SpikeDash Group Collab

Chapters

Night - Vexy
Light - Garbo802
Mustache - Blue Dragon
Flowers - Vexy
Tease - Steadfast Hoof
Prank - Vexy
Wedding - Steadfast Hoof
Argument - Dangerbrony
Parents - Steadfast Hoof
Celery - Vexy
Jealousy - Curify
Reflections - TheMessenger
Spoons - Curify
Seclusion - FamousLastWords
Explosive Diarrhea - Minimin22
Preening - Pontiac56
Swimming Lessons - TheMessenger
Thanksgiving - FamousLastWords
Manes - Pontiac56
Lifestyle - TheMessenger
BONUS CHAPTER: Fanfics - R-J-michaelis
Wedding Day - TheMesenger
Qualification - Steadfast Hoof
Books - YourNeighborhoodAlicorn
Feathers - Digiguy
Claws - YourNeighborhoodAlicorn
First Kiss - FamousLastWords
Alicorn - Minimin22
Summer - DARKPHANTOM13
Message - Macho Madness
Paradise - FamousLastWords
BONUS CHAPTER: Mercal - the ninja king
STUFFED ANIMAL PLUSHIES - Vexy
Famous - Pontiac56
BONUS CHAPTER: Nightmare - Ekhidna
Dictionary - Vexy
Last Words - FierceRainbow
Breakfast - Pontiac56
Gender - Creed
BONUS CHAPTER: Nightmare - DARKPHANTOM13
Lucid Dreaming - TheMessenger
Fireworks - Pontiac56
Living Arrangements - Vexy
Foals - TheMessenger
Onions - DARKPHANTOM13
Wheat Bread - Vexy
Curiosity - FamousLastWords
Confession - the ninja king
Anniversary -Ytterbius
Parenthood - Vexy
Hooves - Saro0fd3monz

Night - Vexy

The library was silent except the soft snoring coming from Twilight’s bed, but despite the late hour Spike lay awake, the blanket of his bed lying vacant on the floor. The dragon in question sat next to the window, as if he was waiting for something.

A gentle breeze rolled in from the open window, gently brushing across Spike’s scales. Yet the cold didn’t bother him; he was far too preoccupied with watching the sky. Luna’s moon shined brilliantly, casting long shadows behind the illuminated curtains. The night was perfectly tranquil, and only a few sparse clouds floated across the sky.

And still he waited. He knew he would see it soon. He always saw her at this time when the moon was full. He thought it might be Princess Luna or some other powerful being, or maybe it was all just his imagination. It was difficult to tell when the moon illuminated only silhouettes.

Letting a yawn escape, Spike glanced at the clock. It was getting late. She should have been here by now. Scanning the skies, he could spot only clouds, however. Perhaps she didn’t come every full moon.

Suddenly, a flash of movement caught his attention. From the corner of his eye, a silhouette of a pony darted out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

Instantly, Spike was on his feet, rushing towards the balcony. With his hands on the wooden rail, Spike could only stare upwards in awe as the pony glided gracefully around the night sky.

She fluttered around the moon, drawing artistic circles around the great celestial object and chasing away the thin clouds, leaving the breathtaking sky unblemished.

She looked amazing, and Spike could only gaze in wonder as the stars twinkled and the moon radiated its soft light. The sky was perfect, and it was as if this mysterious pony had made it just for him.

He could almost see the pony’s mane. At first he thought it was red, but then she turned and it suddenly looked yellow, before she looped once again and it was green. Spike was completely captivated by the spectacle.

Spreading her wings, she continued to dance around the serene sky. She looped around the moon, traced the horizon and touched the stars. With each stunning feat, Spike found himself even more riveted by the awe-inspiring display.

Who was this pony?

Glancing behind him at the snoring bed to make sure Twilight was still asleep, Spike took a deep breath and called out into the night as loud as he dared, “Hello.”

But the pony did not hear him. She was surely too far away, and far too absorbed in her graceful dance. She didn’t appear to be in any rush as she glided across the sky.

Once again Spike cleared his throat, forcing Twilight to the back of his mind, “Hello!”

He was sure she must have heard, even from this far away. However, if she had, the pony showed no signs of it.

Before he could call any louder, the pony flew straight into the moon, the brilliant moonlight silhouetting her perfectly. She flared her wings, each individual feather spotlighted, each strand of hair glowing. She looked as if she ruled the moon itself, as if she had overthrown Luna and now ruled over the night.

And then suddenly she was gone.

Before Spike even had the chance to blink, she had disappeared from the night sky. Scanning the horizons once again, he just managed to spot a faint figure darting away again.

Spike sighed and returned to his bed. Perhaps he was never going to find out who that mysterious mare was.

One day, I’ll find out who she is, and then maybe I can dance with her.

Away she flew back to her house, the faint remnants of a blush evident on her face, even in the dim moonlight. Once again, nopony had seen her. No pony, at least.

Rainbow Dash sighed as she landed inside her bedroom. Maybe one day she could tell Spike.

Maybe one day, she could dance with him.

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Light - Garbo802

As the darkness of night enveloped her, Rainbow Dash sat waiting. On a dirt path leading west from Ponyville, she hunkered, looking out into the continually fading light and growing darkness. At first, the waiting was easy. She relaxed, as she was so good at doing, and calmly stayed on watch.

Seconds passed. Then came the minutes, which seemed hundreds of times longer than the seconds, even though they were anything but. And still, Dash sat, longingly hoping to see something, anything that would signal the end of her wait.

The wind blew through the trees as bats flew between them, their dark forms blending in against the black backdrop of the sky. It was then that Dash realized how dark it was. She raised a hoof, and could just barely make it out. This far from the main part of town, there were no torches or candles to light up the night. The only light came from the buzzing fireflies, twinkling stars, and the pale moon.

Even more time passed. She could feel her muscles growing sore from lack of use. With difficulty, she spread her wings, and could hear the joints popping as she rotated them in their sockets. As she sat up, she stretched the wings one joint and one muscle at a time until they felt brand new. She looked up at the sky, spread her wings, and within moments, she was there, flying with the bats.

Now she was alone with her thoughts, so she thought well. She thought about what she was waiting for and how long she'd yearned to see that face again. If she'd been waiting at that path for what felt like years, then she'd been waiting for him for decades, maybe even centuries.

And she was sure he knew it too. After all, how could he have forgotten the last time they'd seen each other? Dash sure hadn't. It had been, to say the least, an eventful night. But as memorable—and fun—as it had been, it had left her with a lot of questions, most of which she hadn't been able to answer herself. How did he feel about it, and just as importantly, how did she feel?

She hadn't even been able to answer that. She'd had a few years to think about it, and although she didn't spend all of that time thinking about it, it should have been enough. She wished it was an easier question, an easier thing to swallow, and an easier love.

Interestingly enough, though, she didn't doubt that the subject of her affections had stopped feeling that way about her. There was something about him that night—he wasn't just looking for some fun before he left on his trip, no, there was a lot more. He'd grown up a lot since she'd met him, in every sense of the word.

She wished she'd had more time to talk to him about it, but she hadn't. Now she'd have to play catch up, and figure out where everypony stood. That would be hard; Rainbow wasn't exactly renowned for her social prowess. That was Rarity's department. She couldn't think of what to say.

And she wouldn't have much time to think. In the distance, she could see what she'd been looking for: a light, moving eastward. In that moment, she forgot her nervousness. She'd been waiting for this moment for ages, and it didn't matter what she said, because it was going to be special no matter how badly she screwed it up.

She rocketed towards the light she'd waited for, for the first time seeing the end of her long wait. It grew closer, and Dash could see that it was actually two lights. It grew even closer, and she saw that it was a carriage, travelling down the path at a rapid clip.

As she pulled up alongside it, she didn't know how she felt. There was relief and stress, calmness and anxiety, happiness and regret. She matched her speed with the carriage, keeping herself a length to the side of the window. The curtains weren't drawn. Inside, she could see him sleeping, snoring loudly.

When hasn't he snored, though? She mused, a smile coming onto her face as she looked at him. It was more than just the feeling of love, but friendship. The two had always been great friends, and even though he was more than that to her now, he was still her good old pal first.

Without thinking, she reached a hoof out to the window, tapping on it, hoping the noise was loud enough to wake him up.

And it was. She saw him blinking, the backs of his claws rubbing at his eyes. Then he looked up. His eyes widened, and in his surprise, he froze, but not for too long. He stumbled over the window, throwing it open to the cold night air. He didn't say anything, but Dash did.

"Hey, Spike."

As they both grinned, Dash couldn't help thinking how glad she was to have seen that light in the darkness.

Author's Note

Written by Garbo802.

Mustache - Blue Dragon

There had never been a more perfect dragon than the one Spike stared at now. Never had there been one so handsome, his scales so smooth and his spines ironed flawlessly. His eyes shone like green fire and illuminated all that was around him with a spirited light. He was even wearing a suit for the occasion, still steaming from when he’d gotten it from the cleaner’s.

It was hard to tell if he was smiling or not, for the dragon he was looking at now had something Spike craved for all his life.

A mustache.

Only he knew when his lips curled upward. His eyes combed over his figure’s reflection one last time before deeming himself fit. Spike was a modest dragon by all means, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t look good.

Especially not when he was taking Rainbow Dash of all ponies out on a date.

She’d never expect to see him so dressed up. It would come as a surprise at first, but then she’d love it. Spike could just imagine her falling in love just at the sight of his mustache, complimenting it for as long as it took to get Twilight to cast him one.

But tonight was special. Tonight, Spike was going to do the unthinkable. He was going to conquer his inner demons and rise to the occasion—he was going to climb up the tallest of mountains and prove his love for Rainbow Dash.

Tonight, he was going to propose.

Spike’s shoulders hunched the longer he watched himself in the mirror. He reached a claw down into his tuxedo’s pocket and withdrew the small black box a pony would be a fool not to recognize. His stomach turned and flopped, his tail twitching restlessly behind him.

“Hey, stop that.”

Spike shoved the box back into his pocket so swiftly one might have thought he was pulling for a weapon. It was with relief that he turned around and recognized the pony behind him.

“Oh, it’s just you, Twi.” His long-time best friend stepped closer, her eyes scanning over him just like he was only moments before. She gave him a smile.

“You look great,” she said with a laugh. “I almost don’t recognize you.”

“Heh, yeah…” Spike gave her a hug, his thoughts lingering on what weighed heavily in his pocket. “Do you think she’ll… you know…”

“You’ll do fine,” Twilight said firmly. He felt her nuzzle his cheek. “She loves you. Rainbow Dash may not be the best at showing it, but she does. Trust me.”

Reluctantly, Spike pulled away. He opted not to respond, fearing he may jinx himself. A glance at the clock rewarded him with the time, which was far too late.

Rainbow Dash was going to kill him.

“Ack!” He jumped toward the door and shoved it open. “I gotta go. See you later, Twilight!”

“Good luck!”

Spike dashed through the streets as fast as his legs could carry him in search of his date. His mustache bounced with his step and his tail lagged behind, slowing him down more than he would’ve liked. It was awkward moving in the formal attire, but he made due.

It was when he’d finally had sight of Rainbow Dash that he did slow down. The moonlight reflected off her mane and gave it an unrealistic glow. Even though her expression gave voice to the mildest annoyance, she still looked stunning. She hadn’t dressed up at all, her mane as messy as the way it was when he’d had a crush on her.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes wandered from his eyes to something a little lower. She snickered. “Oh, Spike, is that—is that a mustache? And what are you wearing? Those clothes don’t fit you at all.”

Spike swelled under this scrutiny, determined to regain what little of his confidence remained. “Hey! I thought you liked tough stallions!”

His reaction caused Rainbow to laugh all the harder. Spike glowered at her. “Y-you just—bahaha—I can’t believe you!”

Tears prickled the corners of his eyes and his face felt hot. He was no stranger to Rainbow Dash’s teasing, but he was really throwing himself out there tonight. He was so uncertain about how things were going to end up, so scared that she was going to reject him…

He wished more than anything that he could tear off the mustache that plagued him, but knew that it wouldn’t budge due to Twilight’s spell. Spike clenched his fists.

“Rainbow Dash,” he took a deep breath, willing the fire in his belly to go out, “why don’t we take a seat? The moonlight’s great tonight.”

She smiled, seeming to have dropped the subject. She poked him playfully. “What about me? How great do you think I look?”

“Er… just as great as usual, Rainbow.” He blushed, his eyes fidgeting. “You know…”

Rainbow’s grin widened, but she stretched herself out in the grass. She rolled over so she was facing the moon. Spike joined her soon after, reveling in their closeness.

“...It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” her voice resonated after a while. Spike recognized the change of her tone, knowing what it meant. This was how she sounded when she was really opening up to someone. When she really trusted you. “Luna’s stars are amazing. I’ve never seen something so… so… awe-inspiring.”

Spike could hear the smile in her voice. He shuffled a little closer, listening to her talk the way she always did when they went out. “When I was just a filly, I used to go out and look up at them. I told myself, ‘one day, I’m going to reach them. I’ll fly up and hold one in my hoof. I’ll prove everyone wrong. I will.’ ”

She outstretched her hoof to the heavens, a reminiscent smile gracing her features. Then, she rolled over and took him into her hooves.

“I don’t say it much, Spike, but I love you. You’re the only one I can really talk to about stuff like this.” Rainbow nuzzled him warmly, something Spike craved for. He loved her touch almost as much as he loved her kisses. It wasn’t well-known, but Rainbow Dash could be a big softie when she let her guard down.

It was time.

Spike withdrew from his embrace with Rainbow Dash and inched his claw toward the box he’d hidden in his suit’s pocket. His mustache weighed down on him.

“Rainbow Dash… I love you too. A lot. More than you could ever imagine. Like Pinkie Pie loves Twilight or like Applejack loves her fam—no, that’s not what I meant…” He winced at how stupid he sounded, avoiding Rainbow’s questioning gaze. “What I mean to say is that you’re the most important pony in my life.”

Heart thudding so loudly he was afraid she might hear, he pulled the black box out of its hiding place. Rainbow’s eyes widened to their breaking point at the prospect. When the dragon opened it, her eyes couldn’t have gotten any bigger.

“Will you marry me?”

Author's Note

Written by Blue Dragon.

Flowers - Vexy

Fête des fleurs, otherwise known as the festival of flowers, came around every year, but Spike felt confident that this was going to be the best one yet. It was like a second Hearts and Hooves Day, and with it came promises of second chances and second opportunities.

Rarity’s going to love this.

Before you roll your eyes, allow me to explain: every year, ponies from all over Equestria buy flowers for each other as a sign of love and friendship. Although many of the flowers aren’t edible, they’re often kept as a souvenir for days or even weeks after the festival. The festival originated from Prance, but was so popular that it was welcomed eagerly into Equestria.

This year, Spike had a bought several flowers from the Ponyville market. He skipped away from Roseluck’s stall with several more flowers in claw. He had a variety of different flowers, and each was for a different pony.

“Fluttershy!” he called as he spotted the pegasus in question buying her own flowers. She looked up as Spike called her name.

“Oh, hello Spike. Are you buying flowers as well?” she asked.

“Yep. I bought one for you,” Spike chirped, holding up a pink tulip.

She smiled. “You didn’t have to…”

“But I wanted to,” Spike chuckled, handing her the flower. “It means ‘Caring’, and there’s no pony more caring than you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy blushed, “Thanks, Spike. I’ve actually just bought your flower. You can have it now if you like?”

“Sure,” Spike replied with a grin. He watched as she reached into her bag and pulled out a large daffodil with her teeth.

“It means ‘Chivalry’,” she replied proudly through her teeth.

“Wow, thanks!” Spike tried to hide his proud grin.

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy replied. “Are you going to buy any more flowers?”

“Nah, I’ve bought them all now.” Spike’s smile widened. “Now I just need to find everypony and give it to them. You don’t know where any of the others are, do you?”

“Um, Applejack’s selling apples at her stall, and Pinkie Pie’s filling out orders at Sugarcube Corner, but I’ve not seen anyone else all day.

“Thanks, ‘Shy.”

Before she could reply, Spike had skipped off towards Applejack’s stall. The dragon knew she’d love this flower.

“Fresh apples!” a voice with a southern twang called. Spike followed it back to its source. Sure enough, Applejack was selling apples at her stall, although today it didn’t look like she had many customers to be dealing with.

“Howdy, Spike. Here buying apples, are you?” she asked.

Spike grinned again. “Not today. I have a flower for you.”

“For me? Shucks, Spike, I didn’t think you’d be into country mares,” she chuckled and winked.

Spike blushed, “N-no!” he gasped. “It’s not like that!”

“What are you trying to say?” Applejack pressed, a smirk dancing across her lips.

“Wait! I don’t mean that! I mean…” Spike realized he had dug himself a hole.

“It’s fine, Spike.” Applejack laughed. “I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to buy any flowers yet.”

“That’s okay,” Spike said quickly, brushing away the sweat that had been trickling down his head. “I have a flower for you.” He brought out a large purple tulip.

“Err, the purple one…” Applejack said slowly. “What does that mean again?”

“It’s a tulip, Applejack,” Spike chuckled. “It means ‘faithfulness’.”

“It’s not a declaration of love?” The mare tried to feign disappointment.

“I… err…” he mumbled.

She laughed again. “It’s alright, Spike. I appreciate the flower. I’ll be sure to drop by the library later with my own flower.”

Spike nodded, “Thanks, Applejack. You’ve not seen any of the others, have you?”

“I’ve not seen anypony all day,” she sighed.

“Oh, okay. Well I’ll talk to you later, then.”

“Bye, Spike!” Applejack called.

The dragon waved as the two departed, and he headed to Sugarcube Corner. If anypony knew where everypony was, it would be Pinkie Pie. Luckily Sugarcube Corner was right next to the town market, so he didn’t have to walk far before he had stepped through the door of the life-sized gingerbread house and the bell chimed.

“Heya, Spike,” a voice called from the kitchen, followed shortly after by its owner as Pinkie Pie walked out. “What brings you here?”

“Fête des fleurs, Pinkie.”

Pinkie’s eyes shined knowingly. “You’ve got a flower just for little old Pinkie?”

Spike nodded.

“Ooh, Spikey-Wikey’s got me a flower… wait!” She gasped in horror. “That means I’m going to have to find one for you!”

“Pinkie, it’s fine—” Spike called, but the pink pony had already vanished into the ether. He sighed and turned around, only to bump muzzle-to-snout with Pinkie Pie.

“I knew I’d left it somewhere round here,” she giggled, holding up a large red tulip.

“Who’s that for?”

“You, silly!” Pinkie shook the flower closer to Spike’s face.

A rush of blood ran to Spike’s face. “Me?” he cried. “W-what?”

“Well there’s no one else here to give it to.” she rolled her eyes.

“B-but… it’s a red tulip.”

“Yep,” Pinkie replied proudly.

“But that’s supposed to mean—”

“That you’re my friend, and I love all my friends!” Pinkie chirped, oblivious to the squirming dragon.

“Erm, thanks, I guess?” Spike mumbled and took the flower in his free claw, trying to hide his discomfort. Pinkie didn’t seem to notice, however.

“So what did you get me?” she asked.

“I, erm, got you a pink rose.” He singled out the flower in question and handed it over awkwardly to her.

“Ooh, pink—just like me! Thanks, Spike!” she replied. “Pink roses must suit me.”

“Heh, yeah,” Spike said awkwardly. “Hey, you don’t know where any of the others are, do you? I’ve already seen Applejack and Fluttershy.”

“Well…” Pinkie said slowly. “Twilight said she was heading back to the library about an hour ago, and Rarity was in here with a load of flowers just before you came—” Spike unconsciously bit his lip nervously. “—I’ve not seen Rainbow Dash, though.”

“Okay, thanks Pinkie.”

“No problemo! See you, Spike,” she called as Spike walked out of Sugarcube Corner.

Right, that’s three down. I guess if I don’t know where Rainbow Dash is, I’ll just go and see Twilight first.

Spike tried to convince himself he wasn’t putting off seeing Rarity, but it wasn’t working. Shaking away the thought, he ran back to Golden Oaks library. Bursting inside, he found Twilight nose deep in a book, as per usual.

“Spike!” she gasped as he bursted in. “You made me jump.”

“Sorry,” Spike giggled, “but I have a flower for you.”

Twilight grinned. “Let me guess. A geranium?”

“Not this year,” Spike replied smugly. “I thought that this year I’d get you something different, so I decided to get a yellow rose.” He plucked the yellow rose from the bunch of flowers he was holding.

She took the flower. “Oh, Spike… wait, do you have a red rose as well?” Twilight pointed to one of the flowers that Spike was trying to hide behind his back.

“No!” he said quickly, and Twilight raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously. “Well, yeah. It is, but it’s for Rarity.”

Twilight giggled. “Are you planning on telling her?”

Spike considered the question. “Not yet.”

“Well I’ll be here reading when you get back.”

“I’ll be back soon,” he assured her as he rushed out the library to find his next friend, Rainbow Dash.

He realized he might have his work cut out for him, however; Rainbow Dash being a pegasus meant that she could be just about anywhere, even in the sky. And Spike lacked wings.

Huffing at his predicament, he walked over towards her house anyway, hoping that she would be inside. Perhaps she would hear him if he called out loud enough.

On the way there, he inspected the two flowers he had left in his hand. Rainbow Dash had been a really difficult pony to choose for. He’d spent a long time thinking about what he would get for her. In the end, he had settled on a pink rose like Pinkie’s. It didn’t really feel that spectacular, but he didn’t think Dash would be that interested in flowers anyway. Especially ones you can’t even eat.

Suddenly a shadow fell over Spike. He looked up. Rainbow Dash’s cloud home loomed over him.

“Rainbow Dash!” he called.

There was a moment of silence before she answered.

“Hold on a sec.”

What followed could only be described as the sound of plates being smashed on the floor and angry cats. That couldn’t be the case, though, because Rainbow Dash didn’t have any cats.

She flew out the door in one piece, however, albeit looking a little worse for the wear; her mane was messier than usual and her wings looked like they needed preening.

“Heh, sorry about that,” she said.

“What was that all about?” Spike asked.

“Just woken up, so.”

“Woken up? It’s almost evening,” Spike protested.

“Yeah well, I slept in, okay?” Dash huffed. “What did you want?”

Spike blinked and realized he had come to bring her a flower.

“I brought you a flower.”

Rainbow Dash visibly perked up at this. “You did? I don’t really get many flowers.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? I thought you had flowers being thrown at you every year.”

She chuckled quietly. “Not really. So what did you get me?” she asked excitedly.

He smiled and held up his hand.

Only to realize he only had one flower left.

The red rose? Where did I put the pink one?

Rainbow Dash’s jaw hit the floor.

“A red rose? F-for me?” she couldn’t believe her eyes. “S-Spike, I didn’t think…”

“I… err…” Spike gasped, desperately scrabbling for words. This wasn’t going the way he had thought it would. “Dash, I don’t know where—”

“Nopony’s ever given me a flower like this, or even a dragon!” she squealed, pulling Spike into a tight hug. “That’s so cool!”

“I’m glad you liked it, but—”

“Listen I know this sounds kinda dumb.” Dash interrupted, breaking the hug. Spike looked at her, but she was too busy focused on the floor. “But I just wanted to say—” She looked up and her eyes met Spike’s. “Thanks, Spike.”

Before he had time to react, she leaned over and kissed the dragon on the cheek.

Spike’s eyes widened, but before he could even blink, Rainbow Dash had launched off back into her house, her face more red than the rose she carried.

“I—but—I didn’t mean…” Spike searched for something to say, but he couldn’t find any words. He glanced at his claw, but realized he had no flowers left.

He turned away from the floating house and made his way back to the library. Meanwhile, his mind furiously attempted to dissect and understand what had just happened.

Did I just tell Rainbow Dash that I love her?

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Tease - Steadfast Hoof

"Spike, please! Come on, dude. I’m sorry!"

Said drake just turned his head and huffed atop her back. He steadied himself as she beat her wings keeping a modest distance from the ground as they soared through the sky.

"That wasn't funny, Dash," Spike huffed, glaring at her. She wilted under his gaze.

"It was an accident.”

Spike scoffed at her. "So you accidentally just bucked me off five stories in the air after you scare me half to death by pretending to be knocked out by some clouds!” He threw his arms out.

“I caught you!” she tried.

“The first time!” he shot back rubbing his sore chin.

She couldn't help it. Rainbow Dash started guffawing, her whole frame shook. Spike tried to adjust himself through her giggles.

“Hey! Hey! Be careful! I’d rather walk home if you're going to keep messing with me!” he cried as he hugged her.

She shot him a glance at the sudden contact. Rainbow turned her head, looking down to hide her smile and faint blush as she laughed. She slowed down, breaking into a glide.

“Sorry it’s just…” Her face contorted as she bit her lip, trying to contain herself.

Spike’s eye twitched as he dared ask, “It’s just what?” each word dripping with venom.

Rainbow broke down again laughing uncontrollably.

“Even I've never eaten that much dirt before!” she managed to get out through her chortles.

“I mean it was perfect, just,” she made a downward spiral with her hooves “*fzeoooo* Splat!”

Spike fumed as she was overcome with another fit of giggles. His face was red as he recalled screaming like a girl before he growled and turned away from her again. As her laughter died down, Rainbow glanced back at him.

“Spike,” she called.

He ignored her and crossed his arms a little tighter.

“Hey, look I’m sorry… It actually was an accident.”

Spike didn't react. Rainbow lifted up a hoof and moved her mane out of her eyes before sighing again. She let her gaze drift to the trees they were passing over.

It was silent for a while as the wind whipped past them. She was startled when Spike said something.

“—Why'd you buck me off?”

She looked back. “Huh?”

Spike grumbled before looking back at her.

“I said if it was an accident then why'd you buck me off?”

She winced before rubbing the back of her head laughing nervously.

Spike watched in confusion as a range of emotions danced across her face before she whirled her head around and sighed. He could only see the back of her head as her mane whipped in the wind and he was about to ask again when she spoke at last.

“Tail,” Rainbow stated simply as if that was all that was needed to be said.

“Uh, what?”

She sighed again before motioning with her hooves. “Ya know, your tail! I-it was… squirming around when I was laughing and it… um, it brushed against… you know?” her flapping became more animated as she spoke and they started to pick up speed.

“Whoa! Slow down, Rainbow!” he cried out, cutting her off before hugging her again.

Rainbow Dash realized what she was doing and beat her wings forward, slowing them to a hover. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking forward to keep Spike from seeing her burning cheeks.

“Heh, sorry.”

Spike cracked an eye open before sitting up to glare at her again. “What was that about? And what did you mean? You didn't finish—”

She stopped him with a raised hoof, her eyes darted back and forth.

“Look I’ll tell you another time. We’re here.”

Spike grumbled as they drifted down. He hopped off but stopped in his tracks when he took in the surroundings. He threw a quizzical look back at Rainbow Dash.

“Um… why are we at Rambling Rock Ridge?” Taking another look around he noticed markings on the ground: little 'X's very similar to the ones Rarity used when they went gem hunting together. “And who put these here?”

“I did.”

Spike turned again to see Rainbow pull out a sack from its hiding place between some rocks. He walked over, eyeing her as she downed a fizzy potion from the bag.

He jumped back as steam shot from her ears. She shook her head, whining slightly.

“Eurgh. That stuff always tastes like tortoise food.”

“Um, what was that? And why are we here?”

Rainbow took an extra moment to scrub her tongue before striking a pose.

“Well since our daring escapade in Foal Mountain, I thought we’d get a little gem hunting done.” She deflated and kicked some rocks around. “And uh, to apologize for making you do an epic face plant,” she mumbled, smiling meekly.

Spikes jaw fell as he blinked at Rainbow in utter bewilderment.

"R-really?” he squeaked as drool dripped down the corner of his mouth.

Rainbow Dash chuckled at his enthusiasm before slinging a shovel over her shoulder.

“Yep. Hop aboard! All you have to do is make your order and I'll whip 'em right up!” she bragged as she flipped Spike onto her back with her tail.

His mouth watered and he jittered with excitement.

“Ooh-ooh! can we get some sun stones! Or tanzanite! How about some ametrine!?” Rainbow laughed and smiled awkwardly at her partner.

“Uh, sure. As long as you tell me what they look like.”

“Look like?” Spike's face fell and he smacked a claw to his face. “Aw man!”

“What?”

“I just realized neither of us are unicorns and it’s going to take forever to check all of the markings for what I want!” Spike huffed before crossing his arms again.

“Heh. Hey Spike, check it out.”

Spike was surprised when he turned to see Rainbow inches away from him, her rosy eyes had little arcs dancing in the irises.

“Woah-ho-ho! Is that from the potion?”

She lifted her nose up and smiled smugly. “Eyup.”

“Well, what does it do?”

“Eh nothing much,” she buffed a hoof on her chest before looking at one of the 'X’s, “Except that there’s some shiny, purple pearls under that one.”

“What?!” Spike gasped before running over to the 'X' and started digging.

“No way! It’s a star garnet and some opals!” He turned to Rainbow in awe. ”Did the potion do that? You can see gemstones!? That’s so cool!”

“Yup! Now—” Once again she grabbed him and tossed him on her back. ”—let’s go find some buried treasure!” she reared up playfully before taking off at a trot. Spike whooped in enthusiasm, causing Rainbow to giggle.

She almost tripped up when Spike hugged her neck, nuzzling her cheek.

”Thanks, Dash!”

Even though she was burning up to her ears, she couldn't help but nuzzle back.

“Heh, n-no problem!”

Author's Note

Written by Steadfast Hoof.

Prank - Vexy

Spike flew over Sweet Apple Acres, searching for his prey.

The Ponyville clock in the distance chimed eleven o’clock. If luck was with him, he’d catch Rainbow Dash while she was napping on one of Applejack’s apple trees. That was the best opportunity he had for what he had in mind.

“Nopony has ever pranked Dashie before.” the familiar voice of Pinkie Pie reminded him. “Well, nopony except me, of course!”

Spike licked his lips. That was going to change today. Spike had a prank in mind, and he had his eyes set on Rainbow Dash. There was no way she was going to escape this one.

A flash of rainbow in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Swerving around, he spotted a familiar sight on one of the apple trees. Flying closer, the rest of Rainbow Dash came into view. The sight was almost serene: Rainbow Dash was lying on her front, her head buried into her hooves. She looked adorable as she snored softly, although Spike knew she would kill him if he dared say that aloud.

He focused on the task at hand, reaching for the pot of glue he had tied to his waist. With the grace of a ninja, Spike slowly glided over to Rainbow Dash’s branch. Placing one claw on the branch above her, he tested its strength. The branch didn’t even creak under his weight. He was thankful he wasn’t yet hulking over anypony.

Silently, he set to work.

“Rainbow Dash!” a voice called. The pegasus in question moaned in response and desperately clutched at her quickly vanishing dreams.

“C’mon, Dash! You said you’d race me. You promised!”

“Okay, okay!” she sighed, peeling open her eyes. “I’m awake! Just give me a moment.”

“You’ve been lying there moaning for almost five minutes!”

Dash looked down from her branch on her apple tree to see a dragon impatiently tapping his foot on the ground. “Jeez, Spike. You exaggerate more than Rarity.”

“I’ve been watching the clock,” Spike replied, pointing to the clock tower in the distance. It wasn’t even the afternoon yet.

“You guys wake up so early,” she grumbled. “But I’m willing to look past that for a race.” She hopped down from the branch and walked up to Spike with a wide grin. “So what makes you think you stand a chance?”

“You’ve just woken up. I’ve been up since dawn. You’re tired, and I’m not. I favor my chances.”

Dash couldn’t help but snicker as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. “Oh, you wanna bet?”

“I’m down for bets,” Spike replied. “Ten bits?”

“Ten bits and whoever loses has to do a dare,” Dash challenged.

Spike raised his eyebrows, and she could have sworn a flicker of uncertainty flash through his emerald eyes.

“Twenty bits,” he countered. “And whoever loses has do whatever the other wants for the rest of the day.”

“That’s so dumb,” Dash laughed. “You’re on!”

“So from here, east over Sweet Apple Acres, through Ghastly Gorge, then round the edge of Ponyville. Think you can remember all that?”

“Heh. Don’t come crying to me when you lose.”

Spike flashed his sharp teeth at her as he grinned. “You’re so on.”

“Alright. You ready?”

“I was the one waiting for you, remember?” Spike reminded her.

Dash couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Okay. Three. Two. One. GO!”

She wasn’t quite sure what happened next. One moment she was racing with Spike, and the next her whole world was dark, and there was a horrible taste on her tongue.

“Blegh!” she cried, getting up from the ground, spitting mud from between her teeth. “What the hay?” She tested her wings, but found that she couldn’t move them. She turned her neck to get a good view of her wings, but they seemed to just be stuck to her body.

Meanwhile, Spike was crying with laughter.

“What’s the big deal?” she yelled. “My wings won’t move. They’re all stiff or something!”

This only seemed to make the dragon laugh even harder. Dash frowned and glared at him.

“This isn’t funny,” she hissed. “What did you do?”

“I think this means I win?” he snickered.

“What did you do!?” Dash shouted. “You cheated!”

“Hey, I just glued your wings.” Spike shrugged. “Looks like you have to do whatever I say for the whole day.” He rubbed his claws together schemingly.

“You… you pranked me!” Dash gasped, the realization dawning on her. Her haunches buckled beneath her and she fell down onto her flank. “I don’t believe it.”

“Pinkie said you’ve never been pranked by anypony but her. Guess that isn’t the case now,” Spike replied smugly.

“Actually loads of ponies have pranked me before. Pinkie told you that so you would prank me.”

“Wait. So Pinkie tricked me?”

“Yep,” Dash sighed.

Spike frowned, rubbing a claw under his chin.

“Well, since you have to do anything I say, I say our first plan of action should be to get Pinkie back.”

Dash rolled her eyes. Today was going to be an interesting day. The clock chimed midday.

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Wedding - Steadfast Hoof

“Where are you going?”

Rainbow Dash froze at the door. Only one pony could sound so coarse but tender. She clenched her teeth and forced a swallow passed the lump in her throat.

“Rainbow, are you okay? We have to go up soon. The procession is going to start.”

She tried, she tried so hard. she didn’t want anypony to see her this way, but a shuddering breath escaped her and she cursed herself as she heard him shift behind her.

“What's wrong?”

She felt a heavy weight on her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she turned around but kept her head low, hoping that he wouldn’t see her. Rainbow flinched when he gasped quietly.

“hey, hey, why the tears?” he cooed lifting her chin. Rainbow chewed her lip as her puffy rose eyes met his soft golden ones. She sniffed and sighed, looking down as she wordlessly hugged him. She smiled, breathing in the familiar smell of his prismatic mane as he returned the hug.

“D-Dad. I don’t think I can do this.” The words were painful and Rainbow had to fight back a sob as she clung tighter. Her father leaned back, and her eyes fell when she saw his frown. Again he lifted her chin looking at her as he spoke.

“Dashie, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Nobody is forcing you—“ She cut him off with a glare. She took another deep breath and softened her gaze.

“It's not that, Dad. I love him. I love him with all my heart.” Her head fell back down and hot tears started to drip down her face as she tried to keep her voice steady. “And I know he loves me too, but…"

He pulled her in for another hug, stroking her withers. Rainbow melted. She didn’t care what anybody said: her dad was the best dad ever. He may have been cold in public, but he was always there when she needed him. And right now, she needed him bad.

“I don’t think I deserve him.”

She said it matter of factly. Her train of thought crashed when her father scoffed incredulously.

“What? Dashie, come on. What does that rock-muncher have that makes you think that he’s too good for you?”

He led her down the hallway and cracked open the ornate doors giving them a peak of all their friends and family whispering excitingly. At the end of the isle, standing in front of the alter and looking what Applejack would call "more jittery then a jackrabbit jacked on caffeine in a café" was Spike.

The dragon was pulling nervously at his collar and wringing his tail every few moments, but each time he did so a newspaper encased in a blue aura would bat him on the head and Rarity would lean over to fix his suit again. She muttered something in his ear, and he smiled nervously at her.

Rainbow smiled wistfully and relaxed as her dad threw a fetlock around her withers. His smile was soft but proud as he looked down at her.

“Rainbow, you said it yourself. You love him and he loves you, and you know what?”

Rainbow wiped her eyes and leaned against him, looking up curiously. “What?” she asked.

Her dad chuckled before jostling her a little. “I can see it. I saw it when you first introduced him, I saw it when you bought your home together,” he beamed at her and Rainbow felt her heart flutter, “and I saw it when you broke into the house, scaring the buck out your mother and I as you bounced off the walls telling us over and over that he proposed.”

Rainbow giggled quietly as she recalled the memory. “Yeah, I was so excited that I didn’t even give him an answer.”

They both laughed as her father gently brushed her back with a wing. Both of them peeked through the door at her mother sitting on a bench, looking almost as jittery as Spike.

“I'll never forget the look on your mother's face when you didn’t answer her when she asked if you said yes or not.” He smirked down at her. “If you weren’t such a fast flier I swear you would’ve been a goner when she chased you out of the house with that lamp.”

Rainbow only smiled and nuzzled into his chest.

“Baby, what's wrong?”

She pulled away and looked into his eyes, her frown had returned but she was no longer sulking. She gazed pensively at Spike through the crack and whispered meekly, “He’s a prince, Dad. He’s smart, kind, and I swear he can do almost everything. And he cares for everypony,” she looked down again, “and I’m just some dumb weather pony. I guess I just don’t know what he sees in me.”

“Rainbow. What—For real—I mean—"

Rainbow arched and eyebrow as her father groaned and facehoofed. He was rubbing his face as if she had said the stupidest thing in the world and her wings ruffled in indignation as she frowned at him.

“What?” she practically yelled before they both threw their hooves over her mouth. Luckily, a quick glance through the door told them no one had heard, and they both sighed in relief. Rainbow looked up as her father chuckled. Again she moved to yell but caught herself and hissed instead.

“What?”

“Rainbowshine was right you can be a bit dense sometimes. You should count yourself lucky she’s not the one walking you up there, otherwise she’d tell you to buck up after she beat some sense into you with your flowers.” Rainbow wanted to yell at him but settled for trying to melt through his skull with her glare.

He smiled softly at her before biting his lip, his eyes taking a mischievous glint.

“Tell you what, I’ll see if I can talk Velvet into turning you into a dragon if you ask him yourself.”

Her eyes widened “What? For real? You think you can convince Velvet?”

He just spat on his hoof, extending it out towards her. She moved to do the same.

***

“Spike! If you do not behave this instant I swear I will glue your claws together!” Rarity hissed through a clenched smile next to him. Their eyes were on the two ornate doors, and Spike was sweating bullets.

“But what’s taking them so long? Twilight said they’d come out at twelve. It’s already twelve-thirty!” he practically hissed through a smile that was much more forced then Rarity’s.

Just as she was about to retort, the doors opened and the music started up. Everypony stood a little straighter and all hushed as the flower girls hopped down the aisle, followed by Rainbow Dash and her father, Spectrum Bolt. Lastly, carrying Rainbow's dress was Fluttershy. She followed after them with a beaming smile on her face that easily outperformed everypony else's, even Pinkie's. Well, except Rainbowshine's. Rainbow Dash's mother dabbed a few tears along with Princess Celestia, who waved proudly at Spike.

Princess Luna smiled down as the couple settled next to each other. Spike gazed at Rainbow, smiling softly but his face almost fell when she only smiled meekly and looked everywhere but at him. He noticed a deep blush across her face. When the room calmed down, he was surprised as her uncertain smile turned into a determined frown. Luna cleared her throat to start the rather short invocation/declaration of intent/ring exchange/pronouncement, but she stopped when Rainbow pulled her ear down and spoke fervently into it.

Everypony watched in confusion and spoke in hushed whispers to each other. Luna frowned but nodded. She raised her head, powering up her horn, and shot a beam that created a bubble over Rainbow and Spike.

“Pardon the delay, but the bride wishes to have a last minute question with the groom before we begin.”

***

“Dash, what are you doing? Do you know what Twilight and your mother are going to do to us!?” Spike cried, grasping his head.

“Yes. I’m willing to risk it because I need to ask this, Spike. Please hear me out.” She stood straight with grim determination. He blinked before straightening out.

“Um yeah, is something wrong? Is this because Twilight choose to have the pianist instead of that rock band?” Rainbow facehoofed and sighed.

“No, Spike. It’s not because of the band.”

‘Well, is it because you had to wear—“

“NO! It’s nothing like that,” her ears fell as she scraped a hoof across the ground, “nothing like that at all. The wedding’s great. It's perfect.” She sighed before looking at him. “It’s just why me spike? Why choose somepony like me?”

“Dash, what are you talking about? I love you—“

“And I love you too.”

Spike's heart fluttered in his chest and it had nothing to do with the fact that Rainbow Dash was standing in front of him while hiding behind her flowers. They let the words hang before she swallowed, her face red.

“I know you love me," she whispered. "It’s just… why?”

Spike blinked at her a couple of times before biting his lip. Rainbow just stared at him waiting.

“Rainbow truthfully, I… I don’t know why I love you. It’s just a feeling I can’t explain, but it’s one I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life feeling.” He walked over to her and draped a wing across her back pulling her close. He placed his head atop hers. “You make me happy, you understand me, and you put others before yourself.” He looked at her with a smirk. “Do I really need to say this? You’re a great pony, Dash. I love you because you inspire others to do their best because…” He brought a claw up, motioning with it before scowling as he tried in frustration to find the right words. “…because you’re you, damn it! And I love you. That’s why!” he yelled, looking around as if challenging anyone to say differently.

Rainbow simply gazed at him, searching his eyes for any trace of doubt or deception, but he remained steadfast. Her fiery eyes cooled, leaving moist pools that blinked before twinkling as she sighed into his chest.

“Thanks, Spike. I needed that. I really did.” She pulled back wiping her eyes and smiled sweetly up at him.

“And—” She stretched up and pecked his lips before smothering into him. “—I do.”

Author's Note

Written by Steadfast Hoof.

Argument - Dangerbrony

It was a clear day in Ponyville. The breeze blowing through the town made it perfect to be outdoors. Numerous couples had taken advantage and were out on picnics or walks through the park. However, the one couple everypony thought would be out were still inside.

“This is all your fault,” hissed Rainbow Dash.

“Me?! What did I do?” Spike asked while gesturing wildly.

“You’re the reason we got stuck watching the library when we could be out flying. Look at the weather! This is the perfect day to practice tricks, but we’re practically trapped watching everyone else a have a good time. Not cool.”

“And that’s my fault? You were the one who agreed to help Twilight keep an eye on things while she’s out of town.”

“She only asked us because of you. She’d never let me watch this place by myself. She’d be way too freaked out about me messing something up. Which I totally wouldn’t anyway.”

Sighing, Spike decided to just drop the whole thing. Dash was impossible to deal with when she got like this. “Tell you what, why don’t you go outside and practice your stunts for a few hours and then we can have some lunch.”

Dash was conflicted. On one hoof, outside was gorgeous. On the other, this felt suspiciously like abandoning a friend. The war continued on for a few more seconds.

Finally, she asked a question: “What about you? You need more practice flying than I do.”

Spike knew his flying was not the best but he would never admit to that. So instead he decided to poke the bull.

“Please, even if I’ve only had wings for a couple months I’m still just as good as you are,” he said with a smirk. He knew that would get a rise out of her. And he was right.

“Woah, woah, woah. Put your money where your mouth is,” Rainbow said while glaring at the much larger dragon. “Why don’t we have a race and the loser buys the winner lunch?”

“Dash, I was going to buy you lunch anyway. Why don’t we make it more interesting?” This peaked Dash’s curiosity. She flew up to look him in the eye. From the look in his eye he either really though he could win or he was a really good actor. That was all she needed to know.

“What did you have in mind?” growled Dash.

“The loser is the winner’s servant for a day.”

“You’re on,” Dash said. Things couldn’t get any better in Dash’s opinion. Not only were they getting out of the library, but she was going to get a servant for a whole day. There was no way she was gonna lose this. “Where are we racing to, big guy?”

“I was thinking that we could race to Applejack’s and back. Sound good?”

“Deal.”

The two headed to the front door, completely forgetting the reason they couldn’t go outside in the first place. Once outside they lined up and both went into starting positions. As if by unspoken agreement they both took off at the same time.

Dash took the early lead, though Spike was managing to keep up somehow. He knew he couldn’t beat her in a straight race but he had a plan to deal with that. As they approached Applejack’s barn, Spike started to decelerate as quickly as possible while Dash used a flip trying not to lose speed. Now was the only time his plan could work.

Instead of continuing to the barn he instead put himself just below Dash’s flight path. Timing it just right he he reached up and pulled Dash into a tight hug. Needless to say Dash was not happy about the situation. Glaring as best she could from between his arms, she exclaimed, “What’s the big idea?!”

“Oh, nothing much,” Spike replied with mischief in his voice. Before Rainbow had a chance to respond Spike started to gently rub the tip of his tail between her wings. Dash burst out laughing trying to speak between laughs but utterly failing. Spike flew leisurely to the barn and started back to the library. He had let up a bit on Dash but she was still breathing hard.

“That… so isn’t …fair!” she managed to get out between breaths. She tried to break free of his hold but his large stature proved too much. Resigning herself to her fate, she decided to enjoy the ride in her drakefriend’s arms. Flying with him was one of the reasons she wanted to be outside anyways. She wasn’t sure how long passed while they just flew casually through the sky.

Suddenly realization struck her like a brick between the eyes. “Spike?” she questioned hesitantly

“Yeah?”

“We completely left the library unattended.”

Silence filled the air for a few seconds as the implications sank in. Looking up at the sun Spike realized several hours had passed and took off at full speed towards his old home. Hopefully Twilight wouldn’t be back yet and they could act like nothing went wrong.

Bursting through the door they saw that Twilight was indeed waiting for them with a stern expression on her face. “So, care to explain what happened?” she began. The two looked to each other quickly and then burst out at the same time.

“It’s his fault!”

“It’s her fault!”

Dating or not, both feared what Twilight would do to them as punishment, and this brought them right back to where this whole thing started.

Author's Note

Written by Dangerbrony.

Parents - Steadfast Hoof

“So how fast can those babies take you?”

Spike blinked at the question and stared blankly at the stallion before chuckling awkwardly.

“Heh, well I can’t go faster than any normal pegasus, but I’m much more agile and I can make some killer turns.” Spike puffed out his chest and Rainbow Blaze mutely nodded in approval.

A few feet away, setting up the picnic, Rainbow Dash and her mother, Rainbow Shine both rolled their eyes. Her mother snorted, expertly setting up the plates and utensils.

“Looks like your father approves already. I swear,” she rolled her eyes again, taking out the sandwiches and assorted finger foods, she placed them economically on the plates, “he always just goes for the throat. I mean, that was good when he was guarding our borders from the nasty inferno wryms, but he just doesn’t know how to handle things delicately.” She proceeded to take out the bottles of water and nudge them to the perfect spot next to the plates on the cloud benches. She didn’t notice Dash wince.

“Uhh… yeah about that, Mom. Can you please not mention that around Spike, I mean—“

“Too late,” Shine said dismissively, pointing a hoof. Dash snapped her head back to the males.

Spike was gulping audibly while her dad was smashing his hooves together. He grinned at the dragon, every word dripping venom.

“Yep, I remember this one time this big guy thought he had me cornered but he never saw the pass grow too narrow overhead for him to fly away,” his grin became toothy. ”Have I mentioned yet how soft dragon bellies are?”

Spike swallowed, clutching his stomach, and shook his head so fast that it rattled.

Rainbow Blaze smirked and threw his arm around Spike, staring at him, yet daring him to look away. “Eeyup not so tough. You know I heard that dragons—the males that is—leave their mates once they bear young.” His grip tightened. “You’re not that type of dragon, are you?”

Spike squeaked before slowly shaking his head, yet never breaking eye contact.

Blaze backed off. Spike sighed in relief before the stallion threw his arm back over him. They butted heads, their eyes nearly touching.

“Good!” Blaze guffawed, his smile not unlike a maniacs. “That’s great, Spike, because I’d hate to have to come after you. You seem like a good kid.” Blaze backed off, smirking lazily. “Say, have I told you about the martial arts they taught us in guard training specifically to combat dragons? No? would you li—“ Blaze stopped. Spike wasn’t staring at him anymore. He was staring past him; over his shoulder. That’s when Blaze felt a presence looming above him. He swallowed hard.

“Spike.”

Blaze winced at the barley contained fury in the voice. Spike shot past her father and straightened out in front of Rainbow Dash.

“Yes ma’am.”

Rainbow stopped her glaring long enough to give Spike a slow look, “Uhh, Mom needs your help starting up the fire. When did you say your mom was coming?”

Spike relaxed as she glared past him.

“Um, she should be here any minute.”

“Good. Go help Mom. I need to have a little talk with Chatty Cathy here,” She hissed.

Spike scuttled off as fast as his legs could take him. He waved catching the attention of shine who was setting up a perfect pyramid of charcoal; she smiled sweetly motioning him over.

“Could you please help with the fire, Spike?”

He nodded, easily lighting the fuel. His eyes fell on the table and his brow knit in confusion. Shine noticed his gaze and asked him with genuine concern.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

His eyes darted back up to her and he smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry but why’d you need me if you already have a box of matches right here? Not that I mind!” he blurted out that last part quickly. Rainbow Shine smiled, quickly grasping what Spike meant.

“Well Dash thought it was best if I had a chance to see you myself…” her gaze danced over behind him and she frowned, “among other things.”

Spike stealthily glanced back and he nearly did a double take as that menacing ex-guard was busily throwing himself around Rainbow Dash’s hooves, crying about not giving her up. Dash was blushing up to her ears, valiantly trying to push him off while hissing about being in public.

Spike opened his mouth to ask but a familiar voice tickled his ears and a huge grin threatened to tear his face in half.

“Oh, where is my little hatchling?

A pinkish white pegasus trotted into view carrying a basket on her back. Some passerby’s stared as her pink mane danced in an ethereal wind. She ignored the dragon, playfully passing him up. She made a show of looking everywhere but at him, even going so far as looking over and under him.

“I could’ve sworn my cute little son told me to meet him here.” She giggled and pouted.

Spike rolled his eyes, smiling nonetheless.

“Mom, I’m right here,” he opened his arms invitingly

She turned around dramatically. Trying to gape in disbelief and utterly failing at keeping a smile off her muzzle. “Spike? Is that you? Why the last time I saw you, you still waddled.” She trotted over and mushed his face with her hooves, “What happened to my favorite chubby little cheeks? Who is this handsome drake and what have you done with my son?” she whined.

Spike rolled his eyes and scooped her up in a tender bear hug. She laughed as spike snatched the basket deftly placing it on the table before spinning her around. She squeezed him tightly.

“I’m sorry I haven’t seen you in so long.” Her voice nearly wavered, but Spike went in another spin grinning hugely down at her.

“Come on, Mom. Princesses don’t get many days off. It’s fine.”

She gasped, patronizing Spike as she covered his mouth and glanced around. “Spike you know you’re not supposed to talk about that when I’m in disguise, and don’t forget to refer me as Sunny Skies,” she added with a wink.

Spike rolled his eyes and placed her on the spongy cloud. She trotted over to Rainbow Shine who had started to place vegetables on the grill. 'Sunny Skies' smiled eagerly and opened her mouth to greet the mare but her face fell as Shine bowed low.

“Your majesty.”

Celestia glared at Spike who at least had the sense to look sheepish and quickly ushered up her subject.

“Please there is no need to bow when I’m like this. Please just treat me as you would anypony else,” she said quickly.

Shine looked up and saw the pleading look in Celestia’s eyes and smiled understandingly.

“Oh, of course. How rude of me. I’m sorry, it’s just a habit.” She quickly placed some more vegetables on the grill. “Say, do you think you could help me by splitting some of the vegetables?”

Sunny Skies brightened, smiling widely, “Of course!” She looked at Spike and motioned over to the basket she had brought. “I know you like star garnets and I also brought along some other gems. ButYouHaveToWaitToEatWithEveryoneElse!” she scolded as Spike moved in to stuff a handful into his maw.

Rainbow Dash and a thoroughly whipped Blaze trotted over. Rainbow went and bowed to Sunny Skies who huffed as Blaze gave Spike the stink eye. Rainbow Shine watched all this with a smile on her face. She smirked lightly as a certain stallion droned out an apology to a skittish dragon.

“Alright now that that’s done and over with, how about you—” Blaze grinned, trotting over and jabbing Spike in the chest. “—and me, one lap around Cloudsdale.”

Rainbow Shine winced, mentally facehoofing. She opened her eyes, and sure enough, Dash was jumping at the opportunity to get away from the cooking and conversations and whatever she deemed “girly”. Shine raised an eyebrow as Sunny Skies eyed the group almost hungrily. She looked around fearfully, biting her lip as she ducked her head under the table. Shine yelped, grabbing plates and food as Sunny Skies transformed into Princess Celestia, who was much larger, causing the table to lurch up.

The princess stumbled, trying to get the table off her head. Staying low she poked her head out the side. Making eye contact with Shine, she laughed awkwardly before levitating everything and setting it all back down properly. Shine eyed her curiously as her princess split all the vegetables quickly with magic and placed them on the grill, even going so far as to flip some that Shine had neglected.

“I’m so sorry! It’s just that, um…” She bit her lip.

Celestia flashed, changing back before looking at the group who were preparing to take off. Rainbow Shine glanced at both before understanding. She rolled her eyes and nudged Sunny Skies towards the group. She smiled apologetically but Shine just smiled and waved her off.

“Oh thank you! Thank you!” Sunny Skis nearly skipped over, transforming back into an alicorn.

Shines smile fell as her princess said something she couldn’t quite make out. Dash’s expression said it all as she scowled at a smirking Celestia. Spike slapped a claw over his eyes as they devolved into a shouting match, their wings twitching eagerly.

His race forgotten, Blaze moved to calm them down, but he cowered behind Spike when he was told to stay out of it. Dash glared at Spike.

“Count. Down. Now.”

He chuckled as he readied himself next to them. Blaze placed himself safely away from them next to Spike as he counted down from three. Simultaneously they all rocketed off dissipating the cloud beneath them. Shine shook her head chuckling. She smiled again enjoying the breeze as she flipped the food.

Author's Note

Written by Steadfast Hoof.

Celery - Vexy

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to see the back of Spike's head, the spines poking her nose. The sun wasn't up yet, but she knew she had to be up. As silent as a changeling, she got out of her bed and walked down the stairs, her movements mechanical. She'd underslept because Spike had stayed over again, but she was always up at this hour anyway. She knew she would make up for the lost sleep later in the day with some naps.

She walked into the kitchen, as she always did, and walked past the celery on the table, just like she always did. Grabbing a bowl and some cereal, she began to serve herself a hasty breakfast, ready to begin her day.

As she was eating, however, her mind idly drifted over to trivial matters. Like why her weather team were so slow, why her cereal tasted so bland, and why there was celery on the table.

She grunted away the thoughts as she finished her breakfast and grabbed her things to begin her today.

When Rainbow Dash got back, she'd managed to nap several more hours. She arrived home in the early afternoon refreshed and ready to take on the day. She hoped Spike would come visit again. He always did. She enjoyed spending her time with him. The two had found they had a lot more in common than they thought after they went to that Daring Do convention together. Rainbow smiled goofily as she recalled the memory.

With her mind more alert, she could answer her own questions: the weather team was slow because Rainbow Dash was awesome, and could outfly them any day; her cereal was bland because she had been tired, and everything tasted bland when she was tired; and the celery…

Rainbow Dash looked over at the table. The celery was still there. Why was the celery there? It was there every day, and she'd barely given it a second thought.

"Spike?" she called out into the house, but there was no answer.

He's probably gone back to the library.

"Huh." She eyed the celery once again. What was it doing here? What could it mean? Spike must have left it for her, but why?

Come to think, it's a fresh celery every day. Maybe it means something?

Rainbow Dash toyed with the idea.

Maybe Spike was trying to say something? Like 'thank you' or 'you're awesome'. She nodded eagerly. Probably that second one.

Rainbow picked up the celery and eyed it warily. It couldn't have been more than a day since it was cut; it was still fresh. Rainbow looked it up and down. "Maybe this is something cryptic, like what Daring Do would do?"

Spike was into his Daring Do, after all.

Maybe this is symbolic, and Spike left it to show our friendship? Heat rushed to Rainbow's cheeks. Or maybe something more?

"Gah! Why did he have to be so ambiguous!" Rainbow threw the celery back on the table in frustration. It could have meant something special, but how was she going to be able to tell for sure?

She glared at the celery for another minute. It showed no signs of giving up its secrets, however. Rainbow shook her head and tried to push the stubborn vegetable from her mind. For some reason, though, it wouldn't leave.

She spent the next forty-five minutes prodding it, musing over why it existed. Why was it there on her table?

She was so caught up with her thoughts, she didn't hear the knocking at her door, and the subsequent yelling when she ignored it.

"Equestria to Rainbow!" Spike yelled, waving his claw frantically in front of her face.

"Huh? Spike?" She looked about, realizing she'd been there for longer than she'd thought. "When did you get here?"

"I've been battering your door for the last five minutes," he grumbled, although he wore a look of sincere concern. "What happened to you? You were all spaced out for a minute there."

"Yeah, I was just looking at this celery." She motioned to the celery on the table.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "The… celery?" he questioned.

Rainbow chuckled, heat rushing to her face. "Er, yeah. It's been here every day. I thought you'd left it as like symbolic thing for our friendship," before adding, "or something…"

Spike squinted disbelivingly at her. "What?" he gawped. "Rainbow. That's your lunch. I leave it for you every night, but it looks like you've just been leaving it."

Rainbow frowned. "So it's nothing special, then?"

Spike shook his head. "No."

"Oh."

Rainbow frowned, eyeing the celery again. It now seemed a lot more boring. It was just some celery. She'd just spent the last few hours staring at some celery.

"So… can I eat it?" she asked, her stomach grumbling.

Spike shrugged. "Sure."

And she ate the celery.

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Jealousy - Curify

Have you ever had a moment in life where you just sat there, motionless?

I am having that moment in real time.

She’s just sitting there with that unicorn she practically drools over whenever she speaks of him.

His grace, his dress, his personality! Ohh… she says as she daydreams about him while I help her with her fashion designs.

I’m tired of it.

I get angry when he’s hanging around her with his hoof around her neck, holding her close in his forelegs. That curly black mustache that lies upon his pompous face; what a joke.

I storm out of the club I was in, unable to bear the sight of her practically hanging around that rich good-for-nothing slob.

I just... need a new, fresh start. I need somepony to go for...

But where do I start?

“LOOK OUT!”

Oh bu—

I fall to the ground, tasting that oh-so-great soil that I and many other ponies walk on daily. I slide on that dirt, my green and purple scales scraping along the rough earth. As I come to a halt, I groan and flip over, staring at the now deformed sky. I don’t remember the clouds contorting into shapes of Twilight’s treehouse. Maybe it’s a sign.

“Are you okay?” a scratchy feminine voice announces to my le—or is that my right?

I don’t know even more.

I attempt to sit up, my chest muscles aching from the hit I absorbed. I can’t even understand how I’m alive right now, I feel like I relived the experience of that horrifying king of the hill game with those dragons…

Never again will I get thrown off a huge gem pile of any sort.

“I…” the scratchy voice says again, my ears finally indicating that she is currently…

...to my right.

“I’m sorry,” she says in a melancholy tone, causing me to snap my attention to her. “I didn’t mean to smash into you, Spike.”

I sigh. Rainbow Dash used to have a hard time apologizing to me…

That is, until she realized that hitting a dragon several times in more places than one wasn’t the best idea.

“I understand, Rainbow Dash,” I address her, causing her to perk up. “You have a tendency to hit me as of late…”

Her eyes widen, her lower jaw slowly meets the ground, and a small tear escapes her.

This is something I have never seen Dash do.

“I’m sorry, Spike! I-I just had a bad night…”

Now this is something new.

“What’s wrong?”

She sighs and wipes her face of her lone tear with her right fore hoof. “Big Macintosh said he’s seeing somepony else…”

This causes me to raise an eyebrow. “I thought he was dating you?”

Her reaction to my question is odd, she shifts her attention to the ground as her facial expression softens. “H-he said we weren’t dating…”

I stare blankly at her, my eyes probably wider than any plate Twilight used to put her hayfries on. This must be a joke. Big Macintosh wasn’t like that. He would never leave Rainbow out to dry like this, right?

“That doesn’t sound like Big Mac…”

“It is!” she shouts, her head suddenly appears in my vision. “You don’t know what he’s like!”

Tears streaming down her cyan cheeks, her magenta eyes shimmering and gazing into mine, and those large wings practically rigid as they flare out for all to see; all of these are the signs of a dreadful breakup.

“I know I don’t,” my brain forces me to say. “But it sounds like you need a friend to comfort you…”

Her angered yet hurt expression suddenly changes. “I…”

“Rainbow Dash, c’mere,” I say, casting my arms out wide.

She sighs and comes forward, putting her neck around mine and nuzzling into me. “T-thank y-you…” she murmurs as she sits on her rump. “You’re so nice to me even when I’m hurting you…”

“That’s because,” I begin, a few tears threatening to escape me as I hold her close. “I’m hurting too…”

“Why?” she says behind my neck, still nuzzling me in my shoulder.

“Rarity was with another stallion,” I say flatly.

“Oh,” she responds with a subtle surprised tone of voice. Oh? That’s all she can respond with?

“She’s still your only, isn’t she?”

What?

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t look elsewhere?” she questions while pulling away from me, gazing into my eyes. “You don’t seek somepony else?”

Somepony else?

“What are you getting at?”

“You’re dense,” she states with a huff, the hurt expression on her face returning with a vengeance.

“Now hold u—”

“No!” she shouts at me. “You’re just like him!”

“No I’m not Rainbow!” I shout angrily, causing her to fall back on her rump. “I’m not like him, a pony who disregards you and tosses you on the streets. Nor am I like Rarity, a pony who ignores my affections and goes after other stallions,” I state rapidly, trying to get my point across.

“Bu—”

“Just let me finish, please,” I beg her, causing her to close her mouth. She sits comfortably on the ground and stares at me, allowing me to continue my rant. “I don’t know why you weren’t seen by him, you’re a beautiful mare with so much talent. You can travel quicker than anypony I’ve ever seen, you can knock clouds of the sky in ten seconds flat, you risk your life in order to save your friends…” I bring her close to me again. nuzzling into her fur on her chest. “And that just makes you the best pony anypony could ever have.”

I bet you I could paint the picture of Rainbow’s face at the moment: her eyes are wide open, tears slowly trickling down her face and her mouth is dropped open, allowing any fly to enter in with no hassle. I sigh and look up, seeing if my prediction is right.

It was close, except she’s looking down at me, her mouth closed as her lips twitched and quaked at the sight of me.

Then, within a split second, the rest of the world fades away, leaving me to the sensation upon my lips.

I return it back, only for the world to come back as quickly as it faded. I didn’t even know what happened, it was like I was staring at her the whole time while her muzzle my…

Oh, I’m an idiot.

“Spike?”

I let out a drawn out hum in response.

“Wanna hang out sometime?”

As I return to reality, I see her—the real her.

Whoa...

I nod rapidly, a smile adorning my face for the first time in ages.

This was a great night.

Author's Note

Written by Curify.

Reflections - TheMessenger

The two dragons sat facing one another, their identical emerald eyes never blinking. For awhile, the two simply sat in silence, staring at the other, waiting for the other to speak. One dragon finally shifted uneasily under the gaze of the other, whom grinned triumphantly.

"Tell me," he said softly. "What do you see?"

"I see a dragon," the dragon answered. "He has purple scales and green eyes."

"What else?"

"He has green spikes sticking out of his head. They run down his back and his tail."

"What else?"

"Well… he has a long tail and a decent sized snout." The dragon thought for a moment. "He's pretty short, for a dragon, anyway."

"What else?"

The dragon grinned. "He's a handsome devil, if I say so myself."

The other dragon chuckled. "Indeed. But what else?"

The dragon began to frown now. "What more is there to say?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.

The other dragon mimicked him. "Tell me about his claws." He lifted an appendage, closing it into a fist then opening it. "What can you tell me about his claws?"

"Well, they're purple, have some pretty pointy ends, really useful for holding stuff…"

"And for grabbing stuff, I'd imagine."

The dragon's eyes narrowed. "Those claws are nimble, really skilled," he continued. "They can hold a quill, write wonderful stories, record important days. They can be used to catch balls or pick apples or turn the pages of a good book. They can hold ice cream cones, peel oranges, crack walnuts…"

"Can they crack a pony's skull?"

The dragon became silent.

"Tell me about his teeth," the other dragon commanded. He smiled wickedly, displaying rows of fangs. "What are his teeth like?"

"They're white, like pearls. He has a wonderful smile," the dragon answered. "He brushes them daily. Well, he tries to anyways. They're perfect for chewing through all kinds of foods, from sapphires and diamonds to apple pies and ice cream sundaes and muffins."

"Are they any good at tearing through flesh and marrow?" The other dragon's grin grew wider. "Tell me about his fire, what is the fire that he breathes like?"

"The flames he breathes are green, with golden sparks," the dragon explained. "They're used for transporting letters to and from Princess Celestia. They're used for lighting campfires and cooking fires and for roasting marshmallows. They can melt giant icebergs falling from the sky." The dragon smiled. "They make me useful."

"They've also been used to burn precious books. I wonder what else can they burn. A house, perhaps? What about a farm? A town? A pony?" The other dragon sighed. "Look around him now. Who do you see around him? Is there anyone around him?"

"…No," the dragon muttered, lowering his head. "He is alone."

The other dragon shook his head. "Very well. Now, close your eyes. What do you see?"

"Nothing, I see nothing."

"Open your eyes. Is he still alone?"

"No," the dragon said. "I see a mare approaching his side."

The other dragon smiled. "Tell me about her."

"She's blue, bright blue, with these bright red fiery eyes."

"What else?

"Her mane is so colorful, like a rainbow. It's ruffled and messy and short, as if she's never owned a brush before. Her tail is similar, but long."

"What else?

"She has these two unbelievably majestic wings, with incredibly soft feathers. She's an amazing flier, the best out there."

"Does he deserve her?" the other dragon asked, tilting his head to the side.

"No, I don't think he does," the dragon admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"But she still stands by his side." The other dragon chuckled. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. Close your eyes."

The dragon closed his eyes.

"Geez, Spike, how long are you planning to stand in front the mirror?" Rainbow Dash asked, nudging him in the side.

Spike laughed. He poked her back playfully and stared once more at the purple dragon and the blue pegasus in the mirror.

"Looking good Spike," he said, "looking real good."

Author's Note

Written by TheMessenger.

Spoons - Curify

Rainbow Dash always observed me as I stood by the stove, cooking her favorite meal.

She’d always lean back in that cloud chair she made herself, smirking at me as she commented on how good my cooking was.

“Spike, you’re amazing at cooking!”

I sigh as I stare down at the pot I used to cook her food in. Inside is the famous dish of her desires, the smell just as delightful as it always had been. I take a look at my right claw, the lucky spoon I usually use in my grasp, stirring the mixture slowly to create the right tone I want for this creation.

“You always move your wrist in an odd way. It’s… interesting.”

It’s true. Whenever I move my arm to stir the contents in the pot, I flick my wrist because of a long term injury I sustained after an entire bookcase landed directly on the joint, making me unable to move it like I used to.

Flicking my wrist to move the spoon around the pot, I remember her comments before tasting the dish.

“You know, Spike,” Rainbow Dash would begin as she took her cyan colored spoon in her right fore hoof, guiding it to her mouth and gently blowing on it an attempt to cool the food off. “I always feel my heart flutter when I receive a bowl of this soup…”

I’d always ask her why she said that.

“Because it’s made by you!” she would shout, her brow slanted and her magenta pair of eyes gazing up at me. It would always shock me when she said this. A dragon like me apparently able to woo a mare like her with simple cooking.

While holding her bowl in her fore hooves, she would follow up that simple statement with a long winded rant. “You can’t tell me that you don’t feel awesome when you receive something from your special somepony?” At this moment, she would either lean back and bring the spoon to her mouth, or she would hop off her perch and approach me, glaring at me with an angered yet hurt expression. Regardless of the movement, she would continue her rant like so, “I love it when you give me the bowl of soup with my own spoon you gave me when you first presented me with this meal.” She’d always glance down at the bowl of soup, the spoon laying slanted in the bowl. The secret rainbow mixture with a bit of hay and lettuce: the ingredients needed to create this masterpiece.

“You said to me that you would never make this for anypony else. It’d be only for me.” She’d look back up at me with moisture in her eyes. “And that’s something I will cherish forever and ever!”

Now, I’m standing here, stirring up the mixture once again, using that same old pot with the same old wooden spoon, flicking my wrist the same way; the spoon sliding along the edge of the pot.

I can’t stop myself from making this recipe. Dash wouldn’t want me to stop. She’d just sit there and ask for more, which I would kindly oblige, pouring her an extra bowl or two. She wouldn’t scarf it down like she does with her hayfries. No, she would sit there and eat it properly, using a spoon and gently bringing it to her cyan muzzle. If Rarity saw her do this, she’d have a fit. She only shows me the proper mannerisms because my cooking means so much to her.

Poor Rarity.

As I chuckle at the thought, I turn off the stove and let the pot cool for a bit. While I let it sit, I bring my gaze to my left, the picture of her sitting there, her cyan spoon in her mouth, her countenance in complete bliss. Her spoon lays right beside it, having been cleaned recently due to having a bit of dust on it. If there was dust on her spoon, she’d have my neck.

"Spike!" she would holler. "Get your hindquarters in this kitchen and get the dust off my spoon!"

That mare drove me up the wall whenever she said that. But I knew she was meaning well, if she lost that spoon, she’d be heartbroken.

Shaking myself out of memory lane, I pull myself away from the spoon and pull out a wooden bowl from the cabinets below. This was the same exact bowl Rainbow Dash would use when feasting upon my creations. Whenever I tried to give her a different one, she’d sigh and shake her head. I’d ask her why and she’d just say, “Because this is the bowl you gave me the first time.”

Picky, yet symbolic that mare was…

I sigh and pull out a ladle, the spoon of all serving spoons. I place it gently in the pot, not wanting to have it collide with the bottom. Then I pull it out and place the contents I collected into the bowl, the liquid slowly leaving its steel confines with a sloppy landing.

I take the bowl and leave it on that cloud chair in front of me. It’s not like she hasn’t been late for the past few years…

“I’m sorry, Spike,” a voice suddenly says in my head. “But we heard about Rainbow Dash’s accid—”

Then, my eyes widen.

I did it again.

I look at the bowl.

How could I be so mindless?

I look at my claws.

Is there something wrong with me?

I look at the door.

I need to take a breather, that’s all.

I sigh and open the door, peering back into ou—my home before locking it and leaving the premises.

There, around that cloudy chair of her’s, lies a complete circle of wooden bowls, waiting for the pony who loves them most to consume their contents.

Unfortunately, that pony would never come.

Author's Note

Written by Curify.

Seclusion - FamousLastWords

Spike gagged and coughed as he tried to force the vile liquid down his throat.

"Twilight, please! I swear I'm not that sick," Spike said to Twilight, so quickly used his open mouth as an opportunity to poor the cough syrup down his throat.

"Shh, Spike. I'm not hearing any of it! There's a nasty virus going around, and I refuse to allow you to catch it," she replied with a no nonsense look.

"Twi, I saved the Crystal Empire from a resurrected incarnation of personified evil... I'm pretty sure I can handle a cold."

"Ha! That's what they all say, and then next thing you know you're dying in a hospital with a bunch of other sick ponies who saw fit to laugh in the face of danger!"

"But Twi, I hate being secluded like this."

"No buts. You are staying in your room until I say so, and that's final."

Without a second glance, Twilight made her way out of Spike's bedroom and down the hall.

Letting out a sigh, Spike's face quickly turned to a smile as he hopped out of bed and ran to the window. Opening it he whispered out, "C'mon, she's gone. It's safe now."

A blue blur of feathers and fur dashed into the room and landed on the bed, where Spike jumped soon after.

"Bout time," Rainbow Dash said. "I thought she'd never leave. And, as promised, bam!" She produced from behind her back a large cheese pizza, ready to be consumed. "Hot and fresh. Let's dig in to this thing!"

The two friends cautiously enjoyed their food, especialyl Spike, seeing as how Twilight never allows him to eat junk food when he's ill.

"Thanks so much, Rainbow, it was getting lonely here. And I was getting hungry. You solved two problems in one go!"

"No problem, Spike. I couldn't let you do without your daily fix of Rainbow Dash anyway, even if Twilight has all kinds of crazy security measures."

Dash leaned forward and nuzzled Spike's cheek, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Yeah, I guess you never realize how important someone is to you until you have to do without them for awhile... Same with pizza," he said, taking another bite and cuddling up to his marefriend.

"True that, Spike. Well, once we figure out our living arrangements we'll hopefully not have to be lonely anymore."

"Oh yeah, that'll be awesome," Spike said, grinning ear to ear.

"Hey, Spike! Who are you talking to? Did Rainbow sneak in again?!" Twilight yelled, approaching the door.

"Crap, gotta go! See you later, Spike. Love ya!"

"Love you, too!"

Author's Note

Written by FamousLastWords.

Explosive Diarrhea - Minimin22

Spike was in the kitchen when he heard a loud banging noise on the front door. "It's open!" he hollered.

The door opened and the creature, presumably a pony, took a few brash steps in. "Hey? Hello?" came the voice. A female, slightly raspy voice that Spike immediately identified belonged to his good friend Rainbow Dash.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Spike said loudly enough for her to hear.

A few steps later said rainbow-maned pony stuck her face around the corner of the doorway. "Hey, what'cha making?"

Spike glanced slightly at Rainbow before returning to stirring his brew. "Just some cocoa."

Rainbow looked a long while at the dragon, trying to communicate through facial expressions and body language that she really, really, wanted some too. Spike ignored this. Finally Rainbow gave in to her cravings and simply asked, "Can I have some?"

Spike turned to her fully and gave her a toothy grin. "Sure! I make the best cocoa in the household you know."

"When is it done?"

Spike hummed. Rainbow could be very to the point at times, something that was ideal in some situations, others not. This just came across as rude, waltzing into his home, asking for something and not even give a simple 'thanks'? "It'll be done in a few, you can go wait in the main library room meanwhile."

"Kay."

Really, what was her deal?

A moment later Spike strolled out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of two cups of cocoa, one green and one purple. The purple one belonged to Twilight, but she wouldn't mind. At least that's what he thought.

"Nice! Cocoa time!" Rainbow beamed, taking the purple cup from the tray and swallowing the contents down with greedy gulps.

Spike took a sip of his own cocoa, carefully monitoring the pegasus' behavior. They sat like this for a while until Spike decided to break the silence.

"So, what are your plans today?" he asked.

"Oh, not much. I have some weather-cleaning duty later this afternoon, but after that it's lights out for this girl." Rainbow smiled, leaning back towards the couch she was sitting on.

Spike felt a grin tug at his face, and said, in the most neutral voice he was capable of at the moment, "You might have to postpone all that to tomorrow."

Rainbow's smile fell.

Spike snorted, "In fact, I strongly suggest that you seek out a bathroom right now."

As soon as Spike had finished his sentence, Dash felt her stomach give a protesting rumble. It felt like her belly was caving in. She glared at the dragon.

"What did you do?!"

Spike pulled forth a small bag of laxative and placed it on the living room table. Rainbow looked at it in disbelief, "You didn't...!"

Spike grinned widely as Dash dashed towards the bathroom upstairs, almost ripping the door open and slamming it shut after her.

"That one doesn't work by the way! It doesn't flush!" Spike shouted, barely containing his mirth.

The bathroom door broke open and Rainbow Dash zipped past the giggling dragon, and wheezed in a really strained voice,

"You're a bucking idiot!!"

before heading out the front door, no doubt to go about her 'business'. Spike burst out laughing at his genius.

However, as his tittering phased out, he got a bit guilt-tripped. He knew he was going to have to apologise. But not this day. This day was a day of triumph.

Besides, if he knew anything about this mare, it was that she was totally going to pay him back tenfold.

Author's Note

Written by Mininim22.

Preening - Pontiac56

“Um, what are you doing?”

His voice made Rainbow freeze. Slowly she turned her head to find Spike staring awkwardly at her. He had caught her trying to reach at her extended left wing while kicking at it with her hind leg like a dog scratching itself.

“I, uh…" She sighed. "Look, I’m trying to preen myself, okay?” she muttered, dropping her back leg, but keeping the wing extended. This response seemed to confuse the dragon even more.

“Well, um, I’m far from an expert on pegasus wings, but I’m preeeeetty sure you’re doing it wrong.” He braced himself just in case he had said the wrong thing. Even if they were dating now, Spike was still learning about some of her likes and dislikes. Saying she was doing something wrong, and about her wings no less was certainly not a wise decision.

It proved unnecessary though when Rainbow just sighed and sat down, “You’re definitely right, this is far from the correct way to preen wings. It’s just… well you know how I just got my caste removed yesterday?” the drake nodded, very thankful for its removal. She hadn’t stopped complaining about her lack of flight the entire time it was on.

“Well, the trouble is, having your wing bound for so long makes it very stiff and prevents full movement of it for a day or two after. I can still fly on it, which I am so happy about, but I can’t move it about fully yet. This makes preening really hard because I need to bring the wing to my mouth to pluck the old feathers out, but the wing is just too stiff to reach and I’m just not built to turn my head far enough back without moving the wing.”

Spike could tell this issue was frustrating her quite a bit, and with good reason. When pegasus wings weren’t preened correctly, the build-up of old feathers could cause flight issues or prevent a pegasus from even managing to get airborn. For Rainbow, who had been ground bound for over a week now; this was probably close to torture.

An idea came to him, but he wasn’t sure how receptive Rainbow would be to the idea.

“Um, if you like… maybe I could… preen your wing for you.” He mumbled nervously. Rainbow’s head shot up and a blush came across her face.

“I-I-I don’t know Spike… preening is… kinda personal. Pegasus wings can be kinda… sensitive.” Her blush grew a little at this. She hadn’t let anypony touch her wings like that since she was a foal, and only to her parents so they could help her clean them.

Spike could sense her hesitance, and normally he would see this as a sign to back off or try to bribe her. After seeing how annoyed she had been about her lack of flight though, he decided to get assertive.

“Look, I know preening is kinda private, and I can see why you would be uncomfortable with me touching your wings like that. It’s just… I saw how upset you’ve been about being unable to fly on your own. I mean I can tell you liked it when I flew you around a bit, even if you won’t admit it.” Rainbow huffed and turned her head away, but the persistent blush in her cheeks showed he may have been correct. “But I know it isn’t the same as flying under your own power. Having an issue like this after just getting your wing back must be really hard to deal with, and I want to help. What kind of drakefriend would I be if I didn’t try to help my mare get back up in the air where she can be at her happiest?” he finished with a warm smile on his face.

Rainbow still looked a little uncomfortable, and despite being within her own house, she took a look around to make sure nopony could see them. When she was satisfied that they were alone, she gave a soft sigh before nodding to him, “O-okay, Spike… you can help me… preen my wings. But it’s only because I still can’t do it on my own!” she finished with a huff, then turned her bright red face away and beckoned him forward.

“Preening is pretty simple. You just need to gently feel along my wing for any loose feathers. If you find some, just yank them out nice and quick.” She explained as her drakefriend lowered his claws to the wing.

She tensed as the claws slipped along the skin hidden beneath the feathers. The claws seemed to almost massage the limb as they moved gently back and fourth locating the pesky fallen feathers.

Slowly the pegasus relaxed, and a small smile came to her face as she felt his gentle touch moving along her wing. She didn’t even notice the slight blush once again uncooly returning to her muzzle.

Spike didn’t want to say it out loud in case he offended her, but he was actually quite enjoying the soft touch of her feathers. They seemed to caress his claws, almost pleading for him to keep up his efforts.

The scene between the two felt relaxed, calm, almost blissful.

“Awww, you two look so adorable together!”

So when Twilight stuck her head in the window with a cheeky grin on her face, it was not very appreciated.

Streaks of crimson shot across the faces both dragon and pegasus alike and they hastily separated from each other. Both of them turned to glare at Twilight who just lay across the cloudy windowsill laughing.

“Oh Celestia, that was funny! I’m sorry, I’m sorry but… Oh my stars! The looks on your faces was just priceless and—” Her laughter was cut short as a hoof and claw grabbed a hold of her and dragged before their growling faces. She gave a slight gulp.

“Well that was fun. What do you want to do now?” Spike asked as he dusted his hands off from a job well done. When he received no immediate response, he turned to see Rainbow crossing her front hooves and keeping her blushing face focused on the ground.

“Well um… we never… um… well we never finished preening and I still haven’t done my right wing yet.” The timid little smile she gave, was far more akeen to something Fluttershy would do then to the brash daredevil, but it made Spike’s heart give a jump.

His warm smile returning, he placed a gentle claw on her neck and gave her a nod. Her face was still flushed, but the pegasus beamed and together they retreated back to her cloud house to spend some quality time together.

Leaving a gagged and struggling Twilight sparkle tied up and suspended upside down from a branch in front of the library wishing she hadn’t interrupted them.

Author's Note

Written by Pontiac56.

Swimming Lessons - TheMessenger

The cool ocean air went unappreciated as the stars above in the sky. The stores along the shoreline were empty and dark, their owners and patrons asleep or having fun downtown. Even most of the lanterns that hung on tall poles that ran along the beach had gone out, their oil depleted. Only the pier remained alight, with several strings of festive bulbs tied along the railings.

A little purple dragon sat at the edge, kicking his feet over the water. On his head was a white sailor cap and around his neck was a blue ribbon tied into a little bow. Green spikes grew out of his back and tail. In one claw he held a bundle of daisies, and in the other was a large colorful lollipop. Besides him was a broken fishing pole, the shaft bent to the point of snapping.

"She loves me not."

The dragon tossed a flower into the ocean.

"She loves me not."

Another daisy fell and drifted away.

"She loves me not."

The rest of the daisy joined the first ones. The little dragon rubbed his eyes and sighed. He tried loosening the ribbon around his neck, but it was too well tied.

"She loves me not."

The little dragon stood up and threw his candy as far as he could out to sea. His eyes widened as it returned, striking him in the nose.

"Littering's a crime, you jerk!" came a growl. The little dragon, rubbing his sore nose, looked all around him for the source.

"Down here," the voice said. "In the water."

The little dragon stared into the murky ocean. A sky blue equine head stuck out of the water, illuminated by the light of the pier. A mess of a mane was on the pony's head, colored like a rainbow. Her fiery red eyes that had been glaring at the dragon soften a bit.

"Geez, I didn't think I hit you that hard. You okay?"

The little dragon nodded.

"Oh, good," the mare said. "But seriously, I get enough trash during the day, at least let me sleep in peace."

"Sorry," the dragon mumbled, fidgeting with his claws.

"Well, as long as you've learn your lesson," the blue mare said smugly. "Hey, if you're just gonna throw that lollipop away, can I have it?"

The dragon regarded the dirty candy in his claws. "Sure," he said, tossing it toward the mare.

"Thanks," she said, taking a huge bite out of the hard sugary treat. "So, what are you doing so late at night? Fishing?" the rainbow maned mare asked, nodding to the fishing pole.

The little dragon shook his head. "I was," he replied, "but she got away." He sighed. "Or maybe I just let her go."

"Oh, that's a bummer," the mare said, frowning. "Better luck next time, I guess. There's plenty of other fish in the sea."

"But my fishing pole's broken," the dragon said sadly, lifting the bent tool.

"So?" the mare scoffed. "There're a bunch of other ways, you know, better ways. I mean, it's kinda silly to just stand there on that dock when all the ocean's out there." She pointed out toward the horizon and splashed the water around her.

"But I don't have any money for a boat."

"Then swim, geez." The mare rolled her eyes.

"I can't swim," the dragon admitted, shuffling his feet. "I don't know how."

"Then I'll teach you," the blue mare with the colorful hair said. "Come on," she said, gesturing toward her. "Let me show you my world."

The little dragon looked around. Slowly, he got to his feet. "What if I drown?" he asked nervously.

"I won't let you drown," the mare said fiercely. "I promise."

The little dragon took a deep breath. He leapt.

The two swam past dawn.

Author's Note

Written by TheMessenger.

Thanksgiving - FamousLastWords

Spike was a total wreck, pacing back and forth across the same waiting room carpet for nearly thirty minutes non-stop.

"Why is it taking so long? What's going on in there? Is she okay? Why won't anyone answer me?!"

"Spike, calm down!" Twilight said, gently nudging Spike toward a seat in the room next to Fluttershy. "Everything is going to be okay. Having a foal takes time. You just need to be patient."

"But I have been patient... I've been patient for months now." Spike looked around at the five friends who were with him for support. Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie. "Look, I don't mean to get on your nerves or anything, I'm just really… nervous. I'm really thankful you all decided to come. Especially with the inconvenient timing of all this."

It almost seemed like a fairy-tale, Rainbow going into labor on Thanksgiving day, the day that revolves around being thankful for those you love and appreciate.

"Of course, Spike. We'll always be here for you two." Fluttershy smiled warmly at Spike.

"Well, Spike, you know what they say," Applejack said, turning toward Spike. "Mother nature doesn't follow nopony's schedule 'cept for her own. That little foal decided to come today, so we're not gonna miss it."

"Yeah!" Pinkie shouted. "There was no way I was gonna miss your baby's first birthday party!"

"Darling, you know I would never turn my back on you two when you needed me," Rarity chimed in.

Spike let out a deep sigh and glanced around at all of his friends. "Thanks guys. It really means a lot. I just wish there was a way to help pass the time... I feel like I'm gonna explode from all this tension."

"Hmm, I have an idea," Twilight said. "It is Thanksgiving after all, so why not take turns saying what we're thankful for."

"Okay," Spike said. "That sounds like a good idea."

"Great!" Twilight said with a smile. "I'll go first."

She placed her chin on her hoof in thought for a brief moment before speaking again. "I'm thankful for all of adventures I've gotten to go on with you guys, whether grand or small. All the time I get to spend with all of you is important to me, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."
All present smiled and blushed just a bit at the compliment.

"Alright, Pinkie Pie? Do you wanna go next?"

"Absolutely!" She said, jumping to all fours. "I'm thankful that I get to live in the bestest town with the bestest friends in the whole world! I'm also thankful for the Cake's letting me live with them… and all the free cupcakes I get to eat!… Alright, your turn AJ!"

Applejack stood up politely and cleared her throat. "Aww, shucks, let's see here. I'm thankful for my wonderful Apple family—how they've always been there and helped make this harvest one of the best in a long time. I'm also thankful for all y'all for being the best friends Ah I could ever hope for."

Applejack blushed and quickly took her seat once again. "Alright, Fluttershy? Looks like you're up."

"Um, okay," she responded. "I'm thankful for all the wonderful animal friends I've gotten to take care of this year. I'm also thankful for all the ponies who helped with the animal shelter fundraiser we had a few months ago… And I'm very, very thankful for you too. You're my best friends."

"Well, now I suppose it's my turn," Rarity said, wiping away a stray tear. "I'm thankful for how successful my business has been this past year and for all the opportunities it has opened for me. And of course, I couldn't have done any of it without all of you by my side, giving me support. Oh, I just love you all!"

With sniffle and a smile, Rarity sat back down, leaving only Spike to recite his thanks.

"Alright, here goes," Spike said. "I'm thankful for-"

"Um… excuse me?"

All six of the friends turned around toward the hallway behind them where Nurse Redheart was standing with a big smile.
"Um, Mr. Spike? Would you like to see your wife… and son?"

"S-Son?" Spike stuttered, suddenly losing feeling in his legs. "My son?"

Twilight could tell he was still reeling from the news, so she motioned for her and the rest of the girls to walk him back to the room. "C'mon big guy, let's go see your new family!"

Spike and the girls shuffled into the hospital room where Rainbow was propped up in her bed, half asleep and holding a small bundle against her.

"Rainbow?" Spike said, slowly approaching her, unable to stop smiling.

"Spike… Psh, the doctor's said giving birth would be hard, but it was nothing." Even when completely exhausted, she was still herself.

"I didn't expect anything less, Dash," he said.

The five girls slowly approached the bed around Spike to see Rainbow and the new baby.

"Oh, congratulations!"

"Yay! Now I have somepony all new to play with!"

"Congrats there, you two. Heh, looks like y'all will have a hoofful with this one."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so happy for you, two."

"Oh, Spikey, Rainbow! He is absolutely adorable!"

After a few more seconds of congratulating, the Nurse came over and started nudging the girls back. "Alright, the mother and baby need rest, so Spike is the only one allowed in for now. You can all see her tomorrow!"

With a few waves and hugs, the girls left Spike and Rainbow alone.

"So, um… can I hold him?" Spike said.

"Heh, you don't exactly need my permission," Rainbow said with a weak chuckle. "But, you know, be careful."

Spike gently took the blanket-wrapped bundle from his wife and looked at his new son. He was mainly dragon, due to Spike's strong genetics, but he had the smaller frame and mane of a pony, light blue scales, green eyes and his mother's rainbow-coloured mane. As far as his parents were concerned, he was the most beautiful baby in the world.

"Wow," Spike said, looking at their son. "Best Thanksgiving ever."

"So, Spike, what are you thankful for?" Rainbow said.

Spike gently turned his body around to lay next to Rainbow. "Well, first off, I'm thankful for having the best family in the world. A beautiful wife who loves me, and now a son we can take care of together. I'm thankful for all my friends who stayed with me the past ten hours in the waiting room out there. Without them, I would've had a heart attack. And most of all, I'm thankful for every Thanksgiving we'll get to have together in the future."

Rainbow snuggled up next to Spike and gently stroked her baby. "I'm thankful for having the best, most awesome dragon in the world with me. And the fact you get to be with me forever… And I'm thankful for the getting to have the best baby in the world. He's gonna… be… awesome."

With that last sentence, Rainbow drifted off to sleep, curled up next to Spike. At the same time, their brand new baby fell asleep, curled onto his chest.

Spike let out a happy sigh and planted a kiss on both members of his family.

"Thank you guys. I love you so much."

Author's Note

Written by FamousLastWords.

Manes - Pontiac56

"So Rainbow, you feel like maybe hitting up a bar tonight?"

"Um… hey Rainbow… do you maybe want to… um… want to go out some time?"

"Hey, I didn't know there were any other fillyfoolers in town. Feel like heading up to the clouds for some fun?"

It was just non-stop all day and Rainbow was completely sick of having to tell these mares she didn't swing that way. All her life she had to put up with this and it infuriated her to no end. Every time she went out drinking, some mare would hit her up hoping for a good time, or looking to invite her to some gay pride group. What was worse was that all this attention from the wrong gender seemed to steer all the stallions away. They knew she was tough and easy to anger so they all hedged their bets on which side she played and stayed clear.

She had nothing against fillyfoolers, heck she was friends with several back in Cloudsdale (which likely hadn't helped things), she simply wasn't one and she was so tired of having to correct everypony.

She knew of several reasons why everypony just seemed to make the connection she liked mares. She didn't hang out with a lot of stallions, her tomboy attitude seemed very stereotypically gay and her athletic lifestyle all seemed to point towards a taste for tacos. But she knew these were all things that could be overlooked or unknown to those who hadn't met her. No the biggest thing, the sign that had been with her ever since she was born was very obvious to all.

Her outrageously rainbow-colored mane.

She wasn't sure who had initially thought of rainbows being a representation for homosexuality, but whoever it was, she hoped to someday meet them so she could smash her hoof into their face.

It didn't matter that her mane was naturally rainbow-colored and not dyed, the instant anypony saw it flags went off in their head that just screamed 'wow she must be a fillyfooler'. It was so annoying and no matter how many times she had to explain she wasn't into mares, the group would take a collective look at her mane and think 'nah she definitely likes girls'.

It was so unfair. All the other signs she could explain or hide, but her mane was a dead giveaway and there was nothing she could do about it.

Or was there?

"Hey Twilight, I'm going out for a bit, I'll see you later." Without waiting for a response, Spike ducked out of the palace and made a quick walk towards town. Twilight had been given some new assignment by Celestia again and had, as usual, stressed over it so hard she had stayed up all night study and was now frizzy haired and on the fritz. Spike had helped all morning, but now it was time for a break. There was only so much Crazy Twilight a guy could take before he just had to get away for a while.

After ensuring he had gathered enough distance between himself and the crystal castle he slowed his gait and started to hum pleasantly to himself. He was just approaching town square when something odd caught his sight.

A mare was walking around flipping her clearly dyed black mane about looking to draw some attention from some stallions. They looked at her for a moment, but suddenly seemed to recognize her and immediately lost interest. The mare gave a dejected groan and started to trot off in Spike's direction, where he finally got a look at her face.

"Rainbow Dash? Is that you? What's up with the black mane and tail?"

The pegasus stopped and looked at him, looking a little tired, as if the explanation just seemed to drain her. Spike gave her a look of concern, but it did little to improve her mood.

"Hey Spike. Just thought I'd try out some new colors, see if I could get everypony to stop making assumptions about me, but it doesn't look like it worked." this news seemed to bring her already upset mood even lower. Spike wasn't sure what to do, but he could see his friend was hurting so he gently placed his claw on her back and got her to look at his face.

"Hey it's alright. I'm sure whatever assumptions are being made can't be that bad. What have ponies been saying about you?"

She started to reply when Flitter and Cloudchaser trotted passed.

"Hey Rainbow, we were wondering if you wanted to go grab a drink tonight? Maybe the three of us can have some fun."

Rainbow just gave a dejected sigh and turned to them both. "Guys, I've told you before, I'm not into mares. Please stop asking me."

The twins just looked at each other and sighed, "Still in the closet Rainbow. Really, ponies aren't going to judge you around here. You should stop hiding who you are."

Before Rainbow could once again confirm that they were wrong, the twins fluttered away looking disappointed. Rainbow simply turned back to Spike, who could now tell what had been eating her, "Still guessing about the assumptions?"

Spike could tell this was hurting her, and judging by the looks around the square, most ponies seemed to agree with Flitter and Cloudchaser. The dragon thought hard for a moment, wondering what he could do to help when suddenly it came to him. With a smirk on his face he looked at Rainbow, who seemed a little confused by his expression.

"Hey Rainbow, I have an idea about how to make ponies see the truth."

"Oh really, what is—" the blue pony's retort was cut off as a scaly pair of lips pressed against her own, and a pair of strong draconian arms wrapped around her and swept her off her hooves. Rainbow's eyes bulged for a moment, before closing slightly in pleasure, he wings poofing up sharply.

Ponies all over the market square stared in shock as the dragon held Rainbow bridal style in his arms kissing her passionately. The moment seemed to last forever, before finally the two needed to breath and their lips slowly separated. Rainbow still looked a little shocked before letting a warm smile cross her muzzle as she pushed her forehead up against Spike's, loving the confidant smile on his face, "Yeah, I think that'll convince 'em."

Spike was pleased, though a thought occurred to him as he realized he really didn't want to let her go, "Well, I think there might still be a few ponies we need to convince. Perhaps tonight over at the Grassy Knoll around 7? I'd love to help 'convince them' with you some more."

Thinking about his warm lips pressed against her own, the only response Rainbow could give was, "Hell yeah!"

Author's Note

Written by Pontiac56.

Lifestyle - TheMessenger

Two short knocks in rapid succession were swiftly followed by another pair of ringing blows against the large castle doors. Spike raised his claw, but before he could bring it down against the doors again, they swung open, revealing the frowning alicorn behind them.

"You're late," Twilight said. Spike ducked his head shamefully under Twilight's stare. He opened his mouth to apologize but was cut off by a sudden embrace as the princess threw her forelimbs around him. "It's been a while," she whispered.

"Oh come on, Twilight," Spike said, breaking into a grin as he returned the hug, "we saw each other just the other day."

"That was with everypony else," Twilight said. She released Spike and stepped aside to along the dragon inside. "When was the last time we did something together, just the two of us?"

"Yeah, I guess it's been a while." Spike's grin turned rueful. "Sorry I haven't been visiting as often. Rainbow's preparing to go on tour so we've been trying to spend as much time as possible together."

"That can't be easy," Twilight said as she led him toward a table carrying a tin of cookies and a jug of lemonade. She waited for Spike to take a seat before sitting down herself. "Being separated from her like this for such a long time, I mean."

"Yeah, but it's her dream, I'll manage. Maybe I'll even work here again during that time," Spike said. "You're still looking for an assistant, right?"

"Yeah," Twilight sighed, pouring out two cups of lemonade. "I've gotten a few interns from Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, but none of them last longer than a month."

"Maybe you should lower your expectations, you're not going to find an assistant as amazing as I was," Spike joked, winning a roll of eyes from Twilight. "But seriously, I heard you fired your last assistant because of you didn't like her nachos."

"Hey, she was on loan from Canterlot and was finishing that month! She wasn't fired," Twilight protested. "But I have been missing your nachos," the princess admitted.

"Stop by some time then, then I'd have an excuse to finally make them," Spike said as he took a gulp of lemonade, then reached for a cookie. "Hey, are these—"

"Snickerdoodles with sugar crystals from the Crystal Empire," Twilight answered with a nod. "Cadence sent them over. Wait, what do you mean, finally make them?"

"Huh?" Spike said, spraying cookie crumbs. He swallowed and finished his lemonade. "Oh, Rainbow Dash isn't a huge fan of nachos."

"What? Really?"

"She doesn't hate them or anything, but I can't make them very often. 'Too unhealthy'," Spike said, air quoting and all.

"Are you sure you're talking about Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "You saw how many cake she had during Fluttershy's birthday."

"That was a special occasion, she's got a pretty strict diet at home. We eat wheat bread."

"No!" gasped Twilight.

"It's true." Spike shuddered. "And remember when we used to joke about Rainbow Dash sleeping in because of all the naps she takes?"

"Yeah?"

"Total horse apples. She gets up real early to work out every morning, and she keeps making me get up with her." Spike groaned. "I'm kind of glad I don't have wings yet, otherwise she'd make me do way more than just jog and do pushups with her."

"Well, I guess that does make since, considering she's a Wonderbolt," Twilight reasoned. "You look good by the way, all that exercise must have worked."

"You think so?" Spike glanced down, twisting and turning as he examined himself. Chubby baby fat no longer clung to his waists or stomach, he noted, and as he rubbed his arm in embarrassment, Spike couldn't help but notice just how tight the limb felt.

"Lookin' good Spike, lookin' real good," Twilight joked, laughing. Spike joined in, chuckling as he playfully flexed his arms. "So, eating healthy, waking up early, any other changes to your lifestyle?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I share a bed with a beautiful mare who gives me lots of good night kisses…" Spike's eyes narrowed, and he smirked. "…along with other things."

"Yes, that's new," Twilight scoffed, shaking her head. "And a little too much information."

"It's not as great as it sounds. She keeps hogging the covers, and her hooves are freezing."

Author's Note

Written by TheMessenger.

BONUS CHAPTER: Fanfics - R-J-michaelis

Spike walked into the cloud house he shared with his marefriend, Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow, I'm back," he shouted, but he didn't get a reply, so he tried again. "Rainbow Dash, are you here?."

Still nothing.

Spike decided to go look for her, thinking she just couldn't hear him. He walked through the cloud house. He didn't see his marefriend, but he did manage to hear her. The closer he got to the bedroom, the better he could hear her, and she did not sound happy.

"Are you kidding me? Why would I even do something like that? That doesn't even make any sense… You idiots know nothing about me."

Spike opened the bedroom door and walked in. He saw that his marefriend was on the computer with her back turned to him.

"Hey Dash, I'm back," Spike said, and this time he did get a response out of her.

Rainbow Dash spun her chair around with a huge smile across her face. She flew over to her drakefriend and gave him a passionate kiss.

"Hey big guy, great to see you're back. Sorry I didn't greet you at the door. I was, er… preoccupied," Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah, I heard. You sounded more ticked off than Luna when she's losing at a game. What got you so worked up to make you that upset anyway?" Spike asked with a concerned look.

"Oh I was, um, reading fanfics," Rainbow Dash said, still rubbing the back of her head.

"Fanfics?" Spike said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know the ones ponies write about you, me and the girls."

"Okay, but why are you so upset? Are they really that bad?"

"It's not that they're bad, it's what they write about me."

"What they… write about you?" Spike asked in confusion.

"Yeah, check it out," Rainbow said as she flew back to the computer and sat back down on the chair. "Listen to this… they write that I'm an egocentric jerk, who makes others upset. They make it sound like I'm a bully who doesn't care about other ponies' feelings… Oh! And this! This really takes the cake. They write things like 'Then Rainbow Dash came in and started making out with all the mares. because you know, she's an athletic tomboy with a rainbow mane, so that must make her a total bucking lesbo.'

"I swear to Celestia, if I read one more story that says I'm gay, I'm putting my hoof through the screen. Just because I'm not girly and like to act a little tomboyish doesn't mean I'm a BUCKING LESBIAN. And I can't help what my mane looks like. It's what I was born with."

After rainbow finished, she turned her chair back around to look at Spike. "Can you believe ponies write about me like that?" Rainbow Dash said with a pout. Spike thought she looked cute when she did that, although he would never say it to her out loud. Instead he just gave a confused look and raised his eyebrows.

"Someone actually wrote 'total bucking lesbo'?"

Rainbow just rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed groan. "Whatever," she said as she turned the chair back to face the computer. "It doesn't even matter. Let them write what they want, I don't even care."

Even though she said she didn't care, Spike could tell she was upset. Under that tough act Rainbow Dash put on, she was still a mare with feelings, and he could always tell what she was feeling, even when she tried to hide it behind her tough act.

Spike walked behind Rainbow Dash and wrapped his arms around her, giving her small kisses on her neck and cheek. He then rested his chin on her shoulder and looked at the computer screen.

"Dash, let me ask you something. Have you read any stories involving me?"

"Apart from the rare ones where you and me get together, I can't say I have. I mostly read the stories involving me. Sorry."

Spike shook his head, his chin rubbing against her shoulder. "You don't have to be sorry, Rainbow. You can read whatever you want. The reason I asked is because I have, and do you know what ponies write about me?"

"What?"

"They write that Twilight, a pony who isn't even that much older then me, who hardly knows anything about my species, is my mother. They write that Rarity is my one true love, my soul mate, and that the two of us are destined to be together forever, just because I had a crush on her when I was a kid, not caring whether or not me and Rarity have anything in common, and all the other things that make a good relationship work. They write that the ponies I'm close to, the ones I consider my friends. treat me horribly, act like I don't even exist, and see me as nothing more then a broom in the corner… but no matter what others may write about me, I would never let stories bother me. and do you know why?"

"Why?" Rainbow Dash asked as she rubbed her cheek against his in an affectionate manner.

"Because that's all they are, Rainbow. Stories. They're not real. Ponies can write whatever they want because it will never change our real lives. I love Twilight, and she will always be my childhood friend, and the one who hatched me. But Princess Celestia will always be the one I see as my mother, just as she sees me as her son, because she raised me in my early years. And Rarity will always be nothing more then a childhood crush. And I'm glad that's all she is because I don't think I could be more happy with anypony than I am with you, Rainbow."

After Spike said that, he gave Rainbow a quick kiss on the cheek. She sighed happily in response.

"And what they wrote about everypony treating me horribly is bull. The girls and especially you, Rainbow Dash, treat me with kindness, love and respect, and you all make me feel like I'm really needed."

"So you're saying I should just ignore what others write about me?" Rainbow Dash said, wrapping her forelegs around Spike's arms.

"I'm saying that what they write, doesn't matter. What they write doesn't change the fact that you're loyal and will always put your friends ahead of anything else. And it doesn't change the fact that you have a kind heart, no matter how tough you may act. But the most important thing is that no matter what they write, you will always be my mare, my Dash, and no amount of fanfics will ever change that."

"You know what, Spike? You're right. They're just stories. They're not real. Because the real me is awesome no matter what others may write about me."

Rainbow Dash then shut down the computer, got off the chair and gave her drakefriend another passionate kiss. When she pulled away she gave him a smile that warmed his heart.

"Thanks for always being there for me, big guy. It may take a bunch of bad fanfics to make me feel bad, but it only takes one of you to make me feel happy."

Spike couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. "Wow Dash, when did you get so sappy?."

Rainbow just gave him an angry glare for that remark. "Okay, first off, I'm only going to be like that under this roof, so don't expect me to act like that outside because I don't want others thinking I'm 'sappy', as you put it. I have an image to maintain, after all. And finally—" Rainbow stopped looking angry and instead gave a small smile. "—you're worth being sappy for," she said as she gave spike a small kiss on the lips.

After they parted from the kiss, Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around Spike's neck. "So, big guy, what do you want to do now?"

Rainbow looked at Spike, who was deep in thought. She parted from him to give him some thinking space. After a few seconds Spike looked like he had remembered something.

"Oh that's right. I came back for a reason. I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"I promised one of our friends that I would help her out with something. I wanted to know if you wanted to come as well. You know, to make the work go faster?"

Rainbow Dash just gave him a smug smile as she said, "Of course. I am the Element of Loyalty, after all. Lead the way, Spike."

As they both walked to the bedroom door. Rainbow Dash turned to Spike and said, "Thanks again for setting me straight. I can't believe I let a bunch of made up stories get the best of me."

"No problem, but we should really get going. I'm five minutes late as it is."

"Okay, but what are we doing again? I don't think you said. Are we helping twilight or something?" Rainbow asked thinking she probably should have asked what she's helping with before hoof.

"No, I promised Pinkie Pie I'd help her bake cupcakes," Spike said as he opened the bedroom door.

Rainbow Dash froze up after hearing that. "P-P-Pinkie asked you to bake with her?" Rainbow Dash asked with a shaky voice, which Spike took notice of.

"Yeah. Why, does that bother you or something?" Spike asked as he turned back around to look at Dash, who looked scared, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"No, no that doesn't bother me, w-why would that bother me?"

Spike walked up to her and put a comforting claw on her shoulder. "Dash, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Spike asked in concern.

Rainbow Dash went under the cloud covers in the blink of an eye so that nothing but her eyes could be seen.

"Nothing's wrong. I just feel under the weather is all. Eeyup, that's it, I'm sick." She coughed several times to make her point. "See?" Dash said, giving the worst fake cough ever.

Spike walked to the bottom edge of the cloud bed, giving her concerned and confused look at the same time.

"Okay Rainbow, what's wrong with you? One moment you're fine, and the next you act like this. I mean all I said was we're going to Pinkie's to bake cu—" Spike's face then turned serious. "You read Cupcakes, didn't you?"

Rainbows head shot out of the covers as she shouted, "I DON'T WANT TO BE BAKED GOODS!" Then she went back under.

Spike just rolled his eyes and gave her an 'are you kidding me?' sigh. Then he turned around and went for the bedroom door.

"I'll see you when I get back, okay Dash? And don't worry, there isn't even anything sharp enough the cut through my scales."

Spike left the cloud house, while rainbow dash cowered under the covers.

"If spike goes missing you're the first one I'm coming for, Pinkie." Rainbow let out a annoyed moan as she went deeper under her cloud covers.

"Stupid fanfics."

Author's Note

Written by R-J-michaelis.

This one's a little heavily layered with headcanon, but I hope you guys enjoy it all the same.

Wedding Day - TheMesenger

No matter how hard he tugged at it, the tie strangling him refused to loosen. With a frustrated sigh, Spike released the fabric fastened around his neck and let it hang over the balcony's painted white railings as he leaned over. She chose an amazing spot, right beside the beach with a beautiful view of the sea. Spike looked up and watched the sun slowly begin its descent, painting the sky orange as it moved.

A rose bush had been arranged around the railing, adorning the balcony with lovely red flowers and breaking the monotonous white. Her dress had been similar, Spike remembered: white with complementing splashes of pink and streaks of red on the train. The veil was yellow, a bright, warm buttery color, thin enough for one to steal a quick peek at the bride's blushed cheeks and rose colored lips.

Spike tore a rose from the bush and peeled away the petals, letting them rain into the foaming ocean below. The seaside breeze was warm, but he shivered anyway, making no move for the black dress jacket draped over the railing next to him.

"Hey."

Spike lifted his head and turned, dropping the rest of the flower in surprise. Rainbow Dash, wearing her airy sky blue gown with plenty of room in the back for her wings, approached.

"Hey," Spike said, looking back to the sunset. "What are you doing here? I thought you were dancing."

"They started the slow dance, and I don't do slow," Rainbow said as she slumped over the balcony beside Spike. "What about you? What're you out here for?"

"Just needed some fresh air," Spike answered, breathing deeply. His eyes widened, and suddenly he began to hack and wheeze. "Oh geez, that's salty," he coughed.

"Guess it is a bit stuffy in there," Rainbow agreed. "So how you holding up?"

The dragon lowered his head and sighed, shooting out a stream of sparks from his nose. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"Kinda, but I don't think anypony wanted to bring it up. Pretty awkward thing to talk about," Rainbow Dash said, slugging at Spike's shoulder. "So, wanna talk about it?"

"I thought you said it was awkward," Spike grumbled.

"Yeah, but talking's better than, well, this," the pegasus argued, gesturing at the deserted balcony, save for the both of them. Laughter rang out from beyond, from the decorated gazebo at the end of the path. "Come on," Rainbow insisted, "just get it out of you system so we can go join the others."

"I don't know, I think I'd just kill the mood if I went."

"You're killing the mood now."

Spike reached out and grabbed another rose. "It's just, I know I should be happy for her. I mean, I know she's happy and he makes her happy. I know he'll treat her right, like a real lady. I know I should be happy, I'm her friend, but, it's just, I can't help it."

A scaly fist pounded against the while wooden rails, shaking them. "I can't help it. I told myself I moved on, I told myself I was fine with this, but I can't help it. I keep wondering to myself, what if it was me standing next to her. There's that stupid voice in my head that keeps telling me I could make her happier," Spike growled, striking the balcony rails again, "and I just can't get it to shut up!"

He raised his fist and prepared to bring it down. Something held him back, keeping the claw in the air. Rainbow Dash, Spike realized as he turned, had grabbed his arm. She released the limb, and Spike let it fall limply to the side.

"Even after all this time?" Rainbow asked.

Spike chuckled bitterly. "I'm pathetic, still pining after a mare I never had a chance with."

Rainbow Dash raised a wing and struck the dragon in the back of the head. "Maybe a little," she said as Spike rubbed the afflicted area. "But it's not the end of the world. It's time to move on."

"Weren't you listening?" Spike hissed. "I know that. I thought I did."

"But you didn't. Maybe today'll help," Rainbow said. She stared out into the horizon, watching the sun sink into the ocean. "Maybe today's a reality check. You can't keep living that fantasy of yours after seeing that after all."

Spike opened his mouth to argue. Nothing came out. Instead, he followed Rainbow's gaze toward the ocean. "Yeah, maybe you're right," he said quietly, barely louder than a whisper.

"There a lot of girls out there, plenty of fish in the sea." Rainbow patted Spike's back, then pushed herself away from the balcony's edge. "Hey, wanna dance?"

"Dance?" Spike repeated, tearing his eyes from the sunset and autumn skies in confusion. "What, like right here?"

"Well, you don't look like you're ready to join the rest of the party, and I don't think I'm ready to leave you here by yourself," Rainbow Dash declared. "Come on, like this." She placed her hooves into Spike's claws and forced him to stand straight. Following Rainbow's lead, the two began to sway.

"I thought you said you didn't do slow," Spike said as the skies began to darken.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "I don't, but when you're with me, the world just seems to slow down. Besides," she added, her lips brushing the tips of Spike's ears, "I'd say we're moving pretty fast."

Author's Note

Written by TheMessenger.

Qualification - Steadfast Hoof

Vacation.

No matter how hard she requested or debated, she had been scheduled for time off. Her record had numerous accolades, she was in her prime, but still she was kicked to the curb.

Rainbow ground her teeth hotly and slicked her hair back. The summer air was warm against her exposed muzzle. Her body suit was doing well to insulate most of the temperature thanks to its enchantment. She snorted, her head a muggy soup.

“Come on, Dash. It’s just a few months. You’ll be back in the fight before you know it.”

Rainbow Dash jolted, she nearly locked up before continuing her easy pace under the warm stars. She clicked her dry mouth, giving her partner a look.

“*tch* I know, Dust. It's just stupid, and I know it’s going to feel way longer than that. I just can’t believe they’d think I need a break. Me! I can fly circles around any royal guard. I can outmaneuver flies! I mean come on! Ugh.” Rainbow sagged.

Her partner glided closer, her blonde mane buffeting in the breeze. She gave Rainbow a sympathetic smile. “I know, girl. I get a little itchy in my time off too, but you just don’t realize how high strung you can get out here.” She punched her lightly on the shoulder. “Visit your friends and family. Hell, find a nice lay, it’ll help you relax.”

Rainbow Dash groaned as Lightning Dust giggled. Rainbow checked her aside. “Seriously Dust, I got better things to do than go chasing for some flank.” Lightning Dust guffawed, causing a playful chase between her and Rainbow. “Geez, will you grow up already. I swear, little Thunder is more mature than you.” Dash swatted her with her tail as she lazily passed.

“Thank you!," Lightning said in between giggles. "My baby is such a smart cookie!” Lightning beamed as she thought about her waiting filly.

“Ugh, that wasn’t a compliment.” Rainbow rolled her eyes before gazing off. Both enjoyed the calm flight, Dash’s expression unreadable, while Lightning Dust watched her, smiling almost maternally.

“Hey, They’ll be more than happy to see you again. Just focus on them, It’ll be fine.” Lightning brushed comfortingly against Dash.

Rainbow bowed her head, her expression tense. “Gee, I hope so… I mean I haven’t seen him in a really, really, long time. Yeah, it’ll be fine. Probably… Right? Dust? Wait, why are you looking at me like that?”

Dust had a wide grin. She licked her lips mischievously before playfully saying, “Oh nothing, it’s just,” she glanced at Dash, “ I didn’t say him, Dashie.”

This time Dash really did lock up.

Lightning had to fight down her giggles, rolling her shoulders she prepared for the plummeting pegusus. Lightning shot off, rocketing through the sky. Even though Lightning Dust had a better record, Rainbow still held the title of fastest pony alive, but, as always it was just barely. Rainbow was hot on her tail.

“You better keep your mouth shut, blabberface!” Rainbow barked as Lightning darted away flitting around just out of reach. Throwing kissy faces.

“Aw, is the little filly embairwissed? Why? Is it love?”

“I mean it! Come here! “

“Oh, I bet it’s because he’s all frilly and soft, your own personal teddy bear to huggle and snuggle. Is the tough Dashie scared that everyone’s going to hear about her honey bunny?” Lightning dodged a murderous tackle, smirking as Dash chased her all the harder.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m just going to tell everyone before we head out!” Lightning chortled while Rainbow roared after her.

Both lost themselves to the chase, pulling off stunts that even the most fearless daredevil would think twice before trying.

Over time their flying became more competitive, one banking on a dime and the other putting some flourish on it, each move more outlandish than the last.

Lightning gasped as she clipped a cloud that Rainbow deftly shot around. Rainbow slowed down, looping around her grumbling friend with a whoop.

“HA! 7 to 6! Looks like the mythical Lightning is losing her touch!” Rainbow cackled smugly as they drifted towards a river.

“Yeah, well, I’m still two up on you from last time, Rainbow Crash.” Lightning laughed when Dash punched her in the shoulder.

They quenched their dry throats before plopping down next to each other. The night air was cool as it kissed their coats. Lightning tossed her sweaty jumpsuit away before stretching out. Her aching muscles glowing satisfyingly. Dash was nearly asleep, lying on her back. Again Lightning smiled softly at dash before settling down, closing her eyes.

“Hey, Dash?”

“Hm?”

“Can I at least guess?” Lightning smirked when she heard Dash groan.

“Fine. Just promise not to tell anyone, please?”

“Stick a cupcake in my eye. So… your friend's brother? What was it? Big Smith?”

Dash snorted. “Big Macintosh, and no, not him.”

Lightning hummed thoughtfully before really thinking about her friend. Her best friend. She shifted to her side, looking at Rainbow Dash.
Understanding danced across her features before she shifted back, a contemplative look on her face.

“Oh, so, him?”

“Him who?” Dash’s voice was inquisitive, but Lightning caught the fear.

“No, I’d actually be anxious too, if it was like that.”

“Oh?” Rainbow anxiously whispered.

“But, heh, I can totally see you guys together.”

“…Really?” She smiled at Rainbows hopeful tone.

“Yeah, the more I think about it, it just seems… cute.”

Lightning laughed as she heard Rainbow roll away.

“Oh man, was I right about that teddy bear stuff? I was just teasing.”

Rainbow groaned.

“Oh, shush. It’s not that bad. Me and Laney cuddle all the time as well. It’s so soothing right?”

“…“

“…Yeah.”

“So, how’s he in the sack?”

“Oh my gosh, Lightning, I hate you so much, please die.”

Lightning held her sides as she roared with laughter. Rainbow just hid under her hooves, wishing something would come and just squish her.

Author's Note

Written by SteadFast Hoof.

Books - YourNeighborhoodAlicorn

Done. Finally.

I set the book on the table with a firm slam, marking my accomplishment. I could see Twilight still at her desk reading one of the books from the seemingly infinite stack next to her. I decided not to question how she can read so much. Sometimes I wished I could do that. To be able to soak up all that information in a matter of seconds, to be well informed about the environment around me.

A sudden knock at the door took me away from my musings. I knew I was going to have to get it since it was obvious Twilight hadn't even heard it. She was far too immersed in her studies. I got up, stretched my wings, folded my tail and walked over to the door. As I opened it, I was greeted by the familiar sight of Rainbow Dash.

"Oh hey, Spike, is Twilight home?" she asked me as I let her in. I pointed to the currently zoned-out unicorn, and Dash let out a huff. "Aw man, she's studying."

"Yeah, you know how it is. Is there anything you need? I'm sure I can get it for you." I closed the door and walked with her to one of the couches.

"I heard the new Daring Do came today, so I wanted to get it as early as possible before someone else did. You know how those colts and fillies are."

I chuckled a bit at that. "Yeah, well, sorry Dash. We haven't gotten anything in a while. Apparently there's a problem at the post office, mixing up shipments and all." I sat down on the couch, and Dash sat down across from me, just a few feet away.

"Aw buck, I didn't have anything else to do today." She leaned on her hoof and stared glumly around her. She saw the book I had just read on the table, the cover enough to draw her attention. "What's this?"

"Oh yeah, 'Pony Potter and The Stone Of Celestia'. I just finished reading this. It's actually pretty cool."

"Really? What's it about?" She seemed genuinely curious, so I thought up of a summary for the enormous book.

"Well, it's about this unicorn that thinks he isn't very good at magic, but then one day, a group of powerful wizards visit him. They say that they can take him to this special academy called Ponywartz, where he can learn powerful magic. The head principle, Starswirled The Bearded, sees that he has a special gift. After all that, he meets up with these two other unicorns who become his friends and together they go on awesome adventures with each other. It's actually pretty cool, the author is a personal friend of mine from Canterlot."

Rainbow Dash didn't look away once as I spoke. "Woah! That is awesome! Do you guys have more books like this?" At that point, I moved my hand so that is scanned the whole library in between its digits, her eyes following it tentatively.

"Of course, Dash! We have TONS! You just never want to read anything else." I stick my tongue out at her, earning me a playful smack on the shoulder.

"Well, I guess that is my fault, I never really had any time to read anything but Daring Do."

"I never have any time neither, but I managed to finish this monster of a book." That earned me a giggle from Dash.

"You know what, Spike? You're right. I suppose I should open my mind up to new things. Can I check out this book?" I picked it up in my hand, the weight reminding me of why this book was such a challenge in the first place.

"Of course, but I doubt you would be able to make it through the first half, let alone the whole book cover-to-cover." As I said that, I got a determined look from Rainbow.

"Is that a challenge I just heard?" She gave me a smirk that I would never be able to forget.

"You know it. Now then, do you need anything else?"

Dash frowned thoughtfully before her eyes lit up. "Say, Spike, when I finish this book, do you think you can tell me about more books like these?"

"Definitely, besides, I still owe you for teaching me how to fly and all. And don't worry, I won't tell anypony that you like to read." I got another playful smack on the shoulder, before an unexpected hug.

"Thanks, Spike. And the flying thing was no big deal, it's what friends are for, right?" It was a lesson I knew too well. I had learned that one from my experience with Applejack and the timberwolves.

I grabbed the book and handed it to her, as she placed it in her saddlebag. I knew she was riled up now, so instead of opening the door, I opened the window. Soon enough, a blue blur rushed past me and out the window, piercing the horizon with her awesomeness.

I laid down on the cloud, Dash snuggling up next to me and wrapping her hooves across my chest.

"Heh, to think, we got together because of books." She said as she planted a small kiss on my cheek. "That seems like something you would see in one of those romance novels Rarity always reads."

"I actually read one of those before, and they are not as cliche as you think. Some are actually pretty simple, not always the 'macho stallion saves the damsel in distress' sort of thing." Me and her shared a laugh from that.

"Do you think they have stories about how we met?" I ponder a bit about it before shaking my head.

"Nope," I turn my head to the side, our faces just inches away from each other. "Which is why you are awesome in every way."

That earned me a very passionate kiss from Rainbow.

Author's Note

Written by YourNeighborhoodAlicorn.

Feathers - Digiguy

Symbolism.

That was a good word to describe the thing that held so much attention and harbored such feelings from me. An egghead like Twilight might say that it was just some silly object, and maybe even less than that. Rarity, on the other hoof, would think it was just some 'uncouth' piece of trash with little sentiment behind it. Applejack would be confused, wondering what it was, or even why it was was so special. Pinkie Pie would probably think it was just another type of party invitation, though I have a hunch there is more to her than she lets on. Fluttershy would think of it as some cute sign of affection, though she is really the only one of my friends who would really get it, you know?

To an earth pony, a piece of the land or something hoof-crafted is not only a sign of physical growth and strength, but a feat of what they can accomplish. Their forms themselves are what drive them to become better ponies, and sometimes that can help win the hearts of many around them.

And much like a unicorn's horn is special to them, it's their magic that is truly… uh… magical. Something about when they can not only cast a spell, but craft one from the air around them and conjure spectacles other ponies can only dream of capturing in a single instant will drive mares, and some stallions, wild.

But to a pegasus… It's their wings that give them so much to live for. The gift of flight is something that only a third of the pony population can ever achieve, and that's even more special considering others can only dream of flight as pegasi can. But what really means a lot to a pegasus is their feathers. More specifically, their first lost feather.

I… I could never figure out what it was that was so… sentimental, so special about such a silly little feather… but I was devastated when I lost it. I spent hours searching for it, only to come up short. I'd even asked all of our friends, and nopony had seen it.

I had considered giving up before I ran into Spike, a blue feather in his clawed hand. My sour mood quickly turned ecstatic as I made that discovery, but when I asked for it back, he seemed confused. For some reason, he seemed to like the feather. It seemed to make him feel happy as he held it, and looking up to the sky, you could see in his eyes just what the feather meant to him.

It didn't matter what it meant to me anymore, or even what it meant to anypony else. He seemed to like it, and that was all that mattered to me. I decided to let him keep the feather, and he thanked me for it. Maybe one day soon I can tell him what it means to me, but until then…

Author's Note

Written by Digiguy.

Claws - YourNeighborhoodAlicorn

“For buck’s sake, Spike! I might not be strict, but I got rules too! Geez, and it isn’t even a small cut either!” a not-so-happy Rainbow exclaimed, holding in her hooves her teared, prized, trainee Wonderbolt uniform that she had kept since the academy days, with the small leader badge included as well.

“Look, I’m sorry alright? It’s not my fault you gave me a super thin fabric suit when I have these bad boys.” Spike raised up his claw, showing the sharpened edges at his fingertips.

“Why do I even trust you with the laundry?” Rainbow groaned, resting her head on the small wooden counter in front of her.

“Dash, c’mon, don’t be that way. I can… um… go to a costume store and—”

“Really? A costume store? You might as well dress me up in a cowcolt suit and make me work with Applejack.”

Spike pondered the idea for a second, picturing her dressed as one of Applejack’s cousins out in the desert. Definitely a prank idea, he mentally stated.

“Ugh… you know what, it’s fine. I don’t care. Just… ugh. I’ll just take the rest and leave.”

Spike looked at her for a moment. “Rainbow, the guilt is gonna kill me, please just let me pay you back in some way.”

“I said, I don’t care, alright?” Rainbow reassured him with a menacing stare.

He decided to back down, handing Rainbow the rest of her laundry. Without saying a word, she got the small basket and flew out.

“No ‘thank you’, huh? I guess I kinda deserve that.” Spike sighed.

~A month later~

“Um… Pinkie…” Rainbow held up the small party cannon that Pinkie had gifted her. “Maybe you should have this.”

“Ooooooh, for me?! I love it, Dashie! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” Pinkie wrapped her in a bone-crushing hug, threatening to choke the life out of her.

“You’re… welcome.” Pinkie let go, as Dash immediately started gasping for air.

“That should be all the presents for now,” Twilight stated, gathering all the used wrapping paper and ribbons and throwing them into the small trashcan.

“Wait… I got you something too, Dash.” Spike nervously said, drawing the attention of his six friends as he held a small white box in his claws.

“Well, you just gonna stand there or you gonna give it to me?” Dash said, which only make Spike feel much more awkward about this whole situation.

He slowly walked over, much to Dash’s dismay, and put the small box on the table in front of him. She rolled her eyes, and opened the box with no hesitation. The contents of the box had an authentic, completely genuine Wonderbolt suit, which had a small pen scribbling of the team leader, Spitfire, along with real flight goggles and a small note attached as well. Upon closer inspection, she saw there was no store tag, meaning it couldn’t have been a fake.

The note that was attached said this:

Heya, Dash. Your little buddy, Spike, here said that you were in need of a new suit, so I decided to dig one out for you. It’s real, believe me, it is. Heh, I wouldn’t blame you if you try to sell it, you’d probably get a lot of bits for it, and I mean, a lot. We should hang out sometime, I might be strict when I’m training the new blood, but I’m a pretty chill pony otherwise. Meet me in Cloudsdale sometime when I’m not busy, you definitely gotta teach me that Sonic Rainboom of yours.

Yours truly, Spitfire.

From the look on her face, Spike could tell she was at a loss for words. Her jaw literally hung wide open, as she finished reading the note. Before Spike could say anything, he was immediately tackled to the ground and hugged rather viciously by the blue blur referred to as Rainbow Dash.

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!” Was the only thing Dash could say as Spike was covered in an onslaught of kisses.

Author's Note

Written by YourNeighborhoodAlicorn.

First Kiss - FamousLastWords

It was late at night, the sun was down, and two noisy friends were laughing and talking aloud in the middle of town square.

"Oh my gosh, do you remember when that fat dude stage dived and completely flattened the entire first row of the audience! So awesome!" Rainbow said, excitement dripping from her words.

"I know! That was hilarious!" Spike said with a huge smile. "So, uh, I take it you had a good time?"

"You have no idea. Best first date ever!"

It had taken time, courage, and many self-help books, but Spike had managed to work up the courage to ask Rainbow Dash to a concert the week before, and the night finally came. They both had a great time, and a second date was already planned.

As the two finished their walk back to Spike's home at the library, a sense of awkward tension rose in the air. They both had the same thing on their mind: the first kiss.

The two made their way to the porch, side-by-side and awkwardly fidgeted around, trying to make eye contact.

"Well, I guess I'll see you next week?" Rainbow asked.

"Y-yeah, definitely," Spike responded.

The silence in the air took over once more in suffocating fashion, leaving the two to their thoughts.

C'mon, Spike! Go for the kiss. You can do this… His eyes travelled to her lips and his heart raced faster than a double bass pedal. You are a dragon, the epitome of evolution, power, and wisdom! It should not be this difficult!

Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! He's moving in for the kiss! Play it cool, Rainbow, you can do this!

It seemed their faces had been moving closer for hours, whereas a few seconds would be more accurate. Hearts racing, the two finally took the dive connected their lips.

Spike's mind flipped over as the sensation of her lips ran over him. Wow… this is awesome! She tastes like… chocolate?

Rainbow's mind was equally racing during the kiss. Oh. My. Gosh! He's so soft… and warm. So awesome!

After a few more seconds, the two parted, eyes wide, hearts racing, and wearing huge smiles.

"So, you think we can do that again next week?" Spike asked.

"We can do that again whenever we want!" Rainbow replied.

She leaned over to give him a quick peck on the lips, and then flew back home. This was looking to be a wonderful relationship.

Author's Note

Written by FamousLastWords.

Alicorn - Minimin22

"So, can I take this blindfold off anytime soon?"

"Just a moment!"

Rainbow Dash was getting impatient. As soon as she'd entered the library treehouse, Spike had blindfolded her and led her somewhere. She knew something had been strapped to her forehead, Celestia knows what, but she hoped she would get some answers soon.

"Okay! You can take it off now!"

Rainbow did as she was told and removed the blindfold. She saw Spike standing a bit off to the side, pointing his open palm towards a mirror. In the mirror she saw herself, plus a piece of cyan cardboard strapped to her forehead.

"Tadaahh!" Spike said in a sing-song voice.

Dash remained silent.

"Well? Do you like it?"

"Spike. It's a piece of cardboard."

Spike looked a little offended at her remark. "What? No, it's a real, bona fide alicorn horn!"

Dash frowned. "Look, it's obviously no--"

"Try it!" Spike cut her off. "Use your powers! Try to levitate that potted plant over there."

Rainbow looked over to a table with a potted sunflower. Spike was really out there today, but she decided to humor him for now. Though, trying to use magic without having magic made her feel really dumb. She concentrated on the plant, and willed it to move.

...

To her utter shock, the plant lifted itself off the table!

"W-wait, how...?!" she said, staring at it mouth agape.

"Awesome! And that's not even the best part, Princess Rainbow Dash!" Spike added.

"Princess?"

Spike skidded over to her and bowed down at her hooves. "Every alicorn princess needs her loyal subjects! Your wish is my command, m'lady."

Rainbow stared at the dragon at her hooves, completely dumbstruck. She had no idea what was going on, why the fake horn on her head managed to levitate the plant, or why Spike was suddenly bowing down to her as if she was some form of royalty. But...

"Oh, ho? Really now?"

...she liked it.

"Sure! I await your command!" Spike answered, equally excited.

"Well then. First, I command you to do a cartwheel!"

At once, Spike cartwheeled clumsily off to the side.

"Now! I command you to announce me to all the other potted plants it this house!"

Spike looked at her with a small frown, but proceeded with his task. "Potted plants! Now announcing, Princess Rainbow Dash of Cloudsdale!" he proudly proclaimed.

The plants didn't respond, obviously, but Spike made up for this by bowing again. Rainbow Dash chuckled at the small purple dragon before her. He was being really committed, but it was time to end this.

"My most loyal subject, Spike the Dragon. I commend you for your awesomely flawless services and now command you to remove the piece of fishing line from the 'levitating' potted sunflower." Rainbow said with a knowing smile.

Spike immediately shot up, ready to complete his new task before suddenly stopping. He turned to look at her, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"So... you knew?"

Rainbow Dash smile became wider. "If it makes you feel better, you had me fooled for all of five seconds, I'll give you that."

Spike chuckled. "Well. Five seconds is a preeeetty long time to be fooled by a piece of cardboard and some fishing line."

"Don't make me punch you into next week, shorty." Rainbow said, glaring, but still smiling. Her smile then faded a little. "Why did do it? Why did you turn me into a fake alicorn?"

Spike shuffled around a little, kicking the floor with his small clawed feet . "W-well, you said the other day how awesome it'd be to be an alicorn princess, how cool it'd be to have your own henchmen and stuff. I just wanted to make your wish come true!"

Rainbow found herself staring at the smiling dragon once again. He had actually listened to her babbling? She didn't really mean much of what she said that day, but the fact that he had listened and then tried so hard to make her happy made her feel... happy! She felt her face heat up. He really was a sweet guy.

Spike sighed dejectedly. "Look, I'm sorry I messed it up Dash. I know it's not what you wanted but--"

"Ahem!"

Spike ceased talking to find a slightly mischevious-looking Rainbow Dash looking down upon him.

"Spike, my loyal servant." She begun with a racy whisper. "I command you to come closer."

Spike took a few steps towards her, but she continued to issue the same command until they were mere inches from each others' faces. Spike started to become increasingly tense, but Rainbow continued to look him in the eye.

"Spike."

"Yes, 'Princess'?"

"I command you to kiss me."

Author's Note

Written by Mininim22.

Summer - DARKPHANTOM13

It was a hot summer day in Ponyville, too hot in a lot of ponies’ opinions, including Rainbow Dash’s. It was her day off today. Usually she would either be working on a new stunt, exercising, or sleeping on a cloud somewhere. Sadly it was too hot to do the first two without passing out in ten seconds flat. Bulk Biceps learned that the hard way. And the third option would just leave her with a nasty sunburn.

That was why she was currently heading to the library, hovering just above the ground so her hooves wouldn’t touch the hot earth. Being in a nice cool library while reading a Daring Do book sounded just what the doctor ordered.

When the treehouse was in sight, however, she suddenly remembered that Twilight mentioned that the air conditioner was broken and it would be another day or so before somepony could come over to fix it.

With a sigh she was about to turn around when she saw Spike next to the tree house. He was dumping ice and water into a small inflatable pool. The very sight of it was like an oasis in the middle of the desert. While Spike went inside the treehouse to put on some waterproof sunscreen, Dash snuck over and dived right in.

“Aww, now this is more like it” Rainbow said as she lean her head against the rim of the pool, letting the cold water cover most of her body, cooling off her hot body.

“Hey!” The mare looked up to see Spike staring down at her. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m chilling,” she punned.

“Yeah, in my pool! Get out,” Spike told her.

“Oh come on,” Rainbow Dash complained. “It’s way too hot for hot mare like me to get out. Don’t you think so, Spike?” She said the last part while giving the dragon a teasing smile and a wink. Her smile grew when she saw the dragon blush and look to the side.

Spike had found himself developing an interest in the rainbow-maned mare a few weeks ago. Rainbow had noticed the looks he would give her sometimes. She always liked the little guy and when she realized that he liked her she took every chance to hug or tease him. She was more than willing to give Spike the chance but decided to let him make the first move. Plus she loved to tease him and she thought it was really cute when he blushed.

“Fine,” Spike gave in. “But move over. I want to cool off too.”

It was then that a fun idea popped into Dash’s head. “Sure!” She suddenly grabbed Spike and pulled him into the pool. As soon as his head popped out of the water she pulled him close to her, squishing him again her chest.

"Hey—" Spike yelped. He cut himself off, however, as Rainbow pulled him close. He blushed, his face brushing up against Rainbow's fluffy chest in her right embrace.. Her forehooves were wrapped around his body, making sure that he couldn’t get away and that their bodies were firmly pressed against each other.

“There. Comfy?” she asked, snickering beneath her breath.

“Y-Yeah,” Spike stuttered. Rainbow nodded her head in satisfaction and closed her eyes. The two basked in the warmth of the sun and each other’s body heat while enjoying the cool water in silence.

After a minute or two the first one to break the silence was Spike. “H-Hey, Rainbow?”

“Yeah?” The mare opened her eyes and looked down at the dragon to see he looking up at her nervously.

“Do you want to go out and grab a bite to eat tonight when it gets cooler… together?” Spike asked, the last part coming out as a bit of a whisper.

A large smile grew on Rainbow Dash’s face. She was happy that Spike finally worked up the courage to ask her out. “Sure, it’s a date!”

Much to her pleasure another blush appeared on the dragon’s face. “B-B-But I didn’t say a-anything about a d-d-d…” Spike’s mouth quickly closed when Rainbow gave him a kiss on his nose.

With a wide knowing smile and half lidded eyes she said, “You didn’t have to.”

Author's Note

Written by DARKPHANTOM13.

Message - Macho Madness

Spike the Dragon slouched over a timeworn and well used wooden table, his legs crossed on the floor. In his claws he held a small piece of paper folded with three neat, sharp creases.

"Hey, Spike," Rainbow said, her voice cracking from the other side of the table.

"H-hey," the drake responded in barely more than a whisper, never looking up from the paper.

"So- uh- yeah. The Princesses have decided to fold us into the main Airforce," she said, rubbing a foreleg on her shin. Her eyes darted around, looking at everything but Spike.

"Apparently my time as Captain and my previous history with pulling Equestria out of the fire has landed me in an actual command position." She let a smile break just slightly as pride filled her voice. "I'm now Commander Rainbow Dash of the Equestrian Air Force." A nervous laugh escaped her lips. "By Celestia that sounds weird," she said as she sits down.

She picked up her golden helmet in her hooves; her cutie mark emblazoned in silver on the sides. "They even gave me this silly helmet with my butt plastered on it." She flipped it in her hooves and plants it on her head, the sun gleaming off the fine polished metal. "I don't know how anypony can do anything in this tin can, honestly." She ran a hoof along the side of the helmet. "I can barely see or hear anything with it on right now. Can't expect it will do much better when the fighting starts.

"The fighting. Man, that scares the wits right out of me. Not afraid to say that. I'm thankfully stationed up in Vanhoover. I hear the fighting there is pretty minimal. Most of the fighting is focused around Manehattan."

She turned her head around quickly before continuing. "Looks like I'm out of time. I gotta move my ponies out in a few hours. Don't worry though, I'll keep sending you messages weekly."

Her body started to flicker and waver. "I love you, big guy!"

Her voice came out garbled as her image blinked out. In the center of the table a small green crystal stopped humming and the light resonating from within sputtered out. Spike reached out from his seat and tapped it once. It started to whir and spin again, floating gently into the air. From the other side of the table Rainbow once again stood and greeted him, the nervousness in her voice palpable.

Spike's grip on the note in his claws tightened. With a primal roar, he ripped the tiny paper into pieces and slammed the tatters into the wooden table.

As his sobs began to compete with Rainbow's voice, a tiny shred of the note floated gently to the ground.

Dear Spike of House Sparkle,

We regret to inform you…

Author's Note

Written by Macho Madness.

Paradise - FamousLastWords

Spike felt like he was living in a nightmare that just wouldn't stop.

A nightmare that saw fit to take place within the Ponyville Supercenter at precisely 2 a.m. He had to constantly remind himself why he was crazy enough to brave the midnight hours in the middle of a snowstorm, just to keep himself from going insane.

"Alright, Spike. You can do this. Rainbow is only gonna be pregnant for a couple more months, and then she'll stop asking for outrageous food and grocery items like this."

Pulling out the list, Spike glanced over it, checking off the items he had already gotten.

"Let's see… Cantaloupe? Check. Almond butter? Check. Cocoa Splosion? Double check. Sassafras Vinegar Rice Cake? ...Ugh, check. Now let's see, one last item here… It can't be. No!"

It was far beyond his worst nightmare, or the nightmare of any male creature for that matter. Looking over the list one last time to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he realized there was no mistake.

"Paradise Protection Plus Pads… why me?!"

Steeling his nerves, he accepted that fate hated him and travelled to the aisle he had hoped he would never have to go down.

Passing packs of tampons and other things, he eventually was able to search out the item needed.

"Alright, Paradise, yeah, protection," he said, mumbling to himself, verifying the item's legitimacy. Unfortunately, two stallions just happened to walk by and, of course, snickered and laughed.

Pouting and cursing under his breath, the tired and embarrassed dragon found his way to the checkout, where a younger mare was waiting. "Oh no…"

One by one, Spike put up the items he was purchasing. The mare simply hummed and smiled… until she got to the pads, which is when she looked up at Spike.

Oh no, here it comes.

"Your mate sure is lucky to have somepony as dedicated and loving as you," she said sweetly, putting the item in the bag with the rest.

Spike turned his thoughts to the mare waiting back home for him. Rainbow Dash, the love of his life. After a few seconds of thought, he realized he'd be willing to do this and anything else she needed of him just because he loved her.

"Yeah, well, she's too awesome to not love."

Author's Note

Written by FamousLastWords.

BONUS CHAPTER: Mercal - the ninja king

I look around as I sit Ponyville hospital with a piece of paper in my hooves and next to me is my husband Spike. We are waiting for my test results to come in. Its not for any illness of any kind I am perfectly fine, its a test to know if I pregnant or not.

“Remember, Spike, if the test comes back negative we can always adopt,” I said, lifting my head.

“I know, Dash,” he said. We both want a kid but we don’t know if we can because he is a dragon and I am a pony. We read every book about ponies and relationships with dragons in Twilight’s castle and it all said that dragons and ponies can’t have kids. We asked Celestia and Zecora and they gave the same answer: We cant have children. There weren't even any spells that could be cast to make us to have a kid without changing our species.

Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich didn't believe a word that Zecora, Celestia, and the book said. So the two went to Canterlot for a week mostly reading about dragons and ponies sexual anatomy. The other time was spent partying and looking at orphanages so we can adopt a kid. When they came back, they, like everyone else, said we cant have children.

But they gave me a piece of paper (which is the one I have in my hooves) that had every orphanage that was in Canterlot. We were about to give up on having kids of our own, but Spike suggested that I have a blood test to see if I could be pregnant, despite everything everypony has said.

I snap out of my thoughts as the doors open and Nurse Red Heart came out. She had a happy expression on her face and a clipboard popping out of her saddlebag as she walks to us. “I have good news and greater news!”

“Can you tell the good news first?” Spike asked with excitement.

“Well we now know that dragons are able to have children with ponies,” Nurse Read heart said. When she finished Spike and I smiled as tears of joy were coming from our eyes. We looked at my belly and just imagining it getting bigger, knowing we are going to have a child of our own.

Author's Note

Written by the ninja king.

STUFFED ANIMAL PLUSHIES - Vexy

"Whoa! What the hay, Spike?" Rainbow exclaimed as she got up and brushed herself down. "What's with all the soft toys?"

Spike groaned from the floor. "It's not what it looks like, I swear!" he said. "Just let me explain!"

Rainbow snickered and picked one up. It was a soft toy replica of a golden dragon. "Cute."

"R-Rainbow, you see. I don't know where these came from! I think they're Twilight's. They must be Twilights, yeah!" Spike said quickly. "They just happened to be in the room when you crashed in here."

"Twilight's, huh?" she giggled. "Well, I'm not going to lie: these are pretty cool." She waved the plushie in the air and laughed. "This is actually pretty well designed." She gave Spike a serious look. "I didn't know you were into soft toys, though."

"No!" Spike cried, blushing wildly. He scrambled to pick up the remaining soft toys. "I swear it's not like that!"

Rainbow giggled again, but looked down at the plushie longingly. "This is kinda awesome," she said slowly. "I didn't really know anypony else liked soft toys."

"I don't—wait, anypony else?" Spike inquired.

Rainbow blushed. "Er, you know what, it doesn't matter," she said quickly. "Just forget about it. You wouldn't happen to have the sequel to that book you gave me last week? You know, Earthbound. That was a really cool read!"

"Hey, back up, Rainbow. Did you just say you were into soft toys?" Spike asked hopefully.

Rainbow looked around hastily before shooting a glare at Spike. "Keep it down, will ya?" she hissed, flying over to him. "I've got a rep to maintain!"

"You do like them!?" Spike gasped. "Man, that's so awesome!" He paused. "Weird and unexpected, but awesome!"

"Yeah well don't go telling anypony about it, or you're going to be one doomed dragon," she growled.

Spike raised his arms defensively. "Hey, your secret's safe with me… as long as you keep mine," he offered.

Rainbow thought about the offer for a moment and then nodded. "Okay. Deal."

"Good."

"Alright then."

"Cool," Spike replied.

"Yep."

The two lasped into an awkward silence, neither sure of what to say. Suddenly Rainbow broke the silence. "Hey, you wanna come over sometime? I've never really met a guy who's into soft toys before."

"Sure!" Spike said enthusiastically. His eyes widened and he cleared his throat. "I mean, er, yeah that sounds kinda cool."

Rainbow grinned. "Cool." She cleared her throat and backed away again. "Anyway, about that book…"

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Famous - Pontiac56

"Hey Dash, can you help me get famous?"

The newly minted Wonderbolt just looked at the drake in front of her with an odd expression.

"Um, what?"

Spike just gave a sigh before looking back at her, "I asked if you could help me get famous."

"No no, I heard you, I meant, why? You've never really cared about getting famous before? What's up?" Rainbow asked as she fluttered down to look him in the eye. This was a little easier than it used to be due to the height he had gained over the years. With all four of her hooves on the ground, his bipedal form now stood just a head taller than her.

The dragon rubbed the back of his head as he looked away from her, but she knew that he knew that this gesture was pointless, and if she wanted to know what was up, he was going to tell her what was up. Finally with another sigh he complied.

"Look it's just… over the years all of you girls have accomplished so many great things. Rarity managed to set up a franchise of her stores in Canterlot and Manehatten, Fluttershy managed to create that nature preserve for rare and endangered species, Pinkie managed to get her parties noticed by all the big wigs of Equestria when she held Princess Luna's birthday last year, Twilight is a Princess, and of course you just managed to achieve your dream of joining the Wonderbolts." he smiled at her as he said this, and Rainbow felt a surge of pride in herself at her accomplishment. However the good vibe dropped as Spike's smile disappeared and a more sombre looked took over his features.

"But me… I haven't really done all that much. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've been along with you girls on your adventures every now and again, but most of the time I was too young to go, or I was simply overlooked. I never really minded all that much. You girls were the heroes, not me. It's just that… now that I'm older, I can start to do things for myself. Earn a little recognition. Find a path for myself. The problem, though, is that I'm a dragon."

"Hey and what's wrong with that!? There's nothing wrong with being a dragon!" the pegasus barked with an angry look on her face that gave him pause. Rainbow had never liked ponies putting themselves down, especially over something as trivial as their looks, and Spike was no exception. For a moment, he stared at her stern magenta eyes before a half smile came to him.

"I know, I know. Heck I love being a dragon. The hard scales, the fire breath. It's awesome. But unfortunately, older dragons don't have a good rep in Equestria. With good reason too, the rest of my kind aren't the friendliest bunch. It means though that ponies tend to see me in the same light. The last few trips to Canterlot to visit Twi haven’t been all that pleasant, and Manehatten wasn’t much better when Rarity asked me to come visit last week. Ponyville has been my home for years now, but as its reputation has grown, more and more ponies have moved here and soon I’ll start getting scared and angry looks here too.” The purple dragon gave a sigh and looked to the ground, a few bad memories flashing through his head.

Rainbow wasn’t sure what to say at this point. Spike had been in Ponyville for so long now, and she had never ever seen him as some kind of fearsome angry reptile like the rest of the dragon race. He had always been Spike, the dependable, brave and loyal dragon who always stood by his friends and went out of his way to help them no matter what.

Just thinking about what a great guy he was sent an odd feeling through Rainbow’s heart. Before she could question it though, Spike had turned to look at her again, this time with a hopeful smile on his face.

“But I realized that if I could get some fame for myself, then ponies coming to Ponyville would be aware of me. I don’t really want to be a celebrity or anything, but if I can get my name around town, then it might just be exactly what I need to stop ponies being angry and afraid. So I was hoping you could help me come up with some ideas to get some notice around town.”

Seeing the hope in his eyes, and imagining the sorrow that must come with being seen as a monster, Rainbow immediately knew her answer.

“Of course I’ll help Spike. There’s nopony better for earning fame and recognition. Why I bet I’ll have your name in the local paper by tomorrow morning!”

Five hours, two chariot accidents, a market place covered in exploded fruits and vegetables, a burned field and a just one demolished barn later, and Rainbow was absolutely convinced Spike would be in the papers.

Just not in a good way.

Wiping off some timber remains that had gotten stuck between his scales as he and Rainbow had fled from Sweet Apple Acres and from an enraged Applejack, Spike was looking very displeased.

With a resigned sigh, he turned his attention to Rainbow who was trying to come up with a new plan to get Spike famous, since confiscating the dynamite the Cutie Mark Crusaders had acquired (she was going to get a straight answer out of Scoot’s later about just how they had gotten their hooves on explosives) and storing it safely out of sight in the barn to protect Ponyville hadn’t worked out very well.

“Well thanks for your help Rainbow, but it looks like I’m just gonna have to live with getting some uncomfortable stares for a while.” He started to walk away when a prismatic blur over took him and he found himself gripped tightly in Rainbow’s hooves.

“Now you listen here, Spike. I know today didn’t go well, but I am not gonna stop until ponies see you right. You shouldn’t get looked at like your some kind of monster just because you aren’t a pony. You are a brave, strong and handsome dragon, and I will not stop until all of Ponyville can see it.”

Spike’s widened slightly and a slight smile came to his face as a word in that speech caught his attention, “Uh… handsome?”

Realizing what she had said, a slight blush came to her cheeks as she reared her head back, “Uh n-no, I said… uh… I said…” her stammering continued for a second before she was forcibly stopped as a pair of warm draconic lips pressed themselves over her own.

She was shocked for a moment before she relaxed and turned her grip on the dragon into an embrace, slowly closing her eyes to enjoy the feel of Spike’s kiss. It continued for a moment before the drake pulled back and smiled at her, “Ya know Rainbow, I always did think you were kinda cute.”

He had to move quick to avoid the left hook for that teasing remark. But as he ran back towards town, a happy/agitated Rainbow chasing after him, he felt a large amount of his anxiety leave him, replaced by a new warm feeling that he wasn’t in a hurry to see leave.

A week later, Rainbow and Spike sat in a booth at Sugarcube Corner, a newspaper laid out in front of them.

“Well, it’s not how I expected to get famous, but it is definitely something I am happy about.” Spike said, an arm wrapped around Rainbow as she gazed over the paper as well.

The picture showed the warm embrace they had shared, their lips intertwined and a happy bliss about them for all of Ponyville to see.

As the mare snuggled up to him, Spike couldn’t help but smile.

Author's Note

Written by Pontiac56.

BONUS CHAPTER: Nightmare - Ekhidna

Author's Note

Written by Ekhidna. Note, the characters are anthropomorphic.

This one's a little unorthodox, in that I receieved the entry by PM. I'm not one to turn away people who want to contribute their own part to this awesome ship, so I hope you enjoy this one.

BONUS CHAPTER: Nightmare - Ekhidna

“Ahhhhh!” Spike woke up with a loud scream breathing harshly.

“It’s alright, Spike. I’m here.” Rainbow Dash said hugging her husband tenderly, letting his head rest against her shoulder for him to calm down.

“S-sorry for waking you up, Dash.” he said after a minute of being held close by his wife.

“Shhh, it’s fine.” she said caressing his spines. “Was it ‘that’ one again?”

“Yeah.” Spike replied softly and a bit ashamed of himself. “Even after all we went through I still can’t put it behind me.” he said as he broke their embrace in order to look at his wife face. “I’m pathetic.”

“Hey now, don’t say that. You’re the general of the Equestrian army, I think Celestia wouldn’t have put you in charge if she thought of you as pathetic.” she kissed him softly on his lips before grinning at him “And I wouldn’t be your wife!”

Spike chuckled at that “Yeah, you pretty much only said yes because you thought I was awesome, like you!”

Rainbow tackled her husband down into the mattress, she knew he let her pin him down but didn’t care, she was in control now “What you did for us…….for me, I will never forget that, Spike.” she leaned down and kissed him deeply for a full minute before laying at his side again, resting her head against his chest. “Now forget about it, the girls are still here, I’m still here, with you and that’s all that matters.”

“I guess you’re right.” Spike wrapped his left arm around Rainbow’s back until his palm touched her slender waist. “Still, thank you for putting up with me, Love.”

“Always with the mushy stuff.” Rainbow said with a huff.

“I’m a hopeless romantic.” he kissed her forehead earning a soft giggle from her “Besides, you love it.” Spike relaxed as Rainbow snuggled closer to him, he closed his eyes before thinking on something. “Hey, Dash?”

“Mmmmm?” she responded.

“Do you have any nightmares?” Spike asked and silence followed for several seconds.

“Yeah, I have one.” Rainbow replied as she nuzzled his chest softly “Losing you.”

“And I’m the sappy one?” Spike asked with a small on his lips.

“Shut up, you big lug.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Dictionary - Vexy

Please… my lungs…" Spike gasped. "Tell Twilight I love her."

Rainbow Dash got up and brushed herself down, rolling her eyes. "You aren't banged up that bad, champ. Suck it up.

Spike groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, whimpering against the floorboards. "Why would you do this, Rainbow? You do this every time."

"Pfft, it's not every—"

"You've crashlanded on me five times this week now!" he groaned. "I infer you want another book?"

"Hay yeah! Just returning these babies, and I'm ready to take out some more." Rainbow grinned and scanned the shelves. "What've you got for me? Have you got another Sherlock Pones? Or maybe Artemis Foal? Or some other book with a really bad pony pun?"

Spike got up from the floor and snickered. "Man, you are such an poindexter, Rainbow."

She tilted her head at him. "Say what now?"

"Er," Spike shook his head a few times. "Just lemme identify those books and I'll put them back where they correspond."

Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow but handed over the books. "Spike, you feeling okay? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

"Nah, I feel excellent. Exceptional, wonderful!" he chirped, walking over to the bookcase.

"Are you hearing yourself?"

Placing the book on the bookshelf, Spike looked over his shoulder and gave her a questioning look. "Care to elaborate?"

"What's with all the weird words?" she asked.

"I can't comprehend what you're insinuating," Spike said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.

"You sound like a dictionary," Dash murmured.

Of course now, thanks to Twilight, she really liked books. Like, really liked books.

So they made out.

The End.

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Last Words - FierceRainbow

Spike’s eyes flew open with shock, his breath pounded out of him by a sudden impact crashing into the his chest, pushing him to the ground with a mighty thud. He wheezed breathlessly, looking up to see Rainbow Dash perched triumphantly over him.

“Ha! Gotcha,” she said, grinning like she’d just been invited to join the Wonderbolts. “You never saw me coming.”

Spike winced. “No, but I certainly felt it. Can’t you be a little more considerate with this poor little dragon?”

She purred leaning forwards so that their faces were almost touching. “Oh hush, you know you like it.”

His cheeks flushed slightly, he found himself unable to find the words to deny her claim, settling for a pout. Dash broke out into laughter. “Oh my gosh, you should see the look on the face!”

He scowled at her. “Hey!”

She chuckled, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. “Sorry, sorry, but your face did look pretty funny,” collecting herself, her expression once again shifted to that of a predator. She placed a light kiss upon the tip of his nose, her voice low and dangerous. “And now, you’re mine. Any last words?”

“Yeah,” Spike smirked. “Gotcha.”

At that moment, his long tail, which had previously been lying innocently on the floor, lashed out and wrapped itself around the soft rainbow strands of Dash’s tail, yanking her backwards. Just before she hit the ground, he reared up, sliding his hands around her back, and springing nimbly to his feet so that he leaned over her.

“No fair,” she grumbled, but the corners of her mouth were twitching like she wanted to smile.

Spike grinned victoriously, repeating her previous question. “Any last words?”

She gave a half-hearted attempt to wriggle free, but he held her tight. Rainbow Dash sighed.

“You win,” she said softly, reaching her hooves up to gently wrap around his neck, bringing their lips together.

Author's Note

Written by FierceRainbow.

Breakfast - Pontiac56

Rainbow made sure to hover as she departed the bedroom, to prevent the sound of her hooves waking her slumbering drakefriend.

Rainbow and Spike had been together for a whole year now, and today was their anniversary. Ever since they had gotten together, Rainbow couldn’t count how many times the generous dragon had gone out of his way to spoil her.

When she got home from work after a stressful day dealing with a rampant thunder cloud or fixing whatever mess Thunderlane made while attempting to show off for Cloud Chaser and Flitter, Spike would always give her a massage and run her a hot bath to soothe her muscles. If she was feeling under the weather and not able to get out of bed, he would make her some soup and read her a Daring Do book. If she felt sad or discouraged after a failed stunt he would hold her close before whispering praises in her ears and taking her out for a fun night on the town. He spoiled her rotten and she loved every second, just as much as she loved him.

The pegasus knew that he would do something special for her today, find some new way to spoil her and treat like a princess. She was eagerly waiting for it, but first she had something else to do.

Today, she was going to spoil him, just like he always did for her. She had prepared everything ahead of time and she was ready to make the start of his day something awesome.

She was going to cook him breakfast in bed.

Smiling to herself as she pictured the surprised and grateful look on his face when she presented him with a big plate of sapphire chipped pancakes, smothered in maple syrup and cooked to perfection. She would make him a nice hot cup of coffee and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to help wash it all down. Then the piece de resistance, she would cook him a plate of juicy hay bacon and sizzling fried eggs, coated with parsley and coriander. Ooh, she felt so giddy thinking about how she was going to spoil him that she didn’t notice she had reached the kitchen and smacked her head against the cupboard.

With an annoyed groan, Rainbow rubbed her forehead before returning to her task. After Spike had gone off to catch up with some of his stallion friends for his weekly poker game (she was so glad she had taught him how to play. Especially since he had the ultimate poker face and he regularly returned with four times the bits he left with), Rainbow had snuck back to the market to get all the supplies she would need to make her drake friend an awesome breakfast.

As she grabbed out her frying pan and kitchen utensils, she gave herself a proud smirk.

This was going to be the best breakfast ever.

‘RING! RING! RING!’

With a grumble, a sleepy dragon reached over to his nightstand and hit the off button, silencing the offending device. As he started to ignore the full purpose of the device and drift back to sleep, a shuffling caught his attention, and he looked towards the door of the bedroom.

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

Rainbow flapped her wings awkwardly, trying to keep herself airborne despite several of her feathers (and some of her mane) being clearly burned. In her hooves she held a tray filled with probably the oddest meal Spike had ever seen. The tray held a plate of slimy undercooked pancakes, coated in sapphire dust remains, a glass of orange juice filled with pulp and not a good amount of orange rind, a cup of coffee that could easily be mistaken for gravy and a final plate with something that was probably once food, but was now nothing but charcoal.

At his curious look, Rainbow just gave a disappointing sigh. “This was supposed to be a nice breakfast in bed for you. I got all the stuff yesterday while you were out and I made myself get up early so I could prepare it for you. I wanted to do something nice for our anniversary, but instead I just messed it up and made the worst breakfast ever.”

The sad expression on her face as she floated the wrecked breakfast to the nightstand was too much for Spike, and once she had put down the tray he pulled her into a warm strong hug.

“Hey, you didn’t mess anything up, honest. I’m a dragon, I can eat just about anything. Those pancakes, they look delicious. All covered in sapphire and smothered in syrup, I bet they will taste great. The orange juice and coffee, believe me, there is no way they could beat the abominations that Twilight would come up with when she cooked breakfast. As for what I’m assuming is hay bacon and eggs, I don’t think you realise just how tasty charcoal is to a dragon. Believe me Rainbow, this breakfast right here, is perfect.”

The pegasus raised her head from Spike’s chest to look into his warm eyes and she could just see the sincerity in them.

“W-well, I’m glad that you like it. I just wanted to spoil you for once, since you spoil me all the time and I’m never able to return the favour.”

Spike just looked at her for a moment before he gave a chuckle. This however quite upset the pegasus wrapped in his arms.

“Hey, stop laughing. Man, I go out of my way to do something nice and this is the thanks I get.”

She attempted move away from his, but the dragon held on tight and kept her close to his chest.

“I wasn’t laughing at you, Rainbow. I was just laughing about how you don’t think you spoil me.” When Rainbow gave him a curious look, he continued.

“Rainbow, you spoil me all the time. Every day I get to wake up to the most beautiful and amazing mare snuggled against me. I get to watch that amazing mare show me her tricks and stunts as she gracefully swerves through the air. I get to be the rock in that mare’s life, being there for her whenever she needs me, in a way she would never let anypony else. Rainbow, you spoil me every day, just by being with me.”

Rainbow just stared at him, a smile plastered across her muzzle and misty tears in her eyes. She gave him a tight squeeze as she said, “I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”

“No Rainbow, I’m the lucky one. Now, how about I polish off this wonderful meal you have made me and we have ourselves the best anniversary ever.”

Rainbow smiled and nodded, just waiting for how he would spoil her next.

Author's Note

Written by Pontiac56.

Gender - Creed

I slowly open my eyes, my head steadily pounding as I sit myself up. I sigh as I stretch my arms. I had another rough night with the purple alicorn mare I call my guardian, her chores had me going insane. She made me organize her books in several different ways: by author, by name, by publisher, by color of the book, or by if there was a picture or not on it. She had me sweep, mop, and shampoo the entire castle, the crystal floors had to sparkle or my hiney was out the door.

I look to my left, my partner lying beside me. Her colorful rainbow mane lies over the pillow, her head snuggling into it as she lightly snores. Even though her snoring sometimes could get a bit too much for me to handle, I still enjoyed lying next to her. Her athletic cyan body was something that any stallion would want. She has curves in all the right places.

I sigh and throw off the covers. I need to get up and make her breakfast. She’ll wake up soon, and what better way to surprise her and make her happy than a nice tasty jelly and hay sandwich. I hop off the bed, my usual struggle due to my awkward morning capitalization now feeling nonexistent.

I stop and raise an eyebrow at the thought.

Why didn’t my morning glory pop up?

It’s usually up and at 'em.

My mind cuts me off as I contemplate over this. I look back over the usual struggle of keeping down the little version of me in the morning. Dash always drove me wild. Lying next to her had me going faster than any Rainboom I’ve ever been in.

So… why all of a sudden am I deflated?

I look down and gasp.

There’s the problem.

I scream.

That’s not my voice.

My mare hears my scream and wakes up, pushing off the bed with a swift flap of her large, strong feathery wings. She clamps onto me as I scream, her hooves wrapping around my waist.

Her feminine tone comes out as raspy as ever. “Spike, what’s wrong?”

“Dash!” I yell, my voice just shocking me into a new realm of horror. “Why is my voice like this?”

Dash’s eyes widen. “Spike, don’t you remember?”

My left eyebrow migrates northward. “Remember what?”

She smirks and kisses me on the lips. “You wanted to feel how I felt when you took me on a wild ride.”

“So what does that mean?”

“That we’re…” she begins, her tone sounding very uneasy. “We’re swapped.”

“What!” I shout. This had to be a joke.

“You wanted to be the rider, so I asked Twilight to switch us around a bit.” She licks my cheek. “And I wanted another round soon…”

Whoa…

“I don’t know, Dash,” I say. I mentally slap my brain. She’s giving me another round and my mind wants to get a cold sore? Whenever she offers, I usually jump at it!

Dash’s eyes flicker, her blinks rapid and unnatural. “Well think about it soon, because I’m all revved up and I want t—”

“Rainbow Dash?” I ask.

“Yeah?”

“Why is there a spatula attached to your crotch?”

The light shines on her crotch, and as I stated, the platinum tool stands straight up at me. “Aw, drat!” Rainbow whines, her expression forlorn. “Now we can’t let the good times roll!”

“What do you mean?” I ask. “Because it sounds to me like you tried to rock me socks off.”

“No!” Rainbow Dash answers, waving her hooves at me anxiously. “This was a complete misunderstanding! Twilight cast the wrong spell!” Rainbow Dash whimpers, tears beginning to escape her eyes. “I just wanted to surprise you this morning and…”

Now it’s my turn to comfort her.

I stop her train of thought by hugging her, bringing her close to me as our bodies rub against each other. She gasps before nuzzling into my neck. “Spike…” she says.

“Rainbow, she didn’t cast a spell on you,” I proclaim bluntly.

She lets out a relaxed hum in response.

“Right, because she was taking a break this week. As a result, I think she taped this spatula to you when you weren’t looking.”

She continues nuzzling into my neck.

“But I still wonder…”

“What?” Rainbow Dash says as she pulls away from my neck.

“Why the hay do I sound like a chick?”

Rainbow Dash licks her lips. “Because that was part of the spell…”

With that, Rainbow locks lips with her lover as they sink into their bed…

...and the sound of breakfast for one pegasus mare being flipped over and cooked just right.

Author's Note

Written by Creed.

This was interesting to proofread, to say the least. :rainbowlaugh:

BONUS CHAPTER: Nightmare - DARKPHANTOM13

No…

“I’m sorry,” The doctor said with a sad and tired look on his face.

No.

“We did everything we could, the damage to his heart was just too severe.”

This isn’t happening.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” A nurse came up and pulled a white blanket over my boyfriend’s body and face.

This can’t be happening.

“I’ll give you a moment.” Both the doctor and nurse left room, leaving myself and his body on the cold table. I just stared at the table. I don’t even know when I started to cry. My hooves moved on their own accord and found myself looking at Spike’s body. The dam burst as I threw myself at him crying my eyes out.

How did everything end up like this? It was just a normal day. I woke up, had breakfast, and went work. By the time I got home Spike was already there waiting for me to spend the afternoon together. We spent the afternoon together until somepony broke the door and tried to rob us.

I was the first to act and tackled the creep but he managed buck me off of him. He pulled out a small crossbow he had on him and pointed at me. I closed my eyes and heard him fire it, but didn’t feel any pain. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Spike standing in front of me. He looked at me over his shoulder and gave me a pained smile. He suddenly fell face first on the ground with his blood slowly pooling under him. I didn’t even notice that the burglar had escaped. I quickly picked the dragon up and flew him as fast as I safely could to the hospital. But it was all for nothing. Spike, the dorky dragon that confessed to me, that held and loved me, that did everything he could to make me happy, is dead.

“Dash.” I heard a familiar voice coming from nearby.

“Dash.” I looked up and saw Spike head move to look at me.

“Dash!”

I shot up screaming until I felt a familiar pair of scaled arms wrap around my neck.

“Shh, it’s okay Rainbow, it’s alright,” Spike said in a calming tone.

“Spike, you’re alive!” I yelled.

“Of course I’m alive. Why wouldn’t I be?” I was about to answer when it all came back to me. While Spike did take the bolt for me he was hit in the shoulder not his heart. And that I spent last night sleeping with him on his hospital bed. “Are you alright?” He asked with a worried a look on his face. “You were crying in your sleep.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I wrapped my forearms around his chest, making sure to be careful with his bandages. I kissed him on the lips before I cuddled up to his chest. “Just a bad dream.”

Author's Note

Written by DARKPHANTOM13.

We appear to have a theme of bonus chapters being the prompt 'Nightmare' :rainbowlaugh:

Lucid Dreaming - TheMessenger

Do you know who flies? Birds fly. Butterflies fly. Pegasi fly. Pinkie Pie flies.

Dragons fly.

Well, most dragons fly, I don't. I simply can't, I don't have wings. I don't have those cool leathery ones you see on most dragons or the soft feathery ones pegasi have or even the kind of wings made of gossamer and morning dew. I don't have any wings, simple as that. Twilight always tells me maybe one day, when I'm older and more mature, I'll get my wings, but for now at least I can ride a hot air balloon.

I'm not in a balloon basket right now. I am in the sky. I know I don't have any wings, but I am flying. I know that these wings on my back, with their beautiful fluffy white feathers, don't belong to any dragon. I think I'm a pretty smart guy, being raised by Princess Twilight Sparkle and all, so I'm a little disappointed in myself for taking so long to figure all this out.

I'm dreaming, of course. This, all this, these clouds in front of my face and below me and these wings of mine, is just a dream.

Might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Who knows when the next time will be when I get this chance, if ever. I twist my body, and suddenly my direction changes. Twist in the opposite direction, and now I bank to the right. My wings move to the rhythm of my heart. It feels so natural, flying like this. Everything responds perfectly. I've never felt more confident with my body than I do right now. It's so exhilarating, so...free.

Of course, it's just a dream. Why wouldn't it feel natural? What kind of fantasy would this be if this was difficult, if this actually required effort?

The wind flows through my feathers, sending a chill down my spine. It almost feels real, did I forget to close the window last night? I can't remember, but it doesn't matter; that's Conscious Spike's problem, not mine.

I hear a scream from below, scream that I recognize. My heart nearly stops as my eyes are drawn straight to the source. I don't need to think, my body reacts instinctively; I dive. My wings beat rapidly in an effort to push me down faster, but it's not working. They are growing more and more fatigued as I push them to the limits.

I straighten my back and my neck, trying to reduce the amount of my body that faces air resistance. I suck in my stomach. It is still not enough. My wings fold against my sides, and now I fall like a stone, shooting down through the sky like an arrow.

I can see Rarity's beautiful face now. Tears smear her mascara, and the synthetic feathers of her headpiece are falling up. She is panicking, her limbs flailing about. I try to shout out, to tell her to calm down, that I'm right here, but her screams and the roar of the wind makes it impossible for me to be heard. I have no choice, I need to reach out and grab Rarity, then recover flight.

I've had many variations of this dream. Not this one in particular, but several like it. The damsel is in distress, and I, the hero, saves her. I've worn armor, carried a lance, fought off hoards of savages, but this is the first time I've had wings before.

I reach out, the tips of my claw barely brushing her fur. Gritting my teeth, I stretch further. There is pain in my shoulder now, but I force myself further. I close my eyes, biting down on my tongue to stop myself from crying out in pain. I open my eyes, and suddenly Rarity's hoof is in my face. My nose crumbles inward as it collides with that well manicured hoof.

My stance falls apart. Now I am the one flailing about. Which way is up? Where is down? I can't tell, all I see is blue from the sky.

I spread out my wings, hoping to avert or at least slow my descent. I hear a tear, and feel my wings fall apart. I watch helplessly as those white feathers float upward while I continue to fall. I see Rarity in the forelegs of a gray pegasus with a white mane. I try to cry for help, but it is useless. There's too much distance, they're too far away to even hear my scream or see me.

The dream has become a nightmare, but at least it's nothing more than that. It is a bit disheartening that such a lovely dream ended so poorly.

But it's not over yet. I hear an impossibly loud noise, like the thunder only so many times louder. I look up and gasp at the circles of colors above. I can see something fall towards me. No, not something, somepony. A blue pegasus, her cyan coat barely visible in the blue sky. I track her by her colorful mane.

I can see Rainbow Dash's face now. Her features are frozen in a snarl as she dives toward me. She's fighting to keep her eyes open, despite the stinging wind. She reaches her hoof out. Her lips move, but I can't hear her.

I extend my arm up, reaching for her hoof. I close my eyes. This is all just a dream. When I open them, I know I will find myself in bed, with my face wet with sweat. This is just a dream, and I will awaken before Rainbow Dash can save me.

This is all just a dream.

...

Then why am I still falling?

Author's Note

Written by TheMessenger.

Fireworks - Pontiac56

He had been at it all day.

It started in the morning when Applejack was bringing her supply of apples to the market. The farmer had been pulling her wagon into town when she had spotted Spike talking with none other than the Great and Powerful Trixie, who had parked her own wagon on the side of the path. She had watched curiously as Trixie and Spike unloaded a large crate before shaking hooves and parting ways. Applejack watched as Spike spread his wings and hauled the crate away before realising she had wasted quite a bit of time watching the odd encounter and resumed her journey into town.

Later Rarity spotted him conversing with the Mayor outside of town hall, the crate still with him. It confused the fashionista, as while Spike had been known to make the odd trip to Town Hall to get permits and documentation for Twilight’s experiments, she knew Spike had specifically asked Twilight for the day off today and shouldn’t have had any reason to speak with the mayor. But speaking with her he was, and Rarity became more confused as the Mayor’s secretary came out holding a form, which the dragon signed and returned. Finally with a smile and a wave, Spike took to the air again, the crate held firmly in his claws as he headed out towards the hillside that overlooked the town. When Rarity approached Mayor Mare about this, the earth pony just gave a giddy smile with a twinkle in her eye and said he had obtained a permit for a fireworks show that night. When pressed for more details, the Mayor simply told her she had sworn to keep his reasoning a secret, but that she would find out that night if she looked the sky.

Fluttershy and Twilight encountered him atop of the hillside as they returned from a survey of the local plants and animals in Froggy Bottom Bog. The ponies watched puzzled as the dragon looked over a map of the area with designated positions for something marked upon it. They were even more confused as he opened the crate and started planting sticks of fireworks in specific locations over the hillside. When the two asked him what he was up to, he just gave them a wink and told them to keep a lookout that night.

It was in the early afternoon when Pinkie encountered him as he arrived at Sugarcube corner. He asked if she could prepare him a large picnic basket for that evening as he had something special planned. Pinkie Pie had planned to ask him why he would need a picnic, when she recieved an odd twitch in her back before her back legs kicked out. Spike was confused but Pinkie Pie just gave him a sly smile and explained it was a very special Pinkie Sense, and that she wouldn’t say a word to anypony. Once he realised what she had figured out, he gave a blush and thank you before heading off to pick up some fresh apple cider from the Apple family.

Finally that evening, the last member of the group arrived after her Wonderbolt training. Rainbow had just landed in front of her cloud house when she noticed a note attached to the door stating:

Hi my Rainbow

Meet me up on the hillside over Ponyville. I've got a surprise for you.

And Cider.

So yeah, meet me when you read this.

Your Loving DrakeFriend Spike

Rainbow gave a smirk, unsure what Spike was up to, but excited to see what he had planned. With a flap of her wings she was airborn and on her way.

She found him waiting by a quilted rug with a picnic basket filled with sweets and a bottle of the Apple’s finest cider.

“This looks awesome Spike, but what’s the occasion?”

Spike just smiled and gave her a kiss before beckoning her to take a seat with him on the quilt.

“Something special, something that I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while. Of course something like this, for somepony as awesome as you deserves nothing short of a spectacular performance.”

With that the drake let loose a breath of fire over a long cord connected to his fireworks. As the emerald spark shots forth, Rainbow could take in over a dozen sets of fireworks planted over the hillside.

Settling herself next to her dragon, Rainbow watched as the first of the fireworks was set off. Shooting up into the sky, the little rocket exploded into a dazzling array of colours, followed by another and another. Soon the sky across Ponyville was set ablaze with lights covering every spectrum. There were explosions so blue they were almost white, burning red bursts that streaked through the night, sparks of sizzling yellow that flashed like lightening. Green embers and purple stars all scattering across the blackness of the night. It was the most beautiful sight Rainbow had seen. Then the final firework shot into the sky and she froze. Displayed in every colour of the rainbow, the sky was filled with a question.

RAINBOW DASH WILL YOU MARRY ME

She felt her dragon shift next to her and suddenly a diamond bracelet that sparkled with all the colours of her mane drifted in front of her.

“Told you I’d need a spectacular performance for this. You light up the sky for me everyday, so I figured that for something as special as this, I needed to do the same for you. So my beautiful Rainbow, what do you say?”

The Pegasus turned to him, tears in her eyes and the biggest smile he had ever seen on her face.

“After a performance like that, how could I say no.”

As the ponies of Ponyville cheered, Rainbow and Spike closed together for a kiss, letting the lights of the fireworks wash over them.

Author's Note

Written by Pontiac56.

Living Arrangements - Vexy

Spike was sat across from Twilight, a cup of tea resting in his claws. It had never been his choice of drink, but Twilight had taken to it at some point after she had promised to cut down on coffee. He wasn’t sure whether tea was any better for her health than coffee, but regardless, she had fulfilled her promise and cut back to just one coffee a day.

The two were sat next to a roaring fireplace in Twilight’s crystal castle. It was the only noise that filled the long expanse of silence. Not for the first time, Spike found himself staring at the brown liquid, swirling it around his cup experimentally. He took a sip, the bitter drink slightly scalding his tongue. Twilight had forgotten to add sugar again.

Spike was about to make a comment on the absence of sugar in his tea, but Twilight cleared her throat, breaking the silence.

“So it’s all been decided, then?” she asked, placing her own tea on the table next to her. Despite all the caffeine she took in, she looked tired. Spike wasn’t sure whether that was due to the lack of sleep or just the drain from the last few days. Princess Twilight preferred to keep her hooves full.

“Y-yes,” Spike said, clearing his own throat due to its disuse. “It’s what I want to do.”

Twilight said nothing. She simply stared right into his eyes, and he stared back. Her eyebrows were arched, betraying the pain hidden just behind her purple irises. She must have realized that she’d been staring for too long as she coughed quietly and looked away, picking up her tea once again.

“You can always come visit, you know,” Spike offered hopefully. “I mean, you’ve got wings too. You’ve had them longer than I have.”

“I know,” Twilight replied quietly. “I know.”

Spike had hoped she might say more, anything to let him know what she was thinking. Instead her eyes crawled over to the fireplace, the shadow of a frown tugging at her lips.

“Twi…” Spike said softly, “you’re happy for me, right?”

Her gaze snapped back to Spike like a whip. “Spike,” she said firmly, “of course I’m happy for you, and I’m so, so proud of you—”

“Then tell me what’s up, then,” Spike interrupted. “You’ve been acting up since I told you. You keep tapping your hoof against the chair and avoiding my gaze. Don’t think I’m not going to notice when something’s bothering you.”

Twilight let out a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “I didn’t think you noticed that.”

“Of course I do,” Spike said with a gentle smile. “We’ve lived together since forever.”

“Until now,” Twilight pointed out.

“Until now,” Spike replied.

Twilight didn’t respond to that. Spike glanced down at his claws and realized some dirt had been rubbed into the scales. The two of them lapsed into silence for a few seconds more, the elephant in the room refusing to be addressed.

“I really am happy for you,” Twilight repeated. “And Rainbow. I’m happy for you both. You deserve each other.” She blinked a few times, scratching an itch in her eye. “It’s just I want what’s best for you—”

“You don’t think it’s a good idea for me to move in with Rainbow?”

“No! That’s not what I meant!” Twilight said quickly. “What I mean is… I just… I can’t be there for you!”

Spike swirled her words around his mouth, tasting them, before he replied.

“You don’t always have to look after me, Twi,” he said slowly.

“I know that,” she said sadly. “I truly do. It’s just…” Her words faded away before she could voice them, and she stared sadly into the fire once again, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

“Twi?” Spike asked in concern, reaching over to place a claw on her hoof.

“I guess this is how Mr. and Mrs. Cake felt.”

“Huh?” Spike scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and cocked his head.

“When Pound and Pumpkin went off to College,” she continued. “When it was just them two at the bakery. When they were alone.”

Twilight’s voice cracked as she whispered the final word. She squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head.

“But I’m hardly here,” Spike reasoned. “I spend more time with Rainbow than I do here with you.”

“I know that,” Twilight said with a nod. “I’ve always known that you’d leave eventually. I guess I just didn’t know when to expect it. When you would say you didn’t want to live with me anymore.”

“Twilight,” Spike said sternly. “It’s not that I don’t want to live with you. It’s just that I want to be around Rainbow, I want to be with Rainbow.” He let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. “You both mean the world to me. But I can’t stay here forever.”

Twilight didn’t reply. She sighed and got up, walking slowly over to the bookshelf. After a few seconds of searching, she found what she was looking for and plucked the book from the shelf. Suspending it in her magical aura, she floated it over to Spike.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“It’s a photo album. I’ve been preparing it for a while. It’s got all the photos since we arrived here at Ponyville. It’s a photo album of us. Just you and me.”

Spike gawped in awe at the book in his hands. Delicately, he opened it to the first page, and a picture of his younger self stared back.

It was taken not even a year after they had arrived in Ponyville, when they had helped with the Winter Wrap Up for the first time.

“Twilight, I…” he breathed. “I don’t know what to say.”

Twilight giggled through her tears and walked over to give him a hug. “Just thank you will do, you big goofball.”

Spike returned the hug, closing his burning eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered back.

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Foals - TheMessenger

Giggles echoed down the castle's crystal halls. A loud crash followed along with a yelp and several softer thuds. A door was flung open and out of the room zoomed out a squealing little unicorn, her tiny horn cocooned in violet light as she levitated the bust of a bearded unicorn. Just as the filly escaped past the corner, a cyan pegasus flew after her, growling. A dragon with purple scales, barely larger than the pegasus mare before him, left the room next, his arms filled with books, paper, and broken quills.

A sudden burst of light appeared before him, causing Spike to fling the articles he had been carrying into the air in surprise. The purple filly giggled before disappearing again in a flash. Groaning, Spike bent down to pick up the things he had dropped, only for the papers to fly out of reach as a gust of wind passed by, leaving behind a trail of rainbows. With a sigh, the dragon stepped over the mess and chased after the rainbows.

Another crash filled the castle, this time mixed with the clanks and clunks of metal banging against the floor. Spike hurried forward toward the source and found Rainbow Dash sprawled on the floor, surrounded by the pieces of a previously full set of armor.

Underneath his scales, Spike turned pale. "Oh no, please let that not be a scratch."

"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks for asking," Rainbow grumbled, tearing off the helmet from her head. Spike winced as the pegasus tossed it unceremoniously to the side. "What? It's just armor."

"That was one of the original sets belonging to the first captain of the Crystal Empire," Spike explained, helping Rainbow Dash to her feet. "Shining Armor's so going to kill you after Twilight kills you for losing her daughter."

"Kill me?" Rainbow Dash huffed and started hurrying past the corridor. "Hey, at least I got off my butt to go after her. What were you doing? Besides, Twilight's little devil is your responsibility, not mine."

Spike struggled to keep up. "You're the one who offered to hang out."

"Yeah, hang out, maybe catch a movie, have fun," Rainbow said, frowning. "Spending my night taking care of some foal who can turn half the books in the library into paper bats is not my idea of fun."

"It's not that bad."

"Spike, I still have bruises from being beaten by an encyclopedia—"

"It was an atlas."

"Bruises! I have bruises from being beaten by an atlas, I won't be able to look at another Daring Do book again without cringing, and I think I might have a paper cut." Rainbow Dash took a moment to shoot a glare at the dragon running behind her. "Tell me, how exactly has this not been that bad?"

"...okay, I've got nothing," Spike admitted. "But I'm sure tonight will end just fine, trust me."

Rainbow snorted. "Face it, date night was a complete disaster. The castle's a mess, the baby's missing, and Twilight'll be home in ten minutes so we can look forward to a lecture later."

"Well, at least we'll be facing it together," said Spike, flashing a quick grin.

The pegasus shook her head. "You're such a dork," she said. Despite herself, the edges of her mouth were tilted upward. "But really, unless that foal ends up teleporting into our arms, there's no way—"

A sudden flash silenced Rainbow Dash. She inhaled sharply. "Is she in your arms?" she asked with gritted teeth.

"Yep."

"Spa!" the unicorn screeched, trying to wrap her short legs around Spike. "Spa-ba!"

"Yeah, you got me, you got me," Spike cooed, rubbing his nose in the foal's belly. She giggled and screamed playfully, waving her hooves wildly and hitting the dragon ineffectually. Rainbow Dash turned around and gagged.

Spike offered the child toward her. "You want to hold her?" he asked.

"Hah, yeah right. No way, no thanks." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes started forward. "Let's get that miniature monster in that magic resistant cage of hers and try to clean what we can."

"It's a crib."

"Crib, cage, whatever."

The three, dragon, mare, and foal, made their way through the castle in silence, save for the babbles of the baby. Every now and then, the unicorn's horn would start to shine, only for the light to flicker out once Spike puckered his lips and blew raspberries into her stomach.

"Hey, Rainbow?" Spike asked after a while.

"No."

"But I want one," the dragon whined. "Please?"

"No foals," Rainbow answered sternly.

"Come on, think about it. We can get Twilight to babysit our little flying fire-breather."

"...I'll think about it. And I get to name her."

Author's Note

Written by TheMessenger.

Onions - DARKPHANTOM13

Rainbow Dash huffed as she set two heavy grocery bags onto the counter top. Her husband for a year, Spike, was out at that moment mining some gems for himself and his work. While he was out RD had decided to surprise the drake by making dinner for the two of them. Though the only hitch in the plan was that she couldn't remember the last time she actually cooked something that didn’t involve a microwave.

“Eh, how hard can it be?” she shrugged to herself as she opened a cookbook. She stopped at a page where the recipe sounded delicious. “Ohh, this looks fancy and it has onions, his favorite.”

“Hey, Dash, I’m home!” Spike yelled as he came inside with a bag full of gems. Though as soon as he stepped inside he smelled something burning and followed the smell to the kitchen. Inside he saw a frantic, crying, red-eyed Rainbow Dash trying to burn out a dish from the oven that had smoke billowing out of it. She turned to see her husband staring at her with a confused and amused expression on his face.

“Oh, um, hey Spike,” Rainbow said nervously. “I tried to make dinner, but it turns out that cooking isn’t my thing.”

Spike merely chuckled as she took the dish from the mare, dropped it into the sink, and doused it with water. “How about we go out to eat?”

“Sure, let me just get some eye drops into my eyes before we go,” Rainbow said with a smile.

“Why are your eyes red anyway?” Spike asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s those stupid onions,” she complained. “I don’t get how your eyes are always fine when you cut them.”

“That’s because I always put my membrane over my eyes when I’m dealing with onions and stuff.” The drake answered back with the smirk.

She could only let out a groan in reply and vow to never cook again.

Author's Note

Written by DARKPHANTOM13.

Wheat Bread - Vexy

"Are you serious?"

"What do you mean?"

Spike paused from rummaging through his cupboards to look behind him at Rainbow Dash. The mare in question was looking at him with an incredulous expression.

"What do you mean 'what do I mean'? Do you actually eat this stuff?" Rainbow questioned, prodding the slice of bread that Spike had put on her plate.

Spike looked from the bread to Rainbow Dash and then to the bread once more. Finally, he shrugged. "Looks like bread." His frown deepened. "Wait, you're not allergic to gluten or something?"

"What? No!" Rainbow said, rolling her eyes dramatically. "I'm talking about the bread. It's white bread."

Spike blinked twice before returning to the cupboard to see if he could find that jar of strawberry jelly he was looking for. "Yes, it's bread, Dash. Do you eat clouds over at your house or something?"

"Do you know how much healthier wheat bread is for you?" she inquired. "And it tastes better too."

At this, Spike turned around to raise his eyebrows at Rainbow. "Wait, you're complaining about the kind of bread I buy?"

"Well if you're gonna buy lame bread like this, I'm not sure you and I can see each other anymore," she replied, a coy smile dancing across her lips.

"You realize I've bought you your own toothbrush, your own towel, your own bar of soap and that shampoo that you like because you're over here so often, and now you want me to buy you wheat bread?"

"What's wrong with wheat bread?" she demanded with a grin.

"Well, it's inedible, but that's not what I was trying to say," he protested.

"You got something against wheat bread, huh?" Rainbow said with a smirk, trotting over to thrust her snout in his face. "You've got some real nerve, buddy!"

Spike groaned. "Fine, I'll buy wheat bread next time."

"Don't think I'll be stopping by again if you forget," she added.

"But only if you promise to stop stealing the duvet every time," Spike continued with a sly grin.

A frown tugged at Rainbow's lips, but another glance at the bread on her plate made up her mind for her. "Fine," she said. "Deal."

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Curiosity - FamousLastWords

“Oh, Spike…”

Rainbow Dash struggled in an effort to get out of bed, but failed miserably.

“Spike, I think I’m just going to stay in bed today,” Rainbow said, turning over to look at Spike. “I can barely move. My butt hurts so bad. Ugh!”

“Wow, Dash,” Spike said, trying to hold back a laugh. “Who knew that your curiosity would hurt so much, huh?”

“Shut it!” she replied, whacking him in the head with her hoof. “I blame you for this.”

“How am I responsible for your butt hurting?” Spike replied, rubbing his now sore cheek.

“Because! The whole thing was your idea in the first place!”

“No, I just brought it up in conversation. You were the one who just had to try it! I was more than content with just doing things the normal way.”

“Hmph, yeah whatever,” she said with a frown. “But you know just as well as I do that this wouldn’t have happened with you and your freakin’ dragon stamina. The first fifteen minutes was okay, but the thirty minutes after… I couldn’t take any more, yet you just had to finish anyway!”

“Awh, c’mon Dash,” Spike said, gently snuggling Rainbow Dash into his chest. “You know you had fun.”

“Well, maybe…” she said with a slight grin as she cuddled into her husband. “But still, you owe me a butt massage today. Think you can handle that?”

“Yeah, I think I can do that,” Spike said, gently running his claws over her cutie mark. “I’ll handle it just fine.”

“Good. Now, since I’m stuck in bed and you’re not, go bring me my favourite Daring Do book so we can read it together.”

Spike chuckled lightly. “Really? Are you sure you don’t wanna do the PonyX Glute workout again? Maybe it won’t hurt as bad this time.”

“No! That was the last time I try a new workout routine.”

“Fine, fine… We’ll just stay in bed all day if you want to.”

Rainbow tilted her head up and kissed Spike on the lips. “That’s what I want.”

Author's Note

Written by FamousLastWords… you can always rely on him to make an innuendo out of any prompt.

Confession - the ninja king

A certain purple dragoness was writing a poem on her desk as she was thinking of Rainbow Blitz. She turned as her door to her room opened to see Dusk Shine, her friend. “Barb, Blitz is back from Cloudsdale. So, you can finally tell him about your crush on him.”

“I hope so. See you later,” she said as she walked out of her chair. She hugged him and ran out of the library. When she was outside she flew to his house. When she arrived as his house she was a little nervous before she knocked Blitz’s front door. A few minutes later Blitz opened the door.

“Hi Barb, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“I just want to spend some time with you,” she replied. Blitz just shrugged and opened the door wider to let Barb in. “How was the Wonderbolts convention?”

“The convention was awesome!" Blitz said enthusiastically. "So what's happened around here?”

“Not much, it was pretty much the same.”

Okay, Barb time to ask him.

“How do you view me?” she asked.

Blitz was shocked when she asked that. “What do you mean Barb? I view you as a friend. Why do you—mph!”

He was interrupted by a kiss on the lips.

"Barb!" he said in a shocked voice and expression.

“I’m sorry! I’ll go!” she said before she ran out of his house. Blitz took a little while to recover before he chased after her. It took him a little while to spot her on a cloud slumped over. He grabbed a nearby cloud and moved it near her.

“So what was that all about?” he asked as he got closer to her.

“I have a confession to make. I love you as a lover. I stared to have a crush on you when I started on my training. I’m sorry I kissed you like that,” she said in a sad tone, convinced that she would be rejected.

“Don’t be sorry, someone like you deserves someone awesome like me,” he said as he got right next to Barb. Then out of nowhere Blitz pulled her into a kiss. When the kiss ended Barb had a huge smile on her face knowing that her crush loved her in return.

Author's Note

Written by the ninja king.

Anniversary -Ytterbius

Spike and Rainbow Dash had been married for about a year now, and their anniversary was coming up quick. Each was trying to find a suitable gift for their spouse. Rainbow Dash found her gift to be simple enough.

Gems. That's want I'll get Spike for our anniversary. He loves gems more than anything. She thought to herself, but then realized her mistake in that last sentence. Well, almost anything.

Spike, however, was having a slight bit of difficulty trying to come up with a gift for his wife.

Hmm, what do I do? The only thing I know she really enjoys is the Wonderbolts, but I can't afford to buy two tickets to the Wonderbolts show. That, and they're already sold out. Hmm…

At that moment, he came up with a plan for his anniversary, but he knew he had to be quick. After all, the special day was only a few days away.

This is it, Rainbow Dash. Today's the day. Don't chicken out. Just...calm down.

The cyan pegasus hid a potato sack behind her. She had spent the last few days, with Rarity's help of course, searching for the most exquisite and flawless gems possible. Spike deserved the best, and she knew it. Rarity had used her gem-finding spell, and she had dug them up and tossed them into a cart that was colored purple and green.

As she waited for Spike to come home from his job, she began to feel nervous. What if it wasn't what he wanted after all, and she had just messed it all up?

Meanwhile, Spike was talking to his boss, the owner of a very high-profile restaurant, asking for the day off. His boss accepted, and Spike had finally finished his planning. All that was left was to execute the plan, and pray to Celestia that nothing went wrong.

He came home early, and saw Rainbow Dash sitting in front of a big sack.

"Happy anniversary, Spike." She placed the sack in front of him, and he saw the best gems he had ever seen. Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and 24 carat diamonds were flooding his eyes. This was the second best thing that had ever happened to him.

"Wow, Rainbow. You really outdid yourself. Thanks."

The pegasus blushed, and she couldn't help but feel glad that her plan was a success.

"Now, about your gift…"

"What is it? Please tell me it's awesome!" Rainbow Dash became giddy with excitement.

"I reserved us two VIP seats at the the next available Wonderbolts show in Canterlot."

Rainbow's wings immediately shot up behind her. She began to turn a dark shade of red. Her smile increased about… 20%. All in the span of ten seconds flat.

Thousands of pegasi were cheering. A few were stomping their hooves. A certain pegasus/dragon couple were sitting in the VIP booth.

"Good afternoon, mares and gentlestallions, colts and fillies, foals of all ages. ARE YOU READY?!?!"

The cheering got a little louder.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!!”

The sound that followed could've possibly put Vinyl Scratch's music skills to shame.

"EVERYPONY GIVE IT UP! FOR!!!!! THE WONDERBOLTS!!!!!!!!!!"

Rainbow Dash and Spike cheered the loudest, and seconds later, caught on the newly-developed kiss-cam. They knew that nothing would make their day better than this.

Author's Note

Written by Ytterbius.

Parenthood - Vexy

“Why?”

“Because I say so.”

“Mom! Dad’s being mean again!”

“Do as he says, Streak.”

“But I don’t want to!”

“Streak, you can’t say this every time we have dinner.”

“Yes I can! You’re trying to poison me!”

“It’s broccoli. Ponies eat broccoli. It’s good for you.”

“It’s poison! And you’re not even a pony. How do you know what ponies like to eat?”

“Even though he’s a dragon, I’m pretty sure Spike knows what a vegetable is, Streaky. You haven’t got me on your side for this one.”

“Why not!”

“Broccoli’s good for you. It allows you to perform your best, and you shouldn’t be satisfied with anything but your best.”

“And it’s what we made for you—”

“Well, you made it, honey.”

“It’s what I made for you, and you’re going to sit here until it’s all gone.”

“Daaaaaaaad! You’re being so unfair!”

“No ifs or buts, young lady.”

“…I didn’t even say an if or a but.”

“Kid’s got you there, Spike.”

“Not helping, Dash!”

“Heh, sorry, but it’s true.”

“See, Dad. Even Mom agrees with me now.”

“Hey I didn’t say that!”

"Yes you did!"

“No I didn’t.”

“Yes you—”

“Alright, that’s enough, Streak. It’s time to see some of that broccoli disappear.”

“I don’t want to!”

“Don’t throw a tantrum on me.”

“I’m not going to eat it!”

“Well I guess someone’s not going to get dessert, then.”

“You can’t do this to me!”

“Streaky, honey, I’ll tell you what. You eat half that broccoli and I promise I’ll take you on one more flight.”

“Really?”

“Dash? Half?”

“Yes, really. And yes, half.”

“But that’s half a wasted—”

“Gross! It tastes like old horseshoes!”

“What did I tell you? Works a charm every time.”

“Dash…”

“Can we go flying tomorrow?”

“Alright, but go and choose a book to read later before bed.”

“Yay! Thanks Mom!”

“Pretty sure I was supposed to have a say in this…”

“Relax, Spike. It’s only half a broccoli. I’m sure she it won’t kill her.”

“I never thought you’d be better with kids than me.”

“Hey, you just need to know how to win ‘em over. Easy stuff.”

“Easier said than done.”

“…”

“…“

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Author's Note

Written by Vexy.

Hooves - Saro0fd3monz

"Welcome home, Dashie!" Pinkie cheered, tossing confetti into the air and blowing hard on her horn. The pegasus gave her excited friend a weary smile, turning to glance at all of her friends gathered there. All but one…

"Darling, you looked simply exhausted!" Rarity gasped, snatching away her bags to ease the load on her back.

"Yeah it's just… lots of work bein' a star, ya know?" Rainbow chuckled with a sigh.

"Well, it's about time they gave you a break, Rainbow. How long are you going to be staying?" Twilight wondered, assisting Rarity with the rest of Rainbow's things.

"It's a two month leave, but they offered me a third month what with everything I've been doin' lately," Rainbow replied, following her friends into town.

"Oh it's so wonderful to see you again, Rainbow. I mean, of course we saw all of your shows and we still wrote to each other, but it's nice having you home again." Fluttershy smiled. Rainbow couldn't help but feel jealous of her friend.

The wonderful motherly glow, the smile on her face, and the gentle bump she was developing. Rainbow had never thought she'd want to be a mother, but seeing Fluttershy and hearing about all of her plans had really hit home. She winced as she stomped on a rock, shaking her hoof and grumbling under her breath.

"Hm, Ah reckon yer plum tired o' walkin 'round, huh Dash?" Applejack pointed out, standing close to Fluttershy and ready to help at a moment's notice. After all, that was her niece or nephew the pegasus was walking around with.

"Yeah. I'm not really restricted from flying or anything but…"

"After doing it all day everyday, it's just as exhausting?" Twilight asked, answered only with a weary nod.

"What you need is some quality relaxation. I'm sure I could get you a day at the Spa!" Rarity said excitedly. Rainbow squeaked and shook her head.

"N-No it's cool, Rares, you don't have to do any of that!" she said quickly, her friends bursting into laughter.

"Lemme guess, still worried about 'em touchin' yer hooves?" Applejack grinned. Rainbow sighed as her shoulders slumped.

"Well… there is something else…" Twilight murmured, glancing upwards. The group of friends followed the alicorn's gaze to spot one Spike Swiftshrike hovering in the air with a clipboard, ordering ponies around.

Rainbow felt her heart catch in her throat.

"Twilight you didn't?!" She panicked.

"Of course I didn't! But you should. AHEM… SPIIIIKE!" Twilight called, grinning as the drake glanced down, a large smile gracing his lips as he spotted his friends. He shouted a few more orders before landing beside them.

He's bigger than I remember… Rainbow thought to herself.

"What's up, Twi… Rainbow! Oh wow, it's been a while," he chuckled.

"Y-yeah… Couple months… Sorry for kinda dropping everything on you…" Rainbow mumbled.

"Nah, it hasn't been all bad. Just some crazy weather from the forest, but the new guys are almost as good as you were. They just need someone keeping them on track." Spike shrugged, the pair hardly noticing as, one by one, their friends found a way to leave.

"So, how long are you gonna be in Ponyville?" Spike wondered as they walked side by side.

"Well, that depends…" Rainbow glanced around before moving closer to the dragon.

"How long is your break?" she whispered. Spike grinned and flared out his wings, the pegasus gasping as she was swept off her hooves and flown into the clouds. Spike would have to remember to properly thank Twilight and her idea to soundproof the clouds. Rainbow always squealed the loudest when he played with her hooves.

Author's Note

Written by Saro0fd3monz.

If you're interested in contributing, the thread can be found right here. The next prompt is: Fighting