After the whole "princing" thing (or whatever it's called), we all headed back to town. Unfortunately for me there was a huge crowd waiting for my arrival to meet the "new" prince. I was pleased when they saw it was me and just smiled. Thankfully most of them already knew how I felt about bowing and such, though a few still did so.

As I walked through the crowd, I heard whispers that I could not decipher, no doubt about me being a prince or if Luna and I were together. I just smiled and continued on to the library.

I walked into the home to find the pleasant aroma of a wonderful cooked meal, smelling faintly of cloves, rosemary, and olive oil. I looked over to see my mother standing next to Big Mac, setting the table.

She looked up when she heard the door open and smiled. "Well it's about time you got here, Drew. We could have used your help with the cooking."

I smiled and sat down, waiting for everyone else to arrive. Twilight, Dash, Pinkie, and Lyra all walked in next, followed by my brother and Applejack. Applejack handed us all bottles of hard cider and joined us in the reading room.

I looked at the earth pony and smiled warmly. "Well AJ we can't very well have a celebration without you and your awesome drink, now can we?" She giggled at this and went to talk to her friends.

My brother sat down next to me and we quietly drank while the others talked. Shortly thereafter, Rarity and Spike entered, and we all welcomed the fashionista and the adolescent dragon.

Spike let out a sigh of annoyance and sat down next to me. He grabbed a bottle of hard cider and placed his feet on the table, looking rather exhausted.

When I set to ask him what was wrong, he glared at me and growled, "Steel...Rarity's working me way too hard. I need a drink."

I didn't bother looking at him, and just laughed. "Well Spike, I thought you loved her. Wouldn't you do anything for her? I mean at least now she's interested in you."

He shrugged. "I mean yeah, I'm happy that she's actually looking at me as a dragon instead of a baby. All the same, she seems to be working me even harder now."

I leaned in close and whispered with curiosity, "So, are you two together yet?"

He sighed a little sadly and shook his head. "I wish, guys. I mean it's pretty obvious to me that she likes me like that now...I just don't know why she won't take that last step." He opened his eyes and took another swig of his drink and coughed a little. "Wow, this stuff has a kick." He turned to me and shook his head. "I mean for example the other day we were working on a new dress line she's going to promote in Canterlot. She was tired, I was wired, and she was quickly getting frustrated. I forced her out of the boutique to take a walk with me. She'd been working for ten hours straight without sleep, and I knew she needed a break." He took another gulp of the sweet alcohol, not coughing this time. "We walked around the park for awhile, but I could tell she was tense..."

We sat down underneath my favorite tree in the park, a ways away from where anypony could see us. Not that I was planning on doing anything bad, but I just wanted things to be calm, and I knew she would appreciate it too.

Rarity sat down somewhat stiffly next to me and let out a frustrated sigh and hung her head. "Spike...I just don't know what to do. I cannot seem to find my inspiration. Ugh...it is so frustrating!"

I placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked over at me. I smiled and winked at her. "Rarity, you're the best designer I know. Well...you're the only designer I know, but still. You've been working yourself to the bone for the past two days...it's no wonder you feel so drained. You need to rest and relax." I scooted behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders, softly massaging. I was worried at first that she would move away, but she stayed and started to relax. I felt the tension in her muscles all around her neck and legs, so I set about working out the knots.

"Mmm...Spike...you're really good at this..." she muttered in between moans, a smile on her face.

I chuckled and explained, "Yeah, Steel and Dark taught me. I knew it would come in handy sooner or later." I gently lay her down on her stomach, and continued rubbing her neck and back. She continued sighing and moaning as I worked her body with my hands. I found it difficult to keep a blush from rising to my cheeks, as this had been a bit of a fantasy of mine for awhile. I couldn't help but inhale the scent of her hair as I rubbed her shoulders - mmm...vanilla.

After about twenty minutes I stopped when I heard the soft rhythmic breathing of her sleeping. Not wanting her to have to lay her head on the ground, I sat against the tree and lay her head on my leg. I sat there stroking her mane and daydreaming about a possible future with the beautiful mare in my lap. I was snatched from my thoughts by a very soft, beautiful voice.

"Spike?" said the pure white unicorn, looking beautiful in the afternoon sun.

I continued stroking her mane and smiled down at her. "Yes Rarity?"

She averted her eyes with a bit of a blush, but then collected herself and look back at me. "Spike, how long have you pined for me? And please don't tell me that you haven't."

I chuckled. "I wasn't going to deny it. Maybe at one point in my life I was a little ashamed of it, but I'm not anymore. To answer your question, it was since the first day I met you."

Her cheeks colored crimson again, and as I proceeded to massage her scalp, I could feel the heat rising to her face. "Well...that is a long time. That was over four years ago, Spike. How did I affect you so?"

I shrugged. "Well at first, Rarity, it was your beauty. I saw you for the first time when Twi and I came to Ponyville to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival. You were the most beautiful pony I'd ever laid eyes on." She blushed harder and I chuckled. "But all kidding aside, I wasn't in love. I thought I was, but Twi explained it to me later after she found out. I couldn't love somepony I didn't know, so I tried to get to know you better to see if I would feel different. That's why I always wanted to help you and be around you. I had to see for myself if I would feel different when I got to know you."

She nuzzled against the muscles in my leg and sighed. "Well Spike...did you feel different?"

I shrugged. "Well, I did in a lot of ways. I found out that I really did like you, not just your looks. That was until the Grand Galloping Gala when you went to find that Prince Blueblood guy." I felt her shudder at the name, but I continued. "I was...angry. Like really angry. I mean in my mind, I was asking myself why you wouldn't go with me. Why wasn't I good enough? After cooling off and thinking about it though, I realized that it was because no matter how I felt about you, I was just a baby. Then I got depressed because I realized that no matter what I did, no matter what I tried, I wasn't going to be good enough." She tried to interrupt me but I stopped her, explaining in a soft voice, "It wasn't your fault Rarity, I was still a baby after all. Dragons mature a lot faster than most things on this world, but even in dragon terms, I was a baby. I can't really blame you for not feeling the same way I feel about you because you're grown, and I'm not. Believe me, I've tried to blame you...but after the anger is gone, I just feel guilty. I can't help who I love Rarity, but I also learned that some things just aren't meant to be."

I could hear her crying softly against my scales. She looked up at me with sadness in her eyes. "Spike, I am so sorry that you feel this way. I am so insensitive."

I cupped her face in my hands and smiled. "Rarity, you're not insensitive. I mean it's not like I exactly came out with it and said, 'Rarity, you're the love of my life'. Besides, the fact still remains that there's a huge age gap. Even in dragon years, I'm still only about eighteen and you're what, twenty-seven? That's nine years by maturity standards."

Rarity had stopped crying by now and was looking up at me with a smile. Without warning she pulled my head down and kissed me. I could have swore I saw fireworks exploding around us, and the world seemed to stand still.

She quickly pulled away and looked away from me. "Spike, I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
I interrupted her by pulling her up to meet me, planting my own kiss against her soft lips. She melted into me and sighed. We continued kissing and I felt her tongue brush against my lips. I did the same for her and she squeaked, before we both opened our mouths and our tongues met. Electricity shot through my body, and I started to question if this was really happening. I casually removed my hand from behind her and pinched myself. Yep...it was real.
We continued for another few minutes before she suddenly pulled away with a look of shock and self-loathing. She let a tear fall before standing up and running away, leaving me very confused against the tree...by myself.

"I met her at her boutique the next day, and she acted as if nothing happened. She acted the same she always did when we worked together, but now she wouldn't even look at me. And if you notice, she hasn't looked at me since we came here either." I explained with a sliver of annoyance.

Steelbreaker placed a hoof on his chin in thought for a minute before looking at me with an unreadable face. "Spike, I think I know what's going on. She's ashamed."

I was confused, but asked anyway, "Ashamed? Ashamed of what, of me?"

Steel shook his head and looked at me with the same unreadable expression. "No Spike, she's ashamed of herself. You have to keep in mind that most of the time she's known you, you were and looked like a baby. That's what she knows you as. You were her 'little Spikey-wikey' for the longest time, and now that you're growing into someone she actually has real feelings for, she's confused with herself. On the one hoof, she knows logically that dragons do mature a lot faster than ponies do. On the other hoof, she's watched you grow from a little cute dragon to one that's bigger and stronger...and one she finds herself attracted to. She wouldn't have kissed you if she didn't mean it, Spike...she just feels bad about it because of her own thoughts, not because of you."

I pondered what he said for a moment...and it made perfect sense. He was right, I was a baby for most of the time she's known me. It makes sense that if she really is starting to feel about me like I do her, she's going to feel weird about it. I turned to Steel and asked, "Well what do I do now?"

He just smiled at me. "You're going to need to confront her about it. For better or worse, you need to clear the air with her. Whether you two end up together or not, things are going to forever be weird until you two address this with each other. It's safe to assume that since she's avoiding you like she is, you're going to have to be the one to bring it up. I'm not going to give you false hope Spike...she might not want to be with you. Then again though, she might. From the looks of it, you've got an equal chance for both."

I felt a little nervous now. I didn't want to ruin anything I had with her, but then again what did I have? Nothing right now, just a whole bunch of badly hidden awkwardness. On the one hand if everything went well, I would get to be with the pony I loved. If things went not-so-well and she rejected me, I was just right back where I started. It did scare me a little bit, but not knowing was also driving me crazy. I stood up and looked at Steel and Dark and nodded...then I left to go find Rarity.

I found her talking to Applejack and Twilight next to the kitchen, and as soon as she saw me, she looked away.

I walked up to all of them and smiled. "Girls it's really good to see you all. I hate to break this up, but I really need to talk to Rarity. Can you give us a few minutes?" They nodded and walked off to join Steel and Dark in the reading room. Rarity still didn't look at me and I sighed. "Rarity, come outside with me please. I need to talk to you alone." She nodded and we walked out the back door.

She still wouldn't look at me, instead just kicking some snow nervously. "Alright Spike...what did you need to speak with me about?"

I just sat down on the steps and looked at her. "I'm pretty sure you know what I want to talk about, Rarity. It's been three days and you won't even look at me. Why are you so ashamed?"

She finally looked at me with shock and answered, "I am not ashamed of you, Spike. Whomever told you that was the case is misinformed."

I chuckled. "I never said you were ashamed of me, Rarity. I think you're ashamed of yourself."

Her shock turned to a look of resignation, and she closed her eyes and let out a small sigh of defeat. "Is it truly that obvious?"

I shook my head. "Not to me. To Steel though..."

She nodded in understanding. "He does seem to notice a lot, that one. Yes Spike, I am ashamed of myself. Do you know why though?"

I absentmindedly drew circles in the snow around me and nodded. "I think I do. Is it because you still think of me as 'cute little baby Spike'?"

She nodded. "Yes Spike, you seem very well informed. I...I know it does not make sense, but when I look at you sometimes, I still see the young dragon that was enamored with me. The young little dragon that would do anything to please me."

I gently reached out and took her hoof in mine. She looked at me in the eyes again and I smiled. "I'm still technically a young dragon, Rarity...just not as young. And just so you know, I would still do anything to please you. That hasn't changed." I let go of her hoof and cupped her face in one hand. "So, how do you really feel about me?"

Rarity stared at me for a moment before closing her eyes and sighing. She kept her voice barely above a whisper as she said, "It feels like love, Spike. And yet...it feels wrong somehow. I've seen you grow from a small child into a handsome young dragon, and I feel that because I have seen so much of your young life, I feel as if I am 'robbing the cradle' as it is."

I just chuckled and rubbed her cheek. "It would only be 'robbing the cradle' if the younger one didn't know anything about love, and was naive in the way the world works. I might not have lived as long as you and may not have seen as much, but I know what love is and I know what it feels like. I know what it means and how the one I love should be treated."

She suddenly shot forward and kissed me with fervor, pulling away just as quickly, rapidly apologizing with, “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

I brought her back and kissed her very gently and quickly on the lips again, and when she looked at me, I smiled. "Rarity, don't ever apologize for that. Like Twi told me, you can't help who you love. I'm just glad that even though for the longest time what I felt about you was one-sided, you actually feel the same way now. So don't be sorry." She nodded and smiled back. "Now c'mon Rarity, it's cold out here and I don't want you to freeze. Let's go join our friends."

My brother and I hadn’t left the comfortable sofa as we continued to drink, just watching the party continue.

Our silence was broken when my brother leaned over and whispered, "So, how do you think he's doing?"

I just shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but if I know Rarity like I think I do, he'll be fine."

Not a second later, Rarity and Spike walked in through the back door next to each other, smiling. I gave myself a mental pat on the back and caught Spikes eye. I smiled at him and he nodded.

"Well dude, I think they're going to be okay." I said with a smirk.

Luna, Fluttershy, and Moonfang then appeared in a blinding flash in the center of the room, right in front of myself and my brother.
I stood up right away and hugged my wolf friend. "Moonfang, it's great to see you. It feels like it's been ages since I've seen you last."

He embraced me as well for a moment before releasing and looking at me. "I agree, Steel. It has been too long."

I looked over at the two mares and held open arms, beckoning them in for a hug. They both walked over to me and embraced me as well, Luna nuzzling my mane cutely.

Fluttershy stepped back after they both released me and smiled. "Hello Steel...oh...um, I mean Prince Steelbreaker."

I laughed and shook my head, responding in a soft voice, "Fluttershy, you were a friend before any talk of this induction into royalty even came about. I ask that you don't treat or address me any differently." She smiled and nodded, and we all headed to the main room.

The large table had been set for thirteen, but that means we were missing a few. I turned to Twilight and asked, "Hey Twi, where are Pinkie, Lyra, Dashie, and Celly?" As if on cue, Dash and Pinkie walked in through the front door, Lyra in tow. Celestia walked up behind me, as if by...well...by magic. This was obviously much to the delight of my stomach, for at that moment it rumbled very loudly and everypony turned and laughed at me. I just grinned sheepishly and sat down to eat.

The meal was lovely, a take off of my mother's recipe of clove and rosemary chicken, baked with olive oil...substituting daisies, tulips, and potatoes for the meat. Spike was very surprised that someone could cook better than him, and I was just glad to be in the warmth of all my friends' presence.

The meal was finished quickly, and after some more alcohol everypony started to clear off to their respective areas. My mother decided to spend the night with Big Mac at the farm, but everypony else stayed...even Celestia.

Celly stood leaning against the doorframe as I cleaned the dinner dishes.

She smiled at me and spoke in that soothing silky voice that relaxed my very soul. "Steel, I wish to speak to you about...well...about us."

I finished putting the last plate on the drying rack and smiled. "Celly I already told you I personally don't have a problem with that prospect. You need to speak to your sister and student about it. Your sister because...well...she's your sister and it might be awkward because the two of you are already so close. Twilight because...well I think she sees you as a kind of second mother. It could be more than a little weird for her."

The sun princess smiled and nodded. "Yes, I was thinking the very same. I know my sister, so I am confident she will be fine with it. Twilight may be a different prospect, however."

I just chuckled and motioned upstairs. "Well then, she's upstairs on the observation deck preparing some drinks for us. Go talk to her now."

She nodded and headed upstairs as I finished cleaning up the main room.

I set up the blender and added the ingredients like Darkflight showed me.

“Okay, strawberries, banana, rum, tequila..." I said, talking to myself. I popped the ice in last and turned it on.

Luna and the rest of my friends were all sitting around different areas of the room, talking about Steel's new status or other things that I couldn't think of. I turned off the blender after a minute and poured the mixed drink into the five glasses.

Okay girls, drinks are ready! Come and get 'em." I said with a smile. Luna, Pinkie, Dash, and Lyra all walked up and grabbed their own glasses, while I took mine and sat down next to Luna.

Luna took a sip of her drink and her eyes widened. "Twilight, this is very good. What is in this?"

I giggled and leaned against her, drinking in her warmth. "Well Luna, it has strawberries, bananas, and two different types of alcohol in it. Darkflight showed me how to make a non-alcoholic version called a 'smoothie' a few days ago. He said this doesn’t really have a name, but considering the circumstances, I’m just going to call it..."

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash answered.

I giggled and nodded. “That works.”

The other two mares tentatively took a sip, only for them to smile.

Pinkie started to chug hers and I had to stop her. "Pinkie be careful. I know it's sweet, but Dark told me the alcohol in this can sneak up on you. I know you can handle it, but still...please take it easy and just relax." She nodded and took a relaxed slump next to Rainbow.

A few minutes later, we all heard hoofsteps coming up the stairs. We all turned to princess Celestia and Steel approaching us. The princess suddenly looked a little nervous when she looked at me, and this in turn made me feel nervous. She looked at Steel and he nodded.

The princess turned back to me and softly announced, "Luna, Twilight, I need to have a word with the both of you in private, please."

'Uh oh...what could this be about? I hope nothing's happened...'

Luna and I set our drinks down and stood up to walk over to her and Steel. We all sat on the edge of the bed and Celestia looked me over before sighing with closed eyes, prompting Steel to place a hoof on her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, I could tell she was nervous, which made me even more nervous.

"I wish to speak to the both of you about something...something important that involves all of us." she said. She took another nervous breath and continued, "I...I have come to care deeply for somepony, and I need to ask if the two of you are okay with it."

Luna looked confused, but I had already figured it out.

I sighed and questioned, “You're talking about Steel, aren't you princess?"

She nodded and Luna's jaw dropped open. "Yes my faithful student, it seems nothing gets past you."
I nodded with a blank expression. "Well princess, I've learned from the best."

I knew what she was asking, and I understood her reason for doing so. She was interested in Steel, and worried that it would be awkward to be in a relationship with him while the rest of us were as well.

My brain began to tell me that it was weird, and I should tell her that no, it wasn't okay. However I quickly turned that thought away and just like Steel had taught me that night on the balcony, I stopped thinking logically.

Instead, I listened to my heart.

Princess Celestia had been alone for so long. Not literally, but she hadn't had a romantic partner in longer than I had been alive. She had told me of a dragon she used to love, but that was a few centuries ago. It wouldn't be fair to deny her of this after so long. Besides, it wasn't as if she was asking to be in a relationship with me, now was it? The more I thought about it, the more and more I found myself being okay with it.

Steel must be rubbing off on me.

I lifted my head out of my thoughts and smiled at Celestia. "Yes princess, I'm okay with it."

She looked as if I had just grown a second head. "Wh-what? Really?"

I nodded. "Yes...why, were you expecting me to freak out?

She smiled sheepishly and nodded slowly. "Perhaps a little bit, yes. You never cease to amaze me, dear student." She turned to Luna and smiled warmly. "And what of you, dear sister?"

Luna's look of shock finally dropped, and she giggled. "Well Celly, are you ready to admit that I have good taste in stallions after all?"

Celly sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, you have chosen much better. I haven't forgotten Earth Shaker, however."

Luna gasped. "I told you that was a mistake, sister. It has been over a millennium, can you please drop that?"

Celestia smiled and said in a level voice, "I suppose after this, it is time to let the past be the past."

I couldn't help but smile. I figured if anyone would freak out, it would have been Twilight...but she surprised me. I think I might be rubbing off on her a little too much.

I turned to Celestia and she looked at me with those warm magenta eyes. Before I could react, she pushed our muzzles together in a kiss, one that I now happily returned. I could almost feel her emotions of contentment, and she sighed happily when we broke apart, at which point I looked at her and smiled.

"Well Celly, your confession went better than you could have hoped. I think this calls for a drink for you and I." I responded happily. She nodded and I proceeded to the small bar-like drink area. I mixed us both a couple drinks of coconut milk, a hint of lime, and a lot of rum.

She took the glass and took a small sip, smacking her lips and smiling. "Well Steelbreaker, this is very good. Are you sure you weren't an alcoholic on Earth?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No princess, but I was a bartender for awhile. Not to say I didn't drink regularly, but I never was a heavy drinker."

We all took our drinks and sat out on the deck. I opened the glass curtain and a rush of cool air came in. I focused my aurora spell and shot it into the sky again. Celestia turned to me with a look of shock.

"So it was you that has been doing that?" she asked with a slight waver in her voice.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's me. I'm surprised Luna and Twilight didn't tell you."

Luna just giggled. "I actually wanted it to be a surprise, so I told Twilight as well."

Celly shrugged and smiled. "Well I enjoy this surprise. It is beautiful." She looked at me and leaned in, kissing me on the cheek.

We spent most of the rest of the night relaxing and all of us got a good buzz, and it was about midnight by the time we were tired enough to go to sleep. Luna had to leave in order to take care of some duties in Canterlot tomorrow, so we all gave her a hug and she teleported to the palace. I closed the curtain and lay down on the bed, Celestia snuggling up on my left side. Twilight cuddled up right next to me and Dash in between her and Lyra. Pinkie decided to lay down against my leg, and we all spent the next hour or so talking about random things. Slowly, one by one, each of them fell asleep, until it was just Celestia and myself awake. She kept snuggling into my chest, and I just thought it was so cute.

I leaned down and kissed right below her horn, and she looked up at me with a very content smile. I chuckled and remarked, "Comfortable?"

The sun princess nodded. "Yes, you're very warm, Steel."

I chuckled and wrapped my foreleg around her, falling off into blissful sleep soon thereafter.