Hours passed and the two still remained in the tub, only one of them fully awake. Spike was passed out in the tub, while Lavender continued playing with her toys.
Little Lavender opened her parent’s bedroom door, giggling slightly. The two of them were fast asleep, nestled close to each other. Her mother was wearing a purple sleeping mask and earplugs to drown out the incredibly loud snoring of her husband. Lavender wiggled her tail and leapt on the bed, approaching Rarity’s stomach.
“Stop it, I’m ticklish there…” Rarity droned on in her sleep, bearing a wide grin and snoring softly. Lavender had to cover her mouth just to prevent bursting into laughter. “Okay, honey, but only because you made me.. ahh… sweet flapjacks this morning….”
“Mommy, Mommy, get up!” she shouted, bouncing on Rarity’s gut. “It’s time for school!”
“Huh, wha…” Rarity pulled off her mask to see an ecstatic Lavender bouncing on top of her. “Sweetie, why are you in our room?”
“I’m just waking you up so we can get ready for school!”
“School?” Rarity yawned and rubbed her baggy eyes. “Darling don’t you think it’s a little early for that. It’s only four in the morning.”
“Oooh,” Lavender responded innocently. “Sorry, I just was excited. I wanted to play with my friend Sugar Snap again!”
“Lavender, I’m glad you made a new friend and all. I really am. But you can’t wake us up this early in the morning.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Besides, it’s not even a school day, silly. It’s the weekend.”
“Aww,” Lavender sighed, sitting on her mother. “So, I don’t get to play with Sugar Snap?”
“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Rarity said, trying to keep herself awake enough to explain things to Lavender. “You see, Daddy’s going to spend the day with you while I go talk to Sugar Snap’s parents. Since you really seemed to like her, I want to make sure her mother is fine with you playing with her outside of school.”
“Really?!”
“Of course, dear.”
Lavender thanked her mother, embracing her in a tight hug, “thank you, mommy!” she cried out. “You’re the best!”
“I try to be,” Rarity responded. “Now go back to your room and sleep, little one. It’s too early to be up and about.”
“But I’m not sleepy, Mom.”
“That may be, but just like Mommy needs to get her beauty rest, you need to as well.”
“Yes, Mommy,” Lavender sadly replied, jumping off of the bed and out of the bedroom. Spike rustled a little and opened his eyes, noticing his daughter leaving the bedroom.
“Hey, honey, why is Lavender up?” Spike asked sleepily. “Was she afraid of something in her room?”
“No, dear. She was so excited about playing with her friend, she woke herself up thinking it was a school day.”
“Ain’t that cute.”
“It really is. I’m going to talk to her parents today. You delivered to them before, so you know the address of their house, right?”
“Mmm hmm…” He briefly responded, his eyes already closed again.
“I can see you’re still sleepy.” Rarity planted a kiss on his forehead. “You know, I’d kiss you on the lips, but you have terrible morning breath.”
“Uhh huh,” Spike mumbled, wrapping his arms around Rarity and pulling her close to him. She smiled softly and closed her eyes, leaning closer to the love of her life.
Lavender couldn’t go back to sleep if she tried to. With nothing else to do, she decided that her best option was to snuggle against her favorite little kitty to help her relax. The dracony walked downstairs and into the dark living room, finding Opalescence sleeping soundly in her basket.
Trying her best to not wake the cat up, Lavender walked towards the basket and tried to squeeze in it. Her effort to avoid waking Opal up failed, as the cat growled slightly, annoyed that someone woke her from her slumber.
“Sorry, Opal,” Lavender apologized. “I just can’t get any sleep, and I wanted to snuggle against something soft. You don’t mind do you?”
As much as Opalescence wanted to roll her eyes and push the annoying dracony away, she didn’t want to make life any harder on the girl. Opal extended her claw in an attempt to wrap around Lavender, who in turn wrapped her arms around her, squeezing her tightly.
“You really are a good kitty,” Lavender smiled and wagged her tail. Opal was trapped; she couldn’t get away from Lavender even if she tried. She was going to have to give the child attention, whether she liked it or not. Though in all honesty, Opal would be lying to herself if she said she hated it…
***
“Hey, Rarity. Rarity, wake up.”
Rarity removed her mask to see Spike’s smiling face. “What is it, Spikey?”
“You should come downstairs. What I’m about to show you is going to melt your heart.”
Rarity clumsily slipped out of bed with the support of Spike, and walked down the stairs. When they entered the living room, Rarity cracked a warm smile at the sight she had in front of her eyes. Lavender was nestled up to Opalescence, snoring soundly with her arms wrapped around Lavender.
“I swear, it’s a sight to behold, wouldn’t you agree, Rarity?”
“It sure is, Spikey.” She planted a small kiss on Lavender’s head before grabbing her satchel. “You remember what you have to do today, right Spike?”
“Of course I do,” he responded. “Had it all jotted down so I wouldn’t forget.”
“Good.” Rarity pulled Spike’s face down and deeply kissed him. The two shared the embrace briefly before she broke it. “I’ll be gone for most of the day. If both of you are good, I’ll give each of you a special treat.”
“And what will that be?”
“Can’t tell you,” Rarity teased, smiling mischievously. “It’ll ruin the surprise. But I can tell you right now, that you’re going to like your little treat.” She giggled seductively and walked out the boutique, leaving her husband flustered and blushing wildly.
“Well, Daddy’s gonna have to be on his best behavior,” he laughed to himself. He turned back to his daughter, smiling as she silently snored, snuggling against Opal. “I think I’ll let my little angel sleep a little longer.” He gave Lavender a kiss on the cheeks, causing her to smile softly, and walked into the kitchen.
It was a while before Lavender finally decided to wake up. She stretched out her claws and let out a screechy yawn, noticing that Opalescence was no longer in the basket with her. She rubbed her eyes and lifted herself off the cat’s bed. A smile formed on her face when she picked up the scent of freshly made pancakes. She followed the delicious smell until its source; the kitchen, drowsily licking her lips in anticipation. Spike was setting the hot plate of pancakes on the table, wearing his “Kiss the Cook” apron.
“Well, looks like my little princess has finally woken up!” Spike said. “Looks like your nose led you to food, as usual.”
Lavender nodded sleepily, rubbing her eyes and smiling softly at her father.
“Seems to me that someone’s still on the sleepy side. How about you go splash a little water on your face. It’ll help wake you up a bit.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she replied, walking slowly to the bathroom. She splashed a handful of water onto her face, rubbing the extra drool off in the process. She walked back into the kitchen, enjoying the tune of her father’s whistling.
“You awake now, Lavender?” he asked with a toothy grin.
“Yes, Daddy,” she answered, pulling out a chair at the table and sitting at it. “Those are a lot of pancakes.”
“Well, we can’t have you going hungry,” Spike responded. “Need to fill that belly before we go to Twilight today.”
Lavender’s eyes widened. “We’re going to see Auntie Twilight?”
“That’s right. But first, you have to eat all your food. How many pancakes do you want?”
“Hmm. How about six?”
“Six? Are you going to eat all of those, you greedy little piggy?” He walked towards Lavender and tickled her belly, causing her to enter a fit of laughter.
“Haha… Y-Yes, Daddy!” she giggled, trying to catch her breath. “I can eat them all. That would leave you with about twelve pancakes all to yourself.”
“So it does.” Spike smiled at Lavender and took seat right next to her, putting the warm, buttery cakes onto her plate. “We really are a couple of bottomless pits, aren’t we?”
“Yes, sir,” Lavender answered as Spike poured syrup over her pancakes. “But we are dragons after all… Well, mostly dragon.”
“True,” Spike responded, cutting her pancakes into smaller pieces. “Which is why Mommy makes us go get the groceries, since we eat most of the food in the house.”
Lavender jabbed at the pancakes with her fork and stuffed them in her mouth. She sloppily ate them with syrup splashing on her chin.
“Wherf isph Mwammy anythwaf?” Lavender asked with her mouth stuffed with pancakes.
“Oh, she went to take care of some things and will be gone all day, so that leaves you here with me, little one!”
Lavender smiled widely, her cheeks puffy and round from the amount of food she stuffed herself with.
“Also, slow down a bit, Lavender. I know you like my cooking and all, but no need to stuff yourself with so much food.”
“Ophay!” Bits of food sprayed across the table, causing Spike to chuckle.
“And Rarity says my manners are bad!” Spike teased, letting out a hearty laugh that was rewarded by a light punch in his stomach.
“At least I clean up after my mess, Daddy!” she snapped back playfully.
“I’d watch who you’re punching if I were you!” Spike growled. “You’re forgetting I’m a full blooded dragon. I could gobble you up whole if I wanted to and think nothing of it!”
“Pfft, please! You couldn’t eat your own daughter if your life depended on it.”
“Oh, really?” Spike grabbed Lavender and started nibbling on her belly, eliciting laughter from the dracony.
“Daddy, I’m trying to eat!” Lavender exclaimed.
“Well, what’s stopping you?” Spike teased. “Get back at the table and finish eating then!”
“You jerk! You’re not letting me move!”
Spike continued to blow against Lavender’s stomach. Normally, if Rarity was there, she would have a fit if she caught the two playing at the table. However, since the two rebels were alone, they enjoyed their little play.
“Okay, I think I can let you go now,” Spike said. “Let’s hurry up and eat so we can visit my older sis.”
“Okay!” Lavender obeyed and resumed eating her food.
***
“Okay, so it’s the house on the far left…” Rarity levitated the instructions to Sugar Snap’s parent’s house. The piece of paper told her to go to housing area near Sweet Apple Acres. It was the small, orange house with a red rooftop. The outside was decorated with flowers and bird feeders. It was a nice, humble home.
“Well, this must be the place.” Rarity walked towards the door and knocked on it. It didn’t take long for the door to open, revealing a familiar, orange stallion. He was slim in size, but toned in physique, definitely not as lanky as he was when he was younger.
“Snails?” Rarity couldn’t believe her eyes. The clumsy, young colt grew into a well sized and quite handsome stallion.
“Yep, that’s my name,” he smiled. “What brings Equestria’s finest dressmaker to our place?”
“Aww, aren’t you a flatterer,” Rarity smiled. “I’m actually here to discuss Sugar Snap with you and your wife…”
Snails frowned slightly. “Did she do anything? Oh, that girl can be a handful at times. Whatever she did, we’ll take good care of--”
“No, she didn’t do anything wrong. Quite the opposite in fact. As you may know, I have a daughter by the name of Lavender; she has been having a difficult time fitting in, so to speak. Your daughter was the first one to reach out to her.”
“Ah, that’s nice,” Snails said proudly. “She’s always been the social one!”
“I can believe that. At any rate, I wanted to see if it was okay for your daughter to play with Lavender.”
“I personally have no problem with that,” Snails replied. “However, I might have to talk it over with my wife. She’s pretty particular about the ponies Sugar Snap hangs around.”
“I see. And is your wife at home, if I may ask?”
“No, she isn’t. She said something about a lunch with her old friend. I don’t know how long she’ll take to get back. You know how mares are at times.”
“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Rarity inquired.
“Um… nothing really!” If there was one thing that hasn't changed about Snails, it was his mentality, so to speak. Even after all the years of finally growing up into a young stallion, he still wasn’t the smartest banana in the bunch, although he did gain points for appearance. “But as I was saying, who knows when she’ll get back. If you want you can wait around for her, so we can… Oh, wait, nevermind. There she is, over there!”
Snails’ wife came into clear view, stunning Rarity. The mare Snails married was…
Diamond Tiara?
She walked up to Snails and planted a kiss on his lips. “So, how’s my hubby doing?” she asked.
“Aww, I’m doing good, sugarlumps!” he cooed.
“Please, don’t call me that.”
Rarity couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Out of the two couples that could have happened, Diamond Tiara and Snails were the last two she’d think would wind up together. It was cute, though. Diamond Tiara turned and noticed another mare present.
“Ahh, I didn’t notice you were there at first!” Diamond Tiara stated. “What do I owe the honor of having the most talented dressmaker visit?”
“Well, like I was discussing with your husband…”
“She wants to know if our Sugar Snap can play with her Lavender,” Snails interrupted. Diamond Tiara glared at her husband and tugged his ears.
“Snails, what did I tell you about interrupting others,” she scolded.
“Um… To not do it?” He foolishly responded.
“Good boy.” She relinquished his ear and smiled at him. “Now go off and do something productive instead of sitting around the house and eating all our food. Give the young ladies some room to discuss.”
“Yes, hon.” Snails obeyed Tiara’s command and walked off, seeking something to do.
“Well, it’s apparent who wears the pants in the household,” Rarity giggled.
“Well, somepony has to keep these stallions in check,” Tiara responded. “I swear though, as big of a headache as he can be sometimes, he is pretty sweet. Not to mention handsome now…”
“So which quality did you fall for?”
“Looks at first,” Diamond Tiara replied honestly. “But then I got to know him better, and I started seeing more in him than his appearance. He’s still an idiot, but he’s my idiot.”
“I see. Though I have to say, I’m quite shocked.”
“About what?”
“That someone of your personality, no offense, created such a friendly and open child.”
Diamond Tiara giggled at the response. “Trust me, you aren’t the first to say that to me. Honestly, I’m just as surprised as you are that she turned out so nice. I kind of feel bad for Silver Spoon, though.”
“Oh?”
“It’s funny really; I was always the worst when it came to teasing other fillies, and yet I come out with the more manageable child. Poor Silver Spoon; having to deal with a child such as Sapphire must be tough.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Rarity couldn’t help but crinkle slightly.
“Oh well, no need to look a gift horse in the mouth,” Diamond Tiara replied. “I’m just lucky that Sugar Snap is so social, and willing to play with someone no matter their differences, as with Lavender, no offense to your child or anything.”
“So, can the two of them play together?”
Diamond Tiara nodded. “Sugar Snap usually plays with her Cutie Mark Crusader friends on the weekends, so I’ll tell her to stop by the boutique tomorrow morning. Most likely she’ll want Lavender to join with her, regardless if she is able to get a cutie mark or not; she can be a pretty demanding sometimes.”
“Well, that’s one trait she gained from her mother,” Rarity giggled.
“Hey, I’m not that bad anymore,” Diamond Tiara defended. “But yes, like Mother like Daughter I suppose.”
“Well that’s great. I’ll tell Lavender the good news then. She’ll be delighted to have a playmate on the weekends. Thanks again, Tiara!”
“I’d be a fool to deny Equestria’s finest!” Tiara stated, waving back at Rarity who trotted off.
“Well, that was quick and painless,” Rarity said to herself. “Which is good for me. That just means I get to spend the rest of my day receiving hard earned pampering.” Rarity sighed dreamily as she took out her discounted spa coupons and kissed them. “I simply cannot wait!”
***
Spike carried Lavender on his back, walking towards Golden Oaks Library. Once there, he pounded impatiently on the door. It didn’t take too long for the pony on the other side to respond.
“Spike, I swear if that’s you bangin against the door like a barbarian…”
“What are you going to do if it is?” Spike taunted cockilly, continuing to knock violently on the door. It swung open, revealing his older adoptive sister, her horn glowing brightly.
“Listen here, Spike,” Twilight responded, pointing the source of her magic in his direction, “you might be bigger and taller than me now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t shoot you down a peg!”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Spike apologized. “Just don’t blast me with your magic, alicorn powers! Think about Lavender for Celestia’s sake!”
Twilight shook her head and dimmed her horn, smiling softly. “My word, I don’t think you’ll ever grow up. So, how has my former number one assistant been doing.”
“Former? Please, you couldn’t find a better assistant who could put up with you even if you tried,” Spike boasted. “Also, I’ve been doing fine. How about you, my lovely sister.”
Twilight wrapped her hooves around Spike. “I’m doing fine as well; busy, but fine all the same.” Much to Lavender’s delight, Twilight lifted her with her magic and placed her in front of her. “And how’s my niece doing?”
“Fantastic, Auntie!” Lavender replied excitedly. “I made a new friend yesterday!”
“That’s good, Lavender. See, I told you that even draconies like you could make some friends.”
“Yeah, but it’s only one friend. Everypony else hates me.” Lavender frowned slightly, remembering the things Sapphire said to her in class.
“Not everypony hates you,” Twilight said. “I’m sure there are more young fillies and colts out there who are open minded enough to befriend you.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
“Now, chin up and give Auntie a big old smile!” Lavender gave Twilight a wide smile, nudging her cheek as she did so. “Well Spike, what are you doing standing out here? You’re no stranger to this place, although you act like one.”
“Twilight, it’s only been two weeks,” Spike said walking into the library.
“That’s a little too long to not visit your sister when she lives right down the street from you.”
“I get your point. I’ll try to do better on the visitation.”
“Please do. I kind of miss having a sarcastic dragon around here, believe it or not.”
“Told you you’d miss having the best thing in your life around!”
Twilight rolled her eyes and sat down with Lavender. Spike jumped on the couch, propping his feet on the arm of it. “So, what has the princess been up to?”
“Oh the usual,” Twilight answered, “helping the mayor with laws and such around Ponyville. Going to meetings whenever I’m needed, filling paperwork and…” Twilight paused and glared at Spike once she realized he was snoring playfully. “SPIKE!”
“Wha… oh I’m sorry, I must have fallen asleep from sheer boredom. Please, continue, and this time try to talk about something that isn’t about work.”
“Oh, ha-ha, Spike!” Twilight responded sticking her tongue out at him. Even after Spike had moved out of the library, they still shared a strong bond, something that Twilight held onto as long as she could. “Well, since Spike here clearly isn’t interested in what I have to say, how about I hear how little Lavender is doing instead.”
“Okay.” Lavender began. “Sweetie Belle is staying for the week, and she plays with me almost everyday!”
“She does, does she?”
“Yep! Too bad she’s leaving back to Canterlot tomorrow. I wanted her to stay and play with me forever and ever!”
“Well she can’t do that, Lavender. She has her own goals she needs to pursue, just like you will.”
“I know,” Lavender pouted. “It’s just not fair though. Up until recently, I’ve only had my family to play with, but Auntie Sweetie lives all the way in Canterlot, Daddy is always busy helping around the house, and Mommy…”
“Trust me, I know why Rarity doesn’t play with you as often as you’d like,” Twilight said, giggling at the thought of her sister-in-law anywhere near filth. “But didn’t you say you have a friend now?”
“Yes ma’am! Her name is Sugar Snap, and Mommy is going to talk to her parents today and ask if they will let her play with me after school!”
“Well, aren’t you a lucky little dracony?” Twilight said, rubbing her nose against Lavender. Spike watched with a grin as Twilight showed such loving displays towards his daughter.
“You bet, Auntie. That makes one less pony that I want to maul!”
“That’s go… wait, maul?”
Lavender nodded, looking slightly more serious. “Mommy told me that I should find a happy place when I get bullied or teased; so I thought up things that hurt the mean old fillies and colts even worse.”
Twilight looked worriedly at Spike, who in turn showed slight concern himself.
“How bad do you imagine them being hurt?” Twilight asked.
“Not that bad, Auntie. They usually go home with a few bruises and maybe a scratch mark. Nothing their parents can’t fix.”
“And have you acted upon these thoughts in anyway?”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you ever tried to hurt someone who teased you?”
“No ma’am. Mommy wouldn’t like it if I did that. I wanted to when the kids were being meanies yesterday, but I held back like a good dracony!” Lavender smiled, proud of herself for keeping self control.
“That’s good…” Twilight lifted Lavender from her lap and placed her on the seat. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I could use some milkshakes. You want one Lavender?”
“Yes, yes, yes!!” Lavender chanted, wagging her tail.
“Great! Spike, come help me make them please.”
Spike raised an eyebrow at her request. “Since when did a princess with magical abilities need someone to help them do a simple task like making milkshakes?”
“I don’t know. Since when did the supposed ‘number one assistant’ complain about trivial tasks like this? Unless of course, you’re no longer my number one assistant.”
Spike took Twilight’s teasing as a challenge.
“Ooooh, Daddy, you’re getting demoted from number one assistant!” Lavender taunted, joining in on Twilight’s antics.
“Not you too,” Spike playfully whined, being pinned in a corner by both his daughter and sister. “Fine, I’ll help make the milkshakes. But I get the most ice cream!”
Spike and Twilight walked off into the kitchen while Lavender rocked back and forth in the chair, repeatedly humming ice cream over and over again.
“So, what kind of icecream do you have?” Spike asked as they entered the kitchen.
“Chocolate, and a little vanilla left.” Twilight’s voice sounded more serious than it did in the living room. “But that can wait a while. I want to talk about Lavender.”
Spike frowned, understanding the implication. “So, you’re really concerned about it, huh?”
Twilight nodded, staring the dragon in his eyes. “Spike, we discussed the possibility of this in the past.”
“But, she did say they were minor thoughts. Don’t most children have thoughts like those sometimes?
“Some do, but Lavender isn’t like other children. She might have the appearance of a filly for the most part, but 70% of her genes, traits, and instincts are draconic. What might start out as small, harmless thoughts could turn into violent rage.”
Spike looked back at the innocent Lavender as she waited impatiently for them to make her milkshake. “But how do you know she won’t be able to control it herself?”
“Spike, you barely can control it sometimes,” Twilight stated. “Rarity told me how defensive you got when somepony called Lavender a lizard. You nearly assaulted him in public!”
Spike frowned and blew a puff of smoke out of his nose. “I never would have threatened him if he would have held his tongue,” Spike hissed.
“While I agree he was out of place,” Twilight began, “there were better ways to deal with it then that. You’re very protective of Lavender, and to an extent that’s a good thing. However, when it becomes violent…”
“Yeah yeah, I get it.”
Twilight sighed and gave him a soft smile. “I’m only telling you this because I don’t want anything bad to happen to either of you. It would tear me up if you got locked up for physically hurting somepony. You’re an important part of my life, Spike, and I’d hate to see you do something you’ll regret.” She trotted towards Spike and wrapped her hooves around him. “So please, promise me this, if Lavender shows violent signs, if you feel like you’re going to snap, please come and talk to me. You don’t have to deal with these things by yourself.”
Spike wrapped his arms around her, embracing her tightly. “Don’t worry, Twi. I know who to run to.”
The two stayed in each others embrace for a while. It was moments like those the two cherished; the certainty that they always had each other, no matter what happened.
“Well, what are we doing standing here like sad saps? I have an impatient daughter waiting for her milkshake!”
Twilight laughed, glad that the atmosphere became light rather quickly. “Well, you better get started on them then.”
In no time, the duo had three cups full of the creamy shakes. Lavender licked her lips as she saw her father hold two in his hands and balance the other on his head.
“What took you two so long?” Lavender asked. “I could have made milkshakes in half the time it took you, slowpokes!”
“Well, then it wouldn’t have Daddy’s special touch now would it?” Spike handed one of the milkshakes to his daughter.
Lavender looked at the her glass, trying to figure out that special touch that her father supposedly added.
“You didn’t do anything extra! You just added chocolate ice cream with it!”
“Hey, it’s not what goes in the milkshake, it’s who makes it!”
“He’s right, Lavender.” Twilight winked, hoping that Lavender would catch on and let the big, dopey dragon have his fun.
The three spent the afternoon enjoying each others company. Twilight would tell Lavender of tales of her friends saving Equestria on numerous occasions while Spike did everything to annoy Twilight, only to be blasted with light magic at every attempt.
Spike and Lavender stayed at Twilight’s place for several hours before Spike noticed the time and picked up Lavender.
“Well we should be off,” Spike said. “We got to sort out Rarity’s ‘organized mess’ by the time she gets back from the spa.”
“We!?” Lavender groaned.
“You heard me,” Spike stated, tickling Lavender’s back with a finger. “I’m not going through that chaos by myself.”
“You two really are something else,” Twilight laughed. “Don’t be a stranger around here.”
“We won’t, Twilight,” Spike said, propping Lavender on his back. “Say goodbye to Auntie Twilight, Lavender!”
“Bye bye, Auntie!” Lavender waved. “I hope you can find a boyfriend soon and stop being anti-situal!”
“What!” Beads of sweat formed down Spike’s face as Lavender began to explain to Twilight.
“Well, Daddy says you stay so cooped up in the library and you don’t have too much social skills with stallions. Why not try Big Macintosh? He seems like a ni…”
“Well this was a fun visit, Twilight, but we’re on a very tight schedule! Bye!” Spike rushed off in order to escape the wrath of Twilight, who was shaking her head at his nonsense.
“Oh Spike, never change.”
***
The duo went back to the boutique to clean up around the house before Rarity returned. Lavender helped clean out Opalescence bed and food bowl while Spike took care of cleaning the bathroom, kitchen, and the work station of Rarity. It took them a few hours to get done with all the chores, but they pushed through and finished it.
“Woo, we’re finally done, Daddy,” Lavender stated, feigning tiredness. “So, what do we do now?”
“Well, Lavy, I know what I’m going to do.” Spike smiled and headed to the bathroom. “Care to join?”
“Sure, Daddy!” Lavender said, catching onto what he was doing. “Just let me grab some toys.”
Spike filled the tub up to the brim, watching the soap suds trickle down the base of the tub. The water was piping hot, just the way Spike liked it. He gently lowered himself in the soapy waters, letting his arms and legs hang out. Soon after, Lavender came in with a few of her toys she wanted to play with.
“Well, come on and hop in!” Spike encouraged. Lavender didn’t waste anytime going towards her father, who used his arm to lift her into the tub. “Now, if Rarity asks, how long have we been in the tub?”
“Only twenty minutes.” Lavender giggled. “Mommy would kill us if she knew we were taking a three hours bubble bath.”
“That she would, Lavender. That she would.” Spike reclined back and relaxed in the water, watching as Lavender playfully splashed around in the tub.
Hours passed and the two still remained in the tub, only one of them fully awake. Spike was passed out in the tub, while Lavender continued playing with her toys.
“Oh, what a nice day to go sailing,” Lavender said, pretending there were ponies in her little boat. “It sure is. Nothing could potentially ruin this fine… OH NO!!”
Lavender pulled out a plush octopus submerged in the water and lifted it into the air. “It’s a giant octopus! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!” Lavender smashed the toy octopus on top of the boat, forcing it underwater. “Help, we’re drowning! Drown……”
“Well, it sounds like someone’s having a good time.” Rarity walked into the bathroom, looking even more radiant than she normally did.
“Oh hi, Mommy! Don’t worry, we just got in the tub twenty minutes ago.”
“I didn’t mention anything about the tub, sweety,” Rarity stated suspiciously.
“Well… I just thought I’d let you know, that’s all.”
Rarity was going to say something, but decided to let it go for once. After all, it wasn’t going to be her paying the water bill this time. “Well, it looks like Daddy is extremely relaxed.”
“We’ve had a long day today, Mommy. Daddy is probably just exhausted.”
“Oh really?” Rarity walked towards her husband’s face and grabbed his chin. “I bet I know what will wake him up.”
She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips. Almost instantaneously, Spike slithered his way into Rarity’s mouth, wrapping his arms around her to prevent her from escaping. Lavender found the act disgusting, and made gagging noises showing her disapproval. The two broke apart, seeing how much their daughter didn’t enjoy watching her parents do something so icky.
“Well I’ll leave you two to your ‘twenty minutes bubble bath’. I’m going to go do a few little projects, and when I get done, Lavender can get her treat for being a good girl.”
“Yay!” Lavender exclaimed, splashing water out of the tub. “But what about Daddy? He’s been a good Papa!”
“Oh, trust me. He’ll get his reward a little later…”
Spike smiled at Rarity as she left the bathroom, leaving Lavender puzzled.
“Daddy, why isn’t she giving you your treat at the same time as me?” she asked.
“She’s just testing my patience, that’s all,” Spike replied. “She wants to see if I can manage the wait, and then reward me afterwards.”
“Oooh, that makes sense,” Lavender answered innocently. “But at least we still get our treats.”
“Exactly.” Spike sank deeper into the tub, closing his eyes to rest.
“Spike! Lavender!” Rarity’s voice didn’t sound all too happy. It sounded slightly agitated. “Would you two care to tell me why I’m down ten gems from what I had this morning!”
“Oops,” Spike said to Lavender, sinking all the way into the water, “guess we’re busted.”
“Oh, drat!” Lavender exclaimed. “So, does that mean we won’t get that treat she was talking about?”