As he paced up and down in the main chamber of the Ponyville Library, Spike kept telling himself the same thing over and over. It'll be fine, things will work out, they won't leave you, and many more phrases his mind was conjuring up to help him at getting over the nerves he was experiencing. He had been with all of them at this point, they had got used to having him around, and by being that near each other they had done what they could to alleviate their concerns at the prospect of being together in a more permanent way. But even so, Spike still couldn't help but feel those occasional thoughts of doubt, that maybe something bad would come along at the last minute.

While he was pacing, Twilight was nearby, watching as her oldest friend was deep in thought over the matter. She had to do her best to stifle a chuckle at the sheer irony of this situation. In years gone by, she herself would often work herself up over matters she felt might end up being the end of the world, and Spike back then had been the one to try and snap her out of it. Now, their positions were reversed, with him being the one on the verge of a mental breakdown over his situation. Granted, this situation was far more than some mere test from Celestia, but even so, she knew those feelings well.

"Spike...it'll be alright."

The words of his alicorn friend seemed to help, though only a little, as Spike's expression softened by the barest of margins. He opened his mouth, ready to give thanks for the calming comment, when all of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Spike stopped his pacing for the first time this evening as his neck snapped in the door's direction. He seemed to be frozen in place, as though his nerves over all this had robbed his ability to move or speak. Twilight shook her head at the sight of him like this before making her way towards the door. Once there she raised a hoof, turned the knob and opened the door, revealing the ones that both knew would be on the other side.

Spike, having managed to shake himself out of the trace-like state from the shock of the knocking, now looked on as Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack all made their way inside the library. When Twilight closed the door behind them, the six mares all stood side-by-side, looking upon the drake. The silence in this one moment was, needless to say, incredibly uncomfortable, as the mares occasionally glanced at each other, all while Spike was having a hard time even looking any of them in the eye at all. After what seemed like an age of silence, Rainbow spoke first.

"Well...I guess this is it."

And that, in truth, was the real reason for this awkwardness. While all of them had, to one degree or another, accepted this massive change to their relationship, the fact of the matter was that the time had now finally arrived for what they all knew was going to happen between them and their young dragon friend. Spike looked at each of them in-turn, wondering how this had all come about. He was no less resentful of his dragon nature for having forced him and his friends into this situation, but even so, he now knew deep in his heart that, if such a thing had to happen, he could not think of any mares he would have wanted by his side than these six.

That was a thought that calmed him down a great deal, and he exhaled loudly, catching their attention. All six of the mares looked to him as he spoke.

"We may not have asked for this, but even so, I just wanted to say...thank you, for being willing to go through with this with me."

It took a few moments, but all of them showed their appreciation for his words by way of a warm smile, which he promptly returned. It was then that Twilight moved forward and stood beside Spike, looking up at him, and him down at her, with a look on her face that made it clear that they were here for him. He smiled even wider at that, wondering to himself how he would have ever been so fortunate as to have mares as special as these in his life. However, that calm and peaceful moment was spoiled somewhat as Pinkie Pie spoke up next.

"So how do we do this?"

As usual with Pinkie, it was a pretty direct and awkward statement, but it was one that was worth thinking about. Spike knew that she wasn't asking about the actual technique involved, as his visit to her home made it clear that she was more knowledgeable on the subject than the other five, but perhaps she was instead asking about who should go first or what order it would be done. Granted, this was a scenario in which Spike had virtually no idea on how best to answer. After all, the only people in the world who would have been in his shoes were other dragons, but he was loathe to ever consider asking them for advice. Instead, he was saved from having to potentially say something foolish, as Twilight gained his attention by gently placing a hoof onto his hand.

"I'll go first."

Spike looked down at her with a surprised expression. He knew that, like the other five, Twilight had long ago agreed to be his mate, but for her to just jump in the deep end like this and go first wasn't something he'd been expecting, as was something he was sure to voice to her.

"Twilight...are you sure?"

The young Princess nodded her head at that, still smiling.

"Yeah. And I'm sure the others will figure out who'll go afterwards, and so on."

One look at the nodding heads of the other mares made it clear that Twilight spoke the truth in that matter. So, letting out another sigh, Spike nodded at her, letting her know that he accepted her offer in this. Twilight turned to look at her friends, all of whom were giving her encouraging looks, which she returned with another smile. It was here that Twilight began to make her way upstairs, no doubt to go to the main bedroom to prepare. However, before she took more than three steps upwards, a thought came to Spike, and he raised a claw.

"Wait!"

Twilight stopped in her tracks and looked back to him with a look of confusion on her face, as did the others. Spike was clearly looking nervous about something, and his repeated attempts to clear his throat made that all the more evident. However, when he finally spoke, their confusion vanished.

"I just need to know. Are any of you...in heat?"

That one question was, as one might expect, not one they thought would be asked of them, and under normal circumstances they might have been somewhat offended at being asked such a thing by a male. But, this was their mate they were talking about, and they knew exactly why such a question needed to be asked. After all, while everypony knew what could happen during a mating, and what could result from it eleven months afterwards, in heat it was a guarantee. All of the mares, Twilight included, looked to each other, perhaps just as curious as Spike as to who would answer, if any.

And sure enough, somepony did, as a yellow hoof was slowly raised upwards. Spike and all the other mares looked to the pegasus, their expressions one of surprise.

"Fluttershy?"

The mare, who had been avoiding their gaze during all this, looked up at them and nodded.

"It started a few days ago...just after you left my cottage."

They all looked at her, not saying a word. Their expressions had changed to ones of understanding, and Applejack walked over to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder, which Fluttershy seemed to appreciate. Spike thought was very thoughtful of this. He always knew such a thing had a chance of happening when this day finally arrived, but now it had actually happened. As such, he felt compelled to at least ask the question.

"Fluttershy...if you like, we can wait until after..."

But he was cut off by Fluttershy herself, who raised a hoof and shook her head.

"No. I...I want this."

That was, as one might expect, a surprise statement for all of them. But Spike, having been with her just a few days ago, knew exactly why she was still willing to go through with it. The possibility of what could be born from this was, as ever, present in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy about it. But, he remembered back to what Twilight had told him before, that how they would all be there for each other during whatever trials this union between them would bring. Sighing, he looked up at his pegasus mate and gave her a warm smile, which she promptly returned.

His attention was then diverted to Twilight once more, who nudged him in the side. The two smiled at each other and resumed their walk upstairs. The other mares looked on as they moved further away from them. This whole situation seemed so surreal to them, but even so, they had decided a while back that it was not one they would leave, even if they could. And so, the last the five mares saw of Spike and Twilight was them moving into the door leading into the main bedroom, with Twilight closing the door behind her.

Once inside, the two stared at each other for the longest time, interrupted only by Spike nervously glancing towards the bed at the other end of the room. Twilight knew from looking at him that he was probably wracked with nerves over this. In truth, she too was nervous, as this would be a first for her as well as him. But even so, after the many trials she'd been through in her life, she knew that something like this was not going to get the better of her. So, she reached out and placed her hoof upon his claw, gaining his absolute attention.

With an affectionate smile upon her face, Twilight began to lead him towards the bed, his claw still held by her hoof. They moved slowly, but soon enough reached the bed. Spike knew what was to happen next, but like before, it was as if he'd suddenly frozen in place. Stifling yet another giggle at seeing him like this, Twilight calmed his nerves by moving forward, gently nuzzling the side of his head with hers. He relaxed a great deal with this motion, and looked upon her. He knew that, from this moment forward, she would no longer just be a friend to him, or even his closest friend. She would be more than he ever thought she would be.

Twilight knew deep down that the young dragon would probably never make the first move in this scenario, so she elected to do so herself. As Spike watched, she began to assume the traditional position for mares waiting to be mated, as she lifted both of her front hooves and placed them upon the bed, her back now towards Spike. Her hind quarters were lifted up a little and slowly, she moved her tail to the side, presenting herself to him. Spike couldn't help but gulp at the sight of her like this. He obviously knew that this was all natural, but even so, actually experiencing it was something else altogether. His eyes then drifted to Twilight's head, as she turned her neck around as far as she could, her expression that of affection.

"It's okay. Take your time. We have all the time in the world."

Even with her seeming calm at all this, Spike couldn't help but voice a concern.

"I...I don't want to hurt you."

To that, Twilight simply smiled once again.

"You won't."

As nervous as he might have been, that was all the permission he needed. There would be no going back from this, but he'd accepted long ago that this was going to happen. And so, taking a deep breath, he began to move towards the first of his mates.

....................

And so, the deed was done. As one would probably expect after such a night, Spike was utterly exhausted. They say such things become easier after your first time, but at this point he really couldn't tell how well he'd performed. The tips Pinkie gave him during his stay with her might have helped, but even so, he would have to wait until the next morning to really find out. And speaking of which, he looked down and a smile crept back onto his face. If someone were to describe this scene upon looking at it, they would cite the many classic images of a dragon, it's long body wrapped around it's precious treasure horde. Except, in this case, the treasure was six sleeping mares.

After their "activities" with Spike, every one of them was feeling too tired to make their way home, so it was suggested that they all stay here for the night. As the library had only ever had two beds, there had been some debate as to who would sleep where. It had taken, strangely enough, the words of Pinkie Pie to suggest that maybe they all just sleep together. "One big slumber party" she'd called it, and the others actually seemed pretty willing to do so. But then again, given that their relationship had suddenly become much closer, perhaps it wasn't too surprising. And so, here they were, all seven nestled warmly against one another, with Spike's bulk being what now held them together. The young dragon was still wide awake though, and now passed the time by watching over his sleeping mates. Although he'd first been aghast at being told what was required of him, he knew know that he wouldn't have traded this moment for all the world.

Their relationship to each other had, at last, been consummated. They were his, just as much as he was theirs. And while most dragons in the world would brag from here to the Crystal Empire about having as many mates as possible, that was only in the sense that they viewed them as trophies. Spike knew better. To him, these mares, that were now so still and silent, save for the gentle breathing in their sleep, were far more important to him than any treasure could ever be. Other dragons might have mocked him for such sentiments, as indeed might some ponies, but it didn't matter to him. All he knew was that, in this one moment, he could not have been happier.

But this was only the beginning, and he knew that. After what had transpired between them, he knew for certain that Fluttershy at least would be with foal by the morning, assuming she wasn't already. Parenthood would be a challenge, that much he knew, but so was being a mate. The latter challenge was something Spike had been preparing himself for ever since this whole thing had begun. And after tonight, he knew in his heart that he was fully devoted to these mares. He would be there for them, both in body and in soul, and whatever problems might emerge because of this, he knew that he would do everything in his power to shield them from them.

As he pondered that, he glanced over the mares, a smile creeping over his face once more. Ever so gently, he moved his long neck forward, his head gently nuzzling each of them as they slept. This arrangement between the seven of them may well have started out as a nightmare for him, but now, he knew that it was mot definitely a dream.

"Maybe...maybe this won't be so bad after all."

Author's Notes:

And so we come at last to the final chapter of "The Drake and the Mares". I just want to say thank you to all the people who've been giving such positive feedback for this fic.

However, I'd like to go over a few things about this fic. Firstly, yes, I do intend to carry on this story in the future with a sequel fic. It's won't be written straight away though, as I plan on getting on with a few other fics I have planned for now.

Secondly, the question I'm sure many of you are wondering right now is why I chose Fluttershy at the end like this. Well, I knew as I was writing the various chapters that I wanted at least one of the main six to be carrying Spike's foal by the end of it, but as for who, that was difficult to choose. I went through a number of possibilities during my drafts, from Twilight (because of her close relationship to him), Rarity (because of his canonical crush), even Pinkie Pie (because of her experience with raising kids). Ultimately I went with Fluttershy because I knew from her chapter that she was the one most into the idea of having kids with Spike, so it just made sense to me to have her be the one at the end.

Finally, if there are those among you who are in any way disappointed because you were expecting/hoping this fic to end with some kind of outright sex scene, then I apologize. I went back and forth with myself on the issue of whether or not to put one in, but I decided against it in the end because I wanted the story to be more about Spike's relationship to the mares, rather than him being physically intimate with them. So for those who were wanting that kind of scene, I'm sorry.