The Warmth of Winter

Chapters

Chapter One: An Unexpected Visit
Chapter Two: Secrets
Chapter Three: Warming Up
Chapter Four: The Beginning

Chapter One: An Unexpected Visit

Winter. It’s the time of year when you admire the beauty a snowfall and the uniqueness of each glass covered lake. It’s the time of year to celebrate with gifts on Hearth’s Warming Eve and to hold your very special somepony close on Hearts and Hooves day. However, for some, it’s the time of year for great hardship and misery; like for young Scootaloo. Little did she know that this fact would soon change.

“Do I have to go?” asked a young purple dragon, currently fidgeting with his scarf.

Twilight nodded as she magically tightened the cloth. “Yes, Spike. I would have done it myself, but you saw how much work Celestia assigned me.”

He sighed in frustration. “But it’s so cold outside.”

The lavender mare shot him an unamused look. “It’s just below forty degrees, and the more we argue, the colder it gets.”

Spike groaned and picked up the basket of books at his feet. “Fine.”

Twilight smiled. “Thank you Spike,” she said as she opened the door.

Reluctantly, the young dragon stepped out into the cold and was immediately assaulted with a blast of artic air. Feeling as though the wind had slapped him across his face, Spike was about to turn around to protest once again. Though this time, he was only met with Twilight closing the door in his face.

“Thanks for mentioning the wind chill,” he mumbled angrily.

Knowing there was no going back, Spike lifted the scarf to cover half of his face and began the long walk to Sweet Apple Acres. At first, the cold felt unbearable, but as time went on and his body temperature adjusted it began to feel more and more tolerable. Despite this, there was absolutely no chance of him lowering his scarf.

It wasn’t long until Spike had reached Sweet Apple Acres. Upon knocking on the door, he was greeted by an orange cowpony and a smile. However, his nose was also greeted with the aroma of sweet apple pies and fritters.

“Howdy Spike! Thank ya for the cookbooks; we just wanted to try something a little different.” welcomed Applejack as she took the books from his basket.

Spike grinned under his scarf. “I don’t see why you would. Whatever you guys are cooking in there smells delicious.”

Applejack smiled at the compliment. “Oh thanks, I hope you and Twi think it tastes as good as it smells.”

Confused, Spike was begining to ask what she was talking about, but before he could do so the cowpony trotted into the kitchen. She came back seconds later with a steaming sack, which emanated a dreamlike scent. As she rested it in his basket, Spike tried his best to resist the urge to drool.

“Thank you so much, Applejack!” he squealed, already reaching for an apple fritter.

The orange pony chuckled. “Hey, just make sure there’s still some left for Twilight when you get to the library.”

“No promises,” he joked, a mouth full of pastry obscuring his speech.

As the dragon made his way back to the library, the ever present cold that previously filled his thoughts was no longer a bother, for the aroma of his basket was far more attention worthy.

‘Maybe I can have one more,’ he thought, trying to limit himself to only eating three of the delicious treats. But as he reached for another, he heard a noise somewhere in the orchard.

Slowly, he withdrew his claw and began looking around. The thought of saying “hello” crossed his mind, but the eerie shadows of the trees made him rethink that idea. After all, he’d seen way too many horror movies where one of the characters did this, and let’s just say it didn’t end too well.

Suddenly, there was another thud. But this time, with his attention focused on the noise, he was able to pinpoint its exact location.

Spike looked up to see that he was standing in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ club house. He let out a small sigh of relief, assuming that it must be one of the fillies trying to scare him.

‘Well, two can play at that game,’ he thought.

Quietly, Spike crept over to the steps and started to ascend. He began to grin, thinking about the look on one of their faces when he snuck up behind them. Making sure not a noise was made, he opened the door and prepared to pounce. To his suprise, the sight that met him wasn’t at all what he had expected to see.

There before him was Scootaloo. She lay shivering, curled up in the corner of the clubhouse. Instantly, Spike’s malevolent thoughts turned to those of sympathy and concern.

“Scootaloo?” he asked.

In that moment, the orange filly let out a horrified yelp, shot up so high she looked to be flying before she hit a nearby wall, and landed back in the corner. Except this time, she had landed facing Spike.

It was exactly the reaction he had been hoping for, but Spike’s thoughts were so full of concern that besides a blink in shock, his expression was completely unwavering.

“Oh hey, Spike,” she said nervously, her cheeks sporting a bright crimson.

Spike made a rather confused expression. “Uh, hey. Are you okay?”

The filly threw a hoof forward. “Yeah, I’m fine. Never better! Why do you ask?”

“Um... for starters, you were curled up on the floor shivering,” it was at that moment Spike realized that he had left the door open, so he turned and shut it.

Scootaloo’s blush intensified. “Oh. Well, you see… um, I’m camping.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Camping? By yourself, with no blanket, in what will soon be twenty degree weather?”

She quickly nodded. “Yeah, you know... extreme camping, like what Rainbow Dash would do.”

“Uh huh… Well, you want some of these?” Spike asked as he opened the sack to reveal several tarts, fritters, cupcakes, and even a pie.

Scootaloo could feel her mouth begin to fill with drool. “A-Are you sure?” she stuttered.

The young dragon nodded with a smile, finding her reaction rather amusing. “Of course. Here,” he said offering the basket.

She immediately took it out of his claws and began scarfing down fritter after fritter, cupcake after cupcake, and tart after tart. Spike’s mouth dropped at the display before him.

‘Holy crap,’ he thought. ‘When was the last time she’d eaten?’

Realizing that she must be appearing as a glutton, Scootaloo slowed her pace and finally slid the basket back over to Spike. It looked as though she had eaten almost a dozen of the pastries. Secretly trying to protect what little he had left, Spike tied the sack shut and sat the basket beside him.

‘Aaaaand... Twilight’s going to kill me,’ he thought.

Scootaloo looked down at the wooden floor, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” she said, not making eye contact. “It’s just, I haven’t eaten all day.”

Spike tilted his head. “Huh? Why?”

“Oh, nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Scootaloo,” he began as he went over to sit next to her, “Is everything okay?”

She let out a sigh and looked over to Spike. “It’s nothing; I’m just a little cold.”

“Well, why didn’t you bring anything?”

“Remember? Extreme camping.”

Spike rolled his eyes at the obvious lie, but avoided her from seeing. “Oh yeah, right.”

At that moment, something occurred to him. He looked down at his scarf, it was a light blue, and made by the pony he cared about more than anything; Rarity. But despite his emotional attachment to it, he knew Scootaloo needed the warmth more. So he began to unravel it before gently laying the scarf on the back of her neck.

The filly quickly looked up in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“I’m giving you my scarf.”

Scootaloo shook her head and began to take it off. “No Spike, I don’t need it.”

“Nonsense, I don’t want you freezing to death out here.”

“Please, Spike. I don’t want it.”

Spike just shook his head. “You’re keeping it, and that’s final.”

Scootaloo sighed in defeat. “Fine.”

Despite her outward appearance, she was actually quite overjoyed with the gift. However, a sudden realization dawned on her, for the room had become much dimmer than it was when Spike had first entered.

“Hey, you better get back to the library, before Twilight starts getting worried.”

Spike looked up to a nearby window and saw that almost no light was being cast in from outside. Quickly he realized that Scootaloo was indeed right, causing his mind to focus less on her and more on the impending scolding he would receive.

“Oh crap! Yeah, I do need to head home!” he exclaimed as he took his basket, but before he could leave the clubhouse, he felt Scootaloo wrap her hooves around him.

“Thanks, Spike.”

Spike was a little surprised by the sudden embrace, but still managed to return one. Though as he did this, he found it to be rather odd, after all Scootaloo isn’t one to usually give out free hugs.

“You’re welcome, Scoots. I’ll see you later, okay?” he replied as he broke the embrace and began for the door.

Scootaloo smiled. “Okay.”

As soon as Spike opened the door to the library, he came face to face with Twilight, currently adorning a scarf of her own.

“Spike, where were you? I was just about to start looking.”

The young dragon sighed. “Sorry Twi, I ran into Scootaloo and we started talking.”

“Oh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I offered her some of the pastries, and we started chatting. That’s about it,” explained Spike as he held out the basket.

Twilight gladly took it, but upon opening the sack, her expression quickly changed. “That’s it? How many did you two eat?”

Spike put on a fake grin as he rubbed the back of his neck with a claw. “Well, you see... I didn’t know until today, just how big of an appetite Scootaloo had.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Do you really expect me to think that a little filly ate a dozen of these?”

His jaw dropped. “What!? I’m telling you the truth, I only had three!”

“Uh huh,” she replied, obviously not believing him.

Spike was about to protest, but before he could do so, Twilight had already began trotting into the kitchen with the basket of sweets in her mouth. Sighing, he turned away and was beginning upstairs when something outside had caught his attention. Amidst the black of night, a white powdery substance was beginning to fall from the heavens.

“Hey Twilight!” he called. “It’s snowing!”

“What!? It is!?” she chirped.

Hastily, the mare came out of the kitchen and looked to the same window as her assistant. The two always loved to sit and watch the winter’s first snowfall. They had always found it so peaceful and relaxing, but this year Spike’s mind couldn’t relax, he couldn’t help but let it drift back to Scootaloo and how cold she was. He just hoped his scarf would be enough for now.

Long after Twilight had fallen asleep, Spike still laid wide awake. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get his thoughts off of Scootaloo. He kept trying to tell himself that she was fine, but he knew this was a lie.

After a long inner debate, he arose from his bed and went over to a large chest in the back of his and Twilight’s room. Upon opening it, he saw several blankets, some belonging to him, others belonging to Twilight. He looked through his own blankets for the warmest one he could find, and once he had found it, he set out into the night.

With only Twilight’s violet scarf for warmth and the light of Luna’s moon to guide him, the young dragon walked through the freshly snow covered streets of Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres. He thanked the goddesses that the wind had died down significantly. Though, the air still felt as though it were in the upper twenties. This only made him try harder to reach Scootaloo, quite scared that she may have already fallen to hypothermia.

After a few minutes, Spike reached the clubhouse. As soon as he opened the door, he let out a sigh of relief, seeing that she was still shivering. Not wanting to wake her, he carefully wrapped the blanket around her sleeping form. Almost immediately after, her shivering ceased.

Author's Note

I'd like to give a big thanks to my editor CMC4TW! He'll be editing the following chapters for this story.

Chapter Two: Secrets

Not long after Celestia’s sun had graced the land, Twilight had found herself lost in the first book that piqued her interest. Spike, on the other hoof, was busy organizing the library’s numerous shelves, though thankfully his task was almost complete.

“There,” said a young dragon as he slid the last of his books in place.

Twilight looked up to him with surprise. “You’re done already?”

He nodded. “Yeah. There wasn’t too much that needed organizing.”

Twilight magically creased the page in her book before closing it, and made her way over to her assistant. “Well, then... what did you plan on doing today?”

Spike looked up momentarily in thought. “Hmm... honestly, I hadn’t really thought about it.”

Expecting this, Twilight perked up excitedly. “Oh, maybe we could go-“ She was quickly cut off by a knock at the door.

“I got it!” declared Spike as he raced for it.

The unicorn sighed once her assistant was out of earshot. “Go to Sugar Cube Corner and get some coco,” she mumbled to herself.

Upon opening the door, Spike was greeted by an orange filly adorning a blue scarf.

“Oh, hey Scootaloo. What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to thank you for letting me borrow the blanket.”

Spike threw out a claw. “Don’t worry about it. I just didn’t want you freezing to death out there.”

Scootaloo smiled. “And I wanted to give this back,” she said as she offered her scarf. “You should keep it; it’s yours after all.”

Spike was about to protest, but upon recollecting how difficult it was to give Scootaloo the scarf in the first place, he came up with an alternative plan. “Hey, wait here,” he replied before running off into the library.

Scootaloo raised her brow, trying to guess what the dragon was doing, but before she could come up with a theory, he had returned. In his claw lay an older, green scarf instead.

“Here,” he said, holding out the cloth. “It’s my old one.”

Scootaloo smiled and gladly took it. As she wrapped it around her neck, it was apparent that it wasn’t as warm as the one Rarity had given him, but this one was actually hers. “Thank you, Spike.”

The young dragon was about to reply, but was cut off by Scootaloo wrapping her hooves around him. The embrace caused his cheeks to turn a light crimson, but after a second it was over.

“Hey,” began Scootaloo. “Me and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders were about to go make some snowponies at Sweet Apple Acres. You in?”

Spike grinned. “Of course I’m in! I’ll be over in a little while.”

As the young dragon walked down the path to Sweet Apple Acres, he couldn’t help but take note of the magnificent scenery; the snow topped trees, the perfectly clear ice sickles, and the blanket of white across the land. Winter was most certainly a beautiful time of year; however it was also a time for play. Spike discovered this when he was greeted by a snowball to the face.

“Ha! I got you!” declared a young unicorn.

Spike wiped away the freezing slush from his eyes to reveal Sweetie Belle, grinning as she sat atop a log. He shot her a glare, but her only reply was briefly sticking out her tongue. The young dragon rolled his eyes at this childish display, but as he did this he was secretly formulating a plan of revenge from behind his back. Once he knew what he was going to do, he began to smile.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh nothing,” replied Spike.

Just then, he quickly spun around, whipping his tail forward and launched three snowballs directly into Sweetie Belle’s face. The startled filly instantly came tumbling face first into the snow, earning a victorious laugh from Spike.

Sweetie Belle looked up, her face covered with snow in such a way it resembled a beard. “You may have won this battle, Spike, but you have yet to win the war.”

Once Spike had finished enjoying his minor victory, he walked over to the young filly and offered her his claw. She gladly took it.

“So where is everyone else?”

Sweetie Belle, who was still brushing the snow off, lifted a hoof and pointed in the general direction of her friends. “Over there.”

It was at that moment, Spike had hatched a devious plan. Grinning slightly, he bent down and began to form a snowball.

“Say Sweetie Belle, what do you say we pay our friends a little visit?”

The unicorn gasped. “Are you really suggesting that I betray the Crusader pact and attack my friends for no reason?”

Spike put a claw to his chin, thinking for a moment. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Sweetie Belle made a clearly faked, but still evil, grin. “I’m in.”

Cautiously, the pair made their way over to their unsuspecting friends. They found Scootaloo and Applebloom hard at work rolling large snowballs in the snow so they could be crafted into a snowpony.

Spike knew he could easily hit both of them before either could react, but he wanted to have a little fun with it, particularly with Scootaloo. Making sure not a noise was made, he crept ever closer until Spike was only inches from the pegasus filly. Then, in one swift motion, he brought the snowball down right on top of Scootaloo’s head. The sudden shock and chill sent her lunging forward in a yelp.

At that moment, Sweetie Belle unleashed a barrage of snow unto Applebloom. Instantly, she fell onto her back, looking up at Spike. She sighed, blowing a piece of her mane out of her face.

“What the hay happened to making snowponies?”

Spike let out a laugh before helping the filly up. “Don’t worry. No more attacks for today.”

Over the next few hours, the four would go on to build a few snow forts, several snow ponies, and have an occasional snowball fight. Though, as the sun began to make its decent for the horizon, the foals all began to go their separate ways, starting with Sweetie Belle, then went Applebloom. Soon enough Spike and Scootaloo found themselves alone once again as they walked the path back to Ponyville.

“So no hard feelings about me pelting you with a snowball then?” joked Spike.

Scootaloo chuckled. “No, it’s okay. I’ll just get you back later.”

“We’ll see about that,” he taunted.

The filly shot him a smirk before looking over to the trees and back. “Well, I’ll see you later.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “What do you-“ It was at that moment, Spike had realized that they were standing before the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse.

He crossed his arms. “You’re not seriously staying there, are you?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, I’m still camping.”

Sighing, Spike replied “Listen Scoots, I know you’re not camping; just tell me why you’re really out here, and maybe I can help.”

“No!” she exclaimed a little more forcefully than she had meant to. “No, I’m okay. Don’t worry about me.”

Spike was a little shocked by her response, but he could easily tell that something was indeed wrong, perhaps more than he had considered. So, in good nature, he walked over to the filly and placed his claw onto her shoulder.

“Scootaloo, please tell me what’s wrong.”

The filly shied away from his comforting grasp. “It’s nothing. I just need some space. Now, go home. It’s getting dark.”

Spike was beginning to see that his tactic of acquiring information was proving to be useless, so he set forth another plan into action. “Fine, I’ll go home, only to tell Twilight that I’m staying the night with you.”

Judging by the look on Scootaloo’s face, he knew she was about to protest, so he quickly lifted a claw to silence her. “If you’re not going to tell me what’s really wrong, the least I can do is make sure you’re not out here by yourself.”

At that Scootaloo withdrew, feeling a little more convinced. “Okay, but only for tonight.”

Spike nodded. “Just for tonight.”

As Scootaloo awaited the return of her draconic friend, she assumed that it would be at least another few minutes before his arrival. So she went over to a small board in the back of the room. It was a panel for the wall, one that she had discovered loose not too long ago; it was also the perfect hiding spot.

Carefully, she moved the board until she could see a small white object. With her teeth, she pulled it out and rested it upon the floor. It was a picture of her as a younger foal, only at the age of five. Behind her were two ponies; the nearest was a mare with an orange coat and a blond mane. The other was a stallion, his fur blue and his mane black.

Looking at the picture brought back many happy memories, like her birthday on which it was taken. That year was special, as it was the year that she had received her first scooter. Thinking about how happy it made her brought a smile to her face.

“What’s that?” asked a particular dragon.

Scootaloo almost jumped out of her fur at the sudden question, but she quickly collected herself.

“It’s nothing,” she replied as she hid the photo behind her back.

Spike shot her a look. “Scootaloo, why are you so secretive? I know you’re obviously not camping and that’s not just nothing. What’s really going on here?”

Scootaloo sighed. “You’re never going to give up are you?”

Spike shook his head, his expression unchanging. “Not until I know that you’re really okay.”

Slowly, she presented the photo to Spike. “This is a photo of my parents and I.”

Instantly he formed a hypothesis. “Is that why you’re out here, did they kick you out?”

Scootaloo shook her head, her expression growing ever grimmer. “No, they’re dead.”

Spike stood shocked, unable to believe what he’d been told. He felt absolutely horrible for pressing such a delicate issue, for now it was clear why she had been avoiding answers. Despite that, he thought it best to at least attempt to comfort her.

“Scootaloo, I’m so sorry,” he consoled as he took a seat next to her.

The filly waved a dismissive hoof. “Don’t worry about it. My parents have been dead for two years now. I mean... yeah, it still hurts, but I’m better now.”

His eyes widened in shock. “You mean you’ve been out here for two years?”

Scootaloo smiled at Spike’s reaction. “No, I wish I was though.”

“What do you mean?”

The Pegasus sighed before continuing. “Spike, my parents dying wasn’t the worst of it. They put me in this orphanage. It was horrible. None of the staff cared about you, they just wanted their bits and to have you out of their sight. The other foals were no better, especially the older ones.”

Spike could easily tell by the tone of her voice, that Scootaloo was having a tough time thinking about the memories, so he rested a comforting arm around her. To his surprise, she actually leaned into him, rather than pull away as he had expected.

“The older foals would always beat me up for fun, but to be honest, I don’t really blame them. Many of them were in that place longer than I was; I guess that was their way of staying sane.”

“Well, you’re obviously not in there anymore, so you must be doing better.”

Scootaloo smiled briefly. “Yeah, I managed to sneak out about six months after I got there. Since then, I’ve been staying the nights at Sweetie Belle’s, Applebloom’s, Fluttershy’s, and even Snips and Snails’ houses. But some nights, I have to stay here.”

“You mean... they didn’t even look for you?”

She nodded. “Like I said, they just want the bits.”

“That’s just... wrong! Listen Scoots, you could always come stay with Twilight and I at the library whenever you want. I’m sure she wouldn’t-“

“No!” she shouted, her eyes full of tears. “You can’t do that.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I’ll get sent back there.”

Suddenly, every piece of Spike’s mental puzzle fell in place. “Is that why you were so afraid of me knowing?”

Scootaloo nodded.

Seeing the first of Scootaloo’s tears begin to roll down her cheek, Spike leaned forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Scootaloo, I promise I won’t let that happen. And until we can figure something out, I’ll take care of you.”

Chapter Three: Warming Up

As Luna’s night gave way to Celestia’s sun, young Scootaloo began to stir. In her semi-conscious state, she found herself snuggling deeper into her sheets, perfectly content with sleeping in. She loved how they felt much softer, warmer, and more scaly than usual.

Wait, what?

Instantly, Scootaloo’s eyes shot open to see that she was, in fact, laying on Spike’s chest. The young filly could feel a rush of terror wash over her, not to mention a fire red blush cover her face. Though, as she looked to his face, she couldn’t help but find his dopy, unconscious expression somewhat cute. Nonetheless, she had to get out of her current situation, for she couldn’t bear the awkwardness of him awaking underneath her.

‘Okay, maybe if I slowly slide out this way he won’t wake up,’ she thought.

Slowly, Scootaloo began to pull away, but as she did this, she noticed that Spike’s arm was wrapped around her back. As if this wasn’t bad enough, with her every movement, his grip tightened.

‘Oh, you have got to be kidding me!’

Scootaloo tried pulling away once again, but it only caused Spike to pull her in tighter than when she had first awoken. She then decided to close her eyes and assess the situation.

‘Think! Think! Think!’ she thought. ‘Okay, maybe if I jump up really quick he won’t wake up; like ripping off a band aid. Yeah! That’ll work. Okay, one, two-‘

“Uh, Scootaloo?”

In that moment, Scootaloo could see her plan shatter to pieces. Slowly the filly opened her eyes, not exactly wanting to face Spike. Though when she finally did, she swore his blush was even deeper than her own, and his emerald green pupils were mere specks.

“Um, good morning, Spike,” was the only thing she could think to say.

Spike didn’t think his expression could look any more confused than it already did, but that statement proved him wrong.

“Uh, good morning. Mind telling me why you’re on top of me?”

Scootaloo quickly realized that she had made no effort to escape Spike’s grasp since his awakening. So she instantly launched off of him, blanket and all. The blanket in turn obscured her vision, causing her to stumble into the nearest wall. And so began Scootaloo’s losing wrestling match to remove the blanket from her head.

Spike smiled lightly, trying his best to withhold a laugh. In one motion, he yanked the blanket from the top of her head to reveal the orange pegasus.

Once Scootaloo was free, she let out a gasp before looking over to Spike.

“Thanks...” she said, embarrassment obvious in her voice.

“So, you mind explaining why you were on top of me?”

Though Scootaloo’s blush couldn’t possibly grow any brighter, her emotional reservoir of embarrassment still had room to spare. However, she thought it best to counter this attack.

“Well, would you like to explain why you were cuddling me like a teddy bear?”

Spike’s pupils shrank once again. “I was?”

Scootaloo nodded.

“Um, I have an idea. How about we never talk about this again? Deal?” offered Spike as he extended his right hand.

Scootaloo extended her hoof and shook. “Deal.” She then looked away briefly before adding, “Hey, Spike? It was nice having someone to spend the night with. I mean, before all the awkwardness.” As Scootaloo finished, she could feel herself blushing, though this time, it wasn't from embarrassment.

Spike chuckled uncomfortably as he raised a claw to the back of his neck. “Yeah... it was kinda nice.” Suddenly, Spike recalled all that the filly had said about her parents, causing his thoughts to shift more toward last night’s conversation.

“Hey, Scoots, I wasn’t lying last night. If you ever want to talk or anything, just let me know.”

Once again, Scootaloo’s blush of unknown origin returned. “That’s really nice Spike, but I’m okay. I mean, we could hang out later, if you’d like.”

The dragon smiled. “Of course I would! But... I should probably see Twilight, before she thinks I’m avoiding her.”

Scootaloo giggled. “Okay.”

As the noon hour drew near, Twilight and Spike found themselves in Sugar Cube Corner awaiting Pinkie Pie’s famous hot chocolate. Oddly though, it was taking a little longer than usual, so Twilight decided to strike a conversation, in the bluntest way possible.

“Spike, why do you keep hanging out with Scootaloo so much?”

Spike raised his brow. “Because we’re friends. Where did that even come from?”

Twilight shrugged. “It’s just, you never leave the library, unless it’s to go to Rarity’s. Now, you suddenly want to spend time with Scootaloo...”

“Well, it’s because Scootaloo is-“ Spike abruptly stopped speaking, realizing just how close he was to spilling the beans. “She’s, uhhh...”

Now, Twilight was no master at the art of relationships, but she was beginning to suspect that this was the beginning of a childhood crush. She could also see that, perhaps, this could be an opportunity. After all, she had begun to grow quite tired of Spike’s persistence to please Rarity each time she visited.

“She’s cute?” Twilight asked, grinning like a foal.

The dragon’s cheeks quickly flushed red. “W-What? No! She’s… She’s…”

It was beginning to become quickly apparent that Spike really had no explanation that could finish that sentence and simultaneously convince Twilight that there was no romantic interest. So he decided to blurt out the first complement that came to mind.

“She’s nice.”

Twilight’s grin widened. “So, you do like her!”

Spike buried his face into his claws. ‘Of all the words in the Equine language, I had to choose that one?’ So, Spike decided to take the route of silence, for he feared any more conversation would add to his false guilt. Though, in this moment, he realized that Twilight’s remark was somewhat true, at least to a certain extent. However, thinking someone is cute doesn’t translate into a crush, right?

“Here you go!” chirped an excited Pinkie, as she laid down a tray with two massive hot chocolates. Each was topped with whipped cream, coco shavings, and three cherries.

“Sorry about the wait. We’ve been crazy busy today,” she explained as she made a circular gesture around her head.

Twilight smiled. “Thanks Pinkie, but Spike and I were having an interesting conversation.”

Spike, who still hid his burning face, only grunted as a way of replying to her.

Scootaloo sat atop a bench in the Ponyville Park, thinking about this morning’s events. Though she did find one thing quite odd; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the picture of Spike’s adorable, unconscious expression out of her head. And at the time, Spike tried to snuggle her; she never really considered just how cute that really was. Now, the thought brought a smile and a light blush to her face.

Suddenly, Scootaloo’s thoughts were cut off by a blast of artic slush to the back of her head. The young filly was so startled that she jumped out of her seat, and landed in the snow below. Once she looked up, she saw Applebloom and Sweetie Belle a few feet away. Sweetie Belle was sporting a grin and offered her a hoof. She took it, and arose to her hooves.

“Sweetie Belle, you are such a traitor...” Scootaloo joked.

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “No I’m not, you were just an easy target.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

“Say Scoots, what had you so zoned out? You almost looked like that thinking pony statue in Canterlot.”

The Pegasus began to turn red, and was about to reply, when Applebloom cut her off.

“She was thinking about her new colt… Er, dragon friend, Spike.”

Scootaloo’s blush deepened. “No I wasn’t!” she lied, “I was thinking of… Um… Uh.”

“Thinking about how much you want to, uh... kiss Spike?” joked Sweetie Belle, who wanted to get in on the action, despite the obvious fact that she had no idea what Applebloom was talking about.

“Come on Scoots, I saw the way y’all kept looking at each other yesterday. Then you go on and leave together.”

Though Applebloom’s last assumption may have been correct, the first was not. This was only due to their encounter the night prior.

“Oh, quiet you two. I don’t have a crush on Spike! Besides, we all know Spike has a crush on Rarity.”

Scootaloo found it odd that the moment she said that, she felt a twinge of sadness.

“WHAT!?” shrieked Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo and Applebloom looked to the filly with faces that read “You’ve got to be kidding”.

“You didn’t know?” asked Scootaloo.

The astounded unicorn filly only shook her head, too shocked to speak.

The other two fillies briefly looked at each other before facehoofing.

After a few more hours of joking and playing in the snow, the Cutie Mark Crusaders began to disperse one by one. Eventually, Scootaloo was left alone once again, so she decided now would be a good time to meet up with Spike, just as she had said earlier.
It didn’t take her long to reach the library from the park, though as she knocked on the door, she quickly tried to think of something to say. Thankfully, it was Twilight who answered.

“Oh, hi Twilight. Is Spike here?”

Twilight bit her tongue, trying to suppress a smile. “Yeah, just a second.”

After only a few seconds of waiting, Spike replaced Twilight.

“Oh, hey Scoots,” he said as he slammed the door behind him, right in Twilight’s face. “So, what’s up?”

The young filly blinked, a little shocked by Spike’s actions. “What was that about?”

He sighed. “You don’t want to know. So, what are your plans?”

“Well, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are both at home, so you wanna help me build a snowpony?”

Spike perked up. “Sure! Where at?”

Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin. “We could go to the park, but I was just there.”

“Oh I know! Let’s go make it outside of Sugar Cube Corner, that way everypony will see it.”

“That’s a great idea!”

After a little more than a half hour, Spike and Scootaloo had finished their snow masterpiece. Now that it was to their liking, the two took a step back to admire their work. However, two onlooking foals had other plans in mind, for just as the two turned their backs, one of the foals launched a snowball at the snow pony’s head, decapitating it. Needless to say, Scootaloo and Spike were not amused.

“What’s your problem!?” Spike shouted to the pink snowpony murderer.

Diamond Tiara snarled. “Don’t talk to me like that, purple freak. I was just doing a public service.”

“Public service?” asked Scootaloo.

“Well, that snow pony was so horrid, I simply couldn’t allow anypony else to see it.”

Spike took a step forward, ready to sock the pink menace, but Scootaloo withheld him with a hoof. Spike looked down to see her giving him a disapproving look. This caused him to rethink his offensive strategy.

“Are you two really that pathetic?” he asked in his best snobbish tone.

“How dare you!” the two fillies screamed in unison, each looking ready to tackle Spike.

The dragon smiled. “I mean honestly, look at you, going around destroying other foals snow ponies. Do you two have any lives?”

Diamond Tiara was seconds away from charging Spike, when she came up with an interesting counter attack. “At least I’m not some dragon freak who cuddles ponies. Weirdo!” The shock in both of their faces caused her to grin.

“Hey! Leave Scootaloo out of this!”

“What!? Afraid your little blank flank fillyfriend will get upset?”

Spike was beginning to get very upset now, as picking on him was one thing, but his friends was another. “You have five seconds to take that back.”

“Oh yeah, and what are you going to do about it, weirdo!?” taunted Silver Spoon.

“Four.”

“How about you and your little blank flank go make out later! Oh wait you probably already have!”

Small amounts of smoke were beginning to escape from Spike’s nostrils. “Three.”

“You two are absolutely-“

“Two.”

“Disgusting, gross, backwards-“

“One.”

“Freaks!”

Just as those words left Diamond Tiara’s lips, Spike unleashed a massive green flame from his own. Instantly, the two fillies dropped to the ground. Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over. Though the two were fine for the most part, the fire had singed the very tip of their mane. This, however, was more than enough to send the foals running home.

Scootaloo looked up to, a still fuming, Spike with amazement. Never before had someone stepped up to those two in such a fierce way. But not only that, he stepped up for her and her alone, not all of the Cutie Mark Crusaders at once.

Without warning, Spike was almost tackled to the ground by Scootaloo’s hug. “Thank you!”

During the walk back to the CMC Clubhouse, Scootaloo couldn’t help but glance over at Spike every now and then. The words of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were now long lost, all replaced with the image of Spike making them run in terror.

“Well, here we are,” said Spike as he gestured to the tree house.

Scootaloo was a little upset that this would be the end of her time with Spike, but thought that perhaps she could find a way to make him stay longer.

“Hey, you think that maybe you could stay the night again?”

Spike shook his head. “Sorry, Twi wanted me to help her organize a few books before bed.”

Scootaloo sadly looked down. “Oh, well... I’m really happy that we hung out today. And thank you so much for getting in those bullies' faces. I never could have done that on my own.”

The dragon chuckled. “It’s okay Scootaloo, I’m just glad you’re not upset.”

“Upset!? How could I be upset when my friend almost barbequed my worst enemies?”

Spike grinned. “Okay then. I’ll just... see you later.”

Quickly, Scootaloo took his hand with her hoof. “Wait!” she said a little more forcefully than she meant. Though Spike couldn’t see it through the dim light, Scootaloo was blushing heavily. “I just wanted to thank you again.”

“Really, it’s okay Scoo-“

Spike was quickly cut off by Scootaloo pressing her lips to his cheek.

Chapter Four: The Beginning

In that instant, Spike couldn’t possibly think fast enough to come up with a well thought out action. Instead, he did the first thing that came to mind. The young dragon, whose face was now covered in crimson, shot back a whole three feet.

“What the hay was that!?” he shrieked.

Scootaloo jumped back as well, and instinctively avoided eye contact. “I’m sorry! It’s just, Sweetie Belle told us how she saw Rarity kiss you on the cheek when you did something nice for her! Please don’t be angry!”

Spike’s blush deepened, for until this point, he had assumed no one except for Twilight, and Rarity herself, bared witness. Despite his embarrassment, Spike wanted to assure Scootaloo that of all the emotions he was experiencing, anger was not among them.

“Scoots, I’m not mad. I mean, I’m a little surprised right now, but certainly not mad.”

The dragon’s semi comforting words caused Scootaloo to slowly cast her gaze in his direction.

“I’m sorry; I just thought that it would just be another way of thanking you. I hope I didn’t mess anything up.”

Spike shook his head. “No, it’s okay... I was just a little surprised is all. Sorry.”

Scootaloo smiled faintly. “It’s okay, and I’m sorry about… that.”

He briefly returned the smile before beginning to turn away. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Twi is going to start getting worried.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Oh, okay. See ya later.”

Spike quickly waved his claw “See ya.”

As Spike walked off into the ever dimming twilight, Scootaloo watched him until she was sure she couldn’t be seen, or heard.

“Ugh!” she exclaimed as she threw herself into a sitting position beneath the tree. “Go ahead and kiss him!? Great idea! What in Equestria were you thinking!? He likes Rarity!”

Once again, a pang of sadness hit her heart at the mention of Spike’s crush. However, this time there was no debating why, for it was clear that Scootaloo indeed had a crush on Spike.

In a fit of self-loathing, the little filly began smacking the side of her head with her hoof. “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”

Just as she was going in for her fifth strike, she felt her hoof brush against something. She looked down to see Spike’s scarf wrapped around her neck. Slowly, she lowered her offending hoof, and lifted the fabric with a sigh. It was in that moment, that Scootaloo realized that perhaps not all hope had yet been lost.

Spike let out a frustrated sigh as he closed the library door behind him. “Could that have gone any worse?” he asked himself.

“Could what have gone any worse?” asked a warm voice.

Spike looked up to see Twilight sitting next to a nearby bookshelf. He averted his gaze quickly, but soon returned it.

“Twi, can you promise to keep a secret?”

She nodded.

Spike paused briefly, considering his words. “When I was leaving… Scootaloo kissed me on the cheek.”

“What!?” Twilight yelped with joy. She was about to start bouncing around like a little filly, until she realized Spike’s distraught expression was still unwavering. This caused her emotions to shift back to the initial state of concern.

“Well, what happened? I thought you’d be happy.”

Spike sighed. “I jumped away, and freaked out. I think I even hurt her feelings.”

“Oh… Spike, don’t worry. I’m sure she isn’t mad at you. You two will be back to normal in no time.”

“But I didn’t tell you the worst part.”

Twilight raised her brow, but remained silent.

“You remember all those things you were saying at Sugar Cube Corner?”

She nodded.

“Well, you were right; I do think Scootaloo is cute and really nice, and... I even liked the kiss… I think I do like her.”

Twilight smiled. “Then you should tell her.”

Spike sighed and took a seat upon the floor. “What about Rarity? I mean, I still like her, but if I like Scootaloo too…” Spike buried his face into his hands.

Twilight wasn’t exactly trying to be manipulative, but she saw this as an opportunity to push Spike in a direction that would benefit all; not just herself.

“Spike, Rarity doesn’t need you.”

Shocked by Twilight’s bluntness, Spike shot up. “What?!” he yelled, almost ready to pounce on her.

Twilight raised a hoof. “She doesn’t need you because she is the Element of Generosity, she has her friends, and she has her sister. Now, look at Scootaloo; she only has Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Rainbow Dash. You tell me: which one looks like they need you more?”

Spike thought a moment, thinking of something to counter Twilight, but her argument was solid. He like both Rarity and Scootaloo equally, but Scootaloo was the one in need; more so than anyone ever knew. Though not only that, but Spike had also promised that he’d take care of her, and by his dragon code he was not going to break a promise.

“You’re right, Twilight. You’re absolutely right.”

As the sun reached its peak in the sky, Spike found himself sitting on a park bench, unable to stop thinking about Scootaloo since the night before. Though now, the young dragon thought it best to go someplace peaceful to consider his next course of action; he was set on telling Scootaloo of his newfound feelings, but at the same time he was fearful of her reaction. She could laugh in his face and never talk to him again, or she could kick him right in his stomach. Though these outcomes were unlikely, they terrified him nonetheless.

The dragon was so deep in thought that he was completely oblivious to a young white unicorn trotting over to him, her mind full of malicious and manipulative intent.

“Hi, Spike,” said Sweetie Belle as she took a seat next to him.

Spike instantly snapped back to reality. “Huh? Oh hey, Sweetie Belle. What are you doing out here?”

The filly threw out a dismissive hoof. “Oh, it’s a long story.”

“Well, I have time. What is it?”

Sweetie Belle tried her best to withhold a grin, anticipating this reaction. “Well, if you really must know, Rarity actually kicked me out.”

Spike raised his brow. “What? Why?”

“It’s not because I got in trouble or anything. It’s something else.”

“Like what?”

Once again, Sweetie Belle suppressed a grin as she milked the situation for all it was worth.

“Well, you see Rarity is actually having a colt over for lunch. Like on a date. His name is Fancy something.”

Spike’s eyes widened in shock, but after a moment, and only a slight feeling of sadness, he was rather content with the news. For instead of crushing him, this revelation only seemed to force his hand in the direction he had already wished.

“Oh, okay.”

Sweetie Belle’s mouth threatened to drop. Everything in her plan had gone accordingly up until this point, for she had forgotten to factor in the possibility of Spike not liking Rarity the way he used to.

“Those lying jerks!” she yelled.

Spike jumped, startled by Sweetie Belle’s outburst. “What?!”

The filly blushed, a little surprised as well. “Uhhhh, nothing! Bye Spike! Talk to you later!”

Scootaloo walked through the streets of Ponyville, making her way to the library. Despite the fact that she had apologized for her action the day before, she still felt as though it wasn’t enough. She just hoped she could somehow get things back to the way they were before this mess.

As the young filly passed Sofas and Quills, she saw Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. She was almost going to say hi, before she noticed that Sweetie Belle was yelling at Applebloom. Then suddenly the unicorn lunged on top of the earth pony.

‘Yeah, I better not get into that one,’ she thought as she looked back to the path. Suddenly she and an unknown passerby bumped into each other, causing both to fall onto their rumps.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” snapped Scootaloo.

“Sorry.”

Scootaloo could feel her blood run ice cold and her face turn fire red upon recognizing the voice. Slowly, she unwillingly looked up to see that it was none other than Spike. Of course it had to be Spike! Not Rumble or Pipsqueak, but Spike. Why did it have to be Spike!?

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, Spike!” she exclaimed as she jumped to all fours.

Spike, who was busy brushing the snow off, simply threw out a claw. “Oh, um... It’s okay, but what are you doing out here?”

“Um, I was actually going to see you. We need to talk about yesterday.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, I kind of thought I needed to talk to you about that too.”

Spike’s words caused Scootaloo to feel a twinge of fear, but she tried to ignore it. Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to end badly. Not at all...

“Listen Spike, I just want to say that I’m sorry again. I wasn’t really thinking and it was stupid. I just want to take it back.”

Spike rested a claw atop her shoulder. “Scootaloo, please stop. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. Honestly… I was a little happy it happened.” As those words left Spike’s lips, he could feel something in the pit of his stomach wishing to retract them.

Scootaloo quickly shot up. “What?!” she yelped a little louder, and happier, than intended.

Spike mentally breathed a massive sigh of relief, but at the same time he found himself blushing at how happy she seemed.

Scootaloo did her best to hide a blush, but once she noticed Spike’s expression, there was no stopping it. “So,” she began timidly, “You don’t think I’m weird or anything?”

He shook his head. “Of course not. Hey, do you think we could go back to the clubhouse? There’s something I want to tell you.”

Scootaloo felt her heart flutter, hoping he was referring to a possible crush on her. Despite how unlikely this possibility seemed to her, the notion was there nonetheless.

“Sure,” she replied with a smile.

“Here’s good,” said Spike as he stopped, just before the location of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse.

Scootaloo turned to face him, biting down on her tongue to suppress a smile. “So, what is it you wanted to tell me?”

Spike sighed as he brought a claw to the back of his neck. He could feel all of his confidence that he had built up on the walk over, be drained in seconds by Scootaloo’s awaiting eyes.

“Well, Uhhh... Scootaloo,” he began nervously, trying his best not to trip over his oown words.

‘Oh my gosh is he about to do what I think he is?’ she thought, keying in on his tone of voice.

“You remember yesterday when those bullies came up to us?”

Scootaloo nodded, quite clearly recalling the events during and especially after that particular part happened.

“Well, after all the stuff they said, I didn’t think you would want to hang out with me anymore. I mean... a lot of it was true; dragons and ponies aren’t supposed to hang out, but I like it.”

Scootaloo rested a hoof upon Spike’s shoulder, causing him to look up and see a warm smile.

“Spike,” she began, “Nothing would ever want to make me stop being your friend; especially not those two snobs. And to be honest, I like it too.”

Spike smiled, feeling his confidence return. “Well in that case, there’s something I need to tell you.” He paused briefly. “I sort of,” he sighed. “Have a crush on you.”

Scootaloo stood there frozen, her hoof still resting upon Spike’s shoulder. She had been dying to hear those words, but had not the slightest idea what to do once she did.

Spike braced his face for impact with Scootaloo’s hoof, however nothing came. Seconds passed and still nothing, then she finally began to move. Quickly, Spike slammed his eyes shut, but instead of pain, he felt Scootaloo’s warm embrace envelop him.

“I... sort of have a crush on you too.”

Spike couldn’t move, he was too surprised and happy by the outcome to have his body function properly; instead, almost as if on autopilot, he wrapped both of his claws around the filly.

Scootaloo felt this and smiled before nuzzling into Spike’s chest. However, it occurred to her that what she was doing right now was totally un-Rainbow Dash, so as a way of livening up things she said, “If you ever tell anyone I was nuzzling you, I will end you.”

Spike’s chuckle seemed to bring him back into reality, so he raised one of his claws to the back of her mane and began to gently stroke. “Sure thing, Scoots.”

Though the filly was very much enjoying the feeling of the dragons careful fingers running through her mane, she knew that they had to break the embrace, so she made the first move in backing away.

Spike was a little disappointed, but when he noticed Scootaloo’s beaming smile he couldn’t help but feel better. “Sooooo, are you my fillyfriend now?”

Scootaloo blushed heavily, never really considering that until this point, but with a smile she nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. So, what do you want to do… drakefriend?”

Spike playfully rolled his eyes. “Well, now that we're together, maybe we should go out somewhere.”

“Like where?”

He looked away for a moment, considering all possible nearby and affordable options, before one popped into his head. “What about Sugar Cube Corner?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Sounds great!” Just then a disheartening realization hit her. “But I don’t have any bits.”

Spike smiled. “Don’t worry, I never leave the library without a few tucked away in my scarf, besides, it’s not right for a lady to pay.”

Scootaloo blushed. “Thank you, Spike. That’s really sweet.”

“Well, after you milady,” joked Spike as he bowed and gestured down the path.

Scootaloo poorly hid a smile behind an exaggerated face hoof. “Really Spike?” she asked while giggling.

“Hey, I’ve had fourteen years to think about what I’d do when this finally happens, just following the book.”

As the new couple took their seats at the bakery, Pinkie seemingly shot out of nowhere, terrifying Spike, but only amusing Scootaloo. Seeing Spike attempting to regain his composure caused Pinkie to feel a little regretful of her entrance.

“Oh, sorry, Spikey. Just assumed you would’ve gotten used to that by now.”

Spike threw out a claw while trying to hide his embarrassed expression. “Huh? What are you talking about Pinkie? You didn’t scare me,” he lied.

Pinkie made an “oh” expression before winking to Spike.

“So, what can I get you two love birds?”

Scootaloo and Spike took a moment to register what Pinkie had said, before a simultaneous screech of “What!?” filled the bakery, several other customers looked around to see what the commotion was about.

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Oh you two don’t know how Pinkie senses work at all. I had a twitchy hoof about four times an hour ago and scrunchy nose four times fifteen minutes ago. Then I added the two, divided that by Pi then multiplied that by seven point four eight and deduced that you two must be dating since the letter S was the result. It’s really simple once you understand it.”

Scootaloo and Spike just stared blankly at each other.

Spike quickly pushed Pinkie’s formula out of his head before his brain had a meltdown. “Um, yeah... I’ll have a hot chocolate with a cherry, what about you Scoots?”

Scootaloo, who was still at a loss, simply stated “Uh... yeah, that.”

“Coming right up!” chirped the pink ball of energy, before she bounced off into the kitchen.

Once she had left, Scootaloo was about to unleash a barrage of question before she was stopped by Spike raising his claw. “It’s better if you don’t try to understand it.”

Scootaloo giggled. “Yeah, I need to remember that it’s Pinkie Pie after all.”

Spike joined in on the laugh. “So, now that we're together, when do you plan on telling the rest of the CMC? No doubt they’ll have a field day when word gets out.”

She smiled just thinking about some of the possible reactions her friends could have. “Yeah, you can say that again, but until then, let’s keep this on the down low.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, who knows what the town would do if they found out about us?”

Just then Pinkie returned with a platter of two steaming whip cream covered beverages balanced atop her head. As she laid the platter before them, the couple each took one and was just beginning to take their first sips, when they heard the familiar ding of someone entering the bakery. The two looked up to see Sweetie Belle and Applebloom staring at them with a confused expression. Instantly, Spike and Scootaloo began to blush.

Applebloom was the first to speak. “Uh, hey what are you two doing here?”

“Alone, together, without us, together,” added Sweetie Belle.

Applebloom smirked. “I mean, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you two were on a…” Suddenly, both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom’s expressions went blank. Then, it was quickly followed by the loudest “D’awwww!” ever heard.

“You have to tell us more!” squealed Sweetie Belle as she slid into the booth next to Spike.

“Yeah!” chirped Applebloom as she slid in with Scootaloo.

“How long have you been dating!?”

“Have you kissed yet!?”

“Oh my gosh, this is adorable!”

“You guys have got to tell us everything!”

Never in either Scootaloo or Spike’s life had they wished to be somewhere else more, than in that moment. They both shot each other a look of “help me!”

Unknown to any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, and even, the seemingly psychic, Pinkie Pie, was the fact that moments before Sweetie Belle and Applebloom arrived, two young fillies stood before the window of Sugar Cube Corner, beaming with hate. The grey one, who was holding a camera, quickly snapped a few pictures. As each came out of the camera, the pink filly snatched them up and grinned as she examined each.

“Oh yes, these will do nicely. That little dragon prick has no idea who he just messed with. ”

Silver Spoon smiled at her friend’s approval. “You know, I hear dragons are most protective of their treasure; among those are usually the ones they care for.”

Diamond tiara nodded, a malicious grin painted across her face. “Let’s see how good he is at protecting them from all of Ponyville!”