How do I carry this story to its inevitable conclusion? Spike and Rainbow Dash partook in a heated battle of romantic venture, and the whole of Equestria submerged into a maddened state of chaos? Well, in truth, I’d like to just finish this tale with two sentences. I know I’ve thought about it. Of course, I’ve already decided to not even dare go down that path. Disregard for the audience is not so humbling, I’m sure. And you’ve all been waiting so patiently – or perhaps impatiently – for me, the omniscient narrator, to complete this particular epic.

I’m here to set it all straight, once and for all. Because the lives of a baby dragon and a pegasus were about to enter a stage of pure frenzy. Of ambivalent sentiments and bipolar reactions. What was to come was just as entertaining as it was life-changing.  Spike and Rainbow Dash were friends. I know I’ve stated this phrase many times before. But as you all probably know there was much more at stake than just a friendship. The future as a whole was influenced by the result of this ridiculous bet. Risks were high, probabilities were fluctuating, hearts were pounding, minds were spinning and everypony was looking towards the sky. What kind of ending awaited those in search of it?

On an isolated cliff tucked snugly atop the mountains lay a baby dragon and a pegasus. Rainbow Dash’s head rested comfortably in Spike’s temperate lap, a soft smile on her slumbered countenance. Spike, slumped over the cyan pony, slept soundly throughout the night. He dreamed of polychromatic dots swimming in a deep blue sea. As if in perfect synchronicity, the colorful dots traveled together in formation, bouncing and zigzagging across an endless plane. It was until the particle-like spheres began dancing in disordered fashion that Spike realized he was not dreaming of swimming or deep blue seas. They were just a rainbow of colors soaring playfully in an expanse of sky. It was a show of lights and flights. It was a stunning demonstration that tugged at his heartstrings.

But what did it all mean? Why did the purple dot glimmer differently from its siblings? Why were rainbows all he could dream of in the first place? Was it irony at its finest? Was it fate? Or did everything come down to mere insignificance? Spike couldn’t quite understand, and as he snoozed on into the night the world around him bustled. Gamblers schemed and plotted, loved ones stressed and fretted, deities rooted, Pinkie Pie giddily hooted and the brilliant moon glowed ominously within this livid universe.

I can just see Spike and Rainbow Dash now. They looked so peaceful together, away from that mess of auras below. If only they could have stayed asleep atop the cliff for an eternity. Their innocence could have been preserved in an everlasting realm of serenity. Yet I recognize the fact that they must awake into the next period. For that in itself is reality.

Maybe it was a good thing that they faced their destinies, for it was a chance to grow and develop. And I am referring to everypony involved. Rarity for one definitely matured alongside Spike and Rainbow Dash. Those three alone transformed so much by the end of the challenge that it’s awe-inspiring. And, boy, am I eager to begin the storytelling.

Tears will be shed in the finale. So I suggest you get those tissues out. Because it is time for the long-awaited continuation of this adventure. The circus is back, my friends. It is here.

Finally, it is here.

Spike’s Rainbow Dash

The moon had already disappeared behind the rocky foothills by the time Spike awoke. Blinking into consciousness, Spike groggily stretched his arms and back. He lazily scanned his environs as he yawned and smacked his lips, coming out of a satisfying slumber. For a moment, Spike couldn’t comprehend where he was, and he snapped his eyes wide open in shock before he was reminded of the previous day’s events. Oh, yeah, that’s right., Spike realized. I’m stuck on this cliff with…

“Rainbow Dash?” Spike muttered softly, looking to his lap.

There she was. Rainbow Dash the pegasus calmly napped in the baby dragon’s lap. Her eyes closed and her chest respiring in slow beats, the little pony used Spike’s legs as a headrest. To this the baby dragon produced an affectionate smile. Rainbow Dash looked too adorable while asleep. Spike knew she was readying herself for the onset of a new day. Her body was rejuvenating for a day filled with fresh challenges. He also knew that he’d soon have to confront these tests himself. But at the moment Spike didn’t pay mind to the impending trials of the future, because the circumstances of the present were too fascinating to ignore. In turn, the baby dragon shifted his gaze to a glorious sunrise.

Scarlet splashed across the foot of the horizon, and inevitably a myriad of hot tints painted the clouds, casting a faint illumination upon the vastness of land. Warm colors began gradually flooding the firmament, providing the dull morning sky a complete makeover. With this the peeking sun created enveloping rays of light. Slowly but surely, Celestia’s luminous sphere climbed the cutoff of skyline. Reds and pinks filtered the fading darkness of night, and Spike shivered as the rising sun grew more vivid at each passing second. Silhouettes of swarming birds flew among the array of hues, marking themselves as beacons of freedom above the surface of Equestria. The shimmering, golden disk shone through the valleys, and like a baby in its mother’s arms, it sat in its rightful place amid the tender heavens.

In all its grace, the sunrise was utterly satiating. And Spike could only find himself to be but a speck in a world so massive. But that was fine, because although he may have been just a tiny dot within the immense span of existence, the baby dragon knew he could still love. To Spike, true love was greater than the sun and the moon. True love was an omnipotent force anypony could obtain and use, whether it be towards a glamorous daybreak or another individual. If you had it, then no matter whom you were, your life mattered. This was a line of thought Spike vehemently believed.

Spike tilted his head back to the fire pit beside him. The smoldering remains of the campfire released tresses of smoke, blackened wood lying in its center. Rainbow Dash didn’t have to go out for extra firewood in the end, it seemed. Spike hadn’t felt any discomfort during the nighttime. Perhaps the body heat emanating from Rainbow Dash could have been blanketing his legs enough to block out the cold. In any case, it appeared that the two experienced an uninterrupted break. There was no reason to look more into the situation.

“Heh. You didn’t leave my lap after all, huh?” Spike smirked, chuckling quietly.

Without thought, he gently caressed the pegasus’s unkempt mane, taking care to not wake her. To Spike’s surprise, Rainbow Dash responded by cuddling closer into the baby dragon’s open palm, and he couldn’t help cherishing the sensation. Atop a remote precipice and before a magnificent sunrise, a baby dragon and a pegasus cozied each other in their own little manner. Spike knew he’d have to encounter difficulties when he returned to Ponyville. He could sense it deep down in his heart. But right now he didn’t even think about those troubles. For he solely desired to enjoy this passive moment. He didn’t understand it, but like Rainbow Dash before him, he didn’t care anymore.

"What am I going to do with you, Dash?" Spike whispered. "What's going to happen to us after all this?"

An era of change was expecting the two young companions. It was waiting for its time to cultivate into their minds and souls. Though for one of the two, an impressive display of conversion had already taken place. Because while Spike continued caressing the hair of his dear friend, he was ignorant to the fact that Rainbow Dash was actually awake. That she had been awake for quite some time. And as long as she could keep snuggling closely to Spike, she had no intention of letting him know.