Spike sat across from Rarity, his look sullen. She had first been pleased to see him, her overly romantic and creative mind certain that he had come alone to tell her that he had decided she was the one for him. Spike had put those thoughts down flat with his body language and his sad expression, and Rarity fidgeted uncomfortably. She didn't dare open her mouth for fear of what would come out, and she had no desire to be the one to start this terrible conversation.
"Rarity... You know why I'm here," Spike began lamely. "I don't want to draw it out anymore than I have to... I've decided to stay with Celestia. Here. In Canterlot," he said, his words deliberate and calm, broaching no argument. Though his tone was powerfully neutral, his heart ached for what he knew it would do to his first love.
Her heartstrings, pulled taught by the suspense of the situation, snapped like twigs under that sudden admission of her fears. She stared at him, eyes full of tears, and her throat empty of words.
"Rarity, please understand-" Spike started, but she cut him off accidentally with a choked sob. "It's not an easy decision to make, but it's mine. I don't want this to come between us."
That got her attention, and she gasped slightly for breath as she readied her response, words coming out wobbly, as if they had tried to escape through her streams of hot tears. "I-it won't. I-I'm fine, honestly," she lied like a log, not even remotely convincing in the least.
Spike believed her sincerely when she said it wouldn't come between them, but he knew better than to believe she was fine. "Rarity, you don't have to pretend to be strong for this... for me," he said quietly.
"I'm not pretending!" she cried, but even those words, so full of energy, were a weak denial.
Spike stood and walked to her, picking her up in his arms and hugging her tight to his chest. He was no longer large enough to cradle her like a baby, like he had used to and wanted to now. "Rarity, please..." he coaxed, rubbing her back gently as she sobbed hot tears down his back. "Let it out. You need to, or you'll never find peace with this."
She cried like a thunderstorm, and Spike held her steady in the torrent of her emotions, the gales of whirling anger and sorrow. At last it had subsided enough that Spike could hear her breathing, not gasping for air. She sniffed loudly, and Spike allowed himself a small, sad smile at the noise. He could feel the heartbreak through her coat as he pressed her to him.
"Rarity... Now that you've let it out... Now is when I need you to be truly strong for me," he said, setting her back down and wiping her tears away as best he could.
She sighed and shuddered as she tried to get her emotions and her diaphragm under control. She nodded slowly, her eyes blank. "W-what do you need me to do?" she asked, her voice barely functional.
Spike knelt next to her, stroking her mane to try and calm her down. It worked for the most part, and she stopped shaking so violently, though the shivers of an emotional blizzard still remained.
"I need you to understand that this is my decision, and to let me go and be happy," he said gently, smiling at her.
She balked at that statement though, and Spike winced, recognizing exactly where he had gone wrong.
"Couldn't you have been happy with me?" she asked, clearly hurt, and all but ready to cry again. Her trademark pout was on the verge of completely shattering into a mindless breakdown of tears and female anger.
"Rarity, calm down, that's not what I meant..." he said, drawing her back with a pleading look in his eyes. She did recover greatly at that, and so he continued. "I could have been happy with either of you; this has been the hardest decision of my entire life. No matter what I chose, I would be happy. I'm asking you to respect that, to let me be happy the way I have chosen to be," he said with a sad smile.
That was far less hurtful, as far as she was concerned. To know Spike still could have been happy with her, that her efforts to find him weren't completely in vain, took some of the sting away. But she still had questions, still was jealous and heartbroken. "Why her?" she asked quietly, barely a whisper.
That whisper made Spike nervous, because he couldn't tell if she was angry or not. He decided to risk it anyways. "Because I love her, just as I love you. In the time I've spent here, I've seen what she's really like, and realized so many things about myself because of her. She and I have grown so much together in such a short time, and I can't deny the longing in my heart for her. Unfortunately, there is one other thing," he said sadly, his tone losing all of its energy.
That confused Rarity. "What do you mean, 'other thing'?" she asked, inching closer.
"I'm.... immortal," Spike said quietly.
Rarity's jaw dropped, and she made quiet gasping sounds instead of words. "You... can't die?" she asked in disbelief.
Spike sighed. "No, I can't. And neither can she. She's been alive a long time, Rarity. Hundreds of years, and it's been centuries since she first loved... and last loved." His eyes fell to the floor as he recounted the woes of his fate. "She loved a stallion once, but he died and she lived on. She never loved again after that, afraid of that loss, of living after the one you love is gone. It would have been the same someday, between you and I," Spike finished.
Rarity dropped to the floor as she realized all the implications of that. Spike would have to watch her die, be left without her for an eternity. She couldn't picture an existence like that for him, couldn't imagine causing him that much sorrow. But with Celestia, the two could be together for eternity. It made so much more sense, but she hated it. How could this have happened to Spike, her Spike?
"Is that why?" she asked, leaving the question vague and unfinished.
"No, it's not," Spike said immediately, his tone firm, but not angry. "The fact that we would be together forever had nothing to do with this. Rarity, I love her and I want to be with her. Can't that be enough for you to believe?" he asked, hurt in his voice.
Rarity could fight it no longer. She understood, knew that his decision was the right one as long as it would make him happy. She picked herself up off the floor shakily, nodding the whole way. "I have to believe it, Spike. I know you've decided on what will make you happiest, and I promised I would accept that. And even without that promise, I still would," she said with a sad smile, her gut begging her to fight it, fight for him.
"I'm hurt and broken, but eventually that will change. In the end, it's easier to fix a single broken heart than it is to find the one who makes you truly happy. I told you once, Spike, I've had to break hearts before, for my happiness," she only smiled wider, but Spike thought that only made it look more forced, more watery. Still, he appreciated the gesture. "You don't have to ask me to let you go and be happy Spike. I'll always want and urge you to do what makes you happiest... Until the end of my days," she said with a choke.
Spike hugged her again, glad that at last she had accepted it, even if it would be hurtful and heartbreaking for a time. "Thank you, Rarity. Thank you so much. Even in all of this, I never wanted to lose you. I'm glad I didn't have to," he said, feeling a tightness in his chest as he realized just how true those words were, just how deep that fear had run.
"Oh Spike," she muttered in his embrace, tears coming back to her eyes gently. "You'll never lose me as a friend. Even when I'm gone, you'll have the memories we shared. And I'll look down at you from somewhere far away and smile at your happy life," she said, hugging him tightly.
They stayed like that, friends eternal, teary-eyed together until at last it was time for Spike to go.
"And the Wonderbolts will most likely drop in on Saturday while I'm away to talk about their air show over Manehattan. Just tell them that it's already been cleared with the city and ticket sales are being handled as we speak."
Luna nodded, her quill scribbling on parchment as she took down the notes of her sister's duties for the next couple days. Celestia rarely delegated anything to her, though Luna handled almost all the night work on her own. She was certainly skilled enough with the public these days to handle most any situation that could arise while he sister was on vacation, so she was glad for this opportunity to help run the country.
Not to mention a chance to help out the new couple.
No sooner had she thought it than Spike entered the room, running a wrist across his eyes for probably the hundredth time. Celestia was to him in a heartbeat, hugging him gently. He returned the embrace and smiled at her to let her know he was alright. Luna waved once he looked her way, and he returned it.
It was obvious to the princess of night that Spike had been crying, though that was hardly unexpected. What he had gone through with Rarity was probably the most emotionally draining thing she could remember any male going through, so a few tears wouldn't hurt anything. "Did it go well?" she asked pleasantly, assuming immediately that it had.
Spike sighed as he curled up, getting comfortable as he was finally able to relax. "You could say that. It didn't go as well as I had hoped, but it didn't cost us our friendship, and even though she's upset, she'll be fine someday soon. Or so I hope," he finished sadly.
Luna looked at Spike with an encouraging smile. "You did right, telling it to her yourself, and being there for the resulting grief. It only proves how strong that friendship is, to have survived such revelations. I agree, she will be fine, though the healing will take time."
Spike nodded, glad to hear it from somepony besides himself. "Let's just... not focus on that for a while?" he half-asked, as his tone left very little room for negotiation on the subject.
Celestia wandered over, and put a hoof on his angrily smoking nostrils, plugging the smoke. "Spike, we've been over this," she warned.
Spike sighed, or as best he could with his nose plugged, and willed himself to calm down more. "I know, I know. No smoking indoors. It's not like I can control it though, sometimes it just happens," he grumbled. Still, her comically forward way of reminding him had helped to improve his mood some.
"Well, as long as you know," was all she replied with. She smiled warmly and sat next to him on the floor. "I was just finishing delegating my duties to Luna before you and I go for our little trip. Seems like Canterlot will be in good hooves. Of course, if anything goes truly wrong, we'll have to return," she said as an afterthought.
Spike nodded. "Trust me, I know how that goes. Still, with things the way they have been lately, I'm willing to take that chance. We haven't seen anything major in Equestria in a while, right?" he asked hopefully.
Celestia smiled and nuzzled him gently. "Right, it should be just the vacation I've been looking for."
Luna cleared her throat, and Celestia's eyes snapped open. With Spike there, the princess of the day had all but forgotten her sister was in the room.
"Oh, sorry Luna. Spike, it shouldn't be too much longer. Do you mind waiting?" Tia asked pleasantly, delaying her sister only a moment longer.
Spike just chuckled, watching Luna's eyes narrow like they might shoot daggers at her sister at any second. "No, I don't mind. But I think perhaps Luna does."
With a laugh of her own, Celestia turned back to Luna.
"Sister, this is serious business. I would appreciate it if you would treat it like such," Luna scoffed, waving her quill in Celestia's face.
Celestia rolled her eyes and blew the feathered writing utensil away from her nose. "You're such a stick in the mud sometimes, Luna. Anyways, after the Wonderbolts show, there's like to be some displeasure about the upcoming fireworks display for the Veteran's Night parade, but hopefully they won't come to us about that until I'm back. And then there's..."
Spike just laid down and tuned it all out, happy he wasn't in charge of anything. It seemed like an incredibly dull line of work, though clearly the perks were impressive. Still, he didn't think he could trade his happiness for a posh castle and some servants.
With a yawn, he dozed off while his mare lectured Luna on the finer points of telling a politician to screw off. Politely, of course.
Spike yawned and stretched as something poked him in the ribs. Scratching idly at the affected spot, he rolled over and promptly started snoring again. Something poked his other side, this time twice and with more force. Groggy, with only one eye even open, Spike glanced over his should to see what all the fuss was about.
Celestia just eyed him like he was hopeless, a kind of sarcastic smile on her face. "Perhaps I should add it to the books about dragons that they are entirely impossible to wake up," she teased, clambering over him until she was sitting atop him, perched like a cat on rafter well pleased with its acrobatic skills.
Spike, though tired, couldn't resist the urge to mess with her for waking him up and then climbing all over him. Without warning her, he rolled hard to his right, and she toppled like a house of cards, letting out a short squeal as she realized too late what had happened. She hit the carpet with a soft thud, having neither hit it very hard nor very fast.
She got up with a huff, her crown all crooked, to see Spike eying her smugly. "Maybe I should add it to the books about alicorns, saying how uncoordinated they are," he teased, huffing out his nose snootily.
She glowered, but her smile gave it all away. The anger in her eyes was mischief, the smirk on her lips all play. "So that's the way it's going to be, is it?" she asked, her horn glowing. She closed her eyes and focused, raising her magical appendage high into the air.
Spike's eyes widened. "Hey, hey! I was just kidding, no need to teleport me to Everfree or anything like that!" he said, clamoring to get to his feet. "See, I'm up. I'm up!"
Celestia let the magic fade, and fell over laughing. "T-teleport you... to... Ahaha!" she giggled, rolling about on the floor and doing her best to hold her sides at the same time.
Spike just scowled at her. "Look, when you're tired, all you know is you're about to get magicked, not what kind it's going to be. Sheesh," he grumbled good-naturedly, curling up and facing away from her.
Celestia picked herself up off the floor, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. She walked over to him and slipped under the wing he had folded overhead, putting herself nose to nose with him. She smiled, and Spike couldn't pretend to sulk any longer with that face staring him down. He laughed too, folding his wing back and hugging her down to floor level with him.
The two sat there for a time, just close and saying nothing. At last, finally Spike spoke up. "So when do we go?" he asked. Judging by things outside, it was already getting late.
"I don't see why we couldn't go now," she said idly.
"Well, it is getting dark out," Spike intoned, snaking his neck up just to double check he wasn't making that part up. No, it was definitely sunset out there.
"I don't mind night flying, though setting the tent might prove difficult," she muttered.
Spike had an idea and smiled smugly. "You know what, why not? You won't need the tent." He chuckled to himself as he came up with his clever scheme.
"What do you mean we won't need a tent? I know it's summer and all, but it will still get cold tonight," she puzzled, inching closer on the carpet, scooting along on her back with soft scratching noises as the carpet tried to cling to her coat.
Spike sat up and got to his feet, offering a claw to help her up. She took it and stood with him, shaking herself to settle the pieces of her hair that the carpet had ruffled. "Just trust me, you'll like what I have in mind a lot better. Besides, my claws would shred any tent the moment I stepped in it."
Tia just smiled and nodded. "Alright, I'll trust you. But just this once," she said, nudging him gently. "Alright, let's go gather up the supplies, and then we'll fly out. Hope you don't mind taking the heavier pack," she chuckled, winking at him.
"I'd be honored to," Spike replied, his smile matching hers tooth for tooth. This vacation was already off to a good start, and they hadn't even left the castle yet.
The sun had set by the time they left. Spike pack wasn't nearly as heavy as he had been expecting, but then they hadn't packed much food for him. He had insisted he would be happier catching and cooking fish out of the rivers than with plain old oats and honey. As per his request, they hadn't packed a tent either.
The two took off from the south balcony of the study, flying high into the night. Celestia sighed as the cool night breeze ran through her coat and whipped her mane out behind her. Even with the meager light of the moon, her pink, green, and blue mane seemed to glow as if struck by sunlight. Spike was mystified as she flew even the simplest of loops or circles, leaving behind three distinctly glowing trails.
He kept pace with her, allowing her the fun of the acrobatics. He could do a few tricks of his own, per Rainbow Dash's magnificent instruction on the matter. Though the physics of flying for a dragon were particularly different from those of a pegasus or an alicorn, he had managed to execute most of the maneuvers the rainbow pony had expected of him with relative ease.
As Celestia stepped up her act, enjoying the night flight more and more, Spike decided he would get in the spirit of things as well. Concentrating on what Dash referred to as a 'banking point' a few hundred yards ahead, Spike beat his wings hard, gaining speed. Once he reached that point, he titled his wings back, shooting straight up using his built up momentum. Tilting his wings in opposing directions, he began a quick clockwise spin.
And now for his personal flair to this simple trick that Dash affectionately called the 'Corkscrew Pillar', Spike opened his mouth and breathed fire. Round and round he spun, flames spewing from his mouth in a mesmerizing green spiral, widening beneath him. He flew at the top of that fiery whirlwind, like the tip of a spear. As he rose higher, he began to make his spiral wider with each turn, so that the fiery swirl had a pinch point in the center. He laughed as he finished the trick, blasting away and looking back just in time to see the result.
An hourglass, made entirely of swirling green fire lay in his wake, nearly five stories high, and almost half as wide. Spike nodded, satisfied with the result. It was probably one of his cleanest executions of the hourglass trick, and he was well pleased.
His pleasure doubled as Celestia swung in line next to him, flying just a little faster than usual to match his pace. "Spike, that was wonderful! I had no idea you could sky-write like that!" she gushed, flying backwards and looking on as the hourglass finally faded, the fire consuming the oxygen around it and then fizzling out.
Spike chuckled, something he would have expected RD to do in the face of a complement. "It's one of the few things I can do well, to be honest. I'm still a novice flier, though Rainbow and I train now and then," he called, having to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the wind.
"Well, it certainly seems to have paid off," Celestia returned. She had a sudden idea, and began flying in tight circles while still traveling forward, looping over and then under Spike.
Spike caught on, and began spinning clockwise as well, timing it so that he was always on the opposite side of their little circle. Her mane created a stream of light that followed her arc of travel, though it didn't have a very long trailing length like Spike's fire did. Spike slowed a bit so that when he began breathing flames, Celestia wouldn't be flying through them. He would always be a wing beat behind. He let the green torrent flow from his mouth.
To any viewers on the ground, it would have looked like a glowing pink, green, and blue meteor was blazing across the sky, spinning like a drill to the western mountains.
The two finally landed about an hour later, deciding that they were suitably far away from just about every city or town, nestled within a cozy little valley in the mountains. A waterfall arched into a crystal blue pool from between two peaks, roaring with the constant drone of liquid thunder. The night breeze rustled the countless needles on pine trees, rubbing them together. Millions of those little, scratching sounds coalesced into something akin to the sound of waves on the ocean shore.
Spike and Celestia both inhaled deeply, taking in the sounds and scents of nature. Out there it was just them and the elements. Spike unconsciously put his arm around her neck, pulling her closer in the chill night air. "It's beautiful," he said quietly, as if his voice might destroy the serenity of such a place. The moon blazed overhead like white fire, missing a sliver since Spike had last conversed with it, only a week prior.
"It is. I'm always awed by how much nature can do with so little. Think about it; the waterfall is just water, every tree just a tree. Anywhere else, you would take these things for granted. But here, you are awed by their power. Here, these things have existed since the dawn of time, older even than myself," she said, her eyes going glassy as she looked about, reveling in the sights and sounds.
Spike nudged her gently after a time had passed, and she looked at him and smiled. "I'm glad we've come. Perhaps out here, we will take each other less for granted, too," Spike said with a warm smile.
Celestia nodded, warmed by the truth and wisdom in that statement. Nopony would admit to taking another for granted, yet it happened all the time. Out here, alone with Spike, she realized on a new level just how grateful she was for his company, his touch.
After all, she could have come alone.
"Come on, let's get camp set," Spike said, sensing no reply coming from her. He smiled all the same, taking his pack off from between his wings. He helped Tia remove hers as well. He set about gathering rocks for a stone ring to contain their campfire while she unpacked various things, one of which being a lantern. She lit it, aiding Spike in his stone hunt. When at last he had gathered enough, he formed the circle. Pleased, he nodded to himself.
"Alright, now we just need some firewood," he said, flaring his wings and preparing to fly into the trees. Celestia stopped him with a hoof on his shoulder and smiled.
"Allow me," she insisted, her horn glowing in the dark. In the distance, many trees glowed as well, shivering and shaking as she used her magic to preen them all of dead stick and branches. By the time she had finished, a sizable pile of wood had been teleported to the side of the fire ring.
Spike smiled and patted her on the back of the neck, running his clawed hand down her back comfortably. "I'd say that works. Well, time to do my other trick," he chuckled, piling a bunch of woody willy-nilly into the fire pit. With his particular methods of ignition, it didn't matter if the pile of wood was getting much oxygen or not at first. After the initial lighting he would have to tend it more carefully, though. He breathed a steady stream of flame onto the wood, and it was soon crackling and popping, glowing green in the dark.
Celestia eyed the fire with interest. "So, even if you set something else on fire it stays green?" she asked, though the answer was clear.
"Most things, yeah," Spike said, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew green fire wasn't normal for a dragon, but he couldn't really explain it. He wandered over to his pack, pulling out a bag of marshmallows.
Celestia groaned when she saw them, realizing she had forgotten something. "I didn't grab any of the roasting sticks," she grumbled. "I can just hold mine with magic, but what're we going to do about-" she was cut off as Spike chucked a marshmallow at her. Distracted, she was forced to catch it with magic as Spike made his way over to the fire.
Kneeling beside it, he held the marshmallow gingerly between his clawed thumb and forefinger, pressing it right up against the side of the fire. He laughed as she eyed him curiously, and then she face-hoofed. "You forgot I'm fireproof, didn't you?" he asked with another chuckle, turning his marshmallow so that it would brown on the other side. Though to be honest, Spike had a hard time deciding if it was brown or not in the green glow of the fire.
Celestia chuckled and came closer, sitting in the curl of his tail. As soon as she was within this 'trap', Spike coiled his tail tight, scooting her close enough that she was pressing right up against him. She giggled and leered at him with an almost lewd look. "My, aren't we forceful?" she chided, levitating the marshmallow over to the fire. The golden glow around it seemed to harmonize with the green glow of the fire, making plain yellow.
Celestia screwed up her face and yanked her marshmallow back, a sudden thought coming to her. "Is it safe to cook with your fire?" she asked suddenly, realizing she had never conducted and kind of experiment regarding it; and neither had Twilight.
"I'm sure it's safe for me. It's my fire, after all. Still, I'm pretty sure it won't hurt you any. I baked a cake for Twilight once, but it ended up being too gooey when I turned the oven off. Just breathed fire all over it when she wasn't looking, finished baking it just like that," he said, snapping his fingers for emphasis. "She lived through it, no weird side effects or anything."
That was good enough for Tia, and so she put her marshmallow back into the fire for a bit. She pulled it out, thinking it looked perfect, and has hovering it back when Spike puffed a small jet of fire onto it, igniting it.
Celestia's eyes went wide and she waved it around, trying to fan it out. "Spike, what did you do that for?" she asked with a scowl.
Spike just smiled and plucked the burnt marshmallow out of her magical aura. "Just to mess with you; call it revenge for earlier," he teased, and she smiled slightly at that memory. " Besides, if you really want a perfect marshmallow, you have to spend time on it. Here, take mine," he said, trading her.
Upon inspection, Spike's marshmallow really was perfect. It was melted all the way through, not a speck of white showing through its crisp, browned surface. Had he really gone through all that trouble, just to give her the better of the two marshmallows? She knew without a doubt that if he had offered it to her, she would have politely declined and eaten her own. But as she took a bite of this one, she knew she would have been missing out.
She smiled even as she chewed. "Mmmm! You're right, Spike, this marshmallow is perfect," she mumbled, using only one side of her mouth to talk while the other side chewed.
Spike snaked his tongue out, consuming the burned marshmallow. "I actually kind of prefer them burnt," he admitted. "I think it's what happens to them in my stomach anyways; it's all fire in there," he said, poking his belly with one claw.
Celestia laughed. "Well, you're certainly a better cook than I'll ever be. Do you mind making me another?" she asked, throwing on a pout just for effect.
Spike chuckled, and speared a marshmallow onto each of his clawed fingers on his right hand. "Coming right up, your grace," he teased, pushing his hand close to the fire.
Celestia slapped him lightly on the shoulder, looking embarrassed. "Spike, stop. You don't have to call me things like that."
Spike just turned his head toward her, smiling gently. "I know I don't have to, but I can if I want to get a rise out of you," he laughed, gently turning his hand to and fro in the fireplace.
Celestia took advantage of the way he was facing, kissing him lightly on the lips. It had an added effect, coiled in his arm and tail, warmed from the back by his body and from the front by the fire. It was just a teasing peck, much like shaking a toy gently to try and get a cat to play.
Spike was no cat, yet he pounced like a lion on her suggestion, deepening the kiss. The marshmallows simply got torched as he neglected them, slipping from his claws without a trace. Unknowingly, he brought that hand close to her, but pulled away at her muffled complaint as one of his claw tips brushed her. That hand was still hot from the flames, even if it didn't feel so to him. Instead, he set it behind him on the cool stone they had built their fire on and leaned back slightly, pulling away from the kiss, teasing her.
She followed, eyes narrowed into a playful, sexy stare. She climbed him slowly until she was in his lap, their kiss resumed in their new pose. She felt invigorated somehow, as if being above him in this position put her in charge of the kiss, not him. She let it become more passionate, but eventually she let it fade. Something in her mind screamed that the night was still young, that she should leave him wanting more. She pulled away gently, her eyes still narrowed and shrewd, a hoof placed gently on his strong chest as he leaned back on his claw.
He didn't say anything, clearly awestruck by the passion in that kiss. It wasn't their first true kiss, but it was still somewhat unexpected. Clearly he still had a lot of things to learn about his mare.
A lot of good things.
She simply giggled as he stared at her with longing in his eyes. "Did I surprise you?" she asked quietly, letting herself fall back into his lap, leaning her head into his neck.
"More than you know," Spike replied, glad to find his voice not only steady, but almost excited. Celestia seemed to snuggle closer at his tone, and he smiled as he cradled her close.
The fire was dying down at last, and the night was no longer young in the slightest. Tia was yawning widely, fighting sleep. She would nod off and then bounce awake as Spike moved slightly to stir the fire, hugging him tightly as if somehow holding onto him would keep her alert. Each time he simply chuckled and started stroking her mane, and eventually her grip would lessen, and she would doze off again.
At last, though, the fire had completely died, and it was time for Spike to go to bed as well, He stood, trying his best not to wake her as he picked her up bridal-style. His best wasn't nearly enough, and she woke up, looking at him with tired eyes.
"What about the tent?" she asked with a yawn.
Spike smiled and laid down on his back comfortably, holding her close to his chest above him. She could lay stomach to stomach with him, using him like a sleeping pad. He was glad to see that she seemed more alert now, curious as to what his smug smile had been about before he laid down.
Her eyes widened as he folded his wings in front of him, up and over her head, interlocking them so that they formed a living membrane above her, warm and safe from the elements, dragon blood fueling their heat. "How's that for a tent?" Spike asked with a laugh.
Here eyes narrowed again into those sexy slits, and she crawled a little higher up on his belly until she was nose to nose with him. "Now it's you surprising me," she laughed warmly.
This time it was Spike who kissed her, and their passionate embrace resumed in full, under the protective canopy of his wings. He kissed his princess, his mare, holding her tightly, running a hand down her back. Celestia's mouth opened slightly, invitingly, her hot breath daring Spike not to take this chance. His mouth opened slightly too, and their tongues met. His snakelike one coiled around hers, tickling it from all sides as the two made out.
Celestia groaned softly at the sensation and deepened the kiss even more, almost unable to believe how wonderful it felt to be like this with Spike. It went on for what felt like ages until at last they broke apart, an unspoken agreement that they had both gone far enough.
Laughing together under the living canopy, they finally faded together into sleep, a mare and her tent.