uh… fuck you.”

“You promise?”

Twilight let her chin drop to the table as she seethed where she sat. As smart as she was, somehow Spike always managed to best her in things like this. As much as she hated it, what she hated more was just how little it bothered her. As Molestia’s prized student, she ought to pride herself on being the best at all matters intellectual, but somehow she always came up short in the important things, like exchanging petty insults with those she cared for. Worse, she felt none of her usual drive to be the most knowledgeable creature in the room. Somehow, for unknown yet irksome reasons, she was fine with others being able to outsmart her in the smartass department.

Spike returned a short time later with orange slices and two glasses of iced tea. He sat down beside Twilight and they began eating.

“I wrote out a rough schedule for your recovery exercises,” Spike said before chomping down on a slice. “Should still be on the nightstand. We can go over it and see what you feel comfortable with. On the plus side, no reorganizing books for a while.”

Twilight whined around her mouthful. “That’s the exact opposite of plus side.”

“I believe the entire population of Equestria would beg to differ,” Spike countered, his snark extra sharp. “On the less controversial plus side, at least you’ll be able to work with a vibrator up your butt again.”

Twilight whinnied in relief. “Good. I feel almost naked without a vibrator back there.” She craned her neck to look back at her rump, smiling with longing. She then quickly snapped around to cut Spike off. “Don’t you say it!”

Spike just shrugged and continued scarfing down slices. “Oh right. Did you want to send a letter to Molestia to let her know you’ve been released?”

“Good idea.” Twilight cleared her throat as Spike extracted a pen and parchment from a hidden compartment he’d installed in the table for just such occasions. Twilight dictated her letter, a short and concise message of assurances and well wishes, free of the usual jibber jabber she often insisted upon but Spike ignored. She was still tired, after all.

Spike rolled up the scroll and blew a small burst of green flame onto it. The parchment incinerated and carried upon the etheric wind to the castle. “Did you know that Ponyville has a gym?”

“I did not.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty new. It was built as an extension to the spa just before we got here. I was thinking we could stop by this afternoon and HURGK!” Spike heaved. His cheeks swelled as his hands shot up to cover his mouth.

“Spike?” asked a concerned Twilight.

“Fine. I’m fine,” he sighed in relief. “Anyways, we could HURGK! We HURGK!” Spike clutched his claws around his round middle as it made all manner of unsettling noises.

Twilight, eyeing the plate of orange slices, gently pushed the plate away with her hoof. Since teleportation wasn’t an option, she also began calculating the odds of her actually being able to run back to the hospital with Spike on her back if the need came. The odds… were unsatisfactory. “Spiiike,” Twilight said warily.

“Ugh!” Spike groaned as he leaned over the table, using his hands for support as he panted. After a moment of nothing happening, his stomach settled, his breathing evened out, and he managed a smile at Twilight. “I… I think it’s HURGK!”

“Meep!” squeaked Twilight as she dove under the table for cover. She could tell the buildup for an extra big explosion when she saw one.

“BLAAARG!” Spike belched with thunderous volume that shook the treebrary, followed by a relatively unimpressive flash of light. Then there was a period of silence.

“Is it safe?” Twilight asked.

“Uh, maybe?” Spike asked, scratching his head uncertainly. “It’s… just a regular letter.”

Twilight dared to poke her head up over the table. When she confirmed that there were no gross bodily fluids and that the only addition was a regular scroll, she finished standing up. “Huh.” Not thinking, she reflexively tried to levitate the scroll, only for her horn to start aching with the mercy of a hangover. “Agh!”

“I got it,” Spike insisted as he picked up and unrolled the scroll. “To my courageous and sensual student,” he began. “Let’s see here. Overt flirting, what she thinks is subtle innuendo,” Spike listed off dryly as he skimmed, “Okay. Here we go. As you have probably surmised by my younger sister’s inadequate poker face-”

“Harsh but fair,” Twilight commented.

“I believe that you are due for a pop quiz.” Spike noted the way Twilight suddenly flinched, but continued on. “My quizzes, as you have experienced, are not mere tests on your ability to memorize words on a book and then regurgitate them on command. As my most prized student, you are expected to understand the meanings and applications of what is read. From what I have read of your feats with the ursa, you have proven yourself to be in the top 100 of any student to graduate from my most illustrious school.”

Twilight’s cheeks burned red with pride as she began panting like an excited dog. Although she had learned to diversify her intake of the many pleasures life had to offer, praise from Molestia still topped the charts. As evidence, her penis was fully erect and dripping pre while her pussy was starting to leak her liquid joy.

“However-”

Twilight felt her guts clench.

“-I believe that you can do better, that you have the potential to reach the highest echelons of sexual prowess, academia, and much more. The purpose of this quiz is to determine if you are truly ready for the next level. No doubt the anticipation of waiting to hear the instructions is causing you to vibrate with an intensity most worthy of my favorite toy.” Spike paused his reading to peek around the scroll to look at Twilight. “Nailed it.”

“J-just shut up and k-keep reading,” Twilight stuttered. She was shaking so much that her teeth were chattering like she had been left out in the snow for too long.

Spike chuckled and continued. “There is no time limit for this quiz. You may inform on your results tomorrow, or ten years from now. Your objective should be self-evident by the nature of the quiz object. This quiz, my precious student, is your reward for saving Ponyville. Do with her as you see fit.”

“Her?” Twilight asked.

Spike flipped the scroll around. “That’s it.”

“Her? Who the hell is ‘her?’” Twilight asked. “And how can a reward be a quiz? If it were a book or a book report, sure. Those are fun. But a quiz? That just doesn’t-”

“HURGK!” Spike heaved. “Oh hell. Here it comes again!”

Twilight immediately dove back down to her previous hiding place and waited for the belch storm to pass.

“HIG! HEEP. HURRRGK. BRAAGK!” Spike’s heaving finally came to an end with a grand flash of green that lit up the room, followed by the thud of something heavy hitting the floor.

“Oof!” a mare groaned. “What the hell was that?”

Twilight shot up at the sound of the new voice and immediately laid eyes on the mare. “T-Trixie?”

Trixie’s fur was covered in light burns; an unfortunate side effect of larger objects being sent through magic dragon fire. Thankfully she wasn’t injured and her fur had only been lightly singed. At hearing Twilight’s voice, the mare spun around, eyes wide in shock, and she let out a groan. “Ugh, not you!”

Twilight blinked and looked to Spike as if he might have an explanation. He just shrugged. “Not me… what?”

With a tired and frustrated scowl, Trixie brushed a bit of the cinders from her fur to make herself tidy. Only after she’d made herself look reasonably presentable did she point at her neck. “This,” she said sharply.

Twilight’s pupils grew in alarm and her heart skipped a beat. Around Trixie’s neck… was a collar. It was no ordinary collar though. Even with her mana depleted, Twilight’s magic sense still registered the trademark enchantments of this particular brand of collar. This collar, the one around Trixie’s neck, was a slave collar. And upon the metal tag hanging from the bottom, the one most pet owners used for the name, was Twilight’s cutie mark.

Author's Note

Gotta say that this chapter really took me by surprise. So much for keeping this story purely lighthearted, huh. Oh well. It felt good to write something meaningful and sentimental. Hints are dropped of a changing relationship, and I feel quite satisfied with this cliffhanger. Hope you guys enjoyed as much as I did.

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