Spike just stood there, hesitant and dumbfounded, not sure what to do as Rarity stood there as well. After their introduction, neither of them seemed to know what to do or how to continue the conversation past that. After about another minute of awkward, tension-laced silence, Spike finally cleared his throat and worked up the courage to speak. “So… um… how long were you there?” he asked.

“About… well, it was right after I heard the door open with a bang,” she said gently. “I think it was when you charged in. So I hurried to the door to see what was happening and saw the situation. At first, I… I admit that I thought you were somehow in charge of the bully ring,” she admitted. Spike winced. Well, he couldn’t really blame her, given the experience she’d just had earlier in the day with a dragon. That definitely didn’t help. “But after watching for a bit, it became clear that you were trying to defend those two poor pegasi. It was very brave of you.”

“Er… thanks,” Spike said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “Not that I really did anything substantial. I mean, all I did was delay them a bit and thankfully Luna showed up not long afterwards.”

“Even so, doing something was far, far better than doing nothing.” She nodded and smiled. “I… think that was very brave of you.”

Spike wanted to protest, saying that he wasn’t that brave, and if he had been, he probably would have defended her when she needed it most, but he decided not to bring that up. He’d finally had a chance to talk with her and he figured bringing up the fact that he saw her being spanked by a dragon bully and did nothing to save her might have soured the whole experience. “Thank you,” he said instead.

Again, they descended into silence. Out in the distance, the sound of a crowd of students moving down the halls could be heard. A Light breeze outside the window made some of the long shrubberies let out some rustling sounds. And finally, the sound of a bell ringing in the distance, the warning bell before class. Rarity jumped a little bit at the sound. “Oh! Oh dear, we uh… we should get to class, shouldn’t we?”

“Uh, yeah… yeah, we should.” He checked his phone to confirm the time. “What’s your class? I’ll walk you there.”

Her ears perked and she offered him a much more genuine and sincere smile, free of any awkwardness. “Oh? My, what a gentleman!” she giggled, pulling a sheet of paper from a pocket on the side of her pack. “Um, let’s see. Beginner’s French.”

Spike smiled. “Really? Coincidence! That’s actually my class too. Looks like we’re headed in the same direction anyway.” He smiled and re-shouldered his pack that he’d dropped when all the excitement had been happening. “Better hurry though. Ms. Lis is a lot less strict than some of the teachers around here, but she’s still quick to smack a butt when someone’s late.”

She smiled. “I’m sure. Let’s go!” The two of them nodded to one another and walked side by side out of the hallway and onward to their next class.

They managed to reach the classroom with a few minutes to spare, and Spike blushed when Rarity decided to sit down next to him, in the second row. He smiled a bit at her, and she returned it, the awkwardness from their meeting starting to diffuse a little bit. He’d apparently made a really strong first impression with her.

Maybe after class he’d try asking her out…

The bell started to ring again. It was officially class time.

The tall and slender teacher of the class, Fleur de Lis, stood up from the desk and pointed to the seats. “Asseyez-vous s'il vous plaît.” she said.

A few of the standing students stared at her dumbly for a moment before some of the more observant students picked up on what she wanted before hurrying to their desks, and the rest of them did the same. She smiled and nodded to them. “Welcome back to school,” she greeted, her voice thick with a French accent. Fleur was actually well liked by the student body here, as she had been a student herself not too long ago. She’d been an exchange student trying to learn English, and after transferring here, had gotten a job teaching not long after graduation, getting accredited thanks to Celestia’s input and recommendation.

That didn’t stop her from being as firm and strict as most teachers in the school, but she was prone to her own moments of immaturity as well.

“Now, I know it’s been a very low-key sort of day. I know most of you haven’t really had to do much, but let’s dive in and make this last period a productive one, oui?”

“Oui, Mademoiselle,” the class answered. She smiled at their response.

“Good, good. Now, let’s see…”

The door opened and Fluttershy slowly walked in, peeking around. “Uh, hello?” she asked.

Spike blinked, having not expected to see Fluttershy again so soon, let alone in his French class. She looked nervous, as if anticipating the reprimands that would come with her tardiness.

Fleur frowned and sighed, looking up at the clock. “Ms. Fluttershy,” she said. “You realize that you are late, Oui?”

“Yes. I mean Oui. I um… I ran into a bit of trouble on my way to class.”

“And this trouble was?”

“Um… sort of personal?”

“I’m afraid that is not much of an excuse, Fleur told her. “I do not appreciate lateness in my class, petite fille.” She placed a hand on her hip. “Now, I ask again, why were you late?”

Fluttershy blushed, but did not answer.

Spike tilted his head. Why wasn’t she saying anything, he wondered. Had she been delayed due to something related to the whole fiasco in the hallway? And if so, shouldn’t she have easily been able to get a note from Luna explaining the situation so she wouldn’t have to worry about consequences?

None of this was addressed, however, and after another moment of silence, Fleur let out another sigh and started to pull her chair out into the center of the room, just in front of her desk. Fluttershy quivered and squirmed a bit, shifting from foot to foot as this was done. The teacher set the chair in the middle of the classroom and sat down upon it, brushing a hand over her legs before grabbing her purse off of the desktop and setting it beside her seat. “Come here, petite fille,” she ordered gently, crooking her finger in Fluttershy’s direction.

The yellow pegasus gulped and slowly shuffled forward, her hands fiddling with the edges of her pleated skirt. She stopped beside the older mare, and started to lower herself over her knees, but Fleur stopped her and adjusted her so that she stood in front of her. “Non, non,” she stated, making her lean forward so that she was straddling one of her legs. “We will do this the proper way they do it in France,” she stated. She Bent Fluttershy forward, making the poor mare squeak as her skirt rode up a little bit, revealing the underside of her cheeks and those cute, paw print panties she was wearing as her rear faced towards the class..

“Eeep! B-but isn’t this going to be m-more embarrassing?” she asked, swishing her tail a little bit, her bottom wiggling along with it.”

Fleur nodded. “Oui. That is the point. And it is about to get far more embarrassing.” She pinched the end of Fluttershy’s skirt and flipped it up and over her back, pinning her tail out of the way. The mare grabbed Fluttershy’s panties and curled them downwards, to just below her cheeks. Fluttershy gasped loudly and looked behind her, her face flushed. “B-bare? Already?!”

“Oui,” she answered simply. “As I said, this shall be a proper French spanking.” She raised a brow and slowly slid a hand along her backside, exploring it a little. “My my,” she mused. “Vous avez un très grand fond.”

Spike could only guess at what she was saying, but he was fairly certain it had something to do with the size of Fluttershy’s enormous backside. “Oh…”

“My goodness,” he heard Rarity finish next to him. A quick glance to the side confirmed that she was just as mesmerized by what she was seeing as he was.

Fluttershy’s flank was… well, huge, to put it bluntly. He wondered how tight those panties had to be to properly encompass her cheeks, which bounced and wobbled beautifully with every little movement she made. Even just gently rubbing it the way that she was, Fleur showed off just how fat and pillow like they were. Though lewd, Spike couldn’t help but wonder if it would be comfortable to lay his head against it and just… relax…

Fleur took aim with her hand, raising it above her head. “Je vais te donner une fessée,” she announced. And then her hand came down.

SMACK! SPLAT!

Spike saw Rarity jump a bit at the impact, but rather than a wince, she actually seemed to lean forward. He mimicked her and took in the beautiful sight that they were afforded. He wondered if the rest of the class was doing the same. The impact made Fluttershy’s entire cheek wobble and pancake beautifully, a massive palm print left behind in the soft fur. The impact also caused her opposite cheek to quake as well, the after shock making her shudder a bit. She let out a soft squeal and a whimper of discomfort before relaxing again, just in time for a smack to come down on her opposite cheek, to similar, beautiful results.

SMACK! SPLAT!

The wobble was almost audible, and Spike had to lean back and cross his legs. He was almost afraid, with how fast he was… ‘reacting’ to this, as if he’d end up knocking the top of the desk, but thankfully he was able to get in a comfier position before such an embarrassing event took place. He was starting to think that he should invest in some looser pants or something if this was going to be a recurring thing this year.

He was brought back to reality when another loud smack and wobble reverberated around the room, and this time it was joined by many, many more.

SMACK! SPLAT! SMACK! SPLAT! SMACK! SPLAT!

“Ohhh! Owww! EEEK!” Fluttershy started to whimper gently as her backside grew nice and pink very quickly. “I’m sorry I was so late ma’am!”

“I should hope so,” Fleur scolded, smiling a little, taken in by the way her cheeks moved when they were smacked. She smacked and slapped and whapped against it in a whirlwind pattern from cheek to cheek, making them wobble up and down.

Fluttershy let out a soft sob and pushed her feet into the ground, which only had the effect of raising her rump up higher into the air.

SMACK! SPLAT! SMACK! SPLAT! SMACK! SPLAT!

Spike bit his lip, squirming again. He was starting to ache with all the throbbing he’d done this day. He vaguely wondered if, maybe, he should be looking somewhere else… of course, that wouldn’t stop the sound, or his overactive imagination from taking hold. Still, it seemed like a better option than just sitting there, staring while his loins ached and throbbed and he wasn’t able to do anything about it.

WHAP! SPLAT! WHAP! SPLAT! WHAP! SPLAT!

Wobble, wibble, wobble, wibble…

“Owww! Oooh! Yeep! Ouchie!” Fluttershy continued to cry as her butt cheeks continued to dance. She was getting a nice, deep, healthy read all over her backside now.

Fleur paused and craned her head to look over her handiwork. Fluttershy's bottom was a healthy, glowing red. The pegasus mare sniffled and slowly glanced up, craning her head over her shoulder to glance back at the educator. “I-is that it?” she asked. “Are we... are we done?”

“Non,” she stated. “There is still one more stage.” She glanced down at her purse, sitting next to her chair. She bent forward and reached inside it, rifling around for a moment before she drew out a hairbrush. It wasn't that large or impressive, but to a mare in Fluttershy's position, it was still quite scary. She set the cool, wooden back of the brush against Fluttershy's squirming bottom and the yellow mare gave a light whimper. “After this, I certainly hope you will be more punctual.”

“I-I will, I promise! Oh please, Ms. Fleur, don't brush my bottom!”

“Sorry, but I think you deserve it,” she said. She lined up her shot, letting the brush hover over each cheek for a small amount of time. Then she raised it high in the air, stretching her entire arm, before she brought it crashing down on the big, soft target underneath.

WHAP! SMACK! WHAP! SMACK! SPLAT SPLAT!

“EEEP! OOOH! NUUU! IISH! AWW!” Fluttershy started to howl and bawl, kicking her feet softly as her behind bounced more and more, the brush leaving behind large, dark red splotches over the already red behind, which quickly started to spread and coalesce until they overwrote the original redness, leaving behind a deep, throbbing, cherry colored pair of bottom cheeks.

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!

“Let this be a lesson to you and to the rest of the class,” Fleur stated. “Anyone who acts out or breaks a rule here can expect similar smackings. Is that clear?”

“Yes ma'am,” the class stated quickly.

In between her sobs, Fluttershy managed to nod her head, gripping the edge of the chair legs as the spanking continued.

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!

“OWW!”

WHAP WHAP WHAP!

“OOOOOH!”

WHAP WHAP WHAP WHAP WHAP!

“WAAAAAH!”

Fleur took in another deep breath and stopped with one final smack to the center of each cheek. “There we go,” she said, patting her backside and standing her up, depositing her brush back in the purse.. “Now, pick up your bottoms and go and sit down.” She gave her a light smile. “I certainly hope this is the only time we have to have this talk.

“Y-yes ma’am,” Fluttershy mumbled, reaching back and rubbing at her bottom. She bent down and wiggled her panties up, whimpering as they traveled over her backside. She turned away and started to shuffle back to her seat.

Spike watched her go, frowning in sympathy for the poor girl before he blinked. It was quick, almost imperceptible to others, but he caught it. She gave a satisfied smile, mostly to herself, as she made her way to an empty desk, squirming and writhing gently as she sat down.

Fleur gave a light sigh and put her chair back where it belonged. “All right,” she said. “Now, let’s actually get back to learning, oui?” she asked happily.

Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head lightly, glancing at the quiet mare next to him. “So… that just happened.”

“Yes it did,” Rarity said with a light nod. She gave a sympathetic wiggle of her own as she glanced back over at Fluttershy, keeping her voice low so as not to catch Fleur’s attention.

Spike watched her, and after a moment he smiled. “Hey… after school do you wanna… maybe go and get something?”

She blinked but gave a light smile at him, giggling. “Oh my… Spike, you do know that it’s usually not polite to ask a girl out right after you’ve met her, yes?”

He flushed and toyed with his pencil a little bit. “Er, uh, w-well I just thought… m-maybe…”

She gave a soft laugh and reached over, patting his shoulder. “Spike, no need to be so nervous. I was merely joking. If you’d like to have me out on a little excursion after school, I’d be most delighted to accompany you.”

Spike took a moment to process what had just been said before his smile widened even further. “I know a really nice cafe a short walk from the campus.”

“That sounds lovely. I’ll just have to text my mother and let her know I’ll be hanging out with friends after school.”

“You know what, me too.” He smiled and took out his phone, pulling up his texting app.

Hey mom, it’s spike.

‘Hi spike! Gr8 to hear from U.’

Glad to hear it. Just wanted to let you know, I’m going to be hanging out with a friend after school.

‘U made a friend? Aww, proud mama is proud! ^o^’

Just wanted to make sure it was okay.

‘It’s more than OK. U have a gr8 time, hon! Ill come n get U when you txt 4 a ride, kay?’

Sure! Oh, and mom?

‘Yas? ^w^’

Please stop typing like that. It’s super embarrassing v.v

The cafe itself, Donut Joe’s, had been a favorite hangout for Spike, Pinkie, and Twilight. The only place better than this was Sugar Cube Corner, but that place was normally so busy, it was tough to get standing room there, especially right after school let out.

Donut Joe’s was more of a hole-in-the-wall joint. Not exactly hidden, but it was much smaller and didn’t explicitly attempt to cater to the student population, being much more generalized and less rowdy than Sugar Cube Corner tended to get. The owner, Joe, preferred it that way.

So did Spike, honestly. When he walked into the place, the scent of hot chocolate and freshly baking glazed donuts wafted over him and he had to give a happy sigh. It was warm and cozy inside, taking on the appearance of a 50's diner. Despite the look, they didn’t serve any malts, but they did have delicious cocoa.

Rarity seemed impressed as well as she walked in. “Oh my, this place is lovely,” she said happily. “Has a very nice rustic charm about it, so rare to see this close to the city. I can’t believe I’ve not come here before.”

Spike shrugged. “It’s easy to miss, especially if you haven’t been around here long.” He motioned to a free table and sat down before glancing over at the counter, where a stallion unicorn, a thick set man with wide, powerful looking arms, set out a few steaming mugs of cocoa for a few of the other customers sitting there. “Hey Joe,” he called, waving gently.

“Spike? Hey there, buddy. How’s my favorite dragon doin’?”

“He’s pretty good right now,” Spike said cheerfully. “How bout a plate of the usual dozen? And a couple of cocoas here.”

“Comin’ up, buddy,” the stallion said, turning away and going to work on the order.

Rarity grinned. “My, quite the regular here, aren’t you?”

“Mom started bringing me here since Elementary school. And it’s only gotten better since I grew up.”

She giggled. “Well, it’s a fine place to grow up near. I’m guessing you live nearby?”

“Eh, not really nearby. But…” he shrugged. “Well, let’s just say I don’t have to take the bus anywhere.” He leaned back. “What about you?”

“Well, my mother just opened up a little catering business in the city. My father was able to transfer to a different branch of his company here to help facilitate my mother’s goal, and my sister and I were lucky enough to get scholarships to help us get into Galaxia High rather than going to one of the inner city schools a further distance away.”

“Wow. That must have been quite an experience for you, coming out here to a new place.”

“Oh, it’s not TOO different from where we came from. We used to live in lower Manehattan before we moved here. But Canterlot is definitely…” she paused to think of the word. “Definitely cleaner than where we lived before.”

Spike snickered. “Blindingly clean,” he said.

“So, what about you?” she asked.

“Sorry?”

“Well… I don’t mean to point out the obvious, darling, but you are a dragon.”

“Oh, I see.” Spike smiled and nodded. “Well, like I said, I always grew up here.” He paused. “I know that sounds weird, since dragons usually hate big cities and stuff, but… well, the truth is, I don’t really know who laid me. I was hatched and taken in by ponies.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” Rarity said gently.

“Don’t be, it was actually one of the best things that could have happened to me. I’ve just always been around them, and no one really seems to bat an eye nowadays when they see a dragon walking around. My mom, she always took real great care of me. I do think she tries to coddle me a little bit too much, but… well, she’s definitely a mom through and through.”

“She sounds like a wonderful lady. Do you have a father as well?”

He shook his head. “No. Mom wasn’t married when she adopted me.”

“No siblings or anything?”

“Nah, I’ve always been an only child.” He shook his head and leaned back a bit as a plate of donuts and two mugs of steamy cocoa were placed on the table. “Ahh, thanks a bunch, Joe.”

“No problem kid. You payin?”

“Put it on my tab, I’ll pay it off when I come in on Saturday.”

“You got it, kid.” He smirked and pat the dragon’s shoulder before heading back to the countertop. Spike reached over and picked up one of the two plain donuts, gently dunking it into the whipped cream and liquid chocolate. Then he carefully chewed it after letting it soak for a second, sighing in delight.

Rarity smiled and watched him for a moment before reaching for one of the donuts herself, doing the same as him. After nibbling it for a second, she let out a soft sigh. “Mmm… this is divine.”

“I know right? Everything here is hand made, even the chocolate.”

“No wonder it’s so amazing,” she said, chewing on the donut in delight. “Mmm, calories or not, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop until they’re all gone,” she giggled.

“I’m sure Joe will be happy to hear that,” he said. He bit his lip, watching her eat for a moment as she wiggled back and forth. “Are you… okay?” he asked. He knew what the problem was, of course, but he figured now might be a good time to bring it up.

She blinked and looked up, still nibbling a small piece of donut. “Hm? What do you mean?”

“You’re… fidgeting quite a bit,” he told her. “Is the chair uncomfortable?”

“Oh, no, it’s perfectly fine. I just… um…” she coughed a bit, blushing softly.

Spike sighed gently, folding his arms. “You got spanked, didn’t you?”

Her blush intensified. “I-I…”

“It was a teacher, right?” he asked, trying to spare her from the embarrassment of having to go into detail.

“Er y-yes!” she said, nodding, grateful for the false story. “I didn’t know the layout of the school very well yet, and so I ended up wandering somewhere I shouldn’t be, and getting caught. I didn’t have a chance to defend myself before my behind was blistered.” She gave a light grin that helped to hide her blush. “But the good news is it is feeling much better now.” She wiggled again. “...Relatively speaking, of course.” She gave a nervous giggle.

Spike nodded and leaned back. “Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “Even the best behaved students usually get spanked at least once at Galaxia high.”

“Oh?” She got a cheshire grin. “Even you?”

“Heh…” he got a little blush of his own. “Even me, yeah.” He smiled warmly.

Rarity picked up another donut and took a large bit from it, nomming it with the cutest smile on her face. “Mmmm!”

“Wow, you’re acting like you haven’t eaten in days,” he teased.

“Nothing this sweet. I’ve been trying hard to slim down my figure and I’ve been denying myself sweets or sugar of any kind for a very long time,” she said with a giggle.

He smiled. “So you’re essentially breaking your diet?”

“I suppose I am, but it’s healthy to indulge a vice now and then, is it not?”

“When it’s harmless, yeah,” he agreed. “Like eating sweets now and then when on a diet. In fact, denying yourself for so long seems pretty naughty to me.” Spike gave a light laugh. “Maybe you deserve a spanking for that,” he taunted.

Rarity paused mid-bite. She set down the donut she’d been eating and wiggled a little uncomfortably.

Spike’s eyes widened. “Oh, n-no, I didn’t mean… I mean…”

“I think maybe it’s time for me to get going, Spike. Thank you very much for the donuts and the cocoa, I really enjoyed it.” She started to get up and sighed.

“R-rarity, wait…” she started to walk past him. He panicked for a moment before he grabbed her wrist. “I-I know what actually happened,” he said.

She stopped and blinked, slowly looking at him. “You… what?”

He groaned and sighed softly, wondering why he thought blurting that out would make her feel more comfortable. He finally just sighed and released her. “I saw you getting spanked by Garble,” he said. Her eyes widened, but he continued. “I heard the sound and saw him spanking you in the Janitor’s closet. I knew that I should have done something but I… I didn’t and I... “ he sighed. “I should have known better than to say something that would have made you so uncomfortable. Because I… I really like you and I wanted to make a good first impression. I’m sorry.”

Rarity stood there for a moment, chewing on her lip as she looked at him. “W-well… I can… sort of understand why you didn’t act. I mean he was… a rather large dragon after all.” She cleared her throat.

Spike shook his head. “Even so… I still should have done something instead of just standing by like a coward.”

She sighed gently, leaning forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Spike, what could you have done?” she asked. “Honestly, tell me.”

He flushed at the touch, but considered her question, staring down at his drink. “I… I uh… could have gotten help?”

“And there’s no telling how long it would have taken you to find someone. And if you had confronted him? I can only imagine how that would have gone. Er… no offense,” she said.

“None taken.” He sighed and pat his own arm. “I’m… not sure how useful I would be in a fight anyway.” He thought back to his reflexive guard against the girls who had been bullying Fluttershy and Derpy. He’d gotten lucky and managed to take her by surprise, but if she had actually fought back or the other girls had reacted quick enough, they could have overwhelmed him. Garble though, he was a natural fighter. There was no way that he could have pulled the same with him. He sighed. “I… still wish I had done something.”

Rarity paused. Then she slowly walked back to her seat and sat down, wincing lightly. “Well… you’re doing something now, aren’t you?”

He blinked and glanced over at her. “Well… yeah, heh. I guess I am.”

She smiled.

He smiled back.

They started eating donuts and drinking cocoa again for a bit, just smiling at one another. And when they were done, Rarity sighed and pat her thin stomach. “Thank you so much, Spike,” she said gently. “This was… wonderful.”

“Really?” he asked. “I was concerned that I might have ruined it.”

“No. Not at all.” She shook her head. “In fact, um… I was wondering if we could do this again sometime? Maybe soon?”

“I’d like that,” he said eagerly. “I have to check and see what days my club meets, but other than that… I should be free most days.”

She smiled and gave him her number, sliding a small piece of paper towards him. He took it and gave her the same, nodding to her. “See you at school tomorrow?”

“Sure,” he said, standing up. “Did you need some help to get home, or…”

She shook her head. “I can make my own way home. It’s actually not really that far from campus.”

“All right. I should head out too.” He got up and paused before offering her his hand, blushing.

She looked at it, smiled, and instead walked forward and hugged him tightly. He yelped a little bit, but smiled wide and returned it. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, before kissing his cheek and hurrying out.

“Y-yeah… see you soon,” he mumbled, caressing the cheek she’d kissed, giving a light sigh. He picked up his phone and texted his mother to come and pick him up before going out onto the side of the road and waiting. He knew it wouldn’t take her long.

And he was right. A small, personal airship hovered above him in the air not five minutes later. A large ladder was dropped down towards him and he took it, climbing up onto the airship. “Welcome aboard, prince Spike!” the captain said happily. “Good first day?”

“Great first day,” Spike said happily. “Is mom on board?”

“She is yes. She’s waiting with your after school snack in the passenger cabin.”

He smiled wider. “Thanks.” He nodded to the captain and walked into the passenger cabin, a roomy, luxurious space fit for about ten people, stocked with snacks and drinks, and with every seat able to pull out into an emergency bed for extended trips. The airship gave a gentle tilt as it started for home. Spike smiled and dropped his bag near the door before sitting down across from the Pony that inhabited the room. “Hey mom. Thanks for picking me up. I know you’re probably busy with the start of school and all.

Celestia Galaxia, queen of Equestria and founder and principal of Galaxia high, sat there, smiling gently at him, a plate of cookies in her lap. The cookies had been sprinkled with ground up rubies and emeralds. This was enough to make Spike’s mouth water, despite the half dozen donuts he’d just enjoyed with his new friend. “Hello dear,” she said happily. “How was your first day back to school?”

“It was good,” he said with a small smile, taking one of the cookies and chewing it thoughtfully. “Maybe a little boring, but then again, the first day isn’t ever really exciting.”

Hah, if his day had been any more ‘exciting’ he wasn’t sure he could handle it.

She nodded. “And? How’d your date with your new friend go?”

“M-mom, it wasn’t a date,” Spike said, half choking on a mouthful of gem cookie. “It was just a little after school visit…”

“Hmhm,” Celestia leaned back and crossed her leg. “If you say so, dear.”

“A-and what about you? How was your first day?”

“Ah, the same as ever,” she said with a shrug. “Lots of paperwork to catch up on, lots of decisions to make… a few bottoms to spank.” She tsked softly. “All the same though, I think that it’s going to be a very interesting year for everyone.”

“Why do you say that?” Spike asked.

“Just call it a hunch,” she said.

He grinned. “Well, your hunches are usually right.” He took another cookie and shoved it into his mouth. “Mmm…”

Celestia just smiled at him gently, watching him eat as they slowly floated up into the sky, moving towards her villa overlooking the whole of Canterlot, tucked comfortably behind the castle. Yes, this was definitely going to be a very, very interesting year.