> Poison in Your Mouth
>  by friedlambo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Poison in Your Mouth 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity sat inside the living room of her boutique, gazing outside into the dark, cold night of Ponyville, where it was raining and thundering loudly into the night. She sighed as a bolt of lightning was made visible in the distance. She always rather enjoyed rainy nights, as ironic as it was for such a prissy and quiet-loving mare as herself. It helped ease her troubled mind, and as of late, her mind was indeed troubled. 

Troubled may even just be an understatement.

She was, once again, swimming around in her thoughts of how horrible her love-life was. Every time she went out on a date with that "perfect stallion," she ended up either finding something out about them that was bad, or simply found out that they were just interested in her looks, like always, and were desperate at trying to get into a certain room of her house. Sure, she enjoyed the attention she received from stallions, but that was just the icing to the cake of what she really wanted a stallion to see in her. Her dates became less and less frequent, and she feared that if this were to continue, she would die alone. Nopony to love. Nopony to share her life with. This is what she feared the most.

But was finding love really that hard? Was she truly cursed with never sharing her love with anypony else? Surely there must be somepony that she was destined to be with, right? Perhaps she just hasn't met him yet. Maybe she just needed to widen her outskirts, search beyond Ponyville and travel to different places throughout Equestria.

She just needed that...special somepony. A spark that would ignite within her lonely heart.

Another flash of lightning illuminated her boutique, and she sighed yet again, realizing that her thoughts were only becoming more and more desperate. She was going nowhere, and fast. 

Her sigh transformed into a smile, though, as she remembered that she wasn't completely alone: she had her friends. They were there for her in her time of need, and they always seemed to brighten up even the darkest of her days. Her broken heart caused by disastrous dates would be healed by even just a few words with either of them. They were truly important ponies in her life, and she was grateful for them all.

But no matter how many times she told herself that, no matter how many times she thought that her friends were all that she ever needed, she always ended up crying to herself for her true lonesomeness. 

She was alone.

_______________________________________________________________

The rain outside her window seemed to pick up a little, but it was nothing too alarming for her. She may enjoy the rain, but like most other ponies, she wasn't all-too-fond of a heavy thunderstorm. Loud thunder always seemed to scare her.

She looked over at her clock. 9:45 p.m. She walks out of her living room, and into her kitchen to fetch something to drink. On nights like these, Rarity always seemed to drink away her sorrow through alcohol, and tonight was no exception. She finds a half-empty bottle of red wine, and pours herself a glass, walking with both the bottle and glass back into the living room using her magic. Setting down the bottle on her table and sitting herself down on her sofa, Rarity takes a sip of the wine. Silently, she began to twirl the bitter liquid in the glass, and stared into it as if it was going to rid her of her problems, rid her of all of the non-be-loving pain in her heart.

Oh, if only it were that simple, she thought.

But it wasn't. Nothing ever was for her. Her life had always been up to her standards up to this point. She just couldn't bare the thought of outgrowing all of her friends, seeing them, most likely, with special ones to their hearts, and she would be alone. It was an embarrassing thought. One would think that a pony as beautiful as herself would be the one to find "true" love first. Yet, here she was, being nothing more other than eye-candy for stallions to gander at. It was a rather disturbing thought, to be honest.

Another flash of lightning flashes, this time brighter than the last, and thunder follows it just seconds after. Rarity flinches a little at the loud abruptness, her wine glass shaking a little as a result, causing the wine to nearly spill. The fear of a very loud and unpleasant thunderstorm came to mind.

Sipping another long sip of her wine, Rarity sets the glass down, ready to find something to do to forget about the storm.

A loud and abrupt knock on her door, however, had interrupted that idea.

Who in Celestia's name would knock on her door at such a late hour, and in such horrible weather at that? She was very skeptical about even answering. What if it was a robber? Or, even worse, what if it was a stallion out to take her away? Perhaps try and steal her? Maybe, just maybe, a previously-dated stallion out to get second chances? A desperate apology to try and get her back?

She wouldn't be surprised. She was, after all, one of the most gorgeous and beautiful ponies in all of Ponyville. 

Not to sound too conceited, of course.

She approached the door with caution, using her magic to open it ever-so-slowly. As soon as it cracked open, a purple claw gripped the edge of it, and pushed the door open more, revealing who her late-night visitor was.

"Spike?" Rarity asked, losing her cautious state and approaching him with ease. "What are you doing out here so late, and in the rain? You look horrible!"

And she was right. The dragon looked as if he had stood out in the rain for what seemed like hours, completely drenched from head to toe. Spike revealed his full self as he walked into the boutique, and was standing just a few inches above Rarity in terms of height. In the years, Spike had matured a great deal, his tone and shape having been built quite nicely, and his wings finally coming in. They were not too large at the moment, but within months, he would be able to fly. His snout extended just a tad as well, no longer than that of a pony's. 	

Much to Spike's utter relief, he and Twilight had discovered that his particular species of dragon had a full-grown state that was only a tad larger than that of an average-sized stallion. Twilight herself had come to the conclusion that the only way he'll ever grow larger than that would be if he were to ever go back into another greedy outburst, but Spike knew better than to let that happen ever again. The last thing that he needed was to be scolded into leaving Ponyville forever due to being a potential threat to the citizens.

Spike glanced over at Rarity, the rain still covering and shining off of his scales. He gave her a downcast look, as if he had been hurt, and Rarity could sense this instantly. She knew that look. She could tell that he was in pain. Emotional pain.

"Spike? What's wrong?" Rarity asked concerningly, the awkward silence beginning to bother her.

Spike sighed as he took the towel that Rarity had offered him with her magic, using it to dry himself off, while at the same time thinking of a way to tell Rarity of his current little situation. Once dry enough, he handed the towel to Rarity, who simply set it down somewhere in the kitchen. Spike then made his way slowly to one of Rarity's sofas, and  sat down on it gloomily.

This was pretty normal to him and Rarity. Not the emotional distress that was currently in the air, no, but the visits. Spike would always pay Rarity a drop-by whenever he had the chance. The two had practically become the best of friends throughout the years that Spike had stayed in Ponyville. What started out as just him helping her with her outfitting orders and fetching gems slowly became a very deep relationship in which the two could practically share just about any information with each other, carry on conversations fluently and casually, and even discuss one another's predicaments. This went on for three years, their bond stronger than ever before, and nothing had changed.

But for Spike, he was ready for change.

He wanted to take the next step, to tell Rarity how he really felt about her, tell her how much she meant to him. Not just because of her looks, not just because of her voice, and not just because she was destined to become popular.

He loved her for who she was, and this was something that the dragon came to realize not too long after his little crush phase a few years ago.

His little infatuation blossomed into love, and each day, he longed to tell her of his heart's content, but that was the very thing that the dragon could not find himself to do. He just didn't have the courage. Sure, he tried several other times before in the past, but he would always end up either changing the subject with Rarity when trying to confront her about it, or simply stop mid-sentence, much to the mare's confusion. 

Realizing that Spike hadn't yet answered her question, Rarity made her way to the sofa opposite of him and sat down, levitating another wine glass from her kitchen and set it down next to her glass on the table in front of them.

"Would you like to talk about it over a drink, Spike?" she asked, hoping to at least up the current dreary aura of the room. Spike naturally nodded weakly in affirmation, and Rarity poured him a glass of wine. Spike took the glass in his hands after she was done, and sighed before taking a big swig. Rarity chuckled a little at this sudden antic.	

"I don't even know where to begin," he began, earning him a serious and listening look from Rarity, "I'm so tired of this."

Rarity gave him a puzzled look. "What exactly is the matter, darling? Is it something to do with Twilight?" she asked. Spike looked up at her from his glass, and shook his head.

"Actually, it's just..." He paused, as if he wasn't sure if he should continue on with what he was about to say. Would it embarrass him? Should he tell her? Was it something that he could even discuss with her?

"It's just... well, girls." he finished. Spike instantly face-palmed mentally, realizing just how silly and stupid that sounded out loud. It sounded so much better in his head when he rehearsed it. Rarity chuckled again, but this time in a more confusing manner.

"Girls? What about them, Spike?"

He remained silent. He then also realized that he wasn't fully ready to tell her just yet. Not now. The feeling in the air wasn't right. He needed more time. He cursed to himself silently under his breath.

"You know what, let's just forget about it for now," he said. "Sorry I bothered you at such a late hour, Rarity." He began to smile sheepishly as he stood up, and turned to face the door. "I think Twilight may need me here in a few, so I'll be on my way. Thanks for the wine, by the way." he pointed out just as he neared the door. As he began to turn the knob, a loud thunder roared and shook the earth beneath them, emitting a high-pitched shriek from behind him, that of which he knew all too well. He turned around to see Rarity holding her chest, and breathing heavily, obviously out of breath from the scare that she had just received.

"Spike, do you think you could stay for just a little longer? Perhaps until the storm dies down a little?" she asked. Spike simply smiled as he made his way back to the sofa, somewhat relieved that the awkward conversation before was now forgotten.

"Sure, I guess I could stay a little bit." he said. Rarity gave him a thankful smile, and then poured herself another glass. Spike took note of this. She seemed to be a bit finicky tonight. He always knew that Rarity would drink mostly to ease her mind from anything that would bother her, and tonight, he assumed that it was the thunderstorm. 

As Rarity brought the glass to her mouth, Spike looked in the direction of the kitchen, and noticed a large vase with sevral red roses and other assortments of flowers in it. Weird. He never saw that before.

"Where did you get those?" Spike asked, having nothing else better to say. At least this would possibly create some conversation rather than another long awkward silence. He hated those, especially whenever they were with Rarity.

Rarity traced Spike's gaze, and saw the vase herself, and mentally sighed. She should have known better than to think that Spike wouldn't notice them. He had visited so often, that he practically knew the boutique inside-out.

"Those were from my last date..." She answered, rather shyly. Spike noticed her tone.

"Another flop?" He asked, already understanding the story behind the flowers. Rarity blushed a little on her cheeks, and looked in the direction of the flowers, hoping to hide herself from Spike.

"Ugh, you don't even know the half of it," she said as she faced Spike again, only this time, she was smiling. They both began to laugh for a little before Rarity continued.

"He was such a gentlecolt at first, just like the rest of them, but as our date progressed on, he began asking me all sorts of...odd questions. The date itself was fine, but once we approached my place, he was trying so hard to get invited in."

Spike winced a little at the thought, thankfully unnoticed by Rarity.

"Oh Spike, you should have seen how pathetic his attempts were at trying to get in bed with me." Rarity finished, laughing to herself this time. Now that she thought of it, it was a rather funny little experience. The idea still bothered her, but talking about it and letting the pressure off of her chest seemed to rid a good amount of sorrow from her.

Spike looked down at the ground beneath his feet. He didn't really need to hear that last part. He always hated how most stallions were only interested in Rarity for her body. She didn't deserve that. She deserved better.

Another loud boom emitted from outside, but this time, Rarity controlled herself. Now that Spike was a little closer, all she did was simply gasp. Spike laughed at this, earning him a slight glare from her. He thought it was cute whenever she gasped like that.

"This storm doesn't seem to be getting any better. Looks like I'll be here for a while," he said, giving Rarity a smile. For some reason unbeknownst to her, she felt her cheeks heat up and flush. She turned away from him again, but made the mistake of doing it too quickly, alerting the dragon. She tensed at this mistake, for now Spike most likely knew why she turned away, but he decided against bringing it up.

"I'm so sorry about this Spike. You know all too well that I admire the rain, but I can't stand heavy thunderstorms."

"Hey, don't worry about it. At least I have an excuse to stay here with you." Spike replied simply. Once again, Rarity's cheeks reddened, and this time, Spike saw it before she could try and hide it. Spike chuckled a little to himself. He had done that one on purpose to tease her. He knew, however, that this didn't mean that she had feelings for him. Spike was wise enough now to know that any compliment like that would make a mare blush. Hell, he had said similar things around Twilight before, and would generally get the same result. He always found it amusing.

Rarity, while hiding her blush, was deep in thought. She had always known about Spike's little crush on her, but never in her life did she think or even consider that it would still go on. She had thought that Spike had let that go a long time ago, but the comments that he was saying right now were good enough proof to tell her otherwise. Was he really still into her? Was he, even after these three years, really harboring loving feelings for her?

After having rid of her blush, she turned to face Spike to see that he was taking another sip of his wine. Thanks to her, Spike developed taste buds for the bitter liquid. Before he met her, he could hardly take a sip of any alcohol without making a sour-faced frown. Nothing that several visits couldn't fix. As he gently lay the glass back down on the table, Spike decided to lay down along his sofa, his body stretching across its entire length. Once comfortable, he turned his head to face Rarity.

"Excuse me for one moment, Spike. I need to go put this wine bottle up. I don't think I will be drinking any more of it this evening." She said as she levitated the bottle behind her as she got up and made her way into the kitchen. Once out of Spike's sight, she set the bottle down onto the counter, and let out a sigh.

What was this odd feeling? What was with her tonight? Spike had visited her all the time, and for some reason, she felt so...different this time, so tingly. She was reacting as if she had the finest stallion over.

Wait, what? Why did she think that? Spike isn't anything to worry about, right? He's not a stallion, he's a dragon. She shouldn't have to worry about anything.

But why was she? Why was she comparing him to something that she could only currently dream of? She knew she didn't have any such feelings for Spike, so why the blushing? Why all of the nervousness?

Maybe it was his previous flirtatious comment?

Calm yourself, Rarity. You're just a bit tipsy from the wine, that's all. 

Yes. That was it. It must have been the wine. She wouldn't be feeling this way otherwise. Her mind was already spinning in circles, so this must have been the reason for it all.

Pleased with her conclusion for her little dilemma, Rarity made her way back into the living room, where Spike was still sprawled out on his sofa, waiting patiently for his host to return. She trotted back over to her sofa, and too lied down on it, getting comfortable with the casual ways that Spike was putting off himself. Both exchanged smiling looks before one began to speak.

"Hey Rarity, can I ask you something?" 

Rarity gave him an assuring smile. "Spike, you are one of my best of friends. You can ask me anything." she said in approval.

Spike inhaled deeply, signaling that what he was about to ask was most likely going to trouble her. "If your dates always end up so horribly," he began, "why do you keep going after the samy type of guys that are always high-class? Why not search beyond Ponyville? Or maybe even, you know, lower your standards just a bit?"

As soon as he had finished his question, he felt uneasy. He knew he shouldn't have asked that, and the frowning look on Rarity's face had confirmed that for him. She already had thought about searching outside of Ponyville, but never did she think of changing her taste in stallions.

"Well...I suppose that I'm just...afraid." she said, and as Spike was about to intervene, she continued. "I'm just afraid of the other ponies of this town, and how they'll react whenever they see me with an average stallion."

Just the answer that Spike had feared. Another one of her excuses about her personal reputation on only being interested in the finest of things, even whenever it came to stallions. Love, for that matter.

"But why do they have to have high-class?" Spike asked again, this time with a little more confidence.

Rarity couldn't find herself to answer that. Why was she only into dashing, top-notch wealthy stallions? Could it be that the answer to her endless abyss of despair is finding love in other normal stallions, ones of lower class? That thought really lingered in her mind. Spike was proving a point, but she was far from satisfied enough to actually give it a shot.

"It's not that they have to have high-class, Spike, but it's...it's something that I look for in a stallion. It would suit me best." she said lamely, unable to find the right words to answer with. Spike only sighed. Looks like his chances with her, much less confessing to her, was slimmer than he thought. Not wanting to get into an unwanted argument with her, Spike decided to take a different approach.

"Well, then why exactly do your dates always end up so horribly?" he asked, expecting her to answer with a bit more ease. To his relief, she did. In fact, she laughed just before she answered.

"Spike, they start off as just what any other mare would want to have in their perfect stallion. They are nice, generous, complimenting, and show that they are willing to put the mare before himself."

Spike grinned slightly as he saw the smile that slowly started to form on her face, that of which was now a rose-tinted red.

"They would take me out to eat, and we would have such a wonderful conversation. Oh, it's so cliché, but so romantic nonetheless, Spike. We would sip on our wines, and simply bask in each other's company throughout the night."

Rarity paused for a moment, and her smile began to slowly fade, much to Spike's dismay.

"But once the night would be over, and they would walk me home, they cared not about me getting inside my home safely, but rather getting inside the house with me."

Spike groaned a little. He didn't like where this was going.

"They would try and take the night out further, or try to woo me with their romantic-yet-unwanted charms. They would always end up just being another dirty old mule trying to have their way with me."

The smile that was once on Rarity's face was now completely replaced with a scowl.

"It's nice to have the attention of having a beautiful body, but there is a limit, Spike!" she said, her voice raising a little. Rarity noticed her sudden raise in tone, and immediately stopped herself while apologizing to Spike.

"I'm..I'm sorry about that." she stated, hanging her head down in shame.

"Don't be. I completely understand. You just want someone that wants the real you, and not just the outside you, right?" Spike asked, making Rarity raise her head and give him a small look of awe.

"Exactly!" she beamed. "How did you know?"

"It's something that almost every other mare wants as well. I know this for a fact." 

Spike sat up on his sofa, and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, arms resting lazily outwards. Rarity blushed slightly at her obliviousness. Spike was right; it was pretty much what every other mare out there wanted in their stallion as well. It was the fact that no stallion out there could see her that way.

As much as Spike was trying to help Rarity feel better, he couldn't help but make himself feel worse. He was always on Rarity's side of things, and this was something that was hindering him from ever telling the ivory-colored unicorn of his feelings for her. He knew that Rarity was out looking for a stallion, and unfortunately for him, he was not one. He was a dragon. He was a dragon that was destined to watch as the mare of his dreams would eventually be swept off of her hooves by the real perfect stallion that Rarity was destined to meet at some point in her life. And whenever that time would come, he would still be there for her, by her side.

There were so many times when Spike wished that he was a stallion himself. Maybe then he'll at least even have a chance with her. He had even asked Twilight if there was a spell that could even just momentarily turn him into one, but was told that the spell itself was not only out of her magical capabilities, but was also life-endangering. 

But even though it troubled his heart in one way, it also replenished it in another. It always warmed him to know that he was there for her, to know that he was willing to hear her out and aid her in her time of sadness. He loved to even just see this very mare smile, and that smile alone was reason enough for him to fall in love with her. Her laughter was the most beautiful of notes to his ears, and it was times like these right now that he wished he never had to leave her side.

"So the guys you keep dating are nothing but a bunch of rats, huh?" Spike asked. Rarity had to laugh at his comment, despite the rudeness behind it. Then again, the "guys" he was referring to were rude in their own ways, so she supposed the comment was suitable anyhow. 

"I guess you could put it that way, yes. They always seem to make the date very enjoyable the entire night, but once they bring me here, they do nothing but throw all kinds of absurd comments at me about my...my body." Rarity flinched, obviously thinking back to a few past experiences concerning the matter. "Oh Spike, it seems there are no real stallions of true manners here in Ponyville." 

Rarity, after thinking about what Spike had said a few moments ago, remembered something, and decided to bring it up.

"Spike, whenever you came in earlier..why did you look so sad? You were going to talk about it, but you said that-"

"That we should just forget about it, yeah, I know." Spike said, finishing her sentence. Rarity winced a little at his interruption. Whatever the topic was, it obviously bothered Spike.

"Spike, I'm your friend, and I am here to help you with whatever it may be that's troubling you, darling. Are you sure you don't want to try and talk about it?" Rarity asked in a concerned tone. She did care for this dragon deeply, and she wanted to help him out in any way she could. Spike looked at his half-full, half-empty glass on the table, contemplating on this question.

"Well, you see, I'm-" he paused, taking in a deep breath, just as before, "I just got out of...of a relationship." Spike finished, still staring into his glass, hoping that it would respond to him rather than Rarity herself. Rarity's eyes widened as far as they could, and her jaw dropped practically to the floor.

"You what?" She asked, bolting to sit up straight on the sofa, her expression staying the same. It was then that Spike looked up to her, and smiled a weak smile. "Since when were you ever in a relationship?" She asked.

"Well, it wasn't a very serious one, but more along the lines of us just...trying things out, I guess." Spike said as his tone slowly faded into a shy one. "It was fun at first, but we both came to agree that it wasn't really working out, so we ended it then and there."

Rarity listened intently, and a little sting ignited inside of her, but she just pushed it aside for now.

"I guess you could say that's the very reason that I came to visit you as soon as the relationship was over.." He said, and this time, his tone was almost scared.

"Uh...what do you mean?" Rarity asked.

Spike stood up, and walked over towards the sofa that Rarity was resting on. With a weak nod from Rarity, he sat down next to her. Not too close, however, as he didn't want to appear intimate. He looked Rarity in the eyes, and she looked into his, waiting impatiently for his answer.

"Rarity, the reason I came to see you was because...because the pony I dated was.."

He paused. He looked down from Rarity's gaze, unable to gather up enough courage to tell her the last part whilst looking her in the eyes.

"Rarity, I dated your sister." He spat.

The mare before him nearly fell out of the sofa from shock. Both her stomach and her heart did a complete 180 turn, and she felt as if she were about to throw up. Spike dated Sweetie Belle? How could she have not known about this? Sweetie Belle lived with her, so if anypony, she should have been the first to know! She felt a tad hint of rage building inside of her, rage for not being told of such an important thing, especially since it concerned Sweetie Belle.

Yet, all the same, she felt a feeling of something else, something that she couldn't put her hoof on. It bothered her, but for some reason, she felt as if her heart had been broken. She felt like she had just been rejected by a stallion that she had had her eyes on for years. 

Rarity was jealous.

But she couldn't be! Why would she be jealous? It's not like she has any feelings for Spike, so why should she feel this way? Why couldn't she just accept it like a normal mare would?

Spike, realizing that Rarity hadn't said anything for the past two minutes, decided to speak up.

"Rarity?" He asked, worried about what her reaction would be.

"How come I didn't know about this? She's my sister, and I wasn't even informed?" Rarity answered with an annoyed tone. Spike closed his left eye as if he had seen somepony fall on their face in pain. He knew what was coming.

"How long...how long have the two of you been seeing each other?" She demanded.

"For only a month."

"Only? What do you mean only?"

"Rarity, look, I know that we probably should have told you about it, but it never really turned into anything serious, so we decided against telling anypony about it. I'm only telling you because she's your sister, and you deserve to know. And before you get angry with Sweetie Belle, let me just tell you that she didn't tell you herself because she was afraid of how you would react. Try not to give her a hard time if you ever want to talk to her about it. I already told her that I would tell you eventually, so don't worry about telling her that you heard it from me."

Rarity calmed down a little after that sentence, but the annoying burning sensation within her heart never subsided. 

"This is just...so sudden for me. I always thought that you-" 

She stopped. This wasn't the time to bring that up.

Or, was it?

Now that she thought about it, this was a good chance that Spike may no longer have any feelings for her, so the eagerness of knowing was killing her slowly. But she couldn't just ask him directly. Luckily for her, she was very clever in getting the truth from others by simple ways of the mare.

"I just hope you're not too upset, Rarity. Me and Sweetie Belle enjoyed the little time that we had together, but our hearts simply didn't feel the same way towards one another."

"Spike, it's fine. I'm still a bit disappointed, yes, but I'm sure I'll get over it in time. But for now, let's just-"

BOOM.

A loud thunder erupted yet again from outside, but this one was considerably louder, and sounded dangerously close. Even Spike jumped a little in surprise.

Rarity, on the other hand, had instinctively wrapped her front legs around Spike's muscular chest, squealing in shock and practically shoving her face into him. After a few seconds of realization, Rarity immediately pushed away from him, and blushed slightly. She looked back to him, and found that his face, although hard to tell from his deep purple scales, had a tint of red to them as well.

Rarity's gaze had absentmindedly fell downwards to the chest that she had clinged to not moments ago, and found that the warm feeling in her cheeks never faded, but rather intensified. She never really realized just how tone Spike was, and feeling it around her body gave her a weird sense of thrill. She felt as if she were protected from anything.

Shaking her head slightly to wake up from her trance, she looked back up to Spike's face, and saw that his blush was still there. She smiled in satisfaction. There was no doubt still a chance that the dragon before her still had feelings for her, and that little burning in her heart slowly started to stop. 

"Spike, I'm just dying to know; who exactly asked who out?" Rarity asked, avoiding any awkward moments that might have ensued from what had happened.

Spike was taken aback from this question. He himself snapped his mind back to the present, and gave Rarity a look that said "are you sure?"

"Well, she asked me." 

Rarity internally let out a sigh of relief. More proof that he might still like her. It wasn't too much, but still proof.

"And what exactly compelled you to say yes?" Rarity's tone had dropped to more of a curious one rather than an angry, demanding one. Spike raised an eyebrow at this. What was she up to?

"Well, it's a bit of a long story, but...well, I guess you could say that I said 'yes' because I was tired of chasing after a particular mare that never saw anything in me other than a friend."

Rarity's heart skipped what seemed to her like two full beats. That one hit a little too hard. She knew all too well who this 'mare' was.

"I have been wasting so much time chasing after her, and forgot about trying to simply forget about her and move on, try and find love somewhere else, perhaps even with someone of my own species. I thought that perhaps with Sweetie Belle, I could find new love, and finally be happy."

Rarity felt her gaze fall crestfallen. The poor dragon had waited so long for her.

"But in time, I realized that my love for the other mare never went away. I was still in love with her, and I could no longer allow myself to date Sweetie Belle."

The look that Spike was giving Rarity confirmed that he was talking about her. His eyes were telling him all of the words that he himself couldn't say with his own mouth, being too shy to do so. Both of their eyes were locked onto each other, and Rarity almost let a tear form in her right eye from what Spike had told her.

All this time, Spike still loved her, and was suffering greatly from it. That much was obvious to her, and it all made sense to her now. Spike had dated Sweetie Belle to hopefully rid of his feelings for her. He had tried to find love elsewhere so that he could finally be happy. But his heart never let go of her, and it hurt Spike dearly, because now, from what she could tell, he would never be able to move on. He would never be able to find love or be loved.

Trying to avoid the awkwardness, Spike turned away from her gaze, and reached out for his glass of wine, taking another big sip. The movement of him startled Rarity, and she found herself snapping out of another one of her deep thoughtful trances. She felt her cheeks flush again, and mentally cursed to herself. She was acting like a little filly.

Spike's next words disappointed Rarity, though.

"Well, it's pretty late now. No doubt that Twilight is going to kill me if I don't get home here soon. You know how she is." chuckled Spike as he got up from the couch and turned to Rarity. She let out a forced laugh in understanding. Spike was right; Twilight was a bit protective over him, and it was indeed pretty late. Nearly 11:00 p.m.

But Rarity didn't want him to leave. 

So many other times had the dragon visited her and left her all the same, but why was this time so different? What was this feeling of strong, utter disappointment of Spike having to leave this particular night?

"O-okay, Spikey, but please be careful.." she trailed off, her voice giving off a hint of sadness. Spike noticed this.

"Rarity, don't worry. I'm sure the storm will die down here shortly. Besides, I think the raining already stopped." he said as he made his way to the door.

Of course, as clueless as Spike was, he would assume her sad tone to be because of her fear of the thunder. Little did he know that this time, her tone was because of his departure.

His strongly unwanted departure.

But there was nothing that she could do about it. He was right; the storm had slowly faded since its last thunder, and she couldn't just ask him to stay. Twilight would be worried sick. Once he would walk out of that door, she would be all alone again, leaving her to most likely dwell on her thoughts of utter failure in being a single mare.

Spike walked over to the front door, and opened it a tad, checking outside to see if it was still raining. Just as he had said, it had indeed slowed down considerably. With one last look behind him, he gave Rarity a wave good-bye.

"I'll see you later, Rarity, probably tomorrow." he said with that warm, welcome smile that Rarity adored so.

Much to Rarity's utter joy and fear all the same, a loud crash emitted from out the door, and this time, both she and Spike jumped and yelled. Spike immediately closed the door in front of him, and looked to Rarity. 

"Okay, so maybe the thunder hasn't gone away." Spike said dully, earning him a laugh from the mare that was now clutching to a pillow on her sofa. Spike cursed to himself as he heard a few windows nearby start to sing in cracking noises, signaling that the rain had returned as well. He couldn't leave just yet.

Rarity looked at the dragon at her doorway, and an idea popped into her head. 

"Spike, I don't think this storm is going to stop anytime soon, and I can't sleep in such horrible weather." she began. Rarity gulped, preparing to ask Spike a question that she never thought she would ever have to ask him.

"Do you think you could...well, you know...stay the night with me in my bed?"

Spike had to do a double-take at Rarity. He blinked, and his eyes looked as if they were about to come out of his skull.

"Ra-Rarity, I don't know if..I mean..."

"Oh Spike, please, don't worry. It's nothing too serious. It's just that loud thunder like this makes me unable to sleep, but I feel that with you nearby, I could fall asleep just fine."

Now it was Rarity's turn to blush at her own statement. That sounded way too much like an obvious statement of something that she did not mean to intend. The look that Spike was now giving her made her feel all the more embarrassed of her choice of words.

Smooth one, Rarity. Real smooth.

Normally, Spike would have dreamed for an opportunity like this; sharing a bed with the mare of his dreams, just the two of them, all alone in her room. He never thought that it would actually happen, however, and in the heat of the moment, it was a lot more nervous-inducing than he had initially assumed it would be.

"Well..I guess...I don't see the harm in it." He said. "But do we really have to...you know...share the same bed?"

"Spike, me and you should have nothing to be afraid of. We're really good friends. All you're doing is doing me a favor, that's all. A little sudden and, granted, and odd favor, but still a favor nonetheless."

Spike walked back over to her sofa and sat down beside the mare. It was then that Rarity gave him a poutful look.

"Surely you wouldn't want to leave a lady to sleep in fear, now would you, Spikey?" She asked, her tone a tad too babyish for Spike's liking. This didn't stop him from flushing, though.

Oh my goodness, what am I doing? Did I really just ask him to aid me in my sleep, and in my own bed?

No, no it's not like that at all. I'm still just a bit tipsy from the wine, right? Surely I wouldn't be this direct in front of him normally.

Right?

"Rarity, if it truly does scare you, then who am I to say no? I'll sleep by your side until you fall asleep, okay?" Spike answered. Rarity gave him a half-hearted smile, obviously still lost in her thoughts of the situation that was about to happen.

This was a big deal, but Rarity wasn't lying; she truly couldn't bear the thunder whilst trying to sleep. It made her feel uneasy and vulnerable. But, this didn't excuse the fact that she and Spike were technically about to do something that others only did if they were in love;

Share a bed.

Oh, for Celestia's sake, we're about to share a bed.

"Oh Spike, I know what you're thinking, but I assure you that I'm just so afraid! I mean, I could sleep in thunder, but when it's like this and this loud, I just can't bear it! Oh goodness, and the lightning. The lightning also gives me the creeps! I could ask Sweetie Belle, but you know how she is what with not being home most of the time, and being out with her friends. I don't know anypony else right now that could help me, and-!"

It was at this point that Rarity had started a rambling streak. She was panicing, and for a good reason. Spike had to chuckle at her antics. She looked as if she had been caught cheating, and was trying to explain to her man why it was all just a big misunderstanding.

Sadly enough, he was not her man. No, he was not her dragon.

Rarity rambled on, saying something along the lines of him being her only choice, and that he shouldn't take it the wrong way, even if she had already said that several times before.

"-And don't worry, my bed is big enough to where we could be spread out so that it wouldn't feel too awkward, so-"

Rarity was cut off as Spike placed his hands on her shoulders, and gave them a few light squeezes.

"Rarity, I get it. It's just a friend helping one out to sleep. Nothing else. Now please, stop talking." Spike said in a teasing, playful tone, and Rarity gave him an understanding smile, blushing at her own silliness.

Of course. How could she have thought like that? Spike was one of the most kind, warm-hearted dragons that she had ever met and came to know. As a matter of fact, he was the most kind and warm-hearted in general. She didn't know any other stallion who had given her such respect and compassion, not in all of her years.

He's...he's everything that I ever wanted in a stallion....

"So, are you wanting to sleep now, or-?" 

"Oh, yes yes! I'm sorry. Let me just...actually, follow me upstairs to my bedroom. I do have to get ready first, so I'll be a minute." Rarity said, getting up from her sofa and walking to the base of the stairs.

Spike followed every move that Rarity made, making his way behind her, and going up the stairs hot on her tail. 

With each step that Rarity took, her stomach felt as if it would beat, much like her heart. She had a very peculiar feeling within it, and she couldn't really tell if it was good or bad.

Perhaps one thing that was troubling her was the fact that Spike was taking this a little more maturely than she had thought. It was almost as if he were the older one, and she were the younger.

Spike truly has grown up. 

This was no longer the baby dragon that had fallen in love with her four years ago. This was a mature dragon that no longer fawned over her, and had learned to keep his emotions well pent up, and knew better than to show too much affection around her, unlike before. Yet, here she was, feeling nervous as ever, because she was about to share a bed with him, and an odd, familiar feeling was returning to her. A feeling that she had felt just a few moments ago when the two were talking downstairs.

A feeling in her heart.

______________________________________________________________________




It didn't take very long for the two to finally get in Rarity's bed. 

Her big, wide, long bed. 

Of course, Rarity being Rarity, she went into the bathroom and took nearly thirty minutes just to take a shower, get into her sleeping attire, and do whatever it was that mares did for the other fifteen minutes in her bathroom. 

During this time, Spike had already made himself comfortable on her bed. Upon her approval, of course. Her sheets were a deep red, and they were of satin material, something that Spike had learned to like just as soon as he had lied down. He was laying on the far right side, being sure to have made a considerable amount of room for Rarity whenever she was done in the bathroom. Spike put his arms under his head, and stared at the celing.

I can't believe this. I'm in Rarity's bed.

It may not have been what he had hoped his first experience to be in a mare's bed, but it was good enough. The real beauty of it was the fact that he was going to help Rarity feel a bit more at ease and sleep through this seemingly unstoppable storm. That alone seemed to warm his heart. She truly did trust him. Looks as if all of that spending time with her truly did pay off.

Spike broke out of his daze as he heard a door open. Looking up from the bed, he saw Rarity come out of the bathroom from the hallway, and into the bedroom.

Spike almost had a heart attack from the view before him.

Rarity, now that she had taken a shower, had her mane, that of which was still currently wet, flowing freely down her head, no longer curled in its usual fashion. She was wearing a dark blue robe, and it matched her mane and tail all too well.

Spike nearly gawked, but forced himself to remain calm. Even whenever she didn't want to, she could look so beautiful to him.

Smiling a satisfactory smile at Spike's stare, Rarity made her way to her side of the bed, unfolded the covers, and slowly began to lay down, with Spike watching the entire time. As soon as she had gotten comfortable, she clapped her hooves twice, and the room's lights went out all at once. Thanks to her few windows, the room didn't get completely dark, as the moon outside was shining relatively bright tonight amongst all the rain.

Nifty, Spike thought.

Still feeling a bit awkward about the whole situation, Spike squirmed in bed every now and then, trying to keep the room from getting too quiet.

"Hey Spike, can I ask you something?" Rarity asked, stopping Spike from his constant moving about.

"Of course, Rarity. You can ask me anything." He remarked. Rarity then turned her body on her side to face Spike, and Spike did the same. Their eyes met for a few seconds, and Rarity had a slight hard time not getting lost in his beautiful emerald stones that she had found herself to adore more and more each moment.

"Whenever you were talking about your relationship with Sweetie Belle earlier, you said that you were still in love with another mare..."

This was it. If she finished this question, she would have her final answer about the mare Spike left Sweetie Belle for, even if she already knew who it was. But Rarity wanted to be sure. She just had to know. She herself wasn't even entirely sure why she needed to, but her insides and her heart were fighting at her to no end.

"Who, if I may ask, was this mare exactly?" she finished, her eyes never leaving his. Spike inhaled deeply, and turned back onto his back, staring at the ceiling above them. 

"Rarity, you already know who that mare is. You don't need to ask me."

Rarity remained silent.

"But before you say anything about it, let me finish talking." Spike rolled back onto his side, and looked deep into Rarity's eyes, which were glistening in the moonlight that her window provided. They were like sapphires.

His favorite.

"Rarity, ever since I had moved to Ponyville, I've developed a crush on you. Three years ago, I was constantly trying to find reason to come give you a visit, no matter how short or long it would be. Even just a few seconds with you would make me happy, and even though I was only like a secondary assistant to you, it always made my day to see you happy. But, as time went on and as I grew older, my feelings for you never faded. In fact, they seemed to grow stronger."

Rarity fought back tears in her eyes.

"It was then that I realized that I was truly falling in love with you, and that it was no longer just a silly childhood crush. I began seeing you more and more throughout these past few years, and we became very close friends, and that's what made me happy.

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but she only choked on her own breath, clearly about to sob.

"But even so, I realized that I love you enough to let you move on, to let you find love with another stallion, and not me. We can never be Rarity, but it's something that I have learned to accept as the truth. You deserve to be happy, to be treated with respect with a stallion of your dreams. You deserve to find true love with somepony else besides me, and I will still be happy for you whenever it happens." 

Rarity turned her body around to face the emptiness of the other side of the room, and away from Spike. She let silent tears flow freely down her cheeks and onto the pillow below her. She was trying her best not to let out any loud sobs.

Her heart was never touched like that by anypony.

But, this wasn't a pony. He was a dragon.

"Rarity?" Spike asked, a little concerned for her lack of response to his confession.

"S-so you left her...because you still love me?" Rarity managed to ask with a regular tone, still not daring to face Spike.

"Yes, and I know that you don't feel the same way, and I am not upset about it. I just had to tell you at one point, and so it may as well have been now."

Rarity continued to lay there, helpless and continuing to weep in silence. This was more than she had expected as an answer from him. Not only did he still like her, but he loved her. Even that alone was overwhelming for her to take in all at once.

"Th-thank you for telling me, Spike. But please, let's not...let's not let this hurt our friendship in any way." Rarity said, her own words stinging as she practically lied to both him and herself. She knew that his confession wasn't hurting their relationship in any way whatsoever. If anything, it only seemed to strengthen it. But she wouldn't let him know of that now, not while he was in bed with her. The situation wasn't right. There was going to be a better time to talk to him about all of this. 

But a part of her felt a little too guilty. Spike had just confessed his love for her, and all she could do was lay there and not even face him? How cruel could she be? Why was she acting like this? Why was she acting so nervous around her most trustworthy friend? She never felt this way around him ever, yet this particular evening, she wasn't so sure anymore. Her heart began pounding faster.

Spike, a little hurt at her answer, turned away from her, and faced the opposite side of the room. Both he and Rarity were facing away from each other, both lost in their thoughts about now, about everything. About each other's feelings for one another. Spike thought that she would at least acknowledge it a little more, but then again, this news was nothing new to her, so it kind of made sense in the end. But still, he expected a little bit more as an answer. Not so much as her saying that she has the same feelings, for he knows that she does not, but maybe perhaps a bit more nicer about it. He felt as if her tone was almost...annoyed. He felt like she was not only rejecting him, but being a little mean about it.

He didn't feel too comfortable at the moment.

"Goodnight, Rarity." Spike said, calmly and normally, his tone neither happy nor sad. Just normal.

Rarity barely managed a "Goodnight, Spike" in her broken, torn voice. She couldn't talk any louder, or else he would hear her weep, and she did not want that.

____________________________________________________



It had been two hours since the two had laid down to sleep. Two whole hours of thunder, rain, lightning, and slumber as they lay there in Rarity's bed. Spike was sleeping peacefully at the right edge of the bed, his breathing slow and faint. He hadn't moved in the slightest ever since he rolled over away from Rarity's gaze before the two said their "goodnights."

But not Rarity. She was not asleep. Not at all. She was neither tired nor in the mood to fall into such a lifeless ritual. Her mind didn't allow her to. Her heart prevented her from doing so. She was staring at the ceiling above her, her eyes wide open. The rain that was banging against her windows in the room began to mimic her, and she could have sworn that it was getting louder by the minute.

She picked her head up, and looked at the pillow below her. Wet. Matted. Completely drenched in her tears of sorrow and pathetic-like actions. She felt like an idiot.

She turned her head to look at Spike, sleeping peacefully and comfortably on the other side of the bed, far away from her. 

How could he just sleep like that? How can one even sleep so casually after confessing their love to the very mare that they are sharing a bed with? she thought.

More importantly, though, why can't I sleep? Why am I the one who's having trouble with all of this?

The sleeping dragon before her didn't seem to move or stir. Dragons always tended to sleep in a still, calming state. She noticed his slow breathing, and found herself gazing at his muscular back. It was....so tone. It fascinated her, to say the least. The lines, the cuts, the shape, the form...it all just seemed so thrilling.

Rarity immediately turned her head to look back up at the ceiling. What was this? A few words of wisdom from the dragon, and next thing she knows, she's practically fantasizing about him! Oh, what are these feelings building up inside of her? Why was this situation so hard to handle? Why did she feel as if she were loosing all self-control?

But then, something hit her. Something hit her on the head. Not physically, of course, but.....mentally. Slowly, she turned her head back to face the dragon so far away from her. This dragon....this dragon had been there for her always. This dragon was her best friend, and he would do anything for her.

Spike was one of the most precious friends that she could ever have, and for some reason, his confession of his love for her seemed to wake up and disturb a certain part of the marshmallow-colored mare. Her heart felt as if it had begun to flutter, and before she knew it, she found herself scooting closer to him on the bed. Not too much, as she didn't want to alarm him, but considerably so. She could no longer bare to be so far away from him. It just didn't feel right. Once she had positioned herself closer to the purple dragon, she felt a sense of protectionism. She felt less vulnerable, and less pathetic.


Rarity's mind began to drift off into memories that she and the dragon had shared. Memories that she could never find herself to forget. For three years, Spike had been the one to give Rarity visits, almost each and every day, but enough to also give her some space. They always planned some days for themselves, and after just a few months, the two had built up a relationship far closer than that of any of their other friends. It eventually came to the point where Spike saw Rarity almost as much as he did Twilight, if not more.

There were times when Spike would surprise Rarity with a bouquet of flowers, and it would always seem to brighten up her day. She always especially loved the fact that even though Spike knew she didn't see him as anything romantic, he would still perform such acts. He did it just because he could, and because he cared for her deeply.

"Just because we're not together doesn't mean that I can't show you how much I care about you," Spike's words rang out in Rarity's head as she stared at him, sleeping peacefully. She chuckled silently. This dragon was something else. Even after dating several pigs, Spike was still showing her mow much he cared for her, and show that he was always willing to stand by her side.

Rarity felt a single, small tear trickle down her cheek and onto the sheets below her. She then began scooting closer to him again, this time reaching the middle of the bed. She felt that same protective feeling rise up in her. She felt so safe, so at ease. She...she liked it.

She was now close enough to where she could reach out to him with her hooves, if she were to want to. But she wasn't going to, of course. That would wake him up. So, she simply laid still, and stared at the dragon before her, fascinated by his physique. Her heart began to flutter again. This wasn't right. She put her left hoof over her chest where her heart resided, and let out a sad sigh. She didn't really want to admit it, but she was finally beginning to realize what this familiar feeling in her heart was. It was something that she hadn't felt for anypony in years, and something that she herself was longing to find and feel at some point in her life.

It was love.

Rarity was in love with this dragon. It was weird, but true. These feelings in her weren't going to deny it now, and she didn't want to. But....this was also so...so wrong. A dragon and a pony? That's not right, is it? That could never work out. Ponies all across Equestria would frown upon them, and maybe even laugh.

No. No, that shouldn't matter! So what if he was a dragon? Love is love, right? Why should species be the very thing to get in the way of true love? Why should it matter that a dragon and a pony would get together and share a relationship? So long as two different beings loved each other, none of that should matter!

Rarity broke herself away from her thoughts, and focused on Spike before her. She began to move closer again, this time being about two hooves away from him. To her surprise, Spike managed to turn over in his sleep, and face Rarity, who began to panic. If he were to open his eyes, she would be just mere spaces away from him. Thankfully to her, however, Spike remained asleep, and Rarity regained her confidence.

His breathing began to reach her. She could feel the warm breath coming from his slightly opened mouth. It tingled her in an odd way, but...she liked it. She began to scoot even closer, daring herself to nearly be right next to him. 

His face....oh, his face. He's so...handsome, she thought to herself. 

A flash of lightning lit up the room, revealing Spike's face more clear to her. She caught a glimpse of his closed eyes, and let out a disappointed sigh. She would do anything to look into those eyes of his right now. Too bad he had to be asleep.

Finally, Rarity did something that she didn't really expect herself to do; carefully and slowly, she moved herself right next to his body, practically making contact with his stomach with hers. She brought her head to rest on the very pillow that he was resting on, her face only mere inches away from his.

Oh Celestia, what am I doing? If he wakes up, then I'm done for!

Rarity then silenced her thoughts as she realized that what she just said to herself wasn't exactly as fearful as she had thought.

But a part of me.....wants him to wake up. Maybe I want him to be awake to see me, so that i may look into those deep-green emerald eyes of his, and lose myself in them forever. Maybe it's I who...

Rarity was cut off as a loud, thunderous bang emitted from the dark night outside her window, and could hardly react as the eyes of the dragon before her opened instantly, shocked from the thunder. Rarity just remained frozen. She was done. She had been caught. It was a lot easier to think she wanted him to be awake than for him to actually be awake. 

She should have known that thunder follows swiftly after lightning.

It took Spike a few moments to adjust his eyes and focus before he finally realized why he was feeling all warm and fuzzy around his abdomen and waist. His eyes shot wide open as he looked into Rarity's panicked eyes, and he let out a few small silent gasps of utter fear.

Am...am I dreaming? he thought, his eyes still focused on the pair of sapphire ones before him. 

Rarity was having a mental battle in her mind. There was no escaping or getting out of this. What could she possibly tell him? That she just happened to move about seven hooves from one side of the bed to the other? That she didn't like her pillow? That she liked his pillow better?

No.

She couldn't tell him either of those things. She was trapped, and the look that Spike was giving her was beginning to scare her even more. He looked extremely dumbfounded and plastered, as if he had seen a ghost. Granted, she was pale-white, but that was besides the point.

"Rarity, what are you-"

It was at this moment that Rarity made a move that even she herself hadn't exactly planned on doing out of her own free will. She made a move that would forever change their relationship from here on out. A move that silenced the dragon physically. She was left with little other choice.

Closing her eyes, she had clashed her lips into his, and she let them stay there. She didn't dare pull away. This felt so good, so right. She needed this, and Celestia knows that even though he was extremely nervous, Spike needed this too. He wanted this.

She began to deepen the kiss, and Spike slowly closed his eyes as well as he slowly brought his claws to the back of her head to add passion to it. A few minutes into it, Rarity began to let out soft, little moans of pleasure, exhilarated by the dragon's seemingly experienced kissing.		

Sweetie Belle.

After what seemed like hours, Rarity broke the kiss so that she could breathe, emitting a gasp as she did so. Spike just stared at her as if he still couldn't believe what had just happened. Rarity giggled softly.

Spike was at a loss for words. It wasn't every day that the dragon woke up to the mare of his dreams kissing away at his lips, much less with such passion. Ultimately, as much as he liked it, he couldn't help but feel a little too.....confused, and slightly torn.

"Rarity, that was...why are you doing this? Before we went to bed...I thought you never.."

A white hoof suddenly covered his mouth, and Rarity gave him a soft smile. She expected to hear something like that from him.

"Spike, I couldn't find myself to sleep after you confessed your love to me. I stayed up thinking about what you said, about my feelings...and about you. Those words really put my mind to work."

Spike listened intently.

"I began to realize that I too have these feelings, Spike. I think I always have, but never really had the chance to realize them and take action upon them. I think that all this time, ever since you first confessed to me those years ago, I loved you back."

Spike couldn't believe it. She sounded so disappointed whenever he confessed to her a few hours ago, yet, here she was, saying that she too has feelings for him. This wasn't making mush sense to him.

"But Rarity, before we went to sleep....Well, before I went to sleep, you hardly even seemed to acknowledge my confession, and almost sounded as if you didn't want to hear it. I don't get it."

Rarity winced at that. He made a valid point. "And that's exactly why I regret doing that to you, Spike. You didn't deserve that. I suppose that I was just a little overwhelmed about it all, and let's face it; confessing that while sharing a bed with me isn't exactly the best approach." she said, letting out a soft laugh at the end.

Spike sheepishly nodded his head in agreement. It made a little more sense now.

"But there will be no more hiding anything from you, Spike," Rarity said as she brought her head closer to his again, giving him a sweet, sultry look that set his heart on fire. "Tonight, I'm going to make it up to you, and prove to you just how much I love you."

She lightly pressed her lips into his again, and Spike immediately lost himself in her embrace. Her lips were so soft and fragile. The way they contacted with his semi-rough scales made it feel all-the-more passionate and exciting. He loved the way they felt. He began to let out small, occasional moans of pleasure just as she had the previous kiss, which only led her to do the same all over again.

After a few moments, Rarity had a little devious plan. She opened her mouth to let her tongue make contact with his scaly lips, asking for entrance. Hesitating at first, Spike let his mouth open, and Rarity's tongue danced around with his, further upping their excitement. Her tongue made contact with one of his fangs. At first, she was scared. Scared that she might cut herself. But, she didn't find herself feeling that way a moment afterwards. Now, it only seemed to excite her more. The feeling of danger while kissing him made her more evoked and happy. 

Their kiss became more and more heated, and frequent gasps of breath were made each time their lips parted, making small "pop" noises as they did.

This time, it was Spike's turn to develop an idea of his own. He parted away from the kiss, much to the mare's disappointment, gave her a suggestive smile, and brought his lips down to her neck, kissing at it softly. Rarity let out a soft, cute little moan as he did, further arousing the dragon. He continued to kiss at her neck, taking in her sweet, clean scent from her shower. He came in contact with her mane, that of which was still straightened from the shower, and lightly tugged on it with his teeth. It was weird and random at first, but Rarity liked it. She let out a gasp as he did this, and Spike mentally laughed. His kisses became more pressured, and he began to lower them down her body, reaching her stomach. Rarity let out hisses of sheer ecstasy, pleased with Spike's performance.

Th-there's no way he hasn't done this before, she thought to herself.

Spike continued his barrage of soft kisses on her stomach, and Rarity slowly brought her right hoof to his head, motioning him to go on. Surprised at first, Spike looked up at Rarity, who was looking straight up, her eyes rolled to the back of her head due to pleasure. 

"Spike, please, don't stop," she moaned, her voice cracked and faint.

As commanded, Spike again began to kiss at her soft stomach, and again began to lower his position until he was just above her waist. Hesitating, Spike didn't let his kisses go beyond there. So, he simply kissed his way back to her neck, where he raised his head and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. 

After they parted, Rarity began to speak. "Spike, that was...that was fantastic. Where did you learn to do that?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer that he would tell her.

Spike smiled, already knowing what she expected to hear from him. "Don't worry, Rarity. The most me and Sweetie Belle ever did was kiss. Everything else that I've done to you so far was my first time."

Rarity couldn't believe it. Sure, she was a little disappointed that Sweetie Belle took his first kiss, but the special treatment that he had just given her was close to masterful! His kisses were so perfect, so timed, so delicate. He kissed like a true lover.

"Spike, I'm...I'm impressed. I honestly didn't expect that from you."

Spike gave her the same, devilish smile that he gave her just before he kissed her on the neck a few moments ago. "I still have a few ideas in mind."

Rarity looked at him curiously, and before she knew it, Spike laid down on his back, and motioned for her to lay down on top of him with his left claw. Rarity slowly obliged, and laid herself down on his chest, facing him. She leaned down to kiss him, but was cut off as he carefully grabbed her by her sides, and flipped her around to where her back was on top of his stomach. Rarity gasped a little in shock, but quickly recovered herself as she got comfortable on his form, enjoying the warmth that it provided. Still, she was a little confused as to why he wanted her to lay down like this.

Before she could ask, however, she felt a pair of sharp claws make contact with her waist, and slowly begin to massage her. She let out a soft gasp as Spike tightened his grip on her sides, and brushed them along her soft fur, going up and down her body. He repeated this several times, making the mare atop him let out small moans of pleasure each time he did. A few soft gasps that ensued from the mare's mouth confirmed that his claw-work was indeed doing its job right. 

But...something clicked inside of Spike's mind. A naughty-yet-risky idea had made its way into his head, and his hands began to slwoly commence to it, even if his mind wasn't absolutely sure.

"Oh Spike, this is so wonderful. Your claws are so- AAAAGHGHH!"

Rarity interrupted her own sentence in a loud scream as Spike's claws came in contact with her marehood, slowly caressing it with simple, circular strokes of his claws. She began to scream louder and louder as he quickened the pace, arousing the unicorn more and more. She arched her back as one of his claws curiously made its way into her, and began to flick around, exploring her insides. She felt so warm, so wet, so welcoming and wanting. Spike found himself letting out small gasps of breath of his own as well, excited by both the feeling of her insides and her screams of pure felicity. Mended together, they clouded the dragon's mind with nothing but one thing;

Lust.

He couldn't help but feel a tad guilty, however. Just moments ago, the two were sharing their first kiss, and next thing he knows, he's pleasuring Rarity with his claws. He had to admit that he was moving a tad too fast, and he cursed to himself silently so as not to be heard by Rarity. Thankfully, Rarity herself seemed to be enjoying this too much to be scolding him for making such a bold move.

Rarity was lost in her own little world of bliss. His claw-work was beyond anything that she had ever felt sexually. It hurt at first, but that only added to the excitement of being pleasured by a dragon. It wan't like anything she had ever done with her own hooves. This was better. Much better. 

Rarity continued to arch her back as Spike pleasured her, her mane falling down his neck and her head just above his. Spike took this moment to begin nipping and kissing at her neck, which added on to the pleasure that the mare was already feeling. His kisses were full of care and sensuality, and it drove the mare wild. She was near.

"Oh Spike, I think I'm...Oh, SPIKE!" Rarity panted, signaling her longingly wanted climax. Spike knew exactly what that meant, and he reacted by picking up his pace, his claws driving deeper and faster into her. A flash of lightning again illuminated the entire room, and it was at this moment that Rarity let out a final scream of satisfaction and let herself finish. Spike felt his claws being washed over by her love juices, and he refused to pull them out until she was fully done. With one final push, Spike pulled his claws from within her, and Rarity slowly fell off of him and onto the side next to him.

After taking a few moments to catch her breath, Rarity turned to Spike, who had turned to face her, and gave him a sour-like look. His assumption was right.

"Rarity, I shouldn't have done that. I-I don't know what came over me, I'm so sorry! I just lost control, and I didn't know what I was thinking.."

"Spike, I am a bit shocked that you would make such a move so soon." Rarity said, her gaze never falling away from him. Spike smiled at her nervously. "You should be ashamed of yourself, throwing yourself at a mare so hastily."

"S-sorry, Rarity. I guess I-I got a little excited there. I shouldn't even thought about it." Spike apologized, rubbing his right hand on the back of his neck as he sat up. Rarity sat up on the bed as he did, and gave him a slight push on his shoulder with her own.

"But that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it, silly." she said, making Spike turn to face her, her face beginning to flush. Spike gawked.

"Wait, so you're not...mad?"

"Mad? Oh Spike, why would I be mad? Sure, it may have been a tad fast, but your work made up for it." Rarity then gave Spike a sexy, sly grin. "You're lucky that you did a good job."

Spike nearly lost it. Was this mare trying to get pinned down on the bed?

Spike then noticed that Rarity's face fell down into what seemed like a depressed expression, something that caught him completely off-guard.

"Rarity? Is everything alright? Is something wrong?" Spike asked, concerned. Rarity's facial expression didn't change, but she simply shook her head 'no'. Something was up.

"Rarity, I can tell that something is bothering you. Let's not forget who knows you best here.

That simple sentence was enough to put a smile back on her face as she was reminded of how much more this meant to them both. They were finally connecting as they should have long ago. It made her light up to know that she was about to make love to somedrake that actually meant something to her, somedrake that knew her best, just as he said.

...Make love.....

Those words echoed in her head. She couldn't tell him yet.

"Spike, really, it's nothing. I just....I just had a moment, that's all." came her simple reply.

"Oh. Was it because of me? Was it bad?"

"No Spike, it wasn't because of you, and it wasn't bad. I just had a sad thought. Nothing else." 

Rarity bit down on her lower lip in frustration. She was an absolutely terrible liar. None of those excuses made any sense at all.

Spike, half-assured, shrugged his shoulders, and was about to lay back down until he was caught in a blue aura that surrounded his entire body. He couldn't move. 

"Spike, I think it's time that I returned the favor." Rarity said as she gave Spike possibly the most sweltering look that he had ever seen. Her purple mane fell down the front of her face, covering the right side of it completely. Her visible eye was starring at him hungrily, and Spike could hardly look at her without blushing like mad. He knew that even if her magic wasn't surrounding him, he would be frozen anyway. She had that type of effect on him.

Gradually, she set Spike against her headboard, and removed the aura from around him. Spike had to let out a small laugh. He was about to sit down like that anyway regardless of her magical entrapment, but that didn't matter right now. What did matter was what Rarity was about to do to him, and he had no clue what it was going to be.

Rarity, moving slowly, began to lower her body to Spike's abdominal area, her head just inches away from the particularly sensitive part of his body. While it was still currently hidden, Rarity knew very well that it was there, anticipating her next move.

Spike was already beginning to get a clue of what Rarity wanted to do, and started to feel a bit dizzy. An uncomfortable dizzy. He felt as if he should tell her to stop, perhaps to tell her that they were taking things a little too far for their first...date, if he even wanted to call it that. This was indeed not what he pictured their first time "together" to be like.

But that look...that look that she was giving him with her eyes, those beautiful, sapphire eyes...they were too tempting. A simple gaze into them, and all of his worries and doubts would always disappear. Her eyes were telling him that everything was going to be alright, that this was nothing more other than two beings sharing love with one another. Spike inhaled deeply. Her eyes were right. This was something that was supposed to be beautiful. It may have come sooner than he had thought....hell, a lot sooner...but that didn't mean that they couldn't share each other's hearts for tonight. That didn't mean that he had to tell her to stop, to tell her that he wanted to take this slow. No. He couldn't do that, not now. Not whenever she was so beautiful and ready to take action.

His seemingly-perpetual thoughts were interrupted as he felt a hot wind brush against his sheath, a wind that he discovered to be Rarity's breath. He raised his head up to see that she had brought her head to his area. Before he could mutter out a word, he saw Rarity bring her right hoof to his sheath, and begin to rub at it, desperately waiting for her little visitor to finally come out to greet her.

Moaning at her soft touch, Spike let his head fall back onto the headboard behind him, and began to pant faster as he felt his member begin to get erect, and present itself to the waiting mare. What came out more than just surprised her, however. 

It wasn't just the large size that got her eyes to shoot open, but rather the shape of it. His penis was slightly ridged along its entire length, from base to the head. Small greenish spikes went along the top part of it, much like Spike's back, but a lot smaller and less sharp.

Rarity let her jaw drop down, and after a few moments of silence and no movement, Spike opened his eyes from his small pleasure high, and looked down to see Rarity's expression. It was then that realization hit him.

"Oh-oh Celestia. Um...I know it looks...a little weird and all, but...well, I mean, it's been like that ever since I was a kid, and-"

He was cut off as Rarity began to lightly stroke it with her right hoof, feeling its bumpy texture as she experimented with it in her grasp. The feel, the roughness, the length. It was so..... exhilarating.  She never expected it to look anything like this in the slightest.

"Ah! Rarity!...." Spike barely gasped out, still unable to believe that this was all happening. Her touch was so gentle. It didn't feel like anything he ever thought it would feel like. No, this felt better than he thought. All those fantasies and those nights alone in his room were nothing compared to this current situation.

He never yet romoved his gaze from the white goddess before him. Although it was a tad hard to see her completely, he was still able to make out that she was still gaping at his unusual shape. The look on her face was a little unreadable, but from what he could tell, she looked like she was thrilled by it.

Rarity, as if feeling his eyes upon her, looked up from his erect abnormality, and into his green eyes. A small seductive smile formed on her face, and without removing her stare from him, she opened her mouth, and brought it slowly down to his manhood. Spike began gasping louder as she leaned in closer, and then let out a small moan as she made contact with his head, kissing it lightly with her delicate lips. That mixed with her lustful facial expression drove the dragon wild, and he dipped his head back as she began to drive him deeper into her maw until she reached the base.

Spike let out another moan, her wet insides sending shiver after shiver of complete pleasure throughout his body. Rarity pulled him out of her mouth, and began to give small, teasing licks and kisses to different parts of his head. This caused Spike to hiss out loudly in the darkness, telling Rarity that she was doing more than just a good job. Her mind with thoughts of sudden friskiness, Rarity again put him into her mouth, and slowly began to bob her head up and down his entire shaft, eliciting more and more moans from the dragon.

"Ugh...Rarity, you're...this feels good..." he moaned lamely. Rarity paused, which caused Spike to look down on her, and, teasingly, she pulled himself out of her mouth completely, making a small "pop" noise as a result, rested her lips on his tip, and smiled a dirty smile into it while looking up at him with half-lidded eyes. 

The face that Spike made as a result of her teasing made Rarity giggle. He was so adorable when he was nervous.

His member, due to being wet from her mouth's insides, was feeling cold. It shivered slightly on her lips, and Rarity took note of this.

"Oh, Spike, you're shivering!" she said, her tone a bit playful. "How rude of me. Here, I'll take care of that."

With that, Rarity took the member into her mouth for the third time, and continued her treatment by bobbing her head up and down. Spike groaned as he tilted his head back, shutting his eyes tightly. His mind was fading into a lustful nothing, and all he could focus on was the bliss that was taking over both his mind and his body as the mare of his dreams continued to pleasure him with her wonderful mouth skills. Her motions became more and more rapid, and Spike's groans and moans only added fuel to Rarity's mind as she mouthed away.

A small throb was felt in her mouth, causing her to moan in response. She could feel his member throbbing more and more, and she assumed that his sudden marathon of gasps were a sign of him getting close.

"R-Rarity, I-I'm gonna...Ugh, Rarity, pull out-!" Spike managed to say in between gasps and shudders. Her response, however, was not what he expected, as she only quickened her pace, her head bobbing up and down faster and harder. Her mane practically covered her entire face at this moment, and with one final bob, Rarity paused, and Spike gasped as he let himself go, unleashing his entire load into her cute little mouth. He growled as he grabbed her head, and did his own controllable rhythms with it. Rarity more than allowed him to do so, letting her head go limp in order for him to have full control of her. Rarity tried her hardest to swallow all of his seed, but was unable to catch up with how fast it was seeping out into her. She gagged a little as some of it dripped out of her mouth, and down his shaft.

After one last hard thrust, Spike let go of his grip on her, and Rarity raised her head just after she licked him completely clean, which earned her a few groans from the still-erect dragon. She looked up at him, his eyes a mere shine in the darkness. The entire room lit up as a flash of lightning was made outside, and the two were able to fully see each other for a split-second. In that moment, Rarity could see that Spike was staring at her in what seemed to be unbelief, and Spike could see that her face was of an unmistakable curiosity of whether or not what she chose to do was okay.

"Rarity, you...that was...that was amazing.." He said, his voice a tint of raspy dryness. Rarity giggled, and shifted about in the bed. Her body only a shadowy outline, Spike saw her move herself right next to him, turn around, and lay down on her back. She turned her head to her side, giving him a pleasing look that Spike only knew so well of what it meant. No words needed to be said. He knew what was next, and he knew what to do.

Obliging to her move-mental desires, Spike shifted himself so that he was laying just above her, his hands to her sides as he held himself up, both staring into each other's eyes. 

This was it. What they were about to do was going to be the very thing that would permanently make the two of them official lovers. They were about to engage in what Spike could only dream of ever engaging in with her. There were no words that needed to be said, as both of them knew what was next. Rarity's simple actions were all Spike needed to lay himself over her, and her eyes only confirmed that as she stared into his with lustful compassion.

"Rarity...are you sure you want to do this? I wouldn't want to pressure you or anything..." Spike said, worry clear in his still-dry voice.

Rarity couldn't help but giggle again, raising her front left hoof to his face, caressing his right cheek as she did.

"Spike, I am more than sure about this. We both want this, and I would be glad to..."

She paused.

"..I would be glad to make love to you." she finished. She brought her hoof back to her side, and Spike gave one last look into Rarity's eyes for approval.

With a slow nod of her head, Spike looked down under his stomach at his erect manhood, and carefully positioned it just above her wet sex. Slowly, he began to descend...

His member came into contact with her marehood, its juices lubricating his tip as it did. Spike moaned ever-so-slightly at the warm contact, and Rarity let out her own little cute gasp as well. 

"S-Spike.." she managed to say, alerting him to raise his head to look at her.

"Please...be gentle." Rarity pleaded, her tone of voice rather calm and almost scared. Spike became concerned once more, but decided against asking any questions.

As she wished, Spike continued to push himself into her cautiously, her inside walls coaxing his dick with more of her bodily fluids. The warm sensation soon spread throughout his entire body, and he tilted his head upwards at the sheer pleasure that it brought to him.

Spike paused halfway inside, and looked up to make sure that Rarity was okay. 

"Oh Spike, that was perfect," she said in between ecstasy-like moans, "Now...do the same thing when you go the second half.."

Nodding, Spike did as he was told, and continued to invade her hot lower lips. As he pushed on, Rarity let out a high-pitched shriek.

"AAAAAAGGHH!"

Spike, being the overly-caring dragon that he was, pulled out immediately, concerned for her sudden scream of what seemed like pain.

"Rarity, I'm so sorry! I went in slowly as you said, but I didn't think that it would still hurt you!" he panicked, then looked down at where he had penetrated her.

He had done it. He had hurt her. He had done the unforgivable, and ruined the intimate moment that the two were sharing. Shame overcame him as he looked down at her bleeding lips, his mind rushing in panic as...

Wait...bleeding? Rarity was bleeding?

"Rarity...Oh Celestia, Rarity, you're bleeding! I didn't think that I-"

He was cut short as he raised his head to look at her, only to find that she was looking away from him to the side. Her face was painted with the brightest red he had ever seen on her. It almost seemed to lighten up the darkness around her. She didn't dare make eye contact with him. Her ears somewhat drooped loosely.

Spike remained silent. What was going on? Was there something she wasn't telling him? Surely there must be a reason as to why she was bleeding, right? Spike may not have been an expert, but he knew well enough to know that a bleeding vagina either meant that the mare was going through their..well, time, or-

No. Impossible. There was no way..was there?

"Rarity, you're not...this isn't...this isn't your first time...is it?" Spike asked, still a little uncertain of his question.

Rarity shivered a little, still looking off to the side, too ashamed to look him in the eye.

"You didn't think that I would actually sleep with those other pigs, did you?" she asked plainly. "None of them ever made it past my staircase, Spike."

It was then that she finally turned her head to look up at the awestruck dragon's face.

"You are my first, Spikey, and I couldn't be happier to tell you in the middle of making love to you."

He remained there, motionless as he was still processing all of this information. It made sense, but at the same time, it didn't. Rarity never slept with any stallion before? Rarity, the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria, has never slept with another stallion before? She was a virgin?

I'm...I'm her first...

His thoughts were clouded away as he was nudged from behind by one of Rarity's hind hooves. She smiled and laughed as his face snapped back to reality.

"Well, are you just going to stay like that, or are we going to continue? It's rude to keep a lady waiting, Spike." she said, her tone a seductive malevolence. 

He put on a sheepish smile, and nearly fainted at the sexy voice that she had used. His urges were once again fueled, and he prepared himself to lower on top of her once more. This time, he took extra caution as he put the tip of his member against her lips, and pushed his way inside with care. She hissed as he slid into her, the ridges on his dick adding pleasure to the movement as they rubbed against her inside. He pushed all the way until he came into contact with her hymen. Looking up at Rarity once more, she nodded, but with a hint of worry on her face.

Spike took note of this, and slowly continued to push onward, carefully breaking her cherry and making sure not to rush it or hurt her too much again. Rarity began to let out small yells and moans as he went in deeper, beginning to feel her cervix bust open as he went in further. With one final "pop," and a small shriek from Rarity, Spike made it all the way in. As he pulled out, he looked down to make sure there was not a mess. Thankfully, only his shaft had a tint of red to it, and there were only a few droplets that made it to the sheets.

Not wanting to stall any further, Spike pushed himself inside her again, this time building up a small rhythm as he pushed in and out, his pace slow and comfortable for the both of them. Rarity brought her hooves up and around Spike's neck, holding onto him for extra support. She began to let out soft moans as Spike continued to pound into her softly.

"Ah, ah, ah! Oooh, Spike, just like that~" she breathed out.

Spike soon began to moan as well, his pace picking up a little. Rarity's yells of bliss started to get louder as he did so, and the grip she had on his neck tightened, bringing him a little lower to her head. 

The room was a sudden bright white, making everything in the room completely visible, and a load roar followed immediately afterwards. Rarity didn't know why, but the thunderstorm made this all the more....exciting. It turned her on to know that they were making love while a severe thunderstorm was in progress. It added a certain thrill to it all.

Rarity started to clench her teeth together as she felt the small, dull spikes of his penis rub alongside her sensitive walls. They stimulated the feelings to an unbelievably ecstatic level, unlike anything that Rarity was ever able to do on her own. 

"Oh Rarity...you...you feel so good inside." Spike said in between a few thrusts, his movements getting more and more fluid, maintaining a steady pace.

"Spike....oh, Spike...harder...please, harder!" Rarity yelled, her face just mere inches away from his as she pulled his head in closer once more.

Spike didn't hesitate for a second, increasing his tempo by almost double. Loud slapping sounds began to emit from their lower bodies as Spiked moved his hips against hers with stronger force, further arousing the both of them. The air around them began to smell of a dirty musk, the odors of their sweat mixing in with it. 

"Ah, ah, AH, AH! Oh! Aaagh~!" Rarity yelled, her screams of content just mere inches away from his right ear, as she had now pulled his head just to the side of hers. 

The more she moaned, the more Spike picked up his pace, his mind too blank to think of anything else to do. His moans elevated in volume as well.

"Spike, you-you're amazing, Spike! Oh, please, keep doing it just like that, Spikey!" she yelled. Spike reacted by groaning himself, and increasing his pace once more. For some unprecedented reason, that little childish nickname that she had just used seemed to arouse him in a kinky way.

His thrusts began to feel more and more concentrated to Rarity, and she had a feeling of what this meant.

"R-Rarity, I think...Rarity, I'm getting close!" he barely breathed as he continued to pound into her, the wet smacking sounds becoming more loud.

It was at this time that Rarity brought her hind hooves over the dragon's waist, and pushed him into her, locking him from pulling himself out completely.

"To-together, Spike! Let's-AAAgh-let's finish-ugh~-together!" she said in between gasps and thrusts. Spike had a momentary mental breakout at the idea of Rarity entrapping him within her like that, restricting his movements so that he could only pump in and out.

"R-Rar-RARITY!"

"Spiiiiiike! AAAAgh!"

With a powerful, sustained thrust, Spike paused all the way inside her, and let himself erupt within her walls, unleashing string after string of his hot semen into her, causing the mare to sing out a high-pitched scream. The feeling of his seed pouring into her triggered a jolt within her as well, and she arched her back with Spike still atop her, reaching the best climax that she had ever felt in her entire life. The room once again illuminated as a loud bang shook the walls of her boutique, but the two were too lost to even care. Nothing could relieve them of this perfect moment.

Spike raised his head from her head's side, and looked straight into her blue eyes, and she did the same. Spike still continued to move his hips respectively, and the feeling had brought Spike to lock lips with her hungrily, both giving into the most passionate kiss that either of them had ever had in their lives. 

Rarity moaned out with every sensual movement that Spike made with his lips upon hers. She opened her mouth, and frantically attacked his lips with her tongue, begging for entrance. Spike parted his lips as soon as he felt her, and their tongues began to wrestle within each other, both panting and moaning both from the kiss and their climaxes.

The fangs, the warmth, the lips. Those scaly, perfect lips. All of these traits elicited Rarity. She loved all of these things about him, and she wouldn't trade any of it for the world. A tear managed to form in her eye, and it slowly trickled down her sweating face. 

She had never been so happy in her entire life.

After what seemed like hours, Rarity released the grip she had on Spike's hips with her legs, and Spike reacted by pulling himself out of her slowly, causing the both of them to hiss out. Gasping for breath, Spike collapsed right next to Rarity, who too was fighting for air. They turned to face one another after they caught their breath, and both smiled lovingly at each other. Rarity leaned in to peck him on the cheek one last time before snuggling up as close to him as possible, her head pressed tightly against his powerful chest. Spike put his arms around her, and held her close to him.

She let out a long, tired moan, enjoying the warm feeling that his body brought to hers. She cooed a little at the sound of his heartbeat thumping fast against his chest. 

"Spike...that was amazing." Rarity breathed with a shaky voice, her throat raspy and dry.

Spike responded by kissing her damp forehead, slightly wet of perspiration from their prior activity. 

"I love you." came his simple reply. There was nothing else that he could think of saying back to her other than those three beautifully corresponding words. He felt that it was the appropriate time to say such, after making love with her. He brought his right hand to her mane, and began to stroke it meekly, evoking small purrs of contentment from the white mare.

This moment was all they ever really needed; just the two of them finally confessing their long-lost feelings for one another, laying together in harmonious bliss. Both were feeling as if they were inseparable, as if nothing could come in between them and their newly-found and powerful love.

"I love you too, Spike."

Her voice broke. Silence. Everything in the room, the rain, the thunder, the lightning, the breathing coming from both she and her dragon; all of that seemed to fade away as those words left her mouth. 

She always had a feeling that it would be something like this, that saying those words would actually surmount all of her previous false feelings and worries of ever having to live alone. She knew that she would one day have to say those words to her lover.

And now, other things started to creep into her thoughts, but unlike previous ones from earlier that night, these thoughts were of relief and realization. Her fears of being alone, her fears of being the last one of her friends to ever find true love, were finally gone. She was no longer in a state of worry. All of those dates, all of those past experiences from before, were but a mere figment in her mind now, a practice for the real thing.

She had found love. Her heart felt warmer, stronger, and full of life. The thumps that it was leaving in her chest were fast and thorough, a result of laying close to the one she loved. It just felt too good.

The room had started to get quieter, and Rarity soon realized that the storm that was once raging outside was finally coming to a close, its last remaining harmonies of raindrops hitting against her windows. The thunder was getting fainter and fainter, and as it finally started to completely die down, Rarity could clearly hear the peaceful breathing of her now-sleeping lover, whom was clinging tight to her body. 



She simply just didn't think that it would be so soon, and with somedrake who had been so close to her from the start.

The answer had been right in front of her the entire time.








*******************************************************************************************


"Hey, Rarity?" asked Spike, startling the mare who had thought he was already asleep.

"Yes, my love?" she responded.

"Thanks for inviting me into your bed, although you could have just asked if you wanted to do what we did."

Rarity playfully punched him lightly on his shoulder. "You're such a dork."

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