Chapter 17: Keep-You-Wide-Awake Page-Turners

Twilight had insisted that Spike wear a bowtie to the date. Spike thought it was tacky, but did as Twilight instructed, even though he felt beyond foalish for doing so. Twilight laughed at Spike’s incredulous expression and beamed at him.

“You look adorable,” Twilight said, patting her dragon affectionately on the head.

“Yeah, that’s what a girl looks for in a male dragon…” Spike said.

“Oh, don’t be silly, you look fine,” Twilight said. “Besides, she’s already into you anyway, so you won’t make a foal of yourself.”

“Then why even bother with the stupid tie?” Spike asked.

“Because you want to look like a gentlecolt,” Twilight said.

“I’m not a pony, Twilight…” Spike muttered.

“You know what I mean,” Twilight said. “Now go out there and have fun tonight!”

“I’ll try,” Spike said. He went off to pick Ruby up, while Twilight sat in the library waiting for Big Mac. They had planned that he would be at the library at 7:00 to arrive at the inn by 7:30. Twilight looked at the clock on the wall and grew antsy as the minutes crawled by. He wasn’t there at 6:55, or at 6:57, or even at 6:59. Finally, at 7:02, Twilight heard a knocking on the door and she quickly opened it.

“You’re two minutes late…Rarity?” Twilight asked.

“Two minutes late for what, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Nothing,” Twilight said. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I saw Spike walking towards the town square looking all dapper and figured he’d be out of the library for a while. Then I realized we had a wonderful opportunity to spend some time together. You know I’ve thought about you horning me and―”

“Rarity, it’s not a good time right now. You need to leave.”

“Twilight, I’m appalled. I thought you wanted to spend time with me.”

“I do, please, just not tonight. You really really need to leave.”

“Well, Twilight, I must say I’m more than a little offended. You know, I expected you to stop by the boutique today. I gave you more than a strong hint about my availability and you didn’t take advantage. Why, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re blowing me off!”

“Rarity,” Twilight said, now positively flustered, “what do you think is going on between us?”

“You tell me, Miss Sparkle!” Rarity huffed. “I for one thought we had quite the special arrangement, but Celestia forbid we should have anything nice!”

“Rarity, what are you so upset about?” Twilight asked. “All I’m saying is that I’m busy right now.”

“Well, then, who’s running two minutes late?” Rarity asked.

“It’s nopony, nothing,” Twilight stammered. “Look, I’m going through a really hard time right now and I can’t really talk about it right now, so―”

“Well, if something’s bothering you, dear, you can talk to me about it. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. Better that than have you avoiding me for no reason―” Suddenly there was another knock at the door. Twilight froze, hoping that if she ignored the door then whoever was on the other side would have the sense to leave. Twilight had no such luck.

“You there, Twilight?” spoke the crooning voice of Big Mac.

“Darling, what’s Big Mac doing here?” Rarity asked.

“Rarity, that you?” Big Mac asked from outside the door. “Is Twilight in there? I’m supposed to be picking her up for a date.” Rarity stared at Twilight in shock. Twilight smiled nervously and decided that quick action needed to be taken now.

“Yes, Big Mac, I’m here. I’ll see you later, Rarity.” Rather than trot past her, Twilight teleported outside of the library, catching Big Mac by surprise.

“Don’t spook me like that!” Big Mac said with a laugh. “Why’s Rarity over anyway if you knew ah was pickin’ you up fer a date?”

“It’s a long story,” Twilight said. “Let’s just get going, or the inn will be full by the time we get there.” Though he was confused, Big Mac thought nothing of the odd situation Twilight had so narrowly escaped and walked with her, feeling quite excited in anticipation of what would hopefully be a fantastic night.

Inside the library, however, one pony’s dreams had frozen over in ice. Here Rarity was, messing around with Twilight, and all of a sudden Twilight goes behind her back and asks out Applejack’s brother? Hadn’t she told Rarity she fantasized about him sometimes? Rarity had thought it to be in jest, but now the two of them were on their way to a romantic evening, leaving Rarity figuratively out in the cold.

The numbness in her heart cracked and boiled over when anger began to consume her. How dare Twilight do this to me! Doesn’t she understand how important she is to me? Rarity thought of the topic she had been so hesitant to discuss earlier that day, and she started to feel nauseous.

The fact of the matter was that Rarity was going to tell Twilight that she loved her. Yes, it had been a crazy thought. Yes, their arrangement had strictly been about physical pleasure. But Rarity knew that something had evolved when she started to think about Twilight each and every night, when the thought of the purple mare’s touch was enough to set her horn alight with magic. It had become about more than a special friendship for Rarity, and just as her bravery had failed her, off Twilight had gone running with some stallion. It broke Rarity’s heart to think Twilight thought so little of her.

As anger and sadness continued to consume Rarity, she toppled onto the couch in the library and started to bawl uncontrollably. A wave of depression washed over Rarity that pushed her into the couch until she couldn’t muster the energy to rise again. Rarity was alarmed at how strong her reaction was, but suddenly she hadn’t the energy to fight it. So there she lay, closing her eyes and crying silently, trying to think of anything but Twilight. It was difficult to do so in the library, but Rarity hadn’t the care to think about that. All she could do was wallow in her own sorrow.

***

Spike arrived at the hotel and saw Ruby waiting for him under the awning. He greeted her by following Twilight’s advice, which had told him to kneel and kiss her on the hand. She started to giggle and blush and then she caught a glance of the bowtie.

“Oh, you should have told me you were dressing up! I would have worn something decent,” she said.

“Oh, this thing?” Spike asked. He tore it off and tossed it in the garbage.

“That was a nice bowtie!” Ruby said.

“Yeah, we’ve got about a million of them just like it. Twilight thinks they’re cute. She doesn’t seem to care that I despise them.”

“Oh, Spike, you’re such a dragon sometimes,” Ruby said, “but in a good way.”

“Thanks,” Spike said. “Shall we get going?”

“We shall,” Ruby said. Spike took her by the arm as they began to head towards the inn. Along the way, Ruby asked Spike questions about Ponyville like what its origins had been and who the most famous ponies were living there.

“Well, the founder of Ponyville was actually Applejack’s own grandmother, Grannie Smith,” Spike explained. “It turns out she wandered into the Everfree Forest and discovered this amazing jam that she was able to start selling to other ponies. Eventually Sweet Apple Acres became a staple of the area, and as more ponies migrated, they eventually formed the town.”

“Oh. Well, Ponyville must not be that old, then,” Ruby said.

“You’d be surprised,” Spike said. “Grannie Smith’s been around for a long time. As for famous ponies, well…my friends saved Equestria on three separate occasions. Aside from that, though, Rarity runs a pretty well-known boutique and Fluttershy was a model for a time. Outside of that, nopony really famous lives around these parts.”

“That’s so interesting,” Ruby said. “You know some pretty famous ponies.”

“Yeah. They have their own stained-glass windows displayed at the castle in Canterlot,” Spike said.

“Whoa,” Ruby said.

“You know,” Spike said, “you’re probably the only dragon I know who would think that’s impressive.”

“Yeah, I know dragons don’t look too favorably on ponies,” Ruby said. “They just think they’re so superior, and I know it’s totally wrong.”

“Yeah, I’d like to see any dragon take on Princess Celestia and win, not to mention Fluttershy!”

“Fluttershy? Oh, right, the one who scolded my dad.”

“You bet!” Spike said. “So, what’s it like in the colony? I was only there for a little while, so I didn’t get a chance to see everything.”

“It’s pretty much what you see is what you get,” Ruby said without glamor. “We dragons live a pretty blunt lifestyle. Take what you can get, hoard as much as you can. The dragon with the biggest pile of gems wins. They get all the food and all the girls. It sickens me.”

“I can only imagine. I had a stint where I was really greedy and I turned into a monster!”

“I think I heard about that. Didn’t one of the ponies snap you out of it?”

“Yeah, she did…” Spike said, but he didn’t want to think about Rarity in the middle of his date. The two arrived at the inn after talking more about Spike’s greedy phase, and they were promptly seated at a booth inside. The two of them ordered glasses of water, as Spike was paying and he had little in the way of bits.

“You sure you don’t want some juice?” Spike asked.

“Water’s fine,” Ruby said. “I don’t want you breaking the bank.”

“I appreciate that,” Spike said, “but seriously, any time you want something, you just have to ask.”

“That’s very generous of you,” Ruby said.

“Hey, it’s what I do,” Spike said smugly. Ruby giggled.

Spike quickly found that the nerves he had felt before the date had all but vanished. Talking to Ruby was as easy as talking to Twilight, and far easier than engaging in conversation with Rarity. And the more they talked, the more Spike was impressed by the ruby dragon. She was smart, but also a little naïve, which Spike thought was cute, especially considering that he was normally considered naïve by Twilight and the others. Ruby also had a wicked sense of humor, sharp as a dragon’s tongue, which Spike found surprising. The two talked and ate for hours on end, losing track of time, but not so much that they would stay up all night. Spike let out a loud yawn at one point, and Ruby giggled, looked at the clock on one of the walls, and told Spike that it was probably time to get going.

“I’ll walk you back to the hotel,” Spike said.

“What a gentleman,” Ruby said.

“Oh. Twilight says ‘gentlecolt’ all the time. It really gets on my nerves,” Spike explained.

“Well, to each their own, I suppose,” Ruby said. As Spike and Ruby walked to the hotel, it only seemed natural for them to hold each other’s claws. Spike was again surprised at how exhilarating it was to hold Ruby’s claw, as if there was something electric passing through the point of contact. Spike felt his heart sink a little as the hotel came in sight.

“You know, Spike, I had a really fun time tonight,” Ruby said.

“Me too,” Spike said. “We should do this again sometime.”

“Sounds great!” Ruby said, trying not to betray her excitement. “Let me know, okay? I’ll be around.”

“You sure you’ve got enough money for the hotel?” Spike asked.

“Don’t worry about that, Spike. I…sort of threatened the owner that my father would burn the place to the ground if he charged me.”

“You what?” Spike asked, completely shocked.

“I was desperate, and it was the only way to stay here without you knowing about it!”

“Whatever you say, Ruby. I guess this is goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Spike,” Ruby said.

“Goodnight, Ruby,” Spike replied. There was a brief moment in which the two dragons were unsure how to proceed. Spike’s nerves got the better of him and he turned to walk back to the library. Despite the small pang of disappointment in this gesture, Ruby knew that the date had been a success and was beyond ecstatic for the next one.

***

Twilight and Big Mac had had little to say to each other on the way to the inn aside from comments about the nice night and inquiries about what each of them would be ordering at the inn. After the confusion about Rarity had been shrugged off by Twilight, Big Mac had turned into a wall. Twilight found it very difficult to muster up the nerve to chat him up, and it didn’t help that he was naturally a stallion of few words in the first place. When they got seats at the inn across the way from Spike and Ruby, they had nothing to distract them from each other. Twilight mustered up all the bravery she could and cleared her throat.

“Um, Big Mac? Is everything all right?”

“Huh?” Big Mac asked, looking at Twilight with something in his eyes… Was it pleading? Twilight was taken aback by the look, and Big Mac snapped out of it and smiled at Twilight.

“Everythin’s fine, Twi,” Big Mac said.

“That’s good to hear…” Twilight said, looking away.

“What about you, Twilight? What’s the matter?” Big Mac asked. Twilight cracked under the stallion’s obvious care for her.

“I guess I’m just really nervous,” Twilight said. “I mean, I’ve thought about this happening for a long time, and I guess I always thought it would be just a fantasy. Now that it’s actually happening, it feels…I don’t know…”

“Surreal?” Big Mac suggested.

“Exactly,” Twilight said. “It’s totally surreal.”

“Ah know what ya mean, Twi,” Big Mac said. “Truth be told, ah’ve been thinkin’ about you a lot ever since ya asked me out. Ah had no idea ya were interested in me like that before.”

“Same here,” Twilight said, still wondering if Big Mac had just admitted that he liked her.

“Ya know, Twi, ah don’t git out much, on account o’ the farm work and all. Applejack pretty much leads the farm, and she’s mighty bossy when she’s in a position o’ power.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Twilight said with a giggle.

“What about you, Twilight?” Big Mac said. “Don’t ya run the local library?”

“I do,” Twilight said.

“Well, yer doin’ a good job. Applejack says it’s mighty pretty and organized.”

“It is. I should show you some time. Do you like to read?”

“When I have time, I sure do, eeyup,” Big Mac said.

“That’s great! What kind of books do you like?”

“Ah’m partial to the adventure-type stories,” Big Mac said. “Ah used to read them to Applebloom when she was even littler than she is now. Daring Do always put her to sleep.”

“Really? I thought those were keep-you-wide-awake page-turners.”

“Not for little ol’ Bloomy, nope. One chapter and she’d be conked out, guaranteed.”

“Remind Fluttershy next time the Cutie Mark Crusaders sleep over,” Twilight said. Big Mac gave a hearty chuckle.

“Ah sure will,” he said.

Now that they were talking, Twilight was able to relax and have a much better time with Big Mac than she would have imagined. Big Mac told all kinds of stories about the farm and the various struggles they’d had to overcome, while Twilight told Big Mac all about Canterlot, especially the royal library.

“And they have this enormous room filled with nothing except spells on time travel!” Twilight said. “You should have seen some of the scrolls in there!”

“Eeyup, and I wouldn’t have understood a thing,” Big Mac said.

The two of them stayed at the inn till well after midnight, when the waiter politely asked if they could free up the table. Twilight and Big Mac finally left and returned to the library, where they proceeded to laugh and tell jokes at the door for a good half an hour. Twilight let out a loud yawn after a particularly funny joke about an Earth pony, a pegasus, and a unicorn walking into a bar.

“Ya look mighty tired, Twilight,” Big Mac said. “I suppose it’s best to let you get some shut-eye.”

“If you insist,” Twilight said. “Goodnight, Big Mac.”

“Night, Twilight,” Big Mac said. The two stared into each other’s eyes for an eternal moment, and then Big Mac took the lead and kissed Twilight clumsily on the snout. Twilight snorted and shook her head.

“What was that?” she asked, laughing and blushing, though not as much as the burgundy stallion.

“Ah suppose…ah was tryin’ to kiss ya,” Big Mac said.

“And…?” Twilight asked.

“And I reckon I ain’t never done it before…” Big Mac said.

“Oh!” Twilight said, realization dawning on her. “I haven’t either,” she lied; she thought it best to continue to leave her encounters with Rarity an enigma.

“Well, it was worth a shot. So long, Twilight,” Big Mac said, about to trot away.

“Now hold on,” Twilight said. “You don’t get to pull a stunt like that and just trot away. You’ve got to follow through.” Twilight was surprised about how flirtatious she had sounded. And she had thought she was an amateur!

“Yer right, o’ course,” Big Mac said. “Come here.” With that, Big Mac kissed Twilight more confidently on the mouth this time. The two of them pressed in close, losing themselves in the delight of the kiss. Big Mac clumsily slipped his large tongue in Twilight’s mouth and she generously accepted it, licking it with her own. Twilight felt her horn start to shimmer as she could feel Big Mac’s strong shoulders rubbing up against her own. After what seemed like a fortnight, Big Mac finally broke away, his cheeks rosy red.

“Night, Twilight,” he said again before trotting away. Twilight smiled and watched him leave, then opened the door to the library and trotted inside, feeling as if she were on air.

When she arrived inside, she saw Spike rocking back and forth on the couch looking quite perturbed. This brought her out of her elated mood right away.

“What happened, Spike?” Twilight asked. “Did your date go badly?”

“Huh?” Spike asked, looking around the room. “Oh, hi, Twilight. Didn’t see you come in.”

“But you were facing the…never mind. Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine, Twilight,” Spike said in a wholly unconvincing manner.

“Spike, if the date went badly, you can just tell me. I won’t hold it against you,” Twilight said.

“Twilight, honestly, the date was great,” Spike said.

“Then what’s the problem?” Twilight asked.

“It’s nothing. I’m tired. Goodnight, Twilight,” Spike said, getting off of the couch and walking up to his basket in Twilight’s bedroom. Twilight, too tired and too excited from her kiss to further pursue the subject, decided to follow suit.

***

Spike walked into the library to see Rarity lying on the couch after apparently falling asleep. Spike would have left her alone if he hadn’t seen her puffy eyes; obviously, she had been crying. Spike decided, in hindsight against his better judgment, to wake Rarity and see what was wrong. Maybe he could console her and win some brownie points, because, although he hated to admit it, he still had feelings for her.

What Spike didn’t expect when he woke Rarity up was the anger that had been seething beneath the tears.

“Spike, how dare you interrupt a lady’s beauty sleep!” Rarity said, pushing the dragon onto the floor.

“Whoa, relax,” Spike said. “What’s got you all wound up?”

“Spike, if I tried to explain it, it would be too complicated,” Rarity said.

“Okay…” Spike said. “Is there anything I can do for you? Maybe I can get you some tea or escort you home.”

“Actually, Spike, stay right here. I want to know where you were going with that magnificent bowtie of yours and why you’re not wearing it now,” Rarity said, hoping the dragon’s story would distract her from her anguish.

“Well, I kind of had a date with Ruby tonight.”

“Wasn’t she that dragon you met while you were away?” Rarity asked.

“Yes,” Spike said. “She apparently followed me to Ponyville and I decided to give it a try and go on a date. I actually had a really fun time.”

“So the bowtie…?”

“I threw it out,” Spike said. Rarity gasped.

“What? I didn’t like it anyway, and Ruby was complaining about being underdressed.”

“Spike, don’t you realize? I made that bowtie for you!”

“You did? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I thought Twilight would tell you when she gave it to you!” Rarity said. “Oh, chalk this up as another tick against me tonight.”

“Rarity, really, what’s bothering you?” Spike asked.

“I told you, it’s complicated,” she said.

“Oh, okay. Well, I’m a little confused, too,” Spike admitted.

“Really?” Rarity asked. “Do tell.”

“Well, I really did have a fun time with Ruby tonight,” Spike said. “The only problem is that, well…I still don’t really like her as much as I…like, well, um…you.” Rarity clucked with pity at Spike.

“Oh, dear, I’m ever so sorry,” Rarity said, but suddenly her anger boiled up again and told her that this was an opportunity to exact revenge on the mare who had taken her heart from her. “Is there anything I could do to ease the pain?”

“Huh?” Spike asked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean is there anything I could do to make you feel better?”

“I don’t think so,” Spike said, “unless you can change how you feel about me…”

“Well, dear,” Rarity said, a small voice telling her not to do this crowded out by her anger pushing her forward, “I might not be able to do that for you, but I could offer you a few…favors.”

“Favors?” Spike asked. “I don’t follow.”

“Oh, Spike, you really are too naïve for your own good,” Rarity said with amusement. “By favors, I mean…” Rarity whispered a few suggestive ideas in Spike’s ear, and the poor dragon’s face froze in shock.

“But…why?” Spike asked.

“I have my reasons. Now, what would you like Rarity to do for you?”

“Rarity, I don’t think this is such a good idea…” Spike said.

“Nonsense, it’s a wonderful idea. I know how badly you want me. Why are you hesitating?”

“Well, things are just starting to go well with Ruby…” Spike said.

“Do you love her?” Rarity asked.

“What?”

“Do you love her?”

“Well,” Spike said, “I guess not, but I don’t see how―”

“Do you love me?” Rarity asked.

“Rarity, I…”

“Yes, Spike?”

“…I suppose, but―”

“Then what’s the problem?” Rarity asked.

“But you…it’s just…I think you should leave, Rarity,” Spike said. Even though his mind was racing with wild ideas and excitement, Spike knew that Rarity wasn’t in her right mind and that it would be best for her to leave the library before she did something she would regret. Rarity, though, had no inclinations to leave.

“Spike, let me put it this way. I’m only trying to be polite. We both know under normal circumstances you’d leap at this chance in a heartbeat, so I’m offering you two choices.”

“Rarity―”

“We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.”

“Rarity, I’m still a―”

“I guess the hard way it is. Now get over here, you little wretch!” Rarity pinned Spike to the floor and started kissing him. Spike’s mind suddenly went blank as raw excitement coursed through his veins. He could feel his member growing stiffer as Rarity started to nip at his neck. She moved her lips down his scaly belly and slowly started to lick Spike’s member. Spike tried to rise off the floor, but Rarity used her magic to pin him down. As confused as Spike was, and as much as he wished it hadn’t happened this way, part of him was excited that his wildest fantasy was coming true.

Rarity, though, while taking Spike’s penis into her mouth, had only one thing in mind: revenge against Twilight Sparkle. The same force that had pushed her to fall in love with Twilight now drove Rarity to lunacy in her rage against her. So if Twilight wouldn’t let Rarity defile her, Rarity would just have to defile her assistant instead.

Faster and faster Rarity sucked on Spike’s penis until Spike could feel his thighs clench as pressure built in his loins. Rarity stopped sucking and mounted the dragon, using her magic to accelerate her frequency as she thrust into him. Spike had never felt anything so mind-numbingly wonderful, and when he finally came, excitement bubbled out of him in the form of a flame that nearly singed Rarity’s mane.

The two of them then lay on the floor, exhausted and very confused. Spike was worried that he had just been taken against his will, even though he had enjoyed it so much. Rarity, on the other hand, felt horror rise within her as her anger finally started to settle. What had compelled her to do…that to Spike? Thoroughly flustered, Rarity got up and left the library without a word. Spike, feeling quite distraught and confused, hadn’t the energy to stop her, so he got off the floor and started to rock back and forth on the couch, questioning everything he thought he had known about his sexuality and his feelings for Rarity.

***

“Have you heard the rumors?” asked one guard to another.

“Yeah. The princesses are spending an awful lot of time in closed chambers lately.”

“You don’t think they’re…?”

“Really, Donnie, what’s wrong with you? Your mind always jumps to the dirtiest places.”

“Hey, I can dream, can’t I?” Donnie asked.

“Dear Celestia, you’re a pervert!” the other guard said. “What makes you think incest is occurring within these royal halls?”

“Sometimes I see the two of them walk past each other and it’s like there’s a…spark between them, one much stronger than that of two sisters.”

“Donnie, you’re a pegasus, not a unicorn. Lay off with the freakin’ spark shit.”

“You know, Lance, you ought to be more open-minded,” Donnie said. “Maybe if you understood them a little better, they’d let you have a three-way with them.”

“What is your deal?” Lance asked.

“I don’t have a deal. You’re the one with a chip on your shoulder,” Donnie said.

“Shush, here come the princesses now!” Lance said. The two stood at attention as the sisters walked past. Lance looked at them carefully and noticed that they were walking a little closer together than usual… Oh God, Lance, don’t start thinking like Donnie now, he told himself.

“What’d I tell you?” Donnie asked as soon as the princesses were out of earshot.

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Lance said. “The only thing it proves is that you’re a pervert.”

“Whatever. But if it ends up being true, remember that I called it,” Donnie said.

“Sure, Donnie,” Lance said, “sure.”