Las Pegasus had no less than three hot air balloon services: Adventure Balloons, Las Pegasus Balloon Rides, and “Love is in the Air Ballooning”, the latter which was normally reserved for weddings and similar special occasions. Unfortunately, when Spike called to make a reservation for himself and his mother, that was the only one that had an opening... and it was early in the morning, which was perfect for Celestia! She loved the freshness of the dawn; the Sun coming up, the cool morning air, the silence at several hundred or thousand feet... it was bliss.

For as long as Spike could remember, Celestia was an adrenaline junkie. Even more so when her sister Luna got her a copy of “Thrill-Seeking Adventures for the Rich!” last Hearth’s Warming. Celestia had done almost everything in that book from mountain climbing to hang-gliding, skydiving to spelunking, zip-lining (her personal favorite), even running with the bulls and scuba diving with great white sharks. But that day, Spike surprised his adoptive mother with something she had never done before: bungee jumping from a hot air balloon!

Celestia entered the lobby from the elevator with a rush, arms outstretched. Spike caught her as she gave a girlish impetuous jump three feet from the front desk, and as he lowered her to her feet he looked at his adoptive mother with great affection. She looked sexy with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing tight jeans, a plain white T-shirt and running shoes. She kissed Spike briefly on the cheek when Discord strolled up to them, munching on a chocolate cupcake that he had swiped from the kitchen.

“Well, there she is. The Ball-Crusher 2000,” he directed at Celestia.

“Spike, you didn’t tell me it was Bring Your Troll to Work Day,” Celestia countered with a smile.

“Enough with the pleasantries,” Discord said. “What are you doing here?”

“Does a mother need a reason to treat her son to a day of fun?” she replied.

Discord squinted shrewdly at them.

“All right, fine, but be back in time for the evening shift!” he told Spike. “It’s Ladies’ Night in the Midnight Lounge and Applejack’s going to need your help bartending since Soarin’s taking a ‘personal day.’”

Spike nodded as Celestia put on her sunglasses and they made tracks for adventure. Rarity, who had been standing behind the front desk and stuffing her face with chocolates, sighed as she watched Spike walk off with Celestia.

“Can you believe that?” she asked Coco. “How many young men would do something like that with their mother?”

“Hey, Gossip Girl, careful you don’t stretch your uniform out,” Discord said as he finished off the cupcake. “Who would leave a pair of cupcakes just sitting on the counter?”

After filling out the necessary paperwork, Spike and his mother got fitted into their gear: jumpsuits, helmets, goggles and harnesses. While Celestia adjusted her harness’s straps, Spike got a good look at her ample breasts as they peeked out of the top of her suit... and he suddenly wanted to touch them. He wanted to fit a finger or two between them and feel her flesh pressing back. Of course, no such thing happened. Once they made sure that everything was correct and secure, they were ready to jump.

The basket was big enough to hold Spike, Celestia and their pilot, and as the balloon rose with the Sun they saw everything. The rich, bold colors of the desert were even more striking from the air and they caught glimpses of the wildlife including foxes, wild horses, coyotes, and the elusive jackrabbit.

Spike and his mother pulled their goggles over their eyes as the pilot checked their cords one last time and they climbed over opposite sides of the basket. Celestia screamed happily as they fell together, towards the Earth at what felt like a hundred miles an hour, and then sprang back up toward the basket, sometimes going even higher than the balloon itself. After half a dozen dives, Celestia pulled out her cell phone and took a selfie as she took her last jump.

“That was intense,” Spike said once they were back on the ground. “I guess you’re used to it by now, though.”

“No, today was different,” Celestia replied. “I’ve never felt the rush quite like that before. This was wonderful, Spike. Thank you.”

She gave him another soft peck on the cheek, and her scent had him swooning for a second before they returned to the city.

Celestia was a social drinker; she may have a glass of wine or two, but that day she had three with her lunch. She didn’t know if it was the rush of adrenaline from the bungee jumping, or the fact that Spike was with her, but she felt like a young woman again. Then a tear fell from her eye as she remembered an evening years ago, when Spike was still a teenager, she was so tired that she fell asleep at the dinner table... and when she woke up she saw that Spike had draped a blanket over her. She had left a window open in the kitchen and it was getting cold outside.

Spike noticed the tear on her cheek and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m just glad that I get to spend some time with you,” Celestia said. “I don’t like Bridleway musicals, going to museums, the beach, the opera, the spa, or on picnics in the park, and I don’t know how to play video games... and whenever I see you and Luna enjoying those things together, I get a little jealous because I can’t do them with you.”

Spike smiled as he recalled the first time Luna shared her theatergoing experiences with him. It was a cold winter night when Spike was seven-years-old. She bundled him up, and the next thing he knew he was transported to a beautiful place where people were singing and dancing and he fell in love with it.

“Yeah, but you try,” he replied. “That’s what I love about you: you don’t pretend to like everything that I do. And it’s good to have separate interests. I mean, there is such a thing as spending too much time together.”

Celestia looked away with a frown.

“That being said, I also like that you try to share your interests with me,” Spike added as he placed his hand over hers. “Some things just aren’t as fun to do when you’re alone. And if you do too many things separately, eventually you drift apart. It’s like any good relationship: give and take. You taught me that.”

Celestia smiled back at him.

“Well, I appreciate that, Spike,” she said. “From now on, I will make more of an effort to enjoy the things that you like.”

“Thanks, Mom,”

After lunch, they walked out of the restaurant hand in hand and strolled down the Strip, checking out the different casinos including Planet Applewood. They entered and sat at one of the blackjack tables with a group of three women—named Redheart, Snowheart and Tenderheart—who Spike found out were in town for their annual Nurses Convention.

As soon as Spike sat down, he started sizing them up. First, Redheart: a hot, busty thirty-something with snow white skin, she wore a pink top and a black skirt that seemed two sizes too small—primary target. Then Snowheart: a sexy thirty-year-old with light blue hair and green eyes—secondary target. And finally, Tenderheart: a cute twenty-something with purple eyes, and the only one focused on her chip count. They were all stealing looks at Spike while he and Celestia won the next set of hands. Occasionally, Spike made eye contact with the nurses and smiled, and they cheered for Celestia when her winnings went from $450 to over $2,000 in just fifteen minutes.

“I guess I have a little more luck on my side today,” she said.

Meanwhile, Zephyr Breeze and Tree Hugger walked through the kitchen of the Flimflam Brothers’ Resort after catching a Jack Pot and Trixie magic show. After dinner that night, they were going to lie on the roof of the resort and watch the stars come out. And Zephyr got them a little something to make the night even better: chocolate cupcakes. He went over to the counter he had left them on the night before, but found only one.

“There were two,” he said. “What happened to the other one?”

“Oh, well, here’s a clue,” Tree Hugger said, holding up a strand of gray hair that was lying on the other. “I think your boss passed through here and left this.”

“Oh, no, this is not good,” Zephyr said.

“What’s the big deal?” Tree Hugger asked. “It’s just a cupcake.”

“No, babe, it’s a potcake,”

He and Tree Hugger rounded up Fluttershy, Starlight, and Twilight, and they combed the resort for Discord. They found him in his office, sitting and staring at the TV, but it was off.

“Discord, what are you doing?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

Starlight noticed two empty cans on the desk.

“Did you eat two cans of baked beans?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Discord repeated.

“Why isn’t the TV on?” Zephyr Breeze asked.

“I don’t know,”

“Are you feeling all right, John?” Fluttershy inquired.

“I. Don’t. Know,”

“Did you eat one of my brother’s cupcakes?” she added sternly.

“It wasn’t even that good,” he answered. “In fact, it tasted kind of funny.”

“That’s because it was made with pot,” Zephyr added.

“Are you telling me I’m goofed up on grass right now?” Discord asked.

“Yeah,” Zeph said with a nod.

“You dosed me, you damn dirty hippy!” Discord growled.

“Get him some water! Quick!” Starlight said.

Fluttershy ran to the kitchen, grabbed a glass, filled it, and gave it to Discord when she returned.

“Is that better?” she asked.

“Not really, my teeth still feel enormous,” Discord replied.

“I can’t believe this is the first time you’ve ever been high,” Zeph said.

“Are you holding my hand?” Discord asked Tree Hugger. “Get out!”

“It’s okay,” she reassured him. “I have guided more than my fair share of first-timers.”

Discord looked at Twilight and asked, “Is she trying to have sex with me? Where’s her other hand?”

“Come on, Tree Hugger, let’s go,” Zeph told his girlfriend.

“Okay, all right. But if you need anything, I’ve got glow sticks and a bubble machine,” Tree Hugger said to them.

“Oh, my Faust, I could eat!” Discord shouted. “I need toast ASAP! Seriously, if I don’t get some toast right now, I may literally die, I am starving!”

Starlight and Fluttershy left Twilight with Discord long enough to return to the kitchen and make Discord some toast. Fluttershy even went through the trouble of getting a tub of butter and a bottle of honey, as well as various jams and jellies; and Starlight brought back a can of whipped cream.

“Are you happy now?” Twilight asked him.

“I think I’m losing my highness, Your Highness,” he laughed. “Nope... I’m still up there with the damn kites... Spike has you so whipped... You are such a whore... I am so horny right now... Cool. There’s an echo inside my head! Hello! Balls! Awesome! Bongos! Equestria! Is there anybody in there? Oh, my Faust. The echo just said yes.”

He took the whipped cream can from Starlight, shook it, and sprayed it into his mouth until it was full.

“Pinkie was right, this stuff’s not just for cakes. It’s great all by itself!” Discord proceeded to spray some onto his head. “Look at me! I’m Whipped Cream Head! Fear me! All fear Whipped Cream Head!”

“Okay, I think you’ve had enough,” Starlight told him.

“I knew that wasn’t a good idea,” muttered Twilight.

“I’ll tell you what’s a good idea: chili cheese fries and a large root beer... with chili cheese fries... and girls... You know, when I was your age, they had to use a water cannon to keep me away from the girls down at the Paramount... and speaking of girls, isn’t Fluttershy cute?” Discord asked. “Why, I think she’s even cuter than you!” he told Twilight. “You know what else? I think the only reason I keep you around is because no one else will give you a job! Twilight, I can’t believe I kept you on for so long. So, I’m sorry, no I’m not, but you’re fired!”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘fried,’” Twilight replied.

“No, no, I mean you’re fired!” Discord cackled.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Fluttershy opened it and a young man stood in the doorway. He stood an inch taller than Twilight, he had an athletic build, and he was in his early twenties. He had eyes the color of gold and wild, unkempt jet-black hair that spilled down his back. He wore a white long sleeved collared shirt with black pants, a black vest and matching tie with a four leaf clover in his lapel, and a golden pocket watch with a diamond chain.

“Hello, I’m here about the new dealer job,” he said. “Are you still looking?”

“Discord, were you trying to hire somebody?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Ladies... and Twilight... this is Midnight Radiance.”

“Is he alright?” Midnight Radiance asked.

“Yeah, he’s okay,” Starlight replied. “Why?”

“Well, if this is your idea of a staff meeting... I’d work my butt off!” he said.

“What the Tartarus! I’m in a giving mood right now,” Discord replied. “You can have the job and do all the work that Twilight wasn’t doing. And Twilight, I can’t fire you, you’re too awesome! Midnight Radiance, you’re hired; Twilight, you’re not fired; jobs for everyone!”

Spike entered the Midnight Lounge that evening, ready to help Applejack. She was already behind the bar, in front of shelves of gin, Scotch, applejack (yes, that’s a drink, in case you were wondering), bourbon, rum, beer and wine. Not to mention all the straws, cherries, olives, mixers, flames, little umbrellas and other garnishes. Applejack flipped a glass through the air before setting it down on the bar. Then she began to mix a drink.

“The essential technique of bartending; less is more,” she began. “The less you pour, the more you score. The boss does better, we do better.”

“And the customer?” Spike asked.

“Think of them like a hurdler thinks of hurdles: a means to an end,” she explained as she juggled a lemon and a lime with one hand. “We dazzle them with ice work... baffle them with bottle work...”

She continued to spin glasses in her hands and flip bottles though the air as she spoke; the corners of Spike’s mouth widened into a smile at her show of skill.

“I know it’s not the most honest way of doing it, but it’s the only way to keep the house from losing money,” Applejack went on. “There are many ways to fool a customer. The short pour, the long pour, the ice mountain, the spring thaw, the speed rack shuffle, the hot shot, and, like me, you will learn them all. I’ve also got two rules when you’re bartending with me: no empty glasses on the bar, and if somebody belts you, just blame a waitress.”

As Spike nailed a double flip (flinging two bottles at once), he felt the power he once wielded as a college pub bartender return. Memories of him making some people’s drinks too strong so that they would throw up, and spitting in other’s drinks when he didn’t like their attitudes, all came flooding back as he made ice fly into his glass and prepared two more servings of the same complicated drink.

“Hai, Sensai!” he replied.

He slid the concoction down the bar to Applejack who stopped it with the bottle of hard cider she was holding, and said, “I’ll stick with this.”

She took a swig, and as she did, Rainbow Dash entered the Lounge.

“Hey, Dash,” Spike greeted her. “How are you doing? What do you know?”

“Not well and not enough,” she answered.

“You want a beer, hard cider?”

“Nah, I’m still on the clock. I just had to get out of that last suite -- a definite ‘Disgusting Hotel Rooms Top 10’,” she said as she showed him a picture she took on her cell phone.

“No way, a million views?” he asked. “Is that--?”

“Yes, it is. I hate this job,” Dash replied, “but at least I have a way to get even with all these nasty guests other than scrubbing the toilets with their toothbrushes... not that I actually do that. I’ll see ya later. I need to get some fresh content... And I know just where to get it.”

Spike bid her farewell and turned to face the bottles behind him when suddenly, a familiar high pitched voice said, “Spike Drake!”

Spike turned around to see a cute young woman standing right behind him, just across the bar. She looked strangely out of place in the Midnight Lounge; her big soulful eyes gazing innocently back at him.

“Betty? Betty Hoof?”

“Long time no see,” she replied with a wink.

She was one of the original Applewood starlets; Spike had known her back when his mother was still alive, and he was glad to see her. She’d had a bad deal when Applewood got big, but it was good to know she was still around.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

She fluttered her long black eyelashes. “Work’s been kind of slow, but I still got it.” She wiggled her hips. “Boop boop de-doop, boop!”

Spike smiled at her iconic bit. It was funny, touching, sexy, and tragic.

“Yeah,” he said gently. “You still got it.”

“How long have you been in Las Pegasus?” she asked as she sat at the bar after readjusting her garter.

“A few weeks now,” he answered.

“Do you like it?”

“Much better now,” he flirted. “What’ll you have?”

“I’ll be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve been anywhere like this,” she confessed. “I was just passing by and decided to drop in and see what it’s like.”

“Well, does it live up to your expectations?”

“I expected to see more lost, desperate souls sitting around,”

“No, Desperate Souls’ Night is Thursday,” Applejack told her. “All the beer you can cry into for a buck.”

Betty reached into her purse and pulled out a cigarette.

“Do you have a light?” she asked Spike.

“For you, baby, always,” he grinned as he flicked his wrist and a silver lighter appeared in his hand.

He lit her cigarette as the Lounge slowly started to fill up with people, including three dealers from the Sky Resort... and they sat right next to Betty.

“So, you’re Spike ‘the Lucky Prince’ Drake,” one of them guessed.

“And you must be Scootaloo,” Spike replied. “You’re just the way Rainbow Dash described you.”

“She-She talks about me?” Scootaloo stuttered.

“Oh, yeah,” Spike said. “Quite a bit; how you idolize her, started a fan club for her when she was accepted into the Wonderbolt Academy... So, you’re the dealers up at the Sky Resort?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo answered. “These are my friends Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.”

“Hello,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Hi,” said Apple Bloom. “Pleased to do me--I mean, how do I meet you?”

Spike hid his smile as she stumbled over her words.

“Smooth, cowgirl,” Scootaloo whispered.

“What’re you doing down here?” Spike inquired. “Shouldn’t you be up in the clouds right about now?”

“Are you kidding? We never miss Ladies’ Night here,” Scootaloo replied. “Besides, Sweetie Bot can handle it.”

“Yeah, Rarity told me about the little android you built of yourself,” he directed at Sweetie Belle. “What’s the story there?”

“We were filling out college applications when we came across an ad for an applied sciences scholarship,” Sweetie Belle explained. “All we had to do to get it was build our own robot.”

“So, what’ll you ladies have?” Spike asked. “Well, besides me.”

“Two drafts and a Scotch on the rocks,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Coming up,” Spike replied.

A few minutes later, Zecora walked in and sat at the bar.

“Hello,” Spike greeted her. “What’ll it be?”

“Gin and bitters will do,” she said. “Thank you.”

“I must admit, I often regret there are so many women out there and only one of me,” Spike told her.

“Oh, handsome, witty, and charming,” she said.

“So, what’s the deal with you and Fancy Pants?” he inquired.

“Dark, exotic women like myself bring a fever to his blood,” Zecora replied.

“Hey, Spike, don’t forget our beers!” Scootaloo reminded him.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t,” he replied.

Spike had finished pouring Sweetie Belle her Scotch when the telephone at the end of the bar started ringing.

“Who isn’t here?” he asked the crowd.

“Me!” all the men and women answered.

Spike nodded to them, and then answered the phone.

“Midnight Lounge,” he said.

“Yes,” Discord’s voice came from the other end, “is a Mister Hiscock there, first name Jack?”

Spike smiled and decided to humor his pot headed boss.

“Hold on, I’ll check,” he replied. “Jack Hiscock?” he asked the crowd. “Anyone Jack Hiscock? Hello!” he shouted. “Somebody Jack Hiscock? Hey, one of you! Jack! Hiscock!”

Everyone in the Midnight Lounge burst out laughing, and one drunken woman slurred, “I wanna jack your cock!”

Then a young man sitting at the end of the bar, dressed in golf attire, raised his hand and said, “I’m Jack Hiscock.”

“Call for you,” Spike said as he handed him the phone.

“Hello, this is Jack Hiscock, who’s this?”

“Discord, I’m the day manager here at the Resort,”

“Well, what can I do for you, Discord?” Jack asked.

“Look, I’ll level with you, Mister Hiscock, this is a crank call that backfired and I’d like to bail out right now,”

“Well, better luck next time,” Jack said as he hung up.

Meanwhile, in his office, Discord put down his cell phone as he started to feel weird: his hair was starting to feel tingly, his palms were sweaty and his heart was racing. Then he started hallucinating that everyone else turned into him. Or rather, he was seeing himself as everyone else.

“Just take a deep breath and relax,” Discord-Starlight said.

“You’re going to be okay,” Discord-Fluttershy added.

“Or you can do what Spike usually does: have a drink,” Discord-Twilight suggested.

“Oh, my Faust! I really need to change my hair!” Discord said.

Later that night, charged with energy, Spike worked behind the bar while he danced alongside Applejack. They served with style, moving like synchronized dancers and using flashy gestures. Spike grabbed several bottles at once while Applejack flung the cocktail shaker, both delighting the patrons.

“Very sophisticated,” Betty Hoof said.

“You’re crazy,” Scootaloo told Spike.

Their faces bright with joy, Spike and AJ continued to move to the music, thrusting their hips and gracefully lobbing bottles of liquor into the air. The women lingered near Spike as he shimmied to the music, putting on a show behind the bar, while they admired him. When he wasn’t looking, they were checking him out with smiles on their faces.

“What buns!” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“See?” Swoon Song asked. “We told you.”

“It’s official,” Dear Darling said. “Spike is the best-looking guy in this bar.”

“Best-looking guy in Las Pegasus,” Fond Feather added.

“Best-looking guy in all of Equestria,” Zecora went on.

“Oh, I am gonna make some money tonight!” Spike thought as he grinned at his many admirers.

The name of the game was woman. The little darlings came in panting, their hearts pitter-patting for the handsome, all knowing bartender. And in their wake, a parade of slobbering geeks, with one hand on their crotches and the other hand on their wallets.

You get the women, you get the bucks.

And Spike got them. Oh, he got them. Buttons were popping, skirts were rising, and when he could see the color of their panties, he knew he had the talent. Spike climbed atop the bar and continued to dance as Apple Bloom rubbed his leg.

“Hey, hands off the merchandise!” Applejack snapped at her sister.

Spike hopped back down behind the bar as Rarity walked in and sat on a vacant stool across from him, a very bitter look on her face. Actually, it wasn’t just bitter; it was a face that said, “I am in the worst mood of my entire life, so don’t bother me and stay out of my way!”

“Haypenny for your thoughts?” he asked.

“Discord put me on Child Supervision!” Rarity complained.

Then she started ranting about the whole farce that was her day.

One of the child supervisors had taken a psych leave, so there was no one to watch the guests’ kids. The gamblers were quickly annoyed at the kids running around the casinos; many parents simply dropped off their kids and rushed to the tables. Why would anyone bring their kid—their toddler, for Faust’s sake—to a casino resort only to fob them off on some strange babysitter, even for a little while? Because when parents knew there was care for their kids—even for just a couple of hours—they brought the whole family. If they needed to hire a babysitter at home, they would not come at all, and the profit margin would shrink.

Rarity had no idea what do to with kids. Why would she? After Spike had left with his mother that morning, Discord dumped four kids on Rarity leaving Coco to run the front desk. Rarity took them to the swimming pool, and they ended up getting banned from all four of them. Then she tried treating them like adults, hoping they would behave like adults. That backfired even worse—they pelted her with a water balloon, which thankfully was filled with just water.

“He knows that I hate children!” Rarity whined. “I am a terrible choice!”

“Rarity, Discord’s an immature, pathetic, supersized troll,” Spike told her. “And besides, aren’t you the one who says that he likes to throw people into the deep end with almost no preparation?”

Rarity nodded.

“Why do you think he does that?” he asked.

Rarity didn’t know.

“Because in some people, the few gifted people, it encourages a kind of spontaneity that’s special and very valuable, both to him and to the patrons,” Spike went on. “Did you learn something about yourself today?”

Rarity shook her head.

“You need to master the art of being an authority figure,”

“How am I supposed to do that?” she snapped.

“Always act like you’re in control, even when you aren’t,”

“Spike, these kids are spoiled and demanding, and they have no respect for authority! You don’t know what it’s like to deal with that!”

“You’d be surprised,” he commented.

Rarity glared at him.

“Don’t just set the rules -- live them,” he advised. “Try it. I’ll tell you this much, this city won’t last much longer if the casino owners continue trying to pimp fun. The Whinny Lands are going to rule the amusement world.”

Spike had been filling a glass with white wine as he spoke, and he served it to Rarity.

“I didn’t order that,” she said.

“You were about to,” he replied.

He gave her one final smile as he walked over to Fleur, who sat at the other end of the bar, and smoothly flipped another glass.

“Sorry I am late, my extra large pepperoni of passion,” she said.

“Mademoiselle,” he greeted her.

“Vodka on the rocks with a squeeze of lime, please,” she told him.

“Oh, no, no, no, this is Las Pegasus,” he said. “At least try a Jus d’Amour.”

“Juice of love,” she translated.

“It’s made with fresh fruit right off the vine,” he replied as he mixed the drink. “And trust me when I say that it is nothing short of spectacular.”

He dropped a straw into the glass when he was done. Fleur looked away for a moment and a sly smile crept across her face.

“You’re just full of confidence tonight, aren’t you?” she asked.

Spike just smiled in reply. Then Moon Dancer walked in. She was wearing one of those annoying black sweaters with a pleated black skirt... and she was carrying a little black book.

“Didn’t those things go out with getting women drunk and seducing them?” Rarity asked.

“That’s out now?” Scootaloo replied.

Moon Dancer took the last open stool and said, “I’d like to try the Orgasm.”

“How many would you like?” Spike quipped.

“Multiple,” she quickly countered.

With Applejack right behind him, Spike slid a bottle over his shoulder and down his back, and Applejack gracefully caught it. Then “Addicted to Love” started playing, and he started mouthing the words. Moon Dancer swayed to the music as she continued to stare at Spike, her mouth agape. Then she started mouthing the words along with him.

“He’s amazing,” she thought.

“Thanks for the wine, Spike,” Rarity said as she finished her drink. “And thanks for letting me bend your ear.”

“It’s okay,” he replied. “Good night.”

“You must be tired of hearing people cry into their drinks,” Moon Dancer commented. “I wonder why people tell bartenders their problems. It’s kind of sad, isn’t it? These people with no one in the world to turn to but some stranger who mixes drinks...”

With one final flashy shake of a cocktail shaker, and one equally flashy smile, Spike completed preparing the Orgasm and served it to Moon Dancer. As Spike stepped away, he and Moon Dancer shared another friendly look.

“I have got serious ‘fuck me’ eyes coming over here,” he whispered to AJ.

Applejack didn’t reply.

“What, you don’t see it?” he asked her. “She’s been coming on to me ever since she sat down. She wants me.”

Applejack agreed, but only in thought. If Moon Dancer was any more overcome with desire there would have been drool on her bottom lip.

“Stay in formation,” AJ replied. “Twilight’s coming in right behind her.”

Sure enough, Twilight sat (on the stool Rarity just vacated) next to Moon Dancer, a scornful look on her face.

“Hey, barkeep!” she snapped her fingers. “A little service, please?”

Spike strut up to her.

“I would prefer to have my potables prepared by a competent mixologist,” Twilight added.

“Twilight, you wanna have a little more respect?” Applejack asked her. “Spike’s doing this as a favor.”

“Fine,” Twilight said. “I’ll have a vermouth cassis.”

“Fine,” Spike echoed. “If you need anything else, please just snap your fingers... in several places.”

It took only three minutes to mix the drink, but Spike took his sweet time preparing it before serving it to Twilight... who immediately spat it back into the glass after taking a sip.

“Is something wrong with your drink?” Moon Dancer asked.

“Yes, it’s watered down,” Twilight replied. “Hey!” she shouted.

“Is there a problem, Miss Sparkle?” Spike asked.

“Do you have a problem, Mister Drake?” Twilight replied.

“I know you’re a light drinker, and I didn’t want you to get carried away and do something you might regret,” he said.

“You think I can’t leave Discord alone long enough to have one drink to reenergize myself?” she asked him.

Moon Dancer excused herself and she went to the ladies’ room.

“I know what you’re doing, Spike,” Twilight said. “And I’m only going to tell you once, stay away from Moon Dancer! She’s not one of your usual bimbos.”

“And that’s what I love about her,” he replied. “She is a woman of substance. And I love a challenge.”

“You know what bothers me?” Twilight asked. “There are women who this works on... and they’re allowed to vote and drive cars.”

“I think you would do a lot better for yourself if you stopped meddling in other people’s sex lives and focused a little more on your own,” Spike said. “Oh! That’s right, you don’t have one!”

“Do you honestly think that every woman you meet is instantly attracted to you?” Twilight asked.

“Present company excluded,” he said honestly. “And I don’t think, I know!”

And in a final flourish, Spike and AJ bounced their cocktail shakers off the ground and threw them to each other like jugglers before Moon Dancer came back from the ladies’ room.

“Spike, would you object to joining me in my suite?” she asked.

Spike had been through this routine enough to know what was coming. He would escort her up to her room, she would invite him in for a drink, they would talk for a while, it would get late, get quiet, and she would put on some soft music... it made him smile.

His hand covered hers as it was sitting on the bar. His smile was enchanting, his emerald green eyes twinkled.

“Oh yeah, baby, I want to make you mine.”

“Spike, you can get out of here,” Applejack said. “My sister and her friends are starting to warp the wood with their drool.”

Twilight stared, her eyes wide and her mouth hung open in a frown, as she watched Spike leave the Lounge with his arm around Moon Dancer. She watched the two of them until they were gone, and then she stalked away.

Sure enough, the night went just as Spike knew it would: he took Moon Dancer back to her room, she invited him in, and they talked.

“Spike, I’m sorry for the way Twilight treats you,” she began. “You shouldn’t have to put up with that.”

“Thanks, Moon Dancer,” Spike smiled. “You always knew how to make me feel better. Even when we were going through school together... You know, I bet you know more about me than I do about myself.”

“I don’t know about that,” she replied.

“Sure you do,” he said.

“All right. Your birthday is July 5, which is the day after tomorrow. That makes your birthstone the ruby. Your favorite color is red, yet you wear little more than black and purple. Besides dancing your hobbies include kickboxing, gaming and reading comic books; and your favorite Whinny movie is Lady and the Tramp... you always smile when they come to the part where they eat the spaghetti, which is your favorite food,”

Spike’s smile widened.

“I remember when we first met at Celestia’s School... I was actually shocked when you asked me to be your study partner,” she said. “I’m still kind of in awe of you. You’re one of the sharpest minds I’ve ever known.”

As Spike stood by her bed, he couldn’t believe that he and Moon Dancer never dated. She was a very attractive woman from her smile, to the way her hair fell against her cheek, to the soft rise of her breasts in one of her seemingly endless supply of cardigan sweaters.

“I’ve always liked you, Spike, ever since we were in junior high. You could always see through my façade... Spike, I’ve thought about this very carefully. You’re the only man I want. I... I love you,”

“Moon Dancer...” he breathed.

“Spike, turn around,”

He did, and she slowly began to undress. Spike fought the urge to sneak a peek, and he was amazed when she asked him to turn back again. Then he began to shed his own clothes. The simple act of him taking off his pants got her even hotter. It was like watching a great matador prepare for a bullfight.

“Come here and stand by the bed,” she said once he was naked.

A bit puzzled by her request, Spike did as she asked. He thought he’d shared in almost every sexual experience an eager woman could dream up, but her request was, for him, the first of its kind. He found out quickly what she had in mind. Kneeling on her bed, she backed up to his groin. Her hand slipped between her outspread thighs and grasped him. She began massaging herself gently, rubbing him up and down and across her moist crotch.

Using Spike as a tool excited Moon Dancer quickly. She began twisting her hips to bring untouched spots into contact with her rubbing strokes. She made no effort to place him inside her, but seemed contented with the sensation the rubbing was creating. The breath began to whistle in her throat, and her body started to tremble. Spike’s erection had begun to grow soon after Moon Dancer started her massage. She sped it up by squeezing him gently as she probed.

“Oh, this is going to feel good!” he thought.

When she began trembling, Spike lunged into her. She gasped when he penetrated her, and shoved her buttocks back against him. Within seconds, she was moaning and writhing in climax. But Spike had just begun.

Spike was far from being ready. He kept on plunging deep, but slower now, and with more deliberation, his hands holding her hips firmly in place. Even though Moon Dancer’s face was almost buried in the tangled sheets, her whimpers of delight reached his ears. She twisted beneath him, tossing her hips from side to side, rising to meet his thrusts, in spite of the pressure of his hands, and rotated them furiously. He felt her flooding him, and began to slow his tempo.

“No!” she cried. “Faster and deeper!”

Moon Dancer’s inner muscles were gripping Spike, trying to hold him in her when he drew back for his lunges. He felt himself building faster than usual. Moon Dancer sensed his feeling when he sped up again.

“Not yet!” she said urgently. “Not much longer, but not yet!”

Spike was in the grip of his own drive to climax now. He tried to move more slowly, but his body demanded that he hurry. Moon Dancer’s hips were working furiously now, as she raced to catch up with him. She was still moving when Spike let go, then, as he held her to him, pressing hard into her while he came, she went into her own climax and writhed against him. Then he felt her muscles ripple and relax as she dropped away from him and sprawled on the bed. Spike was glad to lie down beside her and close his eyes while his breathing slowed to normal and strength returned to his legs.

The rest of the world seemed to fade away as he massaged her chest.

“Spike, not too much with the breasts, please,”

He kissed her to muffle her protests, and then she kissed him back. She climbed atop him as their kisses grew more and more passionate.

“I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” she said. “Spike, you’re even more special than I believed.”

Moon Dancer started moaning again as she straddled Spike, biting into his shoulder and digging her nails into his back as he nibbled her ear. What had started as a quiet evening quickly turned into a night of wild, bestial passion; by the time Spike was done, Moon Dancer was screaming.

“Cum inside me!” she cried.

Moon Dancer came to climax quickly again. Her moans changed to sobs, her own thrusts became fiercer, the pauses between them shorter. Spike sped up to match her tempo, and after a few furious moments, she uttered the same long, shuddering sob he’d heard her let out earlier, and her frenzy relaxed a bit.

“That was fantastic,” she said.

Spike redressed and kissed her hand. Then she blew him a kiss as he left her suite, walked down the hall to the elevator, and then returned to his own room. Once the door to his suite closed behind him, Spike jumped, pumping his fists in the air, and clapped.

Next time, Pinkie Pie pulls out all the stops to throw a birthday party for Spike, meanwhile Sunset and Applejack’s competition for Spike’s affection drives a wedge between them.

P.S.: Midnight Radiance is the OC of sixpathspony.