Sweet Jesus, Twilight, open the front door already.
Celestia must have pulled the sun a hundred thousand miles or so closer to the planet; your clothes were riddled with wet blotches just from a small walk across Ponyville. Your hands even began sweating so profusely you resorted to using your arms to awkwardly cradle the two books Twilight had lent you. They came from her own personal collection; no way you were letting these books get tainted in any way.
A pitter patter noise from the inside of the hollow tree caught your attention, and from the sound of those steps it wasn’t your equine friend. Twilight’s dragon assistant Spike opened the red wooden door a crack, shielding his eyes from the bright sun with his stubby left arm and pushing the door open with his right.
“Hey Spike, mind if I come in?” You asked while wiping another bead of sweat from your forehead.
”Hmm?” The young dragon groggily muttered in response as his eyes adjusted to the outdoor light. “Oh! Anon! Yeah, come on inside.”
Spike threw the door the entire way open, but before you walked past him he stuck his hand high into the air. As high as he could have anyway. It only came up just past your butt. With your hand you answered his call for a high five and quickly came into his home. Being marginally taller than the doorframe you needed to slightly bend down when you entered the vastly cooler library. Twilight’s enchantments kept the tree at a much more agreeable temperature.
You set the books on a small table near the entrance and stretched your arms high into the air. Another wonderful aspect of the library: the high ceiling in all the rooms. Most ponies only came up to your lower abdomen and, aside from the minotaur, few civilized creatures were remotely as tall as you. Not every building in Ponyville allowed you the luxury of standing to your full height. Spike, meanwhile, had moseyed past you and headed to the stairs across the room, where an open comic rested.
“Twilight!” You called out while taking a few steps deeper into the library. “Are you here?”
”Naw, she had to go out with her friends this morning.” Spike answered as he turned around to face you. “Fluttershy came over and said she was having problems with a wild manticore at her cottage.”
You briefly contemplated heading over to help, but walking all the way to Fluttershy’s cottage in this heat sounded like suicide. Besides, Rainbow Dash had told you multiple times how the group had dealt with a manticore before. They could definitely handle this one.
”Twilight left me in charge of the library.” Spike proclaimed in a proud manner as he puffed out his chest and put his hands against his sides.
“She left it in good hands.” You responded with a smile on your face. After quickly wiping your hands on your shirt to remove any moisture, you reached to where you set the books. “Since you’re on the job, would you put these back for me?”
Instantly recognizing where the books came from, Spike ran upstairs to Twilight’s room holding a book at both his sides. Twilight normally recommended books for you each time you finished one, but chances are you can pick out a good one without her help this time. Deciding it was time for an adventure, you began perusing the fiction section to the side of the stairwell. The purple dragon returned less than a minute later, no doubt he knew exactly the place his adoptive sister wanted them shelved. He sat himself on a step at your eye level and dangled his feet over the edge.
”Hey, Anon, can you bake?” Spike questioned while eyeing a book you pulled from the shelves.
“Yeah, Pinkie’s given me a few pointers. Why do you ask?” You answered while turning the title of the book towards Spike.
”I wanted to make some cookies.” He answered while swinging his feet back and forth.
“What do you need me for? I’ve seen you mixing stuff together in the kitchen before.” You stated while sliding the book back into its proper place.
”Twilight gets the ingredients out for me ahead of time. I uh… can’t reach the higher cupboards.” Spike sheepishly stated.
You chuckled and stepped closer to the staircase.
“Hop on. I didn’t have any big plans today.” You stated while patting your left shoulder.
”Thanks!” Spike exclaimed as he leapt from the stairs to your shoulder. After a brief shifting to find a comfortable position to sit he grabbed a bit of your hair for support. “Onward!” He declared and pointed a finger towards the kitchen.
With a grin on your face you walked into the kitchen and found that Spike already had gotten a few ingredients and utensils out before you got here.
“Why cookies anyway?” You wondered aloud as you pull out a large mixing bowl. “Wouldn’t you rather have something cold?”
”Nah. I had ice cream yesterday. Besides, the heat doesn’t bother me.” Spike stated while pointing to the salt and baking soda resting on another raised shelf. “Did you know dragons can swim in lava?”
“I didn’t, actually.” You responded while grabbing the ingredients, silently envying your friend’s immunity to high heat.
”The last part’s up there.” Spike said while pointing at another cabinet.
You walked over to it and pulled out a bowl filled to the brim with large, colorful gemstones.
”Don’t mind if I do.” Spike said as he leaned down from his perch upon your shoulder and snagged a smaller orange crystal, and popped it into his mouth.
“Yeah… I don’t think so buddy.” You responded as you placed the bowl back inside the cupboard and swapped it for chocolate chips.
”Oh come on, Anon!” Spike argued. “Gems have a richer flavor, they’re more colorful, and… uh…”
“And you’re the only one in Ponyville who can even digest them.” You interrupt. “You’re not getting all the cookies for yourself.”
Spike let out a sigh and immediately dropped his case for gemstone cookies. There’s no way he’d win that one. After hopping from your shoulder to the counter, he helped you follow the recipe.
***
”Are they done yet, Anon?” Spike asked while looking up from his Power Ponies comic book.
The scent of the baking cookies had wafted into the room you and Spike were reading in, and the aroma made your mouth water. A quick glance at the nearby clock showed that Spike’s question had the answer you both wanted to hear. As soon as you set your new book aside and began to rise from your comfortable chair, Spike had already leapt to his feet and dashed into the kitchen ahead of you. Upon entering the kitchen, you saw Spike had already opened the oven and pulled the baking sheet out.
With his bare hands.
Spike glanced over to you and saw a brief moment of panic flash across your face.
”Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt me at all!” He explains with a pleased grin on his face.
With a grunt, Spike hefted the metal sheet above his head and was barely able to reach high enough to slide it on the counter. Pulling a spatula from a nearby drawer, you slid the tool underneath each one of the golden-brown treats and set them on a cooling rack. Your tiny co-baker meanwhile wrapped his arms around your leg and began climbing up, using folds in your pants and shirt as leverage. He halted his ascension at your midsection, just as you lifted the last cookie off the tray. After briefly scouting them out, he pointed at the cookie he wanted. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the larger ones.
Taking another big one for yourself, the both of you greedily took huge bites from your respective treats. Wisps of steam rose from the innards of both bitten cookies. Slightly doughy, yet firm, sweet but not oversaturated, and for having come right out of the oven these cookies were the perfect temperature. Thankfully, despite his usual habit of inhaling food, Spike took his time and ate in small bites to prolong the experience.
While nearing the final bite of your cookie you heard the front door open and get loudly slammed shut soon afterwards. You reckoned it must be your bookworm friend. And though you hadn’t seen her yet, judging from that door slam she didn’t sound pleased.
Poking your head out of the kitchen door, you saw Twilight Sparkle haphazardly setting down her favorite light blue saddlebags, which were embroidered with her cutie mark, near the front door. Her normally orderly mane was disheveled with errant strands wildly out of place. The hair hanging down her back, typically completely draped on either side, was unkempt and had small bits of vegetation strewn within. Much like her mane, her tail fared none the better and was in dire need of a brushing. Suffering the same fate as you, blotches of darker purple fur lined her body at various spots. Most blemishes appeared to have been brought about by sweat, others by patches of mud that were hastily brushed away. Even her horn appeared marred and discolored.
Thankfully, aside from a few scratches, she appeared uninjured.
“Hey, Twilight, how’re you holding up?” You questioned from the kitchen doorway.
Twilight’s half-closed eyes grow wider and her mouth produced a small smile upon her scruffy face.
”Anon!” She exclaimed while unloading her saddlebag’s contents. “As good as can be, I guess… Sorry I wasn’t here, I had to fight a manticore.”
“Would you like to talk about it over a cookie?” You questioned while placing the final piece of yours in your mouth.
”Anon and I just made em’!” Spike chimed in while holding his half eaten chocolate chip cookie out for Twilight to see.
“Mmm hmm” Twilight mumbled as she finished pulling the last of her saddlebag contents out.
Spike made his way to a room upstairs, cookie in one hand and comic book in the other, and shut the door. You swung into the kitchen, grabbed a still warm cookie from the cooling rack, and walked back out into the main room of the library. As soon as Spike walked out of earshot, Twilight began venting to you.
”Fluttershy was too scared to be assertive to it, and until she worked up the courage the rest of us got tossed around like playthings.” Twilight explained while turning around from her belongings.
Upon reaching Twilight you stooped down on one knee to get at eye level with her. She likely wasn’t done with her rant yet so you decided to keep quiet for a moment.
”Then we all got into a big fight with a lot of hoof pointing. Nopony went home happy… Thanks for the cookie.” The unicorn uttered as her horn began glowing a magenta hue to envelop the cookie resting in your hand.
”It started when Rarity wouldn’t put her parasol down whe-HRRRK!”
Both your and Twilight’s eyes went wide when the pink glow from her horn briefly sputtered unrefined magical energy onto the floor below, and the light from her forehead dimed and faded away within the span of a few short seconds.
”A-Anon! What’s wrong! I can’t use my magic!” Twilight shrieked while remaining completely motionless.
You quickly scooted a little closer and placed your left hand against the purple mare’s head. Your thumb and index finger rested on either side of her magical catalyst.
“Hold still Twilight. Lemme take a look.”
Rotating the pony’s head to better examine the horn brought the culprit into the light: two small blue spots resting at the base of the bony protrusion. You and the girls discovered this weed’s potency firsthand less than a month ago.
“You must’ve gotten knocked into a patch of poison joke, Twi.”
Twilight stared ahead for a short moment before suddenly lurching her head into the air and letting out a deep, throaty grunt of frustration. You recoiled your hand from her reared up head. As her groaning subsided, the two of you stared at one another for five, uninterrupted seconds.
“Want me to go get Zecora?”
”No.” Twilight responded dejectedly. “It’s too hot and I’m too tired…”
After a passing sigh, Twilight stepped forward towards the treat you’d been holding this whole time.
”And I still want that cookie.”
The mare extended her small muzzle towards your right hand. After briefly sniffing the cookie you held, perhaps out of instinct, she opened her mouth and bit a portion of the moist dessert off. Her teeth scraped against the skin of your palm. It tickled, and you worked hard to smother a giggle as the unicorn took another bite of the cookie, this time her lips pressed against your flesh and gave a small kiss before she took a moment to chew and swallow.
You moved your left hand atop her head again, this time to scratch a spot behind her ear and massage her scalp. As you began your ministrations you briefly heard a small coo emanate from her. She once described your head rubs as “scratching an itch she didn’t know she had.”
Twilight moved in for a final bite, and once again stroked your skin with her teeth, and the return of the enjoyable feeling brought a smile to your face. She drew her head back while finishing the final portion of her cookie. She shifted her eyes to look up at you for a brief moment, but immediately returned her full attention to your hand once she realized bits of melted chocolate still dotted your fingers.
The crevice between your middle and index finger was the first to be assaulted by her small yet surprisingly dexterous tongue, which made hasty work of the melted chocolate lining your digits. Using controlled, quick licks she maneuvered to the base of your thumb to finish the last of the chocolate, nipping at places where it didn’t immediately come off. Good thing her flat herbivore teeth couldn’t penetrate your skin without a great deal of effort. Once content with her work, Twilight sat on her haunches and ran her tongue over her lips. She ended up lightly smearing chocolate along the sides of her mouth.
You turned your hand around to glance it over. Aside from being thoroughly drenched in Sparkle saliva, it turned out pretty clean. The two of you stared at one another for a moment, smiles adorning both of your faces. The better you got to know her, the cuter her quirky mannerisms became.
”Aaaanon?” She dragged out while looking you in the eyes and nuzzling the side of your hand.
“Hmm?”
”Wanna help me in the tub? I can’t shampoo myself without magic.”
“Absolutely.”
You stood and, after placing a hand below her buttocks and another around her waist, cradled your precious little unicorn while walking upstairs to the bathroom.