By the Book

allegedly by Sharpe Quill

Twilight looked across the table at her latest conquest. Her eyes were half-lidded and she was trying her best to maintain the correct amount of poise and patience. She had read many volumes on the subject, on the many different techniques and methods, and she was determined to do this by the book. It had taken a long time for her to work up the courage to do this and she wasn’t going to let anything go wrong.

Speaking of books, the object of her attention lay on the table, looking nondescript and ordinary, totally unaware of the unspeakable acts that were about to be committed with it. It was a plain book, thick and heavy, with a worn cover and pages yellowed with age and use. It had the look of a book oft read, and much loved.

Twilight had had her eye on it for a long time but had never worked up the courage to actually take any action. But tonight was different.

Tonight, she would give in to her urges and use the book in ways it had most likely never been intended for. Ways that made her tremble and giggle in anticipation.

Tonight, Spike was out of the library, at a sleep over with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and unable to disturb her and her desires. It was just as well, he wouldn’t understand Twilight’s desires, her needs. He wouldn’t be happy with what she was doing and she didn’t want to try to explain her aching longings to him.

Gently she lifted the cover of the book to peek inside of it, just for moment, before closing it again. She was so excited to get started, but she couldn’t rush it. She had to do this properly, follow the directions exactly.

She ran a hoof over the rough cover, getting a feel for the material. The wide spine had the perfect combination of stiffness and flexibility and it had several… interesting decorative ridges breaking up the smooth surface at regular intervals.

This wouldn’t be easy she knew, but she hoped that the end results would make any pain and discomfort worthwhile.

Her horn flared with magic as she gently began her work. The book was heavy but opened easily enough until it was spread wide enough to the perfect location, as though seeking her eye, begging for her attention. And she acquiesced gladly.

This particular book was extremely rare in the library in that it wasn’t hers, not even by proxy. This book belonged to Spike. She had given him books on every one of his birthdays up to this point, but this particular tome was the only one he read regularly. It had caught her eye in the shop and she had immediately desired it for herself, but she knew that it wasn’t for her. Its contents were best suited for other, more appropriate readers, namely Spike. He had, of course, put it to good use in his own (i.e. the proper) way. And yet, it always seemed to be there, calling to her, taunting her with its presence.

But tonight, she would finally plumb its depths, so to speak.

With another burst of magic, the other necessary instruments and components flew into their proper places. She licked her lips in anticipation. She was going to enjoy this.

She was ready.

With a slightly manic grin, she carefully positioned herself, bracing against the table with her hind legs splayed and her tail swishing in anticipation. She moved the book into the optimal place and, with a faint blush on her cheeks, she began.

She began slowly, using smooth and even motions. Each movement, while unfamiliar, was extremely satisfying. It took some time but she soon developed a steady rhythm, and every magical motion brought increased excitement and anticipation to the purple mare. She would occasionally put a hoof to the book to correct her actions.

A few minutes in and she had her first hiccup. A particularly energetic burst of magic caused a few drops of slick liquid to drop onto her hoof, which was pressed against the book at the time. She tentatively brought the affected hoof up to her mouth and licked the drops up. The taste was slightly bitter and unlike anything she had ever tasted before.

Undeterred, she continued.

She was soon panting from the exertion. This whole endeavor was much more taxing than she had originally imagined, and yet she knew it would be worth it in the end.

Soon she abandoned the short, choppy motions of magic which she had been using to this point and began a more regular back and forth motion, continuous and steady. While this was certainly achieving the desired results, it was also making more of a mess. Soon the ground around her hind hooves was coated with the same liquid as before. She would have to clean the floor before Spike came home, but that was something to worry about later. For now, she had to focus on her work.

It felt like the room was heating up dramatically and sweat began to appear on her forehead as she picked up the pace. She was close to being finished now, almost there…

A ding distracted her for a moment and she glanced up. A timer she had set before had gone off; she had to hurry, she was almost out of time.

Starting to pant from the prolonged magical exertion, Twilight picked up the pace, heedless of the steady dripping and occasional splatter of the liquid on the floor around her hooves.

“Almost… there…” she gasped aloud to herself, “just… a little… more…”

Then, with a sigh of relief, she finished.

It wasn’t a spectacular event, but most satisfying. She sighed and let the magic fade from her horn. She sat back, unmindful of the cold and slightly sticky liquid on the floor.

She had done it. After years of wondering, of dreaming, she had finally fulfilled her fantasy. Now all she had to do was wait and see how it all turned out.

With a new burst of magic, she lifted the bowl before her in which she had spent the last several minutes pouring ingredients and mixing, mixing until there wasn’t a single lump left in the batter, and poured it into the waiting cake pans. She closed the large cookbook open on the kitchen table before her after double-checking for one last time exactly how long it should be in the preheated oven.

She carefully opened the oven door and positioned the pans inside of it. She closed the door and looked back on the countertop where there was still a mess of eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and the other ingredients she had used. She had gotten rather energetic towards the end and some of the batter had scattered about the area. She had a good amount of time before her cake was ready, so she might as well clean up and prepare the frosting.

Less than an hour later, a double-layered, pink frosted cake sat on the freshly cleaned kitchen counter and Twilight sat back to admire her creation. It had been much more difficult that she had originally thought; Pinkie Pie made it look so easy, but it wasn’t. Yet she had followed the directions to the letter, which meant that logically this cake would turn out perfect. She wasn’t quite sure why it had turned out so blackened or heavy, but she was confident it would be alright. She couldn’t wait for Spike to try it out, he was going to be so surprised…