Chapter Eight

Ballroom Blitz and a Special Night

The first day after Spike had told his plans to Carlos had passed by in a hurry, much to his surprise. Breaking the news to Meia had been rather simple, and even he was surprised by her sincere but seemingly chilly congratulations.

Of course, he couldn’t have guessed her real feelings on the matter. When she was alone, Chrysalis couldn’t help but reveal herself to be conflicted over these developments, even arguing with herself in the mirror. She would have to seduce him soon enough, lest he permanently think of “Meia” as nothing more than a close friend. But where to strike would be important: perhaps in Prance?

That being said, Spike was indeed busy the second day before the ball. Much to his surprise, it would not be like the Grand Galloping Gala like in Equestria. This would be a masquerade ball, a custom that came over on trade ship from the port city of Veneighse. Everyone would be in fabulous outfits of varying design, as all of Maria’s extended family and many other nobles were to be invited. Spike himself would be greeting many of the guests with Carlos and Isabella, though if he had to put up with stuffy nobles for Maria’s hand in marriage, he would gladly do so.

So it was that the third day came to pass, and Spike had not seen hide nor hoof of Maria since that day in the garden. Isabella had reassured him she was merely preparing for what she thought would be a grand ball, but secretly Spike had a feeling she knew something larger was at play. The hours seemed to pass by in a blur as he was prepped and readied for the night. Soon enough, carriages began to arrive as darkness fell, and Meia had left him with Carlos after they had been fully dressed up.

Meia looked a bit like a lion, with her golden dress offset by the silver mask she wore. It did a rather odd job of hiding her figure, though anyone with half a brain could tell she was still a mare. Spike, on the other hoof, was still a bit stunned by his own costume. Dark pants that seemed black as coal, with a matching cape that swirled over his wings. He wore black boots, suitable for dancing, for which he was grateful. His hat, a large black sombrero, did a fine job of hiding his spines from any onlookers, and the black mask he work just added to the mystique. His shirt was, you guessed it, black, with a black vest over it. Seriously, whoever had designed his costume had a raging erection for the color black. Rarity would have likely torn them from his body and set them on fire, shouting “abomination” and “crime against fashion” or something along those lines.

Still, he couldn’t help but admit it was rather fantastic. He looked a lot like... what was his name again? Zonno? Zotto? Zor...

“Here they come,” Carlos whispered, snapping Spike out his daydream. Up the pathway walked nobles from all over the general area, with a few coming from all the way near Portucolt and Southern Prance. As they approached the main entrance, Spike and Carlos were to greet them and shake their hands, though kissing the hands of the mares was something Spike could say he wasn’t excited about.

“Ah, Lord and Lady Albonietto,” Carlos said as a pair of earth ponies approached them. “It is with great honor I welcome you to our masquerade ball.”

“We were glad to receive your invitation,” the mare said with a smile plainly visible under her mask. She looked over at Spike as he kissed her offered hand. “And who might this young colt be?”

“A friend of the family, you might say,” Spike said, shaking hands with the mare’s husband. “A very close friend: Spike is my name, milady.”

“Well, Mr. Spike I must say you have an impeccable taste in friends,” the stallion said. “We’ve been friends of the Del Riviosos for many years now: it is great luck to have so wonderful a family such as themselves to call you friend.”

“Thank you, Mr. Albonietto,” Spike said as they passed by. “Be sure to have a wonderful time!”

“Oh, we will!” the mare called back. Spike turned to see another pair approaching, though from the sudden tension coming off in waves from Carlos, he had a feeling this wouldn’t be so wonderful.

They were a pair of unicorns, followed by what could only be their son. Their noses were up in the air, as if to avoid smelling anything not royal in nature. All three carried themselves with the same kind of posture that Spike had seen back in the Grand Galloping Gala, before he had gone to the donut shop, at any rate, though the smaller one seemed less enthusiastic.

Carlos put on a forced smile, though thankfully it would be hard to know it’s genuineness from behind his mask. “Ah, Lord and Lady Calretto,” he said, taking a bow. “I welcome you to our ball. And I see you’ve brought your son Colombus: excellent.”

“Yes, yes, it is excellent, is it not?” Lord Calretto said, his cold eyes looking upon Spike. “And who might this be?”
“Spike, at your service, my lord,” the dragon replied, keeping his tone civil and cheerful.

“Service indeed, if his posture is anything to say about it,” Lady Calretto snorted through her golden mask. “I do not know where you find these servants or how you discipline them, Carlos, but in our house we would not stand for such slouches.” They walked past, Colombus giving Spike a somewhat apologetic look.

“Yes, that would be Lord and Lady Calretto, the bane of Spreign’s lords,” Carlos said after more guests arrived and were greeted. “Among the worst of the worst in all the land, but at least one good thing is going to come out of their family.”

“What is that, sir?” Spike said as the last carriages left and no more guests arrived.

“Their colt, Colombus, is set to inherit most of their estates, with the rest split between his horrible sisters. He is nothing like any of them: in fact, I’d say he was more like you,” the stallion said as they closed the doors behind them. “Shall we find the others?”

“Of course,” Spike said, descending the stairs and working his way through the crowds of socializing and dancing ponies. Soft dancing music played as the two worked their way past tables lined with foods specially made for that night.

“Ah, there they are,” Carlos said, leading Spike over to the rest of the family. Juana and Angelica looked absolutely adorable in their own little costumes, while Antonio and Raoul looked decidedly bored in their own dark suits. Isabella was resplendently dressed as well, though Spike’s eyes were soon drawn to another figure among the family.

Maria: oh dear Celestia, did Maria look fabulous. Her mane done in a style similar to what Spike had seen in Rarity’s chic boutique magazines, her mask concealing none of her beauty and somehow actually heightening it. Her dress, blindingly white with silver and gold trimmings, hugged her figure and showed off how she had grown: very well, in Spike’s mind. She carried herself the air of royalty, but yet she seemed not overwhelmed or dragged down by it, like Lady Calretto. Maria was a young mare, of fit breeding age, a royal of high nobility, and an absolutely stunning pony, both in personality and in figure.

Spike, for once, found he was too dumbstruck to speak. He couldn’t even form a simple “hello” when Maria saw him and walked up to him.

“Good evening, Spike,” she said, curtsying with a royal demeanor that Spike had seen only in the princesses of Canterlot. For the merest fraction of a second, he felt truly unprepared to ask for her hand in marriage. Just what was he getting himself into?

But he steeled his nerves: he knew in his heart that the moment he had laid eyes on her, he had fallen in love. It would seem strange to some, asking to marry a noble’s daughter only a few days after knowing her, but he knew he was an extraordinarily different kind of nobility. To go so long without knowing his royal heritage, and to go so long without be betrothed or taking a bride, made him unique in ways most ponies would not understand.

“Uh, um... good evening to you too, Maria,” he finally said, kissing her hand in greeting. Even though he could barely see it, her face blushed when his lips made contact with her hand. “Shall we dance?” he asked, gesturing out towards the floor where other couples were enjoying the gentle music.

“Yes, please,” she said, letting him lead her away from her family. Spike looked back to see Carlos give him a wink, but when Isabella saw it, the stallion made to rub his eye to conceal the gesture. Out onto the floor the young nobles strode, Spike resembling the dashing rogue so many romance novels focused on and Maria, the epitome of a royal’s daughter.

The music began to pick up, and so our young couple danced, twirling this way and that, amidst a sea of colorfully dressed ponies. Around and around they spun and moved, in turn with the rest of the crowd, though in Spike’s mind they could have been alone, so focused was he on Maria. In his mind, he felt that he would ask her soon, but after the music was over: right now, it was all about him, her, and their dance.

And dance they did, moving through and around other couples without so much as looking at another pony in the room. Twirling her around, Spike held her close to his body, hers matching his even through the height difference. She blushed beneath her mask as he twirled her again and let her fall backwards into her arms, just as the music stopped.

Letting her lean off of himself so as to stand up on her own, Spike led her away from the now-emptying dance floor towards a veranda. Soon enough, the festivities behind them seemed to fade away until the only sounds were those of their steps and the rustling of their clothes.

“Maria,” Spike began, stopping at the edge of the balcony. The moon shone bright that night, a reminder that Luna was watching him even then: he took solace in its light.

“Yes, Spike?” she asked, turning to look at him.

“I...” Boy, it was sure hard to form the right words: his insides were twisting into knots he didn’t even have words for. “I... I have something to ask you: something personal.”

She was silent for a moment, though Spike could tell her eyes had widened underneath her mask. “Yes?” Maria said, her voice a bit breathless.

Spike took her hands into his own, gently squeezing them. “Maria, I never felt this way before about somepony. I’d never thought I’d leave Equestria just to find someone like you. You... you are an amazing unicorn, Maria.”

She was blushing underneath that mask, which he wanted to suddenly tear off and kiss deeply. He held back, though: it was time to ask her. Maria Almareconraddo Del Rivioso, will you mar-“

“Yes,” she said, cutting him off.

Spike blinked: what? His brain frazzled out: he hadn’t even finished and she had said yes? “T-truly?”

“Of course: I said yes and I keep my word,” she said simply.

“But how... how could you have known what I was going to ask?” Spike said, flabbergasted that she seemed rather calm, even though her breathing had quickened slightly.

“Mother spilled the beans soon after she heard it from father,” Maria said, looking up at the stars. “As a way to amend our bridges, as they say, before I were to depart. She didn’t want us to part ways without reconciling our past disgreements.”

“But... but I’d never force you to come with me if you didn’t want to leave,” Spike said.

“I know that: I choose to come with you of my own free will,” the unicorn said. “The thing is, Spike, I almost immediately felt something for you the day I ran into you in the halls. Of course, I first thought it was fascination and embarrassment: but soon enough, or from what I heard about my mother meeting father, inside me it blossomed into something more. I fell head over hooves for you, mister dragon. And yes, the garden was part of a test to see if you truly were noble as you appeared: only a true gentlecolt, or in your case gentledrake, would have resisted my advances.”

Spike’s mouth hung open, aghast at how well he had been played. This Maria... she was deceivingly cunning, more so than he could have thought. “So... so you were planning much of this?”

“Of course. When I told father what I felt for you, I knew he’d gently steer you in the right direction. Your notion of a ball? Entirely by our design, as we normally eat in smaller quarters: we ate in the larger dining room so as to plant in your mind the seed of what we would be doing when you mustered up the courage to ask me.” She batted her eyelashes. “Imagine my surprise when you not only turned out to be such a gentledrake and a punctual dragon, but a skilled dancer to boot.”

Spike wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel indignant or elated, either from being played or for not having to deal with an emotionally distraught mare that would have been torn between him and her family. “So... what of the wedding?”

“Oh, that. Well, I made sure mother and father would take care of everything, so it will be a surprise to me as well. Know this, Spike the dragon,” she said reaching up and giving him a peck on the cheek. “I’ll expect you to be on time, well dressed, and completely committed to taking this first big step.” With that, she walked away, her manner changing as she approached her family. Spike could see it: she was happy and excited.

Well, that took care of one problem: now all he had to do was marry this cunning mare.

The night passed without anything else exciting happen, though Spike had a feeling more than just Maria and him were gearing up for the wedding. As pertaining to their wishes, both Spike’s and Maria’s, it would be a small, private affair, with only the family, the servants and Meia attending.

Speaking of Meia, she had found herself talking to her reflection in the mirror not long after Spike had fallen asleep.
“It must begin in Prance,” she muttered as she brushed her mane. “I have been lucky he has only chosen one bride so far. Should he choose another, I fear I will have to make him fall in love with me: a very dangerous prospect indeed. I can only hope something happens that will help expedite the process.

Two days later, Spike was wondering just how in the world he had managed to remain so calm in preparation for one of his possibly many wedding days. The servants had been in a frenzy polishing everything they possibly could. Maria had been too busy to see him, and Isabella made sure he went nowhere near anyplace they could meet discreetly. Meanwhile, Carlos had coached him in all the duties that would befall him once the marriage was over, including a dowry of seven thousand gold coins, several pieces of armor specially fitted for him (ceremonial, of course, as a dragon’s scales were nigh impenetrable), and transportation for Maria, Meia and himself, with one of the three carriages being much larger.

First and foremost, however, had been something he had been putting off for days now: a letter to Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six. They had no doubt been wondering of his time in Spreign and were anxious to hear of what happened since his last letter. He had been fastidious in keeping track of his journal and had now filled out nearly half of the first one, just covering his journey across the Barnlantic and his time in Equineland, Portucolt and Spreign.

So, late that afternoon, several hours before he was to get married, he sat down and began to write the letter.

“Dear Twilight and all my friends, you have no doubt been wondering just what I’ve been up to since my last letter. Upon entering Spreign, we were stopped and attacked by a lone bandit. No worries, we came out just fine, plus we split his ill-gotten gains and gave away a third of it to some less fortunate ponies.”

He paused for a second. “The Del Rivioso family live in a magnificent fortress, with gardens and statues and fountains of all kinds. They are a good family, though they will soon be family to me. Yes, I am getting married: to their eldest daughter, Maria. She’s a unicorn a bit like you, Twilight: very smart and compassionate, though she has a simple demeanor that appeals to me in a way I cannot describe. I’ll send you some wedding pictures as soon as I can. I am sorry this letter is not longer, but duty calls and I will send you a longer one in due time. Keep in touch; Spike.”

He rolled the scroll up and held in his fingertips. With a gentle breath of green flame, the scroll vanished in a puff of smoke, teleporting to the library all the way back in Ponyville. Huh, Ponyville: a long ways away, and yet he felt like he had only left it a few days previously. He couldn’t focus on that small feeling of homesickness now: that was done. Now it was time to get ready to marry his bride.

His first bride, anyway: he still had a ways to go, but he knew Maria would be with him the whole way.

A few hours later, as night truly fell over the land...

Spike waited at the altar, doing his best not to fidget in the expensive suit the local tailor had custom-sewn for him. It was just like the suit he had worn all those years ago at the first Grand Galloping Gala he had attended, though now he was far larger than he had been back then. He wings, too: they were a nice addition.

Suddenly, soft music began playing from the orchestral ensemble Carlos had arranged for. Turning away from the small, elderly priest-like pony, he looked up to the main entrance to the room, where his eyes nearly bugged out of his sockets. If Spike hadn’t used his tail to secretly prop himself up, he might have fallen over from shock right then and there.

In walked Maria, escorted by her father, but at the same time, it couldn’t have possibly been Maria. Her clothes... her mane... her features were all pristine and spruced up in ways Spike couldn’t even imagine. Her hooves made a very soft clacking on the floor as she approached, her dress a resplendent golden color so powerful Spike felt as though it had been dipped in sunlight. Her mane, normally fixed so that it held itself up above her head, was sleek and smooth, falling down around her face like waterfalls cascading down a pure marble edifice. Maria’s eyes glittered behind the golden veil and she held herself with such regality that Spike forgot for an instant she was Spreigninsh and instead thought he was marrying a cousin of Celestia herself. But that vanished as he took her hand into his own and both looked towards the elderly pony priest, who was smiling.

A toothless smile, at any rate: he could have been Granny Smith’s grandfather. “Do you, Spike the dragon, heir to the throne of Equestria’s Triumvirate Council, take Maria Almareconraddo Del Rivioso, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and health, through toil and peace, in times of loss and joy? To take upon the mantle of her husband and co-proprietor of her estate?”

“I do,” Spike said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. The ancient pony turned to Maria.

“Do you, Maria, take Spike to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and health, through toil and peace, in times of loss and joy? To take up the title of his wife, and to bear his children, and love him with all your heart?” It seemed the necessities of one gender were quite a bit more lax than for the other: males had it easier.

“I gladly do,” she said. She also squeezed Spike’s hand, her fingers laced with his.

The prehistoric pony smiled once more, showing nothing but gums. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Spike turned and slowly lifted Maria’s veil exposing her radiant smile to his own eyes. No, he would not tear up: he would not cry like Carlos was doing off to his side. Closing in, he pressed his lips to Maria’s gently but firmly: she returned with full force, throwing her arms around his neck. The rest of the onlookers cheered, the servants and Maria’s family clapping as they rose from their seats.

Spike and Maria broke apart, breathless and smiling. Together, they walked down the small aisle, all the while small spells shot off into the air from the gathered unicorns like miniature fireworks. As soon as they reached the door to leave, Carlos caught up with them.

“Down the hall and to the left are your quarters for the night,” he said, shaking Spike’s free hand. “Welcome to the family.”

“I am most welcomed, dad,” Spike said, earning a teardrop of happiness from the already sniffling stallion. Leading Maria out of the room, they turned and went to their honeymoon room, as pertaining to Carlos’ instructions.

Shutting the door behind them, Spike turned to see Maria fly towards the changing room: she definitely was done waiting for this night. “I’ll be right out,” she called as he saw some of her clothes fly into the air.

Spike himself began to undress, sitting down on the bed as the moonlight shone through the dark room like a pale heavenly beacon. As he took off his pants, the young drake couldn’t help but feel as though Luna had meant for this to happen. She had been the one to choose where he was destined to go, and though he didn’t particularly want to not go to some of these places, it still felt a bit strange how she had been so specific.

Basking in the glow of the moonlight, Spike finished with the last of his undergarments just as a voice sounded behind him.
“Spike?” Maria whispered, hiding in the shadows. He turned around, his own features cast in shadow as the moonlight behind him made him seem dark and mysterious. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” he said, his voice barely louder than hers. “Come to me, Maria.”

Soft hoof-falls on the floor let his ears dictate where his eyes should look. Still, when she stepped into the moonlight, he couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

She was immaculate in her barest form. Her fur shone in the moonlight like a lamp, the olive-colored pelt almost looking the color of cream. Her mane fell down to her shoulders, with her face framed perfectly within. Maria’s breasts, which had seemed so remarkable in her dress, were simply astounding: full, firm, and very perky. Not too large, not too small, with rosy nipples pointing outwards at Spike. Her legs, perfectly proportioned, trailed up to firm-looking hindquarters: you could probably bounce a jewel off of them. As his eyes graced her marehood, he simply knew he had made the right decision to come on this journey: he had fallen in love, all right.

Maria, on the other hand, was looking Spike up and down with a fervor that surprised even her. His chest, strong and robust-looking, seemed to radiate with strength. His tail behind him flickered back and forth like a cat’s, muscled in ways she didn’t know they could be. His spines along his head gave him an other-worldy appearance, as though he were a creature of the night come to take her away. His arms lay by his sides, muscular and long: his hands seemed larger than she remembered.

His waistline was trim and slender, though that did nothing to hide the muscles lining his stomach and side. Every piece stood out, from his upper abdominals all the way down to his... his...

“Oh,” she gasped softly, taking an involuntary step forward. He was... well, gifted might have been an understatement. She knew from her anatomy classes that stallions and mares differed, of course, but she had had no idea just how... different a dragon was from a stallion.

She drew closer, and closer, tempted to jump him right then and there. But she wouldn’t, she couldn’t: she had no experience, and even though he had not said anything on the matter, she could tell he knew how to use his... weapon. Stepping up to him, she leaned up and captured his lips with hers, just as his arms snaked around her and pulled her flush with his body. He was warm, undeniably warm: she felt as though she would melt into a puddle of goo right there.

A soft jab poked her in the stomach, and she looked down to see his... second tail swelling to life. Would it hurt? Would it even fit?

Gently, Spike lay her down on the bed, the moonlight casting his features into shadow more so than they had before. He continued to kiss her, his hands roaming over her body as she moaned into his mouth. She felt a tingling between her legs, and she knew her body was preparing itself.

But as quick as a flash, his lips left her mouth and moved to her neck, where he continued to kiss her. Curious as to why, but not moving a muscle, she felt his kisses move from her neck to her collarbone, and then to the swell of her breasts...

Suddenly, a warm, wet sensation enveloped one of her nipples and she nearly squealed in surprise. Lightly sucking on her nipple, Spike slowly massaged the other one with a free hand, tweaking the other nipple to its full hardness. Then he switched, without so much as say a word. Maria pressed him into her breasts with both her hands, urging him to go on. It was instinctual, the feeling of a mouth suckling on her breasts, yet at the same time it was so carnal and felt so damned good.

She almost cried in dismay as he licked between the valley of her breasts and continued to go lover, his lips and tongue trailing over her stomach. Yet lower he went, and lower, and lower, until...

All right, she did gasp there: he was laying a pattern of butterfly kisses around the outside of her marehood, which was rapidly swelling at the sudden ministrations. Around and around he circled, until he at last lay a kiss directly on her nether lips, sending an electrical shock through her system. By her ancestors, she involuntarily dug her fingers into the silken sheets as he kissed her beyond what she could describe. Just when she thought he was done surprising her, she felt something enter her: something small, wriggling, and absolutely blazing hot.

She looked down as best she could to see Spike’s elongated tongue disappearing into her innermost core, the sensation overwhelming her mind like a tidal wave of pleasure. He was pleasing her, worshipping her, making her his... without any visible effort, it seemed. She clenched her legs around his head, urging him to go deeper: which is exactly what he did.

Suddenly, and without warning, something built inside the mare and exploded, her now sopping-wet marehood sloshing a bit as she experienced her first orgasm. Her body felt like it was on fire, as if the dragon eating her out had breathed flame into her very being. Maria continued to spasm from the ministrations until she couldn’t anymore, and felt back, sweating. Spike looked up as his tongue retracted, taking care to lick her sweet juices from all over his face.

“S-Spike,” she said, as breathless as though she had run the entire length of Spreign. “That... that-“

“-Is not everything,” he said, standing up and looking down at her. His proud shaft stood up in the moonlight, looking like a battering ram about to penetrate a castle’s softened defenses. He crawled over her, his body hovering over her like a protective shadow.

“Maria, do you want this?” he asked softly.

“Y-yes, yes I do,” she said, preparing for the worst. With that, Spike gently grabbed hold of his member and guided it downwards, the tip brushing against her entrance. Rubbing himself up and down her soaking nethers, he slowly pushed the tip into her, earning a stifled gasp from his wife.

“Shh, shh, it will be okay,” he said, watching her reaction. She nodded slowly, which had him push a bit further in. Even though she was incredibly wet, she was also incredibly tight. Slowly, inch by inch, he pushed into her, his lips capturing hers so as to stifle her gasping. After what felt like an eternity, he couldn’t go in anymore: he had pushed in all the way to his heavy dragon balls.

“Wish I had more time to spend doing this,” he thought as he let himself rest inside her. “But I will make the most of it.”

With that, he began to gently pull out, his ridged shaft causing Maria to tremble and almost outright buck against him in pleasure. Soon enough, he was almost all of the way out, leaving only the swollen head inside. Again he pushed in slowly, a bit easier this time as Maria’s body had come to accept his size and had stretched to less painful extremes to accommodate him.

So this went on, every thrust becoming easier and easier as Maria’s juices trailed down her rump onto the sheets. Spike slowly picked up the pace, at least until Maria’s legs wrapped around his firm ass and pushed him in a bit harder.

“Please, more,” she moaned, her voice sounding ragged. So Spike obliged, pushing into her with an increasing pace that left her trembling: another boost to speed had her bucking up against him. So they rutted like this for minutes, Maria not telling Spike just how many orgasms she felt as though were spiraling through her body. It was like one after another after another, forming a chain that seemed to stretch on and on.

Spike felt himself approaching his limit, and with all the business he had had to take care of for the last few days, he was feeling exhausted. “Maria,” he whispered, just as her last orgasm faded. “Come for me.”

She did, and it eclipsed all the other ones she had had: a monstrous jolt tore through her exhausted body as her shuddering marehood clenched down on Spike’s mighty invader, sending him over the edge. Just as he began to spurt into her, he pushed in all the way, feeling his balls slap against her firm flank as he did so. His shaft pumped and pumped more and more into her, so much so that a bit of it began to leak out onto their sheets. They lay together like this as their bodies began to wind down. Soon enough, Spike rolled to the side, still holding Maria to him: her gentle snores greeted his ears.

“Goodnight, my love,” he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. With that, he closed his eyes as well.

Author's Notes:

Well, did I promise it or did I promise it? Hope you enjoyed this extra-long chapter as much as I did writing it!