Spike shuffled a bit on his bed, looking at the wall. He gave a small squeeze to a rubber ball he hand in his palm, then threw it. It bounced on the ground, slapped the wall, and he caught it as it bounced towards him. He repeated the motion, his eyes half shut as sleep threatened to take him. The boy didn’t know why these delegation things took so long. It seemed like such an easy job to him, yet it’d stretch out for forever.

He yawned, smacking his lips.

Still, though, it gave him a chance to think more about what happened at the casbah. The way Amira and her brown skin seduced him almost as soon as he saw her. Her obvious intelligence and grace, and her dance.

The boy paused as he thought of her dance, the ball landing by his side, forgotten. He remembered the dance down to every mark and line of sweat on her skin. The way her body writhed in invisible ecstasy, the sway of her large chest going in time with the music, the needy look she held as she performed—admittedly, maybe not for him, exactly, with it being such a sensual art, she, and many other women that made the desert lands their home, had probably perfected such a look down to a science.

Either way, that look, the smells, the sweat, he remembered them perfectly, and could feel a problem growing steadily larger underneath his pants. Spike debated for only a moment, before rising to head to the bathroom to take care of the situation.

That matter would have to wait though, for just as he decided to make his way to the bathroom to relieve himself of said tension a knock came to his door. One that could have only come from one person on the planet, given how impatient it always sounded.

“Of course…” he sighed, looking to his pants, then back at the door. “Right on time.”

Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Spike headed to the door, slouching over a hair to try and hide his aroused member, knowing full well from experience with the girls that putting a pillow or jacket to try and mask it would just get comments. He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open.

“Hey kid!” Rainbow said with a little more enthusiasm than Spike was used to. “Ready to go see some crazy critters?”

“Sure,” he answered, pausing for a beat and remembering himself. “Give me just a, uh, minute before we go. My foot’s asleep,” he lied, then added, “you seem pretty stoked for it.”

“Well, I get to hang with my pals,” Rainbow said, wrapping her arm around his neck. “That’s reason enough ain’t it?”

He shuffled his waist back a bit to continue to hide himself and nodded, though he had a suspicious raise of his brow at her actions. “Are you sure I’m not missing something here?” he hesitantly asked.

“What?” Rainbow asked back, “why you acting like this, Spike? Can’t I just decide to hang out with the two of you for no good reason every once in a while?”

“‘Two of us?’” Spike repeated. “I thought everyone but Twilight was in.”

“Pfft, nah Spike,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes as she waved a hand at him, “Twi’s in the library, AJ and Rarity are doing Celestia knows what, (more than likely each other) and Pinkie’s being… well Pinkie.”

“Well… ok,” he said hesitantly. “Guess we can Three Amigos it, huh?”

Rainbow nodded, removing her arm from Spike’s neck to cross her hands to her opposite shoulders, then to her hips before she shot her pelvis forward making a grunting sound. “You betcha buddy!”

The instant he saw her perform the action, Spike automatically followed suit, crossing his arms, then to his sides, then thrusting his hips forward with a grunt. “Damn straight.”

“Well you certainly seem more excited about this now than you did before.” Rainbow chuckled, her eyes and index finger pointing to somewhere below Spike’s line of sight.

He put a hand to his mouth, biting a knuckle in embarrassment. “That… I mean… before you came around…” he mumbled out, shifting a bit to try and hide the outline of his excitement.

“Oh come on, it’s me we’re talking about Spike,” Rainbow said, giving him a firm grab on his ass, “I’ve seen bigger.”

“If I didn’t know you were a woman, I’d ask if you were talking about your own,” he answered, making a point to look over her boyish figure.

“Looks like you have taken after me a little bit.” Rainbow smiled, before using her free hand to issue a whip-like slap to Spike’s neither region. Spike suddenly fell to his knees, reeling in pain as he clenched between his legs. “There, all gone now, let’s go grab Shy.”

“I’ll remember this,” he said, finally able to breathe. “And I’ll get you back in spades.”

“Sure you will,” she replied, rolling her eyes and grabbing Spike by the forearm, pulling him up before he had a chance to fully recover. “But enough stalling. You. Me. Shy. Zoo. Now.”

He groaned and was half carried, half dragged down the hall, outside, then around the palace grounds until they reached the rear of the palace’s lands, where rows of massive hedges lead to an archway that separated the area from one on up ahead.

“Through here?” Spike asked, finally recovered.

“Well you’re perceptive.” She laughed, patting him on the back. “Anyway, you ready?”

“I can at least walk on my own again, so I guess.”

“Sweet.” Rainbow grinned, letting him go and looking to the single archway in the hedges, “She should already be at the entrance.”

Spike walked through, putting his hands in his pockets as he took in the lush vegetation on either side of a narrow walkway. Ahead was a large fountain that fed off into bowl. Pathways split off in each compass direction from the centerpiece, the two on his left and right rounded a corner of thick foliage and disappeared from sight, whereas the path opposite of the fountain lead to a towering aviary. Even from here, he could hear the chirp and call of dozens, if not hundreds of different birds.

Ahead, at the fountain, Fluttershy sat. Spike turned his head to Dash.

“I see her,” he remarked, pointing to the woman.

“Way to go Spike,” Rainbow dryly answered. “In a few hours you’ll be picked up by the Wonderbolts to be a spotter.”

“If I could get magic going through me like you guys can, I bet I could be a better flier than most of them,” he said smugly with a smirk, not noticing her sarcasm.

“Keep telling yourself that Spike.” Rainbow smirked back, roughing up his hair. “Now come on, let’s not keep the girl waiting.”

They approached. Fluttershy sat on the lip of the fountain, a hawk resting easily on her arm, its talons digging into the loose sweatshirt she wore. Leaning a hand to its mouth, she fed it a small piece of jerky and took to stroking it with a loving coo.

“Hey, Shy!” Rainbow exclaimed, sending a panicked jolt through the sweater clad woman, forcing the hawk’s talons to dig into her skin.

Rainbow and Spike winced at the look Fluttershy made as the hawk’s claws ripped through her sweater and in turn, her flesh. Fluttershy gritted her teeth, but other then that she took the pain better than most men twice her size would. A second later the hawk flew off, leaving eight circular holes in her sweater as red began to replace the yellow cloth.

“Are you ok?” Spike asked, running to her and looking down at the woman’s injury. He instantly went to work, like Fluttershy had done so many times to him before. Spike gave a pull at the sleeve of his shirt, tearing it at the armpit, then tore that into rolls of makeshift bandages. The boy pulled down Fluttershy’s sleeve and took to wrapping her arm.

“I’m fine Spike.” Fluttershy smiled with a hint of mist in her eyes. “If anything, I’m upset about the sweater. It wasn’t the hawk’s fault that it happened anyway.” She then shot a very uncharacteristic glare towards Rainbow, who was still standing in place, smiling awkwardly as Spike rubbed her arm.

“Sorry, Shy,” she said apologetically. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Just get some real dressings, please,” Fluttershy interrupted, “I wouldn’t want Spike to ruin his shirt anymore than it already is.”

“Got it.” Rainbow saluted, dashing off to get what her friend had requested.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

“Oh it stings a little,” Fluttershy admitted, looking to Spike makeshift field dressing, “but you managed to actually tie the proper knot this time.”

“Well, you screw up enough times and you’ll eventually get it figured out,” he joked. Thinking of a way to distract her from the scrape, he asked, “what kind of falcon was that, anyway?”

“A red-footed falcon,” she replied, looking to the sky where it had flown off to. “They’re very common around these parts.”

“Do you have one back home?” he asked, gently rolling her sleeve down to her wrist and moving to sit next to her.

“They rarely find their way to Equestria,” Fluttershy replied, looking to him. “And you can stop trying to distract me from the injury, it really doesn’t hurt that bad.”

“Sorry,” he said, slowly swinging his legs back and forth in front of him. “I just remember when I was a kid it helped. That’s all.”

“It’s alright.” she smiled gently at him. “You’re supposed to do it anyway, but I’m fine, so there’s no need…” But her smile soon faded when she cast her gaze to the arm of her sweater, “my clothes however…”

“Rarity can get ‘em fixed right up,” Spike offered with a smile of his own. “I mean, something like that should be as easy to do as breathing for her.”

“I suppose...” She sighed, obviously displeased. “But I can’t walk around with this on, people will stare.”

With that, Fluttershy crossed her arms over her stomach, grabbing the sweater’s edges and pulling upward. What lay underneath the sweater was something Spike wasn’t expecting. A skin tight white tank top that hugged and complimented every little curve of her body, from her midriff to the straps that kept the top on and the dark blue bra underneath. It would be a sin for anyone not to find her attractive, especially as her hair fell back down and across her shoulders and back.

And she was worried people would stare before she was just wearing that, Spike thought. “I like your shirt,” he said automatically. “It makes you look nice.”

“Aw, you’re too sweet Spike,” she said, pulling him in for a one armed hug and a kiss in the forehead. “Thank you for the compliment.”

“Yep,” he replied with a smile, returning the hug. “Treasure it. I don’t give them to just anybody.” His smile turned into a boyish grin.

“I always do,” Fluttershy replied, sporting a grin mirroring his own. letting him sit normally once more by her. “Now to just wait for-”

“I got the stuff!” Rainbow shouted, appearing around the corner to a slight jump and then a disapproving sigh from Fluttershy.

“Speak of Tierk…” she mumbled under her breath as Spike let out a brief chuckle.

“At least she didn’t fly in. It would of gave us both a heart attack,” Spike offered.

Fluttershy let out a short giggle of her own as Rainbow dug her heels into the ground to stop. “You said you needed dressings right?”

“Yes, Rainbow.” Fluttershy nodded, cocking her eyebrow as Rainbow took in a few deep breaths, “may I have them?”

“Here you go!” Rainbow said rather proudly, extending the hand holding medical supplies. “Courtesy of Dash express: Where speed is all you need.”

“And apparently accuracy falls flat,” Fluttershy sighed examining the package, “you brought me Quickclot…”

“Well, yeah,” Rainbow said proudly. “The packages says it’s for—”

“Stopping the bleeding,” Fluttershy finished. “But it wasn’t that bad, and I needed dressings, like an antiseptic patch, some gauze, and maybe some athlete’s tape with—”

“Fine!” Rainbow scoffed. “I’ll just get you that stuff instead, yeash.”

“It’s fine,” she replied, shaking her head as if she regretted that she’d said anything. “Let’s just go in and enjoy the presence of these wonderful creatures.”

“Where should we go first?” Spike chipped in to defuse the situation, glancing between the two.

“I’m not really sure.” Fluttershy shook her head, looking to Spike. “Shouldn’t we wait for the rest of the girls?”

“Dash said they weren’t coming,” he answered.

“What?” she asked, shocked, sending her attention back to Rainbow. “You said all of us were coming!”

“Well we were…” Rainbow said, looking awkwardly away from the two. “But now it’s just us, so you two ready to go in or not?”

Spike exchanged a look with Fluttershy, before shrugging. “Alright, alright. We’re behind you.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow cheered, darting farther into the zoo, leaving the two in her proverbial and literal dust.

“Something smells,” Spike said, crossing his arms. “If this were a detective movie, we’d be walking into a trap.”

“Well thankfully it’s real life,” Fluttershy said, folding her sweater under her arm, “just keep your eyes open, you know how she gets when she’s like… this.”

“Almost as bad as when you’re drunk,” Spike replied, reaching and taking Fluttershy’s sweater and carrying it over his arm.

“At least when that happens I have my knight to save me,” Fluttershy smiled, sticking out her tongue at Spike. “Rainbow, well, not so much.”

He smiled back at her, giving the woman a friendly shove. “Let’s catch up, her being alone here scares me.”

“You didn’t go to school with her,” Fluttershy remarked, “I’m utterly terrified.”

The two quickly went after Rainbow, while also keeping very aware of their surroundings, knowing full well that their counterpart could pull the string to the trap she was setting at anytime. Surprisingly the two of them found her at the first exhibit, standing patiently. Taking a quick glance to one another, they approached her, suspecting that her calm demeanor hid a more sinister purpose. They cautiously stood by her side next to the enclosure, looking to see what the creature was.

It stood on two legs, looking around in a somewhat confused fashion as it made its way from one end of the enclosure to the other. The black and white coloring stood in complete contrast with its surroundings, but it really didn’t seem to mean that much to it, all it really seemed to want to do was waddle around with its pathetic excuse for wings.

“A penguin?” Rainbow questioned, looking to the animal in question. “This guy has all the money of a kingdom and giant sand worms roaming the desert and he has a penguin?!”

“It’s actually a chinstrap penguin,” Fluttershy corrected. “And the point of a zoo is to have animals that you are unfamiliar with seeing. Either way she’s adorable.”

“It’s cute!” Spike gushed, grinning, his fists clenched up to his cheeks. “Look at its lil’ flippers, guys! He’s so squat, haha!” He paused, the grin fading from his face. On seeing there was no way to reclaim his masculinity, the boy sighed, hanging his head in exasperation. “Well, it is neat looking…”

“Yes, Spike.” Fluttershy smiled, unable to hold back a laugh. “She’s very neat... and squat.”

“Like someone we know,” Dash commented with a grin.

“Man. I’m never getting away from the short jokes,” Spike complained to himself.

“That’s not very nice, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said immediately, coming to Spike defense. “Besides, you should be the last one giving Spike sass about his size.”

“Being compact just makes me quicker,” the woman replied.

“It also makes you too short to ride on some roller coasters,” Fluttershy shot back, smiling as she folded her arms across her chest.

Dash whistled. “Man, you’re on the ball today. Snapping those back at me so quick? Not too shabby. Guess that’s what happens when I’m gunning for the shrimp around you.”

Fluttershy shot a quick glance at Spike before putting her attention on Rainbow once more. “I just think he’s heard them one too many times,” she replied, placing a hand on Spike’s shoulder. “Now, if you’re done...”

“Alright, alright, come off it will ya?” Rainbow shrugged, rolling her eyes. “Let’s check out the next exhibit, I bet it’s something a lot cooler than this.”

“I don’t know. Penguins are pretty… chill,” Spike answered with a grin. “Snow way you’ll find an exhibit better.”

“Remind me to smack you in the balls again later,” Rainbow said, pinching the bridge of her nose, “now are you-”

“Ice see you still have a frozen heart when it comes to puns,” he quickly interjected, still carrying the same borderline idiotic grin.

“Ugh… lets go see the salamanders.” Rainbow sighed. “And I don’t mean the frog-looking ones.”

“You mean amphibians?” Fluttershy questioned, putting her finger on her chin as she smiled at Spike.

“Oh, cool!” Spike said, genuinely excited. “Does the king have the kind that spit fire?”

“From what he mentioned during our delegations, yes, he does,” Fluttershy assured, “but they’ll only do that in extreme cases self defence, their maga lakes usually deter-”

“Enough with the biology lesson, lets get to the magma pool!” Rainbow interrupted, beckoning them to follow her, “I hear the one they have is fifteen feet!”

Spike offered his hand up to Fluttershy, boyishly smiling. “Alright. Dash got me interested. Let’s take a look!”

“Sounds fun to me,” Fluttershy replied, giving him a small nod as she accepted Spike’s hand. “Lead the way.”

They quickly followed behind Dash, who lead them past several other cages of plump, content beasts from all walks of life. Spike gradually noticed the heat returning with every step they took, until it was almost unbearable. Steam seemed to obstruct his vision as they wandered down the path. Finally, mercifully, they saw the beast, splayed out on its massive back in the middle of rough sand. It opened one eye, noted them, then once more shut it, tail swishing contentedly in the heat.

“Wow,” Spike marveled as he stared at the creature larger than a full-sized alligator. “That’s amazing!”

“Salamanders are truly amazing creatures,” Fluttershy agreed, “I’m just glad it’s not a male, this enclosure would be far too small for one.”

“Are they usually so…” He gestured at it; the creature was nearly passed out on the ground once more, breathing slowly.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy said shaking her head, “Salamanders are usually very active, feeding off of geothermal heat that the volcanos they live in produce.”

“So this one’s just lazy,” Spike remarked, crossing his arms.

The creature opened an eye again and looked towards the boy, raising and lowering its shoulders as if shrugging.

“I guess so.” She giggled, watching Spike pout.

“I’ve got an idea to make it move around...” Rainbow smirked, reaching towards the ground. “Watch this.”

Before either of them could react, Rainbow grabbed the closest sizable stone she could reach and tossed it into the enclosure, landing squarely on the reptile’s head. The three of them looked on, two in utter horror as the rock began to melt next to the beast.

The creature snapped open its eyes, snorting in irritation. It flipped over onto its feet, breathing out puffs of smoke from its nostrils as the red markings on its back started to emit a trail of smoke.

“Oh shit,” Spike said. He paused from his panic for only a moment, looking over to Dash. “Why?”

The salamander’s mouth shot open, emitting an intense flame in their direction. Rainbow conjured two blue, translucent wings to her back and lept, shooting up into the sky as Spike tackled Fluttershy to the ground, desperately using as much of his meager body as he could to shield her from the flame. The fires shot directly over Spike, singeing the back of the shirt he wore. Moments later the flame subsided and the beast that had nearly caused all three of their deaths promptly went back to its nap.

“Holy—” Spike spat out, looking behind him, then down at the woman he was on top of. “Are you alright?!”

“I… I’m fine…” Fluttershy stammered, still in shock from the experience. “B-but I wouldn’t have fared as well if you hadn’t jumped in the way.”

“You guys alright?” Rainbow called from the sky. “Looked pretty dangerous from my angle.”

“Get down here,” Spike ordered. He realized where he lay and quickly rose off the woman, offering her a hand with a wordless apology.

The airborne woman descended to the earth, nonchalantly looking to them as she planted one foot after the other on the ground. “‘Sup?”

Spike scowled, shoving the woman. “What the hell you think? You almost got us killed.”

“Hey don’t get mad at me!” Rainbow said defensively, “You were the one that wanted it to do something, and besides, you’re a dragonkin, you can take the heat.” She then shot a look over to Fluttershy, who despite being up and aware, was still obviously shaken from what had happened. “I’ll bet Shy’s really grateful for you stepping up like that, right, girl?”

“Wha?” she said, shaking her head slightly before looking in Rainbow’s direction. “Oh… yes I am, very grateful, Spike.”

“I can take the heat,” Spike answered. “But it doesn’t feel good.” He gave a pinch of his arm to demonstrate. “Skin. Like you guys got. I’m not far enough…” Spike thought of his words. “Gone, to have scales.”

“Well… sorry for trying to keep things interesting.” Rainbow shrugged. “But still, you saved the damsel’s life, that’s always a good thing, amirite?”

“I like her better alive than dead,” Spike agreed, then narrowed his brow, pointing a stern finger at her. “But… if I wasn’t such a nice guy, you’d be eating dirt right now.”

“Alright, I’m shaking in my shoes,” Rainbow said in a slightly mocking tone. “Anyway, wanna go see the Ice Wraiths?”

“Fluttershy?” Spike asked, looking over to the older woman. “Do you?”

“Well, they can’t breathe fire,” she joked, shrugging her shoulders. “But I honestly think I’ve had enough adventure for the day.”

“I can’t blame you,” Spike replied, looking towards Rainbow Dash. He returned his gaze to Fluttershy and quietly added, “you really need to learn to tell people off sometimes.”

“You know that’s not me.” Fluttershy smiled, wrapping Spike up in her arms. “But really, thank you again, you’re amazing.”

“Well, you need to get with someone that knows how to tell people off, then,” Spike replied, returning the hug. “And I know I’m amazing. It’s why all the ladies fawn over me,” he weakly joked.

“So… is that a yes or no kiddies?” Rainbow asked, tapping her foot on the ground, “cause this is taking forever.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll come,” Spike replied.

Rainbow nodded and spun around, but this time she didn’t just dart off into the hedges, she actually kept herself close to the two, slowing her pace to match their own. If it were anyone else, Spike and Fluttershy wouldn’t have paid much mind to it. But it wasn’t anyone else, it was Rainbow Dash. Staying close to one another for the potential moment either needed support, they followed along, eyeing Rainbow closely as she walked ahead of them.

“Uh… is there something the matter, Rainbow?” Spike finally asked.

“What? Problem? No,” Rainbow said, twisting her head. “You think there’s a problem?”

“Well, normally you’re gone like the wind. Just thought that maybe you…” He shrugged. “Had something to say?”

“Me? Nah,” she said, waving a passive hand at them before putting it into her pocket. “Now come on, I bet the ice wraiths will be a lot more interesting then that lazy salamander.”

“She’s up to something…” Fluttershy said quietly, her stare falling blankly on the other woman. “And I think I know what it is.”

“What?” Spike asked, clueless.

Fluttershy said nothing, instead she looked to him with a cocked brow, her eyes and hands shifting between himself and her. It took a few seconds for Spike to realize what Fluttershy’s gestures meant, but the moment it clicked in his head, his jaw nearly hit the floor.

“No,” Spike answered, weakly laughing. “That can’t be right. She wouldn’t try hooking us, you know.” He took to gesturing between himself and her. “Up.”

“When we were in school she tried to hook me up with our physics teacher…” Fluttershy replied, “I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“Was she cute at least?” Spike asked.

“He was about your size and twenty inches wider,” she answered, “and he smelled like mothballs.”

“He, sorry,” Spike corrected. “I wish Equestrians would pick a side of the fence more often. I never had this problem. At least Applejack’s consistent out of you all.” He rubbed the back of his head. “And I can’t believe that. I mean… you know… I’m not exactly you’re, uh…” He bounced his head. “And the feeling’s mutual.” Quickly waving his hand, he looked at her. “I-I mean, you’re pretty and, and really pretty, but… you know…”

“Oh please, Spike. I understand what you’re trying to say,” Fluttershy replied, roughing up his hair a bit. “And if it’s any consolation, you’ve grown into a very good looking young man yourself.”

Spike looked up at her, shuffling on his feet a bit as she rubbed his head. “Thanks.” He laughed after an introspective moment. “You know… if things had been different when I first got here and I never met Rarity…” He brushed the sudden thought away. “Nevermind. No sense thinking about the ‘what ifs.’”

“Very true,” Fluttershy said smiling warmly, pulling Spike in with her arm. Within an instant, Spike’s face was nearly squashed up against her breast, but the thing he paid more attention to was the unusually devious grin that was on Fluttershy’s face. “Now what are we going to do to Dash?”

Spike looked over at Dash, then back up to Fluttershy. An idea clicked. “Set her up on a blind date with Bulk Biceps.”

“Oh, you’re an evil little guy aren’t you?”

“Mess with the dragon, you get the horns.” He squeezed her waist. “And we’re gonna put a cherry on the sundae too.”

“I’m listening…” She grinned, leaning down to hear him better.

“We get you a partner, make it a double date.” He nodded, clenching a fist in triumph. “And he or she will be top of the line eye-candy.”

“Oh-hohoho…” Fluttershy giggled, pulling her head up and looking down to him. “you are good.” She soon placed a finger on her chin, pondering on which course of action she should take. “Back when I was modeling I did meet a few ladies and gentlemen that wouldn’t mind joining me for an evening… perhaps Runway Lights, he seemed nice enough… or Fleur… she seemed very interested.”

“I thought she was with Fancy Pants?” Spike remarked, then, after a moment, shrugged. “Well, whoever it is, I hope they’re more than a one-nighter.” He looked for a moment like a squat mother lecturing a daughter. “You need someone for a relationship, that will treat you with respect and stand up for you. Like Rainbow Dash.” Shaking his head with a grimace, he corrected himself. “Not Dash, gods above, not her, but someone kind of like her, I guess.”

“That’s very kind of you Spike,” Fluttershy said, wrapping him up in her arms once more briefly before letting him go. “And if you really want to know, Fleur and Fancy Pants have a very open relationship, trust me on that.”

“You’d have a better idea than I would, I guess.” He rubbed his nose. “I don’t tend to ask a lot of questions about, you know, that.”

“That’s understandable,” Fluttershy shrugged, patting Spike on the head, “but you think we should play along for Dash’s sake? Just to egg her on?”

He laughed. “You know, she must of annoyed you a bit. That’s not like you.” Spike nodded with cunning grin. “Sure.”

“She spiked my drinks again,” she replied, looking to the woman in question. “You wouldn’t do the same?”

“Oh no, I understand, let’s go,” he answered.

“With pleasure…” Fluttershy said in a devious, yet sultry tone. “I just hope you’re ready for the show.”

“Sure.” Despite not feeling an attraction to her, he still paused at her sensual tone. “You, uh, lead.”

She nodded and slowly slid her arm to Spike’s shoulder, giving him a playful wink as she pulled him in as close as she could. Spike uneasily followed suit, wrapping her hand around her back and resting it just above her hip. They walked forward, catching up to Dash. Spike cleared his throat to catch her attention. By instinct she turned around to see what was behind her, the second she did her pupils became pin pricks and she did everything she could to not cheer in victory.

“So… uh,” Rainbow began, still fighting the urge to scream at the top of her lungs, “you two seem to be enjoying yourselves.”

“Oh very much so.” Fluttershy nodded, bringing Spike in closer to her. “Wouldn’t you agree Spike?”

“Completely,” he answered, only stammering slightly at the lie.

“You two sure you want to stay around?” Rainbow asked with a slight twinkle in her eye. “I mean if you really, really want to I’m game, but I’d understand if you want to ditch.”

“Well,” Spike said. “Wouldn’t we be bored if we ditched? What else could me and her do? Alone.”

Spike smiled, gaining confidence when he realized that Rainbow had taken the bait like a hungry piranha. So much so that his hand traveled from Fluttershy’s hip to her backside, giving it a quick, yet firm squeeze. The woman squeaked in surprise, but ever the professional she looked to him with an open mouthed smile before sinking half his face into her chest, rubbing his back slowly as she did so.

“I wouldn’t know either,” Fluttershy replied, biting her lip for added effect, “I mean the day will go by so slowly.”

Spike decided to deliver the coup-de-grace. He did the best sultry expression he could, and looked at Dash. “Maybe Rainbow has some ideas on what we can do… all three of us.”

“What a wonderful idea,” Fluttershy agreed, shooting a predatory grin towards Rainbow. “That would certainly make things go by quicker.”

“Woah! Woah! Woah!” Rainbow yelled, throwing her arms up as he backpedaled away, “this wasn’t part of the plan! Not a part of the plan!”

“What plan?” Spike asked innocently.

Rainbow froze in place, sweat starting to bead on her brow while she stared at the two in front of her. “Uh…” she began, doing everything in her power to avoid eye contact. “Forget I said that, all of it.”

“What’s the matter, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head to the side. “Something you want to tell us?”

“I, well… uh, you see,” Rainbow stammered, bringing her hand to the back of her head. “I was trying to get the two of you laid…” She bluntly sighed. “And I think it worked a bit too well.”

“Laid?” Spike repeated with a stammer, the word briefly breaking him out of the act he was playing, before he returned to being at least a little more suave than normal. “Why would you do that?”

“I didn’t want you to be down on yourself this entire trip,” Rainbow explained, awkwardly tapping her fingers together, “and I knew that you really liked Shy, so…” she paused for a few seconds as she thought of a way to explain it better to them, but it was no use. “I was plastered when I came up with it okay? That’s why I put one-fifty-one in her appletinis…”

Spike blinked. “That’s… kind of nice, actually. Considering it’s you. But,” he thought for a second. “that’s not how I do things. I’m not a fan of drinking and waking up with someone nearby, especially since I’d want to remember my first—” He stopped himself in a panic, shaking his head instantly. “I want to remember all of my many conquests. I want to write a book about ‘em one day,” he said, awkwardly glancing to the side as he told the bold-faced lie.

“Of course.” Fluttershy smiled, seeing right through his facade before turning her attention back to Rainbow. “I have to agree with Spike, that’s very nice of you, but you should’ve known better, forcing a relationship on someone, no matter how brief, is wrong.”

Spike nodded. “How’d you like it if I got you drunk and tried to pair you with Twilight or something?”

“Alright... I get it, the road to Tartarus is paved with good intentions.” Rainbow grunted, folding her arms across her chest. “I won’t-wait a minute, you two knew?!”

“Eventually,” Spike replied. “It clicked for Fluttershy, anyway.”

“It’s not really hard to figure out what you were doing when you’ve done it thrice before,” Fluttershy added, nodding her head in agreement with Spike. “Do I really appear that dense to you?”

“Hey,” Dash replied with a shrug. “At least this time it was with someone kinda cute.”

Fluttershy’s hand fell firmly on her face, taking a deep breath before releasing it in a deep sigh. “At least you’re right there...”

“See?” Rainbow said, smiling smugly, “silver lining.”

“Cute,” Spike repeated with a slump of his head. “I’m never gonna be ‘handsome,’ am I?”

“Don’t say that Spike,” Fluttershy said reassuringly, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder you know.”

“And I behold a guy that only comes up to most people’s chest. On a good day,” Dash replied with a grin. “Perfect for motorboating, I bet.”

“What’s that feel like, Dash?” Spike asked. “I’ve never been on the receiving end and—oh wait,” he remarked, flatly looking at her. “Guess you haven’t either.”

“Okay you two that’s enough teasing for today,” Fluttershy chimed in, being the most mature of the trio, “let’s just get back to enjoying ourselves okay?”

“Alright,” Spike agreed. He took a step and froze, holding a hand out. “One more.” He looked at Dash. “You ever go to Victoria’s secret and ask for child’s sizes?”

“At least I never stole the catalogs Twilight had so I could-”

“Rainbow…” Fluttershy said sternly, putting her fists on her hips, “I said no more.”

“But that was a really good one!” Rainbow replied, throwing her arms in the air, “and he got one after you-”

“Rainbow…”

“Fine, mom…” she huffed, pouting as she slumped over herself, “I’ll get you back later, scales…”

“Not as good as we’ll get you,” he said quietly to Fluttershy, doing his best to hide the grin.

Fluttershy sent a quick wink Spike’s way before the three of them were off on their adventure once more, but without the outlandish attempts to get either of them in the sack. About halfway to the ice wraiths Spike noticed a long, veil-like piece of clothing trail across the ground from the corner of his eye. He usually would have paid it very little mind, but the fabric of the cloth that had his attention now was very similar, if not the same to the one that had caught his attention the night before in the casbah. Normally he wouldn’t chase after it, but this time he didn’t want to take a chance. He stopped, kneeling down to touch the cloth, then stood, picking it up and following its trail.

Spike held the veil in his hands as he made his way down a path narrower than the one he was on moments ago, following it through the tall grasses and rocks that littered the area, until he came to a clearing, with a single caged stall, its door open and a familiar woman inside, her back turned to Spike and stroking whatever was inside the cage. Spike debated on calling out to her, but remembering what just happened to Fluttershy minutes ago, he opted to simply approach, walking to the cage bars and taking a moment to look at what she was playing with.

It was a small burgundy-colored reptile, about up to Spike’s waist, with a face similar to a crocodile and two narrow legs that reminded Spike of chicken legs. Its body trailed off to a thick, wide tail, but what really drew Spike’s attention were the leathery wings almost as wide as it was in length. It looked away from the woman for a moment and made a weak caw towards Spike, almost as if greeting a kinsman at a reunion.

“Spike?” Amira asked without turning around. “Is that you?”

“Yeah,” he said, taking a few slow steps towards the woman. “And is that what I think it is?”

“Not quite,” she laughed softly, patting the small reptile on it’s head. “This is a wyvern, a very rare subspecies or protodragon.”

“Wow,” he marveled, moving closer and squatting by her. “That’s amazing.”

“He truly is.” Amira nodded, moving her hand to under his chin, causing him to wag his tail like a dog, “He’s one of the four known survivors of his species.”

“What happened to the rest?” Spike asked, still staring at the creature. He timidly held his hand out, then ran a single finger along his scaly head.

“Wyvern’s main source of protein were elephants,” Amira explained, pulling out a small slab of meat from a bag at her side. “Over-hunting of their food source meant there wasn’t enough food for them...” She paused, then continued to pet the small reptile. “Then there were those that saw them as a threat.”

“Sounds kind of like what happened to drakes in Equestria,” the boy answered.

“It was,” Amira answered, finally looking to Spike as the young animal waddled over to the boy. “Unlike Equestria, we didn’t realize what we were doing was wrong too late.”

Before Spike could reply, the wyvern pushed his head into Spike’s hand like a baby alligator, letting out something that he could have sworn was a purr.

“Little guy seems to like me alright,” Spike said, petting the creature. “Can probably smell what I am, I guess.”

“That is undoubtedly true.” She smiled, “Wyverns sense of smell is even more acute than a fully grown dragon’s. If anything, he probably thinks you’re his father, given you’re the closest thing to an actual wyvern he’s smelled.”

“Good luck to the kid if he thinks I’m daddy material,” Spike answered with a smile.

“You’ll never know until it actually happens,” Amira returned the expression, petting the creature’s back. “He thinks I’m his mother.”

“You fit the ‘mom’ role better,” Spike replied. “I mean, you at least give good advice.” He gave an absentminded rub of the creature’s belly. The wyvern’s eyes shut and its tongue lobbed out in contentment at the attention.

Amira laughed to herself for a moment before placing her hand on Spike’s shoulder, “I’ve just had a little more time to grow, Spike,” she said. “In time, you’ll do to others as I have done for you.”

“I hope so,” he said, looking at the hand on his shoulder. “Because I mean it when I say that you helped me out a lot last night. A-and I’m not just talking about the dance,” he quickly stammered out, then gave a small gesture with his hand. “I-I mean the belly dance was nice,” Spike let a single weak laugh out, “Real nice, but, uh, dancing with me beforehand was nice too and… just talking with me, I guess.” He blushed, focusing entirely on the job of playing with the baby wyvern. “I never had much luck, talking. So that was.” He nodded. “Good.”

“Well I’m glad I helped,” Amira said. The woman watched Spike play with the young one for a moment, before adding, “and I enjoyed both talking and dancing with you.”

“I don’t know why,” he admitted. “I’m not known for being a cunning linguist. Or a good dancer.” He offered only the briefest of glances towards her. “But maybe I could learn with a teacher.”

“Are you suggesting what I think you are?” she asked, smiling widely as the young wyvern waddled back to her.

“I don’t know,” Spike stammered out, his blush increasing. “What would you want me to suggest?”

Amira’s hand traveled to his far shoulder and she pulled him closer to her as the wyvern nestled himself between the two. “I would love to be your teacher.”

“Really?” the boy asked, grinning.

“Of course.” Amira nodded. “As I told you last night, you carry great potential, you simply need the right person to bring it forward.”

“I won’t let you down,” Spike answered. “You can count on me.”

“I know,” she smiled, “when do you want to begin?”

“As soon as you’re free,” he said, giving the wyvern a gentle squeeze. “I have nothing going on.”

“Three hours, in front of the zoo,” Amira said, “I still need to tend to my wyvern, but I’ll be open then.”

“I’ll be there with bells on!” Spike answered, nodding enthusiastically.

“I look forward to it,” she grinned, taking the baby wyvern in her arms, “until next we meet, Spike.”

“Y-yeah. Can’t wait.”

Amira rose to her feet with the young beast in her arms. Smiling, she left Spike to think about the events that would come to pass in just a few hours. Spike eyes followed every movement she made until she was finally out of sight.

Sighing to himself, he caught back up with Fluttershy and Rainbow, who had been too busy focusing on the ice wraiths to notice he had disappeared. With a quick slide he found himself next to Fluttershy just in time for her to turn to him. A few quick words later and they were back to their rooms, all more than ready for their day to be over, with the exception of Spike. He sat in the lavish chair with Twilight in their room, staring intently at the clock on the wall as the hands turned.

Eventually, the time came and Spike paced at the entrance of the zoo, looking up at the dusky sky, then down to his feet. He frowned at his choice of shoes, kicking himself mentally for not bringing something a little more formal to wear on the trip. He took out a handkerchief from his breast pocket and dabbed at his forehead, the sweat on his brow both from the heat of the evening, and from just plain old nerves. Looking down at his hands, he sighed, trying to relax. But that was hard as hell to do—just looking at her put him in a nervous trance, after all.

“You look rather dashing this evening, Spike,” the voice he so desperately wanted to hear chimed from behind him. “In truth, I didn’t believe you would come dressed so well.”

He snapped around, doing his best to hide his surprise and looked at the woman. Amira wore a dress of a more modest nature than last night’s, with a neckline that only showed promise of the treasures she carried, and her stomach remained hidden from the boy. A part of him was saddened at the more concealed appearance, but the bigger part of him smiled, appreciating her look, and the silver earrings and bracelets she wore that contrasted with the plum-colored clothing and her dusky skin.

“You look good too,” he said after a moment. “Very pretty.”

“Showing promise of a gentlemen already?” Amira asked, placing a hand on her hip, “are you sure that you need my tutelage?”

“I need all the help I can get,” Spike admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “I-if you’re still offering.”

“Of course I am.” She smiled, extending her hand. “Shall we begin?”

He took it, looking up at her. “As you wish.”

Amira’s fingers wrapped around his hand and gave his arm a gentle pull. At first Spike hesitated, but in an instant he adhered to her command and followed her back into the palace. The two of them made their way down vast corridors and hallways until they finally arrived in a large, exquisitely decorated be it empty, room.

“Here we are,” Amira said, looking down to Spike. “Welcome to the palace ballroom.”

Spike whistled, looking at the rounded ballroom. A few tables littered the sides, with chairs resting atop them, and in the center, high above them, was a chandelier that illuminated a beautiful mosaic on the ceiling depicting a swirling sandstorm against a bright afternoon day.

He wasn’t an architect by any means, but he did have something click on him as he overlooked the glass and intricacies of the room. “This room was added later than the others, wasn’t it?”

“Yes it was,” Amira nodded, “I do believe it was added when Celestia herself visited some ten years ago.”

“I can see some Equestrian influences,” Spike agreed. After a beat, he rubbed the back of his head “I might have had to do a report at school a few years back about architecture.”

“I’ll assume that was Madam Twilight’s doing,” she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand, “but enough about designs, do you wish to become a better dancer or not?”

“Yeah,” Spike quickly said, “sorry, let’s get to business.”

Amira grabbed Spike’s hand once more and lead him to the center of the room, stopping right as the two of them found themselves directly under the chandelier. Turning around and looking to him Amira assumed the traditional pose for a woman about to waltz. “From what I’ve seen you already have some knowledge of a few Equestrian formal dances,” she said beaconing Spike to come closer with her hands, “but it is also evident that there is room for some improvement, so we shall begin here.”

Spike nodded, stepping closer into her and taking a more feminine stance due to his size compared to her, putting a hand to her waist and holding his hand out to his side, waiting for her own palm to meet his.

Amira’s hand wrapped around Spike’s for the third time this evening, pulling him in closer than he anticipated as she adjusted herself to him. “Now,” she began, looking down to him with a smile, “you lead with the right foot.”

“Ok,” Spike said, taking a slow step forward as Amira stepped back.

“It’s a start.” Amira smirked, cocking an eyebrow as she looked down to him. “At least you seem to understand how to lead now, as opposed to yesterday.”

He blushed, staring down at her feet. “I don’t mind following,” the boy admitted in a mumble. “When they’re the better dancer.”

“There comes a point in all of our lives where we can no longer follow,” Amira replied, taking a step to the left. “Whether you think you’re ready of not.”

“I guess,” Spike replied, mirroring her. “But is it really a problem following when there’s the option? Is it always a man’s place to take the first step?” he pondered out loud. He gave a cautious sway back and forth with the woman in his arms. “It’s, uh, part of why I can’t agree to everything here, I guess. Twilight and them… they’re just as good.”

“Yet there was a point in their lives that they were followers themselves.” Amira offered her rebuttal, spinning in a circle as Spike pivoted with her. “Twilight followed Celestia for close to a decade, but when the time came, she lead, and look how far she’s come since then.”

He slowly nodded, the words making sense. “I’m glad they have the chance to lead in Equestria. But… I can’t really compare to them. They’ve saved the country before. And all I did was sit back at the library and hope for the best.” He turned them once more, taking a wider step to the side and looking up at her eyes. “I just want to be half the person they are, I guess.”

“All this coming from the one who is idolized in the north as the savior of an empire,” Amira bit her lip playfully as Spike sent her into a small dip, “I truly believe that the biggest barrier you face in becoming a great man is yourself, you just need to realize that.”

“This keeps up, you might give me a big head,” he laughed. “But… thank you.”

“Confidence is good to have as long as it isn’t too great,” Amira smiled, coming back up and looking down to him with warm eyes, “as long as one keeps it in check it can drive them to achieve goals they once thought possible.”

“Confidence, huh?” Spike could feel heat still in his cheeks, but he pushed it away. “Do you, uh, like confidence in a man? I mean, j-just for curiosity’s sake.”

“Well it helps.” Amira giggled, reading Spike like a book. “But as I said earlier, what truly matters is what lies on the inside, muscles and confidence are one thing, but true beauty and strength always come from one’s most inner character.”

“I like your character,” he said after a moment. “Because you’re right, you know? The only thing that really matters is, uh, inside. And you’re even prettier there. So…” Spike hesitantly swallowed, then added, “I’m glad I met you, Amira.”

“And I you,” she replied, pulling him in for a simi-hug and they twirled around once more before breaking apart. “See?” she said, smiling widely, “you can dance.”

Spike paused, looking down around them. Nothing was broken. Somehow, no tables were damaged, no bones snapped, no cuts or scrapes—it went a lot better than the one time he danced with Pinkie. “Huh,” he remarked, scratching his head. “Guess I can, with the right person.”

“Or maybe when you believe in yourself,” Amira corrected. “Think of what else you could do when you have faith in yourself and what you do.”

“If you believe, it will be,” Spike said with a nod. “Then…” he reached to her face, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I believe I want another dance.”

“Ask and you shall receive,” Amira replied, taking his hand once more and waiting for him to take the first step.

He did so. And they danced.

Author's Notes:

Desert Rose: Now with hopefully 100% less gdoc import errors.