The following week, Flim and Flam called an emergency meeting in their office with several of their key employees. The resort had become a laughingstock, courtesy of Impossibly Rich and her cretinous underlings. It all started one morning at breakfast when Twilight asked Rarity to pass the sugar. Twilight put some on her cereal and when she took a bite, she threw up because someone had switched the sugar with the salt!

Somehow, several of the Richs’ employees had managed to infiltrate the Resort and put salt in all the sugar bowls and sugar in all the salt shakers. Not only that, they also snuck into the staff laundry room and threw a single red sock in with all of Spike’s white shirts (turning them pink) AND took a picture of Zephyr Breeze while he was getting a spray-on tan.

“Where did you get that?” Zephyr shouted after Spike showed him the picture on his phone.

“Those jerks from across the street took it and sent it in a mass e-mail,” Spike said. “The entire staff has it.”

“There is no way--” Zephyr began.

“Oh, good Luna!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she dropped her own cell phone and started clawing at her eyes.

Adagio read the caption that came with the photo out loud. “‘Must be chilly in the tanning booth’?”

“That’s not funny!” Zephyr stated. “It was very cold in there!”

“Nowhere is it that cold,” said Aria.

“Well, it’s not exactly a flattering angle,” Sonata commented.

“I have to figure out how to delete that from everyone’s phones,” Zeph said.

“Yeah, I don’t think that will be a problem,” Spike told him after he deleted the one that had been sent to him.

And one by one, so did all their coworkers.

The pranks had quickly escalated from there: everything from dismantling golf carts to setting off bug bombs. But the final straw was when some of the Rich employees somehow turned Discord’s entire office upside down AND painted tiny wieners on the gold statues of Flim and Flam.

“This... is... WAR!” Discord yelled furiously.

“Impossibly Rich has played us for fools for the last time!” Flim shouted.

“I was a prankster myself back in the day, so I can appreciate a good gag,” Discord admitted, “but that is beyond the pale!”

“We are ordering all of you to drop everything and prank Impossibly Rich like she’s never been pranked before!” Flam commanded.

“Yes, sirs!” the group replied.

“Are we talking mildly hard-core prank or really nasty prank?” Pinkie asked.

“Really, REALLY nasty!” Discord answered. “We are going to need a prank to end all pranks. So... anyone have any ideas?”

Pinkie looked at Rainbow Dash.

“No!” Dash stated.

“But you’re the Queen of Pranks!” Pinkie said.

“NO!! Not anymore!”

“I used to get pranked all the time, until I got my tormentors to stop,” Spike said. “I could come up with something. I’ve been in the trenches. I’ve seen things.”

“All right, you obviously have a story to share, so share it,” Discord said.

“It all started when some guy stuck a ‘Kick Me’ sign to my back,” Spike recalled with a scoff. “So, I put his contact information in an ad for an S&M magazine.”

“Wait. ‘Blond Caucasian seeks dominant professional type for late-night spank sessions’?” Rarity inquired.

“How’d you know?” Spike asked.

“Lucky guess?” Rarity replied, almost sheepishly. “That was you? You put that in about Grape Crush?”

“Yep,” Spike said, almost proudly. “Then there was the whole calendar shoot incident.”

“Calendar shoot incident?” Applejack asked.

“It was a fundraising-slash-charity project when I was working as a model,” Spike explained.

Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy remembered hearing about it from their own modeling days.

“One of the guys had to drop out, so they needed a new man for October,” Spike went on. “Grape Crush, who was already Mr. April, took a cheap shot at me by saying to Persnickety, ‘I assume you want to sell a couple of these things, so that lets him out, so sure, I’ll do it.’ Naturally, I asked Grape Crush what he meant by that, and he said, ‘It means blond Caucasian is probably a better choice than scary Dragon boy.’”

“Ouch,” Rarity thought.

“So, we competed for the last spot. We both sent in our bio applications, his snapshots, I sent in professional glamour shots, and they chose me. I rubbed it in Grape Crush’s face for a couple of days. And then, on the day of the photo shoot, I got the photographer to punch me in the nose,”

“You what?!” the girls (minus Sunset) asked.

“It was all part of the prank. It freaked Crush out and that was the end of it,”

“Wow,” Pinkie breathed.

“But this obviously calls for something a bit more drastic,” Spike said. “I’ve got one, but it’s big, real big, all-hands-on-deck big.”

Everyone (minus Rainbow Dash and Twilight) leaned in to listen to Spike, like he was about to share top secret information for their ears only.

“We steal some Rich company uniforms and dress up in them. Then we tape ourselves doing all kinds of nasty things in them and put the video online. The video goes viral, and Impossibly Rich’s reputation goes down the crapper,”

“Do it,” Discord stated. “And do a good job -- or you won’t have a job. If you fail, heads will roll. Am I clear?”

“No, you’re opaque,” Spike replied. “But yeah, we understand.”

“And do something with your hair!” Discord added. “Jeez!”

Spike smiled as he led the gang out of the Brothers’ office.

“Last chance to join me in some epic pranking,” he said to Rainbow Dash.

“Forget it!” she snapped in reply.

Spike shrugged and said, “I tried.”

After they all left Flim and Flam’s office, Trixie accompanied Discord to his own office.

“Shh! ICDG agents are watching us,” she said quietly.

“What? The Casino Guild?” he replied.

Discord cautiously shifted his eyes around the casino as they walked together, and sure enough, he picked out several pairs of men in suits and sunglasses trying (and failing) to look and act inconspicuous.

“We’re safe in here,” he said once they were inside his office. “What is going on? Why is the Casino Guild here?”

“They arrived the same day Sky Resort took off into the clouds,” Trixie said.

“Well, that’s pretty convenient, isn’t it?” Discord asked. “I wonder if the Dealer’s Agency is trying to make it in the casino business.”

“I’m not so sure, but I’m certain that Impossibly Rich is the one behind all of this,” Trixie shared. “I’m also worried about Spike... and Twilight. Every prediction shows her future shrouded in darkness and death.”

Later that morning, Moon Dancer was making her rounds when she was stopped by Coco, Dear Darling, Fond Feather, Swoon Song, and the Dazzlings.

“Come on, Moon Dancer!” Adagio told her. “It’s showtime!”

“What?” Moon Dancer asked. “Where are you going?”

“To the loading bay,” Sonata replied.

So Moon Dancer followed them across the Resort and through the service doors that opened out to the back of the building. Outside, Soarin was helping unload cases of Crystal Empire^TM bottled water from a truck while Spike was being filmed for a television ad for said water. Moon Dancer stared awestruck with the rest of the women as Spike took off his tight T-shirt, reached for one of the bottles, wiped his brow with the back of his hand, and chugged the liquid.

“Ah... Oh, my...” they all sighed. “What a hunk!”

While Spike was posing for the film crew, Soarin was trying to figure out how they were going to get their hands on some Rich company uniforms. After the shooting for the commercial ended, Spike thought about Rainbow Dash. Even before the prank war started a week ago, she seemed to be in a remarkably bad mood and nobody could figure out why. At first Spike thought it was that time of the month, but it wasn’t; the girls’ cycles had almost completely synced up with one another’s since they started working together.

“So, you plan on seeing Dash again tonight?” Soarin asked Spike.

“Nah,” he replied. “After her, Fleur and Sassy, I think I might take a break for a while.”

“Wait, Sassy? As in, Sassy Saddles, the pit boss? That Sassy?” Soarin inquired.

“The same,” Spike confirmed.

“Since when?”

“Remember the day you asked me to help you test the new rock-climbing equipment?” Spike asked.

Soarin recalled.

Three days ago, Soarin and Spike headed to the roof of the Resort and Soarin helped fit Spike into a harness before he tied the end of the rope securely to the railing. Spike climbed over the ledge and began his descent down the side of the building, gently pushing himself back with his feet like he was spelunking while Soarin held the line, and Spike looked up every two to three stories to signal to Soarin that he was okay. Spike eventually stopped on the balcony of Room 520—Fleur’s suite—and peeked inside. When he did, he saw Fleur doing naked yoga with Sassy Saddles.

“Yoga is the perfect way to work up an appetite,” Fleur said. “And now inhale, cobra; exhale, downward dog.”

“S-so m-much s-skin!” he whimpered happily.

Spike called Soarin on the walkie-talkie Soarin had given him, telling him that he was safe and that he was stepping out of the harness. Once he freed himself from the gear, Spike tugged on the line and Soarin hauled it back up. Spike quietly slid open the balcony door and snuck inside.

Spike was thankful that their backs (and behinds) were to him or they would have seen him come in. Alone, each lady was formidable in her own right, but together, they are a lot of woman. I mean a lo-o-o-t of woman.

They spread their thighs further apart as they bent over, so much that Spike had a direct line of sight to their tight little anuses. He took off his shirt and unzipped his jeans before sneaking up behind Fleur and penetrating her.

“Ooh!” she squeaked. “I was wondering when you would drop in.”

Spike wanted to do her right there, right on the yoga mat. But, in an attempt to be a little romantic, he swept Fleur into his arms and onto the sofa, shoving his tongue down her throat the way she liked. Fleur moaned into Spike’s mouth as he gave her derrière a hard squeeze and he reentered her. His cock felt like steel and Fleur moaned even louder as Spike thrusted harder and harder until she constricted around him.

After her climax had subsided, Fleur asked Sassy to sit in front of her on the sofa and Fleur spead Sassy’s legs apart. Spike knelt between Sassy’s legs and she gasped when Spike’s tongue made contact with her silky vulva, and her legs clamped around his head. Sassy shook as she threw her head back and arched against Fleur before she slid off the couch, back onto her yoga mat. But Spike was far from done with her. He slid into Sassy from behind before sticking a finger up her backside. Once her anus started to soften and open from the fingering he pulled his cock out of her vagina... and shoved it into her ass.

“Oh, my stars and garters!” Sassy cried out.

“Did I hurt you?” Spike asked.

“No, I love how you feel inside me. I already feel so full...”

Spike’s hands held Sassy’s hips in an iron grip as he pounded into her from behind, keeping her in place long enough for him to deposit his seed, erupting with one final thrust into her velvety confines. Sassy moaned and slumped forward onto her yoga mat, smiling at Spike over her shoulder as he retrieved his clothes.

Spike was broken from those thoughts when he heard someone scream.

“What was that?” Moon Dancer asked.

“It sounded like Rainbow Dash,” Soarin replied.

“And it sounds like it’s coming from the pool!” Spike added.

Soarin and the women followed Spike as he made a beeline for the pool area just in time to see Dash tackle someone into the deep end of the pool. The brawl continued underwater and ended when Spike dove into the pool, little concern for his jeans, and pulled the woman Dash was fighting with out of the water.

Applejack helped Dash out of the water while Sunset, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Starlight, Twilight, Soarin, Coco, Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Dear Darling, Fond Feather, Swoon Song, Moon Dancer and Discord all crowded around Spike as he hauled the other woman out and laid her onto her back. She had blue hair and was wearing a maroon jacket with a plaid skirt. Spike recognized her as one of the women from the audience at the dance contest weeks ago—Indigo Zap.

“She’s not breathing!” Spike exclaimed.

As soon as Applejack heard those words, she was down on her knees and began giving Indigo chest compressions while Spike took a deep breath, clamped his lips over Indigo’s, and gave her a kiss of life. Indigo’s eyes shot open and she gasped after Spike and Applejack revived her.

“Are you okay?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, I’m great,” she replied. “Thanks.”

The hotel doctor arrived soon after, and made sure that Indigo had sustained no other injuries.

“What were you doing here?” Spike asked.

“I’m miserable working for Impossibly Rich,” Indigo said. “I just never had the guts to quit.”

“Yeah, right,” Dash scoffed. “Then why’d you punk us all those times?”

“I had to. You don’t know what the Riches are like. Impossibly Rich is a tyrant wrapped up in a slave driver! If you don’t do what she says, when she says it, she puts you on solitary garbage duty for a month! And you don’t even want to know what they feed us!”

“That’s awful!” Fluttershy said.

“Please, let me stay,” Indigo begged. “I’ll even be a Bunny Girl!”

“Now, that’s my kind of employee,” Discord said. “You’re hired!”

“Are you sure about this?” Rarity asked him. “I mean, how do we know we can trust her? She could be a plant.”

“I know I have done a lot of bad things,” Indigo told them, “but please, let me make it up to you.”

“I’ll get you a Bunny outfit,” Discord said.

Rarity glanced over at Rainbow Dash, who was a little red in the cheeks as she watched Spike escort Indigo inside.

“Somebody’s jealous,” she said.

“Jealous? Of an old rival who is probably gonna give Spike head and have steaming hot shower sex with him after I already have?” Dash retorted. “As if!”

“Because if you were, you could always flirt with someone else and make him jealous back,” Rarity suggested.

“Like I need dating advice from you,” Dash added as she stormed off.

“Suit yourself, darling,” Rarity replied. “She’s totally jealous,” she told Pinkie Pie.

“No doubt,” Pinkie replied.

Spike took Indigo up to his suite and gave her a towel to dry off with.

“Whoa, this is your room?” she asked. “Who do you share it with?”

“Nobody, it’s all mine,” he said.

“Seriously?” she chuckled.

“Yep,” he replied. “So, now that we’re away from the others, what’s it really like working for Impossibly Rich?”

“Ugh, it’s totally lame!”

“You don’t have to keep lying. It’s just us in here,”

“No, I mean it. The other girls, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, Sugarcoat, Lemon Zest, they don’t raid the minibars, they never skip work... they seriously have no idea how to live!!” Indigo confessed.

“Were those the four gals I saw you standing with at the staff ballroom dance contest?” he inquired.

“Yeah... Now you, you look like you know how to have a blast!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” he said modestly.

“I’m serious. I watch your dance instruction videos on the Resort’s website, and I saw you mop the floor at the dance competition. You’re really good. No! You’re the man!”

“Yeah, well, that was a next-level prank you guys did with the upside-down office bit,” Spike said. “That was brilliant!”

“Thanks. Hey, this might sound a little crazy, I mean, I know we just met, but would you maybe want to go out sometime, maybe after work tonight?”

“I would be honored to take a fine lady out for a night on the town,”

“Great! See you later,”

And she headed down to the staff locker room while Spike changed.

Later, Rainbow Dash asked Soarin if he had seen Spike since he (Spike) pulled Indigo out of the pool.

“Nope,” Soarin replied.

“You were that last one to see him, you know where he is. Spill!”

“He’s in the casino with Indigo!” he blurted. “Darn it!”

Dash immediately headed to the casino, and sure enough she found Spike, clad in new jeans and a clean T-shirt, test running the Filmflam Brothers’ newest toy—a video poker machine that had a minimum of ten dollars a hand.

Spike put in five one hundred dollar bills and kept his bets low so that it would last longer. He had a few small wins early on, but eventually found himself eighty dollars down so he thought “Screw it” as he hit the maximum bet button and put down two hundred dollars. Spike knew his chances were slim, but he figured what the Tartarus. He pressed the deal button and watched the cards pop up on the screen. He got a pair of Queens, held them, and two more Queens appeared!

Indigo Zap, clad in a blue bunny suit, white tail and matching bunny ears, brought Spike a ginger ale and looked at the screen over his shoulder.

“Looks like you’ve got a loose one,” she told him.

“No such thing. These machines run on random number generators; no brain, no bias,” Spike explained. “That’s why the Brothers are thinking of replacing the dealers and tables with them... best odds in the house, though.”

“I thought that Craps had the best odds,” Indigo said.

“Normally, Poker odds are slightly worse at 0.7% in your favor, but if you employ optimal strategy and always draw for the Royal Flush you can push those odds to a solid two percent,” Spike replied.

“Smart and handsome,” she said.

Spike smiled shyly.

He had stayed pretty close to even after that last win, but the video poker machine had other ideas. So he hit the max bet button again to try and end the game as quickly as possible, but something amazing happened—he hit a Royal Flush! And the pay out totaled one hundred thousand dollars!

He and Indigo stared at the machine in disbelief as people gathered around them. Then several attendants appeared, led by Sassy Saddles. By the time Spike had shook hands with everyone who had witnessed his win Sassy happily placed a check for ninety thousand dollars and another ten thousand in cash in his hands.

“I love Las Pegasus,” Spike thought.

“Here,” he said as he gave Indigo the check.

Indigo’s mouth hung open as she held the slip of paper while Rainbow Dash pulled Spike aside.

“You just gave ninety percent of your winnings to the enemy,” she said.

“Indigo is not ‘the enemy,’” Spike replied. “In fact, she’s been really sweet.”

“Look, Spike, Sunset and I used to compete against Indigo on the motocross circuit, so she and I know what she’s really like,” Dash shared.

“Oh, really?” Spike asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“All right, if you want to learn it the hard way, fine! But don’t say I didn’t try to warn you,” she said.

“Oh, I won’t,” he replied.

Later that afternoon, Twilight was pacing the floor in the staff locker room while Rainbow Dash and Starlight Glimmer watched her.

“You girls have to help me end whatever this thing is that’s going on between Spike and Indigo,” Twilight said.

“On the one hand, you’re my friend and I want to help you,” Starlight replied. “On the other hand, if Spike gets close to Indigo, we get free dirt on Rich.”

“Oh, she is going down!” Rainbow Dash stated. “It’s one thing to play Discord and the others like a guitar, but I will not just stand by and let her make moves on Spike! I’ll help you, if you can get Spike to admit that he’s only seeing her to make me jealous.”

“He’ll never admit to that!” Twilight replied.

“No confession, no help,” Dash said.

“Fine,” Twilight growled. “But we are going to have to fight dirty by being sneaky and conniving. And this time, we’ll win!”

“Twilight, I’ve never seen you this angry,” Starlight said. “I like it!”

“Oh, I’m not angry. I’m determined. The claws are coming out!”

“Shh!” Dash whispered. “Someone’s coming!”

The three women ducked into one of the changing stalls and peeked around the curtain to see Indigo walk in with her cell phone in hand. She didn’t even notice Twilight and the others hiding in the changing stall.

“He plays like a titan, he sweats awesomeness, and... he’s totally generous, loyal and kind... Spike just might be my ticket to freedom!” she thought.

Once Indigo thought she was alone, she dialed her superiors at Rich Casino and Resort and their faces appeared on the screen. Rainbow Dash whipped out her own cell phone and started recording Indigo.

“Report,” Abacus Cinch began.

“Guess who just scored a date with Flim and Flam’s favorite employee,” she began. “Oh, and Spike -- stud -- said I was totally his type!”

“That’s great!” Sour Sweet began pleasantly. “Do not lose focus!” she added with a shout.

“We’ve gotten the photos of the mess in the kitchen you sent us,” Sunny Flare added, “but using Spike to sabotage the place will really seal the deal.”

“One look at those nasty pics and the health inspectors will shut them down for good,” Sugarcoat said.

“Leaving me free to move in and take over,” Impossibly Rich stated. “Good work, Miss Zap.”

Indigo nodded as she hung up.

“I knew it!” Rainbow Dash whispered. “We have to tell Spike!”

“Have you lost your mind?!” Twilight asked.

“If they shut us down, we’re all out of jobs!” Dash told her. “You can do what you want, but I’m going to do what’s right!”

So she pulled the curtain aside and confronted her rival.

“Stay away from Spike or I will make your life worse than it already is!” Rainbow Dash threatened her.

Indigo didn’t seem at all shaken by their sudden appearance.

“You know, all I wanted from Spike was a free meal, maybe a kiss, but now that you said that, I’m going to make him fall in love with me instead,” she said.

“You won’t get away with this,” Twilight told her.

“Just try and stop me,” Indigo scoffed, and walked away.

“Come on,” Dash told her friends. “We’ve got some date-wrecking to do!”

Later that evening, Spike took a quick shower, shaved, put on some cologne and a black suit, minus a tie. He was debating on whether or not it was too formal for his date when he heard a knock at the door. He opened the door to find Indigo waiting for him. She was wearing a little black dress with a matching pair of high heels that had a single small strap that buckled around the ankle, and a black purse.

“Wow, Spike, you look ace!”

“Thanks. You look beautiful, yourself. Shall we?”

Smiling, Indigo hooked her arm through his as they got into the elevator.

Grabbing a cab, they headed to the Hive and entered just as Cornicle was playing ragtime on the grand piano.

“Reservation, Drake,” Spike told Thorax.

“Yes, sir,” Thorax replied formally. “Ocellus will seat you.”

“This way, please,” Ocellus said with a smile.

She asked them if she could start them off with something to drink—both asked for water—then she asked if they knew what they wanted to eat.

“We’ll have two of tonight’s specials,” Spike said. “Is that all right, dear?”

Indigo smiled. “And an order of chili cheese fries to split.”

Ocellus nodded as she wrote down their orders and returned to the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash, Starlight and Twilight entered the Hive five minutes later.

“Thanks for helping us with this,” Twilight said to Starlight. “But are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“What? You think this is my first sabotage? Please!” Starlight replied. “Now, here’s what we’re gonna do--”

“Wait! I’d rather not know,” Twilight said.

“Fine, but I’ll need some cash,”

Twilight handed over a small stack of twenties.

“Okay, go. Dash and I’ll keep our eyes on Spike and Indigo,”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash sat at one booth and they saw Pinkie and Fluttershy sitting at another booth on the other side of the room. Apparently, they’d had the same idea—to spy on Spike while he was at dinner with Indigo.

Meanwhile, Starlight approached Pharynx and spoke to him in a whisper.

“Pharynx, I’m cashing in a favor you owe me,” she began.

“All right, but what’s in it for me?” Pharynx asked.

Starlight gave him the money Twilight had given her and said, “You get to make someone blow chunks... from both ends.”

“I’m in!” he grinned.

Starlight told him who his target was, and then took her seat at Dash and Twilight’s booth while Pharynx ducked into the kitchen and poured half of a large bottle of liquid laxative onto Indigo’s order of chili cheese fries. Unfortunately, while his back was turned, a second dish of chili cheese fries—Rainbow Dash’s order—was placed right beside it. Pharynx couldn’t tell which order of fries he had tampered with and tried to “fix” his mistake by pouring the rest of the bottle onto both orders. Ocellus served both dishes, but Spike and Indigo were so caught up in conversation that they didn’t even touch the fries. Meanwhile, Twilight was slowly munching away at Rainbow Dash’s fries as she, Starlight and Dash watched them.

“So you like makeup sex?” Indigo asked. “When a girl’s still hot and in her makeup?”

“Yeah,” Spike replied. “When we were done the pillow looked like it had been used to suffocate a clown,” he recalled, almost fondly. “Now, before bed, Dash puts on this ratty old robe I refer to as ‘The Shrinker’.”

“Ugh, man, did you talk to her about it?” she inquired.

“Yes, I made that rookie mistake,” he admitted. “I talked to Dash about The Shrinker and it was swiftly replaced by another robe I refer to as ‘The Termite’.”

“As in the little insect that destroys wood?” she asked.

“Exactamundo!” Spike stated.

“So, the robe that Dash wore into the lobby that night I snuck in and pulled the fire alarm... was that The Termite?”

Spike gave Indigo a courtesy laugh. “No, no. That was just The Shrinker.”

“Oh, Faust!!” Indigo gasped.

After about ten minutes, Twilight’s stomach gurgled.

“Um... was that you?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight shook her head and her stomach gurgled again.

“Are you okay?” Starlight asked.

“No. Clear a path!” Twilight shouted.

And she rushed to the ladies’ room.

“Are you finished?” Ocellus asked Spike and Indigo about their food.

They both said yes and Ocellus asked if they were interested in dessert.

“I’ll have a vanilla gelato,” Indigo said.

“What?” Dash thought. “That’s my favorite!”

“I’ll have a chocolate soda with three scoops,” said Spike.

Ocellus smiled as she took their unfinished meal back to the kitchen and returned with their ice cream. Spike paid for them both and they exchanged bites of their desserts, smiling and giggling. Then, when Spike’s back was turned, Indigo took one of the fries she had swiped from her dish, and aimed it at Starlight Glimmer. She flicked it like a paper football, and it flew across the restaurant and into Starlight’s open mouth.

Starlight coughed and gagged as it went down her throat. Then she groaned when her stomach gurgled.

“Oh, no. Out of the way!” she cried.

“That’s it!” Dash yelled as she got up from her table. “Spike, Indigo Zap is a spy for Impossibly Rich! And I can prove it!”

She pulled out her cell phone and showed Spike the video she had taken earlier that afternoon.

“We’ve gotten the photos of the mess in the kitchen you sent us, but using Spike to sabotage the place will really seal the deal,”

“One look at those nasty pics and the health inspectors will shut them down for good,”

“Leaving me free to move in and take over. Good work, Miss Zap,”

Suddenly, Cornicle came up behind Dash, carrying a bowl of macaroni and cheese. She stuck her foot in his path and he tripped. As he fell, the bowl of food flew up to the ceiling. The round metal bowl landed on Spike’s head like a hat, its contents slopping onto his face and shoulders.

Everyone in the restaurant stopped and stared. Indigo rolled her eyes and put her hands over her mouth to stifle her laughter. Spike took the bowl off of his head, gooey mac and cheese matting his green hair.

“Excuse me...” Spike leveled a serious gaze at Indigo, “did you just snort?”

She shook her head... then snorted again.

“I suppose you think this is funny,” he said. “Well, maybe you’ll get a little chuckle out of this.”

And he flung a bit of butter at her.

“Food fight!” Indigo screamed.

She threw a handful of macaroni at Spike and the Hive’s restaurant erupted into a giant battle with kids and adults hurling foodstuffs at each other. Laughing, Pinkie and Pharynx joined the fight with gusto, pelting everyone with handfuls of food. Salad and peach cobbler flew everywhere, coating the floor and the tables. The food fight raged on.

It wasn’t until Fluttershy got hit in the face with a slice of pie, which coated her with gunk that Thorax yelled for everyone to stop, and they did. Spike looked around for Indigo, but didn’t see her. Somehow, she escaped in all the confusion, leaving Spike to apologize to Thorax and pay for the damages.

“Rainbow Dash, are you okay?” Spike asked as they, Pinkie, and Fluttershy left the Hive.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied.

“You were right. I should have listened to you. I’m sorry,” he apologized.

“Eh, forget it. Getting a bowl of mac and cheese dumped on your head is punishment enough,”

“Dashie, we’re all sorry for not believing you,” Pinkie added.

“And ignoring you,” said Fluttershy.

“Thanks, girls,” Dash smiled.

Meanwhile, back inside the Hive...

“Hoo! Ho-ho!” Ocellus exclaimed as she exited the ladies’ bathroom. “Whoever’s in that stall should really see a doctor.”

“Aah! Mnh! Ugh!” Twilight grunted.

“O-M-G! I’m out of toilet paper!” Starlight gasped.

“Oh, my gosh! Me too!” Twilight added.

And they spent the next half hour “re-spackling the toilets.”

Spike walked with Indigo after he had collected his video poker winnings from Sassy Saddles.

“You took a big risk coming here,” he said. “Why?”

“I want to join up with you, but when I started working for Impossibly Rich, she made me sign a contract that basically says she owns me,” Indigo replied. “She’s not named ‘Impossibly’ for nothing!”

“So, you’re willing to go against her for me, someone you barely even know?” Spike inquired.

“You saved me from drowning. It’s the least I can do,”

“All right, I’ll help you,”

“Do you think your luck will hold out?” she asked.

“As long as you’re with me, you’ll always have good luck,” he told her.

Indigo gave Spike one last smile as she entered the staff locker room and prepared to call her employer.

Next time: Discord and the management staff go away for the weekend and leave Sunburst in charge of the resort... and to judge the staff bikini contest. But things go awry when Sunburst’s mom, Stellar Flare, decides to stay behind... and she starts spending time with Spike.

Meanwhile, Twilight, in an attempt to make amends with Spike, joins Pinkie and Rainbow Dash on an errand to buy some tasty pastries... and end up lost in the bad part of town.