A few hours later...
It was one of those times where it was so late that it was early. The sun had just begun peeking its first rays of light over the horizon when Spike finally left Derpy’s house to return back home.
He was still reeling from everything that took place the previous night, in a good way of course. He was tired, sure, but at the same time, sleep was the farthest thing from his mind. Who could possibly think about rest when you just had a mare confess her love to you and vice versa?
He wasn’t sure what the answer was, but he knew for a fact that he couldn’t.
As he strolled through the quiet, darkened streets of town, he could feel his heart rate picking up. Thoughts of his girlfriend and everything they did that night raced through his head. Her gorgeous mane covering her beautiful eyes as they moved on the dance floor. Her soft fur brushing against his scales as he pulled her close to him. Her cute laugh when he told her jokes that were arguably not even funny. Even the way she latched onto him when crying made him feel special.
And then, of course, when the ‘L’ word came out of his mouth. There was not a time before where he could have ever imagined himself saying such a word to a mare. Well, at least not in a non-platonic manner. But, it happened. And he didn’t even get slapped when he said it. That right there: that’s when you know things are working out.
He took the first few steps into the castle, his face aglow with a large smile. He stumbled up the stairs the best he could, dragging his feet over every step. He tried his best to not make noise and wake everypony up, but at the same time, he wasn’t overly concerned.
He finally finished his trek to the top and began the walk down the hall toward his room. His goal? His bedroom, where he could lay down and think about how awesome life was. The only obstacle? The unicorn mare that was standing in the hall with a devious grin.
“Hello there, Spike,” Starlight said. “You have a good time last night?”
Spike would normally protest what was sure to be a snark-ridden conversation at this time of night, but there’d be no getting around it this time.
“Alright, Starlight, let’s talk.”
The two went into Spike’s bedroom and sat on his bed. Starlight eyed him up and down, the look on her face getting more and more sinister and suspicious with every pass her eyes made over him.
Spike turned to her. “Okay, what do you wanna know about? The dance? The conversations? How things went with Twilight?”
“None of the above,” she replied. “Something happened between you and Derpy, didn’t it?”
Spike’s eyes popped open for a brief second before he played it off and waved a claw. “Psh, nah. Just, you know, usual stuff. We talked, we danced, and then, you know… came home. And here I am.”
“Cut the crap,” Starlight said with a nudge. “I was at home all night while you and Twilight were having a blast in Canterlot. I want details. I know something happened because the only other time you’ve smiled that big for that long was when you found that rare comic book at a yard sale. So, c’mon, spill the beans!”
Spike shook his head. “Pfft, I’m telling you, nothing happened. We just had a good time at the dance, went to her place afterwards and—” Spike covered his mouth. His story was already unravelling.
“Aha!” Starlight cried out. “I knew it! I could see it all over your face!”
Spike’s face scrunched up. “I’m sorry, and what exactly about my face told you I had a pleasant visit at my girlfriend’s house?”
“Hmm, let’s see here.” Starlight rubbed her chin. “You’ve got the bags under your eyes which shows that you got no sleep. You have lipstick smudges on the corners of your mouth which indicates that you engaged in some rather rough kissing; kissing that she initiated more than likely. Your third head frill is bent slightly to the left which is a classic sign of some aggressive cuddling. You’ve had that same goofy half-smile stuck on your face since you’ve been home, so I know for a fact that something life-changing must have happened. And oh yeah, most of your scales are a bit shinier, which means that you probably sweated a bit more than usual for whatever reason. I could go on all day.”
Spike rapidly tosses his claws up to fix said bent frill. “Okay! Okay! So, we kissed a little bit. Not exactly surprising consider we love each oth— Oh!”
“Ahh, you said it?!” Starlight nearly fell back laughing. “After all this time, you let it slip!”
Spike folded his arms. “Yeah, yeah, fine. I said it. But you know what? I don’t care how cheesy you think it is. I’m confident enough in my masculinity to admit my emotions out loud.”
Starlight calmed herself down a bit and shook her head. “Spike, don’t worry. I think it’s sweet, honestly. But please, tell me she said it back. I’d rather you not be a victim to the ‘thank you, let’s go eat something’ response so many other males fall prey to when confessing their feelings.”
Spike beamed. “Actually, just for your information she said it first.”
Starlight’s eyes widened. “Wait, wait, wait. She said she loved you before you told her?”
“I know! I was just as surprised as you are! I always figured if a girl confessed her feelings to me I’d end up apologising to her. But no! I capitalised and said it back without crying!” Spike nodded and let out a satisfied sigh.. “And oh yeah, there was no alcohol involved either. Try that one out for size.”
Starlight sat there for a moment, a look of sheer bewilderment on her face. After a moment, however, she turned to Spike and smiled. “Well, Spike, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you’ve found yourself a keeper. A mare that cares enough about you to throw caution to the wind and express herself like that? Don’t let her get away or I’ll smack you extra hard, okay?”
“Don’t worry,” Spike said, waving his claw. “Even I’m not that stupid. There’s no way I’m gonna leave her, at least not as long as I can help it. Besides, I don’t think I ever wanna leave her. She… makes me really happy. Honestly, I didn’t even wanna leave her home at all tonight.”
The mare gently nudged him with an elbow. “Well, I believe it. You’re in love. I’m gonna have to schedule at least three dentist appointments after all the cavities I just got from listening to your little tangent there. But just do me a favor and be careful with, well, you know. I wouldn’t mind babysitting some dragon-pony hybrid babies, but at the same time, I might recommend you at least find your own place, first. Because, you know that—”
“Well…” Spike chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “About that.”
Starlight’s eyes grew even wider. “No… you didn’t? Did you?” She gasped. “You did, didn’t you?”
The dragon blushed but nodded. “Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. It kinda happened.”
“Get out!” She unintentionally shoved him hard enough to send him to the floor.
“Oof!” Spike slowly began to pick himself up but was assisted by a magical aura that pulled him back onto the bed. “What was that for, Starlight?”
“Sorry!” She said. “I reacted more in shock than anything.”
“Your immediate reaction to being surprised is to cause bodily harm to me? Well that’s just as comforting as being tossed against a bookcase by one of Twilight’s magical mishaps. True story, by the way. Remind me not to throw you any surprise parties, though. I’d appreciate being able to walk after age thirty.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine, I’ll try not to do it again. But Spike, I just can’t believe it. This relationship is actually getting to be a really serious thing for you, isn’t it?”
“Uh, yeah? Newsflash, it kinda has been serious for awhile.”
“Well yeah, but you know what I mean.” Starlight smiled at him. “I’m just, like, really proud of you. But you know that you’re stuck now, right?”
Spike cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“How can I put this?” Starlight looked at the ceiling for a moment. “Now that you two are on this level of, shall we say, intimacy, there’s no going back. At least not without consequences. She’s attached now, You’re attached to her. So, basically, you’ve passed the point of no return. If you wanted to stop seeing her and just be friends, it’s too late. It’s all or nothing, now. Can you handle it?”
Spike had to take a moment to comprehend what she said. Before, yeah, he loved her and cared about her. But there was always the security blanket given that he could just say ‘sorry, things aren’t working out’ and he could leave without thinking twice. But, she was completely right. Somehow, he knew things were different now. They were, well, serious.
Luckily, it took him all of seven seconds to realize how he felt about that.
“I can handle it. And, honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Starlight smiled at him. “Well, then you’ve got my support. You know I’m here for you. Just, you know, you might avoid talking to Twilight about the specific details of what happened. I don’t think she’s ready for that mental image, yet. Actually, she probably never will be. Her knowledge of romance begins and ends with a biology textbook.”
“Agreed. And, thanks, Starlight.” Spike let out a sigh and then scratched the back of his head. “Hey, uh, did we just have a mature conversation?”
Starlight rose a hoof. “Uh… I think we just did. I’m not sure how to feel about that.”
Spike shrugged. “I guess it was kinda nice. But like, let’s try and not do it again. At least not too soon. It feels kinda weird. Going more than three consecutive sentences without being mocked by you seems to go against the will of the Gods.”
“Agreed.”
The two finished off their conversation with a quick hug and Starlight hopped off the bed to head to the door.
“Get some rest, Spike,” she replied. “You earned it.”
“Will do. You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Starlight was about to exit but turned around. “And oh yeah, just because you’re probably not gonna hear it from anypony else… next time you engage in, uh, romantic conduct, try taking a shower before you come home.”
The dragon blushed. “Whoops.”
She shook her head and smiled at him. “Get some sleep, Spike. I’ll see you later.”
“Later, Starlight.”
The dragon crawled under his covers and pulled them over his head. He had a lot on his mind, but now that he was actually laying down, he could feel just how tired he was.
The only thought that kept replaying through his mind was just something that Starlight said: he was stuck. But, for whatever reason, all the thought did was make him smile.