Author's Note

I want to give thanks and a huge shout out to tx-300, He23t, and PinkiePieFox for their ongoing support and amazing comments. I read every single comment y’all post, and it’s that kind of encouragement that keeps the chapters rolling out. I appreciate every one of y’all and hope y’all enjoy the rest of the story.

Part 12: Half-Light

Princess Luna was the first out of the shower and to grab a towel. “Here, Spike.” She tossed another towards him as he stumbled through the curtains, only just catching it.

They joined at the vanity and stood in front of the foggy mirror as the silence between them grew. Wanting to say something to break the awkwardness, anything at all, Spike decided to speak up first. He realized that they hadn’t really made any plans beyond the shower, so he had questions. “So... What happens now?”

Luna raised an eyebrow at him as she dried her mane with the towel. “Now? I need to return to Canterlot. There are duties I must adhere to and tasks that require my personal attention to complete.” She must have seen the frown that formed on his face, because she turned to face him and took his hands. “Do not worry, my darling dragon... My heart will ache for you every moment I am away, but I’ll return as soon as I possibly can. Perhaps you can even surprise me in my office during Princess Twilight’s next visit.” She bit her lower lip and leaned into his neck, brushing her lips against his ear. “After all, I still want you to have your way with me...”

Spike’s member twitched slightly, and her words sent chills down his spine. “Y-Y-Yeah... Alright, Luna...”

As Luna pulled away, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek, making a big deal over it with over exaggerated sounds. “Mmmmuah! You’re too cute to forget about, Spike. In fact, I don’t know how I’ll possibly be able to get any work done tonight while my thoughts are occupied by you...” She set her towel down, and her horn began to glow. Spike watched with amazement as she used her magic to bring her clothes to her. “I’ll be going, but be thinking of ways to make me laugh. You’re good at that.”

Then, she fired him a sexy wink and turned towards the door. In just a couple strides, she had reached the handle. Spike wanted to stop her, mostly because she was still naked. Completely nude, her clothes bundled up and tucked under her arm, Luna opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the corridor. “Goodbye, Spike!” Then, the door closed.

Spike bolted after her and swung the door wide open, expecting to find her, but the princess had vanished. Confused and a little disappointed, he scratched his head and turned around to start looking for his own dirty clothes. He found his shirt, pants, and briefs in the corner and picked them up. “How does she do that?”

“How does ‘who’ do ‘what’?”

Spike didn’t scream often, but this time, he did and threw his clothes into the air, flinching as they fell around him. When he turned around to see who’d spoken, he came face to face with Twilight. She was standing in the hall and had a puzzled look on her face. Then, she began to snicker as she watched him recover from his brief moment of terror. “I’m sorry, Spike... I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He grumbled to himself as he collected his clothes again. “I wasn’t scared... You just startled me.” After straightening the towel around his waist and being extra careful not to let it slip in front of Twilight, he met her by the door with his clothes in his hands. “So... What’s up?”

While he stood in the doorway, he saw her eyes looking him over from top to bottom. “Not much, really... I came to find you actually, once I heard that you were finished with your shower.”

That made him feel a little uneasy. It wasn’t often that Twilight directly sought him out, and when she did, it was usually because she was upset with him or something else and he was just caught in the crossfire. There weren’t many escape options, seeing as she had him cornered in the bathroom. Spike decided to play it safe and tread carefully. He didn’t know what she wanted, so that part was easy to act out. “Well... Here I am.”

Twilight snickered and smiled sweetly as she looked him directly in the eyes. “Yes... Here you are...” She looked lost in thought for a few moments before quickly shaking her head, snapping back to the world around her. “Right, yes... I meant to ask you something, Spike.”

The dragon cocked his head to the side and listened intently. She was acting strange, more so than usual. He could tell that there was something on her mind, but she was having a difficult time expressing herself. “Ask away, Twilight. If you need anything from me, you know I’ll always be there for you.” He was telling the truth and didn’t mean too much by it, but there was a definite change in Twilight’s face.

Her eyes lit up, and her cheeks flushed red. “Yes... I know, Spike. Well, here it is... Everypony else will be out of the palace tonight. Starlight has some work to do at the school, and I usually eat dinner with her. I know that you usually hang out with Discord and Big Mac, but I was wondering if you’d like to stay tonight and have dinner with me.” Her words ran together like she’d just downed several cups of coffee, but he managed to understand most of it.

Spike didn’t have any alternative plans. Between saving the world and solving friendship problems, they had a lot of down time. How could he possibly say ‘no’? “Sure, Twilight. What time should I call the others over?”

A puzzled look came over her face. “Others?”

He nodded his head, wondering if he hadn’t been clear enough. “Yeah, Discord and Big Mac. You wanted them to have dinner with us, right?”

Twilight turned red again and quickly shook her head as a nervous chuckle escaped her lips. Spike wondered where the information being passed between them had been mistranslated. Had he said something wrong? She held her own hands tightly together, intertwining her fingers and fidgeting them. “No, Spike... I meant... I want this to be between us... only us...”

Spike felt a lump form in his throat. Her eyes never left his, silently pleading for him to say ‘yes’, so he did just that and nodded his head. “Oh... Okay, Twilight.” Surly she couldn’t have meant it the way he thought she did. It was just dinner, right? What could possibly happen? Besides, he had Luna to look forward to, and she promised to return as soon as she was able to.

Twilight’s face sparkled with glee as her lips curled into a huge grin. “Great! I’ll try to have everything ready by seven o’clock.” Then, she turned and began walking, almost jogging, down the hall, her hips swaying noticeably from side to side. “I’ll see you tonight, Spike. Oh, and dress nicely!” She turned into her office on the right and disappeared behind a closed door.

Spike shook his head and let out a long sigh, wondering silently if he’d been staring at her rear as she left. He hadn’t been trying to, but he felt bad about it anyway and trudged down the hall towards his own room. Once inside, he tossed his dirty clothes into the laundry hamper by his closet and fell onto his bed, still wrapped in the towel. A quick glance at the clock on a nearby nightstand told him that it was almost noon. It seemed like he’d spent half the morning in the shower with Luna.

He needed fresh air, so the dragon lost the towel, dropping it in the hamper with the rest of his clothes, and made his way into his closet to find some clean clothes to wear. He eventually came out with fresh briefs, casual shorts, and simple t-shirt. He didn’t have to dress up for several hours, after all. Spike slipped on his shoes by the door and made a dash for the palace entrance.

***Up Next: Candlelight***