Applejack’s eyes fluttered open. She stared vacantly at the window, not quite registering that late-morning light was filtering in. Normally oversleeping so much would annoy her at the very least; to sleep in during the harvest season would have driven her to panic. Instead she only felt a melancholic emptiness as she stared out the window, sluggishly trying to process why she simply didn’t care about her tardiness. Memories from the previous night came back to her like knives stabbing into her heart. The things she had said… The pain in Spike’s eyes. It was astounding how some of her favorite memories could be so fuzzy in detail, but how she could see the dragon’s pained expression in perfect clarity when she closed her eyes.

Sighing, the mare rolled over and stared at her door, instead. She couldn’t even bring herself to cry on the inside, feeling only a creeping void. She was familiar enough with the sensation of despair from years of fighting impossible odds, but this was something on a whole other level. There was no threat to her life or the lives of her loved ones; simply a lifelong friendship and budding romance utterly destroyed because of a case of hoof-in-mouth.

Her ears perked up as she heard movement in her house. The muffled creaking of old floorboards was accented with the occasional tink-ing of dishes. Eyes wide, Applejack galloped out of her room and towards the kitchen. Was Spike back already? Her heart soared at the prospect even as her anxiety increased trying to think of what to say to him. An apology would be a good start, and then perhaps explaining her fears about what would happen to him growing so attached only to watch her die.

The mare burst into the kitchen and then stopped, surprised. Her surprise paled in comparison to the startled expression of the yellow-coated pegasus making tea in her kitchen. She looked as if she had nearly had a heart attack.

“Fluttershy?” Applejack asked, unable to hide the disappointment from her face and voice.

“S-sorry, Applejack,” the other mare said, taking a few calming breaths before offering a soft smile, “Discord and I just got back from a safari last night. I mentioned this morning how I wanted to visit you, since it’s been so long, and… well, you know how he is.”

“He just up and teleported you into my house, didn’t he?” Applejack gave a mirthless chuckle, “Yeah, that sounds like him…”

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy frowned, seeing her friend’s sadness, “Should I have come at a better time? I know you’re probably still recovering from your loss…”

Applejack looked confused for a moment before her face flushed in guilty shame. Honestly the whole problem with Spike had made her forget the pain and trauma of losing Granny Smith and being reminded of the loss made the farmer feel guilty for forgetting. That was the last time all of her closest friends had been together with her at once, dropping everything to be with her. They had offered to stay with her for as long as she needed, or to rotate out as much as was required, but Applejack had stubbornly refused and managed to lie that she was alright. Fluttershy had been the hardest one to convince to leave, her instinct to help others being the hardest to fend off.

“I’m fine,” Applejack tried to lie, then shook her head, “No… no, I’m not fine at all.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have left you all alone in your hour of need!” Fluttershy’s eyes began to water as she rushed to her friend’s side, wrapping a comforting wing around the earth pony’s shoulders, “I won’t make that mistake twice!”

“It ain’t about Granny Smith,” Applejack confessed but didn’t extract herself from the embrace.

“Then what is it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Can I ask you something first?” the farmer deflected, “About you and Discord?”

“Okay…” the pegasus furrowed her brow but nodded, “If that will help you, then of course.”

“I don’t wanna sound rude, but how do you make it work?” Applejack asked, “I mean, he’s immortal and you’re not. You can’t have foals with him, can you? How do you… stay with him knowing that you’ll die and he’ll live on, sad and alone?”

Thankfully Fluttershy did not take offense to the questions but simply tilted her head, curious as to why Applejack would bring up the topic. She tapped her chin in thought and smiled.

“Before we became a serious couple, Discord actually put me through a test. You know how he does those chaotic situations that force ponies to look at things from different perspectives?” Fluttershy asked. After Applejack nodded, the pegasus continued, “It was the most intensive illusion he’s ever cast. Even though only a minute had really passed, I experienced five years of living together with him, getting married, dealing with all the usual hardships such as fighting,” Fluttershy giggled at her faux memories before her smile slowly fell, “then he died and I had to go on living without him. When I was at my lowest, he ended the illusion by asking me if I would be able to go on without him, if it was harder to lose someone than to never have had them in the first place.”

“And what did you tell him?” Applejack asked, astounded. Discord had performed all sorts of bizarre alterations before to teach them lessons, but to simulate five years of a relationship?

“Well, first I gave him a stern talking to!” Fluttershy raised her voice as she recalled the incident, “Scaring me and breaking my heart like that! The nerve!” she calmed down and smiled again, “Then I told him that I would gladly do it all over again. If you love someone, then even being with them for a single day is worth a lifetime of heartache.”

“…Wow…” the other mare blinked, “But what about him? When you die, would he…?”

“Oh no, this time the lesson wasn’t for me, but for him,” Fluttershy’s smile broadened, “He always tells me that I am his greatest teacher. When he told me he was worried about losing me, I just asked him if he loved me, if he wanted to be together. He said yes.”

“B-but what about when you, y’know…?” Applejack shifted, uncomfortably.

“Well, Discord solved that as soon as we got married,” the pegasus giggled, “Haven’t you wondered why I still look so young? He matched my aging to his. As long as his natural life is, mine shall be too.” Fluttershy’s expression shifted back to one of concern, “Now, why are you asking me all of this? What happened?”

“I suppose it ain’t a secret, what with me telling Zecora and all,” the farmer sighed in resignation, “Spike and I… uh, we sorta started a relationship.”

“Really?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise before she beamed, “Oh, that’s wonderful! Ever since Discord and I married, I’ve been hoping my friends would start finding their Special Someponies so they could feel as happy as I do! And now two of my friends have found each other!”

“It’s not going so great is the problem,” Applejack grimaced as she stepped away from her friend so they could face each other, “See, we didn’t start off dating… We, uh… we sort of just… had sex.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy covered her mouth as she blushed.

“Y-yeah,” Applejack blushed too, chuckling anxiously, “we decided after a few days to be… together, and everything seemed fine until, uh… Well, turns out a dragon’s baby formula gets a little too hot, you see? So we tried to figure it all out, and it turns out it only gets hot when a dragon wants to have a baby. I was flattered, of course, but we agreed not to have foals, but he kept doing it, and… I told him we didn’t work as parents.”

“And?” Fluttershy sensed there was more.

“And he got upset and flew off last night.”

“That doesn’t sound like Spike,” the pegasus narrowed her eyes, “Applejack, are you sure that’s all you said?”

“Well, I-I reckon I didn’t specify we didn’t work as parents,” the farmer’s flush deepened, “I didn’t mean to, but my words came out in a mess! I made it sound like I didn’t want to be with him because he was a dragon, but I swear that’s not what I meant! I just got so worried about the fact I’d die and he’d be all alone again…”

“Oh, Applejack,” Fluttershy sighed patiently as she embraced her friend again, “I know this looks bad, but Spike is an intelligent and thoughtful dragon. I’m sure all you need to do is talk to him and apologize. He’ll understand.”

“You think so?” Applejack asked, trying not to pout.

“Absolutely,” Fluttershy nodded.

“Even if that were true,” the farmer stepped away again, looking out her kitchen window, “I don’t even know where he went!”

“Just think it out. Where would Spike go if he couldn’t stay here?”

“His old place at the castle… but there’s more. When he went to see Smolder, I went to see Zecora for a way to be fireproof.”

“Did she have anything?”

“She had a lotion I could use that’d make me permanently fireproof, inside and out,” Applejack grimaced, “but… my blood would be altered. She doesn’t know the side effects, only that it will change my blood to be more like that of dragons. I told Spike I wasn’t comfortable making those kinds of changes, but not so kindly…”

“I see…” the pegasus looked thoughtful for a moment, pondering the situation, “Do you remember when Discord betrayed me?”

“Which time?”

“The first time,” Fluttershy sighed, feeling silly for walking into that, “He was set to live his life the way he always had, to never change his ways. When he knew that doing so would split us apart, he surrendered.”

“I feel like that’s a little different, though. I mean, we’re talking about changing my blood, Fluttershy! Deciding not to mess with Equestria isn’t quite as personal.”

“I forgot most ponies don’t understand my husband,” Fluttershy gave a patient smile, “He needs chaos in order to survive. To be ‘normal’ kills him, quite literally. He abandoned his ambition to create a chaotic kingdom in Equestria – to achieve a millennia-old dream to build a realm where he could thrive – because of the fear of losing me as a friend. I have no doubt that he would sacrifice anything to be with me, even his immortality.”

Applejack looked away, guiltily.

“Don’t feel bad, Applejack,” her friend continued, “Not everyone can be as dedicated as Discord. The question is, how much are you willing to sacrifice to be with the one you love?”

“It ain’t fair, either way!” the farmer’s guilt evaporated in a surge of frustration, “Why do I have to be the one to make sacrifices? Why can’t he take a potion to be a stallion?”

“Did he pressure you to take the potion?”

“Well, no… in fact, he offered to wear a special contraceptive instead…”

“Then why not do that?”

“Because it’s just a temporary fix, and he wouldn’t be able to feel any pleasure! I wanted to be fireproof so we could enjoy our intimate time together.”

“You’re willing to alter your physiology to be resistant to extreme heat,” the pegasus smirked, “but not at the cost of your blood being part-dragon?”

“I don’t know what other changes could happen. What if I grow spines or horns?”

“I think you’d look nice with horns, actually,” Fluttershy’s smile faded when Applejack glared back at her, unamused, “Do you really care about some minor cosmetic changes? You’ve always been so comfortable with yourself, never one to fuss over appearances. Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

“I… I’m worried about seeming like… like a pushover,” Applejack winced as she realized exactly who she was talking to, but the other mare only nodded for her to continue, “I mean, if I change my very being just for Spike, not only am I taking a big risk, but everyone will wonder why I took such a drastic action for something as inconsequential as… sleeping with a dragon…”

“So?” Fluttershy demanded, a hardness in her voice that stunned the farmer out of her sulking, “There is no shame in admitting that sexual intimacy is important to one’s relationship. If I had to make a change like that just to be with Discord, I would gladly take it – I enjoy our time in bed together, and I’m not afraid to admit that. Applejack, do you love Spike?”

“Yes,” the farmer stated the honest fact, too stunned to deny it.

“Does it matter what anyone says about you? Does it matter if anyone, even your family, thinks you’re a pushover? Or does it matter that you, and Spike, are happy?”

“I reckon the latter.”

“Then I say you go to him, you apologize, and you tell him how you feel! I understand not using the potion so soon – you said the relationship was new, after all – but if you two truly love each other, then something like this should be an easy obstacle to overcome!”

Applejack only stared, wide-eyed at the mare before her. It was always incredibly disorienting whenever Fluttershy stood her ground and behaved with conviction. She was right, too. Applejack felt her resolve hardening. She was right! This was a silly obstacle, nothing more. Applejack loved Spike; even if she could never have sex with him again, she wouldn’t want him to leave. There was more between them than simple sex.

“Come on, Fluttershy!” the farmer lifted her forelegs, swinging them as she stood rampant, “We’re going to get my dragon back!”
…

“Spike?” a female voice cut through the dragon’s dreamless sleep.

For an instant Spike’s groggy mind thought it was Applejack, that he was back at the farm. As his eyes focused in the office, he saw Smolder and Ocellus standing over him, both wearing mixed expressions of confusion and worry. With a start, the purple dragon realized he had slept on the floor of his old office for the night.

“Oh, sorry,” he mumbled, still waking up, “I was sort of out of it last night. I meant to head back to my room.”

“What happened to staying with Applejack?” Ocellus asked, still unaware about what Smolder had pieced together the other day.

“It… didn’t work out…” Spike said simply, looking away so they wouldn’t see the pained loss in his eye. Smolder saw it, though, and she felt a slight hopefulness flare in her heart.

“How about I lead you back to your room?” she offered.

Spike nodded and followed the older dragon through the corridors of the castle, too absorbed in his brooding to notice the pleased swing of her tail or the spring in her step as she led him towards his old room. They entered and Spike sighed in exasperation as he reclined on his bed. Smolder closed the door and sat in the chair at a nearby desk, turning it around to face him. After waiting for him to say something, she decided it was up to her to start.

“You gonna tell me what happened or not?”

“What makes you think something happened?” Spike grunted, mirthlessly. It was pretty obvious; even he could tell how bad he was at hiding it. Seeing Smolder’s flat glare, he sighed and nodded. “Alright, yeah… Applejack said we didn’t work together.”

“That’s rough, buddy,” Smolder said, a sympathetic look in her eyes, “If it helps, I don’t think she was a good fit.”

“Why not?” Spike’s head snapped up, offense writ on his face.

“She’s a mare, you’re a dragon. I mean, yeah, you were raised in pony culture, but there’s certain… biological differences, you know? Heck, you risk setting her on fire every time you stick it to her! Never mind the fact that you can’t have hatchlings with her, and you’ll outlive her by centuries at the very least.”

“I don’t care about any of that. I love her, Smolder. It hurts…”

“Look, you said it yourself: she says you don’t work. I know it sucks, but you should just move on. I mean, others are waiting…”

“Oh yeah?” the purple dragon laughed at that, “Who?”

“Are you really this dense or do you just pretend to be?” the dragoness snickered, “I’ll give you three guesses.”

“What, no hints?” Spike asked, smirking a little as he looked up. His smirk faded when he saw Smolder grinning at him with hooded eyes, legs spread and tail wagging. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Smolder raised an eyebrow, playfully, “What, you don’t think I’m pretty?”

“N-no, you are!” Spike raised his hands defensively, paling. This was not what he had expected at all. “I just… I still love Applejack, and I never even thought of you like that.”

“You seem to be thinking of me that way now,” Smolder gestured towards Spike’s crotch where he was beginning to be aroused, “For a guy who acts like he’s still in a relationship with a mare, you sure don’t seem to have a problem with looking at a dragoness when she spreads her legs for you.”

“What do you mean ‘acts’?” the other dragon narrowed his eyes, “Applejack and I are still together, we’re just… I just…”

“She told you it didn’t work, didn’t she? Then you flew back here. That sounds like a breakup to me.”

“No…” Spike’s pupils shrunk.

“You two were only doing this for, what, less than a week?” Smolder rolled her eyes.

“Why are you being like this? I thought you would care, that you would give me some advice or something!”

“Because I want you, Spike!” the dragoness stood up, face flushed and fangs bared, “I’ve had a crush on you for a few years now, and you were so… so dense! I tried to play it cool, like that idiot Sandbar told me to, and I blew my chance! Now you’re available again, a-and I don’t want to lose again. I did this the pony way, now I’m doing it the dragon way: when you see something you want, you take it!”

“Smolder, I wish you had said something sooner, but I just don’t feel that way about you. I’m sorry, but you’ve always been more like a big sister to me. I look up to you, think of you as a mentor, as one of my best friends and closest confidants, but I just never thought of you as… well, as a mate. I’m sorry, but I still love Applejack.”

“And what if you’re wrong?!” Smolder fumed, fire crackling out of her jaws as her anger flared up, “What if she broke up with you?! What if you’re just trailing after her, hopelessly in love, just like you did for years with Rarity?!”

“I think I should leave,” Spike grimaced, feeling his blood beginning to boil, “You need to calm down. This isn’t like you.”

“No, Spike,” Smolder’s eyes thinned into reptilian slits. Spike recognized the dark light within and paled, seeing Dragon Greed take over. “This is what I want, and what I want, I get!”

Spike didn’t have time to move as the orange dragoness tackled him onto his bed, the two of them wrestling with clawed limbs and fanged maws, hissing and roaring as Spike tried desperately to keep himself from being pinned. His brain felt fuzzy and his whole body was hot as he smelled a strange scent. His willpower began to ebb as his resistance grew weaker. He shook his head, trying to redouble his efforts more than once. Smolder kept trying to impale herself upon his fully erect member, but he shifted himself under her each time, just barely keeping from doing the deed.

“W-what’s happening?” Spike slurred, blinking away fogginess, “I feel sluggish… What did you do?”

“Dragon pheromones,” Smolder growled out, “Another reason you should be with one of your own kind, Spike! Like attracts like. You feel it, don’t you? Just my very scent is getting you aroused!”

“I… I love Applejack…” Spike felt his body weaken further as his resolve eroded, washed out by the chemical high. He tried to lift his head only for Smolder’s fangs to grip his neck and force him down. He was completely pinned and only sluggish shakes of his hips kept an agitated Smolder from mating him.

Suddenly, the door to his room opened and Smolder’s head shot up, surprised. Spike lazily turned his head towards the open doorway. The sight caused his blood to freeze and his mind to instantly sober, the effect of dragon pheromones sliding away like grease before a strong jet of water. Applejack stood in the doorway, with an embarrassed Fluttershy and a worried Ocellus behind her. The earth pony simply gaped at the sight, but Spike could see the heartache in her eyes.

“He’s mine!” Smolder hissed, drawing Applejack’s attention. Despite everything, Applejack immediately recognized the Dragon Greed and narrowed her eyes. She then returned her look to the pinned dragon underneath.

“Spike, you’ve got ten seconds to explain exactly what the hay is going on here before I walk out of this castle and never speak to you again,” the mare said, evenly. Every fiber of her being wanted to simply run out of there and be done with it, but she knew Spike wasn’t this kind of dragon. Besides, even when she had walked in she noticed him struggling against Smolder. A weak resistance, but a resistance all the same.

“Dragon Greed,” Spike hissed out, voice sluggish. Applejack noticed his fluctuating pupil size with some concern; they flared wide open before narrowing to slits and repeated. “Pheromones… mind sluggish…”

“Pheromones?” the farmer looked back at Ocellus and Fluttershy.

“Chemicals that are given off by one member of a species to influence the behavior of other members of the same species,” Ocellus explained.

“Some insects use them to control their hives,” Fluttershy expanded, smiling with pride at her former student, “Mostly they are used for mating purposes, however: a chemical signifier from a female to tell a male she is ready to mate. In some species, it can be an incredible aphrodisiac.”

“I’m going to assume that’s the case for dragons,” Ocellus noted, dryly.

“So, he’s what? Drugged?” Applejack asked. When her friends nodded, the farmer shifted her hat forward, face hard. “Alright then. Sorry about this, Smolder, but… well, not really.”

The dragoness looked over at hearing her name just in time to see Applejack spin around, lift her legs, and buck out. Struck in the head, Smolder rocketed off of Spike, arcing almost gracefully off the bed, and landed in a groaning heap between the bed and the wall. Ignoring the gasps from Fluttershy and Ocellus, Applejack dragged the sluggish dragon off of the bed and helped support his weight, leading him out of his room.

“Come on,” she grunted as she supported him, “let’s get you back home.”

“Does this mean we’re still together?” Spike slurred, his self-control coming back in degrees.

“Don’t sound so happy just yet. You’ll be sleeping on the couch for a few days. If you’re lucky…”

The couple departed, leaving a stunned Ocellus and Fluttershy behind to deal with Smolder. Applejack pondered how they would handle the dragoness once she woke up. Part of her – the part of her that had been jealous and more than willing to buck Smolder in the head – hoped they’d lock her up and throw away the key, but she also had a more sympathetic side. Spike had helped integrate dragons into pony society, and part of that process had involved writing special law codes for dragons, especially codes related to the unfortunate effects of Dragon Greed. Simply put, the law stated that dragons who succumbed to Dragon Greed would only be charged at the request of victims, or if the incident resulted in injury or death. Applejack grimaced at the fact Smolder would only be punished if Spike saw fit to press charges, a very unlikely outcome considering how he valued Smolder as a friend and mentor.

“I take it you ain’t gonna press charges?” she asked as they exited Ponyville, unable to hold her peace any longer.

“Why would I? Besides being incredibly awkward, nothing really happened.”

“She tried to rape you, Spike!”

“Emphasis on tried. I mean, yeah, I feel awful. I feel… I don’t know, there’s a lot I’m feeling right now. Confusion, fear, guilt, pity, anger…” the dragon trailed off and Applejack could see the conflict in his eyes. Immediately she regretted bringing up the topic, “She’s still one of my closest friends, especially after Twilight and the others went off to do their own things. I also know what it’s like to be possessed by greed. It’s like… I can’t even begin to describe it. You just watch yourself become a monster, unable to do anything. Everything just runs away from you, and you have no control. Compared to being betrayed and controlled by one’s own avarice, being taken advantage of by Smolder isn’t nearly as terrifying.”

“I guess it’s just hard for ponies to understand,” Applejack confessed, “Though, it does sound similar to when Discord turned all of us into our opposites… I was aware of what I was doing, but I couldn’t control myself. Is it like that?”

“Exactly like that.”

“I guess I can forgive a slip-up like that if she apologizes,” the farmer sniffed, dismissively, “I ain’t baking her no pie, though. She messed with the wrong dragon.”

“Thank you,” Spike’s words surprised Applejack enough that she stopped. The dragon stumbled forward a bit, then righted himself, now strong enough to stand without her aid. The mare looked confused, so he continued, “Thank you for saving me, I mean. I was so out of it I wasn’t sure I could resist much longer.”

“You’re thanking me for saving you from sex?” the farmer gave an amused smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “I find that hard to believe.”

“I’m serious, AJ,” the dragon’s smile was far more genuine, “You saved me from being unfaithful. If Smolder had succeeded, I would have never forgiven myself. I’m sure Smolder will thank you, too.”

“Why would she thank me?”

“Because I know her, and I’m pretty sure drugging and raping me wasn’t how she wanted to get us together. You saved her from destroying two relationships. If I had betrayed you, I don’t think I could live with that guilt…”

“Oh, stop the self-pity, Spike,” Applejack rolled her eyes, “It’s annoying enough when I do it. Even if I had walked in on you two mid-rut, I know you well enough to know it’s not like you to do something like that. That’s why I didn’t run out as soon as I saw you. And even if I did feel betrayed because of something out of your control, I would expect you to move on and be happy. You’re blessed with an incredibly long lifespan, Spike – I expect you to make the most of it, even if you lose me.”

The dragon noticed the distant look on Applejack’s face as she said those words. Clearly something was bothering her, something related to what she’d just said, but he couldn’t piece it together.

“Is there something you wanted to tell me?”

“While we’re on the subject of… how long you live…” Applejack forced herself to look into the dragon’s eyes, “What I said earlier, about how ponies and dragons don’t work…”

“Yeah?” Spike felt his heart sink.

“I didn’t mean that we don’t work in relationships, just that… well, what with dragons living so long and ponies, uh, not living so long, I just… I didn’t want you to become too attached to me just to lose me before any youngins we had even became true adults.”

“That’s why you said all that stuff yesterday?!” Spike gaped, then grinned, “Oh, thank Celestia! I thought you just hated the idea of being with a dragon!”

“I ain’t that shallow, Spike!” Applejack snapped, but she couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips that he was so elated they weren’t breaking up, “A-and don’t think this changes anything. I’m still sore at you, and you’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“What happened to a few days?” the dragon smirked, coyly.

“Don’t push your luck, sugar,” the farmer increased her pace to the farm, “Now hurry up! If you’re strong enough to be making stupid comments, you’re strong to help me with some apple-bucking.”

The dragon gladly followed Applejack back to Sweet Apple Acres. Almost upon arrival they got to work, wasting no time to vent their anxiety, guilt, and anger on the trees. The joy they had felt on the walk over dispersed as they labored on in silence. For several tense hours they worked, choosing solemn introspection over their usual conversation and flirting. They had discussed the events of the day on the way back home, and they had come to the mutually-agreed upon conclusion that Spike was not at fault, that Smolder had lost control, that Applejack had misspoken, but the wounds were still fresh. Simply acknowledging the last 24 hours had been a wild and unforeseen hiccup in their budding romance didn’t erase the unease in their guts or the outrage still lurking in their veins like venom, ready to bring their blood to a boil at the slightest provocation. Even looking at each other raised an uncomfortable, volatile cocktail of emotions in both of them.

They retired inside as the sun began setting, quickly taking a tally of the work done and only moderately pleased that their focused labor had managed to help them reach their daily quota. They were on track to finish in two days, as Applejack had predicted. Still silent, they set about preparing a dinner of greens and fruits. Leftover apple pie served as a desert, but everything tasted as muted as the ambience. Feeling more than a little awkward, the farmer decided to break the silence during dinner.

“Alright, enough of the cold shoulder, Spike,” she sighed with exaggeration, easing into a smile, “You’ve broken me. You don’t have to sleep on the couch tonight.”

“It’s alright,” the dragon replied, sparing only a quick look at her before returning to his meal, “I don’t mind the couch.”

Applejack blinked, taken aback by the comment. She had hoped that the concession would ease the awkwardness that had rebuilt during their silent work, that it would rekindle the flirting they had enjoyed on the walk back, but Spike wasn’t having it. Forcing a mischievous grin on her face, the farmer eased a hoof forward below the table with the intent to caress his crotch and elicit a response. Unfortunately, it was not the response she expected.

Rather than look startled and blush, twitching in poorly-restrained lust, the dragon tensed and paled, pupils shrinking as a sensation like ice-cold filth ran through him. He pushed himself back from the table and stood up, quickly turning away and taking a gulp of air. He could feel Applejack eying him with concern from behind so he struggled to regain control and put on a strong face. He was being ridiculous! It wasn’t like he had been unfaithful to Applejack; they all knew it hadn’t been his fault, that he had resisted to the best of his abilities, that there had never even been sexual contact. Yet, he felt an overriding sense of fear and disgust where once he felt sexual thrill. Smolder’s slit-eyed visage filled his mind whenever he felt sexual stimulation. It terrified him to think how powerless he had been, how easily she had been able to subdue him. Worse, far worse, was coming face-to-face with Dragon Greed once more, having to see someone he cared about succumb to its degradation, to see their morality dissolve, to watch them become a monster.

He shuddered as he realized how his friends must have felt watching him turn into a beast. The absolute lack of control, the sense of loss, and the creeping dread that – at any moment – they could revert… All of this dominated his thoughts, trigged by the sensation of arousal.

“Spike?” Applejack’s voice broke through his thoughts, laced with concern, “What’s wrong, sugar?”

“I’m just tired…” the lie was obvious to the dragon, and more than obvious to the Element of Honesty, but such was the desperation in his tone that she let it rest.

She watched him slink into the living room and collapse on the couch. Every instinct told her to go to him, to find the reason that he was so distressed, but at the same time it was so obvious, wasn’t it? He had been assaulted and nearly raped by one his best friends – someone who was like a sister to him. She had been under the influence of Dragon Greed which, as far as Applejack could figure, was similar to being heavily-intoxicated but motivated only by desire. The mare briefly imagined what it would be like if Big Mac had somehow gotten intoxicated enough to forget himself, to transform into somepony completely alien, and forced himself on her. The thought alone made her terrified and confused, trying to figure out if such an act could be forgiven if the pony – or dragon – in question was simply no longer in control. If she were in such a situation she would be torn between wanting to forgive her brother, with whom she had a close and loving relationship for her entire life, or hating and fearing him for what he had become in a mere lapse of sanity.

So it was that Applejack left her lover on the couch, choosing to give him space for the time being as he sorted through the complicated emotions running through his head. Once more she returned to her bed alone, sighing in disappointment. She reminded herself with a smile as she fell asleep that while Spike was not sharing her bed, he was still nearby, and that she was not alone anymore. With that consoling realization, she fell asleep.

Author's Note

Threw in a classic Avatar reference.

To be honest, this was not exactly the conflict I intended to go with, but I think it adds another layer to the story. Don’t worry, I plan on resolving this hurtle soon and getting back to the more lighthearted clop soon.