//------------------------------// // Starlight shines in the morning time (Snippet #1) // Story: Bad things happen to cheating ponies. // by PinkV5 //------------------------------// The castle halls were dark, and Starlight found herself unable to sleep due to the sounds of the rain assaulting the castle roof. She figured a glass of water or warm milk would help relieve her parched throat and help her fall asleep again. But when she opened the refrigerator and saw the leftover dinner Spike had made for Rarity, she couldn't resist the temptation and indulged herself in the savory flavor. After eating her fill and quickly washing her plate, she started walking back to her room when she began to hear noises coming from Spike's room. Curiosity got the best of her, and she slowly approached the door, trying to get closer to the source of the sound, which was growing louder and more apparent over the sound of the rain. "Is that-" She pressed her ear against the door frame, attempting to hear more clearly. She could discern some noises - panting, groaning, and tiny cries. As she realized what was happening, her face turned red with embarrassment. She quickly straightened up and slowly started tiptoeing away from the door when... "Haah~ I-I'm-I'm close. Rarity! Where should I- "INSIDE! Please! INSIDE!" ...... Starlight' froze, her body unwilling to obey her brain's commands. The voice she heard was undeniably Spike's calling out Rarity's name. And she was certain that It was her who responded. Maybe the rain made her mishear, but as their calls and howls of carnal pleasure reverberated through the hall, Starlight knew she was right and what they were doing was very wrong. She was questioning her own mind about the whole thing. Suddenly, the BOOMING sound of Thunder made her jump back to reality, hurrying back to her room to sleep. This time however, it's her thoughts that are too loud. Spike let out a mighty yawn, stretching his arm to the sky as his tongue rolled out from his mouth. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling a large, weighted presence pressing against his entire left side. He glanced over, the sleeping beauty that was Rarity nuzzled against his chest. The blanket they shared only partially covered her, as most of her breasts were exposed, not that he was complaining. If anything, he felt a storm of happiness envelop him, knowing that last night was real. And although he wished he could stay like this forever, he knew he had work to do today and, more importantly, plans to start. Slowly, he moved her body off of his, placing his pillow in his steed. "Lucky bastard," he thought, jealous that his pillow gets to cuddle with her longer than he does. He made his way to the bathroom, the door creaking slightly. He glanced back at Rarity. Still, sound asleep, he opened the door the rest of the way with a breath of relief escaping his mouth. After attending to his hygiene and quietly dressing, he sneaked out of his room, planning a sweet breakfast in bed for his lady love...or so he thought. "Morning, Spike," Surprised, Spike jumped back as Starlight greeted him in the dark of the kitchen, The dawn's light barely illuminating the room. She motioned for him to take a seat with her, pulling out a chair for him across from her with magic. Spike couldn't help but swallow at nothing from this unsettling picture, shaking loss a jar of butterflies in his stomach. "G-Good Morning, Starlight. W-What a-are you doing up so e-early? He nervously asked. "Couldn't sleep," She said, slushing around her coffee in her cup. She took a long sip from it, the noise irritating Spike, adding to his butterflies. "You?" "Uh, same reason? He-he?" "Uh-huh. Quite the storm last night night, huh?" "Yeah, didn't know it was supposed to rain so hard," "It wasn't. Last time, I "trust" the Weather-mare." A long moment of silence passed them. Starlight sipped her coffee until nothing was left. Each time, she purposefully looked up at Spike, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. Unable to bear the silence, he stood up. "Want some breakfast?" he asked. "No, but would you mind fixing me another cup? I already brewed it," she pointed over to the fixed kettle. He sighed, relaxing over the thought that she might not know anything. He took her coffee cup, slowly pouring in her "morning elixir" over the sink, as she and Twilight would often joke to each other about. "Cream?" he politely asked. "No thanks..."Darling!" (CRACK) Spike's eyes filled with dread in an instant; he looked down at the broken mug that fell from his hand into the sink, watching as the dark liquid swirled down the drain. He could feel a small bead of sweat running down his face as he reluctantly closed his eyes. "She knew this whole time! How? I thought-?" Spike gripped his hand at the countertop. "How much did you-?" "Enough," she said, cutting him off. She stood from her chair, her arms crossed as she stared at the panicked drake. "I can explain. Just hear me out," he pleaded. But Starlight didn't even care to indulge him. Now that she was so close, Spike could see the small bag under her eyes. Within them carried a hefty amount of both anger and disappointment. "Oh, I'm sure you can, "Spikey wikey," but I think I "heard" you plenty enough last night," She said, poking his chest. Although embarrassed, Spike did his best to stay composed. He grabbed her hand, slowly pushing it out of the way so as not to upset her further. "It's what you didn't hear that matters," he said. "What? More moans of ecstasy? The sounds of your bed creaking? What could I possibly haven't heard that justifies your and her actions?" she demanded. Spike tried to speak but didn't know what to say to calm her down. He'd never been in a situation like this. Starlight scoffed at him before continuing, "I never would have thought that "you" of all creatures would be so heartless as to actively cheat with a mare in a relationship, much less your friend." "Starlight, it's not what you think. If you'd give me a moment-" "How is that not cheating? What's your answer to that, huh? Is it that you two love each other, and it's not cheating if you're not caught? Well, it is!" She finished, stomping her feet. "...She never said that to me." "What? Nothing to say?" "She never said to me." "Spike. Speak...Up." "She Never Said That To Me!" He screamed, the terror of this realization bashing into his heart. His hands pressed on his chest. She startled backward into the table. Spike's eyes were drowned with tears, ready to burst at any given moment. "I'm not trying to make excuses or lie to you. You just don't get it because you won't listen! I know what we did was wrong, just as saying it was love is also wrong. But that's just the thing." He suddenly palmed his head, a questionably crazed smile popping up on his face, quickly turning into a sad lour. "I don't know if this is love or if I'm just payback!" He peered up at the ceiling, trying to fight off his tears. "Payback? I don't understand," said Starlight, looking concerned. Spike glared at her, sending a shiver down her spine. "As I mentioned earlier, it's not what you heard that's important, but what you didn't hear," he replied, referring to their previous conversation. Starlight knew he was right, as she barely gave him the chance to voice, but she remained silent, still skeptical. She focused her attention on him as they both sat back down. Spike wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "You should prepare yourself, as her story is quite heavy," he warned, noticing her reaction to his words. A brief quietness passed them before Spike retold Rarity's story to her, leaving no spare detail. He told her of Rarity silently crying under her sofa, her swearing at him in the rain, believing him to be Thunderlane, all the way to dinner, where she belittled herself into thinking she was the wrongness in their relationship. With every second that passed off his telling, Starlight's aggression for Spike faded while her newfound aggression for Thunderlane festered in her head. At the same time, a pool of sadness filled her heart for Rarity. "After she finished her dinner, I told her she could have my room for the night," he said. "Wait? Why didn't you offer her a guest room? We have like, I don't know...forty of them!" she stated, waving her hand in the air. "It just felt right—the gentledrake thing to do. My room had a lot more to offer her to make her feel at ease. She didn't object to it, so I think I made the right choice." "Ok. I can see that, but that still doesn't explain how you two ended up sleeping together," Starlight said, more curious than frustrated at this point. Something Spike picked up on, giving him secondhand embarrassment. "I" fell asleep on the couch down here...until she woke me," he said, smiling over the memory. "As in?" "She...might have f-fondled me in my sleep," he said, rubbing his neck in secondhand embarrassment. Starlight blushed as her eyes widened from this discovery. "She came on to you in your sleep?" she doubted. "Hard to believe, but yeah, she did. After waking up and feeling the wrath of Tartarus's leg grip, along with the awkward small talk, she "invited" me to my bedroom." he paused for a moment. "Ok, I can see how that sounds, but it's true." he defended. Starlight thought to herself, "Tartarus's leg grip?" before dismissing it from her mind. She clapped her hands together, taking in a deep inhale from her nose before letting it out her mouth. Spike could still smell the coffee mixed with her breath but didn't say anything. "Okay," she bluntly said before getting up and walking out of the kitchen. Spike blinked in bafflement before going after. "Okay? What in the flying feather does that mean?" Spike asked her as she continued up the stairs. "It means Okay." She shrugged her shoulders, which only added to Spike's confusion. She raised her hand in anticipation of him saying anything else. "Look, Spike, we've been talking for almost half an hour now, and I don't think I can say anything else here. I admit that I overreacted earlier, and I can't say that I still stand by everything I said before. I made some assumptions, but you would also have if you wore my shoes." Spike could understand where she was coming from. "I also made some bad assumptions about you, too, even though I've had the privilege of getting to know you and the girls over the years. You're the first real friends I've had in a long time. And for a moment, I let my insecurities get the best of me again and guide me. It took seeing you on the brink of tears and hearing your story to make me realize that. And with that revelation, I've made my decision on how to handle this." Spike gulped, fearing what she would say next. "So, what are you gonna do?" he couldn't help but ask. "Nothing," she said and went back to her room to finally sleep. Spike followed her, feeling a need for closure on their talk. She reached her door with Spike just a few feet behind her. "I won't doubt the legitimacy of your story, and I can't tell you what to do in your future. I have no right to interfere in your newly established relationship with Rarity. However, I want you to know that I won't reveal your secret to anyone, and I wish you good luck." She turned around to look at him and added, "Oh, and be sure to treat her to some breakfast. A gal likes a man that sticks around after a night of fun." She winked before closing the door for good this time. With the sound of her door clicking, Spike rubbed his head in confusion, yet a strange sense of reassurance passed through his body. Starlight had basically told him that she planned on doing nothing and would rather let things play out. Although still slightly confused, he accepted her answer with no further thought on the topic. The only thing left on his mind was what he wanted to do in the first place: Fix his lady love the best breakfast she'd ever had. "I wonder if she's a pancakes or waffles kinda mare?"