April Showers

by Denim_Blue

First published 21st of May, 2012

As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers...and rainbows. Spike learns this first-hand.

Spike has grown into a handsome young drake and has found the confidence to ask Rarity out at last. But even the best-laid plans can go awry, and life rains on Spike's parade, until he learns first-hand that every storm, no matter how bad, has a silver lining to it.

Chapter 1: Flight and Strife

Chapter One- Flight and Strife

Dragons, as a rule, liked to have their space and privacy. The draconic residents of Equestria thus preferred solitary lives away from the towns and cities. This rule applied to Spike as well, at least to an extent. As Spike grew older his draconic nature had become more a part of who he was as an individual. He had come to value his time alone, as well as the peace and quiet that came with it. Despite being a dragon though, he had been raised among ponies, who are far more social in nature. As a result he still enjoyed living close to populated areas, making him a rare exception among the dragons of Equestria. After living among them for so long, having a social life had become as much a part of Spike as his scales and claws.

Spike was only twenty-two years of age, which by dragon standards barely made him a teenager. He had sprouted wings about three years after moving to Ponyville with Twilight. By the time his wings had become fully developed and strong enough to carry him through the air he had reached the end of his first major growth spurt. His increased mass and height made walking on his hind legs more difficult, so he preferred a walking on all fours these days. Still, even if he was down on all four legs most of the time, he already stood at eye level with Princess Celestia. When on his hind legs, he was able to reach the second story windows of the Ponyville library with minimal effort. About a year ago he had become too big to live in the library, let alone sleep in a pony-size bed. This problem had been resolved by the construction of a large, stone dome-house. His home was about a third of a mile north of Sweet Apple Acres, looking over a small river that ran out of the Everfree Forest. It was close enough to Ponyville that he was near his friends, but far enough to give him the space and privacy he wanted. A perfect balance for a growing drake like Spike.

His home was about as big as the Apple family’s barn in terms of size. Building the house had taken a generous amount of help from his friends. Pinkie and Rarity had helped map out areas rich in the suitable types of rock for construction of the home. Twilight, Big Macintosh, and Applejack had laid out the basic blueprints for the home in accordance with his needs. After the rock had been chosen and the design of the house had been completed, Spike and his friends had gotten to work constructing the house. Ponies from all over town had pitched in to help, much to Spike’s surprise. They had finished the construction of his house by the end of the very same year he had outgrown the library, starting around summer and finishing just before winter had arrived, much to his relief. The last thing he wanted was to spend another winter cramped inside the Ponyville library without enough space to sleep in.

Sure, Twilight could have probably done the job with her own magic but it wouldn’t have been as high of quality work as Spike had done. On top of that, while she was a very magical unicorn, quarrying and transporting the stone would have been too much of a drain on her power. She lacked the critical eye of a stonemason that Spike had. Not to mention she had to run the library. She gave assistance in the actual construction with her magic when she could, but most of the work had been done through the magic of ‘elbow grease’ and hard, honest work. Applejack had stated as much upon the project’s completion.

The construction of the dome had only been the beginning of Spike’s work, though. He had spent about a half a day breaking down the granite rock to make his counter and dining table. Even more time had been spent chiseling and smoothing out the surface with a sander that had been modified for stonecrafting. He had even used some of his shed scales like sandpaper to provide a natural shine and polish to the stone. The long recessed bookshelves lining the walls had required controlled chiseling to avoid breaking off more stone than needed, or strike to far and possibly loosening a spot where two chunks of granite were held together by mortar. However, the most painstakingly detailed work he had done was on the two smooth, circular windows on the east and west sides of his house. The windows had required careful planning of stone placement to ensure they would be both large and not jeopardize the sturdy foundation for the roof. After the gaps in the windows had been created, he had sanded the rock down so the windows were circular in shape. They had glass window panes had been custom-made by a glassmaker in Ponyville. In exchange for building the glassmaker a new stone oven for his own house, Spike was given windows made from the very sands of the Serpent Isle beaches. They could be opened and closed, and were large enough so that two pegasi could comfortably fly through them.

The large windows had not been constructed just for looks, of course. The numerous books lining the walls were read often by Spike, and he preferred natural sunlight to the light of a candle or fire. The glass also was thick enough to insulate his home, yet thin enough to not obscure the rays of light as well.

He was currently reading an old tome that was a translation of poems believed to have been written by Princess Luna herself, under the alias of Waxing Crescent. While the tome was close to two hundred years old the poems were likely more two to three thousand years older since the poems had been translated from Ancient Equinic. The translator had placed footnotes at the bottom of each page to help clarify things for the reader. Spike still had to refer to other sources to understand the footnotes, since those had been written in Archaic Equinic, which had been an obsolete language for the better part of a century. Regardless of the work he sometimes had to put into completely understanding a poem, Spike had really come to love the poetic language Luna had written in. Unsurprisingly, most of her poems were about night. A few here and there were about more common poetic topics, like love, nature and life, and a short cycle was dedicated to the author’s relationship to Celestia herself.

He had found the tome at a rare-book store in Fillydelphia when he accompanied Twilight to a convention for magic education. The drake had asked the owner of the store if he had any rare books of poetry, and the old stallion had guided him to a back room where the “rarest of gems in Equestrian literature” were kept. Spike’s gaze had immediately fallen on the old tome, which had a dark blue cover with a faded outline of a waxing crescent moon on it. The cover had been tattered and several of the pages were hanging loosely from the binding, but the owner had insisted that he be the one to take it down from its magically-reinforced glass case, stating that the book was worth its weight in gold. Spike found that statement to be true–it had cost him almost three hundred bits,and an extra fifty to have the store owner cast a spell to protect its pages from sunlight and the wear and tear of use.

Spike gingerly thumbed over a page, mulling over the words that had come from the heart of Princess Luna.

Yea, though I walk ‘neath the clouds of gray, ‘neath the freezing sleet and rain,

Sister Sun, she doth break apart the gloom,

and rainbow’s embrace warms me through the harsh day–

“Spike! Are you home?”

He craned his neck up to the eastern window, a small smile forming on his lips at the sound of the familiar voice. He set a finger between the pages of his tome as a rainbow blur jetted through his open window, bringing a strong breeze in with it. His smile broke into a toothy grin as his eyes met the gaze of Rainbow Dash who was hovering in front of him.

“Hey, Rainbow. What’s up?”

“Not much. Just got done clearing the clouds, figured I’d stop by,” she answered with a smile. She looked down to the tattered cover of the book in Spike’s claws. “Whatcha reading?”

“Hm? Oh, just some poetry that was probably written by Princess Luna.” He chuckled lightly. “Nothing you’d enjoy.”

“Blech, poetry.” Rainbow made a gagging gesture with her hoof. “So, did you read the latest Daring Do book yet?”

Spike shook his head. “Nah, I’m about a book behind the series right now. Twilight has the new copies ordered for this month, but it’ll probably take a week before they arrive.”

Rainbow sighed. “Ugh, you gotta catch up! Twilight’s, like, the only other friend in town that reads them as much as I do.”

Spike chuckled. “I’ll read them when I get to them and have the time. I have been rather busy. Stone-cutting isn't like kicking away clouds, you know.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, cloud-kicking is not easy work! You have to aim every kick perfectly otherwise you’ll just end up with your rear end stuck in a cloud. Besides, I’ve never seen you do any storm-clearing in all the time–”

“Alright, alright, forget I said anything. I’ve just been busy, that’s all. You know how popular stonemasonry is in Equestria.”

Rainbow settled down once more, a smile returning to her face. “Yeah, how’s that order from Appleloosa coming along?”

He grinned. “Pretty good. I’ve got only five tons of stone left that needs to head out by the end of the month. Apparently it’s being used for the wells and the new train station they’re building. Braeburn said that what I’ve sent to them so far is top quality.” He chuckled a little. “Still, fifteen tons is more than I’m used to dealing with. It’s been kind of tiring, actually.”

Rainbow let out a low whistle. “Fifteen tons? Wow, and you quarried it all out yourself?”

“Yeah, I went over to the mountains, south of the trail leading to Wheatendale. Lots of solid rock that hasn’t been touched yet. It’s a real pain hauling all that back by wagon. I’d ask for help if I could, but even Big Mac would probably pull his back out trying to pull as much as I did. I’m just glad that trail is pretty even terrain most of the way back into Ponyville. I had to make five separate trips to that spot before I had all the rock I needed.” He rubbed his neck a little, as though he were trying to work out a kink. “Pinkie helped me pick out some good spots in that area for future orders, too. I’ll probably have a good two years’ worth of material to work with over there.”

“Huh. You know, I sometimes forget Pinkie grew up on a rock farm.”

Spike shrugged. “She doesn’t really talk about it, but she does know a thing or two about rocks.” He quirked an eyebrow at Rainbow. “So, how about you? What brings you all the way out here when you could be napping?”

She rolled her eyes once and settled her gaze on him. She adopted a look of seriousness and spoke firmly. “You need to train. It’s been three days since your last session.”

Spike blinked a few times. “Really? Huh, it feels like it was just yesterday. Alright, sure!” He placed a bookmark between the pages he was reading and placed the tome on a shelf. “Where’d you have in mind?”

Rainbow’s eyes lit up. “There’s a great run in Ghastly Gorge that I think you’ll like. It’ll be good practice for turning while flying.”

“You mean that one area with a fork in the path that goes north and northeast? Didn’t we already go through about a month ago?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nope, not that one. The spot I had in mind is just south of the Quarray Eel nests.”

He gave her a curious look. His lips slowly gave way to a teasing grin. “Wait, so you don’t want to fly by the nests? Are you sick or something?”

Rainbow shook her head and smirked. “Oh, shut up. I leave the dangerous stuff out of training.”

“Right...that’s exactly what I was thinking after being kicked off the side of Dragon Peak, screaming at the top of my lungs and praying that I don’t become a purple grease mark on the jagged rocks–”

“Quit your griping, you’re still alive, aren’t you? Besides, where else would we be able to practice emergency landings from an uncontrolled freefall? Even if you did mess up, you would have landed in the lake and probably been alright.”

Spike shook his head. “You’re so lucky I don’t tell Twilight these things.”

“Hey, you asked for my help with flying, I’m giving it.”

“I know, I know.” Spike noted the frown forming on Rainbow’s face, and realized he needed to head off her anger at the pass. “Hey, I’m just giving you a hard time, Dash. No need to get so defensive.”

Rainbow’s frown lessened a little, but her folded arms and tense flapping told Spike that he hadn’t been fully forgiven yet. “Since it’s been a few days since we last trained, I think we’ll have to do some power sets before we get to the gorge.”

Spike grimaced. “Power sets? Ugh...great...”

“Look, if you don’t want to train, I’ll–”

Spike held up a hand. “Sorry, it’s just...power sets aren’t fun for me, you know that.”

Rainbow’s frown softened slightly. “I know. Trust me, though, I did some research, and they’re just as good for dragons as they are for pegasi.”

Spike’s eyebrows arched up a little. He had never taken Rainbow to be a very studious pony. In fact, he was pretty sure she was more or less against anything that involved sitting down, gathering data, and analyzing it. “Research? Where?”

“At the library with Twilight,” Rainbow answered. “She’s gotten a lot more books on dragons in the past couple of years.”

Rolling his shoulders a little, Spike sighed. “Huh...well, You’re the teacher, right? I won’t get any better without practice, after all.” He grinned as he made his way towards the door. It was a nice day out anyway, and it’s not like a little fresh air ever did him any harm.

Rainbow’s smile returned. “That’s the spirit. Come on, we’ve got good winds going through the area for the next couple of hours. Perfect for flying.”

“You got it. Lead the way.”

“Twenty-eight...”

“Give me two more, Spike.”

Spike’s head slumped a bit as he struggled to continue his workout. “Guh...I’ve done three sets already, give me a break...”

“If you hadn’t complained the whole time, you’d have done four by now.”

Spike continued to grumble, but lifted his head back up. He was on all fours in a push-up position with his wings holding him off the ground. Wing-ups, according to Rainbow Dash, were a basic pegasi exercise to improve wing strength and endurance. Using the muscles in the wings, back, chest, and shoulders, a pegasus (or dragon), would push themselves up off the ground. Spike, being a heavier creature, used his arms to provide additional support. In order to prevent him from relying too heavily on his arms and and not get the full effect of the exercise, Rainbow had changed his position slightly so that his arms stretched out further. This put his arms in a position that was less than ideal for push-ups, and forced his wings to do more of the work. Eventually his wings would be strong enough that he wouldn’t need the extra support of his arms at all.

That was one only part of the exercise that Rainbow had dubbed a power set, though. The sets consisted of wing-ups, thirty sit-ups, twenty squats, and several kinds of stretches. Spike would start at ten of each exercise, then start over at fifteen, then twenty, then twenty-five, thirty, and then end with a final set of thirty. Normally a pegasus wouldn’t need to do this intense of a workout for pre-flight warm-ups. Pegasi were normally very active at an early age and received all the strength and endurance training needed during foalhood. However, Spike had not possessed a pair of wings since birth, so these intense workouts served as a means to reach the level of flight strength a pegasi his age would have. Needless to say, for a dragon with so much mass, it was hard work.

“Twenty-nine...” He dipped down then rose back up. “Thirt–”

“Now hold your position,” Rainbow instructed.

Spike’s wings shook as he held himself inches above the ground. He struggled to maintain his position. “Gaaaah....” He gritted his teeth, focusing on the horizon. Rainbow Dash flew in front of him, a stern look on her face.

“Keep holding it. Don’t you even think of dropping.”

Spike hissed as his wing muscles burned. Sweat beaded around his forehead and neck. Rainbow Dash didn’t so much as bat an eyelash as he struggled to hold himself up.

Come on...let me stop already! He bared his teeth, silently demanding that she let him end the workout.

“You’re not getting tired, are you?”

“N-no.”

“What was that?”

“No!”

How are those wings feeling?”

“Grrrrr...”

Rainbow grinned. She waited several more seconds, watching as Spike’s wings began to shake under his weight. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she was proud of his determination to endure, whether it be in spite of the torture she was putting him through or out of genuine determination to improve himself. “Alright, you’re done.”

Spike let out a sigh of relief as his body plopped to the ground. His wings sagged before going completely limp and dropping to the ground like they were made of stone. “Damn, that hurts...”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, but it’ll feel easier next time you do it.”

Spike let out a laugh. “You told me that the first time I did them...”

Rainbow grinned. “Hey, you used to only be able to go up to ten, remember?”

Spike let out a grunt as he got to his feet, hissing in pain as he folded his wings in. “Gah, seriously, how do you expect me to fly when my wings are feeling this sore?”

“Lie back down for a second.”

“Huh?” Quirking an eyebrow, Spike obeyed her command. Rainbow flew onto Spike’s scaly back, causing him to wince a bit. “Gah, easy, Dash, I’m still really–ohh....”

Rainbow began to press her hooves into Spike’s shoulder blades, rubbing small, tight circles over his muscles. Massaging his heavy muscles through his thick hide took much more effort than than she was used to, forcing her to lean into him as she pressed her hooves down. “Geesh, Spike, you ever heard of a back massage? Aloe and Lotus would have a field day with you.”

“Unghh...look who’s...talking,” Spike groaned out quietly, his eyes closed as he felt the ache in his muscles slowly ebb away.

Rainbow paused for a moment, looking at the back of Spike’s head. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She pushed a little harder, causing Spike to yelp as she pressed down on his tender shoulders. “You saying I can’t go and relax once in awhile?”

“No, I’m saying I’ve never seen...guh...” Spike sighed as Rainbow loosened a knot around his right shoulder. “I wasn’t trying to upset you. I just never pegged you as the kind of pony to sit still long enough for a massage. I’m pretty sure I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen you walk into the spa.”

Rainbow grunted. “Well, you’re kind of right. I was like that until one time when Rarity convinced me to have a my mane trimmed and styled about six months ago. It wasn’t that much of a difference, and my mane grew back since then, but it was kind of nice. Aloe recommended a massage afterwards, since I train a lot, you know? Anyway, Lotus ended up massaging me, and I felt awesome afterwards.” She paused to work out a kink around Spike’s neck. “Everyone needs to relax once in awhile Spike, even me.”

“Mmm...yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll have to pay the spa sisters a visit someday if they’re as good as you are...”

She pushed down on the taut muscles around his shoulder blades, eliciting a hiss of pain that quickly became another groan of delight. “Lotus also gave me a few lessons on how to loosen muscles. Though...this is harder work than massaging a pony.”

Spike exhaled slowly as Rainbow’s hooves pressed down on his lower back. Seriously, why had he not done anything like this in the past? It was like every ache and pain he had ever felt was being washed away by the pegasus’ ministrations. He felt himself loosening up, almost as if his body was becoming nothing more than gelatin wrapped in a scaly coat. He could lay there all day, just enjoying the wonderful sensation of Rainbow’s hooves pushing the stress out of him. His mind began to cloud over in the bliss...

“Spike.”

“Hm?” He answered without opening his eyes.

“It’s time to get back to training.”

Spike gave a noncommittal grunt, but didn’t move an inch. His eyes remained closed as he sat there, his mind standing on the brink of wakefulness and unconsciousness.

Rainbow sighed, having expected as much from him. “Spike, get up. We’ve got training to finish.”

Spike opened his emerald eyes, and was surprised to see that Rainbow was once again standing in front of him. He never sensed her getting off of his back. “H-huh? Oh, right, flying.” He got to his feet, and sighed. He unfurled his wings, noticing an absence of pain as he stretched them out. “Wow...I feel great! Thanks, Dash, that really helped!”

Rainbow polished a hoof against her chest. “Hey, what can I say? I’m just awesome at what I do.”

Spike rolled his shoulders a few times, then Rainbow a nod, indicating he was ready when she was to start flying. She grinned before flaring out her wings and giving them a few preparatory flaps, the launched into the air. Spike followed suit, a little slower on the lift off. Rainbow circled back once and was immediately by his side, pointing a hoof down into the gorge. “Right over there, that long stretch there? That’s where I want us to fly through.”

Spike followed the direction Rainbow’s hoof was pointing in, taking note of how the gorge was steadily widening as they flew onward. He noted how the the area ahead changed from a straight path, and began to steadily weave left and right. “Wow, I don’t remember seeing this part of the gorge before. Um...what are we going to be doing here?”

“Nothing too fancy, just follow me,” Rainbow replied. As they dropped down into the gorge, Rainbow flew just off Spike’s wing, inspecting his form as he flew. She studied him silently and nodded to herself. “Alright, I want you to work on your banking, Spike.”

“Banking? In a closed space like this?” Spike cast her a wary look.

Rainbow didn’t look worried at all though. “Don’t worry too much. You’ve gotten a lot better since we started working on your banking a few months back. Yeah, this is a gorge, but you’ve got enough space to move around in. I chose this spot because it’s a lot wider and more open than the rest of Ghastly Gorge.” She grinned at him. “I know you’re ready for this. Don’t worry too much. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

Rainbow’s confidence was contagious. His wary expression disappeared, replaced with a confident smile. “Right.”

Banking was one of the ‘basics’ of flight, according to Dash. Spike had a good grasp over most of the general flying techniques that he had been taught so far, but as Rainbow had stated when they first started his training, there was a difference between “good” and “awesome”, and Rainbow Dash didn’t settle for good.

“Alright, now bank right...no, no, stop, that’s too sharp! You’re going to end up stalling if you do that!”

Rainbow flew alongside him, giving him advice as they traveled through the gorge. Sometimes she would fly beneath or behind him, making minute adjustments to his limbs and making sure he had them tucked in close to his body to decrease any air resistance. Spike had long gotten used to this. Rainbow was a hands-on trainer, and she had little patience for long verbal explanations when it came to flying.

“Now, remember, you don’t want to change your pitch too much while in level flight unless you’ve got enough altitude that you can safely make adjustments.”

Spike adjusted his angle so that he was straight once more.

Rainbow suddenly dropped a few feet, and pumped her wings sharply to climb back up to Spike’s level. “Alright, looks like we have a bit of a downdraft here, careful...”

“Right...” Spike replied, pumping his wings harder and faster to keep his altitude.

“Remember to always keep an eye on the horizon while flying, Spike. You don’t want to get caught in a storm or some kind of bad weather when traveling a long ways...”

Spike made sure to listen to her advice, and follow her commands when she gave them. Despite the harsh training she put him through, Spike genuinely enjoyed flying with Rainbow, and trusted her judgment when it came to flight and aerodynamics.

“Spike, keep that right leg tucked in.”

Spike pulled his back leg closer to his body. “Oops, thanks, Rainbow.”

Ever since Spike had first taken to the air with her over the foothills outside of Ponyville, he had come to understand what that exhilarating joy and wild rush that Rainbow always talked about. Now, he not only understood Rainbow’s love for flight, he shared it. He now knew why she had such a passion for flying, and why she dedicated so much time to perfecting it. Flight was as liberating for her as it was for him, and all the hard work had to go through with Rainbow’s training program made moments like these worth it.

“Spike,” Rainbow called out to him. He snapped out of his daydreaming and noticed that Rainbow had gotten ahead of him. “Keep up with me, will you? You won’t improve your speed if you go at that pace.” Spike quickly caught up with her, though he suspected that she had purposely slowed down a little.

While Rainbow Dash was in a whole other league than Spike, she didn’t rub that fact in his face. She was supportive of his progress, and tried to make flight both a challenge and enjoyable for him. Sometimes she would have a friendly race with him, or tell him a funny story of her time in Junior Speedsters camp. The fact that she would go through the exercises with him helped, too. She was both a coach and a partner in that regard. He never felt alone in his work that way.

When they reached the end of the run in Ghastly Gorge, Rainbow stopped and turned towards Spike. The dragon flared out his wings a bit to halt his flight, and began to pump them so he could hover alongside her. “Alright, let’s fly back to where we started. If we keep up the pace, we can probably a dozen more runs back and forth before sunset.”

“Sure thing.” Spike nodded as he kept his gaze ahead.

Spike’s training continued for another three hours. Rainbow called their training to an end as they reached the end of the run for the eleventh time, and the they made their way towards the outskirts of Ponyville. They landed on the outskirts of Ponyville, and began walking to cool down from their flying as they made their way down the dirt road leading to Spike’s home. Spike had once asked why they not just land at his place or Ponyville, but Rainbow had explained that cooling down was just as important as any warm-up was.

“So, I’m thinking of asking Rarity out on a date tomorrow.”

Spike saw Rainbow look up at him from the corner of his vision. He turned to look down at her and saw an unreadable expression on her face.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yep! I’m going to take her to that one restaurant in Canterlot that she loves, The Cypress.” Spike grinned. “I have it all planned out. I made sure to check the weather, too. It’s supposed to be clear skies over Canterlot all week! It’ll be perfect spring weather for the occasion! After dinner, we can go for a moonlit stroll through the Royal Gardens, and I can show her all the parts of Canterlot that the tourists don’t know about.”

Rainbow grinned as she gave him a light punch to the arm. “Hey, it’s about time, Spike!” She laughed as Spike’s cheeks reddened. “So, what made you do it?”

“Eh, well, I’m an adult now. I figured I might as well ask her out, right? I mean, I could see her not wanting to go out with me before since I was little when I first met her, but that’s changed.” He flared his wings a little to emphasize his point.

Rainbow chuckled as Spike’s chest swelled up a bit. “Honestly, I was wondering if this day was ever gonna come for you.”

“What do you mean?” Spike quirked an eyebrow.

“Seriously, Spike?” She snickered as he looked at her cluelessly. “Well, it’s not exactly a secret that you like her. I mean, you should look at yourself in the mirror when she’s around. You used to be a total mess whenever she’d talk to you.” She stuck her tongue out comically and crossed her eyes. “Ohhh, Rarity, she’s so~oo dreamy...”

“Whatever, geesh.” Spike’s blush deepened as Rainbow laughed loudly. “Anyway, is the newest Daring Do book any good?”

Rainbow Dash continued to smirk at Spike, but decided to spare him further humiliation and torment. “Yeah, it’s pretty good! I mean...well, it’s a bit slow at first, but so far I love it. She ends up going to Neighlaska, and ends up working with some seals to–”

“Gah! Spoilers!” Spike interrupted.

Rainbow gave him a sheepish grin. “Oops, sorry.”

Shaking his head, Spike settled his gaze on the setting sun. Minutes passed as they walked in comfortable silence, broken only by the melody of crickets getting an early start to their night time chorus.

“Spike...?”

He looked down once more at Rainbow Dash. “Hm?”

She had a small smile on her face as she spoke. “Just remember to be yourself when you talk to Rarity, alright?” She stopped at a fork in the road, one path leading towards the Sweet Apple Acres and Spike’s home, the other leading into Ponyville and the direction of Rainbow’s cloud house. “Oh, and tell her that I’ll stop by later this week so she can get my measurements for that dress she wants to make me.” She rolled her eyes.

“It can’t be that bad, can it?”

“You try standing still for over an hour while some fussy pony keep re-taking your measurements to make sure everything is ‘exactly right, darling’.” Rainbow shook her head. “Anyway, I better get going. Good luck, Spike...”

Rainbow leapt into the air, and Spike watched her zoom away and disappear beyond the rooftops of Ponyville. Something seemed off about her, he noted, but he couldn’t bring himself to think about it at the moment. Pushing the thought aside for now, he made his way home, picking up the pace a little. He and Twilight were supposed to have dinner at his place tonight, and he wanted to have enough time to wash up and prepare dinner.

He went down to the river by his house and quickly washed off the grime and sweat from a hard day’s training. After deeming himself clean, he made his way inside and began preparing a dinner of daffodil and lentil soup, some hay fries, and a bowl of topaz and quartz for himself to have on the side.

As he finished pouring two glasses of pomegranate and orange juice for himself and Twilight, he heard a knock at the door. He looked up towards the door. “It’s open!”

An aura of magic enveloped the door as it opened. Spike grinned at the familiar purple unicorn mare who walked through the door, saddlebags on her back and a small basket wrapped in her magic floating beside her. “Hi, Spike.”

“Hey, Twilight. I’m just finishing preparations here. Hope you like daffodil and lentil soup. It’s not much, but I’ve had a rather busy afternoon.”

“Spike, you know I’ll eat anything you make for me. You were always a better cook than I was.” She set down the basket before pulling off the cover and producing a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

“Whoa, cookies? Sweet, don’t mind if I do.” Spike licked his lips and reached towards the basket.

A hoof swatted at Spike’s claw. “Those are for dessert. Don’t ruin your appetite.”

Spike pouted, looking down at the little unicorn, who was giving him as stern of a gaze as she could muster. For as long as he could remember, Twilight had never been afraid to scold him for snacking on sweets before dinner and little things like that.

“Hmph. Fine...” He grumbled. His gaze remained on the unicorn. Twilight kept her frown level with his. Even when he was standing on his hind legs and towering over her, she still intimidated him. It was ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it. Twilight was no pushover, and he was pretty sure she wouldn’t be above sending him to the corner if he sassed back.

He chuckled quietly at the notion. Him, Spike, a big, strong drake like him, belittled by Twilight Sparkle, the librarian of Ponyville. His chuckle grew louder, and Twilight gave him a curious look.

“What?”

“I...I suppose this means I can’t have any dessert until I eat everything on my plate, huh?”

Twilight quirked an eyebrow, then her lips curved into a smile. She joined Spike, laughing and shaking her head. “Alright, alright, I suppose I was being a little overbearing there.”

“So I can have a cookie?”

Twilight rolled her eyes at him. “The answer’s still no. Save them for dessert.”

Spike shrugged his shoulders and returned his attention to serving the food. He picked up a ladle and poured a healthy serving of the soup into their bowls. “I added a little more pepper than the last time I made it.” Twilight paused, looking at the bowl of soup with uncertainty. “I didn’t put in too much. I know how bad your spice tolerance is, after all. I just wanted to give it a little more flavor.” He nodded encouragingly to her as she gazed at him. “Don’t worry, you’ll love it. I promise.”

Twilight tentatively took a spoonful of the broth and brought it to her lips. She blew on it before tasting. “Oh...oh wow, Spike, this is delicious!” She smiled as she took another spoonful. “The pepper does add to the flavor,” She giggled. “I wish I had half the skill you do.”

Spike chuckled, happy to see her enjoying the meal. “Thanks, Twilight. I also have some hay fries cooling on the stove top.”

Twilight smiled teasingly. “I hope those were baked and not fried. You wouldn’t want Dash to get on your case about your diet, would you?”

“Hey, I’m perfectly healthy for my age,” Spike said while puffing out his chest. “Maybe a little bulkier than I was a year ago, but that’s perfectly normal for me.” He flexed an arm and grinned. “It’s all muscle here. And yes, for your information, the fries were baked.”

“Oh, Spike, you know I’m just pulling your leg.” She set her spoon down and looked at him with a curious smile. “So, how has training been?”

“Alright, I guess. I still can’t fly that fast by pegasus standards, but Dash says I shouldn’t be comparing myself to others and instead focus on how I’m improving over time.” A grin appeared on his face as he continued. “We trained in Ghastly Gorge today.”

“Ghastly–?!”

“Don’t worry, we stayed away from the Quarray Eels.”

Twilight slumped into her chair, sighing in relief.

“We won’t be flying past their nests until next week.”

Twilight’s jaw went slack as she stared at the dragon across the table with a mixture of shock and terror. Spike burst out laughing, and Twilight’s shocked expression began to vanish. She narrowed her eyes a little before trying to look upset while fighting the smile that was forming at the corners of her lips. Still, she tried her best to look angry at the dragon’s teasing, and knitted her eyebrows while huffing in mild annoyance. “That’s not funny, Spike!”

Spike snorted as he struggled to stop laughing. “Sorry, sorry, I just...you get so worked up over little things like that. It’s hard not to tease you for it.”

“They’re not ‘little things’, Spike. Quarray Eels are dangerous!” She sighed. “Promise me you won’t go flying past their nests.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Geesh, alright, I won’t. Not like Rainbow Dash and I were planning to, anyway.”

Twilight settled back into her chair, her expression remaining stern. “Well, excuse me for worrying about you.” Her expression softened into a small smile. “It’s practically my job. You’re family, after all.”

“Right, right...I didn’t mean to get you angry, Twilight.“

“I know you didn’t. Just...I’m sure flying is lots of fun, but try not to do anything stupid or reckless, alright? Remember your limits, alright?”

Spike laughed. “I’m pretty sure Rainbow knows those better than I do. Don’t worry though, Rainbow’s a good teacher. She knows what she’s doing."

She nodded, seemingly satisfied with Spike’s answer. “Good. Now, let’s have some of those fries before they’re cold.”

The table had been cleared away of plates and the leftover fries had been stored in Spike’s fridge. The two had taken spots in Spike’s den area, Twilight lying on a large, overstuffed pillow while Spike lay on the rug with a cushion to prop his elbows on. It was half-past nine now, and dinner had been finished about an hour ago. Twilight had brought out the basket of cookies, which the two were snacking on as they talked.

“So, you’re going to ask Rarity out on a date?”

Spike craned his neck proudly. “Yep. I’m going to turn on the charm tomorrow, and ask her if she’d like to have a nice dinner this weekend at The Cypress in Canterlot.”

“Wait, you mean The Cypress? Spike, how did you ever manage to get reservations there? I mean, I know you’re making decent bits with the stone-cutting business, but...that place is one of the highest profile restaurants in Equestria, let alone Canterlot.”

“Erm...well...I may have asked for some advice from Princess Cadance in one of my letters to her...”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but her expression had become unreadable otherwise. “Go on...”

“...and I may or may not have received some assistance from said princess that included her getting me a reservation.”

Twilight sighed. “Please tell me she didn’t try offer to pay for your meals, too.”

“No, it was free apparently. Cadance knows the owner, and explained that I was going to be at the restaurant. The owner insisted the meals be free, though she wasn’t sure why.”

Twilight rubbed her right temple with a hoof. “Well, I guess that’s not so bad. Did you at least thank her for that?”

“Of course I did. That and...well, she made me promise to visit Canterlot this year during Hearth’s Warming.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “Actually, it was a Pinkie Promise.” Twilight gave him a weird look. “Seriously, I wrote down every word of Pinkie’s promise on the scroll before sending it out. Apparently, Cadance and Pinkie have been keeping in touch.”

Twilight nodded, apparently in agreement with Cadance’s idea. “You did sort of leave for Manehatten abruptly last year. Princess Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor and Cadance really wanted to see you, Spike. Even my mom and dad were asking where you were.”

Spike shrugged, though he did give her an apologetic smile. “I know, but I really wanted to go to that concert, you know that. Hooves ‘n’ Roses is a good band, Twi. You can’t blame me for going to Manehatten to see their holiday concert, can you?” Twilight just shook her head. “Oh come on, Twi, I didn’t give you flak when you went to the Astronomy Fair in Las Pegasus on Nightmare Night, did I?”

Twilight said nothing, instead opting to eat one of the cookies she had brought.

Ever since Spike had moved into his new home, they made a habit of visiting each other at least once a week and have dinner together. It had been Twilight’s idea, as a way of keeping up to date with each other’s lives. After dinner, they often spent hours on end just talking, whether it be reminiscing about their younger days, some of their early years in Ponyville, or even discussing the latest finds in astronomy (one of Twilight’s favorite discussion topics).

Dating, however was not a common topic at all for them.

“Sounds like you’ve got this date thing all planned out, Spike. I have to admit, I’m kind of excited for you.”

“Yeah.” Spike’s cheeks began to heat up a little. “I wonder what she’ll say? I wonder if she’ll say something like ‘It’s about time, Spike!’ or ‘Oh, Spikey, I thought you’d never ask!’ or...something like that...”

Twilight gave a little chuckle as Spike let out a dreamy sigh. “Well, just remember to be yourself, Spike.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Rainbow told me the same thing.”

“Good, because that’s good advice. You shouldn’t have to pretend to be someone else for a pony that cares about you.” She gained a pensive look as she chewed on her cookie. “I wonder if there’s any dating books I could lend you in the library...”

Spike did his best to not cringe, and forced a smile onto his face. The last thing he needed was Twilight to start giving him books entailing advice on romance. It was kind of her, but he didn’t think reading material would really help him that much. “Haha...that’s not necessary, Twilight. I should be alright. Thanks, though.”

“Are you sure? It wouldn’t be a problem at all for me to let you borrow a few books.”

“No, no, really, I think I’ll be fine.”

Twilight smiled. “Alright, if you think so.” She turned her attention towards the clock as she rose to her feet. “Well, I better get going before it gets to be too late. I promised Applejack that I’d help her try out this new composting technique on the farm tomorrow, so I have to get up early.” She walked over to Spike and gave him a nuzzle, which he happily returned. “Don’t stay up too late. Let me know how everything with Rarity goes, alright?”

Spike got to his feet. “You want me to walk you home?”

Twilight shook her head as she floated her saddlebags onto her back and lifted up her now-empty basket. “I’ll be fine, but thanks anyway. You can save the suave gentledrake stuff for Rarity.” She gave Spike a playful wink as she made her way to the door. “Good night, Spike.”

“Night,” Spike called back as Twilight closed the door behind her. Now by himself, Spike glanced at the clock. It was almost ten. He would visit Rarity before noon tomorrow, that way he wouldn’t be disrupting her while she was busy. She tended to really get into whatever project she was taking on during the afternoon, so he stood a good chance of catching her when she wasn’t stressed or too busy to talk if he showed up during the late morning.

For now, though, he decided to retire to his own bed. He closed the windows and turned out the lights, then pulled out a large quilt, futon mattress, and an overstuffed pillow from a corner of his den area. Unlike most homes, Spike had no area sectioned off as a bedroom. He was content with this setup, and found it rather comfortable. Not to mention it took into account that he would be growing at a slow yet steady rate over the years. Having a sectioned-off bedroom would problematic in the long run, considering he would at some point be too cramped to sleep comfortably in. He also didn’t like the idea of having to buy a new mattress and bed frame every decade that would be able to support his weight.

As he curled his tail around his body and closed his eyes, his thoughts drifted to Rarity. He smiled as the image of the beautiful mare surfaced in his mind. What wasn’t to love about her? She had a lustrous coat and mane, a wonderful smile, impeccable fashion sense, and she was a truly generous pony, through and through. She was always willing to lend an ear when you were worried or upset, was full of advice, and a wonderful listener...

She was perfect.

Spike’s mind grew heavy with the weight of sleep. Yeah... Spike thought to himself, a smile stretching across his face.Tomorrow’s going to be wonderful...

Rainbow Dash sank into the soft fluff of her cloud bed, humming in contentment as she marked her page in the latest book of the Daring Do series and set it on her nightstand. She turned off the reading lamp and plopped her head onto the cushioned pillows.

She still found the fact that she was reading books for fun rather amusing. All of her childhood had been spent playing outside, flying, and learning various stunts and tricks. While she never regretted doing those things, ever since she started reading for pleasure she often wondered how much other great stories she had missed out on when she was younger.

I’ll have to ask Spike and Twilight for some other books when I’m finished with this book.

She had read several other books, some more wordy than others. There were hundreds of stories about Commander Hurricane, but a lot of those were considered epic poems, or so Twilight had explained to her. Spike had said that it was a popular style back in the pre-Equestrian and early Equestrian era. While she was not a fan of poetry, Spike was convinced that she would like them. Who was she to question the coolest dragon in Equestria?

Spike...

He was finally going to ask her Rarity out on a date tomorrow. He had things planned in advance, too, going as far as making reservations for a high-class restaurant in Canterlot. While Rainbow was happy for Spike, she wasn’t sure how well that would go for him. Rarity seemed to act as though she was completely unaware of Spike’s blatantly obvious affection towards her. Rainbow considered Rarity to be a fairly intelligent mare, and the fact that to this day she never brought up the idea of dating Spike or what she thought of his borderline-worship of her was troubling. It made her wonder what Rarity’s intentions toward Spike were.

Rainbow wasn’t one to get involved in other ponies’ personal lives. She simply didn’t think it was right of her to pry into others’ personal lives. Things like romance, dating, and stuff like that between ponies–or dragons–for instance? That fell into the category of “not her business.”

But even if she didn’t involve herself, it didn’t mean she couldn’t still be concerned. Spike was her friend, and had been for quite a few years now. He had a fun side to him, enjoyed pulling the occasional prank, and had good taste in rock music. He could also be rather sarcastic and snarky about things, though. He was also prone to getting touchy when it came to things that put his masculinity on the line, and he was a chronic grumbler. Despite these things, she still cared for the drake as any good friend would. It was these qualities that made him such a great guy, and she was sure that he could make Rarity a very happy mare if the two became a couple.

She wondered if Rarity was by any chance already in a relationship. She had been visiting Canterlot more frequently as of late. It was quite possible that she had found somepony there. Though if that were the case, she probably would have already been gabbing about it to everypony, Rainbow reasoned.

For now, all she could do was hope for the best, and get some sleep. She had a bit of weather work to take care of in the morning. An afternoon shower had been bumped up to noon tomorrow, which meant she couldn’t sleep in like usual.

Oh well, at least it meant she wouldn’t have to worry about keeping the skies clear for the rest of the day. Maybe she’d stop over and visit Pinkie and get some free day-old pastries.

Spike whistled a jovial tune while strolling through the Ponyville market square, a bounce in his step. He waved to ponies passing by, and most gave him equally enthusiastic greetings in return. Spike had a bouquet tucked underneath his wing that consisted of lilacs, carnations, a single red tulip and red rose. Rarity knew enough of the language of flowers to understand the meaning behind them. He trusted that Lily at the florist’s shop had gotten the meaning right as well. Spike loved Rarity, and yearned for her.

He was soon at the front door of the boutique. He glanced over his shoulder to the town hall. 11:04. Not too early, and not too late. Perfect.

Taking in a deep breath, and then exhaling, he raised a claw and knocked on the boutique’s door.

“Come in, the door’s open!” replied the sing-song voice of Rarity from within.

Spike opened the door and poked his head into the boutique. “Rarity?”

“Oh!” Rarity’s face appeared from around the corner leading into the back room, a smile on her face and her work glasses dangling from her neck. She made her way into the main room as Spike remained standing in the doorway. “Spikey! How wonderful of you to stop by! Oh please, come in, darling. I heard we’re supposed to be getting some rain soon, and I’d hate for you to catch a cold.”

Spike carefully made his way through the door, his wings tucked close to his sides to hide the flowers from her. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time, Rarity. I just wanted to stop–”

“I say, Rarity, is that the young drake you were telling me about?”

Spike’s ear frills twitched at the sound of a masculine voice coming from the back room. Rarity looked back to her workstation, speaking to the unknown voice. “Oh, yes, I haven’t had the opportunity to introduce you two yet, have I?”

A dapper-looking unicorn stallion walked out of the back room, and smiled at Spike. “Ah, so you’re Spike.” He gave the drake a nod. “Pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Um...likewise?”

Rarity smiled. “Spikey, this is Fancypants, my...” Spike didn’t like the way her cheeks began to flush. “...good friend from Canterlot. Ahem...Fancypants, this is Spike, one of my dearest friends. He lived with Twilight until not too long ago in the library.”

“Ah yes, of course, Twilight Sparkle. I remember her. Quite the charming filly, and the personal student of Princess Celestia if I remember right,” Fancypants smiled. “It must be nice to have such a good friend like her, Spike.”

Spike shrugged. “Huh? O-oh, yeah, she’s pretty cool. Real smart, too...” Spike forced a grin on to his face as he looked at the stallion. “Yeah...so, um...what brings you to Ponyville, Fancypants?”

“Oh, I’m just stopping by to visit Rarity. She’s been busying herself with a new design, and wanted my thoughts on the look.” He quirked an eyebrow at Spike. “Spike, you’ve known Rarity for a few years, correct? You wouldn’t happen to know Rarity’s favorite kind of dish, would you?”

“Oh, Fancypants, stop it already,” Rarity giggled as she turned towards Spike. “Fancypants has asked me out on a date, and insists that I choose the place.”

Spike’s throat suddenly felt dry. “R-really?” A lead weight settled in his stomach. “W-wow, that’s...great.”

“Indeed! I’m starting to wonder if I should reserve a table at every restaurant in Canterlot, just in case she makes a choice later,” Fancypants joked. “She’s told me you’re quite the cook, Spike. Considering you did most of the cooking while living with Miss Sparkle, I’m inclined to take her word for it. I may have to ask for a lesson from you. I’m afraid my skills as a cook are rather limited. I’ve been told by Rarity herself that I’d give Sweetie Belle a run for her money at bad cooking.” He gave Spike a wink while Rarity tried to fight down more giggles and reprimand Fancypants for joking about her sister’s atrocious cooking skills.

Spike forced the smile to remain on his face. “Haha. Yeah. I’m a regular gourmet.” He cleared his throat and returned his attention to Rarity. “Rainbow Dash wanted me to tell you that she’ll be stopping by later this week so you can get the measurements on that dress for her.”

“Oh, splendid! I was hoping she would be willing to...Spike, darling, are you alright?”

Spike must have been doing a rather pitiful job at masking his emotions if the concerned look Rarity was giving him was any indication. “H-huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Eyes are a little irritated; allergy season and stuff.”

Rarity quirked an eyebrow. “I never knew you had allergies.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s not...er...uncommon to develop an allergy to something at my age. Probably some kind of pollen. I’ll...uh...probably check up on it with Twilight or Nurse Redheart...or somepony,” His eyes were starting to blur a little as his grin wavered. “A-anyway, I better go.”

Rarity seemed determined to help him, though. She approached Spike, and was soon by his side. “Are you sure, Spike? I’m sure a nice cup of tea would help clear the sinuses right up. Surely you could stay for a little longer? After all, the skies are getting cloudy, and I would feel just awful if you were to get caught in the rain.”

“I have to agree with Rarity, Spike. I have a friend in Canterlot who has a horrible allergy to goldenrod. He always perks up after a good cup of tea, though.”

“Trust me, I’m fine. I don’t want to interrupt anything you two might have been doing before I–I mean, I really should go. I...have to do some paperwork for all the work orders I have and stuff.”

Rarity frowned. “Are you absolutely sure, Spike? I haven’t had the chance to just sit and chat with you for some time. It feels like it’s been a while since you last stopped by.”

It’s been a little too long. Spike agreed silently, shooting a quick glance at Fancypants. “Yep. I need to go. H-have a good day, Rarity. Fancypants.” Spike turned and practically ran out the door. He was gone before either of the two unicorns could say another word.

“I say, he seemed to be in quite a hurry. I hope he’s alright...it looked like something was eating at him.”

Rarity shook her head. “He did seem to be a little off from–oh, he dropped something!” Rarity ran out to the road in front of her boutique and picked up a red tulip. Her eyes widened as she looked towards the direction that Spike had run off to.

“I say, is that a tulip?” Fancypants observed. “It’s almost as if he was trying to hide...” His eyes widened as realization dawned upon him. “...ah...”

Rarity sighed, her eyes lingering on the flower once more. “Oh, Spike...”

Chapter 2: Downpour Blues

Chapter Two- Downpour Blues

“Thanks again for helpin’ me with the compost, Twilight. I really appreciate it.”

Twilight smiled as she concentrated her magic on moving the wheelbarrow full of compost towards the Apple family’s barn. “Not a problem, Applejack. I’m just glad we finished spreading the compost in time. Looks like the weather-ponies are just about finished with setting the rain clouds up around Ponyville.”

Applejack looked over her shoulder towards Ponyville. Several brightly colored dots could be seen flying over Ponyville, pushing large gray clouds and clumping them together. Every so often a streak of rainbow could be seen, darting between groups of pegasi and assisting in the construction of the rain clouds. “Huh, would ya look at that. Even Rainbow Dash is awake already,” Applejack chuckled.

“Surprising, I know,” Twilight agreed with a laugh of her own. “She’s been keeping herself plenty busy lately. Between weather duty, training Spike to fly, and helping Scootaloo with her tricks, I’d say she’s really had her hooves full. I suppose she doesn’t really have time for sleeping-in anymore.”

“Never thought I’d see the day, to be honest. I was startin’ to wonder if she was allergic to hard work.”

“Oh stop it, Applejack,” Twilight chuckled. “She’s not that bad.”

“I suppose, but it don’t beat the fact that she can be a real laze-about most of the time. I don’t get how she’s able to be so darn athletic when she spends half of almost every day nappin’.”

The two set the wheelbarrow of leftover compost in the barn before making their way to the the farmhouse. “Granny’s been slow-cookin’ a nice apple and cabbage stew all mornin’, and I can smell it from all the way out here. Why don’t you stay over and have lunch with us?”

“Well, I am hungry.” Twilight felt her stomach growl at the thought of a home cooked meal. She blushed a little as Applejack gave her a knowing smirk. “Sure, why not? I always enjoy anything Granny Smith makes.”

Applejack nodded. “Good choice.” She gazed towards the steadily darkening sky over Ponyville. There was a faint sheen of rain coming down on the small town, and more of the heavy rain clouds were being directed towards Sweet Apple Acres by a few of the weather ponies. “Looks like the rain is makin’ its way here anyway, Twilight. You might as well stay here and wait for it to pass. Unless you enjoy bein’ wetter than an unsheared sheep swimming in a waterin’ hole.”

“No, I think I’ll take up your offer,” Twilight giggled.

The two entered the farmhouse, and Twilight immediately caught the sweet smell of apples mixed with cabbage that was wafting out from the kitchen. The sound of Big Macintosh’s deep baritone could be heard over clatter of plates and silverware being set on the table.

“...sure he was alright, Apple Bloom. Spike’s a busy dragon, after all. He runs his own business, y’know.”

“I know, but Sweetie Belle told us that Rarity said he just up an’ left! That ain’t like him at all, and you know it. Shoot, he’d probably spend all his time helpin’ her with her dresses if he could.”

Twilight and Applejack walked into the dining room where the other two Apple siblings could be seen setting the table. “Apple Bloom? Yer back earlier than I expected. What happened to spendin’ time with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?”

Apple Bloom sighed as she turned to Applejack. “That’s what I was just tellin’ Big Mac ‘bout. The girls and I were comin’ back from helpin’ Ms. Cheerilee plant her flower garden before the rain started. Rarity was all worried an’ sobbin’ over something when we arrived at the boutique, and Mr. Fancypants was busy tryin’ to calm her down. Sweetie Belle asked us to wait outside so she could talk to Rarity. Eventually she came back and said something about Spike stoppin’ over, then leavin’ all of the sudden. He dropped a flower when he left. She said he practically ran away with how he took off so quickly.” She shook her head. “I guess Rarity and Mr. Fancypants were goin’ to have a dinner date in Canterlot this weekend or somethin’, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

Twilight frowned. “Oh...I think I know what happened.”

“What?” Apple Bloom asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t think it’s my place to say...”

Granny Smith turned away from the large steaming pot of stew sitting on the range, a small, sympathetic smile on her face. She sighed heavily. “The poor drake got his heart broken, ain’t it obvious?”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom frowned. “Whattya mean, Granny?”

Granny Smith chuckled a little as she turned back to the apple and cabbage stew. “You’ll understand soon ‘nough. Yer ‘bout the age to start courtin’ ain’t ya?”

The teenage filly blushed a bit. “W-what are ya talkin’ ‘bout, Granny?”

Applejack and Big Macintosh had caught on quickly enough. Applejack let out a sigh of her own. “Oh shoot, the poor little guy. I didn’t know Spike still held a flame for Rarity. Sure, he’s always been a real sweetheart around her...”

Apple Bloom frowned. “Wait, y’mean...Spike still has a crush on Rarity? I thought he grew out of that awhile ago.”

Twilight smiled wistfully. “No, he just learned how to hide it better. I could still see it, though. He’s had a crush on her since the day we moved into Ponyville.” She took a seat down at the table, her gaze resting on the small vase of flowers situated in the center of the table. “I’ll have to go see how he is later. He’s probably going to be in a real slump for a while.”

Twilight and the Apples were soon settled at the table, eating their lunch together while sharing stories about what they did today. While Twilight tried to put the thought of Spike aside for now, she couldn’t help but worry about him. He tried to act tough, but she knew that deep down it didn’t take much to upset him.

The more she pondered about it, the more she wished for the rain to let up so she could check up on him.

It was close to four when the rain had finally let up. Twilight thanked the Apples for the wonderful meal, and quickly headed down the road leading to Spike’s house. She suspected this day would eventually come, despite how much she wished for it to never happen. Honestly, she would have been overjoyed if Spike and Rarity began dating each other, but...

Rarity cared for Spike, that was obvious. However, Twilight was fairly certain her unicorn friend never saw Spike in a romantic way. Sure, Rarity cared deeply for him, but so did the rest of Twilight’s friends. It was hard not to, considering how much of a kind-hearted dragon he was.

The large stone house of Spike’s came into view as the path sloped down towards a river. She picked up her pace, cantering up to the smaller side door Spike had built for ponies to use. She knocked on it three times with a hoof. “Spike? Spike, it’s Twilight, are you home?”

No answer came from within. She sighed. He’s probably inside, sulking...

She frowned, knocking a little harder. “Spike, come on, please open the door. I-I heard what happened with Rarity. I just want to talk.”

Still no answer. She pulled down on the knob, only to find the door locked. She paused for a moment, frowning at her predicament. She lowered her hoof and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed briefly before a silver key appeared out of nowhere. When Spike had finished his house, he had given Twilight a spare key to his home, just in case she needed to get into his house while he wasn’t around. Normally she would not enter his home if he was gone, but he was likely ignoring her, or sleeping in some dark corner of his abode.

The door opened and she stepped inside. Sunlight poked through the western window of home, bathing the center in a soft golden hue. However, there was no sign of Spike.

“Spike? Are you home?”

She walked towards the kitchen area and lifted the trap door to his root cellar where he kept some of his perishables as well as some of his larger gems. “Spike?”

He wasn’t there, either. She looked around the place once more, her eyes resting on a large door across the den area. There was an engraving of a crescent moon on the door and a simple latch

This could be awkward, but... She walked towards the door and cleared her throat. “Spike...are you in there?”

No response. She slowly turned the knob and peeked her head in. Nothing but a large bathtub, toilet, sink, and mirror.

Well, at least I didn’t disturb him... Twilight closed the door and looked around the den area once more. There wasn’t a note or anything on the kitchen table or counter saying where he went. He would usually leave something like a note telling where he went and when he’d be back, if only for Twilight’s peace of mind. There was no such note to be found this time, however. She found a piece of parchment and a quill, and left a brief note saying she stopped by in case Spike returned, and that she wanted to talk to him when he had the chance. With that, she left the house and locked the door behind her.

Twilight’s imagination tried to come up with places he could possibly be. The problem was that Spike had wings; he could be almost anywhere, especially if he wanted to be left alone. She couldn’t stop the feeling of anxiety from rising up in the back of her mind. Did he run away? Where to? Is he alright?

She shook her head and exhaled slowly. No, she wouldn’t get anywhere by worrying. She needed to calm down, and think this through, piece by piece. It was–

“Oh, Twilight, there you are!”

Twilight jumped a little and quickly spun around around to see Fluttershy and Pinkie making their way towards her. “Oh! Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie! Sorry, you startled me a little. I was just checking to see if Spike was home.”

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to startle you, Twilight,” Fluttershy apologized. “We were just heading here as well. We heard from Sweetie Belle that Spike might be upset about something.”

“So, we decided to bring him some cupcakes and cheer him up!” Pinkie dug into a saddlebag she was carrying and pulled out a small box. She pulled off the box cover, revealing four sapphire cupcakes. “I know how much he likes sapphires, and we had some lying around Sugarcube Corner, so I baked them up. Fresh from the oven! They looked so delicious that I had to taste one, but it wasn’t that good since it’s a gemstone, and not vanilla or chocolate. Still, I know Spike will like them!”

Twilight smiled, touched by her friends’ concern. “That’s very sweet of you girls...but Spike’s not here.” Her smile fell. “He didn’t leave a note, or anything. I was about to head out and see if he’s at any of his usual hangouts.”

“Would you like us to help? Pinkie and I can go check the duck pond,” Fluttershy offered.

“That would be great. I was going to look for him in town and ask if anypony has seen him. He sometimes goes to the park to take a nap.”

“We’ll ask around, too,” said Pinkie. “Don’t worry, Twilight. We’ll find him, and then we’ll give him the cupcakes, and he’ll be happy again. If we see any of the other girls, we’ll ask if they can help as well.”

“Thanks, both of you,” Twilight sighed. “Spike’s probably depressed right now. He...well, he planned to ask out Rarity out on a date today.”

“Oh dear...” Fluttershy’s ears folded back as she looked to the ground. “I guess she must have told him that she and Fancypants are dating.”

“Spike happened to find out that Fancypants was taking her to dinner; it sounds like the two were planning out a date from what Apple Bloom told me,” Twilight answered. “That must have been hard for him to take...”

“Well, Rarity has been talking an awful lot about Fancypants as of late. She’s gotten to be really good friends with him. I’m surprised he didn’t know about this sooner,” Fluttershy added.

“I like Fancypants,” Pinkie said with a smile. “He’s a fancy pony, but he’s also really nice and knows how to have fun! Like, this one time, he stopped by Sugarcube Corner last week, and Rarity wanted him to try some chocolate cake, but–”

“Um, Pinkie, do you think that maybe you could tell us your story another time? I mean, well...we should go looking for Spike, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, you’re right, Fluttershy.” Pinkie put her box of cupcakes back into her saddlebag. “Okie dokie, Twilight. If we see Spike, we’ll be sure to let him know that you’re looking for him.”

“Thanks again, girls. Hopefully we’ll find him before it gets to be too late in the day.” Twilight looked to the sky. Judging from the Sun’s position, it had be close to five in the afternoon now. That meant they probably had another two hours to look for him at best before it got dark, and then searching for him would only be all the more difficult to do.

As Fluttershy and Pinkie made their way towards the duck pond, Twilight slumped onto her haunches and rubbed one of her temples. Spike had become really good at putting up a front when he needed to over the past couple of years. Knowing him, he’d probably try to wait this out and show up a day or two from now, acting as though nothing had happened. He would probably stop fawning over Rarity, too.

She knew he probably wouldn’t bring up what happened to anypony, and he’d deny that there was anything wrong with him if Twilight asked. Regardless, she needed to find him and talk to him. The sooner, the better.

Rainbow sat a little ways off from a large half-pipe near the Ponyville schoolyard. She watched as Scootaloo rolled down the side of the half-pipe on her scooter, her wings pumping hard to give her some extra speed. The teenage filly rolled up the other side and into the air, then kicked her scooter with one of her hind legs so it spun around twice while in midair. She then landed back on it and rolled back down the side. She turned once she was near the bottom of the half-pipe, and came to a stop as she applied the brake.

“Not bad, Scootaloo! You didn’t even falter for a second that time!”

Scootaloo grinned as she pulled off her helmet and shook her unruly purple mane to loosen it up. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash. It’s nothing special, but I can do a lot more when I fly now.” She flapped her wings a few times and grinned. “I’m not as good as you yet, but I broke my hundred yard dash-flight record last week. I should be ready for the Best Young Flier competition next year if I keep improving like I am.”

“Great! Keep at it and you might even be as good as me someday.”

“Might?” Scootaloo laughed a little. “You mean will.”

Rainbow mussed up Scootaloo’s mane with a hoof. “That’s what I like to hear.” The two walked down a path leading back to town. “So, you’re not going to believe this, but apparently Spike was planning on asking Rarity out on a date today.”

Scootaloo quirked an eyebrow, then a small frown appeared on her face. “Oh...that explains things...”

Rainbow gave Scootaloo a confused look. “What things?”

“Well,” Scootaloo began. “The girls and I were over at Sweetie Belle’s place for a little bit earlier today, and Rarity was all upset over something. She wasn’t crying, but she was really worried. Kind of like how she got when Sweetie Belle got that nasty fever a few months ago.”

“Uh oh. Really, she was that bad?”

“Yeah, but that’s not all we heard. Apparently Spike had stopped over earlier. He was acting weird, according to what Rarity told Sweetie Belle. He was introduced to Fancypants, who was going to take Rarity out on a date, and then Spike left all of the sudden. He looked like he was in a hurry or something. He dropped a flower on his way out.”

Rainbow winced. Oh man, that’s rough...

“I...I thought he was over his crush on Rarity,” Scootaloo shook her head. “I mean, he acts nice to her, but he always has. I guess I sort of just got used to that.”

“I’ve known Spike for quite awhile now. For him to go and ask her out on a date is huge,” Rainbow added. “Poor guy...”

“Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“Spike?” Rainbow shook her head uncertainly. “Hard to tell. He’s strong, but...he can be really sensitive, too. You wouldn’t think so, though, with how he acts most of the time.”

Scootaloo nodded, her gaze turning ahead once more. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she blinked. “Hey, isn’t that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy?”

Rainbow followed the filly’s gaze, and sure enough, there were her two friends, looking around the park area, as though searching for something, or someone.

“Hey, Pinkie! Fluttershy!”

The two mares’ ears perked up as they looked to Rainbow Dash. They smiled and made their way towards her.

“Hiya, Dashie! Have you seen Spike anywhere?”

“Lemme guess, you’re looking for him after he took off from Rarity’s place?”

Fluttershy nodded sadly. “So, you heard, too?”

Rainbow sighed. “Yeah, Scootaloo just filled me in on what happened. Spike had told me last night after some flight training that he was going to ask Rarity out today. Looks like things didn’t go as he’d hoped, huh?”

“Not at all,” Fluttershy said. “I hope he’s alright. Oh, you don’t think he ran away, do you?”

“Spike?” Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, he may get down in the dumps and disappear for awhile, but Ponyville is his home. I don’t think he’d do something like run away. Besides, who’s going to look after Twilight or his gem horde?”

“Well, he did run away that one time when Twilight found Owloyicious,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, but he was a baby back then, Fluttershy. He’s grown up a lot since then, and wouldn’t do something like that to Twilight. That and he owns his own place now, so I don’t know why he would up and leave it after just building it not too long ago.” Rainbow flapped her wings and lifted a few inches off the ground. “So, nopony’s seen him since he left Rarity’s?”

“Nope, which is kind of weird, since he’s a big, purple dragon! Kind of hard to blend in with ponies, don’t you think?” Pinkie answered.

Rainbow frowned, folding her forelegs together, and hummed in thought. “I might know where he is. If I find him, I’ll tell him to head over to his house so Twilight can talk to him.”

“Okie dokie, Dashie! We’ll keep looking around for him, too.”

“Alright, I’ll catch you all later.

With that, Rainbow Dash flew off, making her way towards the Everfree Forest.

Spike picked up a topaz with his claws and tossed it into his awaiting mouth. His teeth crushed the gem effortlessly and swallowed. He didn’t even taste it as it went down. He looked down at the small pile of gems he collected, and chose a nice sized garnet. Not his favorite, but still a nice find for a place like the Everfree.

The garnet snapped and crunched like a piece of glass as he bit into it. The crystalline chunks slid down the thick and durable lining of his esophagus, settling into his stomach along with several dozen other digesting gemstones.

He hated being like this, he really did, but he didn’t want to be around anyone at the moment. So, he went to the one place where nopony was likely to find him: the Everfree Forest.

He ran into Zecora on occasion, sure, but she was usually fine with giving the drake his privacy if he asked for it. Sometimes he’d go to this clearing just to get away from the day-to-day stuff, and just relax. He didn’t have many things to worry about while he was in the forest. Unlike ponies, he had his fiery breath, and a tough hide. The only real threats he had to worry about were Manticores, which were rarely desperate enough to prey upon a young and hardy drake like him. There were Ursas too, but those were few in number and nearly impossible to find. The fact that Snips and Snails managed to find an Ursa Minor like that one time years ago when Trixie stopped in town still boggled Spike’s mind. They were apex predators (though, technically, they were omnivorous), and thus not that common compared to other animals.

Thinking of Ursa Minors caused him to look up at the purple and blue sky, gazing at the first couple of stars that were twinkling above. The last rays of sunlight could be seen piercing through the thick cover of the Everfree Forest. Part of him knew that he probably shouldn’t be here. No doubt his behavior had been noticed by Rarity. To make matters worse, when he had dropped his bouquet of flowers into a trash bin at the park, he had noticed a flower missing. The red tulip, while not as renowned as the red rose, still held the meaning of love behind it. Knowing his luck, Rarity probably saw him drop it.

You idiot, if you had just politely declined the invitation for tea and left calmly, then maybe you wouldn’t have dropped it. Rarity’s probably all worried now, knowing how she gets. Spike’s head slumped to the ground. I probably ruined her dinner plans with Fancypants. Way to go...

He didn’t know when he planned on heading back home. He did have some work orders to finish, and while gems were nice, they were only a part of his diet. He was able to eat plants if he needed to, but he didn’t know a lot about the local flora in the forest. Unless he wanted to risk getting sick by eating the wrong plant, he didn’t have much option there as far as food went. He would probably just wait a day and head back. He’d make up some excuse, and hopefully the girls would buy it, and everyone would move on. He would just tell Twilight and Rainbow Dash that he noticed Rarity was happy with Fancypants, and make no further comment on dating her. If Rarity asked about the flower, he would simply say that Lily had given it to him when he passed by her floral shop as a belated thank you gift for making the stone foundation for her new greenhouse. Customer confidentiality was a policy Lily stuck to, so Spike knew she wouldn’t tell on him if anyone asked her about it.

The hardest part about all of this was perhaps the fact that he knew it would end up like this, deep in the back of his mind. He wanted to believe that he could have a relationship with a mare like Rarity, but it seemed the chance had come and gone. In the end, she never saw Spike in that manner. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he shouldn’t be all that surprised. After all, he’s a dragon. She’s a pony.

It was doomed from the very beginning.

Spike chuckled dryly. Figures. It’s no wonder most older dragons are so bitter in nature with how much time they spend alone. They are territorial, very possessive of their horde, short-tempered, and typically apathetic to others. Dragons mate whenever they feel like it, but this is as much of an advantage as much as it is a disadvantage for them.

Dragons rarely felt a desire to leave their dens. Usually young dragons were the ones who paired up and raised young. Not only that, but they had a sex-ratio that was the complete opposite of equines. For ever ten male dragons, there was two or three females at best. This was likely an evolutionary trait to keep dragons from overpopulating and causing competition issues relating to...

Spike sighed and shook his head. Even when he was depressed, his thoughts would drift. Twilight had left a lasting impression on him, it seemed.

He curled his tail around his body, and closed his eyes. Getting some sleep might help. He’d get some rest, wake up, and then figure things out from there.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Spike’s head rose quickly as his neck craned up to the sky above. There, flying a slow circle over his head, was Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow? What are you doing here?”

Rainbow circled downwards before landing beside the dragon. She folded her wings to her sides and gave Spike a slightly annoyed look. “I could be asking you the same.”

Frowning, Spike looked away. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. May as well cut to the chase. “I heard about what happened...about when you went to visit Rarity today.”

“Great...” He shook his head slowly, then pinched the bridge of his nose as he continued. “How bad is it?”

“Well, I haven’t spoken to Rarity yet, but it sounds like she’s pretty upset about what happened. Twilight is looking all over for you, too. Pinkie and Fluttershy were even searching for you. I’m pretty sure Applejack may have even taken some time from tending the orchards to look for you.”

Spike groaned. “Damn it, I’m not a baby dragon anymore. I don’t need to be coddled whenever something goes wrong.”

“Well, you should still go and talk to Rarity and Twilight.”

“Why? I can take care of myself, Rainbow. I’ll get over it...and I’m sure Rarity will be fine, too.” His eyes rested on the pile of gems, and his expression became a little guilty.

“Uh huh...when did you plan to head back into town?”

“I dunno...a day...or two...?”

Rainbow’s frown intensified. “Spike, look, I know that this sucks, but you can’t go and binge out on gemstones every time things don’t go your way. It isn’t healthy.”

“What are you, a psychiatrist?”

“No, but you’re not the only one with problems. Not everypony gets the pony of their dreams, you know.” Rainbow winced a little at her tone. She didn’t mean to sound so harsh. “I...look, Spike, for what it’s worth, I’ve been in the same boat as you, okay?”

Spike quirked an eyebrow, but his frown quickly returned. He gave her a skeptical look. “Really?”

“Yes! Is it that so hard to believe?” she growled out.

“Erm...well, a little,” Spike muttered quietly. “I mean...you are Rainbow Dash, after all.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow shook her head. “Come on, let’s head back to your place. Twilight’s worried sick about you.”

Spike remained in place. “No, I’m not in the mood to talk to them right now.”

Rainbow was already spreading her wings, preparing to lift off the ground. She gave Spike another annoyed look and groaned in frustration. “Come on, Spike, stop moping around and feeling sorry for–”

“Look, no one’s telling you to stick around. I just don’t feel like talking to Rarity or Twilight right now. They’ll both feel sorry for me, and try to make me feel better. That and Rarity will feel guilty, which makes things even worse. I don’t want her to pity me. I want her to...” He shook his head. “...whatever, it’s all said and done.” He slumped back to the ground and picked up an amethyst, taking a bite out of it.

Rainbow heaved out a deep sigh, folded her wings back to her sides, and plopped down beside the dragon. “Fine.”

“Hm?” Spike looked at Rainbow, his face written with confusion.

“I said, ‘Fine’. If you’re not leaving, neither am I. Not until you decide to head back to Ponyville with me.”

“Rainbow, come on, you’re–”

“No,” Rainbow interrupted. “You don’t get it, Spike. I’m not here just because I feel like I have to. It’s because I’m your friend. Rarity, Twilight...all of us are your friends, and we care about you. We’re only looking out for you. Yeah, it’s kind of sucky that Rarity’s going out with Fancypants and not you, but–”

“Kind of sucky?” Spike repeated before letting out a sardonic laugh. “Rainbow, you don’t get it. Rarity was probably the only pony in this whole town who showed anything remotely close to affection that was romantic, and I’m pretty sure that ninety-nine percent of the time it was just harmless flirting. I wish I had seen that sooner.” Spike’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the pile of gems, only to be reminded further of the mare that was plaguing his mind. “She’s beautiful, polite, and the worst part is she’d probably go out with me to make me feel better if she wasn’t already with somepony.”

“That’s not true, Spike.”

“You want to bet?” Spike groused. “She’s generous to a fault, Rainbow. Most ponies don’t think much about it, but it’s true. She usually gives anyone a discount if they don’t have enough bits for a dress, and she’ll happily fix something up for a good friend or complete stranger. Usually she won’t charge for it if you don’t say anything.” He shook his head. “She’s the only pony in town that even pretended to try to give me a chance, even if she wasn’t really interested.” His head slumped once more to the ground as he cast his gaze to Rainbow Dash. “You remember back when I went on the Great Dragon Migration?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, what about it?”

“Well, I meant it when I said you guys are family to me. I’ve lived my whole life being raised with ponies.” Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but Spike continued. “I don’t regret it for a moment, but...sometimes I wish there were other dragons who lived among ponies. At least...at least then there would be the off-chance that I might find someone who would want to go out with me.” He closed his eyes, chuckling sadly. “Let’s face it, Dash, the only way I stand a chance of finding someone in Ponyville who find me attractive would be if I shrunk in size, grew fur, a mane, and hooves.”

Rainbow looked at Spike, her expression bordering somewhere between pity and anger. “So that’s it? You’re just going to throw in the towel, and sulk over this?” She was suddenly on her feet again and leaning close to his face, causing him to flinch.

“Well, no, but I just–”

“Good!” Rainbow practically shouted while the smallest of smirks appeared on her face. She poked a hoof at his chest as she continued. “You’re better than that, Spike! Shoot, you’re one of the coolest dudes I know! You’re funny, really strong, and you can build lots of cool stuff out of stone!” She flared out her wings a little as she continued, her smirk becoming a confident grin. “Not to mention that you can fly, breathe fire, and you’re pretty smart, too! I mean, next to Twilight you probably have the most books in all of Ponyville.”

Spike managed to smile a little, touched by her words. He didn’t want to call out her praise as a moot point, since all dragons were fairly strong and capable of breathing fire. Instead, he gave a small nod to her. “Thanks, Dash.”

Dash grinned proudly. “Just telling it like it is.”

They remained silent for a long time after that. Neither kept track of the time. Before either of them knew it, the moon was shining through the trees, casting a gentle light on the clearing.

“I...I guess I should probably head back, huh?”

“You know how Twilight gets,” Rainbow replied with a small smile.

Spike let out a quiet chortle. “Yeah, she can be a real worrywart.”

Rainbow got to her feet and stretched a bit. “Come on, we’ll walk back.”

Spike quirked an eyebrow as he got to his own feet. He scooped up the pile of gemstones with a wing and folded the appendage against his body, allowing him to carry the gems. “What, you don’t want to race or something?”

She gave Spike an annoyed look, rolling her eyes and frowning as she began her trek out of the clearing. “It’s late, and I am a little tired.”

“Alright, I’ll buy that excuse for now,” Spike laughed.

They made their way down a path leading out of the Everfree. The sound of crickets beginning their nightly chorus could be heard as a gentle wind blew through the thinning treeline. Within several minutes they had reached the edge of the forest.

“So, you going to be okay?”

Spike grunted while keeping his eyes ahead, looking towards the horizon of Ponyville. “Eventually. It’s not like I never thought about this happening, after all.”

Rainbow looked at the drake, noticing the frown playing at the corner of his lips. She wanted to say something to cheer him up, but she couldn’t really think of anything. As far as she knew, Spike had never dated before. Today probably didn’t help him feel much better about that ever happening, either.

The rounded shape of Spike’s home could be seen as they trekked over a hill. They noticed light pouring out from his two large windows.

Spike sighed. “Looks like Twilight decided to wait for me.” Rainbow could hear the amusement in his voice. “I hope she isn’t too upset.”

As they reached the front door of the house, a soft pink glow enveloped it as it swung open, revealing a distraught Twilight Sparkle. Her eyes widened as she laid eyes on Spike. “Spike!”

Spike was given no time to reply as Twilight wrapped both her forelegs around him as best as she could, giving him a hug. “I was so worried about you! I heard what happened at Rarity’s and I went looking for you, but nopony had seen you since earlier today, and then Pinkie and Fluttershy tried to look for you, but they didn’t have any luck either.” She looked up at him, her eyes shining with a few unshed tears. “I was worried that you had gone and run away...again.”

Spike’s chest tightened at the sight of Twilight on the verge of crying. He crouched down low as he could so his eyes were level with hers. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I just...well, I needed some time to myself.”

Twilight nodded. “I thought so...I just got worried. From what Rarity said you ran off all of the sudden. She...she found one of the flowers from your bouquet, and...well, she put two and two together.”

“Ungh...I knew it.” He ran a claw over his brow. “Please tell me she’s not still upset about it.”

“Well of course she is!” Twilight answered, her tone rising a little. “She’s always worried about you, Spike, even if she...well, doesn’t like you that way, she still loves you as a friend.”

Spike sighed, casting his glance towards Rainbow Dash. She just gave him a smile that said, ‘Told you so.’ and remained silent.

Twilight seemed to finally take note of Rainbow Dash, and smiled. “Thanks for the help, Rainbow Dash.” She looked back at Spike. “Where were you?”

“He was in the Everfree, just a little ways in, sitting in a clearing binging on gemstones.” Rainbow answered.

Twilight gave Spike a look that was both sympathetic and disapproving. “Spike, you know eating too many gemstones isn’t good for you. You need a balanced diet of fiber, grains, fruits, and vegetables as well.”

“Yeah, yeah, gemstones provide essential minerals for scale and bone growth, but fiber helps maintain a healthy body and fruits and vegetables have essential vitamins, so on and so forth...” Spike rolled his eyes and Twilight’s frown deepened. “Twilight, I just...look, if you were in my situation you’d probably understand more.”

“I...” Twilight’s frown vanished. “I guess so. Still, you’re going to have to cut back on your gem intake for a few weeks. How many did you eat?”

Spike mumbled a response.

“How many?”

“...a few dozen...”

“Spike!” Twilight groaned. “That’s it, no gems for the rest of the month.” She finally took note of the bulge beneath his right wing. “What are you holding in your wing?”

Opening his wing up, he dumped the small load of gems he had collected onto the ground. Twilight’s jaw went slack before she looked at the dragon in disbelief. “You said you had a few dozen, and still had this many left over?”

“Yeah...” Spike answered.

“Spike, do you know how many calories you probably took in today? Quartzite alone has more than enough for–”

“Don’t sweat it, Twi. I’ll just increase his workout program to burn those calories when he’s training with me,” Rainbow cut in. Spike shot her a look of betrayal while she just smirked.

Twilight’s expression brightened a little. “Well, I guess that is ultimately up to Spike. Still,” She leveled her gaze with his. “No more gemstones for the rest of the month. Are we clear?”

“Come on, Twilight, I’m perfectly fine with having a few gem–”

“Are we clear?” Twilight repeated.

Spike heaved out a sigh. “Clear as crystal.”

“Good.” Twilight’s stern look vanished, being replaced with a small smile. “I’m glad you’re okay, though. Er...you are okay, right?”

“Physically? Yeah. I’m just going to need to some time to get over what happened today, I guess.” Spike shrugged his shoulders. “Are Rarity and Fancypants alright?”

“For the most part, yes. Rarity and Fancypants wanted me to let them know when you finally showed up again. I was thinking maybe you could–”

“No.”

Twilight paused, and gave Spike a confused look. “No?”

“I know what you’re going to say, and I think for now it’s best that I don’t, at least for a little while.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed a little. “Spike...”

“Look, seeing her after that whole ordeal is only going to be awkward for me. Not to mention I probably ruined any plans they made for a date.” Spike shook his head. “Twilight, can’t you just tell them I’m back, and leave it at that?”

“If you don’t talk to her now, it’s just going to be more awkward later, Spike,” Rainbow said. “I mean, think about it. If someone you were good friends with had a crush on you and then went through something like that, wouldn’t you want to at least talk to them?”

“I guess...”

“Rainbow Dash has a point, Spike.”

Spike frowned and ran a claw over his spines. He groaned and sat down on his haunches. “Fine, first thing tomorrow, I’ll stop over to Carousel Boutique and talk to her. I’ll just tell her everything’s okay, and that she doesn’t need to fret over it anymore.”

“Spike...” Twilight shook her head.

“What? Should I apologize or something?”

“No, but don’t lie to her and say you’re alright when you’re obviously not. She’ll know you’re lying, and that could make things worse for her and you.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed. “You know how she gets when she has something on her mind. It’ll bother her for days unless it’s resolved. You’ve seen how chaotic her workroom gets when she’s worried about something.”

Spike found himself nodding. A frustrated and worried Rarity made for a very messy boutique.

Rainbow looked at the clock hanging on the far wall. “I had better get going. I have to train Scootaloo tomorrow in acrobatics, and the weather’s supposed to be clear skies all day, so I’m working a full shift tomorrow keeping the skies cloud free.” She made her way towards the door. “Later Twilight, later Spike. Oh, and starting next week, we’re going to be running laps around Froggy Bottom Bog. Hope you’re ready.”

As soon as the pegasus was gone, Spike groaned. “Great, now I’m going to run myself into the ground and probably drown as well from all the training.”

“You’ll do fine, Spike. Rainbow’s told me that you’ve been doing a great job keeping up with her training.” Twilight gave him a reassuring pat on the hand. “You can’t just eat gems like that, though. It’s unhealthy. That’d be like me going out and having three bales of hay fries in one sitting.”

“...would you be able to actually do that?”

“Probably not, but I’m sure you could.” Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “A drake your age requires about 30,000 to 35,000 calories a day. You’re at a peak developmental period, so I can understand you having large meals. Still, a healthy dragon eats a very wide range of food as well. You need your proteins from legumes, nuts, and seeds, as well as your vitamins. You also need to keep your iron intake up. Judging from the amount of gems you dug up, you probably got enough iron from ingesting bits of soil while eating.” Her eyes lit up. “We should do some dietary experiments and see if–”

“Whoa, Twilight, hold off on science-mode for now, alright?” Spike gave her a grin. “We can do that another time.”

Twilight pouted a little, but conceded. “I guess. Still, can you imagine the amount of data we could publish? Oh, Spike, I could present a symposium in Canterlot or Manehatten!” She began to squeal a little. “Spike, promise me at some point this year you’ll help me? Please? Think of how much we would be contributing to draconic and equine society!”

Spike smiled, glad to see that Twilight was back to her usual self. Being worried and upset didn’t suit her in Spike’s eyes.

“Sure, I promise. We’ll have to set aside a few days a week. Maybe you can do some recordings on me before and after my training with Dash, too.”

Twilight’s eyes literally sparkled, and she gasped. “Yes, vital recordings and measuring the calories burned before, during, and after strenuous physical activity! Yes, yes, yes! Oh, Spike, this will be perfect! I know researchers haven’t had the opportunity to study these things yet! We’ll both leave an amazing mark in the Equestrian scientific community!” She giggled while dancing excitedly in place.

Twilight left shortly after, still beaming and giggling to herself. She gave Spike a light peck on the cheek and told him to get some sleep, and to make sure to visit Rarity tomorrow as soon as he could. Spike gave her his word that he would.

Now, he sat alone in his house, the only sounds coming from the nocturnal insects outside. Despite his talk with both Rainbow Dash and Twilight, he was still rather down in the dumps about the whole thing. Sure, talking to them had helped him a little, but it didn’t mean he was completely fine, either.

Maybe dragons aren’t meant to have relationships with ponies... Spike thought. I mean, would that even work? Physically?

Spike wouldn’t deny that, while he was a modern ‘gentledrake’, he still had physical needs like any other creature. He didn’t think of such things all the time, but he wouldn’t deny that Rarity held a physical attraction to him. In hindsight, he wondered that, if the situation had happened differently, and the two got together...would they even be able to engage in the more intimate activities that so many couples took part in?

He honestly doubted there were any books on sexual relations between ponies and dragons, and if there were, Twilight likely had none at the library. He didn’t think that sex was what a relationship ultimately boiled down to, not at all. He knew that it was usually one of the more enjoyable aspects of an intimate relationship, though. So, perhaps his current situation was for the best, considering the possible things that could go wrong if he and Rarity had gotten together.

He couldn’t help but ponder on the subject though, at least from a scholarly perspective. Could a physical relationship between a dragon and a pony be possible? He heard rumors that some areas in Equestria had isolated populations of pony-dragon hybrids. He wasn’t sure how much truth these rumors held, but it was definitely an interesting notion. Dragons and ponies, along with most other creatures in Equestria, had latent magic. While from a biologist’s point of view the idea of a dragon and a pony having healthy, viable offspring together was ludicrous, an arcane scientist would argue that it’s not entirely impossible. Magic has rules and limits, but it is able to do things that are otherwise impossible.

Yawning, Spike decided to call it a night. He pulled his futon mattress, quilt, and pillow out from their corner in the living area, and slumped down for some much needed rest. Tomorrow, yet again, he would have to have an important conversation with Rarity. Hopefully, this time he would be able to say what he wanted instead of running away.

Rarity had spent the better portion of the day prior moping and worrying about Spike. Fancypants, being the patient and understanding stallion that he was, tried his best to comfort her. He even offered to stay the night and take the guest room down stairs. He was still asleep, judging from the occasional snore she heard echoing down the hall in the otherwise quiet boutique.

Now, Rarity was sitting in the kitchen, a cup of tea beside her hoof as the morning sun rose over the sky. She had gotten very little sleep, but she wasn’t a stranger to all-nighters as it was. She might have gotten an hour or two of sleep, but once she was awake she tended to stay awake.

With it being rather early in the morning, she was rather surprised to hear a gentle knocking at the door. She gave herself a cursory look in a mirror hanging on the wall before walking to the door. Upon opening it, she let out a quiet gasp as she laid her eyes on none other than Spike.

“Spike?” She whispered loudly, surprise and relief laced into her words. “Darling, what are you doing up at this hour? It’s barely six in the morning. Shouldn’t you still be in bed?”

Spike was standing on his hind legs, staring at a spot on the ground and his claws fidgeted. “Um...I was hoping we could talk...y’know, about...well, yesterday?”

Rarity nodded. “Of course.”

She opened the door fully, and stepped aside so he could enter. She studied her friend as she closed the door behind him. Aside from the bags under his eyes, he appeared to be fine.

“I take it you couldn’t sleep much either, huh?”

Rarity managed to smile a little. “I’m afraid not. Fancypants is still sleeping in the guest room right now. I must have kept the poor dear up all night...”

“Yeah, about that...” Spike cleared his throat while scratching his head, his gaze still lingering on the floor. “I’m...sorry for making you worry like that. It was stupid, and selfish of me.”

Rarity’s smile drooped a little. “It wasn’t stupid or selfish of you, darling. Worrisome, yes, but not at all stupid or selfish.”

“So, you and Fancypants are still going to have your date, right? I didn’t ruin everything, did I?”

“Oh, no no, we still plan on going to Canterlot...”

Spike nodded. “Good, I...I would hate if I ruined all your plans with him. He’s...he’s a good stallion.”

A gentle hoof brushed against his knee. He looked down to see Rarity giving him a concerned look. “Spikey...you don’t think I’m angry with you, do you?”

“Well, maybe a little bit.”

“Spikey, I would never...” Her voice faded, and instead she placed both hooves on his knee. “Spike, look at me.”

He did. “I’m sorry...”

“Hush, darling.” She gestured with a hoof for him to lower himself back onto all fours. He did so, and found the mare standing right before him. “Please don’t think for a moment that I hate you for doing what you did. The truth is...I sort of knew about your crush. For...for several years, I suppose.”

“Yeah, I tried so hard to hide it, too.” Spike chuckled dryly. “I shouldn’t be surprised, though.”

“Darling, please don’t be like that.” She smiled a little as Spike’s emerald eyes fell upon her. “I’m not just saying this to make you feel better, Spike. You are, by far, one of my dearest friends. Ever since I met you, I couldn’t help but think to myself, ‘that little dragon will make someone very happy someday’.”

Spike sniffled a little.

“Spikey, I don’t want to lead you on. I...I don’t feel the same way for you. I care for you, and love you, but not like that. You’re my family, my friend, and I am incredibly grateful that you are a part of my life.”

Tears began to well up in Spike’s eyes. “You’re not making this easier on me, Rarity.” He didn’t seem angry, though. There were faintest creases of a smile on the corners of his lips, too.

Rarity felt her own vision beginning to blur. “I want you to be happy, Spike. I really do, but...I cannot give you what you’re looking for. It would be unfair of me to make you think that I had such feelings for you.” She shook her head slowly. “I wish there was a less painful way to do this. I know what heartbreak feels like, after all. I was your age, once upon a time.”

“Stop talking like that, Rarity. You’re still young.”

“Thank you, darling, but I mean what I say.” She placed her hoof on his cheek. “I’d rather have it hurt now instead of leading you on any further. I apologize for...for not saying anything sooner. I suppose I thought you’d grow out of it, in time.” She shook her head. “Although, the fact that I genuinely enjoy your company didn’t make bringing that point across any easier.”

“You do?”

“But of course, Spike!” She looked offended by his question. “I find it hard to believe that any decent pony could possibly dislike you, darling.”

“The same goes for you, Rarity.”

Rarity placed a hoof to her chest. “...such a gentledrake.” She took several steps back, putting a comfortable amount of space between them. “Are you going to be alright, Spike?”

“Yeah, in time.” He gave Rarity a guilty look. “How about you?”

“Yes, I will be. I’m just glad we could talk about this.”

“Yeah, me too...” He studied a claw before continuing. “So...are we still friends?”

“I would hope so,” Rarity said. “What happened yesterday doesn’t change anything, Spike. You’re one of my dearest friends. If you ever need somepony to talk to, don’t hesitate to look for me.”

“The same goes for you, Rarity.”

Rarity’s bottom lip trembled slightly, but she held onto her smile. “R-right, well...I imagine you have a long day of work ahead of you, don’t you? Have you had any breakfast yet? I’m sure I have a few emeralds stashed away somewhere for you...”

“Ah, actually, I’ve been put on a strict no-gemstones diet for the rest of the month,” He mumbled, just loud enough for Rarity to hear.

“Dear me, and why ever would you have to go on such a diet in the first place? I thought dragons are supposed to eat gems.”

“I kind of overate a bit last night. I ate more gems than I should have, and now I’m forbidden to eat any for awhile. Twilight’s orders.”

“Ah, then I suppose you have no choice but to follow it, don’t you?” She hummed in thought. “Hm...how about some muffins and jam? I know they’re not as filling, but the boysenberry jam I bought at market last week is simply divine.” She took a step back. “Now, you wait right here, and I’ll have two muffins for you in just a moment.”

“Rarity, really, it’s no big deal, I can just eat–”

“Ah ah,” Rarity cut him off with a wave of her hoof. “I won’t take no for an answer! You haven’t had the jam, so you don’t know what you’re missing, darling! I won’t be long.” With that, she disappeared into the kitchen.

Before Spike knew it, Rarity was walking out with a small tray of muffins floating beside her. She levitated the plate over to Spike, and he took it into his claws. He felt his stomach rumble at the sight of the two bran muffins that had been halved and covered in a generous amount of dark purple jam.

“See? I knew you’d be hungry,” Rarity teased.

“Haha, yeah, I guess so. Thanks, Rarity.” Spike took one muffin half and tossed it into his mouth. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sweet, yet somewhat tart, flavor of the jam. “Wow, Rarity, where’d you get this jam?”

“Berry Punch was selling some of her family’s local preserves. She doesn’t do much farming herself, but she told me that her uncle and aunt own a fair amount of land outside of the Fillydelphia area. She told me the land’s been in the family for over six generations.” Rarity leaned a little close and spoke. “If you ask me, Berry’s probably a lot better off financially than she lets on with all of us. She probably moved to Ponyville to get away from all of the high-class living. At least, that’s what I’ve heard, mind you.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, I think Ponyville’s got a few closet millionaires hiding around here, actually. Mr. Waddle told me once that he invested in the Rich family’s Barnyard Bargains stores back in Ponyville’s early years.”

Rarity’s eyes widened a fraction. “My word, yet you wouldn’t have noticed it at all with how simple of a lifestyle Mr. Waddle leads.”

Spike chuckled. “He told me he’s saving up his money for his grandchildren so they can go to college when they’re older.”

Spike quickly finished the muffins and let out a sigh. “Thanks, Rarity. Those were great.” He gave her a gracious smile and handed her the plate so she could take it in her magic. “So...”

Rarity lifted a hoof before he could continue. “There’s no need for more apologies, Spike. I forgave you the moment you arrived here.” She motioned for him to lower his head, and wrapped both her hooves around his neck. “Just promise me one thing?”

“Sure,” Spike replied.

“Don’t ever stop being the wonderful dragon that you are. Can you do that for me?”

“Just as long as you keep being the charming unicorn that you are in return.”

Rarity chuckled softly. “It’s a deal, darling.”

The two pulled away, and Spike let out a sigh as he looked out the morning sky. “Well, I better get going. Have to make sure the rest of that order gets out to Appleloosa today, then I have to get started on another order I just got in the mail. That dance club that opened up some time back requested about ten tons of granite for the foundation and walls of an expansion on their restrooms. Apparently the place is getting to be popular.”

“New dance club? Ah, you mean 2 Hot 2 Trot, don’t you?” Her face scrunched up a little. “Not the kind of place I would go to for a night out, but I suppose I’m more old fashioned.”

“Wouldn’t know, I haven’t been there myself.”

“Loud music, lots of alcohol, flashing lights, and promiscuity.” She sighed. “Oh well, the younger colts and fillies seem to enjoy the place.”

“Ah,” Spike chuckled. “That kind of place, huh? Well, they wanted to support local business so they went to me first. They heard that I’m the one to go to for building material.”

“Well, that’s certainly good news!” Rarity beamed. “Looks like your little business is getting a name for itself, isn’t it? First the new bank in Trottingham, then Appleloosa, and now a dance club!” She giggled a little as Spike blushed. “I daresay you’ll end up becoming one of those closet-case millionaires in Ponyville if things keep up like this.”

“Maybe. That’s a long way from now, but it can’t hurt to dream, I guess. I just hope I can last long enough to get to that point. It’s definitely not easy work, I’ll tell you that much.” He rolled his shoulders a bit and grunted as his muscles loosened a little. “I better get going, then. Say hi to Fancypants...and...well, y’know, that I’m sorry.”

“Enough of that, Spike. He understood everything that happened. I explained it all to him, and he’s not angry at all about that.”

“If you say so.” Spike turned towards the doorway. “Later, Rarity. You know where to find me if you need anything.”

“Tata for now, Spikey-Wikey.”

As soon as the door closed behind him, Rarity let out a deep sigh. She looked to the floor and smiled. He really has grown up, hasn’t he?

“Well, that takes a load off of my mind. I’m relieved to see that he’s in better spirits.” spoke a voice from behind Rarity.

“Oh, Fancypants, I’m sorry. Did we wake you up?”

Fancypants walked into the room, wearing a dark blue robe and his monocle. “Not at all, Rarity. I just overheard you two talking while I was getting up. I figured it would be best if I didn’t intrude.” He smiled at Rarity as he continued. “I’m happy that things are good between you two again.”

“Yes, Spike carries his heart at his sleeve...well, he would if he had sleeves, that is. The little darling is so thoughtful and sensitive. It scares me sometimes to think what might have happened had we not shown up to help him all those years back when he went on that Great Dragon Migration...”

“Ah, I remember you telling me about that,” Fancypants said with a nod.

Rarity smiled. “I meant what I said though. Whoever ends up winning his love and devotion is going to be lucky.”

Fancypants chuckled. “I think you might already qualify for that, don’t you think?”

Rarity shook her head. “No...well, yes, in a way, but nothing romantic.” She sighed. “As handsome and wonderful as he is, I’d be lying to myself if I dated him. He deserves someone who can love him just as passionately as he loves.”

“Indeed. Love is both tender and fickle, blind and misguided. Moves with the waves, stands among stone.”

“Well, someone’s being rather poetic,” Rarity giggled.

“A little excerpt from a poem by Waxing Crescent. She was a poet from olden times.”

“Waxing Crescent, you say?” Rarity tapped her chin for a moment before her face lit up. “Ah, yes, her! You should talk to Spike about her poems. He has a large book of her works at his house.”

“Is that so?” Fancypants seemed intrigued. “Well, he’s just the most interesting of drakes, isn’t he?”

“That he is,” Rarity agreed.

It was around two in the afternoon when Spike decided to take a break. He slumped down against a large oak tree, sighing as he let his aching muscles take a rest. He glanced at the large pile of rock he had accumulated in the past six hours. He had more than enough rock to finish the work order for the train station to Appleloosa, and had already made a headstart on the granite for the dance club in Ponyville.

“Whoa, someone’s been busy.”

Spike cracked open an eye to see Rainbow Dash hovering lazily before him. “Hey, Rainbow. I’m just taking a rest. I got my order for Appleloosa pretty much complete; just need to ship the last of those rocks over to the train station before five.”

“Need any help?”

Spike laughed a little. “No offense, Rainbow, but even Big Mac and Applejack couldn’t haul my usual workload. Unless you’ve got maybe one hundred or two hundred more pegasi with you, I don’t think you could pull that much weight.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to object, but the knowing smirk on Spike’s made her hold her tongue. She really had no room for argument. As athletic and fast as she was, if Applejack and Big Mac couldn’t help, she wouldn’t be able to either.

Unless...

“I could pull the wagon with you.”

“Don’t you have weather duty right now?”

“Nah, skies have been clear all day. Apparently Cloudsdale’s behind on production this week. We were supposed have some cumulus clouds fly over about three hours ago, but we just got word from the Weather Factory saying the clouds won’t be going by until tomorrow. That’s a pain in my flank, because now we’ll have to have cloud-kicking duty all day tomorrow instead when we were supposed to have a light workload.” She sighed. “Whatever, nothing I can do about it without calling for a meeting with the weather committee, and that takes forever to get approved.”

Spike grunted and rose back to his feet. “Well, if you’re willing to help, I won’t object. I’m done breaking rocks for the day, but I need to pull this back to Ponyville.” He rolled his shoulders a few times, making a clear cracking sound as he sighed. “Right, there’s an extra harness on the wagon that you can put on. I want you to take front, though. I’ll haul the majority of the load from behind.” His expression became serious. “If you start feeling any kind of sharp pain, I want you to let me know immediately, got it?”

“No prob, Spike, I can–”

“I mean it, Rainbow. This is dangerous work, even for me. The only reason I can do this as often as I do is because I’m a dragon and have four times the muscle mass of a stallion.”

Rainbow was caught off guard by his tone. He wasn’t joking or smiling. She nodded meekly. “Yeah, I understand.”

Spike relaxed a little. “Good. I just don’t want you pulling a muscle, or worse, getting a hernia.”

Rainbow cringed at the thought of her muscles tearing. “Ouch. Has that happened before?”

“To me? No, I set limits for myself. The maximum load I can carry is twelve tons, and that’s a very high extreme for me. Usually I’m pulling between four and eight.”

“Wow...”

Rainbow and Spike were soon tied to the large wagon that was piled with the five tons of gray stone. Spike began to pull at first with a loud grunt. The wheels creaked a bit before slowly rolling. Rainbow waited until Spike picked up some momentum before contributing what she could to the effort.

“Gah...man...this is...” Rainbow grit her teeth as they pulled the wheel over a small rut in the road. “I don’t think I...ever pulled...this much in my life...”

Spike gave a grunt of agreement. While he appreciated her willingness to help, she was barely contributing to the overall effort. Still, watching her try spurred him to work harder. He decided letting her help was a good idea.

“S-so...I heard from Fluttershy that you talked to Rarity earlier today...” Rainbow was already sweating heavily, blowing her bangs from her eyes every few seconds.

Spike grunted. “Yeah...we talked it over. I...I think we’ll–let’s get around that hole there so we don’t tip, turn right a little–I think we’ll be alright. She wasn’t angry, and while I’m...still...damn, I think I put more stone in here than I thought...” He pulled harder on the harness around his shoulders. His nostrils flared a bit as a few plumes of smoke escaped them. “We’re good, Rainbow. I’m a little bummed about what happened, but I’ll get over it.”

Rainbow sighed, though Spike wasn’t sure if it was one of annoyance or relief, seeing as they had managed to get onto relatively flat ground. “Well of course you’ll get over it, but how are you right now?”

Spike gave Rainbow a curious look. “Fine, for the most part. Like I said, a little bummed out, I mean, sometimes I get a little depressed, but that’s normal, right?”

“I guess, I wouldn’t know, really. I’m no expert at this dating stuff.”

“Really?”

Rainbow looked over her shoulder. “What do you mean by ‘really’?”

“Nothing, I guess I just thought that with how popular and cool you are in Ponyville that you’d have gone out with at least a few ponies.”

He knew that he had said something wrong as Rainbow faced ahead, her cheeks a little red. “S-so what if I’m popular? Doesn’t mean I have to date, does it?”

“Whoa, I wasn’t teasing, Rainbow Dash. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow looked back to him again. “I did date...a little...”

Spike smiled. “Anyone I know?”

“I went out with Thunderlane for a little while back when I first moved here from Cloudsdale. It didn’t work between us, but we broke up on good terms.” She shook her head. “A week later he and Cloud Kicker dated, that went on for a month. Before I knew it, he had dated about two dozen mares in Ponyviille.”

“No kidding?” Spike blinked a few times. “Wow, never took him to be that kind of stallion.”

“Don’t think too badly of him, Spike. He’s not really like that anymore. He’s been going steady with Flitter for over two years now. That’s longer than any other filly he’s dated, as far as I know at least.”

Spike decided not to delve any further on the subject, but he was still surprised by Dash’s lack of dating. Sure, he knew she wasn’t much of a romantic filly. She was a fairly attractive mare, he wouldn’t lie about that. He had a hard time imagining that she didn’t have at least a small group of ponies lined up to ask her out on a date, though.

That didn’t really bother him. Even if she was lying, and did have three dozen suitors awaiting her, he was one of her close friends. That was something that put him in a whole other league above a random stallion or mare that she might start dating.

“Spike!”

“Huh?”

Rainbow groaned. “I tried calling your name for the past minute. You were spacing out almost as bad as Twilight does when she has one of her all-nighters.”

He grinned sheepishly. “Oh, sorry. What’s up?”

“I asked what you’re going to do about that dinner reservation at that one fancy restaurant?”

Spike pondered that a bit. He supposed he could just cancel it, but that would require him to mail a letter. That would take about two days to be received if he mailed it out today, which wouldn’t work considering that tomorrow was Friday. He could just not go to Canterlot, but if Princess Cadance found out, she’d probably feel upset or insulted, considering she managed to talk the restaurant into having it where he didn’t have to pay for anything. He could send a letter to Celestia and ask a castle official to send The Cypress the news of his cancellation, but that would just create more problems and unneeded sympathy...

“I dunno. I guess I’ll just invite Twilight and we’ll make the most of it. She’d probably like to see her parents and brother, anyway.”

Rainbow smiled. “Yeah, probably.”

Another thought crossed Spike’s mind. Maybe...?

“Unless...Rainbow, would you like to go to The Cypress instead?”

“Me?” Rainbow almost tripped as she looked back to him. “Why me all of the sudden?”

Spike grinned. “Think of it as a thank you for dealing with me ever since you started teaching me how to fly. That and...for helping me out last night.”

“Ugh, Spike, I told you, that’s what friends–”

“Then consider this a part of what friends do for one another,” Spike interrupted. “Besides, the Wonderbolt exhibit is currently on display at Canterlot Public Museum.”

“It is? Omigosh, seriously? Why didn’t you say so?!” She squealed in delight. “Wait, what day is tomorrow?”

“Friday.”

“Oh man! Do I have to wear a fancy dress and all that junk?”

Spike chuckled. “You don’t have to. I was going to have my scales polished by Aloe tomorrow, but nothing besides that.”

Rainbow nodded, then fell silent. The two continued hauling the wagon down the road. The rooftops of Ponyville’s residency could be seen creeping over the distant hills. It would probably be another half an hour before they reached their destination, but they were making good time with the idle conversation. Spike hardly noticed the weight he was carrying anymore, and Rainbow appeared to be just fine.

“Huh...what time were you going to head to Canterlot?”

“I was thinking about arriving there around three in the afternoon. The reservation’s for seven at night.”

“Hm...” Rainbow looked to the ground for a moment, then gazed up at the sky. “I guess I could ask off for tomorrow. Cloud Kicker does owe me for covering two of her shifts last month when she was visiting her folks in Baltimare...”

“No pressure, Rainbow. I can understand with work and everything.”

Rainbow seemed to really be considering this with the way she was chewing on her lower lip. Eventually she nodded. “Sure, why not? You can give me a real tour of Canterlot, and not just the castle.”

“Deal,” Spike grinned. “I’m going to warn you, though, a lot of the ponies are just like the ones at the Gala.”

“Ugh, great.” Rainbow grimaced. “Just as long as I don’t have to wait in line at the Wonderbolts exhibit, I’ll deal with it.”

Spike smiled. “I doubt it’ll be that busy; it’s a pretty big museum, and I’ve never had to wait in a line to get in. The only museum larger than the Canterlot Public Museum is the Equestrian Museum of Arcane and Natural History in Manehatten, and that’s saying something. We’ll be fine.”

“Cool. Want me to stop by your place around two-thirty, then?”

“Yeah, we can leave and be to Canterlot by three. We should be able to make the flight in under twenty minutes.”

“Awesome.”

Spike and Rainbow returned to idle chat after that, sharing stories about their day-to-day work. It was small talk, but neither minded that much. Despite what had happened to Spike recently, things were brightening up again, if only a little.

Even if he wasn’t dating Rarity, he still was her dearest friend. He was ahead of his schedule for work orders, and if things kept up at the rate they were, he’d be getting paid for two decently-paying commissions this month, giving him a healthy amount of bits to put away. Now he and Rainbow Dash had made plans to see the Wonderbolts exhibit, and have a great dinner to boot.

Things were starting to brighten up for him after all.

Chapter 3: Mostly Sunny Skies

Chapter Three- Mostly Sunny Skies

Dingdingdingdingdingdingdingdingdi–

Whack!

“Nnnngh...”

Rainbow Dash groaned as she slowly cracked open an eye. She turned towards the knocked over alarm clock on her nightstand and mumbled to herself, satisfied with silencing the horrible noise-maker. She rolled onto her side and let out a content sigh, enjoying the silence that–

“–was Sapphire Shores with ‘Gems Won’t Buy My Love’, from her upcoming album, ‘License to Thrill’. The album will be hitting shelves this coming Tuesday, and is predicted to make record-breaking sales. For those of you just joining us, I’m DJ Pon3, and it is currently 7 in the a.m. You are listening to 93.6 EQPV, The Hoofbeat, broadcasting straight from Ponyville.

“Today’s weather is scheduled to be partly cloudy with mostly sunny skies. Our weather team has reported that a cloud-production mishap put our weather schedule behind a day, so we’ll have to make due with what was supposed to be a cloudless day. Either way, a little cloudy weather won’t stop the music from reaching all you awesome listeners out there! With that said, let’s get back to the music! Next up we have some Hooves ‘n’ Roses with ‘You Could Be Mine’, on the only station that rocks the northern Equestrian Valley, 93.6, The Hoofbeat!”

Rainbow groaned as she threw the covers off herself and crawled out of her cloud bed, walking towards the bathroom as her radio blared loudly from her dresser on the other side of the bedroom. Long ago, she had learned that a simple alarm clock wouldn’t do the trick when it came to waking her up. As such, she took the advice of Pinkie Pie and set her radio to wake her up two minutes after her alarm clock went off and making sure it was far enough away that she couldn’t reach it without getting out of bed.

She hummed to herself as an electrical guitar riff resounded from her room, followed shortly by Wilting Rose’s high-pitched vocals. Rainbow, who held a toothbrush in her hoof, paused in mid-brush before pulling the oral hygiene tool from her mouth and holding it before her like a microphone. She began singing along to the radio in the midst of her daily morning routine. When she had finally finished in the bathroom, the song was reaching the best part. The radio blared as the guitarist made his instrument sing wild and beautifully while the lead singer’s voice became just short of screaming.

Rainbow continued singing slightly off-key for a couple of minutes before breaking out into an air-guitar solo. Eventually the song came to an end, and Rainbow let out a cheer before resuming her morning ritual.

Ten minutes later, Rainbow found herself sitting at the kitchen table with a large bowl of oat and granola cereal in milk with some orange juice and apple slices. She quietly ate while staring out one of the windows in her cloud-castle home. The day was starting out well so far; only a few clouds were scattered throughout the sky, and the sun was shining as brightly as always.

After helping Spike out yesterday, Rainbow had gone to Cloud Kicker’s house and asked her to cover her shift today. Cloud Kicker had happily agreed, stating she was looking for extra hours anyway, which left Rainbow with a well-deserved break. She had only a few things to take care of before she and Spike would set out to Canterlot, among them being a visit to the spa.

She had spent some time debating on what exactly to have done during her visit to the spa spa, but ultimately settled on getting a shampoo and coat cleaning with her usual massage treatment. She wouldn’t lie; Lotus and Aloe were scary-good at easing her aching muscles. She didn’t want to be pampered and made all ‘frou-frou’, as Applejack would put it, but she at least wanted to look decent when she went to Canterlot. Besides, there was always the chance that one of the Wonderbolts might be at the museum.

With her breakfast finished, Rainbow placed her bowl in the kitchen sink with her growing pile of dirty dishes. She then picked up a bag with a tortoise drawn on it along with a cup of water and a bag of greens and carried them with her to the living room.

“Tank, time for breakfast, buddy.”

Rainbow was greeted by her pet with a long, drawn-out yawn. The green tortoise smiled slowly before pulling out his legs and neck fully from his shell and making his way towards a red bowl on the cushiony cloud floor. Rainbow tilted the bag downward, filling Tank’s bowl with tortoise food pellets and dried vegetables, then tossed in some fresh romaine lettuce. She then poured the cup of water she had brought into a separate, smaller bowl. Tank looked to Dash, silently thanking her, and quietly dug into his food.

“Hungry, huh? Well, have your fill, Tank. I’m going to be gone until later tonight, probably.”

Tank paused and looked up from his meal, a curious expression dawning his face.

“Hm? Oh, it’s nothing huge, I’m just going out to spend the day with Spike in Canterlot,” Rainbow answered.

Tank tilted his head to the side slowly.

“N-no, nothing like that, Tank! Just as friends. It’s...well, it’s complicated. I’m sure you’ll get filled in by Owloysius at next week’s pet play-date. Which reminds me, I need to have Twilight recharge your extended-time cloud-walking spell. The month’s almost up, isn’t it? Next week... Friday, I think.” She took a pen off a table in her living room and jotted down a reminder to herself on a piece of paper, then stuck the note to her fridge. “Right, we’ll get that done this weekend, Monday at the latest.” She lowered her head to nuzzle her tortoise affectionately, “Hold down the fort for me while I’m gone, Tank.”

Tank gave her a nod, which she returned as she opened the door leading outside. The early morning light flooded her vision for several seconds, forcing her to raise a hoof to shield her eyes.

Ugh...when was the last time I ever woke up this early? She thought to herself. She stood at the edge of her cloud home for several moments before doing some pre-flight stretches. Her wings slowly unfurled, and she began flapping them up and down rhythmically. She continued to move her wings as she stretched out her legs, then finished with a few shoulder pulls and hip flexors. After three minutes of stretches, she deemed herself ready for flight. She dived off the cloud, opened her wings, and headed towards the spa, intent on getting their as early as possible.

Spike frowned as he stared at the plate of food that he had prepared for breakfast: a large pile of apple slices, a bowl of wheat cereal, a plate of fried eggs, two pieces of toast with raspberry jam, and a large cup of green tea.

And not a gem in sight...

His stomach growled, demanding that it be fed. Surrendering to his bodily needs, Spike shoveled a spoonful of cereal into his mouth and chewed. He washed it down with some of the tea, then ate an apple slice.

The clock on his wall read 8:45 in the morning. He had been up for the better part of an hour, though, finishing up another long poem written by Waxing Crescent that he had started reading last night. He had about two hours to spare before his scheduled scale polishing at the spa, so he figured he’d at least get some food into his system.

His thoughts were cut off by a light knock at the door. Looking to the clock once more, he got up from the table and made his way towards the entrance of his abode. He opened the small pony-door to see a blond-maned gray coated pegasus with a mailbag around her shoulders.

“Oh, good morning, Derpy. You’re here a lot earlier than usual, aren’t you?”

Derpy smiled up at the purple dragon. “Morning, Spike! Yeah, I’m pretty early today, but we found this high-priority letter in the back of the sorting room. It was dated to be sent out two days ago, but one of the new fillies working at the office misplaced it! Post-Haste is a great with delivery work, but I don’t think she’s qualified for the mail room,” she whispered, leaning in close. “She put a package for Canterlot in the Fillydelphia pile that got sent out last week. She was really upset about it when she found out, even after the problem got fixed.”

“Oh, well, I wasn’t expecting any important mail today. Where’s it from?”

“Hm? Oh, that new dance club in town, at least that’s what the address says. Not sure what’s in it, but we wanted to get it to you as soon as possible when we found it this morning in case it’s time sensitive. Sorry about that.” She grinned sheepishly.

“No worries, Derpy.” Spike replied with a grin of his own.

Derpy gave a quick salute-wave. “Alrighty, I better get going then. My route starts up in another half an hour.” She turned around, heading back towards Ponyville. “Bye, Spike! Oh, by the way, I bumped into Rainbow Dash–literally–this morning! She said she was going to Canterlot with you to have dinner at a really fancy restaurant.” Derpy gave him a playful smile. “What’s that all about?”

Spike knew Derpy was only being friendly, but it didn’t stop the blush from rising to his cheeks. “O-oh, yeah, I got settled with a free meal at The Cypress on Marigold Avenue in Canterlot. Didn’t have anypony to go with, so I figured I’d ask Rainbow to accompany me. Just spend the day together, nothing romantic or anything, hahaha...”

Derpy’s eyes widened a little, as though something clicked. Her expression softened for a moment, but quickly perked back up. “Well that’s sweet of you, Spike! I hope you have fun!”

“Thanks, Derpy. I’ll see you later!”

The mailpony continued down the road, humming a jovial tune. Spike closed the door and turned his attention back to the letter in hand. He tore it open carefully with a claw, and pulled out what appeared to be two tickets to some event as well as a brief letter. He studied the writing, recognizing it as the penmanship of a unicorn. Years of working as Twilight’s assistant had helped him determine writing based on legibility; unicorn’s were by far the easiest to decipher, and he could only guess the writer of this letter was a unicorn as well.

Spike,

Hey, this is Vinyl Scratch! How are things going for you? I just figured I’d send you two of these. Think of them as a thank you from me and my partner Jamboree for taking on the job of helping expand our dance club. We’re having a huge party next month, and we’d really love to have you come by. Octavia’s going to be stopping by, too, and she said she wants to meet you. Not too many music enthusiasts like that stuffy classic music as much as she does, and even fewer are dragons.

Anyway, we’d love for you to come. The party’s going on all weekend, so don’t worry about being late if you have to work or have other things to take care of first.

Catch ya later,

Vinyl

“Huh...” Spike turned the letter over, but there was no further explanation of the event. He then turned his attention to the tickets, hoping for clarification.

2 Hot 2 Trot May Dance Festival
Starts Friday, May 11th 6 PM - Monday, May 13th 12 AM
Drinks half-price, music presented by local bands and DJs, including DJ Pon-3
--Please present ticket upon arrival!--

“Huh...” Spike repeated as studied the ticket. He set the envelope with the tickets and letter on his counter. It would probably be a good idea to at least show up. He wasn’t big on those kind of dance parties, namely because of his size, but it’d be bad public relations for his steadily growing entrepreneurship if he didn’t at least stop in and say hi to one of his clients.

He’d have to look into that later, but right now, breakfast was calling to him.

Rainbow walked into the spa, her nostrils catching the heavy smell of various floral scents mixed with mineral baths. In the background, she could hear the chatter of Aloe and Lotus, their distinct Romareian accent floating over the small trickling fountain near the doorway.

A cream colored mare behind the front desk looked up from a magazine as she heard the sound of Rainbow’s hooves clopping on the tiled floor. “Ah, good morning Miss Dash. Are you here for another massage appointment?”

Rainbow pawed at the ground and chuckled nervously before speaking. “Morning, Vera. Actually, I was...um...kinda hoping you could squeeze me in for a walk-in? I’m going to Canterlot today, and I kind of want to look...well, you know, nicer than I usually do.”

Vera smiled happily. “Oh, it would not be a problem at all, I assure you, though you always look very nice.” Her eyes turned down to the notebook laid out before her. “Ah, Lotus and Aloe are free for ze next two hours. Would dat work for you?”

“Yeah, no problem. Um...could you throw in a mane and coat treatment as well?”

Vera’s eyes sparkled for a moment. “Oh, yes, absolutely! You know, Aloe was hoping she could work with your mane. It’s very beautiful, after all.”

“Hahaha, thanks...I mean, it’s nothing special.”

Vera waved a hoof at her. “Bah, dat is silly talk, Rainbow Dash. You have a very beautiful mane, and it’s a natural color, too. Well, colors, in your case. Not many ponies could pull off such a look so well, but I suppose it is natural for you, yes?”

Rainbow cleared her throat, flushing a little at the praise. “Thanks. So...um...are any of my friends scheduled today, too?”

Vera looked down at the notebook once more before shaking her head. “No, it does not appear that way, but we do have an unusual visitor today. I suppose you know him.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes, dat young dragon dat used to live with Miss Sparkle. Spike, I believe. He is quite handsome.” Vera giggled a little before continuing. “Lotus is going to be giving him a scale-polishing. She says she studied all last night on how to do it properly, too.”

“Wait, what time is he supposed to be here?”

“He is scheduled for eleven in the morning,” Vera replied.

Rainbow frowned a little. “How long would my appointment take?”

“Possibly two hours, Miss Dash.”

Rainbow looked at the clock hanging on the spa wall. It was currently nine o’ clock. “I guess that’s fine. Sure, put me down for the next appointment.”

“Oh, lovely. I shall tell Aloe and Lotus right now.”

No more than a minute passed before Lotus and Aloe both walked out with Vera, smiling happily. “Rainbow Dash, it’s good to see you again,” Aloe greeted.

Rainbow gave a nod in return. “Hey, Aloe. Lotus.”

Lotus ushered Rainbow to a massage table with a hoof. “Would you like the usual treatment first?”

“Yeah, that’d be awesome. I’ve had this tightness in my left shoulder since this morning. I think I worked a little too hard yesterday with Spike. Those rocks weighed more than I could have imagined.”

“Rocks?” Aloe gasped. “Oh my. Were you helping Spike with his rock-cutting work?”

“Nothing serious; just helped him pull a wagon.”

Aloe tut-tutted as Rainbow got onto the table. “You shouldn’t strain yourself so much. With a frame like yours, you could seriously injure yourself.”

Lotus rolled her eyes. “Aloe, she knows dat. Besides, Spike was there as well, and I know zat he would never let a mare like Rainbow hurt herself.”

“Dat doesn’t mean she can be so reckless. She’s not Applejack, you know.”

“For the record,” Rainbow said, “Applejack and Big Macintosh together can’t pull the same weight as Spike usually does. That, and Spike was pulling with me as well.”

Aloe muttered something in Romareian while Lotus just giggled. The light cerulean mare placed a steamy towel over Rainbow’s back and spoke softly. “Aloe’s a real worrywart about those kind of things. Don’t worry about her.”

“Don’t tell her dat, Lotus! Next thing you know she’ll be fighting Manticores in ze Everfree and skydiving off of ze Badland plateaus!”

“Enjoy your spa treatment, Miss Dash,” Vera giggled as she made her way back to the front desk.

“So...” Lotus began press down softly on the steam towel. “You want a shampoo and coat cleaning too, yah? Vera said you’re going to Canterlot today.” She got back onto all fours and stood before Rainbow Dash. “What’s ze occasion?”

“Oh, well, Spike is going to take me to see the sights, and then we’re going to have dinner at The Cypress.”

Aloe let out a delighted little squeal as she set down a bucket of mineral water. “Oh, dat sounds so romantic! That must be why he asked for a scale-polishing today.”

“It’s nothing like that, Aloe, just a little thing between friends. I...well, I better not say too much, but...I’m kind of a stand-in for somepony else. Not that he’s upset about me going, but...he was supposed to go to Canterlot...on a date.”

Lotus and Aloe both frowned. “Oh no, did he and Miss Rarity get into a fight or somezing?”

Rainbow wasn’t all that surprised that the spa sisters immediately guessed Rarity being the date Spike had hoped for. The two were a central hub for gossip in Ponyville, after all. “Oh, no, they didn’t. It’s just...well, I’m not sure how much you know, but–” Rainbow blinked before closing her mouth. “Sorry, I shouldn’t say more. It’s not my place.”

The sisters nodded. “It’s fine, we shouldn’t have pried. Now, please relax for me.” Lotus removed the steam towel and moved it onto her neck before beginning to press down on Rainbow’s back. Rainbow let out a low groan.

“Ahhh, that feels...” Rainbow sighed into the pillow she was resting her head on. “Wow, I needed this.”

Lotus just smiled as she continued to apply just the right amount of pressure on Rainbow’s shoulder blades. Rainbow’s wings slowly relaxed, unfurling and drooping limply to her sides.

“So, how has little Scootaloo been doing with her stunts?” Lotus asked.

“Hm?” Rainbow asked groggily. “Oh, she’s doing great. The kid’s got a lot of fire for her age. She...she kind of reminds me of when I was younger,” she laughed quietly. “She’s going to become big someday. Just you wait.”

Lotus nodded in agreement. “Yes, I must agree with you, zat filly is quite talented.”

Rainbow heard Aloe sigh in the background. “Now if only she would take ze time to do somezing with dat mane of hers. You know, I offered her a free mane styling once, but she said she wasn’t interested. Can you believe dat? Free, and she still said ‘no’!”

“Oh, sister, you need to stop worrying about dat. She’s still young, after all.”

“Hmph,” Aloe replied. “Well, it doesn’t mean she can’t take an hour or two to pamper herself once in awhile, yah?”

Rainbow decided to speak up for Scootaloo’s sake. “Scoot’s really putting a lot of time into her stunts, Aloe. She wants to enter the Best Young Flyer competition this summer, and she’s also thinking of competing in the junior division of the Extreme Sportspony Competition with her scooter stunts.”

“She’s quite ze ambitious little pegasus,” Lotus commented with a chuckle as she worked her way down the middle of Rainbow’s back.

The jingle of the front door bell could be heard, followed by a familiar voice. “Morning, Vera. I know I’m kind of early, but I was wondering if you had any open spots right now for my scale polishing. I figured the sooner, the better.”

Rainbow tensed for a moment, which Lotus immediately noticed. “Miss Dash, are you alright?”

“H-huh? Oh, yeah, fine, just...” Rainbow looked to the front of the building, unable to see anything beyond the corner where the front desk was located. “Um...what time was Spike scheduled to be here today?”

Aloe looked up from her magazine that she was reading. “Eleven o’clock, I think. He is our second customer scheduled for today, counting you. We’re usually busier around midday, and Saturdays can be slow for us.”

Vera’s head poked out from around the corner. “Lotus, Spike is here early for his scale polishing. Do you want him to wait in ze lobby?”

Lotus smiled before looking to Rainbow Dash. “Oh no, tell him dat he can come back here.”

Vera nodded before disappearing around the corner once more. Moments later, Spike walked in, pausing as he took note of Rainbow lying on the massage table. He grinned brightly at her. “Heya, Rainbow. Didn’t think I’d see you here.”

Rainbow smiled nervously. “Yeah... figured I’d get a little massage in before our trip to Canterlot.”

Aloe held up a bath sponge. “Don’t forget about ze shampoo and coat treatment.”

“O-oh, yeah, that too,” Rainbow coughed and looked to her hooves.

Spike quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“So...what are you doing here?” Rainbow asked, changing the topic while still avoiding eye contact with Spike.

Spike brushed a claw over some scales on his chest. “Just getting these polished up a little. You know, just in case we bump into one of the princesses.”

Lotus was now rubbing slow circles around Rainbow’s shoulder blades. Rainbow’s eyelids drooped, and she gained blissful expression as the spa pony worked her magic. Seeing the look on her face caused Spike to chuckle. She opened an eye fully and frowned at him. “What?”

“Nothing. You just remind me of Winona when I scratch her behind the ear.”

Rainbow let out a snort. “Tch, whatever. I bet you’d be the same way if someone scratched your belly.”

Spike shrugged. “Probably. Though, I doubt it’d be as good as the back massage you gave me the other day.” His eyes lit up suddenly, and he turned to Aloe. “Oh, I almost forgot. Hold on one second, Aloe, I got something for you.” He turned around, heading back to the front of the spa.

Rainbow felt the spa sisters eyes on her. She looked to Lotus, who had a knowing smile on her lips. “What?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Lotus replied innocently.

“I’m his training partner and coach. I wanted to make sure he was in top condition for the flight exercises we were going to do. It’s bad to fly without having your muscles taken care of.”

Lotus nodded. “Of course, of course.”

“I-I’m serious, geesh! It was just a massage to help him out. You don’t need to read into it like that.”

Aloe giggled. “Like what?”

Before Rainbow could give a response, Spike entered the room once more. “Here you go, Aloe. I found more of those really smooth rocks you like to use for the sauna. The river by my house is full of them.” He set down a decently sized bucket full of gray and black rocks that were perfectly smooth.

Aloe beamed. “Oh, dat’s so nice of you, Spike. Now, how much do you want for them?”

Spike waved a claw dismissively. “Don’t worry about it, they’re free.”

Aloe put a hoof to her chest and smiled. She walked over and placed a chaste kiss on Spike’s cheek. “You are such a sweetheart, you know dat?” Spike blushed a light pink as Aloe made her way towards an in-ground bath. “Why don’t we throw in a free mineral bath for you as well? I’m sure your scales would love dat before being polished.”

Spike scratched his cheek and smiled. “Well, if you insist, I suppose I have no choice, huh?”

Aloe smiled happily. “Good choice. Now, come with me and we’ll see if we can find a decent recipe for your bath, yes?”

The two disappeared into a back room, conversing about what would work best for his smooth, yet incredibly hard, scales. As soon as they were out of the room, Lotus leaned close to Rainbow and whispered.

“Are you thinking of dating him?”

“What?!” Rainbow had to force herself not to whip her head around and stare at Lotus. Instead she settled for her eyes widening and her jaw going slack as she faced forward. “N-no! He’s like...well, he’s younger than me, and I’ve known him since he was a kid!”

Lotus gave a noncommittal hum as she finished her massage. “Just curious. I may have to see if he’s available myself.”

That got Rainbow to turn her head. “Are you serious?”

Lotus gave a playful grin to Rainbow. “Why not? I’ve heard dat pony and dragon relationships are not too unusual these days, and Spike is rather handsome.”

Rainbow only blinked in mild surprise.

“Dat, and I’ve also read that dragons are wonderful lovers. Though, dat’s just what I’ve read from magazines, of course.”

Rainbow, choosing not to comment any further, returned her attention to trying her best to relax. She heard Lotus sigh before placing a hoof on her shoulder. “I was only teasing you. Forgive me, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Rainbow closed her eyes, exhaling slowly from her nose. “It’s...it’s alright, Lotus. I shouldn’t have been so...uptight about it. He’s my friend, and I just...well, he’s still getting over the fact that Rarity’s dating Fancypants when he–” Rainbow’s eyes opened before she smacked a hoof to her forehead. “Stupid, stupid...Lotus, promise me you won’t say anything about that. Please?”

“I promise, so as long as you try and relax. I’ll have to work out those tense spots a little before we move onto your shampoo and coat treatment.”

Rainbow gave a small, sheepish smile as let her shoulders loosen up once more. “Deal.”

It was around one in the afternoon when both Rainbow Dash and Spike left the spa feeling refreshed and ready for their trip to Canterlot. Rainbow’s mane, if possible, seemed even brighter and more colorful than it usually was while her coat held a luster that was commonly seen with the royal sisters. Meanwhile, Spike’s scales shined brilliantly, reflecting the midday sunlight like polished marble.

“Everyone’s staring at you,” Rainbow chuckled quietly to Spike. He just held his head a little higher, trying not to appear embarrassed by the attention of passersby.

“Yeah, well...let them,” Spike mumbled. “You want to get some lunch before we head out? I’ll buy.”

Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Uh, sure, I guess. I have my own money, though.”

“Yeah, but I’ve got some extra bits from that last shipment of rock going to Appleloosa coming my way. It’s alright.”

“Well, who am I to turn down a free meal?”

Spike and Rainbow stopped by one of the local restaurants, getting some food to go. Rainbow got a small cucumber and lettuce wrap with cheese and ranch dressing while Spike got himself a large veggie sub.

“So, the Wonderbolt exhibit at the museum; how packed will it be there?”

“Well,” Spike began between bites of his sub. “Chances are it’ll be a little busy, but it’s Friday. The museum closes at five on Fridays and weekends, so I think we’ll be okay if we get there by between two or three.”

“We’ll only have three hours at most to look at everything, though.” Rainbow frowned. “That’s not enough time!”

“We can leave early if you want, then,” Spike suggested. “I mean, it’s not either of us is really busy at the moment.”

Rainbow couldn’t help but agree. “Yeah, good point.”

They quickly finished their lunches, then made their way to the edge of Ponyville town square. They flared out their wings and stretched them a few times, Spike also rolling his long neck to get out a few kinks.

“Ready?” Rainbow eventually asked. Spike grinned, noting how her body was having trouble staying in place. It looked like she was prancing in place with how she continually raised and lowered her hooves off the ground, but considering how long it had been since she had last flown, Spike wasn’t surprised. Anything longer than an hour without flying for Rainbow Dash was unnatural for her, except when she slept.

“Yep,” Spike replied with a quick nod. Rainbow kicked off the ground while Spike slowly flapped his powerful wings, lifting off the ground and following after her.

“Hey, Spike, have you been thinking of joining the Best Young Flyer competition next spring?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t that a pony-only event?” Spike asked. “I mean, I’m a little big to join, don’t you think? There must be a rule about it...”

“Nope, there isn’t.” Rainbow flew up beside him so they were eye level with each other. “I looked up the rules for the event, and there’s no rule saying dragons are barred from the event. You just have to have wings and be able to fly with them.”

“I...I don’t know, Rainbow. I mean, I don’t really have the build to pull off acrobatics like you or Scootaloo.”

Rainbow gave Spike a light punch in the shoulder with a hoof. “Oh, come on! It’ll be fun! Besides, you’ve never been to Cloudsdale yet, have you? I’ll show you all the sights!”

“I’m not going to say yes, but I’ll definitely keep in it in mind. What about Scootaloo? Is she joining?”

“Yeah, Scootaloo told me she already entered for next year’s competition, and she’s been practicing like crazy. She actually was the one that suggested you compete, too.”

Spike laughed. “I’m not sure how much of a competition it’ll be on my part. I mean, some of those pegasi do some crazy tricks.You were a competitor one year, after all.”

Rainbow frowned a little. “So? Can you imagine how many fans you’d have? I’m pretty sure there’s been less than five dragon competitors in all the time the competition has existed, Spike.”

“I’ll consider it, Rainbow.”

Rainbow nodded, knowing that was the best she would get from the young drake for now. She focused her attention ahead once more, smiling as she saw a patch of clouds. An idea formed in her mind, and she smirked before taking off ahead of Spike. She began a corkscrew maneuver, flying right into the cloud and pulling it apart upon impact. The fluffy bundle of water vapor followed after her as she flew upward and turned around, heading straight for a baffled Spike.

“Rainbow, what are–gyaaah!” Spike ducked as Rainbow suddenly pulled up, close enough that the wind from her wings flapping could be felt against his cheeks. He closed his eyes as a stream of cloud collided with his face, obscuring his vision momentarily. When he was able to see again, his eyes were covered with droplets of cold water that sparkled with light. The first thing to come into his field of vision was a laughing Rainbow Dash, pointing her hoof at him as she flew ahead. A small part of him was annoyed with her little stunt, if only because his face was wet and cold now, but a larger part of him was currently speechless.

Rainbow’s mane and coat were covered with just enough water droplets that they sparkled while not being matted down. She shook her mane a little as she continued flying, sending droplets in every direction. With a final flick of her mane she turned back to Spike, grinning.

Spike felt his heart beat a little faster in his chest.

“Hahaha, got you good, Spike!”

Spike blinked several times before shaking his head and snapping out of his trance. “H-huh? Oh, yeah, haha! Didn’t see that coming at all, Dash!”

Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “You okay, Spike?”

“Yeah, just fine! Why do you ask?”

“I guess it’s nothing,” she replied. “Nevermind.” She slowed down once more so that she was right beside Spike. “Hey, I can see Canterlot!”

Sure enough, the capital city of Equestria was clearly visible as the clouds broke apart before them, giving way to a clear view of the grand, white stone towers that made up the castle of Canterlot. The golden roofs of the highest towers glinted in the daylight while the flag decorating their tops flapped in the spring breeze. The whole scene brought forth a wave of nostalgia to Spike, reminding him of all the times he had flown to Canterlot by pegasus-drawn chariot when he was a younger, smaller dragon.

Spike pointed out a clearing in one of the local parks where they could land. Once both were on solid ground once more, Spike took in their bearings and nodded to himself. “Alright, it looks like we’re in the Posey Garden District. The museum should be about two blocks...that way.” Spike pointed in a direction. “I can show you some of the statues in the garden on the way, too. Princess Celestia told me once that some of these statues are older than Canterlot itself, and–”

“Spike, if I want a history lesson I can talk to Twilight.”

Spike paused before his smile dropped a bit. “Oh, heheh, um...sorry, Rainbow.”

Rainbow immediately regretted her words. She looked around the surrounding garden, noticing a statue of a pegasus in armor that vaguely resembled the modern look of the Royal Guard. “Hey, is that Commander Hurricane?”

Spike’s ear frills perked up as he turned towards the statue. “Oh, yeah, it is. Uh...” He walked towards the statue and looked over it before giving it a cursory sniff. “Hm...definitely made from alabaster. Odd. I didn’t think that Cloudsdale did much sculpture work with that kind of stone. They preferred marble during the Equestrian Renaissance.”

Rainbow smiled, happy to see Spike in his element. “So this was made by pegasi in Cloudsdale?”

Spike nodded, studying the alabaster statue’s every detail. “Yeah, though Cloudsdale produced more classical era writers than anything else. Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy were pretty much the Cloudsdale equivalent of Starswirl the Bearded in Canterlot.”

“Meaning...?”

“Um, well, they were both treated as icons or even legendary heroes.”

“Well, they were part of the Founding Six,” Rainbow reasoned.

“Yes, but Hurricane was more of a military leader than a peacemaker. If anything, Private Pansy should have gotten more credit for her contributions to the foundation of Equestrian society. She helped create the first set of Equestrian laws with Smart Cookie, after all.”

“No kidding?” Rainbow found herself growing more and more interested. History as a topic in general wasn’t something that she enjoyed that much, but when it came to the great heroes of Equestria, she could listen for hours. “So what did Hurricane do, then?”

“She was the founder of the first Equestrian Army, and much of her practices are still used today for training and ceremony. For instance, Princess Luna often stands watch on her balcony for at least one hour before and after midnight, sometimes straight into morning. That was started by Commander Hurricane herself.”

“What about Princess Celestia?” Rainbow asked as she turned to Spike. “Why is it only Princess Luna?”

Spike smiled. “According to Hurricane, the middle of the night was a perfect time for a surprise attack, and Equestria had a lot more enemies back then.” He chuckled a bit as he continued. “Princess Luna’s a lot more traditional than Princess Celestia is, too. She actually knew Hurricane when she was alive, though, so I guess it may be a personal reason as well.”

Rainbow turned her gaze from Spike to the statue, and felt her respect for the proud pegasus it represented grow a little. She knew that Hurricane was often depicted as a hotheaded military leader. Still, one couldn’t deny that while that may be true, Hurricane had also been loyal to her fellow ponies and Equestria.

Loyalty...

Rainbow Dash smiled, and puffed her chest out just a little. Spike watched her from the corner of his eye, a small smile creeping onto face. No doubt she’s comparing herself to Hurricane.

Spike cleared his throat a little, snapping Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts. She flushed around the cheeks, but said nothing.

“You ready to head to the museum?”

“Y-yeah,” Rainbow answered, her eyes not meeting Spike’s.

Within less than ten minutes’ time the museum came into view as the park thinned out. Just like Spike had said, there wasn’t a line leading outside of the museum, or any signs of the building being overcrowded. The pillars of the large building were decorated with banners that depicted various pictures of the Wonderbolts from old black and white photos during the organization’s early years to color pictures of Soarin’, Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and other current members of the flight team.

Spike chuckled quietly as Rainbow literally squealed in excitement. She was flying a few inches off the ground now, her hooves covering her mouth as she tried to hide her enthusiasm.

“Omigosh omigosh! I wonder if they have anything from the founding years! I’ve only seen pictures in my Wonderbolts Monthly magazines. That would be so awesome!”

Spike made no comment, instead continuing through the large doors of the museum and holding it open for the giddy mare. As soon as they entered, their vision was assaulted with the colors of blue and yellow and winged lightning bolts.

Rainbow looked like a foal in a candy shop; her eyes were sparkling brightly as she stared in awe at the sheer number of Wonderbolt displays.

“Sweet Celestia, they...they have the old flight uniforms on display!” Rainbow said in disbelief. “Some of these are over one hundred years old! Look, Spike, you can see their names embroidered on them!” She studied the flight suits in the glass cases. “O-oh wow! This belongs to Starburst! She invented some of the formation stunts that they still use today!” A gasp. “Spike, look, Cloud Spinner! He was responsible for pushing the Wonderbolts into becoming a paramilitary group while also providing entertainment as well.” She looked to Spike with wide-eyes. “He’s, like, the reason the Wonderbolts they also do rescue work as well! I mean, without him, they’d still probably just be a bunch of stunt ponies.”

“So they aren’t just a bunch of stunt ponies?” Spike asked with an amused grin, deciding to take the bait.

“Of course not!” Rainbow said, almost a little too defensively. She gave Spike as sheepish smile and continued. “I...I mean, no, they also do rescue work and patrol the country while touring. It’s really hard work, but without them we’d have a lot more problems in Equestria. Like...um, you remember that one time when you had Greed-growth?”

“Oh...yeah...” Spike replied quietly, shame laced within his word.

“Well, when the Wonderbolts arrived...that was kind of an example of their job. They were trying to stop you.”

Spike snorted, doing his best to stifle a chuckle. “Yeah, ‘trying’ being the key word there.”

“Well, in their defense, the oldest member of that little group was Spitfire’s little sister, Blaze, and she was only a two year veteran at the time. Taking on a dragon is serious stuff, but they were all that was available at the time.”

“So why didn’t they send someone like Surprise, Soarin’, or even Spitfire?”

“Well, they were all in Fillydelphia, and didn’t get word of you until after things cooled down.”

Spike gave Rainbow a perplexed look. “How do you know all this?”

“I’m subscribed to the Wonderbolt Weekly Newsletter,” Rainbow replied without missing a beat.

Spike rolled his eyes and smiled. Of course she is.

They continued down the aisle of outfits, Rainbow explaining in great detail how each outfit was an improvement from the last, who designed it, and the pegasus who had owned the suit on display.

Eventually, they came upon a series of cases the held photographs, most of which were sepia-toned and a little worn from age.

“Oh, wow! Look at this!” Rainbow stopped at a large photograph of a Wonderbolt team. Spike took note of the date on the information plaque, indicating the picture to be more than 50 years old. “Spike, this is the team that helped stave off a wild tropical storm that would have flooded half of Manehatten. The Wonderbolts managed to kick away enough clouds and hold back the storm long enough so that the city could evacuate.”

Spike couldn’t help but be impressed by that. “Whoa, really? How long did that take?”

“Three whole days, non-stop. They split the team into three groups of ten and took shifts so they could all eat and rest.” She pointed to a specific stallion (or mare; Spike couldn’t tell since a glass case separated Rainbow’s hoof from getting too close to the photo), and looked up at Spike. “That’s Blustery Breeze. She was the only pony of the Wonderbolts’ team to have come close to breaking the sound barrier. She was just a half a kilocanter per hour shy of breaking it.”

“Huh.” Spike grinned. “Yet I know the only pony to have broken the sound barrier and pulled off the Sonic Rainboom.” He shook his head. “So...why haven’t the Wonderbolts begged you to join yet?”

Rainbow looked to the ground sheepishly. “I...well...” She looked up and spoke softly. “Promise me you won’t tell anypony else?”

Spike blinked. Her tone had suddenly grown serious and perhaps even a little unsure. “Um...yeah, I promise. Heck, I Pinkie Promise.” He made the gestures, and Rainbow motioned for him to lower his head to her level.

“I...I kind told them I wasn’t ready yet. They’ve asked me twice in the past two years already. Before then, I was still a little too young to join, I guess.”

“You told them that?” Spike asked. “Why?”

“Well, I really Iike Ponyville, Spike. I don’t want to move to their headquarters in Cloudsdale or Canterlot just yet. I thought about it after they first asked me, and...I don’t know. I just thought it’d be better to wait a bit longer. You know, save up some money and stuff.”

Spike was surprised, to say the least. He was certain Rainbow would have jumped on the opportunity to join the famous aerial stunt team the moment it presented itself. To find out she had refused their first two offers...

“Do they still want you to join up?” Spike asked worriedly.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, definitely! I’ve been keeping in contact with them, and I’ve sort of been a unofficial talent scout for them. I’ve been keeping track of some of the flight races and stunt shows going on just in case another talented filly or colt shows up. I give the kids the push in the right direction if they want to do stuff that might involve the Wonderbolts.”

“So, is that sort of what you’re doing with Scootaloo right now?”

Rainbow nodded. “Sort of. I asked her if she’s ever thought of trying out for a junior stunt team or something. The Wonderbolts actually sponsor a lot of local sport teams in Equestria, believe it or not.”

“Has she ever thought of doing that?”

“She’s not sure yet. Right now, she’s just doing her tricks and training on the side. School’s her main thing for right now. I’ve got to admit it; she’s a lot more responsible than I was when I was her age.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah. I remember when Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were still looking for their Cutie Marks...”

Rainbow laughed. “You’re starting to sound like an old stallion, Spike.”

“I’m twenty-two years old; I have every right to be nostalgic.”

“Pfft, I’m only a little older than you. You’re making me feel ancient.”

Spike snickered. “Don’t worry. At least you’re not Celestia or Luna. They’re ancient.”

Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, I guess.” She looked down to the ground, and spoke quietly, only loud enough for Spike to hear. “So...you don’t think it’s dumb of me to stick around in Ponyville instead of joining the Wonderbolts?”

“Not at all. I mean, I have to admit that I’m surprised you did, but like you said, you have your reasons. I’m just glad they didn’t just drop you when you declined.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed. She looked up at Spike again, smiling brightly. “I kind of also stuck around because of–”

“Well, if it isn’t Rainbow Dash,” spoke a feminine voice. Spike and Rainbow both turned to a small crowd of ponies, and Dash’s words caught in her throat. There, standing before her, were none other than Spitfire and Soarin’ themselves.

“Spitfire! Soarin’! H-hey. What are you two doing here?”

Spitfire grinned and gestured to a group of younger pegasi behind her. “Showing some of the rookies a little of our organization’s history. I didn’t think they’d get the opportunity to see a living legend as well, though.”

Rainbow stood a little straighter, and put on her trademark grin. “Hahaha, thanks.”

Spitfire turned to the group behind her. “Alright! Wveryone get a good look at the mare before you. This is Rainbow Dash, possibly one of the fastest fliers in all of Equestria. For those of you wondering, this is the same Rainbow Dash who has pulled off the Sonic Rainboom not once, not twice, but three times now.”

“Four, actually. I did it once for a filly I was teaching in Ponyville about a year ago.”

“Nearly gave the mayor a heart attack,” Spike mumbled.

Spitfire looked between Rainbow Dash and Spike, then turned to Soarin’. “Hey, Soarin’, mind showing the kids the stunt history displays? I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

Soarin’ nodded while smiling. “Just make sure you get back to headquarters before dinner.”

Spitfire rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.”

Some of the younger pegasi laughed as they followed Soarin’ towards another wing of the museum. A few of the young Wonderbolts stared briefly at Rainbow Dash before turning to one of their teammates and whispering to them. Dash kept her gaze on Spitfire, doing her best to not appear flustered by the obvious attention.

As soon as the group was gone, Spitfire spoke. “So, Dash, you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“O-oh, yeah! Spitfire, this is my good friend Spike. Spike, this is, in case you didn’t already know, Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts.”

Spike extended a claw, which Spitfire took and shook. “Pleased to meet you, Spitfire.”

Spitfire’s eyebrows rose a little. “So you’re Spike! Huh, I should’ve known. Not too many dragons in Ponyville, I guess.”

“You’ve heard of me?”

“Sure, Rainbow’s sent me letters about how she’s been training you.”

Spike glanced at Rainbow. “She has?”

“Yeah, all the time. She only has praise for you.”

“She does?”

“Well sure. You’re like, the fastest dragon I’ve ever seen,” Rainbow jumped in. “I mean, I’m not sure how many dragons can dive at speeds over 130 kilocanters per hour, but you’re definitely one of them.”

“Another 16 kilocanters or more and you’d be able to break the sound barrier,” Spitfire added, a hint of wonder in her voice.

“Whoa, whoa. That dive I did off of Griffon Plateau was a fluke,” Spike began. “I’m pretty sure I can’t break the sound barrier, let alone top that speed ever again.”

Spitfire chuckled. “You weren’t kidding, Rainbow. He’s way too humble for his own good.”

Rainbow laughed as well. “Hey, he’s modest. Not a bad thing, right?”

“I guess. So, how are things in Ponyville?”

“Eh, same old, same old. Scootaloo’s been keeping busy with her big tests coming up. School will be done in a little more than a month, after all.”

“Good for her. Is she still practicing her stunts?”

“Yeah, but only when she has time. She’s been keeping her nose to the books lately. Twilight would be proud.”

“It’s been awhile since I stopped by town. I was going to pay a visit in May; there’s a dance party going on at some new club, and Vinyl’s sent Soarin’ and I personal invites.”

“No kidding? Wow, that’s awesome!” Rainbow sighed. “I’ve been to that club once, but I haven’t received an invite yet. There’s still time, though.”

“Um...actually,” Spike began. “I got two tickets to that as well. They were kind of a thank-you gift for taking on the job of adding onto the bathrooms at the club. If you want, I can give you the other ticket.”

“Really?” Rainbow visibly perked up. “That’d be awesome! Thanks, Spike!”

“No problem, Rainbow.”

Spitfire grinned a little. “Cool. So, I guess I’ll see you two at 2 Hot 2 Trot in a couple weeks, huh?”

“You bet!” Rainbow replied.

“Great. Well, I better catch up with the group. Rainbow, take care. Nice to finally meet you, Spike.”

“Later, Spitfire. Say hi to the others for me, will you?”

Spitfire gave a final wave as she left to catch up with the other Wonderbolts. Spike and Rainbow watched her go, and as soon as she was gone from sight, Rainbow’s smile broke into a full-blown grin. “See? I knew we’d run into them!”

Spike laughed. “Must be a sixth sense of yours.” He looked down the wing of the museum Spitfire disappeared into, and then to Rainbow. “So...you really think I’m that good of a flier?”

“Of course! You’re flying skills are well beyond that of a beginner, and I bet if you keep at it for another month or two you’d be ready for the competition in Cloudsdale...if you decide to go, I mean.”

Spike craned his neck out a little more, and puffed out his chest in pride. Rainbow thought he was talented. To have praise coming from one of the best fliers in Equestria was saying a lot.

“Hey, c’mon, that sign says they have old films being shown of Wonderbolt shows down that way!” Rainbow Dash was already halfway down a corridor when Spike finally snapped out of his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, sure, right behind you, Rainbow!”

“I still can’t believe that they had these for sale at the Wonderbolt kiosk.”

“Yeah...kind of embarrassing, huh?” Rainbow asked sheepishly.

Spike smirked as he held up a small booklet with the words “Innovators of Flight” on the cover. There was a collage of photos of various pegasi decorating it, and in one small corner, not too large but visible enough, was a picture of Rainbow Dash wearing the crown she had won at the Best Young Fliers competition. He had already skimmed the chapter that talked about her, namely how she had more or less made the Sonic Rainboom a reality and how her technique was still baffling the best aeronautic researchers in Cloudsdale.

“You never told me you did an interview for the Equestrian Times magazine,” Spike noted as he flipped to the page on her once more.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I did that once. It was alright, I guess. They were more interested in the fact that I made history than me as a pony, though. Got really boring after awhile.”

Spike nodded in understanding. “You’re more of a celebrity than you let on, huh?”

Rainbow sighed. “Yeah. I mean, it’s cool and I don’t mind the fans, but...it’s exhausting after a while, you know?”

“Like that one time when the girls had to pull that Mare Do Well act on you?”

Rainbow frowned. “Don’t remind me.”

The two walked out of the museum doors. The bells of Canterlot Castle chimed five times, and some of the shops lining the street put up their closed signs for the day.

“So, we’ve got about an hour or two left before dinner. Anything else you want to see?”

Rainbow gave a noncommittal grunt. “I dunno, what else is there to see in Canterlot?”

“Hm. There’s the art exhibit, which...wait, that’s closed on Fridays. Let’s see...well, the parks are open to the public all the time. I could show you the hedge maze of Canterlot Castle.”

“The same one Discord had us running through?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, but without the chaos.”

Rainbow smiled. “Sure. Not exactly what I was planning for, but it’s better than walking up and down the streets for two hours.”

Spike only chuckled, leading Rainbow towards the hedge maze garden.

“So, where’s Discord’s statue now?”

Spike shook his head. “Not sure. Twilight says that Celestia sealed him in a chamber guarded by thirty-one magical wards and seals somewhere in Canterlot Castle. That’s all we know, though, and to be honest, I’m not really interested in finding out anything else.”

Rainbow nodded in agreement. “Yeah... I’d sooner do fashion-modeling for Rarity for a whole week than deal with that jerk again.”

Turning around a corner of the hedge maze, Spike and Rainbow found themselves in a small clearing. A marble fountain quietly bubbled out water while the sound of late afternoon songbirds chirping merrily in the background could be heard. Petunias of every variety decorated the ground aside from a stone path leading through the clearing and forking in three directions.

“I kind of like this. I mean, it’s not the Cloudsdale Raceway, but it’s pretty cool, I guess.”

Spike smirked. “Rainbow Dash liking something that’s quiet and peaceful? Someone alert the presses!”

Rainbow shot Spike an annoyed look.

“I’m teasing you, Rainbow. You don’t need to get upset.”

Rainbow grumbled something unintelligible, but said nothing further.

“You know, I used to get lost in here when Twilight and I were younger,” Spike began, changing topic. “Sometimes, Princess Celestia or Princess Cadance would take us through here, and we’d play something like Hide and Go Seek. One time I got lost for a couple hours, and Princess Celestia ended up having a dozen Royal Guards looking for me for the better part of the night.”

Rainbow Dash snickered. “Twilight said you were a bit of a handful when you were younger.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but she never told you about how she ended up making it snow in the castle’s arboretum in the middle of summer when she was a filly, did she?”

Rainbow gave Spike a curious look, then laughed. “Really? How did that happen?”

“You want the short version or the long one?”

“We’ve got time. Might as well tell me all of it.”

Spike nodded as they headed down a path leading out of the clearing. “Right. So, I was helping Twilight study for an exam that she had the next day. She had decided it was a good idea to try coffee out for the first time and pull an all-nighter...”

About an hour later the two were exiting the garden maze, laughing quietly as shadows began to lengthen in the late afternoon sunlight.

“Wow, so...” Rainbow wiped away a tear. “So, how long did Princess Cadance’s mane stay like that?”

“About a month. I guess the one upside to it all was that having a mane of chrome means you don’t have to brush it,” Spike replied with a grin. “Just promise you won’t tell anyone about this. Especially Twilight. If she found out I told you this, she would probably turn my scales orange or have me sprout cauliflower from my back in my sleep.”

Rainbow put a hoof to her chest. “I won’t tell a soul. Promise.”

“Thanks.” Spike looked to one of the clocks on a street corner. “Well, we have about a half hour before our reservation time. Want to see if we can get in there early?”

The growling of Rainbow’s stomach beat her to the answer. She chuckled nervously and nodded.

“Great, I’m feeling pretty hungry myself.”

Spike led them down Marigold Avenue, passing by various shops that sold jewelry, artwork, dress and suits, and even a small shop selling gourmet chocolates. The Cypress could be seen as they neared the intersection of Marigold Avenue and Golden Ray Road. The small trees that gave the restaurant its namesake lined a cobblestone pathway leading towards the entrance. A statue of a unicorn sat on either end of the double doors, and a young unicorn stallion with slicked back hair and a fine suit on stood at the entrance.

The unicorn smiled as he greeted them. “Good evening, and welcome to The Cypress. Do have a reservation with us?”

“Yes, a table for two. The reservation should be under the name Spike.”

The maitre ‘d looked to the reservation list on the podium in front of him. He scanned the page, and his eyes halted on what Spike could only assume was his name. The unicorn’s eyes widened slightly. Spike wasn’t much a lip-reader, but he was pretty sure the unicorn was mouthing the word ‘princess’ several times. Eventually the stallion cleared his throat and then looked up to Spike, smiling a little wider than before. “Ah, of course, of course. Please, follow me and I shall show you to your table, sir and madam.” He lifted two menus up from behind the podium with his magic, and walked towards the double doors leading into The Cypress.

Rainbow gave Spike a curious look, “What’s with him?”

Spike just grinned. “I’ll tell you later.”

As soon as they were seated, the maitre’ d asked if there was anything he could start them off with. Rainbow took one look at the menu before setting it down and asking for a sarsaparilla cocktail with a splash of lemon. Spike just asked for a pitcher of water, and the maitre’ d quickly left to fetch their drinks.

“...with a splash of lemon?” Spike chuckled.

“Hey, it’s good,” Rainbow replied. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

Spike laughed. “Never knew you to be much of a sweet tooth when it came to drinks, Rainbow. I thought you were a fan of harder alcohol.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and picked a dinner roll from the basket in the center of the table. “I like those drinks too, don’t get me wrong, but I have Fluttershy to blame for my like of sarsaparilla. She won’t touch the heavy stuff, and she somehow convinced me to try it once. I’ve liked it ever since.”

That made sense, Spike thought. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were pretty close friends, and had known each other since their days as little fillies. If anyone could convince Rainbow to try something, it was Fluttershy.

The waiter quickly returned with their drinks, then asked if they were ready to order. Spike and Rainbow decided to split a large spinach and artichoke heart gourmet pizza pie, while Spike got himself a separate order of grilled eggplant and tomato with cheese.

“So,” Rainbow said as she took a bite from her pizza, “You never told me you knew Vinyl Scratch. When did that happen?”

“Hm? Oh, Vinyl kind of found me, actually. Since the club she co-owns is in Ponyville, she wanted to support the local businesses. She asked around, and my name eventually came up. Not sure who recommended me, but long story short, I’ve signed a contract to add on to the club’s bathrooms before the beginning of autumn season. Aside from getting a layout plan from her and giving her estimates and stuff, I haven’t really gotten to know her that well. I guess this is my chance to do that, huh?” He flashed Rainbow a big, toothy grin.

Rainbow laughed. “Don’t get any ideas. She’s already in a relationship with a mare from Canterlot named Octavia,” Rainbow replied with a teasing wink. “They’ve been together for almost seven years now.”

Spike chuckled. “Wasn’t planning anything, but thanks for the heads up.”

“She’s a bit of a flirt, though, so watch out. She does it mainly to tease Octavia a little.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, this is coming from personal experience, actually. We met once at the Rusty Shed Tavern, and we’ve been friends ever since...”

Spike snickered. “She sounds like an interesting pony.”

“Yeah, she’s the pony to go to for DJ work. I mean, she has a radio show every morning, runs a club, and does DJ work for parties.”

“Does she ever sleep?”

“Yeah, but she also drinks a lot of coffee. Octavia’s been trying to get her to quit.”

The two continued to exchange small talk, drifting from flying techniques and possible future training schedules to whether or not Daring Do really did have a short fling with an ex-Royal Guard in one of the latest books.

“I’m telling you, it was supposed to be subtle. If you read how they acted around each other afterwards while they were in the sewers of Baltimare and compare it to how they were day before, it’s obvious.”

“Rainbow, I think you’re grasping at straws, here,” Spike shook his head. “Daring’s never had romantic relations in the past volumes; why have one with some ex-Royal Guard who dies half-way through the story? It’s pointless, and even if it did happen, it contributed nothing to the character development or plot as far as I can tell.”

Rainbow was practically sulking in her seat. “...I still think she did...”

Spike rolled his eyes, then looked to the nearly empty tray of pizza. “You want the last slice?”

“Nah, I’m stuffed. Go for it.”

Spike smiled, and finished it in three short bites. His hunger sated, Spike smiled. He fished into one of his scale pouches and dropped a small pile of bits on the table. Not enough to pay for the meal, but more than enough to tip the waiter properly.

“You should have told me to pitch in, Spike. Hold on a second, I think I have...” Rainbow fished a few bits from her tail of all places and set them down. Spike gave her a curious look, which she noticed. “What?”

“How did you keep those in your tail all this time?”

“It’s a trick Pinkie taught me once,” Rainbow answered.

Had Pinkie Pie not been mentioned, Spike still would have been rather confused. However, as Twilight and he had long ago learned, sometimes you just have to accept things when it comes to Pinkie Pie, lest you drive yourself up a wall and find yourself spontaneously combusting and having your mane and tail flare up.

Rainbow quickly finished her drink, after which they decided to head out. The maitre’ d was hesitant to accept their tip, but they managed to convince him to take the bits for the wonderful service, considering their meal itself was free. Spike and Rainbow left the Cypress and walked out to the cool night air. The smell of growing plants drifted on the wind, and the quiet babbling of a nearby fountain filled in the comfortable silence between the two.

Rainbow had the slightest sway to her gait, which Spike believed could only be due to the five cocktails she had had in the past two hours.

“It’s kinda nice here when those uppity ponies aren’t all walking around,” Rainbow giggled a bit. She looked up at Spike and grinned. “I’m surprised you and Twilight aren’t like them.”

“Hey, not all Canterlotians are snobs,” Spike leaned down and whispered. “Just most of them are.”

Rainbow laughed loudly and gave Spike a friendly punch to the shoulder. “Thank Luna for the ones like you and Twilight, then!” She lifted off the ground, her wings flapping unsteadily for just a moment as she righted herself. She continued to keep pace with Spike, making slow circles over his head. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“Well, it’s not too late, I think we can make it back to Ponyville within the hour and be alright. I’ll probably do some more reading and get to bed by–”

“No, I mean...” Rainbow flew before Spike, her eyes meeting his. Her eyes had only the faintest signs of that distant look many get when they go out for a few drinks. “...what are you going to do now that well...y’know, Rarity and...”

Spike’s gaze fell to the ground, and that familiar feeling of hopelessness began to resurface.

Rainbow’s voice drifted off as Spike’s gaze fell to the ground, a somber look crossing his features. “Aw, I’m sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean to bring her up...” She silently berated herself, turning and beginning to fly ahead.

“Dash, it’s alright.”

“Sorry, I just...I kind of get chatty after I’ve had a few. I shouldn’t have–”

“I said it’s alright,” Spike put up a claw, and Rainbow went quiet. “To answer your question, Dash, I honestly don’t know. I mean...I’m not sure I’ll go looking for a relationship anytime soon. I mean, if I meet someone, who knows?”

Rainbow sighed. “I just...you two totally should have hooked up. I mean, you’ve had a thing for her for like... ever.”

Spike shrugged. “Should have, could have...it’s in the past, Rainbow. I still have feelings for her, and probably will quite a while. We’re still friends, though, and that’s more important than dating her to me.”

Rainbow was quiet for several moments. She studied Spike’s expression, and a small smile grew on her lips. She nodded. “Don’t change, Spike. Lots of mares would love to have a guy like you.”

Spike’s cheeks heated up. “Thanks.”

Rainbow flew a few more lazy circles overhead, then came to an abrupt landing. She shook her head slowly and groaned. “Ugh... I think I may have overestimated those drinks. I did ask for a strong mix on those last two...”

Spike chuckled before bending his knees further so that his belly was touching the ground. “Hop on; I’ll get us home.”

“Nah, it’s okay, I just...” She groaned, putting a hoof to her temple. “Ugh, actually... I think I might have to take you up on that offer, Spike.”

“Five cocktails will do that to you, I guess.”

Rainbow clambered onto Spike’s back, nestling between his shoulder blades as he stood back up. “Yeah...remind me to never ask for ‘the best they’ve got’ next time I order a large sarsaparilla cocktail, okay?”

“Will do,” Spike chuckled. He unfurled his wings and took in a deep breath of the night air. “You all set? I’m going to fly us home.”

“I’m good.”

He turned around to look over his shoulder. “Just sit tight, I’ll fly a little slower for you. We’ll be home in a half hour or so.”

“Aye aye, captain.” Rainbow gave Spike a salute. He grinned and slowly flapped his wings a few times. He lifted off the ground, and made a slow circle over Canterlot, then flew towards Ponyville.

By the time they arrived to Ponyville, the town was asleep. The street lamps were still glowing with soft candlelight, and a few spring peepers could be heard singing to each other just outside of town by the creek that lead to Fluttershy’s cottage. The stars twinkled softly as the moon made its graceful dance across the night sky.

Spike flapped his wings hard several times as he slowed down and landed with a dull thud on the dirt road near the residential area. He folded his wings up and turned to the bundle between his shoulder blades.

“Still awake, huh?”

“Mmmph, yeah...” Rainbow replied, followed by a yawn. She hopped off of Spike’s back and stretched a bit. “Thanks for the ride back to town, Spike.”

“No problem. You going to be alright flying home?” Spike asked.

“I’ll be fine.” She gave her wings a few flaps and smiled. “My house is floating a little ways north of the park right now. I should be fine.”

“You sure? I can fly you there and drop–”

“Spike,” Rainbow cut him off. “I’m sure. Thanks for the concern, but I’m not a helpless little filly.” She flashed him a grin. “I think you forgot who you’re talking to here.”

“Right, right.” Spike rolled his eyes as she lifted off the ground. “So, we still training tomorrow?”

Rainbow sighed and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve got double shifts tomorrow from eight in the morning until nine at night tomorrow.”

“Yowch... how’d that happen?”

“I’m covering for Dewdrop tomorrow evening. He’s going out of town to see his folks or something,” Rainbow explained. “Either way, I’m going to be busy most of the day. I have an hour lunch though at two o’ clock. You going to be free?”

“I will now,” Spike answered. “You want me to make you something?”

“Sure, as long as it’s edible and not gemstones.”

“Great, so now I have you and Twilight to worry about, huh?”

Rainbow grinned. “Hey, she said no gems for the rest of the month. As your friend and training partner, I can’t let you down either. You start eating gems, and it hurts me just as much as it hurts you.”

“Hmph. Try not eating hay fries for a month and see how long you last.”

“Alright, sure.”

Spike quirked an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash. “You’re serious?”

Rainbow grinned, then spit into her hoof. She held it out, offering it to him. “We’ll shake on it. You don’t eat gemstones for the rest of the month, and I won’t touch hay fries for the rest of the month. Sound fair?”

“Rainbow, you have hay fries almost three times a week, if not more.”

“Yeah, I’ll manage. Now, you going to shake or not?”

Spike shook his head and smiled. “Deal.” He spit into his own clawed hand and took her hoof, shaking it. “So, where do you want to meet for lunch, then?”

“I can just meet you at your work area. That’s where you’ll be, right?”

Spike nodded. “Sure. I’ll probably be getting more granite for the 2 Hot 2 Trot dance club tomorrow. I’ll be making the deliveries myself, so if I’m not at my work area I’ll probably be moving between there and the club.”

“Cool. I’ll look for you if you’re not at the work area then.” She lifted a little higher into the air. “Thanks for the great day, Spike. It was pretty neat getting to hang out, just the two of us.”

“Definitely. We should do this more often.”

Rainbow found herself nodding in agreement. “Yeah, we should! Maybe do something like this every week or every other one. I hear the Manehatten style pizza is amazing!”

“Pfft, nah. If you want a real pizza, you need to go to Chicacolt. That’s where you get the real stuff.”

“Well, anyway, I think we should do this more often, too. Maybe like...I dunno, just pick some random location on a day we’re both available and go there.”

“Haha, I think that could work.”

Rainbow nodded. “Alright, Spike. Thanks again.”

“Yep, have a good night. Thanks for coming with me.”

Rainbow gave a final wave and turned towards her home. As soon as she was out of sight, Spike turned towards the direction of his own home and began walking. Tomorrow would be another long day of work for him, but for some reason, he found himself looking forward to it. He decided not to ponder too much on it, and just continued on his way, humming quietly to himself and enjoying the peace of Luna’s night.

“It was so cool, Tank! There were old uniforms from way back when they started up, and I even found a book that talked about my Sonic Rainboom!”

Rainbow was currently curled up in her cloud bed, Tank nestled beside her as she talked about her day to him.

“You know, Spike’s really cool. I mean, he was already pretty cool, but today...I guess I got to see how much he’s grown up. Weird, huh?”

Tank gave Rainbow a small smile, showing that he understood. That, and he was probably teasing her a little.

“What? No, of course not. Well, I mean, it’s not that he’s...well, you know, ugly, but...he’s...my friend. That’s just not normal, and we’re not like that. We’re training partners, and reading buddies. Besides, he’s still getting over his thing with Rarity.”

Tank let out a low humming, and crawled onto Rainbow’s stomach. She smiled and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Tank. I love you too, buddy.” She held him up a little with her forelegs. “Still, Spike and I don’t have anything going on between us, got it? No need to go spreading rumors to Owloyicious or Opal, alright?”

The tortoise gave her a slow nod. Rainbow chuckled, gave him an affectionate nuzzle and placed him on her bed. Tank pulled his legs and neck in and was sleeping within minutes. Suppressing a giggle, Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around Tank and gently pulled him in close. She wasn’t quite ready to go to bed, but she wasn’t awake enough to do anything like read a book. So instead, she settled for thinking and reflecting on her day.

Spending time with Spike had been a real blast. No, they hadn’t raced each other, went and watched a Daring Do film, or pulled any pranks on unsuspecting ponies, but it had been fun. Rainbow had gotten the chance to just relax and be herself around a good friend without keeping up an appearance of mild-nonchalance that she usually had around her other friends.

She let out a sigh. It’s not like she didn’t feel comfortable being herself around her friends; it was quite the opposite, actually. However, she did it more out of habit than anything else. Just like the way Applejack was a little too defensive about her reputation as a hard worker, or Rarity and her obsession with fashion and gossip, Rainbow was always trying to keep up her appearance as the “cool” pony in town.

Around Spike, though, she didn’t really worry about it. He knew the real Rainbow Dash, just like the rest of her friends did. He didn’t care about the steady amount of fame she was gaining in Equestria, or the fact that she was shoe-in with the Wonderbolts. No, he was just happy to hang out with her, and had genuinely enjoyed her company.

It was unfair for a dragon like him to be left without a special somepony. He was kind (almost too kind, Rainbow thought), and would go out of his way to help you if needed something. He wasn’t above speaking his mind about something, especially if it was for your own good. He was a hard worker too, and she would be lying if she didn’t see the results of that. Thinking back to how small he had been no more than a few years ago, it was hard to believe how much he had grown. He was now a foot or two taller than Big Macintosh, and even she noticed how much muscle he had put on. His shoulder and pectoral muscles had especially grown in the past year, likely from all the rock-cutting and his flight training. It was rather surprising that he didn’t have mares flocking after him.

She was vaguely aware of the heat reaching her cheeks. She fought down the feeling, mildly disturbed by the sudden path her thoughts had taken.

I do not like Spike that way... she told herself. Even if he was funny, sensitive, and...and...

She groaned and rolled onto her back. Tank let out a grunting sound while slept. Not wanting to wake him up, Rainbow gently placed him on a blanket beside her bed so that he could rest peacefully. She looked up to her ceiling and frowned, brows furrowed as she thought of the young dragon.

Images of him laughing flashed through her mind followed by images of him flying in the midday heat, the faintest beads of sweat running down his flared neck. He would have a determined look in his eyes, like a steadily burning flame, and whenever she asked him if he was ready to quit, he would silently push on. She pictured him pulling rocks with that wagon of his, just like he had been the other day. He would be focused on the path ahead of him, and she would sneak a peek over her shoulder every so often, just long enough to see that familiar fire in his eyes.

She kicked the sheets off herself and got out of bed. Walking towards the sink, Rainbow turned on the faucet and splashed her face several times with cold water.

What the hay is wrong with me all of the sudden?

Looking at her reflection, she could still see the faint blush on her cheeks. Her wings were a flared out ever so slightly as well. She brushed a few strands of her unruly mane away from her eyes, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. She could stand to get her mane cut a little, though. Maybe she’d stop by and see if Snips could give her a simple trim for a few bits; the colt was looking to start up a business in a few years from what she heard.

Splashing her face a few more times, she dried her face off and returned to her bedroom. Slumping into her cloud bed, she sighed deeply pulled the covers over herself once more.

I must have drank more than I thought... Rainbow reasoned, though she knew that wasn’t true. She was relatively sober now, and even in her tired state of mind, she was aware that alcohol wasn’t the cause of her thoughts drifting to somewhat suggestive territory regarding Spike.

Closing her eyes, Rainbow did her best to avoid any further thoughts relating to the young drake. She would sort it out later, but for now she needed rest. She had another busy day ahead of her, and a sleepless night would do her no good.

Tomorrow, she thought. It can wait until then.

I don’t really have any idea what I’m doing here. I agreed to read a little and help edit a little, not edit the entire chapter or maybe even the entire story. It’s a little like the time I agreed to help with a fashion show. I figured that I’d be asked to help with lighting and audio and what not, but no; I was forced into modeling. It was almost as bad as the time I agreed to be a male cheerleader and had to be taken off the football field because I did the splits three foot off the ground and couldn’t undo the action before I landed. This just won’t stop happening. Anyway, editing was this was fun, I suppose. Better than crapping myself to death...the other activity of the day.
I’d like to conclude this editor’s note by stating the following: they should put more red ones in Skittles packages. I’m sick of the yellow ones.

L.V.K.
Crush/Kill/Destroy/Swag

Chapter 4: A Little Turbulence

Chapter Four- A Little Turbulence

At the foot of a large hill, just about a mile north of Ponyville’s town limits, Spike stood before the light-gray ore vein that was surrounded by other rocks. It had the faintest smell of chlorine. He had discovered it earlier this morning, and periodically returned to it as he continued to break apart large rocks for his numerous work orders. He was fairly certain it was silver, but he wasn’t entirely positive. If it was though, he may have just earned himself a small profit that would provide him with enough earnings to live off of comfortably into the next year. Considering the fact that he provided services in rock cutting and construction, working in the winter months was not much of an option, so the possible financial cushion would be a welcomed addition for him.

“Spike, hey!”

Looking up to the sound of a distant voice, Spike saw a group of six young mares walking up the road towards his work site. He quirked an eyebrow and waved.

What are they doing here? He thought to himself. Usually the Cutie Mark Crusaders would visit him during work to pass on a message from Twilight or one of the girls or have lunch during their half-hour between classes. Twist was always a welcome addition to those lunch visits, since she always let Spike test out one of her latest confectionary creations.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon tagging along could mean a variety of things, though. Most of said things were good...some were troublesome, though. A stallion–or drake in his case–learned quickly to never underestimate the “Filly Six”. The girls hadn’t always gotten along with each other, but like most foals, they had grown up and gotten over their old grudges towards each other. Now they were all close friends...and, Spike suspected, capable of short-range telepathy with each other.

Seriously, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Diamond Tiara...when they schemed or brainstormed it was something to witness. That, and you would be hard pressed to deny them of what they want.

“Hey, Scoots. What’s up?”

“Hey, Spike,” she answered, then nodded towards the rest of her approaching friends. “Heads up, by the way; the Equestrian Inquisition is coming. They heard about your dinner in Canterlot with Rainbow Dash a few days ago.”

Spike blinked, then looked to Scootaloo suspiciously. “You don’t say? I wonder how they found out...”

“W-what, you think I told them?” Scootaloo asked, a nervous grin on her face.

Spike sighed and debated on whether or not he should try and drive his chisel through one of his toes. At least then he’d have something less painful to endure than a bunch of overly-curious teenage fillies.

The voice of Diamond Tiara cut through his careful chiseling around the ore. “Spike, are you like, free for a moment?”

Sweet Luna, what did I do to deserve this? Spike turned around, a toothy grin forced onto his face. “Sure, why not?”

“So, we all heard ya went an’ had a fancy dinner with Rainbow Dash in Canterlot a couple of days ago...” Apple Bloom began, her voice taking on a conversational tone. Her expression held an air of innocence that only came with years of practice and living with Applejack and Big Macintosh, who could both see a lie coming from a mile away.

Spike nodded. “Yes, we did. Just a nice dinner between friends.”

“We heard it was at The Cypress. That’s a pretty expensive restaurant,” Diamond Tiara chimed in. “I mean, well, my daddy can afford it, but even he has to call for reservations a few weeks in advance. From what it sounded like, you got your reservation, like, without any problems at all.”

“I guess I was lucky, that’s all,” Spike replied evasively. He studied a claw with feigned interest while avoiding the scrutinizing gaze of the six ponies. “I’ve always had decent luck, after all.”

“So,” Twist pressed on. “How was the dinner?”

“It was nice.” Spike picked up his chisel, which he found rather fascinating all of the sudden.

“Did you do anything else in Canterlot?” Silver Spoon asked. “Like, go to the castle gardens?”

“Yep.”

Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, Twist, and Sweetie Belle all gasped while Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gave the four confused looks.

“You did? Wow, that sounds nice. How was it?” Sweetie Belle inquired.

Spike arched an eyebrow. “Okay, I guess. I showed her some of the statues and fountains.”

Twist grinned. “Did you do anything else?”

“Uh...we visited the museum? The Wonderbolts exhibit was there. I figured she would...” Spike’s eyes widened, then he cast the six ponies a weak glare. “What are you all doing here, anyway? I thought you guys had classes still.”

“Like, it’s three thirty in the afternoon. School’s been done for almost a half an hour.”

Spike looked to Diamond Tiara while raising an eyebrow. He gazed up towards the sky, taking note of the sun’s current position. “Really? Huh...must’ve lost track of the time.”

Diamond rolled her eyes. “Like, what’s so interesting about rocks that would make you lose track of time?”

He gestured towards his current project. “I found this ore. I...well, I think it’s silver, but I’m not sure. I started chiseling around it, but I think I’ll need an expert to take a look here and see–”

Silver Spoon was in front of the ore vein before Spike could finish speaking. She adjusted her glasses and looked at the vein from several angles. Then she took a tentative sniff, and her nose scrunched up. “I think that’s chlorargyrite. It’s not usually found in this part of Equestria. That’s definitely silver ore, though.”

“Chlorargyrite, huh? So, you really think it has silver in it?” Spike asked the gray coated filly.

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes, though there was a small smile on her lips. “Spike, my parents are the best silversmiths in the Central Equestrian valley, and I know precious metals,” she explained while taking a few steps back to look at Spike with a smile. “You must be, like, the luckiest dragon in Equestria, though! There’s not a lot of silver around our area.”

Spike smirked. “I did say I tend to have pretty decent luck.”

Silver Spoon continued. “Silver prices have increased by ten percent in the last three months.” She studied the ore vein a little more, nodding to herself. “I could help you get some mining tools. I think my father’s got a pickaxe at home and some better chisels to work with.”

“That’d be great, Silver Spoon. I don’t really do any mining, so I don’t own any real tools for the job. If you want, I can split the ore profits thirty-seventy, since you’re willing to help and–”

“Oh, that’s alright. My parents already have plenty of silver to work with. Just be sure to go to us when you want to have it completely extracted from the rest of the rock. Maybe you can have it made it into some jewelry–oof! What the hay, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo gave Silver Spoon an odd look. “Silver Spoon, maybe Spike’s already got plans for the silver. Maybe he’ll just use it to buy something he or somepony else might like? I mean, not everyone’s into jewelry, right?”

Silver’s eyes widened as she looked to Spike with a nervous smile. “O-oh, yeah! Whatever, it’s all, like, up to you, Spike. Just a suggestion, totally just offering advice, hahaha...”

Spike gave the six young mares a confused look. “I guess I could do that.” An awkward silence hung in the air for several infinitely long moments, the kind that most don’t want to break in fear that they might say something stupid or embarrassing. Spike eventually cleared his throat. “Um...so...?”

“Nice weather, huh?” Scootaloo began, conversationally.

“O-oh, yeah,” Spike agreed, gazing up once more at the sky. “Can’t beat a day like this.” Spike turned back to the girls and noted Sweetie Belle was biting her lower lip while dancing in place.

“Um...Sweetie Belle? Is everything–?”

“WhenareyouandRainbowgoingtostartdatingeachotherbecauseIthinkthatwouldsupercuteandyoutwowould–gah, shoot, stupid, stupid!” Sweetie Belle groaned while smacking her forehead with a hoof.

“Sweetie Belle!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “You said you wouldn’t ask that!”

“I-it slipped, honest!”

Spike looked at the six fillies, then rested his gaze on Sweetie Belle, giving her a confused look. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“Hahaha...oh, Sweetie Belle was...uhm...just saying how jealous she is that you and Rainbow Dash went The Cypress! Y-yeah, that’s what she said, eheheh...” Apple Bloom’s face scrunched up a bit as she broke eye contact with Spike. “Sweetie Belle was just uh...jealous, yep. She’s a real fan of those fancy restaurants...right, Sweetie Belle?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, heheh. I’m just silly that way. I guess Rarity is rubbing off on me,” Sweetie forced out a weak laugh while flashing Spike a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, you know how sthilly she can be,” Twist added, slipping into her old lisp as she flashed Spike a nervous grin. “S-so, yeah, uh, we’ll catch you later, Sthpike!”

“I’ll drop off the mining supplies at your place later!” Silver said quickly as she pulled Sweetie Belle away with a hoof covering her mouth.

The six suddenly took off, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon berating Sweetie Belle as Scootaloo just laughed out loud.

Spike watched them disappear over the hills leading back into town. He stared towards the direction they had taken off in for several seconds, then slowly shook his head. “Whatever.”

He turned to the large pile of granite rocks he had broken off from the hillside he was working on. Taking a look at the sun’s position, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. “Might as well get this off to Vinyl’s before it gets to be too late...”

Rainbow Dash was currently sitting on a cloud that floated a few feet off the ground, watching as Fluttershy tended to an injured fox, putting the finishing touches on wrapping bandages around the animal’s right foreleg.

“Now, I know it’s just a sprain, but I want you to remember to not put too much weight on that front paw of yours for a few days, alright? I’ll stop by your den later this week to check up on you, Mrs. Fox.”

The vixen nodded, then gave Fluttershy a lick on the cheek before hobbling off to her den. Fluttershy watched with a content smile as the fox disappeared back into her burrow, then packed up her medical kit.

“So,” Rainbow began. “I was thinking that Spike and I should go to this one restaurant in Chicacolt that serves deep dish pizza. He says he loves Chicacolt style pizza, but I’ve always liked Manehatten style more.”

Fluttershy gave Dash a small smile. “Well, maybe you could go to both? I mean, try out the restaurant in Chicacolt first, then you can bring him to Manehatten and show him a place where they serve kind of pizza you like.” She finished packing her medical supplies as she continued. “I think that’s very nice of you to go somewhere Spike likes, though. He’s been looking a lot happier as of late since you and him went to Canterlot.”

The faintest blush appeared on Rainbow’s cheeks. “W-well, yeah, we had fun. I just don’t like seeing him all down in the dumps, you know?”

“Oh, of course. He’s such a sweet drake, though, I really hope he finds a special somepony...or dragon.”

Rainbow gave no comment, though her face was several shades darker than before. This didn’t go unnoticed by Fluttershy.

“Rainbow Dash, are you alright?”

“Yes!” Rainbow replied, a little louder than she had intended. Fluttershy jumped back while eliciting a squeak. Rainbow gave Fluttershy an apologetic look. “Sorry, I...it’s just been a weird past couple of days for me.”

“Well, you’ve never been that big of a fan for Mondays, and today is Monday...” Fluttershy began. “Maybe you’re just having an ‘off’ day?”

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s been just...weird. You know?”

“Um...not really.”

Rainbow sighed. Vague images of Spike flashed through her mind. She groaned, then turned to Fluttershy, who was giving her a concerned look.

She’s been my friend for as long as I can remember. I can trust her, right?

“Hey, Fluttershy? Can you keep a secret?”

Fluttershy perked up. “A secret? Oh my, is it serious?”

“Well, sort of...”

Fluttershy nodded. “Well, I promise I won’t tell anyone. That is, unless, well, you talk to me about it, or you say it’s okay to talk about it...”

Satisfied with Fluttershy’s promise, Rainbow continued. “Okay, so...I...well, l-look, it’s just...well, it’s something really personal, and if the wrong pony hears about it, there might be problems, you know?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I understand, Rainbow... though, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable doing so.”

“No, I feel like I have to tell somepony or else I’m going to go nuts.” She hopped off her cloud and rubbed her temple gently with a hoof. “So...I’ve been having these dreams lately...dreams about...”

Fluttershy waited patiently for several long moments as Rainbow Dash struggled to find the words. The rainbow maned mare opened and closed her mouth several times, groaning in frustration as she grappled with what she wanted to say to her friend.

“Um...you said you were having dreams about something...?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow answered. “They’re...” She took in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, finally calming herself. “They’re dreams about Spike.”

“Spike?” Fluttershy repeated, confusion and surprise laced in her words.

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, you see...”

Fifteen minutes later found Rainbow sitting with her gaze glued to the grass and a hoof scraping at a small patch of clover idly. She couldn’t meet Fluttershy’s gaze, fearing what she would see. Sure, it was Fluttershy, but still...

“So that’s what has been bothering you?” Fluttershy began. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, that’s not nearly as bad as you’re making it sound.”

“What do you mean? I’ve been losing sleep over him! I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s...nothing like that, but...” Rainbow Dash gazed up at her friend, only to find a joyful beaming in the yellow pegasus’ eyes.

“Rainbow Dash...I think...”

Rainbow Dash put a hoof to Fluttershy’s lips, shaking her head rapidly. “No! Don’t you dare say it!”

Fluttershy frowned, and softly pushed her friend’s hoof to the side. “I...well, I really think you might, though.” She placed a gentle hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “You might have a crush on Spike.”

Rainbow shook her head fervently. “No way, I don’t believe it!”

Fluttershy actually rolled her eyes this time. “Rainbow Dash, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Personally, I think it’s kind of adorable.”

“Whoa whoa, what? Adorable? I don’t do adorable!”

“Maybe not, but Spike does it pretty well. Oh, don’t tell him that, though. He gets so upset when he hears stuff like that.” Fluttershy giggled a little as she watched Rainbow fold her forelegs over her chest stubbornly.

Rainbow looked away, the blush returning once more to her cheeks. “You think I might have a crush on him? But...it’s so...weird. I mean, I’m older than him, I’m his flight coach, and he’s just moved out of Twilight’s place. What would she think of me if she saw me making the moves on someone who’s practically her little brother? Besides, isn’t Princess Celestia like...the one who raised him until Twilight was old enough? Oh man, what would she think?”

“Well, when you put it like that...” Fluttershy gave her friend an understanding smile. “Still, you can’t deny that you like him that way, right?”

“I guess. I mean, he’s definitely got nothing to be ashamed of. Have you seen the muscle he’s put on in the past year?”

Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to blush a little. “I...yes, he has gotten a little more muscular.”

“Yeah, but even without the muscles, he’s a pretty neat guy. I already told you how fun he was to be around last Friday.” A smile formed on Rainbow’s lips. “He’s pretty cool to hang out with.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Rainbow Dash, I really think you should...um, well...maybe just let him know that you like him?”

At this suggestion, Rainbow’s smile vanished. “Actually, I probably shouldn’t.”

Fluttershy cocked her head to the side a little. “Why not?”

“I just...well, I’m sure there are better mares out there. I don’t want history to repeat itself and end up hurting him. Or myself.”

Fluttershy’s eyes softened. “Rainbow Dash...that was years ago; you were young. You’re not like that anymore. I know that. You know that.”

“Maybe,” Rainbow replied. “I know that a lot of the ponies our age around here think that I’ll go and find the first stallion or mare on the street and–”

“That’s enough,” Fluttershy said sternly. “Now you listen here, Rainbow Dash. I’ve said it once already; you were young. You made some not-so-smart choices. You got hurt, yes, but look at how you are now. You learned from it. I don’t hate you for what happened in the past, and you’re still one of my dearest friends.” She was right in Rainbow’s face now. “You are a wonderful, caring pony, and there is no reason why you don’t deserve to find a special somepony...or somedragon.”

Rainbow’s ears drooped a bit, her wings sagging to her sides. “Do you really mean that?”

“Of course I do. Anypony who says otherwise is just a big meanie-jerk.”

Rainbow smiled at Fluttershy. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I sometimes forget how well you know me, heheh.”

Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash a friendly nuzzle. “Oh, you don’t need to thank me. You’ve helped me plenty of times as well.” She pawed at the ground bashfully and smiled. “I-I don’t mind you thanking me, though.”

Rainbow got to her hooves and laughed. “You’re right. Maybe I should take this slow, you know? Take my time getting back out into the game.”

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it. I still think you should maybe ask him out before too long...I mean, you don’t have to, but...maybe you should....”

Dash nodded. “I know, I will...eventually...hopefully.” She let out a quiet chuckle. “I just...I want to get a feel for what it would be like. That and he is still getting over Rarity.” She lifted off the ground. “If he says he’d like to go out with me, cool. If not, can’t say I did any harm in trying, right?”

“Right,” Fluttershy agreed.

Rainbow puffed up her chest a bit. “Alright, I’m going to see how he’s doing. He should probably be finishing up work soon. He told me he was going to get up early today; something about wanting to get another load of granite over to the dance club before dinner time.”

“Alright, good luck!” Fluttershy’s voice called out as Rainbow took off towards the other end of town.

Within two minutes, Rainbow Dash could make out the large purple frame of Spike as he worked into the side of one of the nearby mountains just past Ponyville’s outskirts.

“Spike! What’s up?” Rainbow called out.

Looking up, Spike turned towards Rainbow and grinned, waving a single claw in her direction. “Hey, Rainbow. I’m just finishing up here.” He thumbed towards a large wagon full of rock. “Got about six tons today. I should probably be able to get to building up the expansions for 2 Hot 2 Trot’s bathrooms before the end of the week now.”

“Sweet! Um, you want some help?”

Spike gave her an easy smile. “Sure, if you want to help again. It’s more than last time, though.”

Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively. “Pfft, nothing I can’t handle.” She looked at the wagon for several long seconds. “So...six tons, huh?”

“You don’t have to help, Rainbow. I can pull it on my own easily enough.”

“N-no! I want to, it’s just...that’s a lot.”

“I’ve hauled more in the past.” He lumbered towards the large wagon, appearing to make a mental tally of his haul for the day. “That should be all of it.”

Rainbow exhaled, then nodded to herself. “Alright, Spike, you got that extra harness?

Several minutes later found the two once again pulling rock down the trail leading back into Ponyville. Spike, once again, found the work easier with Rainbow there to distract him.

“So...yeah...I told Dizzy Twister to send a letter to...” Rainbow Dash paused in the midst of her storytelling to blow a strand of her mane from her eyes. “...to Cloudsdale. We probably won’t hear back from the Weather Factory’s weather committee for at least two weeks, but that’s the most I’m giving them. They’ve been falling further and further behind on the weather schedule they sent out to us. Did you know it was supposed to be a downpour today?”

Spike looked up to the sky briefly. Not a single rain cloud for miles. “No kidding?”

“Yeah, and the worst part...gah, I better not get any chaffing marks from this...is that we’ve had to assign ponies to third shift work just to make sure we don’t get any sudden changes in weather from Cloudsdale. It’s bad enough that Everfree is so darn close, but at least that weather sticks over there most of the time.”

“Why don’t you just bring it up with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? I’m sure they can do something about it,” Spike suggested.

“No way! I don’t want to tick off the Weather Factory by having the Princesses pay them a sudden visit because of a complaint from us. The last thing I need is for the Ponyville weather ponies to be on bad terms with Cloudsdale.”

Spike grunted, understanding where she was coming from.

The town square was rather calm when they finally reached it. The few vendor stalls still standing looked to be in the middle of closing, their owners packing up their wares and produce as a sparse number of late-arrival customers bought what they could.

As they rounded a corner, Spike and Rainbow were able to make out the flashing lights of a building that stood at the far end of Lofty Breeze Street. The neon green and pink lights would flash ‘2 Hot 2 Trot’ every few seconds, then a dozen neon blue bulbs surrounding the sign would light up.

“Right, here we are.” Spike stopped behind the building next to a large pile of granite that he had dropped off the day prior. “Thanks for the help, Dash. I can take it from here.”

Dash undid her harness and watched as Spike slowly unloaded his cargo next to the already existing pile.

“I think I might stop inside the club real quick. Want me to let them know you’re dropping off some more granite for them or something?”

Spike shrugged as he set down a large boulder. “If you want. I already let them know the other day what I was doing.”

Rainbow nodded, and made her way towards the club’s front entrance, and was immediately greeted by loud bass music. Aside from the well lit bar, the place was rather dark. A dance floor stood in the middle of the building, and there were a few tables surrounding it while a DJ booth sat in one of the far corners. Flashing lights flickered across the floor, casting patterns of color every few seconds. The place seemed rather empty aside from a pony tending the bar, two mares sitting at a table, and a familiar unicorn behind the DJ booth.

Rainbow smiled to herself as she made her way towards the far end of the room where Vinyl Scratch was stationed. The unicorn mare’s white coat and two-toned blue mane was practically glowing beneath the black lights. Rainbow idly wondered how she herself must have looked right now.

Vinyl eventually glanced up, and lifted up her glasses to get a better look at Rainbow. Her mouth split into a wide grin upon recognizing the pegasus. “Rainbow Dash! It’s been a while!”

“Heya, Vinyl. How’s it going?”

Vinyl walked out from behind her booth and bumped hooves with Dash. “Not bad. It’s still quiet right now. This place doesn’t really get busy until nine at night anyway. Caramel and Blossomforth just like to come here and have a drink once in awhile.” She nodded towards the two ponies sitting at a table in one of the far corners of the club. “What brings you here?”

“Actually, I just wanted to let you know that Spike is out back dropping off another load of rocks for the expansion on your bathrooms.”

Vinyl laughed. “Spike’s here? Cool, this is just what I was hoping for!” Vinyl turned towards small hall in the back of the club, stopping at a door with a glowing EXIT sign over it.

Dash quirked an eyebrow as she followed behind. “What’s up?”

Vinyl looked over her shoulder to Rainbow, her smile still on her face. “Well, Jamboree and I have been running this club for not too long, but it’s been doing great so far. Still, we’ve been getting so many new ponies here that the number of customers has almost doubled in the past three months. We’ve been having lines outside of restrooms, too. So, Jamboree and I decided that Spike’s hard work’s earned him free drinks for a night if he wants them. I mean, yeah, we’re paying him for the work, but he’s doing some serious stuff here. Did you know he’s got plumbing experience?”

“Wait, really? I didn’t know he offered that kind of work.”

“Well, technically,” Vinyl began, her tone a little smug, “he doesn’t, but he spent about a month studying up on plumbing and stuff. About a week ago he showed up at our place and offered to install plumbing for an additional four hundred bits.” She shook her head and chuckled. “That’s the cheapest deal we could find, so we took it. All we have to do is get the actual latrines and sinks. That big softie is practically giving us the bathroom with how much we’ve been making here each week.”

Rainbow grinned. “Haha, he’s just becoming a jack of all trades.”

“Yeah, and like I said, he’s giving us a good deal,” Vinyl added. “So, Jamboree and I figured he’d appreciate a little sample of what we have to offer here.”

Vinyl opened the door with her magic, raising a hoof to shield her eyes from the daylight. “Ugh, too bright.”

“Vinyl, you’re wearing sunglasses...”

“I know! That sun’s crazy-bright, isn’t it? Princess Celestia’s gotta tone it down a few million lumens!”

Rainbow decided not to comment on Vinyl’s nocturnal habits, and instead followed her as she made her way towards Spike, who was nearly finished unloading the stone from his wagon.

“Yo, Spike, my main dragon! How’s it going?” Vinyl called out.

Spike set down a pony-sized boulder and looked up. “Vinyl? Hey, good to see you.” He got down onto all fours as the two approached. He curled his claws into a loose fist and bumped hooves with her. “That’s the last of the stone. Should be enough to make that addition to your bathrooms. Give me about a month and I should have the plumbing and the new stone walls all finished.”

“Loving the sound of that, Spike. So, you’re finished with work for today then, right?”

Spike shrugged. “More or less. I was going to probably head home and get a shower in, maybe make something to eat or–”

“How about you come in and unwind for a bit? You deserve it, bud. Any drink you want is on us tonight. Play your cards right and might get something extra out of it.” She pulled down her sunglasses and winked.

Spike blushed in spite of himself. Rainbow let out a laugh and nudged Vinyl. “Come on, Vinyl, ease up on him.”

Vinyl rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine.” She replaced her sunglasses and gave Spike a hopeful smile. “So? Whattya say? Free drinks, good music, comfortable atmosphere, beautiful mares like Rainbow and yours truly to flirt with... can’t go wrong, right?”

Spike scratched his cheek and looked to the ground, mumbling out something that sounded a lot like ‘gotta get up early’. Rainbow, on the other hand, could feel another faint blush rising up to her cheeks. She fought it down, focusing instead on the drake before her.

“Come on, Spike. It’ll be fun! Maybe...maybe you’ll even catch some mare’s eye, right?”

Spike’s eyes widened for a moment, then he slumped. Rainbow groaned internally, scolding herself for bringing up the topic of romance, be it a one-night stand or otherwise, around him. She should’ve known better; he was still getting over his incident with Rarity, after all.

“I-I mean, that’s not important, though. We can just chill, you know?”

Spike looked up at Rainbow, his toothy smile returning to his face. “Yeah...that’d be alright.” His eyes remained locked with hers for several seconds.

Vinyl was quiet as the drake and pegasus exchanged a silent conversation between each other. Her confused look slowly became a knowing grin, and she laughed. “So, Spike, is that a ‘yes’?”

“Huh?” Spike blinked. “O-oh, yeah! Sure! I guess stopping in for a little while won’t do any harm.”

“Another round, Jamboree! One Applebuck an’ one Sun Buzz!”

Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof onto the counter as she shouted out her order to the bartender. She was flushed in the cheeks, and there was an assortment of empty glasses of varying sizes set before her and Spike. Time had slipped by the two, and the clock on the wall was now reading eleven in the evening.

“I don’t know, Dash, I’m probably good for tonight after this, heheh.”

Rainbow turned to Spike, grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah? ‘Kay, this’ll be the last one for tonight...kay? I’d call Vinyl for a last round with us...but she’s in her groove right now.” She nodded over to the DJ unicorn, who was currently playing some ‘sick beats’, as she had so eloquently put it earlier when she had a pint of ale with the two.

“Sure, sure...” Spike gave a nod to his pegasus friend, his own cheeks a lighter hue of red. “You going to be able to fly home tonight?”

Rainbow snorted out a laugh. “Pfft, prob’ly not.” She shook her head more than was necessary. “Guess I’ll just walk over to Fluttershy’s and...I’unno, ask if she’ll let me crash for the night or something.”

Spike took the double shot of Equestrian whiskey and that Jamboree set in front of him and dropped it into a glass of citrus juice. He gave a toothy grin to Jamboree. “Thanks.”

“No problem, sweetie,” Jamboree replied with a smile while nodding over to Rainbow Dash, her white and purple mane bobbing a little. “She can get pretty rambunctious, especially after a few Applebucks. Just make sure she gets to a warm bed in one piece.”

“Ugh, I’m not some helpless little filly, Jamboree,” Rainbow groaned. She took the glass of brown and amber liquid into both hooves that Jamboree set before her and licked her lips. Then she looked to Spike’s own drink and snorted. “How the hay are you still standing after...what..eight of those?”

Spike shrugged as he swirled his concoction of hard liquor and citrus juice. “Dragons have a higher tolerance for alcohol, I guess. Never really looked into it.”

Rainbow pouted as she studied her drink. “I wish I was a dragon sometimes. Wait,” She gasped. “Actually, I don’t think I’d be able t’do a Sonic Rainboom as a dragon. That’d stink...”

Spike snorted. “Maybe you’d breath rainbow flames.”

“Oh, dude, Spike, that’d be awesome!” She looked to Jamboree, who was watching the two with an amused look as she cleaned a glass. “Jamboree, if you had a choice between earth pony and dragon, what would you take?”

“I’ll stick with being an earth pony.”

“But...fire breath! Wings!”

“Shedding scales,” Jamboree countered.

“Oh, she’s got a point there. That’s never fun.” Spike sighed. “It doesn’t get any easier, too. In a few years I’m going to have to find a nice rock bed to help me remove the ones on my back.”

“A rock bed?” Rainbow repeated. “Why?”

“To roll on and get the hard to reach scales. Trust me, it’s annoying to have old scales clinging to you.” He lifted his drink up to his lips and threw it back in a single gulp. He smacked his lips a few times, shook his head once, and covered his mouth with a claw and burped. A few embers of green escaped his mouth. “Guh...yeah, I’m done.”

Jamboree snickered. “I think you’d have put Cheerilee to shame when she was younger, Spike.”

Rainbow grinned. “You mean Cheerilee used to be a party-animal?”

Jamboree shook her head and laughed. “You have no idea. Back when I used to visit my aunt and uncle’s place, Cheerilee and I would go bar-hopping. She could probably drink most of the ponies here under the table...well, she could have about seven or eight years ago. My cousin’s not much for the bar scene anymore, especially with being a teacher and all the schoolwork she has to deal with.” She turned to Spike. “Besides, trying to drink a dragon under the table would end badly.”

Spike set down his empty glass, his smile becoming smug. “Probably would for most ponies.”

“Pssh, dragons are so lucky.” Rainbow threw back her own drink, setting it down and licking her lips in satisfaction.

“Calling it a night, then?” Jamboree began to clear away the empty glasses and setting them in the sink behind her.

“Yeah, we got training in the morning,” Rainbow stated as she looked to Spike.

“W-wait, flight training?” Spike literally paled. “ What time?”

“I ‘unno...noon?”

“After how much we drank, you really think we’re going to be ready to do flight drills?”

“Eh, you’ll be alright...” Rainbow got down from her stool, stumbling forward a little and catching herself. “Whoa, heheh. Yep, def’nitely not flying tonight, haha.” She turned back to Jamboree. “How much I owe ya?”

“I got it,” Spike stated as he dug into his scale pouches. He set down a healthy sum of bits, then got down from his extra large bench that Vinyl had brought out for him. “That should be enough.”

Jamboree looked at the pile of bits, then back at Spike. “Sweetie, Vinyl and I said you didn’t have to pay for anything tonight.”

“Then that’s for Rainbow Dash’s drinks.”

Jamboree frowned. “That’s more than enough to pay for both your drinks.”

“Yeah, c’mon, Spike...” Rainbow walked over and nudged the drake with a hoof. “I got this.” She began to pull out a smaller sum of bits that she had stashed away in her tail.

Spike shook his head. “Nah, it’s on me.”

Rainbow paused, pouting at the drake. “Spike...”

The dragon wasn’t giving in, though. “Come on, can’t a friend buy drinks for a friend?”

“I...” Rainbow paused, her mouth opening and closing several times. Eventually she grumbled and threw her front hooves into the air as she flared her wings. “Fiiiine, you win!” Folding her arms, she hovered in place and continued to pout.

“Careful, Dash. I think someone’s trying to woo you tonight,” Jamboree joked.

Jamboree’s comment had an instant effect on the pegasi. Rainbow Dash whirled around, a little too quickly, and fell onto her rump. Spike gave the purple coated mare behind the bar a flustered look, then began shaking his head rapidly.

“N-no, it’s not like that at all, Jamboree! I-I just...” Spike groaned as Jamboree covered her mouth with a hoof, giggling in amusement. “You’re worse than Vinyl.”

“Oh hush,” Jamboree waved a hoof dismissively. “At least I don’t flirt with my customers.” Her pink irises shined under the dim lighting of the bar, and her demure smile became more seductive. “Although, I like to think I’m an open-minded mare. You never know...” She winked playfully.

Spike looked away. “Th-that’s alright, Jamboree.”

Rainbow was back on her hooves, swaying slightly but otherwise perfectly fine. She shot Jamboree an annoyed look. Jamboree replied by sticking out her tongue at Rainbow and laughing as the pegasus.

“Take care, you two. Good luck with your flight training tomorrow,” Jamboree called out as they made their way out of the club.

The cool evening air washed over them as they walked through the double doors of 2 Hot 2 Trot. The faintest wisps of steam could be seen coming out of Spike’s nostrils, and Rainbow unconsciously found herself walking closer to him, heat radiating from him like the warmth from a fireplace.

Spike nearly stumbled as he felt the weight of Rainbow against his side. Every so often she would begin to nod off, her head drooping forward before she would catch herself, mumbling something that Spike couldn’t quite understand.

“Rainbow...do you want me to carry you?”

Rainbow Dash looked up to Spike, rubbed her eyes with a hoof, then yawned deeply. “Yeah...sorry...”

Spike just laughed gently. “It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

Rainbow let him scoop her up into his right arm, cradling her like a little foal. She felt his weight shift as he stood upright on his two back legs. The warmth flooding out of his chest was wonderful, and her eyelids began to close. She felt the rumbling of Spike’s chest as he talked, though she couldn’t make out the words he was saying.

“...Dash...Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow cracked open an eye. “Hm’yeah?”

“I’m kind of tired, too. Fluttershy’s place is a long ways from here, and I’m past any legal limit to fly.” He carefully adjusted her in his arms. “You just want to crash at my place? I’ll let you have the futon.”

Rainbow hummed, her mind clouded by one too many drinks and the soothing warmth of her draconic friend. “Yeah...yeah, cool...”

Spike snorted, holding back the laughter as Rainbow curled up in his arms.

I guess this isn’t so bad... Spike thought as he turned down the dirt road that lead out of Ponyville and towards his own home. His eyes adjusted to the faint moonlight, following the path as it became more uneven, winding between trees and hills. Some late spring peepers were calling in the distance, likely from the stream that ran by his house. The hooting of an Equestrian Brown Owl could be heard in one of the pine trees. Spike idly wondered if it was Owloysius. He lifted his free claw and waved in the general direction of the owl’s call, just in case it was his nocturnal friend.

“...ya gotta...Buccaneer Blaze...mmnn...”

Spike looked down to the mare in his arms, stifling a laugh as she muttered in her sleep.

She’s practicing even in her sleep. Yeesh... He brushed away a few strands of her colorful mane, only to draw his claw back and frown. Stop that. You can’t go getting your hopes up like that, Spike. Especially with someone as cool and popular as Rainbow Dash...

He sighed. It wouldn’t work, anyway. She’s a pony, you’re a dragon. Nope. No way, no how.

His large stone house came into view as he made his way over a hill. Within five minutes he was at the front door. He unlocked the door and pushed it open as quietly as he could. He walked towards the center of his living space. He pulled out his extra large futon with a foot, and gently lay Rainbow Dash on it, propping her head on a pillow and placing a blanket over her.

Spike stretched his wings out a bit, and walked over to his kitchen space. He got a glass of water for himself, and cleaned a few plates he had left out from a meal he had a day ago. He was tired, yes, but he was a bit restless, too. Twilight had explained after some research on dragons that male dragons, especially adolescents, would have random periods of restlessness. He couldn’t remember exactly, but she had said it was something to do with increasing testosterone levels. In other words, it was hormonal junk that he didn’t care enough about at the moment.

Stupid hormones... Spike thought as he set the last plate into its proper place in the cupboard. He fell back down to all fours and made his way towards his sleeping space. Rainbow Dash was gently snoring. She had shifted in her sleep, the blanket having become tangled in her back legs while her wings were fanned out at her sides.

He quietly lowered himself onto the opposite side of his futon, being extra careful to avoid moving it. He doubted Rainbow would awaken from her drunken sleep, but he didn’t want to risk it. He tucked his wings to his sides and wrapped his tail around his body.

Letting out a long, tired breath, he opened an eye and glanced at his guest for the night. Even with her mussed up mane, he couldn’t help but find her attractive. It was natural; he was a young, hot-blooded drake. She was a female, albeit a pony, with a fit and trim body.

He grumbled and turned away. Stop that, you idiot. No need to repeat things again.

Spike’s mind began to drift to Rarity, much to his chagrin. He wondered if she was happy with Fancypants. He was fairly certain she was. Why shouldn’t she be? He was, as far as he knew, a well-to-do stallion with good looks and class that fit her own lifestyle perfectly. He knew Rarity wouldn’t settle on looks and social standing alone, though. No doubt he was a wonderful pony, and Spike was certain he’d like him if he truly got to know him.

A muffled noise came from Rainbow Dash, followed by a snort and grumble. Spike stifled a chuckle and studied her as she continued to slumber, blissfully unaware of her surroundings and the dragon lying beside her.

He couldn’t deny it; her bed head was adorable. The stray strand of red, orange, and yellow stuck out at an odd angle, but he’d be damned if he didn’t think the look was perfect on her.

I wonder if she actually brushes her mane or not.

His attention turned away from her mane, settling on her face. A light trail of drool was forming on her lower lip, and this time Spike couldn’t hold back his laughter. Rainbow didn’t even seem phased by the noise, continuing to snore away.

Her wings twitched every so often. He imagined her dreaming of flight...though he doubted that with the amount of alcohol she had consumed that she would remember any of the dream at all. Maybe she dreamt of her future with the Wonderbolts...or an adventure with Twilight and the girls.

A smaller, much quieter voice in the back of his mind wondered if she thought of him at all. He squashed that voice and shoved it back into the darkness of his subconscious.

Rainbow had been right though. Spending the night at 2 Hot 2 Trot with her had been great. They had laughed, told stories, and just enjoyed time together as friends. She hadn’t gone and boasted anything or tried to act cool (or rather, didn’t over exaggerate her boasts and act ‘too cool’). It felt...good. He didn’t have to worry about acting offensive or pretending to be something he wasn’t. He didn’t have to keep up appearances. All she had ever wanted was for him to have fun.

Spike’s closed his eyes, the last image being that of the rainbow-maned pegasus sleeping soundly next to him. He felt a little more at ease, and his restlessness had suddenly vanished. His brooding thoughts over Rarity was still there, but it had been muffled by the presence of Rainbow Dash.

Guess I owe her thanks for more than just teaching me to fly...

Rainbow’s mind awoke to a wonderful and familiar smell. Only this smell wasn’t accompanied by smoke and cursing from her.

Eggs. She loved them, but her skills in cooking left much to be desired. The best she could do was scrambled eggs, since anything else she tried to make with them ended up breaking apart anyway.

She rose up, only to groan as her vision swayed for a moment. She let her brain catch up with her senses, and slowly, ever so slowly, sat up. Her head was pounding, only a little, but it was enough to remind her that she had drank just a tad too much last night.

“Ah, you’re up earlier than I expected. Breakfast will be done in a moment.”

Rainbow gaze fell upon none other than Spike, who was currently standing behind the counter of his kitchen, cooking what looked like omelettes on his range. He had a light, frilly apron on from what she could tell by viewing his backside. He picked up a spatula and twirled it in his claws once before flipping one of the omelettes with practiced ease. It landed back in the pan, perfectly intact.

“Heh, show off,” Rainbow chuckled as she got up from her spot on the futon. “Hey, thanks for letting me crash here. I must have been out of it, huh?”

“Eh, you weren’t horrible, but I’d definitely say you were a little more than tipsy.”

Rainbow flushed in the cheeks, looking down to the ground. “Oh Celestia, what did I do? Please don’t tell me I did anything stupid.”

Spike looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Nah, I just had to carry you back. Nothing big.”

Rainbow cringed. “Oh wow, really? Sorry about that...”

“No worries,” Spike replied with a wave of his claw as he returned to the eggs. “Just sit down and chill, breakfast is almost ready.”

Her stomach decided at that moment to make itself known, growling loud and long. “Great, I’m starving.”

“I’ll bet. I wanted to make some crepes or pancakes, but I figured with the flight training you said we’d be doing today, it’d be best not to make something so filling. So, omelettes it is.”

A warbling, singing tune suddenly filled the air. Rainbow turned towards the eastern window, only to be greeted by the sight of a young male phoenix. She grinned, recognizing the bird right away. “Peewee!”

Peewee puffed up at the sight of Rainbow Dash, trying his best to look impressive and colorful. Spike watched the display and rolled his eyes. “Easy, Casanova, don’t want Philomena to find out you’re flirting with other girls now.”

Peewee’s eyes snapped open, and he let out a slightly panicked squawk. He flitted over to Spike and began chattering in his avian tongue. While Rainbow couldn’t hope to guess what he was saying, she had a fair idea by the bird's body language.

“Oh relax, I’m just teasing, buddy.” He flashed Peewee a friendly grin. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Philomena’s already aware of your crush. What did you send her last week? Some honeyed sunflower seeds and a daisy?”

Peewee looked to Rainbow Dash, and she swore she could see the faintest hint of crimson on his cheeks. He warbled again, quieter this time. Spike chuckled, and scratched Peewee gently on the neck, eliciting a coo from the bird.

“Just give it time, Peewee. You’re still really young, and she’s almost three hundred years old.”

Flaring his wings majestically, Peewee let out a loud, melodic chirruping sound.

“Yes, well, you’re still too young to worry about finding a nest-mate, anyway. I doubt Philomena would feel right settling down with a phoenix who’s barely an adult...oh stop that sulking, Peewee. Just...get to know her better. She’d probably appreciate that more than you trying to court her right away.”

Peewee was quiet for several long moments. He nodded once, then flitted off of Spike’s arm and took to the air. He circled above Spike and Dash a few times, then flew back out the door.

“Wow...” Rainbow blinked. “He’s in a hurry.”

Spike removed the two omelettes from the large frying pan and placed them on two separate plates. “It’s spring right now. Phoenixes are restless this time of year, since it’s a time of growth and life waking up. They’re magical creatures, so rebirth and all that stuff is tied pretty closely to them.” He smirked as he moved towards a table and set down their breakfast. “That, and hormones.”

“Ah, poor guy,” Rainbow laughed. “How come I haven’t seen him around lately? The girls miss him showing up at the weekly pet play date, you know.”

“Well, he’s getting older. I don’t like the idea of him staying cooped up in here all day, so I let him come and go as he pleases. He’ll probably settle down when summer hits, and stick around when fall and winter comes.”

Breakfast was filled with conversation between the two relating to their plans for training today. Most of it, to Spike’s dismay, was going to involve running and endurance work.

“Well, we gotta burn off all those gemstones somehow.”

“Technically flying would burn them off quicker,” Spike stated.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t hurt to be fast on the ground, too. I’m not just a fast flier, you know.” She dusted her hoof against her chest, giving him a confident grin. “You gotta be good at other stuff too if you’re going to be a real athlete.”

“I thought we were just trying to improve my flight, though.”

Rainbow shrugged. “We are. Like I said, endurance training is good for anything. Get’s your heart going, gets those lungs breathing. You know, cardio work.”

“Hmph, fine. I still think you’re just trying to punish me because Twilight was upset with me over the gemstones.”

“You know, Scootaloo hardly complained about any training we did,” Rainbow sighed. “Look at her now. She’s a pro with that scooter of hers, and she’s a pretty good flier, too.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “That’s like comparing a potato plant to an apple tree, Rainbow. One is a lot bigger than the other, and they both grow and develop differently.”

Rainbow frowned, folding her forelegs together. “If you don’t want to train, fine.”

Spike sighed. “Of course I want to train. I just...” Spike looked at Rainbow closely. She seemed genuinely upset about this. He had to remind himself that she was taking time out of her day to help him. Griping was hardly a decent way to thank her.”

“Actually, I probably could stand to do some running and lose a few pounds.” He patted his stomach and gave her a sheepish grin.

Rainbow shook her head at him and laughed. “Pfft, you could grind rocks into sand on those rock-hard abs, Spike. I’m just talking about your overall stamina and stuff. You’re strong, but there’s always room for improvement.”

“Well, you’re the coach. You’re the expert here,” Spike conceded while grinning a little. “So, when do you want to head out and train?”

“Probably now. We’re going to do some laps around Ponyville, probably until noonish. Then we’ll finish up with some power-sets and a cool-down run.”

Spike held back a groan. Looks like it was going to be another exhausting day for him.

“So...after I finished up flight camp, I got a part-time job as a weather pony in Ponyville. The commute was a bit of a pain, so after a few years I managed to buy a cloudhouse and move it over here. I’ve been here ever since.”

Rainbow looked up to Spike as he continued taking in slow, deep breaths, just like she had taught him when they first started training. It was tempting to just take in faster, shorter breaths, but Rainbow had told him from the start that he’d just be wasting his energy. Bigger breaths allow for more oxygen to be absorbed into his lungs’ air sacs, after all.

“That...cloudhouse...must’ve cost...a lot...” Spike commented, trying to maintain his deep breath intervals. “I mean...the material for my house...cost about...25,000 bits in all...and I didn’t hire anyone...to build it...”

Rainbow Dash fell silent. Spike noticed the lack of a response, and looked down to her. She had an unreadable expression on her face.

“Rainbow...you alright?”

Rainbow snapped out of whatever trance she had been, and looked up at Spike, and grinned. “H-huh? Oh, yep! Sorry, kind of spaced out there, didn’t I?” She laughed. “Yeah, but I’m glad I decided to move over to Ponyville. Cool town, not too crowded, and you don’t have to worry about anyone bumping into you as often while you’re practicing your stunts.”

Spike slowed down a little. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well...I don’t know, you just sort of tuned everything out there all of the sudden. Something bothering you?”

Rainbow came to a stop beside Spike. “Nah, everything’s cool.” She looked to the sky and noted the position of the sun. “Looks like it’s about noon. Wanna take a breather before we get to the last part of training for today?”

“Sure,” Spike replied, and sat down on the grass, enjoying the reprieve from his intense workout. “So, how’s Tank been?”

“Pretty good. I brought him over the other morning before work to have Twilight cast her extended cloudwalking spell on him. He’ll be good for another month before his next appointment.”

Rainbow lay down on her back, enjoying the feeling of the grass beneath her. “Aw yeah...don’t get any better than this, Spike. Those muscles burning...gotta love it.”

“Eh, not so sure I have the same love for fatigue and exhaustion, but suit yourself.” He smirked. “Not all of us are as amazing as you, after all.”

Rainbow Dash grinned, but it quickly faded. “Well...I mean, you’re pretty good at this stuff too, Spike. I mean, I’m good...but it doesn’t mean I’m perfect.”

Spike quirked an eyebrow. “You running a fever, Rainbow Dash?”

The mare frowned, and looked away. “No. Geesh...”

“Are you okay, Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash looked back at him, her frown still in place. “Do you think I’m really that awesome?”

Spike smiled. “Well...you do get some pretty harebrained ideas. Still, I’d say you’re one of the best ponies I know when it comes to athletics. Maybe a little full of yourself, but who isn’t? Even so...” Spike’s smile became a full-blown grin. “You’re easily one of the coolest ponies anyone could meet, and a great friend.”

Rainbow smiled, the faintest of blushes on her face. “You’re...you’re pretty awesome too, Spike.”

Spike laughed. “I try.”

“I-I mean, it, Spike.” Rainbow looked up at him, a serious expression now on her face. “I wish I were as smart as you sometimes. You’re funny, super-smart,”

“Twilight is super-smart, Rainbow. I’m just above average at best.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Still, next to Twilight, you’re probably the smartest Ponyvillian around. You’re also really strong.”

“Well, maybe by pony standards. As far as dragons go, I’m about aver–”

Rainbow Dash’s wings flared up. “Stop selling yourself short, Spike!” She was suddenly in his face, wings flapping as she hovered inches in front of him. “First you’re saying you don’t think you can compete with others at the Best Young Flyer competition, and now you’re saying you’re average?” She shook her head, her blush increasing. “You don’t see yourself the way I do! I see a dragon who won’t back down from a challenge, and who can always be counted on when the going gets tough!”

Spike craned his neck back away from her. He wasn’t sure what to make of Rainbow Dash all of the sudden. She could get passionate about her drills, but...this was her talking about him in particular.

“If you just believed in yourself like I do, then you’d be the best at whatever you do! Nopony would have a chance against you in a flight competition, or a strength contest, or...or a poetry writing competition, even!”

He was speechless, and she was breathless. She landed on the ground, taking in a few slow, deep breaths. He watched her all while wishing his cheeks weren't heating up so badly. “U-um...thanks, Rainbow. I...” He scratched his neck, grinning sheepishly. “That...that really does mean a lot. Coming from you, I mean...”

Rainbow nodded. “I’m just saying it like it is, Spike. You’re...you’re super awesome, and...I don’t like the idea of someone like you holding yourself back because of any personal doubts...”

As she spoke, a few rays of early afternoon sun shined at just the right angle, highlighting every strand of her chromatic hair. That familiar feeling he had when they had flown to Canterlot not too long ago sprung up within him. He felt his throat tighten as she looked at him with those intense, rose irises of hers. Even if she tried to hide her emotions and act tough, her eyes spoke all that was ever needed if one studied them long enough.

Spike was beginning to understand them, and he was both intimidated and intrigued by what they were possibly conveying.

“Hey...you wanna go flying for a while?” Spike offered as he turned to look up at the few clouds that were developing overhead thanks to the weather ponies.

“Sure!” Rainbow answered, a little too quickly. “Anywhere in particular?”

Spike looked to the lush, green wilderness of the Everfree Forest. A few clouds were forming over the thick canopy, and he smiled. “I think I have an idea...”

Rainbow Dash and Spike were in a fit of laughter by the time they reached the door of Golden Oaks Library. They paused outside the entrance, Rainbow shaking her drenched body in a manner more befitting of a dog than a pony while Spike tried to wipe his scales of excess water.

“Hahaha, wow, can’t say I’ve done that before,” Rainbow exclaimed as she smoothed back her damp mane.

“Really? I’ve always wanted to go through one of those wild storms,” Spike replied. “I mean...they’re so unpredictable! You saw what happened. One minute it was drizzling, the next it was an absolute downpour!” He smoothed down his spines, only for them to stick back up and flick water at Rainbow Dash.

“Hey!” She chuckled. “Watch where you’re spraying!”

Spike gave her an apologetic smile as he knocked on the door. They both turned to it as they heard the sound of hooves pounding down the steps. A latch was unlocked from the other side, and the front door of the library opened. A familiar blond mare poked her head out. “Well, if it ain’t Rainbow Dash and Spike.”

“Hey, Applejack,” Spike greeted. “Is Twilight around?”

Applejack went quiet for a moment, her cheeks flushing a little. “Uh...y-yeah, she’s just caught up in one of her kooky science experiments. I’m just here to lend her a hoof an’ make sure she doesn’t burn her mane off.”

“A-Applejack, is anyone down there?”

“Just Rainbow Dash and Spike, sugarcube,” Applejack replied.

“Spike’s out there?” Twilight yelped, followed by the sound of several books falling off a shelf. “O-oh, tell him I’ll be right down!”

Applejack turned back to the two, giving them an uneasy smile.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow and took in her friend’s current appearance. Her hat was slightly off to one side (something that Applejack would never allow), and the band around her tail was missing.

“Science experiments, huh?” Rainbow asked in a casual tone. Her knowing smile betrayed her thoughts, and Applejack noticed.

“That’s right,” Applejack replied. “Just some magic stuff. A little bit of studyin’ in magic. Nothin’ too serious.”

“What kind of magic?” Rainbow asked, her tone challenging.

The cowpony’s eyes narrowed. “Just some arcane syphonin’ theory tests, a little runic inscription applications she’s been workin’ on.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. She...hadn’t been expecting an answer, especially one that sounded so true.

“Really?” Spike asked innocently. “That’s interesting, I thought she was done with those tests a few months ago.”

“O-oh, she is, but she’s uh...just revistin’ them. You know how she gets when she has an idea on the noggin. Can’t get it out unless she actually does it.”

Spike snorted in amusement. “That’s Twilight, alright.”

A flash of pink light blinded the three for a brief moment, and Twilight Sparkle appeared beside Applejack. She flashed Spike and Rainbow Dash an innocent smile. “Hello! Hi, Rainbow Dash! Hi, Spike!” She looked to the both quickly. “Anything I can help you with?”

“Yeah, we were wondering if you had a copy of Daring Do and the Lost City in the Clouds in the shelves. Spike didn’t really give it a good read when he rented it from here.”

“A book? That’s what–?” Twilight paused, her eyes brightening. “I-I mean, yes! A book! At a library, heheh...” She blushed a little. “Just...let me go look and see if I have it!”

She galloped off to the fiction section of the library. Spike and Rainbow Dash gave Applejack a confused look, and she continued to look at the ground with extreme interest.

“...Arcane syphoning, huh?” Rainbow asked.

“Yep, really complicated stuff...” Applejack answered while pursing her lips and looking away. “Some complicated unicorn magic hooey, but ya never know when a bit of earth pony muscle might be needed...” She cleared her throat. “S-so, how have you two been fairin’? Been flyin’ around and doing your training, I take it?”

“Oh, yeah! We were doing all sorts of tricks over the Everfree-er, I mean, yeah! Lots of endurance stuff today...ahem...”

“Oh, well that sounds mighty fun!” Applejack smiled, relieved to have a change in subject. “I take it you’ve been keeping him plenty busy, huh, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow decided to let Applejack off the hook for now. “Yeah, but he brought it upon himself. He asked the best flyer ever to teach him, and I’m no slouch.”

“Found it!” Twilight was suddenly before the two once more, the Daring Do book they had requested floating in her magic beside her head. “Be sure to return it by next week Wednesday!” She placed the book in Spike’s awaiting claws. “Anything else?”

“Um...” Spike frowned a bit. “Twilight, are...you okay? You look a little frazzled.”

“I do?” Twilight gasped, but quickly regained her composure. “I-I mean, eheheh...y-yes, well, it’s been a rather tedious study session. Erm...right, Applejack?”

Applejack flushed a little more. “Y-yep, real tedious...”

“Do you want me to help at–?”

“No!” Twilight practically shouted. “I-I mean, nono, that’s really not necessary, Spike. You already helped me out a lot last month when I was doing those chemistry experiments on those gemstone and salt mixtures. Besides,” Twilight looked at Applejack, who was still red in the cheeks. “Applejack has been a wonderful help so far.”

Spike’s frown lessened a little, but he still seemed concerned. “Alright...if you say so...”

Rainbow gave him a gentle nudge on the arm with a hoof. “Come on, Spike. She said they’re good. Let’s go find a place at the park and we can read over that part where she fights off those griffon mercenaries.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I’m telling you, they weren’t mercenaries. They were treasure hunters looking for the Ruby Medallion that held the city afloat.”

Rainbow gave Spike an even look. “No, those guys came later, and they were–”

“Well, we need to get back to experimenting!” Twilight interrupted. “I don’t want to leave you two from your reading, now! Take care!”

The door shut in their face. Spike snorted, blowing out a plume of smoke from his nostrils. “Hmph. She was in a hurry.” He shook his head. “If I didn’t know any better...” He went quiet for several long moments, then chuckled. “Nah...”

Rainbow snickered. “Come on! Let’s go grab some lunch while we’re at it! I’m starving!”

“Haha, yeah, me too,” Spike agreed as his stomach began growling. “Want to split an extra large pizza?”

“With feta cheese and green peppers?”

Spike shrugged. “I was thinking red onions, broccoli, and artichoke hearts, but we can do that if you want.”

“Hey, that sounds kind of good, let’s do that instead.”

“You sure? I don’t mind feta cheese, and I love peppers–”

“No, I think that’d be awesome, Spike,” Rainbow insisted. “Never hurts to try something new, right?”

“I guess that’s true. Alright, red onion, broccoli, and artichoke hearts it is.”

An hour later found the two seated under a tree and sharing a large thin crust pizza, Manehatten style. Spike still preferred deep dish Chicacolt style, but had to admit that the crispy crunch of the crust was definitely a nice touch.

“Mm, see! Right there!” Rainbow Dash pointed with a greasy hoof just centimeters above a certain paragraph of the Daring Do book before her. “It says here, ‘Daring Do leaped over the fallen pillar as one of the griffon mercs’ crossbow bolts grazed her flank. She hissed in pain, and rolled into the deep undergrowth, hoping to lose them in the dense foliage.’” She looked up at Spike and grinned. “Told ya!”

Spike grumbled and placed a few bits in Rainbow’s awaiting hooves. “Should’ve known better than to bet against one of the only members of the Golden Oaks Reading Club. Twilight would be proud.”

Rainbow Dash continued to grin smugly. “You’re just jealous.”

Spike snorted. “Maybe,” he chuckled quietly. “Maybe...you want the last slice?”

“Only if you don’t want it.”

Spike urged her with a gentle wave of his claw. “Be my guest.”

She grinned, and took the slice of slightly cold pizza in her hooves. Within seconds it was gone.

“Ahh, that hit the spot.” She patted her stomach as a satisfied smile spread across her lips. “Definitely going to try that again sometime. It beats feta cheese and green peppers any day.”

“Tell you what,” Spike suggested as he closed the book up. “Next time we’ll have feta cheese and green peppers on a deep dish Chicacolt pizza. Maybe...this Friday?”

Rainbow froze up for a second, and studied Spike’s expression. The slightest glimmer of something was flickering in those deep emerald eyes of his. His smile was friendly, and yet...

Oh no, is...is he asking me on a date? No, he couldn’t be...that’d be stupid, why would he do that? He doesn’t like me that way, does he? Of course not. Besides, I can’t rush this...don’t want to end up doing something stupid. Take this nice and slow. No need to rush it. Dating can wait. Nope, no need to go that far right now. We’re friends, nothing more. It’s easy that way, at least for now. Maybe later...

“Oh, Friday? I...I don’t think that’ll work, Spike. I got to do some weather work all afternoon and junk.”

“...and junk?” Spike repeated. His grin fell, but he didn’t look hurt by her declination. “What else you have to do on Friday? Extra work stuff? Training?”

“Y-yeah, I gotta um...go to Cloudsdale for a meeting. Weather stuff.”

“Oh, so you got the letter from the committee already?”

“No, no...I figured I’d just...go there myself, see if I can book an appointment.”

“Oh,” Spike frowned. “You sure they’ll be free to talk on a Friday?”

“Hopefully?” Rainbow answered weakly. “Still, yeah, I won’t be free on Friday. Sorry, Spike.”

“It’s okay.” Spike smiled. “I know how busy you get.”

“Hey,” Rainbow began. “Thanks for hanging out today. It was fun.”

“Yeah, anytime, Rainbow.” He held up the book. “I’ll hold onto this, maybe re-read it a little before going on to the newest book. I’ll return it after I’m done.”

“Cool,” Rainbow looked to the late afternoon sky. “Well, I better get going, Spike.”

“Yeah, same for me.” Spike got up and cracked his neck a bit. “I guess I’ll see you later...oh! I almost forgot. That Dance Festival is about two weeks away. You still want to go, right?”

Rainbow beamed. “You bet I do!”

“Heh, I figured you would. Um, maybe did you want to grab something to eat before we go to the club? Maybe eat at that Cavallian restaurant? I hear they have some great pasta dishes, and they even have a live band that plays every weekend.”

Rainbow’s ears fell back, and she was suddenly unable to meet Spike’s gaze. “O-oh, um...” Nope. Nope. Too soon. No need to do this yet. Take your time, Dash. Get to know him better first and– “Sure!”

“Sweet. Well, I’ll catch up with you later. You want to practice this weekend, too?”

“Y-yeah, how about...Sunday? That work for you?”

Spike flashed her a grin. “You bet.”

Rainbow Dash and Spike parted ways shortly after, the young drake making his way down the road back to his house. Rainbow was home within a minute’s time, and began pacing around her slightly messy living room. Tank watched her with a semi-worried expression as he chewed on a tasty piece of kale.

“...I mean, he’s nice, Tank, but...I don’t know if I’m ready for anything serious yet, you know?” She looked to the tortoise, who remained an ever-attentive listener. “He’s really cool, and smart, and I just...uuugh!” She stomped on the ground a few times. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if he doesn’t really like me that way, but dates me out of pity? You don’t think he’d do that, do you?”

Tank blinked.

“No, probably not...but then again, he would probably get worried and think he hurt me if he said no. So, he’d go out with me and wouldn’t say anything, even if he wasn’t enjoying it.”

She sighed and plopped onto the fluffy floor of her cloud home. Unpleasant memories she thought she had long forgotten began to resurface.

‘Dude, did you hear? Rainbow Dash and Merryweather were making out behind the track stadium...’

‘Well, I saw Starstreak and Rainbow Dash leaving the party early the other night. Hahaha, the poor idiot didn’t even know she was planning on dumping him the following week!’

‘What are you looking at, Rainbow Dash? Don’t get any ideas, I’m already dating somepony that I actually care about...’

‘So yeah, Rainbow’s apparently with two stallions and a mare right now. Not sure of their names, but I guess nothing surprises me anymore about Dash, haha!’

Rainbow Dash sniffled while rubbing her eyes. “Stop crying, Rainbow Dash...you’re not a little foal...”

A soft grunt reached her ears. She looked down to see Tank nudging one of her hooves with his face.

“Oh...” She sniffled as her eyes began to blur with unshed tears. “Sorry, Tank, I’m just...I’m all sorts of messed up right now.” She patted him gently on the shell. then frowned as she met the tortoise’s concerned gaze. “Though...I could use a hug right now.”

She picked up the tortoise and held him close. While Tank didn’t know a whole lot about Rainbow Dash’s past, he knew she didn’t like to dwell on it. That was fine, though. He cared for Rainbow Dash, and if he could help her, even a little bit, that was fine by him.

“I-I’m just...I don’t...” Rainbow Dash shuddered as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I don’t want to hurt anypony, Tank. I’m pretty sure I’ve changed...b-but...” She held him tightly. “W-what if I haven’t? F-Fluttershy says I’m not like that anymore...but what if she’s wrong? What if I just hurt Spike, too? What if I end up acting just like I always did?” She shook her head. “I-I don’t even know if he likes me like that. What if he thinks I’m a freak or something for thinking that way about him?”

She continued to hold her pet closely long after she was done crying, well into the early evening. By the time she finally felt like getting up off the floor, the clock on her wall read seven in the evening. She sighed, and got up to her feet. She was exhausted, and her eyes stung from all the crying she had done.

She brushed her teeth, set her alarms, and after making sure Tank was good for the night, buried herself underneath her covers.

Just take it slow... she thought to herself. No need to rush this...this isn’t a race. This isn’t a competition. It’s Spike...a friend who’s become...more than just a good friend...but...not someone you’d date. Not yet, anyway...

Another tear ran down her cheek. You’re Rainbow Dash. You’re awesome. You’re good at whatever you do. He’ll...he’ll see how cool you really are, and...and then maybe he’ll see you differently than the others did...

She closed her eyes, and buried her face into her cloud pillows.

...hopefully...

Chapter 5: Overcast

Chapter Five- Overcast

Spike looked into the bathroom mirror, running a claw over his scaled chin. The first signs of a ‘beard’ were making themselves visible, he noted. A few pointed scales jutted out from his jawline all the way down to his chin. Twilight had mentioned that drakes, usually a few years after reaching adolescence, started obtaining these ‘beard scales’. They were, according to many evolutionary theorists, at one point used in courtship displays to show how strong and healthy a drake was when dragonesses picked their brood mates. In modern times, from what little research he continued to do on draconic culture, beard scales were nothing more than a sign of maturity.

“Heh, yeah, brood mates. No thanks...” Spike chuckled as he examined a loose scale under his chin before removing it. He had no interest in rearing up young dragons of his own. As far as he saw it, starting a nest was one of the last priorities on his list of things to do at the moment, let alone the next few decades.

He picked up a tin of Dapper Drake Scale Polish and applied it to his face. He rubbed it into a nice lather, just like the tin instructed.

“Hm...” He gazed at the clock on the wall, noting that it was seven in the evening. Twilight and Applejack would be here soon for dinner. He had baked a nice dish of spinach lasagna with marinara and pesto sauces to choose from, and a large fruit salad (with plenty of apples and oranges for Applejack).

After wiping his scales with a steamy cloth, Spike dried his face off and looked in the mirror, grinning to himself. Not a speck of dirt or mineral deposit.

A series of knocks at the door snapped him out of his episode of self-admiration. He made his way to the entrance of his abode and opened the door. Sure enough, there were his two dinner guests.

Applejack had a picnic basket that was holding, judging from the smell wafting out of it, a caramel apple pie, and Twilight had a hot dish floating in her magic. Spike eyed the food held by Twilight warily. “Did...you cook that?”

Applejack set down her picnic basket and smiled reassuringly at the drake. “Don’t worry none, Sugarcube. I helped Twilight with the eggplant parmesan. She did pretty well after I helped get all the ingredients organized for her.”

Twilight flushed a bit in the cheeks, but gave Applejack a demure smile. “Well...you did most of the work...and made a pie to boot.”

“Now you can’t give me all the credit, Twi. Shoot, if ya hadn’t been so attentive with the cooking I probably wouldn’t have noticed the eggplant was done.” She gave Twi a friendly nuzzle. “Now, let’s get inside and have us some grub.”

Applejack trotted inside, and Spike was about to turn around and join her, but noticed Twilight hanging back. He turned around to see Twilight fidgeting, dragging a hoof across the ground.

“Twilight, you coming?”

“H-huh? Oh, right, heh. Um...” She looked to Applejack, who was busy making her way towards the kitchen counter. “Spike...Applejack and I wanted to talk to you about something after dinner.”

“Alright,” Spike replied, raising an eyebrow. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes...but...well, it’s sort of an important thing we want to discuss. I...” Twilight sighed. “Why didn’t I write note cards for this?”

Spike frowned, clearly confused by his adoptive sister’s behavior. “Twi...what’s up?”

“After dinner, Spike. I promise.”

With that, Twilight made her way inside. Spike wanted to press further, but he knew that Twilight would keep her word. No sense in prying.

Besides, he was rather hungry.

“So, Apple Bloom told me that you and Rainbow had a swell time when you visited Canterlot,” Applejack said, keeping a casual smile on her face as she looked to the drake. Only years of learning how to read Applejack’s subtle facial cues helped Spike realize she was teasing. The slight, upward curve at the right corner of her mouth, the way her eyes widened slightly while her cheeks rose...little things like that. “She said that you even took a stroll through the castle gardens.”

Spike made a mental note to leave Apple Bloom a plate of pear crisp a la mode by her bedroom window the next time he had some free time. It was a well known fact that eight out of ten Apples hated pears, and he knew Apple Bloom was in the majority regarding the dessert and fruit.

“Did she now?” Spike asked. “Yeah, I guess we did take a walk through the gardens. I showed her some of the statues and we talked.”

“That what you kids are callin’ it these days?” Applejack chuckled.

“AJ,” Twilight hissed in a disapproving tone. The earth pony simply waved a hoof dismissively while Spike’s cheeks flared a deep red.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Applejack.”

Applejack snorted in laughter. “I’m just teasin’ ya, Spike, yeesh.” She adjusted her hat and gave him an apologetic smile.

Spike grumbled as he stabbed at the remains of his eggplant before shoving it into his mouth. “Well, sorry for not finding it amusing.”

“Spike, come on, Applejack wasn’t trying to be mean. Were you, Applejack?”

“No, of course not.” She took off her hat and dusted it a bit. “I guess...shoot, Spike, ya’ll will have to pardon me for sayin’ this, but...I really think you two are cute together.”

Spike coughed suddenly, almost choking on the piece of eggplant that he had nearly choked on.

“Spike!” Twilight was halfway across the table as Spike waved her off, wiping a tear from his eye.

“I-I’m good. Just went down a little too soon.” He looked at Applejack, who had a worried look on her face. “Applejack...can you warn me the next time you say something like that?”

“Heh, erm...sorry...” She scratched her cheek and sighed. “It’s just...well, what with the whole Rarity deal...and how down in the dumps you were ‘bout it...it’s just nice to see you doin’ something and keepin’ yourself busy. That and...well, like I said...it’s nice to see you and Dash together. Just my two bits, mind you, so take it as it is.”

Spike looked to his now empty plate. “She’s...pretty cute, I guess. I mean...” His face heated up as he continued. “I-I mean, I guess she’s...well...”

“Ha, I knew it.” Applejack smirked. “I thought there might be something between you two.”

“Th-there isn’t anything between us! Geesh,” Spike rebuffed, sitting back and looking away.

“Fine, fine, if you say so.” Applejack raised her hooves up in surrender. “Again, just my two bits, hon. Don’t take it too seriously.”

“Well...” Twilight began. “That’s going to make what we have to share more awkward, isn’t it?” She turned to Applejack, who had suddenly gone quiet. “Um...Spike, there’s something Applejack and I wanted to talk to you about...just like I told you before.”

Spike noticed the serious tone Twilight had taken. She was looking everywhere but at him, and he noticed Applejack getting up from her spot and giving Twilight a comforting nuzzle.

“Oh...” Spike uttered quietly.

It all made sense. How hadn’t he seen it before? The more frequent visits by Twilight to Sweet Apple Acres...her improved baking skills...Applejack reading, willingly, about magic spells...

“You’re dating each other,” Spike said slowly.

Both mares looked up, pink in the cheeks.

Twilight coughed into her hoof. “Ahem, well...I guess that saves some explanations.”

“I told ya he would put it together,” Applejack chuckled. “He can be oblivious, but he’s not stupid, Twi.”

“Oh hush...” Twilight pouted. She returned her attention to her hooves while pawing at the floor and smiling nervously. “So...yeah...we’ve been...kind of seeing each other for a few months now.”

The drake frowned, noting Twilight’s withdrawn behavior. “Twilight, is something wrong?

Twilight smiled a little as she looked up at him. “I guess I was expecting something more...vocal from you. You’re not upset at all, are you?” Twilight asked.

“Um...no?”

Twilight relaxed. “I...I guess I was overreacting.”

Again, Applejack chuckled. “Told ya, Sugarcube. Spike was raised by you and Princess Celestia, after all. I doubt somethin’ like mares datin’ each other would make him angry. He’s a smart, open-minded guy.” She looked up at him. “Right?”

Spike shrugged, a smile crossing his lips. “Hey, if you two are happy together, who am I to say otherwise?”

Twilight walked over to Spike and wrapped her forelegs around him as best as she could. “I don’t know why I was so worried.”

“Because you’re Twilight Sparkle,” Spike answered, earning a light smack on the chest from the unicorn.

“We just figured...you know, what with bein’ both friend and family to us that we’d tell you. I think most of the girls already have an idea ‘bout us, though. Especially Dash...” Applejack let out an annoyed snort. “She’s as nosy as mole in a garden, almost as bad as Rarity.”

“She’s not that bad, AJ...” Spike rolled his eyes. “I mean, okay, she can be a bit...pushy...but she doesn’t get into other ponies’ business unless it’s for a good reason.”

“Suit yerself. I still think she’s gonna brag ‘bout how she ‘saw this comin’ from a mile away’ or some hooey when Twi and I tell the girls.”

Twilight’s ears folded back. “Do you think they’ll take it well?”

Applejack walked over to the unicorn and wrapped a hoof around her shoulders. “Of course they will, Twilight. I mean...they’re our friends. The best friends a pony could ask for.”

Twilight nodded while leaning into Applejack a little. “Y-yeah, you’re right...I’m...well, I’m just so nervous, and I’ve never dated before, and-”

“Twilight,” Spike said, turning her around so that she was directly facing him. “Deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths.”

Obeying Spike’s orders, Twilight slowly took in a breath through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. Her shoulders loosened up instantly, and her tail stopped swishing from side to side. She repeated the breath exercise five more times, then opened her eyes and gave Spike a grateful smile. “Thanks, Spike.”

“Well, would ya look at that. One of these days I need to thank Cadance for teaching her that.” Applejack tipped her hat up and smiled at Spike. “Ya’ll wouldn’t happen to have any advice on how to get her to stop fretting ‘bout organizin’ her writing supplies every other day, would ya?”

“Good luck on that one. I never could kick that habit from her.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Twilight mumbled.

Applejack laughed quietly. “Aw shoot, Twi, we’re just givin’ ya a hard time.”

“Yeah, besides, there must be plenty of embarrassing little quirks about Applejack that you could fire right back at her.”

Applejack seemed to pale a bit while Twilight’s eyes lit up. She cast the farmer a devious grin. “Mr. Buckinsey.”

Applejack gasped. “I thought we agreed to never talk ‘bout that?”

“Um...who?”

“Nothin’,” Applejack answered quickly. “Twi’s just spoutin’ nonsense.”

“Oh, come on, Applejack,” Twilight laughed. “I still have Smartypants...well, I had to get it back from Big Macintosh, but even so, I’m not embarrassed by it.”

“No. I ain’t sayin’ anything ‘bout it, and that’s that.”

Twilight and Applejack shared a look with each other. Twilight gave the earth pony a pleading look, though even Spike could see it was fake. After several long seconds passed Applejack let out an annoyed groan as Twilight giggled, leaning against her and giving her a light nuzzle.

“Alright, alright...” Applejack harrumphed. “Mr. Buckinsey is a stuffed cowpony doll that Big Macintosh got me when I was a just a little filly. He said that Mr. Buckinsey would scare away all the ‘monsters and spooks’ and keep me safe. I mean...deep down I knew there weren’t no such thing as monsters...well, discludin’ the Everfree Forest. Anyway...I still have him today, sittin’ on my nightstand.”

“Heh, cute,” Spike chuckled.

The night dragged on slowly for the three, from sharing stories about their days as children to more recent events in town. Spike didn’t even realize how much time had passed until he heard the faint sound of the Ponyville bell tower chime eleven times.

“Aw hayseed, it’s already that late?” Applejack asked aloud as she looked to the clock on Spike’s wall.

“Don’t worry, Applejack; you’re already caught up with this week’s chores, remember?” Twilight said while giving her a light peck on the cheek. “At least that’s what Big Macintosh told us.”

Applejack blinked before smirking. “I suppose you’re right. It’s pretty nice havin’ the most magical unicorn in Ponyville helpin’ with the farm.”

The two giggled while Applejack gave Twilight a playful nibble at the ear. Spike found himself both annoyed and elated. He had secretly feared that Twilight would never get out of her shell enough to date someone. He had little room for talk though, considering he had similar problems with pursuing romance.

Still, watching the two flirting and smiling made him feel lighthearted. He was happy for Twilight. Applejack was a pony he could trust to take care of the bookish unicorn, and it seemed they balanced each other out well.

At least someone is successful with romance...

Spike frowned, both for thinking such thoughts when he should instead be enjoying his time with good friends and because it was a train of thought he had been trying to avoid.

“Spike? Hon, you alright?”

“Huh?” Spike’s eyes darted to the two mares who were giving him a mildly concerned look. “O-oh, heh, sorry about that. Just thinking.”

“A bit for your thoughts, then?” Applejack said with a disarming smile.

“Well...”

“Spike,” Twilight began. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to, but...it can be good to talk things out sometimes. You know that.”

Damn it, if Twilight didn’t use superior logic, then tugging at his emotions usually got what she wanted from Spike.

The drake let out a sigh. “So...I’m taking Dash out to a nice restaurant before that Dance Festival at the new club in Ponyville in little more than a week’s time.”

“That sounds fun,” Twilight replied with a nod. “Which restaurant, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“That one Cavallian place, um...Il Grano D’oro...at least that’s what I think it’s called. It got four stars on the latest review from Equestrian Connoisseur, and I’ve been wanting to go there and try their food for awhile now. Rainbow’s kind of fun to hang out with, and believe it or not, she’s a bit of a food snob.” No sooner had the words left Spike’s mouth than he clapped a claw over his lips. “Crud!” He looked to the two mares pleadingly. “Please promise you won’t tell her I told you that.”

“Really, now?” Applejack inquired with a grin. “Never took her to be much of a cook or baker.”

Spike groaned. “Applejack, please don’t say anything.”

Applejack smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Spike, your secret’s safe with me and Twi. Though, I’m curious...how good is she at cookin’?”

“Pretty good, though she says she has to watch the food the whole time otherwise the meal will be ruined,” Spike laughed. “Like, just this past weekend after training she gave me some leftover truffle and veggie parmesan pasta she made the other night. Sadly, she’s not all that good at baking since she can’t keep a constant eye on the food. That’s what she says at least.”

Applejack tipped her hat up, giving the drake an incredulous look. “Truffle and veggie parmesan pasta? Land sakes, I didn’t know she was a gourmet.”

“Well,” Spike began. “It wasn’t A-class like what I do...what, Twilight? You know I’m an amazing cook.” He shook his head, ignoring the frown from Twilight. “Anyway, it was pretty good. The pasta was a little soggy, but still good.”

“Huh, just when you think you know somepony...” Applejack smirked. “I bet you two would do some mighty fine cookin’ together in the kitchen...” Applejack’s face reddened as she noticed the odd look from Spike. “Oh for Celestia’s sake, Spike, I didn’t mean that!”

Spike was looking to the floor, once more flushed with embarrassment. “Well, the way you made it sound...”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay, enough. Spike?”

“Huh?” Spike quirked an eyebrow at the unicorn.

“Be honest here; do you like Rainbow Dash?”

“Well...yeah...she’s my fri-”

“I mean, do you like her, as in a ‘romantic interest’?” Twilight added.

Spike shrunk back and coughed a few times. He gazed at the two mares, who waited patiently for him to speak.

This is Twilight and Applejack, here. Come on, Spike...if you can’t trust these two, especially Twilight, then who can you trust? Heck, one of them hatched you from an egg for goodness sake!

Spike’s wings twitched as he looked at a random spot on his wall, doing his best to ignore Twilight and Applejack’s gaze.

“I...guess so...yeah...I do,” he mumbled.

Twilight’s smile grew a little. “Then why won’t you tell her?”

Spike’s ear frills twitched, folding up against his temples. “I don’t know...I mean, she’s Rainbow Dash, Twilight. The coolest pony to ever fly the skies of Equestria, and the best flight coach I could have ever asked for. She actually took time to research dragons and stuff so she could teach me and understand how my muscles and body work!”

“So...why won’t you tell her?” Twilight repeated.

“I...well, it’s...you wouldn’t understand.”

It was Applejack’s turn to speak. “I understand perfectly.”

Spike looked to the earth pony, giving her a questioning look.

“Spike, you may have lived with Twi your whole life, so you probably are used to her by now. Me, though...” Applejack’s cheeks turned rosy as she looked to Twilight, who in turn pawed at the ground shyly. “I couldn’t stop thinkin’ of how amazingly intelligent she is, and how easy things come to her when she puts her mind to it.”

“Except cooking,” Spike added, earning a glare from Twilight.

“Heh, well I never said she was perfect.” Applejack smirked as she continued. “I felt awfully intimidated about askin’ out a pony who was not only so magical and intelligent, but...I felt like I wasn’t good enough for her at first...”

Twilight gave her marefriend a nuzzle, then spoke. “Imagine her surprise when she found out I felt the same about her...”

Spike rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

“I guess what we’re tryin’ to say, Spike is...well, you know Rainbow Dash, and you know her better than most folk here in Ponyville. I think she’d be stupid to not give you a chance, sugarcube. You might think she’s some untouchable pony who is leagues above you or some hooey like that, but...have ya ever thought that maybe she feels something like that ‘bout you as well?”

“No, not really,” Spike answered, earning a knowing smile from the earth pony.

“Well, there ya go,” Applejack laughed. “I mean, you don’t have to go and ask her right away, but I think you should give it a shot.”

Spike just shrugged his shoulders. “Heh, maybe...”

Before too long, Twilight and Applejack had decided it was time to head out. Sweet Apple Acres was actually closer than the library, so the two made their way towards the Apple family home together.

“Have a good night, Spike!” Twilight called to him as they made their way up the hills leading to the apple orchards.

Spike waved goodbye to them as they vanished over the crest of the hill. Spike stood there for a few long moments, letting the cool spring breeze brush against his scaled body. The crickets chirped merrily while a few spring peepers in the lake sang their nightly chorus. He took in a few breaths, and felt his body relax.

Maybe they’re right... Spike thought to himself. I mean, there is a chance that she might like me back, right?

He could only hope so. Honestly, he didn’t have high expectations on that happening, but there was always the possibility.

“Honestly, if he’s not working on the expansion to that one club’s bathrooms, he’s at his work area in the foothills outside of town.”

Rainbow Dash gave a noncommittal grunt, her eyes closed and her limbs hanging limply from a massage table. Rarity’s voice had long been drowned out by the euphoria that was Lotus’ hooves, and she had no idea what her unicorn friend was talking about.

That was fine with her, though. Fluttershy seemed intent on keeping a conversation going with Rarity, which left Rainbow to indulge in the sweet bliss of deep tissue massage.

“Oh, I know. Spike’s such a hard worker. He stopped by the other day and dropped off some finely ground gravel to help my little bird friends digest their food. He was so busy, he couldn’t even stop for a cup of tea...”

Rainbow cracked open an eye at the mention of her dragon friend. “Huh? What about Spike?”

Fluttershy looked over to Rainbow, smiling a little. “Um...well, we were just talking about how busy he’s been lately. I mean, more busy than he usually is...” She slumped into her mudbath a little, closing her eyes as she relaxed. “Twilight told me he’s been rather...”

“Preoccupied?” Rarity offered.

“Yes, um...preoccupied,” Fluttershy agreed. “He’s acting like he’s got something on his mind, and we were trying to figure out what that might be.”

Rainbow frowned a little. “Spike’s always got something on his mind. He’s got a business to run, and if he’s not thinking about work, he’s thinking about deciphering some old Archaic Equinic poem or helping Twilight with an experiment or project.”

“Well, yes, but...” Rarity tapped her chin in thought. “How do I put this delicately? He’s been...more preoccupied than what is normal for him. I don’t mean to pry, but I fear that he might be trying to keep his mind off something. That something being, well...me...” She sighed deeply. “He hasn’t really spoken to me since our last...talk...and I worry he might be taking things too hard.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, I don’t think that’s the problem, Rarity.”

“You don’t?” Rarity and Fluttershy asked simultaneously.

“Nope. Well, I guess he’s still a little bent out of shape over it, but he’s not losing sleep over it.” Rainbow gave the two a grin. “If anything, he’s probably obsessing over that project of his over at 2 Hot 2 Trot, or he’s got some other big work order coming in from a client. We’ve been hanging out a lot lately, and he seems to be doing alright from what I can tell..”

Rainbow noticed Fluttershy smile as soon as she mentioned her increased time spent with Spike. She fought down a blush, doing her best to ignore her long-time friend for the moment.

“Oh?” Rarity eyebrows rose, her interest piqued. “I remember that you were helping him with his flying skills, but this is the first that I heard about this...” She looked over to Fluttershy, and noticed her smile as well. “Fluttershy, dear, what are you not telling me?” Then, Rarity’s eyes lit up, then she looked to Rainbow Dash, and a small smile began to creep onto her lips. “No...”

Rainbow saw it coming from a mile away, yet she couldn’t do anything to stop it. “Rarity, wait, before you-”

Rarity began squealing and giggling, bouncing in place within the small mud bath. “Oh, Rainbow, darling, I never would have...oh, this is simply wonderful!” She looked to Fluttershy, and poked her gently on the shoulder with a hoof. “You must have known! How long?”

“A-actually, Rarity, I think Rainbow’s the one to ask about that...”

Rainbow looked over her shoulder to Lotus, who was keeping her attention–or at least appearing to–on Rainbow’s lower back.

“Promise this won’t leave the spa?”

“Of course, Miss Dash.” Lotus, much to Rainbow’s surprise, made the gestures of a Pinkie Promise. Deciding not to question how she knew it, Rainbow nodded and turned her attention back to her friends.

“O-okay...um...” Rainbow’s cheeks began to redden as she locked her eyes with her forehooves. “S-so...I kinda...maybe...have a bit of a thing for Spike.”

Rarity let out a quiet gasp, Fluttershy just nodded, and Lotus giggled softly.

“Rainbow, you need to move in on this, quick. A gentledrake like Spike won’t be single for long, especially in a town with such a large amount of mares-”

Rainbow lifted a hoof, and Rarity went silent. “I-I know...but...” She groaned in frustration, unsure how to word her thoughts. “It’s just...what if he doesn’t feel the same? Can you imagine how awkward that’d be?”

Much to Rainbow’s surprise, Fluttershy was the one to speak first.

“Um, Rainbow...not to be rude, but...I think you’re making up excuses...um...sorry...”

Ouch, score one, Fluttershy.

“Well, m-maybe I’m right! Who’s to say that he’s not just being friendly? I mean, friends go out to fancy restaurants, too!” Again, Rarity’s eyes lit up. “...oh pony feathers...”

“Spike’s taken you out to dinner?”

“Y-yeah, it was that one restaurant in Canterlot...it’s called The Cypress, I think. Good food, and then we...well, we sort of just hung out together all day. It was nice.” Rainbow’s wings twitched as she looked away. “And...well...we’re going to go to that club in a few days for that huge party, and...before we go there, we’re going to eat at a Cavallian restaurant. It’s called...um...well, I think he told me yesterday that it means ‘The Golden Grain’ or something...”

“Spike’s taking you to Il Grano D’oro?” Rarity stood up on all fours, almost slipping back into the tub as she did so. “Oh my, that’s...well...”

Rainbow quirked an eyebrow at Rarity. “What?”

“Rainbow...that particular restaurant is one of the top ten finest dining establishments in all of Equestria. The price alone for a dish of pasta with a typical side salad would be enough to take care of my grocery bill for a week, maybe even two.”

“That and they have a reputation for being one of the more, um...romantic restaurants...at least that’s what I’ve read...” Fluttershy added quietly, sinking further into her mudbath. “I-I mean, we could just be reading into it too much, but...maybe not.”

“Seriously? I didn’t know any of that,” Rainbow sighed, slumping back down into the massage table. “Do you think he’s trying to tell me something?”

“From my knowledge, Spike’s a rather direct individual, darling. I think he would tell you right out if he was considering this an official date.” She failed to keep the smirk from appearing on her face as she continued. “Even so...this could lead to future ‘dinners’ if all goes well.”

“Yeah, but...I don’t know...” Rainbow said slowly, tucking her wings close to her sides and looking at her hooves. She mumbled quietly to herself.

Even with her ears turned towards her, Rarity could barely make out what her chromatic friend had spoken. “Hm? Rainbow, I’m afraid I missed that last part.”

“I...” Rainbow shook her head. “...it’s nothing...”

“Um...Rainbow Dash, I hope you aren’t still dwelling on that. We talked about that, remember?”

The gentle, yet firm, tone of Fluttershy’s voice cut through Rainbow’s thoughts. She lifted her head, looked at Fluttershy, then shrunk back. “I...yes, I do.”

Fluttershy’s expression softened, her smile returning. “Good. If you’re still thinking about that...I’m here to talk to you. Just...remember what I said...”

Rarity looked between the two pegasi, then to Lotus, who simply shook her head, just as clueless as to what they were talking about. Unable to resist the urge to sate her curiosity, Rarity cleared her throat. “Is there...something I’m missing here?”

Fluttershy beat Rainbow to the answer. “It’s something we’re taking care of, Rarity.”

“Shy...”

“Rainbow...” Fluttershy replied with an even look.

“No, it...it’s okay, Fluttershy. I think...talking about it might do me some good...”

Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash a concerned look. “Really? I...I didn’t mean to...”

“I-I know, but, it could help, you know?” Rainbow looked over her shoulder to Lotus. The spa pony only nodded, reaffirming Rainbow’s trust that she wouldn’t repeat whatever was said. Satisfied, Rainbow turned to Rarity. “Rare, you know that Fluttershy and I are from Cloudsdale, right?”

“Yes, I do,” Rarity replied patiently. “You two girls moved here around the same time after you graduated from advanced flight school, correct?”

“Yeah. Well...back when I was younger...let’s just say that I was very...um...” She furrowed her brows, trying to find the right words. “I guess you could say that I wasn’t too concerned about staying in relationships with other ponies that I dated. I...I sort’ve...” She finally just groaned in annoyance. “I slept around...more than most ponies.”

Rarity’s eyebrows rose a little, but she said nothing. Instead, she simply nodded, allowing Rainbow to continue.

“So, yeah, I always tried to be careful about who I got with, but that didn’t stop the rumors from flying.” Her ears flattened against her bright mane. “The real kicker is that I didn’t stop, even after word spread. It was hard to deal with, but...I tried to ignore the all the gossip most of the time. Sometimes...sometimes the words cut deep, though.”

“Oh, Rainbow...” Rarity said softly.

“Pretty pathetic, huh?” Rainbow chuckled dryly. Her expression remained thoughtful, even as she let out a shaky breath. “It’s like a bad novel, heh...” She sniffled a little. “After awhile I started realizing how many ponies I had hurt...I mean, not all of them minded, sure, but...I crushed quite a few mares’ and colts’ spirits. Fluttershy helped me through the tough times.” She cast her long-time friend a grateful smile, which was returned in kind. “Well, I talked to some of my other friends, and now I’m where I am today.” She smiled sadly. “It’s just, now it’s been so long since I’ve been with anypony, and...I’m not sure if I should take this thing with Spike too far.” She shrugged. “I haven’t really dated anyone since...since Cloudsdale.”

Rarity walked out of the mudbath and was by her friend’s side in moments. Rainbow didn’t even protest as Rarity wrapped her in a muddy hug. Right now, she was just thankful for the support.

“Darling, it’s okay,” Rarity said soothingly. “Goodness, I thought this was something to do with a lack of experience with dating.” She winced at her own choice of words, giving Rainbow an apologetic smile. “I...can understand where you’re coming from, but...there’s no reason you can’t start dating again if that’s what you truly want to do.”

A second pair of hooves had wrapped around Rainbow, who was now sitting up. Lotus had discreetly left the room, allowing the trio some privacy. Thankful for the mare’s professionalism, Rainbow decided now was a good time to shed some tears. No sobs, just tears.

“It’s so stupid!” she said, her throat tightening. “I mean, it makes no sense for me to be afraid of dating Spike because of something like...like...worrying if I’ll grow bored and dump him!” She wiped away some tears with a hoof. “It’s Spike, for pony’s sake! How could anyone be bored with an awesome guy like him?”

“There, there...” Fluttershy whispered, allowing Rainbow to lean against her while Rarity rubbed small circles along her back. “I don’t think it’s stupid at all. Maybe a little silly, but it shows how much you do care about Spike. Again, it’s silly, but you obviously don’t want him to be hurt...”

“Fluttershy’s right. Romance does what it wants, and it can be rather intimidating and confusing. Still...if the two involved really care about each other, they can fix things without hurt feelings, even if the relationship doesn’t work out. Believe me, I know firsthoof about that.”

Rainbow looked up to Rarity, seeing the few tears welling up in the unicorn’s eyes.

Of course she knows how that feels...hard to believe she and Spike had that talk not too long ago...it feels like it’s been a lot longer, though...

The minutes passed with Rainbow sitting in the embrace of two good friends, slightly embarrassed but mostly grateful for their support. By the time she had finally calmed down, she was caked in a decent layer of mud, which had begun hardening on her coat.

“Oh dear, look what we did to your beautiful coat,” Rarity sighed heavily. “Well, looks like this calls for a full bath and shampoo for you, Rainbow Dash. I’ll just call over Aloe and Lotus and let them know to add that to the bill.”

“Rarity, it’s alright. I can just go home and-”

“Now, now, don’t worry about the extra bits; it’s on me, darling. Fluttershy, you and Rainbow can decide what kind of bath salts she would like, and then we can let the sisters know.” Rarity turned towards the direction of the spa lobby and called out. “Oh, Aloe? Lotus? Would it be too much trouble to add in a mineral bath for Rainbow Dash?”

“Did she just force me to take a mineral bath?” Rainbow asked Fluttershy as Rarity continued to call for the spa twins..

“She gets a little pushy when it comes to spa stuff. She means well, though.” Fluttershy replied while giving her a gentle nuzzle. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah...I guess.” Rainbow looked to the floor, her cheeks reddening a little. “Thanks for...you know...”

“That’s what friends are for,” Fluttershy replied cheerfully. “You know, Rainbow, if you need some help with getting closer to Spike...well, I think I might know the pony to talk to...if you want help, that is...”

Rainbow’s ears twitched, and she turned to face Fluttershy fully. “Really? Who?”

Fluttershy just continued to smile pleasantly.

“You want to get Spike a new book? I suppose you’ve come to the right pony then, huh?”

Rainbow Dash scuffed the wooden floor of Golden Oaks Library with a hoof, doing her best to fight down a blush. “Y-yeah, I mean, he’s been working real hard with training and stuff...I figured I that I owe him something for being such a good sport.”

“I don’t think that’s really necessary, but...I’d never turn away the chance to promote reading within Ponyville...though Spike already does plenty of that,” Twilight giggled.

When Fluttershy had suggested that Rainbow try talking to Twilight about what Spike liked to do for activities, she had initially been against the idea. If Twilight got any suspicion of Rainbow’s interest in Spike...well, the studious unicorn was known for being a bit of a mama bear when it came to the dragon.

“So...yeah, I know he’s been big on those old poems from that one poet...uh...Waxing Crescent, I think?”

Twilight nodded, her smile widening a little. “Yes! I’m not much for poetry myself, but Waxing Crescent just...the way words are crafted by her is just...” She sighed wistfully. “It’s a shame nopony ever learned who Waxing Crescent really was.”

“Well, Spike says that Waxing Crescent might actually be Princess Luna. I mean, it makes sense with how old the poems are...”

“Yes, it does, but there’s no solid proof whether Princess Luna is or isn’t Waxing Crescent. More than enough of her poetry seems to suggest it, but it’s still only poetry. For all we know, Waxing Crescent was a mare who had an interest in Princess Luna, or simply revered her and wrote about her all the time.”

“I guess that’s possible,” Rainbow admitted. “So, is there anything that you have for sale that Spike might like? I have some ideas, but I was wondering if you could help.”

Twilight turned her attention to a large piece of rolled paper on the table beside them. “I usually can’t sell books here. We only rent them, since we only have a single copy of most books, but...” Twilight picked up the paper and unfurled it with her magic. The words ‘Golden Oaks Library’s First Annual Book Sale’ were written in bright green and gold lettering. “In about two weeks I’ll be hosting my first book sale as the Golden Oaks librarian.”

“First? Really?” Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. “I thought you’d have at least held a few by now. You’ve been our town’s librarian for more than five years.”

“Yes,” Twilight agreed. “However, I’ve always had enough room for all the books I order from the Canterlot Book Store to add the library’s collection. At least until about three months ago. Now I’m running out of space, so I figured it might not be a bad idea to give some of the older books here new homes.”

“You sure you can do that? I know how attached you are to these dusty old books.” Rainbow chuckled as Twilight’s face reddened a bit.

“They’re not ‘dusty old books’! They’re well-worn, and each one of them is a treasure to the Equinic language!” Twilight snapped. Rainbow’s laughter grew louder, and Twilight caught herself in the midst of starting up a tirade. Instead, she sighed deeply and shook her head. “Alright, alright...you got me, Rainbow.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Rainbow chuckled while wiping away a tear. “You’re just too easy sometimes.”

“I’m sure it’s a barrel of laughs for everypony,” Twilight said in a curt tone. “Anyway, if you want, I might be able to set aside a book for you to get Spike when I hold the book sale. Any idea what you might like to get him?”

“Uh...well...” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her neck and gazed at the floor. Her wings twitched a bit as she slowly continued. “I was...kind of wondering if you...had...” She mumbled quietly, her eyes glued to the floor.

“What?” Twilight quirked an eyebrow. “Rainbow, I couldn’t understand a word-”

“I was wondering if you had Forbidden Love on Wyvern Hill in stock!” Rainbow shouted suddenly, her cheeks turning rosy within seconds.

“Forbidden Love on Wyvern Hill? That’s in the adult readers’ section...and...” Twilight’s eyebrows knit together as she gave Rainbow a critical eye. “...why do you want to give Spike that book?”

“I...well, heard from Scootaloo that he likes it! She told me that he-”

Twilight giggled. “So he finally confessed?”

“Huh?”

The unicorn just shook her head while laughing to herself. “Spike’s been trying to deny that he read that novel from cover to cover for almost three years now. I mean, it’s rather childish of him, since I keep track of all the books we loan out to Ponyville residents. Normally, I’d have taken it from him, since it’s just a little too descriptive for a young dragon...but I suppose he was mature enough in my eyes to read it. Personally, I found it to be an enjoyable read, but romance isn’t usually my cup of tea. I’m more of a history reader.”

Rainbow blinked several times. She wasn’t entirely sure if Scootaloo had been telling the truth when she had told Rainbow about Spike’s guilty reading-pleasure.

Turns out the younger pegasus was right.

“Wow...so he actually likes romance?”

“You have no idea,” Twilight replied with a giggle. “He’s just a big teddy bear underneath all those scales. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a small collection of romance novels stored away in his root cellar...” Her eyes widened a little, and she cast Rainbow a furtive glance. “I...not that’d I’d know or anything...”

Rainbow smirked, however, stashing away the possible information on Spike to tease him with later...if things went as well as she hoped they would.

“So...I guess that novel’s not a good idea if he’s already read it.”

“Oh no, I think it’s a great idea!” Twilight argued. “I...I mean, it’s a little odd to receive a book of that nature from a friend...but I’m sure he’d get a kick out of it after you explain it’s just in good humor.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Rainbow laughed. “Thanks for the help, Twilight. So...you can...hang onto a copy for me?”

“Yes, Rainbow Dash. Librarian’s honor.” Twilight gave a mock salute.

“Great,” Rainbow’s wings flared out, and she made her way towards the door leading back out to Ponyville. “I’d better get going, then. Lots of stuff to take care of; y’know how it is!”

“Sure do,” Twilight followed Rainbow to the door, opening it for her. “I’ll see you later, Rainbow Dash.”

“Later, Twi!” Rainbow called out as she took to the air.

Twilight’s smile grew. “I’ll be sure to gift wrap the book with a bottle of wine and gems for you!”

The unicorn watched as Rainbow let out what sounded very much like a squeak, and faltered in her ascension into the air. She whipped around, landing in front of Twilight, beet red in the cheeks and looking all the world like a pouting school-filly.

“Y-you didn’t have to shout that out!” Rainbow stammered. “Geesh, Twi, what gives?!”

Twilight just gave her friend a hug and giggled. “I’m just wishing you the best of luck.”

For a moment it looked like Rainbow was going to protest. Instead, she folded her wings a bit and gave a demure smile that Fluttershy would have been proud of. “Really?”

Twilight nodded. “Absolutely.”

“I...” Rainbow stood up straight, puffing her chest out a bit, cheeks still bright red. “Thanks, Twilight..”

Again, Twilight nodded. “Of course. Just don’t dawdle too long with telling him. He’s still single, and a pretty charming dragon.”

Feeling better than she had all day, Rainbow Dash flared out her wings once more. “Later, Twilight!” With that, Rainbow took off into the air once more, bolstered by Twilight’s discreet blessing.

Twilight could only beam at the sight of her friend, and silently hummed to herself. If all went accordingly, she would have a wonderful friendship report to write to Princess Celestia in the near future.

“Hm hm...”

“So...?”

“Hmm.....”

“I really appreciate letting me borrow your tools, by the way. I had a rather easy time getting the ore out of the hillside after a bit of chipping away with the chisel...” Spike smiled at the slate gray stallion with a pepper colored mane. His cutie mark was of a rather simple silver band, quite fitting considering both his family’s heritage and his line of work.

“So...is it really silver?”

“Hm?” The stallion looked up to Spike, pulling up a pair of magnifying glass spectacles strapped around his head. “Oh, yes, it’s definitely silver. I’m just surprised to see the fine diamonds ingrained in the stone as well. It’s odd, and not something I’ve seen before. Then again, Equestrian soil holds some degree of magic within it, just like everything else.” He chuckled while setting down a sample of the silver ore Spike had brought. “Grandpa Iron Wrought always said the day you stop learning is the day you stop living.”

“Diamonds?” Spike eyed the silver ore. “Really? I...I had thought that you only found those deep in the earth. Not sticking out of a hillside.”

“Yes, that’s usually the case, considering how they’re formed in the first place...well...” He sighed. “The hills around Ponyville are old. Some scholars speculate a few million years. It wouldn’t be that surprising for some tectonic activity to uproot deeper earth. In fact, just south of the Equestrian border along the Badlands lies one of the oldest known geological formation known to the civilized...” the stallion paused, then cleared his throat. “Sorry...I get a bit long winded when it comes to geology.”

Spike just waved a claw dismissively and smiled. “Not a problem; I know the feeling. Give me a history book on the Equestrian Renaissance or the Pre-Canterlot days, a nice, quiet place to read it, and you won’t hear a word from me for a week.”

The stallion grinned and shook his head. “Silver Spoon told me you’re a good stone cutter, but she never said you were a historian, too.”

Spike just shrugged his shoulders. “Everyone has a hobby, Mr. Silverside.”

“Indeed,” the stallion agreed with a nod. “Well, regarding this silver ore...I could probably have all of what you’ve brought extracted and separated from the rest of the stone within possibly two to three weeks depending on how busy I am.”

“I can pay whatever you need me to,” Spike said. “Silver Spoon said you were the stallion to seek out for advice, and she seems to know more than I do about this kind of business.”

“That’s my girl,” Silverside laughed. “She’d be a great marketing partner if I was interested in expanding the family business.”

“So, two to three weeks?”

“Mm. I’d have to go through some chemical and magical separation procedures. Properly removing the diamonds without damaging the ore is going to add on some extra work. I have a friend who lives an hour away in Haysburg that I can call over to my place. He specializes in diamond extraction magic, and I know he’d love to see this sample.”

“Well, then I put my silver in your faithful hooves,” Spike said, extending his claw and taking Silverside’s hoof to shake it. “Thanks again, I really appreciate this.”

“Of course, Spike. If you’re interested in any silversmithing as well, I’d be happy to do that. I’ll even give you a discount.”

Spike frowned. “Discount? I...that’s nice of you, but I really-”

“No no, I insist. Sheriff Silverstar is my cousin, and he says you sent them some fine stone to use for the new train station. Consider it a thank you, from him and our family.”

“I...” Spike could see the determined gleam in Silverside’s eyes. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Alright, but only because it’d be rude to refuse.”

Silverside winked. “Smart boy. Now, I’m afraid I’ll need to have some time to work here. I need to get started on extracting this silver ore.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Spike made his way out the door, Silverside called out. “Oh, and if you decide to make some jewelry, like a band or something, be sure to get Rainbow Dash’s measurement. I’m guessing her ankles are a size four, but I’ve been wrong before.”

Spike tripped on the front porch of the Silver family’s house. He got up and turned to the stallion, only to see him laugh heartily before shutting the door.

The drake narrowed his eyes as he made his way home. Note to self: Soak the next batch of banana bread I bake for Silver Spoon in hot sauce before giving it to her...

He smirked to himself, picturing Silver Spoon unwittingly devouring a loaf of habanero pepper-laced banana bread, only to realize too late what she had just done as her taste buds began to scream in agony. Yes, that would definitely teach-

“Spike!”

Hearing the sound of his name, Spike looked up, his eyes flooded by a blur of colors. He skittered back as Rainbow Dash came to a sudden halt, flaring her wings out and grinning cockily as she flapped a few inches from his face.

“Haha! Got ya good, didn’t I?”

“Yeesh, I thought you were going to crash right into me!” Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “How’s it going?”

“Preee~eetty gooood...though, I found out that the ice cream parlor down the road is selling their special ‘Mega triple-scoop cones’ for half price, and nopony’s available to go with me.”

“Not even Pinkie Pie?” Spike was genuinely surprised. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Oh, no, she got some earlier...ate it too fast and I’m pretty sure she’s paying for it now. Pumpkin Cake and Mr. Cake have been taking care of her all day,” she laughed. “So...interested in coming with me?”

“Tempting...” Spike hummed in mock-thought. “Though, I was going to take a nice nap in the park...”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “You can eat your ice cream and take a nap in the park afterwards.” She gave Spike a playful punch in the shoulder. “Besides, I bet Thunderlane twelve bits that you could break the record for fastest time eating a Mega triple-scoop of neapolitan, so I kind of need you to come with.”

“Oh boy...how big are these cones again?”

“Pinkie had two and got sick, at least that’s what Pumpkin Cake told me.”

Spike paled a bit, and memories of a time not too many years ago involving a frazzled Twilight, time travel, and several buckets of strawberry ice cream surfaced to the forefront of his mind.

“...I’m gonna be sick...”

“No, wait to do that after you break the record!”

“Nnnnnghh...”

“That. Was. Awesome!” Rainbow cheered for the umpteenth time as she circled around her dragon friend. “Did you see the look on Thunderlane’s face? I wish I had a camera, haha!”

Spike lay in the shade of a large oak within Ponyville Park, a large stuffed plushie of an ice cream cone in his arms while he wore a cap saying ‘Proud Record Holder of the Freezy Sweet’s Triple Threat Challenge’ on his head. He had not moved from his spot for over a half hour, slipping in and out of conscious thought as his stomach punished him for his foolhardy actions.

“No...more...”

Rainbow flitted down and gave Spike a quick hug. “You beat the record by a whole minute! I mean, one minute and twenty-four seconds? That’s...that’s gotta be some kind of ice cream eating world record, Spike! We should totally see if we can get that entered into the Equestrian Archives and-”

“Rainbow...please...don’t say ice cream right now...”

“Oh...heheh...” Rainbow stepped back from Spike, her cheeks a little rosy from the brief contact she had with him. “Still, that was cool! I knew you could do it.”

“Y-yeah...thanks...” Spike let out a burp, followed by the loud rumbling of his stomach. He moaned in agony. “Why....why did I go through with that...?”

Rainbow gave him a guilty smile. “I...well, I guess I got a little pushy, didn’t I? It’s just...Thunderlane was convinced you couldn’t beat the ice cream record...and I may have talked you up a bit...so...” She chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah...”

“Nnn...thanks?” Spike lifted his head up a bit, the cap on his head falling to the side and covering his left eye. “By the way, aren’t you supposed to be working today?”

“Oh...nah, I’m actually off today. I hung out with Rarity and Fluttershy at the spa earlier.”

“Rarity?” Spike echoed. “How is she?”

Rainbow cringed a bit, fearing she may have stepped into sensitive territory. “She’s cool. I guess she’s been trying to get this one design for a summer dress finished, and I’m apparently the ‘perfect’ model for it.”

“I’m sure she’s right,” Spike grunted, then smiled. “It’s kind of scary how good she is at the whole visionary deal when making clothes. I mean...she made my tuxedo for Shining Armor and Cadance’s wedding in less than a day, and I know she never took my measurements before the big day.”

“Yeah, she’s got some wicked talent,” Rainbow added. “I mean, if it was me, I’d probably grow a horn before making a decent dress, heheh.”

“Well, this is Rarity we’re talking about here. She made a new style of hats in the Crystal Empire out of a few pieces of hay and a drinking straw.”

“Yeah...I’m still not sure how that ever caught on up north so fast. I mean...it was just some hay and a straw...” Rainbow murmured.

“Again, this is Rarity we’re talking about. Anything she touches becomes a fashion statement,” Spike chuckled.

Rainbow couldn’t help but join him in the laughter. “Yeah, but you know what really gets me is Fluttershy’s skills. You weren’t there, but she was the one who made most of Rarity’s dress back when we first went to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

Spike quirked an eyebrow. “Fluttershy? A seamstress?”

“Oh yeah, I mean...it kind of makes sense. She used to stitch up my cuts and stuff when we were younger. I didn’t like going to the hospital, and she was always really careful about things like that.”

“She did?” Spike shuddered. “Needles going through skin. No thanks...” He shook his head while his shoulders quaked. “Gyah...nope, no thanks.”

Watching Spike squirm made Rainbow laugh amusedly. She walked up to him, and tapped his claw. “Yeah, like this one time, I got a nasty scrape up my foreleg. It went from here...” She touched her hoof to his wrist, trailing it up a short distance from where his forearm met his bicep. “...right to about here. Hurt really bad, but I’ve had worse. She gave me some kind of herbs to numb me, and an hour later she had me sewn up.”

“Too much information, Rainbow.”

“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing.”

Spike’s stomach rumbled, a little less than before. He sighed, and sat up onto his haunches. “I better get going. I have a feeling I’m going to be having a restless night tonight.”

Rainbow’s ears pressed against her mane. “I...are you going to be alright?”

Spike smiled. “Yeah, but I’m starting to think that maybe I should have declined the challenge.”

“Why didn’t you, then?” Rainbow asked. “I mean...Thunderlane would have understood...I guess I put a bit of pressure on you, though.”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Spike said quickly. The mare before him cocked her head to the side as he continued. “I...well, I didn’t...want to let you down, I guess.”

“...let me down...?” she echoed.

“Yeah...”

A long silence hung between, and neither could meet each other’s eyes. Spike eventually stood up, clearing his throat and preparing to awkwardly bid Rainbow goodbye.

“You wouldn’t have.”

Spike turned to Rainbow Dash, who was still facing the ground. Her lips had the faintest hint of a smile on them.

“What?”

Rainbow Dash looked up. “You wouldn’t have let me down. I mean...I’d be a little bummed out at not getting to see you break the record...but I wouldn’t be disappointed in you. I mean...you’re too good of a friend to do that to me.”

“O-oh...” Spike scratched his neck and hoped the blush he felt creeping into his cheeks wasn’t too bright. “I...thanks, Rainbow. You’re...a great friend too. Probably one of my best friends, actually.”

It’d be great if you were even more, though...

Spike closed his eyes and turned away, gritting his teeth and forcing his thoughts away from that topic. He could hope for it, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up too high.

“Spike? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just...a bellyache...” Spike lied. He offered her a grin, which she returned in kind. “I had a great time, Dash...even if my stomach disagrees.”

“Heh, it’ll be a story to tell Twi and the girls later. Pinkie’s going to be so jealous!”

“Hopefully she won’t mistake my record as a challenge,” Spike laughed. “Pinkie’s competitive streak is almost as scary as yours.”

The two shared a final laugh before parting ways, Rainbow turning to look over her shoulder as Spike made his way home. She sighed a little, smiling and shaking her head.

Soon, I’ll tell him...just not quite yet...

Spike glanced at the calendar on his wall. The day’s date was circled in red marker with a reminder about his restaurant reservation for the evening. He checked the clock next to the calendar, noting that it hadn’t changed since he last glanced at it thirty seconds ago.

Seriously, stop looking at the clock. It’s not going to go any faster.

Grumbling to himself, he walked to his bathroom, and studied himself in the mirror. His polished scales practically glimmered in the white light, making him smile smugly.

“Oh, hey, Rainbow. Huh? Oh, yeah, I just polished my scales. Nope, did them myself. It’s a bit of a chore for me, but I don’t mind it. Oh, thanks, you look...pretty...” Spike frowned at his reflection. “...awesome?” He groaned. “Damn it, no! That’s too...too typical! Come on, think of something better!” He stroked his chin, tongue sticking out of his mouth in thought. “Gorgeous? No...that’s laying it on a little heavy. Hm...” He flipped through his suddenly not-so-extensive mental vocabulary, finding nothing that quite described how he felt about the mare that had been dominating his every waking and sleeping thought for the past few days now.

“Voluptuous? No, that’s just asking for an awkward night. Hm...sporty? Ugh, no! Hm...how about...nah, maybe...beautiful?” He shook his head. “Too ordinary for-”

A knock at his door cut off his thoughts. He looked at the clock. A quarter to six, and not a minute later.

He quickly made his way to the pony-sized side door, opening it to reveal none other than Rainbow Dash. “Hey, Rai-”

Spike’s words caught in his throat as he gazed at the pony standing before him. It was Rainbow Dash, that he couldn’t deny. Though, the mare gracing the entrance of his was not the Rainbow Dash that he was familiar with.

Her mane had been brushed to a healthy shine while a single braid of golden thread held it in a loose ponytail. She wore a skirt of–surprise, surprise–rainbow colored streaks. It wasn’t an elegant, draping one like the kind she had worn at the gala or at Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding several years ago, but it was still nice on her. In the faint light of the waning afternoon, the sun glinted off her mane at just the right angle. She was...

“...radiant...” Spike uttered quietly.

Rainbow Dash blushed a bit, and looked to the floor. “H-hey, Spike. Um...you ready?”

“Huh? Oh!” Spike laughed. “Yeah, you bet. I’m famished!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes while smirking. “Doubt it. I bet you were snacking all day while thinking about eating out tonight.”

Spike just grinned. “Ma-aybe.”

“Ugh, you’re hopeless,” she laughed.

The two made their way down the road, deciding to take their time instead of flying. The sunlight dancing along the surface of the pond was a wonderful backdrop, framing Rainbow perfectly as Spike looked at her.

“S-so...I like that dress of yours. Is it new?”

Rainbow looked up, her cheeks still rosy. “Yep...it’s that dress I was telling you about. Not sure how, but she was super-intense with dressmaking last night. I mean...well, okay, so maybe Fancypants gave her a couple cups of coffee, but still!”

“Yeesh, I can imagine,” Spike chuckled. “I wonder what got her into such a frenzy, though. Usually she’s pretty good about setting a pace with her work...well, at least since the time she made those dresses for you girls.”

“Um...Rarity, this isn’t really necessary. I mean, it’s just us having dinner before going out to dance-”

“Nonsense!” Rarity said, her eyes flickering like sparks off of newly forged steel. “As Celestia is my witness, I will finish this dress tonight or sell my boutique and give up dressmaking all together!” Her left eye twitched a bit before she returned her attention to the slit in Rainbow’s skirt that ran up her left thigh.

“How...many cups of coffee did you have so far?”

“Only ten, dearie, it’s nothing,” Rarity replied quickly with a wave of her hoof. She pulled down her glasses with a glow from her horn, and began humming. “Honestly, Rainbow, some mares would give their bottom bit to have a frame like yours. I mean, Fluttershy is a wonderful model, no doubt, but you have the attitude and gusto of a true superstar. Oh, you simply must let me take a photo of you before I release this design!”

“Um...I’ll think about it,” Rainbow replied with a nervous grin, watching as Rarity hovered over her left flank. “Rarity...something wrong back there?”

“No, dearie, I’m just trying to picture how to make you look sassy while still being refined.” She let out a little giggle. “We don’t want Spike to worship you all night, after all.” She lifted a large white mug to her lips, only to blink a few times before turning it upside down. “Oh, my...Fancy dear, would you be so kind as to get me more coffee? Extra sugar, if you don’t mind.”

“Ehm...I do believe you’ve had enough toni-”

“Fancypants, I. Am. In. My. Zone! I cannot stop. Rainbow’s night out with Spike needs to be perfect! I have already crafted plans for her wedding dre-”

“What?!”

“Oh, truly you don’t think I’d leave that all-important dress design to somepony else, Rainbow Dash? I’ve got the basic outline done, but it might change if you gain or lose a few pounds. Truthfully, you’d look even more gorgeous with a little more flank...nothing wrong with having a little more to squeeze, right?”

Rainbow’s jaw had gone slack, and Fancypants had started coughing, though Rainbow swore she heard a snicker or two.

“Remind me to never give Rarity coffee at one in the morning...”

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” Rainbow answered with a shake of her head. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been craving some spinach ravioli in pesto all day.”

Spike’s stomach replied with a loud growl. He cleared his throat and fought down the rising heat to his cheeks. Rainbow Dash chuckled in amusement.

“Looks like your stomach likes the sound of that too, huh?

“Seems that way,” Spike replied with a grin. “I don’t do much cooking with pasta, to be honest.”

“I got a recipe or two,” Rainbow added. “I mean, they’re probably nothing compared to what you can make, but...well, maybe we could cook together some time. Get all the of the gang together, and just cook a huge meal for everypony.”

“That’d be great! I bet you’d knock most of them clear off their horseshoes when they get a sample of your cooking.”

“I’m not that good...” Rainbow looked down, trying her best to fight down a smile.

“We’ll let the girls be the judge of that,” Spike laughed.

Dinner was relatively peaceful for the two. It was a weekend night, so the restaurant was busy with couples young and old filling the tables while waiters scurried from spot to spot, taking orders and checking up on their patrons.

Rainbow Dash and Spike had both ordered stuffed ravioli with pesto sauce, agreeing that they had a sudden craving for it. They ate a leisurely pace, focusing more on each other than the food.

“So yeah, after that incident with Lightning Dust I sort of just decided that maybe I should take it easy on the Wonderbolts thing for awhile.”

“Wow, Dash, that sounds rough. I’m just glad Spitfire had the common sense to see the problem there.” Spike lifted a forkful of spinach and ravioli and frowned. “The pesto sauce is starting to make the rest of the food soggy...”

“Heh, yeah...” Rainbow poked at her own food and sighed. Most of it was gone, but there was enough for leftovers to bring to work next week. “You want to head over to the club?”

Spike simply nodded, and raised a claw to signal to their waiter. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Rainbow Dash fishing out a small coin purse from her tail.

“It’s on me,” Spike said quickly.

“Like hay it is,” Rainbow laughed. “Come on, you paid for the drinks at the bar before. This is on me.”

“Really, Rainbow, it’s cool, I can pay this.” Spike gave her a smile. “I don’t mind.”

“Well, how about we split the bill?” Rainbow offered, her eyes flickering with that challenging spark she had. “No problem there, right?”

“This isn’t a competition to see who can pay,” Spike sighed, though the smile never left his lips.

“I know,” she replied. “It doesn’t mean I won’t make it one. I still owe you for the drinks.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I...” Rainbow paused, then leaned back in her chair. “Alright, but...if I let you pay as well, you have to promise to share at least one Sun Buzz with me.”

“At least?” he echoed. “That stuff is a little strong, especially for a pegasus. I’m not sure you’d be able to handle-”

The drake bit his tongue as he saw that ever familiar frown on Rainbow Dash’s face. The kind that was just daring him to call her bluff.

“I...yeah, that’d be great.”

“Cool!” Rainbow beamed, her frown disappearing instantly.

After splitting the bill and taking the remains of their lunch with them in a container, the two made their way towards 2 Hot 2 Trot. The thumping bass was easy to hear over the relative quiet that had settled over Ponyville. Before long, the two had turned down a corner and were facing across the street from the dance club. A small line of ponies stood outside, but Spike was relieved to see they were being let in quickly.

“Oh good, it’s not too crowded...” Spike sighed.

“Afraid you won’t be able to fit?”

“It’d be Pinkie’s birthday party at Sugarcube Corner last year all over again. Minus the polka band.”

Rainbow Dash barked out a laugh. “Yeah, and no Twilight to tip a barrel of sarsaparilla on.”

“I know she says she forgave me, but I still think she holds a little grudge for that accident.”

“Good thing Rarity had that mane treatment stuff at her place.”

They stood at the back of the line, waiting to be let in. Rainbow quirked an eyebrow as she eyed the pegasus stallion at the door. As they neared the front of the line, Rainbow grinned. “Since when have you been bouncing, Snowflake?”

The buff stallion looked towards the two. “Oh, Rainbow Dash. Spike. What’s up?”

“Just making our way to the most awesome party in Ponyville,” she replied.

Snowflake nodded, checking the tickets they presented. He stamped Rainbow and Spike's wrists with a clear ink and grinned. “Vinyl told me to tell you guys to go over to her when you get here. Something about Spike needing to meet somepony.” He shrugged his muscular shoulders. “Some mare who was complaining about the music being too loud the whole time she was here.”

“Sounds like Octavia,” Spike chuckled. “Vinyl told me she can hardly stand this stuff.”

“Yeah! That’s her name. Octavia...she’s from Canterlot, I think.”

“Sweet, we’ll go find her right away,” Rainbow added. “Later, Snowflake.”

As the two wandered inside, they were met with a blast of warm, sweaty air that was all-too common with dance clubs. Spike’s eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting, and he could make out the far corner where Vinyl was sitting behind her DJ booth. On one side of the club was the bar where Jamboree and three other mares were taking care of drinks.

“C’mon, follow me!” Rainbow shouted over the music. Spike could barely make out what she was saying, but nodded and followed her, his height allowing him the ability to track her rainbow streaked mane with little difficulty.

Vinyl spotted the two as they neared the DJ booth. She waved, a little too enthusiastically, and gestured for them to come over with a hoof.

“I think somepony started drinking early,” Spike joked, earning a laugh from Rainbow Dash.

“Spike, Dash! You made it!” She jumped out of her seat and bumped hooves with both of them before wrapping them in a hug, or attempting to in Spike’s case. The faint smell of alcohol was on her breath, but she didn’t appear to be too inebriated.

Turning towards a gray coated earth pony mare seated next to the booth, she hollered. “Tavy! Hey, come over here! These are the two I wanted to introduce you to!”

The gray mare looked up from a small thin-necked glass of amber liquid. She rolled her eyes while smiling at Vinyl, then made her way towards the three.

“Spike, Rainbow Dash, this is my marefriend and biggest fan, Octavia.”

“Ah, so you’re Rainbow Dash,” the mare said a low nod. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. Vinyl laughed loudly and walked up beside the mare. “Sorry, Octavia’s used to a much more formal crowd.”

Octavia sighed. “There’s nothing wrong with being courteous.” She turned back to Rainbow and laughed. “Vinyl has issues with formality, unfortunately.”

“Nah, I just don’t worry about formality,” Vinyl answered with a nuzzle. “I just care about my super-formal marefriend.”

Octavia’s blush was almost visible in the dim, purple lighting coming from the booth. “Vinyl...”

Vinyl stuck out her tongue and licked Octavia’s cheek teasingly, earning a squeal from the prim and proper mare. The earth pony sputtered out a few words, then settled for fuming silently while Vinyl just laughed and nuzzled her affectionately. Octavia mumbled something that Spike and Rainbow couldn’t hear. Vinyl replied by whispering in Octavia’s ear, and the earth pony’s blush deepened further before she smiled and nodded.

“So...” Spike said, clearing his throat. “Er...you’re Octavia? Vinyl’s told me a bit about you.”

Octavia recovered, schooling her expression back to a small smile. “Yes, well, hopefully nothing too embarrassing.”

“Nah, she says you’re a huge fan of classical music, though.”

“Oh, indeed. I’m actually a member of the Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra.”

“She’s their best cellist.”

“Vinyl, honestly...” Octavia pouted. “Talk me up too much and I’ll look like an amateur the first time they hear me play.”

“Humble, too,” Vinyl added with another nuzzle. “Now, if only she would have an appreciation for jello shots...”

“Ugh,” Octavia wrinkled her nose. “No thank you.” She took a sip of the liquid in her glass, held it in her mouth for several seconds, savoring the flavor, and swallowed. “I’m just relieved that Jamboree had some Tilting Sun bottles stored away.”

Rainbow glanced at the glass and nodded approvingly. “Tilting Sun? That stuff isn’t cheap.”

“No, it isn’t,” Octavia replied with a chuckle as she swirled her glass. “It is, however, a very fine whiskey that is to be enjoyed...not chugged down by the bottle at a time.” She glanced at Vinyl, who avoided her gaze.

“So, Octavia, I was wondering, do you know any good books on the history of music during the Equestrian Renaissance? I’ve been trying to find a good source of material to study on the subject and...”

Rainbow watched as Octavia and Spike began to go into a deep conversation of the evolution of musical style during what, according to the drake, was the most revolutionary period in Equestria’s history of art and science.

A hoof rested on her shoulder, and she turned to see Vinyl nodding towards the bar. “Come on, let the two chat it up for a bit. Octavia doesn’t get to talk about this stuff too often with others outside of work, anyway. Let’s go get a drink for you and Spike.”

Rainbow smiled, thankful that Vinyl had saved her from what would have been an awkward session of listening to two ‘mega-eggheads’ talk about stuff she had little genuine interest in.

“So...you and Spike hit it off yet?”

Rainbow sighed. “No, but I’d like to-” She cut herself off and gave the unicorn a weak glare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh come on, I can see it even now,” Vinyl teased. “I don’t know why you’re so worked up about it. So you like him; cool. Spike’s a great dude, he’s smart, strong...”

“Okay...okay...am I that easy to read?”

“Nah, I’ve just been working with ponies long enough to notice things like that.” Vinyl waved to Jamboree as they reached the bar. The bartender gave a quick wave before returning to her patrons, clearly busy with the massive crowd attending the first day of the dance festival.

“You want anything in particular?” called out one of the assistant bartenders over the din of music and laughter.

“A Sun Buzz...two of them!”

Vinyl quirked an eyebrow, her cerise eyes full of confusion. “Two of them? Um, Rainbow, I know it’s not my business, but for a mare your size, that might be pushing...” Then it clicked. “Ohhhhh, for you and Spike!” She chuckled sheepishly as Rainbow gave her a flat look. “Heh, sorry.”

Three minutes later and the two mares their drinks. Rainbow carefully held a mug of the citrusy liquor drink under either of her wings while Vinyl carried a bottle of lager in her magic. They returned to see that Spike and Octavia were still busy discussing musical history.”

“...Summer Song didn’t really become popular until after she died. I find it rather peculiar that Ponyville still sings her traditional winter wrap-up piece, even though she did most of her performances along the eastern coastal region of Equestria.”

“So that’s where I’ve heard that song!” Spike snapped his fingers as his eyes lit up. “Yeah, you know, I was wondering that myself when Twilight and I first moved here. I thought I heard the song everypony was singing before...huh...” Spike looked over to Vinyl and Rainbow, smiling as his pegasus friend gave him one of the mugs. “Heh, thanks, Rainbow Dash.”

“Don’t mention it. Just promise not to get too tipsy tonight. I’m not sure I can carry you back to your place.”

“You two are welcome to crash in the back room,” Vinyl offered. “Just hope you don’t mind sharing the space with Jamboree, Octavia, and I. We’ll be needing to get some sleep between shifts.”

“You don’t need to do that, Vinyl.”

“Pshh, it’s nothing, Spike. Just as long as you promise not to snore too loudly, we’ll be fine.”

“I...” Spike sighed deeply.

“We’ll keep it in mind,” Rainbow replied with a grin. “Right now, Spike and I are going to hit the dance floor.”

Spike was about to take a drink from his mug, but paused while casting an uneasy look towards the pegasus. “Um...w-we are?”

“Well, yeah! It’s called a dance festival for a reason, Spike.” Rainbow took a healthy swig of her own drink. “And don’t go and say you can’t dance, because I saw you at Scootaloo’s birthday party and I know you can bust some moves.”

“Y-yeah, but I had a good ten feet of space around myself when I was pulling them off. I’d probably smack somepony clear across the dance floor and into a wall with how crowded it is if I tried any of those moves.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You’re just making excuses. If you ask, I’m sure everypony would give you some space.”

Spike shook his head. “No way, too much of a hassle.”

“If you don’t wish to dance,” Octavia began. “Perhaps you two could do some karaoke, hm?”

Spike frowned while Rainbow’s smile grew. “Yeah! Good idea, Octavia! C’mon, Spike I know just the song!”

Before Spike could protest he was being pulled by Rainbow to the small stage near Vinyl’s booth. Rainbow looked through the list of songs Vinyl had written down, pointing it out to Spike–who vehemently shook his head–and then trotted over to Vinyl to make her request.

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“You made me sing the female parts in the duet...”

“Only because I’m more of a contralto when it comes to singing. It’d be weird for me to sing those parts.”

“Rainbow, Celestia herself said when I was learning music back in Canterlot that I’m a baritone...singing soprano makes even less-”

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!”

The two looked to see a group of mares heading towards them, Rainbow’s co-workers if Spike guessed right.

“Hey girls!” Rainbow greeted. “Oh, um, Spike, these are some of the weather ponies I work with. You already know Flitter and Cloudchaser, right?”

Spike gave a nod to the mares. “Evening, girls.”

The mares giggled and whispered to themselves. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and continued. “Anyway, this is Cloud Kicker and Dizzy Twister.”

Cloud Kicker, a gray pegasus with a golden mane, smiled at Spike. “Sooo, Spike, what brings you here?”

Spike wasn’t sure if it was the two drinks he had had so far, but he swore she gave him some serious bedroom eyes. He cleared his throat and put on his best grin. “Oh, just hanging out with Rainbow Dash, enjoying the party...um...how about you?”

“Well-”

Dizzy stepped forward, cutting off Cloud Kicker. “We were just coming to say hello to Dash.”

Cloud Kicker frowned. “I thought-”

“Anyway,” Flitter continued. “Spike, you mind if we steal Rainbow away for a few? We want to catch up. You know...a little ‘girl’ time?”

Rainbow Dash looked like she wanted nothing to do with this ‘girl’ time. “What?”

Cloudchaser walked up beside Rainbow Dash, putting a hoof around her and ushering her towards the bar. “Nice seeing you, Spike.”

Spike watched as Rainbow gave him a pleading look while she disappeared into the crowd with the four mares. “Um...later?” He slumped down to the floor beside a small table, cradling his drink. “What was that all about?”

Meanwhile, Rainbow was struggling not to throw Cloudchaser off of her.

“Alright, hold it!” Rainbow snapped. “What are you four up to?”

Cloud Kicker giggled. “We just want to know what’s going on with you and Spike, that’s all.”

Rainbow huffed. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m just hanging out with him. He’s a good friend of mine.”

“We’re just curious, Rainbow. I mean...honestly, everyone at work’s noticed how...uh...how much happier you’ve been as of late,” Flitter added, doing her best to calm the upset mare. “As for Cloud Kicker, she’s a apparently a shameless flirt after a few appletinis.”

Cloud Kicker tossed her mane haughtily. “I have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not like I was asking him out or anything.” She cast her gaze to Rainbow and smiled. “You, on the other hoof...”

“Oh my gosh, I already said it, we’re just hanging out together–as friends!” She stomped her hoof for emphasis. “Is there any law saying I can’t do that?”

“Rainbow Dash, look, we’re not teasing you or anything like that,” Dizzy Twister began. “We just noticed you two singing karaoke earlier. Oh, by the way...why did you have Spike singing the female vocals?”

“I’m a contralto, I-” Rainbow paused and shook her head. “Wait, that’s besides the point! You girls are cool, okay? That doesn’t mean you can just tear me away from my night out with Spike when I’m...” She noticed the four giving her a knowing smile, and she groaned. “Okay, okay, so maybe I have a little bit of a crush on him...or something...”

“Moving on,” Cloudchaser cut Flitter off with a raised hoof. “We were...I don’t know...wondering if you wanted some tips?”

“Yeah, you know, like...how to let him know you’re interested in him.” Dizzy offered. “I mean, he’s not a stallion, but he’s still a male, so he’s likely going to be oblivious to any of the cues unless you let him know clearly.”

“You mean like just telling him?” Rainbow replied flatly. “Look, I’m fine. I’m not going to rush this, and I’ll...tell him when that time comes.”

The four mares all smiled. “Come on, Rainbow. We’ll grab a cider and talk it over. He might be a dragon, but I’m pretty sure we can still help you out all the same.”

Rainbow Dash, equal parts grateful and flustered, joined them at the bar as Cloudchaser placed an order for the five of them.

Spike continued to sit at the table, cradling the now lukewarm beverage in his claws, which was mostly watered down from the now-melted ice cubes .

Spike looked around him, watching the ponies as they mingled with each other, danced, laughed, and in many cases, made out. He recognized more than a few ponies in various booths of the club, sitting on couches or at the edges of the dance floor, engaging in activities that would normally be reserved for secluded parts of the public park or behind closed doors.

Nothing too intimate, but still...

He sighed deeply, and set down his now empty mug. Looking at a glow-in-the-dark clock on the wall nearest to him revealed it was about half past eleven. He had thought it to be much later in the evening, but...well, if the stories behind his Sun Buzz were true, then alcohol had a tendency to mess with one’s perception of time. Even Princess Celestia’s...

“I really need to ask her if she actually forgot to set the sun after drinking this stuff...”

“So, where’d the girls go off to with Rainbow Dash?”

Spike’s ear frills twitched at the mention of his friend’s name. He strained to pick up on the conversation going on behind him.

“No clue, but I think they just wanted to catch up with her or something. You know how mares can be.”

“Yeah...probably catching up on the latest gossip.”

“Well, I doubt Dash has any interest in that,” replied Thunderlane. “She’s not a fan of small talk and that kind of stuff.”

“Oh, and I’m sure you know this from firsthoof experience, right?” One of the other stallions joked, and Spike could pick up the annoyed groan of Thunderlane amongst the laughter.

“Lay off it, guys.”

“Oh, come on, Thunder, you’ve said it yourself that Rainbow was probably the best marefriend you ever had, right? I mean, she likes sports, loves rock music...”

“Flitter plays for Ponyville’s divisional soccer team. I’d say she’s into sports just as much as any other mare,” Thunderlane countered.

“Well, okay, but Dash is probably the most competitive pony I’ve ever known,” continued the other stallion.

“Yeah...you know, I heard she’s been seeing that one dragon that used to live at the library...uh...what’s his name again? Thorn? Scrape?”

“His name is Spike. What’s your point, Pokey?”

Spike resisted the urge to interrupt their conversation, his curiosity outweighing his annoyance at the moment.

“Poor kid, I hope she doesn’t toss him aside like she did with the others,” commented one of them. “I mean...it’s her life, but I’ve heard about how broken up some of the ponies were when she would start seeing someone else without any-”

Thunderlane snorted. “She’s not like that anymore, Lucky! She hasn’t been with anyone for years now.”

“So you’ve been keeping tabs on her, huh?” laughed Lucky.

“No, she’s an old friend. We have lunch together all the time at work, and we like to keep in touch.” Thunderlane was starting to sound as annoyed as Spike felt. “Honestly, guys, if Flitter or Cloudkicker heard you talking about her like this right now...”

“Hey, chill out, Thunder. We’re just messing with you...though, I’m wondering why she’s going out with that Spike all of the sudden.”

“Isn’t he like...the adopted brother of Twilight Sparkle or something?” chimed in a fourth stallion. “I mean, he used to live there with her until he got that huge house outside of town.”

“Not officially, Caramel. I think she hatched him or something...at least that’s what Rainbow told me once.” Thunderlane laughed as he continued. “Apparently he’s about as old as most of us. Dragons just grow up slower than ponies...well, except for their sudden growth spurts that they go through once in awhile.”

“Huh, well, that’s good. Wouldn’t want Dash to be robbing the cradle now, would-ow, what the hay, Thunder?!”

“Enough with the jokes about Dash, Pokey!” snapped Thunderlane.

Spike’s fists were shaking, yet he maintained his silence.

“Well, I’m just saying...yeesh, you know, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a lump on my head after that one. Ouch...”

“First off, Rainbow Dash is a good mare. Alright? Second of all, it’s none of our business who she’s with, be it a one time deal, or a long term dating thing,” Thunderlane slammed what sounded like a glass on the table. “I honestly hope it works out for them. She talks about him all the time at work. She’s helping him train with flying and stuff.”

“Didn’t she do the same thing when you two were dating?” asked Lucky.

Spike heard Thunderlane attempting a rebuttal, which sounded mostly like stammering to the young drake. The pegasus stallion let out a snort, and Spike heard a hoof slam onto the table behind him. “Well...y-yeah...but it doesn’t mean that she’s going to dump him later...” Thunderlane didn’t sound so certain. “I mean...they’re friends...”

“You and Rainbow were friends, too,” Pokey added with a sigh. “That Spike is a decent guy; I hate to see how he’d be if Rainbow’s just pulling him along until she grows bored.”

Spike failed to notice the faint wisps of smoke leaving his nostrils.

“Um...guys?”

“Didn’t she once date a mare and colt at the same time back in Cloudsdale at the same time? I think I remember hearing how ugly it got when the other two found out about it.””

“I heard that happened at least twice,” added Pokey. “I mean...I could be wrong, but...”

Thunderlane snorted in annoyance. “So she dated around a lot when she was younger! Big deal! Can either of you say you weren’t like that when you were young.”

“Hey, at least I stayed with my marefriends until we broke up,” Lucky countered. “Who’s to say she isn’t just trying out dragons. I’ve heard a few stories about dragonesses and stallions. No rule saying she can’t have fun with a drake, right?”

Pokey grunted in agreement. “Yeah, let’s just pretend for a moment that there is the possibility of those two actually having a serious relationship. How long will it last? If it does last...well, don’t dragons live to be somewhere between several hundred to a couple thousand years? He’s likely going to outlive Rainbow by eons!”

Spike’s anger began to fade, being replaced with a sinking feeling.

He’s right...

“Guys, I think we should-”

“You don’t even know Rainbow Dash that well, Lucky! She’s had a tough life, but you wouldn’t think so because she never shows it! ” Thunderlane slammed a hoof on the table. “Even if she is looking for a one-night stand with Spike, so what? They’re both adults!”

“Yeah, and one of them is a dragon. How would that even work?”

“Would you shut it, Pokey?” Thunderlane practically shouted.

“Fine, fine...it’s not like it’s affecting you, anyway. I just hate to see that Spike kid getting hurt.”

“He’s only a few years younger than us, Pokey,” Lucky sighed. “For all we know he’s just looking for a quick rut from her and-”

“Guys!”

“What, Caramel?”

Spike was standing up from his table, back still turned to the conversation. He took in a deep breath before letting it out, the faintest embers of green leaving his mouth.

“Oh...horseapples...” Pokey gulped.

Spike turned to the four, his eyes resting on Lucky Clover and Pokey Pierce. “Just be glad I’m not like most dragons...otherwise this would be turning ugly really quick for you guys.” He leveled the two with a glare before turning around, making his way towards the entrance. He could hear Thunderlane calling out to him, but he really didn’t care at the moment.

Right now, he needed some fresh air and to do some thinking.

Rainbow Dash made her way back to the table Spike had been sitting at, only to find it vacant. She frowned, setting down a mug of cider she had brought for him, and looked around for his tall, purple form.

“What’s up, Dash?”

“I can’t find Spike. You girls saw him sit down over here last, right?”

Flitter scanned the area, her own expression drooping to a frown. “Maybe he’s using the restroom?” She looked to the table nearby, and smiled. “Maybe Thunderlane or one of the other boys saw him.”

Rainbow continued to look around, slowly growing more and more worried with each passing moment.

He...he wouldn’t just leave, would he?

No, Spike wouldn’t do that. He would probably at least find her and let her know that he was leaving, whatever reason that would be.

Unless I upset him or something. Then I could see him-

“You said what?!”

Rainbow jumped at the sound of Flitter’s voice. She turned around to see a very peeved Flitter glaring daggers at Lucky Clover and Pokey Pierce, two stallions who were friends with Thunderlane. Caramel, another colt she knew who worked at Sweet Apple Acres during growing season, was sitting aside while shaking his head.

“We didn’t notice him, honest!”

Now, Rainbow knew Flitter to be a rather demure and polite mare, not unlike Fluttershy. Maybe a bit more of a gossip, but she was still an all-around nice pony. So, seeing her giving a death-glare to two ponies while Cloudchaser stood by, ready to hold her back from pouncing on the two colts, was rather disturbing.

“How...how can you two be so...so...?”

“Stupid?” offered Cloud Kicker.

“Yes!” Flitter replied. “I swear, what is wrong with you two? You’re lucky he didn’t do anything to you two! That...” She turned towards Rainbow Dash, worry clearly written on her features now.

“What...what’s wrong?”

“I think these two...,” Flitter looked towards Pokey and Lucky, “...might have said some things that Spike overheard. Things that might have upset him that...relate to you. They say he was heading out of the club just a minute or two ago.”

Rainbow’s stomach flip-flopped. The implications behind those words didn’t settle well with her. She gave the two colts a glare before making her way towards the entrance to the club.

Please don’t let him be upset, please don’t let him be upset...

Rainbow Dash reached the entrance, and immediately spotted Spike sitting beneath a tree near a lamp post. He was slumped over, his wings sagging to his sides while he stared at a particular spot on the ground.

“Spike...?”

The dragon looked up at her, eyes widening a little. He sighed deeply and returned his attention to the ground. “H-hey...Rainbow Dash...”

The pegasus walked up to him, placing a hoof over one of his claws. He flinched a little at the contact, but didn’t pull away.

“I heard about those two idiots...and what they were talking about...”

Spike grunted while nodding. “I might have overreacted...I didn’t mean to say anything threatening to them...”

Rainbow chuckled weakly. “They probably deserved it, though...”

The two remained silent for a long while, neither sure of what to say to the other.

Finally, Spike broke the silence. “Rainbow...can I ask you a question? A...personal question...?”

“Uh...I...”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to...but...it would probably help me figure a few things out...about...some things that I’ve been thinking about lately.”

Rainbow swallowed hard, but nodded. “O-okay...”

Spike looked into her eyes for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice came out as a strained whisper. “Was it true? What they said about you and when you...still were in Cloudsdale...and all the ponies you dated?”

Rainbow nodded once.

“I...I’m not angry, Rainbow.” His voice remained even and gentle as he continued. “Please don’t think that for a second....I mean, I have no right to be,” he let out a wry chuckle. “It’s your life. Heck, you’re what...four...five years older than me? It’s...” He scratched his neck and gazed at a random spot on the ground, avoiding Rainbow’s gaze. “Sorry, I’m...kind of not in a good place right now.”

“Talk to me, alright?” Rainbow said, looking up to him once more. “I...look, I won’t say I entirely regret those days. They were fun...I just...some ponies got hurt because of me. That was something I’m not proud of. Still, some ponies didn’t mind. I...” She shook her head. “I went through a rough spot for a while...but, like I said...I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

“So, would you ever start...dating like that again?”

She was caught off guard by the question, and her expression must have shown. “H-huh?”

The drake winced. “S-sorry, I shouldn’t-”

He began to pull away from her, but Rainbow touched his arm, silently telling him to stay. “No, it’s alright...I just wasn’t expecting that...”

“No it’s not. I’m prying into stuff that’s not my business. It’s not right, no matter-”

“Spike. It’s fine.”

Spike’s eyes rested on her hoof again. He didn’t squeeze, but he held it gently within his claw. Something was going on in his mind right now, and Rainbow wanted to help anyway she could.

Spike’s question, though...that was a...a complicated question. She wanted to say ‘no’, but...she wasn’t sure if that was true or not. Rainbow Dash wasn’t the kind of mare that liked being tied down, whether it was in a hospital bed with a broken wing, barred from using her wings in a race, or...other things...

“So...?” Spike dared to ask, his tone hesitant and unsure.

She opened her mouth, hesitant to speak. The words came out, barely above a whisper. Just loud enough for the two to hear.

“I...don’t know.”

Spike exhaled slowly, but he didn’t say anything. He gave her what may have been the most painful smile she had ever seen cross his features. “That’s...understandable..”

“Spike, look...I like you. Like, I really like you.” She scuffed the dirt with a hoof. “I-I...I want to...get to know you better.”

“Rainbow...stop.”

She was leaning towards him, and not even aware of it. She shrunk back, but yet again Spike gave her a gentle squeeze of her hoof. She returned it with one of her own.

“It’s probably for the best that we don’t take this too far, you know? I mean...I’ve still got my own problems to figure out...what with everything that’s happened in the past month or so. I...I really don’t think that...that something between us would work out. I mean...it’s obvious that we’re both...interested...I can see that now...”

Rainbow nodded. “You’re probably the first guy, dragon or pony, that I’ve really wanted to be with in years...”

Spike looked away, his eyes narrowing as he exhaled through his nostrils. “I don’t think it’d be fair of me to date you, Rainbow.”

“W-why not?” Rainbow asked, her voice quaking slightly. She was upset with herself for looking so vulnerable and with Spike for being so...so...gloomy!

Spike nodded. “But, I don’t think what I...” He paused, and groaned in frustration. “It’s...it’s just...Rainbow, I think we should just...stay friends...like we already are.”

Rainbow’s wings sagged. “Huh?”

Spike rubbed the bridge of his snout, but she could see the telltale signs of moisture forming in the corners of his eyes. “It’s just...maybe it’s best we just stay friends...that way neither of us gets hurt.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Hurt? Spike, I would never hurt you!”

“I know, and neither would I. Intentionally, at least. Emotions are pretty fragile things, though.”

Rainbow took a step forward. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying...I’m just saying that I’d rather you be happy. I’d rather have us both be happy, and not looking for anything other than friendship from each other...”

“I...s-so just stay...friends?”

Spike nodded.

“But...what if...what if I want more? Spike, you’re not making any sense! What...what got you thinking this is a good idea all of the sudden?”

Spike shook his head slowly.

“Spike...” Rainbow felt her throat tightening. “Please...”

Spike’s voice cracked a bit as he spoke. “There’s more to it, Rainbow...” He waved a clawed hand over himself. “I’m a dragon...”

Rainbow actually looked angry now, her eyes widening as she stood upright. “What’s that got to do with anything? You think I care about about something like...like whether you’ve got scales, feathers...or...or fur?”

“Rainbow, that’s not my point...” Spike slumped. “I’m still, technically, a young dragon. I mean, I’m an adult, sure...but...a very, very young one. I won’t be considered a true adult for another fifty to sixty years...and...well, dragons live for a long time.”

Rainbow went quiet, her mind quickly catching the implications to his words.

I’m going to outlive you several times over...

Still, she shook her head. “That...that’s fine!”

“Rainbow, it wouldn’t be fair to you, or me.” Spike slowly slipped his claw out of her grip. “If...if we decided to date...I wouldn’t stop you from seeing others, but...” He ran a claw over his face, and wiped his eyes. “...I don’t...I’d feel jealous...and that wouldn’t be right.”

“It can just be us, Spike.”

“Rainbow, I don’t want you to change for my sake, though!” Spike groaned and turned to her. “I shouldn’t have brought this up...I’m sorry, let’s just pretend-”

“No, I’m not going to just pretend that this never happened.” She jabbed him with a hoof. “You’re making up excuses. It’s pissing me off, but...damn it, I still care about you.” She was now on stand on her hind legs, her forehooves pressed against Spike’s chest. The drake looked excited and scared at the same time, and she wasn’t sure if she was proud of herself or ashamed for making him feel that way. “The Spike I know wouldn’t think like this.”

“...that’s because the Spike you used to know was a naive hatchling wearing rose-tinted glasses.” He gently pushed her away so that she could regain her balance. He got to his feet, and stretched his wings. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash.”

“D-don’t be, Spike.” Her she lifted off the ground so that she could be eye level with him. “Just...come on, let’s go back to the club. Those guys were jerks, but we don’t have to let them ruin our night...right?”

Spike shook his head. “I should probably head home.”

“Home...?” Rainbow echoed. “But...it’s not even midnight...”

Spike slowly turned away, and began heading down the street.

“S-so...you’re just going to run away?”

Spike paused, turning to look over his shoulder. “I’m not running. I’m just...stopping before I get ahead of myself.”

Rainbow ignored the stinging in her eyes, her wings beginning to move her towards Spike’s retreating form. “What are you so scared of?!”

“I’m scared that I’m going to fall for a pegasus that’s so amazing that I won’t be enough for her; a mare that I’ll spend only a fraction of my life with before she’s gone from my life forever! There, I said it!” Spike snapped, his eyes widening, surprised by his own outburst. It wasn’t a lie, though.

Rainbow Dash was, by and large, the greatest pony Spike knew...next to Twilight, of course, but still...

Rainbow stopped flapping her wings, landing on the ground and staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“There are...tons of much cooler, smarter...and attractive ponies...o-or griffons...or donkeys...minotaurs, or whatever...there’s so many better choices than me,” he continued. He could see her expression changing, her eyebrows slowly knitting together into a weak grimace. He swore that he could see her shaking as he spoke. “There’s so many reasons why it wouldn’t work, Rainbow Dash. I don’t want to anchor you down or keep you from...from...” He struggled to find his voice, eventually sighing in frustration and turning away. “I mean, you’re a shoe-in for the Wonderbolts! I don’t want to take away your time from that!”

Rainbow’s expression was bordering on anger right now, and she let out a snort as she glared.

“It’s just, Rainbow, you’ve got so much going for you and I-”

“Can it, Spike.”

Spike blinked, Rainbow’s cold tone of voice shaking him from his monologue. “Huh?”

“You’re...you’re just digging for excuses.”

Spike’s eyes dropped. He wouldn’t deny that claim...but he wouldn’t admit to it either.

“I don’t know where you got it in your head that I’d look down on you because of...of who I am. You really think I’d think less of you because of fame or my talents?” She kicked up a pebble from the road in anger, watching it skip off into the shadows of the night. “You think I’d just...just grow bored with you and leave you? Like that?”

Spike said nothing.

“Look...it’s apparent that we’ve got some issues here...but...Spike...” He looked up to her this time. Her expression wasn’t one of anger this time. No, it was something worse.

Disappointment.

“You’ve got some thinking to do...major thinking. So do I, I guess.”

Spike nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Save it...you’ve said it enough...” Her voice was tired, now. “I...really liked you, Spike. Heck, I would have really loved having you as a colt-er...drakefriend...” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You took me out to dinner, and we had that trip to Canterlot. I know you said those were just things as friends...but...were they?”

“Canterlot...? Yes...I...didn’t want to go and eat at some high class restaurant by myself. I had fun with you...but...that was why. As for tonight...” He shrugged. “I...maybe some part of me thought there was something going on between us...neither of us really said anything about it, though, so I didn’t want to assume.”

“You were nervous.” It wasn’t a question.

“Y-yeah.”

“Then...that made two of us.”

Spike glanced at Rainbow Dash. Her cheeks were flushed a bit, but the hurt was as plain as day in her eyes.

Why did I open up my big mouth?

“I should go,” Spike said quietly. “I...didn’t meant for this to happen...”

Rainbow just nodded.

Spike watched Rainbow for a few seconds longer before turning around once more and heading down the road that would lead him towards his house. He tried to ignore the soft sobs that were coming from beneath the tree he and Rainbow had been sitting under, but his ears had decided to be especially sensitive tonight it seemed.

Closing his eyes, he cursed himself for getting upset in the first place. He could have just ignored the colts, or moved to a different table, or told them to shut up, but...no...

“What’s done is done...” He said to himself. “It...it’s probably for the best in the long run.”

While part of him really, really like Rainbow Dash...another part didn’t like the idea of outliving her by a millennium or three, especially if the possibility of them actually becoming a couple had became a reality. He also didn’t like the idea of someone being weighed down by him. She was a free spirit, and had so much potential; Spike, well, he was smart, but...he was hardly anything compared to Rainbow.

Was he fearing the uncertainty of the future? Yes, but it was a probable outcome, and there were plenty of reasons to nip that possible pathway in the bud.

More like excuses... said a treacherous voice in his head. He squashed it and locked it away in a dark part of his mind.

The moon peeked out from the clouds as he passed by the fountain in the central plaza of Ponyville. It had been turned off for the night, but he could see the crystal clear reflection of his face in the standing water on the fountain’s bottom tier. He looked horrible, like he hadn’t slept in days. Dragons, Spike knew, could change form based on feelings like greed or anger. Idly, he wondered if regret and sadness were among those emotions.

She watched as he disappeared into the dark of Ponyville’s streets. A voice in her head was telling her to run after him, tell him that she was sorry and forgive him for what he said. She couldn’t though; her pride had been hurt, and she wasn’t even sure if the effort would be worth it anymore. Too much had been said...new wounds had been made, and old ones had been opened up once more.

So, instead, she just sat there, sobbing quietly while the nighttime breeze blew against her. She shivered while looking up to night sky. It was beautiful tonight, she noted. The moon was as bright as ever, and the stars shined with just the right amount of light. She found herself hating the scenery, wishing it would rain or that the clouds would blot out the sky.

It felt unfair for the night to be so beautiful when she felt this horrible.

Chapter 6: Storm

Chapter Six- Storm

“Spike, open this door, right now!”

A loud banging roused Spike from his sleep. He groaned as he lifted his head up off the futon, then glanced at the clock on the wall.

Nine thirty in the morning.

“What in Tartarus...?” Spike snorted while getting to his feet. He walked over to the door, unlocked it, and opened it.

Greeting him at his doorway was a very upset Twilight Sparkle. “What in the name of Equestria has gotten into you, Spike?”

Spike sighed, knowing full well what his enraged adoptive sister was here for. “If this is about last night—”

“You’re damn right it’s about last night!” Twilight continued.

That got Spike’s undivided attention. Profanity of any degree with Twilight was rare.

“Look, Twilight—”

Using her magic, she pulled him down by the ear frills so he was eye level with her. Not too hard, but enough to make him wince. “Here I find out from Derpy when she dropped off my mail this morning that Rainbow Dash didn’t show up for work.” She exhaled through her nostrils, having a difficult time remaining calm. “That’s understandable, considering you two went out last night. She might have partied a little too hard or something.”

“Twilight...”

“Hush! You’ll get your turn.” Twilight said, her clipped tone not allowing a breach for argument. “So, that’s nothing too out of the ordinary. Then, however, I hear from Fluttershy that she found Rainbow Dash sitting on some cloud outside of town by herself. The best part, though: she had been there since last night! Crying!”

Spike’s ear frills were starting to sting from Twilight’s magical grip, but he dared not stop her. Not when her mane was fluttering from all the restrained arcane fury she was holding within her.

“So, I take it she told Fluttershy everything?”

“Yes, and I have to say, I thought you would be better than that.” She narrowed her gaze. “First and foremost, you listened to some stupid conversation between a bunch of knuckle-heads talking about Rainbow Dash’s personal life and took it instantly to be the truth.”

“Well, for your information,” Spike retorted, “Rainbow even admitted that what they were talking about was true.” He grimaced as Twilight continued to hold him by the frill. “It wasn’t all just lies and hearsay.”

“So?!” She shook her head and continued. “Spike, for Equestria’s sake, she was barely an adult! A filly who had just become a mare! She definitely wouldn’t be the first to do such things. What difference does it make?” Her muzzle was near inches from his face, sparks dancing in her eyes. “You didn’t even give her a chance, Spike!” She let go of his ear frills, and looked up at him with a glare that could make an Ursa Minor whimper. “You are going to march over to her place and apologize!”

“Twilight, Rainbow Dash said it herself. She didn’t know if she’d be willing to take a relationship seriously...or if she’d ever be willing to not...date like that again.”

Twilight’s mane stopped fluttering, and her muscles relaxed a little. “Spike,” Twilight sighed as she stepped forward. “Did you ever stop and think that maybe she would be willing to give it a chance for you? Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, she was still sensitive about those topics, and bringing them up like that would hurt her?” She let out a groan. “On top of that, polyamorous relationships aren’t all that uncommon in Equestria, Spike. You know that.”

“I guess...”

The unicorn rubbed her right temple slowly with a hoof. “Oh Spike...” Her anger was fading quickly now, replaced with weariness and concern for her big little-brother. “You should go talk to her; try and patch things up.”

“I think I already burned that bridge when I made her cry,” Spike’s voice was full of defeat now. “I mean, think about it, Twilight. I go and run off on Rarity and have her worried sick about something that’s not her fault. Then I go and have a night out with Rainbow. Look where that got me. I think...look, Rainbow’s past is her business, but that’s not the only reason I don’t think it would work between us,” Spike said in a somber tone.

Twilight quirked an eyebrow. She watched as Spike looked at his claws, digging them into the ground and letting the soil fall through his fingers. He had a distant look in his eyes, a look of contemplation and pain.

“Twi...I’m a dragon. A rather young dragon, at that. Rainbow and I are close to each other in age and the physical stages in our lives, but that’s going to change in another couple of decades. By the time she’s an old mare, my muscles will just be begining to start any real development. I’m still not a full-fledged adult, Twilight, and I won’t be for another century or so. Think about that. I’m more than two decades in age, and I’m still in the beginning stages of my life for the most part. I could, technically, start a family with a dragoness if I wanted, but...few dragons do at my age.”

“Whoa, hold on. Nopony said anything about forming a bond and having kids, Spike. I’m talking about just dating. Nothing that would involve vows.”

“Yeah, but...what if, by some chance, it got to that point between us?”

It all clicked. Spike wasn’t just afraid of being having his heart broken.

He was afraid of loss.

While she was still upset about what happened last night, she was starting to see where he was coming from with his reasoning. “Spike...”

“I don’t want her to worry about that stuff with me, alright? She has the Wonderbolts practically begging her to join them. She... she deserves that.” He let out a deep breath, closing his eyes. “She should enjoy her life as much as she can, while she can, and not constantly worry that she’s not making me happy or something like that. She deserves somepony that can make her happy in every way possible. She deserves that, and I’m not sure I can give her all that.”

“Stop that.”

It was just above a whisper, but he heard it clearly. He looked at Twilight, and almost gasped. She was shedding tears, biting her lower lip as she stared at him. Her eyes glistened, her expression a mixture of anger and worry.

“Twilight?”

“Spike...look, I know you’re not a pony. That’s a no-brainer, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” She closed the distance between them, giving him a loving nuzzle. “I can only imagine it probably won’t ever be that easy for you, but you deserve to be happy, too. You both do.” She offered him a shaky smile. “Just because you’re a dragon and she’s a pony... that doesn’t mean you can’t be with each other. It doesn’t matter how much time you have... what does matter is how happy you are during that time you spend together. I don’t think you realize how much of an impact you two have had on each other.”

For a long while the two said nothing. The sound of birds chattering was the only noise filling the silence around them.

“I’m an idiot, Twilight.”

“Yes, sometimes you are. You’re not a jerk though, which is why what happened last night was so unlike you.” She wiped away a few tears with a hoof and gave him a curious look. “Do you honestly believe she wouldn’t be willing to have a serious relationship with you because of stuff like species? Do you think she’s really like that?”

“I...I don’t know. She wouldn’t be in the wrong if she wasn’t interested, though. It is odd, even for Equestria.” He shrugged. “Rainbow Dash made a point about the way I was acting, though.”

“Oh?” Twilight quirked an eyebrow.

“I tend to run from my problems. Let’s face it; I have insecurities. I’ve never dated, and I’m worried that a relationship wouldn’t work out before it even started.”

“Sounds like a confidence issue more than anything,” she sighed. “Spike, do you think you’re ugly?”

“That’s a pretty biased question, Twilight.”

Twilight frowned.

“I-I mean, no. Not especially.”

She continued. “Do you think you’re fun to be around?”

“Well, most of the friends I have seem to think so. I guess so, yeah...”

“Right. Now, what about Rainbow Dash? Do you think she’s attractive? Do you think she’d intentionally hurt you?”

Spike slowly shook his head. “Yes, I think she’s very attractive. I don’t think she’d try to hurt me, though. No...”

“So, do you trust her?”

“Yes.”

“Then I don’t see anything stopping you two from dating, since I’m pretty sure she feels the same about you.”

Spike shook his head again. “I... I still don’t know. I just... she’s got so much

“Ah! Hold it right there!” Twilight cut him off. “There. That. Firstly, I can say without a doubt that Rainbow Dash would never put the Wonderbolts before someone she cares about.” She poked him in the stomach with a hoof. “As for her and the possibility of suddenly dating someone else... stop it. Rainbow Dash isn’t like that. She wouldn’t just toss you aside for some stud with a million-bit smile. You know that.”

“Well... but—”

“Spike, you’re putting a label on somepony that is unfair and inaccurate. Just because she may have been with quite a few ponies when she was younger doesn’t mean she’s a bad individual, or that she can’t have a serious relationship.” She gave him a sympathetic look. “I don’t like to say this, but I’m disappointed in you. You’re smarter than this. Even if you weren’t interested in her that way, you could have gone about letting her know without hurting her feelings.” She massaged her forehead, exhaling deeply. “I know for a fact that you’ll probably be getting an earful or more from the girls because of this.”

Spike blinked a few times then groaned deeply. “Great...”

“I’m sorry to say it, but you did it to yourself, Spike,” Twilight said. “If I were in your place, I’d head over to Rainbow’s place and apologize as soon as I can.”

Spike pinched the bridge of his nose and massaged it, letting out a deep breath. “Would you come with me if I did?”

“No,” Twilight replied. “While I might be getting involved here, it’s only because Rainbow is my friend, and because I really care about both of you. I can’t make you do anything, but I can highly suggest you do something.”

The dragon nodded, but his frown remained on his face. “She’ll probably tell me to get lost, you know.”

“She might. Still, you owe her that much and you know it.” She patted his claw consolingly. “I’ll stop by later, okay? If... if anything comes up, you know how to find me. She might be angry now, but Rainbow Dash isn’t the kind of pony to stay angry forever. I’m sure she will understand where you’re coming from... even if it hurts her to think about it.”

With that, Twilight left, making her way down the road and back towards Ponyville. As she became a distant, violet speck disappearing over the hill, Spike wondered about the advice she had given. Would it even be worth it to see Rainbow Dash right now? Even if, by some miracle, she forgave him, would things ever be the same?

Probably not, he thought to himself. He had screwed himself over because of his own self-doubts and some new information he had learned about Rainbow Dash that he should have just ignored. Even after she had been upfront about it and confirmed said facts, he had still doubted her. Now, only the morning after the events had transpired did he see how much of an imbecile he had been.

I still should tell her I’m sorry... even if she won’t forgive me.

He took a deep breath, and gazed over towards the distant little blip that was Rainbow Dash’s cloud house.

“Well... the worst that could happen is that I end up in the hospital for a couple of months...”

All in all, his odds could have been worse.

“What the hay are you doing here?”

Okay, not the best start, but he still had hope. She hadn’t slammed the door in his face, after all.

“I... wanted to apologize. For last night.”

Rainbow Dash’s glare lessened, but she still seemed far from happy to see him. Even worse was the fact that Fluttershy was there, standing right behind her with a less angry, yet still disapproving glare.

“Yeah? Well, save it...”

“Rainbow—”

“No!” Rainbow Dash growled. “You know, Spike, I can respect you for having certain beliefs, but... last night... I...”

“I can completely understand why you’re angry. Look, I’ve got some issues with myself that I’m going to have to work out. Still, that... that doesn’t make what I did last night right.” He lowered his head.

“You...” She shook her head. “Maybe I have issues to work out with myself as well, but I don’t let them define me!” She flapped her wings and was now face to face with him. “I thought you were... I don’t know, better than that. Honestly, I thought it was kind of stupid to think that you’d be like that.”

Spike just nodded. “Well, it was stupid of me to act that way.”

“Yeah. It was.” She turned around and made her way back inside. “I can understand you wanting to be with somepony that will only be with you. I respect that. A lot of ponies would probably agree with you on that.” She looked over her shoulder. “I guess you at least admit that you have no right to judge somepony by their relationships. Even so...”

“Rainbow, that’s not all—”

“Just...leave, Spike. You’ve done enough damage as it is. I have a lot on my mind right now.” She turned around once more. “At least you had the guts to face me again. I’ll give you that. Maybe I was wrong about you running away from everything...”

“Rainbow Dash, please just wait—”

“Spike,” Fluttershy spoke up, now standing at the entrance. “I think it would be best if you did leave. Now.”

He didn’t miss the tone in her voice. He slumped a bit, but made no protest. Instead, he lifted off the floating door mat on Rainbow’s house, and made his way slowly towards the foothills outside of Ponyville.

Work would probably help get his mind off things for now.

“You got a lot of nerve, Spike!”

Spike could barely focus on the chunk of granite he was attempting breaking apart with Scootaloo hovering around him.

“Not now, Scoots...”

“I guess in some way I can see where you’re coming from, but... what you did was stupid.”

Stupid. Apparently this was the word of the day for him. “Yeah, so I’ve been told.”

“I mean, Spike, I still think you’re a great guy because I know from what I’ve heard that you were just being an idiot... but... still...”

“From what you heard?” Spike repeated. “Geesh, word travels fast in this town.”

She groaned. “I should really buck you in the teeth for what you did to Rainbow Dash.”

“What’s stopping you, then?” Spike asked, his tone neutral.

Scootaloo shrugged as she hovered in front of him. “Honestly, you look like you’ve been beating yourself up enough without anypony’s help.”

The drake set down his chisel and rubbed his forehead. “Last night wasn’t as horrible as it might sound. We didn’t really fling insults at each other, and we didn’t say we hate each other, but... it looks like everything finally caught up with Rainbow. She was less than happy to see me today.”

“I’m just surprised Dash didn’t kick you off her cloud house the first chance she got.”

“Same.”

Scootaloo landed back on the ground and sighed deeply. “Just... give it time, Spike. Rainbow’s not one to hold grudges with friends.”

“Yeah... too bad I kind of jeopardized our friendship,” Spike added.

“Well, you made a class-A doofus out of yourself... but you did go and apologize.”

“Twilight ‘encouraged’ me to,” Spike grumbled. “Truth is, I probably would have just let it be. I just... I don’t think there’s any way this can be fixed.”

“What went wrong? Weren’t you and Dash this close to dating?”

Spike set down his pickaxe and wiped his brow. “Who knows? We were both interested in each other, but that fell through.”

“Why?”

“It’s not my place to say,” Spike answered. “I just... I think there was some lack of communication for the most part.”

“Yeah?” Scootaloo gave a nod. “How so?”

“I...” Spike shook his head. “No, I can’t talk about it.”

“I thought you might be here.”

Spike jumped a bit at the sound of a familiar voice nearby. The duo turned around to see Fluttershy making her way towards them.

Well, towards Spike to be more specific.

“Fluttershy? What—?”

The mare stopped before Spike, the same disapproving look still on her face. “Spike... I’m really having a hard time not yelling at you right now, but... I am glad you at least apologized...” She looked to Scootaloo. “Scootaloo, I need to borrow Spike for a bit.”

“O-okay...” The younger pegasus gulped a bit, stunned by Fluttershy’s demanding demeanor. Well, as demanding as you could get with Fluttershy, anyway.

Within a few minutes Spike was walking towards the shade of a large maple tree, Fluttershy a few feet ahead of him. She chose a soft spot beside some wildflowers and indicated for Spike to join her. He did so without question.

“Spike... can I ask you a question?”

“I guess, yeah.”

“Was there anything before your... incident with Rainbow Dash that was bothering you?”

“I’m... not following you.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. When she opened them, she gave him a patient frown. “Were there any doubts you had about dating Rainbow Dash before last night’s fight?”

“O-oh... well...” Spike stared towards the ground, avoiding the pegasus’ gaze. “I... yeah... sort of...”

Fluttershy nodded to herself. “I thought as much.” She gave him an expectant look. “Rainbow told me you were rambling on about reasons why it wouldn’t work between you two. Some of them were... rather weak, even if they made sense...”

“Like...?” Spike dared ask.

“Well...” Fluttershy’s timidness returned for an instant. “Um... I-I have heard of ponies and dragons... being intimate with one another... successfully. Y-you seemed to be worried about that.”

“Yeah, I’d say that’s a legitimate concern,” Spike huffed. “Seriously, the size difference alone would cause some serious difficulties. Whatever, it’s not important now, anyway.”

“Y-yes, but... there are... um... ways around that.” She cleared her throat. “You also mentioned about Rainbow Dash and her likely future as a Wonderbolt, right?”

Spike nodded. “She’s going to be swamped by media, and I know there are plenty of handsome ponies out there. Plus, can you imagine how many problems we would have to deal with as a pony and dragon couple? She’d have enough stress on her plate performing shows and protecting Equestria from Tartarus knows what. I don’t want to have everypony flocking her and making assumptions about her personal life before printing it on the tabloids.”

“Do you really think she’d care about what others think?”

“...is that a serious question?”

Fluttershy sighed. “You know Rainbow Dash is better than that, Spike.”

Spike felt like a scolded whelp at the moment. He was still upset, but most of that anger was directed towards himself now. He had ruined something that never got a chance to start, and why?

Because I’m too afraid of taking chances on a pony just because of the chance it wouldn’t work out...

He groaned and dragged a palm across his face. “Damn it...”

Despite how upset Spike had made Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel for the drake. It was hard not to after knowing him for so long. “Spike... you need to really—and I mean really—talk to Rainbow Dash about this, and soon.”

“I tried to. This morning. Remember?” Plumes of smoke wafted from his nostrils as he glared at a spot on the ground. “She wants nothing to do with me, now. I can’t say that I blame her.”

“Well, yes... right now she doesn’t want to talk to you. You upset her, Spike, but... I think she still wants to try and fix this. She’s just... well, you know how she can be.”

“Yeah...”

“There is something else I want to talk to you about.”

Spike cringed at the change in her tone, once more stern and leaving no room for negotiating. “Yes?”

Fluttershy’s wings were flared out as she stood up. “I don’t care what anypony has said about Rainbow Dash, but she is not a bad pony. I... some might think that the way she... um...” She paused, unsure how to continue. “So she might have had... more than one marefriend or coltfriend at a time... and... sometimes they didn’t know this... but... she never tried to hurt anypony’s feelings intentionally. Some might think bad of her because of this, and I can understand that, but you know her better than most. I thought you’d be willing to hear her out before drawing a conclusion like that.”

“Did... she have trouble with other ponies back then?”

Fluttershy went quiet, her wings folding back to her sides. “Oh... well...” She nodded. “I... I won’t lie. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of her as well. I mean, I knew her when we were just little fillies, so I knew her better than most of the other ponies in school as we grew up. I was there for her a lot when the rumors and talking started spreading. I-I mean, it’s her life, and I didn’t mind what she did, as long as she was happy. I may not have agreed... but... she’s my friend. She’s been there for me when I needed help. I gladly did the same for her.”

The two sat there in silence for several minutes, Spike stewing in his growing depression and Fluttershy torn between giving the drake before her a piece of her mind and comforting him. She instead settled for sitting there quietly, not making eye contact.

“It’s probably for the best.”

“Huh?”

Spike blew out a few embers of green, staring off into the distance. “I said that me and her not being together is probably for the best. She can focus on the Wonderbolts and working on her skills while I continue with my business and gain more skill in the trade.”

“Spike—”

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain myself to her and talk it out, but... I just honestly think that us staying friends and nothing more would be the best for us.” He shrugged a little. “Aging isn’t the same for my kind, and...” His voice faded, and he glanced down at Fluttershy. Her eyes had widened a little as an understanding look made its way onto her features.

“I hadn’t thought of that...” she whispered. “Oh, Spike... that...” Her head drooped as she exhaled slowly. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“Well, how many dragons do you have for friends?” Spike chuckled quietly. “Most ponies wouldn’t think of that. I don’t blame you.” He cleared his throat and gazed at the ground. “Yeah. I... like I said, it’s for the best.”

The silence returned between them once more, though the tension had been replaced with a somber feeling.

“No... it’s not for the best.”

“What?” Spike asked, not catching Fluttershy’s whisper.

“I said no. You... you can’t just give up like that.”

Spike shook his head. “Fluttershy, you don’t get it. Rainbow Dash might live to be one hundred years old, and that’s only because she takes such good care of herself. By the time I’m that old, though, I’ll be done with my second growth spurt and will have to wait about another century or so before my third.” He frowned. “Do you know how many growth spurts a dragon goes through?”

“No...”

“Neither do I. Do you know why? It’s because there are still dragons alive out there that were my age when Luna and Celestia were still roaming the wilds and Equestria was a budding nation without a true form of government!” He slumped. “Judging by my current growth, though, I’m going to live for a long time if I continue to take care of myself like I do. I’ll probably live longer than most dragons because I live so close to civilization and have access to medicine and things like that.”

Fluttershy’s face was now hidden by her mane. She said nothing as she got back to her hooves, and walked back towards the direction of Ponyville. Before she was out of earshot, she stopped and turned towards him.

“Love has a way of making things work out, Spike... just try to remember that.”

Spike watched as she grew into a distant patch of pink and yellow on the dirt road leading into town. Her words echoed in his mind, but he didn’t really give them that much thought. Love was a powerful force, sure. Cadance and Shining Armor had proven that much on at least one occasion. Still, that was love between two ponies, and one of them was an alicorn and a princess of love. There had to be some sort of exception with Cadance in that regard.

He looked around, noting that Scootaloo was nowhere to be found. She likely had decided to make her way back into town as well. He was relieved, to be honest. Right now he just needed some time to himself.

The day continued on for the young drake, and before he knew it the sun was beginning to dip into the horizon, casting rays of orange and red as Celestia’s day gave way to Luna’s night. Spike stood up straight and cracked his neck and back, grunting as he felt some his muscles protest before loosening up.

Honestly, though, he didn’t feel much like heading home quite yet. He was restless, and needed to burn some steam.

“Well...” He thought aloud. “I know one way to do that...”

Unfurling his wings, Spike gave a few hard flaps as he lifted off the ground. Within a few seconds he was flying through the air and cutting through a few of the low-lying clouds within Ponyville’s town limits. The voice of Rainbow Dash could be heard somewhere in the back of his mind, reminding him that he would need to be extra careful about keeping his altitude with the lack of wind blowing through the valley this evening. He frowned, but made sure to keep a tab on the ground below.

He tilted to his left and dipped down to the edge of Sweet Apple Acres’ western field. The trees shook a bit as he passed over them. The scent of fresh growth and apple blossoms wafted past his nostrils, and he took it in as he gazed down at the orchards below. The farmland of the Apple family really was beautiful, and seeing it all from above was something worth experiencing.

He banked to his right and continued onward, towards the direction of his home. Spike smirked as he saw the faint reflection of light playing off the lake beside his house. He swooped in low and grazed the water’s edge with a wingtip. A fine streak of mist trailed behind him as he increased his speed, and he swore he saw a fish or two leap out of his way as he neared the edges of the water.

Spike flapped his wings as he passed the lake by, sending up a cloud of dust as he flew over the sandy shore. Feeling adventurous, he soared higher into the air before rolling to his left, then his right, and finishing with a backroll. The exhilaration of flight caught up to him, and he laughed as he circled downward to the road leading to his house.

Once he was on solid ground, Spike let out a deep breath, a grin still on his face. He gazed towards the horizon once more and noticed that the last streaks of light were vanishing quickly as the moon rose into the sky. Stretching his wings, he sighed and took a moment to catch his breath. He hadn’t flown like that since...

...since Rainbow Dash had taught me how to do acrobatics...

His mood plummeted like a lead weight through the sky. He ran a claw over his spines and shook his head. Of course flying was going to remind him of her; she had taught him pretty much everything he knew about it.

“Damn it...” He grumbled, and made his way up the hill to his house.

Hopefully his sleep wouldn’t be as plagued by thoughts of the pegasus mare.

“Spike.”

The drake opened his eyes, only to yelp in surprise as his vision was flooded with cyan and rainbow. He took in a few shaky breaths as he looked at the laughing mare before him.

“Rainbow? What are—?”

“I’m waking you up, duh!” She flew up to him and gave him a light bop on the nose. “And you say I sleep in too much...”

Spike quirked an eyebrow, and stared at the clock on the wall. Seven o’clock in the morning.

“What...what are you waking me up so early for?”

Rainbow had flown over to his kitchen, scrounging for something to eat from his pantry. “Did you forget? I have my first show with the Wonderbolts today. You said you’d come to Cloudsdale with me, remember?”

What?

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Ugh, did you conk your head against one of Applejack’s trees on your way home last night again? I told you to be careful flying low at night.”

“Wait, wait... the Wonderbolts? When did this happen?”

Rainbow Dash gave him a quizzical look. “Uh...like...a year ago. You were there at my tryouts. You were rooting for me with the girls...” She frowned as his expression remained utterly confused. “Did you hurt yourself flying again?” Her expression turned serious. “You didn’t go flying through that thunderstorm, did you? You promised you wouldn’t pull a stunt like that on me again.”

“What?” Spike cocked his head to the side. “Thunderstorm?”

Rainbow’s annoyance turned into concern. “You... don’t remember that thunderstorm last night? I told you about it and everything... you asked what it would be like to fly through a thundercloud...” She looked him over as she continued. “Spike, are you alright?

“I...” Spike rubbed his head. “I’m not sure.”

Rainbow sighed heavily and left the pantry, flying over to his side. She swatted his claw away from his head and examined it herself. “I don’t see any bruises or damaged scales...” She gently pulled back either of his ear frills, causing him to shudder at the touch. He could see the smallest of smirks on her face as she did so. “You look fine to me.” She placed her hoof against his forehead. “You don’t feel like you got a fever or anything.”

Spike groaned. “I just...this feels weird. It’s like—”

“I’m dreaming...”

Spike looked around, his eyes falling on his futon. He raised his head up, taking in the surrounding darkness of his room. He could see the faintest hints of pink and yellow coming from the eastern sky.

After squinting at the clock on the wall for over a minute, he managed to see that it was almost six o’clock in the morning.

Slumping back onto his futon, he growled in frustration. That dream. It felt real. Sure, he had dreams that he swore were real before, but none like that. The phantom touch of Rainbow’s hoof against his ears... the way she studied his head, her eyes scanning for even the faintest hint of injury. He would be lying if he said he had not enjoyed it.

Forcing his eyes closed, he tried his best to clear his sleep-addled mind of the images of Rainbow Dash a few breaths apart from him, a smile as wide as ever on her face.

He didn’t want to think about what he would be missing from here on out, after all.

The days flew by for Spike, and before he knew it spring had given way to summer. Life was in full bloom, and the days were growing longer with the increase in temperature. He had managed to finish the additions for 2 Hot 2 Trot’s bathrooms yesterday, which left him with a bit of time to scope out an area with gneiss for a client in Hoofington. Why they wanted gneiss instead of regular granite was beyond him, but he was certain he could find it with time.

Aside from work, Spike had done little else. He had fallen into a routine of sorts: wake up, eat, work until evening, head home, eat, sleep, repeat. He had gone on like that for the better part of three weeks, at least he was pretty sure he had. Time had a way of slipping by him when he was busy. Twilight had continued to press him into talking to Rainbow Dash, but he always made up an excuse, and even she was finding it hard to continue pressing the issue.

The rest of the girls, like Twilight had predicted, had spoken to him. None of them had been as vocal or upset as Fluttershy or Twilight, thankfully. Applejack had been rather disappointed by how things turned out, and had suggested he go talk it over as well.

“It’s not right to stay mad at eachother like this, Spike. You two are both friends of mine, and...I just hate seein’ you two hurtin’ like this...”

She hadn’t spoken to him since then. Pinkie Pie... well, Pinkie had been less cheery than she usually was, and it had seemed like she wanted to say more to Spike about the whole thing, but had left it at a simple suggestion to ‘talk it over’.

“Maybe you two just need to talk it over? Sometimes talking with somepony helps me feel better when I’m feeling mopey and really sad. I bet if you two just... talked it out... then... w-well, then maybe you could both be friends again! Right?”

The most awkward incident had probably been with Rarity. This was mostly because of how close to home it hit for Spike to be given advice on mending relationships by the very mare he had once been infatuated with. Rarity had been rather insistent that he not give up, also suggesting that he do something about the problem sooner rather than later.

“She may act brash and carefree, Spike, but she still hurts and feels like you and I. The sooner you two can fix things between each other, the sooner you two can heal...”

That talk had been almost a week ago.

Spike paused at a small hill and noted a band of exposed rock on the northern side. A few bands of granite to be precise, but no gneiss. Still, gneiss came from granite, so he kept his hopes up.

“The one time I need a particular rock is when I can’t find any of it, of course...” he said with a groan. “I mean, sure, gneiss is nice, but granite is just as fine in my opinion.”

“Yeah, but I always liked how gneiss can have those wavy bands of color in them. Really pretty, but granite’s also pretty with all of those quartz crystals in it.”

Spike let out a yelp and whirled around, coming face to face with Pinkie Pie. “Yeesh, Pinkie, give a guy a warning next time, will you?”

“Hiya, Spike!” greeted the pink pony. “What are you doing? You said something about gneiss, right? Do you want some help? I know just the spot for gneiss!”

“You do? Really?” Spike’s eyes lit up. “That’d be awesome, Pinkie. I’d really appreciate—

“I’ll show you on one condition!” Pinkie interrupted with a smile.

“Um...” Spike paused and gave her an uncertain look. “What condition would that be?”

“Weeeell....I’m holding a party tomorrow, since it’s Fancy Pants’ birthday, and I just wanted to ask if you were coming.” She bounced in place, her smile widening a little. “You’ll come, right?”

Spike blinked. A party. He should have expected as much from her. “What time?”

“Three o’clock, at Sugarcube Corner!”

“Hm... I... guess I could stop by for a little bit...”

“Pinkie Promise that you will?”

Spike sighed and did the proper gestures, ending with a claw over his closed right eye.

“Great!” Pinkie cheered. “Now come on, I remember seeing some gneiss over in the foothills just past Sweet Apple Acres!”

For the next three hours Spike and Pinkie scoped out close to two acres of land that had deposits of gneiss. He would have to do further investigation and get the required permits for quarrying. Thankfully he didn’t need much for the order to Hoofington, so he wouldn’t be causing any major disturbance to the surrounding environment.

“Thanks again, Pinkie. You saved me about a week’s worth of work; I was about ready to head north towards Ghastly Gorge, and I’d rather not deal with Quarray Eels while hauling a wagon of stone behind me.”

“No problem, Spike-a-roonie! Just remember, you promised to go to the party tomorrow!”

“Yeah yeah, I mean... it’s going to be weird, though. I hardly know the guy, and while I’m sure all the girls will be...” Spike’s eyes narrowed. “Rainbow’s going to be there, isn’t she?”

“Maybe,” Pinkie answered with a grin.

“...you tricked me.”

“No, I just asked if you wanted to come to the party, then made you Pinkie Promise that you’d come to the party!” Pinkie gave a shrug. “I’m not sure if Rainbow Dash will be there. I tried to convince her to, but she’s been taking extra shifts with the weather team lately.”

“Well... I won’t be there long. I do have to get started on my work.”

“No problem, Spike! You’re a big dragon, so we understand that you have to work.” She was in his face a second later, still smiling that cheerful smile of hers. “Just remember. You Pinkie Promised.”

“You really scare me when you act like that, Pinkie.”

She giggled and gave him a playful nudge in the side. “I know, but I only do it because I want you to show up.”

The drake exhaled deeply. “You’re really something, Pinkie.”

“Aww, I love you too, Spike!”

A day had passed since Spike had been, in his own words, “Pinkie Duped”. As he made his way towards the cupcake-topped building he could already hear the record player inside, playing that jaunty tune that Pinkie Pie had popularized after the parasprite infestation several years back.

Heck, he was pretty sure she still had that ensemble of instruments stored away in her room somewhere.

Steeling himself, Spike took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Alright, just go in, chat it up for an hour, then excuse yourself for the day. He glanced over at the clock near Town Hall. Technically he still had a half an hour before he promised to arrive. He could probably head back to his place and do some last minute work on that permit paperwork before–

“Oh, Spike, you’re early too?”

The voice of Fluttershy snapped Spike out of his thoughts. He turned around and forced a smile onto his face. “O-oh, hey there, Fluttershy. Yeah, I was going to head inside, but I just remembered that I have a permit to fill out, and I still have a half hour before I promised to show up. I was—

“Oh my, sounds like you’ve been busy.” Fluttershy smiled, but he didn’t miss the faint glimmer in her eyes. “I’m sure you could use a break from all the work. Pinkie Pie told me you’ve been working on a new order from Hoofington already.” She walked towards Spike, who didn’t realize until the last second that he had effectively been herded towards the entrance of Sugarcube Corner. “I’m sure nopony would mind if you arrived early.”

Damn Fluttershy and her passive-aggressive assertive mannerisms. He slumped and gave a nod. “Heh, y-yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

He was surprised to see that Sugarcube Corner already had a healthy number of partygoers, among them being Fancy Pants himself. Rarity, Pinkie, and several other familiar faces were chatting up and enjoying a various assortment of sweets and treats. He was mildly relieved to see a lack of rainbow colored manes amongst the ponies gathered.

“Ah, Spike! You’re just the drake I was hoping to see!”

Spike looked to see none other than the guest of honor making his way towards him. “Oh, hey, Fancy Pants! Happy birthday!” Spike unfurled a wing and handed him a small jar. “I remember hearing about this pomade. The store clerk said it works wonders on holding a mane together. I figured a stallion like yourself would appreciate it.”

Fancy took the jar of pomade and held it up with his magic. “Hm, ‘Olde Manehatten Slick Stallion Pomade’. You know, one of the boys in Canterlot swears by this pomade. I haven’t given it a chance myself, but I’ll have to let you know how it works.” He gave Spike a nod. “Thanks much, old boy.” He set the pomade on a table with a few other gifts. “So, how has the rock-cutting business been lately?”

“Oh, pretty good. I mapped out an area full of gneiss the other day. First time I’ll ever work with the stuff, though I’m finding out that it’s more popular than I thought. Some old stallion in Hoofington who used to be an architect wants to build a small pond, and insists on having a stone path circling around it made entirely of gneiss.” Spike waved a claw in the air. “I’ve learned not to question it, but I think it’d be just as nice to have granite. I shouldn’t be complaining too much, though, since I’ll be getting paid a bit more for it.”

Fancy chuckled. “Sounds like one of those old eccentric millionaires my father always grumbled about.” He shook his head and sighed. “All the bits a pony could ask for, but nothing to make them happy. Money doesn’t buy happiness, that’s what my father told me.”

“Too true,” Spike agreed.

“I believe it was Waxing Crescent who said ‘Gold doth glitter and gold doth shine, but never shall it fill the heart, so deeper than any mine’.”

“Wait. You’ve heard of Waxing Crescent?” Spike asked, barely containing his excitement.

“Indeed, I have! She was a favorite of mine when I studied literature back in my university days. Depending on who you ask, she was an amateur or a master.”

Spike grunted as he rolled his eyes. “Most negative criticism on her work is from those who say she rarely stuck to a certain form of poetry. She did a lot of free verse. She was one of the pioneers of free verse poetry, actually.”

Fancy Pants laughed. “Rarity wasn’t joking about you.”

“Huh?

“She told me you’re practically enamored with Waxing Crescent’s work.”

“I... well, I guess I can’t entirely argue that.” Spike glanced over towards Rarity, who happened to be looking towards him. She gave him a friendly wave, which he returned. “How is Rarity doing? I-I mean... I haven’t spoken to her in awhile...”

Fancy’s smile fell a little, but he held a look of understanding in his eyes. “She’s doing quite well, Spike. She really opened my eyes up to the world outside of Canterlot,” he chuckled. “I used to think myself a learned stallion. It turns out I living in Canterlot for most of your life hardly helps one see the rest of the splendor that Equestria has to offer.”

Spike tried not to think too much about the way Fancy gazed towards Rarity as he said that last part, instead nodding in agreement. “Ever since I had these, travel has been easy for me.” Spike flapped his wings to emphasize his point.

“Mm, I can imagine. It must...” Fancy Pants’ words faded as he glanced towards the entrance. He looked up at Spike, then back towards the door.

A sudden feeling of discomfort wash over Spike, and he could feel an intense gaze boring down on the back of his head. He lowered his voice and spoke. “Is that Rainbow Dash at the entrance?”

“Yes,” Fancy Pants answered. “I take it things are still rather... erm.... askew between you two?”

“That’d be putting it lightly,” Spike answered, afraid to turn around.

“Right, well, I shall go and greet Miss Rainbow Dash and Miss Applejack. It’s only proper, after all. I do believe the Miss Pinkamena mentioned she’d left the kitchen door unlocked so she could slip back to make more sweets, should there be a need for it.”

“I owe you one, Fancy Pants.”

Fancy Pants gave a slight nod and put on his best smile as Spike headed further into the crowd. “Ah, Miss Applejack and Miss Rainbow Dash. It’s so wonderful to see you two!”

Spike weaved through the ponies with a grace he never knew he possessed, making his way to the kitchen door. Grasping the knob, he turned it and let out a sigh of relief as the door opened. The smell of freshly baked pastries and flour hung in the air, but he remained focused on getting out of Sugarcube as fast as he could. The back door of the building was right before him, and all he had to do was turn the knob and leave. No one would be any wiser about his absence.

He opened the door and quickly turned towards the direction of the road leading out of town and towards his house. With any luck he would be able to take flight and not draw any attention—

“So... what, you can’t even stand being in the same building as me now?”

Her voice wasn’t as loud as usual. It wasn’t timid or weak, though, either. It was... something. Spike wasn’t sure. Confused? Hurt? Insulted? More than it was a likely a combination of a few things.

He turned around, his eyes meeting those vibrant, rose colored irises that conveyed emotions louder than words could ever hope. There was a flame behind them, a flickering light that trembled behind suppressed feelings. He could feel it. That silent, demanding question.

Why?

“Rainbow Dash...” Spike said, not quite a greeting. “I was actually getting ready to leave and head out to do some work. I just stopped by to wish Fancy Pants a happy birthday. That’s all.”

Rainbow Dash snorted in annoyance. “Right.” She shook her head. “Liar...”

Okay, in his defense, he was telling the truth. Sort of. “No, honestly, I was going to head home and fill out a permit for some quarry work, then—”

“Spike, for pony’s sake, stop!” Rainbow’s voice cracked, and she closed while took in a deep breath. She exhaled slowly and rubbed her temples before continuing. “I... damn it, why does it suck so much to be angry at you?”

Spike had no answer.

“Look, Rainbow Dash, I didn’t want to make a scene. I figured there was a chance you’d stop by, so I didn’t want to create an awkward situation for the two of us. I’ll just be on my way and we can just forget about this.”

“No.”

He bit back a groan. Of course, it’s never that easy. “Rainbow Dash, please. We’re not making this any better by stressing ourselves out.”

“Spike... Twilight said she talked to you. She said there’s more to what you and I talked about at the club not too long ago...”

“Oh, great,” Spike blurted out. He winced as the words left his mouth, and slumped a bit. “I-I mean, what... um... did she tell you?”

“For starters?” Rainbow began. “She said you were going to tell me about whatever it was that we didn’t talk about sometime soon. Turns out that soon actually means ‘later’ in dragon terms.”

He couldn’t fault her on being angry. “Alright, yes, there... there is more to the story, but it’s pointless now. I talked to Twilight about everything that went down. I regret a lot of what I said, especially about... well, you know... the stuff those guys said about you.”

Rainbow nodded, her anger fading a bit from her eyes. “Yeah. Twilight told me about that, too. Though, honestly, I figured something was off about you that night.”

Spike’s gaze dropped to the ground, unable to meet her eyes. “I’ve done a lot of thinking lately.” He thought out his next words as best as he could. “Look, it’s nothing against you. I promise, alright? It’s just... I’ve got some issues that I need to sort out. I know it sounds like I’m making excuses, but I really think it’s for the best that I figure them out.”

“Yeah... that’s why I think we should talk.”

“I don’t want to have a repeat of what happened last time. That didn’t go well for us, remember?”

“Look, I was ticked off, alright?” She snapped, her voice rising in volume for a moment. She paused, and took in a slow, deep breath, then continued. “I still am, but... but I’m more worried about what’s eating at you. What happened that night... it just... it wasn’t right! It wasn’t like you!” Rainbow Dash was now walking towards him, the sound of her hooves on the ground reaching his ears. He refused to look up though. “Spike, look, even... even if we can’t be... together like that... I still want to be friends with you.” Her voice wavered a bit. “Is that so bad?”

“You’re a better friend than I am in that regard, I guess,” He could feel her eyes boring into him, silently begging for him to look at her. “Rainbow, I hope you’re not doing this out of guilt,” Spike sighed. “It’s bad enough that I hurt you like I did... but to make you feel guilty for something you have no blame in...”

He heard her wings flapping once more. This time he was unable to keep his eyes from looking up. She was hovering before him, forelegs folded together and a guilty expression across her face. “It is my fault, though. At least a little bit.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is,” Rainbow countered. “Spike, I was angry, but I should have tried to look at it from your angle.”

“Okay, I wouldn’t expect anypony to think like that after experiencing what you did at the club. I was insensitive, and you can’t be blamed for how you acted.” Spike said flatly. “You’re not in the wrong here.”

“Still... the day afterwards, when you came to apologize, I was hardly forgiving about it.”

“Again, you can’t really be blamed for that. You said it yourself, you were angry. Sure, it might have made things easier if you were more willing to listen, but I was expecting some backlash from you. Reacting like that is normal.” He shrugged. “Heck, even Fluttershy was angry at me.”

Rainbow Dash smiled a little. “Heh... yeah. I... I don’t know what I’d do without her around, sometimes. She saw a train wreck coming, so she got you out of there before it happened.” She sniffled a bit. “I... might have said a few choice things about you after you left. I didn’t mean any of them...”

Spike let the question hang on the tip of his tongue. Perhaps it was best he didn’t know what she said about him, especially when she never meant any of it. “Alright...” He paused for several long moments. “So.... about what I haven’t told you...”

Rainbow Dash said nothing, instead continuing to hover before him.

“I’m a dragon, Rainbow Dash. Dragons live for many—emphasis on the word many—centuries...sometimes a few millennia.”

Rainbow’s flapping ceased. She landed on the ground, and took a seat. Her head hung low as she spoke, realization dawning upon her. “Oh...”

“I don’t like talking about this, but suppose we really did start a relationship, and, I don’t know... ended up being very serious about it. Think about this: Eighty plus years from now—and I’m positive you’ll live to be that old, since you’re so active—most dragons, including myself, are just starting to get a grasp of what being an adult dragon is really like. That’s just touching upon the age factor, though. There’s a lot of other complications that could arise between a dragon and a pony in a relationship.”

The pegasus was quiet for several long moments. Her wings sagged slowly to her sides as she spoke softly. “I... I get it, Spike.”

Spike got up. “Rainbow... I’m sorry. I should have thought about this way sooner. Before... before Rarity, before...”

He stopped as saw her begin to tremble. He cursed himself, and hesitantly placed a claw on her shoulder. “Rainbow...?”

“I... I really want to hate you right now.” She looked up at him, the corners of her eyes holding back tears. “You... you think I care about something like... like age? Or... or about those other things? Like... like the fame that comes with being in the Wonderbolts? You think I care about stuff like that more than about my own friends?” She let out a shaky breath. “Do you?”

Spike removed his hand from her shoulder. “No. I wasn’t thinking. You’re not like that at all, Rainbow.” His eyes fell to the ground once more. “I-I know it sounds horrible to say... but this is probably better for—”

“Y-you’re just a huge idiot sometimes, you know that? A big... stupid...” She sniffled, her eyes never leaving his. “It’ll take time, but... but I guess I’ll get over this.”

“I’m sorry,” Spike whispered.

“So am I...” Rainbow replied. “Thinking you can’t be with someone special because of what you are? That’s gotta suck...”

She got back to her hooves and made her way back inside. She stopped at the doorway, and looked back to him. She shook her head slowly, and disappeared as the door closed behind her.

For what felt like hours, he sat there, staring up into the sky. He was torn between going back after her and giving her a piece of his mind, begging for her forgiveness, or leaving and going back to work while stewing in his emotions. Instead, he settled for a fourth option.

Letting out a plume of smoke, Spike unfurled his wings and took to the air. He set his sights to the north. He needed to blow some steam before it got the better of him.

Ghastly Gorge would provide the proper outlet for that.

Rainbow Dash watched through one of the back windows as Spike took off northwards into the sky. She fought back the urge to follow him and make sure he didn’t do anything stupid.

He always makes mistakes while flying when he’s distracted... she thought to herself.

Shaking her head, she turned around and made her way back out to the party. Her thoughts drowned out the music as she took a glass of punch, slugging it down in one gulp. She coughed hard as the burning sensation of alcohol ran down her throat. Looks like somepony finally got around to spiking the punch.

I never really thought about that. Rainbow mused as her coughing stopped. How old do dragons live? She had no clue, but she remembered Twilight mentioning that they take at least a single one hundred year nap at some point in their lives. If that was a nap for a dragon...

“There you are!”

Rainbow Dash was shaken from her thoughts by the bouncing pony before her. “O-oh, Pinkie! Sorry, didn’t see you there.”

Pinkie’s smile dropped instantly as she took in Rainbow’s expression. “Dashie?”

“H-huh?”

“What’s wrong?” She lowered her voice. “Did... did you and Spike have a fight?”

Rainbow shook her head. “No, we’re... I think we’re past any fighting, Pinkie. It’s just... I don’t know what it is now, but I don’t like it.” She sagged a bit. “The worst part is that he’s being stupid and making this more difficult for himself than it should be.”

“Guys are stupid like that, sometimes,” Pinkie agreed with a sage nod. “He might be a bookworm like Twilight, but that doesn’t mean he’s a know-it-all.”

“Pinkie... what should I do?”

Pinkie tapped her chin in thought, then smiled a little. “Tell him to stop being a Frumpy McFrumpy Scales and make up with him?” Her smile slipped, and scuffed the floor with a hoof. “I... don’t know. It’s just... I don’t know the whole story like you or Spike do.”

Rainbow nodded. “Sorry to throw that on you, Pinkie Pie.” She placed a foreleg on her friend’s shoulder. “You’re an awesome friend.”

Pinkie’s smile returned. “Thanks, Dashie. If... if I see Spike, I’ll try to talk to him.”

“Don’t worry about that right now. We have a birthday party to enjoy.”

The two made their way into the crowd once more, Pinkie eventually parting from the pegasus to talk to Fancy Pants about something involving games. Rainbow Dash saw a group of pegasi and made her way over.

“Hey, Raindrops. Dizzy Twister.”

Raindrops, a yellow-coated mare with a light cyan mane, looked up and smiled. “Hey, Rainbow Dash! Glad to see you’re better. We thought we wouldn’t be able to get all the work done today without your help,”

“Heh, yeah, I need to use up those vacation days before I lose them, you know?” Rainbow laughed weakly. She looked to Dizzy Twister, who said nothing, instead simply offering her a small smile. “So, what was so bad about today’s work?”

Raindrops let out a groan. “We had a stray cold front coming in from the west. The Everfree Forest must have given it some juice, because by the time we picked up on it, it was building up into a nasty line of storms. We managed to get it redirected not too long ago, so it’s heading north now.”

“Oh, that’s... wait, north?”

Raindrops blinked. “Um...yeah, that’s standard procedure, isn’t it? Sending it south would just make it build up when it hits the Southern Talon Peaks, then we’d have to worry about something really nasty forming down there. We are in charge of the entire Equestrian Valley region, after all.”

Rainbow’s mind began racing. “Where exactly did you send it? Northwest, towards the Harmony Mountains?”

“No,” Raindrops replied with a frown. “Northeast, towards Ghastly Gorge. There’s no real settlements over that way, so that storm can throw as much of a tantrum as it wants.”

Rainbow Dash was making her way out the front door before Raindrops could get another word in. She took to the air as soon as she was out of Sugarcube Corner, her eyes set on the direction of Ghastly Gorge.

“He was heading that way,” she said to herself. “I just know it.”

She could already see the line of dark clouds making their way across the northeastern portion of the Equestrian Valley. While it was distant, she swore she could feel the faintest traces of the winds that were coming off of that cold front.

The idea of a big, winged creature like Spike flying around in gale force winds...

She flapped hard, leaving behind a rainbow streak in her wake. Hurt feelings or otherwise, Spike was still a friend. A very stupid and stubborn friend, but her friend nonetheless. She couldn’t let him get caught up in that storm. With any luck, she would catch him before he reached the cold front. She would convince him to turn around, by force if necessary.

Spike soared over the gorge, his eyes looking for the spot where it started widening out enough for him to fly through. Right now, he needed to take his mind off of his problems, and flight was the best way he could think of doing so at the moment.

Spotting an area where the gorge widened suddenly, Spike took a sharp dive, righting himself as he flew into the gorge. The wind howled in his ears as he flapped his wings, taking a sharp right and veering left to avoid smashing into a wall of stone.

Months ago, he would have been a bloody smear just a few seconds ago. He had improved greatly, though.

Thanks mostly to Rainbow Dash.

Grimacing, Spike continued onward. He rolled to the side, dodging an outcropping and dipping low to avoid a small bridge of rock. He neared one side of the gorge and lined himself up so that he was nearly parallel with it. With a mighty kick of his legs, he pushed off the side of the gorge and flapped his wings hard, speeding ahead and narrowly decapitating himself as he ducked under another outcropping of stone.

Okay, that was cutting it a bit close. Spike snorted out a plume of smoke as he steadied himself. Get over it. She said she would in time. You’ll just have to deal with some awkwardness between you and her for a while. She didn’t say she hated you... though she looked like she wanted to. He growled in annoyance as he lowered a bit and took a hard turn to the left.

A strong wind buffeted his side, and he had to fight to regain control. After adjusting his wings and flapping hard to right himself, he continued onward. He glanced upward, his eyes widening as he took in the darkening skies.

“Where the heck did those clouds come from?”

He was positive those clouds had not been there a few minutes ago. Judging from the speed they were moving, though, they would pass over him in no time. He would just stay low and avoid any strong winds for the time being.

“Gyaah!” Spike cried out as he was blown to his left as another gale pushed him dangerously close to the side of the gorge. He spun around so his belly faced the stone, and pushed off with his arms and legs. He dove low, wings flapping as hard as they could. The effort seemed to be producing no real results, though, for he was sent reeling sideways once more.

I need to land! If I stay in the air, I could—

A particularly strong gust lifted Spike up from beneath his wings. He struggled to maintain control with no success. The mighty drake was now at nature’s mercy, something that rarely showed compassion for the weak.

It seemed like Spike’s luck had run out at that point, for an especially strong gale that whistled in his ears hit him, causing his wings to flare out involuntarily and tossing his body like a ragdoll. He spun around repeatedly, noting a solid wall of gray quickly approaching him.

Solid rock smashed into his back, and he howled in pain as he crumpled. His wings gave out completely as he fell several dozen feet to the ground, bouncing off a few jutting boulders before making contact with the ground and a resounding thud.

Spike’s vision was filled with spots and blurred outlines as he opened his eyes. He could taste iron in his mouth, and found his body unable to respond to his commands to move. Thoughts were muddled between confusion and intense pain.

“Spike!”

The dragon let out a low groan as something moist hit his nose. Then another. Somewhere in his mind he was aware that it was raining, but right now he couldn’t find it within himself to care. Though he couldn’t really be faulted, what with the sensation of broken ribs, probably few fractured limbs, and some internal bleeding.

“Spike!”

Something bright, colorful, and loud landed in front of him. He struggled to lift his head, but a sharp pain in his shoulders told him that wasn’t a good idea. Instead, he settled for letting out another painful groan.

“Spike!” shouted the voice frantically. The face of Rainbow Dash came into his view, streaks of water running down her cheeks and her wet mane threatening to cover her eyes. “Spike, can you hear me?”

Spike let out a weak moan and spoke. “Dash…?”

Rainbow Dash exhaled, her body relaxing a little. “Thank Celestia...” She looked around a bit, then took in his appearance. She halted her gaze at what must have been one of his wings, her face paling a bit. “Spike... are... how much do you hurt?”

“Unngh...” Spike spit up a globule of dark red. “Bad. Like... wrestling with Ursa Minor bad.” He closed his eyes for a moment, finding the idea of getting some sleep more appealing by the moment.

He could hear Rainbow pacing beside him as she spoke. “Spike, I have to run back to Ponyville. I-I’ll get... hey! Spike, stay with me!”

Spike felt something pat his cheeks several times. His eyes flickered open as he gazed at the blurry image of Rainbow Dash, who was now wide-eyed with worry.

“Rainbow...? Where... what happened?”

“S-Spike,” Dash was shaking now as she sniffled. “Spike, don’t close your eyes. I need you to stay awake, okay?”

Spike grunted. “Mmm... okay...”

“O-okay...” Rainbow nodded. “Spike, can you move at all?”

“No. Hurts too much.”

A flash of lightning, followed almost immediately by a boom of thunder, caused Rainbow to jump. Winds began to pick up, and Rainbow had to crouch low to avoid being blown off her feet. “This storm is picking up way too quickly!” She shouted.

“Yeah... out of nowhere…” Spike mumbled.

Rainbow Dash glanced back and forth between him and the storm. She let out a weak sob as she continued. “Y-you... why did you go and do that?”

“What...?” Spike mumbled.

“I.... don’t you remember? We talked about it: always check the horizon when flying...” She sniffled. “It’s... like, the first thing I taught you... and... and...”

“The most important rule for a big guy like me. I... I know...” Spike coughed up some blood, the metallic taste touching his tongue. “Rainbow... it’s not safe... here...”

“I know!” Rainbow countered. “I-I’m not leaving you out here alone, though!”

“Rainbow...”

Rainbow was in his face, and he could make out the faint smell of tears mixed with rainwater as her face touched his nostrils. Spike could barely feel the contact with how cold and numb he was, but he took what enjoyment he could from it. “Don’t give up on me, Spike! Please! You’ll pull through this, okay? You just... y-you just need to stay awake and…” Her eyes moved over his body, her expression growing more and more worried by the second. “Spike...”

She was crying openly now. He closed his eyes for a moment, and breathed slowly, wincing as he felt weak jolts of pain race through his body. He opened his eyes, speaking with as much strength as he could muster. “Rainbow, y-you need to get back into town, okay? I... I can manage myself until help arrives. I promise.”

The winds whipped past them, rain battering down on them relentlessly. Rainbow shook her head slowly. “I can’t fly in this weather. Not by myself. Even the Wonderbolts would be at risk in this storm.” She slumped into the mud. “I might be the best flier, but flying in these winds is suicide. I’m just lucky I landed here when I did...” She wiped her cheeks of tears and rain, smearing her cheeks with mud. “A-and running wouldn’t help... I’d be... too late...”

Spike’s eyes softened as he wheezed. “ Why did you follow me?”

“I-I was talking to Raindrops. She told me about the storm front moving through here, and... and I saw you flying this way.” Rainbow shook her head. “I was hoping to catch you before things got ugly.” She grit her teeth, her breath coming out in a loud hiss. Spike had only seen Rainbow so distraught once before, and he didn’t like thinking back on that time. Oddly enough, he had been the cause of her stress that time as well.

Spike tried to assess the situation as best as he could. He wasn’t alone, thankfully, but even so, Rainbow was a good distance away from Ponyville. Unless the storm cleared up suddenly—which, judging by the increasing rain and thunder, it wasn’t going to do—Rainbow’s only other option was to gallop back into town. Still, Ponyville was a good hour away on hoof, even for a fast runner like her.

If only Twilight was here. She would be able shoot off a flare of magic, or teleport, or...

Wait...

“Rainbow, c-can you help lift my head up?”

“What?” Rainbow shook her head. “Spike, your neck might be injured.” She winced as she looked at it. “It looks injured! I don’t want you getting hurt anymore than you already are.”

Spike sighed. “I know, but... I have an idea. It... it might work. I have to try it.”

Rainbow looked like she was going to argue further. She relented, however, and gently nudged her head under his chin. “Just... let me know if you start hurting, okay?”

Spike gave an affirmative grunt, and felt her balance his chin on her back. With her support, he was able to lift his neck up with his own strength, and took in a deep breath. He felt that familiar swelling in his chest, though it hurt this time. He ignored it, taking in more air and puffing out his cheeks slightly.

A large gout of green flame shot out of his mouth, forming into a fiery orb as it roared through the air. The fireball slowed in its ascent, then hovered in the air for a split second and exploding into a fiery cloud of green flame.

Spike coughed hard, but smiled nonetheless. “I...I almost forgot about...that...”

Rainbow watched as the nebulous cloud of dragonfire continued to burn in the air. “H-how?”

“Dragon fire is magical,” Spike explained in a hoarse voice. “It... water and wind don’t always affect it... if you do it right. Twilight... Twilight will recognize it. We’ll be alright now—”

Another fit of violent coughs caused Spike to spit up blood. He didn’t stop this time, his eyes watering and his throat feeling raw. His chest began flaring up in pain, like someone was jabbing his lungs with a red hot fire poker. Rainbow Dash rested Spike’s head on the ground once more, then walked around so she could face him directly.

“S-Spike?! What’s wrong?!”

Spike continued coughing. He was having trouble breathing by this point, and his vision was growing dark. He could faintly make out the frightened voice of Rainbow Dash amidst the thundering and his loud coughs. The taste of blood was fresh in his mouth, and he was certain he spit something warm and wet out of his mouth.

The last thing he saw before his world went dark was the face of the mare beside him, tears and rain streaking her face as she screamed out his name.

It’s back-to-school time, which I’m sure many of you are aware of. It could be ages before this updates again, and between the workload the author and myself are taking, it’s going to be slow regardless. Took me almost a week to find the time to go through this and tweak things. That being said, enjoy this next chapter, and keep on top of your schoolwork. Can’t really stress how important it is.

All hail Lord Suzumiya

~L.V.K.

Author's Notes:

Hey, all. told you I'd have this up soon, right? (I know, I'm just as surprised). Anyway, yep, ending the chapter here. It's not over yet, though, so don't fret.

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to Ludwikia VK, who has been patient and helpful with this story, even with his busy workload in school. Well, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, more is still on the way!

Chapter 7: Descent

Chapter Seven- Descent

Spike opened his eyes, groaning as he took in the scenery around him. There were puddles of water dotting the ground as far as he could see. He could feel wet earth between his claws. The sun was just above him, and he appeared to be within some sort of gorge or canyon. Ghastly Gorge, from the look of things.

He took in a breath, wincing as a sudden, stinging sensation chewed at his torso. A hand moved to his sides, and he gingerly felt his ribs. He hissed in pain and let out a string of curses after brushing his claws over a particularly tender spot. That was enough of an indication for him to stop, he decided, lest he agitate what was likely a broken rib. Moving his arm back to his side sent a jolt of searing pain up his shoulder and through his right wing. He growled loudly as the horrible pain worsened. Spike fought back tears and took in a shaky breath before exhaling, regretting his action immediately as his sides sent another jolt of pain throughout his body.

“Celestia, damn it!” he growled as he bit down on his lower lip. He closed his eyes and dug his claws into the dirt, letting out a few quick breaths as the pain finally began to ebb away a little.

Memories of the other night flooded his mind.

He had argued with Rainbow Dash outside Sugarcube Corner. He had left, upset, and decided to go flying to vent his frustrations. A storm started brewing while he had flown through Ghastly Gorge… a particularly strong gust of wind had blown him into a rock face, and then Rainbow had—

“Rainbow Dash!” Spike said aloud, eyes snapping open. He lifted his head, ignoring the feeling of thousands of tiny needles jabbing into his muscles from Luna knew what kind of injury, and scanned the area.

Where is she? She was with me, I think… right? Did she fly into town to get help? Did she just leave me here?

Spike frowned at that last thought. No, Rainbow would never do such a thing. He felt shame in thinking about her in such a way.

Not that I’d blame her for doing that, though.

Then, Spike felt a weight against his tail. He looked over to see a large boulder resting on top of the limb. What worried him, though, was that he felt no pain where the boulder pressed down on the tail.

“Probably nerve damage…” he thought to himself. “Great… just what I—huh?”

Spike titled his head a bit as something behind the boulder came into view. He tried to raise his head up a bit to get a better view.

As soon as he got a glimpse of whatever it was, a cold weight settled in his stomach. “O-oh no…”

He forced his body up onto all fours, straining against the pain and eventually settling onto three feet while dragging his back right arm to avoid agitating his injured wing. With a bit of effort he freed his tail from the boulder, and moved towards the pile of rubble nearby.

“N-no please, no no no…” he whispered, taking in the sight before him.

Rainbow Dash lay there, a boulder pinning her left wing and left foreleg beneath it. She had several gashes along her forehead and chest, and there was a thin trail of dried blood running out both her nostrils.

“R-Rainbow Dash…” Spike choked out. He leaned closer to her, his hand shaking as he stretched it out towards her body.

That’s when he noticed her chest rise and fall. It was a shallow breath, but it gave Spike hope.

Sending a silent word of thanks to whatever forces had saved the pegasus, Spike nudged the boulders off of Rainbow’s body. He then lifted her up as gently as he could manage, and placed her on his back, right between his shoulder blades.

“D-don’t worry, Dash. I’ll get us to Ponyville. Just hang—” Spike’s words were cut off as another punishing surge of pain raced up his left leg. He howled in pain, and was unable to stay on his feet. He fell forward, and felt the weight of Rainbow Dash fall off. He gasped, turning to his side to see her, still breathing…

… still alive…

Whatever had just happened, both his right arm and left leg were completely useless to him. He dragged his body so that it was now facing Rainbow’s, and placed his head gently beside hers.

“I-I’m sorry…” Spike whispered weakly. “Rainbow… I… I never should have said those stupid things about you.” He closed his eyes and felt them burn with tears. “Just… please don’t…”

He slowly moved his still functioning arm forward and wrapped a clawed hand around one of her hooves.

“I-I’m scared… Rainbow. I can’t move… and… and we’re out in the middle of nowhere. Please… I need your help…”

He leaned forward, gently nuzzling her.

Then…

“... help…me…”

He opened his eyes and glanced down at the mare. She was still there on the ground, just as she had been moments ago.

Then her mouth moved. “Help me, Spike…”

“W-what…? Rainbow, are you…?”

“Spike… don’t give up on me… please. Don’t leave me…”

Spike was shaking his head. “I-I wouldn’t leave—”

Tears began to flow from her eyes. “S-Spike…” She sounded scared herself. “I’m sorry…”

Spike placed his other hand around her other hoof, ignoring the pain. “N-no, Rainbow, it’s me who should be apologizing.”

Rainbow continued to cry, sobbing quietly every few seconds as Spike sat there, helpless and confused. Her eyes remained closed.

“Please… Spike… just wake up…”

“H-huh?” Spike cocked his head to the side. “Wake… up…?”

A wind began to blow through the gorge. Rainbow’s mane and feathers fluttered in the wind for several seconds, and she was silent once more.

“Rainbow…? Rainbow, what did you…?”

A single blue feather lifted off into the breeze. Spike watched it disappear over the edge of the gorge. Then another feather. And another…

Spike looked down at Rainbow Dash, only to watch in silent horror as strands of her beautiful mane and tail began to fall out, joining the many feathers in the wind. After her wings, head, neck, and tail were bare, she began to lose her fur coat. However, there was no pink, healthy skin underneath the fur. No, in fact, it appeared as though Rainbow Dash was simply breaking off, piece by piece now.

“Rainbow Dash!” Spike cried out as she began to fade into the wind, like a pile of sand on a windy beach. “Rainbow!”

Spike desperately held onto her, but the wind continued to take her away from him. He desperately clawed at the quickly dwindling remains of the pegasus, who continued to be carried away by the wind.

“Rainbow!” he cried out.

There was no reply to be given other than the cruel, hollow wind. He felt his vision blur as he sobbed into the dirt. His claws grasped at the spot where Rainbow Dash had been only moments ago.

“Spike…”

He heard her voice, still. He wanted to believe it to be real, but was afraid to find out the truth.

“Spike… please…”

He lay there, beaten, broken, and alone. Alone, aside from the wind, and the sound of a mare that he had been too afraid to love.

“... please, Spike… wake up…”

She sat there, against the bed. Just like she had for the past two weeks, now.

After three days of struggling with simple tasks like kicking clouds, Rainbow Dash had told her weather team that she would be taking an unpaid leave from work, and wasn’t sure when she’d be returning. They had been more than understanding about it.

Rainbow Dash stared at the drake laying in the bed. Once proud, strong, and full of life, Spike was now a shell of those things. She had looked over his chart more times than she cared to admit. She didn’t understand a lot of the technical readings, but she could still read the list of injuries he had sustained.

Four fractured ribs. Bruising in the spine. Impact to the skull, no fractures found. Dislocated wing joint in the right shoulder. Fracture in the anterior half of the right wing. Severe tears in the left wing membrane. Broken left leg. Twisted left ankle. Sprained neck. Minor burns along lining of throat. Internal bleeding. Bruising of lungs due to trauma to chest…

He was alive, though. He was alive, and that was all she could ask for.

Minutes after Spike had passed out in Ghastly Gorge, Twilight Sparkle had appeared in a burst of magic before Rainbow Dash. She had begun to panic, but with Rainbow’s help, she was able to focus enough and concentrate on teleporting back to Ponyville to retrieve a rescue team. She would have just brought all of them back with her magic, but moving an injured creature as large as Spike, and possibly worsening his injuries, kept her from doing so. Needless to say, when a team of almost a dozen paramedics arrived with a makeshift stretcher big enough to carry ten of her, Rainbow Dash could have cried from the relief she had felt.

So, cried she had, and had continued to do so well into the small hours of that following night.

Rainbow had stayed by Spike’s side as much as possible ever since she had taken off of work. She slept at the library with Twilight when she visiting hours were up, since she was uncomfortable with being too far away from Spike. She would arrive as soon as visiting hours were allowed, and would stay up until the fourth time the nurses gently urged her to leave for the evening.

Despite all that Spike had endured, though, there was still something she hoped for him to do.

“Come on, Spike…” she whispered hoarsely. “Wake up… please…?”

She leaned forward, holding his bandaged claw in her hooves as gently as she could. He had moved only a little since he had been placed in the bed, and when she spoke to him, she was positive she heard him say her name a few times. The heart monitor showed that his heart was still healthy, but sometimes it would spike up a bit when he mumbled to himself. He was breathing on his own, too, which she was thankful for. The doctors had suspected severe lung damage as the cause of his internal bleeding, possibly even a puncture. Luckily, it had not been as bad. She would take bruising over a laceration to lung tissue any day. The internal bleeding had been a result of the impact from his fall, but the worst of the bleeding had stopped about a day after he had been brought in.

While still a mystery to the majority of the scientific community in Equestria, most would agree that dragons were made to endure.

“You’re one tough guy, y-you know that?” Rainbow Dash laughed weakly and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I… I don’t mean anything bad by it, but… I’m glad you’re a dragon right now. I…” She swallowed hard. “It’s just… I-I don’t think a normal pony could have survived that…”

She sniffled loudly, and tightened her grip over his claw. “When… when you wake up, we can… we can go to the bookstore down the road, and buy that new Daring Do book. I-I know it’s not coming out for a few more months, but that’s okay. M-maybe we’ll camp out in front of the store three days before the midnight release.” She chuckled and rubbed her eyes. “We’ll buy one for you, one for me, and one for Twilight’s library… a-and we can read the books together, and… and…” She stared into his placid expression, and held back a sob. “Just… you need to wake up so we can do all that stuff, okay?”

No response.

She slumped back into her chair, and bit back another sigh. Do… do dragons even go into comas like ponies do? I mean… it doesn’t seem too unlikely. They’ve got brains just like we do, and if you get hurt bad enough…

She sighed, trying to recall any bit of information that she could remember about dragons.

Twilight said they sometimes go into forced hibernation when there’s a drought or if the weather gets too cold where they live… She looked out the window, wincing as the sunlight washed across her vision. She turned back to Spike, whose form was being bathed in the midday warmth.

The doctors had done all they could when they had initially treated Spike’s injuries. Twilight had been helping them all the while, giving what knowledge she could to the medical team and at times jumping in to correct something they did. While she had not shown it, Rainbow could tell that Twilight was focusing entirely on the work to keep herself from having a panic attack.

And all the while I’ve been unable to do anything…

A soft knock at the door stirred Rainbow Dash from her thoughts. She slowly turned to see Nurse Redheart standing there, a tray on her back with a sandwich and apple. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash… I didn’t mean to disturb you, but it’s close to lunch time, and I figured you’d be hungry.”

Dash gave the nurse a grateful smile, and took the tray from her. It was a simple peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with a macintosh apple, but it might as well have been a three course meal with the way her stomach growled. “Thanks. I guess I haven’t been eating that much lately…”

Redheart gave her an understanding look. “I can only imagine. If she weren’t so busy communing with the princesses on what can be done to help Spike, I imagine Twilight Sparkle would be right here with you.”

“Yeah…”

Redheart walked over to Spike, picked up the chart in front of his bed, and then ran through the hourly checks that all the staff attending to Spike went through. She checked the large IV bags beside Spike’s bed, giving him the needed nutrients and minerals to live. One of the bags of liquid read ‘Water + dissolved calcium and quartz’. While the hospital staff didn’t know the exact details on the dissolved minerals, Twilight had stressed the importance of it.

Dragons have higher calcium requirements than ponies do, and quartz contains several minerals that are invaluable to a dragon’s health.

Those had been Twilight’s exact words, and Rainbow had taken it upon herself to make sure that particular IV bag never ran low. She didn’t know exactly how Twilight managed to dissolve quartz or calcium into water, but the unicorn had been responsible for making and supplying the hospital with the mineral-rich water ever since he had been placed in the room he was now in.

“His vitals are strong. Heart rate’s a little lower than normal, body temperature is fine, though. All within range of what Twilight had provided us,” Redheart said, drawing Rainbow from her thoughts. “It’s a good thing you were with him, Rainbow Dash. You may have very well saved his life that night. If what Twilight told us is true, you were able to help Spike create a signal flare, correct?”

Rainbow Dash nodded numbly.

Redheart let out a soft breath. “Spike’s lucky to have wonderful friends like you, Rainbow Dash.” A pause, then she added, “However… I’m sure he would also want you to take care of yourself.”

Rainbow Dash looked up to see Redheart offer her the softest of smiles. “I guess…”

Rainbow Dash was well aware that she probably looked like a wreck. She had eaten little in the past two weeks, and sleeping became a chore for her sometimes. She had showered yesterday, though, she couldn’t have smelled too bad.

While Redheart had a valid point, Rainbow couldn’t find it in herself to care much about how she looked or felt right now. Still, she nodded, and said nothing else. She had heard similar words from the other nursing staff before. It had almost become routine for her in the two weeks she had been visiting.

“I’ll be back in an hour. If…anything happens, please inform one of the staff immediately.”

Nurse Redheart left the room, leaving Rainbow once more alone with the unconscious drake. She dug into her food, nibbling at the sandwich and taking a few bites out of her apple. After what barely felt like a proper meal, Rainbow Dash lost what little appetite she had, and set down her food.

She returned her attention fully to Spike, silently praying to whatever force would listen that Spike would wake back up.

“Twilight… sugarcube, c’mon, you need to rest—”

Twilight didn’t even turn away from the pile of books she was reading. “No, Applejack. Not until I am one hundred percent certain that I’ve looked through every book in the library. Spike and I made sure to update our inventory after that incident with the Great Dragon Migration years ago. There’s bound to be something that can tell me more about dragons and their reactions to critical injuries…”

Applejack winced. Twilight’s tone was short, perhaps even annoyed. Not that the farmer could blame her. Twilight had not gotten a minute of shut-eye in over two days now, and while such a thing was hardly new for the studious unicorn, running on caffeine and built-up stress was hardly healthy for anypony.

Walking forward, Applejack placed a firm, yet caring hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. The unicorn barely registered it, but let out a slow breath as Applejack gently rubbed her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Applejack… it’s just…” She ran a hoof across her brow, closing her eyes for a moment.

“There’s no need to explain. You have every right to be the way you are.”

“No, there’s no excuse to be so… snappish with you. Especially since you’ve taken time away from work to help me this past week. I… I know how important it is for your family to maintain the orchard and farm…” Twilight finally looked up from her books, the faintest shimmer of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “I’ve read up all I can on dragons and their responses to injury. They’re… not too different from us, when you look at it from a medical standpoint. We don’t know much about them, but I'm positive that this coma is definitely a triggered response from the trauma he suffered when he crashed.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s what the doctors said, too. He wouldn’t be the first to fall into a coma after… after taking a blow to the head…”

Twilight exhaled deeply while shaking her head. “If that were the case, though, then the medical spells the staff tried should have been able to help rouse him from the coma by now. The damage has been healing up quickly, and the latest x-rays they took showed the swelling around his brain has decreased to normal levels. Still, none of the spells they used have done anything for him, though.” Twilight swallowed a lump in her throat. “If… I don’t know what I would do if he…”

Applejack pulled Twilight into her forelegs and gently shushed her as the unicorn began to tremble. “Alright now, shhhh…” Twilight wrapped her arms firmly around Applejack’s frame. “Landsakes, filly… I wish I had half the willpower you do sometimes. This past week was hard for me. Could barely keep my mind on what I was doing while out in the fields.” She pulled away, just enough to look into Twilight’s teary eyes. “Spike would be proud of you right now, I bet.”

“He’d do the same for me,” Twilight whispered. “I owe him at least this much…”

Applejack smiled a little, and pulled Twilight in close once more. “I suppose a dragon as wonderful as him deserves a sister like you.”

Applejack waited for a reply from Twilight, only to be met with a slow, steady exhale of breath from the unicorn. Applejack looked to see that Twilight had fallen asleep, her head resting in the crook of the farm pony’s neck. Applejack gave Twilight a soft nuzzle, and carefully placed her over her back. She slowly made her way up the steps to Twilight’s loft, and placed her in her bed.

After tucking her in, she made her way back downstairs. Looking at the mountain of books, and the overall mess Twilight had created, only one thought came to the Applejack’s mind. Walking over to the desk Twilight had been sitting at, Applejack began to read the first book that caught her attention, hoping to find something that Twilight may have, by some freak chance, missed.

Almost two hours of no results passed for Applejack, though she did gain a significant amount of knowledge about dragon digestive problems and wing bone development. She had reached the end of a small pile of books she had made for herself and picked up the last book, reading its title aloud.

“Hm… ‘Dragons of Yore’, huh?” Applejack flipped open the tome, coughing a little as a small cloud of dust assailed her nostrils, and she let out a sneeze, followed by a few loud coughs. “Ugh, how does Twilight manage to read these old books without having a coughin’ fit?” She waved a hoof at the dust cloud, satisfied when it finally dispersed.

The book was written several decades before Granny Smith had been born according to the publish date. Thankfully, the writing itself was easy enough to read and didn’t seem too archaic that she would need reference books for translation.

She flipped through a few pages, stopping at a section regarding dragons and sleep. Seemed logical enough, she thought. She began reading, her eyes scanning for anything that might provide a beacon of hope for their comatose dragon.

… let it not be said that the wyrmkin are unable to benefit from Equestria and her neighbors. Two centuries ago, in the distant western regions of Equestria, an epidemic had spread across the resident dragons. These dragons experienced a severe loss of appetite, weakness in muscles, and in several cases, induced sleep that they could not be roused from. More than several dozen dragons lost their lives due to malnourishment and starvation. This illness would later be named Draconian Torpor Sickness, for it indeed only seemed to affect our draconic neighbors and no other species.

Apothecaries from Equestria, gifted shaman from Zebrica, and monks from the Griffon Kingdom all attempted to find ways to cure this sickness. Eventually they had found the proper remedy in the Poultice Petal Flower of the Coltmoros Jungles in southeastern Zebrica. Dragons quickly learned of the plant’s location, and now there are several locations throughout the known world where dragons can go to receive vaccination and treatment.

Sadly, while the flower did cure the illness of those with appetite loss and physical weakness, it did not provide any help to those who had fallen into the deep sleep. Eventually those who studied the illness had run out of ideas, and sought out Princess Celestia to aid them. Celestia, unfortunately, had no immediate answer to this problem, but she did suggest an idea.

The zebra shaman were said to have the ability to walk between the physical world and the spiritual world, entering into a trance and having the ability to commune with the spirits of the deceased. Modern day arcane sciences have verified that this is indeed a legitimate form of magic among zebrakind. Celestia, with her infinite wisdom, suggested that they use this gift to try and commune with the spirits of the living, and attempt to speak with the sleeping dragons.

And so, the zebra shaman ventured to the homes of the still-sleeping dragons. It was with great joy when their rituals and magic found success, rousing the dragons from their unnatural slumber by communicating through dreams. The dragons, thankful for their help—

Applejack dropped the book from her hooves, eyes widening slowly as an idea struck her.

“That’s it…” She said, getting to her hooves. “Sleeping… Spike’s asleep…”

There was one being in Equestria that Applejack knew who could traverse through the mind of a sleeping pony… or dragon, for that matter.

Without a second thought, Applejack got a quill and fresh sheet of parchment, and began writing out a letter as quickly as she could. She only hoped they had enough time for her idea to work.

Princess Celestia was troubled.

She had endured many hardships in her many long years of ruling Equestria, both with her sister and by herself. She had seen the political climate of Equestria and her allies—and sometimes enemies—change both rapidly and sluggishly. She had watched nations rise up suddenly, and watched them fall just as quickly.

However, she had learned to adapt to these things. Luna and Celestia had learned how to read the subtle shifts in leadership, had come to understand the unspoken words in treaties and declarations of war. They had, through lots of luck and trial and error, managed to put Equestria in the state it is today; as close to a utopian country as one can get without being one. It had its flaws, and perfection was not something that the two sisters had ever sought for. Perfection, after all, was stagnation, and stagnation limited improvement and progress.

Even so, there was one thing that the Sun Princess—and Luna as well, Celestia suspected—never managed to really overcome.

Death.

It was a natural thing, of course. Death was simply a means of renewal in nature. The weak and sickly passed on. Ponies, as well as numerous other races, had found ways to delay the eternal embrace that death had on all living things. Celestia believed that one day she and her sister would also eventually meet their end. She only hoped it would be a peaceful one. Still, death and loss often came together, and while Celestia had learned to cope with it, it never fully took away the sting she often felt.

She had lost many friends in her long life, and Luna had too. The only comfort they took from this was the legacy their friends had left behind. Luna and Celestia had nearly perfect memory. Luna could often recall conversations from eons ago with amazing clarity. Celestia could have told you the color of the scarf her old griffon friend Sven Altus had worn on the day his clan had signed a treaty and joined the Griffon Kingdom, almost four hundred years ago: a deep, rich red scarf, stylish yet practical for the cold climate of the griffons’ homeland.

Now, Celestia was finding herself delving into memories once more. These were younger memories, but no less important to her. They were memories of a particular dragon who, no matter how big he had gotten, would always be the charming little hatchling who was eager to help and even more eager to make a friend’s day brighter. A hatchling that was probably the closest individual she had ever had to a son.

At least, that’s how Celestia had always pictured him.

Twilight had sent her a fairly distressed letter several days back, giving her an abridged explanation of her dear Spike’s current state. He was alive, and all things considered, faring well. Physically, at least. However, he seemed to be in a comatose state. It was tricky to tell, though. Dragons were known for going into sudden cases of deep sleep, and it was a fact among learned equines that dragons took several naps that could last up to one hundred years. Still, there wasn’t much to go off of as far as reference material went. Celestia was ashamed to admit that she and Equestria’s citizenry new very little about the ways dragons worked.

There was one thing that didn’t add up though with Spike if this was indeed a premature deep sleep. Dragons didn’t usually enter this century-long sleep until they were at least a century or two in age. Celestia had never heard of a young drake like Spike going into the one hundred year sleep. Therefore, she could only conclude that something was wrong. Like Spike’s brain slipping into a coma.

“Your Highness?”

Celestia was pulled out of her thoughts by the voice of one of her guards. She gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile. “Yes, Stalwart?”

“Forgive me for interrupting, your Highness, but… I received a letter from an Equestrian Courier. She was rather winded, but she had received a letter from Ponyville, express delivery. No magic was used. She must have flown here under an hour’s time.”

The guard approached the throne, giving her the letter with his magic. She took it, and unfurled the parchment, expecting another letter from Twilight. With Spike being in the state he was in, her letters had been arriving slower than they usually did.

With a hint of worry etching into her features, Celestia began to read, surprised to see a larger, less stylized form of writing on the parchment. She recognized it as a style common to earth ponies, and continued.

Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,

Sorry for the lack of formality, but this letter’s important. I’m sure you’re well aware of Spike’s current state of health, seeing as Twilight sent you several letters over the past few days. I managed to convince her to get some shut-eye, and continued researching for her. I found a book that mentioned something about dragons and a sleeping sickness, and it got me thinking. I know this isn’t a disease that Spike’s dealing with, but I think there might be a way to help him that was similar to what I read about.

If you could, Princess Luna, it would be greatly appreciated if you would stop on by Ponyville at your earliest convenience. I will either be at the Golden Oaks Library, or at the Ponyville Hospital. I’ll talk to you more about it. Again, sorry if I sound rude, but Spike means too much to all of us to go through pleasantries. Thanks for any help you can give.

Sincerely,

Applejack

Celestia was already rising up from her seat as she finished reading the letter, making her way to the double doors of the throne room.

Applejack. Celestia wasn’t all that surprised; the farm pony was very bright, and often saw practical solutions that others might miss under stressful situations.

“Your Highness… is everything alright?” the guard asked.

“Not yet… but hopefully everything will be soon,” Celestia replied, folding up the parchment and carrying it under her wing. “I will be absent from the throne for a short while. Please inform any who seek my audience to list their name and fill in a slot on the timetable outside the throne room for the next appropriate time to meet with me.”

Without waiting for a reply from the guard, Celestia made her way up the flight of stairs leading to Luna’s chambers. She could only hope that whatever Applejack had thought of would provide a means to helping out Spike.

“Rainbow Dash…”

Rainbow’s right ear twitched, and she let out a grunt of annoyance. “Nngh…”

“Rainbow Dash, wake up,” said the voice, a little louder this time. It sounded a lot like Twilight’s, but she didn’t care too much at the moment to find out.

“Dun wanna…” Rainbow replied groggily. “Tell Dizzy Twister to take care of the weather…”

Another voice spoke up, this one slightly louder, and holding an air of authority to it. “Rainbow Dash, it would be most appreciated if you would wake up. We may be in need of your assistance with Spike.”

Both of Rainbow’s ears twitched this time, and she looked up from her makeshift bed on the chair beside Spike’s bed. She blinked away the sleep from her eyes, and found herself meeting the gazes of Twilight, Applejack, and a pony she had not expected to see here at the hospital.

“Princess… Luna…?” the pegasus attempted to stifle a yawn with a hoof. “Wha… what time is it?” Her eyes widened suddenly, and she stood up straight. “Princess Luna?” She attempted to bow, only to be stopped as Luna raised a hoof, cutting her off mid-bow.

“It’s only six in the evening. I have come here at the request of Applejack and Twilight Sparkle. We believe we might have a solution to Spike’s… current situation,” replied the Princess of the Night. “My skills are required, but, we believe that your assistance might be needed as well.”

“Really? You think we can help Spike?” the pegasus asked, her eyes lighting up with hope. She stretched her wings a bit as she stood up straight once more, and faced the alicorn princess fully. “How?”

“Princess Luna has the ability to see into the dreams of others, Rainbow. She can even communicate with those who are dreaming,” Twilight answered. “We think that might be just what we need to help Spike.”

“Ohhh,” Rainbow Dash said with a nod of her head. “So… why do you need me?”

Luna smiled. “Despite my abilities with dreamwalking, my ability to interact with the dreamer has limits. I can alter a dream, but if I wish to interact with the dreamer as well, it takes much more focus. To speak with one who is in an unnatural sleep, or say, a coma…” Her smile fell. “That… would be most taxing. For, in order to truly help one suffering from a sleeping problem, I must both speak to them, and keep their sleeping mind from panicking and making things worse.”

“Um…” Rainbow Dash stared at Luna for several long moments, then gave a lopsided grin. “So…?”

“She means to say that, in order to help Spike, she needs to be able to keep his mind stable, since he’s in a coma. Spike and her would need to work together, but since Spike’s mind is not aware of what’s going on around him, forcefully waking him up could be… very bad,” Twilight explained. “Princess Luna is going to attempt going into Spike’s very mind, venturing beyond his dreams. It’s risky, but she has done it before when situations required her to. That’s why we need your help.”

“The mind is an infinitely powerful tool. However, when in a state like that of Spike’s, it is equally fragile and at risk of being broken.” Luna sighed. “I will admit, I am not entirely used to such a procedure. Before my banishment… I had never attempted such things. We did not have the resources, nor the knowledge of medicine, to perform the wonders that we do today.”

Rainbow’s ears fell flat. “So this hasn’t been done before? We’re going in blind, more or less?”

“Not entirely,” Applejack piped in. “There was a sickness that affected a lot of dragons a couple hundred years ago. The dragons fell into a really deep sleep, and in order to help ‘em, zebra shaman entered their minds to help awaken them.”

“My understanding of the inner mind will help, and this won’t necessarily be the first time I’ve entered a dragon’s mind,” Luna added. “However… I have never stepped into the mind of a comatose dragon before, and even when I have been inside a dragon’s mind, those visits were brief.” Luna turned to Spike as she continued. “I will need complete focus, and Twilight will be lending me her magic to help aid the process…” She returned her gaze to Rainbow Dash as she spoke. “I’m going to need you to help keep Spike calm, though, Rainbow Dash.”

“M-me?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What do you mean?”

“You will enter Spike’s mind with me. You will be the one to converse with his inner self, and keep him from panicking while I try to repair any possible damage,” Luna answered. “Applejack will be helping by keeping you from injuring yourself. You will have to make physical contact with Spike, and there is a chance you might move around when I place you under a magical sleep. If you were to fall off the bed, well… two minds joined together in such a manner is a delicate thing. If your body were to be physically harmed, it could cause some problems to the connection between you two.”

“So… I’ll be talking to Spike’s… mind?” Rainbow’s tone became uncertain.

Luna gave the pegasus a soft, reassuring smile. “In essence, it is no different from talking to Spike himself, Rainbow. Your surroundings may change rapidly. His appearance may be different from what it is in reality, it may even fluctuate, or Spike may act slightly different from what you may consider normal… but he will the same Spike that you have all known. The mind is what makes us who we are, is it not?”

“I guess…” Rainbow Dash mumbled, still uncertain of this situation placed before her.

“I will not force this upon you, Rainbow Dash. However, right now, you are the best chance we have,” Luna continued softly. “Twilight would do this if we had the option, but… she must lend me her magic, for I do not know how difficult this will be. If she were to divide her attention between lending me her strength and engaging Spike’s mind in conversation to keep him calm…”

“So, why not have some unicorn mages from Canterlot give you the magic instead of Twilight so she can go into Spike’s mind?” Rainbow asked.

“Magic must be subtle when you are attempting to work with another’s mind, Rainbow Dash,” Luna replied. “Spike is familiar with Twilight’s magic, and I am well versed in ways to keep mine from being felt. Were a complete stranger’s magic to be felt by Spike, he may get worried.” The alicorn sighed. “It’s complex, but believe me when I say that right now you might be our best option. Next to Twilight, you have become one of his closest friends.”

“I get it,” Rainbow said with a heavy sigh. “I just hope I don’t make things worse.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, her voice only slight strained with weariness. “Please… we need your help.”

The pegasus bit her lower lip, and stared at her hooves for a few long moments. “I… I’ll do what I can.”

She was immediately pulled into a firm, deathgrip hug by Twilight. “Thank you,” the unicorn quietly said, her voice quaking only slightly. “Thank you…”

Rainbow returned the embrace, attempting to smile. “Anything for you, Twi.”

Not five minutes later found Rainbow lying on the same bed as Spike, a sporting a healthy blush on her cheeks as she placed a hoof in Spike’s clawed hand. Spike himself was as unresponsive as ever. She moved her foreleg and wrapped it around his hand, giving it a squeeze. She waited several long seconds, hoping to get a reaction from the dragon. Even a small claw twitch would have been enough for her.

Nothing of the sort happened, though.

“Now… I will warn you, Rainbow Dash. Imagination is the law of the mind. Spike is a dragon, and a very intelligent one at that. What may seem to be odd to you will be normal to him in the realm of his mind. Trust your instincts, though. Reality may appear warped, but as long as you are true to him and yourself, everything should work out in the end.” Luna’s horn lit up. “I ask that you not directly bring up any conversation regarding his accident. In fact, if anything, try to avoid talking about how he currently is at the moment. He may very well believe that he is unharmed, and has conjured up a dream where all is well, and the accident never happened. It would be confusing for him, and cause troubles for myself while I attempt to figure out what has put him into this state.” She placed a hoof on Spike’s chest. “That or he might remember the accident, which may create a whole different matter of problems.”

“Like?” Rainbow asked.

“Spike might realize he is in a coma. He will think that you’re nothing more than a hallucination or image he created. He may even think he’s gone insane,” Luna sighed. “It is… hard to determine what might happen. Every mind is unique. Each individual reacts differently to a given situation.”

“How will I know what to do, then?” Rainbow asked.

“Treat him as you normally would, Rainbow. As a friend. A friend who is in dire need of help, but still a friend. Comfort him. Laugh with him. Simply be with him. I will watch you from a distance, and aid you when I am able.” Luna rested a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Be strong, Rainbow Dash. Your friends will be with you, even if you do not sense them.”

Rainbow nodded, and closed her eyes as Luna lowered her head. Her horn touched Rainbow’s forehead, and the world went dark.

For several long moments, Rainbow could not see, smell, or taste anything. She felt a warmth, though, and could hear the steady beating of what she imagined to be a heart.

All at once, though, the darkness was flooded in a blinding, white light. Closing her eyes, Rainbow felt an odd sensation run over her body. It was similar to the magic of Twilight, but it felt heavier. Foreign.

She blinked away the spots dancing before her eyes, and took in her surroundings. She found herself sitting on the top of a mountain, just outside a cave, from the looks of things. If anything, the scenery reminded her a lot of the area just outside of a cave she and her friends had gone to several years prior. There had been a large dragon that had made the mountaintop cave its personal sleeping quarters, and it was producing a lot of smoke from all its snoring, and the smoke clouds in turn had become a hazard to the folks of Ponyville. The girls had, after much trouble, managed to convince the dragon to leave and seek a different spot to take its one hundred year nap.

Rainbow Dash continued to scan her surroundings. At the far edge of the mountainside there was a ledge. On that ledge, there sat a figure. A large, purple and green one that made Rainbow’s heart leap a bit. The figure was facing towards the setting sun, shoulders slumped and wings listlessly hanging from their sides.

Rainbow took in a deep breath. Alright, Dash. Just play it cool. Natural. Like this is all just a normal thing, and not some… weird, mindwalking… spell. She trotted over to the figure’s side and sat down. “Pretty nice view, huh, Spike?”

The figure whirled around so suddenly that they fell back, yelping in surprise as he took in Rainbow’s appearance. Green eyes looked her up in down, disbelief slowly growing into worry and confusion. “R-Rainbow Dash?”

The pegasus smiled a little. “Duh. You think anyone else could sneak up on you as easily?” She laughed as the dragon got to his feet. “I figured I’d come up here and join you.”

Spike’s mouth remained agape. He shook his head a few times as he got to his feet. “H-how are you…?”

“What?” Rainbow asked, struggling to fight down a laugh. Despite circumstances, seeing Spike looking dumbfounded always managed to bring a smile to her face.

“I… but…” Spike slapped his face a few times, and closed his eyes. When he reopened them and saw her still standing there, he shook his head. “This can’t be real…”

Rainbow struggled to keep herself from panicking. Okay, remember what Luna said. Dreams might not be like reality. Spike’s weirded out by something…

Rainbow Dash grinned and cocked an eyebrow. “What can’t be real?”

“You,” Spike said slowly. “I… I watched you die months ago, back in Ghastly Gorge.”

“Ghastly Gorge?” Rainbow repeated. “I died?” She frowned, then gave an uneasy laugh. “No… no I didn’t die. I’m still here…”

“But… I saw—”

“Spike, if I was really dead, would I be talking to you?” Rainbow asked, smirking and giving him a friendly punch in the side with a hoof.

“No, unless you’re a manifestation of my subconscious mind and buried guilt.” He gave her a wary look. “Wait, are you my conscience?”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Conscience? Heck no!” she answered, bursting out into a fit of genuine laughter. “Spike, I can barely keep myself in line half the time. You think I’d be a good conscience for anyone else?”

Spike frowned, as though he was unsure if he really wanted to believe her. “I suppose not…”

“See? I think you just really had a bad dream or something…” She shuffled her front hooves a bit as she continued, her mind racing to come up with an excuse. “I… I mean, I was talking to you just earlier today, remember? I stopped by while you were at work, and… then I saw you fly off this way. You must’ve dozed off and had a real whopper of a nightmare, I bet.”

Spike rubbed his temples with both hands. “I could’ve sworn it was real…”

“Hey, dreams can be realistic. Like, one time, I dreamed that I ate the world’s largest marshmallow. Woke up to find my teeth halfway into my cloud pillow.” She coughed into a hoof as Spike gave her an odd look. “I mean… don’t worry, I guess is what I’m trying to say. I’m still here, flesh, blood, and awesomeness.”

Spike relaxed at that, relief etching its way into his posture. “Good… heh…” He scooted a little closer to her. “Rainbow… I want to apologize for… for what happened back at the club. The… the arguing and all that junk.”

Rainbow’s smile softened. “It’s okay—”

“No, no it’s not.” Spike shook his head vehemently.

All at once, the world around Spike and Rainbow Dash morphed, and suddenly the two were sitting in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres. A flock of birds carved out of gems flew overhead, letting out metallic chirps as they disappeared into a group of trees. “Rainbow… that nightmare I had…” His voice was just above a whisper now. “It made me realize something.”

Rainbow, who was trying to collect her bearings with the sudden change of scenery, looked back to Spike as she noticed his change in tone. “It did?”

“Yeah. I… I realized that I shouldn’t take for granted what I have.” He lay down before her, expression wracked with guilt. “I didn’t realize how lucky I was.”

Rainbow Dash felt her heartbeat quicken. “Lucky… how?”

Spike’s lips curled into a ghost of a smile. “I had friendship. We had friendship, and maybe you wanted something more from me…something that… maybe I sort of wanted as well. Instead of talking about it, though, I went and hurt you over something that shouldn’t have been an issue.”

“O-oh…” Rainbow Dash’s cheeks reddened as she looked to the ground. “I guess I’m still a little mad at you, but I’d rather not stay upset at you like this forever. You’re still my friend, y’know? It’d be dumb of us not to try and forgive each other.” She reached out and touched his forearm with a hoof. “M-maybe… maybe there’s still a chance for that something that we both wanted from each other to happen, right?”

“Maybe,” Spike said with a hollow laugh. His gaze dropped to his claws and he let out a weary sigh. “I’m such an idiot for doing all that to you, Rainbow. I know I’m acting like a broken record, but I’m sorry, and I hope you realize that I never wanted to hurt you like I did.”

“Well, you’re definitely earning brownie points with this confession of yours.” She nudged him with her hoof, and smiled when he glanced her way. “Spike… I still care about you. A lot. It’s just… you hurt me, but I know you would never want to do that on purpose. I felt like you thought I was less of a pony because of how I used to be when I was younger—”

“You’re not a lesser pony,” Spike cut her off with a firm tone. “Rainbow Dash, don’t ever think that. I’m the lesser pony… or, well, dragon, here.” He let out a small plume of smoke as he continued. “I should’ve decked those jerks at the club when I had a chance.”

“I don’t think that would have made things better,” she chuckled. “Spike… it’s going to take some time, but… I still trust you. I just… I have some thinking to do.”

“Same here…” Spike replied with a nod. “So… friends?”

Rainbow looked at Spike held out an open claw before her. She grinned, pushed his clawed hand aside, and walked forward to wrap him in a hug, or as much of a hug as her smaller frame would allow. “Friends.” She gave a little sigh as she felt the heat of his body flow into her. “Now, stop acting like you’re entirely to blame for all of this, okay? We’re both adults, and I didn’t make things any better with my attitude.”

“Alright then,” Spike chuckled softly, and reciprocated Rainbow’s hug by draping his neck over her head. He made a soft, contented growling sound in the back of his throat as he closed his eyes.

Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow’s eyes opened, and her ears twitched. That sounded like Princess Luna…

You’re correct, Rainbow Dash, replied the voice. I’ve managed to locate what I believe to be the source of damage in Spike’s mind. I will begin doing what I can to mend the damage and help wake Spike up. It will take some time before I’m finished, though. Keep him distracted, lest he start to sense my presence. That could lead to problems that would quickly spiral out of my ability to correct. It would also be a danger to yourself.

Rainbow Dash didn’t like what that last part implied, but nevertheless acknowledged what the alicorn said. You got it, Princess.

“So, Spike,” Rainbow said, snapping the dragon out of his thoughts. The sky lit up a bit, she noted, and the setting sun rose up out of the sky. What really drew her attention was the fact that everything seemed to be brightest around her in particular. As though some spotlight was shining upon her, and Spike’s dream was just a stage. The dreamscape Sweet Apple Acres was awash in a blur of colors, and the skies colors seemed to fluctuate between hues of the rainbow at random intervals. It wasn’t distracting so much as it was beautiful.

A soft breeze whispered by, carrying the scent of lilacs, cinnamon, hay fries, and a few other smells that normally wouldn’t be present in the middle of an apple orchard.

Wow… is this really Spike’s mind? Rainbow thought to herself as she breathed in the wonderful smells. I always knew he was creative, but…

“Rainbow?” Spike called out to her. She blinked, and let out a yelp as she found the two of them now sitting in the den area of his stone abode.

“How did—?” She held her tongue, and took in a deep breath. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

Spike laughed in amusement. “You were the one talking. You wanted to tell me something?”

“Oh!” Rainbow laughed. “I was wondering if you wanted to go for a flight. Maybe circle around the Ponyville area a few times?”

Spike stretched out his wings. “Yeah, that sounds great.” He made his way to the front door of his house, only to pause as he opened it. “Huh…”

“What’s up?” Rainbow asked, watching as Spike glanced back at his wings.

“Nothing… I think. My wings just feel a little stiff.”

Luna’s voice echoed within Rainbow’s mind once more. He may be feeling faint sensations from the outside world. His wings are wrapped up in bandages, and not very mobile. Try to dissuade his worries. He should be able to fly if he believes he can.

Rainbow gave a mental nod to Luna, then waved a hoof to Spike. “It shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Here, lemme have a look at them.”

Spike stretched out his wings fully, and let Rainbow Dash examine them. She pretended to look them over thoroughly, rubbing a hoof under her chin as she studied each one.

“Well?” Spike asked.

“They look fine to me, champ.” She gave him a wink. “Maybe someone’s just a little soft. Looks like I’ll have to up the ante on your exercises, huh?”

Spike grumbled a bit, tucking his wings back to his sides. “Pfft, you’re practically a sadist with how much you put me through.” Despite his tone, Rainbow could see the telltale signs of a smile on Spike’s lips.

Rainbow lifted into the air and flitted a few feet in front of Spike. “Not my fault I’m trying to push you to be the best you can be. I mean, c’mon, you’re going to have some real competition at the Best Young Flyer competition, after all!”

“Oh geesh, you’re still on about that?” Spike asked. He opened his wings up fully, and took a few bounding leaps while flapping his wings. Within less than a minute he was flying beside the pegasus.

Rainbow frowned. “Of course I am! Spike, you…” She paused, remembering that, back in the waking world, Spike’s wings were… less than intact right now. Would he be able to fly again? That was a terrifying thought: no longer being able to fly. “... Spike, you sell yourself short, bud. I mean, yeah, you’re a bit slower at flying, but that’s because you’re a dragon! You’ve got so much more muscle weighing you down!” She laughed, “That’s not a bad thing, though. Heck, remember when you were pulling all those carts of stone? You were acting like it was nothing!”

Spike flushed in the cheeks. “It’s nothing special, Rainbow. Lots of dragons are stronger than—”

“Yeah, but none of the dragons are you, though! I mean, you’re like, super smart, you know all sorts of things about Equestrian history, you know all sorts of things about poetry—”

“I… don’t know if that’s really something to be proud of…” the drake mumbled.

"It is! It’s who you are Spike!” Rainbow Dash said, a fierce gleam in her eyes. “I… I just don’t like seeing you sulking or… or giving up on yourself. I just want you to do well, you know? So… no more talking about you not being a good flyer. I know a good flyer when I see one, and you’re like… in my top twenty, at least!”

“Twenty, huh?” Spike chuckled.

“W-well, you’re not as good as the Wonderbolts, and there’s a few of them… but most ponies aren’t as good as them, so…” She folded her forelegs together and hovered in front of him. “Just learn to take a compliment, geesh!”

“I suppose I should be grateful for a soon-to-be-Wonderbolt to compliment me as much as you do,” Spike chuckled. “Thanks, Rainbow.”

“Anytime,” Rainbow replied. “So… you wouldn’t have a problem with me joining as a legit Wonderbolt?”

“Why would I? I’d have more of a problem if you didn’t,” the drake answered. “Rainbow, you’re in the prime of your life right now.”

“I might have been two or three years ago, actually. I’ve gotten a teeny bit rusty on some of—”

“Okay, time to reverse roles,” Spike said, cutting her off. The sky became a bright shade of blue, the sun no longer hovering over the horizon. Clouds whipped by as they soared through the air, and more than a few of them were shaped like Rainbow’s cutie mark. “Rainbow, you’re a great flight coach. You taught a dragon to fly. Not just a pony. A dragon. A bookworm of a dragon, too.”

“You’re a good student, though,” Rainbow Dash countered. “You caught on quickly.”

“Yeah, but do you remember how much work it was at first? Dragons aren’t built like ponies. You actually studied dragon musculature to get an idea of how I work.” He shook his head. “Anyway, that’s only one reason. You’re a great coach. Besides that, flight is like second nature to you. Heck, I’m pretty sure you spend more time in the air than any other pegasus I know.”

“Well, back in Cloudsdale they’re flying around almost—”

“Rainbow Dash,” Spike said, lips forming into a smirk. “Learn to take a compliment.”

“I…” Her eyes widened a little, and she gave him an amused smile. “Okay, you win that one.”

“Good,” He banked to the side a bit as Rainbow made a lazy barrel roll in the same direction. “I mean it, though. I’d be shocked if you didn’t make it into the Wonderbolts. I mean, you passed the exams, and you’ve shown your capabilities during their academy training.” He laughed a little, then added. “That and I’m pretty sure if you don’t join them, Spitfire or Soarin’ are going to make you join by force.”

“Hah, I bet!” Rainbow did a few acrobatic maneuvers as she flew around Spike, who continued to fly a mostly straight flight path. “So, wanna race to Whitetail Wood?”

“Race?” Spike repeated. “Rainbow, are you that desperate for a win that you’d challenge me?”

“Come on, I’ll give you a whole minute’s head-start!” Rainbow challenged, already turning towards the direction of Whitetail Woods.

Spike was silent for a few long moments.

“If you win, I’ll buy you a Sapphire cupcake!”

“Make it two and you got a deal,” Spike replied.

“Fine, fine, two cupcakes.”

“Good… so…” The drake arched an eyebrow. “What about if you win?”

Rainbow grinned. “Then you have to promise to sign up for the Best Young Flyer competition.” A moment passed before Rainbow realized that, in truth, Spike might not get to participate in that competition, even if he were to awaken from his coma.

“... promise not to start before the minute’s up?” Spike asked.

“I promise!”

Spike sighed, slowly flapping his wings and turning towards Whitetail Woods. “We’ll start as soon as we pass that river below.”

“Sounds good to me.”

As the two flew onward, they watched their shadows as they grew closer to a small river just east of Ponyville. Rainbow looked to Spike, whose expression was fixed into a determined grimace. She fought down a chuckle as she continued to watch their shadows below grow ever nearer to the river.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “On your mark.”

Spike let out a snort while keeping his gaze focused to the horizon. Plumes of smoke wafted from his nostrils.

“Get set.”

Rainbow grinned as she heard Spike let out a low growl, clearly anxious to get the race started.

“Go!”

With a mighty flap, Spike burst forward, leaving Rainbow Dash to hover just over the bank of the river. Her mane fluttered about as she was buffeted by the wind his wings had created. She chuckled as his wing flaps caused a few young trees below him to sway and lose some of their leaves.

If Rainbow were to be honest with herself, she would be happy either way. If Spike won, well… even if it was his mind, seeing him excel in flight felt like a victory to her. If she won, Spike would have no further excuses to put off trying for the Best Young Flyer competition.

It was a win-win for her either way. Even if it was only a dream.

Luna had not spent more than a few minutes within the mental projection of Spike’s mind before realizing that she was walking in circles. When she had first entered his mind, she had found herself in a colossal chamber of sorts. One could have fit several cities of Manehattan in it. It was so vast that there were clouds lazily floating above, being carried on an invisible current to who knew where. Beneath her hooves was a beautiful polished marble floor, and while she couldn’t get a good look at them, considering how far away they were, she was certain the walls surrounding her were of the same material as well.

However, the size of this chamber wasn’t the only impressive feature of Spike’s mindscape.

Numerous exits branched out of the ‘entrance chamber’ in every direction, even straight up and right below Luna. All of these exits led down twisting, winding halls that were lit by various methods, sometimes torch sconces, sometimes lamps filled with fireflies. Were Luna to attempt counting each exit and corridor leading out of the chamber, she suspected she would never leave Spike’s mind.

Still, she had a mission, and she knew that she had to start somewhere. So, she took the first corridor that was within her sight, which happened to be a staircase descending downward, which eventually ended in a stone marble hall stretching out into the dark recesses of Spike’s mind. Every so often she passed by a door, but she never stopped long enough to study them. It wasn’t long before she noticed a few branching halls coming off of the corridor she traveled down. Several minutes later and a few twists and turns, she found herself right back in the entrance chamber.

While it had taken up precious time, she wasn’t upset by this. The fact that some of these corridors were connected, and even led back to the chamber, only helped give her a better understanding of what to expect with the drake’s mindscape. So, onward she went, taking the next closest exit.

The only guides she had in the labyrinth of Spike’s mind were signs and plaques that read things like ‘Memories of Canterlot’, ‘Best gem-hunting locations in southern Ponyville’, or ‘Reasons not to bother Twilight before she’s had her morning coffee’. Many of these signs and plaques hung over the doors that lined either side of any given corridor she traveled down. The doors in turn were of varying style, age, and material.

She had eventually opened one door labeled ‘Favorite Locations in Equestria’, and was greeted by the sight of a beautiful summer day in Sweet Apple Acres. She walked through and took in a breath, the welcome smell of apple blossoms and growing life reaching her nostrils. It was a welcome distraction from the real problem going on in the waking world.

Alas, distractions were just that: distractions. She had a dragon to save, after all. When Luna turned around, the door she had opened was still there, standing in the middle of the massive apple orchard. She walked through it, and closed the door behind her before continuing down the hall.

Another doorway revealed a cavern filled with various gemstones that came spilling out when she peeked inside. Yet another door was a labeled ‘Reasons to Not Argue with Sweetie Belle about Musical Tastes’, and had opened up to a scene of Spike sitting in his house with a pillow over his head while a smug-looking Sweetie Belle had a phonograph belting show tunes into an open window from outside. Neither the dragon or unicorn filly seemed to notice Luna.

One door was labeled ‘Fantasies of Waxing Crescent/Princess Luna: Personal and Intimate’. The door itself was made of polished oak, and painted in a dark blue color. A crescent moon had been carved into it along with a writing quill.

“Well, I remember Celly telling me he was a fan of my work… but…” Luna said aloud as she continued to stare at the door.

She blushed a little, and forced down the desire to open the door and see what was inside. She had been distracted for long enough, and she was certain that whatever was beyond that particular door would not help her situation… even if a part of her remained curious about it and wished to see what was on the other side.

Every secret and personal thought of Spike’s that Luna had learned about would remain as such, and she would carry those secrets for as long as she lived. Such was the burden and honor of being responsible for helping those suffering from nightmares or problems relating to sleep.

She exhaled deeply. Her search so far had been fruitless. Her magical senses were picking up nothing out of the ordinary. However, she knew that she had only begun to dig into the vaults of Spike’s mind. The Princess of the Night had been through a few minds in her long life, and each one was unique. Most of those visits had been brief, though. She was fairly certain she had never seen one quite like Spike’s. It was organized in a way that only a madmare would understand, but Luna knew that it was a mess that was still full of knowledge, aspirations, dreams, and memories, both good and bad.

Her her horn lit up suddenly, and Luna came to an abrupt halt. She glanced around her, and gasped as her horn emitted a glow upon the left wall.

A large, gaping crack ran along the side of the stone wall, and it continued on, deep into the maze-like corridor she was walking through. Without hesitating, Luna took off at a gallop, her magic guiding her as she followed the crack in the wall. Over time the crack began to spread, forming spiderweb fractures over the stonework and getting worse with every turn she made. Before she knew it, the single crack was now several dozen, and the wall itself was crumbling apart from the damage created.

After what felt like hours, Luna came to a stop. She had entered another chamber. Much like the one she had first appeared in, it had thousands of corridors leading out of it. However, there was one major difference with this massive chamber: a gigantic, purple, floating crystal was hovering in the center of the room. Luna took a few steps into the chamber, only to stop as her hooves made a splashing sound against the floor. She looked down, and sure enough, the entire chamber floor was covered in a few inches of water. It was ice cold, but she wasn’t bothered by this. If anything, it gave her a strange comforting feeling.

Luna approached the crystal, and the first thing she noticed were the hundreds of cracks that lined its surface. In fact, the cracks themselves seemed to originate from the crystal, and were spreading out into the corridors.

“Well… I think this is as good as any place to start…” Luna said to herself. She reached out to the crystal with her magic, gently prodding its glossy, cracked surface. Thoughts that were not her own ran through her mind.

There were images of Rainbow Dash by her side. A feeling of joy and warmth spread throughout Luna’s chest as she looked upon the young mare. She found herself admiring Rainbow’s figure, the way her body seemed to move with perfect grace. Her athletic figure was something that she was certain most ponies could only dream of—

Luna let go of her magic, and the images faded immediately. She felt her cheeks heat up a little as the visions of Rainbow Dash faded from her thoughts. She returned her attention to the giant crystal before her. “So… this is Spike’s inner mind. That would explain his coma, then.”

She sighed heavily, and closed her eyes. She cast her magic out, beyond the metaphysical walls surrounding her. She searched for several long minutes before stopping, her magic picking up the life force of Rainbow Dash somewhere far away in the mind of Spike.

“Rainbow Dash…”

The life force of Rainbow Dash pulsed a bit, as though jostled from some trance. Luna could hear Rainbow’s voice echoing in her own mind.

That sounded like Princess Luna…

Luna smiled. “You’re correct, Rainbow Dash…” The aura of Rainbow Dash immediately settled down. “I’ve managed to locate what I believe to be the source of damage in Spike’s mind. I will begin doing what I can to mend the damage and help wake Spike up. It will take some time before I’m finished, though.” Luna paused for a moment, and could sense the worry coming from Rainbow Dash. “Keep him distracted, lest he start to sense my presence. That could lead to problems that would quickly spiral out of my ability to correct. It would also be a danger to yourself.”

While the worry was still there, Luna felt a sense of hope bubble up from Rainbow’s aura. You got it, Princess.

Satisfied, Luna ceased her communication with the pegasus, yet maintained the magical connection, just in case. With a small portion of her magic now tethered to Rainbow’s aura, she began to study the crystal more attentively. She looked over every inch that she could, even taking to the air when needed.

The crystal’s surface did not give off a reflection of her, she noted. It did, however, show faint images across its clear, purple facets. Most of them were the very same images that Luna had seen when she had brushed her magic across it. Every so often a different image, often completely unrelated with Rainbow Dash, would flicker across the surface of the gem. The facets were so numerous though that Luna had a hard time keeping track of what was being shown to her.

Her magic, however, could help her make sense of it.

She took a slow breath, then exhaled. She would have to be careful. Spike’s mind was in a delicate state, and while she could deter any of his own thoughts from melding with hers, it would require some effort to do so. That was exactly the reason why she had Twilight’s magic aiding her, though.

Luna dug deep within her, and could feel it: that strong, flowing river of magic that was Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn was channeling enough magic to power a city block in Manehattan with magical light for a whole week, but she didn’t even seem to be fazed by it.

Celly always had a knack for spotting the talented ones…

Luna slowly dipped her magic into Twilight’s magical flow, creating a junction between the two. The alicorn let out a small gasp as she felt Twilight’s power wrap around her. She was overcome with a feeling of determination.

She could do this, and she would not give up until Spike was well again. Then, she would lecture him on the hazards of flying during storms, and make sure he gets a daily vitamin supplement to help his bones heal proper—

Luna gently pushed the thoughts of Twilight Sparkle to the side, using them as a bolster to her own drive to fix the dragon’s mind. She looked to the ever-changing surface of the crystal that represented Spike’s mind. The cracks were numerous, and she suspected that more than a few pieces of the gem had been moved around, creating a disfigured shape.

It was an intimidating sight for her, now that she got a good look at how damaged Spike was. Even so, Luna had accomplished much more difficult things. She had helped with imprisoning Discord. She raised and lowered the moon daily. And, possibly the most arduous task any single pony could take on, she dealt with bureaucratic system of the Equestrian government. This would be a challenge for her, but it would not be impossible.

With her horn aglow, a blue and slightly pink hue weaving into it, Luna wrapped her magic around a loose gem fragment that didn’t quite fit properly. Nodding to herself, she set to work. Carefully, she dislodged the fragment, holding it in her magic as if it were a newborn kitten or made of the most fragile and valuable china in the world. She slowly circled around the gem, looking for a spot that resembled the general shape of her removed fragment.

“You can’t fix it, you know.”

Luna whirled around suddenly, and almost dropped the gem fragment in doing so. She backpedaled a few feet, clutching the gem fragment in her magic while staring at the source of the voice.

Her eyes widened as her mouth opened and closed. When she found her voice, it came out in a confused whisper.

“S-Spike?”

There, standing before her, was not one, but two purple dragons. A small dragon, shorter than the average pony, stood before her, his gaze locked on the ground. The other was a hulking, muscular dragon, with teeth jutting out in a way not unlike that of an alligator. He more closely resembled what most ponies thought of when they heard the word ‘dragon’. He probably stood close to fifteen feet in height.

“Well… we’re kinda Spike,” replied the small dragon, who was fidgeting with his tail.

“There’s no ‘we’ to be spoken of, whelp. You’re just a pale shadow of what that name truly stands for,” rumbled the second dragon, casting an annoyed glare down at the baby dragon. “Calling you a whelp is barely fitting for one like you. I’ve never heard of a dragon who was so meek and—”

“Sh-shut up! I’m not meek! I’m just not a greedy jerk who’s got an ego the size of a mountain!"

“You puny scamp!” roared the dragon, letting out a gout of emerald flame. “Do you even know what it means to be a dragon?”

“If it means being a selfish, terrorizing monster, then you can count me out of wanting to ‘be’ a dragon,” grumbled little Spike.

“I swear you were meant to be born with hooves and fur.”

“Don’t you have some hoard of gems to sit on?”

Luna slowly looked from one to the other, her expression growing more and more baffled by the minute. “I… feel as though I am missing some important context here.”

Big Spike spoke this time, snorting out flames from his nostrils. “Hmmph. You’ll have to excuse this hatchling, here. He has deluded himself into believing that he knows what is truly right for Spike.” He waved a hand at the smaller dragon. “All he has really proven is that he is truly an imbecile. He continues to live among ponies, shackling himself to their ways. He knows nothing of our culture, our ways! He cannot recite any of the stories of the draconic eddas! He cannot even sing like a proper dragon!”

“Oh, and you can? We’re two halves of the same coin, knucklehead,” retorted Little Spike.

“At least I have pride in what I am! You try to hide it!”

Luna sighed deeply as the two began to bicker again. She had not anticipated something like this, but it wouldn’t be the first time she ran into multiple mental aspects of an individual’s mind. Celestia alone had almost six. She was fairly certain that Discord, within the raging chaos that was his mind, had close to forty eight, and rising.

“Enough!” Luna shouted, cutting off their arguing. “So, you two claim that you are Spike? Is that what I am to believe?”

Little Spike nodded. “Yeah. I’m Spike’s pony-self. The real Spike. I was born and raised among ponies. I’m not going to try and act like something else just because of the way I look.”

Big Spike growled in annoyance. “The whelp is partially true. He is our pony-self. I, however, am the true Spike. I am Spike’s dragon-self. I may live among ponies, but I will not let them mold me into something else. I am proud of what I am, even if I am abnormal to those I live amongst.”

“I see… well…” Luna tapped her chin, and began to pace. “So… the accident must have caused the coma.” She paused, studying the crystal before her once more. “Still, this must be what’s keeping Spike in a coma, even after medical magic had been attempted to help awaken him.”

“I think she’s finally lost it…” Little Spike noted.

“So? As long as she doesn’t go wandering into the personal rooms, I’m fine with it,” grumbled Big Spike.

“Aha!” Luna shouted, stomping a hoof as her face lit up with a smile. “Spike… erm… Spikes, I mean. A question for you two: what about your friends? What do they mean to you?”

“My friends?” Little Spike repeated. “I… I care for all of them. A lot. They’ve given me so much. I only want to do the same for them in return. Whatever I can do to make them happy, I’ll do it… well, barring the impossible or… plain weird, I guess. They’re my family…” He smiled. “I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

Big Spike rolled his eyes, but nodded and looked to Luna. “As… sickening as it was to hear him say that, I agree. Twilight and the others… Celestia, and you, Princess Luna… Cadance, Shining Armor… everyone in Ponyville. They are important to me. Their safety and happiness is important to me as well. They have shown me compassion, and have not tried to tell me to be something I am not.” He glanced down at his smaller counterpart. “This runt, however, has managed to do that all on his own.”

Little Spike sighed, “There you go again, trying to throw blame.”

“Right,” Luna said, nipping the argument in the bud before it resurfaced. “What of Rainbow Dash?”

Both parties went silent. Little Spike shuffled his feet and coughed into a hand. Big Spike became particularly busy with studying a crack in the stone floor and studying one of his claws.

Luna smirked. “Surely she means something to you, doesn’t she?”

“Yes,” both replied in unison.

“In that case, I might have to make a quick trip.” Luna focused on her magic and the aura of a certain pegasus mare.

Rainbow Dash, can you hear me?

There was a pause. Then, Princess Luna? That you?

Luna smiled to herself. Yes. I require your help, it would seem. I believe I’ve found the root cause of the problem relating to Spike’s mind.

Another pause, this time accompanied by a ripple of uncertainty from Rainbow Dash. Will… will Spike be okay without me for a bit?

He should be. Just let him know that you have some errands to take care of. I will retrieve you once you two have parted ways.

Okay… just… just give me a second to talk to him.

Luna returned her attention to the two drakes and gave them a small smile. “I shall return shortly. Don’t go anywhere.”

With that, Luna vanished in a burst of light, leaving the two dragons standing there, staring at the spot she had been standing in moments ago.

“Do you think she found the Waxing Crescent room?” Big Spike asked.

Little Spike shuddered. “I hope not. I don’t feel like explaining that one to her.”

“So… you promise you’ll register for the competition, right? I did win that race, after all.” Rainbow asked a sulking Spike. She was barely able to suppress the typical gloating tone she often had after winning any sort of competition.

“Yeah, still don’t know if it’ll be worth the effort. I mean, a dragon competing in a flight competition against pegasi is kind of pointless, but… I… um…” Spike stopped mid-sentence as soon as he saw the narrowing gaze of the mare next to him. “Yes. I’ll get on that as soon as I can.”

“Good!” Rainbow grinned, expression brightening once more. “Well, I hate to up and leave, but I gotta take care of some paperwork for the weather team.” Her grin softened a bit. “So… I’ll see you later?”

Spike gave a nod. “Maybe we can visit Canterlot again and see some of the other sites? I know this great place in lower Canterlot that sells the best veggie pretzel roll sandwiches. Worth every bit you pay for them.”

“I’d like that!” Rainbow said as she lifted off the ground. “Alright, Spike. I’ll catch you later.”

With that, Rainbow took off. Almost immediately, she noticed the lighting of the dreamscape world grow dim as images began to fade and blur around her. She stopped in mid-flight and looked behind to where Spike had been. He was no longer there. In fact, Ponyville itself had been replaced with what appeared to be Whitetail Woods. She frowned, but decided just to throw it in with being inside the mindscape of Spike. No sense trying to understand the inner workings of another’s brain. That and it was the only feasible explanation she would accept to help her come to terms with the sun in the sky smiling at her while wearing a large sombrero, sunglasses, and singing in Pinkie Pie’s voice.

“Charming, isn’t it?”

“Gyaaaah!” Rainbow shouted in surprise, wheeling around, and finding herself face to face with Princess Luna. “O-oh, Princess! Heh, you scared me!”

Luna smiled a little. “My apologies,” replied the alicorn in a way that clearly meant otherwise. “So… how is Spike faring?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It’s hard to tell.” She turned back to the woods below her as she continued to hover in the air. “I mean, I can talk to him and he’s acting like his usual self. Well, he’s a little mopey, but I can’t blame him. I think he’s been trying to remember the accident. Though… it sounds like he thought I died or something. He was acting all surprised and confused when he saw me.”

“I see. After he fell into unconsciousness, he must have continued to dream up a false reality.” Luna glanced at the world around her. “Still, his mind is rather vibrant.”

“Yeah, I was expecting a more… dreamlike world, I guess. This is pretty realistic. Er, well, there was the flying gem birds… and the talking trees that sounded like Rarity with a mouthful of marbles…” She glanced up at the still singing sun. “And... and that…”

Luna quirked an eyebrow. “Indeed. Talking trees, you say?”

“Don’t ask.” Rainbow replied. “It’s… just weird…” She shook her head. “So, you needed me for something, Princess?”

“Yes. I have encountered a…” Luna thought for a moment on how to best explain the situation with the two Spikes. “I…well, perhaps it’s best if I just show you.”

Rainbow Dash gave Luna a nervous look. “This… this isn’t going to be some dreamscape where I’m back in school, is it? Because, seriously, those dreams always end with me wearing some frilly dress or finishing last in flight races during gym… because I’m wearing a frilly dress…”

Luna did her best to hide the amused smile from Rainbow Dash, managing a small smirk. “I can make no guarantees. We’re in the mind of Spike, after all. This is his domain, and we’re merely visitors. So far, things have been relatively calm for us, it would seem. Let’s hope they stay that way.” Luna’s horn emitted a glow. “Stay close.”

Rainbow Dash’s vision was filled with a white light. When she opened them again, she was standing on a stone floor with Luna beside her. She scanned her surroundings, and the thought of an underground passageway you would find in an ancient castle or fort came to mind. A soft, purple light was being cast from somewhere within the chamber they were in. She turned to the lightsource, and let out a small gasp.

“Whoa. That’s huge!”

“That would be the mental projection of Spike’s mind,” Luna said with a hint of admiration. “Sadly, it is rather damaged, as you can tell.”

“It… really?” Rainbow Dash studied the gem, and sure enough, she could see thousands of cracks running across its surface, and some parts of its surface seemed to be off. It was as though it had been shattered, and someone had attempted to haphazardly stick it back together. “So… how do we fix it?”

“You can’t.”

The two mares turned around, and Rainbow Dash gasped once more. Then she squinted her eyes and frowned “Wait… Spike? Is that… you?”

Two figures stepped out of the shadows. “Yep, well… sorta, I guess,” replied one of the two dragons before her. He resembled Spike in his younger years.

Rainbow Dash glanced over to Princess Luna with confusion. “Right. Is this what you were talking about?”

Luna failed to conceal a smile as she gave a slight nod. “Indeed. These two drakes before you represent the ‘pony self’ and ‘dragon self’ of Spike. Two sides of the same coin, as it were.”

“It’s not that simple,” began Little Spike. “We’re more like—”

“Two sides of the same coin, got it,” Rainbow said with a nod. “So, what do you need from me?” She glanced at Little Spike. “I can’t help with flying lessons.” She then took note of the wings on the larger of the two. “At least… not yet.” She flew over to the duo, studying them as she hovered over their heads. “Huh. You’re a lot bigger than Spike actually is.”

Big Spike grumbled and let out a plume of smoke. “The ‘Spike’ you know will not be my size for several more decades. I am merely an example of what Spike will become, were he to accept his dragon lineage instead of casting it aside in favor of living like a pony.”

Little Spike sighed. “Here we go…”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Hey, he’s not casting aside anything! He’s a dragon, and he’s proud of it!” She was now right in front of Big Spike. “You’d think that you of all dragons would know that, considering you’re him.”

“That’s really not how it works,” Little Spike said, shaking his head as he spoke. “You see, we’re not really Spike so much as we’re his ideals and desires given—”

“So, what do I need to do, Princess?” Rainbow said, once more cutting off Little Spike, who slumped a bit and kicked a loose piece of stone on the ground.

Princess Luna just smiled her ever-mysterious smile. “Talk with the two.”

That gave Rainbow pause. She cocked her head to the side, raised an eyebrow, and blinked several times. “Talk to them?”

“Correct.”

“Uh. Wasn’t I just doing that with Spike a few minutes ago?”

“That was Spike’s mind, given a form. That ‘Spike’ is our dear friend’s mind, in its entirety, both broken and whole parts of it. Ultimately, it is the thing that we must mend,” Luna explained. “These two drakes here are not the same in that regard. They are more entwined with the unconscious part of his mind. Deeply rooted in the mind, but not so easily noticed.”

Rainbow groaned and shook her head. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“These two are simply a part Spike’s mind. They are pieces of a whole. Very important pieces, I might add.” Luna gestured to the gem floating in the center of the chamber. “This gemstone here is a representation of the state and current thought process of Spike. Even if I were to study it for hours on end without rest, I would never fully begin to understand it. I can only gleam the basics of it.”

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. “Okay, I think I understand. So… the Spike that I was talking to earlier was… like… the entire package of the mind stuffed into a dream-body-thing?”

Luna was about to reply, but Little Spike beat her to the punch. “More or less, yeah. If you’re talking about the same thing that I think you’re talking about, then you were speaking to the Spike the Dragon. He’s the sum of all the parts.”

“So…” Rainbow sighed. “This is getting pretty deep.” She looked to Princess Luna and gave her an exhausted look. “How do you do this dreamwalking thing so often without losing your own mind?”

“A creative and open manner of thinking helps. That and a large degree of respect towards the privacy of others’ personal thoughts.” Luna chuckled as Rainbow’s ear drooped. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. To explain how I’ve come to understand dreams so well is akin to asking me to define life’s meaning… or explain why magic exists. It simply is what it is.”

Rainbow shook her head, but said nothing further on the matter. Instead, she looked back to the two dragons. “So… what’s up with you two?”

“Nothing ‘is up’ with us. We’ve simply split from each other. To be quite honest, I’m not all that upset about it,” rumbled Big Spike. “Less talk of tea and baking pony treats.”

“Yeah, and less dreaming about building a horde of gems and napping for a whole week,” retorted Little Spike. “Trust us; we’re happy with this.”

“Um…” Rainbow Dash glanced over to Luna. The Princess of the Night simply gestured her towards the dragons with a hoof. “So… any good places around this…uh…”

“The Archives,” replied Little Spike.

“The Archives?” Rainbow repeated.

“That’s what… well, ‘Spike’... the Spike… that is what he sometimes refers to as his memories and thoughts,” Big Spike replied.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but snort a little in laughter. “That… that is so adorkable.”

“It is not,” groused Little Spike. “It’s an accurate way of—”

Rainbow continued to laugh. “I always wondered what goes on in your… erm… Spike’s head. I didn’t think he was that in love with books, though.” She quickly settled down and let out a sigh. “Okay, anyway, is there anything in the Archives that you two could show me?”

“Perhaps you two might like to show Rainbow Dash some of your favorite memories?” Luna suggested.

Big Spike and Little Spike shared a look with one another. The bigger of the two shrugged while Little Spike nodded. “I… guess that’s okay. What about you, Princess?”

Luna gestured to the gem. “I shall remain here and see if I can repair this.” She smiled to the three. “I shall not venture beyond here. Don’t worry.”

The two dragons looked a little reluctant to leave Luna, though whether it was the idea of leaving her alone with the gem bothered them, or not having her with them, she did not know.

“C’mon!” Rainbow said, making her way towards a random hallway. “I want to see…” She glanced up at a sign labeled ‘Childhood Memories’. “Okay, I’ve got to see this!”

Both dragons blushed furiously. Big Spike cleared his throat. “There’s… nothing really exciting down that way.”

“Y-yeah, maybe you want to see the ‘Facts About Igneous Rocks’ chamber instead?”

Rainbow Dash was already making her way down the hall as they called out to her. “Hey, this door says ‘Embarrassing Moments with Blueberry Juice’!”

“Gah, not that door!” Little Spike called out, both dragons now following the mare down the corridor.

Luna chuckled softly as the trio vanished into the depths of the labyrinth that was Spike’s mind. Despite the direness regarding Spike’s broken mind, Luna was finding herself enjoying this excursion into the metaphorical world of her favorite dragon.

With any luck, Rainbow Dash’s little diversion with the two selves of Spike would help her gain insight into what needed to be done to fix the poor dragon’s mind.

Fifteen minutes.

Luna and Rainbow Dash had been unconscious for only fifteen minutes. She had only begun to feel a tug on her magic by the Princess of the Night a minute or two ago, but it was noticeable. Luna had taken a seat on the floor, her head bowed and her eyes closed. She almost seemed to be in some sort of meditative state, but she was unresponsive to any stimuli.

Applejack was still beside the bed, keeping a strong foreleg over Rainbow Dash as the pegasus snored softly. She wasn’t sure what to expect when Luna had cast the spell, outside of the two falling asleep. There were no fancy bursts of light, no loud bangs or odd sounds. Rainbow Dash’s eyes just closed, and before any of them knew it, she was out like a light.

In fact, Rainbow Dash had become rather comfortable, and was now snuggled up beside Spike, mumbling to herself about Luna knows what.

“Heh,” Applejack chuckled. “Never knew her to be a clinger.”

Twilight smiled at the scene of her dear friend beside Spike. “Makes me wish I had brought a camera.”

“A camera? Oh, I can go get one quick if you want!”

Twilight and Applejack let out yelps of surprise as Pinkie Pie bounced into the room. Following close behind her were Rarity and Fluttershy, the latter of the two apologizing softly while the unicorn scolded Pinkie for surprising the two mares.

“Hey, girls,” Twilight greeted the three. “I didn’t know you would be showing up today.”

“Well, darling, we hadn’t planned to at first. We were actually hoping to get you out of the library so you could get some fresh air, but when we noticed you weren’t there, we immediately made our way here.” Rarity held a hoof to her chest. “We… had feared the worst, as much as I hate to admit it.”

Twilight gave a sad smile. “Well, hopefully this will all be behind us soon. Princess Luna is here now.” She looked to the unresponsive alicorn as she continued. “She is trying to help us out with Spike’s coma.”

“She is? Do… do you think she can wake Spike up?” Fluttershy asked with a spark of hope in her words.

“We don’t know, but she and Rainbow Dash are no doubt doing all that they can to help Spike,” Twilight replied with a nod to Rainbow Dash. “They’re using my magic to help, too.” Twilight tapped her horn. “You can’t really tell, but right now I’m channeling magic from myself to the princess.”

“Oh my, that explains the tingling I felt earlier,” Rarity studied Twilight for a moment, then added, “It sounds serious. Will you be alright?”

“Well, the flow isn’t constant. Sometimes I feel a strong tug, other times I don’t feel anything. Princess Luna is using my magic sparingly, it seems. I’m just happy to do what I can to help Spike, though. If exhausting my magic reserves is what it will take to help Spike, then I’m more than alright with it.”

“Getting Princess Luna to help was a smart idea, Twilight! I mean, you know, since she is all about sleep and dreams and stuff like that!” Pinkie clopped her hooves together. “Spike’ll be back with us in no time flat!”

“Actually, this was all Applejack’s idea,” Twilight said with a small blush. “I sort of drove myself to exhaustion and Applejack forced me to get some sleep. Then she got the idea after doing some research of her own.”

“Now, don’t go sellin’ yourself short, sugarcube. You had a huge stack of books in front of you; I just got lucky and pulled out the winner.” Applejack glanced over to Luna, then back to Rainbow Dash and Spike. “Well… hopefully it was a winner.”

“Of course it was a winner! Princess Luna’s here, isn’t she?” Pinkie said, now sitting beside the alicorn princess. “I know she’ll figure it out. That, and Dashie is helping her! There’s no way they can fail!”

“I hope you’re right, Pinkie Pie.” Applejack sighed, a small smile playing at her lips.

“Though… why is Rainbow Dash sleeping?” Pinkie asked.

Both Applejack and Twilight looked to the pegasus, who chose at that moment to let out a rather loud snort as she continued to doze peacefully.

“She… she’s supposedly helping Princess Luna in Spike’s mind,” Twilight replied after a moment. “I’m not sure how, considering I can’t see into Spike’s mind. It’s magic that I don’t think even I could perform without years and years of training.”

“That sounds awfully complicated,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, I don’t know much about unicorn or alicorn magic, but… going into another pony… or dragon’s mind…?”

“Well, if anyone can do it, I reckon it’d be Princess Luna,” Applejack said with a nod. “They’ve only been out for about fifteen or so minutes, but there’s no tellin’ how long this might take.”

Rarity frowned a little. “Applejack? Twilight? Have you two had anything to eat in the past day?”

“Erm, well…” Twilight began. “I did have a nice croissant with some jam for breakfast—”

“I thought so. Pinkie, will you come with me and help me prepare a real lunch for these two?”

“Oooh, that sounds fun!” Pinkie said, hopping back onto her hooves. “I have this great idea for a horseradish sauce mixed with…” The mare’s voice faded as the two made their way out of the room.

Fluttershy looked to Applejack and Twilight, then sighed. “I’ll go help Rarity… with Pinkie Pie.” With that, she too left the room.

“I… really don’t like horseradish,” Twilight said after a moment’s silence. “But… now that Rarity brought it up, I am pretty hungry.” As if to emphasize her point, Twilight’s stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.

“Well, no sense on depriving yourself of food, then.” Applejack gave Twilight a smile. “You might be stuck here until Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash are finished with whatever they’re doing in Spike’s noggin, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get something to eat.”

No sooner had she said those words did Applejack’s own stomach gurgle loudly.

“I guess that makes two of us, then, huh?” Twilight chuckled.

“Oh. My. Gosh.”

“C’mon, Rainbow. It’s not that big of a deal…”

“Oh. My. Gosh. How did I not know about this until now?”

Little Spike stood with his arms folded and a furious blush across his cheeks while Rainbow Dash was standing in the doorway of one of Spike’s many memories. Before the two was a rather charming scene: a young Spike, no more than a few months in age, sitting contentedly with a few strands of Princess Celestia’s mane in his mouth. Celestia herself didn’t seem upset in the least by the whole thing, in fact, she seemed rather happy, if anything. One of Celestia’s aides was fretting over the dragon whelp while the alicorn princess assured the distressed mare that she didn’t mind.

“Your Highness, what if he manages to pull out some of your mane hair, though?”

“Well, then I suppose I would have a few less hairs to worry about brushing then, wouldn’t I?” Celestia chuckled softly.

“Princess…” the aide continued. “You have a presentation before the Board of Magical Research in less than two hours… surely you don’t want some dragon drool in your mane when you—”

“Ms. Status Quo, I assure you that I am fine with little Spike here.” She lowered her head as the dragon whelp tugged a little on her mane. She laughed softly and gave him a gentle nuzzle. “Besides, I don’t get to enjoy spending this much time with him very often.”

Status Quo’s own lips slowly curled into a smile. “I… very well, your Highness. I shall return fifteen minutes before the meeting starts.”

As the mare left the room, Celestia continued to sit with the young dragon whelp. Spike had lost interest in the alicorn’s ethereal mane, and was now occupying himself with crawling on her back. Celestia laughed as Spike babbled to himself.

“Aren’t we just a bundle of energy today?” Celestia said softly as she lifted Spike into the air with her magic, then placed him between her two forelegs. “Can you say, ‘Spike’?”

“Ahhhbaahhhpfftth,” was the reply Spike gave.

“Close,” Celestia laughed. “That’s your name, you know. Spike. Can you say it? Spike?”

The whelp blinked a few times, then then reached out with both claws and touched Celestia’s cheeks. His eyes widened as he moved her cheeks while she laughed softly.

“Bababaahh…” Spike said in a distracted whisper. He leaned forward and bit down on the alicorn’s nose.

“Well,” Celestia giggled. “It’s a good thing your teeth haven’t fully formed yet, isn’t it?”

“Pppttth,” Spike answered, drooling a bit.

Celestia gently pulled Spike off of her face and dabbed her nose and his chin with a cloth. “We’ll work on names another day, I suppose.”

Spike reached out again, flexing his tiny fingers. Celestia just smiled and pulled him in with a foreleg. Spike closed his eyes and let out a small breath through his nostrils.

“I love you, too, my little dragon,” Celestia whispered softly.

“Oh my gosh,” Rainbow said as the memory began to fade. “You slobbered on Princess Celestia’s face.”

“Not one of my prouder moments,” Little Spike mumbled.

“How did you remember this so well, though? I mean, you were like… what, only a year old?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, I don’t know how dragons’ memories are, but I don’t think most ponies have good memories of their first few years of being foals.”

“That’s because that wasn’t our memory… at least, not originally,” spoke Big Spike, who had been standing a ways from the two. “Celestia gave us that memory a few years before we moved to Ponyville. She transferred it into our minds through a memory spell.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “I knew that you and Princess Celestia were friends, but… I didn’t know you were that close, heh.”

Little Spike nodded. “She… well, she was the one who took care of us throughout most of our hatchling years. At least until Twilight was old enough to take care of us.”

“So… she was sorta like your mom, huh?”

Big Spike let out a low rumble. “Perhaps. She never asked us to call her ‘Mother’, though.”

Little Spike shrugged. “She just wanted us to know that we’re important to her. That’s why she gave us this memory of hers. It… it means a lot to us.” He fidgeted with his tail a bit.

Rainbow looked to the two dragons, her smile growing more sincere. “Thanks for showing me this. I never knew that Princess Celestia and you were so close.”

“We trust you, Rainbow,” replied Big Spike. “Most dragons do not speak of their hatchling years. We tend to forget them, or try to forget them. They are the times when we are most vulnerable. For us, we were especially vulnerable. We were raised by ponies; not dragons.”

Little Spike opened his mouth to reply, but Rainbow Dash cut him off. “I get ya. That… sort’ve makes sense, actually.”

Big Spike quirked an eyebrow. “It does?”

“Yeah, I mean… ponies aren’t like dragons, after all. We’re a lot smaller and not as strong as dragons. I bet you were worried over all the time by other ponies.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Big Spike grumbled. “Celestia was laid back most of the time, but the aides were always fretting over my safety. They would put up those fences in areas that I wasn’t allowed access to. They would panic if I swallowed dirt while I was outside. If I bit into a rock, they would make me spit it out and have the castle physician check my teeth to make sure they weren’t broken.”

“In their defense, they never dealt with a baby dragon before…” Little Spike said.

“Yes, but Celestia told them what she could about dragons. She knew that we were born sturdier than any foal.”

“You can’t blame them for being protective of you. That just means they cared about you,” Rainbow Dash said.

Big Spike let out a plume of smoke, but nodded. “It was still irksome. I do understand their concern, though.”

“They were going overboard though when they tried to fireproof our highchair, though,” Little Spike added.

Big Spike barked out a laugh. “Ahh, that was a fond memory. We ended up setting that on fire didn’t we?”

“I hated that highchair…” Little Spike mumbled.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “You burned your highchair?”

“Not our fault it was made of oak,” Little Spike sighed. “They tried placing a fireproof spell on it, but that failed. I… think Twilight may have been involved, though.”

“She decided to study the spell, and ended up disenchanting the chair,” Big Spike said with a nod. “I think Celestia knew she did that, too.”

Little Spike took a moment, then slowly began to laugh. “Oh wow, she did, didn’t she?”

“I think Twilight may have suggested that one of the castle staff messed up the spell to cover for herself, too,” Big Spike chortled. “I don’t know why we forgot about this until now.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “You think she still remembers doing that?”

Big Spike matched Rainbow Dash’s smirk with one of his own. “No, but we’ll have to remind her when this is all over. It’d make for a wonderful time, I imagine.”

“Even better: next time she comes over to our place for dinner, we’ll replace her usual spot with a high chair and place a copy of Fire Safety and You: A Spellcrafter’s Guide on top of it,” Little Spike added.

“Haha, yes!” Big Spike clapped his hands together as he grinned. “Perhaps Rainbow can…” Big Spike paused as he looked to an empty spot on the floor where Rainbow had been standing only moments ago. “Rainbow Dash?”

“Over here!” called a voice.

Both Spikes looked to the direction that the pegasus’ voice came from, and their eyes simultaneously widened. Both ran down the hall, Big Spike almost tripping over Little Spike several times in the process.

Big Spike looked down to his diminutive counterpart. “Why didn’t you stop her?”

“How was I supposed to know she’d go down that way?” replied Little Spike as he huffed and puffed, his tiny legs carrying him as fast as they could. “Rainbow Dash?” he called out.

The two dragons spotted their pegasus friend standing in front of a door that easily dwarfed the nearby ones. It was solid mahogany, and painted a vibrant shade of blue. Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark was carved into it, and the words ‘Rainbow Dash’ were etched in beneath it.

“That’s a pretty big door for me, huh?” Rainbow asked with a laugh. “Though, I am a pretty big deal, so I can see why…” She pulled on the latch, and began to open the door.

“No!” Big Spike shouted, pushing the door closed suddenly, surprising the pegasus mare.

“Hey, what gives?!” Rainbow shouted as she took a step back.

“You cannot see what’s in there,” Big Spike replied.

“Why not? My name is on it, what could possibly be bad about…” she saw the flushed cheeks of both drakes, and quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t have any crazy fantasies of me in there, do you?” She smirked as their cheeks reddened further. “Oh, wow, haha… sorry, sorry…” She sighed. “Look… you’re boys. It’s cool. Whatever. I mean… okay, maybe it’s a little odd, but you wouldn’t be the first.”

“How can you be so nonchalant about that?” Little Spike asked.

“Spike, it takes more than some steamy fantasies to fluster me. Besides…” She cleared her throat. “It’s… not like I haven’t done the same.”

“You’ve had fantasies about yourself?” Big Spike asked dubiously. “I… well, I’m not one to judge, but that’s a little egotisti—”

“No, about you, dummy! Geesh!” Rainbow’s own cheeks were now flaring up. “L-look, whatever is in there, if it’s… well, you know… I’ll just look away and cover my ears or something.” She smiled. “I’m just curious about what you think of me, you know.”

“This seems very unfair; we don’t get to parade around in your mind…” Little Spike grumbled.

Rainbow patted Little Spike’s head and chuckled. “Well, I’m sure if I were the one in a coma right now, you’d be doing the same for me.” She looked to the door, then to the two. “If you really don’t want me to see what’s behind this door, I’ll leave it alone. It’s… just really got me curious, you know?”

“Promise you won’t hate us if you see something that ticks you off?” Little Spike asked timidly.

“Promise.”

“Do you promise you will not seek physical retribution?” Big Spike asked.

“Um…” Rainbow asked. “I guess?” She winked. “Depends on how perverted your fantasies are, though.”

“Well, this door isn’t just for holding… fantasies… it’s full of memories. It’s like a cumulative door of all the thoughts and memories we’ve ever had involving you. There’s one for everyone we know,” Little Spike explained. “It’s pure dumb luck that you happened to find yours here.”

“That or maybe your subconscious wanted me to find it,” Rainbow said with a grin, celebrating a silent victory as she saw Big Spike’s expression become more flustered.

The large drake rolled his eyes and slowly opened the door. “Just remember… it’s everything about you.”

Rainbow Dash slowly looked into the portal leading into Spike’s innermost thoughts relating to her. She found herself staring out to an open field, one that she recognized immediately as one of her favorite practice spots outside of Ponyville.

“Rainbow, it’s pointless. I haven’t been able to lift so much as a foot off the ground, and most drakes my age are able to fly for a few minutes at the very least.”

A somewhat younger-than-present-day Spike was slouched over with his head hung low, wings drooping at his sides. Hovering overhead was a somewhat annoyed Rainbow Dash, frowning at the sight before her.

“So that’s it, then? You just throw in the towel because you’re behind other dragons your age?”

“It’s not like I need them, anyway. I made it just fine without wings before they started growing out of my back. I’ll be fine without flight.” Spike shrugged. “There’s plenty of other uses for them, too: sunbathing, fanning myself on a hot summer day, shading ponies, blowing away dust when I’m working in the quarries—”

“Excuses, excuses,” Rainbow grumbled. “Spike, I’m not letting you out of this one. You asked me to help teach you, and by Celestia, I’m going to get you flying no matter what.” She folded her forelegs together and floated down so that she was eye level with him. “Are we clear?”

“Dash…”

“Are we clear?” She repeated.

“I… yes, we’re clear,” Spike sighed.

Rainbow’s frown vanished, being replaced with her usual confident smirk. “Good. Now, let’s work on getting your wings stronger, at least. I think dragons got some different muscles at work when they’re flying, so I’m going to do some research on that. You think Twi has any books on that?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, she has at least two books with dragon anatomy in them.” Spike sat up straight. “As for muscles, I think dragons’ wing muscles are sort of similar to birds.” He tapped his chest. “Pectoral muscles and stuff to help move the wings in flight. Not like you pegasi, who’ve got way different muscles going on in your upper back and shoulder area. Still really odd in the animal kingdom, if you ask me. Griffons are the only thing that come close to pegasi musculature, yet they still have a variant of the pectoralis with—”

“Spike, save your lectures for after training,” Dash laughed.

Spike blinked, then gave her an embarrassed grin. “Erm, right. So… muscle strength. I… well, I never did much work with them. Most dragons’ muscles sort of just develop and are ready for flight by my age, with or without any training…”

“Well, either way, you’re not gonna slack on getting those wings stronger. Now, start pumping those wings. Like a figure-eight… yeah, that’s it. Up. Back. Down. Front. Up…”

The scene slowly faded before Rainbow Dash, becoming a mix of colors and and light.

“I was almost ready to give up on flying all together that day,” Big Spike said slowly. “I didn’t really think a pegasus could teach a dragon to fly. But you did.”

Rainbow Dash grinned proudly. “Damn right I did! I hated seeing you sulk like that. In the end, though, you…” Images of Spike, crumpled and bleeding in the depths of Ghastly Gorge, ran through her mind. “...you were able to fly . You didn’t give up after that, and I never stopped believing in you.”

Big Spike and Little Spike both looked away from her with flushed cheeks. Rainbow just continued smiling as she laughed softly.

“Thanks… Rainbow…” Little Spike mumbled.

“Anytime,” she said. “So, what’s next for viewing?”

Big Spike rumbled, “Oh dear.”

“What?” Rainbow asked, her tone becoming worried.

Big Spike sighed, “You’ll see…”

The scene changed before them once more. This time, it was dark, and it seemed that they were outside. Rainbow couldn’t quite figure out why, but something seemed off about this memory.

She saw herself come into focus. The Rainbow Dash before her seemed upset. Very upset, but not entirely angry. Sad, too.

A familiar nightclub was behind her, and she felt her stomach knot up. The pegasus was holding tightly to a scaled arm, her eyes filled with confusion and worry.

“O-oh…” Rainbow whispered as she watched the memory unfold before her.

Both Spikes remained silent as the memory became focused.

“I…s-so just stay…friends?”

Rainbow, please don’t make this any harder for me…

The voice of Spike seemed to echo all around them. Rainbow Dash looked to the two dragons beside her, but both shook their head, and merely nodded to the memory playing out before her.

“But… what if… what if I want more?”

You and me both, Rainbow…

“Spike, you’re not making any sense! What… what got you thinking this is a good idea all of the sudden?” Rainbow asked.

Their view slowly rocked from side to side. Rainbow Dash hadn’t noticed it at first, but her memory-self seemed to be looking right at her. It was almost as if…

“We’re seeing and hearing everything Spike heard, aren’t we?” she asked, looking to the two drakes. Little Spike nodded slowly while Big Spike just sighed wearily.

“Spike…” Rainbow’s voice sounded pained now, and even Rainbow Dash herself felt bad hearing it. “Please…”

I’ve really done it now… echoed the voice of Spike. Rainbow was still looking at ‘him’, waiting for an answer. No turning back now, though. Hope she’ll understand… and if not… well…

“There’s more to it, Rainbow…” So, so much more. “I’m a dragon…”

If Rainbow hadn’t looked upset before, she did now.

Rainbow, I’m sorry, please, just—

“What’s that got do with anything?”

It has to do with everything…

“You think I care about something like…like whether you’ve got scales, feathers…or…or fur?” Rainbow asked in a confused and accusing tone.

And of course, she thinks I’m talking about something like that. Damn it, Spike, why didn’t you explain it better in the first place to her? Spike’s gaze seemed to fall a bit, as though he had suddenly slouched back. Why did I ever let it go this far? I should’ve stopped it. Now I’m going to ruin everything between us…

“Rainbow, that’s not my point…I’m still, technically, a young dragon.” Oh great, now she’s going to think she’s a cradle robber. “I mean, I’m an adult, sure…but…a very, very young one. I won’t be considered a true adult for another fifty to sixty years…and…well, dragons live for a long time.”

Spike’s gaze remained on Rainbow Dash, but it was easy enough to see that she understood what he was saying.

I’m going to outlive you several times over, Rainbow. The only ponies to have ever outlived a dragon are the same ones that have moved the sun and moon for well over several thousand years. Even Cadance is still only in her mid-twenties, and she’s an alicorn as well…

Spike could see that Rainbow was mulling over what Spike had just said to her. Eventually, she simply shook her head and said, with only a hint of uncertainty, “That…that’s fine!”

No, it wouldn’t be fine. You deserve someone you can grow with. Someone who can live in the moment with you, give you the fun times that you deserve. I can’t… I can’t… I’ll never be able to give you that.

“Rainbow, it wouldn’t be fair to you, or me. If… if we decided to date…I wouldn’t stop you from seeing others, but…I don’t…I’d feel jealous.” And we both know that doesn’t blend well with me. “And that wouldn’t be right.”

“It can be just us, Spike.”

Would that be enough, though? What if I wasn’t enough for you? Why change all of the sudden for me? That… that…

“Rainbow, I don’t want you to change for my sake, though!” Damn it, you’re just digging yourself deeper here. This… this never should have happened. “I shouldn’t have brought this up…I’m sorry, let’s just pretend—”

“No, I’m not going to pretend that this never happened.” Spike looked down as Rainbow jabbed him in the chest with a hoof. Not too hard, but enough to get his undivided attention. “You’re making up excuses. It’s pissing me off, but…damn it, I still care about you.”

Why? Why? Spike’s body seemed to be trembling now. Why do you have to be so damn amazing?

Rainbow looked to the two drakes beside her.

“We… had hoped that maybe we could have just ended this before it got serious. Believe me…you’re a wonderful mare, Rainbow. It was confusing for us, but we couldn’t help but fall harder for you with time.” Big Spike replied. “That was perhaps the reason why we were so afraid to get too close to you. We didn’t want to risk losing you later…”

Little Spike fidgeted as he looked to the ground. “It’s selfish… but that’s the truth. Part of the truth, at least.”

Rainbow nodded, and slowly looked back to the memory. Her past-self was now on her back hooves, leaning against Spike’s chest. “The Spike I know wouldn’t be like this.”

“That’s how I still feel about this whole thing, you know…” Rainbow whispered. “I hated seeing you beating yourself up. I hated it even more when you didn’t think you deserved to be happy with someone, especially when that someone wants to be happy with you just as much…” She smiled, if only a little as she gazed at the memory before her. “Still…I think my little talk with Spike earlier might have helped patch things up, at least a little bit.”

Rainbow let out a soft sigh of relief as the memory began to melt and fade away. The words and colors became a blur.

Little Spike chuckled, “Ah, this is a nice memory.”

“Yeah?” Rainbow asked. “Of what?”

Little Spike grinned. “That’d be telling. Watch.”

Rainbow did just that, returning her attention to the mindscape formed by Spike’s memories. They were back in Ponyville once more, but this time during the daytime, later in the afternoon from what Rainbow could tell. The air was full of cheer and laughter. Jack o’ lanterns lined the roads of Ponyville, and fillies and colts of all ages were dressed in various costumes.

One particular mare was dressed in a olive green vest fit for exploration outdoors, and a pith helmet. Walking beside her was a purple dragon who was only a half a foot shorter than her, dressed in chain mail with a red cape draped over his back. He wasn’t quite as youthful as Little Spike appeared, but he still had a child-like air about him as well.

“Oh wow,” Rainbow laughed. “This is way back, before you had your huge growth spurt.” She grinned. “I remember this Nightmare Night.”

Big Spike sighed, “I wonder why.”

“Thanks for helping me carry the supplies for the party, Rainbow Dash,” Spike said. “I can’t wait until Twilight sees all the confetti and streamers we got for the library!”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to how Pinkie’s gonna freak when she sees all of it,” Rainbow laughed.

“Heh, yeah, she’s been waiting for this all week, hasn’t she?” Spike said with a grin. “So, you finish the latest book, yet? Was it crazy, or what?”

Rainbow Dash laughed, “Undead pony armies fighting each other, I know! I don’t know how Daring got out of that one.”

“You told me once you had connections with the writer of that series, right?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… well, nah. I actually just met someone who says they…have a friend who talked to A.K. Yearling once,” Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively. “Nothing huge, heh.”

Spike quirked an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Last time I thought you said you had a cousin who knew a person involved in the publishing of the sixth novel.”

“Really? Huh, I guess I forgot about that, too, huh? Oh, hey, there’s the library!”

“I’m not done with—” Spike didn’t get to finish his interrogation, though, as Rainbow had already taken off towards the library, leaving a dust cloud and a small stream of party decorations behind.

Rainbow Dash felt a need to look towards the two Spikes at that point, only to see both of them giving her suspicious looks. “What…?”

“We still never got an answer from you about your inside-source to the Daring Do novels…”

“Oh, really? Huh. Well, maybe someday I’ll tell you, heh,” Dash laughed nervously. The mindscape blurred and dimmed, then Rainbow Dash found herself sitting in the Golden Oaks Library with a party in full swing.

“Nnnggh…”

“You going to be okay, Spike?”

Rainbow Dash sat down beside a less than happy dragon who covering his eyes with an arm while the other covered the top of his head.

“Someone spiked the punch…again. I think it was a pretty strong alcohol this time.” He grumbled something unintelligible, then added. “Why did Vinyl have to bring her entire sound system…?”

Rainbow laughed. “Aw, c’mon, lightweight, it couldn’t have been…” Rainbow paused, then studied the contents of Spike’s cup beside him. “Spike… that’s not punch.”

“It’s not…?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Spike, that was rum and lemonade. I’d say mostly rum, too, if Pinkie was the one who brought the refreshments.”

“I hate rum,” Spike mumbled.

"Haven’t you had alcohol before?”

Spike slowly lifted his head, “Once. Only a little bit. Wine. It was party to celebrate Shining Armor becoming a part of the Royal Guard. I hated the taste. He let his head fall back to the table, and moaned, “Technically, when looking at it from a dragon’s perspective, I’m still a minor. Though, I’m also old enough to vote in Equestria. Figure that one out.” He got up from his chair, legs wobbling a bit as he groaned. “I can’t wait until I’m big enough that this stuff won’t affect me so much…”

Rainbow Dash offered Spike her side to keep him steady. “You want help getting up to the loft?”

Spike sighed. “Please.”

She grinned, and slowly guided the dragon through the crowd of ponies as he leaned against her side for support. Somewhere in the crowds, Rainbow Dash was fairly certain she heard Twilight shouting.

“So, just curious, what is Twilight rambling on about earlier when she was standing on top of the table?” Rainbow asked.

“Huh?” Spike looked up. “Oh, heh… she decided to go as Clover the Clever this year. She’s been reciting quotes from her all night. That and spell formulas. And the periodic table of elements. And the number pi.”

“Wait, that’s that one symbol…three point one four...something, right?”

Spike sighed, “It’s three point one four one five nine two six five three five eight nine seven nine three—”

“Okay, okay, I get it, it’s a long number. How do you remember that stuff, anyway?”

“Live with Twilight long enough, and some of that stuff just starts making sense because you hear it enough,” Spike said. “Though, it sounds like she’s three sheets to the wind right now, so—”

“Spi~ike!”

“Oh no,” Spike moaned.

A veil of magic wrapped around Spike, and a moment later he was lifted into the air and pulled towards none other than hostess of the party.

“Hi, Twilight,” replied Spike in a bemused tone. “You’re drunk.”

“Inebriated,” Twilight said matter-of-factly, managing to slur her words only a little. “Terminology is key, Spike.”

“They mean the same thing, Twilight,” Spike sighed.

Twilight frowned for a moment, only to have a grin form on her lips a second later. “Are you having fun?”

“No. I think I’m inebriated,” Spike answered.

“You’re drunk?” Twilight gasped.

“You just said that drunk—”

“Spike, I told you only to drink from the bowls that were labeled ‘citrus mango’ and ‘strawberry’. We talked about this, repeatedly!” She sighed, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be yelling, but…” She looked him over, then continued, “You look okay…I-I think. Am I swaying, or are you?”

“You’re swaying.”

“Okay, good. Um…you feel okay? You sick at all?”

It was at this point that Rainbow Dash walked towards the two. “I think Spike isn’t quite ready for rum and lemonade, that’s all.”

“Rum and lemonade?” Twilight repeated. “Oh, Spike, you should have at least gone for the wine coolers. There’s less alcohol, and they’re, wait, no, you shouldn’t be drinking yet.” She shook her head. “Okay, okay…” She looked Spike over once more, and frowned. “You’re growing up so fast on me…I’m so irresponsible, leaving that stuff out for you to—”

“Twilight, it’s okay. I’m practically an adult anyway. Legally, I could be drinking.”

Twilight pulled Spike in for a hug. “My little number one assistant is almost as tall as I am now.”

Despite his embarrassment, Spike couldn’t resist wrapping his arms around Twilight and returning her hug. “Love you too, Twi.”

“I’m not mad at you, okay? Just… you know how it is with you aging right now. You’re not a minor anymore, but you’re not quite an adult…I mean, a dragon adult,” she hiccuped. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Okay, okay, okay…c-can you let go now? I think Rainbow’s trying to get Pinkie to take a picture of us.”

Twilight relented, letting go of Spike and giving him a rosy smile. “Come find me if you need anything, okay?”

“Don’t worry, Twi. I was going to help him up to the loft so he could crash. I’ll make sure he’s all good,” Rainbow said.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, you’re such an awesome friend.” Twilight leaned forward and pulled Rainbow in a tight hug. “I’m so lucky to have awesome friends like you! Soooo lucky!”

Rainbow Dash laughed, “Take it easy, Twi. The night is still young.”

Twilight gave Rainbow Dash and Spike one last hug each. “Well, I better go make sure Pinkie Pie doesn’t put any hot sauce in the cupcakes again…and…uh-oh, what’s she doing over there? Pinkie! Put that stuff away!” Twilight trotted towards a different part of the library, tipping from side to side as she did so.

“She going to be okay?” Rainbow asked.

“Hm?” Spike looked over to where Twilight was currently debating with Pinkie Pie about the selection of hot sauces that had been placed beside the confectionary treats. “Yeah, Twilight will be alright. If she starts stumbling, she just moves herself around with magic.”

“You trust her with magic when she’s that far gone?”

Spike snickered. “Twilight can do levitation spells in her sleep.” He waved a hand dismissively. “She’ll be fine.”

The two continued up towards the loft, the sound of music becoming muffled as they entered Spike and Twilight’s shared bedroom.

“You ever think about getting your own room, Spike?” Rainbow asked Spike as he crawled into his brand-new bed. “I mean, I guess I shouldn’t pry, but you’re kind of getting a little old to be sharing a room with Twilight, don’t you think?”

Spike threw the sheets over himself and grunted, “Yeah. There’s a storage room next to the library Twilight was thinking of clearing out for me, but honestly, I may as well just start looking for my own place. I’m going to be hitting a growth spurt in a few years, anyway…”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Rainbow agreed. “I bet we could help you build your own place, even. I mean, not to be rude, but I don’t think there are many houses in town built to fit a dragon, you know?” She walked over to the bed, giving Spike a grin. “Maybe even make a personal workout room or something?”

“I’ll think about it. I’ll at least make the windows large enough for you to fit through,” Spike said with a chuckle, followed by a yawn. “Thanks for helping out down there, though, Rainbow. I guess I’m not quite ready to party like you girls do, huh?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Hey, as long as you have fun, that’s what counts. Though, I could give you a few pointers when you’re a little older, if you like.” She gave Spike a wink.

“Pointers?” Spike repeated. “Nothing involving the best ways to break furniture at a party, I hope.”

Rainbow’s smirk fell. “Hey, I only broke two chairs at Applejack’s birthday party last year, okay? Besides, Big Macintosh bumped me into one of them, so that technically wasn’t my fault.”

“Of course not,” Spike snickered. “Good night, Rainbow. Try to keep Twilight from getting into too much trouble for me, would you?”

“No promises. If Twilight suggests something crazy enough to me, I might just roll along with it,” Rainbow laughed.

“Fine, just promise not to destroy the library. I sleep here.”

Rainbow shook her head and nodded. “Alright, Spike. Good night.”

The scene wavered and became a maelstrom of colors and shapes once more. Images of Rainbow Dash came and went, some recent, some older. She couldn’t really get a good glimpse of any of them, but she couldn’t help but feel a little flustered. Even for a pony who loved the limelight as much as her, to have this much attention focused upon you was a bit much for her.

Rainbow turned away from the images and colors, towards the two dragons beside her. “So, what’s next?”

“Who knows? We’re not in charge… oh no…” Little Spike said as he looked to the void before them. It slowly began to morph, and shapes began to form as colors became visible to the trio. “No… no, please not this one.” His voice, however, didn’t betray any fear.

No, to Rainbow Dash, Little Spike’s tone seemed more like a panicked one that a teenage colt often had when his mother found that stash of questionable magazines he kept under his bed or in the back part of his closet.

The scene before them was a picturesque view of what Rainbow immediately recognized as the capital city of the Crystal Empire at night. The sky was clear, and the air was crisp with the chill of late autumn. Decorative crystal lanterns hung from the front doors of homes, and the smell of woodsmoke from fireplaces wafted through the air. The town passed by the trio, slowing down as they reached one of the balconies cropping out of the Crystal Castle. Present-day Spike and Rainbow Dash were sitting there, the latter leaning against the former. Interestingly enough, Rainbow Dash was wearing a familiar blue and yellow flight suit with a pair of goggles resting on her head.

“I’m glad Cadance is allowing the seasons to change here. I love autumn,” Rainbow said softly.

“You just like it because you get to show off during the Running of the Leaves…” Spike laughed in an equally soft voice, earning a jab in the ribs from the mare.

“Spike… thanks for coming up here. I know you’re not a huge fan of the cold, but it was so awesome to see you in the crowd cheering for me.”

Spike smirked. “Someone had to brag about having the best Wonderbolt ever as his marefriend.”

Meanwhile, the real Rainbow Dash blinked and turned to the two Spikes, who were currently occupied with looking everywhere but at her and the scene before them. She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the thoughtscape before her.

“So, how did you manage to get us a free room here in the castle?” Rainbow asked. “Even Spitfire and the group had to pay a small fee for their suites in the hotel down the road.”

“Oh… you know… sweet-talked a few of the castle aides, mentioned a few names in the Crystal Guard…”

“Cadance begged you to stay here, didn’t she?” Rainbow laughed.

“Yeah,” Spike laughed. “It’s not so cool having a princess for a sister-in-law when she changed your diapers a few times when you were little and still holds on to old photos of you when you’re a baby… and shows them off to the Crystal Empire nobility.”

Rainbow Dash burst out in laughter at that. “Seriously? Oh wow, I need to talk to her about those.”

“No, no you don’t,” Spike grumbled. “It’s bad enough that she knows all my ticklish spots and isn’t afraid to use them to her advantage when she wants me to do something for her.”

“You’re ticklish?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I… no, no, I meant my old ticklish spots, s-so, it’s not like I—”

Rainbow Dash was already upon him, hooves reaching beneath his armpits. Spike yelped and pulled away. Rainbow Dash simply smirked and slowly walked towards him, not unlike a hungry lioness who managed to corner a helpless baby gazelle. “Okay, so the armpits are a definite yes. How about… the chin?”

Spike fell over as Rainbow tackled him to the ground with surprising force. He was soon giggling loudly as Rainbow’s feathers tickled him beneath the chin. He tried to tuck in his chin, only to have her nip at his collar and cause him to squirm.

“Gyahahaha, okay, okay, uncle! Uncle!” Spike cried out with tears in his eyes. Rainbow Dash ceased at once, but remained on top of the drake, smiling proudly. “N-no fair. You have feathers on your body.”

“And you have scales, yet you’re still ticklish,” Rainbow replied with a smirk. She gave Spike an affectionate nip on the jawline. “Don’t worry; I won’t tell anyone about you being ticklish.”

Spike nodded, and mumbled something under his breath.

“Huh?” Rainbow asked, leaning close.

“I said, ‘I don’t mind you tickling me’. It’s… it’s you, so I’m okay with it. Well, you and Cadance, I guess…”

Rainbow smiled, and leaned down to nuzzle Spike. “You’re such a softie.”

“Only towards you, though,” Spike replied.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Hmph…”

Rainbow laughed. “Oh, come on, Spike. You know I love you all the same.” She pulled away and held up her left foreleg. A silver band shined faintly in the moonlight, and the real Rainbow Dash could make out the faint design of a heart surrounded in a stylized flame on it.

“You wore that during the show?” Spike asked. “Isn’t that against regulation or something?”

“During the show? No, I had to take it off or risk losing it while flying around. But during the press conference and the mob of paparazzi? I wore it. I made sure it was visible, too.” She lifted her nose a bit as she continued. “I noticed a huge lack of questions about me having any relationships, too.”

Spike smiled. “Rainbow Dash…”

“Aww, come on, don’t get all teary-eyed around me,” Rainbow laughed.

Spike nuzzled her gently and growled in contentment. She hummed happily at the contact, returning the nuzzle in kind.

“How did a dragon like me luck out and end up with you?” Spike asked, his voice just above a whisper.

“Well, the dragon part was just a part of the whole package, big guy. I’d say that I was more interested in ‘Spike’ as a whole,” she answered.

“You didn’t have anypony ask about you being with a dragon, did you?”

“Eh, there was a question here and there. I ignored them or just said that I’m in a relationship with you. Spitfire tended to cut off any further questions before they could get out of hoof, though, heh.” Her smile softened. “We’ve been over this, Spike. Dragon or pony… it doesn’t matter. We’re together because we want to be. Not because of publicity, or something like that. You could be a griffon, a minotaur, a unicorn… whatever. Who you are is what I care about. What you are is only a part of that.”

“S-same…” Spike answered with a smile. “You’re so amazing, Rainbow. I’ve never known a pony who was as confident in everything she does as you. I…” He shook his head. “This is going to sound cheesy, but you give me strength. Ever since that day when I crashed at Ghastly Gorge… I… if you hadn’t been there for me when I crashed…” He sniffled, “Gah, sorry… it’s the autumn air getting to me, I think.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and smirked. “Softie.”

All too quickly, the scene began to blur. This time, however, the fading and blurring of colors and shapes was accompanied by a rumbling. Rainbow’s ears perked up, and she looked around.

“W-what’s happening?”

“He remembered…” Little Spike spoke.

“Who remembered? What do you mean?”

Little Spike nudged Rainbow out of the room, gently, but still with a sense of urgency. “Something tells me that we need to get you and the princess out of here as soon as we can.” He looked to Big Spike, then to the walls. “Huh… I thought so.”

Big Spike followed Little Spike’s gaze, and smiled. “That’s a good sign.”

Rainbow Dash frowned at the two. “Okay, seriously, what are you two talking about now?”

“Looks like Princess Luna’s almost done fixing the damage done. See?” Spike patted one of the stone walls. “No cracks!”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “There… there were cracks?”

Both Spikes blinked, then Big Spike let out a hum of realization. “That’s right; you didn’t appear here initially.” He gestured to the corridor. “You were in the current mindscape of Spike when you first arrived.” The dragon ran a hand over the walls. “These corridors had numerous cracks lining them, the worst of the damage being close to the gem.”

“I don’t see any cracks, though…” Rainbow said. “Is that a good thing?”

Little Spike beamed. “You bet it is! It means Spike might wake up soon!” He ushered Rainbow towards Big Spike, who was now crouched low and spread his wing out so that Rainbow could climb on. “That also means you and Luna need to get out of here, otherwise we’d have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, when you try to magically implant the consciousness of someone into someone else, it wouldn’t work because having two active ‘minds’ in one brain wouldn’t work. However, Spike was in a coma, so your consciousness and Luna’s are able to roam here without any problems.”

“If Spike awakens though, and you two are still in here, though…” Big Spike rumbled.

“We’d be trapped?” Rainbow asked.

“For a time, at least,” spoke a new voice. The trio looked to see Princess Luna making her way down the hall towards them. “It wouldn’t be impossible for me to get us out of here. I do visit other ponies minds to rid them of nightmares, after all.” She let out a small sigh. “Even so, I do so discreetly, and with less of a… presence, if you will.” She looked to Rainbow Dash. “You and I have implanted our entire minds in Spike’s, even if our physical bodies are elsewhere. It is a very delicate matter. One broken chain and our way out of this mind could be lost for some time. It would cause Spike problems, too.”

“H-how?” Rainbow asked.

“For starters, he would be having three different thoughts running through his head at any time. Memories would become jumbled, perhaps.” Luna shook her head. “A worst case scenario would be that one or more of our consciousnesses would be absorbed by another’s.”

“Ah,” Rainbow laughed nervously. “Yeah, I’m all for getting out of here, then.”

“How… how is the gem looking, Princess?”

Luna smiled to Little Spike. “It is mostly intact and whole, now. I didn’t actually have to do much, either.”

Big Spike quirked an eyebrow. “Really, now?”

“Indeed. Rainbow Dash was doing the work for me.”

“Heh, yeah, no surprise—wait, I was?” Rainbow gave Luna a quizzical look. “Really?”

“Yes,” Luna answered with a small nod. “I believe I have figured out what the root to our problem is.”

“What is it?” Little Spike asked.

“You,” Luna replied. As Little Spike’s eyes widened, she smiled. “Permit me to clarify: both you, and your counterpart here, are the problem. Though, it’s not really your fault. It’s Spike’s, so to speak.”

“We’re the reason everything is in disarray?” Big Spike asked. “How?”

Luna walked over to the two drakes, and nodded to Rainbow Dash, indicating that she wished for her to join her. Rainbow frowned with confusion, but walked beside Luna. The alicorn held out her hoof, and nodded to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus mare gave her a confused look.

“I’m not going to bite, Rainbow Dash,” Luna chuckled. Rainbow, still not sure what to make of the alicorn’s actions, held out her own hoof and placed it over Luna’s. Luna smiled in satisfaction, and looked to the two drakes. “Rainbow Dash helped heal the scar over Spike’s heart. While Spike may not be aware of what is going on, you two are a part of him, and her actions towards you two have helped bind you two together.”

“What are you saying, Princess?” Big Spike asked.

“You two are not meant to be separate. You may be two parts of a greater whole, but you are still one in the same: Spike.”

“So, wait… you mean, me talking and being around these two helped heal Spike’s mind?” Rainbow asked. “How?”

“You accepted either part of Spike. Both his pony and dragon self, as they put it. You didn’t care about their differences. You saw only Spike. Different parts of him, perhaps, but neither as more valuable than the other.” Luna’s smile fell a bit. “Accepting one’s self can be hard to do, especially when we believe we deserve less than what others give to us, be it love, kindness, or respect. However, we can never truly be whole until we’ve seen the worth we have within our own hearts.” She looked to both Spikes as she continued. “Is it true, Spike, that you have been feeling like you do not deserve Rainbow Dash’s friendship?”

Both were quiet for a few long seconds. When they spoke, they were in unison. “Yes…”

Luna sighed, but nodded. “I suspected as much. You’ve been berating and loathing yourself over this. I will not pry too much into the matter, but… I believe it’s clear that Rainbow Dash still cares a great deal for you. Many do, in fact, pony or otherwise.”

Again, both Spikes spoke as one. “I-I know, it’s just… I am a dragon, not a pony. I’m going to outlive them all, and… and I’m just so different, I don’t know if—”

“Hey, you thought it yourself, remember?” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “What you imagined in that last dream or whatever of yours wasn’t that far off. I care about Spike. Spike the dragon, sure, but still Spike. My friend. Twilight’s little adoptive brother-assistant. Ponyville’s best rock cutter.”

“Only rock cutter,” the Spikes added.

“I care about the Spike who will go into long talks about why it was better to use granite instead of sandstone for that addition to Vinyl’s nightclub, and who will spend hours on end reading poetry from Equestrian poets that nopony else in town has ever heard about.” She laughed as the two dragons gave Luna a furtive glance. “You can be as much of an egghead as Twilight can, but you’re still cool, you know? That’s the Spike I care about.”

Spike, both large and small, looked to the ground. Big Spike spoke up first, slowly and softly. “Rainbow Dash… I…” He glanced to Luna. The alicorn took the hint, and gave a nod. She walked away from the three, and studied a particular design on a door that was labeled ‘Fine Dining Etiquette’. “Rainbow Dash… we… I… I still care about you. A lot. More than I have felt for anyone. Even… even Rarity.”

“Even Rarity?” Rainbow asked.

“I-I know it’s weird, and maybe a little scary,” Little Spike continued. “B-but, you’re just so amazing. What you saw in that dream? That’s the truth. Well, at least about me and how I think of you. I feel stronger when you’re around. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and I feel like I can take anything on because you’re there.” He took in a breath, and sighed. “You’re beautiful, brave, cheerful, a little crazy at times, and unshakeable. You’re everything I admire, and…” He blushed. “I regret ever turning you away.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t be certain, but she was pretty sure her cheeks weren’t so warm a few moments ago. “H-heh… well, of course. I am pretty awesome, heh.” She flapped her wings as she kicked at the ground a bit. “Maybe… maybe we can give it another chance?”

“Do you want that, though?” Big Spike asked. “I only want this if you do as well.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. “We know how we both feel. I think we both deserve another go at it. Maybe… maybe we could take it a little slower, though, huh?”

“Taking things slow?” Little Spike laughed. “Rainbow, I’m shocked.”

“H-hey, I know when not to rush things, geesh!” She stomped a hoof for emphasis, then added, quietly, “Usually. So… you better wake up, okay?”

“I’ll do everything I can to meet that request,” both Spikes said.

“Good. Um… I guess we better get going, huh?” Rainbow Dash looked over to Luna. “Um, Princess? I’m ready.”

Luna looked up to Rainbow Dash, and smiled. “Very well, then.” Her horn began to glow, and she stood beside the pegasus. A circle of light formed on the floor, encompassing the two. She looked to both Spikes. In a soft, comforting voice that Celestia would have been proud of, she said, “Be well, Spike. We will see you when you next awaken. We have faith in you.”

As the light of Luna’s magic flooded Rainbow’s vision, she swore that, for a moment, she saw not two, but one dragon standing before her.

No. Not a dragon, but a friend.

She flashed him a smile, hoping that he saw it, but at the same time hoping he didn’t see the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. The last thing she needed was him teasing her about getting sappy.

The smell of hospital-grade sterilization was the first thing to register in Rainbow Dash’s brain as she slowly came to. She grumbled a bit, fighting back the bane of her existence: the waking world.

“Rainbow? Are you okay?”

“Mmph… fine…” she grumbled, nuzzling into the warmth beside her. The slow and steady movements, and the faint beating of a heart comforted her greatly.

All at once, her eyes snapped open. She looked around, and found that she was still in the same hospital room that she had been in when Luna had put her under the sleeping spell. The faintest rays of golden light were piercing through the blinds at the window. There was a vase with some flowers in it on the small table beside the bed she was in.

She leaned into the warm body beside her, then slowly turned around. She winced as she took in the sight that was Spike. Still covered in bandages and casts, he looked like was only a step away from Death’s door. He still had those same vibrant emerald eyes that could give her a warm feeling in her chest when he looked at her the way he was at that moment—

“Even after you wake me up from a coma, you still manage to sleep in later than me. I’m impressed.”

Rainbow’s breathing hitched. She studied his face. He had a weak grin on his lips, and the faintest streaks across his cheeks, a telltale sign that he had been crying some time ago.

“Spike…?” she whispered, afraid to speak his name any louder.

“Broken and beaten, but yeah, I’m all here.”

Rainbow’s resolve crumbled. She sniffled, then let out a soft sob. A smile formed on her own lips, and she had to consciously hold herself back from squeezing him tightly in a hug. She instead settled for burying her head into his chest and making noises ranging between laughter and crying.

“Y-you stupid…d-dolt…” she whispered, gritting her teeth and letting out a breath. “Don’t ever do that again…”

“You got it,” Spike replied softly. “I probably won’t be doing a whole lot of anything for awhile, actually.” He looked to his bandaged body. “Doctors say it will probably be a good two to three months before any of this comes off.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “That’s fine. You’re alive. I can deal with everything else.”

“No Best Young Flyer competition, though…” Spike said, a twinge of regret in his voice. “Sorry… looks I couldn’t keep that promise after all, heh.”

“I…” Rainbow Dash looked up, smiling softly. “That… you remember that race we had in your… brain?”

“Yeah, funny, I actually remember next to nothing besides that, but I can see images of you and Luna talking to me in a place I don’t recognize.” He shook his head. “It’s pretty weird, but they seem like more than just scenes from a dream…”

Rainbow just smiled, looking up at the drake beside her. “You really gave us all a big scare, you know that?”

“Not one of my proudest moments…” Spike mumbled. “Sorry… for what it’s worth, anyway.”

“Like I said, just don’t do something like that again.” She smiled. “I mean… if you’re stressed, flying to burn off some steam is okay with me, but… be smart about it. Okay? If not for me, then for Twilight and the girls, and yourself.”

Spike simply smiled, unable to give a proper nod in reply.

“Good. So… did Twilight and the others get to speak to you yet?”

“Yeah. Twilight was in hysterics when I first woke up. I’ve never seen her smiling and sobbing while trying to scold me before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.” Spike sighed softly, “I’m just happy to be here with all of you again.”

“Same here.” Rainbow replied, wiping the corners of her eyes with the back of her hoof. “For a while… we weren’t sure if you’d ever wake up, you know?”

Spike’s smile wavered. “I never wanted any of…” He gestured to himself and the hospital room with his free claw. “Well… any of this to happen. Believe me.”

“I know,” Rainbow said, shifting from her spot on the bed and stretching a bit. “So, just so you know, your mind is crazy.”

Spike attempted to look insulted, but Rainbow could see the corners of his mouth trying to form a smile. “Crazy? What are you implying?”

“I’m serious!” Rainbow insisted. “You should see the crazy amount of hallways and doors in your mind. Like… I think that place was more screwy than the hedge maze Discord put us through back when he first broke free from his prison.”

“Wait, there are doors in my mind?”

“You mean the Archives?” she asked, a grin slowly working across her lips as Spike’s eyebrows rose.

“How do you know about that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teased.

“Rainbow, I’m serious. The only pony that knows about that is Twilight, and she promised she wouldn’t tell a soul.”

Rainbow giggled. “It’s a long story, but to put it simply, I met… well, I guess you could say I bumped into a part of you. Well, a few parts of you, actually. They guided me around your mind, and said that you call your brain ‘The Archives’.” She giggled once more as Spike’s face reddened.

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone?” he begged.

“You got it, Spike. I wasn’t planning on it, anyway.”

Spike visibly relaxed. “Thanks… I’m already considered a big enough nerd as it is. I don’t need any more fuel to add to that fire, if you get what I mean.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “If it means anything, I liked wandering inside your brain. Pretty cool place, once you get past how easy it is to get lost in there.”

“What…” Spike hesitated, his voice just above a whisper. “Did… you see anything else in there?”

Rainbow’s smile softened. “Yeah. A few things.”

“Like?”

Rainbow’s smile grew. “Nothing too embarrassing, don’t worry.”

“Rainbow…” Spike grumbled. The pegasus laughed, and Spike couldn’t find it in himself to stay upset. He chuckled softly. “I guess you know a few of my darkest secrets, huh?”

“I said ‘nothing too embarrassing’, Spike. I promise. I won’t tell anyone, and the only other pony who knows what went on in there is Princess Luna. She won’t tell anypony either, since she’s gone through, like, thousands of other dreams that were probably more embarrassing than what we saw.”

“I…I guess I don’t even know what to say, really. Other than thanks…for saving my life. Twice.” Spike gave her a lopsided grin. “I don’t think I can ever repay you for that.”

“Repay me?” Rainbow chuckled, “You being alive and talking is enough for me. That’s enough for me.”

A long silence hung between the two, holding each other’s gazes, saying nothing. Rainbow flashed Spike a small grin, and he found himself doing the same.

“I…” Spike sighed, “Okay, then.” He smiled. “Thanks, Rainbow. I know I said it before, but…I really mean it. Thank you.”

Rainbow got down from the bed and turned to face Spike once more. “I’m going to be honest with you; I haven’t done much since you got hurt. There’s a few things that I should take care of. I should also probably check on Tank. Fluttershy’s been taking care of him for me at her cottage, but I’m sure he misses me.” She looked up to Spike and grinned. “You going to be okay by yourself for a while?

The dragon rolled his eyes. “I’m a big boy, Rainbow. I can take…” He paused upon seeing the frown on Rainbow’s face. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

“Okay. I’ll stop by later to check up on you and make sure you’re not going stircrazy.” She turned around to leave, only to pause, then added. “Want me to bring over some books for you to read from your place?”

Spike smiled. “That’d be cool, yeah. Um… if you don’t mind, maybe bring over that big old poetry book I was reading. It’s a dark gray cover, has some stars on the cover.”

“The Waxing Crescent book?” Rainbow asked, earning a nod from Spike. “Sure thing. I might be out for a few hours, but I’ll stop by when I get the chance, so just endure until then, heh.”

With that, Rainbow left the room, and made her way out to the lobby. She felt a weight leave her chest as she opened the front doors of the hospital and stepped out. The afternoon sun shined down on Ponyville, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but grin.

Spike was going to be fine. Sure, he was injured from head to toe, and would likely not be doing any major work, let alone flying, for a while, but she would be there to help. Knowing Spike, he would probably be stubborn and try to do everything himself, and end up only causing further injury.

Setting her sights towards the direction of Spike’s place, she took to the air and flew off. She would then stop at the library and ask Twilight if Princess Luna had returned to Canterlot yet.

She had a request to make.

Author's Notes:

I'd like to give a big thanks to Vexy, who offered to pre-read this chapter. One heck of a SpikeDash fan, and great with offering writing advice. This chapter couldn't have become what it is without their help! Thanks, Vexy!

Chapter 8: Fair Weather Inbound

Chapter Eight- Fair Weather Inbound

If there was one thing Spike had learned in his many years living and working beside Twilight, it was patience. That and the ability to keep himself entertained during long stretches of relative inactivity aside from occasionally fetching a book for Twilight during one of her study binges. Such skills were rarely needed these days for him, what with having a job that required constant physical activity and having plenty of things to do in Ponyville with good friends.

However, being bedridden and having almost eighty percent of his body wrapped in bandages and casts, he found himself falling back on old, tried and true methods of keeping himself entertained.

Equestria Girls, we’re kinda magical! Boots on hooves, bikinis on top… Spike let out a heavy sigh as the song faded back into the recesses of his mind. You know, now that I think of it, why the heck would ponies wear bikinis in the first place? I mean, they hardly wear clothing as it is. That and boots…? Seriously, what was Sapphire Shores thinking when she wrote this song? She really should get back to her roots, back before she went all mainstream on her fans. Honestly, if she stood up to the record labels a bit more, she could stretch out her artistic muscles and get back to the music that put her on the charts in the first place…

It had been a whole day since he had awoken from his apparent coma, and while he was thankful to be alive, he really wished the hospital had better means to keep their patients entertained. Counting the tiles in his hospital room—all two hundred and fifty-eight of them—three times over, had gotten dull quickly. The song birds twittering outside his window had been nice for awhile, but they had flown off about an hour ago. He had asked for some reading material from one of the nurses when they had come to check on him, but that had only resulted in being given reading material that he had read before or had no interest in reading at the moment.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning yet.

Stars above, I might be the first recorded case of death by boredom with the way things are going right now…

The sound of the door to his room being opened grabbed his attention. An earth pony stallion, dressed in the usual nurse wardrobe, entered his room with a tray of food balanced on his back and a clipboard in his teeth. He had a short, dark red mane and tail, and his coat was an off-white hue. Spike barely caught his cutie mark beneath his clothes: a red heart with a dark red cross over it. With skill that Spike found himself envious of, the stallion slid the tray off his back and onto the table beside Spike while taking the clipboard out of his mouth in one smooth movement.

“Good morning, Mr. Spike,” the stallion greeted, his voice mellow and calm. Not too cheery, but not off-putting or cold, either. “I’m Chordae, and I’ll be in charge of your care for the first half of today.” He scanned over the pages of his clipboard before continuing. “How are you feeling right now?”

Spike gave a noncommittal grunt and lifted his free claw a little. “Sore, but not in too much pain. Probably the pain meds working through my system, though. Other than that, alright. Just bored.”

The stallion cracked a small smile as he continued to study the clipboard. “Good to hear. Wish I could help with the boredom.” He glanced up, then added, “If it’s any consolation, boredom is normal for bedridden patients in your type of situation.” Spike swore he heard the smile in the stallion’s voice as he raised his clipboard up to study a particular page. “Redheart says you’ve already read most of the books we have here for patients to read while they recover.”

Spike chuckled softly. “A side-effect of being a librarian’s assistant for so long. Some of those books were donated by the library, actually.”

The nurse gave a grunt and slight nod, his attention having returned to the clipboard. Chordae went about studying the IVs connected to Spike. He seemed particularly interested in studying the large bag of liquid that Twilight had helped to administer.

“Twilight Sparkle said you require a special IV solution of quartz and calcium dissolved in water…” The stallion studied the bag for a moment longer, then added. “Looks like we’ll have to change the IV before noon. She gave us a few more IV bags last night, so we’ll make sure to do that for you before lunch time.” He looked up from the clipboard, and gave a faint smile. “Other than that, you appear to be recovering well enough, all things considered.”

Spike couldn’t help but wince a little. “Yeah. I… I’m lucky. Could have been a lot worse.”

“Just get plenty of rest and you should recover fine,” Chordae said. He pulled down a desk-like surface on the side of Spike’s bed and positioned it so that it was right over Spike’s lap. “Nurse Redheart told me you don’t have much trouble eating with your free claw, am I right?”

Spike gave the stallion a thumbs-up. “I’ll be good.”

Chordae nodded, and set Spike’s breakfast on the tabletop placed before him. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call for me with the buzzer.” He made one final check over Spike’s IVs, bandages, and casts. “Comfortable enough?”

“Mm. Thanks, Nurse Chordae.”

“Of course. I’ll see you before noon, Spike.” With that, the nurse left the room, leaving Spike to himself once more.

Spike nibbled on the food, which consisted of a plate of scrambled eggs, some applesauce, a small bowl of cinnamon oatmeal, and a glass of apple juice on the side. While Spike could easily eat more than what had been given to him, he was also content just to have something to put in his stomach.

He was fairly certain, upon studying the apple products before him, that the juice and applesauce had come straight from Sweet Apple Acres. He had consumed enough apples from there to know, after all. Thinking about Sweet Apple Acres brought his thoughts around to Applejack, which eventually led to him thinking about his other friends and family. Twilight had promised to stop by at least once a day, and he was fairly certain he’d be seeing the rest of the girls, too.

His mind recalled the fact that Twilight and Applejack were a couple now, something he had almost forgotten. The two were alike in the fact that they tried not drawing attention to each other in that regard, at least.

They’ll make a cute couple once they get comfortable with each other, Spike thought to himself, chuckling as he pictured Twilight trying to help Applejack with baking some apple pastry or another. Poor Applejack was going to have her hooves full with that. If he knew Twilight as well as he thought he did, his adoptive sister would go above and beyond to show Applejack how much she cared.

It was just the way she was. Twilight Sparkle didn’t do things by half-measures. No, Applejack was going to get all one hundred fifty percent of that unicorn mare’s love and affection. He could only hope that the earth pony mare would be ready for it.

Before Spike knew it, his plate was clean and his juice was gone. Satisfied, he pushed the tabletop to the side so it was no longer over his lap. The drake closed his eyes, deciding he might as well get some more rest. He swore he heard the sounds of hooves against the floor at one point, and he opened his eyes a few minutes later to see that the tray with his breakfast had been taken.

I remember hearing that Ponyville has been considering adding another wing to the hospital for a few years, now… Spike thought to himself. I’ll give them a huge discount on some building material when I get back to work…

With that in mind, Spike dozed off.

“I… must admit, I’m surprised anypony… or dragon, knows of my work after all these years…”

Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna, and Twilight all sat in the center of Spike’s home. Twilight had been doing some tidying up while Princess Luna had decided to admire Spike’s personal library. Rainbow Dash had showed up at Spike’s about an hour later, having checked the Golden Oaks Library and finding no one was there.

After Spike had woken up from his coma, Rainbow Dash had gotten a great idea. She had originally planned on flying straight to Twilight’s place, but about halfway there realized she was still exhausted, so detoured and went home to rest for the evening. She woke up extra early this morning though, hoping to catch Princess Luna before she either went to sleep for the day or left to return to Canterlot.

“Well, I’m not much for poetry myself, but Spike’s a huge fan of your work, Princess,” Rainbow Dash said, setting a familiar, ancient tome gently on a table before Luna. “He was always saying how he believed it was you who actually wrote these poems under some pen name. It looks like he was right, huh?”

“So it would seem.” Luna smiled. “I would hardly consider myself anything more than an amateur at poetry, so I was a bit shocked to find out some of my work has endured for more than one thousand years.” She ran a hoof gently over the cover of the tome. “While I do not mind chatting about my hobby with poems, I’m guessing there’s more to this visit, am I right?” Luna gave Rainbow a knowing smile.

Rainbow Dash scuffed the floor a little, and smiled. “Y-yeah. I was… kinda hoping that you’d maybe write a little something for Spike in there? A personal poem, or just a letter? Maybe even just an autograph?”

Luna chuckled softly, “You do know I chose the name Waxing Crescent to keep my anonymity, right?”

“I know, but…” Rainbow frowned. “It’s been a long time since you published these, so… I don’t think it’d be that big a deal, do you? Besides, I think Spike would really appreciate it.”

“I think so, too,” agreed Twilight, who had taken a break from dusting Spike’s books. “You could just use your alias, Princess. Spike would figure it out, and I know he won’t go and blab to everyone about you being the real poet if you want to keep it secret.”

Luna nodded, and she gently picked up the tome in her magic, giving it a thoughtful look. “Give me some time. I shall think of something to write for our dear drake.”

It was about one in the afternoon when Spike had finally recalled all twenty-eight of Starswirl’s Laws of Arcane Manipulation, word for word, including the three theories he had never come to proving to be law. Those had been added after his death by other scholars. Apparently, Twilight’s lectures from his hatchling years finally managed to serve some purpose in staving off his boredom, if only for a little while.

A gentle knock at the door drew him from his thoughts. He looked towards the doorway, and felt his spirits lift as he took in the sight of his visitor.

“Hey,” greeted Rainbow Dash. “Mind if I come in?” Spike gestured for her to enter with a wave of his claw. Rainbow gave a small grin before walking in and taking a seat on the chair next to his bed. “So, how are you doing?”

Spike grinned. “Okay, I guess. I’m recovering, slowly but surely.”

Rainbow grinned as well. “Good, you’d better be.” She dug into a saddlebag she had strapped over her back.

When she pulled out the tome that held the works of Waxing Crescent in it, Spike couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, Rainbow. I thought I was going to go stir-crazy in here.” He gently took the tome from her and placed it on his lap. He paused upon seeing something sticking out between the front cover and the first page of the large book. Opening it, he found a dark blue primary feather resting on the first page, the quill—or calumus, if he recalled right—stained with ink at the tip.

“Is… did she…?” Spike asked, looking up to Rainbow Dash. The mare simply nodded to the book, and Spike returned his attention to it. He noticed a familiar calligraphy on the inside of the front cover that he was certain had not been there before.

Young flame, may you bring warmth to hearts of those beloved,
May despair never cast shadow upon you,
May you forever burn, long after your time.

‘Twas you who carried a frozen heart and helped give new light,
‘Twas you, so young and small, who stood to shadow,
‘Twas you who gave hope to a land once lost.

Never sell thyself short, child of flame.
Never doubt thy resolve and strength.
Never crumble, for stronger than stone, you are.

Fear not the dance of the heart
Chance love, nurture it, do not shun it,
For know this, my dearest friend:

Time may take away our flesh and bone,
But our memories do not so easily fade.

Spike smiled, then gazed down to find a final bit of writing at the bottom of the inside cover.

To my dearest friend, Spike,

Thank you for appreciating my work, and for your kindness. You give this old mare joy in knowing her works are still loved after all these years. If you ever need a shoulder to lean on or a friend to talk to, do not hesitate to call upon me. I shall always be there, should you need me.

-Waxing Crescent

A stylized crescent moon had been drawn in next to the signature, and Spike couldn’t help but laugh.

“So… I was right, huh?”

Rainbow gave a nod. “She seemed pretty happy when I told her you’re a fan of hers.” Rainbow pointed to the deep blue feather, still nestled between the cover and front page. “She also gave you a primary feather of hers.” A light blush spread across her cheeks. “I… I thought that meant she was into you or something at first, but I guess the ink she smeared on it mean something else.”

Spike’s smile widened a fraction. “Pegasus writers and poets used to offer ink-stained primaries to those that they trusted. A token of their gratitude and usually a way of saying they felt indebted to them, maybe because they received help from whoever it was that they gave the feather to. Typically they gave them to long-time patrons of theirs, or whoever was responsible for putting their works into print.” He waved his free claw. “The practice sort of died out about five hundred years ago. Still, if Princess Luna gave me this feather… then that means a lot. I can’t say too many ponies had the privilege of knowing her personally and receiving such a gift from her.”

“Huh, that’s actually kinda cool,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I figured you probably needed something to keep you busy while you were cooped up in this place.” She glanced at his wings, still wrapped up and unmoving. “So… how are they?”

Spike sighed, “We’ll find out in a few weeks, I guess. I haven’t been given much word on them from the staff, yet.” His neck drooped a bit. “I’m not going to lie, Rainbow… I’m kind of worried I won’t be able to use them again.”

Rainbow could understand that. The last time she had a wing-related injury, it had been a strain in the muscles of her right wing. She had been in the hospital for less than three days, yet she could recall the frustration she felt with being grounded. Not to mention the boredom. Thank goodness Twilight had decided to introduce her to Daring Do at that time.

She silently made a promise to herself to visit Spike as often as she could allow. No way would she let a friend… or in Spike’s case, someone who was a bit more than just a friend, endure that peaceful torment alone.

“So, I was thinking, if you want, I could sneak you in some food from Haybale’s if you want. I know this hospital food isn’t the greatest. That or maybe a few gems…” She paused a moment, then added. “I won’t tell Twilight, either. I know she said you’re on that diet now…”

The drake just laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Rainbow. Believe it or not, I don’t mind the food here. I’m getting enough minerals from the IV drip here.” He gestured towards the IV bag next to his bed. “I’ll be okay.”

“You sure? I know how bad it can get being stuck here in the hospital. They could probably let me bring in some stuff for you to do. Maybe some playing cards?”

“Maybe later. For now, I’m just happy to have the company.” He gave Rainbow a wink.

She returned it with a sigh and a reluctant grin. “Alright.”

For a long while after that, the two just sat there in comfortable silence. At some point Rainbow had scooted her chair closer to Spike’s bed and had placed a hoof over his hand. Spike gave her hoof a gentle squeeze.

Rainbow’s wings twitched slightly, and she looked down to their enclosed hoof and claws. “You’ll fly again. I know you will.”

Spike gave her a grin, though, upon looking back up at him, she could see the flicker of doubt in his eyes. “Y-yeah…”

“It’ll… just take time, th-that’s all.” Rainbow said quietly. “If we gotta start from square one with conditioning you, then we will, okay?”

“What about—?” Spike cut himself off as Rainbow gave him a determined look, almost daring him to contradict her words. “Right…”

The mare slumped. “I know it’s scary, Spike. Heck, I got into some real nasty accidents when I was still a filly. I bounced back, though. You will, too. You’re a young and in good shape. You’ll heal up fine.”

Spike just grinned, choosing to remain silent.

When the doctors had first noticed that the fracture along Spike’s left leg had healed up, they had been in disbelief. It had been less than six weeks, but sure enough, the fracture running across Spike’s tibia had healed up to the point that it was almost impossible to tell where the break had been. Twilight had commented on the matter, stating that dragons, especially young dragons, healed at exceptionally fast rates, a major factor that contributed to them being able to survive so well in the more isolated regions of the world. Besides the fracture in his leg having healed, the swelling on his left ankle had gone down noticeably. After examining his ankle, they had asked if he could move it. Full mobility had been regained, much to Spike’s joy.

Along with the healed leg, the injuries to his throat and lungs were healing up nicely, and the bruising in his body had begun to recede. The fracture in his right wing had yet to fully heal, but the swelling from where it dislocated was gone. The tears in his wing membrane had begun to heal, but the doctors stated that his membrane would have permanent scarring and holes from where it had had been torn. It wasn’t uncommon, from what Twilight understood, for dragons to have permanent tears along the edges of their wings, though.

Aside from that, the bruising along his spine was better, and he no longer showed any signs of suffering from a concussion. His ribs were looking better too, if not fully healed.

All in all, Spike’s road to recovery was looking bright.

“Careful now, Spike. Slow steps.”

Spike, determined to gain back some of his strength that he had lost from being bedridden, asked if he could borrow some crutches and walk through the halls of the hospital during his free time. After checking him over to ensure he was fit to do so, the staff responsible for his care offered him a large pair of crutches that had been made for minotaur patients.

Currently, Nurse Redheart was walking alongside his right while Twilight stuck close to his left.

“Do you feel any pain?” Twilight asked.

Spike shook his head. “Nope, I’m just sore. Muscles are stiff, nothing else.”

“You’re sure?” she continued to ask. “Nothing in the leg?”

“Twilight, I’m alright. I’m not going to take any stupid risks, I promise. If I felt any pain at all, I would tell you and Nurse Redheart,” Spike replied with exasperation.

“We’re just making sure, Spike,” Redheart said in a placating tone.

Spike exhaled through his nose, and gave the two mares what he hoped was an apologetic look. “I know. Sorry, it’s just… I hate being vulnerable like this.” He frowned, glaring at a nondescript spot on the tiled floor. “It was bad enough when I couldn’t even get out of bed to use the bathroom…”

Spike felt a hoof gently touch his side, just enough for him to look and see Twilight giving him a sympathetic smile. He smiled back, his cheeks reddening a bit.

“Sorry…” he mumbled, just loud enough for the two mares to hear.

“Don’t be,” Twilight replied. “It’s why we have hospitals in the first place. To recover and treat others.”

Spike willed a small smile to his lips while turning his attention to Redheart. “Thanks for letting me do this, Nurse Redheart.”

Redheart chuckled, “Chordae said you looked restless, so I suppose there’s no harm in letting you stretch your legs a bit.”

The trio turned a corner, and Spike was the first to stop when he saw a familiar flash of color in his peripherals. His sore muscles and troubled thoughts were forgotten instantly.

Rainbow Dash was standing at the end of the hall, and she had a saddlebag strapped over her back that was packed with he could only assume to be their lunch. She had made it a routine to visit him a few times a week during her lunch break once the doctors had cleared him for more solid foods. Of course, she always cleared what she brought with the staff, just to be safe.

“Well, look who’s up and at ‘em!” Rainbow said in a cheerful tone. “Hi, Spike!”

“Hey, Rainbow,” Spike said, hobbling over to her. “Lunch time already?”

“Eh, I got an early break today. I figured I’d come by and check up on you.” She looked to Twilight and Nurse Redheart as she continued. “Hey, Twilight, Nurse Redheart,” Rainbow greeted, then flashed them a knowing smirk. “Was he starting to go stir crazy?”

“I’m pretty sure he would have ripped the bed apart if he stayed there any longer,” Twilight joked while Redheart tried to suppress a giggle. Spike just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Well, if you’re hungry, I brought us some egg salad sandwiches. I made them myself!”

Spike looked to Redheart, who looked to the clock. “I suppose I can let Chordae know you’ll be having lunch now so he won’t have to bring you lunch from the cafeteria.”

“Actually, you could still bring him a tray of food from the cafeteria,” Twilight said. “The average drake around Spike’s age needs about twice, if not three times the amount of food of an adult pony every day. Especially if that drake is in the middle of recovering from some serious injuries.”

Spike shrugged when Redheart turned back to him. “Sure,” he added. “I’m not against extra food as long as it’s not any trouble for any of you.”

Redheart gave a nod. “Alright, then. Let’s get you back to your room so you can eat.”

In a few minutes’ time, Spike was once more sitting upright in his bed while eating off of the tray attached to his bed while Rainbow had borrowed a small table and pushed it over to Spike’s bedside. Twilight, perhaps to give the two some personal space, had excused herself, remembering she had some books she was expecting to be delivered to the library this afternoon from Canterlot.

“So, anything new? Still healing up alright?”

Spike flashed Rainbow a winning smile. “At this rate I should be out of here within a month or so. The entire hospital is just baffled by my recovery.” He chuckled as she quirked an eyebrow. “Until now, Ponyville Hospital’s never had a dragon patient. Dragon’s shrug off injuries faster than the average pony, so I’m sort of setting some records around here for recovery rates, I guess.”

“Lucky you.” Rainbow said as she set down her sandwich. “How about the wing? Is it doing any better?”

Spike gave the injured wing in question a quick glance. “I guess? Honestly, I’m not sure how fast a wing injury takes to heal for dragons. It’s been a slow process compared to everything else, but the doctors are hopeful.”

“Good, I’d hate to lose my best wingpony… er… drake.” She cleared her throat, and continued. For several long moments she was silent. When she spoke, her voice was softer, a bit more subdued than before. “So, Spike… I got a letter from Spitfire today.”

Spike put down the untouched half of his sandwich, having immediately picked up the hesitant tone in Rainbow’s voice. “Yeah?”

The mare nodded. “It was a personal letter, nothing official from the Wonderbolts, but the news was definitely Wonderbolts-related. I guess Soarin’ just announced his retirement at the end of this year.”

Spike blinked. “Wait, seriously? Soarin’?”

Rainbow Dash laughed, though it didn’t sound entirely happy. “I know, right? Though, I guess when you’ve been with the Wonderbolts for over twenty years, serving as the second-in-command, it kinda wears down on you. Spitfire’s got a few more years before she starts looking for a replacement.” She looked up to Spike at this point, apparently unsure how to continue.

“Spitfire asked if you want to take over his position, huh?”

Rainbow nodded, her gaze falling to her hooves. “Yeah.”

“And…?” Spike asked gently, yet expectantly.

“I… I still don’t know. I mean, there’s a good chance that I’ll never have another chance like this. I’ve gone through the basics back in the academy, but… I can only think of two or three Wonderbolts in history that got to jump right into a high-ranking position like that right from the get-go.” Her eyes dropped back to her hooves.

“Well, you’re definitely one of those rare ponies that deserves it,” Spike said encouragingly. “Are you worried about the responsibility?”

“Kind of. I’m more worried about…” She paused, and swallowed hard. “I’m more worried about us.”

“Us?” Spike repeated. “Why?”

“Spike,” Rainbow said, deliberately taking her time to piece together her words. “We had a rough patch just a while ago, and we weren’t even really a couple. We just started being anything close to serious about this…” She exhaled a shaky breath. “What if… what if being away breaks us apart?”

“It won’t,” Spike replied, not a hint of uncertainty in his words.

“You don’t know that,” Rainbow continued, shaking her head while she fidgeted. “Long-distance relationships aren’t easy to keep together.”

Spike smiled. “Many of the best things in life are hard to maintain, Rainbow. It doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it, though.”

Rainbow laughed, sniffling a bit. “You’re such a dork. That was so cheesy.”

“I like to think that it’s my inner-hopeless romantic speaking aloud.”

Rainbow nodded, smiling brightly now. She wiped her eyes and breathed deeply before exhaling. “So, you think I should go for it?”

The drake nodded. “Absolutely! The world needs to see how awesome you are, and I can’t think of a better way than by joining the Wonderbolts.”

“What about you, though?” She reached for his arm, and he met her halfway, clasping her hoof gently. She gave his hand a squeeze. “Would you really be okay with that? I might not be around that often if I join them, you know. The Wonderbolts are constantly touring, practicing, and doing different stuff for Equestria…”

“Rainbow,” Spike said, gently rubbing her hoof with his thumb. “Go for it. Please. Seeing you fly with the Wonderbolts would make me happier than you can imagine.”

The mare managed to smile, and leaned forward, wrapping her front legs around Spike’s neck in a gentle hug. “Thanks. I think I needed that.”

“Just as long as I get free memorabilia from you every now and then, I think we’ll be okay. Maybe a pair of goggles, or a poster or two?”

“Since when have you been a fan of the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow asked, genuine amusement in her tone.

“Since you were offered a job with them,” Spike replied with a toothy grin.

She laughed, “Definitely earning brownie points with me today.” She let go of him and flashed him one of her winning smiles. “I better get going, then. Lunch break’s about over, and we’re due for some rain tonight. Plus, I need to mail back a reply to Spitfire as soon as I can.”

“Good. I can’t wait to get out of this place,” Spike said with a weary sigh. “I mean, they’re all awesome ponies, but I think I’ll go nuts if I have to spend another month here before I can leave.”

“Hang in there, Spike” Rainbow said, offering him a sympathetic smile and a pat on the arm.

Rainbow’s gaze never left his eyes, but she felt his claw encompass her hoof and squeeze it gently.

His breath hitched ever so slightly. “Rainbow, I know I haven’t really mentioned it before, but… I’m scared. I… what if my wings never fully heal?”

“They will,” Rainbow answered firmly. “I know they will.”

“You don’t know that.”

She smiled a little, amused by the sudden role reversal compared to their conversation just minutes ago. “No, I don’t,” she replied. “But, I do know that you’re a strong dragon.” She now had both hooves holding onto his hand. “I know that you’ll get better because something like a broken wing won’t be enough to keep you on the ground.”

“Technically, it would be enough to—” He bit down on his words as Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. Instead of continuing his thought, he just nodded his head and forced a smile back onto his lips. “Thanks…”

“You can thank me when we’re flying through the air together again,” Rainbow said in a confident tone. “I still have to teach you more aerial stunts, right?”

Spike nodded again. “Y-yeah.”

“That’s the spirit. Those wings will heal and we’ll both be flying in no time. Just you watch.”

Rainbow left shortly after, but promised she would stop by again tomorrow with some homemade pasta salad for lunch. Spike spent the remainder of his day lying in bed reading the seemingly infinite number of poems written by Princess Luna while his thoughts drifted to the mare he had come to see as a dear friend, a flight coach, a confidant, and something more that he couldn’t quite name yet, but felt was real nevertheless.

About a month later…

“So…?”

Spike walked outside the hospital, Twilight, Rarity, and Fancy Pants accompanying him. He looked over his shoulder to see Rarity giving him a curious smile.

“What?” Spike asked.

“How does it feel to finally be free again?” Rarity asked, laughter dancing just beneath the surface of her smile.

The drake let out a snort, shaking his head and chuckling. “Great.” He took in a deep gulp of the summer air and exhaled. He flexed both his wings slowly, his eyes consciously scanning over them as he did so.

“You okay?” Twilight asked. “No pain?”

Spike continued to stretch and flex his wings, giving them a few experimental flaps and lifting slowly off the ground.

“Spike…” Twilight said, her tone growing worried by the second as he flapped his wings a little harder.

After gaining a few feet of altitude, Spike landed with a quiet thud. “Nope. No pain at all!” He flashed the three ponies a toothy grin.

The worry vanished from Twilight’s expression instantly. “Wonderful! The hospital staff really did a great job at helping you recover. That and they compiled lots of information on treating dragons, too!”

Fancy Pants chuckled as Spike rolled his eyes at the librarian's antics. “Well, Spike old boy, I do believe a certain pegasus mare was hoping to see you as soon as you got out of the hospital today.” Spike’s ear frills twitched, and his attention was now on the stallion. “She asked us to tell you that she would like to meet you outside of Ponyville, on the usual hill.”

“So, is that why she didn’t come here instead?” he asked Fancypants.

“Mm, I do believe she mentioned something about knowing you’d be okay in the first place, and didn’t need the doctors to tell her what she already knew was true,” the stallion answered.

“She also seemed a tad jittery when we spoke with her,” Rarity added in with a knowing smile. “Not necessarily a bad kind of nervousness, though, mind you. She was rather excited when she heard you’d be let out today.”

Spike looked to Twilight anxiously. She raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Spike… I don’t think I need to give you permission to go and see a friend, do I? You’re a big dragon, after all.”

Blushing slightly, Spike gave a sheepish grin. “Er, right, heh. Um… I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Go on,” Twilight said with a laugh, urging him on with a wave of a hoof. “Just please be sure to take it easy on the wings.” She lifted up the heavy tome of Waxing Crescent’s works. “I’ll hold onto this in the meantime. You can come pick it up at the library later, okay?”

“Will do, Twilight! Later guys!”

Spike kicked off the ground and was in the air within seconds with a few flaps of his wings. He looked to the horizon and could help but grin. Stiffness aside, his wings felt more or less how they should. It was as though he had never crashed at all. He vaguely recalled some information Twilight had found in her research while he was recovering regarding dragon biology. Something to do with how muscle atrophy was slower with dragons, which would explain the strength he still had in his wings after being bedridden.

It has been too long.

Spike laughed as he passed by a flock of birds that scattered when they spotted the dragon. He lowered himself a little, allowing his claws to graze against the canopy of a few trees. He could understand a little better why Rainbow Dash was so caught up with flight all the time; after being grounded for any amount of time, you learned to appreciate how free you felt when flying.

Speaking of the pegasus mare, he could spot a cyan and rainbow colored blob just within his range of vision, sitting on a rolling hill outside of Ponyville proper. As he drew closer, an idea struck him, and a mischievous smirk crossed his lips.

Tucking his wings in a little, Spike dropped in altitude. He adjusted his path, and sucked in a gulp of air as he drew closer to Rainbow Dash. Just when he was within earshot of her, he belted out a loud roar and flew past her. He was rewarded for his efforts with a yelp of surprise from the pegasus as she hopped a few feet in the air, her wings jutting out in alarm. He cackled loudly as he lifted back up into the air and was barely able to make out the shouting from the pegasus.

He continued flying away from her, smiling as he heard the the telltale sound of Rainbow Dash’s powerful wings cutting through the air to catch up with him. He turned nonchalantly to the side to see her flying beside him, her eyes narrowed and an annoyed look on her face.

“Jerk,” she grumbled halfheartedly.

Spike replied with a wink.

“So, looks like you’re still able to fly,” Rainbow remarked with an appreciative nod to Spike’s wings. “What’d I tell you?”

Spike once more replied nonverbally, flying a little closer to her and sinking beneath her. He raised his neck up and nuzzled her briefly.

Rainbow blushed a little at the affection, but a smile slowly worked its way onto her lips.

“Thanks, Rainbow,” Spike said, just loud enough to be heard over the air rushing past them.

She returned the nuzzle by sidling up beside him and rubbing her cheek against his. “You big dork.”

The two came to a landing shortly after Spike began to complain about about his wings growing tired. They now sat on the top of their favorite hill, the two sitting in comfortable silence.

“So…” Spike eventually began, breaking the silence. “I’m not sure if I’ll be up to snuff in time for the Best Young Flyer competition…” He sagged a bit. “I know that bet we made was within my dream or whatever, but I still plan on holding up my end of the deal.” He frowned. "And, to be honest, that flying took a lot more out of me than it should have."

Rainbow looked up to him and gave him a lopsided grin. “Hey, it’s cool. It takes time to get back into flying shape after all that time of doing almost nothing. Honestly, I’m surprised you flew as long as you did back there. Looks like my training paid off with you after all.” She bumped his shoulder with a hoof, satisfied when she felt the solid mass of muscle beneath his scales. “You haven’t lost too much muscle mass, at least.”

Spike quirked an eyebrow. “Hm?” He smirked. “Keeping your eye on the prize, huh?”

Rainbow Dash returned the smirk with one of her own. “You caught me.”

Spike grinned as she leaned against him a little. They remained that way for what may have been hours, or perhaps just a few minutes. Neither of them really cared, either way. For now, all that mattered was that they had a second chance, and they weren’t intent on squandering it.

A few weeks had passed since Spike’s release from the hospital. Shortly after his release, Spike and Rainbow Dash had announced to their friend that they were “officially” a couple. They kept it as low key as possible to anyone outside of their trusted group of friends, but as with most things in Ponyville, word still got around. Before either Spike or Rainbow Dash knew it, they had become a staple topic in the gossip of Ponyville’s denizens.

It wasn’t necessarily a secret, though. After all, Rainbow Dash’s cloud house had, for reasons initially unexplained, moved itself right next door to Spike’s giant stone abode. The juxtaposition of the two homes was rather beautiful, according to Rarity. The fashionista claimed the spartan look of Spike’s stone abode and Rainbow’s beautiful cloudhouse was a wonderful harmonization of two opposites, much like the respective homeowners’ own relationship.

Like most gossip within Ponyville, it remained mostly that: gossip. The couple had little in the way of problems, aside from some teasing from their friends from time to time, as well as a few glances from mares and stallions whenever they frequented a public hangout.

All in all, though, they were happy with their current situation.

Today was a lazy Saturday morning for Spike. He had just started returning to work, taking small orders of rocks to be shipped to various places in Equestria. However, it was the weekend, and being his own boss, he had decided to take today off. As such, he decided to make the best of it by doing what any hot-blooded male dragon would do: sleep in.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

“Spike! Spike, wake up!”

A blur of colors zipped in through an open window of Spike’s home, shouting loudly and stirring the drake from his slumber.

“Mmph, just a minute…” Spike murmured, rolling over on his futon and fluffing his pillow.

The wild blur of feathers and fur landed beside him, and gave him a not-so-gentle nudge with a hoof. “C’mon, Spike! Wake up, I gotta show you something!”

Spike slowly, with deliberate sluggishness, rose up from his futon. He yawned and stretched, his shoulders popping as he flexed his arms and wings. When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of a positively giddy Rainbow Dash holding a newspaper in her teeth. The Cloudsdale Courier, to be exact.

He squinted as he read the headline on the front page.“‘Soarin’ of the Wonderbolts Announces Retirement, Rainbow Dash of Reserve Team To Take Over Position’. Huh, well, that spread fast.” Spike took the paper from Rainbow Dash and perused the contents. “Nothing new from what you’ve already told me before, though. Props to the Wonderbolts for being able to keep this news tight-lipped for so long.” He looked over the paper, meeting Rainbow’s still cheery face. “I’m happy for you, Rainbow, but… I already know about this. I mean, hey, the press coverage is great for getting yourself some reputation, I won’t deny that.”

“I have an interview scheduled with Equestrian Athletics next week!” Rainbow said, her voice brimming with excitement. “Do you know how big this is? This is, like, so awesome, Spike! Equestrian Athletics is the most popular sports magazine in the entire country! And they want to interview me!” She could no longer contain her delight, and began bouncing in place while squealing like a prepubescent fanfilly.

Spike watched his marefriend teeter on the brink of a severe fangasm with genuine adoration. Celestia help him, he could not help but find her adorable when she acted like that. He considered himself lucky to be among the few privileged individuals that were allowed to see her like this.

Oh, and now she’s doing that adorable little giggle-scream of hers. He cleared his throat to get her attention, a task that proved to be rather difficult when the mare whose attention he was currently seeking was flittering around in pure, unadulterated elation.

“Rainbow,” Spike called out. No response other than the rapidfire babbling of the excited pegasus. “Rainbow Dash…” Still nothing. Spike held out an arm, catching the mare by the tail and slowly pulling him down. “Take it down a notch.” He winked at her and gave her a soft smile.

Rainbow, to her credit, gave him a bashful grin in return as she settled back down to the ground. “R-right, sorry, I just…” She let out a quiet squeak, then cleared her throat. “This is just how I imagined it’d be like, Spike!”

“I know,” Spike chuckled, lying down on his stomach so that he could relax and speak at eye level with her. “So, where’s the interview taking place? Cloudsdale?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Um…” Her excitement faded a bit. “I… actually was thinking we could have the interview here. At our place.”

Our place. That word alone meant so much to Spike. Still…

“H-here? Really?”

“That’s not a huge issue, is it? I can contact them and let them know if it is. I haven’t given them a final response yet. I wanted to talk to you, first.” She scuffed the floor with a hoof, then added in a much more subdued tone. “I… wanted them to see a little of who I am, you know? Let the fans know a bit about the mare behind the flight goggles.”

“When you say ‘see a little of who I am’, do you also mean…”

Rainbow gave Spike a firm nod. “You’re a part of my life. We’ve only been together for a little while, I know, but you’re important to me. I…” She rubbed her neck with a hoof, and mumbled while smiling demurely. “I want them to see a little of what inspires me, you know?”

The dragon’s chest swelled with pride, and a warmth spread throughout his body. “Rainbow…”

“I know it’s really cheesy, but that’s just how I feel, you know? If you want to have the interview somewhere else, we can have them talk with me at one of the cafés in town or—”

“No, it’s fine,” Spike cut her off softly. “And yeah, that was really cheesy, but…I appreciate that.”

Rainbow’s wings flapped as she fidgeted in place. “Yeah… just don’t go teasing me about it all the time, okay?”

“Oh, I’m not making any promises there. You have a soft spot, and I plan on taking full advantage of seeing it more often.” He smirked as she flushed a deeper red in the cheeks. “What can I say? You’re cute when you’re romantic.”

“Yeah, I guess I am pretty awesome like… wait, did you just say I’m cute?”

Spike waggled his eyebrows at the mare. Her bottom lip was now drawn out in a fierce pout.

“Take it back,” Rainbow grumbled.

“No,” Spike snickered, trying his best to keep himself from laughing at Rainbow’s antics.

“Do it. Now.” Rainbow’s wings flared out, her eyes flashing with ferocity. Spike could see through her facade, though. She wasn’t angry, not really.

She was just very, very prideful.

“Last chance, or I’ll make you regret it.” She flashed him a confident smirk, her eyes narrowing with a predatory gleam.

“Pfft, fat chance.”

Let it not be said that Spike didn’t enjoy playing with fire every now and then.

Not a second later, Spike was tackled by the mare. He may have intentionally fallen onto his back while feigning surprise. She quickly pinned him to his futon, pressing a hoof to his chest, a smug look on her face.

“You do realize I could easily push you off of me, right?”

Rainbow Dash replied by flexing out one of her wings. She studied her feathers for a moment, brushing a hoof gently through them.

Spike visibly paled. She played this game with him before.

“O-okay, I might have been joking a little bit, but you can’t blame me for being that way when you—pffthahahahaha! Gyaaaahhahaha!” Spike squirmed as Dash’s feathers tickled him under the chin and around his neck.

Needless to say, scales meant nothing against a playful pegasus armed with weather-resistant feathers.

“Say it!” Rainbow cried out with a grin.

“O-okay! Okay! I’ll say it, I’ll say it!”

Rainbow pulled her wing away from him and let the dragon catch his breath. He laughed a little and wiped a few tears from his eyes. He looked up to her as she gave him an expectant look.

“Well…? Let me hear you say it, Spike.” Rainbow looked down to her quarry with a triumphant grin. “Say, ‘I take it back, Rainbow Dash. You’re not cute, you’re awesome.’ Let’s hear it.”

Spike drew in a breath, and said softly. “I…” He licked his lips. “I take it back, Rainbow Dash. You’re not cute… you’re absolutely adorable when you go all fanfilly mode. You’re excited squealing is the envy of every little teenage filly in Equestria who’s ever gone to a colt-band concert, and I wish I owned a recording device so I could listen to it whenever—gaahaha, totally worth it, totally worth it! Hahahaha!”

Rainbow Dash renewed her tickling upon the—admittedly willing—drake.

After about a minute, the tickling had devolved into the two rolling on the futon laughing while they’re limbs were intertwined.

“So… when did you plan on having the interview?” Spike breathed out after Rainbow’s tickling ceased.

“I was thinking maybe two weeks from now? Saturday afternoon or Sunday afternoon?” Rainbow replied, her tone clearly asking for his thoughts on the matter.

“How about Saturday, then? I can make some nachos and we’ll make a day out of it.” He stroked a finger through her rainbow colored bangs. “Unless you want me to make something else besides nachos?”

“Nah, your nachos are always great. Homemade salsa with some guacamole and I’m in heaven…” She wormed her head into the crook of his neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay with this.”

“I’m glad you’re okay with all of this, too. I mean, I know there’s probably more than a few ponies who’d try and make a huge deal of us dating,” Spike replied.

“Hey, we’re in this together, right? I’m not going to try and hide our relationship from everyone. Besides,” Rainbow Dash purred. “If I can get a few of my future teammates jealous when they see how awesome you are, all the better.”

“Of course,” Spike laughed. “I should have known it would be for a less-than-noble reason.”

In reply, Rainbow Dash nipped at one of his ears frills, earning a hiss from the dragon that wasn’t entirely from pain.

We had the chance to speak with the soon-to-be member of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash. While also being a national hero, Rainbow Dash is perhaps one of the most gifted fliers of her generation, and stands to bring a refreshing flair to the Wonderbolts scene for fans both old and new.

Rainbow Dash and her drakefriend, Spike, allowed us into their home to conduct a personal interview so that we could get to know the mare behind the uniform. While she has yet to be officially inducted into the Wonderbolts, official announcements from the Wonderbolts' own Captain Spitfire have made it crystal clear that Rainbow Dash will be taking up the reins of Lieutenant upon Soarin’s his retirement.

EqA: So, Miss Dash, I’m sure many of your fans and soon-to-be fans are wondering what drove you to be a Wonderbolt?

RD: Well, that’s simple! I’ve loved flying since the day I was able to. The thrill of cutting through the sky is one of the greatest feelings you can ever experience, and I live for that. I’ve always dreamed of showing everyone just how great of a flier I am. I know it sounds egotistical, but that’s how I’ve always felt. Joining the Wonderbolts allows me to share that with the rest of the world, and maybe inspire a few young colts and fillies to show their own talents as well.

EqA: So, this isn’t just for yourself, but also for the fans?

RD: I guess so, yeah. I have a few fans in my hometown, one of them is a mare who I consider to be a little sister. Without my friends’ support, I’d probably never have gotten as far as I have. I owe them a lot. Joining the Wonderbolts is a way for me to follow that dream of mine while also thanking my friends for all their support, you know?

EqA: If you don’t mind me asking, was Spike among those that has supported you joining the Wonderbolts?

RD: (laughs) Definitely. We’ve known each other for years, and he’s always been happy to cheer me on. When he grew out his own wings, I was there to teach him how to fly. We’re each other’s support system, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

EqA: So, a few years back during The Best Young Flyer competition, you managed to pull of the legendary Sonic Rainboom, and have done it several times more since then. Can we expect to see that maneuver in your future performances?

RD: You bet, but I’m not some one trick pony. I’ve got a lot of stunts and tricks I plan to show everyone, and I know Spitfire and the other vets will have a few things they’ll want to teach me. Let’s just say that you can safely bet that our future performances will be top-notch and amazing.

EqA: No doubt. Forgive me for getting off topic here, but you mentioned that you helped teach Spike how to fly? How was that? I imagine teaching a dragon to fly is a bit different than teaching a pegasus colt or filly.

RD: It was different, but I did some research. Once you figure out how dragons work as far as flying goes, it’s not that hard to adapt. We’re built a little differently, but the mechanics are still the same when it comes to staying in the air. He’s just got a lot more bulk to keep in the sky, but he’s also got larger wings, too.

EqA: I imagine he probably won’t be able to ever achieve speeds needed to perform a Sonic Rainboom, correct?

RD: Well, that’s not for me to decide, but I don’t think Spike’s interested in speed stunts and stuff like that. To be honest, the idea of seeing him do that is a little scary: he weighs more than I do, so it’d be a lot harder to control his movements once he gets going at speeds like that.

Spike: For the record, I have no interest in breaking the flight speed record anytime soon. I’d likely be breaking more than just records if I tried.

RD: There you go.

EqA: Would it be possible for non-pegasi to join the Wonderbolts some day? Perhaps griffons, or even dragons like Spike?

RD: That’s actually a good question. I might have to run that by Spitfire and the others that are in charge of such decisions. Equestria’s not just home to ponies, after all. Personally, I’m all for anyone who has the dedication and the drive to improve themselves to join the Wonderbolt Academy.

EqA: One more question for the readers, Miss Dash: Is there any advice you can give to others out there who wish to become great fliers like you?

RD: Definitely. First, you have to believe in yourself. You will always be your biggest critic, but you should also be your biggest fan. Know your limits, but never restrain yourself from going a little further. Improvement comes to those who want it. Oh, it also helps to have friends and family who will be there to pick you up when you’ve had a rough landing or are in a rut.Sometimes you need words from someone that isn’t a speed demon like me to make you realize just how talented you really are.

EqA: Thank you, Miss Dash. I know I speak for many when I say we all look forward to what you’ll have to offer us in the coming months when you join the Wonderbolts.

Rainbow Dash will be joining the Wonderbolts before the end of this year as the new Lieutenant of the organization. While details are still unclear, we have been informed that Soarin’, while retired, will be working with Rainbow Dash as an advisor for a duration of time to help her settle into her role as the second-in-command.

While we have asked Rainbow Dash about the possibility, it has been hinted by Captain Spitfire and a few other higher-ranked members of the Wonderbolts like Fleetfoot and Misty Fly that there is a growing interest in opening up the Wonderbolts recruitment to non-pegasi fliers. If this were to be the case, it would mark a brand new chapter in Wonderbolts history. Hopefully we will see this come to fruition before too long.

Keep an eye on future issues of Equestrian Athletics where we will be talking with other members of the Wonderbolts, and ask them for their thoughts on Rainbow Dash joining up as the new Lieutenant right from the get-go.

Spike smirked as he glanced over the magazine. There were a few photos of Rainbow Dash posing and flying through the skies of Ponyville scattered throughout the article. He was thankful to the staff of Equestrian Athletics magazine for keeping their residency private. While he was certain it wouldn’t be too hard to find out that one of Equestria’s heroes lived in Ponyville, it would at least deter swarms of fans that would no doubt be cropping up with Rainbow’s steadily growing fame.

Flipping to the last page of the article made him pause, and his smirk melted into a fond smile as he flushed with a hint of embarrassment. There was Rainbow Dash, both forelegs wrapped around Spike’s neck as she nuzzled him lovingly. She had a wide grin and her eyes closed as Spike tried his best to not look too flustered in front of the camera. He remembered this picture being one that Striding Stratus, the mare who had interviewed them, managed to capture right before she left. Of course, she had asked for Rainbow and Spike’s permission to use any photos before the article had been published, but it didn’t lessen the fact that Spike was blushing like a beet in the picture.

Though… it helped that Rainbow had told him flat out that she didn’t want to hide the fact that they were dating. Sure, the Wonderbolts were susceptible to the occasional tabloid or gossip rag, but for the most part the media outlets that covered them were legitimate sources. She had confidence that they wouldn’t receive too much publicity.

With thoughts of the chromatic mare coming to mind, Spike slumped a bit and rested on his futon. Looking outside, he saw that the rainstorm that had been scheduled didn’t appear to be letting up any time soon. Thus, his options for entertainment were restricted to what he could find in his house. Glancing to the corner, his smile returned when he spotted a vibrant orange bird snoozing beside a large green tortoise shell. The faint sounds of snoring could be heard from within the shell.

Peewee and Tank had become fast friends in the short time since Rainbow and Spike had started dating. While the young phoenix preferred roaming the wilds these days and never stuck around the tamer area around Ponyville for too long, he would come by from time to time. Tank had proven to be rather patient friend for the rambunctious bird, going so far as letting the young avian perch on his shell whenever he rested and sharing his vegetables during meal time.

Peewee would likely leave tomorrow, weather permitting, and before long it would be fall. Then, he would migrate to warmer regions for the winter with his family. Of course, Spike would make sure there was some extra suet, ash cakes, and spiced bird seed outside over the next few weeks so that the few phoenixes passing through could make a quick stop before they continued onward.

Rainbow would love to see this. Spike thought as he watched the peaceful scene for a bit longer. He got up and stretched out wings and limbs, stirring Peewee from his slumber.

The young phoenix let out a garbled noise as he flapped his wings a few times while shaking off his drowsiness.

“Sorry, buddy, didn’t mean to wake you.”

Peewee replied in kind by fluttering into the air and perching on Spike’s back. The drake chuckled and scratched Peewee’s neck gently, eliciting a pleased coo from the bird.

“Oh, hey, I forgot to give this to you earlier. Rainbow said you might like it. It’s from Cloudsdale; apparently it’s popular with magic birds like phoenixes.”

Spike lumbered into the kitchen area of his stone abode, digging through the pantry before pulling out a small paper bag. Peewee cocked his head to the side as Spike opened the bag and poured the contents into a bowl. The phoenix let out a pleasant warble as a mixture of seeds and charcoal fell into the bowl. It had a strange, albeit pleasant, smell that intrigued Peewee, if the cooing he made was any indication to go off of.

“It’s a mixture of bird seed and charcoal with some liquid rainbow mixed in. Rainbow got it from a speciality shop when she was in Cloudsdale during her last meeting with the Wonderbolts. She was told that phoenixes are big fans of it,” Spike explained to his avian friend.

Peewee took another sniff and fluttered down from his perch on Spike’s back. Phoenixes possessed a rather strong sense of smell compared to most birds. Most ornithologists believed it was due to their strange diet. Since burnt plant matter is a major part of any phoenix diet, the ability to sniff out smoke and ash was necessary for the exotic species.

After a final, tentative sniff, Peewee plucked a rather large sunflower seed from the bowl and cracked it with his beak before eating it. His eyes widened a bit, and he let out a hoot of approval before digging in.

“Heh, I thought you’d like it. Enjoy, Peewee. I’m going to—hm?” Spike felt a gentle nudge at his back left leg, and was greeted with the sight of Tank, looking up at him with his usual peaceful expression. “Oh, hey, Tank. You hungry, too?”

Tank gave a slow nod, and Spike chuckled. “Alright, I’ll get you some veggies in a moment. I think Rainbow left me some food in the root cellar for you.”

Several minutes later found the trio eating their respective meals, Spike settling for a triple-decker peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich with garnets mixed in while Tank feasted upon some leafy greens and diced vegetables with some bits of melon. All pre-approved by Fluttershy, of course.

“She said she’d be back later today, but this weather might slow her down.”

Tank looked up from his food to meet Spike’s gaze.

Spike gave the tortoise a small grin. “I’m… not saying I can’t make it through a day without seeing her, but you know how awesome it is to have her around.”

Tank gave Spike a small smile before returning to his food. Whether the tortoise understood Spike was irrelevant; Spike appreciated the tortoise regardless. Tank was a good listener, even if Spike wasn’t entirely sure that the tortoise understood what was being said half the time.

“Eh, a little rain never slowed her down too much…it’s not raining too hard for her, right?” Spike thought aloud, earning a warble from Peewee.

As if on cue, the front door opened, revealing none other than the mare in question. She was dripping wet, and had a huge smile on her face.

“I’m back!” she said in greeting when she met the gaze of the three.

“Rainbow!” Spike got up from his chair and embraced the pegasus mare before she could even make it two steps into the house. “How was Cloudsdale?”

Rainbow waved a hoof after she was set back down. “Eh, alright. Spitfire and Soarin’ just needed me to fill out some paperwork and get my official ID stuff taken care of. I would’ve gotten back sooner, but they wanted to take me out for lunch.” She looked between the three males and grinned. “Looks like you guys had the same idea, huh?”

Spike just grinned while Peewee returned to his food.

Rainbow’s smile softened as she saw Tank slowly make his way to her. “Aw, there’s my favorite guy! C’mere, you!” Rainbow met Tank halfway and lifted him up with her hooves and nuzzled the reptile lovingly. “Were you good for Spike while I was gone?”

“He and Peewee kept each other company,” Spike replied. His smile dropped a bit as he added. “Wait, Tank’s your favorite guy?”

Rainbow smirked a little as she nuzzled Tank some more. “Yeah, but you’re my absolute favorite guy.”

“That sounds like Pinkie logic right there to me,” Spike said with an amused smile. “Still, I’m glad you’re back.”

“Must’ve been a pretty boring day, huh?” Rainbow asked. “I didn’t check the weather before I left...wish I had known it was going to rain.”

Spike hummed softly and nuzzled Rainbow. He could smell the fresh scent of rainfall in her mane, though she always seemed to have that scent to her. He’d gotten rather used to it, to be honest.

“Yeah, yeah, I missed you too, Spike,” she giggled as she returned the nuzzle after setting Tank down. “So, you got any plans for tomorrow? I was thinking of stopping by Sugarcube Corner and seeing Pinkie, if you wanna come with. Maud’s in town this weekend.”

Spike looked up at the mentioning of the eldest of the Pie siblings. “Oh yeah! Pinkie stopped by earlier this week and told me she’d be visiting. I… almost forgot, actually, heh.” He scratched his neck as Rainbow Dash gave him an amused smirk. “It’s her birthday tomorrow, isn’t it? I think that’s what Pinkie told me, if I remember right.”

“Well, technically, it’s the day after tomorrow, but the girls are throwing her a small party to celebrate early, even though she’s not big on birthday parties, I guess. Sounds like she’s okay if it’s just a small group, though.” She grinned as Spike’s eyebrows rose. “I know how much you and Maud like talking about rocks, so I thought you’d like to see her.”

Well, dang, now I’m going to have to get Maud a present, huh?” Spike tapped his chin in thought. “You think she’d like some pieces of granite with citrine in them?”

She chuckled. “Heck if I know! You know more about her taste in rocks than I ever will. I was just going to give her some ankle weights that I never used. She said she wants to try weight training the last time she was in town.”

“Maud… doing weight training?” Spike shuddered. “That mare doesn’t need to get any stronger.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Rainbow chuckled in agreement. “Though, imagine how cool it’d be to see her chucking around mountains after she’s finished. I’m definitely getting her the weights.” Rainbow beamed. “If anything she’ll like them for being made of iron, I bet.”

Spike could only sigh in response.

The next day found Spike and Rainbow Dash making their way to the Sugarcube Corner. They could already hear the sounds of music and celebration from within. As soon as they made their way through the doors, they were greeted by a pink bundle of joy, who immediately placed a party hat on the two.

“Rainbow Dash! Spike! Thank you so much for coming! Maud was hoping you’d show!”

“Hey, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash greeted her friend with a tight hug. “Of course we’d show up. Spike needs to talk to his geology buddy, after all.”

The two mares giggled as Spike rolled his eyes and gave an amused sigh.

“Right, right. So, where is the birthday girl right now?” Spike asked.

Pinkie Pie pointed towards the table that was covered in trays full of sweet and not-so-sweet things, all of them had a piece of rock or two in them. While she might not have much of a sweet tooth, Spike swore the entire Pie family had some distant dragon ancestry in their blood. How the heck were they able to eat rocks, otherwise?

“Is… that a giant bowl of coleslaw?” Rainbow asked after a moment of studying the table. “With… rocks in it?”

“Yeah, Maud likes the stuff. C’mon, let’s go say hi to her!”

Spike and Rainbow Dash followed the party mare. Spike and Rainbow waved to their friends, noting that pretty much all their friends had already made it.

“Maud! Guess who’s finally here?!”

Maud Pie, who was currently in a conversation with Twilight, looked to the newcomers. It was subtle, but Spike noticed her eyes widen a little. “Rainbow Dash. Spike. Thank you for coming.”

Spike and Rainbow smiled, walking forward and each giving the gray mare a hug. “Wouldn’t miss it, Maud,” Rainbow replied. She gave Spike a nod, and the drake in turn set down a present with a dull thud before the birthday pony. “I know you’re not huge on presents, but I thought you’d like these.”

Maud took the wrapped box from Rainbow and opened it to reveal two sets of ankle weights. “Wow. I can’t believe you remembered me talking about those, Rainbow Dash.” She looked up from her weights and met Rainbow’s gaze. “Thank you. I’ll put them on right away.”

“The black ones are each about thirty pounds. I figured you’d like to start a little light. Considering how strong you are, you’ll probably get used to them in no time, so I also gave you my old thirty-five pound weights as well so you can move up when you get used to the thirties.”

Maud nodded as she tightened the straps of the metal weights around all four ankles. “They feel heavy. Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it!” Rainbow said with a grin. “Spike got you something too!”

Spike set down his gift, which was a bit smaller, but still heavy. “I found this a few months ago while I was out at my third digging site. I thought it looked nice, and I don’t get many requests for this kind of rock, so I figured you’d like to add it to your collection.”

Maud paused for a long moment as she set a hoof on the present. She looked from Spike to the box, and slowly opened it. When she finally took in the sight of the rock within, Spike swore he saw her mouth open a little in surprise. She brought the large stone to eye level, then sniffed it for a moment. After several long seconds passed, she bit down on one of the crystals, not too hard, but enough to cause Twilight and Rainbow Dash to wince at the display.

Maud finally set the rock down and looked up at the drake. “Spike… is this citrine?”

“Yep! It’s got quite a bit of ferric impurities in it. I haven’t seen another sample of it around this particular area, so I figured you’d have more appreciation for it than me. I’m not much for collecting rocks; mostly gems.”

Maud was quiet for a few long moments, her hoof gently gliding over the rough surface of the granite covered in yellow-brown quartz.

“Thank you.”

“Aww, Spike, you’re getting Maud all choked up!” Pinkie nuzzled her sister as she went on. “You don’t have any good citrine samples back at your place, do you, Maud?”

“No. It’s pretty rare in Equestria,” Maud answered after several moments passed. “Spike, you’ll need to show me where you found it some time.”

“Gladly,” Spike said with a nod.

Eventually, Spike and Rainbow Dash went off to mingle with the rest of the partygoers. Between embarrassing stories about his whelp days being told by Twilight, requests from almost-school age Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake to show off his green flames, and some amusing tales about the social elite of Canterlot told by Fancypants and Rarity, Spike found time had passed him by relatively quickly. Before he knew it was going into the evening, and Cup Cake and Pinkie had made dinner for the party guests that consisted of an eggplant lasagna and a type of carrot soup that Maud was particularly fond of. Rocks were available to be placed in the soup upon a pony’s request.

As everyone ate and conversed, Spike found himself dwelling on thoughts that he had been trying not to fret over for the past few weeks. Not so much because they were bad thoughts, but because he didn’t really know if he should enact upon them yet or not.

He let out a sigh as he slurped his carrot soup, chewing up pieces of carrot and sandstone as he did so. Rainbow was currently engaged in what would likely devolve into an argument between her and Applejack while the rest of the party was either listening in on their conversation or occupied with Pinkie’s joke that apparently was about two princesses, a yak, and a goat walking into a salt bar.

“Bit for your thoughts, Spike?”

Spike blinked, looking up from his soup and turning to the sound of his name being called. He was surprised to see not one of the girls, but Carrot Cake standing beside him.

“Oh, hey, Mr. Cake.”

The older male chuckled. “Spike, you’ve known me for how long now? I think Carrot Cake is fine. Besides, I’m already a father. No need to make me sound any older.”

Spike smiled a bit. “Right, heh.”

“Cup Cake noticed you sitting all the way over here. She thought you might have something on your mind.” He looked to the rest of the guests as he smirked. “I know it’s not easy being one of the only guys in a group of mares. Not the worst kind of problem for a drake your age, though, I can imagine.”

Spike let out a snort of laughter. “No, it’s not. I just… actually…” Spike let out a hum of thought. “Maybe you could help me. I’ve… had something on my mind for a while.”

“Alright,” Carrot Cake took a seat beside Spike and nodded. “Not sure how much I can do to help, being a stallion and not a dragon, but I’ll listen.”

Spike gave him a grateful smile. “It’s… about Rainbow Dash and I…”

Carrot Cake nodded. “Well, I think I might be able to help there. Go on.”

Spike looked to the mares, relieved to see they were all still occupied with their own conversations. “Mind if I ask you a question? A… sort of personal one?”

Carrot Cake blinked. “Uh, maybe? What did you want to ask?”

“You and Mrs. Cake have been married for a while now, right?” A nod from Carrot Cake. “So… did you pop the question to her, or did she?”

“Ah…” Carrot Cake raised an eyebrow. “I was the one who asked, but only after we’d been dating each other for almost four years.”

“Four years, huh?” Spike frowned a bit.

“Spike… are you thinking of…?”

“No. No, not… not really. Not yet,” Spike answered with a weak laugh. “I mean, I really got lucky. I said some stupid things to her, but Rainbow still forgave me for saying them. I don’t want to rush anything, but sometimes I wonder I ponder it. I really care about her, and it’s not hard to imagine spending the rest of my days with her… but…” His gaze dropped down to his cooling soup as he continued. “...dragons live for a long time. Like… there are dragons out there that remember before Princess Luna was banished… and even a few are still alive that remember back when the Windigoes were running amok. Rainbow said it herself that she doesn’t care if she’ll grow old while I barely age over the next century. I’m just worried about what it would be like when… when she’s not…”

Carrot Cake took off his hat and scratched his mane with a hoof. “That’s… a big thing to consider, Spike. I don’t know what it’s entirely like, but if you want my opinion… I’d say that if you really care about her, and she cares about you, then you should let her know however you can.” His gaze wandered to his wife as he continued. “When I met Cup Cake, at first, I felt like I was out of her league. She was class president at our school, beautiful, and the sweetest mare you’d ever laid eyes on. She hasn’t changed a bit since that day, yet here I am, going on to my fifteenth year of being married to her. She gave me two wonderful foals who I love with all my heart, and she still looks at me like I’m the young colt I was back in our younger days.”

Spike couldn’t help but smile at that. “That’s awesome, Carrot Cake. I’d say I’m kind of jealous of you for having that kind of relationship with somepony.”

“Well,” Carrot Cake chuckled, his cheeks reddening a tad. “I don’t claim to know Rainbow Dash as well as you or Pinkie’s friends do. Still, from what I’ve noticed when I see you and Rainbow Dash walking through town, or just stopping by here to grab something to eat or visit Pinkie…? I’d say she probably feels that way about you.” He smirked. “From what I can say, she’s always struck me as a free-spirited gal. For her to be so close to you… even going as far as moving her house next to yours… I think that’s saying something right there.”

“You think so?” Spike asked.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t think this through, but I’d maybe start thinking less about all those what ifs and instead focus on the here and now while trying to see where you might be with her a year from now. Maybe three years, or five, even.”

“Huh…” Spike nodded. “That makes sense, really.”

“I won’t lie, Spike; there’s a big difference between dating and marriage. When you’re married, you’re giving your life to that special somepony and they’re doing the same for you. You start making decisions while thinking about both you and someone else.” He smiled. “It can be stressful, and it’s going to have its ups and downs, but it’s worth it when it works. Cup Cake understands me better than I do half the time, and…well…”

“And vice versa?”

Carrot Cake laughed softly. “Precisely."

Spike nodded in understanding, the smile playing at his lips growing. “Thanks, Carrot Cake. I appreciate it. Really, I do.”

“Just remember that you can't read the future. Things change. No sense in worrying about every uncertainty. You might be scared of it now, but for all you know, something wonderful could be waiting for you down the road that you might miss if you don’t take a chance.”

“Right,” Spike agreed. “I’ll remember that, thanks.”

Spike took in a deep breath, catching the faint scent of fallen leaves. Fall was about a week away for Ponyville, but the Everfree Forest, as usual, decided to go ahead and follow its own schedule. Already he could see the telltale signs of autumn highlighting the deciduous tree population of the immense forest bordering Ponyville.

“I’ll need to get my projects finished before much longer,” Spike thought aloud as he dropped the last slab of stone onto his wagon.

It had been over almost a month since Rainbow Dash’s article was published in Equestrian Athletics. Ever since then, she had slowly been handing over the reins of her position as the lead pony of the Ponyville weather team to Thunderlane, Dizzy Twister, and some of the other more experienced members of the Ponyville weather patrol. She also had been taking trips to Cloudsdale every few days to talk with the Wonderbolts as well as get settled into her role as the future Lieutenant of the flight team.

Today was one of those days, and Spike, as much as he tried to hide it, was finding her more frequent absences to be harder and harder to deal with.

Luckily—or unluckily, depending on how who you asked—he had company today.

“So, Spike, when are you and Rainbow Dash going to merge your houses together and share the same address?”

Spike looked over his shoulder to give Scootaloo a weary look. He turned to face the young pegasus fully as he let out a sigh. “We’re taking this slow, Scoot. Seriously, stop asking.”

Scootaloo had been a welcome, and at times frustrating, friend since Spike and Rainbow had started dating. She offered Spike advice when he needed it, and her insight into Rainbow Dash’s at times hard headed behavior was a blessing for him.

She was also very good at pestering him with questions that bordered from the tame, such as asking Spike how his date with Rainbow Dash in Fillydelphia last week was, to the personal, like how it felt to kiss a dragon that had a tongue like Spike's, as she had so eloquently put it.

Rainbow had found her to be infinitely amusing, but Spike…

“Are you nervous that she’ll think you’re coming on too strong? Because I know she probably won’t think that, Spike. If you want, I can ask her what she would think about it.”

“Scoot, I love you, but—”

“You mean like a big brother? Like family?” Scootaloo asked excitedly, hopping down from the boulder she had been lounging on.

“I… as a friend, Scoot.” He sighed. “Seriously, it’s like you’re trying to get Rainbow Dash and I to…” He stopped himself as he saw Scootaloo’s wings spread out a bit, her grin growing sheepish.

“Well, I did always want an older brother. Even if it’s only a sort-of brother-in-law, but not really an in-law.”

Spike let out another sigh and shook his head. He set down his chisel and hammer and gazed up at the sky. “To be honest, Scoot… I’ve… thought about it.”

The young mare’s wings unfurled as she let a smile cross her lips. “Y-you have?”

“I’ve considered it, nothing more. I haven’t asked her, and I don’t think I should until I’ve got it sorted out in my head, first.” He cast her a glance and smirked. “By the way, aren’t I already sort of like an older brother to you, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom? I am a few years older than you…”

Scootaloo shrugged. “I… don’t know, I guess I just liked the idea of you two being together.”

“You’ve been trying to play matchmaker, haven’t you?”

She snorted. “I barely had to try. You and Dash did most of the work for me. I’m just offering her suggestions, er… I mean…”

Spike gave the mare a suspicious look. “Define suggestions, would you?”

“Um…” Scootaloo let out a nervous chuckle. “O-oh, you know… places to eat, romantic spots around Ponyville, dating spots… honeymoon locations…”

“Honeymoon loca—Scootaloo, really? We’ve been dating for only, like, two months! You’re already talking to Rainbow about that kind of stuff?”

“Hey, you can’t blame me for wanting you two to work, can you? You’re like, the hottest couple in town right now! She’s the Rainbow Dash, and you’re Spike, the coolest dragon in all of Equestria. Who doesn’t want to see you two get hitched?”

“Ugh, Scoot, you’re horrible sometimes, you know that?”

Scootaloo, for her part, just remained smiling, albeit with a hint of shame in her eyes. “Yeah, well, when you two have the wedding, just remember who to have be the mare of honor, okay?” She flared out her wings and lifted off. “I gotta jet, though. Apple Bloom needed help repairing the roof of the farmhouse today so she wouldn’t have to worry about it once winter comes.” She paused, her back still turned towards Spike, and added. “For what it’s worth… Rainbow Dash never objected to my suggestions…”

Spike waved to her as she turned towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Later… and don’t talk to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell about what we talked about!”

A loud groan of annoyance could be heard from the orange blur as she shot off towards the Apples’ farmhouse.

Spike shook his head, unable to stop the smirk from crossing his lips. He set back to work with a particularly stubborn bit of shale that he had found, only to pause as the last words of Scootaloo finally processed in his brain.

“Wait… ‘Rainbow Dash never objected to’…? H- hey, Scoot, hold up a sec—” He turned around, only to find his young pegasus friend was too far away to bother chasing down.

“I… could fly after her, but…” Spike frowned. “Nah.” He returned to his work once more, though he now found himself too occupied with thoughts that weren’t related to proper rock extraction to continue. He set down his tools and sat down on his haunches. “Damn it…”

“I… hm, I must say, this is the first time I’ve received a request like this.”

Mayor Mare was perusing over probably the oddest building permit request she had received in all the years that she had lived in Ponyville. She looked up from the sheet of paper before her to meet the gaze of the young couple before her.

Normally, one of her assistants or a building inspector would have been taking care of this, but since she was free of any demanding business today, Mayor Mare happily took care of things for the two.

She could not deny that she found Spike the dragon and Rainbow Dash to be dating rather endearing. Being an Equestrian small-town bureaucrat, she rarely found anything truly exciting in her day-to-day activities while at work. Though, the fact that she was the mayor of Ponyville of all places probably helped spice up her life a bit. Nothing about the town was really normal, after all.

“I don’t see why this can’t be allowed, Mr. Dragon, Ms. Dash. Just be sure to follow proper enchantment and cloud merging procedures when you have it down and everything should be fine.” She took a quill that was dipped into an inkpot and began filling out the necessary sections to allow the admittedly odd request to make an addition to two very different houses. One was a dome-shaped abode made of special rock that helped insulate the interior… and the other was made of enchanted water vapor.

Again, Ponyville was far from normal. This may as well have been a regular Tuesday afternoon for her.

“Thanks, Mayor,” Rainbow Dash said as the older mare made a copy and passed it over to her. “So, anything else we need?”

“Just be sure to inform the post office of your address change, Rainbow Dash. I’d also recommend finishing the project before mid-November. Sounds like Cloudsdale is eager to get winter rolling early this year.”

“Figures,” Spike said with a grunt. “Good thing I managed to get those work orders done before the ground started freezing.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it, Spike. We can live off my income for winter, and it’s not like you’re going to be too strapped for bits with how much you made.”

“Speaking of which, Spike, we’re always looking for help with bringing in firewood throughout the winter for families in town. Not everypony has time to go out and collect their own firewood, after all. We’d happily pay you for any help you can give.”

“I might have to take you up on that, but I don’t think the payment will be necessary. Maybe a bit during Hearth’s Warming, but I should be fine, like Rainbow said.”

After a few more papers were filled out, Rainbow Dash and Spike left Mayor Mare’s office. She watched them leave, a smile playing at her lips. “Hm. I give them another year… two tops…” She chuckled to herself, making a mental note to locate the filing cabinet with the proper documents needed to issue out marriage licenses.

Author's Notes:

Good gravy, this is way past overdue.

Hope you're all doing well, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's been a little slow-going with updates for this story, but I finally hammered it out. Between my job, having a personal life, and working on my other stories, it took some doing to get this finished.

I'd like to give thanks to Vexy, who despite their own busy schedule, managed to offer some help with polishing this chapter up. Thanks, Vexy!

Anyway, this story has probably another two chapters left to it, possibly three. I have a rough outline of what I have planned, and I may have a little side-story following it (possibly a more mature rating to it, but we'll see).

Well, that's all for now. Take care everyone, and keep on keeping on! Until next time!