The Heart of Pleasure
By Haunter Rayne
Chapter 14 - Romances Sleepy & Sweet

- Back in the Castle of Friendship-

“You're looking for Spike? Well, he's in his room sleeping.” Starlight Glimmer said as Rarity came charging into the Castle of Friendship. As the panicked mare rushed in, Starlight couldn't help but take notice of the dark stallion who was running in beside her.

“Hi Rarity!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

Fluttershy spoke up next saying, “It's good to see you. Everypony thought that you were missing, I'm glad to see you are looking alright.”

Rarity stopped, giving a moment for her friends even though she still felt pressured to hurry to Spike. “Yes, I'm sorry about that girls. I promise you that all has been well with me today. I was just distracted and closed my boutique for a bit. But if you'll excuse me, I really must see Spike about something dreadfully important. I owe him an apology that simply must be given straight away!” Then without waiting for another word she sped off down the hallway.

“Hey, wait! I said he was sleeping!” Starlight called out and was even more confused when the unannounced stallion just smiled at her and followed Rarity off into the halls of Twilight's castle. “HEY!” Starlight yelled and quickly looked over to the other two. “Are we supposed to be allowing strangers in here without Twilight being home?”

“I dunno.” Pinkie said as she just sat there while Fluttershy looked around unsure if she should say anything or not.

Meanwhile Rayne was following very close to Rarity as she navigated between hallways. He didn't know his way around the castle and he had remembered the episode where Starlight kept getting lost. After not too long though he saw Rarity stop and push open the door to a room that looked like it was dark inside. However before she could take a step further Rayne reached out and covered Rarity's mouth while pulling her back away from the door. “Wait!” He urged softly into her ear until he felt her calming down before letting her go. “Go on in but take it slow. Catch your breath first, Spike is worth at least that isn't he?” He smiled comfortingly.

Rarity looked to him and he could see the anxiety in her eyes. She didn't want to wait, she wanted to burst in screaming. But hearing Rayne's words gave her pause and after which she nodded knowing that he was right. Taking a moment to steady herself, she straightened her mane and quietly walked inside with Rayne in tow.

Stepping up to his bed they both looked down to see Spike wrapped up so tightly in his blankets that he looked like a burrito with a tail. “Oh Rayne, he even looks heart broken in his sleep!” Rarity whispered sorrowfully. “I didn't realize how hard this was going to be. Looking at him now is making me feel all choked up. Rayne, what in the name of Celestia am I going to say to him?!” She squeaked out as she started to panic.

Rayne held her by the shoulder trying to help her focus. “What is it that you really want Spike to know?” He whispered, pausing to let Rarity consider his words. However knowing that she was just likely to overthink things, he just looked her in the eye and said, “You've got this Rarity. Remember, it's everything about you that Spike loves in the first place. So if your words come genuinely from your heart, you can't go wrong no matter what you say.” He smiled and she nodded, putting her internal excuses aside. Rayne now walked to the door but looked back over his shoulder one more time. Rarity had climbed over to cuddle around Spike as he slept and Rayne smiled to the sweet sight of the new couple. “I'll see you around Rarity.” She nodded and just sat there intending to wait beside the little dragon until he awoke.

Rayne stepped away and closed the door giving them their privacy. But as soon as he turned he found a pair of angry violet blue eyes staring right at him. “Excuse me! Can I help you?” Starlight stood beside him firmly demanding an answer for his trespassing.

Rayne paused to look her over. He had always found Starlight to be particularly cute and his opinion hadn't been changed now that he was seeing her in person. Trying to decide on how he wanted to play this out he thought, "Alright, let's see. Angry pony, fancy castle, cute mare... and we are technically alone in this hallway. This looks like the setup for a James Bond pick up line if I ever saw one. I'm no Sean Connery but I'll give it my best."

"Well?" Starlight stomped a hoof as she stood there waiting for an answer from him.

Rayne gave an apologetic smile and in his best gentlepony voice said, “Oh yes excuse me, my name is Rayne. I was actually asked to come here by Princess Sparkle an- oops, I'm sorry. I forgot, she told me she prefers to go by Twilight. Anyways, she said I should meet her here later on. However I was escorting miss Rarity around and she had been in such a rush to get here. It would appear that thanks to her I beat the princess home by quite a bit.” He smiled and then dropped to a more casual tone. “But if I am intruding on you or am unwanted here then I can leave and return later?”

With her mouth reacting faster than her good sense Starlight suddenly blurted out, “Oh no, please. I do want you, intrude on me all you want.” She smiled charmingly to the stallion until a moment when she blinked, “Wait a minute, did I really just say that? Uhh hehe I'm sorry, can we forget that those words ever came out of my mouth please?”

Rayne just smirked for a moment before nodding to her. “As you wish, though it's a shame... I would have taken you up on that offer. You're pretty cute.” He tilted his head a bit letting his long mane fall from his shoulder seductively. He was definitely pleased as he watched her eyes follow the fall of his hair as he did so. Not wanting to overplay it, Rayne only held that pose for a brief moment before turning away from her. “It was a pleasure meeting you but I guess I'll be going then. Please tell the princess that I will most likely visit her tomorrow. I'm sure that I can show myself out.”

Starlight seemed shocked to see that he was leaving so suddenly. “Wait! You don't 'have' to go.” She called after him. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder to her. Starlight looked down the hall to see if anyone was around before quickly motioning for Rayne to follow her. “Here, come with me... if you want to that is.” He smiled and nodded.

An hour later the two were sitting on cushions in Starlights room and the stallion had the princess's pupil rolling in laughter. “...And so that's how I ended up here at the castle to make sure that Rarity can patch things up with Spike.” Rayne said smiling.

Starlight Glimmer was sitting in front of him holding one hoof out and the other to her mouth as she was still trying to suppress her giggling. “I canNOT believe that she popped in on you and Rarity! Twilight must have been so embarrassed hahaha!" Rayne chuckled along and was thoroughly enjoying hanging with Starlight. He always knew he had liked her personality but felt that the show didn't show her 'slice of life' after being reformed as much as he had wanted. Getting to spend this close time with her now was definitely proving to be a treat for him. “Oh, whew hehe. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. So you really never knew that you were a pleasure pony?” She asked, trying to change the topic to suppress her laughter.

Rayne shook his head but smiled to show that he wasn't bothered by the question. “I didn't have a clue. When I got my cutie mark I had just opened my eyes and it was there. I certainly didn't get it from any experience that told me what I was supposed to be doing with it.” He looked down solemnly for a moment. “What Zecora and Discord said was right though. Living where I grew up gave me a problem of becoming nervous. I always wanted to compliment others and join in with festivities but it was only a matter of time before they got suspicious of me and questioned everything I did. Being 'too nice' has always been my downfall.” Despite the fact that his lamentation was only supposed to be a ruse, real thoughts of troubles during his youth in the human world made him scowl much heavier than he had meant to.

“Hey.” Starlight said softly while reaching over with a hoof. “I like your company. I have been having a really fun time talking to you.” She smiled at him earnestly. “Thank you for being so upfront and honest with me. You could have hid that you were a pleasure pony from me but you didn't. I respect that. But listen, you don't owe an explanation to everyone that you approach on the street. It's alright for you to relax and enjoy yourself too, okay?” Then she leaned back into her seat. “When you first spoke to me in the hallway you were so professional. I had thought you were a foreign dignitary or something. But I like this more relaxed side of you a lot better.”

Deep inside Rayne smirked, happy to see that his character change from before had given the mare his desired effect. “Thank you Starlight. I have never been in a royal castle before. Again, I guess my nervousness got the better of me. I'm a little out of my element here.” He said, portraying a more vulnerable side of himself while pretending to look upward at the high castle walls.

Starlight thought for a moment and Rayne noticed that she had started blushing. “Hey, I have an idea. Would you like to get out of here? Maybe take a walk with me? Or… would you rather that I closed my bedroom door?” She asked hesitantly but willingly.

Rayne just looked to her and smiled, knowing exactly what he wanted. Standing up he stepped over and extended a hoof to help her up like a real gentlepony. “I think that a walk with you would be delightful.” Rayne knew that he could have had either option but he could tell by the glimmer in her eyes that he had made the right choice. She took his hoof and he allowed her to proceed on first so that she could lead him out.

Not too much time later Rayne found himself trotting back through the streets of Ponyville on what felt like a first date with Starlight. Together they walked and talked all about themselves, mainly discussing how both of them were outsiders who had found their way to this same town. They stopped by a fruit vendor on the street for lunch and then sat together by the fountain to eat. “Mmm, these are good!” Rayne said after biting into a candied apple.

Starlight chuckled finding that to be an odd thing for him to say as she cleaned her mouth from her own candied apple. “Hehe, you're so silly Rayne. Of course they're good. Have you never had one of these before?”

Rayne took another bite, finishing his apple. “Mmmmm hehe. Oh I think that I was back in grade school the last time that I had one of these.” He said trying to think about it.

“What?! Really?!” Starlight exclaimed and then giggled realizing she had accidentally made him jump. “Yeah uh, I kind of have an over addictive sweet tooth if left to my own devices. Twilight had to reign me in a few times heh heh.”

Rayne levitated both of their apple sticks across the courtyard to a trash can for her. Then he had an idea that gave him a mischievous grin. “Hey, I have an idea. Want to be bad?”

The unicorn flipped her purple striped mane while looking at him curiously. “Oh? How bad?”

Rayne leaned forward and grinned, “Like really, really bad.” He raised his brow daringly. Twenty minutes later they were both sitting in a booth together at Sugar Cube Corner laughing like idiots with an arrangement of half eaten sugary treats before them. They both had frosting on their snouts and sprinkles stuck to their hooves. “Nope, I'm telling you that cake is definitely better.” Rayne continued to proclaim.

“Hey,” Starlight said, taking a moment to clear her throat, “all I'm saying is that pie is just as good as cake.” They laughed again both feeling almost a little drunk from the sugar rush they were both on. Meanwhile Mrs. and Mr. Cake just smiled, pretending not to notice. Even though the pair were being a little loud, no pony else was bothered by the sound of merriment coming from the popular sweets shop. The shopkeepers only paid just enough attention to make sure their patrons did not choke on a gumball or anything.

Just a few minutes more into their sugary intoxication, Rayne had Starlight dying of laughter with little gummy ponies. Rayne used his best Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter voice and had an entire wilderness set out on the table made of cupcakes and other pastries. “And so, the unexpecting pony grazes across the sprinkle cupcake meadow… totally unaware that lurking just around the cake swirl are…. A DOZEN HEAD BITTEN OFF JELLY ZOMBIE PONIES! RAAAAH!” He roared as he moved them all across the table to the first gummy pony and then picked them all up together putting them into his mouth and chewing.

Just then Starlight had been sipping at a strawberry malt and laughed so hard that she blew into the straw sending half of her drink splashing back up into her face. “Gaahhhh! AHAHAHAHA!” Between his antics and having just made a mess of herself, she had to hold her sides from how hard she was laughing. Starlight fell over onto the seat, not being able to see which direction she was facing.

Mrs. Cake stepped over and slyly passed a napkin to Rayne while Starlight was distracted. Then very quickly she whispered to him, “Oh you two are just so adorable together. Here you go, you can be the big hero and help clean her up. Don't worry about the mess when you're done, I think that all of Starlight's laughing is actually drawing in more customers for us. You two are welcome here ANY time.” Then she skipped away and even put a little ‘reserved booth‘ rope out for them to not be disturbed by the other customers.

“Here, hold still.” Rayne laughed as he wiped her eyes. Starlight was trying to catch her breath as her heart was racing from laughter. However once she could see, Starlight instantly started to blush as Rayne was unintentionally leaning over her very romantically. Without thinking she moved to sit up and caught him right in the face with her horn. “Oww!” He yelled, feeling more startled than hurt.

“Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you o- um, hehe oops. I think I got uh, a little strawberry on you there.” She giggled as Rayne tried to look down at himself.

Licking out his tongue across his chin he tasted a big blog of the strawberry malt that she had just smeared on him. Glancing to her playfully he said, “Hey, that tastes pretty good! Come ‘ere!” He shouted before lunging forward at her in the seat.

“What? NO, AHH! HAHAHA. SOMEPONY HELP ME!” Starlight yelled out giggling as Rayne plopped his heavy body over her side to pin her down and was trying to lick her face while she was trying to push him away.

A voice called absentmindedly from across the shop. “Huh? What was that dear? I'm sorry, I'll be right with you in just a minute.” Mrs. Cake said from the cash register as she was helping another customer who was buying a cake for his daughter. Mr. Cake poked his head out of the kitchen curiously but when his wife winked showing that she had no intention at all of going over there to help, both stallions gave a hearty laugh.

Meanwhile in the booth, Starlight was laughing far too much to be able to put up a strong enough fight. When Rayne finally managed to get one good lick in across her neck Starlight had to cover her mouth with her hooves as she screamed from how much it had tickled her. Now woth her hooves up, Rayne had full unobstructed access making her kick and scream in laughter as he licked at the strawberry malt on her neck. Starlight could hardly breathe but was still smiling and having the time of her life.

It was right then that Rayne started licking beside her ear and Starlight began giggling for an entirely different reason. “Oh, OH RAYNE, hehe. No, not there, not there! Hahaha.” It finally occurred to Starlight what the two of them must look like to everypony else and she glanced out between their tousled manes to look at the shop. It was packed full of ponies now all pretending not to be watching them and she was sure the place had been almost empty when they first arrived. She did all she could to suppress a moan when Rayne started to nibble at her ear. Quickly she dropped heavy hooffull of bits onto the table without even counting. Starlight first shouted, “I'm sorry Mrs. Cake for leaving such a mess!” Then she suddenly teleported both herself and Rayne out of the shop.

Rayne looked around in surprise as he was suddenly found himself outside. There was a wall to a building on one side of him with a bush sitting almost immediately to his other side. Looking upwards though he saw the same cake frosted roofing of the sweets shop and realized Starlight teleported them just outside in the bushes behind the store. More importantly he noticed that he was still on top of Starlight just as he had been in the booth. Starlight was looking up at him intently and Rayne had no desire to ruin this moment with words. Learning back down he quickly started sucking on her neck but was no longer concerned about where they was or wasn't strawberry malt on her fur. “Oouuuh Rayne!” She gasped as her knees started to rise and fall, loving the feeling now of his large body holding her and his lips caressing her neck so passionately.

Unbeknownst to them, a blushing Mrs. Cake called to her husband as she saw the young couple disappear and then clearly heard a thud followed by more giggles coming from the bushes out back. “Oh darling, you missed quite a show out here. We might have to put curtains up if those two come back again, hehe.”

“Well,” Mr. Cake said as he tilted his hat back, “if they do, then now we will be able to afford them!” He said, pointing to the line of ponies that lead out the door to buy some pastries. The married shop owners laughed as they jested to one another before returning to their duties.

Meanwhile Starlight was very much enjoying herself but noticed that the stallion's lips had traveled up her neck and were now approaching her jaw line. Quickly she pulled back from him. Seeing that, Rayne lifted his hooves from around her making no attempt of trying to force her onward. “Rayne… I'm sorry, I don't normally kiss on the first date.” Starlight said as she bit her bottom lip, nervous that she would ruin their afternoon with this.

He just smiled warmly to her and without missing a beat said, “Then I can stop here or at any time you want and that is perfectly fine with me.” Rayne had to stop himself from chuckling as he watched her eyes go wide, swooning right before him at his willingness to be patient for her.

Feeling a little more reassured and also still amped from her sugar rush Starlight told him, “Well, I do have a little more malt still left on me. And…” She then dabbed her hoof into a bit of strawberry that she found in her hair and patted it right on Rayne's chin, “well, it's not kissing… if we're just cleaning each other, right?” Rayne stayed totally immobile, letting her take the lead as Starlight leaned forward and slowly licked from his chin to up towards the bottom of his lips. Just before she reached them Rayne saw Starlight's eyes suddenly look up to his.

He moved fast and determined, instantly placing both of his hooves on each side of Starlights face. He immediately kissed her as she also wrapped both of her hooves around his neck. He didn't try to go any farther, keeping his tongue to himself and his hips to Starlight's side. But he did kiss her deeply while stroking her mane away from her face. Rayne took more or a recipient role, allowing Starlight to feel that she could set the pace of things. He simply held onto her sides while they kissed each other as if neither of them had any place else to be in the world.

After quite some time Starlight Glimmer finally pulled back and scooted out from under him. She turned away from him for a moment to catch her breath without his intoxicating sight within her view. Then she turned back and with a smile she told him, “I'm going to have to call it a night here Rayne. I think I ate too many sweet, hehe.” She giggled. “Thank you Rayne. Spending the day with you was wonderful. If you want to come see me again sometime… I would like that.” With that she cast a spell which instantly cleaned them both of any remaining strawberry malt and she winked at him playfully.

They both turned towards separate directions as they parted, Starlight heading north to the castle while Rayne headed south towards the Everfree Forest. As he walked off he could not help but to let his mind wander as he held a happy grin on his face. “Thank you Starlight. I wasn't expecting to enjoy your company so much." He sighed, genuinely looking forward to seeing her again. But then his mind drifted to other thoughts as he said to himself, "You don't know how important you are going to be to me. Nothing that I have planned would be possible if you weren't around... And all of my goals are falling into place." After that he stepped forward onto the path out of town and through the Everfree Forest. "But for now, I have a promise to keep.”

Author's Notes:

Yup, another teaser just to build the tension about Spike even more. Don't worry, the answers are coming. I just like how the personality of each pony is getting drawn out. Even though Rayne is the main character I am enjoying getting into the reactions of Rarity, Starlight and everyone else.

So who caught my terrible pun? Rayne saw the glimmer in Starlight Glimmer's eyes. Ha.

So I don't know about you but I thought the date Rayne had with Starlight was so cute. I know I had a big cheesy grin the entire time I was writing it. I don't remember if Starlight's sweet tooth is cannon or if that just came from me but either way it felt right. Oh and as for Mrs. Cake, I fully believe that anyone who runs as pastry shop just has to have a playful or mischievous side. She doesn't have to be inappropriate but definitely wouldn't be a 'sick in the mud.'

Now, a quick recap on the timeline of the day: While the morning scene in Rarity's boutique was happening, the Wonderbolts were training from that morning until about now as Rayne and Starlight go their separate ways. Rarity is left sitting patiently in Spike's bedroom as he sleeps. As the story continues it is going to revisit each pony separately to show how their evening progresses.