Chapter 1

The miniature party cannon that greeted her at her front door was the first surprise Rainbow Dash discovered after returning to Ponyville. An empty refrigerator and pantry was the second; there was plenty of feed for her tortoise, but Rainbow wasn't that hungry. By the time she had finished unpacking, however, Rainbow's stomach began to growl, and she decided to pay Sugar Cube Corner a visit, where a third surprise was waiting.

She had laughed when her friends jumped out screaming when she stepped into the suspiciously dark bakery, mostly at herself. Of course Pinkie Pie had prepared a welcome home party for her, complete with rainbow frosted cupcakes and cookies. Rainbow should have seen it coming a mile before she had arrived in town.

As she settled into her seat besides her best friends, Rainbow Dash smiled. Nothing had changed while she had been gone. Twilight Sparkle was the same old lovable egghead, Rarity's dramatic tendencies hadn't changed, and Pinkie Pie was still, well, Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy still lived up to her name and Applejack--

"Well, as promised!" the orange earth pony declared, dropping a large barrel onto the table. Rarity shrieked and glared at Applejack as the cupcakes bounced and nearly escaped their plates. "All the cider ya'll can drink. First cup goes to the mare in honor."

Everypony cheered and hoisted their glasses and mugs as Applejack slid a large cup toward Rainbow. When the pegasus caught it, her smile grew into the biggest grin possible, and she cheered with the rest of her friends, banging the cup in rhythm as the whole bakery began to chant:

"Cider! Cider! Cider! Cider!"

And Applejack was best pony, Rainbow thought as the night blurred around her. The room began to spin, and suddenly she felt queasy. She shut her eyes and waited for the dizziness to subside. When it did, the feeling was replaced by a sense of unparalleled exhaustion, and she groaned as she forced her eyes opened, hissing when light blinded her.

When Rainbow had adjusted to the lighting and lifted her heavy head, she realized that she was no longer at Sugar Cube Corner. The bed she was in wasn't hers. Panic slowly replaced lethargy as she considered the worst possible scenarios. Rainbow quickly scanned the room, hoping to find something to jolt her memory or at least help figure out her location.

"Come, think," Rainbow muttered to herself. "What place in Ponyville has crystal walls..." The pegasus looked over the side of the bed. "...and a crystal floor..." She stared up. "...and a crystal ceiling." Rainbow Dash sighed. "Well, either I somehow ended up in the Crystal Empire, or this is Twilight's castle."

With a yawn, Rainbow stretched toward the shiny ceiling above, then rolled out of bed, dragging the comforter with her. "Where's the filly's room?" Rainbow grumbled, looking around and staring at the dozen doors around her leading to who knew where. She approached one of the doors at random, and when she drew close she noticed the gold placard that read GUEST ROOM 6.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Heh, Twilight would label all her rooms," she said as she walked down the hall, reading each label until she found the room she was looking for. She pushed open the door and was greeted by the sight of a large sink under a mirror, a bathtub decked with various shampoos and soaps, and, to her bladder's sudden relief, a different sort of crystal throne. When she had finished relieving herself, Rainbow went to the sink and gaped at her reflection.

"Geez, how much did I drink last night?" Rainbow muttered as she stared at the mare in the mirror. Her polychromatic mane, which was normally messy and rough, looked as though she had been tossed into a hurricane before running into a tornado. Dark rings circled around her eyes, which were a red color unlike her natural cerise hue. Rainbow turned the tap, and cold bitingly cold water gushed out from the faucet.

A few splashes weren't going to be enough to fix her appearance, but the act did make her feel more awake. Rainbow turned to the tub behind her, then shook her head. Twilight probably wouldn't mind terribly if she borrowed some soap and took a bath without asking, but Rainbow Dash decided against it. She'd clean up when she got back home, after she figured out what happened the previous night. She was more comfortable with cloud showers anyways.

Rainbow Dash soon discovered, however, as she made her way through the castle, that finding clues to piece together last night's events was a mystery in itself. The entire castle was deserted, void of ponies. No servants or guards, Rainbow noted, but Twilight never have any to begin with, unless she had changed her mind about the whole staffing issue while Rainbow had been gone.

But where was Twilight? The princess's bedroom was empty, as were the library, the throne room, and the half dozen studies Rainbow bothered checking. "Why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?" she thought aloud as she stared at the pair of plates and glasses in the kitchen sink. "Like a secret room or something."

Rainbow Dash released a breath of frustration. "Time for some exercise. I need to clear my head," she decided, heading to the front of the castle. As she approached the front gates, she stretched her wings, giving them an experimental flap. Rainbow frowned when she saw how crooked her flight feathers were; she must have slept funny. As she pushed through the castle doors, Rainbow reached back and pulled each feather back into place.

Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, crowded around propped board, stared at her as she stepped out of the castle with a feather between her teeth. Fighting back a blush, Rainbow Dash quickly released the appendage and folded her wings against her sides.

"Hey guys," she greeted smoothly, as if she hadn't been caught in the middle of improvised preening. "What's up?"

"Spike and Twilight," Pinkie Pie answered, pointing upward. "Wow, you look horrible."

Rainbow smirked. "Yeah, I know."

"I mean, not just bad, but like you fell into a toilet and somepony flushed bad."

Rainbow Dash's smile disappeared. "I know."

"Going outside must have taken guts, if you hadn't puked them all out after seeing your reflection. I mean, if I woke up like that, I'd have stayed in bed all day. That or taken a bath first."

"I get it, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow said through gritted teeth. She tried to pull a loose lock of hair back behind her ear and ran a hoof over her mane to smooth it out.

"Just making sure," Pinkie Pie said happily as she pulled the pegasus toward the rest of the group. Applejack and Rarity moved to make room.

"You feelin' alright, sugar cube?" asked Applejack as Rainbow sat beside her. "I know I said you could have as much cider as you wanted, but you gotta know your limit."

"Pft, I have no limits."

"Yes, at least until you collapse," Rarity sniffed. "Dear, I'm taking you to the spa, and I won't take no for an answer."

Rainbow Dash fiddled with her mane with a thoughtful frown. "Can I get some breakfast first? And could somepony tell me what happened last night?"

"You drank too much cider and broke a table when you tried to wrestle Spike," Applejack explained. "No way we were lettin' you fly back home, so we left you at Twilight's."

"I tried to wrestle Spike?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Weird, you think I'd remember something like that. Huh, I don't remember seeing Spike at all last night."

"Well, it has been awhile," Fluttershy said, "I don't think you recognized him when you, um, jumped him."

"It was hilarious!" Pinkie hooted. "You were all like, ah dragon, then pow! Broken table and Mr. Cake fainting."

"That's hardly something to laugh at, Ms. Pie," Rarity said sternly. "One of them could have been seriously hurt."

"Wait, back up," Rainbow Dash said, holding up a hoof. "What do you mean, I didn't recognize Spike? I know I'm not that stupid, even when drunk. Come on, how exactly could I've missed that little scaly guy?"

"Well, he's not exactly a little fella no more," Applejack said. "Spike went through quite the growth spurt this past month."

"He's been hoarding again?"

"No, not exactly," Fluttershy answered. "Twilight thinks it might have to do with Spike having his own room with his own things. She's been giving Spike an allowance for decorations. He's definitely growing slower than that one incident during his birthday anyways."

"Oh, and this time he has wings," Pinkie Pie chimed in.

Rainbow Dash blinked. "What?"

"Wings." Pinkie pointed up toward the clouds again, and this time Rainbow Dash's gaze followed. There, up in the sky, was a large purple dragon struggling to stay in the air as he slowly followed Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash stared at the dragon's spread wings, long and covered with a leathery membrane. Slowly, she shut her mouth.

"Okay, why didn't anypony tell me about this?"

"You didn't tell her 'bout this in your letter?" Applejack asked Pinkie Pie. Pinkie shook her head.

"I thought Rarity was going to."

"Well I assumed Twilight would have," Rarity said when everypony turned to her. "She and Spike are the closest after all."

"Sorry we didn't tell you earlier, Rainbow," Fluttershy said, noticing Rainbow Dash's frown. "Um, you're not mad at us, are you?"

"Huh?" Rainbow shook her head and turned away from the purple flyers above her. "Oh, no, we're cool." She turned back to Spike, who's wings shook unsteadily as he tried to keep his balance. "Wow, he sucks."

"Now that's not very nice," Fluttershy scolded. "He's still learning."

"It's hardly fair to judge the dear by your standards," Rarity agreed. "Spike's improving, and that's what's important."

"Yeah, he only crashed twice this morning," added Pinkie Pie. She pulled Rainbow Dash toward the board next to them and pointed at a pair of white tally marks near the bottom left corner. "See? Two."

"Yeah, I can count." Rainbow shook the earth pony off her and looked over at the chalkboard. She pointed to the number above the tally marks. "What's this number for?"

"Total times Spike's crashed since he started tryin' to fly," Applejack replied. "Well, at least since we start keepin' count anyways."

Rainbow Dash whistled. "Wow. Credit where it's due, Spike's pretty persistent. Uh, is he going to be alright?"

"Twilight was worried for awhile, but it turns out dragons are pretty sturdy. Some of the bad crashes didn't even faze Spike," Fluttershy said.

"And besides," Pinkie piped in, "you've crashed a bunch of times too, and your brain's a-okay."

"Yeah, maybe, but I know I didn't crash that many times," Rainbow scoffed. She pointed to the number on the right side with a box drawn around it. "What about this number?"

"Oh, that's how many times you've crashed," Pinkie blurted before anypony could stop her. "Uh, oops?"

"How many times I've--" Rainbow looked at the number on the left, then turned to the number on the right, then back to the left. "Oh come on, that can't be right. How in Equestria did you come up with that number anyways?"

"Your medical records," Pinkie Pie said.

"My what?"

"Your medical records," Pinkie repeated. "From all the way since you were a filly. They were all in this filing cabinet in the hospital out in the open."

"You did crash a lot when we were fillies," Fluttershy said. "Didn't some ponies call you Rainbow Cr--" The yellow pegasus gasped and covered her mouth. "S-sorry, I didn't mean--"

"Sugar cube, we didn' mean no offense. Spike was feelin' real discouraged after a rough start, so Fluttershy told him even you crashed a bunch when you were learnin'," Applejack explained. "Well, Spike wasn' convinced, so we had to get an exact number, then one thing led to another."

"Think of it in this light, darling," Rarity said, placing a hoof on the pegasus's shoulder. "Thanks to you, our dear Spikey was motivated and encouraged to persevere."

Rainbow gestured toward the chalkboard. "And this is somehow encouraging him?"

"He's made it into a bit of a contest, says he's gonna try and beat you," Applejack said.

"You're not mad, are you?" asked Fluttershy when Rainbow was silent. "We can tell him if you're not comfortable with this."

"So how do I win?" Rainbow suddenly said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Uh, beg your pardon?"

"Do I want a higher number or a smaller one?"

"Well, a smaller number, I'd suppose," Rarity said. "I can't imagine Spike wanting to deliberately hurt himself just to--"

"Hey Spike!" Rainbow hollered. "Want a ruby?"

The dragon turned his head and collided into the cloud in front of him. He passed through it as if it were nothing but air, but the fluffy white cloud pieces blinded him, and in his panic, Spike's wings froze against his side. Everypony winced as the dragon fell to the ground like spear and created a small crater in the dirt with a loud sickening thud. Rainbow Dash rubbed the back on her head sheepishly as her friends, including the very displeased princess up in the sky, glared at her.

"I, probably shouldn't have done that." Clearing her throat, Rainbow leapt into the air and flew toward the dragon shaped hole. A scaly purple head peeked out and groaned, and Rainbow's breath was suddenly caught in her throat. Spike's appearance had changed. The rounded shape she had been familiar with for so long had been replaced with more sharp edges, giving his face a protrusion similar to a pony's muzzle. The flat green fins that ran from his head down his back had become jagged spikes.

Slowly, Spike crawled out of the hole, giving Rainbow Dash a more complete view of his new body. He was larger than she remembered, maybe a bit bigger than herself, but the change in his shape was the most dramatic difference. The Spike she remembered was short and stocky, but the dragon in front of her was slender and lanky. It wasn't entirely different from the creature he had became on his birthday, though not as ugly.

It was the wings, Rainbow decided, that's what had been missing before, what kept him from looking like a proper dragon. As Spike stretched his new appendages, making sure they weren't damaged, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but stare. His wingspan made hers seem tiny, and her own wings spread open as if provoked into a challenge.

Satisfied with the condition of his wings, Spike folded them and turned. Rainbow swallowed as Spike finally noticed her with those green slitted eyes. At least those hadn't changed. "Hey, Spike," she greeted, raising a hoof. "You alright?"

The dragon tilted his head slightly. "Did somepony mention rubies?" he said, his voice a little deeper than she remembered.

As everypony else made their way toward them, Rainbow began to laugh. Spike watched in bewilderment as the pegasus shook with mirth. Rainbow Dash suddenly threw her foreleg around his neck and dragged him toward her before striking his elbow.

"Heh, you really haven't changed, have you?"

Chapter 2

Twilight tried to ignore the thumps across from her as she finished her coffee. She peeked out from her newspaper and watched as Spike's tail whipped back and forth like a pendulum. She felt his intense stare and didn't have to look up to know Spike's features were molded with impatience. Every so often, he would nervously run his thin serpentine tongue over his lips or bend down and flick his tongue at the puddle of syrup on his plate.

Twilight sighed. "Do you want more pancakes, Spike?"

"Huh?" Spike raised his head. "Oh, uh, no, I'm good. I'm just, you know, waiting."

"Hmm." Twilight folded her paper and set it aside. The empty plates and cups and used utensils on the table were suddenly lifted, held by a cloud of violet magic, as the alicorn got out of her seat. "Alright, let me clean these first, and then we can get started."

Spike followed Twilight out of the dining room. "Can I help?" he asked, reaching for the floating plates.

"Really?" Twilight regarded her assistant with a lifted eyebrow. "You were complaining about having to the dishes all the time just last week."

"Yeah, well, it's not so bad if we do them together," Spike said, wringing his claws. "I just figured the sooner we finished cleaning up the sooner we'd start practicing."

"Unless you end up flooding the kitchen with soap again."

"Aw come on, Twilight, how was I supposed to know that potion would've done that?" Spike protested.

"Maybe if you bothered reading the instructions," Twilight shot back with a smirk. "Come on, I'll lather, you rinse."

The two shared a smile before walking into the kitchen. They made their way to the sink and set the dirty dishes in. "Did you send my letter to Princess Celestia yet?" Twilight asked as she pulled out a sponge and soap from beneath the sink while Spike soaked the plates and utensils.

"Not yet, you gave it to me pretty late last night. I figured I'd better send it when we know the princess is awake."

Twilight pursed her lips as she began to scrub the dish ware. "Alright, but we should send it sooner instead of later. Princess Celestia'll want to hear my answer soon."

"So you're really going to do it?" Spike asked, looking to the alicorn at his side. "Have you told our friends yet?"

"Not yet," Twilight answered with a shake of her head. "Haven't had the chance.

"But you are telling them, right? You're not going to just leave without explaining anything to them, are you?"

Twilight draped a wing over Spike's shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll tell everypony soon." Smiling, she flicked her feathers against the back of Spike's head, nearly knocking him off balance. "Hey, don't get all mopey already. We've got months before I leave."

"I'm not being mopey," Spike said stubbornly. He took the sudsy plate Twilight gave him and held it under the running faucet. "Why would I be mopey? I mean, yeah, I guess I'll be upset about not being able to see our friends for a while but, well--" Spike turned away. "Can we talk about this later?"

"If that's what you want," Twilight said, turning away as well. The two breezed through the rest of the chore in silence, and after placing the dishes on a rack to dry and wiping their hooves and claws, the princess and her assistant made their way through the castle, toward the entrance. Noisy flaps echoed along the crystal walls as Spike spread and folded his wings, keeping them stretched.

Their friends were outside waiting for them, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, with the chalkboard propped up between them. "Told you they'd show up soon," Applejack said to Rainbow, who folded her forelegs over her chest.

"Whatever, it's about time." Rainbow Dash turned to the approaching dragon. "So, ready to show me what you can do?"

"Wait, are you going to help me learn to fly?" Spike asked, his features brightening. He slumped down when Rainbow started to laugh.

"Nah, just here to watch." She pointed to the white numbers on the black board. "What, you thought I was going to help win this little game you set up against me, that I'd help you beat me? Forget it!"

Spike stood there blinking for a moment. Suddenly, he threw his head back and snorted. "Please, as if anyone could break your crash record. There's no way I'll even come close to that number."

The mares around Rainbow released oohs and gasps. She ignored them as she grinned. "Tell you what, big guy, keep that number of yours below mine, and I'll get you a ruby. Break my record, and you have to do whatever I tell you for a week."

"Two rubies and you have to dig them out yourself while I watch," Spike offered. "And I get any other gem you find."

"Fair enough." Rainbow extended a hoof. Spike grabbed hold of it, and as the two shook, their glares met. It was only after Twilight called him over did Spike turn away, giving Rainbow Dash the opportunity to massage her hoof.

"Geez, big guy's got a heck of a grip," she muttered, shaking the limb.

"Honestly, Rainbow, making such a bet with a friend," Rarity said disapprovingly.

"What, don't think your Spikey-Wikey can win?" Rainbow Dash chuckled before playfully nudging the unicorn. "It's all in good fun, and who knows, maybe it'll motivate him or something."

"Don' sound so bad, me an' Big Mac do this all the time. I'm sure we can trust Rainbow to show some restraint." Applejack's eyes narrowed as she glared at the pegasus. "Right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I won't make his life too miserable," Rainbow assured, waving her hoof lazily.

As the five mares talked amongst themselves, Twilight Sparkle was having her own discussion with Spike. The dragon shrunk under her glare and cringed, preparing himself for a scolding or, worse, a lecture.

"What have I always said about making bets?"

"Rainbow started it," Spike said weakly, rubbing his elbow awkwardly.

"And you let her provoke you?" Twilight groaned and pressed her hooves against her forehead. "I thought you were smarter than this, Spike."

"Sorry."

"Do you want me to talk to her? Maybe I can convince her to call it off."

Spike shook his head. "That's okay. Don't worry, I've got this."

Twilight stared at her assistant for a moment before shaking her head and sighing. "If you say so," she conceded. "Did you stretch yet?"

Spike spread his wings and leaned forward. "Yeah."

"Not just your wings. Remember, you're using your tail to steer."

Spike's tail whipped side to side eagerly. "I'm ready, let's do this."

"Alright. Just remember, we can take a break whenever we need. There's no pressure, so go at a pace you feel comfortable, and--"

"Twiiiilight."

"Okay, okay." Twilight bit her lip. "Just, please be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, I know," Spike huffed as he clawed at the ground impatiently. "Can we go?"

"Fine, follow me." Twilight flapped her wings and took to the air. Spike tested his own, then ran off after his friend, keeping his wings spread wide. As he picked up speed, Spike pulled his limbs closer to his body, away from the ground. His heart beat wildly as he glided over the grass. Taking a deep breath, he began to flap, hoping to rise to where Twilight was.

Everypony winced as Spike fell back to earth, skidding through the grass until he came to a stop. Pinkie Pie picked up a piece of chalk and quickly drew a tally mark as Rarity coaxed Fluttershy into opening her eyes. Spike picked himself up and dusted himself before spreading his wings again and running off. Once again, he rose slightly above the ground, and again, Spike's wings began to beat frantically. Slowly, the dragon's altitude rose. He suddenly started to shake violently, forcing Rarity and Fluttershy to gasp and turn away.

Twilight descended to his level, shouting encouragements. Spike's wings flapped harder and faster. For a moment it seemed that Spike had regained his balance, only for him to drop out of the sky like a stone. Twilight's horn alighted, blanketing Spike with a light purple glow. Her magic slowed his descent, but the thud his body made against the earth sent shivers down everypony's back.

Once more, Spike ran through the grass until he started to glide. He hadn't gotten very high before he crashed into the dirt again, and then again. Twilight landed beside the dragon, making sure he was unhurt.

Spike shook his head and forced himself up. Rolling his shoulders, he tried again, this time managing to hover besides Twilight for a few moments before collapsing. "I'm fine," he insisted when Twilight approached. "I'm just a-a little winded, that's all. Just, give me a second." He took another deep breath and tried again.

"Well, you two can open your eyes," Applejack said, patting Rarity and Fluttershy. "He's finally in the sky. Huh, today must be an off day."

"Maybe he's nervous about the bet?" Fluttershy suggested. "I know I would be."

"Geez, now I feel kind of bad about it."

"So you'll call the wager off?" Rarity asked.

"Of course not," Rainbow Dash said. "If he asks me to, yeah, but calling the challenge off like this would just be insulting. If he thinks he's got a chance, I've got to give it to him. But yeah," she continued, grimacing, "this is painful to watch."

"Ooh, just wait until he tries to land." Pinkie Pie shivered. "It hurts my everything just thinking about it."

As he flew besides Twilight, Spike grew steadier. The mares below laid back in the grass or on the picnic blanket Rarity had conjured to watch the two purple figures dart about in the sky. Interest eventually waned, and the ponies' attention were drawn elsewhere; funny shaped clouds were pointed out, and the latest gossip was spread. Rainbow Dash's focus remained on the flyers above as she barely registered Pinkie Pie's latest babysitting escapade. It wasn't until the silence became oppressive that she realized that everypony was waiting on her.

"Uh, sorry, what's up?" she asked, forcing back a blush.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "We were jus' askin' you 'bout your tour with the Wonderbolts. From your letters, sounds like you've had one heck of a month."

"Huh? Oh, right, the Wonderbolts, yeah, they were great. The tour was great, can't wait for the next rotation."

The other four mares looked to each other. "Is that it?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow sighed and rolled onto her side. "Yeah. It's just, kind of hard to explain. I mean, the tour was fun and everything, but it all felt empty after I was done. It's like, I just had the time of my life, but now I've got to wait almost an entire year before I get to do it again."

"Oh, but I'm sure that'll change once you leave the reserves and become a Wonderbolt full time," Fluttershy said. "Then you'll be on tour much more often."

"Yeah, I guess." Rainbow Dash turned and looked to the sun. "Geez, how long have we been out here? What time is it?"

"Oh, some time around lunch. Speaking of which..." Pinkie Pie lifted the blackboard and removed a basket from underneath. "Who wants cupcakes? I've got chocolate, lemon, vanilla, sapphire, carrot, red velvet..."

"Don't you have any, I don't know, lunch foods in there?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Why?" Pinkie's bottom lip began to quiver. "Don't you like cupcakes anymore?"

"Of course I do! I'm just in the mood for a sandwich," Rainbow admitted.

"Oh, well, I've got plenty of those too!" Pinkie stuck her head in the basket. "There's peanut butter and jam, cream cheese and tomato, peppers and mushrooms, three cheese grill, mustard and zucchini--"

"Shouldn't we wait for Twilight and Spike?" Fluttershy said. "What if they got upset with us if we started lunch without them?"

"Aww, but we're starving," Pinkie Pie moaned, rocking with the basket cradle between her forelegs.

"Then just call them down," said Rainbow. "They've been up there for, like, hours, I'm sure they're just as hungry as the rest of us."

Applejack shook her head. "Bad idea, remember what happened the other day? Or are you tryin' to make him crash?"

"Hey, I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a cheat."

"Runningoftheleaves," Applejack coughed.

"Gesundheit," Rainbow Dash responded. "But seriously, if Spike wants to learn to fly, he's got to learn how to handle distractions. If he can't keep his focus while in the air, he'll just be a giant dragon-size problem for everypony else."

"Rainbow Dash, that was unnecessarily harsh," Rarity reprimanded sternly.

"I'm just saying how it is," Rainbow asserted. "Flying isn't some kind of game. If you're not paying attention, you could easily hurt yourself or the ponies around you. You can't let something as small as a dinner call break your concentration."

"Rainbow Dash is right, but Spike's still learning," defended Fluttershy. "Baby steps, he'll get there with practice."

"Well there's a time for practice and a time for lunch, and now is the time for lunch!" Pinkie wailed. As if on cue, Spike began to wobble in the air. He stretched out his arms and legs, trying to keep balanced. Twilight hovered beside him.

"I think Pinkie Pie's right," the alicorn said. "Ready for a break."

"M-maybe later," Spike wheezed between pants. "I'm not hungry."

Spike's stomach growled lowly as if in protest. "Well, at least your belly's honest," Twilight joked. "Come on, we can practice some more after lunch. Knowing Pinkie Pie, she's probably got some gems in that basket just for you."

"Well--"

The dragon's stomach released another might roar. Spike frowned at the treasonous body part as Twilight giggled. "Alright, but I want to start practicing right after we eat."

"No, you wait thirty minutes after eating or you'll get cramps like last time."

Spike hesitated for a few seconds before grumbling, "Fine." He slowly followed Twilight as she descended. Carefully, he attempted to mimic the alicorn's motions, keeping his wings at an angle. He tried not to wince as the wind blew past his wings. Then, as the two approached earth, Spike extended his limbs toward the ground. His wings beat steadily, slowing him down.

The knuckles of his front claws brush against the ground, and he pitched over, burying his face in sand before flipping over onto his back. "Ugh," he groaned as he felt six shadows fall over him.

"Well, least you landed where you wanted this time," he heard Applejack say.

"Yep," piped in Pinkie, "and you didn't even crash into Twilight! Or your castle!"

"Yay," Spike muttered as he rolled himself upright.

"Or anypony else's roof or gardens or flower stands or little old mares trying to cross the street. Hmm," the pink earth pony hummed, "maybe practicing so close to town isn't such a great idea."

"How many?"

"What was that, darling?" Rarity asked as she, Twilight, and Applejack helped Spike stand.

"How many times did I crash?"

The mares shared a look before Pinkie Pie spun the chalkboard so that the side with writing faced him. Spike groaned at the sight of the multitude of white tally marks.

Rainbow Dash walked over and struck the dragon's shoulder. "You know, it's not too late, you can still back out," she teased. Spike answered with a glare and rose to his full height so that he stood a smidgen taller. That smidgen was enough to wipe away Rainbow's grin and fill her with annoyance.

"You kidding? I'd have to crash that often every day for a month before I'd reach that number." Spike jabbed a finger at the number within the white box.

"Spike, your math's wrong," Twilight whispered. "If you crashed that often at a constant rate, it'd only take you--"

"So you're not going to call it quits?" Rainbow asked. "You can still back out, you know."

Now Spike began to smirk. "What, are you afraid of losing?"

Everypony watched nervously as they watched the two leered at each other. Suddenly, Rainbow smiled. "You're flapping too hard."

Spike blinked, his challenging stare replaced with a look of confusion. "I-what?"

"Your wings, you're flapping them too hard," Rainbow Dash said, gesturing to her own. "Too fast and too short. You want longer wing beats with more power behind them. You're not going to make up for weaker beats by having more of them, that'll just tire you out, got it?"

"Y-yeah." Spike nodded. "Uh, thanks."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Rainbow said, giving his shoulder another playful punch. "You're still going to lose though, but good luck trying. Now come on, let's eat."

Chapter 3

Spike leafed through the comic book, barely sparing the colorful panels a cursory glance before turning to the next page. Occasionally, he'd turn to the large opened text book at his side and read a few passages before groaning and returning to his comic. The wind howled outside, sending a shiver down the dragon's back. Reluctantly, he got up and closed the window curtain, deafening the sound.

When he plopped himself back on his bed, his tail knocked the comic book onto the floor. With his back still against the soft mattress, Spike reached for the book with his feet, trying to grab it with his toes. He soon gave up and reached for the textbook instead.

"Apart from weight, there are three major forces of drag that impede a bird's aerial flight," Spike read. "Frictional drag due to friction between air and body surfaces, form drag, or pressure drag, caused by the frontal area of the body, and lift-induced drag which is caused by wingtip vortices--"

Something knocked against the window. Spike sprung up, dropping the book into his lap, and stared at the window. Whatever was outside knocked again. "Tree branch?" he considered out loud before shaking his head and reminding himself that he was no longer residing in the Golden Oak Library. There, that might have been a branch clawing menacingly at the glass, but here, in the castle, there weren't even trees that close by.

No, something else was trying to get in, and Spike leapt to his feet, preparing to call Twilight. His blood chilled when he remembered where the princess was today, and panic began to bubble within him, until he noticed the dragon staring at him from the reflective crystal floor. Suddenly, all anxiety was replaced with shame, and Spike struggled with the urge to slap his forehead.

"The mighty dragon, afraid of a little wind," he murmured as he marched to the window and brushed aside the curtains. He blinked, took a step back, and let his jaw go slack. Rainbow Dash, with her mane blown to one side by the wind, hovered on the other side of the window, tapping frantically at the glass. Seeing Spike, she pounded her hoof more forcefully, knocking the dragon out of his stupor.

Spike removed the latch, and in tumbled Rainbow. She landed on her fore hooves and kicked the window closed with her hind ones, then shook herself and removed the twigs and leaves out of her fur and mane. When she had finished smoothing out her coat and hair, she started brushing through her wings. "Crazy weather, huh?" she said with feathers in her mouth.

"Rainbow, w-what are you doing here?" Spike exclaimed. "You know we have a front door, right?"

"Yeah, but nopony answered when I knocked." Rainbow Dash threw her head back and leaned against the wall. As she looked around, Spike leaned over and picked up the fallen comic book from the floor. "So, does Fluttershy know you have a poster of her from her modeling days?"

"It was a gift!" Spike blurted, jumping in front of the picture of the posing pegasus.

"A gift?" Rainbow laughed. "From who?"

"Whom."

"Never heard of them."

Spike groaned. "Pinkie Pie gave it to me. I don't know why she did, but it didn't feel right throwing it away."

"So you taped it to your wall?"

"I have other posters too, you know." The dragon gestured to the various pictures on the wall, images of the scenic Crystal Empire, super heroines in colorful costumes, the princesses surrounded by guards. Rainbow smirked at the sight of her captain posing in a skintight Wonderbolt flight suit while wearing a sultry smile.

Following Rainbow's gaze, Spike began to blush. "What are you doing here anyways?" he asked, stepping between Rainbow and the poster of Spitfire.

"Thought I'd watch you and Twilight practice," Rainbow answered, taking a seat on the mattress. "We're tied, you know, one more crash and I win."

"Yeah, I know," Spike growled. "Yesterday shouldn't have counted, I wouldn't have crashed so much if it weren't for the Crusaders."

"Hey, you're the one who should've been paying attention," said Rainbow. "So what, aren't you going to fly today?"

"Not today. Twilight's out, and I don't think I should try flying without her supervising. I've already gotten into enough trouble, if Twilight's not around, the mayor might kick me out of town." Spike laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Huh. So where is Twilight anyways?"

"In Canterlot, preparing for her trip to Alpacastan," Spike explained. "Princess Celestia giving her a lesson of diplomacy or something, and Princess Luna's going to--"

"Wait, hold up, Alpacastan? What's that?" Rainbow asked.

Spike's eyes narrowed. "She didn't tell you guys yet?"

"Tell us what?"

"Come on, Twilight, seriously?" Spike groaned. "Alpacastan's a country, you've never heard of it because it's still in the middle of being made. Twilight's going over there later this year to help smooth things out."

"Building a new country? Twilight's moving up in the world, huh?" Rainbow chuckled. "Why'd she keep it a secret though?"

Spike shrugged. "Don't know. It's a pretty long trip, so we won't be in Ponyville for a few months. I guess she's a little worried about how everypony'll react to the news."

"Yeah, well, I know I'd definitely feel worse if she suddenly left without saying good bye." Rainbow scowled. "Just, man, I thought we were past all these secrets."

"We don't leave for a while, I'm sure she'll tell everypony eventually, before we have to go. Well, at least, that's what she keeps telling me." Spike sighed. "I don't know, maybe it would help if you went to her first."

"I'll talk to the girls, see what they think," Rainbow Dash decided. She turned to the dragon. "You keep saying we. That mean you're going with her?"

"That's the plan. Well, hopefully," Spike said, his shoulders sagging. "There aren't any trains to Alpacastan, and it's too far away to walk. We have to fly there, and if I can't fly on my own, I can't go. I mean, it's not like I can ride Twilight all the way there now that I'm bigger and--what's so funny?"

"Pft, n-nothing," Rainbow insisted, choking down her giggles. "Ride Twilight." She took a deep breath and calmed down. "Can't you take a balloon or something?"

"Too slow, and Twilight doesn't want to bring a chariot. She thinks it might give the locals the wrong impression."

"So that's why you're learning to fly. I thought you were training pretty intensely," Rainbow said. Spike nodded in reply.

"Yeah, not that it's doing much good," the dragon said tiredly.

"Well, you're not going to get much better by sitting inside, moping and reading comic books." Rainbow got up and pushed Spike toward the door.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"No offense to Twilight or anything, but she's not me, and if you want to learn to fly, why not learn from the best?" Rainbow boasted as they made their way through the castle.

"You'll teach me? But what about our bet?" Spike asked as they approached the front door.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to teach you wrong just to watch you crash. You've pretty much lost already without my help," Rainbow laughed.

"Have you seen the weather outside?"

"Yeah, no duh, but you can't expect everyday to be perfect," Rainbow Dash argued. "What if you and Twilight run into a storm during your trip? Come on, think of it as a training exercise."

The two passed through the castle gates and stepped onto the grassy field outside. Spike looked up at the gray clouds above and frowned. Rainbow Dash, noticing the dragon's anxious features, patted Spike's shoulder. "Hey, no reason to be nervous, okay? You've got a Wonderbolt by your side. Look, forget about the bet, alright? I'm not going to let a friend hurt themselves, so you can relax."

"O-okay."

"No, seriously, relax," Rainbow ordered. "Your back's too tense, no wonder you have a hard time getting off the ground. Bend your knees. Alright, good," Rainbow said, nodding as Spike followed her instructions. "Now remember, you want strong wing beats, not quick and weak flaps."

"Okay."

"Now forget about the running start. Just spring up and flap those wings. Watch." Rainbow Dash demonstrated, leaping into the air and hovering above the dragon. "Now you try."

Spike copied the pegasus's motions. For a second, he hovered right beside Rainbow before falling back to earth and landing on his feet. "I didn't crash!" he quickly assured.

"Congrats, want a medal?" Rainbow responded sarcastically. "Come on, try again. This time, flap just as you leap."

Spike experienced a few more failed starts, but each failure had resulted in a few more seconds of airtime and additional advice and occasional encouragement from Rainbow. "That's it, Spike, keep it up!" she shouted as Spike's hovering steadied. "Alright, now follow me. Keep those wings beating strong."

The two rose into the sky. Spike struggled to keep up and threatened to lose his balance at every turn, but before he could panic and fall, Rainbow Dash would always slow to his side and instructed him. "Focus, Spike," she commanded over the wailing winds. "Come on, is that tail just for decoration? Keep it straight, or you'll just give yourself more resistance."

Spike's teeth grounded against each other as he fought to concentrate. Rainbow nodded approvingly as his uncertain wing beats became confident and with strength. His back straightened, and he no longer lagged as far behind his new teacher as before; like an arrow, he cut through the air, following Rainbow Dash around, under, and above clouds.

The wind suddenly started to pick up, almost knocking Rainbow off balance. Rain drops, caught by the wind, stung her cheeks and her sides. "Alright, let's wrap this up!" she shouted. "Time to land. Slow your wing beats to descend and--Spike?" Rainbow gasped. "Spike!"

Panic was etched on the dragon's face as the winds pushed him every which way like a rag doll. His wings flapped uselessly, caught in the storm like a canvas tent torn asunder. His limbs flailed in desperation and fear. Rainbow Dash saw Spike's mouth move, but the winds drowned out his cry.

"Stop panicking!" Rainbow ordered. "Stay calm, you can regain control, just stop--"

He fell, as if cruelly dropped by the winds. Spike's claws grabbed upwards toward Rainbow as she dove after him. The freezing air rubbed her face raw, but she ignored the discomfort, forcing herself to move faster. The ground quickly drew closer and closer, and Rainbow's vision began to blur before everything faded away.

Chapter 4

Mutters and murmurs buzzed around her ears like annoying gnats. Rainbow Dash squeezed her eyes shut, but her dreams were swiftly fading away. Try as she might, sleep had already slipped away from her, and with a sigh, Rainbow slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh, hey, Rainbow's up." Pinkie Pie launched herself off of the hospital bed's railing and hopped across the room. "She's up, she's up, she's up!"

As her friends crowded around her, Rainbow Dash rolled to the side and glanced over her shoulder at her wing. First one was fine, she decided after a few stretches. She checked the other and groaned at the sight of the white linen covering the blue feathers.

"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked.

"Like I just flew straight through a hurricane." Rainbow Dash said, rolling her neck.

"That's pretty accurate," Applejack chuckled, though she quickly grew stern. "Don' know what was goin' on in that mind of yours, goin' out with Spike into a storm like that."

"Spike?" Rainbow's eyes grew wide, and she tried to sit up. "Where's Spike? He was falling, and he, he--"

"Um, hi?"

Rainbow turned to her side and stared, mouth agape, at the dragon resting the bed beside hers. It was a few sizes too small for him as his clawed feet dangled uncomfortably over the edge and his bandaged wing was forced to rest on the nightstand instead of a lamp. With an exhausted grin, Spike gave Rainbow little wave.

"You alright?" Rainbow asked. Spike tried to shrug, only to wince.

"Yeah, I guess," Spike answered. He lowered his head back onto his pillow. Twilight left Rainbow's side and went to Spike's, using her magic to fluff the cushion. "I don't remember much," he said, "what happened?"

"You, uh, crashed." Rainbow craned forward to examine Spike's wing. "Hard, I guess."

"Oh." He turned to stare at his bandages. "Right, sorry."

"You'd better be sorry, mister," Twilight scolded, tapping her assistant on the forehead, forcing him to lie down. "You should've known better, going out into a storm when you still haven't gotten the hang of flying down yet."

"Ow, stop poking me," protested Spike as he tried to wave Twilight away. "I'm sorry, really, I'm sorry."

The alicorn sighed and sat down. "I know, just don't do that again."

Spike looked away. "I, okay," he muttered, rubbing his shoulder.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence wafted through the room, only for Rainbow Dash to interrupt with an uncertain cough.

"So, uh," she said, "how long have been here?"

"It's been just over a day," Rarity answered. She looked toward the room's entrance and sniffed. "I have half a mind to complain. What could be keeping that doctor?"

"Oh, I'm sure there's a good reason for the wait," said Fluttershy. "I don't really mind."

Rarity hummed. "Perhaps, but an update or an explanation for the delay would only be courteous. Oh, not knowing what's wrong with Rainbow and Spikey is driving me mad," she cried.

"You guys haven't been here the entire time, have you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Naw, only about an hour or so," Applejack said, rolling her eyes. "Rarity's just being over dramatic, as usual."

"Well, excuse me for displaying some concern for our friends' well being," Rarity sniffed, though a light blush slowly creeped across her features as everypony else began to giggle.

The door suddenly swung open, and in stepped a tan stallion in a pristine, though wrinkled, lab coat. His brown mane was a complete mess, like multi limbed monster trying to climb up his horn, and the glasses he wore rested crookedly on his muzzle. He smiled tiredly at the ponies waiting as he scrambled toward them with a shuffled set of folders and files and a white screen in his magical grasp

"Good morning, everypony," he said. "Sorry for the wait, but there was a line for the X-ray processes. You two weren't the only ones injured by the storm. Turns out it was a little stronger than the weather manager made it out to be." The doctor laughed weakly as he turned from each pony to the next.

"So how are they, doctor?" Twilight ask when the stallion's gaze went to her.

The physician cleared his throat. "Yes, right, straight to business." He opened a folder and removed a black sheet, placing it on the screen and moving it toward Rainbow Dash. There was a flick of a switch, and the screen lit up, revealing the image of a skeletal wing in a pale green light.

The doctor pointed to a thin line cutting through the bone. "It looks like a small fracture, nothing too serious. It shouldn't take very long for you to fully recover. You were very lucky," the doctor added, pushing his glasses up.

"Psh, luck had nothing to with it," Rainbow Dash exclaimed as her friends rolled their eyes. "Crashing takes skill."

"Yes, well, skill or luck, we'll be releasing you by the end of the week."

Rainbow's smug look vanished. "What? But that's, like..." She turned to Twilight.

"Four days," Twilight immediately answered.

"Four days?" Rainbow Dash groaned. "Are you serious? What am I supposed to for four days?"

"Did you know Daring Do's assistant from The Serpent's Scepter recently published her own personal journal?" Twilight said.

"You mean the one who tried taking the scepter for herself--"

"But came back to save the day after Daring Do saved her life in chapter twelve."

"Do you have it?" Rainbow Dash asked after a moment, to which Twilight responded with teasing grin. "Of course you do." She leaned back and placed her forelegs behind her head. "Well, guess I'm set for four days."

"No wall climbing?"

"Not this time, Pinkie," said Rainbow Dash.

"Aw."

"What about Spike," Twilight asked as the doctor stumbled through his files. "Was he as lucky as Rainbow?"

"Well," the doctor began as he replaced Rainbow's X-ray. The differences in the images were jarring; while Rainbow's wing was like a tree or root, with a line of bones and branches extending from it, Spike's wing was more similar to a spider's web. Thin bones curved over each other, creating little pockets of blank darkness that were absent from Rainbow's X-ray. A few white spots floated around the largest pieces of bone, seemingly unattached and free.

Applejack let out a low whistle. "What a mess. How can you see anything out of that?"

"Experience," the doctor answered before gesturing to the image. "For instance, I can tell that, that, uh..." He turned to stare at Spike's wing before looking back to the screen. "This is, is, well, I think, we're going to need a specialist," he finished lamely as he nervously readjusted his glasses. "Excuse me."

Applejack and Rarity quickly stepped out of the physician's path before exchanging looks with the rest of their friends. "Now what was that about?" Applejack asked.

"He didn't even tell us what's wrong with Spike," moaned Pinkie Pie. The mare patted her front hooves on Rainbow's bedside. "Or when he's leaving. How am I supposed to plan a congratulations on recovering, we're super glad you're not crippled for life party?"

"It is rather odd for a doctor to stumble through a diagnosis like that," Rarity said, frowning, "though perhaps this is simply an off day for him."

Fluttershy swallowed as she stared at Spike's X-ray. "You don't think, you don't think it's something serious, do you?"

"Serious, why?" Pinkie laughed. "Just because the doctor rushed out with a worried look on his face after looking at an X-ray oh." The earth pony deflated a bit. Expressions of worry and pained looks spread from pony to pony as they turned from the screen to Spike, then back to the screen. "Yeah, I can see why you'd think that."

"Now hold on, if it were somethin' serious, you'd think the doctor would tell us straight," Applejack challenged, her stomp echoing through the room. "No need to start looking glum and panicky, alright? Spike's fine," she assured with an encouraging nod toward the dragon. "I'm sure the doctor was lookin' worried because, well, uh, because..."

Spike grew cold as he watched Applejack reach and pull her hat over her face. She turned away, suddenly unable to face him. "Twilight?" he whispered, almost whimpered.

Twilight placed a gentle hoof on his shoulder. "Don't worry," she said. "Applejack's right, if something was seriously wrong, they'd have told us by now."

"And the doctor's, uh, weirdness?" Spike frowned. "I mean, him running out like that and everything. What was that all about?"

Twilight bit her lip. "I have no idea," she finally admitted after a moment. "But don't worry," she quickly added, seeing Spike sink back with an uneasy look, "I'm positive there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for the doctor's behavior."

Spike swallowed slowly. His entire arm tensed as he grabbed hold of his comforter. "Like?"

"Well..." Twilight's smile became crooked, and she turned to the others for help.

"Oh, knock it off," Rainbow Dash groaned, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "Look, if I'm fine, you're fine. Same storm, same place, same crash, right?"

"Same hole, actually," said Pinkie Pie.

"Yeah, exactly." Rainbow bit back a wince as her wing brushed against the pillow she was using to prop herself up. "A-anyways," she continued, "like I was saying, whatever happened to you can't have been any worse than what's happened to me."

"You said crashing took skill," Spike began slowly. "Are you saying I'm--"

"Skilled as me?" Rainbow snickered. "Pft, yeah, in your dreams, but that size probably makes up for it. Come on, you really think a crash like that would mess up a full grown dragon?"

"Spike's hardly full grown," Twilight argued.

"Well, he's not exactly a baby either." Rainbow Dash leaned back and waved lazily. "Look, he's fine, the doc probably had to pee. I'd bet Spike'll be out of here in no time, like sometime next week."

"Sometime next week, huh?" Spike began to grin. "Why not four days?"

Rainbow's eyes flew open, and she matched his smirk. "Oh, do I hear a challenge?" she sneered. "What, losing our last one wasn't enough?"

Rainbow's words wiped Spike's grin away. "Wait, when did I lose?"

"Today's, no, yesterday's crash puts you ahead of me, dragon boy." Rainbow laughed as Spike's mouth fell open. "Come on, pay attention to your score."

"Hm, actually, you've tied!"

"Wait, what." Rainbow Dash pushed herself up and leaned forward. "Pinkie, what do you mean tied?"

"As of yesterday, both of you've crashed the exact same amount of times," Pinkie Pie announced cheerfully as she ducked down and pulled out the chalkboard from beneath Rainbow's bed. "See," she said, pointing at the large white numbers on both sides of the board.

Rainbow scowled at the board. "Who added one to my count?" she demanded, pointing. "I know this number should be one less."

"Well, you did crash too, sugar cube," Applejack said. She pushed the chalkboard out of Rainbow's face and met her glare with a woeful smile. "Sorry, but them's the breaks."

"No, them's the breaks," Pinkie snorted, sticking her hoof at Rainbow's wing. In unison, everypony groaned.

"So, a tie." Spike laughed weakly as Rainbow Dash turned her glare on him. "Heh, so, still want to see who'll recover first?"

Twilight began to glower, her lips twisting into a disapproving frown. "Spike..."

"What? It's not like we're going anywhere or doing anything dangerous. Besides," Spike added with a hungry look, "we have decided who won the bet. Come on, Twilight, free rubies," he pleaded.

"That, or you'll end up being Rainbow's servant for an entire week." Twilight sighed, then glanced over to Rainbow.

"Sorry, Twilight," Rainbow apologized, her head bowed to hide her grin, "but Spike's got a point. We've got to settle this somehow."

"And you two really can't just accept a tie?"

"Nope," Spike and Rainbow said together, winning an eye roll from Twilight, a head shake from Rarity, and giggles from everypony else. Just as the laughter began to taper, the door swung open, and in stepped the physician from before. Following closely behind was pegasus mare, also dressed in a white lab coat and with a stethoscope draped over her neck. The two seemed deep in a discussion, with their heads low and quiet mutterings between them.

"Well, let's see," the pegasus said wearily, moving past her companion toward the screen with Spike's X-ray. With a hovering hoof, she traced a few gray lines. "Okay, huh, hmm..."

She turned to Spike. "Can I see your wing?"

Slowly, Spike stretched the unharmed limb.

"No, the other one," the mare ordered. "Easy now, don't overdo it."

Spike looked to his friends, who could only shrug in confusion. He hesitated and turned to the doctor.

"It's fine," he said, "she's a doctor."

Still, Spike moved slow, gingerly holding out the bandaged wing for the new mare. He flinched as she reached forward and took the wing between her hooves.

"Did that hurt?" she asked.

"A-a little."

"Hmm." The mare's hooves moved further along. "How does this feel?"

"Uh, tight?" Spike ventured. "I don't know, it's just kind of weird feeling."

"Uh huh. Could you elaborate?"

Spike took a moment to mull. "It feels tight," he finally said lamely, receiving a series of eye rolls and exaggerated face plants into hooves from half the room. "Weird and tight."

"Alright then." The pegasus's hooves traveled further, stopping inches away from Spike's back. "And this?" she asked, applying pressure.

Everypony ducked as a stream of green flames flared from Spike's mouth, punctuating his feral roar. His injured wing sprung out with a sharp snap and struck the pegasus. She released Spike's wing the instant the blow connected to her jaw, which sent her spinning into the air until she crashed into the X-ray screen. It buzzed frantically as it flickered before turning off with a dying fizzle.

"Ah, oh, uh." Spike slowly pulled his wing back and swallowed, his face twisting at the arid taste of smoke and the pain running through the wing. "That hurt."

"No, really?" Rainbow Dash tried to smoothen the blanket she had hid under as casually as possible. Thankfully, nopony seemed to notice as they slowly climbed back onto their hooves or, in Fluttershy's case, out from under Rainbow's bed. "I bet she got the idea," Rainbow Dash said pointing at the struck mare.

"S-sorry," Spike said, rubbing his claws together nervously as the doctor made his way to his coworker's side. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Looks like she'll be fine," the doctor answered as the pegasus mare began to groan. He lifted her slowly and draped her over his back. "There doesn't seem to be any serious damage, but I'd better get her to lie down first. Uh, excuse m--"

"Hey now, hold on," Applejack interjected, grabbing on the doctor's lab coat. She released him and chuckled sheepishly as the physician turned to her with his brow raised. "Heh, um, I get you're busy and everythin', you bein' a doctor and all, but we're all still kinda waiting for news 'bout our friend."

"Didn't I say she'd be out by the week's end?"

Rarity walked to Applejack side. "Yes, and our other friend?" she asked, gesturing to Spike.

"Ah, yes, uh, well..." The doctor scratched the back of his head. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy joined Applejack and Rarity. He took a step back as they leaned forward. "Ahem, well..."

"Yes?" they said together, the word sharp with impatience and anticipation.

The doctor took another step back. "Well, you see, in all my years as a medical practitioner, I've never had to diagnose a, well, dragon. I could name every organ and bone and its position in a pony, pegasus, unicorn, or earth pony, and even zebras and griffins, but dragons?" The doctor shrugged, shifting the mare on his back.

"Wait." Twilight's eyes narrowed as her voice lowered dangerously. "It sounds an awful lot like you're saying you don't know what's wrong with Spike."

"Well, no, not entirely. I mean, it's pretty clear something's wrong with his wing." He jerked his head toward the pegasus on his back. "Dr. Lift specializes in wing structure, but whether she knows anything we don't will have to wait until she awakes."

"And if she don't?" asked Applejack.

"Then perhaps some doctor in Canterlot or Manehattan will. We'll send a letter if it comes to it." Now if you'll excuse me," he said with a weary frown, "I have other patients waiting."

The doctor passed through without another word, nor did he receive any; even after the door closed behind him, nopony spoke.

"So," Spike began, breaking the silence, "was that good news or bad news?"

"If the doctors don't know what's wrong, they can't treat you, so of course that's bad news," Twilight replied as she began to pace.

"Um--"

"Hey," Pinkie Pie jumped in, "just because they don't know what's wrong doesn't mean some is wrong. Maybe it's just a cramp, and Spike-a-nator'll be home tomorrow. Come on, guys." Pinkie wave her hooves in the air. "Let's have some positive thinking!"

"What about--"

"How is that positive thinking?" Rainbow Dash protested loudly as Spike mouthed Spike-a-nator. "He goes home early, and then I'm stuck spending an entire day digging for gems."

Rarity gave the confined pegasus a pointed stare. "So you'd rather have Spike severely hurt just to win a silly game?" Several additional glares joined Rarity's.

"What, no!" Rainbow Dash quickly asserted, holding up her hooves. "Just, you know." Her voice grew softer, and she lowered her head. "Maybe just a tiny bit hurt."

Rarity gasped. "Oh, of all the--"

"Girls, please!" Twilight shouted over the protests and indignant cries of her friends. "Arguing will get us nowhere. I don't care who wins this silly bet--"

"You sure?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I mean, that's an entire week without your, ahem, quote, number one assistant, unquote."

"I'll manage," Twilight snapped. "I'd have to eventually, since he can't come..." She shook her head. "No, now's not the time. Right now I just want to make sure Spike'll be alright, and that means finding somepony who knows dragon anatomy."

"So another dragon?" Applejack suggested.

"Yeah, doubt it." Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs over her chest. "Even if we could find one, it'd probably be as big a jerk as the one Fluttershy scared off or the ones me, Twilight, and Rarity met during the migration."

Spike raised a claw. "What about our old place at Canterlot?" he asked. "The library might have something ours doesn't."

"Um--"

"It won't, I'd know," Twilight said shorty. "The west wing of our new library was completely redesigned to have the exact same collection I gave to Moondancer for nostalgia sake."

Rarity tapped her chin and hummed. "Hmm, then perhaps--"

"Zecora."

Fluttershy shrunk as all eyes fell on her. When no one spoke, she inhaled deeply, drawing in a rush of air. "I-I mean, Twilight, you mentioned, when Spike grew into a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gashing, horn-wearing, chicken-coop-stealing--"

At every adjective, unbeknownst to Fluttershy as she spoke, Spike flinched visibly. His head lowered shamefully at the awful memory, with a claw wringing each wrist. Rarity, noticing Spike's discomfort, cleared her throat.

"Fluttershy, dear, forgive me for the interruption, but I don't recall Zecora being part of that incident."

"No, wait, I get it," Twilight gasped, clapping her hooves together. "I remember, I told Fluttershy anout how Zecora was the only one who could figure out what was happening to Spike during his birthday. Nopony else could explain what was wrong so maybe--"

"So maybe Zecora can tell us what's wrong with Spike now," Applejack finished. "Shoot, she might even have some sorta cure."

"Huh, having a mystical zebra around makes you wonder why we even bother with hospitals," Pinkie Pie muttered, though nopony heard her over the excited chatters.

At last, everypony began to settle down. "Alright, I guess we'd better let the two of you get some rest," Twilight said. She looked up at the clock hung on the wall. "It's getting pretty late, but we'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with Zecora."

Rainbow sat up. "And Daring Do?"

"And Daring Do," Twilight assured, rolling her eyes. "The book, not the pony," she quickly added.

"Eh, sure." Rainbow Dash slumped back and yawned. "See you guys tomorrow."

The mares said their goodbyes and well-wishes and, one at a time, exited the room. Twilight was the last to go.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," she was saying to Spike, leaning over him. The glow of her magic blanketed Spike's comforter, stretching it across the bed and tucking the dragon in. Spike blushed as Rainbow's poorly muffled snickers flew by, but he didn't struggle or protest Twilight's fussing. "Try to get some rest, okay?"

"No problem, not much else to do," Spike joked. "You should probably get going, I know how much work you've got left."

"Work I have to deal with without my number assistant." Twilight sighed.

"Sorry."

"Don't be, it's fine. See you tomorrow." With a final smile, Twilight left as well, leaving Spike and Rainbow Dash alone, save for each other.

"So," Rainbow began, "what was that about?"

Spike turned to the bed next to him, confused. "What was what about?"

"You know." Rainbow motioned with her hoof. "Twilight acting like that. I could taste the sap from here. What was that about?"

Another blush threatened to paint Spike's scales pink. He quickly turned away. "Don't know, guess she's just worried." He flipped over again to face Rainbow. "I mean, this is the first time I've ever been really hurt."

"Seriously?" Rainbow said, incredulous. "Like, you've never broken anything when you were a kid?"

"Nope. Thick scales, I guess."

"Hmm, well you did survive that lava bellyflop that one time," Rainbow reminisced. "You were always a pretty tough kid back then, guess this time you were just unlucky."

"Or maybe some of your bad luck just rubbed off on me," Spike said, smirking.

"Hey, what did I tell you." Rainbow rubbed her front proudly. "This was all skill."

"So all those crashes you've had..." Spike pointed to the chalkboard Pinkie had left leaning against the wall. "That was from skill?"

"That's, well, I mean..."

Now it was Spike's turn to snicker. "Laugh while you can, dragon boy," Rainbow huffed, "but we'll see who'll have the last laugh once you're stuck serving my every want."

"Not if Zecora has some miracle dragon cure for dragons, like Applejack said."

Rainbow took a few seconds to digest Spike's words before the color slowly drained from her face. "Aw, horsefeathers," she mumbled as Spike grinned, flashing his teeth with glee. "Well, that's a pretty big if," Rainbow shot back before rolling over to face the the bland curtained window instead of the smug dragon. "I'm going back to sleep," she announced, waving behind her. "Good night."

"It's morning."

"Then wake me up when lunch gets here," Rainbow Dash replied snippily with a yawn. She pulled up her covers and let her head sink into her pillow. "Bye."

"Uh, bye, I guess."

The clock, too soft to even be annoying, ticked away as the seconds passed. Other than the clock and the long drawn out breaths from Rainbow Dash that would eventually grow into snores, the hospital room was quiet as death. Seconds became minutes, perhaps hours; Rainbow hadn't been keeping count.

Gradually, the ticks grew louder, graduating from relaxing ambience to mild annoyance. Rainbow's ears folded over themselves in displeasure, trying to block out the noise. Wrinkles spread as her eyelids pressed forcefully together. The noise grew, with taps and bumps and clicks that weren't in rhythm with the clock's beat. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and threw herself up to glare at the dragon next to her.

Spike kept on drumming with his fists, claws, thighs, bed, the nightstand, and just about anything else in his reach. The sounds stopped instantly the second he saw Rainbow's scowl, and he lowered his claws into his lap without a word or an audible thud. Once again, the only noise was the ticking of the clock on the wall.

"Sorry. I got bored," Spike said when Rainbow raised an inquiring eyebrow. The pegasus groaned and plopped her head back onto her cushion.

"Welcome to the sick bay," she said. "Get used to it."