Flim and Flam flung open the gates to the carnival in the back lot. The entire area behind the Resort (beyond the swimming pools) had been closed off for weeks, while dozens of workmen labored day and night outside. The Brothers had refused to tell the guests or any of the staff anything about what was going on, saying simply, “You’ll know when the time comes.”

It was nowhere near as big as Whinny Land, but it was large enough to be impressive (which it was), especially with Fortune Way, the main drag, and Claw Alley, the secondary drag, with Love Lane being the third drag, and Lucky Pass, the fourth and final drag. It wasn’t a “theme park”, which allowed it to have a little bit of everything. As well as the Wild Blue Yonder (the big roller coaster with a 400-foot drop into loop-de-loops and a corkscrew), there was a Ferris wheel with dangling gondolas, numerous arcade games, a Carousel, a Hall of Mirrors, a Tunnel of Love, a pendulum-style Viking ship, a tell-your-fortune kiosk, a cotton candy machine, a hotdog stand, and several other attractions.

The Brothers had really gone all out.

Spike and the girls walked beneath the giant arch and music started playing through the loudspeakers as the Brothers gave them day-passes to everything in the park—a belated birthday gift for Spike. They walked down the main path, looking at the booths, watching kids pull their parents along, pointing at the various tents and games and rides, begging them to let them on.

“The root beer floats, the chocolate malts, the lemon custard, the rides...” Pinkie sighed. “Now, this is living.”

“So, what should we do first?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Dragonlands Dragracing? The Appaloosa Runaway Train? Neighgra Falls Barrel Flume?!”

“Appaloosa Wild West Stunt Show?” Pinkie went on. “Nightmare Moon’s Haunted Castle? Sugarcube Everything?!”

“The Wild Blue Yonder!” Spike stated. “I’ll race you to it,” he said to Rainbow Dash.

“You’re on,” she replied, and they took off for the legendary rollercoaster.

The cars, twenty in all, were shaped like clouds and each had three rows of seats. Spike led the girls toward the first cloud-shaped wagon. It sat idling inside the pair of massive gates with ENTRANCE painted across the top.

“Just how safe is this?” Fluttershy asked cautiously as Spike climbed aboard.

“Perfectly safe,” he assured her as he held out his hand, which she took. “I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

“I always enjoy a good carnival ride,” Fluttershy said as she climbed in beside him, “as long as it’s safe and fun.”

The rest of the group started to catch up just as the train filled with laughing children. Spike looked over at Rainbow Dash and noticed that she was hesitating.

“Come on!” he told her. “Surely you aren’t afraid of a little carnival ride?”

“Ha! I’ve laughed in the face of death a thousand times!” Dash said bravely. “And don’t call me Shirley.”

“Hop on in, then,” he said.

She did. Three of them in a car designed for two made for a tight fit, and Spike was very aware of Fluttershy’s and Rainbow Dash’s thighs pressing against his, and the brush of their breasts against his arms. He felt a sudden and far from unpleasant southward tingle. He dropped the safety bar and he gave it a shake to make sure it was latched.

Soarin was agenting the Wild Blue Yonder. He walked up the line of cars, reminding everyone, “Don’t forget to keep your arms and legs inside the cart at all times.” He leaned in close to Spike and the girls up front and added in a whisper, “Feel free to wave your hands in the air.”

He winked and walked back to the controls, which consisted of a single waist-high lever sticking out of the platform.

“Enjoy the ride!” Soarin shouted.

Fluttershy hooked an arm around Spike’s right elbow, Rainbow Dash around his left, drawing close to him.

There was a jerk, and the train began its slow ascent to the top... and quickly descended into a double-S curve where the cars picked up speed and whipped the riders back and forth. Fluttershy (almost completely oblivious to everything that was going on around her) squealed happily as the wind blew her hair back while Rainbow Dash screamed, “Stop this ride! Stop this ride!”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of convoluted twists, the wagon returned to the front gates and slowed to a stop. With a broad grin, Spike turned to face his friends. Fluttershy was still bubbling over; cheerful joy on her face. Rainbow Dash was the exact opposite: hair standing on end, eyes wide open, mouth frozen in a silent scream of terror.

“Please exit the carts to your left,” Soarin instructed. “Have a nice day!”

They exited and a little girl that was standing in the line to get on asked Fluttershy if it was scary.

“The scary part was trying to keep his hands where they belong,” Fluttershy giggled as Spike wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

They passed the booth that offered photos taken from a camera that had been set up on the first downhill grade.

“Aw, man!” Spike exclaimed. “My eyes are closed!”

“If there isn’t a line later, can we come back?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight spotted the hard cider garden across the way.

“Who wants one?” she asked. “I’ll buy!”

Spike wasn’t very thirsty, and he knew that the rest of the girls wanted to play some games, so he said, “Why don’t you take Rainbow Dash? She looks like she needs it the most.”

Twilight shrugged and escorted Dash to get a drink.

It was no secret that carnivals existed to make money. And to do that they used a bunch of tricks to make people overestimate their chances of winning. In some cases, to such an extent, that they were scams.

And the Flimflam Brothers specialized in scamming their clientele.

Applejack told Spike that the Brothers’ small park collected $20,000 a day off the carnival games alone. But Spike knew which carnival games were the biggest rip-offs as well as why they were. He also knew how to win the most popular games by using several tricks of his own.

Ultimately, there were three types of carnival games. The first group was the “random chance” games where little to no skill was involved and (like Craps) were basically like rolling dice. The second group was the “skill based” games, like the basketball shot or the milk bottle throw, where if someone brought some kind of skill or strategy to the game their chances of winning were increased. And finally, there were games that were nearly impossible to beat.

Regardless of the game, the winners that got pride of first place were given the big fuzzy stuffed animals that hardly anyone ever won... although, AJ said some of the vendors were careful to give out at least one every evening when the tip was good. Spike looked all the games over and thought that he would begin at Fortune Way and work his way to Lucky Pass... and he decided to start with a little game called “Hoops.”

One of the most popular skill-based carnival games, it was a very inaccurate simulation of basketball where players would need to score as many baskets as they could in a limited amount of time. But, like basketball, each basket made was worth two points. Six points got a small prize, twelve points got a medium prize, and twenty-four points got a large prize.

Spike stepped forward, eager to impress.

He knew from playing basketball with Soarin and Rainbow Dash that a standard three-pointer was 24 feet away on a rim 10 feet off the ground. But Spike could tell that this game was rigged for a shot 28 feet back on a rim 11 feet off the ground, which was subtle but just enough to make even a skilled basketball player fall short of the goal.

Spike held the basketball in his hands. It felt like a real basketball. Then he spun it on his finger; it spun like a real basketball. He told the vendor he was ready, and the vendor set the clock to count down from 30 seconds. Unfortunately, Spike made only five baskets by the time the clock ran out, which was just enough to win a rubber bouncy ball and a bag of jacks (which Pinkie Pie was more than happy to accept). Then he tried his luck at Skee-Ball.

Also known as Alley Ball, the game was relatively simple: players had to roll six balls, underhanded, down the alley, up the ramp, and into one of several point holes, to score as many points as they could.

Spike lined up his first shot, tossed the ball up the lane, and it rolled into the 50-point hole. He rolled the second ball rolled into the same hole before he rolled the third ball into the 100-point hole. A perfect shot. He rolled his remaining three balls into the 100-point hole, scoring a total of 500 points, and won a stuffed alligator plushie, which he handed off to Pinkie.

The next thing Spike tried was the high striker shy. Also known as “test-your-strength”, the high striker was a chance for people to prove how powerful they were. There were several heights marked “Cream Puff,” “Softie,” “Weakling,” “Butterball,” “Couch Potato,” “Average Joe,” “Bruiser,” “Macho Man,” “Contender,” “Champion,” and (at the top of the ding-post, next to the bell) “Kiss him, lady, he’s a He-Man!” A straw-hatted agent with a dapper mustache stood next to it, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, and he was leaning on the sledgehammer like it was a cane.

“Step right up, sonny. Try your luck with the mallet,” the barker said. “Ring the bell, win a prize, couldn’t be simpler.”

“This guy doesn’t know who he’s dealing with,” Spike thought as he picked up the hammer.

“Step back,” he told the girls. “This could get ugly.”

Spike swung and brought the hammer down on the button. The counterweight went all the way to the top, almost taking out the bell when it hit. Spike tried again and rang the bell again, attracting quite a crowd with that second ring. He rang the bell a third time and the counterweight sent the bell flying.

“Look at that sucker go!” Applejack exclaimed.

“That was incredible!” Rarity added.

Spike paid the dapper agent a little extra cash to have the bell replaced, and the agent handed Spike a hand carved wooden samurai figure, which Spike presented to Applejack. The next thing he tried was the Collection Plate.

“Right this way, folks, right this way! Step on up and test your skill, and luck, at the Collection Plate!” the vendor told them. “But be careful. Toss too hard and your coin will slide right off the plate. Too soft, and you’ll come up short!”

“Spike, they’re just trying to sucker you in,” Sunset warned him. “This game is rigged.”

“Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’ve got this.”

Spike sized up the game. There were seventeen plates, all the same size, but different distances apart from each other, and at various heights off the table they were on. Six were purple, five were orange, four red, and two green. Spike had seen many games like this one. The colors of the plates were irrelevant. The only thing that was important was the chance Spike had to win.

The vendor gave him five coins; five chances to land a one on a plate. The trick here was in the coins themselves. As Spike held them in his hand, they felt very light so they would easily slide off the plates. That would make it much less likely that any of them would end up where Spike would originally aim them. Any imperfection in his throw would be intensified, and literally randomize the game.

Sunset watched with her arms folded beneath her breasts, a disapproving look on her face, as Spike tossed his first coin. It bounced off the plate closest to him (one of the purple plates), up to the plate highest off the table (which was orange), and landed on the purple plate that was furthest away. His second coin bounced from the closest plate, off the tallest orange plate again, and landed on another orange plate that sat right next to it.

Spike’s third toss slid off the closest purple plate and onto the purple plate that was directly behind it. His fourth toss spun around on the purple plate furthest to the left and onto the green plate just below and behind it. He tossed his final coin... and it stopped on the plate right in the middle. Pinkie accepted Spike’s prize—a squirting flower—a classic joke gag, which Pinkie had a collection of (though, she thought she could improve them). The game after that was Spilled Milk, also known as the Milk Bottle Throw.

“Step right up for an exciting test of accuracy!” the vendor shouted as he pulled three baseballs from beneath the counter and placed them in front of Spike.

Three balls, three tries to knock down all three bottles. The only catch to this game was the fact that the milk bottles were made of metal, which were heavier, stable, and harder to knock down. And the key to winning was hitting the bottles with a throw that was hard enough to knock them all down, but also not sacrifice accuracy. Spike smiled as he paid his fee, picked up the first baseball, tossed it into the air, and then wound up. He pitched the ball at the milk jugs and he knocked all three of them down, which earned applause from Fluttershy.

“Betcha can’t do dat again,” the vendor sneered.

Spike kept smiling as he tossed his second ball—another direct hit.

“Whoa!” Pinkie exclaimed as Spike picked up the final ball, aimed carefully, and landed another perfect shot.

“Spike, do you think you could teach me to throw like that?” Sunset asked.

“Sure, let’s see what you’ve got,” he replied.

The vendor gave Sunset a baseball, she threw it, and it went far off to the right, into the fortune teller’s kiosk.

“I’m done,” she said.

“Oh, no, no, no, no,” Spike told her. “Let me help you. Give me your hand.”

Spike snuggled up to her, hip to hip, his left hand snaked around her waist, showing her how to hold the ball, the way guys always do.

“Now relax,” he said. “It’s all in the wrist.”

Sunset smiled as she took aim, wound up, and let go—a perfect throw.

“I did it!” she screamed happily.

Spike had already won, but he was glad the vendor let Sunset have a single throw at no extra charge. He handed Spike a stuffed purple dragon, which he gave to Sunset. The next stand was a madhouse, crowded with a group of high school boys anxious to win those elusive plushies for their girlfriends.

“Who’s up for a popping good game of Balloon Darts?” the vendor asked. “Think you’ve got what it takes to pop these balloons?”

Spike stepped forward and the vendor gave him three darts. Three darts, three tries.

The catch to this game was the balloons: the smaller the balloon, the more points they were worth: the large balloons were worth ten points each, the medium sized ones were 20, and the small ones 30. Ten points would get him a small prize; thirty points would get a medium prize, and a total of ninety for the big prize.

Spike gave Rarity a flirtatious smile before he pitched his darts, all three with one throw, and hit three of the smallest balloons with very little effort. The vendor was so impressed that he reached under his counter and presented Spike with a golden goblet. A real goblet made of real gold.

“Come on, folks! Step on up, right on up! Don’t be shy!” another barker announced from across the way. “The object is to throw your rings onto any one of these bottles. Easiest game in the park!”

Spike and the girls all knew that was a lie. In fact, the Ring Toss was almost impossible to win. The rings themselves were light and their inner diameter was very close to the outer diameter of the bottles that were used. And any throw besides a perfect one would send the rings bouncing away without ever settling on the bottles.

The vendor gave Spike five rings and Spike tossed all five at once, without even looking, and each landed on a different bottle.

“Ring. Rang. Rung,” Spike said casually.

“That was fantastic!” Rarity cried.

The vendor reluctantly handed over a miniature knight in shining armor, which Spike gave to Rarity.

“All right, what’s next?” Sunset asked excitedly. “What are we doing? What are we going to win!?”

“Come on, pretty boy. Come on!” someone shouted. “You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn!”

Spike and Sunset shared the same sinister smile as they turned toward the voice and saw the Dunk Tank. Also known as a dunking booth, a dunking machine, or the more popular “Dunk the Punk”, it was an attraction that gave people a chance to blow off some steam by dunking the punk (a volunteer who sat on a collapsing seat) into a tub of ice cold water below... and Zephyr Breeze was the punk!

Spike strolled up, dropped his cash, and received three balls (three chances). His first throw struck the center of the bullseye (which was a little red circle inside of a white circle, inside a bigger red circle), causing the seat to collapse and Zephyr to fall into the water. But while Zephyr climbed back up to his seat, the vendor pulled the outer circle off the target, making it much smaller.

“Okay, you got me one time, but there’s no way you’re going to get me twice!” Zephyr told him.

Spike scoffed before he wound up and landed his second hit. Two in a row was very impressive, but it was going to be a challenge to dunk Zephyr a third time, especially after the target was reduced to the littlest red circle (which was a little bit smaller than the baseballs Spike had been throwing). But Zephyr Breeze looked scared. Spike couldn’t tell if it was from the thought that Zephyr didn’t want to get dunked again, or the fear of Spike just throwing the ball.

Fluttershy walked up behind Spike and whispered into his ear, “Please dunk him again.”

“All right, Zeph,” Spike growled, “take THIS!”

He dunked Zeph three times and won a bottle of bubbles.

Spike wiped his forehead with the back of his hand after he gave Pinkie the bubbles and Sunset asked what they were going to do next... and Spike’s eyes were magnetically drawn to the nearby Claw Machine.

Spike had seen dozens of people lose hundreds of coins playing these when he was a kid. Every time he went to a store that had a claw machine, he would always ask Celestia for all change she had, and he rarely, if ever, needed more than one try to win.

He always got a prize.

“You want a stuffed animal?” he asked Fluttershy.

“Oh, nobody can win at those,” she said.

“Twilight says that it’s a worthless talent,” Sunset added.

“What, does she think it’s more important to learn a dead language instead?” Spike asked.

Sunset gave Spike a cool stare. Then she smiled again.

“Well, I think being good at claw machine is way cooler than knowing how to speak Latin,” she said.

Spike inserted a dollar into the machine and took control of the stick. The claw dropped and clamped around a cute little bunny. The girls weren’t sure that it would stay in the claw, but they were amazed when the tiny plushie was lifted up and carried over to the drop slot.

“Voilà,” Spike said as he handed the bunny to Fluttershy.

“Aww, no boy’s ever given me a stuffed animal before,” she said.

Then she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him—the Fluttershy trademark.

After the Claw Machine, they took a break and stopped for sodas.

“For openers, I’d like a chocolate malt and a Chicoltgo-style hot dog with all the trimmings,” Pinkie ordered.

Starlight got two scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone while Rarity got a hot fudge sundae, Fluttershy got a bag of buttered popcorn, Sunset asked for cotton candy, and Spike paid for all of them. They sat in the shade at one of the picnic tables while Pinkie Pie topped her hot dog off with ketchup, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, chili and candy sprinkles.

“That girl’s got an iron stomach!” Spike thought.

“Ooohhh... So good...” Pinkie moaned after taking a bite. “Sooo goooood...”

Applejack got a funnel cake with extra powdered sugar and she started feeding Spike from it as if he were a child. This did not go unnoticed by Sunset, Fluttershy and Rarity, who proceeded to do the same thing with their cotton candy, popcorn, and sundae respectively, while Twilight sat with Starlight, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash.

After that, they approached the Shooting Gallery. Well, it wasn’t so much a shooting gallery as it was a platform overlooking the open desert. Then Pinkie Pie reached into her hair, pulled out a microphone, and spoke into it.

“At long last, the moment you’ve all been waiting for!” she announced. “An exclusive Flimflam Brothers Resort original: Sexy Disc Shootoff! Allow me to explain the game’s rules. It’s the same as a double trap disc shootoff but with a special twist. During the match, your opponent controls the disc release. If the shooter misses, their clothes will be, shall we say, sabotaged. We’re talking wardrobe malfunctions to the max! The opponent chooses beforehand which of your clothes will go first. But miss too often, and the end result is the same. Whoever shoots the most targets, wins! Now, help me in welcoming our players: Spike and Applejack!”

Spike had skeet shooted before. It was a sport where the participants competed to break clay discs that were mechanically flung into the air from two fixed stations at high speed and from a variety of angles. The principles of the sport were relatively simple: the disc-shaped targets were a little over four inches in diameter and just over an inch thick, and the firearms used were traditionally shotguns. But instead, he and Applejack were going to use handheld revolvers, and they each had 24 shots to hit as many targets as they could.

“Flimflam Resort is the BEST!!” one of the guests shouted.

“They really know what their customers want!” another cried.

“This place is awesome!” exclaimed a third.

“Those perverts!” Rarity huffed. “They could at least do a better job of hiding their intentions.”

“Don’t go easy on me,” Spike told AJ.

“Good luck to ya, partner,” she replied.

“Three... two... one... GO!” Pinkie proclaimed.

Spike went first.

“Miss the shot!” the women in the crowd chanted. “Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot! Miss the shot!”

“Pull!” Spike shouted.

Applejack pulled the lever and launched the first two discs. Spike took aim as the wind suddenly picked up and he fired two rounds. He hit the first clay target, but missed the second, and the buttons on his vest came undone.

Another tip: disc shooting was strongly affected by the wind, so much that it could alter the targets’ trajectories. Predicting their paths was not going to be easy.

“Those no good, ornery varmints!” Applejack thought. “Their desire to see us out of our clothes summoned a wind of perversion!”

Applejack cocked her gun and shouted, “Pull!”

Spike pulled the lever and launched two more clay discs. The .357 in Applejack’s hand jerked twice, the explosions rocketing through the outdoor shooting range, and AJ shouted in joy as she hit both targets.

As a roll ruler, Spike could hear the voice of the battlefield, harness its flow, and make it his ally, becoming one with the game itself. But still, as a former competitive markswoman, Applejack had the advantage.

“They both have a kind streak,” Sunset said.

Starlight gave her a perplexed look.

“It’s the order the clothes are being removed,” Sunset explained. “In games involving stripping, smaller articles of clothing are usually the first to go.”

Applejack could have gone for something bigger, like Spike’s pants. Not only could she have embarrassed Spike, but also further restrict his movements and increase the difficulty of him taking a shot... although, she put herself at the same disadvantage.

“Come on, Spike!” Fluttershy shouted. “You’re not out of this yet! I know you can do it! We believe in you!”

“You have our support, Spike! Don’t lose hope!” Sunset added.

“You can do it, Spike!” Starlight cheered.

“Most of the crowd seems to be on his side,” Rarity said to herself. “Was he able to reverse the momentum?”

“Pull!” Spike shouted.

AJ pulled the lever, releasing two more projectiles, and Spike shot both of them. But so did Applejack on her next turn. This went on for ten more rounds until they were in a dead heat. With the exception of the first disc, the one that Spike missed, they both hit all of their targets.

“Amazing,” Sunset breathed. “It’s now down to the wire!”

Spike and Applejack were both breathing heavily now.

“I can’t win!” they both thought.

Applejack launched the birdies but Spike missed one of them and his belt came undone. Then Applejack cocked her gun, ready for her last two shots.

“Pull!” she shouted.

Spike launched the discs and Applejack took aim.

“Well, that settles it,” said Rarity.

“Not quite,” Sunset replied.

The girls all gasped when Applejack fired... and both of her shots missed, knocking her hat and her vest off. The final score was 24 to 24.

“And the game is a draw!” Pinkie declared.

Many of the people in the amusement park groaned in disappointment, but many more had never been so glad about a tie. The crowd slowly dispersed as Sunset grabbed Spike’s arm and pulled him toward the Ferris wheel.

The sky had grown dark but they could barely see the stars amongst the glow of the carnival’s lights. The operator held the door open as they climbed into the gondola and he closed the door behind them.

“It’s kinda chilly all of a sudden,” Sunset said.

Spike couldn’t hide the confounded look that appeared on his face. Sunset’s eyes were bright, roses burned in her cheeks, and her lips trembled. She had been in Las Pegasus longer than he had, and the desert nights did tend to get cold, but she was wearing her black leather jacket, so she should have known that.

“Is she hinting that I should do something?” he thought. “Oh!”

It finally came to him, and he draped his arm around her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“Nice opening. Now say something to her,”

“Sunset,” he said out loud.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“About what happened in the kitchen last night... when you put my hand to your head, I could see your thoughts, your conversations with Pinkie... How?”

“Not that, stupid!” he cursed himself in thought.

“It’s because of the necklace I’m wearing,” she said, holding it up. “Whenever I wear it, and I touch people, I can see what they’re thinking. And whenever I allow them to touch me, I can let them see what I’ve see.”

“You wanted me to know what Pinkie was really going through,” Spike guessed. “How she was feeling... You wanted me to understand. I... I don’t know what to say...”

Sunset smiled. “It’s beautiful,” she sighed, admiring the view. “Sometimes I wish time would just stand still.”

Suddenly, the lights on the Ferris wheel went out and their car stopped moving. Sunset rubbed her geode necklace as the ride squeaked to a halt leaving the car she and Spike were in dangling at the top.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the inconvenience,” the operator announced. “We are currently making repairs. We appreciate your patience.”

The Ferris wheel had broken down. Down on the ground, Twilight pulled out her cell phone and dialed Sunset’s number.

“Didn’t you say your battery was dead?” Rarity asked.

“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable,”

Back at the top of the Ferris wheel, something was causing Spike to blush.

“What?” Sunset asked she rubbed her geode furiously. “What are you staring at--!” She screamed and she slapped him across the face. Her legs were parted and he could see up her skirt. “You could’ve said something!”

“Sorry,” Spike muttered as he rubbed his cheek. “I’m sorry. Still, we’re... way above the ground...”

“You’re the only one who could see, so no harm done, right?” she asked. “I’m sorry I slapped you.”

“It’s okay,” Spike replied.

Sunset inched closer to him, so much that she was almost in his lap. She studied Spike up close, committing to memory every detail of the planes and angles of his face.

“It’s still a long way down...” she said.

The feeling of Spike’s waist beneath her stirred strange feelings within Sunset: the heat of his body, coupled with the scent that belonged to him, and only him, sent her senses soaring. Her breath caught in her throat and her heartbeat quickened as she realized that she was experiencing, for the first time in a long time, what it was like to be held in a man’s arms.

“I’m shaking like crazy,” Spike thought. “I mean, I am stuck in a gondola at the top of a Ferris wheel with one of the cutest girls I’ve ever known.”

“Spike,” Sunset spoke, “can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure,” he replied.

For a moment, Sunset didn’t know what to say.

“I’m... I’m really glad I met you, and that we’re friends,” she went on. “Spike, I do consider you a friend. You’ve really helped me. You’ve helped me so much more than anyone else. Even when we were at Celestia’s School together, you put up with me when no one else would. Only a true friend would do something like that... I hope I’ve helped you a little.”

“Well, yeah,” he said softly.

“Given the way she’s smiling,” he thought, “she may as well say that she likes me.”

Sunset looked into Spike’s eyes and she saw, for the first time in a long time, something she forgot even existed: love, compassion, and a very good friend.

“There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now. I like you, Spike. I mean, I like you as more than just a friend. You’ve always been there for me, always picking me up when everyone else would put me down. You went out of your way to help me, knowing there was nothing in it for you. You are, without a doubt, the kindest, most caring man I’ve ever known,”

She leaned forward and gently kissed him, just a gentle brush of her lips across his cheek.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“For being such a good friend,” she replied.

Then, the unthinkable happened; she leaned forward again and kissed him a second time. This time it was a passionate kiss on the lips, long and very thorough—his first real kiss from her. Sure, they had kissed when she hauled him in for one when he told off the rudest guests in the history of rude hotel guests, but it had been mostly one sided. And she was doing most of the kissing. This was different. This was the most incredible feeling of his young life.

“And that’s for being a good man,” she said.

Spike’s eyes went large. Then they both wrapped an arm around the other’s neck to deepen the kiss. As they kissed, Sunset began to wonder what it would be like to fool around with Spike. Deep down, she always seemed to want Spike to be the one to have sex with her. Just then, the Ferris wheel began to move again.

“Oh!” Sunset exclaimed. “Looks like they fixed it.”

Suddenly, Spike heard a slight squeaking sound, like the sound of a door creaking open.

He looked to the door of the gondola and thought, “That’s not good.”

The gondola started to swing. Sunset flew right at Spike, and he got her breasts full in his face. Her shirt came up so far that Spike could see her bra, and he grabbed her around her waist before she started sliding toward the open door.

“Spike, don’t let me go!”

Sunset’s screams were loud, but they just mixed into the sounds of the other rides nearby. Down on the ground, Fluttershy and Rarity panicked as they saw Spike and Sunset’s gondola swing back and forth until they were at the bottom.

“You kids okay?” the operator asked.

Spike and Sunset nodded and they quickly got off the ride.

Spike and the girls walked through the hotel to the elevators late that night. Spike led the way, with Sunset and Applejack on either side of him; Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rarity were close behind; and Twilight and Starlight brought up the rear, helping Rainbow Dash, who stood on wobbly legs. They’d all had a long day and were eager to get some sleep. And even though the odds had been stacked against him, Spike impressed the girls with his carnival winnings.

“I just wish you hadn’t spent the rest of the day at the hard cider garden after getting off the roller coaster,” Spike told Rainbow Dash.

“I had a good reason: I needed a drink to steady my legs,” Dash replied.

“Well, I had a great time,” Pinkie put in. “I got a bag of jacks, a bottle of bubbles, a squirting flower, and a stuffed baby alligator. Of course, I got some dumb stuff, too.”

“You know, if anything, we should be thanking Spike,” Rarity said. “You were so amazing winning all that stuff. With your hair flowing and your muscles rippling... You were like the god of knocking things over.”

“All hail Ballus Knockoverus!” Dash proclaimed. “I’m still drunk.”

“So, how did you get so good at popping balloons with darts?” Rarity asked.

“And throwing baseballs,” Fluttershy added.

“And shooting,” Applejack went on.

“Well, when my mother died, I found comfort in a community of non-judgmental carnival workers. I taught them to read and write, and in exchange they taught me how to win their games of chance,” Spike replied.

“Really?” Starlight asked.

“That and I got a dartboard,” he admitted.

“Well, you won almost every game,” Sunset said. “AJ, it must be nice to have a boyfriend who can almost match you shot for shot and swing the hammer hard enough to get that little black counterweight past, ‘Seriously, hit it.’”

Applejack fought off a blush, partially because Spike wasn’t “officially” her boyfriend, but also because Sunset spoke the truth about his skills rivaling her own.

“You two might get in tomorrow’s news,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Don’t even joke about that,” Spike told her. “We really thought we were gonna die!”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay,” said Fluttershy.

They arrived at the staff quarters on the third floor. Twilight, Starlight and Fluttershy helped Rainbow Dash into bed while Spike talked with Rarity.

“I want to make sure Sunset’s all right,” Rarity said to him.

“You go on ahead,” Spike replied. “We’ll catch up.”

Rarity followed Sunset to the door of her suite and asked, “What happened up there on that gondola?”

“Nothing like what you’re imagining,” Sunset answered softly.

“Twilight tried calling your cell phone,” Rarity said. “It was off. It does make a girl wonder.”

Rarity went to her own room after Sunset shut the door behind herself, leaving Spike alone with Applejack in the hallway.

“The shooting match was fun, even though I lost,” he said. “I’m sorry you got mixed up in that.”

“No, Spike, I lost to you,” Applejack replied. “When I missed my shots, you were easy on me. Anyone can tell you threw the game to protect me. I could have been in the same spot as you, or worse. I lost because... you’re too kind.”

Spike gasped.

She had missed on purpose!

“And it wasn’t your fault,” AJ added. “I really enjoyed myself. I forgot how good it is just to have that hand-eye coordination. I mean, video games have a similar feel to ‘em, but it’s just not the same. My father put a rifle in my hands for the first time when I was six, just a little single-shot .22. I loved it.”

Spike smiled in reply.

“Spike, did you ever have the feeling that you might meet somebody?” AJ asked. “You know, when you walk into a place or something?”

“Star-crossed Lover Syndrome?” he asked. “No.”

“Because I had a feeling that I was going to meet somebody when I came out here,” she said. “All right, have you ever really liked someone who didn’t have a clue who you are?”

“I am vaguely familiar with the concept,” he admitted.

“Well, this is it,” she said when they finally reached the door to her room. “I really did have a great time today. I hope you did, too.”

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” he replied. “Well... good night.”

“Good night,” she echoed.

AJ went inside and after the door closed behind her, Spike felt like an idiot. He wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her. He should have.

“So why didn’t you?” he asked himself as he took the elevator up.

He finally returned to his own room on the 26th floor, and immediately walked to his bedroom. When his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he saw that Zecora was in his bed. Spike did not resist the temptation to look at her, for from the tip of her white and gray Mohawk to her feet she was sensual and fascinating.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her.

“I have come to serve you,”

Spike paused for a moment.

He had missed the heady passion when he was with the girls, and he was a man with a heavy appetite. He had never refrained from such an invitation before, and his body ached to accept Zecora now. It was a novelty to be wanted so. It would be good to lay with a woman he didn’t work with... especially this exotic creature from two worlds.

He knelt down beside her, and he took her hands between his palms. He smiled ruefully, because something inside him revolted the idea.

She had sultry, beautiful eyes; eyes that burned with crystal-blue spirit. She had wide, sensual lips, but not a defined mouth with a pouting lower lip. Her breasts were tempting and full with huge brown nipples, but they did not take his breath away, cause his fingers to itch with anticipation, or his mouth to water for the sweet taste of their crests.

“You are sweet,” he told her. “But I am sorry.”

Spike frowned, and Zecora smiled, even though she was accustomed to men who gave the matter little thought.

“There is someone else?” she asked. It was more of a statement than a question. “There is another.”

“Yes,”

“But she is not here now,”

“No. And still, she is mine,”

Zecora still smiled. “If you are pleased with me, I will stay.”

Spike smiled as he lifted her up, and set her on her feet.

“Is she beautiful?” Zecora asked.

“Yes, very beautiful,”

“And you love her very much?”

“I do,” Spike said.

He found her strapless zebra-print dress upon the floor. He handed it to her. Unabashedly she slipped it over her head.

“There are many fish in the sea, but you are the only one for me,” she rhymed. “I will still serve you, should you change your mind.”

“Thank you, but no,”

“You can handle more than one woman,”

He laughed. “In some ways, maybe, but now, I’m not so sure. I may ask you to help me with something, though, very soon.”

“When I leave, my offer still stands. At least think it over. I will take great care of you,”

Zecora left him at last. He lay down on his bed, and her image haunted him. He should have kept her with him.

But what good would it have done? What good would it do?

At long last, Spike closed his eyes and slept.

As Sunset crawled into bed, she thought about the many things that had happened to her since she first arrived at the resort. And Spike was one of the best things. Every night for the past week her mind kept straying back to him. She never felt happier than when she was with Spike.

No other boy had ever made her feel this way before, so why was it just the very thought of him made her feel like she was the only girl in the world?

The girls all lay in their beds, their arms encircling their new toys: Pinkie with her stuffed alligator, Sunset with her purple dragon, Applejack with her samurai, Fluttershy with her soft bunny, and Rarity with her white knight. And as they held their new toys, they felt as if those toys were Spike, and he was standing guard, watching over them.

Next time, the employees of Rich Resort and Casino begin plans for their next move against the Flimflam Brothers. Meanwhile, Applejack isn’t sure how to explain to the other girls her “excitement” from Spike giving her a massage.