Beauty of the Beast

Chapters

Chapter 2: Taste the Rainbow
Chapter 4: Doused
Chapter 5: Dashed Hopes
Chapter 6: Bruised Apple
Chapter 1: Hot Hot Heat
Chapter 3: Truth or Dare?

Chapter 2: Taste the Rainbow

Spike sat alone in the library, enjoying a rare moment of quiet before the slumber party guests arrived. It was still early in the day, so he remained unmoving in front of a window, basking in the warm sunlight as reptilians were wont to do. In the still of the serene day, he let his mind drift to a problem he had been mulling over until just a few weeks ago.

For the past year or so, the ponies of Ponyville had been treating him differently from when he was just a whelp. Mares would stop what they were doing just to stare at him as he passed by, and most stallions just ignored him completely. After much pondering, he had concluded that it was probably their innate fears towards his race and that their instincts were telling them to be wary around the dragon, but that didn’t stop their reactions from hurting him any less. It broke his heart knowing that the ponies he grew up around and considered a part of his expansive family saw him through such frightful eyes, so wanting to allay their fears, he went to the smartest pony he knew and asked for a bit of wisdom as to how he could win back the townsponies’ affections.

And he was very satisfied with the results of Twilight’s lessons. The curriculum delved into the minds of ponies and the best ways of interacting with them in order to gain their love, and he trusted Twilight’s methods one-hundred percent. With the amount of research she had put into the subject beforehoof and the fact that she was a pony herself, how could he not?

It didn’t matter that Twilight had taught him by way of drunken ramblings during a Pinkie Party; Spike always took the things she said to heart, and this time it had copiously paid off. Everypony in town loved him! Well, some ponies were already endearing towards the local dragon before, but now they gave him free stuff all the time to prove their affection.

And things were only getting better for Spike. Today was the much anticipated day that his and Twilight’s closest friends were coming over to celebrate the slumber party of the century! Twilight had finally deemed him to be old enough, and therefore, worthy of participating in one of their sleepovers. He couldn’t wait to do adult stuff with them, like drinking hard cider while telling ghost stories and such. As an inebriated Rainbow Dash once put it, this night was going to be dashin’ awesome, yo!

*Woosh, bam!*

Speak of the pony. Spike shook his head in amusement and opened the door leading into the library, revealing a stunned Rainbow Dash on the other side of the bark. Upon seeing the dragon in the doorway, she quickly righted herself and shook the dizziness off, finishing with a pose against the tree while examining her hooves in a nonchalant and totally chill manner.

Rainbow looked up from her hooves and feigned surprise when she saw the opened entrance and the smiling dragon in its doorway. “Oh, sup Spike,” she greeted as coolly as possible.

After a lighthearted chuckle, Spike gestured for his guest to come inside, but not before making sure that her hooves were clean. Rainbow rolled her eyes but conceded and lifted each of her hooves one-by-one for him to inspect. Once he was positive that they were spotless, the two walked into the tree-house and upstairs into the living quarters. Rainbow Dash plopped down on the sofa in the middle of the room while Spike tidied the place up to busy himself until the other guests arrived.

Sinking into the plush seat, Rainbow Dash relaxed and looked around the library, finally noticing its emptiness.

“So, where are the others?” she asked, wondering why at least Twilight wasn’t there with them.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean the rest of the girls,” Spike muttered from under a pile of research papers he was attempting to organize. “Twilight went to go help Applejack bring some stuff for the party. As for the others, I guess they’re on their way.”

“What kind of stuff?” Rainbow asked, hoping that by ‘stuff’, he meant cider.

“She wasn’t too specific, but my guess is that they’re bringing a whole bunch of cider, or something.” Spike rolled his eyes as the pegasus hoof-pumped. “Maybe even a few of those apple pies too.” He sipped back some saliva that had threatened to spill down his maw as he thought of the pastries. Hopefully either Applejack or Pinkie Pie would be catering this time—not that the other girls’ cooking skills were bad, with the exception of Twilight.

Green flames wafted from his nostrils as he breathed a content sigh at a job well done. Before him, the once disastrous sight of randomly tossed papers and broken quills had transformed into several separately organized piles of research, stamped with Celestia’s seal and ready for dragon-mailing. Done with all of his chores in advance, he decided to keep the conversation going for lack of anything better to do.

“So, how did the Wonderbolts tryouts go?” he asked as he took a seat on the other side of the sofa. “There must have been some stiff competition since it was invite only.”

“…It went well, I guess.”

She guessed? That… couldn’t be right. It was unusual for the brash pegasus to show any signs of uncertainty. Something must have shaken her up. Spike shifted in his seat so that he was facing Rainbow, who found a sudden interest in the newest issue of the Foal Free Press that rested on the table before them.

“Did something happen?” he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible, and failing when his worry made him speak in one octave too high. “You got into the second tryouts, didn’t you?”

“Don’t worry about it. I just bucked up a trick and got marked down a bit because of it. I still made it into the second tryouts, so no biggie.” But despite her saying that, Spike couldn’t help but wonder why she looked so sad over such a small fluke.

“But there’s more to it, isn’t there?” He hoped that his incessant questioning wasn’t annoying her, but if Rainbow was feeling down, then it was his obligation as a friend to cheer her up. Plus, it wouldn’t do to have one of Ponyville’s party animals moping about during the slumber party.

“Well, you don’t have to tell me, but then I don’t have to cook you dinner,” he said playfully, even though both of them knew that their other friends were bringing the food.

“Jeez, Spike. You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Rainbow gave a long, unsteady sigh, but cracked a smile as she turned to make eye-contact with the curious dragon. “Alright, I’ll tell you, since you want to know so bad.” Spike shifted in his seat again, this time trying for comfort as he prepared himself for a long story.

“It was Spitfire who marked me down.”

“…Huh?” was all Spike could say in reply to the brief story. “Well, how bad did you goof? It must’ve been pretty rough for Spitfire to not throw you any slack.”

“That’s just it; it was a small mistake! I was doing a trick where you have to spin this way during a dive,” she gesticulated clockwise, “but I spun the wrong way, and she marked off enough points for me to just barely make it! Then she lectured me about wing angles and junk, probably to look good in front of the other contestants. I counted on her to support me, but now I… I feel like such a tool.”

Rainbow’s body slumped as she said those words. Just the idea that she, the most radical pegasus in Equestria, was used as some sort of cheap publicity stunt made her eyes sting and her body tremble.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash.” Spike stood over the defeated pegasus, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly as he tried to come up with a way to console her.

Seeing such a strong mare acting depressed made Spike feel uneasy. Perhaps it would have been better if he never brought up the tryouts, but then nothing would be resolved. Rainbow would still be hiding her hurt, and she would probably continue to do so until it became a painful memory that gnawed at her from the back of her mind. Well Spike was not going to let that happen. Reviewing all of Twilight’s lessons in his head within just a few seconds, he decided to utilize them in order to pull Rainbow out of her funk, and the first step was eye-contact.

“Hey, what the—” Rainbow tried to protest as she was pulled upright against her will. She tried shaking Spike’s claws off her shoulders, but he had a firm grasp on her and would not stop until they were face-to-face on the sofa. She fell silent and still in Spike’s hold when she saw the seriousness in his eyes. Feeling nervous under the intense stare, she gulped and tried to look away, but her gaze kept coming back to those big emeralds as they bore right through her.

Spike kept his eyes locked on Rainbow’s big, surprised, magenta ones, letting her know that he meant every word he was about to say. The next step was compassion, something he was good at from being raised by a mare in a town with a populace of female majority.

“Rainbow Dash.” Spike said her name with the gentlest voice he could muster. “No matter how much you mess up, I’ll still be there to root for you. Even though Spitfire wasn’t loyal to you, I always will be. You can count on that.”

“Spike, I…” Judging from Rainbow Dash’s lack of words and her trembling smile, Spike surmised that he had succeeded with the second step. But he decided to butter her biscuits a bit more, just in case.

"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash. I know you're going to be a Wonderbolt. It's not a matter of faith or how lucky you are. It's just a matter of time." Her smile was more natural and Pinkie-esque now, showing her pearly whites as the corners of her lips divided her face in two. There was the unrestrained and contagious joy that Spike was used to seeing. Now that she was out of her slump, it was time to let her know that she had friends to pull her out if she went back.

The final lesson he got from the drunken Twilight before she passed out was physical contact. She had explained profusely, because he couldn't understand her slurs half the time, that actions spoke more than words. He remembered with a shudder how Twilight forced him to hug her in front of everypony until he learned the perfect form of cuddling. And thanks to her awkward tutelage, he had mastered and perfected it, his touch being good enough to cause even his own sister to swoon and faint in his arms, and he was going to use the same technique on Rainbow Dash. If this wouldn’t make her feel warm and fuzzy, well then… shoot.

Being taller than the mare, Spike was easily able to put his long arms around her and bring her close. He pulled her into a light hug, his head resting on hers, and eventually, he got a response. Rainbow lifted her hooves hesitantly and circled the dragon’s torso at a snail’s pace, but she soon caved and returned the embrace in full. Her mouth worked, but no noise came out save for a few squeaks of bafflement, then wordlessly, she buried her face in his chest and tightened her hold on him until they shared a whopping friendship hug.

…And she wouldn’t let go.

After about a minute of silent hugging had passed, Spike began to shift uncomfortably in his friend’s iron grip. He tried wiggling a little to see if Rainbow would get the hint and loosen up a bit, but she only squeezed harder until it got to the point where he had trouble breathing. Spike felt sentiments and a spiritual kinship towards any crustaceans in the clasps of a crab cracker.

“Heh, alright, Dash, you can let go now.” Spike’s laugh was uneasy as he eyed the unmoving figure before him. He felt the pegasus mumble something but couldn’t tell what she said, on the count of all the chest in her face. He tried to break the hug by moving his elbows up, but Rainbow Dash just leaned into them and moved her snout in between his torso and arm. Then suddenly, she took a large whiff of his pits.

Did she just… smell me? Spike asked himself. Am I smelly? Do I offend? He tried to lift his arms to check but was stopped by the lockdown of his chum.

The pegasus looked up with lidded eyes and rested her chin on his chest, her wild, multi-colored mane spilling down her face and revealing her forehead. Her breath lightly caressed his face as she stared up at him intently.

“You smell nice, Spike,” she said, her normally raspy voice replaced by a husky whisper.

“Thanks.” Seeing that his friend wasn’t letting go, Spike gave up his struggles and just let Rainbow hug him as a form of therapy. At least she seemed to be feeling better and was talking without any depression tainting her voice.

“I’ve been using this new tea-tree extract thing that Twilight ordered. It’s supposed to make my scales shinier and make me smell minty, or something. Is it working?”

“Your scales look cool and I do notice the mint-thing going on, but I think I like your natural smell better,” she said, nuzzling his chest.

“Oh, I see.” Spike hoped that his friend hadn’t caught the disappointment in his voice. After using the new soap that Twilight had gotten him, he had grown fond of the way it brought a healthy luster to his scales, though the smell was a little obtrusive, he guessed. But wasn’t the smokiness of his natural musk even worse? Shrugging, he thought ‘to each his, or her, own’, and shook all self-conscious thoughts of his odor away and redirected his attention back to the mare in his arms.

“You feeling better, Dash?”

“Yeah, much better. Thanks, Spike.” With a satisfied sigh, Rainbow Dash’s arms loosened up, only to reposition themselves around his upper back. “In fact, let me show you just how thankful I am.”

“Um, okay?”

So rainbow wanted to show her appreciation to him. Spike thought about this uneasily. He didn’t want any gifts from her. There didn’t need to be any pay-back for the hug; it was a purely unadulterated act without any ulterior motives that was just meant to make her feel nice. But… if she really wanted to repay him, he wasn’t going to protest. Who knows, maybe she would surprise him with a gem of some sort.

But the gift he received was a lot more intimate than anything he could have imagined. Rainbow Dash began to massage him, and he immediately lost all of the tension that had built up during his time assisting Twilight and helping out at Sweet Apple Acres. The way she rubbed and prodded him was amateur, sure, but he shuddered at her touch nonetheless. She felt him up with inexperienced hooves, exploring his defined muscles with child-like wonder as if she had never touched another pony like this before. But even with her lack of knowledge on proper massaging techniques and dragon anatomy, Spike purred his approval.

“Wow, Spike, you been working out?” she asked as she stroked his trapezius and slid her hooves down. “I don’t remember you having these before.”

“Well, I—” Before he got to explain that it was probably a result of his part-time job at the farm, his mind went blank at the pair of hooves caressing his buttocks. And then Rainbow Dash put both her hooves on one bun and pinched it. Hard.

With a yelp, Spike jerked forward at the unexpected stinging sensation on his rump, but he immediately regretted it when a low moan came from under him. Oh no, it sounded like his thrust had hurt her. But his fears were put to rest when Rainbow Dash looked up with a big, goofy grin.

“Oh, going a little fast, are we?” With a forceful shove and a body slam, Spike was pressed hard between the mare and the sofa. “Well let’s see if you can keep up with the fastest mare in Equestria.”

Keep up? But they weren’t even racing. And even if they were, Rainbow had an unfair advantage with her wings. First a thank-you massage, and now a race. Rainbow was not making much sense at all... But wait, the way she was pinning him down on the sofa—why, she must have been challenging him to a wrestling match! Now wrestling, Spike was good at. He had once wrestled and easily pinned both Snips and Snails at the same time, and with his draconic strength and his slender physique, he was confident that he would be able to keep up with Rainbow, if not best her.

The pegasus squealed in delight as she was roughly spun around by Spike’s long arms. Once her back was resting on his chest, the dragon quickly reached over and grabbed both of her legs, pulling them over her head in a Matchbook Submission Hold.

Rainbow bit her lip to suppress a whine of pleasure. She had never expected a gentleman like Spike to be so rough, but she liked it. The burning sensation in her splayed legs made her grunt, and not to be bested, she beat her wings so that they would lightly brush against Spike’s stomach.

“H-hey, no tickling! That’s cheati—” He nearly bit his tongue as Rainbow Dash squirmed out of his hold and slid under his back. She used her hind legs and bucked him forward so that he landed face first into the sofa with his hindquarters sticking up in the air. Then with a sadistic smile, she pounced on him and wrapped her forelegs around his neck in a Camel Clutch as her hips thrust forward against the rounded spines on his back and tail. If Spike were any less naïve, he would realize that he was being dry-humped.

Then the fun ended when the sounds of a door opening and several hooves walking into the library echoed their way upstairs.

“Spike? Are you home? The girls could use a little help with their loads.”

Twilight and the others were home. Spike sprang up from the sofa and shimmied the dangling pony off of him with minimal effort. Once free, he pounced off his seat and ran like hay for the stairway, practically clawing at the floor in his excitement to see if Applejack had brought any pie. Sorry, Dash, he thought as he caught a glimpse of his disappointed friend on the way down. We’ll just have to have a rematch some other time.

As soon as he made his way downstairs, he heartily greeted his guests. “Hey there, gir—hurmph!” Spike grunted as Twilight heaved a bunch of bags into his arms.

“Phew. Hello, Spike.” The lavender unicorn wiped the sweat off her brow and looked around. “Is Rainbow Dash here yet?”

“Yeah, she is.” Spike tossed the bags over his shoulders and started taking more off of the other’s hooves.

“I see. What have you two been up to while Applejack and I went to pick up the other girls?”

It was hard for Spike to shrug when he had so much weight on his shoulders. “Eh, not much. We hugged, then she gave me a massage and we started wrestling—”

“What.” Twilight gave him a stern look, the same one she used whenever he ate too much ice cream or was caught sneaking gems before dinner.

“We were just hanging out!” came a panicked voice from the second story. A flushed Rainbow Dash hovered down the steps and landed next to Spike, whom she elbowed when he tried to speak further. “Haven’t had a good chat with my pal, Spike, in a while, so we were just catching up. Don’t listen to the mumbo jumbo he just said. He’s just messing with you, right, Spike?”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed half-heartily, guessing that she was probably hiding the truth out of embarrassment.

After a brief look at the two, Twilight shook her head and made for the stairs. “Well, okay then. Come on, girls. Let’s go unload.”

With a collective cheer, the four late-arrivals began trotting up the steps with Spike and Rainbow Dash in tow. But before heading up, the pair turned their heads simultaneously and shared a knowing glance, Spike offering a friendly smile and Rainbow Dash winking at him secretly. The pegasus then giggled and flew up to join in the merrymaking.

Seeing Rainbow act like a giddy schoolfilly was a positive thing, right? It was good to see her happy again, even if she was acting strange. Though her gaiety was a little unnerving…

“Hey, Spike, I brought some of that apple pie you love so much,” beckoned a thickly country-accented voice. “Come on up and I’ll give you a slice.”

Spike decided not to brood over his friend’s odd behavior. The issue could wait, for there was partying to be done and pie to be had.

Chapter 4: Doused

Cardinal rays illuminated the cozy town of Ponyville as the afternoon sun shifted ever closer towards the horizon. Fluffy clouds swirled through the dimming sky and slowly meshed together, just as the weather team had predicted for the planned rainfall that night.

Because of the coming rain, the streets of Ponyville were much livelier than usual in that time of day. In their hurry to avoid the inevitable downpour, shopkeepers and vendors hastily tended to their last customers to get a head start at packing their goods and locking their stores. Ponies rushed around, praying that they would be able to get home before the dousing began, and there was the rare sight of traffic congesting the wide streets around the town square.

Big Macintosh, however, was not affected by the bustle around him.

The burly farm pony trotted at a leisurely pace through the area, a large, empty cart behind him and a bulging bag full of bits slung over his shoulder. A piece of hay hung out of his mouth, the taste of food keeping his hunger at bay while he did his rounds. But the meager stalk was nearing its end and he could feel his stomach beginning to growl, begging for some sort of nourishment to combat his exhaustion with. After the long day of seemingly endless apple deliveries, he was eager to get home and unload his burden. All that was on the tired stallion’s mind was the supper waiting for him and the promise of rest within the compounds of the acres just beyond the street.

“Heya, Big Mac.”

Home could wait. Big Mac’s ears flicked as the familiar, silky voice sang its way over to him. He recognized it immediately as his long-time friend and hired hand, Spike, but wasn’t that dragon boy supposed to be at the slumber party Applejack had mentioned the other day? Digging his hooves into the dirt and fighting against the weight on his back, Big Mac slowly turned around until he could see his friend, and the sight he was welcomed with caused his impassive, blank face to bend into something akin to a dopey smile.

Spike the dragon was walking directly in front of the setting sun, his shimmering silhouette easily identifiable by his scales’ contrast to the backdrop of velvet skies and rosy clouds. He skipped towards Big Mac with a basket full of groceries and a smile, and that small, friendly gesture was enough to make the stallion feel as though all of the excruciatingly hard work he put in that day was worth it, so long as he got to see that giddy face.

Lookin’ perdy as usual, Big Mac mused, but he stopped himself before delving any further into it. Ever since one of his workers, Caramel, had mentioned it, Big Mac had been paying more and more attention to the dragon's beauty and how he had blossomed over the years. But he couldn’t think of Spike like that; it just wouldn’t be fair to the naïve boy to see him in such a way. Hay, Spike wasn't even a mare, let alone a pony!

Shaking his silly thoughts aside, Big Mac trudged his cargo forward a bit to come face to face with his friend.

And all silly thoughts came flooding back at full force as Spike came closer. Now that the young dragon was out of the blinding sunlight and into Big Mac’s unhindered view, something caught the stallion’s eyes. It was the thing in between Spike’s legs; a sort of dark, silky piece of cloth that only thinly veiled the young drake's nether regions so that a teasing blur of purple could still be seen through.

The piece of hay that Big Mac had been chewing on fell to the ground as he gawked at Spike. The silent farmer's trademark stoicism was replaced by a face torn between fascination and fear, and his eyes twitched upon realizing that he wasn’t the only pony who noticed Spike’s ensemble, or lack of one.

Behind him, a street filled with curious passersby watched in interest, some giggling at the boldness of Spike, and others shocked by the lewdness of it all. They looked between the sexy dragon and the hunk of stallion with imaginative eyes, wondering what sort of business that two of Ponyville’s most eligible bachelors had with each other at such an hour... while one was wearing a thong.

Big Mac was not too fazed by the attention. Mares often gave him stares as he passed by, so he was used to the constant looks, but what he was taken aback by was the new light he saw Spike in. He had noticed on occasion while working with him that Spike had a very feminine build, but accentuating it with such a gamy undergarment made Big Mac realize just how ladylike his friend really was. And that smile that shone with such genuine happiness, it filled the stallion with a foreign sense of pining.

Spike was close now, still walking towards Big Mac with that alluring smile of his. With a startled jerk, the stallion ripped his eyes away and steadied his mind, cleansing it of any unsavory thoughts of his attractive friend. Spike ain’t a mare. Spike ain’t a mare. Spike ain’t a mare, he repeated to himself like an incantation. But did it really matter if he was a mare or not? In the modern age and society, homosexuality was a norm, after all. Hay, did it even have to be a special somepony? Trans-species love was almost as common as trans-gender love, so a special somebody wouldn’t be out of the question.

Spike ain’t a mare. But that didn’t really matter.

“What? Of course I’m not a mare.” Spike looked at the panicky Apple with confusion and amusement in his smiling eyes.

Big Mac mentally bucked himself on the head for not realizing that he’d spoken his thoughts. “E-Eeyup,” he croaked, hoping that the brief and vague answer was enough to satisfy Spike.

“Um… Okay then. What’s up, Big Mac?” Spike peered around the burly stallion to better see his empty cargo. “Heading home after your rounds?”

“Eeyup,” was all Big Mac could say as he fought against his fatigue and tried desperately to get his mind to start working again.

Spike nodded. “I see. So, did you and AJ get my schedule for next week sorted out yet? I forgot to ask her at the slumber party, since we were all busy having fun and stuff.”

“Eeyup…” Spike was only a few hooves away. The way he was standing with his arms behind his back while rocking on his feet was reminiscent to a restless filly, and Big Mac couldn’t help but think about how cute the dragon looked right then—what with his big, curious eyes, and his long, perdy legs, and his shiny scales, and… and why the hay was he wet?!

“Oh, good.” Spike kicked at the dirt. “So… is everything okay, Big Mac? You seem quiet. Well, quieter than usual.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac muttered. He tried to meet the dragon’s large, jade eyes, but then his attention began to drift below Spike’s waist and he looked away shamefully.

Spike frowned, perturbed by his friend’s seemingly cold behavior. “Alright, something is definitely wrong,” he said, sidling up next to the stallion and giving him a nudge with his hip. “Come on, big guy, you can tell me anything. What’s going on?”

Big Mac’s mind numbed when he felt the dragon’s warm scales rub against him. “S-Spike, your. Um… undies. Eeyup,” he mumbled.

Spike snorted. “Pfft, haha, what? That was almost as random as something Pinkie Pie would say. You crack me up, Big Mac.”

The nervous stallion blew a long, shaky sigh. He thought for a moment about how he would break it to Spike without embarrassing him too much, and nodded when he found the solution. “Spike,” he started. “That’s a mighty fine piece of lingerie you’re wearin’.” It sounded less weird in his mind.

“Eh?” Spike said dumbly as he lowered his gaze and stared down at his barely covered loins. His disbelief was apparent in his furrowed brows as he glared right at the thong, but then a glint of humor sparked in his eyes and he looked back up with a sheepish smile.

“Oh, gosh… well this is embarrassing,” he said casually, then shrugged. “Is this why you’ve been acting so weird, Mac? Because you’re embarrassed for me?”

Big Mac nodded slowly, thanking his ancestors for the red coat camouflage to hide his blush in. “It’s just weird seein’ you in that kind of clothes,” the stallion said, glad to finally find sensible words coming out of his mouth. “Hay, it’s weird seein’ you in any clothes at all.” He chuckled.

“It’s not weird,” Spike defended in mock offence. “For your information, this is a designer piece of lingerie. High quality stuff, my friend.”

“Hoho, is it now?” Big Mac played along. “And where’d you get a thing like that?”

“From Rarity, if you couldn’t already tell by the logo,” Spike said, pointing at his crotch to a barely visible embroidering of the silhouette of a coiffured unicorn’s head. “It’s the newest additions to her lingerie line, not even released yet.” He swayed his hips, proudly displaying the fruit of his friend’s labor.

Big Mac gulped as he watched the dragon’s supple posterior dance rhythmically from side to side. “Huh. That’s, uh… somethin’. Eeyup,” he mumbled, his mind reverted back to apple sauce by Spike’s sexy antics.

Then Spike abruptly stopped and put a hand to his chin in serious pondering. “But I wonder why ponies would wear something like this,” he said, scrutinizing the thong. “It’s not like it really provides any warmth. Maybe it’s a fashion thing.”

He struck a pose, resting his knuckles on the curve of his hip while stroking his spines with a claw. “What do you think, Big Mac?” he cooed, trying to make his voice sound smooth and comically overdone, but unaware of how seductive it was coming out. “Do I look more handsome in this?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac responded from behind his wagon.

Spike looked at him queerly. “Um, why are you ducking back there?” he asked, stepping cautiously towards the stallion.

To hide my shame, Big Mac thought about confessing, but decided that that would be ludicrous. Just because Applejack was honest to a fault didn’t mean he had to be. “Because… there’s a bug on you,” he lied, wincing as the dragon froze mid-step. “And, uh, the way it’s lookin’ at me is givin’ me the spooks.”

"There's a... a bug on me?"

"Eeyup. And, um. And it's really big."

“Well then get it off me!” Spike cried as he frantically hopped over the wagon.

“I can’t!” Big Mac yelled, racing Spike to the other side of the cart. “I’m afraid of bugs!”

“What?! I see you handle bugs all the time at the acres! Come on, just help me out, will you?” With a desperate leap, he grabbed a hold of Big Mac’s tail and anchored his feet to the ground.

“Never mind, I lied!” Big Mac confessed, dragging Spike along as he ran laps around the wagon. His breathing became labored and a sharp pain grew in his chest, but he heaved on.

“Wha—why would you lie about something like that?!” Spike yelled from behind. “That’s not funny, Mac. You scared me! Now stop so I can give you a payback punch.”

The dragon began pulling himself up. He was just about to re-grip further along the tail when a familiar twinkling sound echoed its way to his ear, distracting him long enough for Big Mac to tug himself loose.

Then suddenly, a loud crack of thunder followed by purple lightning shattered what normality was left that day in Ponyville square. Spike forgot about Big Mac’s tail and used his hands to shield his eyes from the fluctuating light as it grew in brightness and intensity. Space tore around the dragon, showing him glimpses of places both near and far, and in a blinding flash later, a lavender unicorn popped out of the portal and materialized next to him. Then as soon as the teleportation spell was complete, the mare pounced onto Spike and covered the lower half of his body with her own.

“Spike, wait!” she shrieked while dangling off the dragon’s waist. “You’re still wearing Rarity’s thong!”

Spike looked down and met her frantic eyes. “Hey, Twi,” he said, offering a lopsided smile. “And yeah, I realized that not too long ago.”

“O-Oh, good.” She tried to nod but her muzzle hit Spike’s stomach. “Well then, did you get the grocer—whoa!” Twilight’s grip slipped and she began sliding down Spike’s legs, dragging the sinful, black lingerie down with her at an agonizingly slow speed. When her rump hit the floor, her face stopped on the dragon’s crotch and an awkward silence hung over them as neither sibling dared move, both overcome by the weirdness of the situation.

Then with much vigor and swiftness, Twilight threw herself off of Spike. “Argh, my face!” she spat while stomping around the cobbles in a wild tantrum. Eventually her outburst led to her bumping into a wagon precariously parked in the middle of the street.

“Ouch!” she yipped, rubbing her side. “What kind of pony would just leave their... wait, isn’t this the Apples’ cart?” Her eyes scanned the offending wagon’s apple logo. “What’s it doing out here?"

Slowly, the head of a red coated stallion poked out from behind the wagon. “Hi, Twilight,” Big Mac greeted. He stopped his ascension when his eyes were just above the frame.

Twilight backed away, startled by his eerie behavior. “O-Oh, hello there, Big Macintosh,” she said. “Um, what are you doing back there?”

“Just standin’ around,” he replied. “You here to pick up Spike?”

“Yeah,” Twilight drew the word out, backing up until she was side by side with the dragon. “I’m… just going to take Spike back home now. I would be much appreciative if you never brought this up. Never ever… ever.”

With a hesitant nod from the farmer, Twilight perked up and pivoted on her hooves to face her brother. “Alright, let’s go home then, Spike. Don’t forget Rarity’s dare.”

“Yep, right here in my hand,” Spike said, twirling the thong on his finger.

“Quit spinning it like that,” Twilight scolded. “It might fly off and poke somepony in the eye, and then I’ll be responsible for whatever infection they get.”

Spike sniffed. “Infection? What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked crossly.

“Ugh, whatever! Just grab the groceries so we can get back to the party already.”

Spike blinked. “Oh yeah, the groceries.” He bent over to pick up the forgotten basket on the side of the road, giving Big Mac a brief view of his uncovered rear. “Kay, I’m ready.”

“Good, then here we go.” Charging her horn up, Twilight launched herself at Spike and encased them in a magical aura. Spike gave the stallion a quick wave before he was tackled off his feet, and a second and a blink later the two of them were gone, a blackened ground and an acrid smell where they once stood.

Big Mac frowned deeply as he stared at the seared cobbles. His shame had receded the moment that Twilight had interrupted his and Spike’s chase, but the embarrassment remained. Passing townsponies continued to stare at the stallion, giggling behind his back and no doubt spreading rumors about the recent happenings. But his awkward situation was soon washed away as the first drops of that night’s rain began to fall.

It started as a light sprinkle barely moistening the stallion’s coat, but soon the rain drops became larger in size and frequency, and the whole of the town square was dripping in just a matter of seconds. Ignoring the startled murmurings of the passersby as they ran past him for cover, Big Mac pulled his cart forward and trudged home in silence. He tried his hardest to forget about Spike and his thong, instead paying attention to the gentle pitter patter of the rain and the splashing of his hooves as they tread through puddles.

With the acres just around the corner and his home a brisk trot away, Big Mac picked up his pace. It would have been easy to just sprint home if he hadn't used up the remainder of his energy on Spike, but after about half a mile of nonstop jogging, it was getting hard to keep it up as the bitter coldness of the rain sapped the life out of him and stiffened his joints. It didn’t help that the wheels of his wagon were constantly getting stuck in muddy trenches and loosed branches along the way, but after almost an hour of battling against the forces of nature, the weathered workhorse was nearing his destination.

To distract himself from any trivialities for the final push of his journey, he let his mind drift into his imagination. As he turned a corner and caught a glimpse of the barn, he fantasized about coming home to see Spike waiting in his doorway, wearing nothing but an apron and his lingerie underneath. In his claws was a nice, steaming apple pie, and on his face was a pleasant smile that shone with more brightness than Celestia’s sun. Big Mac walked past the fences and into the premises, and every step he took towards the dragon thawed his freezing limbs and soothed his aching body. His mind clouded and he started to feel dizzy, as if his progress towards home brought him ever closer to his dream world.

Finally he stopped in front of Spike. The dragon looked at him through those magnificent emeralds, and he met his gaze. Then Spike closed his eyes and leaned forward for a welcome home greeting, and Big Macintosh melted.

“Is… Is he dead?”

“No he ain’t dead! Now go inside and fetch me a blanket.”

Granny Smith watched as her youngest granddaughter gave a quick nod and hurried into the house. Once the young mare was out of sight, she turned her attention back to the heaving stallion on her doorsteps.

“Tsk tsk. Dumb boy never knows when to take a break. Him and his sister are too alike.”

“Hey, I ain’t as dumb as Big Mac!” The young mare returned quickly with a folded blanket atop her head. “I gots me a four point o’ GPA, for cryin’ out loud.”

“Not you.” Granny Smith shot a peeved look behind her shoulder, but her expression softened when she heard a low groan from below.

The old matriarch of the Apple family watched her grandson breath unsteadily for a while. Then with a sigh, she took the blanket from Applebloom and wrapped it around the stallion’s frame. Once he was nice and tucked in, she moved forward and squeezed her muzzle under him, lifting the burly pony onto her back with unnatural ease.

“Shut the door, would ya?” she said as she trotted through the doorway.

Applebloom watched worriedly as her big brother was hauled upstairs. Then with an exasperated groan, she followed them, bucking the door closed behind her.

Chapter 5: Dashed Hopes

Chapter 5

Pinkie Pie’s jovial whistling echoed out of the kitchen along with puffs of smoke and spices. The other Elements of Harmony and dragon sat patiently around the small table just outside of the cookery, waiting in anticipation for their meals to come carting out on top of the pink pony at any minute.

“Mm, that smells heavenly,” purred Rarity, her eyes half-lidded as she inhaled the spicy aroma drifting out of the kitchen.

Applejack licked her lips. “You said it.”

Twilight whiffed the air curiously. “Judging by the earthy spice, I’m guessing she’s making some sort of curry.”

“It hurts my nose just smelling it.” Fluttershy wiped her eyes of the stinging mist of spices and covered her snout, suppressing an oncoming sneeze. “I hope it’s not going to be as hot as it smells.”

“Yeah, I hope it’s going to be hotter!” Rainbow Dash slammed a hoof on the table, startling the rest of the group. “Hot enough to make me cry!”

Spike laughed at the masochistic comment. “I’m not sure if I want my food that spicy, but I’d like it to at least match one of her hot sauce-saparillas.” he said, popping open another one of Pinkie’s concoctions and guzzling it dry.

“But still.” The dragon licked the sizzling mixture of fiery saliva and carbonated hot sauce off of his lips. “Something about this smell seems a little… familiar.”

The ponies and dragon continued to while away the long wait time with conversations and guesses on what Pinkie would be dishing out. At first they were hesitant on whether it was safe for the maverick to work unsupervised in the kitchen all by herself, but their protests were allayed when the pink pony guaranteed them a special treat that would make Spike’s first sleepover an especially memorable one, so long as she got to work in privacy. Although the game of Truth or Dare had already done just that, the prospect of getting to taste some of the legendary baker’s cooking quickly swayed the sleepover-ers into allowing her to do as she pleased. And so they sat around the puny round table centered in the library room, chatting to pass the time until dinner was done.

“Tada!” a cheerful voice suddenly sang. “It’s chow time!”

The party turned towards the kitchen entrance to see Pinkie Pie hopping out of it with several plates of food bouncing on her back. How she kept the balance of the dishes while maintaining the buoyant spring in her step was beyond anybody’s comprehension, but they ignored her not so irregular show of natural defiance; being accustomed to the pink pony’s feats of impossibility, they focused instead on the much anticipated supper coming their way.

“Tonight’s dinner is sure to knock your socks off, if you’re into that kinky hoof-wear stuff,” Pinkie announced, skipping to a halt in front of the group. “Get ready for my special, delicious, ultra, mildly spicy, party-rific curry!”

“I knew it,” Twilight whispered to herself. Her snout rose to the air and she gave herself a congratulatory pat on the back for her correct guess.

“And boy have I got a treat for you, Twilight!” the chef said as she distributed everypony’s dinner by way of Frisbee tossing them onto the table.

“Huh?” The lavender unicorn pointed a hoof at her chest. “A treat for me?”

“Yeah you!” Pinkie slid an especially large, food-stacked plate across the table. “Since you let us use the library for our sleepover, I saved the best part of the curry just for you!”

The unicorn smiled. “Thank you, Pinkie, but you really didn’t have to.” Despite saying that, Twilight watched excitedly as the plate skidded to a stop in front her. She stared at the steaming pile of curry rice for a while, licking her lips and inhaling the pungent smell floating out of her meal. She smelled the richness of the curry powder, a bit of garlic and onions too, a pinch of ginger, and the distinct bitter-sweetness of… dark chocolate? Oh, this was going to be good.

“Well don’t just stare at it!” Pinkie Pie said, addressing not only Twilight, but everypony else who simply ogled at the burnt umber goodness in front of them. “Dig in!”

At the chef’s encouragement, the partiers jumped onto their foods. Twilight immediately fired up her horn and picked up the spoon resting beside her. Starting at the very tip or the curry mound, she scraped a bit off the top and shoveled it into her mouth, and that first bite got her addicted. The unicorn wasn’t the only one who instantly fell in love with the food, and soon the room was filled with the delighted munching sounds of ‘aums’, ‘noms’ and ‘angs’, with the occasional smack of the lips.

“Mm, this is delicious!” Twilight moaned in approval. She was about to scoop up some more, but a sudden thought occurred to her and she put her spoon down. “But I’m curious about something,” she said, eyeing the curry hungrily. “Spike didn’t buy any peppers or any spicy ingredients, so how did you make it so hot? Did you use some of the hot sauce you brought for your sarsaparillas?”

The pink pony giggled. “You’ll find out soon enough!” She gave a wink and a brief smile before smashing her face into her own dinner at skull-denting speed.

With a shrug, Twilight accepted the cryptic answer and wiped off the curry that splattered on her during Pinkie’s face-dive. She then voraciously stabbed into her meal again, expecting to fill the crevice of her utensil with curry and rice, but something from within the pile hindered any deeper prodding—something slightly elastic and with a curious malleability that she was unable to attribute to any known food. She tried stirring through the saucy rice, but the mysterious thing persisted in anchoring her spoon. Frustrated that her feasting was put to a halt, the unicorn pulled her spoon into the air along with whatever was attached to it, and her jaw dropped along with her appetite.

“P-Pinkie Pie?” she asked shakily.

“Yes, Twilight?” Pinkie responded through a mouth full of curry. She swallowed hard and then smiled widely, allowing everypony view of the remaining grains of sticky rice stuck to her teeth.

Twilight cringed. “Why was Rarity’s lingerie in my food?” She presented Pinkie with a dripping, curry-soaked thong hanging off of her floating spoon.

“Because I just appreciate your hospitality and so I gave you the special portion—”

“No,” Twilight interrupted with a gurgle and swallow, fighting against the wave of nausea threatening to spill out of her mouth. “I mean why did you even put something that Spike wore on his hips into our food?” Her voice was husky with the amount of effort it took to keep herself from vomiting.

“Ooooh.” Pinkie Pie nodded comprehendingly. “Well, like you said, Spike didn’t buy any peppers or spicy things, so I had to improvise! He just left Rarity’s fancy undies on top of the food when he gave me the grocery basket, and when I saw it, inspiration struck and I knew how to solve our spicy dilemma. I thought , ‘Hey, we don’t have anything to make the curry hot, so why not use Spike’s smoky dragon sweat to spice things up?’, and then I tossed it in with the other ingredients. It worked a lot better than I expected!” She finished biting her tongue, holding back a bout of giggles.

“Pinkie, you can’t just… you can’t—erp!” Before she could finish her sentence, Twilight’s queasiness rose to its peak. Her eyes bulged, her coat turned a sickly shade of green, and her voice caught in her throat, or rather what was rising out of it. She quickly shoved a hoof into her mouth and made for the bathroom, tripping over her chair and a few books along the way.

“Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Twilight?!” cried Pinkie Pie. She watched worriedly as the unicorn staggered to the toilet, and then got up off of her seat to follow. She chased Twilight and was just about to join her in the bathroom, but the door suddenly slammed shut in her face.

“Twilight?” Pinkie knocked. “You alright in there?” Her only response was a throaty hurl and the surging plips of chunky stuff hitting water. She winced as a coughing fit came from the other side of the door and turned away slowly, hoping to give the sick unicorn some space.

“I… don’t think she liked my Pinkie prank,” Pinkie said, lightly bonking herself on the head while sticking out her tongue, but the worried look in her eyes betrayed her attempts at silliness. Concerned about their friend’s condition despite their snorts of laughter, and with their own appetites ruined, the rest of the girls joined the pink pony outside of the bathroom.

Spike stayed behind at the dinner table, looking disappointedly at the wasted food as the rice hardened and the curry grew cold. The revelation of the curry’s secret ingredient had ended their dinner abruptly, and with his sister sick and the other mares crowding around the lavatory worrying about her, it was up to Spike to clean up their forgotten meals. He trusted the girls to take care of Twilight, so with his familial responsibility taken care of by friends, he decided to attend to his other duties.

Although he too felt disgusted by Pinkie’s use of the worn thong, a smile crept onto his face as he thought about her crazy antics. When the party pony said that the dinner was going to be memorable, she wasn’t kidding. Spike chuckled when he found the sopping lingerie on the table, still oozing curry and veggies. With the very tip of his index and thumb nails, he picked it up and quickly tossed it onto a nearby dish, careful not to let any of the sauce it absorbed drip onto the table. Then he stacked the plates and utensils onto one hand and carried the tower of kitchenware away.

With a squeak and a turn of the knob, the faucet was soon pouring water onto the remnants of dinner, and Spike took a moment to soap up and lather the dishes before they were drowned. They would have to soak in the suds for a while until the curry and rice softened enough to scrape off with ease, so without much else to do but wait, he placed a kettle on the stove and put the heat to medium. A nice cup of warm tea always helped to settle Twilight’s nerves when she was feeling ill, and so being the caring brother he was, Spike made sure to prepare the tea leaves, a bowl of sugar and some hot water for when she came out.

Just as the kettle began whistling and he turned the stove’s dial to off, a shuffling sound came from the other side of the kitchen entrance.

“Psst, Spike!” a familiar, raspy voice beckoned. Rainbow Dash tiptoed into the kitchen and peered around, looking to make sure that the dragon was there, and only him. “Hey, is it just you in here?”

“Yup, just me.” Spike put all of the tea necessities on a tray, ready to haul out, and then turned back to the pegasus. “Did you need something, Rainbow?”

“Yeah, I was just wondering…” She fidgeted a little under his gaze. “If you could meet me on the balcony in a few? I just want to talk about… stuff.”

Spike hummed thoughtfully, and then nodded. “Sure, I like talking about stuff,” he said humorously, smiling. “I’ll meet you up there in like five minutes. Let me just get this tea to Twilight first.”

“Yeah, cool.” She laughed nervously. “Five minutes. Balcony. See you there.” Then she was gone, a rainbow streak the only evidence of her speedy exit.

Spike watched in wonderment as the motley trail slowly faded. It wasn’t like Rainbow Dash to be so tense, so whatever it was she needed to talk about was probably serious. Perhaps it had something to do with what she confided him in earlier that day...

Regardless, their meeting would have to wait. First was Twilight’s tea.

Rainbow Dash quietly stepped through the bedroom, carefully avoiding the many piles of books and study papers strewn about the ground. It was difficult to navigate around the organized chaos and towers of parchment in the darkness of the night, and the pegasus ended up tipping a few of them over in her hurry to make it to their meeting spot. She took air in frustration. Dropping her clandestine approach and no longer caring whether anyone heard the flapping of her wings, she flew over the fields of literature and stopped just in front of the exit leading out into the openness of the balcony.

And there he was, leaning on the ledge of the terrace while watching the sleepy town below through lidded eyes. The dragon looked majestic, almost unworldly as the moon’s ethereal light shrouded him in a pale glow while his scales emitted starlight.

Rainbow Dash sighed and admired him through the large-windowed doors leading outside. The tomboy had never met anyone of the opposite gender quite like Spike. Lacking male friends and having been bullied by colts during her childhood in flight-camp, her experiences with them were few and mostly unpleasant—and yet she was happy around Spike; he was different. He was kind, helpful, hard-working and caring, and his appearance was a reflection of his inner beauty. And with the way he consoled and embraced her earlier that day, it seemed that the drake valued her more than he did the other mares in Ponyville—Twilight excluded. It was obvious that there was a spark between the two, and Rainbow Dash hoped to pursue it.

Once she had her fill of the sight of her gorgeous mate, Rainbow cleared her throat and pushed her way outside. The chilly night air swooshed past her, rustling the pages of the books in the room and fanning the blinds, and those noises along with the squeak of the door’s hinges were enough to grab Spike’s attention. He turned around and gave a small wave as he met eyes with the approaching pegasus.

She returned with a quick nod. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh, you know.” Spike shrugged, leaning against the balcony’s fence. “Just standing here, wondering why you called me out,” he said with a sarcastic but friendly smile.

“Oh cool. Yeah, awesome.” She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, wishing she’d thought of something to say before revealing herself. “Um, sorry I’m a little late. I was just doing a few rounds outside to stretch my wings.” In reality she spent her time flying outside bucking away the rainclouds to set a more romantic mood, but that sounded way uncool and was therefore omitted from her apology.

“No worries,” said Spike, his eyes drifting up to the constellations above. The night sky reflected deep green in his orbs, and Rainbow Dash caught herself staring dumbly again. The ten exhausting seconds of intense cloud clearing was well worth the sight. After almost a minute of content staring had passed, she shook out of her stupor and attempted at more small talk.

“So, how’s Twilight?” she asked casually, hoping to ease into more serious topics.

“Twilight’s fine now. A sip of tea and a thousand apologies from Pinkie in one breath helped her get back to normal. She’s even laughing about the prank right now, so that’s good.”

“That’s a relief. It would’ve sucked if she were mad at Pinkie for the rest of the sleepover.”

“Nah.” Spike shook his head with a smile. “They’re too close for something like that to happen.”

“Speaking of being close…” Rainbow Dash stepped over until she was standing side-by-side with the dragon, and then looked over apprehensively to see his reaction. His eyes were still on the stars and he didn’t seem to mind, so she sighed in relief and relished in the feeling of her fur pressing against his smooth scales. She thought about attempting the ‘yawn and grab’, but decided against it, not wanting to ruin the mood, and settled on the peaceful silence they shared for a moment. Then she turned serious.

“So, Spike. I know it’s soon, but why don’t we, like, make this official?”

Spike arched his brow. “Make the sleepover official? I think it’s already pretty legit, what with all the games we played, all the snacking we’ve done and… I guess we haven’t gotten to the sleeping part yet. Hey, maybe we should build a blanket fort! Then nopony would question the validity of our sleepover!” He finished with his fist pumped and a childish excitement in his eyes.

Rainbow Dash face-hoofed. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh.” Spike deflated back to his usual relaxed posture. “Then what’ll we be making official?”

“I was talking about… you know.” Rainbow Dash motioned a fore-hoof between herself and Spike while waggling her brow. The dragon just tilted his head in confusion and scratched his arm. “Oh, come on, Spike. I’m talking about us!”

Spike blinked. “Us?”

“Yes, us.”

“What about us did you want to talk about?” asked Spike, his expression suddenly turning urgent. “Is there another mission for the Elements?!”

Rainbow Dash, vexed, threw her hooves in the air along with what little patience she had left for Spike’s puerile naivety. “No, I meant the two of—”

“Spike?” a polished voice called from the stairs, stealing their attention. “Spike, are you up there?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” he called back.

“Oh good.” They could almost hear Rarity nod. “I’m having trouble finding the tea, and Twilight has requested another cup. Would you be a dear and give me a hoof?”

“Sure, I’ll be right down.” Spike made for the opening into his and Twilight’s room, but then he paused mid-step and turned around, facing Rainbow Dash again.

“Um, is it okay if I go down? I think she might need me.”

Rainbow Dash racked her brain for any way to save her failed confession from being pointless, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Just answer me this: do you still have a crush on Rarity?”

Spike blushed and looked away uncomfortably, and Rainbow Dash grimaced as she realized the distastefulness of her intrusive question. But then Spike leered suddenly, wistfully, as he looked again to the night sky at something unseen. Despite his smile, his eyes looked pained, and whatever he was thinking about was obviously unpleasant, yet happy—bittersweet.

“No,” he finally spoke. “I still love her, but not like I used to. After seeing her go out with so many other ponies, I just sort of lost interest.”

“Oh. Okay,” Rainbow Dash responded lamely. She tried to move forward to console the saddened dragon, but her body remained unmoving, weighed down by the gravity of Spike’s palpable sorrow and the guilt of causing it.

“Well, that’s all in the past.” Spike shrugged and started towards the bedroom. “I better go help with the tea and check on Twilight,” he said, teetering towards the door. “She gets in a bad mood when she’s sick, and I don’t think Fluttershy, or the other girls, can handle cranky Twilight alone. See you inside?”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip, and then sighed. “Yeah, sure. Twilight’s more important. Family first, and all that.”

Spike frowned. “Hey now, don’t you think like that, Rainbow Dash,” he chided. “You’re important to me too, and remember what I said earlier today; I’ll always be there to watch over you.” He raised his fist towards the pegasus.

“Spike…” Rainbow Dash met him with a hoof-bump and beamed.

“We’re practically siblings, after all!” Spike matched her smile with a toothy grin of his own.

Her smile became forced. “Yeah, totally,” Rainbow agreed half-heartily, struggling to keep her lips upturned.

Then Spike pulled away. “Alright, don’t stay out too long! We’ll probably start the movie soon,” he yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared into his dark room.

Rainbow Dash watched him leave. As soon as he was out of sight, her smile shattered along with the hopes she’d had for that night. She was friend-zoned—no, it was far worse; she was sibling-zoned.

But wait, she thought. There was a new hope now, Spike had confirmed it himself. There was a clear gap in his heart where Rarity once was, a vacancy that could be filled by any mare, so long as they were able to catch his fancy. Perhaps that mare could be Rainbow Dash. She was no Rarity, but wherever the pegasus lacked in feminine qualities, she made up with pure, unfiltered awesomeness.

Spike had been able to somehow resist her charms before, so it was time to pull out all the stops. That dragon was about to experience coolness and radicity in their purest forms; a combined, physical manifestation of the two by the name of Rainbow Danger Dash.

She trotted back into the tree house with a new swagger in her step and her mind full of victory.

Chapter 6: Bruised Apple

Spike dug his nails into the bark and climbed further up. He pulled himself onto the nearest branch, and once situated, jumped onto a higher one. There he sat, claws latched onto the trunk for stability and legs swinging off of the side. Amber light spilled through the lush canopy and glistened off of the apples hanging around him like Hearth’s Warming Eve ornaments. He admired the organic décor for a moment, then shifted his gaze out to fair Ponyville.

Perched on the highest branch of the greatest tree in the orchard, overlooking the sleepy town below from his vantage, and feeling airy and light as a feather, Spike wondered if that was how Rainbow Dash felt like on her bi-hourly breaks snoozing in the clouds. He looked up to the calm cumulonimbi above and wondered if the pegasus was lounging in some fluffy citadel amidst the vapors, and if she could spot the tiny purple dot hiding in the blanket of apple trees below. Or maybe she chose the acres for her siesta today, just like he did. Spike wanted to shout her name, to call for her to keep him company for the remainder of his break. But he’d feel foalish if, and probably when, he got no response, so he kept quiet and just relished in the idyllic midday. His eyes fluttered shut and he leaned against the trunk. Everything was tranquil.

“Spike? You still up there?”

Ponyfeathers. Had it been thirty minutes already?

“Uh, Spike?”

“Yeah, I’m up here,” he called back. “Just give me a sec.” Spike took one last glance out at Equestria: softly rolling clouds above, sparkling Canterlot in the distance, homely Ponyville down below—all shrouded by a frame of leaves and apples. A content sigh and he was ready for work. He scooted off his perch and leapt down a series of branches. Apple Bloom, so accustomed to Spike’s feline grace, didn't bat an eye as he landed with a soft thud beside her. They exchanged familiar smiles.

“So, what’s next?” Spike asked.

“Next is cleanin’ the tool shed.” The young mare started towards the side of the barn and Spike followed. “With Big Mac sick in bed, it’s up to us to do his share of the work too, so get ready for some heavy liftin’.”

“Huh, it’s weird,” said Spike, curious. “He seemed just fine when I saw him yesterday.”

“Think he’s fakin’ it to get outta work?”

“Nah, he wouldn’t do that. It was probably the rain that got him sick, right? It was really pouring last night.” A mushy patch of soil bubbled under his step, as if to emphasize his point.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Maybe. But it’s still weird that he didn’t want any guests comin’ into his room. Downright suspicious, if you ask me.”

Spike scratched the back of his head, rubbing and straightening his spines as he weaved his fingers around them. It was a habit he’d picked up during his home schooling sessions with Twilight; something about massaging his scalp—or maybe his brain—helped him think. Right then he was thinking about Big Mac and why the stallion refused his company.

After the night of the sleepover, he and Applejack had left the library extra early for their morning shifts at the farm. It was difficult maneuvering through the tangled limbs of their friends (the previous night’s showing, The Thingy, had turned out to be a gore-horror film with an engrossing plot that sucked the attention, and life in Fluttershy’s case, out of its audience, and at the end of the night the girls had voted to sleep huddled around Spike for comfort, which made for a strenuous obstacle in the morning.) After much slithering and a bit of tugging from Applejack, they had finally escaped the pony pile and made their way to the acres, twenty minutes late, to find out that they would be covering Big Mac’s shifts for the rest of the day. Spike did his usual work trimming the trees on the outer edges of the orchard and then went to visit the sick stallion, only to be stopped by an apologetic Granny Smith, who explained Big Mac’s desire for privacy during his sick day. This was weird to Spike for two reasons: one, Big Mac was never sick. Ever. He was the healthiest pony in town and had a body built for the harshest of conditions and a heart that could rival the steam engine of a train. And two, they were close friends—best friends in Spike’s mind, ever since Snips and Snails moved away years ago to pursue their ambitions. He just couldn’t fathom why Big Mac would deny his presence. A short get well greeting and he would’ve been out of his mane. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it still bothered him nonetheless.

“Somthin’ botherin’ you, Spike?”

“Huh?” Spike glanced around and noticed that they had arrived at the northern most wall of the barn, the double doors leading into the tool shed right in front of him. Apple Bloom waited beside it with curious eyes. “No, I’m fine. I just have some things on my mind.”

“You should really take a break sometime,” said Apple Bloom. “You might overwork yourself, helping Twilight at the library, working here, and even volunteering at Fluttershy’s on top of it all. At this rate, you’re going to tucker yourself out!”

“No, it’s got nothing to do with work,” Spike yawned, waving his hand. “I just dozed off a bit.”

Apple Bloom stared at him for a moment, then looked away. She nodded mechanically. “Still sleepy from the slumber party, huh.” There was an edge to her normally sweet voice. Spike tensed. “It must’a been fun, doin’ who knows what with a bunch of mares cooped up in that dusty ol’ library.” She bucked open the entrance and stepped inside. Her voice echoed out of the darkness, along with the sound of her rummaging around. “Nothin’ much to do in a library, is there? ‘Sides readin’—but ya’ll did more than that, didn’t you?”

“Um, yeah,” Spike answered warily. “We didn’t really read at all; that’s more of a book club kind of thing. We played games, ate some pie, watched a movie, wrestled—”

“Wrestled?” Movement in the shed suddenly ceased.

“Yeah, me and Rainbow Dash.” Spike’s smile was audible. “She’s definitely better than Snips and Snails, I’ll give her that, but I think I could’ve taken her if the girls hadn’t shown up for the sleepover right then. She’s lucky they did.”

The silence in the shed continued briefly, then a sigh. “You going to come down here and help me, or what?”

“Oh, right.” Spike descended into the shed cautiously, watching the tunnel around him become gradually darker until the only indication of his progress became the squeaks of the old wooden steps. He almost fell over when the next step became leveled and he was at the bottom. Through the musty, unventilated air he picked up Apple Bloom’s faint scent and the smell of cheap candles, a sign that he was getting close. Eventually he caught the dim glimmer of fire and followed it to a lantern hanging above a wide wooden closet, open, a pair of yellow legs and buttock sticking out of it.

He walked up next to her.

“Took you long enough,” Apple Bloom said from within. She whipped her head out of the closet and gave him a stern look, nulled by the thick layer of dust blanketing her muzzle. “Now c’mere and help me organize these.”

Spike held back a chuckle and made his way next to, but a comfortable distance away from, the galled mare. He then began arranging the dusty tools by size and purpose: spades and shovels, plows and hoes. Work was a good distraction from his friend’s peculiar behavior, and they worked in silence. As he semi-consciously did the menial task, his mind drifted again to Big Mac and the stallion’s unusual want for privacy, as opposed to his normal, quiet sociability. But whatever worry or care Spike still had for the old topic was soon exhausted, and he thought about the previous night instead.

The sleepover was a hit. The girls were enthused with his addition to their private sisterhood of slumber partying, and the movie was appropriately scary. Bedtime was hot, but pleasantly cuddly, thanks to the blanket of ponies. The only thing Spike felt unsure about was the talk on the balcony with Rainbow Dash—specifically the last question she asked. No was his honest answer, and torn was his state of mind when he’d said it. It reminded him of his estranged relationship with Rarity. Years of gentle rejections and all the awkward moments when he’d passed by her and whatever pony she was going out with at the time had worn their relationship and Spike’s unshared affection, until all that was left was an intimate acquaintanceship. This acquaintanceship existed only in the presence of their mutual friends, and awkwardness ensued in moments alone. It had been going on so long, in fact, that when Rarity had dared him yesternight, Spike felt almost nostalgic, regardless of whether she meant only to include him or was bandwagoning. And as Spike remembered this, he came to a realization: that he missed Rarity. Not her nonexistent romance, but her friendship.

“Hey,” Apple Bloom asked through the broom in her mouth.

Spike took the broom and set it aside, next to a mop. “Yeah, boss?”

“How come we don’t play together anymore?”

Spike pondered for a moment, then answered. “I… huh? I don’t know.”

Apple Bloom stopped her rhythmic cataloguing and turned to face him, smiling wanly. “You remember all those shenanigans we used to get ourselves into? Me, you, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and sometimes a few other schoolmates... I miss those times.”

Spike shrugged. “Well, we’re too old to play like we used to. I could hardly fit in the clubhouse anymore.”

“But you played with a whole bunch of ponies just yesterday night,” she retorted, almost whining. “And I don’t mean just playin’, but spendin’ time together, like we used to, before every pony moved away.” Apple Bloom gave him the look; the sad face she involuntarily—or perhaps deviously—made whenever she was grieved by something. Spike mirrored it; he knew what she was feeling.

She must feel left out, he related, old memories of Twilight leaving him in his basket as she went out with the girls still fresh in his mind. Fresher were the several tear-jerking goodbyes he and his childhood friends shared as they were separated by life. This topic of bittersweet reminiscence and abandonment had been the forefront of Spike’s angst in younger days. He knew it well, had resolved it, and had moved on. Apple Bloom hadn’t, apparently, but that wasn’t surprising. She had taken it the hardest when the others moved away, especially when the Cutie Mark Crusaders disbanded.

Spike looked over at her and saw that the filly from when he had first moved to Ponyville had changed. She had grown into a strong, charming young mare, much like her sister, but not quite. Apple Bloom was much slimmer and had a more feminine appearance about her, despite the subtle muscularity. She had long since abandoned her pink ribbon, shortly after she got her cutie mark, a pale pink flower settled against an apple, as if to symbolize her shedding from foal to marehood. Her smile, once the brightest part of the acres, had become restrained as she grew older, but she still resembled the same little filly, warm and fun, sensitive and easily lonesome.

“Let’s go out to town.”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom blinked, dumbfounded by the spontaneity.

“We could hang out when we’re done here, just you and me,” Spike said with a serious look, softened by a sheepish smile. “It won’t be like the old days, when all of our friends were still here, but it could still be fun. We haven’t spent much time together since we grew up, and something new might be a nice change of pace.” He hoped dearly that she would say yes. Spike knew he could never replace Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo, but Apple Bloom needed a good friend to help her move on, old or not. He hoped to fill that role.

“Okay!” A genuine smile shone across her lips. It was free, youthful, and contagious. Nostalgic.

They settled on a destination, Sugarcube Corner, and Apple Bloom galloped out of the shed to inform her family of their outing, while Spike volunteered to finish up. He haphazardly grabbed an armful of the remaining tools. They were smaller instruments; pruners, knives, weeders—all caked in dust from rarely being used—obsolete ever since the dragon’s employment into the farm. He felt almost guilty putting them away, using the very claws that had put them out of business to do so. But the excitement he felt quashed any negative thinking. Of course, he still had Fluttershy to help later in the day, but that wasn’t until afternoon, just before sundown. Until then, noon was to be spent with Apple Bloom, catching up.

And maybe, if they had the time, he’d pay Rarity a visit.

Applejack watched longingly as the two figures left the acres. Their carefree smiles were visible even through the sun’s haze and the dust clouds that billowed in their wake, and as they turned past the fences lining the Apples’ property, Applejack caught a glimpse of their propinquity: they walked side-by-side, Spike’s hand on Apple Bloom’s withers. They proceeded further along the trail and were soon obscured in the thick hedges bordering the road and Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack sighed. With Big Macintosh sick, his share of the work became her responsibility, and she was aware of that. But jealousy still nagged at the weary mare as the image of her sister and Spike’s careless departure replayed constantly in her mind. Of course, Apple Bloom had asked if she wanted to tag along and had even offered to help finish bucking the rest of the trees, but it was clear that she’d asked only out of familial courtesy, rather than a genuine want for more company. Her unnatural smirk and shifting eyes were indications of that, and Applejack took the hints gracefully, waving them off with her most convincing smile.

Now, looking back at all of the apple trees yet to be bucked, the lone farm mare wondered if that had been such a good idea. She grumbled something along the lines of, “Rotten, trodden apples,” and went back to work. Channeling all of her jealousy into her hind legs, she launched a mighty buck. The sound of piling apples came from behind, followed by a loud snap and a yelp. Applejack turned around at the odd series of noises, and winced at the splintered crater in the bark where her hooves had impacted. Then her look turned into one of annoyance as she regarded the squirming pegasus beside her apple basket.

“You were here the whole time?” Applejack deadpanned.

“Sleeping,” Rainbow Dash yawned, walking away on unsteady hooves. “So, what are we waiting for?”

“Pardon?” asked Applejack as she positioned her baskets under the next tree.

“Let’s move it! They’ll get away at this rate.”

“What, you mean Spike and Apple Bloom?”

“Yep. Apple Bloom said they were heading into town, right? Well then let’s go join them.”

Applejack gave a withering stare. “You just want me to distract Apple Bloom, don’t cha?”

“What? No!” Rainbow Dash snickered uneasily. “It just, uh, wouldn’t be the same without you!”

Applejack sighed. “Well, I can’t. Still got Big Mac’s share of the work to do.” Buck.

Rainbow Dash caught one of the apples and polished it against her coat. It came off with a sheen of dried sweat and dirt. She shrugged and took a bite. “You need some help?”

Applejack’s next buck missed, and she slid belly first onto the ground. “Did the Rainbow Dash, laziest pegasus in Ponyville, just offer to help me?”

“Payback for the apple," Rainbow Dash said in between bites.

"Apples," Applejack said with an emphasis on pluralizing it. "And sure, I reckon I can use some help."

Her chores were done in ten minutes flat, and they were soon off to Ponyville.

Chapter 1: Hot Hot Heat

Beauty of the Beast

Chapter 1: Hot Hot Heat

It was Monday, the preferred shopping day for most of Ponyville’s residents, and the entire shopping district was jam-packed with ponies trying to snag the best deals during the sale rush. Despite the crowds of ponies grinding past each other to get where they needed to go, nothing particularly risque was going on and stallions and mares walked innocently past each other without so much as a second glance.

Vendors were busy with taking orders, reorganizing their shops, and dispersing the correct amounts of change, while consumers galloped from stall to stall, desperately trying to get their shopping done before their necessities went out of stock. So busy was the entire street that ponies hardly noticed the late arrival into the shopping spree, nor did they pay any heed to the sudden rise in temperature. But one mare, who was co-managing a flower stall with her two friends, caught the shining, purple glimmer in the corner of her eye.

Roseluck squinted at the fierce glare reflected from a passerby and frowned. “Argh, my eyes!” she cried, using her hooves to shield herself.

“What the hay is that?” asked Lily, one of her co-managers.

“It must be some gaudy piece of accessory for it to shine like that.” Daisy, the last of the trio, peered through the hoof she was using as a visor and eyed the approaching figure. As it came closer, she saw purple and frowned. “Ugh, I think it’s Rarity. She would wear a disco ball as a necklace.”

They shared a collective chortle as the light came closer, dimming when the source was no longer at an angle to the sun, but as soon as whoever it was came into view, the three florists went silent. They worked their mouths but nothing came out, for no words were worthy of describing the beauty of what they saw.

A domino effect took place, and suddenly the bustle around each stall quieted and all transactions came to a stand-still. The sound of scales against cobblestone drew the interest of everypony, and they all turned their attentions to the approaching figure. Then they too were hypnotized by the beauteous creature.

Spike, a young, purple dragon at the peak of his teenage years, sauntered through the shopping district, his smooth scales glimmering in the noon sun and reflecting purple and green lights around the stalls like an iridescent gem. He walked with a straight, puffed posture that shone confidence, and his long and slender, yet toned and defined features coincided harmoniously, giving him an androgynous figure that made ponies of all genders and orientations double-take.

And his heart was just as pure and fair, if not more so, as his appearance. A draconic Adonis with the kind of temperament and kindness one would only find in the princesses themselves; such an exotic and noble creature was the center of attention at the shopping district that day.

The dragon held a basket in one claw and a shopping list in the other, and just seeing those two things in his possession gave the vendors hope—hope that the items they sold would be on that list and that Ponyville’s dragon would come to their stalls and grace them with his presence.

He finally walked into the center of the shopping district where everypony had a clear view of him, and as if on cue, a hushed murmur chorused throughout the district.

“It’s… it’s him!” Roseluck whispered to her cohorts. “It’s… Spike.” After a shared dreamy sigh, she and her fellow florists squealed in unison and fell into silence as they watched the young dragon walk towards them.

“Hey, girls,” Spike greeted casually when he was in front of their stalls.

With the other two stall managers being too shy to step up, Roseluck inched her way to the register and welcomed him with her biggest smile.

“H-hey, Spike!” she said with a little too much enthusiasm. “Anything I can get for you?”

“Um, I’ll let you know in a sec. I’m just browsing for now.”

“Sure, take your time.” Roseluck watched nervously as Spike perused her wide selection of flora with the eyes of an expert. She gulped when his brow furrowed while eyeing a daisy, but sighed in relief, as did her friend who’s specialty and namesake were said flower, when he relaxed his facial muscles and smiled at the dainty thing.

“Do you have any of those hybridized roses from last season?” the dragon asked without looking up.

“Eh?” Realizing that he was addressing her, Roseluck shook out of her stupor and put on her most natural smile. But then the smile vanished as she fully comprehended the question.

“Um, well.” She didn’t have them. The hybridized roses were a one-time thing only. Being an earth pony, she had a lot of difficulty utilizing the tools necessary for artificial cross-pollination and barely met her quota last season. After realizing her limitations, she decided to never attempt it again, and with that regretful thought in mind, she told her much-valued customer the bad news.

“I’m sorry, Spike, but I don’t have any in stock. They were a limited-time thing.” Spike frowned a little before shrugging it off, but just seeing that brief moment of disappointment was enough for the infatuated earth pony to feel the need to console him.

“I-I’m really sorry. It’s just that, it’s hard for earth ponies like me to use the tools needed to self-pollinate them.” With a dejected sigh, she bowed her head and began to feel disappointed with herself for not being able to satisfy her man. “If only I were born a unicorn—”

Roseluck fell silent when she felt a gentle squeeze on her withers. With a surprised squeak, she slowly lifted her head and made eye-contact with the emeralds that were Spike’s eyes.

“It’s okay, Roseluck,” he said gently, his claw still caressing her shoulders and the back of her neck. “You shouldn’t feel ashamed of your limitations. I appreciate you just the way you are.”

If not for the strong claw holding her upright and her friends supporting her weight from the sides, Roseluck would have fallen backwards in the cheesiest of swoons.

“As for your flowers,” his voice became hushed as he leaned forward, his lips just inches away from her ear. “If you ever need help pollinating them, I’d be happy to help. My claws would come in handy, don’t you think?” He flashed what she saw as a sultry smile before pulling back.

“B-but, huh?” Roseluck spluttered as she tried to wrap her mind around the comment, and soon her cheeks took on the same coloration as her cutie mark. Did he just say what I think he said? There was definitely an innuendo in there about pollinating her flower. She wasn’t too sure whether she had just imagined the flirtatiousness in his voice, but it drove her to madness nonetheless.

She became scared for her life—not because she was face-to-face with Equestria’s most powerful predator, but because she felt like she was on the verge of having a heart-attack. Spike, the sexiest creature in Ponyville, had just flirted with her. Thinking quickly, she covered her mouth for fear that she might start frothing from it like a rabid fan-girl.

Spike raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior, but snapped his fingers after coming to a realization. “Oh, you’re wondering how I knew so much about self-pollinating flowers, huh? Well, being a librarian’s assistant, I’ve read my fair share of—”

Roseluck tuned everything out. She didn’t pay attention to a word the adorable dragon before her was saying, nor did she notice the line of drool trailing down her chin. She just watched through dreamy eyes as his mouth worked up and down and his snake-like tongue slithered between his long fangs to form vowels and consonants and other word stuff that the intelligent dragon probably knew the names of… words stuff that were being so rudely ignored.

She came to and wiped the drool off her muzzle while nodding in comprehension, pretending as if she’d been paying attention the whole time.

“So my claws would be a good alternative to the tweezers meant for collecting the pollen, don’t you think? Oh, but don’t tell Twilight about this. She might get jealous if she finds out that I’m assisting another pony.” He chuckled at the last sentence, but Roseluck kept on a serious face. It was just as he said; Twilight couldn’t find out about this. That possessive, brother complex mare would just get in their way.

“So yeah, if you ever need help with your flowers, just give me a holler. Oh, and I would like a bouquet of each of your specialty flowers, please.”

“Sure, Spike." Roseluck whipped the wrapping paper out. "Anything for you.”

She and the other two mares managing the flower stall immediately got to work. They shuffled around and filled their bouquets with the freshest and most beautiful flowers in their stocks, hoping to satisfy their wonderful visitor with their best. With toothy grins and hot cheeks, the three mares handed Spike their flowers.

He took them gratefully and lifted them to his face, breathing deep of the pleasant aroma. But then he noticed a fragrance he hadn’t expected. Lowering the bouquets from his face, he saw a pale flower hiding amongst the petals of the more extravagant flora.

“Carnation,” he identified after examining its frilly, flimsy petals. “I think you added a flower by mistake, Roseluck.”

“T-that one’s for free. For you, and stuff,” Roseluck mumbled as she stared at something interesting on the ground.

Then her vision danced as she was swept up in a tight hug. At first, Roseluck was startled at the sudden contact, but soon melted in Spike's embrace. “Thanks, Rose.” She felt the vibration of his voice, the warmth emanating from his fire gland, the thumping of his big, dragon heart, and she savored the scent of old books and minty soap wafting off his scales. But just as quickly as he attack-hugged her, Spike dropped her back on the other side of the stall.

“Well, I’ve got to get on with the shopping list now,” he said as he rearranged the flowers to fit them in his basket. “Twilight is going to lecture me again if I’m late.” In spite of the groan of annoyance following his last remark, there was a smile on his face as he waved the trio of florists goodbye. “See you!”

Despite the glares she got from several jealous mares that had witnessed the scene and the fact that she was an earth pony, Roseluck was perched on cloud nine. After receiving a congratulatory buck to the flank by her two friends/coworkers, they stood together and watched the dragon sashay down the street, his slender hip swaying with each step and his tail waving at them teasingly.

He left behind a trail of flower petals and blooming hearts.

By the time Spike made it to the Apple Family’s booth, his basket was so over-packed with groceries that he had to carry half of his load on his shoulders. Once he was in front of the familiar wooden stand, he let his cargo drop unceremoniously on the ground with a loud thud and gulped down as much air as his dry lungs could take in.

“My, my, Spike. Are them flowers for lil ol’ me?” Applejack teased as she watched the tired dragon from the other side of the stand.

Spike smiled mischievously and opened his mouth with a comeback, but all that came out was a raspy cough followed by heavy wheezing. Applejack chuckled at the sorry state her friend was in and trotted over to a barrel behind her to get him some sweet relief. Grabbing a mug from the counter, she placed it under the spout and filled it to the brim with the Apple Family’s signature brew. Once golden foam began to seep off the edge of the cup, she gave it to her suffocating friend, who grabbed it with trembling fingers as if he’d just been handed the Holy Grail.

After guzzling down the beverage, Spike hiccupped and placed the mug on the board along with a few bits. But with a firm shake of her head, Applejack put a hoof over the money and slid the coins off the table and back into his basket. Before Spike could protest, she spoke again.

“Boy, you sure can handle your cider. Feelin’ any better, sugarcube?”

Spike sighed in defeat and put the bits back into the small money pouch Twilight had entrusted him with. “Yeah, much better. Thanks, AJ.”

“It’s the least I can do for all the work you’ve been helpin’ Big Mac with.” She reached a hoof past her baked goods counter and grabbed a rag, which she used to wipe the mug with. “So, what’s with all of them groceries?”

“Oh, I was out grocery shopping,” Spike said as he gathered the goods in one spot for ease of access later.

“Land sakes! How much do ya’ll eat? Oh wait, let me guess, Twilight’s been binging during her studyin’ breaks again. If that girl keeps snackin’ like that, she’s just gonna plump up again, I tell ya. Then it’ll be up to me and Rainbow to help her lose it all, just like last year.”

Spike snorted in amusement but shook his head. “Nah, she’s learned her lesson. She sent a letter to Princess Celestia and everything. These,” he said, gesturing towards the groceries, “are all just gifts from… well, everypony!”

“Eh? Pardon?” Thinking that she had heard wrong, Applejack cupped an ear with her hoof to better listen.

“Everypony I visited today during my grocery shopping gave me something extra,” Spike said as he pointed at the gifts accordingly. “Roseluck gave me a carnation, Bon Bon gave me some bonbons, and so on. I wonder why ponies are being so nice to me today. Maybe they think it’s my birthday, or something.”

Or maybe it’s ‘cause yer darn cute and you’ve got some nice tail, is what Applejack would have said if Granny Smith hadn’t bucked a good set of morals into her head at youth. But pushing those thoughts aside, AJ cleared her throat and got back to the matter at hoof.

“So, what can I do you for, sugarcube?”

Spike shifted where he stood and looked around conspiratorially before leaning over the counter and whispering. “Well, it’s not on Twilight’s shopping list, but I came here to pick up an apple pie,” he said nervously.

Applejack clicked her tongue and replied in an equally hushed voice. “You know I can’t do that, Spike. Twilight told me an’ Pinkie Pie to stop feedin’ you on the count of our treats always ruinin’ yer appetite, and I gave her my word.”

“But you’re not exactly feeding me if I’m paying for it, right?”

Shoot. Applejack hoped he wouldn’t play that card, but she too had an ace up her slee—err, Stetson. She looked thoughtful for a moment, as if considering what he’d just said, before replying with a smug grin.

“Nah.”

She giggled as Spike gave her a deadpan look and broke into unabated laughter when he rolled his eyes. It was always fun messing with her friends, and that was one of her favorite ways of doing it, but her amusement came to an end when she felt something lightly tug at her mane.

Applejack was so consumed in laughter that she hadn’t noticed Spike’s change of position. He was now fully leaning against the stall, his head resting on one hand while the other was playfully twiddling with a loose strand of blond hair.

Applejack knew she was in danger. Spike was about to use his pretty boy charms against her; she could feel it in the way he kept looking at her with those big ol' eyes. Trying to avoid his steely gaze, she lowered her stetson and kept her eyes below his chin, resting them on his defined pecs. Shoot.

"Applejack—"

"No, Spike," she said sternly. "No pie."

“It’s just one pie, Applejack.” The way Spike breathed her full name sent shivers down her spine and made her fur stand, but still she persisted.

“Nuh-uh, no can do, Spike. Twilight said—”

“She doesn’t have to know.” She could feel that hot breath against her, and all she could do was keep her eyes down and her mouth shut as he continued.

“Come on, let me eat your pie.” Spike lifted the rim of her hat with a finger and he looked into her frightened eyes the same way a Winona looked at the rabbits she chased out of the orchards. With one final word, he closed the deal.

“Sugarcube.”

“I…" She conceded. "I guess just one pie wouldn’t harm nopony.”

Applejack dived under the stand and reached out with shaky hooves for an apple pie. She knew that she had failed Twilight, but she’d do anything to get Spike to stop talking to her like that. Once she had a good-looking pie in her hooves, she sprang back up and practically shoved it into the waiting dragon’s hands.

“There’s yer apple pie. That’ll be five bits.” She snatched the bits from Spike’s outstretched claw and shoved them into her bag with awkward vigor.

“Thanks, AJ,” he said as he smacked his lips while staring at the baked goodness in front of him. “Don’t worry, I’ll finish this before Twilight sees it. But I’ll also make sure to savor every. Last. Crumb of your delicious pie.”

“Alright, well you move along then,” she said as she hurriedly prodded him away from her stand, hoping that he didn’t notice her blush. “Don’t want to you to get lectured by old mare, Twilight for being late. Plus, yer holdin’ up the line.”

Spike turned around and noticed that a line of ponies had formed during his chat with Applejack. Most of them were listening intently to the conversation, hoping to hear something gossip-worthy, while others waited impatiently, just wishing that the line would move on so that they could mark apple produce off their shopping list. With a bashful smile, Spike waved at the audience before grabbing his groceries and starting his trek back home.

“See you ‘round, partner,” he said in a poorly, but adorably, imitated cowpony drawl. And with that, he was off towards the Golden Oaks Library.

Applejack watched him thoughtfully as he disappeared over a hill. She began to wonder if he really was oblivious to his charms, or if he was just really good at faking it. It was probably the latter, considering how easily he was able to manipulate her, despite her dislike of mushy-feely things and the fact that she was one of the toughest ponies in Ponyville.

“Um, ahem.”

The sudden noise brought her attention back to the growing line, and with a forced smile, she greeted her next customer.

“Well, howdy there. What can I get for you… Fluttershy?” Aw, donkey spittle, Applejack thought as she recognized the mare in front of her, who for some reason, was blushing harder than she was. “Uh, how long have you been standin’ there?”

“U-um, I, wow,” was all Fluttershy could say before a toothy grin spread over her face and she squeed.

Applejack face-hoofed but kept enough composure to converse normally. “So you saw the whole thing, did’ja?”

Fluttershy nodded daintily. “Oh yes, I was behind Spike the whole time, even when he leaned over to whisper to you. I got to stare at his… butt.” She finished with a blush redder than any apple that Applejack had ever seen. The farm pony nearly fell over during a double face-hoof, but was able to stand her ground thanks to her powerful hind legs.

“At first, I didn’t believe in the rumors about him being, umm… sexy, as Rarity put it. But after seeing that, well, I guess the proof is in the pudding—or, erm, the pie? Does that make sense?”

“… Sure it does, sugarcube,” Applejack assured, not wanting to make her friend feel silly. “But shoot, that dragon sure knows how to work a girl’s heart. I’m still feelin’ a might flustered from all that.”

“Oh, I would be too.” The pegasus nodded. “Especially with the way he kept looking into your eyes. If he looked at me like that, why, I don’t know what I would do.”

"Reminds me an awful lot of your Stare, if'n ya ask me. You teach him that trick?" she joked with a snicker.

"Oh no, I would never teach anypony something so dangerous. Even I don't like using the Stare unless I really have to. Or if Angel is being extra naughty."

“I'm just messin' with you, sugarcube," Applejack said as she waved it off. "But where do you suppose he learned all of that smooth talk? I don’t remember him being so good with words before.”

“I’m not sure,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe we can ask him at the slumber party this weekend! We’ll have plenty of chances to talk to him then.”

“Makes sense,” said Applejack as she considered her friend’s idea. It could work, seeing as how the slumber party was at the library this time around. “Well, I’ve got a line of customers to serve, so I’ll see you this weekend, Fluttershy.”

“Yes, I’ll see you there, Applejack. And hopefully more of Spike’s tush as well.” Fluttershy giggled into her hoof as she stepped aside for the next customer, and with a final wave goodbye, she took air towards her cottage past the Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack blew an exasperated sigh as she watched her friend disappear over the apple orchards. With two of her close friends visiting her in one day and distracting her, she hadn’t been able to tend to many customers, but that was about to change now.

“Next customer!” she said enthusiastically. But there weren’t any other customers. After waiting for several minutes, they seemed to have lost their patience and moved on.

“Aw, hay.” Applejack sighed again, this time in relief. Without any customers, she would get to close early for the day, something she was grateful for after the tiresome conversation with Spike. If ponies ever wanted apple-based products, they knew where to find her, and it was fine if she didn’t sell much today because it only meant more customers for tomorrow, she thought optimistically.

After packing her goods and reassembling her stall into its cart form, she pulled her load back home to the acres, eager to get some shuteye before the big day tomorrow.

That night, she dreamt of a rodeo with a certain purple dragon.

Chapter 3: Truth or Dare?

“You want it like… this?” Spike’s voice was hoarse as he pushed harder, his face flushing with the amount of effort he was putting into the task.

“Oh, yes, Spike,” moaned Rarity. “That is perfect.”

“Alright then, hurngg!” One last burst of strength and Spike was finished. His legs buckled beneath him and he fell to his knees, landing so that he wouldn’t fall on the white unicorn beside him.

“Well done, my little Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity sighed through a satisfied smirk. “That was marvelous.”

“Hey, I helped too!” A panting Rainbow Dash collapsed next to Spike, her wet fur making a splashing sound as she landed. “No appreciation for the Dash, huh?”

“Right, um… good job, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said with half as much enthusiasm while waving her hoof dismissively.

“Whatever.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I only did it because Spike needed my help, anyways.” The two shared a fist-to-hoof bump and lay back, marveling at their work while still trying to catch their breaths.

“What do you think, Twilight?” asked Spike. “Was that good enough for you?”

Twilight scrutinized the remodeled room unsatisfactorily, her judgmental eyes spotting every angle and every empty space that was off. “Hmm, it’s certainly better, but six ponies and a dragon are an awful lot to be fitting in such a confined space. I think that if we moved the dresser a little more to the left, then we would be able to maximize our sleeping room.” Her suggestion was met with two loud, consecutive groans from the weary laborers.

“Aw, Twilight,” whined Spike.

“That’s like the tenth time you made us move that thing!” continued Rainbow Dash.

“And it’s heavy, Twilight! Really heavy.”

“Ouch, my hooves.”

The purple unicorn smiled at the pair and shook her head, wondering when the two had become such close friends that they were able finish each other’s thoughts. “Alright, alright, this will do just fine. Great job, you two. Now, why don’t we take a break?”

“Yes!” cheered Spike as he and Rainbow immediately rushed over to the table of desserts that had been taunting them ever since they started moving.

As soon as Spike had gone up the stairs after Rainbow Dash, the first thing he did was go after the pies that Applejack had mentioned. But before he got even halfway across the room, Twilight had stopped and asked him to set up for their planned sleepover. Rainbow Dash, in an uncharacteristic, yet completely in-tune with her element display of helpfulness, had volunteered to aid Spike, and together they had successfully reassembled the room’s furnishings to better accommodate their slumber party needs. Now with the task finished, their sweet reward awaited them.

Spike was in front of the promised pie; its sweet, cinnamon fragrance wafting around him and pulling him closer to the confectionary. He waited for Rainbow Dash to catch up, and together they dined. Rainbow let her face fall with the grace of a boar, and Spike followed suit, digging into his own share like a starved hobo on a daisy sandwich.

“Manners, Spike,” scolded Twilight as she took the empty pan under them.

“My bur”, said a puffy cheeked Spike. “Sho whash nesh on gee agenda?”

“Pardon?” asked Applejack as she took the pan from Twilight and packed it up.

Spike washed down his mouthful with one of Pinkie Pie’s homemade hot sauce-sparilla, then spoke again. “I said, so what’s next on the agenda?”

“Hmm,” the cowpony hummed thoughtfully. “Well, now that the moving is done, I don’t rightly know.”

“Well, we can watch this movie that I borrowed.” Twilight telekinetically pulled out a tape set from a nearby shelf. “Princess Luna recommended it to me. It’s called, The Thingy. She said to watch it at night though, so I suppose we’re free to do whatever we want until then.”

“Maybe we can play some games to pass the time,” suggested Fluttershy. “That is, if you girls would like to.”

“Oo oo, did somepony say games?!” Pinkie Pie slid out from under the desserts table and threw her hooves in the air, spraying confetti around the room as she did so. “We can play my favorite game, Pin the Tail on the Pony!”

“Pinkie, aren’t we a little too old for that game?” asked Rainbow Dash before shoving some more pie in her face. “Thash like a foal’s game.”

“That’s not entirely true,” argued Twilight. “Although Pin the Tail is most often played at cute-ceañeras, it has—”

“Ababab, I don’t care,” shushed Rainbow Dash with crumbs flying out of her mouth, earning an annoyed look from the learned unicorn. “Let’s play something we mature ponies can enjoy. Like Spin the Bottle.”

“Spin the Bottle? Really, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity tossed her mane back in the snootiest fashion possible and eyed the chromatic pegasus condescendingly, as if staring down a naïve foal. “That game is juvenile, perhaps even more so than Pinkie’s idea.”

“Alright then, what do you think we should do, Princess Party Pooper?” Pinkie shoved the pony poster and false tail-pin that she had materialized out of nowhere into her party bag with a huff. “Let’s hear your idea, even though it’s not going to be as fun as mine and is probably going to poop on our party because it’s a crummy crud idea!”

“Oh I assure you, dear Pinkie Pie, that my idea has no likeness to feces.” Rarity cracked a wily grin. “I suggest that we play Truth or Dare?”

Suddenly the room went silent and all mares, besides Twilight, who was busy looking through her party games references, shot a quick glance at Spike after the word ‘Dare’. Rarity bit her lip; Rainbow Dash smiled mischievously; Pinkie and Applejack both smirked awkwardly at the sudden tension; and Fluttershy stared at Spike’s butt. Rarity had won. Truth or Dare was go.

“Sorry, Rarity,” said an oblivious Twilight. “Nopony spoke up, so it looks like none of the girls want to play your game. I’m fine with any game, but majority rules in a slumber party, so—”

“I want to play Truth or Dare!” yelled Rainbow Dash as she shuffled closer to Spike.

Twilight back-stepped at the outburst. “Oh, well then that’s two.”

“Oh, um, actually, I would also like to play.” Fluttershy took a hesitant step forward. “If everyone else wants to, that is… eep.”

“That’s three.”

“Me too!” yelled Pinkie Pie. “I want to play Dare!”

“Don’t you mean Truth or Dare? And that’s four. What say you, Applejack?”

“Shucks, why not?” shrugged the cowpony. “So, who’s goin’ first?”

“Well…” Twilight thought for a moment which of her friends would be the fairest choice to kick-start their evening. “Since it’s his first slumber party, I think that Spike should do the honors of the first play. Your move, Spike.”

“Oh, okay.” All mares turned to the dragon, licking their lips in hopeful anticipation as he weighed his choices. “I dare…” Yes, it was a dare! He was going to dare one of the mares to kiss— “I dare Twilight to burn one of her books.”

“What?!” All of the mares shouted in unison, Twilight’s voice being the loudest of them all.

“No way, mister! You just lost your turn!” Twilight rolled up her party games manual and smacked the treacherous dragon on the head.

“Wait, that’s not fair!” Spike complained.

Twilight swatted him again to shut him up and went on. “Rainbow Dash, you’re up.”

The motley pegasus rubbed her hooves together villainously and snickered. “Spike, my buddy ol’ pal.” The dragon recovered from the light beating and gave her a sweet smile. “I dare you to lick my hoof.”

“What?” he said, taken aback by his friend’s betrayal. “Aw, come on, girls! Don’t team up on me.”

“Sorry, Spike, but a dare’s a dare,” giggled Twilight.

“But you didn’t even do my dare!”

“You going to wuss out, Spike?” asked Rainbow in a challenging tone. “Weak!” Her comment was followed by boo’s from Pinkie and a quiet “Do it,” from Fluttershy, while Applejack and Rarity just sat back and shook their heads in amusement.

“Aw, jeez. Fine!” Spike knelt down and roughly snatched up one of the pegasus’ hooves. Then, contorting his face into the ickiest expression he could manage, he lapped at the hoof with his forked tongue.

The contact sent a slight tingle through Rainbow’s leg, but that wasn’t enough for her. She craved more than a little flick of the tongue; she wanted him to slobber all over her like a bucking saltlick until she was covered in his sweet, thick saliva. “You c-call that a l-lick?” she taunted, hoping that he would take the bait.

“You call that a lick?!” repeated Pinkie Pie as she eyed the two critically. “Come on, Spike! I want to see some real action. You’ve got to suck that hoof—bite it too! Make her scream, Spike! Do it do it do it!”

Rainbow Dash smiled. She could always count on Pinkie Pie to make the party wilder.

Spike’s eyes widened at her demands. Bite Rainbow Dash? Suck her hoof? Weren’t those a little degrading? The dragon stared at the pink pony, wondering if she was serious. Her head was a blur as she nodded at rapid speed. With no hope of refuge in Pinkie Pie, he looked up hesitantly at a dizzy-eyed Rainbow Dash, who was also nodding but at a sluggish pace and with a creepy smile.

Spike gulped. If he was going to participate in this game—his first ever slumber party game—then it was imperative that he do it right, for proper memories and the like. “Okay, then… here I go.”

The dragon’s tongue lolled out with a green puff of smoke as he opened his mouth wide. He inched towards the chromatic pegasus’ outstretched hoof, and once close enough, he let his tongue run along her sweaty fur as he engulfed her nail. Slowly and steadily, Spike kept taking in more of her leg until he almost threw up when the very tip of the hoof touched the back of his throat and teased his gag reflex. Having had enough of the taste of Rainbow Dash, he ended the deep-throat with a small nibble and suckle, then he backed away and let the saliva-coated hoof fall limply to the floor.

“H-how was that?” Spike coughed, trying to get the pungent taste of sweat out of his mouth.

The room was dead silent. Rainbow Dash sat with her eyes rolled back, staring at the ceiling with a wan smile on her face like she didn’t have a care in the world. The rest of the girls just ogled at their colorful friend’s hoof in envy, besides Twilight, who stared in disgust as thick drops of her little brother’s slobber dripped to the floor.

The lavender unicorn was the first to snap out of it. She floated a towel over from the bathroom with her magic and scrubbed the spittle away viciously. “Ew, Spike, that’s disgusti—“

“Encore!” Pinkie Pie suddenly yelled. “Yeah, alright!”

“Woohoo…” Fluttershy cheered weakly.

“No!” yelled Twilight sternly. “No encore. Everypony only gets one turn; it said so in the books.” Twilight ignored her pink friend’s protests and moved on. “Next would be Applejack.”

The cowpony took her eyes off of Rainbow Dash’s hooves and straightened up. “Right. Um.” She thought hard. With such a rare opportunity, her victim had to be Spike and the action needed to be a dare, but what would she command him to do? She let her mind wander through her desires, until one idea caught her interest and drew a crimson blush to her cheeks. It wasn’t so much of an idea as it was a memory—a memory from when she was a teenager and she and her friends would go on adventures together. It was the day they went to go rescue Rarity from the Diamond Dogs. Her heart warmed as she recalled how the baby dragon had almost kissed her that day, and she now knew what she was going to dare.

“U-um, okay then.” Applejack nodded. “Spike.”

“Me again?” the dragon asked.

“Yeah you. I want ya’ll to… uh. Yeah, um, that’s—”

“Come on, AJ,” hustled Twilight. “This isn’t charades, and even if it were, it would be painfully obvious that you were imitating Fluttershy. Nice try, though.”

“I don’t talk like that…” The canary pegasus hid behind her mane.

“Alright, alright. Spike.” Applejack smiled and looked away bashfully. “I want ya’ll to give me a smooch on the cheek.”

Spike was disappointed. It was obvious that the fun loving Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie would mess with him in his first slumber party, but good ol’ trusty Applejack too? He almost felt betrayed, but thanks to the cushiness of her request, he wasn’t hurt too bad.

A kiss on the cheek, huh? Well, he had kissed Twilight a few times on the cheek when he was still a baby, so he guessed that AJ must’ve been craving that familial touch of love. Big Macintosh and Applebloom must be neglecting their sibling duties in favor of hard work; Spike would have to give them a lecture about that the next time he went down to the acres. Applejack was already like a sister to him anyways, so a kiss on the cheek he could manage. Feeling better about the request since he would be soothing the tired heart of his friend, Spike was ready to make her feel the love.

“Alright, AJ. Here I come.” The dragon gently lifted the farmpony’s face and puckered his lips. And in a split second it was done.

“That’s it?!” cried Pinkie Pie. “That was just a peck! Here, let me show you how it’s done.” The crazed pony pounced on Applejack, but was easily bucked away.

“Naw, that was swell, Spike.” Applejack looked up with rosy cheeks and cracked a crooked smile. “Thanks.”

“Sure, partner.” He smiled back. At seeing the joy his simple show of affection brought his friend, Spike wondered how long ago it was that he did the same to Twilight. He couldn't remember the last time the two of them did anything mushy, so he leaned over and gave the unicorn a big sibling hug to remind her of his love.

Twilight stiffened as the dragon glomped on her. “Um, why are you hugging me, Spike?”

“I don’t know. I’m just feeling all fuzzy inside right now,” he said as he snuggled her neck.

“Indigestion?” the unicorn prodded his belly, making Spike bend at the tickle. “Perhaps you should lay off the hot sauce. Anyways, feel fuzzy elsewhere, please. Your fire gland is making me sweat.” Twilight rubbed the dragon’s tummy until he jerked out of the hug and sat down with a pout of rejection.

“Now it’s your turn, Rarity. Truth or Dare?”

“Dare, of course,” said the white unicorn confidently.

Rainbow Dash snorted and rolled her eyes. “I bet it’s going to be lame, like making Spike walk around in a dress, or something.”

“Spike in a dress?” Fluttershy asked as she stared at Spike intensely. Anymore concentration, and she would’ve Stared him into wearing one.

“Spike in a dress, huh?” Pinkie imagined it. “Hot!”

“Sorry to disappoint you girls, but that is not my request.” Rarity turned to the dragon and purred, “Spikey, dear, I dare you to carry me like a princess through the town square.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the wussy dare. “Pfft, lame.”

“Wait, I change my mind!” yelled Rarity, suddenly feeling self-conscious by how simple and lacking flare her dare was. “I dare you to…” She looked around the room, scanning for some inspiration for the ultimate dare. Then her eyes came across her briefcase and a Cheshire smile grew on her lips. Idea! she sang in her head. Her command was going to set a new meta for Truth or Dare.

“I dare Spike…” she paused for dramatic effect, “to carry me through Ponyville Square while wearing the newest addition to my lingerie line!” She magicked her briefcase open and floated a very, very, ridiculously thin, black piece of clothing over to the group. The underwear was floated around for all ponies to see. Each of the girls gaped at it in awe as it passed by, until it stopped right in front of Spike.

“Et tu, Rarity?” Spike asked faintly as he stared at the risqué thing with puppy-dog eyes. “Mercy, Rarity. Have mercy!”

“You have to do it, Spike.” Twilight stared at him with the most stoic expression he had ever seen on her plush face. “You have to,” she repeated solemnly. “It’s in the rules.”

Spike gulped down a hiccup and blinked away a tear. When he was older, he was sure that he was going to look back on this day and laugh, but all he wanted to do now was cry. Even Rarity was playing against him, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it until his turn came up. But now, he had to put the thing in front of him on. It was for the memories of his first sleepover, he kept telling himself as he grabbed the thong with shaky hands.

He bent over and stepped his legs through the holes of the strap. Slowly and painfully, he lifted the thing up his long, slender legs until they stopped on a protrusion. Spike blushed as he realized what was preventing him from properly wearing the thong. With a sheepish smile he lifted his tail and fully equipped the racy piece of silk.

“Wahaha!” gushed Rarity. “Gaze in awe at my newest creation! It is daring, provocative, and elegant the way Spikey-Wikey so expertly displays it.”

Spike stood in the middle of the room, the light from the window reflecting off his scales and illuminating the walls in dimmed colors of his like that set a lewd atmosphere. The young dragon let one arm sway to his side while his other picked at the G-string between his legs. He puffed his chest and arched his back to give him better leverage on his quest for comfort as he tried desperately to get the thong to stop grinding in his butt-crack.

“Is it supposed to feel this weird?” Spike asked, turning around to give them a clear view of what he was talking about.

“Oh. My. Stars,” said Applejack as she tipped back her Stetson for a better look.

Fluttershy was out before she hit the floor.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie howled and clopped their hooves on the ground to show their approval.

Twilight just stood there, her mouth agape and her eyes twitching as she stared disbelievingly at the sight before her.

“Now I dare you to crawl!” ordered Rarity with a dictatorial stomp of her hoof. “Crawl down the catwalk and growl at the audience like the beast you are!”

“C-Calm down, Rarity!” Twilight shushed while waving her hooves in front of the other unicorn. “I might get complaints from the neighbors if you keep yelling like that.”

Rarity blinked out of her lust-driven madness. “Wha-huh?”

“And you only get one truth or dare per turn, so you’ll just have to wait until the next cycle.” Twilight turned to the fidgeting pink pony. “Since Fluttershy fainted, it’s your turn now, Pinkie.”

“I dare Spike to do what Rarity just said!” Pinkie immediately yelled as soon as Twilight was done lecturing the fashionista.

“Alright, you know what? This is getting out of hoof!” Twilight stood up and magically lit the lanterns in the room to cancel Spike's reflective light show. “I don’t want to play this game if you’re all just going to dare Spike to do embarrassing things. I understand that he’s the only male in the party, but that doesn’t mean you can all just gang up on him! I am very disappointed in you girls.”

“Oh, it was all in good fun, Twilight,” said Rarity. “None of us meant to ever make Spikey-Wikey feel bad. And Spike?”

“Huh?” Spike turned to the unicorn.

“You simply must model for me during the next fashion show. The publicity would do wonders for my name, and I would love to introduce you to my dear friends in Canterlot.”

Spike frowned at the request. “Um, I’m not too sure about that.”

“Well, you can think about it later,” said Twilight as she trotted towards the stairs. “The sun is going to set soon, so let’s go start dinner.”

“But we just ate a few hours ago,” said Applejack as she too got up from her seat and went over to the stairs. “Maybe I should have brought more pie.”

And soon all of the slumber party goers were on the main floor of the library, Fluttershy having been brought down by Spike and placed on a couch.

In the kitchen, Twilight rummaged through the pantries while the others sat on the counters, waiting for their hostess to bring out the ingredients so that they could help make dinner. After snooping through a few cabinets and coming out with a frown each time, Twilight turned to her friends with a clumsy smile.

“Oh, shoot. I’m afraid we’re running low on ingredients.”

“What?!” Spike ran up to where his sister was standing and ransacked through their storages. “But I just went shopping a few days ago! Have you been sneaking midnight snacks again?”

Twilight ignored the dragon’s peeved look and walked briskly out of the kitchen and towards the library entrance. “Well, the sun is still up so it looks like we have enough time to buy some food before the stalls close. Let’s go girls—”

“Wait, Twilight.” Spike sighed. “Let me. I need to stretch my legs anyways from being cooped up in here all day.”

“I’ll come too!” Rainbow Dash flew up next to Spike and threw an arm around him. “Because you know, you might need some help carrying the groceries and junk.”

With a thoughtful smile, Spike shook the hoof off and rustled her rainbow mane. “Thanks, but I’ll go alone. You girls stay here and enjoy the party.” He opened the door and slid through it before the others could protest. “I’ll be right back!”

“Wait, Spike!” Twilight opened the door to warn the dragon, but it was too late. Thanks to his powerful leg muscles and his agile form, he was already a good distance down the street towards the shopping district.

Applejack took her Stetson off and scratched her head. “…Does he know that he just walked out with them fancy ol’ pantaloons still on?”

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. “Nope!”

“Advertising for me already, hmm, Spike?” said Rarity as the dragon ran past a group of mares. The ponies double-took and just stood there in the street, staring at his hindquarters until he was well out of sight. “Always so helpful.”

The fact that her little brother’s antics were helping one of her friends did little to assuage Twilight’s frustration. She watched worriedly as Spike turned a corner and made up her mind.

"I'm going to go get Spike. You girls stay here and, I don't know, entertain yourselves until we're back!" And with that, the lavender unicorn rushed out of the library to catch her little brother before he made a fool of himself.

Twilight slammed the door shut behind her, leaving her friends to debate on whether the dragon would realize that he was wearing a thong in public before his sister caught up to him.

Outside, Spike ran through a set of sprinklers in his hurry to catch the vendors before they packed up for the day. Lubed up and good to go, he hurried his silk-clad bottom over to the shopping district, ready, but unaware that he was bringing the party to Ponyville Central.