Returning back to his regular sleep schedule, Dark found himself awake before the sun's glow had even broken the horizon. Stretching out with a groan, he noticed that he was alone this morning, something of which he was actually happy about. Last night, Twilight had decided to try sleeping in her own bed since a decent amount of time since the attack on Ponyville had passed by, and that her fears felt manageable now. And since Dark wasn't woken up by her last night, or awoke to see her sleeping next to him, Dark smiled knowing that Twilight was over her fear and had herself a goodnight's sleep. Taking a quick glance over to his clock, he saw that he had plenty of time to eat before heading over to the farm. Now that he thought about it, he even had enough time to make a hearty breakfast for not just himself, but for Twilight and Spike too. And so, Dark made his way down to the kitchen and got to cooking. It didn't take him long before his the food was all done and he sat down to eat.
With a satisfied belch, Dark had finished his breakfast and began washing off his plate. He had also set out a serving for Twilight and Spike, making sure to place a heat enchantment over the food so they would stay fresh and warm. Feeling energized and ready for the day, Dark quietly left the castle and began his walk to Sweet Apple Acres. While he did think about flying instead, he didn't feel any reason to rush over there, nor did he want to use his Shadow Meld and risk getting bucked in the face by Applejack again. Besides, he enjoyed the peaceful walk and cool air. As he continued on his walk, he noticed the air was a bit cooler than it normally was, signaling that fall was officially here.
Approaching the sign hanging over the road to the apple farm, Dark smiled as he passed under it and into the orchard. Walking down the road, he noticed that the sun was just starting to show over the horizon, causing him to pick up his pace. Clearing the orchard and moving into the yard, Dark saw Applejack over by the barn as she began loading up the wagon. As Dark made his way over to her, he decided to give her some warning so they wouldn't have a repeat.
"Morning, Applejack," Dark greeted.
Surprised, Applejack spun around to see Dark walking up to her.
"Dark?" she said surprisingly. "What in the hay are ya doin' here? You shouldn't be workin' with them injuries of yours."
"Actually, I'm not hurt anymore."
"But Ah saw the cut on your arm, and you lost your eyes." Applejack paused as she looked Dark over, seeing that he indeed wasn't injured anymore. "How's it that you're all healed up? Ah thought that you and Twilight said at the party that there's nothin' that coulda be done ta fix them?"
"That's what we all thought, but it turns out that Discord's chaos magic doesn't apply to the effects of Draconium weapons."
"Huh. So he's the reason for your eyes and arm bein' all healed up then?"
"In the words of you and your brother, Eeyup," Dark answered with a mocking accent.
Chuckling at his poor attempt to mimic them, Applejack playfully hit him on the shoulder before turning back to the wagon.
"So you're all fit ta work then?"
"That's why I'm here."
"In that case, why don't ya come and help with loadin' the wagon."
Listening to his boss, Dark went over and began assisting Applejack. Dark had actually sorta missed this. With all that happened last week, he didn't get to do much work. With the wagon loaded up, he began pulling it to the section of orchard that they would be working today. Getting themselves situated, Applejack and Dark began unloading the baskets and placing them beneath the trees. Splitting up, Dark went away to start his area while Applejack trotted over to hers. With a happy sigh to start today's work, Applejack got herself positioned to begin.
"Gaaahhhh! Son of a mother!" She heard Dark shout.
Breaking into a gallop, Applejack went over to check on Dark. With his luck, she guessed that he got hurt again... which she was partially right about. Making her way around another tree, she stopped to see Dark tenderly massaging his tail. Figuring what had happened to him, Applejack started snickering."
"Buck your tail again?" she guessed.
Dark looked back to her with a pained groan.
"You'd think that I would've learned after the first time," he grumbled. "I didn't even think that I would be this out of practice after such a short amount of time. I mean, it's only been like five days since I last apple bucked."
"Six actually," Applejack corrected. "Remember, last day we worked was Tuesday, and today's Monday."
With a facepalm, Dark shook his head and groaned.
"Alright, what is it this time?"
Dark paused, wondering if he should tell her. He didn't know how to handle this kind of situation with Spike, or where to even begin with it. After a moment of thinking, Dark decided to go ahead with asking Applejack for help. Next to Twilight and Spike, Applejack was the one who he'd spend most if his time with, so surely she could be trusted. He just hoped that she would be willing to cooperate with him.
"Uh, hey, Applejack?" Dark slowly addressed. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, sugarcube, whatever ya want," she happily answered.
"It's rather serious and personal. And when I ask this, I'm doing so as one adult to another."
Applejack arched an eyebrow. "You aren't gonna ask me out, are ya?"
"What? No! Besides, I'm already asking Twi-"
Dark slapped his claw over his mouth before he could say anymore. However, what he said was enough for Applejack to give him a knowing smirk.
"Oh, so Twilight, huh? What? Am Ah not your type ta be askin' out or somethin'?"
Knowing he was now walking into a minefield here, Dark frantically shook his head.
"Ohh no! I am not answering that! Doing so would be like signing my own death certificate."
Hearing his excuse caused Applejack to start laughing. Though she was just asking to tease him, she didn't expect him to react like that.
"Relax, Dark, Ah was just messin' with ya," she chuckled.
Sighing in relief, Dark allowed himself to relax.
"So, what is it that you wanted ta ask me?"
"Well..." Dark started, trying to figure out how best to word it. "I need some advice. Preferably from somepony that I can trust with this type of thing who wouldn't overreact, and who would best understand."
"And you think that Ah'm the one ta ask?"
"Considering that I spend more time with you after Twilight and Spike, I would say so. That, and you've probably already gave this talk to Apple Bloom too."
Curious, Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What talk?"
"You know, The Talk."
",,, sorry, but Ah'm not followin'."
"The birds and the bees talk," Dark groaned.
Now understand what he meant, Applejack's eyes shot wide open.
"Ohh... that talk," she nervously said, her face heating up. "Why do you need my advice for givin' it now?"
With a sigh, Dark answered, "Because last week, Twilight and I agreed that with Spike having a fillyfriend that he should have 'The Talk', and that I should be the one to give it to him. You know, since I'm a guy and all."
"But what about Shinin' Armor? He was just here yesterday, so couldn't he have done it?"
"Do you think that he would with how things went the day before?"
"Ah suppose not."
"Look, Applejack, I know that this topic is... very uncomfortable to say the least, and I'm sorry that I'm dragging you into this, but I could really use some help right now with how to go telling Spike about this, or at least on how to start."
"And you believe that I would know best why?"
"Well, didn't you have this talk with Apple Bloom?"
Applejack nodded, now completely understanding where he was coming from.
"Alright," she sighed, "Ah suppose it would be for the best that Ah help ya out."
"Thank you, Applejack," Dark happily thanked. "I'd like to get this thing over with before something happens between him and Sweetie Belle while we're sleeping."
"Ah doubt that Sweetie Belle could sneak past both you and Twilight before gettin' over ta Spike's room."
Dark rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, as far as I know of, ever since they became a couple, they've been sharing his bed whenever they could."
"... well in that case, the sooner the better." Applejack paused as a thought came to mind. "Shouldn't you be bringin' this up with Rarity?"
"And be on the receiving end of a tongue lashing from her?" Dark questioned. "Thanks, but I've heard a few stories about when she would get mad at somepony and would much rather prefer to avoid that."
Applejack sighed. "Yeah, Ah suppose Ah wouldn't want ta either." She paused as a thought crossed her mind. "Does Rarity even know that those two are together?"
"I have no idea," Dark replied.
"But how could she have not seen them after the attack last week? Ah mean, Sweetie Belle pounced Spike and started makin' out with him in the middle of the hallway."
"Yes, but Rarity didn't show up until after they were done."
Applejack facehoofed. "This ain't gonna be pretty when she finds out."
"Maybe not," Dark agreed, "but for now we should focus one problem at a time."
She turned her head back up to look Dark in the eyes. "Alright then, when Ah was tellin' Apple Bloom about this stuff, the first thin' that Ah did was have myself some cider. Now Ah ain't talkin' about the stuff that we had for lunch that one time, Ah'm talkin' about the hard stuff."
"Is that really such a good idea?" Dark questioned.
"Worked for me," she shrugged. "Besides, it'll help ya calm yourself down enough ta start talkin' ta him."
"But I've never drank alcohol before."
"Hey, you asked for my help and that's what Ah'm givin' ya. A bottle of our hard cider will help ya with talkin' ta him. Besides, you're part dragon, so alcohol should be less potent ta you than it would ta a normal pony. At least, Ah think it will."
Sighing in defeat, Dark gave a shrug and listened to the rest of Applejack's advice.
Back in the Castle, Twilight had just awoken with a satisfying yawn from a peaceful night's sleep on her own. Sitting up in her bed, she looked around her room. While she was used to falling asleep with Dark and came to enjoy it, Twilight had also started to miss sleeping in her own room.
Maybe next time we can sleep together here? Twilight thought to herself with a smile. Now that I think about it, I don't think that he's even been up on this floor before, or in the throne room for that matter.
Getting up out of her bed, Twilight made her way over to her dresser and began combing down her bed head and coat. Feeling presentable, Twilight made her way out of her room and down the stairs to eat. As she continued down the hallway, she began wondering what Spike had made for breakfast today, because what ever she was smelling was making her mouth water in anticipation. Turning into the kitchen, Twilight was surprised to see Spike almost half-way done eating his plateful before he turned to her, his cheeks bulging out with food.
"Morning, Twilight," Spike greeted her as he accidentally sprayed some of the food from his mouth.
"Good morning, Spike," Twilight returned. "And what have I told you about talking with your mouth full?"
With a groan and eye-roll, Spike swallowed his food before speaking again.
"Sorry, mom," he exaggeratedly replied.
Ignoring his comment, Twilight walked over to her seat and sat down, eyeing out the food set before her. It was an omelet with hash browns, buttered golden toast, and some hay sausages. As Twilight licked her lips, she poured herself a cup of orange juice before a question hit her. Why was Spike already eating when he would normally still be working the stove when she got in? Besides, this didn't look like something that Spike would normally make unless it was specifically requested of him. Curious, Twilight turned to question him.
"Hey, Spike?" she addressed. "Did you make this?"
"Nope," he happily answered. "It was here when I got down here." He paused to take another bite of his omelet, relishing in the taste of eggs, gem crumbs, and cheesy goodness. "Mmm, soooo gooood."
Looking curiously back down to her breakfast plate, Twilight lit up her horn to scan it. As she had expected, she found that there was a magical enchantment on both the plate and food. Knowing who was responsible for making their meal, and for making sure to keep it fresh and warm for them, Twilight smiled down to it before digging in herself.
Twilight moaned in satisfaction as she tasted it, wishing that she could cook something like this. Unfortunately for her, the best thing that she could cook was soup and sandwiches. She had considered asking Spike and Applejack to help teach her how to cook, but after this, she was wanting to learn now more than ever.
Maybe Dark would be willing to teach me? Twilight mentally wondered. I don't know what he puts in these, but they're a lot better than what Spike makes when he does.
Twilight continued to devour her omelet and hash browns until she noticed a piece of paper sticking out from beneath the edge of her plate. Swallowing what she had in her mouth, Twilight took the paper in her magic and unfolded it for her to read.
Twilight.
Thought that with the goodnight's sleep you got last night that you should also have a good breakfast to go with it. Happy to know you're sleeping better, and I'll see you when I get home. Also, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about that talk that I'm suppose to have with Spike later on today. If you would, could you remind him about it? Please and thank you.
Love,
Dark.
Though the note was short, it didn't stop Twilight from smiling with a happy sigh. She continued staring at it for a while until Spike spoke up to her.
"Hey, Twilight? You alright there?" Spike asked.
Snapping out of it, Twilight looked back over to Spike.
"Oh, sorry about that. Yes, I'm fine. Just reading this note that Dark left."
"So what did it say? It must've been something good for you to be lost like that."
"Actually, Spike," Twilight began, "Dark asked me to remind you that he's going to have a talk with you today when he gets back."
"Oh, right. I completely forgot about that." He looked curiously to Twilight. "He never did say what it was specifically about, though. He said that it wasn't bad or anything, just something that he needed to talk with me about. You wouldn't by chance know what it's about would you?"
Twilight gave him a knowing smirk. "Yes I do, but I'm not telling~"
"Ahh, no fair, Twilight," Spike complained. "Come on, why won't you tell me?"
"Because I don't feel like I should." That, and I really don't really want to talk about it.
With a grumble, Spike threw his claws in the air in defeat.
"Fine, don't tell me then. But I will guess as to what it is before he gets here."
Yeah, good luck with that, Twilight mentally giggled before continuing with her meal.
"Could ya hurry it up, Dark? We're gonna be late if we don't pick up the pace," Applejack asked as she rode Dark's back.
"Oh come on, it wasn't my fault that we lost track of time," Dark rebuked. "You were the one who said that she'd keep track of the time. Besides, I've never flown with a passenger before, so I can't fly as fast as what I normally can."
It was later in the afternoon when Applejack remembered that they were suppose to be meeting up at the castle to talk about the Prank Wars that was in a few days. However, by the time she remembered, the meeting was going to start in fifteen minutes. Quickly as they could, the two made their way back to Applejack's house for her to fetch Dark his bottle of hard cider before she jumped onto Dark's back. Once she explained why she did, Dark was willing to try and fly them over, despite him never carrying anything heavier than that slab of rock. Despite the extra weight, they were making rather good time as they flew over Ponyville. It didn't take him much longer before he landed and let his passenger off.
"Phew," Applejack said in relief. "We made it just in time."
"We made it to the castle, but we still have to get inside," Dark reminded. "By the way, do you know where the meetings being held?"
"Yeah, it's in the throne room where we normally meet ta talk."
"... I've never been in the throne room before."
"Seriously?" Applejack questioned as she and Dark entered the castle. "You've lived here for over two weeks and haven't explored the place yet?"
"Didn't really bother to between work, magic and flight training, and all of this fighting lately."
"Ah suppose Ah could understand that, but it still surprises me."
"Well I suppose that after today, I can mark one room of my list of places that I haven't seen before."
The two made their way down the hallway until they came across Twilight, who'd just opened a set of doors and was heading towards them.
"Good, you're both here," she said. "You're the last ones to arrive, so as soon as we get inside we can begin."
"Alright, Twi," Applejack replied.
"Okay," Dark shrugged.
They were about to pass by when Twilight placed a hoof on Dark, stopping him in place as she gave him a questioningly look.
"Dark," she slowly began, her tone somewhat firm as she pointed a hoof. "What's that?"
Looking to where she was pointing, Dark saw that she was referring to the bottle of cider in his magical grasp. With an uneasy look, he began explaining.
"I asked Applejack for some help on how to go about talking to Spike today," he started, "and her recommendation was a bottle of hard cider to help me relax enough to talk to him."
"Really?" Twilight questioned, glancing over to Applejack.
"It worked for me, so Ah thought that it might work for him too," she answered with a shrug.
With an understanding nod, Twilight let Applejack pass by as she and Dark stayed back. Once she was through the doors, Twilight turned back to him.
"Before I forget," Twilight began before she gave Dark a peck on the cheek. "Thank you for breakfast today. It was very good."
"You're welcome," Dark returned with a smile as they followed after Applejack.
"You seem to be a consistently good cook, so I was wondering if you could help me with something."
"Yes?"
"Would you be willing to teach me how to cook too? Besides making sandwiches and soups, I'm not really that great when it comes to cooking."
"Is that why Spike's usually the one at the stove?"
"That might have something to do with it. I've actually been wanting to learn for a while now."
Dark gave her an understanding nod. "Sure I can teach you, but my list of recipes isn't all that big."
"It's alright. Just as long as I get to learn how you make those omelets."
"Were they really that good?" Dark chuckled, eliciting a nod from Twilight. "In that case, I guess that that'll be the first one I'll have to teach you. Just come and ask me whenever you want to start."
Happy with getting to learn how to cook, Twilight and Dark continued down the hallway to the throne room, the former with a little extra bounce to her step. Coming through the last set of doors, Dark was met with a circular room with seven thrones, a round table, and a giant tree root chandelier hanging above them. Looking over, he could see that Spike and all of their friends were already sitting in their respective thrones. Following Twilight, she sat down in her throne while he sat down on the floor beside it, placing the cider bottle next to him.
"Fluttershy was right, you do have your eyes back!" Pinkie happily exclaimed.
"Yep," Dark smiled, "all thanks to her and Discord."
"Would you like something soft to sit on other than the floor?" Twilight asked Dark.
"That's alright, I'm good."
With a nod, Twilight brought up a scroll and some ink in her magic.
"Alright," she began, "we'll keep this short and simple. As you all know, our yearly Prank Wars is this Wednesday. Now, before we start, we'll need to split into teams of two. So, who's pairing with whom?"
"I'm with Applejack!" Rainbow announced, getting a curious look from Twilight.
"Really? I thought that you'd want to be paired up with Pinkie."
"Nah, not really," Pinkie chimed in. "Actually, we talked about it and agreed that it wouldn't be as fair to everypony else if both of Ponyville's pranksters were on the same team, so we decided to not team up this year."
Blinking in surprise, Twilight marked Applejack and Rainbow for one team. "Alright, who else?"
"Rarity and I are gonna team up," Pinkie answered mischievously as she rubbed her front hooves together, "and boy do we have a prank for you."
"That we do," Rarity smirked. "Pinkie and I already talked about it, and together we decided to team up this year."
"Okay," Twilight nodded, oblivious to their looks as her eyes never left the parchment. "And what about you, Fluttershy?"
Looking over to her, Dark could see Fluttershy shifting around in her seat. With a second look, though, Dark could see that she wasn't shifting nervously, but judging by the wincing on her face, it almost looked like she was shifting in pain. Curious, Dark decided to ask her about it.
"Hey, Fluttershy," Dark began, "are you alright? It sorta looks like you're in some kind of pain there."
All eyes were now on Fluttershy who was now hiding her face behind her mane.
"Well... I guess maybe just a little bit," she admitted.
"What happened, darling?" Rarity asked.
"Nothing really. I just... pulled a muscle last night. I'm a little sore right now, so it stings a little bit whenever I try to walk... or sit."
Seemingly satisfied with her answer, everyone decided to let it go for now. What they didn't know, though, was that as Fluttershy hid behind her mane, her face had become completely flushed.
"Anyway," Twilight redirected, "who do you want as your partner, Fluttershy?"
"Discord," she answered, still hiding her face.
There was a moment of silence as everyone let that sink in.
"... well we're screwed," Dark said breaking the silence.
"No kiddin'," Applejack agreed.
"Don't worry," Fluttershy assured, "I'll be there to make sure that he doesn't go too overboard with his magic."
"Alright then," Twilight spoke, looking over the pairings before turning to Dark. "Guess that makes Dark and I a team then."
Sweet, Dark thought to himself with a smile.
"Well then, I guess that that's all for-"
"Actually, Twilight," Spike interrupted, "the Crusaders and I were thinking about joining this year as a team."
While everyone was quiet with Fluttershy's choice, with Spike's announcement, the room became more silent than a graveyard after midnight. After a while of everyone looking to one another without anyone saying anything, Spike cocked an eye at them.
"What? Something wrong with that?" he asked.
"No, nothing's wrong," Twilight slowly answered. "It's just that we just didn't expect this is all."
"So can we join you guys this year then?"
Twilight looked around to her friends, gauging the expression on each of them. While their was a mix of nervous and surprised emotions, once she got to Dark, he just gave her a smile and shrugged. Figuring it wouldn't hurt, she turned back to Spike.
"I suppose it's alright."
With a happy cheer from Spike, Twilight smiled as she rolled up the parchment.
"Well then, I believe that that's everything. Oh, and don't forget about the dinner party later that evening. We'll be holding it here at the castle dining room."
With a round of nods, everyone got up out of their seats and made their way to the door. However, as they were walking, everyone would occasionally glance over to see Fluttershy walking with a slight waddle as her face occasionally winced.
"You never actually did say what happened to you, Fluttershy," Rainbow reminded.
"I would like to know too if it wouldn't be of any trouble," Rarity added.
Fluttershy looked back nervously between the two.
"Umm... I have to go!" she said before flying out of the castle with speeds that would've made Rainbow proud... if she wasn't standing there confused by Fluttershy's behavior.
After a moment, Rainbow turned back to the others.
"Alright, does anypony know what's going on with Fluttershy?" she asked.
"She was acting sorta like that yesterday, but she didn't say why," Dark tried answering, causing Rainbow to groan.
"Ah hope that everything's alright with her," Applejack added.
"I'm sure that she's alright," Twilight said.
"Yeah, what Twilight said," Spike agreed before walking on ahead of the group. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find the Crusaders and hang out with them."
Spike didn't get very far, though, as he found himself wrapped in a golden aura and lifted off the ground.
"Sorry, buddy," Dark half-heartedly apologized, "but it's time that we've had that little talk of ours."
Spike turned his head to glare at Dark, half annoyed by being handled like this, and the other half for having to talk about something that he had no idea about.
"Alright, but how long is this going to take?" he impatiently asked.
"I have no idea," Dark admitted. "Depending on how well it goes, it could take a few hours."
"So I might not be able to hang out with the girls today then?"
"Probably not. Besides, you may not want to see them immediately after this."
Placing Spike on his back, Dark turned to Twilight.
"Mind if we use the library?" he asked.
"Sure," Twilight replied with a nod. "I actually had some books set off to the side for you to use incase you needed them. Though I'm a little surprised that you're wanting to do this so quickly. I almost thought that you'd wait until later to start."
Dark gave a tired sigh. "I just want this to be done and over with as soon as possible."
With an understanding nod from Twilight, Dark and Spike made their way to the library. Once they were out of earshot, Rarity was the first to speak up.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
Applejack and Twilight looked to each other, wondering who would answer first before Applejack finally stepped forward.
"Well," she began, "Dark is givin' Spike 'The Talk'."
Thankfully they didn't have to explain further as Rarity's eyes widened in realization.
"... oh. But, should Spike really be having such a grown-up talk so soon?"
"He's at that age now, Rarity," Twilight added, "so it would be best for him to get it now before something unexpected happens."
"Probably a good idea," Rainbow nodded in agreement. "Besides, I doubt that Rarity would be very happy if Sweetie Belle suddenly came home one day and told her that Spike had accidentally knocked her up."
"EXCUSE ME?!" Rarity screeched. "Rainbow Dash! How dare you even think that Spike would do something like that to my sister!"
"Oops. Sorry, Rarity. Bad choice of words."
"Now let's calm down here," Applejack calmly told them.
"Calm down?! She just presumed that Spike and Sweetie would... ugh."
"Well they are a couple," Rainbow reminded.
Upon hearing this, Rarity's body froze as her head slowly turned back to face Rainbow.
"... what?" she asked in with a monotone.
"So you really didn't know?" Applejack questioned.
"You mean about them supposedly being together?"
"Eeyup."
Rarity brought a hoof up to her chin as she thought about this. She wasn't happy that she didn't know about this before, but as she continued thinking about it, the more possible it seemed. Rarity had noticed that Sweetie Belle was acting a little different lately, but didn't pay much mind to it. Wanting answers, Rarity looked back up to her friends.
"When did this happen?" she calmly asked them.
"As it turns out," Twilight began explaining, "it happened during the night Dark was hospitalized by those alpha timberwolves. You know, the night where you put those two to sleep in Sweetie Belle's bed?"
Rarity's jaw dropped as the realization of what this implied hit her.
"Are you trying to tell me that it was because of me that Spike and Sweetie Belle are a couple now?"
"Pretty much," Applejack confirmed.
Rarity dropped to her haunches. "I cant believe that I didn't even know about it. Now that I think back to Sweetie's behavior lately, it's actually rather obvious." She then looked back up to face her friends with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for my outburst earlier, I shouldn't have snapped so quickly without getting an explanation first."
"It's not completely your fault," Rainbow said. "I'm partially to blame for that."
With an understanding nod, Rarity stood back up.
"So then, Dark is giving Spike that talk now that he's with Sweetie?"
"Yep," Twilight answered.
"Hmmm," Rarity muttered as she thought. "In that case, I better go find Sweetie and give her 'The Talk' as well. I don't know if our parents ever gave it to her, but it doesn't hurt to remind her."
"Probably a good idea," Applejack agreed. "Ah already gave it ta Apple Bloom, so Ah don't have ta worry about her."
"I understand that it's necessary," Rainbow began, "but should we all just go off telling our sisters since Spike and Sweetie Belle are dating now?"
Twilight briefly thought back to a book mentioning dragons that she'd read back in the old Golden Oaks Library.
"Actually, it would probably be a good idea that you all did that," Twilight suggested.
"What're you talking about, Twilight?"
"I remember reading a book that mentioned something about how a dragon would sometimes have multiple mates."
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow were now staring intently at Twilight.
"Is Spike in a relationship with just Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked everypony.
"Ah don't know," Applejack answered, "but what Ah do know that he's been hangin' out with her, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo a lot more lately."
"So for all we know, Spike could be dating all three of the Crusaders?" Rainbow summarized, getting a group of nods in return. "In that case, you'll have to excuse me while I go find Scootaloo."
In a split second, Rainbow was gone searching for her surrogate sister, leaving Applejack and Rarity with Twilight.
"I believe Rainbow has the right idea," Rarity said. "I best go find Sweetie Belle and talk with her as well."
"Ah suppose it wouldn't hurt ta talk ta Apple Bloom about it again," Applejack agreed.
"Alright, so I'll see you two later then?" Twilight asked, getting a pair of nods as the two made their way out of the castle.
Now alone for the moment, Twilight began wondering on what to do now. She briefly thought about going into the library to read, but then remembered that that's where Dark and Spike were. However, she did have some books in the lounge. Once she got there, she then decided to go on ahead and start up a fire in the fireplace as well, enjoying the thought of reading by the fire again.
Inside the library, Dark sat Spike down on one of the couches as he took the one opposite of him. Setting the bottle of cider down on the table, Dark looked over to Spike.
"So," he began, "did Twilight tell you what I wanted to talk to you about?"
"No," Spike answered with crossed arms.
"Alright then," Dark said before opening the bottle, taking a gulp of it, and looking back to Spike. "We're here so that I can give you 'The Talk'."
"Alright. So what is this talk about?"
"You know, 'The Talk'."
"Yes, I know that this is a talk, but what I want to know is what it's about."
Facepalming, Dark decided to stop beating around the bush. "I'm talking about giving you the birds and the bees talk, or the sex talk if you would prefer."
Spike's eyes snapped open in fear and nervousness. "Umm... is there any way that I don't need to have this talk?"
"No can do, Spike. Now that you're in a relationship with your own special somepony, Twilight and I have agreed that you should have it."
"But why you? Why can't Twilight tell me?"
"Because she asked me to, seeing as I'm a guy like you."
"... and there's no way I can get out of this?"
"Not a chance," Dark replied before taking another gulp of cider. "And that goes for me as well."
With a sigh of defeat, Spike hunkered down in his spot for a very long and awkward talk. With the help of Twilight's books for references, it took Dark four hours before he was finally done. During that time, he drained the bottle of its cider while Spike when through a list of facial expressions, most of which were some form of discomfort and disgust. When Dark was finally done, he closed one of the books before looking back to see a crimson-red Spike.
"So, any questions?" Dark asked, getting a slow head shake from Spike. "In that case I think we're finished here."
With a small nod, Spike slowly got off his couch before leaving the library. Although it had made Dark uncomfortable talking about this, he did feel a little sorry for the poor guy. But, even though it may have appeared as though he might've accidentally mentally scarred Spike, it had to be done. Setting the books back down together, Dark grabbed his bottle to rinse out in the kitchen so that he could return it for Applejack to reuse. Once he was finished, Dark made his way to the lounge to rest. Opening the door, he walked in to see Twilight laying down by the burning fireplace with a book. Seeing him walk in, Twilight gave Dark a warm smile.
"So, how did it go?" she asked as Dark walked over and flopped down onto one of the couches. "That bad huh?"
"Next time, you're giving 'The Talk'," Dark groaned.
"'Next time', huh? You expecting to give another talk?"
"Not expecting, just saying that it's your turn if there is a next time."
Twilight giggled at him for a moment. "So, did Applejack's cider help at all?"
"Not. One. Bit," he answered. "Seriously, even after drinking that whole bottle, I don't feel the least bit tipsy, let alone drunk. And this was my first drink!"
"Probably because you have the stomach of a dragon now."
"That's actually close to what Applejack guessed."
"How's your breath, though?"
Taking a moment, Dark brought a claw to his mouth before breathing into it. While it did smell of apples, it also had the scent of alcohol on it. Unhappy with the new scent on his breath, Dark tilted his head up and started breathing out fire just far enough to reach past his muzzle to cleanse the odor. After breathing fire for a good half-minute, Dark smelled his breath again, the scent of alcohol all gone.
"Breath's all clear now," Dark announced.
"In that case, would you like to read a book with me?" Twilight asked.
"You know what? Yes, yes I would. It'll help me forget about that talk with Spike."
Getting up off the couch, Dark walked over and laid down next to Twilight in front of the fire. As he got himself more situated, Twilight scooted herself over so that she was leaning up against his side. Looking over to her, Dark saw Twilight smiling up to him, which he gladly returned as he draped a wing over her and held her close. The two turned to the book and took turns reading it out loud for what felt like hours. Some time later, they finally found themselves a good stopping point.
"That was nice," Twilight commented as she rested her head against his shoulder.
"Mmhmm," Dark hummed in agreement. "And just think, in a few months we'll be doing this with snow falling outside of the windows, and with a cup of my mom's homemade hot chocolate sitting in front of us."
"Sounds like a great plan to me," she replied with a tired yawn.
Seeing how tired she was, Dark looked to the clock to see that it was already past midnight.
"We should probably head off to bed. It's late enough as it is, and I have to work in the morning."
Despite his suggestion, Dark didn't get any reply from Twilight. Curious, he looked down to see her sound asleep against him. With a small sigh and smile, Dark sat the book off to the side before gently lifting her onto his back. With Twilight secured and sleeping on his back, Dark made his way out of the lounge to Twilight's room. As he ascended to the third level, he began wondering which door led to Twilight's bedroom. After checking the first few rooms, Dark had finally found it.
I hope she doesn't get upset for me coming in here uninvited, Dark thought as he made his way inside.
Quietly crossing the bedroom, Dark came to the edge of Twilight's bed. Using his magic, Dark pulled back the bedsheets before gently lifting the sleeping Twilight off of his back, laying her in bed, and tucking her in. Seeing that she was comfortable and not squirming around, Dark leaned over and tenderly placed a kiss on her forehead before silently leaving to get some sleep himself.
The next day was rather awkward for the Crusaders and Spike as he went to tell them that they could participate for the Prank Wars tomorrow. The night before, the three fillies each were given 'The Talk' by their respective siblings. And while Spike's message did make them excited, they also couldn't look at him for too long. They continued to hangout, though, the awkwardness dissipating over time as they remained in the company of each other. Once everyone felt more relaxed, Spike began filling them in on the rules, which there weren't many of.
Later that day, just after dinner, Twilight too was explaining to the rules to Dark. Probably the main one was the duration which lasted from midnight to 10 P.M. Now with an understanding of the rules and time limit, Dark and Twilight began going through Twilight's Prankster's Guide to Pranks, trying to find some fun and harmless pranks to pull on their friends... but mainly Spike. With a small list of pranks set, the two retired for the night, wanting to get plenty of sleep before tomorrow came around.
Dark rubbed his eyes with his claws as he awoke. With today being the Prank Wars, there wasn't any kind of work on the farm today. He let out a small roar as he stretched out and yawned, noticing that his roar was higher-pitched than usual, but was too tired to worry about it. Crawling out of his bed, Dark groggily made his way over to his dresser and began to comb his mane. However, once he got there, all of his tiredness vanished as he looked at his reflection.
The first thing that he noticed was that his entire coat and horn had changed from a blaze-orange and black, to a lavender-purple. Secondly, his mane was now a shade of purple with a strip of dark-purple, and hot-pink. He immediately recognized them as Twilight's coat and mane colors that he'd somehow woken up with. And finally, the most disturbing thing he'd noticed was that his body was smaller and had noticeably feminine curves. Fearing the worst, Dark slowly reached a claw down beneath his legs, hoping to feel a pair of nuts down there... which he didn't. With eyes widened to their fullest and his panic spiking, Dark let out the loudest and most girlish scream his new female body could muster.