Spike moaned as he slowly woke to find Rainbow laying on the floor, rubbing her belly. At first he was smiling at the look of content on her face. However, as soon as he noticed why she seemed happy, a lump formed in his throat.

"Crap. What was I thinking? What will she do when she realizes what I did? Will she notice?" He thought as he looked around desperately thinking of a way to avoid making her mad. There wasn't much he was really able to find that'd explain the size of her stomach. Sure he might be able to blame it on all the food they ate. But he doubted he'd be able to explain the pool or smell.

Even with his concerns and fears, a large part of him felt pride in seeing her happy in a pool of a mix of their love making. And as he slowly crawled off the bed Rainbow looked over at him and smiled.

"Hey big guy. So… should we talk about what happened or…" She asked, trying to keep her tough mare appearance.

Spike sighed and scooped her up into his arms. "We need a bath. And yes we need to talk."

Normally Rainbow would have kicked him in the side of his head for holding her like a helpless foal. But ever since she had taken the special training… She wasn't as worried about looking tough. In fact… she found herself enjoying how it felt being held by Spike. All those stallions she was with definitely didn't make her feel as wanted or safe as she does now.

Once in the tub, Spike started to scrub her as she tried to piece together everything that had happened to them since the moment they met in the other room. A small part of her admittedly was a bit embarrassed that she did all that with him. That small part slowly started to grow the more she thought about it.

Unlike the other stallions, Spike didn't just keep to her rules. But he actually made sure she actually was enjoying it too. Without even meaning to, she had actually started wanting more. She quickly shook her head from those thoughts. "He just really needed the relief." She told herself. "Not like-"

"Dash?... about what happened…" Spike sighed as Rainbow gulped. "I…" Taking a deep breath, he knew if he didn't get it out now… he would have the courage to do it later. "I want you to be my… mate." He said, clamping his mouth shut at what he had blurted out. He had meant to say "marefriend", but his instinct had forced out the word "mate".

Rainbow blinked in shock as his words bounced around in her head for a moment before replying. "What about Rarity? I thought you had a crush on her."

Spike sighed knowing there was no going back now and sat in the tub, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her close so neither of them were able to see the other's face. "I learned a lot while I was in town about dragons."

"Really? I thought ponies were too scared of dragons to get close enough to them to learn anything about them." Rainbow replied.

Spike shrugged. "Turns out the ones that did learn about dragons kept it quiet."

"Why?"

"Well… one reason is because… well… when a dragon finds a mate… they can become vulnerable." Spike sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Before I go on. I need to hear your reply. Will you be my mate?" Spike asked nervously.

Rainbow thought for a moment before closing her eyes and sighing. "I don't know Spike. This is really sudden… I mean… we haven't even started to date yet." She thought for a moment before putting a hoof on his claw. "But if you don't mind us taking it slow. I'm willing to give us a try. So about that weakness?"

Spike smiled and kissed her neck. "We give a part of our heart to our partner. And would do anything to keep them safe. Even give our lives for them."

"So… does that mean?..."

"You have my heart." He replied, letting out a soft growl that vibrated through his chest and into her.

Rainbow's heart skipped a beat as she bit her lips. She didn't know what to say. Or even really think about this. On one hoof, she had found a guy that was the closest to a cool stallion from Ponyville she could find. And on top of that would rely on her as much as she'd rely on him when the time comes. On the other hoof, she had yet guaranteed her position in the Wonderbolts, and didn't know if being with him would risk her chances. Did she want to take that risk? What if she had a kid? Can they have kids?

Of all the thoughts rushing through her head, the biggest point that pushed itself to the front of her mind was "he wants me to be his mate".

After a few moments, she tilted her head back and kissed his chin. "What do you say we take some time to get to know each other then? And till we get back to Ponyville. You and I can have a bit of fun."

Spike smiled and turned her around to look him in the eyes. "I can live with that." He said softly. Once again that troublesome part of him pushed forward. However, this time it felt different. It wasn't filled with gage towards the stallion, nore was it fueled with longing for her. Instead, he felt content, joy and fulfillment at the thought that she wanted to be with him. "My Rainbow… My lover… My mate."

Author's Note

Spike just scored the coolest mare in Equestria. I wonder what Twilight will say. Or Rarity when she finds out that Spike won't be so eager to help her. And how Spike will act when things start to return to "normal". Thoughts?