It was late in the afternoon when Applejack found Spike sitting by the water fountain in front of the Resort. His tie was loose and he looked like a sad, old hound dog. Then she noticed the white lace handkerchief in his hand.

“Spike, have you been crying?” she asked.

“Rarity--She--I...” he sniffled.

Spike threw his arms around Applejack and she returned his embrace.

“What happened?” she asked.

It all started that morning in the staff locker room. Rarity was reading the latest issue of Canterlot Beat, her favorite magazine, while Twilight kept going on and on about how she was still hung up on Spike.

“Darling, you are my friend, so it pains me to say this, but snap out of it!” She hit Twilight upside the head with her magazine. “You need to get over him and move on. Here, this might help.”

She handed Twilight a magazine.

“‘Crushed by Your Crush? Five Ways to Get Your Groove Back.’?” she read out loud. “‘To get past your crush, find a new frog to kiss. There just might be a prince underneath.’”

Meanwhile, on the men’s side of the locker room, Fluttershy was arguing with Zephyr Breeze about joining Twilight for lunch that afternoon.

“Faust, that’s gonna suck!” Zephyr said. “How did you let that happen?”

“She asked and we were free,” Fluttershy replied. “It won’t be that bad.”

“The last meal Twilight made tasted like balloons. Rubber! Balloons!”

“They were fried clams,”

“Explain the multitude of colors,”

“I can’t. But they’re our friends and we’re going to their lunch party,”

“Wait! ‘Party’ and ‘They’?” Zephyr asked. “As in, ‘there are going to be other people there’?”

“Just Rarity, Pinkie, Soarin, Cheese Sandwich and one other guy,”

“Don’t say it. Please!”

“Timber Spruce,”

“Aaaaand you said it,” Zephyr stated. “Timber Spruce is so boring. ‘How boring is he?’” he asked himself. “Thank you. He is so boring that when I can’t sleep at night I literally count Timber Spruces. Oh! And the sheep count with me! That is how boring he is!”

Timber Spruce was one of the resort’s lifeguards. He was into gemstones and plants... and he had a bit of a rivalry with Applejack.

“You know, you are the last person in the world who should take shots at somebody else’s choice of dates,” Fluttershy told her brother. “Hey, we can make a drinking game out of it: every time Twilight claims she’s a people person, drink!”

“Oh, that reminds me, now that you mention it, what are we going to be drinking?” Zeph asked to remind her (mostly because he already knew the answer).

“Oh, Faust, that beer Timber makes...” Fluttershy groaned.

“In. His. Bathtub!” Zephyr shouted. “It’s like the Cloudsdale Brewery doesn’t know what they’re doing! I don’t like the thought of drinking pale ale filtered through another guy’s hair trap!!”

Soarin came in a few seconds later.

“Man, you look bummed,” he directed at Zephyr.

“She’s forcing me to go to stupid lunch with stupid Twilight and stupid Timber Spruce,” he groaned at his sister.

“Oh, Faust, I went to one of her bore mitzvahs once,” Soarin replied. “I had to make crappy small talk with Timber, eat that dry as Tartarus Chicken Parmesan, and play charades. It blew! And this one’s gonna be even worse. I just overheard Cheese Sandwich talking about it with Pinkie before I came in; Twilight’s going to make her ‘famous fried clams’ again. ‘They’re not in season, but I know a guy,’” he added, imitating Twilight. “Oh, and Timber’s flavoring his beer with fruit now. He’s bringing raspberry.”

“Homemade raspberry beer and black market fish,” Zeph grumbled. “I can feel my stomach turning on me already.”

Then Rarity joined them.

“Sorry, I couldn’t get away from Twilight,” she said. “She just kept talking, and talking and talking...”

“Oh, boy, I know how that goes,” Soarin thought.

“All we talk about is how I can’t find a guy,” Rarity concluded.

Fluttershy made a slight cough to cover up a snicker.

“I suppose you know better than I whom I should date?” Rarity asked her.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Fluttershy replied. “I could set you up with the best date you ever had.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“I could. Do you want me to?”

“Oh, Faust, here we go again!” Zephyr exclaimed.

“Why are you always such a jerk about fix-ups?” Fluttershy asked.

“Because every time you do one it goes sour, then you get upset, and then you get mad at me because I say, ‘I told you so,’” Zeph explained.

“Why don’t you just not say, ‘I told you so’?” Fluttershy asked.

“Because that’s the only part of the whole thing that I enjoy,” Zeph replied. “Don’t think that you can play matchmaker just because you read those smutty romance novels that you’re still hiding from Mom and Dad.”

“Well, just for that, you are definitely going to lunch with us, Twilight, Pinkie, Cheese Sandwich, and Timber Spruce, and that is final!”

“Fine,” Zephyr grunted. “I will go, and I will eat, but do not expect me to turn on the charm. And don’t be surprised if I bring this up again if I somehow end up drunk on ass-beer.”

Just then, Rarity saw Spike enter and sauntered over to his locker.

“Hello, Spike,” she greeted him warmly. “I was thinking, do you want to go on a lunch date?”

Spike sighed into his open locker.

“I do not need this right now,” he thought.

That’s what he wanted to say.

He knew Rarity’s type all too well. To Rarity, “beautiful” was good looks, every hair in place, and being admired by everyone who knew her. And “handsome” was all that and more. It was self-confidence, good manners (like holding the door), a jaw smoothly shaven, a nice suit, and inspired fantasies of Prince Charming in just about every woman who saw him. Handsome was a good-night kiss with enough tongue to be provocative but not enough to be impolite.

Spike was handsome. He knew he was. But “hot” was something else.

To Rarity, hot was sexy, rugged and had a certain edge to it. Hot was unpredictable. Hot had a sense of danger, wasn’t always courteous, didn’t treat a lover like a fragile object, and was not doused with cologne. Hot was sweaty, thick muscles that gave proof of great strength that every woman wanted roughing up her inner thighs. Hot would ensnare a woman... mind, body and soul.

Spike glanced over at Rarity, who fanned herself, as if she were thinking the same thoughts that he was. She had not seen “hot” in a very long time.

“Yep, I definitely don’t need this right now,” he thought.

But, being the gentleman that he always tried to be (and also because he couldn’t think of a good excuse), Spike turned to Rarity and agreed to lunch.

A few feet away, Soarin and Zephyr Breeze shook their heads.

“Why do women want everyone in the world to be paired off?” Zephyr asked. “They’re like Stubing from ‘The Love Boat’.”

“And the biggest problem with this fix-up is that both Twilight and Fluttershy are involved,” Soarin replied, “because when it blows up -- and it will -- the girls are gonna take sides, they’ll each defend their friend, and they will all end up in a big fight.”

“Spike will be mad at Rarity and vice versa, both of them will be mad at Twilight and Fluttershy, and Twilight and Fluttershy will be mad at each other,” Zephyr agreed.

“It’s gonna screw up relationships all around, and we are gonna be the ones who have to hear about it,” Soarin added.

“Why does everything bad happen to us?” Zeph asked.

“Well, there are people in the world that have it a lot worse off than we do,” Soarin reminded him.

So, Soarin and Zephyr joined Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Cheese Sandwich, Twilight and Timber Spruce to a lunch in one of the executive ballrooms for Twilight’s infamous clam bake. Rarity, claiming that she was allergic to shellfish, was able to ask for spaghetti and meatballs and a salad with the dressing on the side as a substitute. Knowing that Lady and the Tramp was Spike’s favorite Whinny movie, she was hoping to score a smooch from him by sharing her pasta with him and recreating the famous spaghetti kiss scene.

After a while, Twilight asked Timber to watch the clams for her as she went to the ladies’ room.

“We’ll join you,” Rarity said, and she and Fluttershy followed.

“Take as long as you need!” Zephyr called after them.

While the clams were cooking, Pinkie Pie’s hand bumped Rarity’s purse as she reached for her glass of water, and an issue of Canterlot Beat magazine fell out and onto the table, open to the article Rarity had been reading that morning.

“‘How to Get Over Your Crush by Kissing the Next Frog in Line’?” Pinkie read it out loud. “Wait... is Spike the frog? Spike, you are the frog!”

Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy returned from the restroom just as Timber began serving everyone. Rarity looked over at Spike, who was looking back at her with a cross expression, as she offered him some of her spaghetti.

“Would you like some?” she asked.

“Nah, Pinkie decided to entertain us with a little light reading!” he replied as he made Pinkie hold up the issue of Canterlot Beat.

Rarity dropped her fork and said, “It’s-It’s not what it looks like!”

“Really, because it looks like you only asked me out because you couldn’t get anyone else!” Spike yelled.

“No! I-I--”

“Save it! I thought you were different,”

Spike threw down his linen napkin and ran out of the executive ballroom so fast that he left Rarity far behind, even when she went after him.

Twilight, Timber, Cheese Sandwich, Pinkie, Soarin, Fluttershy, and Zephyr Breeze all sat in awkward silence until Fluttershy said, “I can’t believe Rarity would lie to Spike like that.”

“I can’t believe Spike is so shallow that he couldn’t deal with it,” Twilight replied.

“Since when is it shallow to not want to go out with someone who tricked you?” Fluttershy shouted.

“Whoa, girls, you tried to do a really nice thing!” Zephyr interjected. “There’s no reason to point fingers here.”

“Yeah, if anything, you should feel good that you tried,” Soarin added.

“Yeah, I guess,” Fluttershy said, calming down.

“Hey, I have a new fix-up we can try,” Pinkie said. “Vodka and tonic.”

“Oh, that is a good couple,” Fluttershy admitted.

And they went off to the bar while Twilight and Timber partook of their clams and raspberry beer and Soarin and Zephyr Breeze ducked into the men’s room to escape the soap opera drama.

“That was close,” Soarin said. “You just prevented a Fix-Up Disaster Fight. Nice work.”

“Thanks, you too,” Zeph replied.

Applejack rubbed Spike’s back as he let it all out.

“Aw, there, there, there,” she said soothingly. “Everything’s gonna be all right... Now, why don’t ya stop crying and give AJ a little smile, hmm?”

Spike pulled away a little and tried to smile.

“There, that’s better. Ya do look handsome when ya smile, Spike,”

“Thank you,” he chuckled.

“And let me tell ya something else. If you were my boyfriend, you wouldn’t catch me even touching another guy. Not ever!”

Spike finally smiled at her attempt to butter him up.

“Hey, I’m no doctor, but I know there’s no better treatment for a wounded heart than a night on the town,” she said. “What do ya think?”

Spike’s smile grew. “I think that’s a great idea.”

“I did it!” Applejack screamed in thought. “I finally got a date with Spike!”

Later that evening, Spike stood in his suite, waiting for Applejack to arrive. He told her he didn’t want to wait for her in the lobby, or to come and get her on the third floor, and she understood why. There was a knock at his door, and Spike opened it to see a gorgeous blonde standing there in a simple white sundress. If Spike had been wearing a hat, he would have taken it off. He almost couldn’t believe it was her.

“Whoa,” he breathed. “Applejack, you look amazing!”

“Shoot, Spike, you sure do say the prettiest things to a gal,” she flushed. “So, where are we going?”

“Right this way, milady,” he said.

He escorted her into the elevator, down to the lobby and outside, where a black stretch was waiting for them on the curb.

“You rented a limo?” Applejack asked.

“That’s not all. Inside are a 20-inch TV, four hours of music, your favorites and mine; three dozen roses, a crystal-appointed minibar, and two kinds of snack cakes,” he added proudly.

“Wow! Oh, but look at me. I feel so underdressed,”

“I think you look beautiful,” he said, pulling the passenger door open.

“Spike, you didn’t have to do all this,” she told him.

“I know. But I wanted to,”

Spike followed Applejack into the cool leather interior of the limo and they quickly noted the television on the rosewood divider that separated them from the unseen driver. Spike had expensive tastes, in clothes, food, liquor, cars, hotel suites and women: financing these tastes required full employment of his agile mind.

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world!” she thought.

Ten minutes later, they were at the Hive and were immediately shown to their table by Ocellus, who poured them some water and gave them their menus.

“I like you, Spike.” That’s what Applejack wanted to say. “I like you a lot. I think about you all the time. Sometimes at breakfast I stare down at my eggs... and I see your face in them. There’s nothing I’d like better than to have you as my steady fella, Spike, because... I love you.”

Then her mind strayed to thoughts of sex, but she did not allow her desire to surface. Right now, she was hoping that she and Spike could have a more intimate, affectionate connection. She had never been on a date with such a good-looking man and dinner was going to live up to the occasion.

Thorax and Pharynx came over; the latter had a silver chain with a tasting-cup around his neck (the thing a wine waiter wears).

“May we take your orders?” Thorax asked.

“Allow me,” Spike told Applejack. “Two Porterhouse steaks, with all the trimmings, plus a bottle of your finest wine, and... put it all on Twilight Sparkle’s tab,” he added in a whisper.

“How very generous of you, sir,” Pharynx replied with a grin. “May I recommend the Cabernet?”

“Thank you, garçon,” Spike said.

And the brothers went off for the wine. Suddenly, Applejack leaned towards Spike, reached out a hand, and put it over his.

“I am sorry about what happened between you and Rarity,” she said.

Spike smiled into her eyes.

“Don’t be,” he replied. “It’s not your fault.”

She looked back at him, and she saw how wide his eyes were.

“I like you,” they said. “All is possible between us. But don’t be impatient. And be kind. I do not want to be hurt anymore.”

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this evening,” she told him. She quickly changed the subject. “You know what I love most about this place? All you can eat for only three hundred bucks.”

Pharynx returned with a bottle.

“I apologize,” he said. “We just ran out of the Cabernet, but may I suggest the Apple Champagne at no extra charge?”

He popped the cork, poured some into Spike’s glass, and Spike tasted it. It was ice cold and had a faint taste of Red Delicious apples, and it was delicious. Spike told Pharynx, “That will play,” and Pharynx filled their glasses. Spike picked up his glass again and looked at Applejack.

“To our first date,” he said.

The corners of Applejack’s mouth turned up. She drank half her glass in one gulp and put it down firmly on the table.

Spike smiled again.

“You know, most women I meet try really hard to impress me,” he said. “But you... you’re not like them. You’re not like other women, and that makes me glad. I’m glad you don’t wear too much jewelry, I’m glad you don’t paint your fingernails. You’re the prettiest woman in Las Pegasus.”

Applejack smiled again. As Spike looked at her, he couldn’t help but think that she didn’t belong there. She did not belong in Las Pegasus. She was the girl who should have lived next door when a boy was growing up, a pretty honey blonde with a face so fresh and appealing with its freckle-sprinkled, innocent eyes, and delectable mouth curved into a sunny smile.

Then his mind wandered to when he first saw her up on stage as Apple Jewel. Even when she was singing, Spike could tell that she wasn’t like the other girls. Even with all the glamour and independence he could tell that deep down she wanted to settle down and eventually have a husband and kids.

“What about you?” she asked. “Drop-dead handsome, a hundred flavors of sweet, how does that happen? You’ve had everything handed to you, and you treat everybody like they’re family. I like that.”

Spike laughed. They were both enjoying themselves and he got to know her better. She enjoyed horseback riding, archery, deer hunting with her father, and (as Spike had found out from his shooting match with her in the amusement park) she was quite the competitive markswoman. AJ picked up her second glass of wine and then, very slowly, drank it in three swallows. And then Thorax returned with the Porterhouses, accompanied by mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

After the steaks, Spike and Applejack shared a rack of barbecued ribs, a big bowl of baked beans with maple syrup, another big bowl of coleslaw, one of green beans, more mashed potatoes with gravy, half a dozen ears of corn on the cob, and a plate of cornbread.

“This is probably the biggest rack I have ever seen in my life,” he told her. “Present company excluded.”

Applejack giggled and said, “Well, I’m glad someone shares my appetite.”

They ate in silence for a while. Then she asked Spike to tell her more about himself. The stage was his first love, but then he found himself in a rut doing a lot of outdoor community theatre; Charity Kindheart wanted him to play the tragic hero over and over again. Then, somehow, the conversation shifted to his hair.

“To be honest, it was black until a few years ago,” he shared. “Then I dyed it on a bet. I’m actually a little self-conscious about it.”

“Spike, you have nothing to be self-conscious about,” Applejack said softly. “Oh, you’ve got a little barbecue sauce on your lip. Let me get that.”

She touched his lip with her thumb and wiped it off... then she brought her thumb to her lips, which left Spike breathless until Thorax returned.

“Would you like me to bring you some dessert menus?” he asked.

“Very much so,” Spike replied with a smile.

Applejack ordered a chocolate milkshake, and Spike ordered the same, and when the time came to pay, Spike reached for his wallet and Thorax said, “For the fastest dealer in Las Pegasus, it’s on the house.”

“Wow. Thanks, Thorax,” Applejack said. “That’s really nice of you.”

“Are you kidding? It’s the least I can do for my best friend,”

Spike still slipped Thorax three thousand dollars (one for him, one for Pharynx, and one for Ocellus) and he and AJ went out into the cool night. They walked along the Strip until they found themselves walking through the gardens to behind the Flimflam Brothers’ Resort.

Spike smiled as he looked at Applejack. She wasn’t wearing makeup, and didn’t need any. The moonlight was her makeup.

“This was a really nice night, Applejack,” he told her.

“Really,” she asked. “Even though I’m... not like the other girls?”

“Hey, now, just because someone’s not as smart or as wealthy as me, it doesn’t make them any less than me,” he told her. “I love that you’re not a preppie, you treat me well. Any man would be proud to have you as his girlfriend.”

“Well, call me old fashioned,” Applejack replied. “But I believe that a woman should love a man for who he is, and not for what she wants him to be.”

Applejack had no time to react as she felt Spike’s lips press against hers. Her eyes went wide as her body froze and her heart soared before she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, returning the kiss. She wanted to make this his best kiss. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and mingled with his, neither vying for dominance. The kiss seemed to last an eternity as they held each other. Applejack finally broke away, both of them gasping for air as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

“Wow!” she sighed, her face bright red. “That was... you’d have to invent a whole new word for just how amazing that was.”

At the third floor, Applejack walked quickly out, and down the hall to her door. She bent down, fitted her room key into the lock, and pushed the door open. With her hand still on the knob, she turned to look back down toward the elevator, even though it was long gone, and she smiled again. She finally entered her room and saw Sunset and Starlight sitting on Sunset’s bed, in their pajamas, and with a big bowl of popcorn.

“You will not believe the date I just had!” Applejack told them.

“We’ve got the PJs, we’ve got the popcorn, now dish!” said Sunset.

“We want to know everything!” Starlight added.

“It was spectacular! I mean, it was the best date I have ever been on in my entire life!” AJ said. “We had dinner, shared desserts, a long walk... and he kissed me good night.”

“Awww!” they sighed.

“And he is an amazing kisser,” she confessed. “The only thing that could have made it perfect is if we took a dip in the Jacuzzi.”

“And if he’d given me a piggyback ride,” she added in thought.

“Awww...” they said again.

“I’m really lucky to have Spikey as my guy,” Applejack said.

“Aw, you call him ‘Spikey,’” Sunset sighed.

“And he calls me... ‘Honey Buns,’”

“Awwwwwww!!”

Sunset and Starlight were happy for Applejack... Unfortunately, she and Spike weren’t the only ones in the garden that night. They were being spied on by no less than two parties. One was Discord. The other was Fluttershy.

“HA-HA!!” Discord laughed as he watched them on a monitor in his office through a hidden camera set up in some of the foliage. “Everyone thought I was crazy! But I knew ALL ALONG!! Sexy, juicy, foxy, curvy, beautiful dealers!!! With those two dating, I’ll be rolling in it!!!! CRAZY, SUPER-LOADED!!!!!”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy had gone out for a walk to clear her head. She sighed quietly when she saw a girl and a boy walking up the sidewalk on the other side, holding hands, so happy.

“Aw, everyone’s getting romantic tonight. Even...Wait, isn’t that...?” She gasped. “Spike and Applejack?!”

Through the room-length window behind Impossibly Rich’s desk, the Las Pegasus skyline glittered like a jewel in the night. But Abacus Cinch and her employees weren’t there to take in the view. Instead, they were focused on how to deal with Spike Drake. It had been barely a week since Impossibly Rich left, and her inner circle was slowly becoming a house divided. Some (Garble) plotted to increase their power while others (Lemon Zest and Sour Sweet) pursued pleasure. Some (Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare) wanted to protect themselves, and some (Indigo Zap) remained inscrutable. Diamond Tiara’s loss to Spike had gathered the attention of the world’s casinos, and had gotten the Flimflam Brothers even more great publicity. And somehow, the looming shadow of Spike “The Lucky Prince” Drake had changed all that they knew.

“It’s been three weeks since Diamond Tiara embarrassed herself,” Sugarcoat said. “And we’ve seen neither hide nor hair of Impossibly Rich. Why?”

“I haven’t been informed,” Cinch told them.

“Seriously?” Sour Sweet asked. “If she was going to tell anyone, it would have to be you.”

“So, I suppose we’ll have to decide what to do with those who lost to Spike, ourselves, without Impossibly Rich’s guidance,” Sunny Flare said.

She spoke of Garble and Diamond Tiara.

“At least she was lucky to save face with her mother’s interference and Spike’s pity,” Garble spat venomously. “The rumors are spreading quickly throughout Las Pegasus. Already my reputation’s in the gutter! It’s pathetic! And still you have the balls to believe you are even welcome here!” he said to Cinch.

“Garble, it is inappropriate to speak to me that way!”

Garble punched a hole in the wall, right beside Cinch’s head.

“I think you will find the concept of ‘inappropriate’ doesn’t exist in this city!” he growled. “You are closest to Impossibly Rich! You should understand that better than anyone.”

Indigo Zap pulled Garble away from Cinch and threw him against the wall, pinning him with one forearm across his neck and one of her knees dangerously close to being driven through his crotch.

“Maybe you would like to try your luck against Spike again?” she put in.

“Why should I have to be the only one to make any effort here?” Garble growled back at her.

“Because the two of you go way back; you have a history,” Indigo said. “He’s got guts! Not to mention a sharp gaze and trust in his friends, that’s all he needs to turn the odds in his favor... but more than all that, are his eyes! Just thinking about them makes me...”

Sugarcoat and Sunny Flare each grabbed one of Indigo’s arms and pulled her off of Garble.

“This is not the time, nor the place, for internal conflicts that sooner or later end badly,” Sunny told them.

Indigo shook Sunny and Sugarcoat off and headed for the door.

“Miss Zap, we are still in the middle of our meeting!” Cinch told her.

Indigo turned and shot Cinch a very dark glare.

“I’ll. Be. Right. Back!” she stated.

And she slammed the door behind her as she left.

“There’s no point listening to her rambling,” Sugarcoat said.

“But her appraisal of Spike isn’t wrong,” said Sunny Flare. “The mere fact that he’s cutting through us one by one, that’s what makes him so terrifying. If he were to face Impossibly Rich in a Gate Battle, then... depending on what game is chosen...”

“Impossibly Rich falls off her very high pedestal,” Sour Sweet finished. “It’s the risk anyone takes if they lose.”

“I will never allow that to happen!” Cinch stated.

“I, too, am opposed to that,” Sunny Flare said. “I suggest we recover what debt we’re owed; the better to increase our stake.”

Sugarcoat pushed her glasses back up to her eyes.

“Have you already forgotten?” she asked. “Impossibly Rich expressly forbade that! And she already has a plan for how to deal with Spike Drake!”

Then, a thin man in a blue suit, with curly hair and glasses, who had been sitting quietly the entire time they were talking, stood and said, “I would be more than glad to help you deal with this little pest.”

Cinch, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, Sugarcoat, Lemon Zest and Garble all looked at him with wide eyes.

“Certainly,” he went on. “It would be simple for me to make a stage that would crush him. But if I am going to be the one to do it, then I’m going to go big. Really, really big.”

“Does anybody have a problem with that?” Cinch asked.

Cinch’s employees knew better than to disagree with anything their boss demanded. In unison, they shook their heads.

“Very well,” Cinch said. “Then we will leave it to you.”

“Consider it done,” he replied. “I’ll begin preparations immediately... and I will personally make sure that Mister Drake has no chance of beating my client.”

He took his leave, and when he did, he didn’t see Indigo Zap hiding in the shadows of the hallway... nor did he hear her as she pulled out her cell phone.

“Hey, Impossibly Rich, if you’re still alive, I thought you should know that things are getting out of hand here,” she said. “You’d better get back here soon, or else who knows what will happen to your precious city?”

Meanwhile, the thin man in the blue suit exited onto the street.

“Get ready, Spike Drake,” he said. “This time, your very life is on the line!”

Question: what do Discord, Iron Will, Spike and Twilight have in common? They’ve all entered the Flimflam Resort’s talent contest with the intention of winning... and the grand prize is a chance to sing a duet with Equestria’s biggest pop idol sensation: Countess Coloratura!