//------------------------------// // Dresses and Bedrooms // Story: Bonding Marks // by booksmart //------------------------------// Twilight stomped her hoof in frustration. Something so simple, one question and yet she couldn’t do it. Not after walking in on Spike like that. When she went to ask Rarity out her guilt and nerves stopped her. How could she do that to the drake? What if Rarity said yes? Oh if she said yes Twilight would have hugged her and never let go. Does that make her a bad friend to Spike? Had she betrayed him by having feelings? It seemed illogical but at the same time very possible. She resolved she would definitely need to write a letter to Candace on the matter seeking guidance. She finally reached the castle after grumbling to herself about the complexity of emotions. Rarity hadn’t been able to fix the dress right away so Twilight would have another chance to speak her mind when it was done. Till then she just needed to make sure Spike didn’t find out. She opened the door to find a very angry looking dragon standing behind it, with a bruise about the size of a hoof on the side of his face, “Spike! What happened to your face! Did you fall down the stairs? Are you okay?” Spikes anger seemed too faltered slightly as he seemed to only take note of the bruise, “Not important. How could you?!” Twilight tilted her head, “How could I what? Hit you? I could never hit you.” “No! Rarity is mine!” Spike shouted. He knows, Twilight thought glumly, how in Celestia’s name does he know? She concluded he must have read one of her experiment journals by mistake. “Calm down Spike–” “No! How could you Twilight! I thought you were a friend? And why hide it? I mean seriously!” Twilight’s ear fell back against her skull, “I’m sorry, but I mean it’s not like Rarity would ever date me. She likes stallions not mares.” Spike’s features soften slightly at her comment, “Right she likes males. She isn’t a fillyfoller–” “Watch your language,” Twilight scolded, “I doubt Applejack or Rainbow Dash would spare you a kick if they heard you say that.” Spike’s eyes finally fell, “Sorry.” There was a long moment of silence before Spike spoke again, “What if Rarity dose like you?” Then I would be happier than I’ve been, Twilight thought to herself, “She won’t.” “You’re a princess. What if the title gets her? She really wants a prince, I could see her settling for a princess.” Spike explained. Twilight looked away trying to hide the surprise on her face. Would it be possible? To trick Rarity into going out because of her title, then later on she could learn to love more then the title. No, Twilight thought to herself, She has to love Twilight as well as Princess Twilight Sparkle. “Then I would kick her to the curb,” Twilight said, knowing all too well it was a lie. “Really?” Spike asked, obviously skeptical. “Yah. I mean it wouldn’t be worth having someone by your side who only cares for your position in society. Historically it only leads to bad things. I don’t think we need to worry about Rarity degrading herself to that level though,” Twilight explained. It seemed to convince Spike who smiled. “You make a good point…I have something to do. I’ll be right back okay?” Before Twilight could respond Spike was gone, Great now he’s going to ask Rarity out isn’t he? Spike skipped down the road happily. It was time, he decided. He was going to ask Rarity if there was any possibility of them dating. After all if Twilight ever decided to go for Rarity then Spike would not have a chance against that brain. Twilight would find a way to woo the unicorn, unless she was already spoken for. There was no way that Twilight would break up an existing relationship for her own benefit. Spike grinned to himself, but it quickly faltered. If anyone deserved the Element of Generosity as their marefriend it would be the selfless Element of Magic, not the greedy dragon who tried to steal and smother that love before it had a chance to grow. No. I'm not stealing Rarity. Twilight knew about my feelings long before she had hers, he thought to himself. He made it to the boutique in record time and knocked. Rarity opened it in her usual fashion, only to stop mid-sentence when she noticed the young dragon. “Spikey-Wikey! How nice to see you.” She exclaimed letting him in, “You’re just the dragon I was looking for. I need your opinion on something.” “Sure whatever you need,” Spike responded. “Lovely. Now Twilight has been bringing me a lot of dresses lately…” I wonder why, Spike internally muttered. “…so I concluded she is finally going to start dressing properly. The problem all her gowns are terribly out of style. Now knowing Twilight she will want something that won’t draw attention but it still needs to make a statement and has to accent her lovely color, and that beautiful mane…” Rarity continued her explanation about some dress she was working on for Twilight but Spike was at a lost. He watched her move, her pure white coat, her purple mane, everything about her screamed perfecting to him. She was perfect after all. Spike had grown so lost in his ogling that he missed her pulling a cover off a dress. “Well? Spike are you even listening to me!” Rarity exclaimed. “What! Oh yah. I’m sure you have everything under control,” Spike replied. Smooth Rarity rolled her eyes, “Do you think she will like this one?” Spike eyed the dress, from what he knew of fashion it would look nice on Twilight. It was dark purple with the same highlighting as Twilights main and it seemed to shimmer in the light, thought Spike couldn’t fathom why. “Yes. She most definitely will,” Spike replied confidently. “Splendid. Now what can I do for you darling?” Rarity asked. “Uhm…” Spike said, all his confidence draining, he tried to force the words out but nothing came. He frowned. So much for that, he thought. Thankfully before he could have more time to fumble the door to the boutique swung open. “Rarity we need ice cream stat!” Sweetie Belle called. Rarity looked to her sister in confusion. “Sweetie. I don’t really think–” “It’s what you do when your sad isn’t it?” Sweetie accused. “Well…uhm yes I suppose your right darling what’s the matter?” Rarity said rubbing the back of her head blushing lightly. Spike silently wished that he could one day bring that adorable blush to her face. “Apple Bloom…Spike?” Sweetie asked as she entered the room. “Hi Sweetie,” Spike waved. Before he knew it he was thrown to the ground by Sweetie Belle’s magic. He hadn’t even known she was that strong before. “You’re an idiot Spike,” Sweetie stated harshly, which if translated into Rainbow’s language would have been a lot of high strength swearing and accusations. “Sweetie Belle that is no way to treat a guest!” Rarity chastised helping Spike up, “Uhm…you didn’t give Spike that bruise did you?” Spike’s claw went to his cheek again, he was still puzzled about that himself. He assumed he had fallen but everyone seemed to think that he was punched. He wondered why Rarity hadn’t mentioned it before now. “No. Apple Bloom punched him,” Sweetie Belle explained. Spike stood there stunned, Apple Bloom punched him and he never noticed? How? What? When? Where? Why? “Why would such a sweet, all be it rough, young filly do that for?” Rarity asked. Sweetie whispered something into Rarity’s ear, “Uhm. Sure. Spike I need a moment alone with Sweetie. Would you mind coming back in an hour or so?” Spike’s eyes fell. He knew even if he stayed he wouldn’t have gotten out what he wanted to say but that didn’t mean that he didn’t want to at least try. “Yah sure,” he said halfheartedly and left. Rarity watched the dragon leave the shop. She breathed a sigh of relief. As discrete as Spike might have been trying to be she could tell he was going to ask her out and, well she didn’t have a way to say no without hurting his feelings. She turned her attention back to Sweetie Belle. “Alright. What can’t you say in front of Spike?” “Apple Bloom went to see him today to finally tell him how she felt about him and she walked in on him touching himself thinking of you,” Sweetie Belle explained, in far too cute and innocent a tone for the situation. Rarity’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. She wasn’t sure if she should have been flatter or mortified. Mortified, she decided, definitely mortified. “Well that’s unpleasant.” Sweetie gave her a glare, “You don’t say. She bucked a tree so hard that the brake broke and Applejack got annoyed with her so now she’s in the old club house with Scootaloo crying her heart out while I was supposed to take Scootaloo to that new restaurant in town that took me forever to convince her to even go with me!” Rarity watched her sister carefully, she was well aware the time she had put into the date that was to be held on the anniversary that her and Scootaloo started dating, and it both pained her to see all that work go to waste and warmed her heart that the filly was willing to sacrifice it for a friend. “Why don’t we get her the ice cream and see how to poor dear is doing?” Rarity proposed. Rainbow flew out of her barrel roll just barely avoiding the trees on Sweet Apple Acers. She looked to the sun and groaned. Applejack had wanted to be left alone so she could finish up the harvest for the day without distraction, but that meant that Rainbow had those damned sexy flanks stuck in her mind and nothing to do. She wondered if she would ever outgrow her physical attraction towards Applejack and only need the strong emotional one. However she was convinced that even if she tried Applejack couldn’t be any less sexy then she was today, even in sixty years the mare would still be perfect to Dash. Dash did another barrel roll. She couldn’t wait for the day that she got her hooves on those flanks. Rainbow Dash had agreed to wait till Applejack was ready, but then her joining the Wonder bolt happen and Applejack nearly took her own life…needless to say their intimate activities had been delayed and Dash sometimes wonder if Applejack would ever recover enough for the two of them to take that step. She considered going home and relieving the tension that was growing in her lower regions but concluded if she held off it would be for the best. If she disappeared to her home every time her arousal spiked then she would almost never be seen. She barely managed to keep from jumping Applejack during the heat season as it was. She flew over the home stead trying to take her mind off her discomfort when she noticed Applejack’s open window. It couldn’t hurt could it? She asked herself. I’m protecting her, she would understand. With that less than satisfactory reason Rainbow flew to the window and entered her love’s room. She quickly scanned for anything that could threaten the earth pony. Her blood stained picture was still on the desk, and despite her motives for getting rid of it she couldn’t knowing how much it meant to Applejack. She then quietly shifted through the draws looking for a knife or any other form of cutting instrument. Much to her relief there wasn’t one around. Then she thought of something. She went to the bed and started checking under the mattress. She found the last thing she was ever expecting her straight cut marefriend to have.