Baser Instinct

by Styrofoam

The Evening

Spike gave himself a generous wink in the mirror. Just who was the most handsome dragon in all of Equestria? The answer was obvious.

“Why, Rarity, did you mean it when you said that you really like my scales? Aw, well I did polish them thoroughly today…” In his head, the imaginary Rarity blushed and tittered a bit. She mumbled something under her breath almost impossible to understand, but Spike managed to hear every word.

“That’s nice of you to say, really it is, but nothing can’t compare to your beauty, Rarity,” he replied softly. “You are the most beautiful, generous, and talented mare in all of Equestria, and I-” He stopped, now much too embarrassed to go on while the white mare of his daydream blinked. Her mouth quivered as the meaning of his words sank in. She tried in vain to hold back her imaginary tears.

This was the point where Spike envisioned she finally realized his love for her—and the point where she suddenly realized her love for him. They would stare at each other for a long, intense moment before Spike would lean forward and take the lead. Rarity would blush coyly for a second before following his cue. Their faces would get closer… and closer… until their noses were touching, and then—

Spike sighed, but his hopes were high. Kissing an imaginary Rarity was nothing like the possibility of kissing an entirely real Rarity, and judging the events of the night before, that possibility had a strong chance of ringing true. Slowly, he turned around to face the mirror again.

Polished scales? Check.

He leaned closer and flipped up his lip to expose his gums.

Fangs whitened? Check…

Downstairs, Spike heard the front door slam shut.

“Spike!” Twilight shouted. He could hear her labored breathing from the floor below. Clearly, she must have run quite some distance. “I’m in a hurry, and Big McIntosh may be here any second! When he gets here, can you let him in and give him the book on the front counter?”

“Got it!” Spike hollered back. He heard her gallop up the stairs, and a curious scent drifted past his nose through his cracked bedroom door—a soft mixture of the local spa with undertones of some perfume he knew from Rarity’s boutique. The dragon’s mouth nearly dropped to the floor. ‘My Celestia,’ he thought. ‘Twilight is actually wearing perfume.’ Curious, he poked his head out. Twilight’s door was halfway closed, and flashes of lavender could be seen as the unicorn raced back and forth throughout the room.

“And can you please tell him I’m sorry I can’t meet him like I said I would? Rarity has to finish curling my hair, and I’m really off schedule now. I’m so off schedule…”

“Yeah, sure…” answered Spike. A part of him was wondering how ‘glamoured up’ Twilight really was, but the common sense portion of his mind reminded him that he hadn’t even touched his own gala outfit. He had a little less than two hours until the carriage came, and the girls would most likely use those hours to put the finishing touches on their appearance, but Big Mac would be spending them there at the library, waiting. Spike didn’t know the huge red stallion all that well, but it didn’t feel right to just leave the big guy downstairs while he dressed.

Carefully Spike sliced open the package, revealing a sliver of dark cloth concealed within. The dragon reached in and pulled out a black dinner jacket and a crisp white dress shirt—both expertly pressed and creased.

“Wow…” he breathed. Spike may not have been a fashion expert, but he did recognize quality. He threw the dress shirt over his shoulders and slipped his arms into the sleeves, admiring the way the lightweight fabric gave him room to breathe. Large holes in the back fit perfectly over his green spines, and suddenly Spike laughed. Rarity had even given him buttons! Historically, ponies had never done well with buttons; there was something about their hooves that just made things difficult. Spike, however, naturally had no problem.

“Looking good there, lover boy,” a voice behind him laughed.

Spike flinched in surprise, but managed to retain a straight face. “Very funny, Twi,” he deadpanned.

“And you and Rainbow think that I can never come up with a joke.” Twilight grinned as she rested against his doorframe. “Anyway, I want to let you know that I’ll be at Rarity’s while she takes these huge rollers out.” At the mention of rollers, her purple hoof patted several large pink circles that sat on top of her head. “Knowing Rarity, I’m going to be there until the carriage comes, so when it does I want you to ask them to make a stop in front of the boutique. We’ll be waiting, okay?”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Spike saluted.

“And-” Whatever the unicorn was preparing to say was interrupted by a loud, heavy knock at the door. All of a sudden, the town’s clock struck three. “That must be Big McIntosh!” Twilight cried. “I have to get back right away. See you, Spike.” Spike covered his eyes as the librarian disappeared in a flash of bright lavender light. The dragon grumbled. He hated when she teleported without warning like that.

The heavy knock sounded again, and Spike grabbed his dinner jacket and stomped down the stairs to open the door. “Yeah, I’m coming!” Spike grumbled. Jeez, was Big Mac impatient or what? He lifted the latch and pulled the handle expecting to see a familiar red face but was instead bombarded by Applejack.

“Twilight!” she called. “It’s me, Applejack! Ah’m here t- Oh, Spike. Whatcha doin’ down there, sugarcube?”

Spike rubbed his sore backside cautiously from his position on the floor. “Oh, nothing, Applejack. What’s up?” he winced.

“Well… Ah came here to share a few words with Twilight. Is she back there?”

“Uh…no. She’s at the boutique…” Spike answered slowly. “What are you guys going to talk about?” He raised an eyebrow in interest.

“Oh…somethin’—er I mean n-nothin’…but somethin,’” Applejack’s green eyes darted around the room nervously. “Nothing that ya should worry your head about. Heh-heh…” She laughed weakly and began to back away. “A-Ah’m just gonna go now…to the boutique to have that…talk. Bye!” The orange mare took off down the street. “And don’t forget what Ah said to ya, Mac!” she added, her voice fading in the distance.

“Dude, you seriously have one really dedicated, really overprotective sister…” Spike commented as they watched Applejack gallop away.

“Eeyup,” Big McIntosh agreed sadly.

---

Celestia’s sun was hovering above the horizon when the group’s pegasi escort arrived in front of the Carousel Boutique. Spike climbed out to let the girls know that their carriage had come, but as soon as he placed a foot on the ground, the front door flew open.

Out stepped Twilight Sparkle, elegantly wrapped into a pale blue sparkling gown with a bold yellow bodice and trimmings. Twilight’s dark stripped mane was gathered up into a smooth bob, locked securely in place by a golden clamp. Her purple face grew annoyed as she swatted away a stray curl from her bangs. Normally Spike would have teased his best friend/adoptive sister the few times she dressed up like this, but this time he couldn’t. She actually looked quite nice.

“When all of you are done staring, we do have a gala to get to…” Twilight stated. At this, all of the males in the vicinity immediately looked away. Big Mac pretended to straighten his waistcoat while the two pegasi pawed at the ground and whistled around nervously. Twilight’s brows were fixed in a frown; however, her lips were turned up in a smile--although she quickly bit down to hide it. As she reached the carriage, surprisingly a red hoof held the door for her. Twilight gulped, mumbled a quick thank you, and hopped in.

“Isn’t that just adorable?” a new voice sighed.

“Rarity!”

“Stop being so shy, Twilight. A gentlestallion held the door for you; what’s not wonderful about that?”

Spike shot a glare in the big red pony’s direction. After six years and having nearly blown everything the night before, there was no way he was going to let Big McIntosh outshine him. “Milady?” he asked, holding out a claw.

“Oh my… Why thank you,” Rarity smiled as she placed a delicate hoof on his palm. That was when the dragon first observed her altered appearance. The fashionista’s usual locks had been replaced by waves of silky purple ring curls—some of which were allowed to bounce freely, framing her face, but it was her dress that truly stole the show. Rarity’s gown was a shimmering light blue although at every movement parts of it sparkled silver or even purple as if it couldn’t decide which color it would rather be. The curves of her body were outlined by the translucent material, and if one stared long enough, that pony could make out the dark curls of her tail behind the pooling blue cloth. All in all the combined effect was absolutely stunning, and Spike worked hard to keep his composure. It wouldn’t do to ruin everything now by getting caught staring at her.

“Is everypony ready?” Twilight asked once they took their seats. The lavender unicorn grinned as everypony nodded. “Great!” She then stuck her head out to address the pegasi. “Hey guys, we’re all ready back here. You can start now.”

“To Canterlot Gardens, missus?” asked one pegasus.

“Yes, Canterlot Gardens,” Twilight confirmed.

“Alrighty then…” the pegasus replied. "Keep all heads and hooves inside the vehicle at all times. Seriously. We ain't responsible for sudden death if one of you are dumb enough to fall and we can't catch ya in time." He and his partner leaned forward and stretched their wings before they gave an almighty flap. The group in the carriage tensed when they felt the unusual sensation of leaving the solid earth, and the wind picked up a little as they rose higher to parallel with the setting sun. Despite the pegasus's cryptic warning, Spike’s spirit soared as they sailed along leaving behind the familiar backdrop of Ponyville.

“Well, I can see you’re excited.”

Spike turned to see Rarity gazing up at him. “Yeah…” Was all that he could find himself able to say. ‘Come on!’ He mentally kicked himself. He had spent all this time longing for this very moment only to clam up now? “…I’ve always enjoyed riding in these things,” he finally added after a short silence between them.

“How lovely,” Rarity replied simply, and there was silence between them again. Both seemed to avoid the other’s glance—which was quite the feat in that overcrowded carriage—until the white mare tried one more time. “The sunset today is very beautiful; don’t you think so, Spikey?”

“It is beautiful,” Spike replied, but he wasn’t looking at the sunset. Then a thought abruptly truck him. Was Rarity grasping at straws to find things to talk about as well? Was she as nervous as he? Probably not, but he couldn’t tell from her expert poker face. Oh well, maybe it was best to keep up the small talk to see where it went. “So…” Spike began. “You’re excited about tonight?”

The answer was obvious, but Rarity perked up and giggled in her seat anyway. “Oh, am I? Spikey, you absolutely have no idea. This is the BEST possible thing to happen to me all year! I’ve been just longing to attend the Midsummer Moon Gala ever since Princess Luna reinstated it! It’s been the rage in all the newspapers you know. I just wondered why it took so long for us to be invited. We are the Elements of Harmony—or at least two of them.” Her face scrunched up in thought.

Spike wisely decided not to tell her about the countless invitations Twilight must’ve thrown away over the years. After all, even without presently being fifty canterlengths up in the air, that situation wouldn’t end well. “Maybe those Canterlot guys just don’t know the right ponies to invite?” the dragon grinned.

Rarity chortled in return. “You’re more than likely right, darling. I daresay they must receive lessons from Pinkie.”

“Do you think this is going to be the same as the Grand Galloping Gala?” Spike questioned. Everything was going so smoothly. He couldn’t let the conversation die now.

To this, Rarity made a rather unladylike face. “Ugh, I hope not. No amount of bits in Equestria would persuade me want to relive that night. However, that reminds me…” Her voice trailed off. “We girls had a miserable time that night, but what about you? I never learned what happened to you after we all so thoughtlessly left you behind.”

Now it was Spike’s turn to squirm uncomfortably on his seat. “Oh, I really didn’t do anything. I just walked around, had some punch…”

“Spike. We found you in a donut shop after asking whether anypony had seen a baby dragon walking around the streets of Canterlot. Can you imagine all of the stares we received after that?”

Spike sighed. There was no use in keeping it to himself any longer. Rarity would hound him until he screamed out the truth. “You guys had left.” The dragon replied. “All of you had made big plans of what you were going to do at the gala, but the only plan I had was to hang out with all of you. You guys were—are—my best friends. What else was I going to do at that place besides spend time with you all? So yeah, I sorta walked out after a half hour of looking around. I wasn’t entirely lying though. I did try the punch.”

“Oh Spikey, that's so awful…” The unicorn laid her white hoof on his scaly arm. “The very thought of you walking the streets alone like that, I don’t know what to say.”

“Rarity, it was years ago. You don’t have to say anything at all,” Spike mumbled. He turned his head and was shocked at the proximity of his face to hers. Had she been this close to him during the entire flight?

“No, you say I don’t have say anything, but I want to say something. I sometimes believe we, the girls, are inconsiderate of your feelings, darling—that night being the prime example. I had no idea what had happened to you, but neither did I ask, and I don’t remember anypony else there asking either. I’m so terribly sorry.”

“Really, Rarity, it’s no big deal. Like I said, that happened years ago. I’m totally fine now,” Spike stressed. He was an adult. The last thing he needed was a pity party.

Rarity in response just twisted in her seat and huffed. “Oh, alright… However this time I would—Whoa-ah-ha!” Suddenly the white mare lost her balance and toppled over.

“Canterlot Gardens, everypony!” the pegasus driver yelled.

Spike slowly exhaled. He had forgotten how rough landings by pegasi carriages could be. As he became more aware, he felt a weight on top of his lap. And what was that tickling the bottom of his chin? He looked down exactly the same time the pony sprawled across his legs looked up.

Like wildfire, Rarity scrambled back up from her precarious position, her face a fierce flaming red. “Oh-er… Excuse… T-that was…a terrible landing, and somepony could’ve gotten extremely hurt. Those pegasi should really be more careful-” Still stunned, Spike only nodded to the words that were most certainly coming out of her mouth, but he really wasn’t hearing them. Was Rarity just faceplanted near his crotch? Why yes, Rarity was just faceplanted near his crotch. The heavens above—were they screwing with him or granting him a blessing? He couldn’t tell.

Rarity, however, clearly thought differently for she was now complaining to the pegasi. “-could’ve fallen and sprained a hoof! You call yourselves running a respectable business, and yet you obviously care not one iota for common safety measures!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re not the one paying our tabs, lady,” one of them laughed.

“Hey, missus!” the other grunted to Twilight. “When we gotta come back?”

“Midnight would be best…” Twilight answered while Big Mac quietly helped her step down from the carriage. The drivers nodded. A moment later Spike and Rarity climbed out, the latter’s face still tinged a bit pink.

“Alright, here we go, guys,” Twilight breathed. The four then took their first gaze upon the royal Canterlot Gardens during midsummer moon. The actual gala was located behind the towering dark green bush walls, and the quartet could hear the murmur of conversation through the foliage. In the center of the path stood an enormous pearly gate, clearly the entrance, and surrounded by two reptilian Lunar guards and an aging green unicorn stallion wearing a monocle. Deducing fairly quickly that the unicorn was the pony responsible for handling guests, they made their way over to where he was standing.

The stallion looked up at them with mild disinterest as they approached the gate. “And your name if you please, madam?” he drawled in a typical upper class nasally Canterlot voice.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight piped up. “And behind me are some of my friends.”

The stallion looked remarkably unimpressed and only let out a small, bored sigh, lazily flipping through his long sheets of parchment. “Let’s see… Twilight Sparkle… Twilight Sparkle… Sister to his Excellency-” The unicorn’s brown eyes widened. “Oh, my… “

“What’s wrong? Is my name not there?” Twilight asked.

“Oh no, my lady!” The unicorn bent his knees until his upper half was down in what vaguely resembled a bow. “There’s nothing wrong at all. The gala awaits your Ladyship.”

Comments

[Pia-chan]

Loved this chapter. This is getting even more interesting every new chapter

[Path_of_cloud]

That's right peasant, respect the Twilight!

Nice to see Spike get some closure, and Rarity be honest on how the girls treat him.

[Matdat]

Amazing fic, I really enjoy reading about how you explore this premise. Great idea.

The story is interesting, in my opinion you have kind of found the theme of MLP:FIM in this fic, its a balance of seriousness and niceness.

Another thing that interests me that this fic hasn't left any main character out. I mean, all mane 6 and Spike have had their say and some kind of impact on the storyline. You have managed to write all characters mentioned in-character as well, I'd not expect different reactions from any of them.

So, well, now you have one more like, favorite and watcher
Good luck with you next project, whether it is continuing this or doing something else ^^
Thanks for putting this up for everyone to enjoy :)
M

[Mister Cider]

I like this, I like this a lot. Still doesn't take away the sinking feeling of what a desperate Inkpot might do to the CMC near closing hours.

[Jack Kellar]

Just one thing you have to correct...
Macintosh, not McIntosh. Big Mac isn't Scottish.

[Pilgrims Progress]

1872939

Eeeyup, Laddie

[Styrofoam]

1871438
Aw, thanks again Pia!

1871457
Yeah, if one would add up all the times he gets screwed over in the series, it's crazy. Plus, they never revealed what he was doing at the gala and how in the world did he end up in that donut shop alone, but it was obvious that his night sucked.

1871799
Aw... Thank you so much. I really appreciate your thoughts.

1871906
Yep, you know the high can never last for long...

[Styrofoam]

1872261
Oh, sorry about not explicitly explaining earlier in the story. The original CMC all have their cutie marks. They're just helping out the Cake twins.

1872867
Bueno!

1872939>>1873001
You know I've had a little confusion over that too, so I consulted the wiki, and it said that Hasbro has changed it to "Big McIntosh." I then said meh and went along with it even though I thought that the shortened for "Big Mac" was a little strange now. Personally I like "Big Macintosh" better, but I went along with Hasbro. I would change it, but since I've probably have to go back 5 chapters, I'm now much too lazy to do it. Sorry about that!

But a Scottish Big Mac? Ooo... That sounds...odd. But somehow I like that. lol

[Pilgrims Progress]

1873449

Scottish Big Mac:

Eeeyup= Och, Aye

Eenope= Och, Nae.

[Ignaltus]

OOOOOOOOOOOOHYEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! THE NEW CHAPTER!

[Alondro]

>>>“A-Ah’m just gonna go now…to the boutique to have that…talk. Bye!” The orange mare took off down the street.>>>

And now, Alondro presents: The Talk

"Twi, I know ya'll fancy mah brother, but don't ya'll go a-thinkin' ah usin' that unicorn devil magic ta control his mind and git him ta impregnate ya so ya can have yerself another foal ta consecrate to the Princesses an' their dark cults!" Applejack's eyes looked wild, with mismatched pupils.

Twilight leaned away from the madmare. "AJ, have you been harvesting the fields for a week with no sleep again?"

AJ shakes her head, and falls over, "S'only been 6 days!"

Twilight

[Thegodhand]

I'm looking forward to seeing how the upper crust (not the pony, the actual upper crust) will react around Twi. She is a very connected pony who holds the ear of both the princesses.

[FlimFlamBros.]

I wonder what that's all aboot? LET'S FIND OUT!