"Well hey there, ladies," Spike said as he flexed nonchalantly. "I couldn't help but notice you noticing me. You interested in going flying, because these bad boys," he nodded to his wings, "are just itching to get going, and you can come along for the ride."

He flexed some more for emphasis, flaring his wings out as far as they would go, when he heard a faint chuckling.

"Always the charmer huh, Spike?" Rainbow Dash asked as she entered the library via an open window. Spike gasped and turned away from the mirror, fixing the pegasus with a glare which didn't go unnoticed. "Oh come on, big guy, you know I'm only teasing. I just came by to see if you fancied going for a quick flight."

"Sure," Spike replied. "I don't see why not. But let's make it interesting, and have a race instead." He thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "We'll race to Sugarcube Corner, and whoever wins gets to ask for whatever they want from the loser."

Rainbow Dash grinned and ruffled her own wings gleefully. "You're on, Spike," she said. "I look forward to beating you, and then asking you to do something really embarrassing."

"Oh yeah?" Spike shot back. "Well that's too bad, because the race has already started!" With those words he shot off like a rocket out of the open window. "See you there, Dash!" He cackled.

"Hey!" she yelled. "You'll pay for that, Spike!"

With a tremendous flap of her own wings Rainbow Dash took to the air, her eyes fixed firmly on the purple blur ahead of her. With speed on her side she managed to catch up to Spike, getting ahead of him with relative ease.

"Not bad, Rainbow Dash!" Spike yelled over the sound of air rushing around them. "But you're forgetting that I'm the more agile of the two of us, so I can do this!"

He dropped into a steep dive towards the doorstep of the bakery. Rainbow Dash cursed under her breath, knowing that to dive at her current speed would be disastrous. She slowed down and shot after Spike, but it was too late. The dragon was standing triumphantly at the door with a large grin on his face.

"No fair!" Rainbow Dash growled as she landed. "You cheated!"

"Cheated?" Spike scratched his chin for a moment. "That's funny, how could I have cheated if we didn't set any rules?"

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to protest but then shut it. "I guess you're right," she sighed. "All right, just tell me what horribly embarrassing thing you want me to do and I'll do it."

"Dinner," Spike replied matter-of-factly. "I want you to buy me dinner later tonight."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that all?" she asked. "No way, there has to be a catch somewhere."

"I'm not going to ask you to embarrass yourself, Dash," Spike groaned. "Because that's not what friends do. Instead, friends have dinner together and have a good time. Is that so much to ask?"

"I guess not," Rainbow Dash grinned. "All right, fine, dinner it is. But you're paying for lunch, got it?"

"Fine by me," Spike replied. "Because Celestia knows gem-based dinners are far more expensive than gem-based lunches."

He chuckled and entered the bakery, leaving Rainbow Dash to groan loudly and smack a forehoof against her face.

As the clock atop Ponyville Town Hall struck eight, a nervous Rainbow Dash paced around outside one of the many diners. Occasionally she would glance skyward, search for a while and then drop her head back down with a sigh.

"Well, I guess there's nothing more embarrassing than being stood up," she grumbled. "Good one, Spike."

"Sorry, but I got sidetracked," the sudden sound of Spike's voice startled Rainbow, and she leapt into the air with a small yelp that made Spike chuckle. "Twilight insisted that I made a list, then checked it repeatedly to make sure I had everything I needed."

Dash cast her eyes over Spike's body. "It took you all that time, just to make sure you were wearing that bow tie?" she giggled. "What, you couldn't decide on what colour it should be?"

Spike fidgeted with the tie and chuckled. "Yeah... Actually, come to think of it, I think I'm a bit overdressed for this place," he sighed. "But Twilight insisted that I wore something."

"Just take it off then," Dash snorted dismissively. "I sure as hay don't care how you look," she paused for a moment before hastily continuing. "I mean, I don't care how you look while wearing clothes. When it comes to 'looks' looks... you're not bad."

There was another pause before she realised what she had just said and gasped, clamping a forehoof over her muzzle while her cheeks turned a new shade of crimson. Spike held back his laughter and took off his bow tie before patting Dash on the back.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dash," he said merrily. "Now I don't know about you, but I am famished. Let's eat!"

Dash nodded and allowed Spike to hold the door open for her. She bolted into the diner and sat at a table, holding a menu in front of her still blazing face. Spike joined her and perused a menu of his own for a moment before a waitress approached.

"Good evening, folks," she said politely. "And what can I get for you to— oh hey, Dash, Spike! What brings you two here?"

"Hey, Syren Song," Dash replied as she put the menu on the table. "Nothing much. I lost a bet with the big guy here and now I'm paying for his dinner," she sighed. "But what about you? I didn't know you worked here."

"I do, but only part time," Syren said. She pointed at her cutie mark – a pair of spotlights converging on the theatre masks of Comedy and Tragedy – and chuckled. "I've gotta do something in between performances, ya know. I'm aiming for a part in this years Hearths Warming play, so hooves crossed for that. Anyway, what can I get you both? Want some drinks, or maybe some appetisers?"

Spike perused his menu while Rainbow Dash placed her order. "I'll have a glass of cider and some hay fries."

"And I'll have cider too," Spike added. "Oh, and if you've got any gems, that'd be great. I don't care what they are, I'll still eat 'em."

Syren Song scribbled on a notepad and nodded. "Okay, got it. I'll be back in a few minutes with your order. In the meantime, please enjoy these complimentary bread sticks."

She trotted away, leaving Spike and Rainbow Dash to their own devices. The pegasus looked at the dragon for a moment before crossing her forelegs and smirking. "Tell me something, Spike," she said. "Of all the things you could have made me do, why on Equestria would you make me do this?"

"I thought I told you already," Spike replied as he leaned back in his seat. "I told you that I didn't want to embarrass you because that's not what friends do."

"That's not what I meant," Dash sighed. "I meant that there's a ton of non-embarrassing things you could have asked me to do, so why did you choose dinner?"

"I dunno," Spike shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to hang out with you some more. You know, because you're so awesome and all."

"Darn right I'm awesome," Dash grinned. "But seriously though, I don't buy it. You ask me out to dinner, and turn up to said dinner wearing a bow tie. It's like..." she waved a forehoof as she tried to find the words. "It's like you're trying to impress me."

Now it was Spike's turn to blush. "Me? Impress you? Ha, good one, Dash. That's a hoot." He chuckled for a moment before noticing the stern gaze being fixed upon him. "Well... maybe I am trying to impress you a little. You're so awesome, I didn't want to risk showing you up."

Dash facehoofed. "You? Show me up?" she giggled. "Now who's making jokes?" she paused for a moment before leaning back in her seat and adopting a cocky expression. "Seriously though... everypony thinks I'm awesome. But you're just as awesome as I am, big guy, and don't you forget it."

Silence fell over the two as Syren Song came back with their drinks and appetisers perched precariously upon her back.

"There you go, folks," she said as she put the tray down. "Are you ready to place your main orders yet?"

"I'll have the vegetable lasagne please, Syren" Dash replied. "And Spike here will have... whatever he wants."

"I'll just have what she's having," Spike shrugged. "Just make sure it's loaded with gems, thanks."

Syren nodded and trotted back towards the kitchen, while Dash and Spike looked at each other over the table.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Spike?" Dash blurted. "You had a great chance there to order the most expensive thing on the menu, and yet you didn't take it!"

"And have you waste your money?" Spike shook his head. "No way, Dash. I'm happy with just the lasagne, my gems and this cider..." he took a swig of it before adding, "Not to mention your company."

"Now you're just being sappy," Dash chuckled. "Everypony enjoys being in my company because I'm so awesome. I'm also funny, loyal and extremely talented, but that's besides the point."

Spike groaned. "You're missing the point, Dash," he said flatly. "You'd think that the signs would have been obvious, but I guess I'm just going to have to come out and say that I—"

"Here you are, Spike and Rainbow," Syren interrupted. Two vegetable lasagne, one with extra gems. Would you like anything else?" Spike and Dash both shook their heads. "All right then. Enjoy your meal, you two!"

Spike wordlessly picked up his fork and began eating, not paying any attention to the confused looks Dash was giving him. She eventually shrugged, and the two of them ate in silence.

The moon was beginning its slow ascent into the sky by the time Dash and Spike arrived at the Golden Oaks library. Like dinner, the walk had been done in complete silence. As Spike nodded to Dash by way of farewell, she held out a forehoof and grabbed his leg.

"Wait, Spike," she said solemnly. "Have... have I done something to upset you? You've not said a word to me since dinner arrived. Please, tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing," Spike replied. "Don't worry about it."

"But you said that you were going to tell me something," Dash moaned. "What was it?"

"Think back to everything I've said tonight," Spike snapped. "And then work it out for yourself. Goodnight, Rainbow."

With those words he entered the library and stepped inside, closing the door firmly behind him. Dash stood in stunned silence for a moment before finally spreading her wings and taking to the sky, heading towards her cloud house.

"What did he mean by 'thinking back to everything he's said tonight'?" she furrowed her brow in thought. "Ah, I'll worry about it later. Right now I've gotta get home."

Arriving back, Rainbow Dash entered her home and flicked the lights on. A light buzzing filled her ears, followed by the sensation of something bumping into the back of her head. She grinned and turned around. "Hey, Tank," she said. "Did ya miss me?"

The tortoise responded by licking her cheek sloppily. Dash chuckled and entered the kitchen, filling Tank's food and water bowls before grabbing a bottle of apple juice and flopping onto her couch. She gazed at the ceiling for several moments as she recalled everything Spike had said to her. Soon, several things stuck out in her mind.

"Asking me out to dinner, the tie, not spending all my money, saying he was trying to impress me, saying I was awesome, saying he enjoyed my company..." she trailed off as a sense of realisation hit her. "Oh, Celestia... he has a crush on me, and I was too caught up in my ego trip to notice."

Sleep did not come easy to Rainbow Dash that night, as the fires of guilt tore at her very soul.

Spike awoke the next morning to a faint tapping on the window. Opening his eyes, he glanced at it to see Rainbow Dash perched on the balcony with a sheepish look on her face. Groaning, Spike dragged himself out of bed and walked over to the window, throwing it open without a care.

"Hi, Spike," Dash said quietly. "C-can I come in? We need to talk about last night."

Spike grunted and stepped aside, allowing Rainbow to fly into the room. She landed in the middle of it and turned around to face Spike, who closed the window and stood with his arms folded. After a moment of silence, Dash was the first to speak.

"When I got home last night, I did what you suggested and thought about everything you'd said," she sighed. "It took me a while, but I eventually came to the conclusion that you've got a crush on me."

"A crush?" Spike scoffed. "You couldn't be more wrong, Rainbow. A crush is something a schoolchild would get on their friend. So no, I don't have a crush on you, Dash... I actually love you with every fibre of my very being."

Dash blinked in surprise. "Y-you do? But why? I'm nothing but a vain, egotistic, self-centred, arrogant jerk. What could you possibly love about that?"

"You're also brave, loyal, dependable, a good laugh and a great friend," Spike countered. "You taught me to fly, and not once did you get mad at me when I did something wrong. Plus there's the matter of you taking time out of your Wonderbolts training to come and help me. You could have pursued your dreams, yet you elected to help a friend in need."

Dash smiled. "I guess so," she murmured. "But I still don't see how that made you fall in love with me."

Spike strode over to her and placed a hand under her chin, raising her head so that he could look into her eyes. "You're the best friend I could ever hope for, Dash," he said softly. "Please tell me that you feel the same way about me."

Dash turned her head away and exhaled sharply. "Spike, you're a great guy. You're strong, level-headed, always willing to help out, a good listener, and an even greater friend. I wasn't lying when I said you're just as awesome as I am."

Spike looked crestfallen. "What are you trying to say, Dash?" he asked. "Are you saying that I'm awesome... just not awesome enough for you?"

Dash shook her head. "On the contrary..." she replied. "You're all the awesome I could ever ask for."

With those words she leapt into the air, hovering a few inches from Spike's face for a moment before closing the distance and bringing her lips to his. The dragon gasped in shock, yet returned the gesture fondly. The two of them put their forelimbs around the others neck, coming together as one.

As they separated, Dash looked dreamily into Spike's eyes. "Was that the answer you were expecting?" she asked.

"No," Spike replied. "It was the answer I was praying for."

"Glad to hear it," Dash said. "But let me get something straight first." Spike looked at her worryingly. "The next time we go out to dinner... you're paying for it."

"Of course, Dash," Spike grinned. "And to make it even better, you can order whatever you want."

They laughed jovially for a moment before embracing again, as the sunrise signalled the start of what was hoped by both pegasus and dragon to be the start of a wonderful relationship.

Author's Notes:

I know the race was a bit short. But remember: this story isn't about the race.

Anyway: at first I wanted Spike and Rainbow to realise their feelings for each other over dinner, but then I realised that the way I was writing it would have made that hard. So I changed it so that Dash was being oblivious to Spike's feelings (hence the story title). I think this worked better in the end, don't you?

The OC of Syren Song belongs to Super_Big_Mac and is used with permission. Thanks, mate!

Dedicated to Vexy, the biggest SpikeDash fan I know.