//------------------------------// // Time for Talks // Story: Care to Take a Lady Out on a Date? // by MisterEdd //------------------------------// Elsewhere... Having ditched the robe and curled her mane into its distinctive coif, Rarity finished washing the cum-stained and replaced them with fresh new ones. She couldn't help but blush at the memory of last night's carnal events. She didn't make it a habit of getting intoxicated and having sex with a male without even having a date first but it seemed as though Anon had that effect on her. For the past few years, she'd been focusing on balancing running a business and helping her friends save Equestria on multiple occasions, forgoing any thoughts of relationships. Oh sure, she could've gone for a casual encounter or two but it just wasn't right for her and as a self-professed lady, would've been hypocritical on her end. And then there was Anonymous. Two years ago, he was accidently pulled from his universe and into theirs as part of an experimental spell by Twilight, scaring the poor human and requiring restraining him until he calmed down. She was there when Princess Celestia told him that he was unable to go home and all of the swagger and humor dried up, leaving him inconsolable. Anon would get better, of course, through positive reinforcement and alcohol, the latter of which she didn't agree with but it did help to lift his "spirits" as he often joked, so she kept quiet. After that, everypony in Ponyville grew accustomed to the human, learning to look past his appearance and seeing him as one of their own. Volunteering her time and resources to ensuring Anon had clothing, Rarity spent time with him, talking, laughing, and enjoying being around him. He was just so easygoing and, dare she say, charming in his own way. It took a little time but she found herself liking and eventually falling for the alien. Sure, he was taller than most ponies but when you walked along side him, you got the most curious sense of security, like he would protect you from danger. His features were strange, possessing a more flat face and smaller nose than a pony's muzzle but there was no denying he had a dazzling smile and despite the small eyes, they held a warmth and compassion to them that made them easy to get lost in. Even if Rarity hadn't been on her self-appointed period of romantic and sexual abstinence, she couldn't have been able to be with a stallion anyway. Anonymous occupied her thoughts day and night, his humor and kind soul burying deep into her mind and heart. Then there was her physical attraction to the man. To her eternal shame, she'd succumbed to curiosity and peeked on him in the changing room a few times, taking in the shape of his half-naked body and eyeing the bulge in his underpants. She'd masturbated to the image of him inside of her, claiming her as his own, something that Rainbow Dash had unfortunately been clued in on when she accidentally witnessed one of Rarity's sessions and was sworn to absolute secrecy. "Hey Rarity? You said you'd tell me about what happened to your bedroom later and it's later." Sweetie Belle's voice interrupted her musings. "Right, er, please take a seat." Their parents had been neglecting giving Sweetie Belle "the Talk" out of fear of losing their youngest daughter's innocence but Rarity knew the curiosity that occurred at that age and what foals could get into if unprepared. Poor Derpy had learned that lesson the hard way at age fifteen, being abandoned by her lover and forced to raise a filly alone. Tartarus be damned if the same thing happened to Sweetie Belle! Rarity sat down on the showroom stage right next to Sweetie Belle, preparing herself for the hardest discussion she'd ever had to have so far. Sweetie's large green eyes stared up at her, her smile so wide and trusting as she awaited attaining knowledge from her big sister. Aside from preparing Sweetie Belle for adulthood, it was also best to have this talk so that she knew about Rarity and Anon's relationship. The filly already adored Anon, something else that'd endeared him to Rarity and with any luck, she'd bless their union. Taking a deep breath, Rarity faced her sister. "So you want to know why Anon was really here so early and why my bedroom was so smelly?" Sweetie Belle nodded eagerly. "Yeah and why your bedsheets were all sticky too!" Sweet Celestia, this is going to be harder than I thought! "Er, yes, that as well." Rarity swallowed and breathed through her nostrils. "You see, when two ponies, or in this case, a human and a pony, really, really like each other, they decide to express those feelings in a...physical way." "Uh-huh..." Sweetie Belle leaned over closer. "And um, they do what is called 'having sex.' Basically...well, do you know how fillies and colts have different parts?" "Yeah. Fillies have vaginas and colts have penises. Mom told me that." "Right," Rarity agreed, slightly relieved that some of the dots were already connected. "So, when two adults really like each other, the stallion, or in Anon's case, man, puts his..." She gulped. "...penis inside of the mare's vagina." Sweetie Belle cocked her head confusingly. "Why? That sounds really weird." Rarity had to giggle at this. "It does, doesn't it? You see, it actually feels really good to both the stallion, or man, and the mare. And last night, Anon and I decided that we really liked each other so we decided to make the other feel good by having sex." The more she talked about it, the easier it seemed to come out. "And sex should really be between two individuals that care about one another. Do you understand what I'm saying?" "Yeah." Sweetie Belle contemplated this, mulling it over in her head before she beamed, "So you and Anon really like each other? Does that mean you're special someponies?" Rarity placed a foreleg around Sweetie Belle. "We talked about it and we decided to be couple. We'll have to see when we want to have our first date but yes, he's my boyfriend and I'm his marefriend." Sweetie Belle jumped onto Rarity's thighs, pressing her face close to her own. "You mean it?!" "Yes Sweetie Belle, I mean it." The filly bounded off the stage and began prancing around. "That's so cool! Anon's the best and you're together now!" She then skidded to a stop and spun around. "Does that mean you two are going to married?!" A flutter took hold of Rarity's heart at the thought. "It's...it's a bit early to be thinking about that, Sweetie Belle. Anon and I haven't even been on a date yet. But maybe someday-..." "Yay! I'll be getting a big brother!" Rarity laughed as Sweetie Belle resumed bouncing around. Their talk went better than expected and it felt good that one of her family members had so readily approved of their relationship. Now all she needed to do was tell her parents... Celestia give me strength... ~*~ You are Anon and right now, you're standing in front of the crystal castle, aka Twilight's Castle of Happy-Happy-Joy-Joy-Feel-Good-Emotions. Wringing your hands, you went over the speech you'd prepared over and over again. Now that you and Rarity were officially a couple, it was time to let everypony know but there was one individual that you felt needed to hear the words from your lips first. Knocking on the door, you waited for someone to answer it, feeling the knot in your stomach expanding. A raspberry glow appeared around the handle and Twilight Sparkle appeared in the doorway. "Anon! It's good to see you!" Twilight cheered, wrapping her forelegs and wings around you. You weren't that big on touchy-feely stuff but hugging your friends was always nice. Pinkie Pie gave the best hugs, a fact that was disputed by none but each of the mares gave a good hug in their own way. "Heya Twi," you chuckled, gently returning the embrace. Twilight pulled away and stepped aside. "Come on in! You know you never have to knock!" You stepped inside and closed the door behind you. Having lived in the castle for a year, it was a lot like coming home. "I know but I felt like it was in order, given the circumstances." Twilight's smile faltered at your tone. "Is Spike here?" You sighed, "I need to talk to him. It's about Rarity and I." Her eyes widened in recognition. "Ohhhh, I see." She pointed backward with her head. "Spike's in the kitchen making some of his famous triple-decker nut-crazy vanilla cream cookies." You nodded and took a step forward when a wing patted your hip. You looked down to see Twilight offering you a soft smile. "I'm happy that you two are together. Just break it to him gently." "I will Twi, thanks." You squeezed her wing affectionately and took a deep breath. You really didn't know how Spike would react to the news. You knew about his crush on Rarity and saw it firsthand, how he always did things for the mare and stared at her like a priceless painting. Were you a good man? Spike was your friend and you felt bad for taking his dream girl. Dream mare, whatever. You found the kitchen and just as Twilight said, the little dragon was there, a pink and purple apron wrapped around his front and a little chef's toque perched crookedly atop his head. He was humming a little tune as he opened the oven and took a deep inhale. The smell of vanilla and almonds flooded your nostrils, filling you with feelings of rapturous delight, which then led back to guilt. He was so happy and you were going to ruin his day. Still, it had to be done so you rapped on the door way. "Huh?" Spike turned and his face lit up. "Hey Anon! How've you been, dude?!" He held up a balled claw and reluctantly, you gave him a fist bump. "Your timing is perfect! My special homemade triple-decker nut-crazy vanilla cream cookies are almost done." He closed the oven and grinned, only to realize that you weren't smiling. "What's wrong?" You wrung your hands again. "Spike...I need to talk to you about something." "Okay..." Taking off his apron and toque, he followed you to the kitchen table where you both took a seat across from the other. "Are you okay, dude? I haven't see you this depressed since you learned you couldn't go back to Earth." Your knuckles tapped out a tune. "You see, there's going to be a lot of talk and while it's all true, I wanted you to hear it from me first." Spike stared at you confusingly. You wished there was some other way but it was time to nut up. "I...I've started seeing Rarity. Romantically." Nothing. No anger, tears or hysterics. Spike just sat there blank-faced. You could feel yourself tearing up. "The thing is, I really like Rarity and I care about her deeply. I didn't plan on this and neither did she." You sighed, "I'm so sorry, Spike. I really, truly am." Spike nodded and stood up. "Thank you for telling me," he said in a neutral tone. "I have to go now." You watched him leave, feeling like the world's biggest sack of shit. "I'm so sorry," you sniffled and held your face in your hands. You couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "I'm sorry, Spike. I'm sorry." ~*~ Unbeknownst to Anon, Spike was peeking at him from around the corner, watching him with his back turned as he gently wept into his hands. The drake swallowed a lump in his throat and walked away, his cheeks wet and his heart heavy. He trodded past Twilight, not saying a word to his adoptive sister as he made a beeline to his room. Closing the door behind him, Spike calmly sat down and stared out the window. Some robins fluttered by as he gathered his thoughts. He wanted to be angry. By Celestia's mane, he wanted to shout and beat at Anon with his fists. He also wanted to cry, to flood the kitchen in his tears and beg Twilight to hold him like she did when he was a hatchling. Instead, he watched some ponies walk by as they tended to their business. To be honest, Spike was both angry and distraught but mostly at himself. Rarity encapsulated everything Spike wanted in a mare: beautiful, selfless, classy, possessing the voice and soul of an angel. For years, he'd had deep feelings for her that started from a simple crush and could've even bordered on love. It didn't appear as though Rarity had an issue with the species divide, as evidenced now by Anon, so that left the age factor. He knew that Rarity cared about him but that it was more in the vein of a big sister-little brother dynamic. He certainly couldn't fault her for not reciprocating his feelings and the same went for Anon. When the human first started off, he was so scared and lonely, being the only one of his kind in a strange new land without his friends and family. To top it all off, he could never go home again, trapped in a world he knew nothing about. Spike could sympathize with him to a degree, being a dragon in a society made up of almost only ponies. The pair of them just clicked, becoming the best of friends. Species and age didn't matter; they were just who they were. Spike wasn't blind. He knew that Anon fancied Rarity, not that he could blame him, and the same went for the unicorn herself. The way she smiled when Anon was around, how she spoke to him and got excited and a bit frazzled whenever his name was brought up. It just hurt Spike that Rarity could never be that way with him. What was worse was that he even felt angry about it in the first place. They were both his friends and two very good-hearted beings that could make each other very happy. It wouldn't easy, in fact, it'd be downright challenging but Spike could find a way to accept it. He cherished Rarity, possible marefriend or not and wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn't with him. And Anon was the best guy that he knew, lacking nary a mean or disingenuous bone in his body. They both deserved happiness and he wanted them to experience it. Seeing Rarity with somepony or someone else was heartbreaking but it would kill the drake if she and Anon were miserable because of his jealousy. Anon was still in the kitchen by the time Spike came back, Twilight seated across from him and munching on a cookie. Spike had to bite back a laugh at this. She enjoyed her sweets a little too much; the excess sugar was going right to her stomach and backside. Deciding that he'd spent enough time stalling, Spike cleared his throat and the two turned to face him. Twilight was the first to speak. "Spike? I was going to check on you but I thought you'd rather be alone. Are you alright?" "I'm okay. Could I speak to Anon alone please?" Twilight looked to the human, who nodded and she rose. "Okay then." She bit her lip and looked towards the tray of cookies positioned on top of the oven. "Do you think I could...?" "Go nuts." With a "yippee!" Twilight magicked a cluster of cookies away and pecked Spike on the cheek, trotting away while stuffing her face. Spike shook his head amusingly and found Anon still peering at him uncertainly, his eyes still red and puffy from crying. Spike took a seat across from Anon, exhaling through his nostrils. "Look, since you were straight with me, I only thought that I should do the same." Anon nodded and Spike continued. "When you told me about you and Rarity, I was pretty mad. Sad too but mad mostly. It hurt to hear that but also...in a weird kind of way, I'm glad." This clearly wasn't what Anon was expecting. "What?" "I think a part of me knew that Rarity would never be with me but I kept hoping. Then I realized that even if she could never love me, then I'd be happy knowing that somepony came along that could make her happy. Or someone." Spike smiled at Anon, a genuine smile. "I know you, Anon. You're a good man and you'll take care of her. That's all I want. For Rarity to be happy. Even if it's not with me." He held a claw out, which Anon gratefully took. "You're a better person than I'd ever hope to be," Anon stated softly. "I hope you know that." Spike merely grinned, "Thanks Anon. You're my friend, no matter what. Just...be there for her." "Spike, I promise that I'll treat Rarity the way that she deserves." He walked around the table and gave Spike a hug. Although surprised at first, the dragon accepted it. "I know you will," Spike mumbled into Anon's T-shirt. "I'd really hate to explain to Rarity how her boyfriend wound up as a pile of ashes."