They Never Knew

by SilverEyedWolf

Pink Temptation 2

I’d left the library shortly after Twilight had gone to sleep for the second time. It hadn’t taken me long at all to reach the little boutique. Rarity opened the door shortly after I’d knocked, and confessed to being up since near dawn to work on dress orders. Inviting me in, I was offered my second cup of tea. Declining, I took a seat and blurted, “I need someone to talk to. I need a counselor. For counseling.”

After frowning, she asked what I had meant. Breathing as deeply as I could, I slowed my racing mind.

“I need you to promise me this won’t leave the room. And Twilight especially needs not hear of this, not yet.” Rarity leaned her head to the side and gave me a strange look. I shook my head and launched into my explanation, covering the conversation I’d had with my best friend minutes ago.

She’d started the conversation fussing with the arrangement of the teapot and cups on the table, but as I got deeper into the conversation she stopped what she was doing and dedicated her whole attention to me, concern slowly covering her features.

“And, what is it you want me to do, dear? I’m not sure how I could help her… Maybe set her up with someone?” Rarity was staring into her cup of tea, mumbling to herself what sounded to be names.

“Honestly,” I said, interrupting her, “I was hoping you, or someone you know of, had gone through something similar. I figured I could count on you, for, uhm, love advice. I’m very out of my elements here. Anything you think will help…”

Rarity nodded. “You need to get her head off of, well, the problem. Get her public, find out who she could be interested…” A faint blush stole over her features.

Looking back into her cup, she asked, “Speaking of, uhm, suitors, do you know… who she would prefer?”

I understood what she was asking, but when my mouth opened to answer I realized I didn’t know.

“Uhm… I mean, we’ve never talked about, and she’s always been too busy studying to really… figure it out. I mean, she’s never been asked out by a lady before, or asked anyone herself… I have no idea.”

Red, Rarity stirred a spoon absentmindedly through her tea, though the cream she’d added was long dispersed. A thought occurred to me, and I leaned forward.

“Rarity?” I asked, gently. She looked up, into my eyes. “Would you like me to ask Twi if she likes would like… a Lady?”

Her blush deepened and she lifted her cup, pushing it into her nose as she missed her mouth. She set her cup on the saucer on the table in front of her and took a small bit of air.

“Rarity,” I said gently, reaching out and laying my hand on hers. “Please, don’t be nervous. The worst that could happen is that she says no, and she won’t even be saying no to you.”

“No, but you will be,” she pointed out, a sad smile on her face. I inclined my head, my own small smile sitting on my face.

“Which would be worse, no or no answer? Better than to love and lose, et cetera.”

Her smile warmed a bit, touching her eyes. “I suppose so. Then, yes dear, please ask her… for me.”

I nodded, smiling. Curiosity struck, and I asked her what exactly interested her in Twilight, eliciting a shy smile I’d never seen her wear before.

“Spike, you’ve been with her for so long that I’m not sure you’ve noticed, but she is an extremely good looking young woman. Maybe a bit too bookish for some, but I love how well-read she is. And she’s so cute when she’s wrapped up in some book, and when she tries reading while she’s walking somewhere…”

Her blush disappeared slowly as she talked about her crush, and I realized that she had to have been harboring her feelings for quite some time for them to develop this far. I felt myself grinning.

Rarity noticed my smile and her blush returned, her lips slamming shut and her eyes wandering to the floor, conjuring an image of purple haired Fluttershy. I laughed softly and stood.

“Thank you Rarity, you’ve helped me a great deal.” I offered her my hand, and she took it as she lifted from her chair. I squeezed gently, covering her hand with my other. “I hope I can return the favor, truly.”

She lifted her eyes to return my gaze, and I smiled at her own small grin. “I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up, should I?”

I shook my head. “No, maybe not. But I can’t tell you not to, either. Hope is all anyone could, erhm… hope for?” I scratched my head, trying to think of another way to phrase that.

Rarity laughed and hugged me, squeezing her arms around my chest. “I think I understand what you mean, Spike. Now go away, I’ve some dresses that need to be tended to.” She pushed me gently to the door. “Really though… thank you.”

I smiled and nodded, then turned to head home. I heard her door close, and a small shout as soon as the latch was slid into place. Hoping that her excitement was not wasted, I set out with a smile.

……………………………………..

Pinkie was awake when I entered the library. The clinking of pots and pans let slip that someone was awake, and I knew Twilight wouldn’t have been messing with the cookery. Enough failed experiments had taught us both better.

Following the smell of warm grains and hot raisins, I ventured cautiously into the kitchen. She didn’t seem to hear me, humming to herself as she mixed a batch of whatever she was making in a large bowl. I pulled a chair out from beneath the table as quietly as I could manage, watching pink hair sway as she mixed the dough.

I’m ashamed to admit I also watched her bend over to grab a pan from the counter. I’d seen her shirt sleeves when I’d came in, but I neglected to see whether she’d worn her pants as well. Light green panties greeted me as locks of her hair cascaded over her back, supported by pale thighs. Deciding to let myself be known, I whistled lowly.

Pinkie spun around, wide-eyed and open mouthed. She quickly regained her composure, standing straight-backed and smiling at me. “Well, thanks for the confidence booster,” she said. “I wish you hadn’t had to scare me for it, though.”

“Well, if you’d known I was here, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the… vista.” I glanced pointedly at her bare legs, and she blushed and pulled some of her hair in front of her face. It wasn’t quite long enough to hide anything, but it was definitely one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

Laughing, I asked, “Pinkie Pie, do you want me to find you some clothes? Are your pants dirty?”

“Uhm, no, I’m just used to not putting on all my clothes on Sunday mornings, since Mr. and Mrs. Cake usually don’t wake up until after noon. I always have a shirt in case,” she said, tugging on her sleeves, “but I usually just wear some undershorts. But all of my actual shorts were dirty, so…

Holding up my hand, I waved away the barrage. “It’s okay Pinkie, I understand. I usually stick to shorts myself, when it’s warm enough. Go get dressed, so I can stop making fun of you.”

She nodded and scampered out of the kitchen, trying to hold her hair down and failing. I stood from my chair, walking around the table and over to the counter the bowl of dough sat, unguarded. I grabbed a spoon nearby, ready to dunk it until I saw a note attached.

“No Touching!” it proclaimed, with several exclamation points. Raising an eyebrow, I pulled the note off and examined it. On the reverse side was another message, “I Mean It!”

Laughing, I replaced the spoon and sat back down to await a fully clothed Pinkie.

Pants back on, she was much chattier. Watching her bounce around, placing her dough on a baking sheet and placing it in the oven, I noticed that she seemed a lot more energetic than before.

“Pinkie?”

She stopped in the middle of some story about Applejack messing up a muffin recipe.

“Pinkie, do you act like this on purpose?”

She smiled secretively, and made a locking motion in front of her lips. Smiling, I nodded. I may not understand her motives, but Pinkie could most certainly act any way she wanted.

“Can I ask why? It surely must be tiring.”

She shrugged. “It’s more fun this way. People around me have more fun, and I certainly do.”

Laughing, I nodded and motioned to the seat across from me. “Well, you don’t have to act for me.”

Giggling herself, she sat and launched back into her story, just a full of energy as before.

…………………………………………….

Mumbling sleepily, Twilight walked into the kitchen around an hour later. Pinkie’s cookies had turned out well, popping out of the oven about forty-five minutes ago. Cool enough to eat a few minutes after, Pinkie and I had had a very sweet lunch of oatmeal cookies and milk.

Twilight walked over to the counter, where the remainder of our lunch sat. Staring at the pile, Twilight seemed to zone out for a minute. Breaking the spell, I asked her, “Twi, would you like some breakfast?”

Slowly nodding, she picked up the tray and brought it to the table. Sitting heavily, she reached over and took my glass of milk, half full and still cool. Slurping noisily, she stuffed half a cookie in her mouth as a chaser. She ignored our stares, but huffed when we smothered giggles… after her fourth cookie.

Finishing my milk, she seemed a bit more aware than before at least. Well, her eyes were a bit more open. She stared at the plate, obviously contemplating more cookies, but pushed it towards me. A blush started when she caught my eye, and she looked away slowly.

Rubbing my chin, I stared at her, trying to think of the best way to ask about her… dating preferences. Glancing at Pinkie, I wondered if I could plan it with her… But then she might start thinking of Pinkie instead of Rarity, and that wasn’t even close to what I wanted. Just getting Twilight a companion was no longer the objective, now it was specifically Rarity I was thinking of for her partner.

“Twilight, do you look at guys?”

Both the librarian and I looked over at Pinkie, standing by the window. We both got up and made our way to the window, to see what she was staring at. It turned out to be the clouds. Pinkie looked at the both of us with surprise, and asked, “What?”

“Uhm, I guess we thought you were looking at a guy.” I looked all along the street, while Twilight looked at the floor, concentration playing across her face. “What brought this up?”

“Oh, nothing in particular,” she said, staring dreamily back up to the clouds.

“I look at both, I guess.” This seemed to surprise both of us, and it was Pinkie’s turn to stare with me. “Uhm, w-well, the only people I see are my five friends and Spike,” Twilight stuttered. “A-a-and, well…”

“We’re all dead sexy, so you like looking,” Pinkie finished, nodding sagely. Twilight blushed, looking at a wall instead of meeting our gaze, and I laughed.

Elbowing Pinkie gently, I said, “Well, it’s not like she has any lack of eye candy with you five around.” Pinkie joined Twilight in the blushing club, and Twilight hid her face with a hand, muttering about how that wasn’t what she meant.

“So, you mean you look at more ladies than guys,” I quipped.

“Statistically!” she protested loudly.

Laughing, Pinkie hugged Twilight and I patted her on a shoulder. “We’re only joking, silly!” Pinkie giggled, letting go of Twilight. “And besides, I’m really flattered, as I’m sure the rest of the girls would be. It’s no reason at all to be embarrassed.”

Still blushing, Twilight nodded, embarrassed all the same.

“Besides, it’s not like none of us have never thought…” Pinkie let the thought trail off, to finish in my head. Blush rising, I noticed that I was the odd man out this time. Twilight and Pinkie were staring at me, one frowning and the other grinning mischievously.

“I get the feeling that some of us never really stopped,” Twilight said, disapprovingly. “And never really should have started.”

Raising an eyebrow, I met Twilight’s gaze. “Which of your friends have you imagined, Twi? How many at the same time?”

Her face blazed, and she attempted to hide most of it under her hands, leaving only purple eyes to gaze back.

“Ooh, more than one, definitely. Naughty Mrs. Sparkle, how many?”

Blushing wildly, she muttered something under her breath that made Pinkie's eyes widen in shock, and cheeks blaze nearly as red as hers. I moved a little closer, moving my hand up to my ear.

“Five, okay!” Twilight yelled, anger and shame covering her face. I felt my face copy Pinkie’s, and Twilight fidgeted nervously.

“Wow,” Pinkie said after a minute. “I've only ever gotten up to four, I've never needed that one extra.”

Thinking fast, I cleared my throat and said, “Well, I guess that means I've beaten both of you.” They both looked at me, aghast.

“Yup,” I forced myself to say, leaning forward with a grin. “Seven,” I whispered.

Their eyes widened, and for a few uncomfortable moment they stared at me. Then Pinkie burst into laughter, falling over and holding her sides as she gasped for breath between gales. After a minute, my composure broke and I joined her, sliding out of my chair to lie on my face.

Twilight stared at us like we were idiots for a bit, then joined our giggling. Eventually all of our laughter faded away, and we two were left on the ground, grinning like idiots.

Finally, Twilight spoke up. “Well, I wasn’t lying about my number. Pinkie?”

“Nah,” she said. “It’s usually just one or two at a time with me, but the most at one time is usually everyone but Rainbow or Fluttershy. Nobody needs two Pegasi.”

Looking over at me, they both raised an eyebrow and waited. Sighing, I thought about it for a minute. Twilight tapped her finger impatiently, and Pinkie was leaning closer every second.

“Two,” I admitted. “Three, maybe once.”

Twilight stared at me, disbelieving. Pinkie laughed though. “You’re so boring, Spike. Can I ask who?”

“Feel free to ask,” I told her, making a face, “but don’t expect me to tell you. Not the truth anyhow.”

The princesses had been a onetime fantasy; thinking back on that dream made me feel too guilty to enjoy the thought, even after adding Ditzy. Not to say that the thought hadn’t gone anywhere…

“Wait, that’s hardly fair,” Twilight protested. “You know both of ours, why can’t we know yours?”

“Because mine is extremely personal. Know that Ditzy was one of my three, and leave it at that. Please,” I pleaded.

“So, was she not one of your…?” Pinkie trailed off, me having fixed her with a blank stare when she’d started speaking.

“So, uhm, Twi. You said you’d imagined all of us? Do we get equal, uhm, ‘screen time’?” Pinkie asked hastily.

“I, I don’t know,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “I’ve never really thought about it. Uhm, I think it may be a tie between…”

She stopped, blushing hard.

“So, between Pinkie and?” I asked, tired of playing around the topic. I wanted information half an hour ago, I was tired of messing around.

Pinkie blushed and squealed quietly behind her hands as Twilight looked pointedly away.

“Uhm, I suppose it’s a tie between Pinkie, and… Maybe Fluttershy? Rarity? They’re both just so beautiful, and Rarity is so refined while Fluttershy is so kind… Not that Rarity isn’t, it’s just…”

She sighed and stopped speaking. “Spike, can we drop this? I’m feeling very… drained right now.”

“One last thing, and I’ll be quiet,” I promised. She sighed and nodded, closing her eyes and resting her head in her hands.

“Pinkie, can we have privacy,” I asked, making a face. “Your presence could color the answer.”

“Yeah, okay. I have to use the bathroom anyhow.” She jumped to her feet, making her the first one off the floor. Striding purposefully, she left the two of us alone.

“Twi,” I started, waiting for her to ready herself. “Would you…” I chewed on my lip, trying to make sure I phrased this correctly. “If one of your friends were interested, would you date any of them?”

Surprised, she stared, wide eyed, into her lap. After a minute, she smiled lightly and blushed. “Yes, absolutely. Are you asking for a particular person? Do I get to know who it is?”

Laughing, I shook my head. “No no, I believe I’ll let her introduce herself. Although,” I paused, a thought flashing into my head. “I may keep it a secret until…” I leaned forward, keeping her eyes on mine. “You would agree to a date with any of your friends, to potentially date one of them?”

She tugged nervously on a strand of hair for a brief second, then smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. No matter who, I will take them seriously on a date.” Leaning forward, she peered towards the door. “But, you’ve got to warn me if it’s Pinkie, okay? I’ll need to prepare all of my energy for her,” she chuckled.

“Not me,” chimed the woman as she whipped back into the kitchen. “Sorry Twi, I’m not interested like that.” She cracked a cookie into halves, one going into her mouth, the other half offered to both of us. We waved it away.

“In ladies, or just in me?” Twilight asked, a little disappointed but still chipper.

“In anyone, really.” She took the neglected cookie piece and finished it. “Life’s full of too many other things right now, I’m too busy for a soul mate. But attractive-wise?” She grinned at us both, leaning forward and pushing her shoulders together, adding a seductive suggestion to her expression. “I’m interested in making sandwiches,” she said huskily, looking pointedly from me to Twilight.

Giggling, she picked up the rest of the cookies and put them into a bag she produced from her pockets.

“But not right now,” she chimed. Walking over to me, still sitting on the floor, she tilted my red face up and kissed me, chastely, on the lips. She turned and bent over again, giving me leave to a very unchaste view as she kissed Twilight the same way. “I need to get home, check on the Cakes and make sure they’re still alive and hydrated.”

Winking, she left the kitchen. After we both heard the front door close, Twilight and I shared our gaze, taking in the other’s red face.

“Did she give you…” I started.

“A fantastic view of a very juicy bottom?” the scholar finished, burning bright as she completed my sentence. I nodded, and she mimicked the gesture. “Yeah, she did.”

We kept each other’s gaze for another few seconds, before I broke into uncomfortable chuckling. Twilight started giggling as well, and we shared another moment before I stood, reaching a hand out to help her off the floor. She took my hand and I pulled her up, the both of us nearly touching we ended up so close.

“So,” I started lamely, stepping away. “Pinkie is tied for first? May I ask why?”

Twilight reddened further, lowering her face. It took a minute, but she finally said, “She’s so… voluptuous. Just seeing her move sometimes…” She lifted her hands and pressed them over her chest. “Just feeling her lips on mine…”

I coughed, extremely uncomfortable. Twilight seemed to realize what she was doing, and snapped her hands away from her chest. “I’m gonna go clean some… books!”

She dashed from the room. I stood looking through the doorway, then looked at the dishes sitting in the sink from Pinkie’s visit.

“Well, they’re not going to do themselves… Yet.” I walked over to the sink, and started scrubbing away the cookie crumbs and old milk.

Author's Note:

Like, two chapters to new pony words. Three, max.