Spike and the girls

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

“Finally back home,” thought the dragon boy Spike as the train whizzed across the landscape of Equestria. He had spent two whole months with Dragon Lord Ember in the Land of Dragons, partly to act as a direct representative of Equestria but mostly to learn more about himself and his race.

Spike looked at his reflection in the window and absentmindedly ran his hand through his spiky green hair. He wasn't sure if he was satisfied with what he knew.

Dragonmen had an impulsive temperament. They were not made for long conciliatory conversations or compromises, even though there was the possibility of resolving a dispute with the help of a stronger fist.

At the beginning of his visit, the many growling and not particularly sociable dragon people made him very nervous. He was still a little dragon boy, a pimp and, to make matters worse, he had been raised by the effeminate pony people. He had been the butt of a cruel joke often enough that even the presence of his girlfriend Ember couldn't have helped him much. And he was supposed to teach the new dragon lord things like love and tolerance on behalf of the pony-human princess, which sounded to most of the dragon-men as if Spike had brought plague and cholera with him.

Dragonmen weren't exactly known for being open to such changes. Some people even feared an attempt by the pony people to overthrow the place once all the dragon people talked so softly, like this little wretch who was neither a dragon nor a pony.

Yes, the first few days hadn't been easy for Spike. Maybe he had expected too much from himself when he insisted on this trip and after the first day he was already thinking about running away and going back to Equestria.

But Ember quickly got rid of this nonsense, also because she had chained him to her, literally with an iron chain that she had never opened until he left.

“You want us to do things like pony people,” she had said as she closed the cuffs of the chain around his wrist. "Then you first have to understand the dragon people. That’s what you were here for.”

In the end, Spike had been taught more by the dragon people than the other way around.

He had always thought of them as beings who were just mean and brutal because they could, but the truth was much more varied. Dragonmen were brutal for a reason; they loved fighting and were tough. They weren't just mean, it was a kind of crude humor that only they understood. It wasn't that they didn't have friendships, quite the opposite. Dragon people were group-loving people who liked to get together and laugh a lot. Even if the laughter was like a multi-voiced bawl and never equaled the giggles of the pony people.

Over time, Spike's view of his race, which was so alien and uncomprehending to him, had changed.

Dragonmen weren't rude, they were honest.

They weren't uncouth, just boisterous.

They weren't incapable of loving, they just preferred to show it with headbutts and bruises.

But even when Spike understood all of this, he still wasn't a member of their community.

He had asked to stop making fun of him, but that had only made the mockery of him worse.

Ember had said, “You don’t get recognition or respect here for free. You have to earn it, fight for it.”

Spike had taken this to heart and shortly afterwards, when a particularly rude dragon man called Grob launched into a nasty tirade about Spike and, even worse, his pony friends, Spike had jumped up, marched across the stone table and told the guy a bowl full of lava punch smashed over his head.

"Listen," he had then said, grabbing one of the other dragon's horns with one hand and with the other hand sticking the handle of a fork into his nostril and slowly pushing it higher and higher. “You’re welcome to make fun of me for all I care. But if you insult my friends again, I'll pull the tiny lump in your beet that you call your brain out through my nose and eat it."

Grob had turned pale and said, "It's okay, it's okay," and when Spike had pulled the fork out of Grob's nose and turned around, Grob himself had jumped onto the table and grabbed Spike. But not to tear off his head, as he had almost feared, but to throw it into the air and catch it again, cheering and laughing.

From that point on, Spike had truly been a complete dragon man to everyone.

Now, however, he wondered if that would be enough for the princesses and Twilight. Spike had learned more about his origins, but his stay didn't really change anything about the dragon people.

Although... Ember had hugged him when he left, on her own initiative and not the other way around.

It might have been a small thing, but Spike thought it was a pretty big step for someone who was usually so stubborn. They just had to be content with what he had to show. This was an impulse that was fairly new to Spike himself.

A cloud of steam enveloped Spike as he entered the Ponyville train station and he waited for the fog to clear. He had been sitting in the last carriage and didn't want to accidentally bump into anyone. The train started moving again with a puff, dividing the cloud into hazy swaths.

"Isn't he there?"

"Maybe he didn't want to leave again."

"Spike?"

He heard familiar voices and his heart skipped a beat.

Outlines of people stood out behind the haze. Twilight and her friends Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity were waiting for him, along with Starlight Glimmer and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo.

Spike swung his bag over his shoulder and was about to say hello when suddenly someone (unmistakably Pinkie Pie) shouted in a cracking voice, "Twilight! There! There he is!” and pointed at him.

"SPIKE!"

Now his heartbeat almost stopped. He had expected that he would be missed, but he hadn't expected this.

Everyone pounced on him for a massive group hug.

Twilight got to him first, sweeping him off his feet and hugging him with tears in her eyes. "I'm so glad you're back."

Spike himself couldn't respond. He was still a boy, but well, he wasn't that small anymore and the sudden contact with Twilight's soft bust had practically left him speechless.

But he didn't even have time to answer. Other arms were already clinging around him and his face sank into Fluttershy's voluptuous breasts. He only heard her whisper softly, "It's good to see you again," when AJ grabbed him and squeezed him so hard that his bones cracked.

So it went on, from one to the other, or rather from breast to breast, like on an assembly line and without Spike being able to hear a single one of the hundred questions they had because his ears were ringing.

»How was it in Dragon Land? You have to tell me everything.”

“Were the other dragon people mean to you?”

“We’re throwing a party!”

“Did you eat properly?”

“Did you have to kick one of their asses?”

"A party!!"

"Did Amber treat you well too? If not, she can experience something!”

"You look good. But you haven’t grown a bit.”

“A PARTY!” Confetti and streamers flew through the air.

The Cutiemark Crusaders wrapped him in a group hug, Pinkie Pie almost smothered him in her caramel-smelling breasts, Rainbow Dash and Starlight luckily just put their arms around his shoulders but it wasn't until Rarity that his heart started beating again.

This, for him, the most beautiful girl of all time, got down on one knee to be level with him, placed her slim hands on his shoulders and gently but firmly pulled him to her. Her stem pressed against his chest and Spike could feel her heartbeat as his own suddenly rushed from one side of his ribcage to the other.

"Spikey," she said in his ear, rubbing her head against his. Then she placed a kiss on his forehead and Spike finally froze into a pillar of salt.

He stood there stock still, his stunned face bright red and his ears smoking.

"Great, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said accusingly. "Now you've broken it."

Rarity didn't pay any attention to her, but instead adjusted Spike's jacket, which drowned motionlessly in the depths of her blue eyes.

“Oh Spike, what you look like.”

None of Spike's clothing had survived the trip unscathed. Spike had been forced by the chain to take part in Princess Ember's fights and so a number of abrasions and scratches had appeared on him and his clothing.

“Was that Amber?” Rarity asked, her eyes suddenly glowing with anger. “When I get my hands on her!”

"No, it wasn't Amber." Spike finally found his speech again and raised his hands placatingly. “They were other dragon people. But it’s only half as bad.”

"Did you kick one of their asses?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly.

“And how,” Spike said, sticking his thumb up and squinting slyly up at her. “Pulled a bowl over someone’s head.”

Rainbow giggled.

»But honestly, guys, the dragon people are really okay. They just have different views than us. They’re actually quite nice.”

"Then what is this?" Rarity snorted, pulling Spike's shirt up to his chin. There was an amicable hiccup in the group.

Bruises covered his entire body like a mosaic, interspersed with lines of scratches and abrasions.

"These are farewell greetings," Spike tried to explain quickly. »This is how we show that we care about someone and are thinking about them. Bruises are like souvenirs.”

Ember herself had given him a huge punch on the left shoulder after she had hugged him, which he could still feel now.

But when Spike cast a searching glance around, all he saw was a row of doubtful faces.

This made Spike a little angry. What did they expect? That he would come back with flowers and bathed in baby powder? He had been to Dragon Land! Either you were tough or you could disappear straight away. He also felt like he made really good new friends there.

“Honestly, guys,” Spike said, sullenly pulling his shirt back down. "Dragon people are nice. They just show it in a different way."

"Yeah, I can see that," Rarity said, wrinkling her nose. »Beating others black and blue. Something brutal like that.”

"I knocked out Ember's tooth," Spike replied dryly, pulling out a sharp canine that hung from a ribbon around his neck. Ember had had to tease and annoy him for three whole days and nights without giving him a second of sleep until Spike eventually lost his patience and lashed out with his fist. She had been very proud of him.

Rarity looked at him dumbfounded. "Spike," she stuttered, as if she didn't recognize him. "That...that's so..."

"Normal," Spike said clearly. “For dragon people.” And I am one of them.

Suddenly he felt as if he were standing alone on the wrong side of a deep ditch that separated him from the others. His visit to Dragon Land had probably changed him more than he had imagined.

"Okay," Twilight finally broke the silence and tried to put on a cheerful expression to bring the mood back into a more pleasant mood. »I think we can totally trust Spike on that. If he says the dragon people are nice, then they are. I mean, who better to judge than him? But now it's time for us to go home. You've had a long drive and you're probably very tired."

"And you need to be rested," Pinkie Pie came to her aid. “There’s a big welcome back party for you tonight.”

"And we still have a lot to prepare," Twilight said in agreement and she and the others started moving.

Spike wanted to follow them, but Rarity held him back for a moment until the others were out of earshot.

He looked at her questioningly.

"It's okay, Rarity," Spike said, hands raised in embarrassment at the wet glint in her eyes. "I'm doing well."

She hugged him again, this time tighter, as if she didn't want to let him go."Okay," he gasped, glad he could even form words because his raised hands were filled with Rarity's soft breasts. She didn't seem to notice it herself. “Now I can’t be mad at you.”

Rarity let go of him and kissed him on the cheek again. It was melting.

“Where are you guys?” Applejack called to the two of them.

"We're coming, darling."

Rarity took Spike's hand and led him along, not letting him go for a second.

Chapter 2

Spike had never really thought about how many mostly female friends he had. Until recently he had been indifferent to the looks of his ponyhuman friends, but now that he was back among them, he couldn't help but notice every attractive detail of each one.

Rainbow was by far the most athletic of them. She wore a white jacket over her black top that only reached her belly button. She probably had the smallest breasts of all, but the tight shorts shaped her ass into a little firm feast for the eyes as her rainbow-colored tail swung from side to side.

Applejack, on the other hand, was stronger. She was practically the picture of a country beauty, with her long blonde hair and tanned orange skin. She had one of her big brother's open shirts knotted under her breasts, giving her a deep neckline, and seductive apple cheeks bulged in her jeans.

Pinkie Pie was, in a word, voluminous. It started with her puffy pink hair, which was reminiscent of cotton candy. Her voluptuous stem bounced up and down under a light blue T-shirt as she hopped along, but even more dangerous was the yellow short frilly skirt she wore underneath, which, through her sweeping movements, kept teasing Spike with perhaps a quick glimpse of her panties catch.

Fluttershy had been practically blessed by nature, with a slender, almost petite frame, endowed with a veil of long, straight pink hair that reached to the beginning of the green skirt that hung around her hips and two massive mounds that hung beneath her sleeveless Turtleneck shirt grew out.

Starlight stood out from the others with her slightly daring style, with boots, ripped jeans and a vest over her shirt. She had neither too much nor too little on her body, neither the biggest breasts nor the firmest butt. She boasted a figure that could only be described as adorably poised. Everything was in its place without distracting attention from the rest of her. And that swing of her hips! Haleluja!

The Cutiemark Crusaders were nothing to sneeze at either. They were still children, but even Spike could see the first curves growing on their bodies. Soon they would be true beauties.

Twilight...
No, not Twilight!

Spike shook his head to clear those thoughts from his mind.

What did he think of? How could he think that way about his friends! What was wrong with him?

The sight of his girlfriends had never irritated him so much, he had never felt this strange feeling in his stomach and his heart had never fluttered so much at the mere thought of touching one of them in certain places. His palms began to sweat and he swallowed hard. Spike knew where these low thoughts came from.

Although he had always been chained to Ember, he had spent a lot of time with other dragon kits who were a little older than him. This band had opened a door of thought in his brain that had previously been closed and unnoticed inside him and had given him ideas and thoughts that he would never have dreamed of.

They had made their rough jokes about who they would do it with and how they would do it, seeing it as their duty to introduce the ignorant Spike to the art of contemplating a girl's beauty to the fullest and to what features of the body he could had to attach particular importance.

Only once had Ember more or less participated in these conversations. The question arose as to why Spike, who was with Ember at all times, day and night, didn't try anything with her. Spike had answered, and it was true, that she always kicked him away when he came too close to her in his sleep, whether in an innocent attempt at a cuddle or by accident in his deep sleep.

One of the dragon kits had been bragging about what he would do in Spike's place and, unfortunately, had been a little too loud. Ember had slammed it unsharpened into the ground.

After that, Spike had made sure to stay on his side of the bed at all times.

But that door in his head had never closed completely again, but was only left ajar, ready to spring open at every opportunity, no matter how small, and now there seemed to be a flame burning behind it that just didn't want to go out, but only kept getting bigger and hotter.

Okay, maybe that sort of thing was normal when he looked at the others. But not with Twilight!

He loved her just as much as Rarity, just in a different way. He would never allow himself to have such base and dirty thoughts about her. Even though she was a beauty, her hair shimmered in the light, her body was full of gentle curves, and Spike was just tall enough to fit his head between her legs...
Not again!

Spike shook his head vigorously again.

"Is everything okay, Spike?" Rarity asked, still holding his hand.
Spike was sure that his ideas could be read from his face and preferred to look down at his shoes.
"It's okay," he murmured, his blood turning his face red.
Rainbow nudged Applejack and whispered. "He's probably excited to hold hands for the first time."

Applejack grinned widely and leaned towards him with her hands clasped behind her back. "He's already blushing."

“Not true!” Spike said indignantly. He was tempted to pull his hand out of Rarity's grip, but she simply tightened her fingers around his.
"Just don't listen to them, Spike," she said with a superior look on her face. "They're both just jealous."

Twilight turned to them. Spike was the only one who didn't notice how her eyes narrowed a bit at the sight of his hand in Rarity's hand, but the others did.

"I think," she said, a certain coolness in her voice, "Spike is perfectly capable of walking without your help, Rarity."
"Oh, love." Rarity met Twilight's gaze and her smile was just as cold. "I don't mind at all."

"But Spike is no longer a child who needs to be held by the hand all the time." It was clear that Twilight would not tolerate any contradiction.

"But I'm sure," Rarity said, pulling Spike a little closer to her, "that Spike won't have a problem with it."

They had stopped. Rarity and Twilight were smiling, but sparks seemed to fly between them.

"Great job, you two," Starlight murmured to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who rubbed their heads in embarrassment.

Spike had no idea what was going on, but his friends were definitely acting extremely strange. He had never experienced such tension between the two of them.

Everyone in the group suddenly felt like they were standing in the middle of an icy snowstorm.

"So it's not so bad if Rarity takes him by the hand," Fluttershy spoke up hesitantly, earning an angry look from Twilight that silenced her.

"But he's really not a little kid anymore," Applejack said, and Rainbow Dash added, "We don't want people to get the wrong impression." The two of them shot there mouths by Rarity's sharp look.

Spike wondered what that meant, but Pinkie Pie was already jumping around him.

"I want to hold Spike's hand too," she cheered, grabbing Spike's arm. "Oh wow! He's really got some muscles," she exclaimed and began to feel him up carefully.

"Stop it, Pinkie!" hissed Twilight and Rarity and Pinkie jumped back in shock.

"Um, well..." Spike said, Twilight and Rarity's eyes suddenly digging into him. "Um, well..."

He just didn't know what to say. The two ponygirls' stares practically pinned him down.

Luckily, at that moment, Sweetie Belle appeared at Spike's side and tugged on his sleeve.

"Spike, come with me. We have to show you something." She pulled him along and Spike's hand slipped out of Rarity's.

"Spike!"
"I'll be right back," Spike said, stumbling after Sweetie Belle, who walked briskly toward Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who were waiting for them at an apple cart. "Thank you," he whispered to Sweetie Belle. “I think you just saved my life.”

"Hey Spike," Apple Bloom called, loud enough for the entire street to hear. "Try one of these apples. I bet they didn't exist in Dragon Land." Without hesitation, AJ's little sister rammed an apple between his teeth, cutting off his oxygen supply.

“What's that now?” asked Spike, choking on the apple.

“Psst!” said Scootaloo. “Just play along.”

“And look at these,” Apple Bloom said loudly again, picking up a few more in her hands. “I kicked them out of the tree myself.”

"Hng!" Spike just couldn't get that stupid apple out of his mouth. He doubled over trying to pull it out and hit his chest"

“Uh-oh. I think that was too much," said Apple Bloom, turning pale.

"He's going to suffocate," Sweetie Belle gasped in shock.

"Guys, the others are watching," Scootaloo warned.

Spike was turned to face the car, where he braced himself with one hand and tried to free the apple from his jaw with the other.

"Act naturally," he heard Scootaloo's voice over the noise in his head.

He gasped, or at least he tried to.

"He's already blue!" Sweetie Belle tried to hold him upright.

"Oh yes, Spike," Apple Bloom called again to the others. “There was something else we wanted to show you.”

"Really? What?" Scootaloo asked irritably and received a meaningful kick from Sweetie Belle. "OW! Oh yes! The thing!” she then chimed in. "The thing that is not here, but somewhere else. This one thing, yes!”

They grabbed Spike, who was hanging half-dead around their shoulders, and dragged him along.

"We'll be right back!" Apple Bloom called out to the others.

They dropped Spike to his knees behind a row of stacked boxes and sheer panic spread among them like excited chickens.

“His eyes are already bulging!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“That was way too much, Applebloom!” said Scootaloo reproachfully.

"What do we do now?"

"Krrrrrg!" said Spike.

Suddenly he was pulled back to his feet by Sweetie Belle. »Grab him! “Hold him!” she ordered her friends. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo wrapped their arms around Spike while Sweetie Belle reached for the apple in Spike's mouth and braced a foot against his shoulder.

“And now---PULL!”

Sweetie Belle ripped and the other two pulled and with a loud pop the apple finally slipped out of Spike's mouth, the dragon boy and the two pony girls fell backwards onto the ground while Sweetie Belle held the apple raised high in her hand.

“Is everything okay, Spike?” She knelt next to him, worried.

Spike gasped for air. "Than...thank you," he managed. “Are you crying?”

"No. Nonsense,” said Sweetie Belle, wiping her wet eyes with her sleeve. "I was just scared, that's all."

As Spike tried to sit up, panting, she pushed him back with her hands on his shoulders. “Slow down,” she warned. "Take a deep breath first."

"I'm the one who needs to breathe," Apple Bloom whined under Spike.

"You can now stop staring deeply into each other's eyes and finally get off us," said Scootaloo, who was buried under Apple Bloom and Spike.

"We don't look deeply into each other's eyes," Sweetie Belle objected forcefully and helped Spike stand up.

"No, of course not."

“Scootaloo!”

Spike didn't pay any attention to them, but carefully looked around the boxes. Twilight and Rarity stood far apart while the others tried to speak to them in hushed tones.

“What’s wrong with them?” Spike wondered aloud.

Apple Bloom leaned on his shoulders and also glanced around the box.

“We don’t know,” she whispered, as if she were afraid she could be heard. "But it's been going on for a long time."

“They seem to be having an argument.”

"It looks like it."

“Why?” Spike asked, confused.

"We don't know," Apple Bloom admitted angrily. “Nobody tells us anything.”

"Rainbow Dash says they don't all get together anymore. Only if one of the other two isn't there," Scootaloo noted, crouching down next to Spike.

"The last time Rarity and Twilight were together, they had a big fight," said Sweetie Belle, standing between her friends. "That was in the boutique. I was upstairs but couldn't understand what they were saying. Rarity ended up throwing Twilight out and slamming the door.”

"This is bad," Spike muttered. This was really not how he had imagined his return home. As soon as he got home, he discovered that the two girls he loved most were at odds. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't gone to Ember...

"Don't worry about it," Sweetie Belle said encouragingly, noticing Spike's indignant face. "They'll get along again. You know, elements of friendship and all that stuff.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Apple Bloom squeezed his shoulders. "If you want, we can try to find out what happened."

“That sounds great,” Scootaloo said. "The Cutiemark Crusaders in an undercover investigation."

"What do you say to that, Spike?" Sweetie Belle asked and everyone moved closer to the dragon boy.

Spike realized at that moment how close these girls were to him. They pushed him against the box and probably wouldn't let him go until he gave them an answer they liked. All three looked at him expectantly with their big, beautiful eyes and his inner flame spoke up again.

“Say it,” Apple Bloom demanded and moved closer.

"Yes, say it," Scootaloo insisted taking a step at him.

“Please, Spike,” Sweetie Belle begged and closed the tight semicircle they formed around him. "We'll do anything for you." Their faces were only centimeters away from hi and Spike realised, there was no way out for him.

"Um...okay," Spike said, pressed close to the crate.

Then something suddenly flashed from the corner of his eye. Spike, who had experienced unexpected bursts of fire during his visit to Dragon Land, wrapped his arms around the heads of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and pulled them to the ground with him before he could shout down.

But, there was no Fire.

“Am I interrupting you?” a voice suddenly asked and all four turned their heads to the side.

With slightly red cheeks, Starlight unexpectedly stood next to them and looked at them with an slightly embarrassed smile.

Spike's heart had been beating so loudly that he hadn't even heard her teleport to them.

He immediately understood that this situation had to give a false impression. He was lying half on the floor and had three pony girls' heads under his arms, which he had actually wanted to press against his body for protection. Instead he pushed their faces into his own lap

You could only have misunderstood that! And by the look on Starlight's face, she did.

"It's not what it looks like!" he blurted out immediately.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jumped up, exchanged a quick look with each other and could only stare at the floor in embarrassment, only Scootaloo was taken aback.

“What does it look like?” she asked.

"Don't ask," said the two red-faced Cutie Mark Crusaders, pulling Scootaloo to his feet.

Starlight looked from one to the other, a mixture of confusion and embarrassment evident in her attempt at a smile. Shaking her head, she came back to her senses and said, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... well, I didn't think that all three of you would... I'll just go and pretend that's all never happened. Excuse me.”
She turned around.

"Wait, Starlight," Spike called after her desperately. "It's not what you think! We just-"

Starlight put her hands over her ears and said loudly, “Lalala! I can't hear anything! I have not seen anything!"

“Starlight!” Spike pleaded, grabbing her wrist. “Please just listen for a moment!”

"We were just offering our services to Spike," Sweetie Belle quickly explained.

"Your services?" Starlight repeated.

"Don't say it like that," Spike snapped.

Apple Bloom nodded vigorously. "Yes, he really, really needs it!"

"He needs it?" There was disbelief in Starlight's voice.

“Guys, seriously. That's not helpful!" Spike whined.

"We will do everything for him too!" Scootaloo's look was one of absolute determination. "Absolutely everything!"

"Do anything for him?" Starlight's voice was thin with shock.

“You know what, I give up!” Resigned, Spike let go of Starlight.

"Spike." Starlight was pale and her face seemed unable to decide which of the seemingly thousand emotions it should express. It chose a grimace that was somewhere between dismay, indignation and approaching brain death.
"I didn't know you were so mature. I must have missed that,” she added with a twitching eye.

"Am I the only one who doesn't understand what she means?" asked Scootaloo, while everyone else's face blushed.

Starlight murmured, "Maybe it's not so far-fetched that Twilight and Rarity..."

Spike immediately listened up.

"Starlight, do you know what's going on with Rarity and Twilight?" he asked.

Starlight bit her lip, as if something had slipped out that she shouldn't have said.

The little dragon boy clawed his fingers into the hem of Starlight's shirt. “If you know anything, please tell me!”

There was probably enough desperation in his voice because Starlight's expression softened and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She seemed to just discard the previous scene like a bad idea.

"All I know is that you should go to them quickly," she said encouragingly. "Now that you're back, the two of them will get along again. They're having a little argument, it's best to just ignore it. Don't interfere. You have nothing to do with it, okay?”

Well, that was clear. He had been away the whole time, so how could he have anything to do with a fight between the two of them? He just trusted that she was right.

"Okay," he said.

Chapter 3

When they went back to the others, everyone had the most fake smile on, only Fluttershy looked nervously back and forth between Rarity and Twilight as if one of them was about to explode and there was still a conflagration-like tension in the air that no one was aware of could overplay.

Twilight gave Spike a look like she did when he snacked unnoticed. A look that said: I don't know what you've done, but I'll figure it out.

"I found them at Donut Joe's," Starlight lied with presence of mind, which the dragon boy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders confirmed with vigorous head nods. “Spike tried the new mango-pineapple-tomato milkshake.”

Spike wished she had left that last part out. He hated tomatoes and Twilight didn't seem to have forgotten that. Her eyes narrowed a touch.

"What's wrong, Spike?" Rarity asked. Concerned, she placed a hand on his forehead. "You're very pale."

Using unicorn magic, Spike was pulled away from Rarity and a second later found himself floating in the air next to Twilight.

"He's fine," she said, a smile sharp as a knife flashing across her lips. "He must have just had a long and exhausting day."

"Yes, exhausting is a good word for it," Spike sighed, without anyone noticing.

"If that's really the case, then I'll be happy to help you carry it," Rarity offered.

"No!"

Luckily, Twilight let him sink back to his feet. He didn't even want to imagine what people would say about him in Dragon Land if it came out that he had to be carried home like a small child.

"Guys," Applejack said in a warning tone, and Spike didn't miss the fact that her eyes were clearly on him. “What were we just discussing?”

Rarity's shoulders straightened as if she had to suppress a retort. Then, with all the politeness at her disposal, she said, “Of course. I'm sorry, Twilight."

Applejack and the others seemed to sigh internally. Spike decided to follow Starlight's advice and not interfere.

"But you certainly don't mind if I go next to him, do you?" Challenge was suddenly in Rarity's voice and once again the breath was held in unison.

Twilight's mouth twisted as if she had bitten into a lemon.

“Of course not,” she replied with the same distant politeness.

"Man, that's kind of creepy," Scootaloo muttered.

And Spike couldn't agree more.

When they finally set off, Spike was taken into the middle by Rarity and Twilight. He should have been happy about that, but to be honest, he didn't feel at all comfortable about it. He could practically feel the tension between the two.

An almost endless five minutes later, they had finally reached Twilight's castle. They gathered in front of the large archway.

"I'm looking forward to a hot cup of tea," said Spike, who suddenly had an idea and added, turning to the others. “Are we having a tea party?”

"Oh yeah," said Twilight, leaning on Spike's shoulders in a welcoming voice. “Everyone just come in, please.”

Strangely enough, everyone suddenly turned pale at her words and seemed to be in a hurry.

“I still have sooooo much to prepare,” Pinkie Pie said with a sweeping gesture that made her breasts jiggle up and down.

“And I still have some things to do on the farm,” Applejack sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

Rainbow Dash stretched with pleasure. "I think I'll take a little nap before we start."

»I still have to feed some of the little animals. I'm sorry, Spike,« Fluttershy whispered.

"And I think I still have some preparation to do," said Rarity, her gaze not directed at Spike, but at Twilight. "Don't I?"

Twilight's fingers dug harder into Spike's shoulders as she stepped closer. "I think so," she replied.

Spike looked questioningly at Starlight, who made a gesture with the palm of her hand. It seemed to mean staying calm.

Spike was a little disappointed. He had hoped to be able to sort out Twilight and Rarity's differences over a leisurely tea session.

"Do not worry. The Cutie Mark Crusaders will figure out what's going on," Sweetie Belle whispered in his ear as she hugged him goodbye.

"We'll have the best welcome back party you've ever had," Pinkie promised, skipping away happily.

Rarity also hugged him again, even though he didn't feel comfortable because he heard Twilight growling for some reason.

Spike waved after Rarity until Twilight suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into the castle.

"Come with me. There is still a lot to do,” she said. “You have to tell me everything about Dragon Land.”

“You mean right now?” He had imagined he would first have a bite to eat and then hit his ear. But knowing Twilight, she had already planned the entire day in great detail.

“Of course!” Twilight beamed from ear to ear. Her thirst for knowledge was ignited and wanted to be quenched immediately. Suddenly she seemed to be her old self again.

"Twilight," Starlight said cautiously. “Perhaps Spike would like to arrive and unpack his things first.”

Twilight glanced at Spike's bag, which he was carrying over one shoulder. Then her horn lit up for a second and the bag disappeared in a flash of light. Another flash and suddenly all three of them were sitting in soft armchairs around a round table in a study. The entire room was filled with stacks of books that almost reached the ceiling (Spike could decipher Matty Mayham's Dragonlike Democracy, A Thousand Interesting Things About Dragon People, and The Far Isles), as well as labeled boards and piles of paper. Apparently Twilight had dedicated this study entirely to the study of dragon people.

"Problem solved," Twilight said happily, levitating several pages of paper and a quill to her. “So we'd better start with a comprehensive report. I hope you took notes. How was your first day in Dragon Land? Or should we start with something simple? I made up a little true or false game. I'll mention some common claims about Dragon culture and you'll either bear witness to them or refute them as clichés. But we could also put together some statistics. On a scale of one to ten, how hard do you think it would be for the average pony person to make a dragon person a friend?"

"Twilight." Sighing in resignation, Starlight let her forehead fall into her palm. "That's not actually what I meant by arriving."

Twilight, who had a page-long list of self-written questions in front of her while sorting through a stack of cue cards, looked up.

“Oops,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “I think I got a little carried away.”

"Everything's still the same," Spike grinned.

Starlight rose pointedly and said, "I actually meant something like having a cup of tea or something."

"Great idea," Spike said, jumping to his feet as well. »Anything better than throwing yourself straight into work.«

“All right,” said Twilight, putting down her papers a little disappointedly and following the two of them.

Spike was very grateful to Starlight. He probably wouldn't have been able to talk Twilight out of an endless round of quizzes on his own. Even if that was more or less her way of welcoming him.

In Dragon Land he hadn't had to worry about any statistics or meticulous lists and, to be honest, that was what he missed the least.

Spike was just about to squeeze through the piles of books and papers strewn across the floor when he stumbled. He hit a particularly thick tome with his toes and lost his balance. He slammed headfirst into a tall tower of books, followed by a strangled scream. The tower began to sway and Spike could already see the wall of pages and leather bindings rushing towards him when something soft trapped him. When he opened his eyes again, the books were floating frozen in the air, only half an arm's length away from him and the soft thing that was around him was Twilight, who was hugging him protectively. Her and Starlight's horn glowed as they placed the books back on the stack.

Spike's breath hitched. Not because he had just been nearly beaten to death, but because he could feel Twilight's fingers through his shirt and her pressing his head right into the well-endowed spot above her heart.

His face burned almost as much as his inner flame.

"Is everything okay, Spike?" he heard Starligt's dull voice.

Spike could only utter a quick, slurred, "Everything's fine."

»It's okay, Twilight. You can let go of him now.”

But Twilight wouldn't let him go. She tightened her arms around Spike and he felt her nose in his hair.

“T-Twilight?”

Then she let go of him and stood up again.

"You smell," Twilight said with a twisted mouth.

Spike's reddened face paled. In all his time in Dragon Land, he hadn't even bathed with water. Dragonmen preferred bubbling pools of lava to tubs of heated water, which Spike understood all too well. But hot lava didn't have the same effect as water and soap, which is why Spike still had the heavy smell of smoke and molten rock. An aroma that dragon people preferred to the pony people's bottled floral scent.

"Time for a bath," Twilight said sternly, and before Spike could run away, she had sent him into the air again with her magic.

"No Twilight, please don't!" he screamed desperately. “Please no bathe!”

"Don't act like that, Spike," Twilight said, leading the struggling Spike with her and Starlight waving sympathetically after him.

"Please Twilight," Spike pleaded. “Dragon people who bathe with water, that’s unnatural!”

“Oh, you’re just making that up.”

“No, that’s really true!”

"Come on, Spike, this will be fun," Twilight said, then added, "I can't remember the last time we bathed together."

For a moment Spike thought he had misheard.

“You want to bathe with me?!” The last time they had done that, Twilight herself had been a child. "Really now?!"

"Naturally. You can also tell me all about Dragon Land while you're bathing. Or would you think it's so bad to bathe with me?" Twilight's voice actually sounded a bit offended.

"No, well, that wouldn't be bad," Spike stammered hypocritically. Of course it would be bad for him. Dragonmen liked to bathe, almost exclusively, in company, but with a few exceptions, this only ever happened with members of their own gender. He had always bathed with Ember blindfolded, but Spike was sure Twilight didn't have a blindfold ready for him. Besides, there was a small part of him that would definitely enjoy it. His Inner Flame was literally dancing with excitement at the mere idea.

If she were serious, Spike, despite all his moral values and intentions, would not be able to help but react accordingly to the sight of her naked body. After all, he wasn't so small anymore.

Foam. foam and steam. Everywhere.

Spike wondered how he could have ended up in this situation. He sat in the bathtub, or rather in the huge heated basin that filled almost half of the bathroom, with a towel around his waist, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible as he stared at the tiles on the wall. The water was literally up to his neck.

Twilight hadn't lied when she said she wanted to bathe with him. She was just undressing. Spike could clearly hear the rustling of their clothes. When she closed the door, all he could think of was to run forward and Spike jumped into the pool as quickly as possible. At least there was enough room to avoid Twilight.

Anyway, what was the point of all this? Why did Twilight suddenly want to get in the tub with him?

But that question lost all its meaning when he heard Twilight approaching.

Oh, damn! She was really serious!

Luckily it was a long bubble bath and Spike gathered as much foam around himself as he could and pretended to be busy building foam castles.

Sighing, Twilight sank into the water. There was no escape now. And mixed in with his excitement was something else; the appeal of perhaps taking a look.

But he couldn't just stare at her like that. Something like that was simply not appropriate. He would just concentrate on the whitecaps. Exactly. Beautiful soft whitecaps stretching up in front of him. Spike had always been a good foamcap designer. He could build entire palaces and sailing ships out of the white foam, mountains and valleys and whatever else came to his mind. But at the moment he was trying so hard not to look at Twilight that he didn't really pay attention to his hands and was quite surprised when his creation was two huge round mounds. He smashed it before Twilight could get a look at it.

He had to admit one thing, you couldn't do something like that in lava.

Twilight stretched her arms above her head and lifted her leg out of the water.

Concentrate on the foam, Spike kept telling himself, piling up a large white tower in front of him. Focus on the foam.

For a moment there was an uncomfortable silence for Spike.

Then Twilight suddenly said, "And Spike, how did you like Dragon Land?"

“Pretty good,” he said without turning around and tinkered with the foam tower.

“Just okay?” Spike could practically feel Twilight raising an eyebrow. "That's all?"

"Well, I learned a lot," he added. »The way dragon people are. Why they do what they do. Why they don't do what they don't do. And why they do things the way they do or don't do them."

He instinctively grabbed the spot where Ember had punched him.

"I really learned a lot, including about myself."

In Dragon Land he had dared to do things that he had never even imagined and suddenly he felt much closer to his distant, unknown clan. He looked thoughtfully at his hand, which was covered in thick calluses, and clenched a fist. The dragon people had somehow... brought him further. He couldn't describe it any other way.

While he was silent, Twilight had apparently approached him quietly and Spike jumped when she came close to him. Her slender legs flanked him left and right. If he would just turn around now... No!

Spike wanted to flee to the safety of the sea of foam, but two hands gently pushed him to the ground.

"T-Twilight, what are you doing?" Spike grabbed a large pile of soap foam and pulled it in front of him.

"I know you're not going to like it," she said, and two bottles appeared in front of him, "but we need to give you a good wash."

A second later, Twilight's fingers were running through his soapy hair. At first Spike wanted to protest. He's been able to wash himself for years. But then he found it quite relaxing. Just like before. In any case, Twilight really didn't seem to see it as anything other than a reminder of the time they both planned in a small, cramped tub. So why shouldn't Spike take it the same way? After all, he had been gone for months.

He let the flame be in his inner flame and enjoyed the cozy warmth and Twilight's hands running over his head.

“Did you like it in Dragon Land too?” asked Twilight.

"Yes, very much so," Spike said bluntly.

“And did you miss us too?”

The question puzzled Spike a little. “Of course I missed you.”

Twilight's hands moved down his neck and with a sponge she rubbed his shoulders, which had the dragon people's farewell gifts emblazoned on them, as well as his back and arms.

"Did it hurt?" Twilight asked.

"A little," Spike admitted. "But in Dragon Land you have to be tough." He also liked all those markings on his body. He could identify the originator of every mark and scratch on it.

"That's not what I meant," Twilight argued, which puzzled Spike even more. "I meant whether..."

She became quieter and fell silent.

"Twilight?"

"Now look at how dirty you are," she suddenly said in an unusually high voice and scrubbed at Spike so hard that he thought she was trying to skin him. “It all has to go down very quickly.”

The water around Spike became more cloudy with every second and Twilight only washed his shoulders.

"What kind of dirt is all this?" Twilight's question sounded more directed at herself than at Spike, but his answer was almost automatic.

»This is ash sand. This is what dragon people rub themselves with after every lava bath.”

A thick, solid layer had fallen on him and now the soft skin underneath was revealed again.

“So the lava bathing thing is really true?” Twilight asked curiously.

»Oh yes! Hot water is nice and all, but there’s nothing like a real lava bath.”

“Because you don’t have to wash your hair,” Twilight teased.

»Foam and lava just don't work together. But a lava bath is much more important than you might think. The dragon people have their own culture. The best pools are reserved for the clan heads and no one else is allowed in there. Ancient dragon people even prefer to die in a lava bath because it is said to be very pleasant. It’s called taking the last bath.”

"Aha," Twilight said interestedly. "Stand up."

Spike stood up, fingers digging tightly into his towel so Twilight could wash his back. A brief moment passed. Maybe because Twilight looked at the bruises on his back, or because she saw that he had gotten a better figure during his time in Dragon Land. Twilight propped herself up on her knees, holding him with one hand as she cleaned his back. “Go on,” she said.

It took Spike a moment to find the thread again. She was so close to him that he could feel her breath on his skin. A blast of air that fueled his inner flame.

“Others sit in it so long that they grow attached to the stone,” he finally continued. "Besides, such a bath is said to have an... amorphdisiac effect."

Twilight paused. “A what?”

"An amorphdisiac effect?" Spike said uncertainly. “Or was it maphrodisiac?”

“Do you mean an aphrodisiac effect?”

Spike missed Twilight's slightly strained voice and was about to continue talking to distract himself from the increasing heartbeat in his chest, but Twilight beat him to it: "So all dragons bathe together and not separately?"

Was there a reproachful coolness in her voice?

"Almost," Spike said quickly. »Most dragon people bathe separately, men and women. But there are exceptions..."

"What exceptions?" Twilight asked immediately, her grip tightening as if to stop him from running away.

"Sometimes entire clans bathe together," Spike explained quickly, starting to feel a little uncomfortable. "And clan leaders often share a pool with several women."

"With several women?" Twilight repeated and although Spike couldn't see her, the hairs on the back of his neck still stood up.

"Yes. Dragon people often have several wives or husbands. And when they get married, they spend their wedding night in a private lava pool.”

This only seemed to make things worse.

“And you?” Twilight asked, her face now very close to his ear.

"What?" Spike asked.

Twilight's voice shook as she said, "Have you bathed with another... dragon girl?"

"No I have not!"

Twilight gave a long, unconvinced "Hmmm," but raised the sponge again.

“Except with Ember,” Spike slipped out.

The sponge fell into the water with a splash and Twilight pulled Spike around towards her.

"You bathed with Ember?!" She shook him by both shoulders as if she could get his answers out of him quicker.

“Yeah,” said Spike, who had his hands over his eyes.

“And then what happened?”

»Nothing happened! We just took a bath!”

“And she was naked?!”

»Yes, of course she was naked! It was a bath like the one we both have now!”

"Yes, but I'm not naked!"

Spike paused. “You're not?”

"Of course not."

Spike slowly put his hands down and peered cautiously at Twilight. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, her eyebrows were drawn together, and a tinge of red shone on her cheeks. And she actually wasn't naked.

She was wearing a simple, halter-less, dark blue swimsuit that seemed a little too small for her and looked worn, if not completely battered. In any case, the faded fabric stretched dramatically around her breasts, while some of the seams were baggy, such as between her legs.

"Is that your old swimsuit?" Spike asked.

“That’s not the point, Spike!”

“Why are you wearing this old thing?”

"Spike, I want to know from you-"

“Why aren’t you wearing Rarity’s?”

"I fixed it myself. Not everyone needs things from Rarity," Twilight snapped at him angrily and shook him again. "What's more important is the question of what you and Ember were doing together in the bathroom!"

And Spike, completely unaware of the ambiguity of his words, shouted back, "What do you think she and I did? Exactly the same as the two of us now!”

At that moment three things happened:

Twilight's poorly mended swimsuit slipped under her breasts, Spike's towel also couldn't hold up due to the shaking and came loose from his hips and fell into the water and at the same moment Starlight, who had been worried about the noise, stepped through door and froze when she heard Spike's words.

For an almost endless moment, there was silence. Starlight stared wide-eyed at the half-naked Twilight, who was holding a completely naked Spike by the shoulders and returned her gaze with a stone expression.

Spike, momentarily distracted by the sudden exposure right in front of him, dropped back into the water with a yelp as Twilight tried to pull her swimsuit over her bust.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," he heard Starlight say in a carefully controlled tone as the blood rushed to his face and then the door closed.

"Wait Starlight! It's not what you think!" Twilight jumped out of the water to follow Starlight. "Sorry Spike," she said before throwing open the door and running down the hall.

Spike remained stunned in the hot water. The image of Twilight's bare chest was burned into his brain and would probably have given his Inner Flame reason to burn hotter than ever before if the whole thing wasn't so damn embarrassing.

Starlight and Twilight had seen him naked! They had simply seen everything about him. How would he ever be able to look them in the eyes again? The very idea was completely impossible.

What had changed since he left? Why did Twilight have a fight with Rarity? And why had she insisted on bathing with him, just like in old times, and then put on a bathing suit? And why had he stayed naked himself?

Spike scratched his head. "Damned."

As if by himself, he reached for Ember's tooth that he wore around his neck and he wished he could climb into a pool of lava from which he would never have to come out again.

Chapter 4

Afterwards, it took Spike quite a while to collect himself and even longer to put on his clothes and leave the bathroom. Without his layer of lava skin, he suddenly felt very soft and vulnerable and he crept through the castle as quietly as possible. He didn't feel able to talk to anyone right now.

Twilight and Starlight had seen him naked! Just thinking about it made him want to sink into the ground. How could he ever look one of them in the eyes?

The whole world around him seemed to have changed in one fell swoop. A blow that hit him right between the legs.

Would Twilight and Starlight tell anyone about it? What a question. Twilight didn't keep a single secret from her friends. By tomorrow at the latest, half of Ponyville would know what had happened.

What was he supposed to do? For the rest of his life he would never leave the house againn not without being accompanied by ridicule and laughter.

Perhaps he could emigrate. Back to dragon country. But then he would have to hide why he had chosen to live a full life among his own kind. The dragon people would make fun of him even more.

Voices coming towards him pulled Spike out of his thoughts.

“I'm telling you, nothing happened.”

“For the hundredth time, Twilight, I do believe you.”

“It doesn't sound like you believe me, though.”

“I just don't want to think about it, okay?”

Spike quickly opened one of the many doors to his right and slipped through. Of all the endless rooms in the castle, he had chosen a narrow closet. He stepped into a bucket and a mop smashed against his skull, but he still managed to pull the door silently towards him in time.

Spike pressed one ear against the door and waited.oices coming towards him pulled Spike out of his thoughts.

“Hey Spike, what are you doing?” said a squeaky voice behind him and Spike wheeled around. Pinkie Pie had appeared out of nowhere behind him and was smiling cheerfully at him.

“Pinkie Pie,” he hissed. “What are you doing here?”

Pinkie grinned broadly and spun upwards like a dancer, causing her hair - and the hem of her skirt - to twirl in the air. “Oh, I'm pretty much done with the preparations for your party,” she whispered. ”So I thought I'd play a bit of hide and seek, but no one wanted to play, so I'm playing on my own and I must be really good because I haven't found myself yet and – Mhmpf!”

Spike slapped a hand over Pinkie's mouth.

“Psssst,” he made with a finger in front of his lips and put an ear on the door.

“What are you doing?” Pinkie asked, leaning over him curiously to listen as well. Something soft stroked Spike's head. He froze when he realized that Pinkie had come so close to him that her breasts were resting on his head. They were as heavy as they were big. Spike stifled a squeak. He was sure his face was glowing red enough to turn the closet into a darkroom.

“You playing hide and seek too?” asked Pinkie. “Can I play along?”

“Quiet now!”

Twilight and Starlight were just walking past the closet.

“I just can't believe you'd run after me first without talking to Spike about the whole thing.”

“I panicked,” Twilight defended herself. “I didn't want you to take things the wrong way.”

A short pause in which Starlight must have given Twilight a questioning look, because Twilight insisted, “Really nothing happened!”

“Maybe the only reason nothing happened is because I showed up,” Starlight said half-jokingly.

“Starlight!” Twilight had stopped.

“What are they talking about?” Pinkie Pie whispered and pressed herself even closer to the door, pressing her warm, soft body even closer against Spike. His inner flame was more like a blazing forest fire at the moment.

“After all, you were the one who said that Spike was, and I quote, no longer a child.”

“B-but that's not what I meant!”

Pinkie Pie slid to her knees. Her bosom slid down from Spike's head (who suddenly felt ten pounds lighter) and suddenly he felt Pinkie's breath very close to his neck as she breathed into his ear, “Do you know what they're talking about?”

A tingle ran down Spike's spine. If only she would stop breathing into his neck, or at least not be so close that he could almost feel her face against his skin.

“I just hope that wasn't too much for him now.”

“I don't think so,” Twilight slipped out dryly.

“What do you mean?” asked Starlight.

“Well.” Twilight's voice was a grumbling murmur and she crackled audibly at her fingernails. “I guess it's not the first time he's bathed a girl like that.”

“WHAT?! REALLY?!” Starlight's voice shrilled painfully in Spike's ears, causing him to jerk back and bump into Pinkie. His back landed softly into a curving body, Pinkie jerked her arms to keep from losing her balance and Spike's hand reflexively reached back to grab her.

“Hu!” A startled, hoarse gasp escaped Pinkie's mouth. “Sp-Spike!”

Spike felt tender, soft skin in his hand and thin fabric at his fingertips.

Please don't let it be this spot, Spike pleaded inwardly, though another part of him knew it was this spot after all. The spot under the girl's tail.

“Did you hear that too?” Twilight's voice asked from outside. Pinkie's upper body swung forward again and the next moment Spike felt something soft press against his back as she put her arms over his shoulders. Only now did his hand seem to react properly and detached itself from Pinkie.

“Sorry, Pinkie,” he mumbled. “I didn't mean to.”

“It's all right,” Pinkie mumbled, adding, ”You're all warm.”

If that wasn't an understatement. You could have fried eggs on his body.

Spike had to get out of here immediately or he'd catch fire himself.

“Now don't get off the subject.” Starlight sounded unusually agitated. “Who was he bathing with?”

“Well, with Ember. With who else?”

“With the ruler of the dragons?”

“Huu,” Pinkie whispered excitedly, turning the dragon boy around to face her and literally pressing her face against his. “Did you really have a bath with Ember? Did you, did you, did you?”

“Shhht,” Spike said desperately, trying to ignore the fact that Pinkie's face seemed a shade pinker even in the dark and that there was a strange gleam in her big blue eyes.

“There was something again,” Twilight said, and they both covered their mouths, startled. The handle of the cupboard was pushed down.

“That Spike,” Starlight chortled. “Sounds like the dragon people have taught him quite a lot in the last two months.”

“Now don't get the wrong idea,” Twilight hissed, exasperated.

“But you said it like something happened.”

“But it didn't!”

“How can you be so sure?”

Silence. Twilight seemed to think seriously about the objection. The handle went up again. Spike and Pinkie slowly put their hands back down.

“Because it's Spike we're talking about here,” Twilight finally said tersely. “He hasn't even kissed a girl yet. He would have told me that. That's why I know for a fact that nothing happened with Ember, no matter how naked they were.”

“But what if...”

“No buts,” Twilight said firmly. “It's Spike and nothing happened! That's it!”

“Sometimes I really don't understand you.”

With that, the two of them started moving again.

“You were skinny dipping with Ember?!” Pinkie actually managed to shout quietly.

“I was wearing a blindfold,” Spike hissed back. “I couldn't see a single thing!”

Pinkie blinked. “A blindfold?”

Then she got a blank stare, as if she was just visualizing the situation. Her face turned red and her lower jaw hit the floor. “Uhuuu, so that's what you like.” Grinning broadly, she nudged Spike in the ribs with her elbow and gave him a meaningful wink.

“What do you mean?” Spike asked, confused.

“Oh, nothing,” Pinkie only said when she realized that Spike really didn't know what she was getting at.

“In any case, Twilight will never find us here. You have good taste when it comes to playing hide and seek.”

“I'm not playing hide and seek,” Spike sighed heavily. “I am really hiding.”

Pinkie stumbled. “From Twilight? Why's that?”

Spike hesitated. For a moment he considered telling Pinkie everything, but then decided against it. The fewer people knew what had happened, the better.

“Did something happen, Spike?” Pinkie asked worriedly.

Spike didn't answer. He just looked to the side, embarrassed.

“I don't want to talk about it,” he mumbled.

Pinkie put a hand on his shoulder and tried to look him in the eye.

“Spike, if -” she began, but suddenly fell silent, her mouth open, and a glazed look on her face. “Ha.... Haaa.... HAAAATSCHIIIIII!”

The sneeze was so loud that Spike heard it echoing down the hallway and shortly afterwards Twilight's voice: “I knew it! There was something there!”

“Oh God, I have to hide!” was all Spike could say.

A second later, a flash of magic flashed in front of the door as she teleported.

Pinkie reacted with lightning speed. Spike only felt himself being flung around and Pinkie's puffy tail pressed into his face as she stood in front of him and pressed against the shelf to cover him completely. Air was forced from Spike's lungs and his hands, raised in shock, felt fabric and bare, tender skin beneath the cotton candy-like hair. Spike's fingertips twitched involuntarily and all the hairs on his body stood on end.

Twilight flung the door open.

“Pinkie?”

“Hello Twilight!” Pinkie put a hand in the air. “You found me!”

“Pinkie what are you doing here?” asked Twilight.

“Oh, I'm just playing hide and seek, you know,” Pinkie replied sweatily.

Spike swallowed, and not just because he had heaps of hair in his mouth. Pinkie didn't sound too convincing. But that could also be down to his fingers clawing into her seat flesh. He'd had no idea that some parts of her body could be so damn soft. His inner flame flared up. Hopefully Twilight would be quickly dissuaded.

“You're playing hide and seek? With whom?”

“W-well, with you by the looks of it.” Pinkie's voice sounded pressed and Spike felt her tense her legs. “Now it's your turn to hide,” Pinkie quickly followed up. Her eyes shifted nervously from side to side.

“Sorry, Pinkie,” Twilight waved her off with a mild smile. “But I don't have time to play at the moment.”

'Good, good,' thought Spike. 'Now please go back very quickly!

A long drawn-out 'Oooh, what a shame,' from Pinkie. Her tense legs trembled slightly. The stimulating aroma of vanilla, cinnamon and coconut rose to Spike's nose along with a scent he could only describe as feminine. He could practically taste it on his tongue.

Spike's body went absolutely crazy. The blood flowed through his veins like burning hot lava, little threads of smoke poured out of his nose and his inner flame formed into a cutting hot jet of flame.

“Are you all right, Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “You're all red in the face.”

'No! NOOOOOOOO! PLEASE JUST GO!'

Pinkie involuntarily pushed herself closer to Spike, who was slowly burning up from the inside. 'Everything's fine,' she squeaked. Spike only hoped Twilight wouldn't notice that Pinkie had never gone so long without moving.

“You didn't happen to see Spike, did you?” asked Twilight.

Unnoticed by Twilight, Pinkie's tail stirred. Thick strands wrapped themselves around Spike as if they didn't want to give him up. It was amazing how skillful Pinkie was with her tail. Sometimes you would have thought her tail had a mind of its own.

“Hmmm... Spike.” Pinkie repeated the name as if she was hearing it for the first time. “Little dragon boy? About this tall? With green hair? Just fresh from dragon country?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You know what Spike looks like,” she said slowly and Spike had to agree with her in annoyance.

'Don't drag this out unnecessarily, damn it!

“Oh yes. Of course,” Pinkie giggled nervously. ”No, didn't run into me. Why?”

Twilight shook her head. “Oh, just something. It's nothing important.”

They were both silent for a moment.

'Okay, that's it,' Spike thought, his heart playing mountain climber in his throat. 'Twilight's going to say goodbye and leave. She's going to go. She'll-'

'You... Pinkie...' Twilight finally began in a cautious voice, rubbing his arm in embarrassment. “Did you happen to catch what Starlight and I were talking about?”

'FUCKING SHIT!'

“You mean about something that happened in the bathroom that no one can know about because you'd be super embarrassed and you'd want to sink into the floor in shame if anyone found out? No, I haven't heard anything about that.”

Twilight took a step towards Pinkie and held her by the shoulders. “Pinkie, you have to promise not to tell anyone about this!”

Spike had stopped breathing because Twilight was now pushing Pinkie even tighter against him. One of the other dragon boys would say something like, “There are worse ways to die than being smothered by a nice arse.” Why was that going through his head right now? But his brain just felt like a soggy pile of putty anyway. It had to be the lack of air to breathe. His fingers clenched tighter in Pinkie's cheeks.

“Hu!” Pinike gave a barely noticeable wince. “Uh...about what?” she asked quickly and innocently.

“Well, about the thing you know nothing about!”

“Oh Twilight, you little fool. You can't talk about things you don't know about.”

“Just promise me you won't tell anyone about it,” Twilight asked, raising her little finger. “Pinkie swear.”

“Okay Twilight,” Pinkie said, wrapping her pinky around Twilight's. “Cross the heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake to my eye!” she rattled off as quickly as she could. But Twilight didn't seem to notice.

“Thank you, Pinkie,” she said with relief. “I know I can count on you.”

The corners of Pinkie's mouth twitched nervously. “B-but of course, Twilight.”

“I've got to get going. Have fun hiding.”

“B-see you later, T-twilight,” Pinkie Pie gasped.

“Oh, and if you see Spike...”

“If you see Spike, I'll let you know right away,” Pinkie frantically beat her to it.

Twilight smiled. “Thanks Pinkie. Do you want me to close the door?”

“Y-yes please.”

They waited five interminably long seconds until Pinkie took a little leap forward and rubbed her bottom. “Ow ow ow! My sweet pony butt!”

Spike tumbled face first onto the floor. His face was glowing so hot it could have melted an imprint into the ground.

“You sure do have some sharp claws,” Pinkie said with little tears in her eyes, spinning around to catch a glimpse of her rear end.

“Sorry Pinkie,” Spike mumbled without lifting his eyes.

“Look,” Pinkie said and Spike glanced up briefly. His breath immediately caught again.

Pinkie was leaning with her upper body on a shelf and had pushed her tail and skirt up with one arm. “Can you see anything?” she asked.

Within a fraction of a heartbeat, an image had burned itself into Spike's brain. Round, pink and soft. Dark dots where his claws had grabbed. Blue fabric under which a curved line stretched. Pinkie's curvy body leaning forward, pleading. Her face looking at him almost pleadingly.

That was definitely too much for Spike. His inner flame shot up inside him and sprayed from his nostrils. The fountain of flames pulled him back to his feet and he tumbled back with his hands cupped in front of his face. He slammed into the shelf and landed on his butt.

“I can't see a thing!” he shrieked with narrowed eyes, waving his hands wildly in the air.

“Really?” Pinkie paid no attention to the flying sparks and carefully pressed a finger to a spot on Spike's claws.

“Trust me, everything looks fine!” Spike choked out, already feeling another gush rising inside him.

“Okay, if you say so.” Pinkie suddenly smiled with great satisfaction and smoothed her skirt. Then, sighing, she sat down next to Spike and put an arm around his shoulders.

Spike looked to the side as he felt Pinkie's body against his side, but there was suddenly just a gentle, friendly warmth emanating from her.

“Spike, you've got a problem,” she said.

“I don't know how that could have happened either,” Spike replied, looking at the black stains his fire had left on the floor. Normally, he had his fire well under control, even if sometimes, for example in the event of a hiccup, a small flame would shoot up with it. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”

Pinkie giggled. “I actually meant that there's something you don't want to talk about. But things you don't want to talk about are usually things you should talk about. And I'm sure there's someone who will listen to you without judging you or making fun of you. Think about it.”

The way Pinkie said it, it really didn't sound bad at all. If Spike had someone to talk to about his embarrassing situation, he'd probably feel a lot better. But who?

Normally Twilight was the one he would go to, but she was part of the problem.

“It would have to be someone,” Spike said thoughtfully, ”who I can trust with everything. And who is able to keep a secret, forever if necessary.”

“Yeeeees,” Pinkie said with a long drawl. “Aren't you thinking of someone in particular?”

Pinkie Pie already seemed to have someone very special in mind.

“Someone close to you?”

Spike reached for the tooth around his neck and looked perplexedly into Pinkie's blue eyes.

Suddenly he knew it!

“Of course!” he shouted and jumped up. How he hadn't thought of that straight away.

Pinkie smiled. “Well, did you think of anyone?” she said.

“Yes! Oh, thank you Pinkie,” Spike said as he hugged Pinkie tightly. “I need to write a letter right now!”

“What?!” Pinkie seemed confused all at once. But Spike didn't have time to explain and was already practically through the door, but stuck his head through the frame once more. “You've got something good on me,” he beamed and ran down the corridor.

Pinkie sat dumbfounded for a moment, not quite knowing what had just happened. Spike had apparently misunderstood something.

Then a smile spread across her face as she thought about the look on his face.

“Cute,” she giggled and skipped away happily.

Chapter 5

The mood in the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse was highly concentrated. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had immediately gathered in the small tree house on the Apple family property after saying goodbye to Spike to consult on the upcoming investigation.

To illustrate the seriousness of the situation, Apple Bloom had used a little of the school's drama. She stood at attention behind the podium, her red hair pulled back under a barrett and her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm from behind sunglasses. Although the Cutie Mark Crusaders had always shown the same enthusiasm in all their previous tasks, this mission was particularly dear to Apple Bloom's heart. It was probably the most important task they had ever been given. She banged the tip of her pointer against the board on which the faces of Spike, Twilight and Rarity were shown, and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were crouched on the floor, flinched.

"So, where do we start?" asked Apple Bloom. "What's the best way to find out what Twilight and Rarity are arguing about?"

"We could just ask someone," suggested Sweetie Belle. "Fluttershy, for example. I don't think she could hide anything from us if we asked her directly."

Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle. "Declined," she said shortly.

"Why?" asked Sweetie Belle indignantly.

"Because we have to investigate," explained Apple Bloom, as if the matter were obvious. "We can't just go up to anyone and ask questions. You shadow and eavesdrop and collect clues and stuff like that."

"If we're detectives, why do you look like a soldier?" countered Sweetie Belle. "And don't detectives question other people too?"

"Oh, right," Apple Bloom had to admit.

"So we're detectives now?" Scootaloo interjected. She apparently hadn't noticed. "I thought we were on a secret mission, like spies. Should I get us some big hats and long coats then? I think there are still some like that in the theater box at school. Oh, and a tape that says: This message will self-destruct. We'll probably need binoculars and magnifying glasses too!"

Sweetie Belle frowned. "I don't think we need all of this. Most of it would probably be unnecessary anyway."

"Ladies," Apple Bloom said, clapping her hands before Scootaloo could reply. "We can talk about the equipment later. For now, we need to figure out how to help Spike."

All three thought for a moment.

Until Scootaloo finally groaned loudly. "Ugh! All this thinking is making me hungry. Sweetie Belle, I'll take an apple from your bag, OK?" she said, rummaging through Sweetie's shoulder bag, which she had placed against the wall, until she found one and found it in her hand.

Sweetie Belle immediately jumped up. "Wait, Scootaloo, that's mine!"

"Oh, come on, don't be so stingy," said Scootaloo, opening her mouth first to take a bite of the apple, then to cry out in shock as a small bolt of lightning sent the apple flying from her hand. "Hey!"

Sweetie Belle caught the apple out of the air and held it safely in her hands. "That's mine," she said firmly.

"Oh man, you could have just picked a new one," remarked Scootaloo, shaking her hand even though the bolt of lightning had been no more painful than a small smack of the fingers.

"You pick one yourself," replied Sweetie Belle.

"As if this apple is so special." Scootaloo took a closer look. "Isn't that the apple with the spike..."

"It's not!", interrupted Sweetie Belle. "It's a normal apple. And it's mine." She stomped over to her bag, slung it over her shoulder and shoved the apple back in.

"Now you're exaggerating," said Scootaloo.

Before Sweetie Belle could reply, Apple Bloom had already walked to an open window. "If you really want an apple," she said, stretching out, "then take this one." When she slid back in, she was holding a bright red apple in her hand, which she deftly threw to Scootaloo.

"Can we get back to business now?" Apple Bloom asked, ignoring Scootaloo sticking her tongue out at Sweetie Belle before she took a bite of the apple.

"Maybe," Sweetie Belle finally said hesitantly, "we should talk to Spike first."

"But Spike wants us to find out because he doesn't know," Scootaloo smacked her lips.

"I know," Sweetie Belle quickly agreed. "I just thought maybe he had some idea or guess or something. He is our client after all and..."

"True, that's a good idea," agreed Apple Bloom, nodding her head. "But it would be too conspicuous if we all went to him at once."

"Then I'll go alone," suggested Sweetie Belle immediately, her eyes shining. "It was my idea after all and..."

"I actually thought I was going to Spike," Apple Bloom protested.

"Why?"

"Because you're going to Rarity."

"Why is that?"

"Well, to question her, of course."

"Why do I have to do that?"

"Because she's your sister. Of course."

"But it would be too conspicuous if I were the one questioning her."

Scootaloo looked back and forth between her friends. "Well, it gives you the feeling that you just want to see Spike," she said.

The other two Cutie Mark Crusaders froze, their faces turning red.

"What nonsense," muttered Sweetie Belle.

"I'm just trying to be professional," Apple Bloom coughed.

"If you think so," said Scootaloo, but still had some objections of her own. "I don't think we should go to Spike. Let's give him some rest. He's been through a lot today." She looked clearly at Apple Bloom to remind her of Spike's near-suffocation, which she had caused.

Apple Bloom put her fingertips together, embarrassed.

"Besides," added Sweetie Belle, who had to agree with her friend. "He's with Twilight right now."

The other two shuddered aswell.

It was clear that they had to leave Spike out of it for the moment. Twilight would take up all of his time. Starlight Glimmer was also out of the question. She was too close to the Princess of Friendship.

"So what do we do then?" asked Scootaloo. "We have to start somewhere."

Apple Bloom thought for a moment.

"The best thing to do is just ask around," she finally decided. "Someone must have heard something."

"We could ask Rainbow Dash," suggested Scootaloo enthusiastically.

"Wouldn't it be a bit obvious if the three of us suddenly went out and started asking questions?" objected Sweetie Belle. "I mean, this is still a secret mission."

Sweetie Belle was right about that, of course. They had to think of something to avoid attracting attention.

"Then let's do it like that," suggested Apple Bloom. "We split up and each question someone else. Spike and Twilight are out, but we can always question the others."

Sweetie Belle crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I already told you that I won't question my own sister."

"You don't have to. Each of us will question someone else. So no one gets suspicious. Sweetie Belle, you go to Apple Jack. And Scootaloo goes to Rarity."

"Why do I have to go to Rarity? Can't you do it yourself?"

"No way," said Apple Bloom quickly and muttered: "Rarity can be really scary. Nothing against you, Sweetie Belle."

"It's fine. Why do you think I didn't want to question her?"

"But why should I do it then?" asked Scootaloo, who was just as scared of Rarity as the others. The whole thing sounded to her as if she was a stupid pawn sacrifice.

"Come on, Scootaloo. Someone has to do it."

"Yeah, but it won't be me," she insisted.

Sweetie Belle decided to intervene. "Oh my God, just flip a coin or something."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other.

"Okay, I'm all for that," said Apple Bloom.

"Me too," said Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle fished a coin out of her pocket and placed it on her thumb.

"The loser has to go to Rarity, got it?" she said and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom nodded.

"Ready?" asked Sweetie Belle and flicked the coin into the air with a tinkling sound.

"Heads," said Scootaloo.

"Tails," said Apple Bloom.
The coin fell to the ground between the three of them, where it spun around excitedly. Slowed down and slowed down. And finally lay still.

"Tails," said Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo groaned "Oh no!" and ran her hand over her stunned face while Apple Bloom clenched her fist in satisfaction.

"Sorry, Soots, but that's the rules," said Sweetie Belle as she picked up the coin again. "You have to go to Rarity."

"Fine, I'll do it," Scootaloo said reluctantly, turning to Apple Bloom. "But who are you going to see then?"

Apple Bloom smiled triumphantly. "I'm going to ask Zecora a few questions. Twilight has been visiting her a lot lately. Maybe she knows what happened. Besides, we'll be less conspicuous if we don't focus on Twilight and Rarity's immediate circle of friends."

"That's a good idea," Sweetie Belle said approvingly.

"Okay, then it's a deal," said Apple Bloom, holding out her hand. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo put theirs on it and the three of them said: "Cutie Mark Crusaders on a secret mission - Let's help Spike settle Twilight and Rarity's argument!"

With that, they threw their hands up.

"The title is much too long," Scootaloo remarked dryly as she turned to the door.

"It's just what we do," said Apple Bloom.

"But isn't that kind of stupid? If what we're doing is a secret mission?"

"True, you're right about that."

The two giggled. Sweetie Belle had stayed behind to get her bag. As she picked it up, she felt the apple that she had argued with Scootaloo about. She took it out and looked at it briefly. White lines were visible under a red peel where the apple had been stuck between Spike's teeth.

Sweetie Belle smelled it briefly, then took a bite. She had eaten many apples before, but never had one seemed so wonderfully sweet.

Almost like a kiss.

Chapter 6

Spike carefully opened the door to his room and stuck his nose through. Who knew if Twilight had teleported and was already waiting for him. But to his relief, the room was free of Twilight.

Very good, he thought to himself, entered carefully, closed the door as quietly as he could and paused.

He and Twilight had shared a room for years, whether in Canterlot or in Ponyville. And Twilight had always insisted on keeping everything neat and clean and they had both conscientiously complied with that, after all, as the number one assistant, Spike was not above almost any task - even if Spike himself had not always found it necessary to sort everything three times.

But there was no trace of order here. The blanket of the large crystal four-poster bed was hanging half on the floor and still had the same covers as the day Spike had left. The pillows were flat and dented and the mattress had more wrinkles than Granny Smith's face, not to mention the fallen feathers and crumbs from the chip bags that were hidden under the bed.

On the small table next to her bed, towers of water glasses stood stacked high next to rows of empty inkwells.

Between scribbled scrolls and flattened quills (some for writing, others from Twilight's wings) carelessly discarded clothes lay on the floor. Probably because the folding screen (the wooden folding wall behind which Twilight usually changed) was already completely overloaded. Only the books that Twilight had brought into the room for her bedtime reading were safely protected from all the chaos on a small shelf on the wall.

A hint of a slightly irritated smile crept across Spike's face as what he had always known came true; without him, Twilight was not even half as tidy as she liked to pretend. Spike could imagine her asking him to help her clean up.

So surprised by the sight that greeted him, Spike had almost forgotten why he was here in the first place. It was only when he saw the bag on his bed that he remembered.

Spike managed to take exactly three steps across the room before he fell over. His feet had become tangled in something and all he could see was the folding screen coming towards him, a large, dark-varnished wooden wall converted into a spare clothesline. He hit the wood hard enough that it tipped not forwards but in the other direction, towards Spike. It was like getting a powerful blow on the back and Spike's uttered "UFF!" was drowned out by a loud crash.

Groaning, Spike pushed everything that was in front of his face to the side before pulling himself out from under the screen. When he tried to stand up, he almost lost his balance again. Annoyed, he pulled the thing that had made him fall from his feet and took a look at it. It was panties. But not just any panties, but the kind that you add to the sexy underwear category, a dark thing decorated with lace that was triangular at the front but covered far less at the back, as it was only made of a thin, inconspicuous thread.

Spike shook the thing off as if it were a spider. He didn't want to imagine that Twilight wore such things. The fact that she even owned such underwear surprised him. He was her number one assistant and ran the household for the most part, but he had never made her underwear; after all, everything had its limits somewhere. But when you spend practically your whole life together, you inevitably see each other's underwear now and then and Spike had never seen anything like that in Twilight's drawers. She never seemed to have cared much for lingerie, and when she put her underwear away in the little drawer in her closet, she only ever had plain-colored panties. The fact that she now had such an amazing item (as some of the dragon boys would probably call it) in her collection confused Spike a little.

As he straightened the screen again, he remembered Twilight pulling those same panties over her lavender-colored hips until the ribbon disappeared between her cheeks, leaning forward slightly, placing a hand on her panties and asking over her shoulder with glowing eyes: "So, how do they look on me, Spike?"

Spike almost let the wooden wall slip from his sweaty fingers.

'No, no, no,' he told himself sternly, shaking the image, as tempting as it was, out of his head. 'You don't think of Twilight like that!'

He finally managed to raise the screen and turned one of the doors a little inward to give him a little more support. As he did so, something fell off the edge and landed on his head. Spike took it down and froze. It was the counterpart to the insane thing Spike had thrown to the floor; a gorgeously decorated, dark bra with an innocently placed bow between the cups.

New images immediately landed in his head. Twilight wearing that bra, adjusting it here and there with pointed fingers until it fit perfectly and her breasts filled it completely. How she slipped into that lingerie before his eyes and then how her blue swimsuit slid down as she shook him, Spike lost his towel and her plump purple breasts jumped into his face with small dark buds in the middle. They looked so soft and yet firm.

When had his room turned into a place of torment like this?

His inner flame flared up again, but he clenched his hand resolutely into a fist. By the three white ponies, how he had stared. And how Starlight had stared. And how Twilght had stared. He had to talk to someone about it and that's why he was here. He threw the bra on the floor and stomped to his bag.

Even his bed looked a little disheveled, although he knew he had cleaned it up when he left, and even some of Twilight's feathers were on his blanket. She hadn't...? No, impossible, why would she? Spike's bed was far too small for Twilight, so why would she choose to sleep in it?

Spike rummaged through his bag until he found what he was looking for: a small metal case with a scale pattern.

There was only one person he could talk to about what had happened, and in that case was the key.

With a few sheets of paper, as well as ink and a quill, Spike had sneaked to the very top of the tower. He knew Twilight was still looking for him, so a simple room was out of the question, no matter how many the castle had. She could just burst in at any time, and what he was planning to do would require a certain amount of time.

He placed a piece of paper against his knee and held the tip of the quill over it, uncertain. What should he write? How should he begin to sum up the full extent of his problem? Spike sat there thinking for a while, until he finally decided to begin with an innocuous HELLO EMBER. That was all he had written down when he reached for the case and pulled out a small stamp. This stamp was part of a pair, and the other one belonged to Dragon Lord Ember. As soon as Spike pressed his stamp on the letter, it disappeared and appeared under the counterpart on Ember. This way they could write letters to each other practically any time.

Spike had bought these stamps for himself and Ember, even though it wasn't cheap. He had had to spend almost all of his pocket money on them, but it was worth it. He thought it was a good idea to keep in touch with Ember in this way, and they were actually intended so that she could get his advice. The fact that he used the stamps immediately after he hadn't even been back in Ponyville for a day to ask Ember for advice was a bit odd.

Ember herself didn't think much of writing letters, after all she was a dragon, but she was happy about it in her own way.

Spike didn't know until now that these stamps were actually intended for lovers who, for whatever reason, wouldn't see each other for a certain period of time. Ember, on the other hand, did, and she was very surprised that Spike wanted to be connected to her in this way until she found out about Spike's ignorance.

Spike just hoped that Ember wouldn't wait too long to reply. Maybe she was doing noble things at the moment, like beating an opponent to the ground in a stadium. Spike paced impatiently, glancing at the stamp every now and then, hoping that a response had magically formed beneath it.

"Come on," he muttered. "Come on, come on, come on." Then finally, just when Spike felt like he had made a furrow in the ground, the piece of paper was suddenly lying beneath the stamp, with a few words scribbled on it.

SPIKE? WHAT DO YOU WANT?

It took Spike a few seconds to decipher the scrawl. Ember had terrible handwriting. But her words still made him smile. That was Ember, direct and straightforward.

Spike's hand hovered over the letter for a minute. Then he wrote: DO YOU HAVE TIME?

This time it only took a few seconds for Ember's reply to come back. IF I DIDN'T HAVE TIME, I WOULDN'T WRITE TO YOU. SO WHAT DO YOU WANT?

A lump formed in Spike's throat. Writing down what had happened suddenly seemed even more difficult than talking about it.

SOMETHING HAPPENED. AND -

Spike considered whether he should really write the following words. After all, they were addressed to Ember, the ruler of the dragon people. He didn't want her to think he was a wimp. But he didn't know how else to say it.

Finally, he pulled himself together. There was no shame in asking someone for help.

SOMETHING HAPPENED. AND I THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN HELP ME. WHAT HAPPENED?

Ember's answer sounded a little annoyed. Spike didn't like her pushing him like that. Didn't she realize how bad he was feeling, he asked himself angrily.

But wasn't that exactly why he had written to her? Because she was so blunt and direct? And a dragon-person, someone from his race, who must understand best how he should deal with all this? And hadn't he felt much closer to his race in the last few weeks, full of strength and conviction and everything that he found so great, openly and secretly? Had all that already evaporated like a cold cloud of smoke in one day in Ponyville?

'Behave like a dragon-person,' he said to himself grimly. 'Like one of them.' There were no more excuses.

TWILIGHT SAW ME NAKED.

He sent this line quickly before he lost his courage again.

This time it took a little longer for Ember to send the letter back, but her answer was all the shorter.

AND?

Spike stared at the word. And? AND?! What else was there to explain? Spike would have liked to write to her that she must have had a really long line. But he thought better of it and wrote:

AND STARLIGHT TOO!

The letter came back again. Again just with:

AND?

Spike tore his hair out. OK, then I'll go one step further.

AND TWILIGHT WAS TOPLESS!

She couldn't possibly misunderstand that!

I DON'T KNOW HOW I CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT. was Ember's short reply, which was even more scribbled than it already has been before, as if she had thrown it down hastily, almost angrily.

But why should she be angry? He should be angry because she was so stubborn and he was angry too. Angry because she didn't understand anything.

EMBER PLEASE. I NEED YOU NOW! DID THE PONY PEOPLE GIVE YOU SOMETHING WEIRD TO DRINK? WHAT? NO! AT LEAST TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TALKING TO YOU!

Spike stopped thinking about what he was writing. It all happened so quickly, as if Ember was sitting right in front of him. He could almost hear her voice in his head as he read her words. Her next message sounded reproachful.

I THINK I UNDERSTAND VERY WELL. BUT IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BROAD ABOUT, DO IT TO SOMEONE ELSE.

WHY BROAD ABOUT?! WHAT SHOULD I BROAD ABOUT?! SO TWO ARE JUST NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU AND NOW YOU'RE DISAPPOINTED IN YOURSELF? DO YOU WANT TO INVITE ME TOO OR WHAT? IF THIS IS SOME WEIRD FRIENDSHIP LESSON, I'M NOT FALLING FOR IT.

Spike had no idea what the hell she was babbling about. Nothing she wrote made any sense.

EMBER I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU MEAN. I'M FEELING LIKE SHIT.

He wrote the last word as big as he could. Even though he felt a little uncomfortable using such expressions, it was the most appropriate word for how he was feeling and he hoped that Ember would finally understand that he was serious.

Ember wrote back:

OKAY SPIKE, TELL ME AGAIN FROM THE BEGINNING. BUT I'LL PUNCH YOU IF YOU JUST BEATED ABOUT THE BUBBLE AGAIN, UNDERSTAND IT?

Apparently his words had had their effect. He picked up a new sheet of paper and placed it neatly on the floor in front of him. His hand began to shake as he lifted the pen and a big lump formed in his throat. How could he describe what had happened when it made him so upset every time he thought about it? It took a lot of effort for him to write even one word. I, he wrote. He crossed that out and wrote SO. That was crossed out too. Man, don't be so difficult, he said to himself. Ember is the only one who can help you and if you back out now, she'll be really angry with you. And you know what she does when she gets angry. Spike shuddered at the thought in his head. The fear of an angry Ember suddenly made him summarize the scenario in the bathroom in a few short sentences.

TWILIGHT WANTED ME TO TAKE A BATH, SO SHE WANTED US TO TAKE A BATH TOGETHER AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE FROM HER AT FIRST. BUT IT WASN'T! SO WE WENT TO TAKE A BATH AND I ONLY HAD A TOWEL ON AND I THOUGHT TWILIGHT WAS NAKED. BUT SHE WASN'T, SHE WAS WEARING AN OLD SWIMSUIT. SHE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT YOU AND I HAD BEEN DOING TOGETHER AND STARTED TO SHAKE ME. THE TOWEL SLIP DOWN, AS DID HER SWIMSUIT, AND AT THAT SAME MOMENT STARLIGHT CAME IN.

Spike didn't even glance over what he had written, but slapped the stamp on it as soon as the last word was written and waited nervously, wringing his hands, for Ember's reply.

EVEN IN CASE I REPEAT MYSELF: SO? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HELP YOU NOW?

Spike ran his hand over his face and groaned at first. Ember really had a long line. But at least she wasn't making fun of him. That's why he had written to her, because she was the one he could talk openly with. But for that he had to be open and honest. Not beat around the bush.

I'M SUPER EMBARRASSED ABOUT THIS. I FEEL LIKE I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO LOOK STARLIGHT AND TWILIGHT IN THE EYES AGAIN. AND THE FIRE IS BURNING IN ME THE WHOLE TIME AND I CAN'T CONTROL IT. I THOUGHT MAYBE YOU COULD GIVE ME SOME ADVICE.

That was as open and honest as possible. Maybe not particularly dragon-manly, but when it came to that, dragonmen valued honesty more than toughness.

FOR HELL, IS THAT ALL? I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING SERIOUS. IT IS SOMETHING SERIOUS. HOLY ASSFIRE, SOME GIRLS SAW YOU NAKED AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE MAKING SUCH A MESS? MOST GUYS WOULD BE HAPPY IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENED TO THEM. AND I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT DRAGONMEN. THIS IS SOMETHING YOU CAN SHOW OFF ABOUT LATER. AS LONG AS YOU DON'T TELL ANYONE YOU ACTED LIKE A PUSSY. I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE ACTING LIKE THAT. WE ALSO TOOK A BATH TOGETHER.

I KNOW, Spike admitted. BUT YOU NEVER MADE A THING OUT OF IT.

As she said the next words, Spike could see the wide grin on Ember's face:

YES, I NEVER MADE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT, BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A BIG DEAL TO MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF.

THANKS FOR PUTTING IT THAT WAY, Spike wrote back dryly. SO WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST? WHAT SHOULD I DO?

I SUGGEST YOU FIND YOUR BALLS BEFORE YOU MEET EITHER OF THEM AGAIN. I THOUGHT WHEN YOU WERE HERE WE TAUGHT YOU TO THINK MORE LIKE A DRAGONMAN, SO PLEASE BEHAVE LIKE ONE. BE PROUD, BE STRONG, BE BRAVE.

Spike read the lines three times and each time he actually felt better. Be proud, be strong, be brave. Unconsciously he reached for Ember's tooth and remembered how Twilight had washed off the thick layer of lava skin. Underneath his skin had felt soft and vulnerable. But dragonmen were not soft and vulnerable, at least not so much that they would run away if someone saw them naked. Exactly! And he was a dragonman too. Even if the lava skin was gone, he still had the bruises and scratches on his body, which now pulsated as if they wanted to pat him on the back encouragingly. He could even hear the voice of a young dragon saying, "If something like that happens again, you stand with your legs apart, look them in the eyes and say: Do you like what you see? No one can resist that. You just have to be ice cold."

Spike had to grin. He suddenly felt a thousand times better. It had been a good idea to ask Ember.

THANKS EMBER. YOU REALLY HELPED ME.

IT'S OKAY. BUT I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION FOR YOU.

GO FORWARD.

HOW WAS IT FOR YOU TO SEE TWILIGHT'S TITS?

Spike rolled his eyes. Maybe it was only a moderately good idea.

From inside he could hear Twilight calling his name. So she was still looking for him. But this time he wasn't going to run away.

SORRY EMBER. I HAVE TO STOP NOW.

YEAH DO THAT. I'M GOING TO LAUGH FOR THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES, IMAGENING THE FACE YOU MUST'VE HAD.

Spike shoved the stamp into his pocket. It was time to face it like a real dragon person.