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