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// In which Spike enjoys working to please Others 
// Story: In which Spike ... 
// by 00_02 
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Spike had some trouble waking up. He wasn’t a morning person and the sun was just barely rising. But he had lots of plans for today, so he determinedly fought through the cobwebs. By the time he came out of the bathroom, he was bright and ready to face the day.

First off were the household chores. He was spending more and more time outside the house, so those had a bit of a tendency to pile up. Twilight hardly ever did any … not that she could really be trusted with them. When she did, she always wanted to make things “quicker and easier” with magic, which already had left their home uninhabitable twice. The second time it had taken all their friends to stave off the magically induced disaster. It really was just a lot easier for Spike to do the chores himself from the get go. Recently, he had started to worry a tiny little bit about that, though. If Twilight found herself a nice gentlecolt to go steady with, it would be time to move out – everything else would just be really awkward. Or maybe, just theoretically, if he and Rising Up were to move in together, then who would look after Twilight? That was the natural progression of things, was it not? He didn't want to rush Rising at all, but he did like the idea of making breakfast for her, of waking up next to her and watching her fall asleep. But Spike worried: there weren't all that many colts around who would be fine with a mare who never ever lifted a finger around the household … even one as smart, beautiful and renowned as Twilight. All this and more was going through Spike’s head while he was scrubbing the floor and dusting off the shelves … not really activities that required all his mental concentration, so that left him time to think and ponder.

When he came to Twilight's study, he puffed up in anger. She had done it again! There she was, snoring softly over an open book. She was going to wreck her health and eyesight with the way she would just keep working until keeling over from exhaustion!

Spike sighed, his anger only born from worry for the pony he loved so dearly. He thought that glasses wouldn't diminish Twilight's attractiveness – Rarity certainly looked very alluring and refined wearing hers. But Twilight's extremely irregular sleeping schedule and tendency to constantly overwork were going to take a toll on her health eventually, and Spike really did not want to let that happen.

He watched the purple mare silently for a moment, debating whether to disturb her or get her to bed so she wouldn’t be so sore when she woke up. As he stood there in thought, Twilight shifted slightly in her sleep so that her chin rested squarely on her crossed arms. She must have been dreaming something pleasant, for a broad smile formed on her face. When he saw her dribble onto the book she was lying on, however, he knew what Twilight would want. She'd already smudged an important text passage in a book twice this way, one instance of which caused an adventure of its own when they had to find another copy of a rare, ancient text … Spike knew her prized books held one of the highest positions in Twilight's heart. Carefully, silently, Spike moved closer, still wanting to avoid waking the pony he cared so deeply for. After thinking for a couple of seconds, he finally came to a solution – one that would have been impossible just a few years ago. Carefully, he bent down and scooped Twilight’s lithe frame up into his arms, grunting a little with exertion as he lifted her. Twilight wasn't exactly the type to work out, and Spike concluded that the meals he cooked for her probably made her gain a couple of pounds in recent months. She always quite liked his cooking, and she had ever been on the underweight side, so gaining a bit of weight might be good for her.

Confused and sleepy, the unicorn opened her purple eyes to look at the larger dragon.

“Don’t worry, Twilight, I’m just getting you to your bed.” Spike reassured the tired pony. Recognizing her adopted little brother … well, not that little any more, taller than her, in fact … Twilight relaxed and snuggled closer to his broad chest, closing her eyes again and mumbling something unintelligible.

Now, it wasn't that holding Twilight's body tight, her pressing her hand or the way her face leaned against his chest felt bad – quite the opposite in fact – but that brought problems all of its own. He was very acutely aware that he was holding a beautiful, intelligent and charming pony in his arms. The prolonged touch, amplified by her rubbing against him and her own unique smell, which seemed a bit stronger since she probably hadn't showered in almost a day, caused something to stir that definitely wasn't supposed to react.

'She's your sister, for Celestia's sake!' Spike chided himself. Well, not biologically, but they had basically grown up as siblings, and he wasn't supposed to react to her like that, especially now that he had a girlfriend. Yes, reactions such as this were supposed to be limited to Rising Up only, even if she currently chose not to do anything with that. But Spike could be patient: he didn't want to rush or pressure her and make her feel uncomfortable. Still, being pent up like that made it hard not to be aware of just how desirable the pony in his arms was, and to keep his member sheathed where it belonged.

As Spike gently laid Twilight in her bed, he was both relieved that the immediate temptation was over but also secretly a little sad to let her go. Now that he had grown so much, having finally become an adult, he and Twilight touched much less often than they used to. Twilight had blossomed into a beautiful young woman all of her own, and the close physical contact they often shared when they were younger would now be more than a little awkward, so they kept a respectful distance. Which Twilight did when she was awake at least. 

Spike tried very hard to forget how Twilight had rubbed her face against his chest and, well, basically groped his breast in her sleep as he had carried her, and just how good that had felt. This was made even harder when she tried pulling him down into bed with her as he rose to leave. He was still really tired, and didn’t want to go back to doing his chores, so the idea of cuddling with Twilight was just so very, very tempting. But he had responsibilities and promises to keep, so he gently extricated himself from Twilight’s hold, ignored whatever she was mumbling in her sleep, and kissed her gently on the forehead.

“Sleep well, Twilight. There will be breakfast waiting for you whenever you wake up.”

Either what he had said or just the sound of his voice put a smile on Twilight's face, and carefully covering his sister with a blanket, Spike left her room quietly and returned to his tasks.

After he finished cleaning as much of the house as he had planned for that day, Spike carefully prepared a cold meal, which she probably wouldn’t have until around noon. He set it on a tray and a thick soup off to the side that Twilight could reheat later. Before he left, he placed a handwritten note on the tray, explaining that he would not be around for dinner:



Dear Twilight,

I should know by now that it is useless to ask, since I have done so several dozen times already, but could you please not work until you collapse in the early hours of morning? You are really making some of us very worried.

In case you forgot, I am off today doing various chores around town, and I'll be meeting Rising Up in the evening, so I won't be around for dinner. There is soup in the pot on the stove – you just have to reheat it on low flame and remember to stir it every couple of minutes. Don't bring something to read while you wait for dinner to be ready, or you'll forget to stir and the soup will burn (again). Also, please remember to actually have dinner at a reasonable time and don't just forget about it (again).

Take care, Spike.



With a sigh, Spike left the house and started to jog towards his next destination. He had a strong premonition he would come home to either find that Twilight hadn't eaten dinner again, or to a pot with coal on the bottom. Still, the air was fresh and Spike was happy he was on time – it would allow him to take a break later, as it was supposed to get quite hot that day despite only being spring.


“G'mornin', Spike!” he was greeted cordially as he reached his destination. “Glad you could make it.” Applejack had obviously already been working for hours, probably getting up as early as he did if not sooner. She was positively glowing from her workout, the thin sheen of sweat a testament to her far more strenuous chores.

“Sure thing, Applejack. What do you need me to do?”

“Well, I don't want to ask you for too much, but if it ain't no trouble, it would really help me out if you'd plough the wheat fields over there. Meant to do it maself, but I ain't even half done with this one yet.” Everyone knew that Applejack still hated asking for or accepting help, but she had gotten a lot better about not letting that show.

“Sure, I can do that. I'll just get the plough from the usual spot?”

“Yeah, it's in the barn.” the earth pony confirmed. “You're a real treasure, Spike. Wouldn't know what to do without you.”

“Always glad to help, Applejack!” the dragon responded with heartfelt warmth. As he made his way over to the barn, he tried hard not to gaze too obviously at Applejack's muscled form straining against the plough stuck in the ground. He had heard a number of colts were rather intimidated by just how strong and well muscled she was. Spike, being stronger than almost any pony not only because he happened to be a dragon, but also because of the regular workouts he got while helping others, couldn’t quite empathise with their feelings, and thought that whoever eventually won Applejack’s heart would be in for quite a treat. Spike himself, at least, could certainly appreciate the beauty of a well-muscled mare.

With some difficulty, Spike carried the heavy plough to the acre that Applejack had just asked him to take care of. He’d been over fairly regularly to help in the past two years, so he had gotten plenty of practice in working the tool. It had been two rough years in a row and the farmers’ crops took a big hit. Some of them had laid the blame on Rainbow Dash, but while she could somewhat influence the weather, she couldn’t work a miracle. Rain couldn’t be summoned with no clouds in the sky, after all, and she certainly had no control over the bugs that had wrecked last year’s harvest. But when people were tense with anger and disappointment, sound reasoning was often the first thing to go. Fortunately, Applejack could get the farmers who were accusing Rainbow Dash to calm down.

Spike could understand where the farmers were coming from a little better now, though. He hadn’t appreciated just how hard the work was until he started doing some of it himself. Sure, he had always had the greatest respect for Applejack as a responsible and hardworking pony, but he hadn’t quite realized just how exhausting this work was until he started doing it himself. The long hours of manual labour day after day took a toll on his aching muscles. It was a struggle to even get up some days despite being dog-tired the night before. And though he would sleep soundly, it never seemed enough. Because of this, he understood earth ponies’ connection with their fields better now, and the disappointment and anger of the farmers as they saw their crops wither and die with nothing they could do. That didn't make them putting the blame on Rainbow Dash okay, but Spike could understand how their pain had clouded their judgement.

Every second row of hard earth that Spike pulled the plough through, he was treated to the sight of Applejack sweating and straining her muscles doing the same one field over. He was aware he probably shouldn’t admire her quite as much as he did, but her occasional grunts and panting wasn’t making this any easier. In an attempt to keep his mind from wandering the young dragon threw himself into the work. He managed to get himself into a work trance – his body moving without conscious effort, his mind removed from the exertion he was experiencing. He stopped pretty much all conscious thought until a soft voice interrupted him. 

“Wow, you've really managed a lot. Wanna have a break and some cider?”

Spike shook off his reverie and found himself looking at one of Applejack's warm smiles. As he turned back the dragon saw that he had already managed to plough more than half the field in just one morning. Not too shabby, if he said so himself. 

“Yeah, a break sounds nice, actually.” The sun was at its zenith, and the heat was quite intense. Applejack led her dragon friend over to a tree where she had laid out a picnic lunch of honey covered bread and some cider. Spike sat and started to wolf down the meal a bit faster than was probably elegant – he hadn't quite realized just how hungry he was until he took the first bite. Applejack watched her friend and laughed amicably: “I'm glad you like it.”

A bit embarrassed, Spike looked up and mumbled through a mouth full of bread: “It's really good, thanks.” One more bite and a gulp later, he realized that he had quite ungentlemanly started first without waiting for the others, and asked: “Where's Big Mac?”

“He's working on the Three Acorns field. Apple Bloom is bringing him lunch there.”

Applejack settled down against the tree and helped herself to a large slice of honey covered bread, helping Spike relax a bit. For a while the two were busy filling their hungry stomachs, but even after the bread was gone, the two continued to sit in silence in the shade of the tree for quite a bit longer. Spike looked out over the meadows, the fields and the small patches of wood, and thought to himself that this really was a remarkably beautiful part of the world. It was easy to see why the Apple family loved it so much.

“I've said it before, but … Thank you, Spike.” Applejack interrupted his musings, surprising him. “You have really helped us out a lot these last two years. I honestly don't know how we would have managed without you. We … probably would've had to sell some land.” It was obvious how agonizing that thought was to her.

Spike reached out and reassuringly put his hand over hers. “Never. Not as long as I'm around. I'd go and beg Rarity for a loan before I would allow for you to go through that.”

Applejack was touched by Spike’s candid honesty. “Really? You'd do that … for us?”

“Yes.” Spike answered without hesitation. “I think all of us would – Rarity might pressure you herself into accepting some money. We know that living without owing debts and achieving things on your own and through your own work means a lot to you, but none of us could bear seeing you in pain from having to part with your beloved acres.”

Applejack's voice was thick with emotion. “Gosh, Spike … You …” Words failed her, and she sniffled a bit, turning away. Spike let her be and gave her the time she needed, only gently squeezing her hand to reassure her, and he was delighted when she returned the gesture. Not wanting to increase his friend's embarrassment, he let his gaze wander over the fields again, just enjoying the view and the feeling of holding Applejack’s warm hand in his own.

It took a few minutes of coughing and snorting and definitely not crying for Applejack to sort herself out, and when she turned back, her eyes still a bit red, her tone was almost angry: “Rising Up better appreciate what she has in you!”

Spike just laughed in response: this wasn't a topic he wanted to discuss.

Applejack wasn't quite ready to let it go yet, though: “I'm serious. You've done so much for us over the years! You really are a treasure.”

Spike started to rub the back of his head as he often did when he was embarrassed: “Hey, I think I'm the one who can be called lucky. After all I get to be around six beautiful girls so much, it's quite a treat.”

“You really think I'm beautiful?” Applejack responded somewhat surprised. While she wouldn't show it, the earth pony was actually rather self conscious – she knew that being as tall or even taller than most every colt around, as well as having more defined muscles, too, made her intimidating to be around. The only person who wasn’t affected was Rainbow Dash: the smaller pegasus was near fearless and loved putting up a challenge for both of them where they could compete and grow through their struggle.

Spike's response came without hesitation: “Hell yeah!” Applejack couldn't help but laugh at Spike's enthusiastic statement. Spike, after realizing what he had just blurted out, stammered embarrassedly: “I mean … yes, I do think you are quite a beautiful pony, Applejack. Oh geez … I guess that's why Rarity could never really like me. Underneath it all I'm just not truly a gentleman.”

“Hey, I don’t wanna hear any of that! You’re a fine gent, that you are, and any girl that can’t see it don’t rightly deserve another second of your thoughts.”

Spike returned her look despondent: “Applejack … I’m a dragon. That alone is already more than most ponies can be asked to put up with.”

Seeing her good friend almost fold into himself with self-consciousness made Applejack angry: “I'll say it again: you are a fine gent, and there's nothing wrong with you at all. You are kind, giving, responsible, reliable and since you admitted to having checked me out I'll let you know that I've been looking at you as well, and you have a fine ass and nice broad chest and back muscles.” Applejack closed her mouth deftly. She had not just said that! It was the truth, that it was, but actually saying it out loud …

Spike on the other hand seemed to grow an inch or two with taking Applejacks words in: “You really mean that? Wow … Um … Applejack, coming from you, that really means a lot to me! Thank you. I know you wouldn't just say that to make me feel better if it wasn't true.”

Applejack was still fighting a blush that would turn her from orange to bright red. Fortunately Spike was not the kind of guy to tease her about what she had said – too innocent to even make much out of it. Applejack had to admit to herself that she had been thinking about Spike ever more often in recent months … he had all of the qualities that she would look for in a colt: reliable, hardworking, dependable, honest, loyal, trustworthy, kind, nice muscles and taller than her (okay, so the last two were possibly a bit shallow, but Applejack was honest enough with herself to admit that she really wanted that in a lover). But he was a dragon. Applejack liked to think of herself as open and progressive, but the mere thought made her uncomfortable, so maybe she wasn't quite as open as she wanted to think herself to be. Either way, it wouldn't matter. Spike was with Rising Up now, and Applejack was not the kind of mare who would steal a colt – or in this case a dragon – away from another mare: a stallion that could be stolen wouldn't be worth the effort anyways. Just being good friends with Spike was much better, and Applejack definitely didn't feel jealous at all towards Rising Up. So maybe she had once or twice when she touched herself lying in bed thought about how Spike's muscles moved when he worked, but that meant nothing! It certainly was at least better than thinking about her brother's muscular form!

Spike sighed contently next to Applejack, and looking over at him she blushed furiously as she realized that they were still holding hands. But Spike seemed … happy, content, and ultimately that's what was most important to Applejack: that her good friends were well.

“Well,” Spike said, looking over at the field he had been ploughing for most of this morning, “I think it's time I get back to work. If I put my back into it, I bet I can get this field done before I need to head off to help Rarity. I learned from you that it's no good to leave work half finished.” Spike smiled at Applejack who suddenly found her stomach doing all sorts of strange things. The earth pony found that Spike really had matured splendidly into a responsible and reliable young man. The dragon gave Applejack's hand one last friendly squeeze, then got up and moved back to work, leaving the earth pony behind to sort out the wild jumble of feelings she was experiencing.

With significant effort Spike did manage to finish ploughing the field in the early afternoon, put up the scarecrows for later, then went to take a quick shower: he wouldn't want to have too strong an odour when he showed up to help Rarity. Applejack happened to stroll by and hear the sound of water splattering to the ground at their outdoor shower. Curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked around the corner to see Spike enjoying the cold spray of water cascading down over his muscular form. It wasn't the first time that Applejack had seen Spike nude, but his glistening wet scales somehow made it look even nicer, and biting her lip Applejack had to admit she wouldn't mind seeing that more often. No! she chided herself sharply, yanking her hand out of between her legs where it had somehow found itself without any conscious effort of her own. Spike was a good friend who was in a steady relationship with another girl, nothing more! Twilight would throw a fit if Applejack made a move on her kid brother – the earth pony was quite certain that her brainy friend still had great trouble accepting that her little brother was now going steady with another girl. With a pleased sigh Spike turned off the shower, and Applejack quickly ducked behind the barn, cursing herself as her rapid movements made unnecessary sounds.

“Applejack? I'll be leaving now.” she heard Spike calling out.

“Eh... Ok! Thanks again for coming by!” Applejack pressed herself against the barn, feeling her cheeks flare up and her heart doing a drum solo in her chest. She couldn't face him. Not right now. After a few moments, when her heart had returned to a normal rate, the young mare peeked around the barn again to see Spike, his torso still bare as he was carrying his shirt over his shoulder, walk off with a skip in his step and his tail swishing from side to side – she could just barely hear him humming a melody to himself as he walked. Applejack gripped the wood of the barn tightly as feelings she couldn't describe tumbled in her chest. She couldn't deny it any longer: the young dragon did have an effect on her. But she wouldn't … couldn't act upon that. Spike was finally in a relationship, finally happy, and she wouldn't ruin that for him, or risk their great friendship by doing something stupid. But as she made that decision Applejack felt an unnameable pain gnaw at her heart.


Spike meanwhile was walking towards Ponyville at a brisk pace. To be perfectly honest, he was rather tired already, almost exhausted, but singing to himself allowed him to push past that and overcome his desire to just lie down, call it a day and relax. He had promised Rarity he would help her and later he also had a date with Rising Up, so lazing about was not an option. The thought of the date did fill him with a little bit of trepidation … he hoped it would go well.

“Hey Spike! What's cookin'?” His favourite training partner's call pulled him out of his reverie.

“Heeey Rainbow Dash! Good to see you!” his response was candid and heartfelt.

The young pegasus flew up next to him and glared pointedly down at his wings: “Why aren't you flying? You won't get better at it if you don't do it!”

Spike rubbed the back of his neck as he often did when he didn't want to answer a question directly or was embarrassed: “I've been working on the Apple Acres farm for hours. To be honest I'm a little tired.”

He couldn't possibly tell her the real reason. That if he flew over Ponyville he could hear the occasional panicked scream or see ponies hiding their foals. Walking around was ok, but if he flew up then often the ponies couldn't immediately identify him or accurately judge his size against the sky, and their instincts against airborne predators took over. He didn't want to cause discomfort for his fellow neighbours, or those visiting the city that somehow hadn't heard of him, and hearing screams of fear from those he had fought to protect physically hurt.

“What have you been doing, Dash?” the young dragon asked, partially in an attempt to change the topic.

“Oh, I was over at Fluttershy's.” It seemed to Spike like she wanted to say more, but didn't.

“And? Did you have fun?” Spike wanted to encourage her to talk without prying.

“Yeah. Sure.” That definitely wasn't the whole story. “Maybe you might want to pay her a visit on occasion again, too? I think she misses you.”

Thinking about it Spike realized that he actually had barely seen Fluttershy in over a month. Somewhat embarrassed he acceded: “Yeah, I should do that. With all the tasks between Twilight, Applejack and Rarity and what time I can get with Rising Up I've not really talked with her in quite a while. Which is a shame, really, she is always so nice. There are just always so many things that need to be done!”

Rainbow Dash gave the young dragon a friendly punch: „Come on, Spike, living ain’t only about work! You don't want to look back and find out you missed your own life because you were too busy doing something else.”

“You're right, of course, Dash, it's just …” the purple dragon fished for words, “These are my friends who are relying on me! I'd feel terrible letting them down. But you are right, I’ll make sure to find some time to visit Fluttershy at the earliest opportunity, and I'd really like to spend some time hanging out with you again as well. There's still so much I want to learn from you about flying!”

“I'd be glad to show you some more tricks. Let me know when you've talked with Fluttershy!”

“Will do! And I'll take your advice to heart! It was really good seeing you, Dash!”


Rainbow Dash felt disheartened as she watched Spike walk over to Rarity's boutique. A very large part of her just wanted to tell Spike how Fluttershy had cried and cried after finding out that he was going steady with another mare, but Fluttershy had made her promise not to tell him, and she could not betray her good friend's trust.

Dash had pushed and pulled for Fluttershy to talk to Spike, to let him know of her feelings, but the young pegasus adamantly refused, stating that she'd never want to get in the way of Spike's happiness. All Dash's arguments that she thought Spike's happiness might lie with Fluttershy, that he always seemed to have liked the yellow-coated pegasus a lot, couldn’t get the timid girl to confess to Spike. Whenever Dash had finally gotten her friend to leave the house, she would soon after collapse back into a nervous shivering wreck, somehow convinced that confessing to Spike now that he was in a relationship would ruin the friendship the two had forever. This made Dash almost furious: Spike was the man she respected and liked most of all, so she felt it would make sense that, for Fluttershy to be happy, she should be with the young dragon! A number of colts initially stated that they found Rainbow Dash 'cool' – of course they did, because she absolutely was – and liked that she was into many of the things that were usually primarily enjoyed by males, like sports, racing, fighting or burp competitions. But somehow very quickly things always devolved into “I'll show you mine, you show me yours” if they didn't just outright try and tear her clothes off. Rainbow dash had had to break a couple of jaws on occasion to get her point across that she had no intention of having sex with someone on the first date (not that she minded breaking jaws too much). Spike was just about the only male she could hang out and have fun with who didn't immediately try and get in her underwear (not that she would have minded too much … since she respected and really liked Spike, she would have actually been willing to let him if he tried).

Dash sighed deeply as she watched her dragon friend enter Rarity's boutique. She had done what she could. She really wanted to see Fluttershy happy, but if her pegasus friend adamantly continued to refuse talking to Spike, then the only other option was for her to get over her feelings for the young dragon.


As Spike entered he was still mulling over what Dash had said. Something was amiss, that much was clear, but he couldn't quite figure out what that might be.

His musings were interrupted by the soft melodic voice of the pony that he had his first crush on for so many years: “There you are, my darling, right on time like clockwork. Such a wonderfully dependable assistant!”

To Spike, Rarity hadn't changed a bit in all those years. The primary reward for his assistance was still her sweet praise that she gave in a voice like golden honey. Of course he knew that she was playing it up for effect, but he yearned for that kind praise, for the words of appreciation nonetheless. It had been childish infatuation that had led Spike to hope he would succeed where rich and renowned nobleponies had failed.

"How is my favourite gentle-dragon today?" Rarity interrupted her friend's musings.

“How could I be anything but well when I get to spend time with the most classy pony in town?” Spike asked with a bow. He eventually had learned to respond to her offhanded flirts in kind. That was a while after he had finally accepted that no matter how kind she was to him, she would always stay out of his reach, just as she did for almost every colt in Equestria. It had hurt, quite a lot, for a while, and then eventually he had lived on.

“Always such a charmer, my dear.” The blue-haired beauty smiled. “Can I get you a drink? Some cookies, perhaps?” 

Spike shook his head: “Thank you, Rarity. I'm fine. I know you wouldn't have asked me to come unless there was a lot of work that needed to be done. How can I be of assistance?”

“What a responsible and diligent dragon!” Rarity almost gushed, “Rising Up is very lucky to have you! Could you be a dear and move that table to the corner of the room?”

“For you, Rarity, I'd move the moon.” the dragon replied, and meant it, though it would need A LOT of wheedling with Princess Luna.

Being with the beautiful white unicorn always hurt a little, inside, that faint pain of knowing what never would be, but Spike wouldn't want to miss his time with Rarity for the world.

As Spike moved to pick up the table, his gaze fell on some flowers and the remnants of a broken vase in the trash can.

“Fiendishly Rich?” he asked, nodding towards the bin. While the number of Rarity's suitors was steadily high, only a select few could afford to import orchids in spring.

The fashionista looked decidedly uncomfortable: “I really tried to let him down gently. Yes, he has money and comes from a noble house with a good name, which is fine, but … Oh, I don't want to badmouth him. It's enough to say that we just wouldn't have worked out together. Unfortunately he had some trouble understanding when I said 'No'.”

Spike's wings flared up protectively: “He didn't …”

“Oh no, nothing like that.” the unicorn reassured him. “I just had to be a bit more … expressive so he would understand I meant 'No', not 'Later'.”

Spike had gotten used to hearing about Rarity rejecting potential suitors. Over the years many a colt had tried to woo the classy and successful mare, but none of them found enough favour under her critical gaze to even get past the third date. Finding someone who had all the qualities Rarity expected in a partner had proven to be a challenge even for the element of generosity.

Rarity watched with interest as Spike’s muscles bulged when he picked up the heavy table. He had grown up very well, and Rarity felt a little proud of him. He was good looking, responsible, loyal, why anything that one could wish for in a gentleman (except the heritage, of course). If he wasn't a dragon, Rarity herself might even have reconsidered her feelings for him. It had been surprising just how upset she had been when she had learned that he now had a steady girlfriend in Rising Up, but all in all she was really happy for him. A high class mare like her and a dragon, that just could never be; so it was good that he finally got over her and found himself a nice girlfriend he could be with, even if Rarity missed him endlessly fawning over her a little. If she was entirely honest then she partially had asked him to help not only because the schedule of what she needed to get done for the gala was tight – though it was – but also just to enjoy his company for a little while, even though she knew that he was terribly busy, but it was oh so sweet of him that he would make time for her anyways. 

With a slight grunt Spike sat the desk down where she had asked him to, the muscles on his arms and back relaxing. The fashionista thought to herself that she could spend all day watching him carry that desk back and forth for her … and he would do it, too, but of course she would never ask such a thing of him. Not wanting to overindulge in watching her muscular friend work – it would be classless to stare, and there really were still so many things to do – Rarity sat down to sew on one of the creations she wanted finished for the gala while directing Spike with kind words and plentiful praise in rearranging the room so the exhibits for the gala would be in the perfect position.

As Spike carried and repositioned furniture until Rarity found it just right he watched her, a picture of poise and grace even as she worked on her newest design. Twilight was without a doubt one of the most intelligent ponies probably not just of Ponyville but of all Equestria, and her ability to focus had often impressed Spike. When Twilight concentrated, she could block out the entire rest of the world to use all of her remarkable brain in tackling a problem. Rarity on the other hand was a mistress of multitasking: she was directing her draconic helper and imagining how the room would look on the evening of the gala, working on her design which was yet unrecognizable to Spike, and keeping up the banter without dropping a beat all at the same time.

As always when he was assisting Rarity, time flew by for the young drake. It didn't feel like work at all, just being able to enjoy the company of the beautiful unicorn transformed it into quality time for him. As the sun began to set, however, he started glancing at the clock ever more often: he would feel terrible if he was late for his date with Rising Up. He didn't need to say anything: Rarity, perceptive as always, quickly realized what his behaviour meant, and, already grateful for the help he had provided and not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable, soon spoke: “Thank you, Dearest, your help has really been invaluable. This should be most of what needs to be done,” (that was a bit of a lie out of politeness, but surely that could be forgiven) “and I would feel bad keeping you any longer.” After a moment's hesitation – Rarity both wanted to know and somehow wanted the answer to be 'No' – the unicorn asked: “I assume you will be meeting Rising Up later this evening?”

As was his habit when he was embarrassed, Spike rubbed the back of his neck: “Yeah, we'll be having dinner at Hooves and Gables. I still need to pick up flowers, too.”

“Always such a gentleman!” Rarity's praising voice could have made steel melt. She stood up and walked over to the wide-eyed young dragon, barely swaying her hips more than was absolutely necessary, and gently placed her hands on his broad muscular chest. It still took a little bit of getting used to that he now was actually taller than her, but it opened up so many fun possibilities. She leaned forward, pulling Spike's head down so she could kiss his cheek, quite accidentally brushing her chest against his – really, there was no way she could avoid that when kissing his cheek. With Spike's face angled down Rarity could see his pupils being the size of saucers. She suppressed a smile as her lips glided softly over his cheek: he definitely had noticed she was not wearing a bra under her generous cleavage.

“Thank you so much for helping me, and I hope you will have a wonderful time at your dinner!” After a second of smiling at the dragon, she left his personal space again and returned to her work. She rarely ever went without a bra: her quite copious bust, outdone only by Fluttershy amongst her close friends (much to Rarity’s chagrin), meant that she would be uncomfortable without. They just needed the support. But Spike had been so kind to set time aside to help her, she really wanted to treat him to a special reward for all his hard work. And while she would never admit it, Rarity enjoyed the idea that when he later ravished that other mare, he might be thinking of her big, shapely, white breasts.

Spike had to swallow several times – his throat had suddenly gone dry and his mind was wiped. “Uh … Right. Always glad to help you, Rarity. Have a nice evening.” He was barely forming coherent sentences, and he knew it. He quickly left the Carousel Boutique before he'd embarrass himself even further, and half way to Hooves and Gables remembered that he still needed to pick up flowers. Even though he tried to stop it, his mind kept going back to the sight of Rarity pressing up against him and how soft her breasts had been, and what he thought he had been able to feel through the thin layers of fabric separating them.


Spike was just barely on time. Rising Up was not. The young dragon was slowly going through his third glass of apple juice when he finally spotted his girlfriend's mint coat. He was quite glad to see her: while he was beginning to get used to her being late on dates he always started to worry if something might have gone wrong – a bit too many adventures with his dearest friends, perhaps – and after he'd been sitting alone at his table without ordering food for almost an hour the waiter was eyeing him with more and more disapproval. He waved so his girlfriend would find him more easily, and she almost ducked back out the door. Somehow Rising Up seemed to get ever more crowd shy the longer their relationship went on. To call her pace 'unhurried' as she approached the table would be stretching it.

“Hey Rising! It's good to see you! I brought you some flowers.”

“Oh.” Back when they started seeing each other, Rising would thank him profusely for these little romantic gestures of appreciation. “They are nice.”

Maybe she didn't want any more flowers. “So how are you? Had another busy day at the Major's office? How are things going?”

Spike, ever observant about his girlfriend, noticed a slight scowl as he mentioned her new job.
“It's ok.” She hid her face behind the menu. Did something bad happen? Maybe she actually didn't like the job now, even though she had asked Spike to help her get it, and she felt it would be ungrateful of her to quit?

Carefully Spike reached out and took her hand: “Talk to me, Rising! What’s wrong? I’m your friend. I’m always glad to help you.” Maybe all of this could be resolved by just talking about their problems openly. If she actually didn't like the job then she should not feel indebted to stay regardless of the trouble he went through.

The green-haired mare quickly pulled her hand from the young dragon's grasp: “Please, Spike! I told you: not in public!”

'But we never meet in private!' Spike thought, trying not to look upset.

Rising Up practically grabbed the waiter walking by and rattled down her order. From appetizer to desert she had chosen the best the menu had to offer. Maybe she was just hungry? Some ponies could get a bit irritable when their stomachs were empty.

“Just one serving of gems for me, please. Opals, if you happen to have them.” While Spike was literally the only individuum in Ponyville who ate them, most restaurants in town kept a small supply of gems. They didn't spoil and were easy to store, and not having them might mean losing the famous Twilight Sparkle as a customer, which just wasn't worth the risk.

The two waited for their meals in silence. Spike wanted to ask her what was going on, he wanted to know so he could cheer her up, make her happy, fix whatever problem weighed her down, but if she chose not to tell him then as a good boyfriend he should accept that. He had asked and expressed interest once – any more would be pushy.

Spike felt like there was a small lump of poisoned ice in his stomach. Rising Up obviously wasn't happy, and if she wasn't happy then he wasn't happy. The purple-scaled dragon wondered what had happened to their relationship, what he had done wrong: He had been elated beyond words when Rising had confessed she had feelings for him and first asked him out, and she seemed so happy in the first weeks after they had gotten together. But now he could barely get a smile out of her and the timespans between their dates grew ever longer. Spike knew this might well be his only chance to make a romantic relationship work: he would never get along with dragons due to his upbringing (and he didn't want to), and most ponies were downright frightened of him, now that he had grown a bit in size and more resembled an actual dragon. He was determined to do what it took: relationships weren't always easy and sometimes required a bit of sacrifice, but Spike was a hard worker and willing to give up a lot if it would mean happiness for his dear Rising.

She seemed in a slightly better mood after the main dish. Not really talking, still, but at least she was no longer scowling. Maybe she was just hungry after all. The gems were bland, not a bit of seasoning on them. Spike tried not to let on. The date was going far from perfectly as it was already. The young dragon tried to do a little bit of conversation, asking about Rising's food, telling her a little about his day, primarily the rewarding work on Apple Acres, but his girlfriend's monosyllabic responses quickly convinced him to stop talking. She seemingly was in no mood for that, either.

When Rising was done with her food, she asked the waiter for the bill, together rather than split up, and Spike was a little surprised since as a gentleman he would usually pick up the tab just as he had learned to do from Rarity. Maybe she wanted to show him a gesture of appreciation, make it up to him that she was in such a bad mood today? As she pushed the bill over the table towards him with an expectantly raised eyebrow, any such thoughts were dispelled. Spike suppressed a frown as he got out his wallet: he didn't mind paying, but it would have been really nice if she had given him any indication that she cared.

“Thanks.” Rising nodded towards the waiter who was picking up the tab. Turning back to Spike she stated: “Oh, I've seen a new green jacket at the store that I've been wanting to try on. They barely have any, so I had planned to go over there before they close, or it might be sold out.”
Spike eyed the dwindling reserves in his wallet and swallowed a sigh. Of course she would expect him to pay for that, too. He managed to get a warm smile on his face before answering: “Of course, Rising. I'll be glad to come with you.” At least Rising always seemed to be happiest when going shopping, so this should raise her spirits and distract her a little from whatever was weighing her down.

The article Rising Up had wanted to try on was a racing jacket, produced by one of the leading fashion companies in Manehatten. Looking at it, Spike figured that Rainbow Dash might like it, and made a mental note to tell her about it when he next met her. It was artificial leather with lots of pockets and zippers – a piece of clothing Rarity would have scowled at, but Rising Up had already stated she disliked all that “old fashioned stuff” that made up the core of Rarity's style. Its price tag certainly could compare with those of Rarity's creations, however. Shopping actually did seem to have lifted Rising's spirits a little, she was smiling when they left the store. Spike also noticed she had left the flowers in the changing room, but decided to keep quiet.

“Thanks for buying that for me, Spikey-Wikey! You really are a dear!” Spike strongly regretted the day that Rising had learned about that particular nickname of his. It was one that Rarity had used way back when he was still a lot younger and smaller, and his attachments to it had slowly faded as he got over Rarity rejecting him. He just really didn't feel it fit him any more, and he didn't like it, but he sure as heck wouldn't bring that up now that Rising finally was in a good mood.

“You’re welcome. It really suits you.” Spike smiled and reached out to take her hand, but thought better of that after a withering look from Rising. “You want to take a little walk out to the ponds? They are quite beautiful in starlight.”

“I'm sure that would be nice, Spike, but I'm just swamped with work. I still need to do the dishes at home, and then I'll call it a night so I'm not completely wasted at work tomorrow.”

Since their date was right after she got off work, that meant the dishes had been there since at least yesterday. Gross. Spike had learned just to take care of work like that immediately. His tone didn’t let on any of what he felt, however: “I could come help if you like. I'm fairly good at housework, actually.”

“That's very sweet of you, Spikey-Wikey, but I couldn't ask that of you. My flat is currently a bit of a mess, I don't really want anyone to come inside.”

“Oh. I'd love to help! But if you … well, do you have any plans for tomorrow? Tomorrow is Friday and you have Saturdays and Sundays off, right?”

“I'm pretty sure I had something planned, but I don't have my calendar with me right now! I'll let you know as soon as I have time for another date!” Rising Up's tone was bordering on aggressive.

“Ok. I'll … Uhm … It was nice seeing you, Rising. Good night, and sleep well!”

“Good night, Spike.”


As Spike walked home, he tried very hard to figure out what it might have been that caused Rising Up to be in such a sour mood the entire evening. Was it something he had done? Maybe something he forgot? Her birthday was still half a year away, so that couldn't be it. Flowers, dinner … What had he done wrong? Maybe he should have brought chocolate instead of flowers? But bringing sweets to a dinner just seemed kind of weird.

Spike hadn't found an answer when he had gotten home. The light was still on in the unicorn's study – no surprise there. Spike was actually back a bit earlier than he had expected. Cleaning off his feet, he quietly made his way to the kitchen. Lifting the lid of the pot he had prepared this morning he sighed lightly as he found not one spoon of soup missing. In the silence of the kitchen he patiently warmed up the soup and put a bowl on a tray before going to Twilight's study. The purple unicorn was so absorbed in her reading she didn't even notice Spike coming in.

“Hey Twilight. Dinner is ready.” Spike called out to her softly.

Surprised, his adoptive sister looked up from the tome she had been studying. “Oh, Spike, thanks! Good timing, I'm starving!”

'Of course you are.' Spike thought silently. 'Normal dinner time was hours ago.'

The unicorn dug into the meal without hesitation, explaining while she ate about the fascinating details of this tract on magical transmogrification that she was translating. Spike didn't really understand too much of what she was saying, but he was happy that it was making her feel so enthusiastic and that she enjoyed the soup he had cooked for her. She was almost through the entire bowl when she looked up, her nose scrunched: “Somehow I vaguely remember something about you not being here today …”

“Yes.” Spike confirmed. “But I'm back now.”

That seemed to reassure Twilight, so she returned to explaining how these foreign texts opened up a whole slew of new magical possibilities. Spike silently hoped they would survive Twilight’s experiments.

When the unicorn was finished, she leaned back with one hand on her stomach and suppressed a small burp. “Oh, that was really good, Spike.! Thanks for the meal.”

“I'm glad you liked it.” Spike looked at Twilight intently until his older sister caught on and fully turned her face to him. “Twilight, can I ask you for a favour?”

“Certainly, Spike. What is it you need?”

“Could you please go to bed within the next hour? You have been staying up past midnight way too often, and the way you keep overworking will cause health problems for you eventually.” Spike smiled gently as Twilight looked a bit embarrassed. “I promise the book will still be there in the morning.”

“Ok, you win. I'll go wash up then head to bed.” Twilight smiled. “What would I do without my precious assistant?”

“Probably starve or work yourself to death.” came Spike's dry reply. “Seriously, I need you to take care of yourself. Please?”

“I will. Promise.” Twilight's smile was mirrored by her adopted brother.

“I'll go wash the dishes then come check if you're back in here with your nose in a book again.” Spike said as he got up, answered by a raspberry blown at him from Twilight.

Life wasn't easy, but it also had its good sides, Spike thought to himself as he was washing the dishes in the kitchen, and if he worked hard then he could make tomorrow be a better day than today. He and his friends had overcome so many challenges together, if he really put his all into it he'd be able to steer this whole story towards a better ending for sure.