Spike cringed to himself as he heard several of his bones pop in his stretching arms. The arms which had previously arched in the air in a long and arduous stretch of his arm muscles. He had woken an hour ago after a mere four hours of sleep the previous night due to both of the Princesses wearing him and his cock thin. Currently, his back was slouched at the shoulders, leaving his arms to idly dangle in front of him while both of his deeply sunken eyes slowly blinked one-by-one. First, his left eye slowly closed with a cartoonish 'ker-blink' then his second eye followed suit, a pair of goofy peepers paired with some slack lips and a general fatigued appearance.

He was an idiot for staying up so late, he knew it was 7:00 pm sharp he had to report to the Crystal Castle and he knew he had a long and backbreaking trek across Equestria in front of him. The sharp sting of sleep depravity festering deep behind his eyes made this point ever more apparent. But as he thought back to the previous night, to the image of Luna with both of his bulbous balls in her mouth and Celestia fisting her ass, he couldn't help but think it was worth it.

"Are you ok?" Starlight asked, leaning over and looking into the glazed-over eyes of the man in question.

Spike's mouth hung open, a small reservoir of drool pooling at the damn that was his bottom lip, some of the bubbling liquid spilling over and slowly dropping to the ground. Starlight reeled back in disgust at Spike's dog-like slobbering and shook her head.

"Whut?" Spike answered slowly after a solid minute of silence and drooling. In that time Starlight had lost interest with her salivating friend and has instead focused on the approaching Sunburst.

"Good morning Sunburst!" Starlight said very cheerily with a frantic wave of her hand. Sunburst smiled right back with a wide grin paired with a similar cheery wave. She embraced the man in a hug once he had walked over to her, making sure not to make it as awkward and obvious as when she had hugged him in the exact same spot yesterday. She wrapped her arms around his back, an action repeated by Sunburst himself, ending with both of them wrapped together for approximately three seconds before Sunburst patted Starlight square on the back. Starlight silently sighed at the show of friendship. As she pulled away with Sunburst, she thought of their friendship and how at the moment that was all it was, a friendship.

How she would go about trying to mold their friendship into that little something extra over the course of the trip she did not know. She was still in the early throws of her conundrum and most of her plans she came up with seemed to fail before they even started. She had considered asking Spike for help but she knew he wasn't exactly well-versed in dealing with crushes, despite his advice on pursuing the relationship in the first place.

Asking Twilight was still an option but Starlight would rather not reveal her crush to another person.

"Sleep ok?" Starlight asked with a smile.

"Ha, I could have slept on concrete and still gotten a good night's sleep." Sunburst joked with a small chuckle.

"I know. I could tell you were quite out-of-it yesterday." Starlight rolled her eyes to herself as she remembered back to yesterday and just how tired Sunburst was. Luckily he was looking better today, although his hair was still a little frazzled. But that was too be expected. "But you look all ready for today. Which is more than can be said for some." Starlight turned her head to the still-drooling Spike.

"Wow, someone didn't get much sleep." Sunburst chuckled, a chuckle that quickly turned into a grossed-out groan when another string of saliva dripped to the floor. "I'm not carrying him to Neighagra Falls." Sunburst joked once again and patted Starlight on the shoulder. Starlight looked back and bit her lip at the fleeting contact of Sunburst's hand, wishing that it would stay there forever.

As the two talked and joked and chuckled the other girls slowly trickled in, each of them ready for the adventure ahead. The first to rise was Applejack who was obviously used to catching the sunrise. As she joined the other three she gave her boyfriend a halted, awkward but ultimately firm pat on the back, which he didn't even react to. Next to slip in was Rarity who looked quite prim and proper considering the rough and tumble that the adventure would no doubt bring on. Fluttershy and Rainbow floated down next, both of them casually chit-chatting to each other as they posted up with the rest of the party. Fluttershy wanted to give her boyfriend a subtle peck on the cheek, but she was turned a little queasy but Spike's continuous salivation onto the crystal street beneath them. Pinkie bounced down next, a hot ball of pep bounding up to the group and giving Spike a wet kiss on the forehead. Once again, he did not notice.

The last to come down was Twilight surprisingly. The young woman looked normal, however, nothing out of the ordinary or anything that would indicate why she was tardy. Well, she wasn't tardy per se, but Twilight would normally be the first to the plate, not the last. She was her own kind of Twilight tardy.

She walked to her assistant's side and opened her mouth to speak to him, but she halted her lips and tongue when she realized he would very likely not understand her. She had seen him like this before, usually, after one of her all-nighter studying sessions. She chose to roll her eyes at the young man, cursing his incompetence in the current situation. If he could comprehend words she would give him a piece of her mind right now.

"Don't worry, Twilight. I've got a spell for this." Starlight smiled rather smugly as she waltzed up to the slumped Spike. With a turquoise spark of her horn, a blue glow surrounded Spike's body tightly, sparkling and shimmering for a few seconds before disappearing, Starlight's hornlight following suit. The previously tired Spike suddenly perked all the way up, his previously drooping shoulders and bent spine both being pulled up like they attached to the strings of a puppeteer.

"Woah... What happened?" Spike asked, suddenly finding all the fatigue flushed from his body.

"What happened was you were barely hanging onto consciousness. What happened to getting an early night, Spike?" Twilight's brow creased as she confronted her assistant. Spike creased his own brow in response, finding the current worried and slightly condescending tone reminiscent of when she would scold him as a young hatchling.

"I-I'm sorry Twilight but... Well, something came up." Spike spoke lowly and cowardly like a humbled hound, attempting to avoid Twilight's gaze at all costs.

"Something came up? Well, it had better have been important." Twilight pursed her lips and crossed her arms while her eyes judged Spike up and down.

"Well. It was important to someone." Spike scratched the back of his head as he took note of the source of his troubles slowly marching across the courtyard and over to the group. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stepped side-by-side across the road as a crowd of Crystal-Blood onlookers who now surrounded the castle murmured to one another about the scene underneath the palace. However, the murmurs were swapped with full-blown gasps as they saw Shining Armor levitate down the stairs behind them and wheel himself across the square.

"I'm glad to see you're all present." Celestia smiled down at all the nine subjects, hoping they were all prepared for their journey ahead.

"Yeah, along with the whole city." Spike looked out at the still-filling crowd that kept themselves bayed far enough away that they wouldn't hear anything Celestia was saying.

"Hmm, yes. Expected after the curfew and seeing their Prince disabled." Luna looked back to the crowds and sighed to herself. "We have yet to inform them of the situation proper. We'll inform them of what we are up against in a national address after you nine have departed." Luna looked back to the small band and stood tall and proud in front of her citizens.

"When do we depart?" Twilight asked the two princesses. Celestia checked her gilded watch in response, noting the time was around 7:30.

"At around eight you will load up into your chariots and be dropped off at the Crystalline Pools in the following hours. We will include the previously discussed instructions in your packs in case you have forgotten them, but from there and until Horseshoe Bay, you'll be on your own." Celestia nodded at the intently listening group.

"So speaking of these packs. What's exactly in 'em?" Applejack asked with a hand on her hip.

"A very fine question, Applejack." Celestia smiled to her Earth-Blood. "You should be able to find out any second... Now." Celestia nodded as three sets of wheels rounded the corner of the castle's support. The gang looked over to see three Royal Guards meandering around the corner, pulling three separate carts behind them. The three wagons were loaded with camping gear: tents, sleeping bags, blow-up mattresses, fire-starting kits and other general supplies including crates of what looked like food rations and a few canteens sloshing full of water. As well as the camping equipment, in each wagon was a set of backpacks, four in the first two wagons and two in the tail wagon.

The group all walked over to the sturdy wooden carts and poke their heads over the sides to further inspect the carts. They all found that the large traveling rucksacks were each personalized with a name tag just beneath the flap. After some exclamations they each found their own backpack and began rooting through them to find a collection of useful tools and even some personal items from home.

"As much as I know you'd all like to check over your supplies, time is scarce and you will all have plenty of time to check on the road." Luna strutted over to the carts and gave the side a quick two-tap with both hands. "I know my sister and I have reiterated this, but time is of the essence during your journey and it's best to get you started as soon as we can."

"You'll be departing soon. But one last thing before you do." Celestia looked over to a pair of guards carrying multiple duffle bags with them, she nodded once at them and the guards walked over to them and dropped a bag at the feet of each member of the party. Naturally, each member kneeled or bent down to inspect the black bags.

"What's in these?" Starlight asked, ever inquisitive.

"Clothes." Celestia said plainly, too which one particular member of the group perked up.

"Clothes?" Rarity sprung back upright and raised an eyebrow.

"Eh, I wouldn't get so excited Rarity." Rainbow Dash grimaced as she pulled and unfolded a pair of khaki-coloured cargo pants out of the bag. Rarity fake gagged as she saw the trousers unfurl and hang in the air, a disgusting boil to her fashionable eyes.

"Ugh, cargo pants!?" Rarity stuck her tongue out much like a grossed-out child would as she pulled her own pair of light, pocketed pants out. She continued to pull the other clothes out of the bag, beige t-shirts, camo vests, boonie hats flying from the bag as scrounged through it to find some kind of piece she could pull off. Alas, there was nothing for the fashionista, and she pouted as a response.

"C'mon Rarity, it ain't that bad." Applejack commented to the scowling woman. "And besides, I doubt you'll get very far dressed how you're now." The farm girl alluded to Rarity's outfit with a pointed finger and a small cheeky grin. Rarity looked down to her black leather high heels and flared slacks with a pair of puffed out lips, realizing that her current outfit, as well as her friend's outfits, weren't the most well suited for a long, sweaty, muddy, heavy journey.

"These are the most practical clothes for walking long distances Rarity, even if they aren't the most fashionable of items." Twilight commented as she inspected the multiple pockets of her own pair of cargo pants.

"I suppose." Rarity whined and stuffed the clothes back into the bag, zipped it back up and threw it over her shoulder. "At least no one will be seeing me in this. Could you imagine if Hoity Toity saw me wearing these, or Photo Finish? Eugh!" Rarity's skin crawled at the mere thought of being seen in the hideous garments by anyone influential set of eyes in Canterlot. If her past deeds didn't already sink the nail in that coffin cargo pants would do it like a sledgehammer.

"You can get changed in the carriages. They'll be arriving any minute..." Celestia paused for a few seconds and looked to the skies above the castle until a set of four golden carriages, the same four carriages that brought the group here, came into view and circled the castle a few times. After a minute of circling another carriage flew into view, this one being much large than the other two, so large it was pulled by a set of eight men, unlike the others which were pulled by four. But the most notable difference of the larger carriage was it's much more militaristic design. Instead of the sleek, golden people carriers it was much harsher and blocky and comprised of a near-black metal all over, the standard color and armor of the Equestria Forces. As the line of carriages swirled in the air, each cycle slowly bringing them closer to the ground, the group noticed that the eight men pulling the carriage were all clad in Equestrian Forces standard issue combat armor and had hilted short swords hanging from their hips.

The group looked at each other with slightly nervous eyes. They had dealt with threats to national security before but never had there been an interjection of the Equestrian Forces, and naturally, their presence certainly put them on edge. Each one of the group suddenly felt a little balled up on the inside, suddenly realizing just how serious of a task they were undertaking.

After another minute of circling closer to the ground, the set of carriages landed on Main Street, the citizens being cleared by Crystal Guards for their arrival and the Elements subsequent departure.

"Now." Celestia nodded with a smile and looked to the group. "We'll need you to board now, then you'll depart. Spike, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, could you bring the carriages?" Celestia and Luna began walking past the crowds of Crystal-Bloods and towards the chariots, followed closely by the group except for Spike, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie who all hitched up their respective wagons, Applejack hauling the heaviest, Pinkie the second heaviest and Spike the lightest of the three wagons. As the group walked, Twilight skipped ahead a few steps so she was parallel to Princess Celestia and Luna.

"Will you two stay here or are you heading back to Canterlot?" Twilight asked her fellow Princesses. She liked conversing with the two on a higher level like she was sitting at the grown-up table. While she did know that they were equals in title, she always felt she never really lived up to the title of Princess so these little moments gave her some sense of actual power behind the word 'Princess'.

"We'll remain here for a few days to make the national address and monitor Cadance but then we'll return to Canterlot." Luna sighed and rubbed her temple.

"Looking forward to returning?" Twilight asked.

"No... Not at all..." Celestia sighed along with her sister, rolling her eyes as she strutted. "They'll be a pile of problems stacked thrice high when I return to court. And I'm sure Luna will be having her own problems trying to quell the citizen's minds. And that's not even including the paperwork." Celestia shook her head and huffed through her nose in frustration. Twilight nodded her head in response as the three neared the parked carriages, Celestia turning to Twilight as they finally stood beside the golden transport. "Twilight, before you leave we would like to say that we are both immensely proud of you. To handle such a large task with your patience and endurance is a very favorable trait for a Princess."

"Really?" Twilight perked up at Princess Celestia's mention of a title. More respect from the Princesses was always a good thing in Twilight's eyes, so anyway she could gain it was something she sought.

"Of course." Luna stepped forward and laid a soft and comfortable hand upon Twilight's shoulder. "The task you will undertake will not be easy but you have accepted it knowing it's full difficulty. For that, you have our pride." Luna motioned to herself and her sister. A small smile crept up Twilight's cheeks at the swelling sense of delight the Princesses installed within her. Some people would feel some pressure on them for undertaking a challenge set by the princess, but Twilight was confident in herself and her friends, no matter the danger.

"Thank you." Twilight humbly bowed her head to her fellow princesses, displaying her level-headed facade while she was smiling wildly on the inside. Her attention was drawn the slow rotation of wooden wheels as the final members of the team unhitched themselves from the wagons.

"We'll take those from here." Three Equestrian Forces soldiers took the leather straps and metal harnesses from the three who were previously ferrying them. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike all backed away from the imposing soldiers as they carried the full wagons to the large chariot. The guard leading the three-man caravan unhooked two strong metal locks from either side of the large back door, slid two latches and finally pulled a lever on the side. A few wheels and cogs began grinding inside as the door lowered from the top, eventually resting on the ground to form a ramp and allow a look of the inside.

Spike took note of the interior. Dark. Very Dark. But from the natural light of the sunshine, Spike could see that either side of carriages inners were lined with seats, seats that jutted from the walls and looked rather uncomfortable. No doubt it was some kind of troop transport carriage, but for now, it was repurposed as a cargo vessel for their supplies. Spike was just thankful they weren't taking that carriage and sitting in those seats. The Equestrian Forces had to be as tough as they say to tolerate those nasty looking metal chairs.

"Everyone!" Celestia called out and drew the attention of the antsy group. "One last thing for you all." Celestia held aloft a leather-bound book consisting of only a few pages, which immediately drew the attention of the group. "This is your travel guide. In this, you'll find instructions, maps, notes and everything you'll need on your journey. If you are ever in doubt of what to do or where to go you can always consult this." Celestia gave the front cover a quick pat before handing it to Twilight. "I trust you all to keep it safe."

"Now if you'd all like to board, we can begin." Luna motioned to the doors of the chariots, her horn aura swelling and opening each of the four chariot's doors. The group muttered as a collective and paired up into the twos they traveled to the Crystal Empire in originally. Except of course for Spike and Starlight who now had a new butt to seat in their chariot.

"So do you want me to sit in between you and Sunburst? Y'know, so you can't jump all over him." Spike whispered close to Starlight, a cheeky smirk on his lips while Starlight rolled her eyes and gave him a semi-joking push.

"If you make this harder than this has to be I swear to Celestia I am going to make this journey a living nightmare for you." Starlight hissed with a sinister scowl all while Spike maintaining a low and very amused chuckle.

"Aw, I'm just messing with you. I won't make this awkward one bit." Spike waved his hand and stopped his laughter. "But seriously, do you want me to sit between you two, to make it less awkward for you?" Spike asked a genuinely friendly question rather than a teasing mocking of her crush.

"No thank you." Starlight's head was held high and proud as she refused Spike's offer. "I think I can handle sitting next to him, thanks." Starlight smiled at her own self-confidence, certainly feeling like she was on top of her crush.

"Alright, feel free." Spike shrugged and climbed into the chariot, residing to the farthest side and followed suit by Starlight and then Sunburst next to her, closing the door behind him.

"So here we are, first steps." Sunburst turned to his friend next to him and smiled.

"Yup, first steps. Hehe..." Starlight giggled awkwardly and rubbed her arm, all of her previous confidence seemingly flooding from her at the close contact to her crush. She looked down both of their legs, noticing that her denim-clad thigh was rubbing against the pair of chinos that kept Sunburst's naked skin at bay. She resisted the urge to bite her lip at the touch of his muscle against hers, finding it to be enjoyable but all-around uncomfortable for her. Sweat seeped from her brow as Sunburst shuffled his legs, rubbing his against her own all while she imagined what his exposed skin could feel like.

"So how are we going to get changed?" Sunburst pondered, looking around the chariots interior for any room to get changed. Starlight's eye widened until her eyelid muscle nearly snapped as she remembered that she needed to change into her clothes with Sunburst in the room, and he needed to do the exact same.

Starlight sighed to herself, hypothesizing that this would be a long trip.

Despite its status as one of Equus' natural wonders and the spectacular nature and awesome scale of Neighagra Falls, the entire area around was silent sans for the whipping winds, chirping fauna and the low and loud hiss of constant water impact coming from the falls themselves. Usually, the atmosphere surrounding Equestria's largest natural waterfall would be spruced with the words and conversation of hikers from across the land enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells or tourists from some major population center getting in touch with nature or just some idealistic family enjoying a picnic on the grass.

But there was no such sound today, simply natural silence. A comfortable medium between absolute silence and a normal level of relaxing reverberations which formed a very welcoming white noise which would provide a perfect acoustic pillow to fall asleep on.

If it wasn't shattered by the huff of a woman and the slamming down of a close-to-bursting backpack on the trunk of a tree. The birds that happily resided in said tree each squeaked in fear and quickly set flight to a different abode that hopefully wouldn't be attacked by an ornery Twilight Sparkle.

She watched the small flock of brightly colored birds flutters away above the trees and out of sight, the green Boonie hat keeping the lowering sun from assaulting her vision all while she lowered her backside onto the sloped base of the tree trunk, finding that it wasn't the most comfortable of seats but the trunk provided some relief for her sore back. She pulled the canvas hat from her head, the tight headband leaving a circle of matted sweat around her head. As the remainder of her friends joined her in the small clearing in the forest, each of them collapsing onto the grass or another nearby tree after walking up the admittedly small yet steep hill, she unclipped the buckle of her backpack's main flap and pulled out the travel guide she was given by Celestia. She shook loose a piece of yellowed parchment folded four times and pulled a corner of it, unraveling the large travel map of Equestria. She slipped a small pencil from one of her hiking backpacks many exterior pockets and drew a rough line between two previously drawn X's.

She slipped the pencil back in the pocket and studied the map one last time before folding the map back into its neat rectangle and slipping it into the travel guide. Their progress was ahead of schedule surprisingly. Twilight was expecting them to be behind the predicted schedule she herself had planned out, with an estimated goal to make Neighraga Falls Southern Bank by 6:00 p.m. they had gotten there one hour ahead of time. Although as she gazed upon her party of panting and sweat-seeped comrades who were already exhausted from their shortest hike on the entire trip, she did have a certain fear for the future. Although perhaps things may be different tomorrow, maybe this small journey will prepare them for tomorrow's trek.

The last to meander up the hill was the pack mules, carrying the stocked wagons up the hill and dumping them onto the treeless grassy knoll. With a huff and a mumble, each kit-carrying member unhooked the belts and harness of the wagons and sighed with relief.

"I don't see what y'all are pantin' and pawin' about." Applejack placed her hands on her cargo-clad hips and looked upon her friends, a proud brow of sweat beneath her stetson hat. "Me, Spike 'n' Pinkie hauled these wagons as far as you hauled your butts, yet you don't see us bein' a bunch of pansies about it." Applejack scoffed confidently.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that AJ." Rainbow pointed to behind the power-stanced woman. Applejack turned her head to see Spike lying face down on the grass, arms and legs splayed out in defeat while Pinkie had her head back, mouth open and was pouring the entire contents of her water canteen on her face. "And besides... You three are the strongest here... We wouldn't have gotten anywhere if Rarity was pulling those."

"Well, you better not get too settled into your nice grass blankets. Because we've still got tents to put up." Applejack dropped two packed-up tents onto the ground and the group groaned in unison as a result.

Hours later, each of the five tents were set up in a wide circulation within the opening of the trees, a small fire pit comprised of large rocks, dry woods and a happily burning fire keeping the group around it warm and visible under the dimming navy blue sky. The group chatted and laughed around the campfire while Applejack idly flipped several skewered hot dogs over the open fire, with some vegan options for Fluttershy of course.

"Y'all wanna tell ghost stories?" Applejack asked the group with a slight wondrous grin. She was met with a meep and a fake gasp by Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie but the rest of the group simply groaned in faux agony and disgust. "Hey! What's wrong with ghost stories?" Applejack asked, slightly offended at her friend's disregard for aclassic campfire ghost story.

"Nothing... If your ten!" Rainbow laughed at her own joke, punctuating just how funny she thought it was. The other members of the campfire circle just chuckled mildly.

"Fine... What about ninety-nine buckets of oats?" Applejack offered but from the group's even louder groan, they were not having it.

"Ugh, no thank you." Rarity whined and closed her eyes, thinking back to when Sweetie Belle recited the whole ninety-nine buckets on their camping trip to Winsome Falls. "Once again Applejack. Adults." Rarity reiterated the statement that they had all, in fact, passed the age of eighteen and were now much too mature for campfire songs. Applejack pursed her lips to the side, her mouth firmly sealed until she got another bright idea.

"What about ninety-nine bottles of beer?" The group once again released a groan, even louder in volume and disgust than the previous two. Applejack rolled her eyes and pointed a finger upwards. "C'mon, that's mature. It's about beer."

"Applejack. I swear on my grandmothers grave, if you break out a guitar and sing Kumbaya on this trip I will not hesitate to leave you when we come back." Rainbow's threat was said with a serious tone, but Applejack and the group all knew it was in jest and shared a chuckle at it. "Now pass me a dog." Rainbow held an open hand out, a hand quickly filled by a piping hot sausage.

Twilight, who was sitting silently as the group laughed and ate, had found herself a bit disconnected from the scene. Her eyes were set on the horizon, on the low moon shooting beams across the rushing waters of Neighagra Falls rather than the roaring fire a few feet in front of her. The only person who had noticed her despondency was Spike who was swapping glances between whoever was talking at the campfire and Twilight's worried, studious frown.

Without warning Twilight pushed herself off the grass she sat on and got to her feet, drawing the attention of the entire campfire to her.

"I'm going to go over the travel guide and plan our route for tomorrow." She explained, sounding rather abrupt and strangely halted in her speech for some reason.

"Are you sure Twi? We could always do it tomorrow morning. There's no rush." Starlight's words were true, the work could easily be done in the morning, but Twilight had already made up her mind.

"Nah, I'll go over it tonight, that way we can leave early tomorrow morning." Twilight justified, the group nodding in agreement.

"Alright Twilight, just be safe, alright?" Rarity asked of Twilight. She simply smiled and nodded to her concerned friend before walking away from the fire. The group all watched her leave, her form eventually melting into the surrounding darkness until only her footsteps rang as a reminder of her.

"Is she ok?" Fluttershy looked from the inky black Twilight disappeared into to the orange glow of the flicking flames.

"She's just fretting herself. Don't worry about her." Applejack nodded and bit into a sausage she held.

"Mmhmm. Classic Twilight." Pinkie nodded and swallowed an entire hot dog with a cacophonous gulp.

The group quickly moved on, finding nothing particularly strange about Twilight's behavior, except for Spike who's eyes kept focusing on the darkness Twilight had disappeared into, trying to locate a silhouette of her figure as confirmation. He did have a feeling he was overreacting to her unexpected departure. Chances were she was fine and was literally planning tomorrow's trek.

But something was niggling in the back of his mind, telling him to go find her for confirmation. He rose to his feet and much like Twilight, the group all turned to him.

"Going somewhere, Spike?" Rarity asked from her relaxed pose.

"I'm just gonna check on Twilight. Make sure she's alright, y'know?" Spike explained, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to the general area Twilight walked to.

"Are you sure? She only left two minutes ago. She'll be back soon." Starlight said.

"I know but... Maybe somebody should keep an eye on her. For safety's sake." Spike reasoned, seeing general agreement from the group.

"Why? Do you think someone's watching us?" Fluttershy tugged on the bottom of her t-shirt and whipped her head from side-to-side, peeping anxiously into the lingering forest either side of the camp, expecting to see the tall shadow of some no-good beast.

"No, Shy. Don't worry." Spike chuckled and gave his girlfriend a quick peck on the forehead and stroked her hair past her ear. "I'll be back soon. And, uh, don't break out the marshmallows until I get back, alright?" Spike asked, finding a few chuckles as a result.

"You got it, marshmallow man." Applejack tipped the brim of her hat as Spike waved and walked away from the fire, the grass beneath his feet becoming drained of color and light as he furthered away from the campfire, eventually finding himself fully immersed in the moonlight black that Twilight dispersed into. He continued until he was standing on the brim of the hill, looking down on the southern bank of Neighagra falls that lay close to the bottom of the hill. As the water from the falls bombarded the lake beneath it, mighty ripples broke the beams of moonlight that shone off the pitch black water, sending them shimmying across the inky surface like pure white snakes.

Amidst the darkness, Spike's perceptive Dragon-Blood eyes scanned the bank of the lake in his eye line, noticing a particular non-natural figure sitting by it. He saw Twilight placed on a rocky outcrop close to the lake's waters, her large hiking backpack lying on a small boulder to her left all while she idly kicked her legs.

Spike traveled down the hill until he was level with Twilight, walking up on her from behind. He was a few feet from her when she turned her head, looking the man up and down while smiling.

"Hey, Spike." Twilight said plainly, looking back over the lake and still kicking her legs. As Spike was close now, he could hear the familiar splish-splash of water on water.

"Hey, Twilight," Spike responded. He stepped onto the large protruding stone and looked over Twilight and her surroundings, noticing that her hiking boots were beside her pack with her woolen socks bunched up inside them. He looked to the waters next as Twilight casually splashed the lake with her bare feet, her cargo pants cuffed to her calf as to not get them wet. "Aren't your feet cold doing that?" He asked, semi-worried and semi-confused.

"If you keep your feet moving you can't really feel it." Twilight placed her cheek on her shoulder and curled her lips while Spike moved to a cross-legged position right next to her. "You should try it." She flicked her foot lightly in Spike's direction, sending some speckles of the lake water onto Spike's face. The two shared a chuckle at Twilight's childish act and wiped the freckles of liquid off his face.

"Alright then." Spike agreed with a smirk, loosening up the laces of his own hiking boots and slipping his thick socks away. He gave his toes a quick wiggle and dipped his big toe into the waters. Spike's Dragon-Blood biology meant that the cold barely affected him, something about the raging Fire Sac near his belly that kept his entire body warm so he didn't even feel a change in temperature when he dipped his whole foot in. "So... Not planning then?" Spike asked as he placed a second foot within the lake. He turned to Twilight, who remained to splash with a gaze firmly set on the cascading waterfall.

"I did actually, I've got the whole route and timescale planned out for tomorrow." Twilight picked up the travel guide beside her that Spike hadn't noticed and dropped it into his lap. He picked it up and gave it a short click, seeing that she did indeed plan the route on a small map of the Neighagra River and hypothesized a small time frame from it.

"Nice, nice... So why don't you come back to the camp?" Spike asked. Twilight didn't respond right away, instead continuing to kick her feet while her fingers slowly rubbed against the surface of the rock she sat upon, soothing her into a more easy state.

"I think I'll take a few more minutes." Twilight responded, still not facing Spike and looking off into the horizon.

"Thinking about stuff?" Spike asked, slipping a bit closer to his friend.

"Always." Twilight responded, her kicking slowing to a few shallow splashes.

"Are you worried about... The journey?" Spike placed an arm on Twilight's shoulder, pulling himself close until they were side-to-side together. Twilight sighed through her nostrils and rested her temple on Spike's nearby shoulder.

"Not the journey... The destination." Twilight commented. "We've never had to do this before. Every previous threat was nearby, it didn't... It didn't take us away. But Cupio has."

"Do you think we're not prepared for it?" Spike asked, his grasp on her upper arms slowly moving up and down, lulling her down. He had become accustomed to soothing women through physical means, the product of having three girlfriends most likely.

"Yes..." Twilight admitted, twisting her neck so her brow was rested on Spike's sloped shoulders. "And we're only going to get worse after... It happens." Twilight's words alluded to the future, about three days into the future. Spike was aware what Twilight meant, but he found it slightly troublesome that Twilight refused to say it.

"You can say it you know? You don't have to act all regal around me, Princess." Spike put heavy sarcasm on the last word, knowing that it annoyed his step-sister.

"Fine. When we all become bimbos." Twilight admitted it without even pausing and Spike patted her shoulder for it.

"There we go." Spike commented as Twilight placed an arm around his waist in a small but comfy hug. Spike always thought they didn't hug enough for brother and sister. Ever since they had had their mutual child they were cold with each other physically, but even before that when Twilight was a bimbo, hugs usually ended with her pinching Spike's ass, which he did not like very much. "Are you worried you won't be able to lead the girls when you, y'know, 'grow up'."

"Yeah... In different circumstances, I would have been excited about it." Twilight admitted, not even speaking in a hushed tone as she did.

"Really? You would have liked being a bimbo again, let loose on the world?" Spike asked. He knew that Twilight liked letting bimbo-Twilight behind closed doors for experiments or just a bit of fun, but out in the open like this? She hated exposing that side in public, even when she was a bimbo, something about being a Princess made her more rational than the other girls.

"Well, everyone else in Equestria will be a bimbo too. I'll just be another face in the crowd." Twilight spoke slowly and with a huff of hot breath following her sentence. "Plus I'm getting to explore Equestria with my best friends. If it weren't for Cupio and the threat of national security I would be ecstatic." Twilight's voice faltered into a gloomy attitude, something Spike didn't like on her one bit.

"We can still have fun. There's more time than you think. I think you're just worrying too much." Spike commented, holding Twilight even closer. She nodded in self-awareness, knowing that she had always been a bit of a cynic even when she had one hundred percent trust in her friends, it was just in her nature.

"By late time tomorrow, I won't even care." Twilight commented in the same glum voice. Spike nodded as he realized just what timescale they were dealing with now. By the time they made it to Horseshoe Bay the girls would be back in their bimbo state. As his brain slowly wrapped around the perspective of their transformation his back dampened and he followed a very similar state to Twilight.

"You're right, huh? You don't have long until-" Spike was cut off suddenly.

"Until her." Twilight sprinkled some extra venom on her last word, not so much that Spike would notice, however. She recalled the footage she watch only yesterday and what bimbo-Twilight did to her. She taunted her.

Twilight had mulled over the footage in her memory every moment she was alone, her photographic memory keeping the image of her smiling and winking and blowing a kiss fresh in her mind. Every time her mind wandered or she closed her eyes she could see it and it ran her mind rampant. She barely ever doubted herself, but when she thought back to the image she wondered if it was just her imagination, some incarnation of jealousy that her mind made up to increase her envy of the fun-loving slut.

She had mused over the hypothesis that bimbo-Twilight was gaining some level of sentient individuality but quickly brushed it off as a ridiculous idea. By all accounts, they were the same person, same body, same mind just with a little magical input altering her slightly, there was no chance of a splinter personality created by some minor alteration magic. Although Twilight did recognize the irony of giving her nonexistent alter-ego a name. Maybe I should stop calling her bimbo-Twilight... And stop referring to her as her... Or me as her. She mused mentally.

"I think I need some intelligent conversation before I start speaking totally like this!" Twilight spoke, putting a fine impression of her old bimbo-voice on at the tail end of her sentence. Spike laughed in response, giving his sister a pat on the shoulder.

"Intelligent conversation, huh? I guess I'll leave then." Spike began to pull away from Twilight, jokingly of course. Twilight, her hand still around Spike's waist, pulled him close and back into their mutual embrace.

"You're going nowhere, mister," Twilight warned sternly. "Now conversate intelligently with me." She instructed.

"Are you sure you don't want Sunburst or Starlight instead?" Spike rolled his eyes at Twilight's insistence.

"Don't put yourself down, Spike. You're a very smart young man." Twilight complimented.

"Geez, you sound like Grandma. What's next? Gonna call me handsome and scold mom for not feeding me enough?" Spike quipped to Twilight and she chuckled at the accurate impression of their shared Grandmother.

"I'm serious Spike. C'mon, talk to me." Twilight said, finally bringing her naked feet out of the water and crossing her legs.

"Alright." Spike breathed deeply, as if preparing for something. "Moon's nice tonight." He said plainly.

"Maybe Sunburst would have been a better idea." Twilight rolled her eye at Spike's obtuse nature.

"I'm just joshin' you..." Spike sneered and gave Twilight's shoulder a squeeze. The two fell into a brief silence as Spike thought up some actual conversation topics. His eyes scanned the area for any ideas.

Neighagra Falls?

Nah, too obvious.

Neighagra Lake?

Once again too obvious

...

Neighrah River?

Wow, Spike. You really need to work on your communication skills.

As Spike's internal dialogue bickered, his eye stayed stared at Twilight's nearby hiking pack leaned casually against a rock.

"So... What did Celestia put in your bag?" Spike asked, motioning over to the leaning bag with his head.

"My pack? I don't know. I haven't had enough time to look into it yet." Twilight shrugged and frowned. She released herself from Spike's cradle and pulled the bursting bag towards her. She unclipped the few straps holding it closed and unzipped the main pocket. She pushed past her canteen, rations and spare clothes to get to the juicy center of the sack.

The first item she pulled out was a book, unsurprisingly. Spike scoffed in a humorous fashion while Twilight flicked through the book, bright eyes wishing to find lines upon lines of useful knowledge. But her bright eyes quickly dimmed as she found that the pages of this particular book were completely blank.

"Huh. That's weird." Twilight commented, placing her thumb on the thick side of the paper and unfurled the pages in quick succession, her eyes scanning for a single word but finding nothing.

"What's weird?" Spike asked, leaning over Twilight's shoulder.

"There's nothing in it. It's totally blank." Twilight stopped flicking through the vacant pages and closed the soft-back Moleskine cover and rested the tassel bookmark on the front page.

"Blank, huh? Maybe it's supposed to be a diary. For you to keep notes and stuff in." Spike flipped the cover over to see that it was in fact blank.

"Oh yeah. A travel journal!" Twilight exclaimed and quickly flipped through the book again, a wondrous look present on her face as she no longer saw the lack of words, but room for entirely new ones. "This'll be great for taking notes and drawing diagrams."

"Yeah. And you'll be the first person to ever write those notes. Think about it Twi, you'll be the first person to ever see beyond the Dragon Lands and come back to Equestria. Your diary will go down in history! Isn't that exciting?" Spike's own expression lit up as he found himself wrapped within the now shared enthusiasm.

"This. Is. Amazing! Oooooooh I cannot wait to show the Princesses all of my findings." Twilight stared down the book in awe, running her fingertips across the smooth surface of the cover and imagining the contents scrawled with ink.

"You won't just show it to the Princesses, Twi. The whole of Equestria will want to read what you've written." Spike poked Twilight's upper arm with his index finger as he talked.

"You're right Spike! Oh, Celestia, this might just be huge. Should I start now!? I'm gonna starts now. Chapter One: Neighgra Falls..." Twilight shook with glee as she slipped a long, sleek quill from the pocket of her pack as well as a portable inkwell. She twisted the cap off, dipped the quill in and went to write.

"Twilight, I think we know everything about Neighagra Falls. I'm pretty sure it's here for when we get to the Dragon Lands." Spike placed a few fingers on her wrist and motioned for her to put her hand down. Twilight turned to look at him with a pair of puppy-dog eyes and a shaky frown, resembling a child that had just been rejected its favorite candy.

"I guess so... But by the time I'm at the Dragon Lands I'll be all bimboed up." Twilight's frown turned from joking to serious as she thought of how mentally dulled she would be. "I'll barely get anything done." Her voice became hollow and dreary as she bent half-over, right until Spike picked her back up in his strong arms.

"Hey, hey, hey... Don't put yourself down like that. You'll still be smart enough to do your regular Twilight thing." Spike rubbed her skin delicately, comforting her into a closed-eyes, shoulder-leaning way. She sighed, hot breath flowing onto Spike's bicep and warming it in the increasingly cold night air.

"Even if I still write in it I'll probably relate every piece of research back to... Dicks." Twilight spoke apprehensively, a foreign swear leaving her tongue.

"Well, every bit helps, right?" Spike offered a joke, which Twilight lazily exhaled at. "C'mon Twilight. You're smart now and you were smart then. Remember all the research and friendship problems you solved even with you being an absolute klutz. I don't know how you did it, but you did." Spike held Twilight closer, gently rocking her while she wiggled her damp feet under her crossed legs to regain some warmth.

"I don't know how either. But sh-I was certainly smarter than I giver he-myself credit for. I guess the Elements just tacked on the... Ehem... New assets." Twilight leaned into Spike further putting her weight on her brother's side.

"Yeah... Still that regular ol' genius." Spike patted her side and smiled. "Except when you used to 'lose' your keys and ended up finding them in already in your purse." Spike chuckled.

"You'll never let that go, will you?" Twilight looked up to Spike from his shoulder.

"I spent two hours looking over the entire castle for those keys. So no, I won't let it go." Spike scoffed at the fond memory of him scrambling over every nook and cranny of the castle to find those keys.

"Well on behalf of my slightly sillier self, sorry..." Twilight smiled, her temple placed gently on Spike's crown while his temple was equally gently placed on her shoulder, both their heads were stacked one atop the other. As they sat there, each pair of eyes trained on the rushing waters of Neighagra Falls and the streaks of moonlight that shimmered off the bunching and falling river, a wonderfully cacophonous rumble bouncing off the damp cliffs and laying an adventurous atmosphere over the lake, the two silently sat, each thinking. Spike's thoughts wandered to the current scene.

The two of them were so close and intimate currently, and to Spike, he could not be happier about it. Spike wasn't sure why there was a new-found physical element to their ever-so-dry relationship. Perhaps Cadance's state had brought about an epiphany in her, that time was limited and that the precious things must be appreciated while they still exist. Perhaps the adventure had brought them closer together already. Perhaps Cupio's alterations had already seeped into her mind.

Whatever it was, Spike didn't want to disturb the situation by unnecessarily prodding at the details. Instead, he sighed, a hot gush of air flushed from his nose and tickled Twilight's own nose. Before they moved to Ponyville a small and snug cuddle session between the two was not uncommon, ever since Spike was a fresh hatchling they were seen snuggling against one another, Twilight finding that Spike's small and chubby newborn was warmer and squishier than any of her teddy bears. It seemed they were inseparable, even more so than with the other members of the family, not that they minded. Their family knew that their relationship was certainly unique so decided not to get too involved with their intimacy.

Although maybe that would have been for the best, especially after the embarrassing and awkward months between her moving to Ponyville and giving birth to Violet Star. Twilight's newfound promiscuity didn't stop them from cuddling, although while most previous snuggle sessions were either face-to-face or side-to-side affairs, the new and improved Twilight insisted on spooning. With her being the small spoon of course.

And that wasn't even talking about how grabby she got and how she insisted on doing it in their underwear. Or how she wanted to upgrade to 'forking'.

And then came a dry streak of cold intimacy between the two. Spike's act of betrayal and Violet Star's birth had spurred that, and he couldn't be happier that it was over. He only hoped it continued when they got back, he certainly didn't want Violet Star to grow up with a pair of emotionally disconnected parents considering what it might do to her when she was an adult. Nothing but the best for all of his children, always.

Speaking of children, that's exactly what Twilight's mind was currently buzzing about. Not just her own Star either, but the young infants of all her friends. The image of them being transported to some secure, sterile steel bunker far from civilization to be processed and kept locked away like cattle was repeating in her head over and over ever since they had been told. The rational part of her mind put it down every time but for some reason, it sprung up time after time, despite the fact that she knew Celestia wouldn't have the children herded into some dingy bunker l to be forgotten about.

Most likely all of those children were in a completely safe environment where they were being properly cared for by professionals. But she couldn't help but see things from her daughter's eyes, pried apart from her mother and father and not understand why. Not even having the capacity to understand why. And then the same feeling of confusion, sorrow, and helplessness came over her again as she imagined it for her friend's children, and then once again for all the parents across Equestria.

Her eyes became misted as she thought of how the parents must have reacted once they were told their children were to be taken away for an unknown amount of time. Twilight wasn't there for when Celestia announced a national state of emergency but no doubt she declared Golden Law, reverting all power to her and Luna and giving the citizens of Equestria just how dire the circumstances were. After all, Golden Law was the highest state of emergency in Equestria, only ever reserved for Draconequus sized threats.

As her mind stayed with the images of mothers having their kids taken, the mist of her eyes built and built until eventually, tears fell from them, leaving wet streaks leading to the sleeve of Spike's hair. A sniff from a quickly building runny nose signified to Spike that all was not right for his sister and he turned to look at her, finding her tearing and sniffling for an unknown reason.

"Twilight? What's wrong?" Spike asked, turning to hold Twilight by the shoulders.

"Oh. I was just-st..." Twilight wiped away the tears from her eyes and looked up to Spike. She prepared her mouth to speak a few strong words, to brush off the tears and pretend it never happened. But as she looked up to Spike, her firm and prepared lips wavered and fell as another wave of tears poured. She placed her forehead against the young man's shoulder. "I was thinking about... About Vi... And the others." Twilight lightly wept into Spike's side, small hitches in her breath punctuating anguished sobs while Spike pulled her in closer.

"Aww, Twi. I miss them too, we all do." Spike tried to comfort the forlorn mother, but he of course completely misunderstood the mixed bag of emotions in his arms.

"No, no. It's not that I miss them. It's..." Twilight thought back to the previous night, a specific memory in her mind. After they had been briefed of their quest and told of their children's departure, the very first thing they did was video call Violet Star on her nanny's phone. Twilight laughed between weeps, sounding quite strange as she remembered how confused she was seeing her mom and dad on the screen but not being able to touch them. She pawed at the screen with her chubby, little fingers, unable to figure out they were actually halfway across Equestria. Twilight distinctly remembered how she smiled at them through the touchscreen, her toothless grin paired with uncoordinated claps flooding back to her as she sat lonely by the lake. "This is serious Spike. I might... We might never see them again."

"Oh Twi, don't say that." Spike took Twilight in even tighter than he had before, both their chest pushed against each other in a hug. Spike understood what her words implied, but he wanted to hear no more of them. The bare idea of him or the girls never seeing their children again for whatever reason was something he hated to hear, especially when Twilight said it.

"I'm sorry Spike. I just..." Twilight spoke between somber and weary weeps. "I never want to not see her again. I feel like she's gone." Twilight admitted her arms around Spike's torso tight. She was freely weeping now, tears streaming down her cheeks and leaving shimmering trails. She hated when she got all maternal, many times back at home had a perfectly rational mind sent a-wire by undying affection for even the smallest things. Spike would often tease her over times she lost her cool for asinine reasons like when Violet would spit her baby food out, or even when she simply thought about Violet saying her first word.

"We will Twilight. We'll see Violet again, and Sweet Pea, Songbird, Bolt, Spiced Apple and Charoite, we'll see them all again, I promise that." Spike held her closer, they're bodies wrapped as Twilight calmed herself enough to speak clearly. A quick sniff through the nose and a wipe of her thumbs and she looked at Spike.

"I know that Spike. Bu-But I just... I don't know... I don't know. Of all the things I know I ju-just... It..." Twilight's words were strange and unformed, trailing into nothing as tears continued to fall. She mentally punched herself for letting the irritating maternal fret get the better of her, but despite her efforts, it spread and took over. "I just want to know she's still there... A reminder." Twilight managed to say clearly through the now free-flowing tears. Spike didn't answer right away, simply letting Twilight's impossible quest to fall on the serene scene around them.

"Can you wait here, I need to go get something." Those were the exact words Twilight didn't want to hear right now. But despite it, Spike slowly pried the weeping mother off of him and slipped to his feet.

"Wh-What? You're leaving?" Twilight sat up and looked to Spike, the tears in her eyes stark in the moonlight. The young man knelt on a single knee and placed a hand on her neck, his fingers resting on the base of her skull and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, you're going to like what I've got." Spike spoke softly and took his hand from Twilight's neck and walked away, leaving Twilight resting on the rock, slowly lowering herself to the hard, cold surface. She placed her cheek on the rough granite and wondered if Spike was actually to return. Maybe he had just left her there for a more stable and less emotionally draining woman, a parasitic leech left sobbing to herself, devoid of her friends, her family, and her child.

She lay there for a few minutes, eyes closed and the sniffles of her running nose and the crashing of water on water in the background. That was until she heard the crunching of footprints on the dewed grass and pulled her eyes open, seeing Spike traveling towards her at a brisk pace. Her watery eyes noticed something slung over his shoulder as well, his own pack of essentials. She raised herself on her arms and gasped lightly, surprised that he had even returned to the mess of a woman she was.

"I think you'll need to see this." Spike said, dropping to his knees in front of Twilight and dropping the pack to the floor. He unclipped the flap and pulled forth a small book. Although using the word 'book' was generous, to say the least, it was more like a bundle of dog-eared, oddly sized papers all stapled together. He held the bastardization of a book high and then brought it in front of the woman's eyesight and she grabbed it herself before looking back up to Spike.

"What is this?" Twilight asked.

"A little something to remind you she's still there." Spike smiled, twisting back down to sit on the rock. Twilight flipped the little handmade booklet open and released a strange but relieved laugh as she saw the first page. She recognized what it was instantly, a drawing, or rather an incoherent scribble made from crayon by her own Violet Star. She knew by the strokes of red and green crayon, the way they zig-zagged, going from one point to the next wildly and with abandon. Her young baby wasn't smart enough to produce any formal drawings yet, no crudely labeled family portrait under a beaming cartoonish sun, but instead just crazy jots of nothing made by her chubby arms.

Twilight ran her fingers over the waxy marks as Spike pulled up close to her, getting back into their original position before Spike had left. She turned another page, seeing a different scribble from the first page. This one wasn't Star's however, much more smooth and circular scribbles done with a deep purple pencil.

"That one's by Charoite." Spike pointed to the page and Twilight smiled. She flipped another page, seeing a similar drawing made with a pink crayon with much tighter curls, similar to a drawing of a twister. "That one's by Spiced Apple." Spike commented as Twilight's smile grew. Her calmed mind flipped the next page to see an absolute mess of crayon, pencil and magic marker fill the entire page, no rhyme or reason, just an indistinguishable pulp of color and texture. "And Bolt." Spike chuckled, to which Twilight chuckled along with him. "They're all in there. All the little ones. Well... Not Sweet Pea. We don't let her use crayons, she keeps putting them in her mouth."

Twilight continued flicking idly through the makeshift book, visually studying each mental scribble and feeling a weight lifted from her heart with each page, winding down and knowing that her previous maternal guilt was nothing more than an overactive mind with applied pressure. But as she delved into the mini scrapbook, she felt herself unravel in Spike's arms, she still kept some worry about her and Spike's children, of course, any mother would. But as if each scribble was a message of encouragement, she found that her tears slowly dried and that Violet would be in her arms again not after long.

"How long have you had this?" She asked after coming to the last page.

"Ever since we gave Violet those crayons," Spike remembered the moment fondly, especially how Twilight complained. She wanted to give her an abacus instead but Spike managed to talk her out of it. "Same with the rest of the girls. It's just a little compilation album. I don't get to see all of them as much as I like, so I made that to help me." Twilight folded the front page over and handed the small booklet back to her friend.

She looked at him, a warming smile as she did. He was a good father despite all he had to deal with, all of his little balls of terror and their equally demanding mothers. Despite splitting his time between being a lover, boyfriend, assistant and friend to six different women he managed to still remain a fine father. She lamented on how lucky the kids were to have him helping them grow, then to how lucky the girls were to have him as well. And her of course, but...

She recalled back to her time with Spike on the balcony of the Crystal Palace, and then further back to her and Rarity in the chariot. Her friend's encouragement still rung in her mind, about how she needed to reclaim Spike as a friend. She seemed content for the moment as Spike still hugged her closely, content that maybe their rocky relationship was already in reparations, but a part of her still felt strange. An empty feeling. And as she looked out to the falls, past the cliffs and to the night sky the feeling only festered, as if there was still more to be done.

Twilight's mind was brought from her dread by Spike's voice. His boyish croon posing a question.

"What else have you got in your pack?" He asked, reaching across to poke at Twilight's bag. She turned her head and grabbed the rucksack, pulling it closer towards her and unzipping it further. She assumed he didn't mean the general supplies she had, more the personal items. Her curiosity had already revealed the items so she pushed back the various equipment that sat in front of her goal. From the bag, she pulled out a thickly stacked hardback book, lined with multiple dog-eared protrusions and fluorescent post-it tabs sticking out the top, side, and bottom. She flipped it cover up and dropped it onto Spike's lap and from there he read the title.

"Encyclopædia Equestria 11th Edition." Spike read before turning to its spine. "Volume 12: Gri-Hur?" He looked at the book with a cocked head and a puzzled gaze.

"It's an abbreviation, Spike. That issue spans from Griffin Gristle to Hurricanes." Twilight explained. She didn't wish to sound condescending to her younger friend, but she couldn't help it, it came naturally to her.

"Will we be facing any Griffin Gristle and Hurricanes for this book to be useful?" Spike asked, handing the book back to Twilight.

"I don't think so. But I don't think it's supposed to be useful. It's a personal item. I don't suppose you remember it, do you?" Twilight asked.

"It does look a little familiar." Spike mentioned. The warm red leather that bound the pages seeming to resonate his memory somewhat.

"It's might favorite ever book..." Twilight smiled to herself, removing slightly from Spike's hugs so she could open the book. She gave a quick flick through the pages, noting all the long black scribbles of ink and streaks of fluorescent yellow highlighter from excerpts that had interested her the most. "Volume 12... I've had a lot of good memories with this book."

"Jeez Twilight, the way you talk about that book makes it sound like a childhood friend." Spike scoffed humorously.

"It was my childhood friend. I read this thing cover-to-cover eighty times all-in-all ever since Celestia gifted it to me." Twilight ran her thumb over the thick collection of pages, remembering the late nights she spent undercovers, torch in hand, reading up on some endlessly interesting entry. She had been so ecstatic when Celestia gifted the young Twilight her entire personnel eleventh edition twenty-nine volume set of Encyclopædia Equestria on her tenth birthday, treasuring it for years. She was relieved to find that it was one of her only personal collection of books to survive Tirek and had kept it safe ever since. She couldn't help flipping the cover over and finding a random page to slap her finger onto.

Spike watched over Twilight's shoulder, focusing on her eyes moving back and forth like a typewriter's slide, pulling off words of the page and collecting them in her brain. He watched for minutes as she scoured the small scale text and expertly draughted diagrams located at the corners and edges of the pages. Spike didn't even take note of the subject of the page, instead, he just watched his sister read silently, her fingers wrapped tightly around the sides in a vice-like death grip. He kept watching for the following minutes, even when she shifted to the adjacent page. But when she licked the tip of her finger and flipped the next page over, Spike placed a hand on her shoulder, breaking Twilight from her trance.

"Yea- Oh sorry, Spike. Caught up... As usual." Twilight chuckled and tucked a loose set of hair over her ear before closing the book and setting it to the side. "Alright. I showed you mine, you show me yours."

"I wouldn't say that, remember what happened the last time you wanted me to 'show me yours?" Spike chuckled and Twilight scoffed at his rather lewd comment. He pulled his rucksack closer and dived in, quickly feeling out a very familiar slide of a slick comic cover. He grabbed the corner and pulled it forth, the flicking of pages sounding off as he slapped it in his lap. "Aw man! Power People: The Dishonored Man Issue 5! Yes..." Spike hugged the glossy comic to his chest and smiled to the skies. The much more mature woman next to him simply rolled her eyes at her youngers antics, wondering how this man was the father of six children.

"Is that a good issue?" Twilight asked. She had collected some knowledge of Spike's comic books in the past but stayed away from them as a whole, only reading some standouts in the genre, such as that 'Wardens' graphic novel Spike swore by.

"Good issue? It's like... One of the be- It's so grea- It's an absolut- It's... It's really good, ok?" Spike's eyes darted over the cover that displayed all members of the Power People facing off in a night time rooftop battle against a mysterious hooded figure clad in black. "This is the issue where you finally find out who the Dishonored Man actually is. The suspense alone is amazing. And then you hear the story of the Dishonored Man, it's one of the best arcs in all of comics!"

"That good, huh?" Twilight smiled and looked over at the cover. "Wait a minute. Isn't this the comic book I caught you reading to Star?" The young man froze slightly, remembering how mortified he was when Twilight caught him showing the comic book to their young daughter. She, of course, deemed it inappropriate to read to a mentally malleable child, especially with all the violence present in those pages.

"Umm... Yeah, it was." Spike's shoulder's slumped at the embarrassing memory.

"Well, maybe I should ban you from reading it to." Twilight snarked, leaning on Spike's shoulder and watching as he flipped the cover over and began scanning the written prologue on the first page, detailing the plot points of the previous issues in a brooding monologue type fashion.

"Whatever." He mumbled and began flicking through the pages wildly, marveling at the action-filled pages of hero-on-villain hostilities and quip-heavy speech bubbles. It didn't take long until he was in a similar state to Twilight a minute ago, so wrapped up int the panels of the glossy page that he completely forgot about the person next to him. Twilight didn't seem to mind however as she was currently mimicked Spike's place, watching silently as her friend marveled at the pages he had seen many times before, an excited glint in his eye kin to that of a child as he slowly lost himself in the pages. It continued for several minutes, the pages slowly building in tension to the reveal of the namesake Dishonored Man, with Twilight noticing and pointing out several continuity errors along the way.

"But how does the Dishonored Man know Humdrum's real name if-" Twilight sparked up, leaving Spike to huff and close the comic's cover.

"I guess I'll have to read it later when there's no nosy Alicorn's around." Spike shot his friend an unamused and smoldering look, and Twilight smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, but hey, at least we get to see what else is in my pack." Twilight giggled and pulled her pack closer, meanwhile, Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head. She reached in again and found something she wasn't expected, a small collection of metal bars and shapes forming some kind of tool. She pulled it out to reveal what it was.

"What is that?" Her male companion asked inquisitively.

"It's a sextant." Twilight smiled, rotating the device to see broad side of the index arm.

"A sex-what?" Spike slides closer while Twilight ran her fingertips over the cool metal.

"A sextant, Spike. Used to measure the angular distance between two objects, usually between the horizon and the stars. It's used by sailors to navigate the seas." Twilight said, smiling down at the small device in her hands.

"Will we really need that? I mean most ships nowadays have computers right?" Spike pondered.

"Yes Spike. But this sextant is very special to me." Twilight explained. She leaned the piece his way, the moonlight illuminating it as she tapped on two stamped-in initials: 'S.A.'

"S.A... Shining Armour?" Spike guessed.

"Yep." Twilight confirmed with a warm smile and a head nod. She placed the lens to her eye again and adjusted the various nobs and dials accordingly, all while scanning the horizon. "It's standard issue Royal Guard equipment. It comes in their packs when they start boot camp. I believe the Drill Sergeants say: "You will protect this pack above your own life, because as far as I'm concerned it is far more valuable than any of you maggots are." Twilight's cool demeanor didn't exactly lend to the force of the Sergeant's words, but Spike got the idea behind it. "So naturally he wasn't too happy when Shining Armour 'lost' it."

"And by lost you mean 'accidentally' fell into the hands of his inquisitive little sister?" Spike asked, eyebrow raised.

"Bingo." Twilight said not only to Spike but to herself as she finally reached the perfect levels on her sextant, now taking mental notes on the angles of the horizon and stars. "Apparently the Sergeant shouted him into the ground for losing it, but he still thought it was put to better use in my hands." Twilight chuckled lightly and rested the sextant on her lap.

A sigh escaped her nose, one of exasperation and uneasiness. The sextant sat there, her eyes on it constantly, looking to the embossed letters of her brother's name. It reminded her of when she first got it, when she watched with her family as Shinning hopped off the train at the station, how he told her to close her eyes and hold out her hands for the surprise, how she studied profusely on how to use it, showing her mom, dad and Shining how it worked from the balcony of the library. She even showed a hatchling Spike how to use it, although he was much more concerned with putting it in his mouth at the time. It reminded her of good times, carefree summers spent with her big brother. But her big brother stayed in her mind, but not the idyllic memory of childhood, the frighteningly human man she saw crippled and broken. She closed her eyes gently as she imagined what he must be going through.

Wife in a coma, daughter threatened then taken away, and his baby sister sent off into the unknown. She knew he was strong, but to come away from that still holding the outlook he had, Twilight couldn't quite believe it. He was obviously feeling sorrow behind closed doors, but when faced with danger he remained stone-faced as ever, like a true soldier.

Twilight could only wish it was a hereditary trait as she slipped the sextant away and turned back to Spike.

"Go on. Next thing." Twilight patted her thighs, trying to pull back some tears that wanted to fall. Spike pulled up the last of his personal mementos from the bag: a smaller bag. It wasn't hard to decipher what exactly was in the burlap sack, as many of contents were poking at the sides, leaving geometric silhouettes were they rested. Spike gave it a small jiggle, hearing several clinking noises inside and the wetting his lips with a few slaps of his tongue. He pulled on the drawstring keeping the sack tight and peered inside to find an oasis of gleaming gems, one of which he pulled out, put between his teeth, chomped down, and swallowed in one almost invisible movement.

"Oooh my! Red diamonds! Cut ones two." Spike commented, followed by a long and satisfied 'Mmmmmmm'. He didn't even break a second before he threw another small, fine gem into his maw and chewed. And another. And another.

"Maybe you should take it easy with those, Spike. Maybe save some for the trip?" Twilight suggested to the chewing man. He stopped chewing for a short second and looked over to Twilight, then to the bag, then back to Twilight, then back to the bag. He had faced this problem many times before, eat a collection of gems sparingly, thus enjoying in short bursts, or binge it all and let future Spike deal with the repercussions. He knew what Twilight would want, the more logical of the two solutions, but he felt like downing the entire lot there-and-then. Maybe he should go back to the group and take a vote.

He felt Twilight's eyes on him, beaming telepathic thoughts of 'Put the bag down' to him. He weighed his options again but decided it best he tie the bag back up. Twilight nodded at him as he stuffed the gems back into his bag, slightly irritated. He could still feel the sharp taste or the red diamonds on his tongue, beckoning to throw another one in and chew. But with a suddenly reinforced will, he stopped himself and zipped his rucksack back up, throwing it to one side.

"I think that's all Celestia packed. She probably didn't want to weigh us down too much." Spike commented, returning to his feet and holding a hand out for Twilight. She took it and he pulled her up to her own feet. The pair grabbed their bags and headed back up the hill towards the campsite, the orange hue on the trees showing that the fire was still burning, and burning quite enticingly.

"I'm glad we got out of there, brrr. I am freezing out here. And we should really get to sleep about now." Twilight commented, holding her arms close to her chest.

"Yeah, although it will be difficult leaving that fir-" Spike stopped short of his sentence and looked up to the crest of the hill with a pair of squinted eyes. "You hear that?"

"Hear wha-" Twilight cut herself short as she heard what Spike was talking about: A pair of voices just above the hill's peak, one male and one female. In a few short seconds, the pair were in sight, their silhouettes illuminated by the fire and showing the pair to be Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst, the former of the two trailing behind the other as they double-stepped down the hill.

"Quick!" Spike whispered, grabbing Twilight by the shoulders and quickly whisking her behind a nearby tree, out of sight from the two.

"Umm, why are we hiding?" Twilight asked, feeling a little squished against the tree.

"What if Starlight's gonna talk to him about... Well y'know. We might throw her whole plan off." Spike commented, his eyes following the pair as they reached the bottom of the hill.

"Good point." Twilight emerged from the shadows and stepped out of the bush. "Do you think she'll tell him tonight? Might be a bad time. Especially with the long road ahead, could cause a lot of problems."

"Nah she won't tell him tonight. But I have a feeling that he'll know soon enough." Spike commented, continuing his trudge up the hill.

"So sure?" Twilight followed next to him.

"Even if she doesn't tell him, she'll make it pretty obvious in a day or so." Spike smirked.

"Oh... Yeah... That. Hehe, She'll probably jump the poor guy." Twilight giggled, imagining how ornery she got when she had a certain 'itch' that needed 'scratching' in her bimbo days.

"Something tells me it'll be a lot like our relationship back then, huh?" Spike himself chuckled but was cut short with Twilight's interjection.

"But their feelings are totally different. I mean their not brother and sister after all. It's not as weird as when we did... It..." Twilight said rapidly, ending with an awkward giggle and leaving the night air stale and colder than it already was. She could see Spike squirm at her mention of it, and just how fast she reiterated the morally dubious acts the committed together. She cringed herself when she remembered that those memories of incestuous teasing and sex would be all too real in the coming days. Even tomorrow she'd show the first signs of 'infection', and the day after she'd be near gone. Her time in 'her own' body was limited and she needed to make the most of it. "Spike..."

Spike took a moment to respond as they both continued up the hill, the damp rustle of the grass and boots-on-mud the only sound they heard.

"Yeah, Twilight?" Spike answered finally, stopping and turning to face her. He recognized the inflection in her voice and understood it as serious, so decided to not just lend her his ears, but his whole body.

"Listen... When I'm 'gone'-" Twilight's voice was serious and a little forlorn but was cut off by Spike.

"'Gone'?" He asked, looking up at her with a semi-confused expression.

"When I'm not 'me' when I'm 'he- When I turn into what- When I... When I become a bimbo. I need you to understand that you will have a lot of responsibility. I know that usually I lead the girls but I don't think that I'll be up to it given the circumstances, meaning that it will fall on you and Sunburst to keep us together and moving. I know that's a lot but Spike-" Twilight placed both hands on her friend's shoulders and stared down at him, but not a stern stare, one of warmth and strength. "I believe- No. I know you can do it." Her words now were stern, but with that same sense of warmth and strength, Spike almost felt no feeling of dread at Twilight's large words, if anything he felt even stronger. She always was good at rallying the troops.

"Thanks, Twilight." Spike decided it was best to respond simply, anything else would have just sounded corny. "Now come on, maybe Pinkie hasn't eaten all the marshmallows."

Rainbow Dash's eyes blinked, a thick layer of moisture glazing her peepers in the dazzling presence of the firelight. Her eyes remained open and unblinking as she rotated the thin stick in her hand, watching the sausage skewered on the end gently fry over the fire. Only three remained sitting around the open fire now, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, surprisingly, all sitting at opposite sides of the campfire. Understandable that Applejack and Rainbow were still up, they were most likely having a subconscious tournament to see who could stay up the longest, but Fluttershy's reason was unknown and mysterious. Especially since she kept shooting sideways glances to Rainbow and fidgeting with the hem of her t-shirt.

Rainbow hadn't noticed this, instead staring at the tasty morsel being licked by flames and licking her lips. Applejack, ever vigilant, had noticed and deduced that she wanted a Pegasus-to-Pegasus chat with her friend. Alone. That's why with a yawn and stretch of her arms, Applejack stood to her feet and looked at the pair.

"I think I'm gonna hit the hay. Hard. I'll see you two in the morning. G'night." Applejack tipped her hat and strode away to her shared tent with Pinkie Pie, keeping her ears away from whatever Fluttershy had kept so confidential.

"Goodnight, Applejack. Sleep well." Fluttershy smiled kindly.

"Yeah..." Rainbow droned, her focus set on the quickly browning piece of pork. When Applejack had climbed into her tent and zipped the flap all the way up, that's when Fluttershy made her move, quickly zipping the log Rainbow was sitting on and leaning in close.

"I'm gonna try it." She whispered in Rainbow's ear and startling the girl who had been in her own sausage-filled world.

"Try it? Try what? You mean try meat? I knew you'd drop that vegan thing one day. I'll get another dog on the fire." Rainbow said, a bit too excitedly for Fluttershy's liking.

"No, no. I'm not talking about sausage... Well, maybe I am talking about sausage..." Fluttershy whispered, the cheeky double entendre sending a blush to her entire face.

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, keeping one eye on her friend and one eye on the cooking sausage.

"What we talked about in the chariot ride? About me and Spike?" Fluttershy's voice was low, very low, so low even Rainbow Dash could barely hear her.

"Chariot ride... With Spike... Oh! Oh... You mean tonight?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes... Tonight." Fluttershy confirmed with a nod.

"Cool. Tell me how it went in the morning." Rainbow patted her friend on the back and looked back to her hot dog on a stick. Fluttershy looked down at her friend and sighed through her nose, her friend's inherent obtuseness agitating the woman.

"Rainbow?" She whispered.

"Yeah?" The smaller woman responded.

"How do I do it?" Fluttershy asked, turning her whole body on the log to face Rainbow Dash, who still seemed more interested in her food.

"Well he sticks his cock in you-" Rainbow began to explain quite lewdly before an even more agitated Fluttershy spoke up.

"Rainbow!" She hissed at the chuckling girl on the bench. "You know what I mean." Fluttershy huffed and crossed her arms with a pout, all while Rainbow continued to laugh.

"Just tell him Fluttershy. It's not that hard. I've seen you do much worse things before. Just go over to that tent, jump on him, and tell it how it is." Rainbow rolled her eyes and shook her head. Fluttershy had gone eye-to-eye with one hundred foot Dragon-Bloods and minotaurs before, yet her own boyfriend seems to be the scariest monster of all. To the brash and blunt Rainbow Dash, it just didn't add up.

But to Fluttershy, it was an entirely different kind of monster, herself. She had taken so long to think about how she would approach Spike, ever since the chariot ride to the Crystal Empire and the walk to their current location. It had been eating away at her for hours now, building plans to get the two of them together, then initiating him, and then what they'd actually do (a part which Fluttershy particularly disdained), and now that she was ready, the plans had fallen apart like paper in rain. To do anything now would be suicide for her.

"But what if- Eep!" Fluttershy protested with a rather cute exclamation as Rainbow Dash picked her up by the shoulders and began pushing her towards Spike's sizable tent, her unmoving feet kicking up dust and mud as Rainbow grumbled and moved the much larger woman with relative ease. "Rainbow, what are you doing?!" Fluttershy whispered urgently.

"Call it tough love." Rainbow mumbled as she continued to thrust the shaking and sweating woman towards the tent, sick of hearing questions of 'what if?' and more than willing to help her tightly-wound woman relax. As they neared the tent, Fluttershy's pathetic 'eeps' and 'nos' died down, only leaving her limps rattling and eyes wide as saucers until they were at the canvas door. Fluttershy watched in a petrified state of horror as Rainbow extended her 'tough love' by unzipping the tent's flap, dragging Fluttershy in, and then re-zipping the tent with Fluttershy inside. Fluttershy looked back to the now fully closed tent door, the sound of Rainbow's feet kicking away signaling that she was on her own, lying in her lover's tent, legs curled and her entire body frozen stiff like a defenseless livestock animal.

"Fluttershy?" A groggy, raspy voice asked from behind her, the shuffle of sleeping bags and pillows forming a new, thick slick of sweat on Fluttershy's already flooded brow. She spent what felt like hours before making her first move, taking her wildly shaking hands and placing them down on her thighs, steading them enough to make her next move. With a very audible gulp in her throat, she moved her body in a circle, rotating on her behind to face her boyfriend. Her mind had kicked into overdrive now, stress and anxiety flooding her system and making every move calculated to a T. Her physical moves were considered, but her mental ones were not. What was she going to do when she turned around? Did she want to leave the tent or stay? What did Spike think of her extremely awkward presence? She honestly had no idea. Rainbow would call it 'going with the flow' but Fluttershy felt 'torture' was a more fitting term.

When she finally made her full revolution, her breath hitched in her gullet, her eyelids fluttered like butterflies, and a sensation of scolding heat washed under her skin, with some places on her body feeling the burn much more than others.

She gazed at Spike's completely naked body with a hanging jaw, her eyes twinkling as the moonlight through the mesh tent windows smoothly slid over his many mightily defined muscles, painting him within the scene with an artistry akin to the classical masters. Fluttershy herself had been known to doodle and sketch in her spare time, and in front of she saw a muse worthy of many works. A beautiful body that seemed made rather than born. Even the way he was posed accentuated all the bounds of sinew and flesh that formed him, his neck thick and smooth, the arms he used to prop himself up bulged ever-so-slightly with a paired bicep and tricep combo, pectorals wide and firm like plates of slate, and a set of abs so hot they could fry eggs.

But one particular hunk of exciting flesh formed the star on this particular Hearths Warming tree. Spike's long, thick, flaccid cock laid lazily across his belly in a diagonal fashion, so long that it covered three abs and dipped down to the side. Along with the near-freakish cock hanging like a resting python, a set of balls low and large sat between his thighs, completely smooth like eggshells and resting on the inflatable mattress beneath Spike.

Fluttershy's eyes rested on the cock for minutes, literal minutes. Her concept of time was restored as the seconds ticked away painfully, all while Fluttershy stared at what would become her goal of the night. It was strange, she was feeling different. Usually, when she saw Spike's cock she felt intimidated by the mountain of meat, but now she felt a small sense of wonder and a large sense of naughtiness. If she wasn't so drawn to the dick she might have mused whether Cupio's lusty effects had taken control or if she just really needed it.

"Like what you see?" Spike asked, flashing the flustered girl a cocky grin. She had seen that smirk before, he wore it many times when they had met up for their monthly 'Bimbo Bangfest'. He always used that slither of masculine confidence to send a shiver up the girl's collective spines, and it certainly didn't fail now either. Fluttershy gasped softly in the night air and inhaled through her nose sharply and tasting the thick musk in the air, a combination of Spike's natural smell amplified by the sweat from hours of walking he had gone through.

"Yuhuuu... I-I-I-I-Iiiii... Helllllllllllo... Hiiiiii..." Fluttershy mumbled nonsensically, the speed of the events frying her mind and leaving a small slip of drool to run down her chin while her skin increased to an almost unbearable warmth, so hot she felt like she needed to literally tear her clothes into shreds to satiate her body. She flinched slightly as Spike rose up, his torso vertical now and looking up at her with that damn smirk.

"You here for anything in particular, or just to say hello?" Spike whispered, his voice dipping into a low and crooning tone that dripped into Fluttershy's ears like sweet syrup and only encouraged her already flaming flesh. If his voice wasn't enough then the hand that firmly gripped Fluttershy's thigh and the fingers that squeezed her ass equated to gasoline. The moan that slipped from her hanging lips was enough to cement what she was here for:

"Se-S-S-Se-Sex..." Fluttershy stuttered, her jaw rattling with an intoxicating blend of fear and anticipation yet still spilling the words that both Spike and Fluttershy wanted to hear.

"Well, you only had to say." Spike said. With that, he pulled Fluttershy towards him using the firm grip on her thighs so her legs were thrown over his. Fluttershy let out a high-pitched and rather surprised exclamation, throwing out her hands to steady herself, one gripping his thigh and the other landing on his abs, mere millimeters from his cock. Fluttershy could already feel it twitching, tantalizingly close to her and only getting closer. "So how do you wanna do this? Slow and steady? Or hot and heavy?" Spike pulled her in close, whispering delicately into her ear. Fluttershy felt like she would almost pass out at the pure heat coming from his lips, feeling the gusts of flames deep within his belly. When he breathed she swore she could hear the crackles of the embers in his both literally and figuratively hot body.

"I-I-I don't... I do-don't know..." Fluttershy stammered, avoiding eye contact with Spike's burning reptilian peepers, just staring at them might make her cum instantly. The blood in Fluttershy's cheeks flared up, a crimson hue spreading like a forest fire over her face from just thinking about it, him making her climax without even touching her. She felt so dirty, so repressed for such a long time and now just letting it flow, it felt good yet ever-so-awkward for her. She had no idea what to do, where to look, where to touch, what to say even, she just needed to take it back for a second. "Slow... P-Please. I-I ca-can't..."

"Shhh... It's ok..." Spike whispered, dipping down to her neck and planting several soft kisses around the collar of her t-shirt. Fluttershy sighed deeply, feeling the overbearing heat in the tent dissipate into a much more comfortable warmness with just a few words from her. Maybe Rainbow Dash was onto something, communication definitely helped this situation, some more wouldn't go amiss. But as she felt the tingles of Spike sucking and nipping at the fair skin of her neck she decided to just enjoy the moment a little bit longer.

Spike hummed softly as his fingers slowly slid under the collar of his lover's t-shirt and pulled back, revealing more skin for him to gently caress, all while Fluttershy gently cooed in response. He also removed his hand from her ass, instead opting to place them on the less sensitive but still squeezable flesh of her slightly chubby midriff. Spike wondered where exactly Fluttershy's modest sexual confidence had emerged and how he couldn't be happier with it. He hadn't expected this tonight, in actuality, he was just getting used to being all alone in his tent, but now that things had turned for the best he was definitely going to enjoy it. Luckily Fluttershy had chosen the slowest and more sensual option, he could make it last all night if she wanted and it would definitely be nice to be a bit more physical and close. After all, he predicted a lot of hot and passionate fucking in the next few days, right now with Fluttershy would be a little taste of what he could expect after the journey.

"Spike... Spike... You sh-sh-should tell me... Tell me what to do." Fluttershy spoke, her words shaking out of nervousness. "You-You're b-better at this than... Me." Fluttershy chewed her bottom lip softly and looked down at Spike, the moonlight in her eyes adding a most innocent glimmer. Fluttershy breathed easy after saying that, a weight from her shoulders lifted. She had gotten herself here (with some help from Rainbow Dash) but leading was not her strong suit, especially in the bedroom. Spike, however, was what many would consider a living, breathing fuck machine, so she thought it best that he help her now.

"Alright. But still keeping it slow?" Spike asked. Fluttershy looked away, to a small dark spot in the tent away from Spike's sizzling emerald eyes and, after a few silent seconds, nodded. "Ok. I'm gonna ask you to do something that's pretty out there..."

"Y-You mean like... Kinky. Because I-I-I don't know if I can do-" Fluttershy was cut off by a finger pressed to her pouty lips.

"Relax, Fluttershy." Spike chuckled. "Just relax alright." Spike ran a hand up her back reassuringly, stroking the small comfortingly over the soft and lightly damp cotton of her t-shirt. Fluttershy heard his words and breathed slowly, trying to simply lose herself under his touch and guidance. She still felt tense but his gentle caressing was certainly helping, albeit slowly. "First thing's first. I think we need to get you out of these clothes. Filthy..." Spike said, alluding to the slightly sweat-soaked t-shirt and cargo pants Fluttershy still wore from the trek.

Every bit of Fluttershy that had relaxed previously now seized up again at the mention of stripping nude, and it was obviously present in her hitched breath and blanched cheeks. She sat straight up like a meerkat as Spike sighed and rolled his eyes out of sight.

"Fluttershy c'mon. You can do it... I've seen you do it before." Spike brought a hand to her face, gently tracing his thumb and forefinger over her soft features, over her jaw and her cute chin. Using the gentlest of touches he moved her head to look at him, or more specifically his body. Fluttershy meeped her trademark meep as she focused on one particular part of Spike's nude form, the now fully engorged cock laying squarely in the middle of Spike's belly, and the powerful, loaded throbs of blood traveling through his shaft. The way the dick beat reminded her of the ocean, fluid wave after fluid wave of rigid flesh pouring from base to head, accentuated by a thick dollop of pre-cum oozing out and dropping onto Spike's belly to add to an already substantial miniature river system flowing over his abs.

Just looking at it she could imagine herself sliding her tongue across those rock hard cutlets of muscle, lips quivering as the taste of his thick pre rose into her mouth and drove her crazy. He would have his hand on her head, fingers weaved into her thick locks and guiding her head up and down, left to right over his torso, all while pumping more and more of that tantalizing nectar on Spike's abs, which now served as Fluttershy's debaucherous food bowl for her to lap at, all while soft words of encouragement and dominance being moaned while she polished his perfect physique.

Fluttershy had no idea what she just imagined happening, how her mind even came up with something so undeniably filthy. She was surprised in her nervous and worn state she could even elicit a positive reaction from Spike or his cock, let alone cause it to blossom into such a rock-hard specimen. But what she just saw behind her own eyes was something only the 'old' Fluttershy could come up with.

Maybe that's what she needed, a bit of the 'old' Fluttershy to come out. In moderation of course. 'Old' Fluttershy would be running rampant in the next couple of days, but I tiny bit with the 'real' thing wouldn't hurt. It's just how she would do it. She could barely let herself out.

All the while Fluttershy was thinking and imagining, she had been staring directly at Spike's cock, completely unblinking and breathing heavily over his body. Spike had taken note of this and slipping a sneaky hand under the waistband of Fluttershy's pants to give the bare skin of her thigh a quick pinch, bringing her back into the real world with a cute exclamation of surprise. She didn't take her eyes off Spike's long, throbbing dick though, she only realized that she had in fact been staring at it for the past minute or two.

"S-S-S-S-orry..." She murmured, still unblinking and full-on glaring at the shaft, almost as if she was using her 'Stare' on it. Spike chuckled, bringing his left hand down his body, slipping over his side and running a finger along his well-defined adonis belt.

"I don't blame you for staring. You're only human." Spike shot, his voice loaded with smugness even Rainbow Dash would find excessive. He took his entire hand and wrapped it around the thick, veiny base, slowly pulling it up until it was completely straight up in the air. "Don't think I didn't notice you eye-fucking me ever since you got in the tent." Spike's hand tightened around his member, slowly sliding up the beautifully smooth surface, a painful display to Fluttershy who wanted so badly to smack his hand away and replace it with her own. She marveled particularly at the fact that his own hand couldn't even grasp the forearm thick pipe fully, leaving a few unloved inches were fingers failed to meet.

Eventually, he reached just below the head, holding on tightly as the obelisk of meat pumped out more and more pre-cum onto his soaked hand, ridiculous amounts of the cloudy stuff churning from those resting balls beneath him. Fluttershy audibly gasped as he pulled down again, bringing his foreskin back with him and sluggishly pulling back the curtain of flesh to reveal the literal crown to the king of all cocks. A string of drool fell from Fluttershy's lips as the skin finally fell past his glans, showing the bulbous piece to the locked-in audience.

With the full majesty on display, Spike removed his hand, but by using the tightly wound muscles in his lower half, he managed to keep the heavy cock between his legs standing straight up, looking frankly fake on his comparatively short frame. Fluttershy watched in amazement as with a small, throaty grunt from Spike he shot a jet of pre-cum from his cock, a spit of the cloudy pre flying high into the air, curving down and splatting down. Her lusty wonder at the feat turned into pure lust as she saw where it landed or rather felt where it landed. Her tongue darted out like to the side of her mouth like a heron's beak catching a fish and she felt it, the explosion of taste. That salty, heady, oh-so-natural cocktail of cum, the stuff she had imagined only a minute ago tasting better than in her mind. Her tongue began lapping at her cheek, slapping wildly at every last drop it could find, she would have employed her fingers to help her but they went numb minutes ago and her arms remained stapled to their current positions. Even if she could feel her hands, they'd be too busy knuckle deep in her pussy.

"Did you like that? Took me a while to learn it." Spike laughed, letting his cock fall back to his tummy with a loud slapping noise. Fluttershy shuddered as the taste stuck on her tongue, staining her palette for the next few hours at least. Needless to say, breakfast wouldn't taste the same tomorrow. But that was the future, Fluttershy's lust smeared head was firmly planted in the present, and what would come next. It was Spike's choice still, she had forfeited her choices to his more experienced hands and looking at him now, he planned to use it. "I think you should get naked." Spike said, leaning back onto his bed and looking the woman up and down.

Fluttershy exploded into action, blood rushing back into her fingers and hands as she near ripped her the dirty shirt up, exposing her midriff. But to her surprise she was stopped midway through by Spike's hand, firmly grasping her wrist and stopping her from revealing any more.

"Nuh-uh. How about you do it nice and slow for me. Put on a little show, huh?" Spike lay back again, removing his hand from Fluttershy's wrist and letting her shaking arm fall back to her lap. She was left cold now, so ready to strip quick, to feel natural and ready next to her lover but now that he had commanded her to take her time, she had no clue where to start. The numbness in her hands returned, but not from arousal, but a flood of ice-cold anxiety through her veins.

"How?" Fluttershy breathed, the veil of anxiety not enough to stop her words. She was feeling a little light-headed with her mind racing so fast and at this point, she was speaking in raw thoughts. Spike had to say he liked hearing this uncut Fluttershy, her stuttering was cute but it did get old fast.

"Take off your bra." His order was cut clear in the silent air and once again Fluttershy felt her hands reignite. "Slowly." Before she could move he reaffirmed his last demand to her, now her hands moved slowly, painfully slowly from their rested position to her hip. She slid them up, the fiery tips of her fingers finding the skin under her t-shirt and squeezing down on the flesh, so angry at their sluggish nature but still traveling upwards at the same pace. Spike watched her with intense scrutiny as her hands came behind her back, meeting in the middle and slowly following against her spine until they reached the cotton bridge of her bra, the fiddly metal already pressing against her fingertips.

She grabbed each side of it, the thin metal hooks stretched together as she prepared herself. She pulled each strap in, then out, hoping to unhook the near-microscopic metal hoops but as she pulled apart she felt no give at all. The hooks were still together. She repeated the process again, but once again, no luck, much to her frustration. She tried again, and again, and again. She was stuck there, under Spike's gaze while the damn bra hooks refused to budge. She had been wearing bras since she was eleven years old, she thought herself a master at taking them off, but a combination of sweaty palms, judging gazes and just general Fluttershy-ness, she just couldn't do it. It was an exasperated sigh that tipped Spike off, the young man seeing his girlfriend struggling and while she didn't ask for a helping hand, he was determined to give her one.

He wordlessly leant forward, his arms following hers under her t-shirt, mingling with her fingers in a delicate and caring squeeze. As their hands met so did their lips, Fluttershy slightly surprised by the sudden show of affection but soon falling into it. Her lips became malleable, shifting with Spike's from left to right, following what his set and creating her own. Her hands dropped from behind her as the soft, warm kiss heated her up, leaving Spike's hands to take over. With Spike in control, he slowly slipped his tongue through their shared kiss and transitioning into a full-blown make-out between two now mingling tongues. Fluttershy sighed contently as the heat of the soft yet decently passionate make-out session warmed her, eased her, and slowly melted her, all while Spike's hands continued to fiddle behind her. Spike knew his way around a pair of tits like a fish in water, but bras were never his forte and he found it difficult to figure out the tiny metal clasps without resorting to brute strength. Luckily he had Fluttershy distracted with the kiss, leaving him with ample time to unhook and lay waste.

Minutes later however and the damn hooks still refused to fold. This was much easier when she didn't wear these damn things. Spike thought, now very agitated by the metal catches. Fuck it. He thought as he grabbed each bra strap tight and pulled them apart, popping the metal hooks asunder and leaving Fluttershy's bra useless now. He pulled back, Fluttershy gasping in response, both for air and in surprise of Spike's aggression towards her brassiere.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't help it. You're so fucking sexy I just want to have you right fucking here right fucking now." Spike hissed, his strong arms pulling Fluttershy close, his mouth immediately finding her neck and beginning to kiss, suck and nip at her skin, staining her with slick salvia. Fluttershy moaned wholeheartedly, grabbing Spike by the neck and head, pulling him in forward all while her hips ground wildly, trying to find a small bump of release to rub her burning mound against. "But... I still want that show." Spike broke contact, letting go of Fluttershy and leaning back again, all while her poor bottom half bucked.

Fluttershy's lips shook as she was forced to continue her 'little show', the obstacle of her bra now little to deal with. She pulled down each of the elasticated straps and twisted her arms around to release them from her shoulders, letting the bra fall slightly before she removed it from underneath her shirt. Fluttershy took a sigh of relief as she let her 'girls' free, slightly sore after a long day of walking. Luckily she had a back-up bra so she wouldn't be freeboobing on tomorrows trek.

The now bra-less woman tossed her useless underwear to the side as she took deep breaths through her nose. She was now left without command, her previous task finished. But it was obvious what Spike wanted to see right now, otherwise, he wouldn't have asked from her bra. So Fluttershy's hands felt perfectly fine finding their way to the hem of her shirt and bunching up the cotton in her tight fingertips. With a firm hold, she began to pull upwards with tee in tow, keeping a close distance with her chubby midriff until she reached it. The shelf of boob was soft and oh-so-sensitive to touch, so when Fluttershy began brushing the roll of fabric against the underappreciated underside, small, stifled moans escaped her chewed lips. She hooked her t-shirt underneath and gave the tits a jiggle, enticing waves of flesh visible even through the slightly baggy clothing. She looked up to Spike, seeing his lips parted and a rolling tongue inside, wanting so badly to spit-bathe her covered knockers. It seemed the sides had shifted, now Fluttershy had something Spike wanted and he was locked in. And Fluttershy intended to tease him much like he teased her.

She took the rolled hem of her t-shirt and pulled it down taut, the soft fabric snapping tight to her curves and showing the bountiful surface and contour of her breasts, the landscape of soft flesh molding slightly under the pressure. She pulled the t-shirt tighter, hooking it under her boobs while still tight and letting her now hard nipples poke out, tantalizing reminders of what was in store for the young man. With the t-shirt tight, Fluttershy began to slowly drag it upwards, the coiled brim thick enough to support her liquid flesh as she continued upwards, her mams following. She kept the roll tight beneath her nipples as she pulled her tits upward, the pendulous meat stretching to her chin before it stopped, where she took a deep breath and removed her support.

The tits dropped, the soft oceans of bosom crashing down in a beautiful wave, each one knocking against the other like conkers while Spike admired the sexuality of the jiggling, wobbling never-still pair. Finally, they rested, each tit sagging slightly under their own weight and the soft, dusty-pink nipples sitting oddly opposites to one another, pointing away and down to the floor. Spike licked his lips as he eyed up the delicious sweater yams, Fluttershy smiling in response as she removed her t-shirt, leaving her completely topless. Spike breathed deeply, waiting for whatever Fluttershy had next for him.

It took a few stagnantly silent seconds until Spike realized that he was actually in control and Fluttershy was waiting with baited breath for his next command.

"Oh... Now your pants." Spike said, regaining the scene with his smoky, low tones. Fluttershy meeped and looked down at the baggy cargo pants she wore. She was glad to be rid of them, the combination of deep pockets and khaki didn't play well with the sensual act she was playing. Luckily her boots were already off when she got into the tent, so all that was required was to loosen her canvas D Ring belt and slip the loose fitting legs off. As she slowly slid them down, revealing the thickness of both pale thighs, she became aware of the slick sheen of sweat over her skin. Looking down at her broad thighs, her skin shone like water as the moonlight streaked her flesh, with long beams of light spreading after she finally kicked the pants off, leaving her shapely legs free.

She turned slightly, looking once again to Spike. There was no real need for him to say anything though, she knew what was coming, what article would be next. She rubbed her thighs together, her teeth clenching her lips as she felt the hot, sticky mess that had become her panties, the audible squelching as she moved her legs filling the tent.

"Take them off." Clearly, Spike had also heard the sound. Fluttershy took a breath and reached down to her hips, slipping her thumbs under the waistband of her modest panties. With a tantalizing crawl down her skin, the large pair of sleek black panties slipped onto her thighs, exposing the milky skin of her full rump. Further and further the panties slid, the dampness of the cloth undercarriage apparent as Fluttershy looked down, seeing the crotch a tone even darker than the already tar black underwear. She gulped audibly as the panties reached her ankles, sitting on the floor of the tent, a damp and shapeless mass and the last thing standing in the way of her full nudity.

Fluttershy looked down at her stark body, her pale flesh illuminated within the moonlight much like Spike's was when she first entered, but while the shimmers of light edged up all of his muscular bumps and ridges, on Fluttershy it glided smoothly across her plump flesh, like ribbons of white cotton wrapped skin-tight on her. She placed her hands on her thighs, almost as if to prove she wasn't doing anything inappropriate with them and noticed how her breasts heaved gently with each long breath she took in. She couldn't even feel her pussy, but from the sheer humidity and heat felt in her inner thighs she could tell she was ready.

"Now... Lie on the mattress." Spike said, breaking her out of her own head and making her look towards him. Although she wasn't on the air mattress like he previously was, he had taken up beside it, kneeling next to the now empty bedding and beckoning for her to take her place. She nodded and lurched forward onto her hands and knees, her tits dangling low as she shifted over to bed and gently put herself down on the bed. Spike looked her up and down, admiring her soft natural curves. It was nice seeing her like this, without being magically altered, her still very alluring body sitting still and waiting. Although this time was far different from the previous times they made love.

Usually, Fluttershy would have her arms and legs straight as a board when she lied on the bed, with a pair of sealed lips. It was bad to think so, but Spike thought that such a curvaceous figure was wasted on such an unresponsive woman but tonight she seemed raring to go. Even her pose on the bed was silently seductive to Spike compared to previous sessions. She held her arms tight to her chest, hands under her globes which she supported in a loose grip, letting them rest easy on her chest while she discreetly rolled a nipple between her fingers. And while her midriff was slightly chubbier than what would be considered 'sexy', he loved the way it moved in thick waves when he thrust into her was delicious to him, even if he never picked up enough power to get it to really move. Her waist led to a packed pair of hips, wide and soft with evidence to a meaty and natural ass and thighs, thighs which were crossed tightly over her crotch in an alluring allusion to the highly aroused prize underneath. Spike shifted to her side on the bed, her eyes darting from his face to his cock every second.

"Spread your legs apart." Spike whispered, watching the goosebumps on Fluttershy's body peak at his words. The thighs unwound slowly, sliding down each other until they were paired together straight. A full patch of hair sprouted from her crotch, a collection of wiry pink curls which were uncovered as she continued to twist her legs, eventually, enough for Spike to see the shimmering and fully flushed lips of his lover. He moved a hand to her thigh, his digits sitting light on her skin and sending a small jolt down Fluttershy's legs.

The fingers slowly slid up her thigh, small slaloms playing with her sensitive legs until he reached the connection between each fat flank. He looked down at Fluttershy, whose bottom lip was firmly clenched by her teeth, and she met his gaze with her own wobbling glassy eyes. She breathed in deep through her nose and let the oxygen sit in her lungs for a few seconds before expelling it and opening her mouth.

"I'm ready." Fluttershy said, her words barely a breath it was so quiet. Spike didn't nod, but he did lean into her and took her lips, a tongue slipping in without warning and quickly making itself at home. Fluttershy moaned softly into her lover's mouth and joined his tongue, slowly melting as the two muscles connected and writhed feverishly. Fluttershy's soft, loose state under the kiss was very quickly shattered when she felt the tips of two digits slowly snake over her flared pussy, teasing around the outside with a fluttering pressure.

She couldn't stop her body from wriggling free of the kiss and letting loose a shaky moan as the pressure of Spike's hand increased, toying idly with her soft folds and pulling more and more exclamations from her. He repeated the action again, running his fingers up the brim of her hot, sopping entrance and once again she let loose a high-pitched squeal, muffled halfway through when she slapped her hand over her own mouth. If he kept this up there would be no doubt that Starlight and Sunburst would hear in the next tent over.

Spike smiled and slid his two digits apart, delicately pulling the pussy apart and exposing the soft inner flesh to the chilly night air. Fluttershy moaned and slapped a hand onto Spike's bicep, digging her nails into his firm muscle to steady herself. Spike smiled and pulled them a little bit further in response, pulling a barely hearable moan from Fluttershy's muffled mouth. The moan only continued as Spike's middle finger prodded low into Fluttershy's pussy, testing the spongy surface for sensitivity and slowly snaking into the tight, winking hole begging to be blasted.

Spike looked down at his hand between Fluttershy's shaking thighs then back to her, locking eyes with his girlfriend in a stark silence. Her blue irises seemingly wobbled in her glass-eyed state, begging for both safety and mercy in his hands but also a brutal ravaging from the same hands. Spike's face was blank except for a beaming pair of eyes, a smoldering look from his predatory Dragon-Blood eyes that he learned could put any woman on the edge of climax instantly.

The seconds ticked by, Spike's finger keeping a constant pressure on Fluttershy's cunt and the woman shaking intermediately and squeaking as a result, hand still firmly planted over her mouth to stop her from screaming. Fluttershy thought that Spike might quickly shove it in and begin finger-fucking her fast and hard, but the sadistic teen was not one for expectations tonight and instead dragged the point of his finger slowly towards her tight vagina, teasing the woman incessantly until he was pressed against the seal of her inner canal. The poor, flustered, begging Fluttershy nipped at her fingers as she felt the broad tip of his middle finger gently pulse against her snug brim, and then, suddenly, she felt it breach and sink fingernail-deep into her.

Her mouth fell and her eyes pulled back as the digit pushed further, her walls clamping down on it and treating it as if it was some gargantuan cock. And Fluttershy could barely tell the difference, she felt completely full from the finger, even a little stretched at where the finger knuckles flexed. It was truly overwhelming after what felt like days of teasing and edging from her loveable but sexually ruthless boyfriend, and her body reacted as a result. Her hands fell to the ground, her mouth free to release a glass-breaking whine of pleasure while her body seemingly went into shock.

Spike was surprised. Right before her, Fluttershy was cumming. From just a finger! There had been times when he made her cum just from inserting, but that was a 13-inch monster cock he was sliding into her, this was just his little middle finger. But he could definitely feel it, her pussy airtight, keeping his finger in place like a snare while her walls squeezed it, demanding a load that was not coming. Still smiling at his girlfriend's hair-trigger he pulled his finger slowly from her pussy, the extremity almost pruning at just how wet it was inside her.

As he watched the juices drip down his finger and onto the sleeping bag, he noticed Fluttershy's legs slowly stop bucking and her toes unfurl, showing she had come down from her orgasmic high and was maybe ready for the main show. Spike dropped to his hands and knees and leaned down to Fluttershy's ear, his lips brushing tantalizingly close to her earlobe and no doubt getting her hot.

"Now you're gonna-Oh..." Spike's smoking hot voice suddenly changed to his much more usual boyish tones after he noticed that Fluttershy was snoring. He leaned back up and looked at her, eyes closed tight, body laid out in lazy leisure, and a pair of parted lips letting loose adorably light snores similar to a kittens purr. "Really?" Spike asked.

He had fucked girls into unconsciousness before, but with a single finger? Maybe he was better than he thought. Nevertheless, there wasn't much he could do with her now she was asleep, except make sure she rested easy. He hooked a pair of arms under her and gently slid her into the sleeping bag she lay on before footing himself into the snug covers. It was made for one person so there was little room to move, but he didn't mind having her warm, soft body against his, and he knew she wouldn't mind either.

Although having both her fat asscheeks pushed against him all night certainly wasn't going to help the raging hard-on he still sported.

Author's Notes:

Sike I'm not dead.

Sorry I haven't updated in like sixteen years, I've been holding down the street's you know? On some real shit though I started Uni and in case you kids didn't know that takes up a lot of a man's time. That and partying.

But anyway I hoped you enjoyed slogging your way through this one. Expect the next chapter in 2021.