Chapter VII: Hot Streak
When he was a good distance from the boutique, Spike finally slowed down. He began to wander aimlessly through the streets of Ponyville, a hand on his chin. Something was wrong- more specifically, something was wrong with him. He was sure of it. But what could it be? Did someone cast a curse on him? If that was the case, what would they hope to gain from a curse like this? Then it hit him- maybe whoever did this was trying to ruin Twilight's reputation! He could think of only one pony who would want that- Trixie. But Spike soon realized a few holes in his theory- if she'd cast a spell on him during the day, he would've noticed. And trying to break into a pony's house at night in this weather? It couldn't be done. So, maybe it wasn't Trixie.
Ruling her out, the list of possible culprits was limited. It could have been Gilda… but griffons couldn't use magic, and she didn't seem the type who'd hire somepony to do something like this. And at any rate if she were angry with anypony, it would most likely be Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash, not Twilight. Discord could be behind this again… but he was still trapped in stone, and this just didn't seem like his style. But it had to be someone. But who? Who could it-
All of a sudden, Spike crashed into something, knocking him on his butt. "Hey, watch where you're going!" a mare yelled irately at him. Spike looked to see a cyan unicorn standing over him- Lyra. Standing next to her, as always, was Bon-Bon. Her expression softened when her eyes fell on the young dragon. "Oh, I'm sorry Spike. I didn't mean to yell. Are you okay?"
Spike quickly got to his feet. "I-I'm okay. Don't worry about me."
He looked into her eyes and instantly regretted it; he could see hunger forming there. "You know Spike, it's not safe for a dragon like you to be wandering around in the snow like this. I should take you home, maybe help you… warm up." The smile she gave Spike made him shiver- he was glad he was wearing pants.
Bon-Bon put a hoof on her companion's shoulder. "Lyra, what do you think you're doing?"
"What, I just want to have some fun…" The two mares spoke quickly and quietly to each other- Spike could only make out bits and pieces of their discussion, but at one point he distinctly heard Lyra say, "…but he's a dragon, not a pony- I'm sure it wouldn't count…" They argued for a few more moments, until Bon-Bon said, "Lyra I said no. That's final."
"Aw, Bon-Bon… look at him. You'd really deny this poor, defenseless baby dragon a nice warm place to stay?" She grabbed the earth pony's head with her hooves and forced her to look at Spike. Bon-Bon looked at the young dragon, unimpressed, but when their eyes met… something happened. Her eyes widened, as though she suddenly realized something important, before a sultry expression crossed her face. "You know what, you're right. How could I say no to a face like that?"
"I'm glad you came around so quickly. You wouldn't mind helping me out, would you?"
Bon-Bon unashamedly began to rub Lyra's rump, earning several odd looks from passers-by. "Mmm, not at all. Maybe we could even use that special massage oil you picked up from the spa."
"I'd like that. What do you think, Spike?" If sex could be compressed into facial expression, the look the two mares gave him at that exact moment would be it.
Spike could hardly believe his eyes. He'd never seen either Lyra or Bon-Bon with a stallion, but here they were inviting him to their home. Maybe they… no! No no no no no!He could not let this happen again. "Uh, thanks for the offer, but I really need to go. I have to help Twilight… feed her bookcases bye!" And before either could grab him, Spike scampered off.
Spike quickly realized he wasn't heading towards the library, but that didn't matter- he needed to put as much distance between himself and those mares as possible, before they dragged him off. When he thought he was safe, he slowed down, and began to think. Why would Bon-Bon change her mind so quickly? He just looked into her eyes and then…
Wait. He looked into her eyes…
That was it!
Every time he'd looked into a mare's eyes, they'd start acting… weird.
It wasn't much, but it was something. And now that he had figured out the problem, he could start working on a solution. The answer was obvious- he needed to send a letter to Princess Celestia right away. She'd know how to fix what was wrong with him. But where would he find writing materials? The writing store seemed like the go-to choice… but then Spike remembered he didn't have any money. He couldn't go back to Fluttershy's house, or the Boutique, on account of there possibly being several very unhappy mares waiting for him. Maybe the library… no, Twilight would take the Princess's words to heart and would never let him in unaccompanied. But maybe he could ask her for-
His thoughts were interrupted when Rainbow Dash landed on the ground next to him. He jumped. "There you are," she said. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
He quickly lowered his gaze- if he was right, then he needed to avoid looking into her eyes as much as possible. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"I need you to come with me. Twilight thinks she figured out what's wrong with you." He seemed to be ashamed- she put a hoof under his chin and tried to tilt his head up, and he pushed back. "Spike, don't worry. You're not in trouble. We just need to have a talk with you."
After a few more seconds of resistance, Spike gave in. He didn't have the strength to resist a fully-grown mare and he knew it. He looked up, but avoided direct eye contact, opting to look somewhere over her shoulder. "Spike, come on, look at me." He refused. "Look at me." He still refused. "Fine, if that's the way it has to be." She brought her face right up to his, holding the back of his head with a hoof so he couldn't pull back. He stared directly into her eyes- he couldn't look anywhere else. "Now listen up," she began. "I just said you're not in trouble. The least you could do is be happy that Twilight isn't itching to throw you out- I know I would if I found out my assistant was sleeping around with my friends. Now get on- were heading to Fluttershy's place."
"Yes ma'am," Spike responded, and hopped up onto Rainbow Dash's back without delay.
"Try not to fall off." With that, she was airborne. The air currents up here were smooth; no snow had been scheduled for the next few days, making Rainbow Dash's job that much easier. Spike sat just at the base of her neck, clinging to her tightly; she shivered when he shifted, rubbing his scales against her skin. She couldn't lie, she got a little flare in her chest when Spike complied with her order. That must be what Spitfire felt like, all the time. And she had to admit, the young dragon was rather… handsome. She could definitely understand why Rarity liked to have him help out at the boutique. She knew about the things Twilight and Spike had been doing together, but the way Rarity had reacted when she found out, and all the time she and Spike spent alone together at the boutique…
A pang of jealously stabbed at her heart as an image popped into her mind, one of Rarity and Spike… being intimate. After that… thing with Cloud Kicker, everypony just assumed she was a filly-fooler, but it wasn't true. Sure, it had been fun- she wouldn't deny that- but she just didn't like mares that way. But, she realized, there was a solution to her problem. It was clinging to her neck at that very moment. He was a boy, and just past puberty at that- if she asked, he would have to be absolutely crazy to say no. A thought of Twilight and the others popped into her head, but she quickly pushed it away.
Eh, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
Rainbow Dash banked as they passed over the outer edge of Ponyville, beginning to descend. They landed in a narrow, dark alley between two buildings right at the edge of town- the place was eerily quiet, being far from the hustle and bustle of the town square. "Get off."
Though confused, Spike did as he was asked and hopped off the pegasus. "Uh, Rainbow Dash, I thought we were going to Fluttershy's house."
"Well plans have changed." She took a step toward him; he took a step back. "Say Spike," she began, her voice dropping an octave, "…you can keep a secret, right?" She advanced on him, step by step, until his back was pressed against the alley wall.
"Uh, what… what kind of secret?" he stammered. Her breath felt hot against his face, and in her eyes he could see an unmistakable hunger. His heart pounded painfully in his chest.
"This kind." Rainbow Dash leaned in and pressed her lips against Spike's. He let out a muffled cry and tried to pull back, only to hit his head against the wall behind him. He tried to turn his head away, but she held his face firmly with her hooves, ensuring their kiss remained unbroken. He pushed against her, but just as before, he didn't have the strength to fight off a fully-grown mare.
After a few moments, Rainbow Dash finally pulled away- Spike tried to break free of her grasp, but she held him firmly against the wall. "What's the matter, Spike? Don't you like me?"
"…Rainbow Dash… you don't want to do this…" Spike began.
"Sure I do." She began to lean in to kiss him again, but was stopped when Spike pushed against her muzzle.
"But… what if somepony finds us like this? What if they tell the Princess?"
"They won't, as long as you keep this between us. You can do that, right?" She leaned in for yet another kiss, but once again, Spike pushed her back with all his might. "So that's how it is, huh? I guess that you still need a little… persuasion" She pulled back, and regarded him silently for a few moments."Pull your pants down."
"What?"
"Do I have to repeat myself? Pants. Drop them. Now."
His face turning bright red, Spike began to pull down his pants.
"Twilight look out!" Twilight looked up from her book just in time to dart around a carriage rolling across the road in front of her; the maneuver had caused her to fall behind, but she caught up to the others in short order. "Are you alright darling?" Rarity asked as she drew close.
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me," she called back.
"Have you figured out any way to stop all this?"
"Not yet. But I did find out how the compulsion spell works. Just being in close proximity can have an effect, but it's most powerful through direct eye contact."
"So, we just need to avoid looking into his eyes. Should be easy enough."
"Ya know, this whole 'compul-shun' thing really rubs me the wrong way," Applejack said. "I mean, bein' able to root around in somepony's head like that, it… it just ain't right!"
"It's not Spike's fault," Twilight replied. "His abilities are only just beginning to manifest. He most likely can't control them. He might not even be aware of them." A few moments later, the three skidded to a halt on the path leading up to Fluttershy's cottage. Applejack trotted up to the door with the others in tow, and knocked loudly.
Inside, the three heard a squeak, and then the sound of hoofsteps approaching the door. It opened just a crack. "…Hello?"
"It's us, darling?" Rarity said.
At this, the door fully opened. "Oh, hello everypony. I wasn't expecting any visitors. Please, come in." She stepped aside to allow her friends inside- the others couldn't help but notice a rather… pungent smell as they passed her. "Sorry about the mess," she continued as she closed the door; the "mess" consisted solely of a pair of mugs and a half-folded blanket lying on the floor. "I took a little nap after Spike and I visited you, Twilight. But I had the strangest dream…"
Rarity looked over at Twilight and Applejack, as though asking permission to do something- the two nodded. So, Rarity turned back to Fluttershy and asked, "Were you… intimate with Spike in this dream, perchance?"
Fluttershy's mouth opened, but no sound came out, her face turning as bright and red as an apple. It told the others everything they needed to know. After a few moments of trying, she managed to ask, "How did you… oh, oh goodness… that wasn't… wasn't a dream, was it?"
"'Fraid not, sugarcube." Applejack put a hoof on the pegasus's shoulder. "Now Fluttershy, I gotta ask ya somethin' real important. Spike didn't… ya know, hurt ya, did he?"
"What? Oh no, no, of course not! He was a perfect gentlecolt! And I… well, it was, me that… you know…" She knocked her hooves together, once again too ashamed to say the words in her head out loud.
"What's that s'posed ta… oh, I gotcha."
Fluttershy then turned to Twilight. Again, she was silent for a good long while, before she began, "Twilight I… well, I…"
"It's okay Fluttershy," Twilight replied, already knowing what the shy pegasus was going to say. "I'm not upset with you. Or Spike. All I want is to get him back to normal." She then lay down on the floor and began searching through her book again.
"Oh, goodness. Is there something wrong with him?"
"He's having his first mating cycle."
"Wait, his mating cycle? Spike's… in heat?"
"Well… yes, I suppose that he is."
"Then, are you sure it's a good idea to interrupt it? I read somewhere that when female ferrets go into heat, they have to-"
"It's not about stopping his mating cycle. You see, when dragons of Spike's breed start their mating cycle, they can make anypony of the opposite sex want to mate with them. We're trying to stop that."
"Okay… so, what should we do?"
"Rainbow Dash is out looking for Spike right now. And I'm trying to see if this book can tell me how to stop this."
"But what if it can't? What do we do then?"
"If that's the case, then we'll have to tell the Princess. She'll know what to do. She has to."
"Oh, I hope she won't be too upset with us…"
Just then, Applejack approached. "Find anything yet, Twilight?"
"I've found out a few things, but none of it tells me how to stop Spike's magic."
"Well, what have ya found out?"
"The book says prolonged exposure to the spell increases aggressiveness in those affected."
"So, are ya sayin' that if this goes on long enough, we'll all start kickin' the hay out of each other just to be with Spike?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Aah! Rainbow Dash! Don't suck on it so hard!"
Rainbow Dash jammed her hoof in his mouth. "Keep your voice down," she said in a low voice, pulling her mouth away from his member. "And quit being such a baby!"
"Rainbow Dash, I am a baby. A baby dragon, remember?"
His comment earned him a hoof in the gut, winding him. He dropped to his knees, struggling to breathe. "Shut it, smartass."
"…I… I'm sorry…" he wheezed back.
"Aw jeez, Spike. I didn't hit you that hard. Man up." After a few moments, he was still struggling to breathe. "Okay, come here." She pressed her lips against Spike's, pushing a breath of air into his lungs. He spluttered and tried to pull away, but Rainbow Dash wrapped her forelegs around his shoulders, holding him in place. Though she only meant to help Spike catch his breath, she took advantage of his helplessness, playfully slipping her tongue into his mouth and flicking it across his. He recoiled when an overwhelmingly bitter taste touched his tongue. Was… was that what he tasted like? Oh, it was terrible! If that's what he'd been putting Twilight and the others through, then he would never make anypony suck his dick for the rest of his life.
She finally pulled away. "Feel better?" Spike merely nodded. She moved her head down to his member again, but he grabbed her head, trying to push it away. "Come on Spike just… oh, I get it. You want to skip to the good part. Alright, just, lay down."
"No no wait!" But his protest fell on deaf ears, and Rainbow Dash pushed him and his exposed rear down onto the freezing snow. "Ahhh! Cold! Cold!"
Almost immediately, she pulled him back onto his feet. "Oh, right. Dragon. Cold. Not a good thing. Here, why don't we just…" She grabbed a small, lonely cardboard box before pushing him down on that, squashing it. She climbed on top of him, pinning him beneath her body. "Ready?"
"Uh, can't we just… not do this?" Spike asked. "I mean, what if the Princess finds out? She might never let you join the Wonderbolts."
Unfortunately, his trump card fell flat. "Oh come on. Don't tell me you believe the rumors too."
"What rumors?" Spike had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
"Look, I don't know what the others might have told you, but it's not true. I'm not a filly-fooler. I like stallions just as much as any other mare. That thing that happened with Cloud Kicker… it was a one-time thing, really."
"Rainbow Dash…" Spike began, but again, he was interrupted.
"I-I just… I'm sick of these rumors. I want to put them to rest once and for all, but you're the only guy I can trust with this. Please, just do this one thing for me. I've never asked you for anything else, have I?"
Spike was torn. Part of him wanted to say yes, to help Rainbow Dash, to give in to his curiosity and take her. But he knew he couldn't. He'd done enough today, and he didn't need any more strikes against him. He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but I can't do this. I just can't."
She brought her face very close to his. "Spike, I'm being nice right now. If I really wanted to, I could just take what I want, and there would be nothing you could do to stop me. So I'm going to ask one more time, and if I don't hear a yes, then you can say goodbye to Ms. Nice Mare."
He couldn't believe his ears. Rainbow Dash had just threatened to… to rape him if he didn't agree to her demands. "I… I…" he stammered, before hanging his head. "…just make it quick." He hated himself for saying that.
"I knew you'd come around." She ground her hips against his, trying to coax out his erection. "Now, I might not be able to finish this in ten seconds flat, but if you want it quick, that's what you're gonna get." He felt himself stiffen- imagining Twilight's stern expression when she finally found out what he had done did little to drive it away. "There we go…" she said as he finally reached his full length. "You ready?" Spike merely nodded. "Okay. Well, here we go…"
She lifted herself up, and with a bit of fiddling, brought herself down on his member. A wonderful warmth crept into her belly as he entered her, making her belly tingle. She rose up and dropped down again, making the tingling stronger. "Ooh…" After a few moments, she had a steady rhythm of rising and falling, a powerful pressure growing in her hips. As she rocked against him he wondered to herself if all stallions were like this, or if it was because she was with Spike.
Meanwhile, Spike squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip to keep quiet. He couldn't look at Rainbow Dash. He didn't enjoy what was happening- he didn't want to enjoy it. In his mind, he saw Twilight glaring at him, speaking in harsh, unforgiving tones. Her words were indistinct, but what she said wasn't as important as how she said them.
Tears began to flow from his eyes. Spike sometimes fantasized about being some ultimate irresistible stud. But this… this isn't what he wanted. He'd imagined romantic dinners and candles and passionate lovemaking in a soft bed, not… not being fucked in some filthy back alley in the dead of winter by one of his friends. There was no passion, no closeness- it was simply about the pleasure derived from the act. He hated it. He wanted to hold her, to touch her, to whisper sweet words in her ear as he did with Twilight, but he couldn't. His words would have no meaning, not while Rainbow Dash was like this, not as long as whatever was wrong with him was still there.
He felt the pressure building in his hips. He did nothing to fight it. He simply wanted things to be over as soon as possible. "Hey…" Rainbow Dash huffed, "…you getting close?" Spike merely nodded. Then, Rainbow began to speed up, slamming against him without mercy. Spike cried out, in spite of himself. It was just too good. "You like that, huh? Well, how about this?" She furiously ground her hips against his- he cried out again, finally reaching the breaking point.
Spurt after hot spurt was released inside of Rainbow Dash. She let out a deep, satisfied sigh as intense heat filled her belly and flowed to every part of her body. She rolled off of Spike onto the ground next to him, struggling to catch her breath. "That… was awesome," she whispered. "Thank you." She leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek.
Spike recoiled. He didn't deserve her affections. He didn't deserve anypony's affections. He couldn't bring himself to look at her as he rose to his feet, not after taking advantage of her like that. "I… I need to go. You can get home on your own, right?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I just need a minute." Spike pulled up his pants and left the alleyway.
She waved weakly after him, despite the fact that he couldn't see it. "Bye." When she caught her breath, Rainbow stood up and left the alley as well, unable to shake the feeling that she had forgotten something very important.
Twilight skimmed through page after page of her encyclopedia, but to her frustration, she found noting that told her how to put a stop to the baby dragon's new abilities. At this rate, they might have to contact the Princess. But what would happen then? Twilight wasn't worried about herself, even though she was violating her house arrest- she was more worried about what would happen to Spike. How would he be punished? Would he be banished? Thrown in jail? Would she be allowed to see him? She brought a hoof up to her mouth, chewing on it nervously- the thought of losing him again was-
"Uh, Twilight?" Applejack began, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I think we all need ta have a talk."
"About what?" Twilight didn't take her eyes off her book.
"Well, we need to talk about you," Rarity said. "More specifically, you and Spike."
Twilight closed her book. "I don't like where this conversation is going."
"Just hear us out, dear. …You remember what you told us right? About this magic Spike is developing?" Twilight didn't reply. "Well, has it occurred to you that he might have used this magic to make you fall in love with him?" She quickly added, "I'm not saying he did it on purpose. I'm just telling you that it might be a possibility."
Twilight couldn't believe her ears. "W-What? The spell is only meant to make ponies want to mate with Spike; there's no way it could have made me fall in love with him!"
"It could be that his magic affects different ponies in different ways. Earlier, I was reenacting my younger years, and Applejack… well, let's say she was acting quite unlike her usual self."
Twilight stood up. "Fluttershy, Spike's bed is in your room, right?" she asked.
The timid pegasus replied, "Yes. Why are you asking?"
"I need to show you all something. I'll be right back." She headed upstairs, into Fluttershy's room, and grabbed the small notebook with a worn cover and yellowing pages from the inside of Spike's basket. He would kill her if he ever found out about what she was about to do… but it was the only way to convince her friends (and to a very small extent, herself) that her feelings weren't just a fabrication.
She went back downstairs, journal in hoof, and gave it to Rarity. "Have a look at this," she said. "Applejack, Fluttershy, you need to see this too."
The two ponies gathered around Rarity. When they were in place, she opened the journal. She almost immediately furrowed her brow in confusion, trying to decipher the near-illegible scrawl on the page before her. "Darling, what is this? I can't even read most of it."
"It's a journal," Twilight replied. "Spike's journal. I gave it to him as a gift when we were very young, to help him learn how to write."
"But… what does this…" Fluttershy hesitantly began.
"Just keep reading it."
The three complied. Though the writing was nearly illegible, Rarity read about how Spike thought Twilight was nice, and pretty, and how they would get married and live in a big house when they "growed up." She was powerless to stop a smile from breaking across her face as she imagined a young Spike sitting at a desk, writing those very words. But it wasn't limited just to the first page, or the second, or the third, or even the hundredth. Every single page the three mares read mentioned Twilight in some shape or form. Rarity was well aware of the young dragon's infatuation of her, but she would never have guessed, not in a million years, that he had such strong feelings for Twilight as well.
As they went deeper into the journal, Spike's writing changed- it became more articulate, his handwriting clearer, his vocabulary larger… but it was clear that his feelings for Twilight did not. If anything, his feelings for her only grew stronger. Guilt stabbed at Rarity's heart as she read, A life without Twilight in it isn't a life worth living. His entries became more explicit, not just in the sort of "activities" he wished to share with Twilight, but about his own feelings as well: anger at being unable to express how he felt, shame from being attracted to a pony rather than another dragon, fear that Twilight would reject his advances, or worse, that she would become angry because of them…
Hot tears began to roll down the unicorn's face as she read. They weren't tears of sorrow for Spike's plight, but tears of guilt. Of shame. This wasn't mere lust; that was when you complimented somepony because you thought they had a nice flank. This was something much deeper. Something much purer.
Love. True love. The kind of love she thought existed only in novels.
When he complimented her, it was because he truly meant it. When he wanted to do anything with her, be it sex or otherwise, it was because he wanted to be closer to her. He'd written all these wonderful, heartfelt things about her, and then all his dreams had come true… only for her to come along and take all that away from them.
Who was she to do such a thing?
She skipped ahead a few more pages, coming to the last entry in the journal, made just a few days before. She read about how he and Twilight gave each other massages, but it was what she read near the end that really broke her heart:
I did it. I finally did it.
I told Twilight that I loved her. It's kind of silly, since Twilight's already read this and she knows how I feel, but it just didn't feel real until I told her. She smiled, and told me that she loved me too. And then she hugged me. We didn't do it like we did the last time, but that's okay. I like it when she hugs me- it makes me feel safe. I wish I could feel that way all the time.
She finally shut the journal. Despite her best efforts, she could do nothing to stem the tears flowing from her eyes. But she wasn't the only one affected; Fluttershy sobbed quietly to herself, while Applejack chewed her lip, her eyes watery.
"I read that journal the day before Spike and I made love," Twilight said. "It made me realize just how alone and scared Spike felt for all these years. And I promised him- I promised myself- that he would never feel that way, ever again. He didn't make me fall in love with him. He didn't make me do anything. Everything I did, I did because I wanted to. Now, I dare you- I dare you - to look me in the eye and tell me that my feelings about Spike are fake."
Rarity couldn't hold it in any longer; in the face of the evidence in front of her, her guilt was simply too great. "Twilight…" she began, "there's something I need to-"
Rarity's attempted confession was interrupted when the front door was thrown open. Fluttershy squeaked from the sudden noise and fell on her side, her legs locking up. Rainbow Dash stumbled in, looking rather… pleased with herself.
"There you are, Rainbow Dash." Spike wasn't on the pegasus's back; Twilight looked around her, but the baby dragon was nowhere in sight. "Where is he?"
"Huh? Who?"
"Spike. Where's Spike?"
"Oh. Oops."
"Rainbow Dash, we told you to bring him!" Rarity said.
"Heh, sorry. I guess he must've slipped away from me."
"Oh this is terrible. He could be anywhere. You… we all have to go out again. We need to find him before somepony else gets their hooves on him."
"I don't think we'll have to do that."
"What do ya mean, Rainbow?" Applejack asked.
"Well, take a look around. See anypony missing?"
The others looked around Fluttershy's living room. Rarity was the first to respond. "…Pinkie Pie? How can you be so sure, dear?"
"It's just a gut feeling, but I'd bet my tickets to the next Wonderbolts show that he's with her right now." Rainbow Dash would never have put Wonderbolts tickets on the line if she weren't a hundred percent sure about something.
"I gotta agree with Dash on this one," Applejack said. "We ain't got much else ta go on, so it's worth givin' a shot."
