My Little Pony Fan Fiction

Spike Through The Heart

By Kraven Ergeist

A/N: Since the comparison to a dating sim has been established, I now cannot help but envision Rainbow Dash as the tsundere character, though she also has many aspects of the genki girl as well. Will try to add a few more light-hearted moments to this chapter to counter-balance how heavy that last chapter was. Also, the italics at the start of this chapter are intended to be flash-forwards and not flash-backs, just in case that wasn't clear.

Chapter Three: A Dash of Color

Rainbow Dash stared blankly at the pale violet dragon hovering in front of her, interrupting what had otherwise been a rather delightful midday nap on her favorite sleeping cloud.

"No," she said bluntly, before curling back up into a ball.

Spike, the erstwhile dragon, having recently grown a pair of wings, was struggling to stay aloft, barely managing to stay at eye-level with Rainbow Dash.

"Aww, come on!" he pleaded with her. "Please!?"

The blue pegasus simply lifted a hoof, waving him off.

"Ask me again some other time, Spike," she said dismissively. "I'm busy right now."

"You're not doing anything!" Spike protested, before wavering precariously in the air. "You're just napping!"

"In my book, that counts as busy," she said, grumpily. "Now go bother some-pony else, would you?"

It had been a few weeks since Spike's return to Ponyville after spending a year trying to make a life for himself all across Equestria. After a single heated night of passion, he and Twilight Sparkle had parted ways under uncertain terms. His experience with Twilight had made him realize how little control he had over his own life. He hadn't really known what he was looking for, all he knew is that he didn't want to be forever known as Twilight's assistant. He had tried various odd jobs everywhere from Appleloosa to Applewood, had even gone in search of other dragons. There he had encountered an ancient dragon who had somehow unlocked the next stage of his evolution with some draconic mumbo-jumbo. This had eventually resulted in a pair of purple and green wings on Spike's back.

Unfortunately, the growth spurt had come with a number of side effects, including nightmares and sleep-walking, causing him to get lost in the woods one night. He would have likely died of exposure if Fluttershy had not found him by some miracle and brought him back to Ponyville where he had recuperated and familiarized himself with his new wings. He had spent three days resting at Fluttershy's place, and what had started as an innocent stay-over had blossomed into so much more. But it seemed as though it had not been meant to be - one word from Twilight, it seemed, and Fluttershy had called off all the plans she and Spike had made, and he found himself once again without a home.

"Ask me some other time, Spike," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she flew up towards her cloud home.

"That's what you said last time I asked!" the dragon said, flapping his wings desperately to stay aloft.

"Yeah, and it still applies," Rainbow said brusquely. "Now beat it. I've got a date with a Daring Do book and a bag of hay chips."

"But Rainbow Dash!" Spike cried out, before a gust of wind blew him off-kilter, and he went tumbling to the ground. "Whoa!"

It was hard not to feel resentful of Twilight even after all this time, and that she had come between him and Fluttershy had only made him less inclined to forgive her. Not wanting to leave Ponyville to once again be at the mercy of the big wide world out there, and not knowing what else to do, he did the only thing he knew how to do having grown up with Twilight Sparkle - he wrote a letter to Princess Celestia.

Before nightfall on the fourth day after returning to Ponyville, he had received her response, along with a small bag of bits. The letter had simply pleaded for him to give Princess Twilight some time and to be patient with her, and that hopefully a small allowance every week would be enough to keep him afloat while he figured things out. She had also made arrangements for him to stay in a small studio apartment in the heart of Ponyville, since living with Twilight was no longer an option.

Spike was relieved. He thought he would have to go begging one of his other friends to find living arrangements. While he was certain that any one of them would have had no problems taking him in for a little while at least, he was resistant to the idea of leaning on his friends so much for support. Leaning on the ruler of Equestria, however, was an endeavor that involved far less guilt. It may have had something to do with her being his caretaker while he was still a hatching, but as involved as Princess Celestia was with Twilight Sparkle, he still felt as though he could trust her not to be too candid with Twilight about his situation.

"Not now, Spike," Rainbow Dash said in agitation as she flew home with Spike trailing after her on foot. "I'm busy!"

"Oh, come on Rainbow Dash!" he called after her as he ran, craning his neck back to keep her in his sight. "I promise I won't be a bother!"

"You're already being a bother!" she retorted, before put on an extra boost of speed and left him in the dust.

"Wait!" he called out, before running headlong into a merchant's cart and falling over. "Oof!"

Spike had spent the next few days getting settling into his new apartment. It was small compared to the Crystal Library or even Fluttershy's house, but the room itself was larger than anything that had ever belonged only to him, so he had room to spare. It was part of a simple apartment complex with tiered outdoor entrances to each unit. The door opened to a kitchenette with a small table and two chairs, and to the left, the living area boasted a couch on the left side and a single bed in the back right corner. It was sparse and cozy, and it suited Spike just fine.

He had gone back to the Crystal Library to see about fetching his old belongings, and had found his things packed into several neat little boxes in the main hall, waiting for him as if whoever packed them had known that he had been coming, though Twilight herself was nowhere to be found. He had quietly ferried them to his new place, and unpacked his things into the small apartment complex. It was all there - everything from his bed sheets to his comic books, posters and action figures. He had taken very little with him when he'd left Ponyville, and even now he laughed at the prospect of taking his comic books or his toys with him on that dangerous trek across the wilderness. He supposed he ought to be grateful that Twilight had not seen fit to throw it all away.

He spent the next few days after that reading through the year's worth of back-issue comic books and other material he had missed out on - there had been several Daring Do books to catch up on - and before he knew it, he had blown through his entire week's allowance. He kept himself locked inside his apartment most of the time, reading his comic books, and generally being depressed. Several of his friends came by to check on him. Pinkie Pie in particular had adamantly thrown him a welcome back party, which he begrudgingly attended. Fluttershy and Twilight had both been absent.

Another week had gone by, and another allowance arrived for Spike in the mail, which he promptly spent on junk food. He had unopened letters piling up inside his door that he just couldn't bring himself to read. Every so often, he would receive a knock at his door, and find one of his friends outside, wondering if he wanted to join them for some activity or another. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, even Rarity had each personally come to check on him. He would smile nonchalantly and make up some excuse about how busy or tired he was, and they would try not to let their disappointment show.

At first, he hadn't even noticed that, aside from Twilight and Fluttershy, who he had not expected to see, Rainbow Dash was the only pony who had not yet bothered to come visit him.

One group of visitors that he had not expected to grace his doorstep, however, were the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Spike!" Apple Bloom had said as the other two stood to either side of her. "We heard you were back in town! We were gonna go skipping stones by the pond! Wanna come with us?"

All three of smiled as widely as they could and made that adorable squeaking noise that had become their trademark.

Spike smiled sadly at the three of them. They had each long since discovered their cutie marks, but that had not done anything to dampen their friendship with each other over the years. The three of them were still inseparable, though they had each grown significantly in the past few years, and the difference was even more starkly contrasted with Spike not having seen them for all of the last year. They were each out of school and had been hard at work putting their newly founded talents to good use all across Ponyville.

All this, Spike knew from hearsay and offhand comments from his other friends. But to see them each so grown yet still so carefree and joyful...

"You guys..." he muttered, trying not to cry as he smiled.

He was overwhelmed with too many conflicting emotions at once. He didn't feel the slightest inclination to leave his small abode. But every sad little face he had shut his door upon had one-by-one been whittling away at his heart. Now these three had to come and give him such hopeful smiles like this? Surely that was breaking some kind of rule!

"Alright..." he said, finally admitting defeat, letting the three of them drag him from his hermit hole.

On some level, he was envious of the love of life these three young mares shared. They had succeeded at doing what he had so miserably failed at - trying their hoof at everything in sight, and eventually finding something that stuck. Now that they had, they had never been happier, and it showed in everything they did. They had even taken time out of their busy schedule to spend some of it with a washed up recluse of a dragon.

"So what made you decide to come back to Ponyville?" Scootaloo asked as she expertly sent a flat stone bouncing across the surface of the small pond by Sweet Apple Acres.

Spike was laying on his stomach as he watched Scootaloo and Apple Bloom take turns skimming stones. Sweetie Bell was lounging with her back against Spike's flank, fiddling away with some knitting needles. The three young mares had been chatting away about this and that, while Spike had been mostly listening in silence and enjoying the afternoon sun, when the conversation had turned towards himself.

"It wasn't really a decision," he admitted truthfully. "I just...didn't have anywhere else to go."

Apple Bloom wrinkled her nose as she sent another stone skipping across the water. "Didn't you miss us?"

"Of course I did," he said, shaking his head. "I missed every one of you."

Sweetie Bell looked up from her knitting. "Then why did you leave?"

Spike sighed. This circle of logic had played out in his head over and over again, he was frankly getting tired of explaining it.

"Well..." he said, eyeing the clouds, idly. "Have you ever felt like you were completely over-shadowed by another pony? Like everything you did would always be outdone by what they did, and there was nothing you could do to escape it and grow beyond what you were?"

All three Crusaders let out a collective sigh.

"Umm, hello?" Scootaloo waved. "Have you even met us?"

"Each of us either has a big sister or a mentor who's also an element of harmony!" Sweetie Bell griped.

"Trust us," Apple Bloom groaned. "We know what that's like."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Right. Stupid question."

"Well hey," Sweetie Bell smiled. "If that's why you left, then that's something we have in common, Spike. Don't feel bad."

He shrugged and lowered his head to rest his chin on his arms.

"I guess..." he muttered.

Scootaloo flopped herself across Spike's back and began inspecting his wings. "So how'd you get these wings?"

Spike grunted in discomfort. Despite being around the same age as the three young mares, he was significantly bigger than they were, which apparently gave them license to treat him the way school fillies did their summer camp counselors by climbing all over him.

"Umph," Spike adjusted his position so he wasn't being completely crushed. "I have no idea. There's a book that talks about dragon evolution and rituals and stuff like that, so from the looks of it, something I did over the course my trip must have triggered some natural growth mechanism in my blood or something like that. One day, I just woke up, and there they were."

He didn't mention the old dragon he had encountered. He didn't want to have to recount those particular events to the young mares.

"So, can you fly?" Apple Bloom asked as she sat down in front of him.

"Not very well," he admitted. "I can get off the ground, but that's about it."

"Lucky," Scootaloo pouted. "At least you have wings that work."

"Don't be so jealous, Scootaloo," Sweetie Bell chastised. "Spike didn't ask for his wings."

"That's just the thing though!" Scootaloo complained. "He didn't have to do anything to earn his wings! He just got them one day!"

"Umm...I did kind of go on a pilgrimage of sorts..." Spike pointed out.

"That doesn't make it his fault," Apple Bloom said, completely ignoring Spike. "You shouldn't blame him for something he can't control."

"It doesn't make him any less lucky, though!" Scootaloo said, sitting up on Spike's back, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Oof," he exhaled, wincing as he looked at her, pitifully. "Scootaloo, could you...?"

Scootaloo grabbed him by the frills on the side of his head and looked him in the eyes.

"You don't even know how lucky you have it, Spike!" she said, with a touch of sadness in her voice. "You've got all this potential, and you're just sitting around wasting it!"

Spike took a breath, his eyes unblinking saucers. That hit a little too close to home.

"Hey," Sweetie Bell spoke up defensively. "Lay off the guy, will you?"

"Hmph," Scootaloo pouted, flopping back down on Spike's back. "If I had wings like yours, I'd go training with Rainbow Dash every chance I had!"

"You already do that!" Apple Bloom snorted.

As the young mares bickered, Spike chewed his lip as he idly flicked a few pebbles around with his claws. Scootaloo was right. He was wasting his potential. He had gone off on his own to try to find something he could be proud of. Fluttershy had told him that even if he could find nothing else, his wings at least were something he could be proud of now. But ever since he'd left Fluttershy, he hadn't used them once.

And what was he doing now? Eating junk food, reading comic books and avoiding his friends. What was he doing with his life?

"Whoa!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell both cried as Spike stood up, causing the two ponies to topple over.

"Sorry girls," Spike winced apologetically. "But I have to go."

The three young mares watched as Spike ran off in the direction of Ponyville.

"What was that all about?" Sweetie Bell asked, brushing herself off.

Rainbow Dash tugged at the seam of her Wonderbolts uniform. It fit rather snugly and was a little uncomfortable, but it was aerodynamic, and looked pretty good on her if she did say so herself (which she did - often). Besides, the pride of the Wonderbolts was reflected in this uniform, and so she wore it proudly, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

After admiring her reflection in the locker room mirror (an activity she would never admit to doing, especially to Rarity), she strutted out onto the tarmac. Though the term "strut" did not quite do the action justice - when Rainbow Dash walked out in full Wonderbolts regalia, she did not merely strut; she swaggered! Every movement she made spoke of confidence and pride. She was the bee's knees in this suit, and she knew it. And just as importantly, every-pony else did too.

Cadets would pause their exercises to admire her (much to their drill sergeants chagrin), officers walking by smiled and saluted her (she saluted back of course, but still!) and the heads of every colt and young stallion on the circuit track turned to watch her walk past. Some of them were undoubtedly checking out the way her flank fit in the skintight uniform, but who could blame them? She looked damn fine in this thing, and there was nothing wrong whatsoever with wandering eyes in Rainbow Dash's book, so long as they also respected her skills.

When Spitfire had come to Rainbow Dash personally, requesting that she come and conduct one of the Wonderbolts flight training courses, Rainbow Dash had leaped at the chance! She was already in the Wonderbolts' Reserves, and was on friendly terms with all the top ranking officers! What better way to cement her standing with the Wonderbolts than to prove that she could pass on what she knew to fresh recruits? This was her big chance to showcase her skills, not just as a flier, but as an officer capable of cooperation and patience!

Which is why she was so discouraged when she saw a familiar purple and green dragon with a backpack panting and wheezing out on the tarmac on the way to her first training course. He had been badgering her all week, and now it seemed that he had followed her all the way to the Wonderbolt Academy as well!

"Spike!?" she hollered, belligerently. "What are you doing here!?"

Spike took another few moments to catch his breath - it had been a long and grueling trip for him to make it all the way to Cloudsdale and climb up the mountain plateau upon which the Wonderbolt Academy lay. He had tried flying part of the way, but had quickly tired after more than a few minutes.

"So I take it..." he gasped, before taking a breath, "This is why you're so busy lately?"

Rainbow Dash looked around and rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah! I'm a Wonderbolts Reserve officer, and I've been asked to be a flight instructor for the new recruits this year. I was about to go see my trainees."

Spike smiled widely. "That's perfect! Let me tag along!"

Rainbow Dash's nostrils flared at that.

"Oh, no you don't, Spike!" she interrupted him, crossing her front hooves as she hovered in the air. "The Wonderbolts are the best of the best! The cream of the crop! Only the best fliers in Equestria get asked to join."

"I'm not asking to join, Rainbow Dash," Spike said, clenching his claws into fists. "I'm just asking to learn from you. And since you're apparently too busy to give me one-on-one lessons, maybe sitting in on your Wonderbolts training sessions will help me become a better flier."

Rainbow Dash looked unimpressed. "You wouldn't last a day in Wonderbolt training, Spike. No offense, but you're just too green."

"What does my color have to do with anything?" Spike demanded.

Rainbow smacked her forehead. "Ay! It means you're too new to flying, Spike! You've only been in the air for, what, a week or two? It takes years to even qualify to be a cadet!"

"I don't need you to make me into Wonderbolt material, Rainbow Dash," Spike pointed out. "I just need to get proficient. And you're the best flier I know!"

She looked up at him - she remembered when she and all of her other friends user to tower over the young dragon, and now he looked down at them all - and released a breath.

"Look, I'm sorry Spike," Rainbow Dash sighed. "I appreciate that you need a teacher and everything, but I just don't have the time right now. I need to focus my attention on training my cadets, not up-start dragons who just got their wings."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you were napping the other day?"

Her face reddened as she looked away. "Th-that's just how I recuperate from a hard day's work!"

Spike wrinkled his nose, unconvinced. "Rainbow Dash, I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice..."

Rainbow Dash stiffened defensively as he reached into his backpack and withdrew a thin, loose-leaf comic book inside a clear plastic veneer. As soon as she laid eyes on it, her eyes widened to saucers, her pupils dilating to narrow points.

"What the...?" she uttered, before shaking her head in disbelief. "No...way..."

Spike smiled, knowingly. "Ahh...so you recognize this, do you?"

Rainbow Dash was nearly brought to her knees. "A limited edition autographed copy of the Daring Do graphic novel adaptation!?"

He waved the comic book in front of her face. "In near mint condition."

She was practically salivating. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me! How in Equestria did you get your claws on something like that!?"

"The stallion who runs the comic book store in Ponyville is a friend of mine, and he owed me a favor," Spike smirked. "So what do you say? Would this little item make it worth your while to teach me what you know about flying?"

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Oh man, for that comic, I'll even make the time to give you one-on-one lessons!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Well, I mean, no offense Spike," Rainbow Dash said wanly. "But you training next to the Wonderbolt recruits would really slow them all down. Besides, when you're as new to flying as you are, you need a really good instructor to spend a lot of hooves-on time with you to make sure you don't fall out of the sky."

Spike winced, remembering his first lesson with Fluttershy. "I think I can get on board with that. So, do we have a deal?"

She smirked. "You give me that comic, and I teach you how to fly like a pro?"

He nodded. "I don't even need you to make me into a pro. Just good enough that I won't need any-pony's help anymore."

Rainbow nodded. She didn't tell him that she had already been planning to help him out after her cadets had passed basic training, but she had wanted to devote her full concentration to training her cadets first. But this was a near mint condition autographed copy of the Daring Do graphic novel! She couldn't turn that down! So it was no big deal to take time out of her busy schedule to do something she had already planned to do when she had more free time. She could multitask.

"Deal!"

They shook claw and hoof, and Spike handed her the comic, which she accepted, grinning like a school filly as she glowered over it.

"Oh, I know just where this little beauty is going..." she giggled to herself.

Then she blushed and cleared her throat.

"So, I'm gonna be staying at the Academy for the next three weeks or so while I teach here," she said, chewing on her tongue as she thought. "It's a little out of my way to fly all the way back to Ponyville during my downtime, so..."

Spike nodded eagerly. "I don't mind flying out here to meet you. It'll be good practice for me, and I have no other obligations during the day."

She smiled. "Good. Trainees disperse around seventeen-hundred hours each day, so why don't you stop by around then?"

He blinked, confused. "Seventeen hundred hours?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Sorry, military time. Means five PM."

Spike laughed. "Then why not just say five PM?"

She smirked back at him, hooves on her hips. "Cause standard timekeeping just isn't good enough for the Wonderbolts."

Spike laughed even harder. He was glad he had come out here. Sitting on his keister all day reading comic books and eating junk food wasn't doing him any good. He really needed to be out and doing something. And his new-found wings were in dire need of practice, and he wasn't feeling comfortable enough around Fluttershy at this point to ask her for any more help. Besides, that wasn't really her forte, and Rainbow Dash was not only the better flier - probably the best in Equestria - but she practically lived for flying. There was a lot Spike could learn from her, and he was determined to make his time count.

"So, swing back here around five then?" he asked nonchalantly.

Rainbow Dash saluted casually. "Yep! See ya then, Spike!"

He nodded and turned to go. It was mid-morning, and he had an entire day to kill before he got started. Maybe he'd go for a walk around Rainbow Falls while he was out here.

"Oh yeah, and, uh, Rainbow Dash," he called out when he realized that he had overlooked something. "Congratulations on being made into an official Wonderbolts flight instructor. The uniform really suits you."

The blue pegasus smiled widely at that. She knew he was deliberately buttering her up, but she didn't care - she loved getting praise like that, and could never get enough of it sometimes.

"Thanks!" she winked. "I'll be wearing it all throughout training, so get used to seeing it on me."

She turned and walked away, and Spike could swear that she was deliberately swaying her flank back and forth as she did. Either she got monumentally cocky while wearing it and liked to show off to every-pony, or she was purposefully teasing him. He doubted that it was aimed specifically at him though, so he tried to put it out of his mind.

Still...she did look damn good in that getup.

Spike mentally chastised himself. That wasn't what he was here for. The last two times he had thought that way about a friend, he had ended up really messing things up with them. And besides, there was probably already an enlisted officer that Rainbow had her eye on or something. In any case, he doubted she'd ever be looking at him like that.

Peering down the sheer cliff side, he steeled himself as he began to the trek down the side of the mountain, pondering what to do for the rest of the day.

One thing that Spike had not anticipated during flight training was wing-ups.

Of course, he had seen Rainbow Dash and many other pegasi doing them before, but it had never clicked in his mind that there was a direct correlation between the wing strength obtained this way and one's flying ability, nor had it occurred to him since acquiring his wings that doing wing-ups would be a good idea.

Though it was probably better that he find out this way, because if he had tried it out on his own, he would have most likely quit before he got started.

"Twenty-seven!" Rainbow Dash called out as she matched his pace, laying down eye-to-eye with him as they both pushed their bodies off the ground with their wings. "Twenty-eight! Twenty-nine!"

Spike grunted as his wings buckled under the duress. Being a dragon, his wings were shaped differently than a pegasus, more like a second pair of arms than the wings of a bird. So rather than pushing his wingtips to the earth, he instead rested on the bony knuckle-like appendages at his wing's front-most point. It felt like cheating, but Rainbow Dash assured him that he would be getting a good workout. And his wings had received such little exercise since they had grown in that they tired almost immediately.

"Come on, Spike!" she hollered as he began to slow down. "Don't quit now! I wanna see you hit fifty before we break!"

Spike's wings were shaking as sweat dripped his face. "Rrrrrrgh...I'm...trying!"

"Less talk, more action!" Rainbow Dash shouted vindictively as Spike continued to power through. "Come on! Thirty-five! Thirty-six!"

By the time he got to fifty, he practically fell on his face, gasping for breath, his wings hanging limply at his sides.

"Alright, nice work!" Rainbow Dash shouted, before jumping to her feet. "Time for some laps around the track."

Spike gave her a wounded look. "What!?"

Rainbow Dash was running in place right next to his prone form.

"Come on, Spike!" she hollered. "Flying takes a lot of energy. We gotta build up your stamina. And since you're still new to flying, the best way to do that is by running."

Spike begrudgingly got to his feet as Rainbow Dash took off down the track. Furling his wings up with a wince and dropping down on all fours, Spike barreled after her, huffing and puffing as his muscles already burned in protest.

"You're the one who signed up for this, Spike!" Rainbow Dash shouted back at him as she pulled away from him. "Now let's go! Hustle up!"

Spike lagged behind Rainbow Dash all the way around the tarmac. All around then, Wonderbolt fliers touched down and took off into the sky, while others ran laps of their own. Since he'd spent some time out in the wild, Spike had taken to running on all fours whenever the need for speed arose, such as when he would hunt for food. With his tail and neck growing longer every year, he was able to keep his balance a lot better this way, but compared to a skilled athlete like Rainbow Dash, even his tried and true wilderness experience was proving lacking in comparison.

After they had made four circuits around the track, he felt a wave of relief come over him as he saw Rainbow Dash slow to a halt, and he once again collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"Ugh..." he gasped, completely out of breath. "Finally...made it..."

Rainbow Dash was stretching out her legs. "Yep. That was a full mile Spike. Good job."

She gave her wings a stretch, before laying back down on her front.

"Alright," she smiled with a hint of sadism in her voice. "Now that we've given our wings a chance to rest, time for more wing-ups!"

The dragon looked up at Rainbow Dash in utter disbelief as she began lifting her body up with her wingtips once again.

Spike seriously wanted to weep.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

After they had finished their work-out, she had taken him through a gauntlet of wing-formation drills. Spike had known a few of them, probably from his lessons with Fluttershy, but he still had to be taught most of the fundamental wing positions. It was grueling work, and she was just coming off of spending the majority of the day training her cadets, but at least they knew the basics! Spike didn't even know how to hold the right posture for takeoff and landing!

By the time they were done an hour later, Spike had to practically be dragged off of the tarmac. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but laugh at the unfortunate young dragon, but in all truth, she honestly hadn't expected him to last as long as he did.

Still, he would be sore in the morning.

"Still want me as your flight trainer?" she asked, tauntingly as he followed her towards the compound, limping as he did.

"We didn't do any actual flying..." he complained wearily, though there was absolutely no fire left in his voice.

"Of course not," Rainbow Dash said, like it was the most obvious thing. "You're getting an accelerated course, but even so, no beginner flight student starts out in the air. These first few sessions are all about developing your wing power and building your technique. You'll get into the air soon enough, though, so don't worry."

She smirked at him as he hobbled alongside of her.

"Although I'll understand if you want to quit."

Spike shook his head. "Nuh-uh! No way! I spent a whole year getting my tail-end handed to me out there, and these wings are all I have to show for it. So by Celestia, I'm gonna use them. Now what's next?"

Rainbow Dash smiled. She was glad to see he was taking this seriously. Many new fliers lost interest after a single day of training, but she had to admit, the dragon had real gusto. She had been worried when he'd first come to her that he was just pursuing a lark. She had heard off hand that he had been secluding himself in an apartment in Ponyville, so she was proud to be the one who could help motivate him to get out and do more.

Even if that meant less time for her to do other things.

"That's the spirit," she clapped him on the back, nearly causing him to fall over. "But we're done for today! I better see you tomorrow though, same time, same place."

Spike nodded feebly, as he gazed out towards the direction of Ponyville. He was not looking forward to the trip home.

Rainbow Dash recognized that face he was making.

"Never fly drunk or tired, Spike," she instructed tersely. "Climb down to the train station and take the train back to Ponyville."

He made a face of annoyance. "I can make it on my own."

"Maybe," she allowed, dryly. "But I'd rather you not risk getting yourself killed just to prove how manly you are."

Spike's face colored. "I'm not trying to prove anything like that..."

Rainbow nodded. "All the same, it'd be one less thing for me to have to worry about if you weren't out there risking your neck again."

Spike raised an eyebrow at that, and she quickly backpedaled.

"Look, don't get the wrong idea or anything," she looked away. "I'd just as soon not have every-pony else yelling at me cause I let you crash after your first day of flight training."

Spike looked away, pursing his lips. He knew she was right, but train tickets weren't cheap and he was running out of bits for the week.

"Spike," Rainbow Dash pressed, her tone growing more serious. "I mean it."

"Alright, alright," he finally gave in. The blue pegasus could be quite obstinate when she...well, all the time, really.

She nodded approvingly. "Good. Trust me, you'll thank me later. You may need to take the train back in tomorrow if your wings are still sore. Don't worry - soon you'll be flying everywhere and the need to take trains will be a thing of the past!"

Spike nodded. "I hope so."

Rainbow nodded back. "I know so! Don't worry - we'll make a true flier out of you yet! So, same time tomorrow?"

He smiled. "Yep."

And with that, he began the march down the mountain towards the train station.

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh as she strode towards the mess hall. It had been a long day, and she was ready to crash in her bunk. She hated sleeping in the unfamiliar sleeping quarters, even if it was the Wonderbolt Academy - she much preferred sleeping amongst the clouds. Still, she was hungry, and if she hurried, she knew she just might catch the senior officers on their way out.

Which she ultimately did, just before she entered the building.

"Hey there, Rainbow Dash," came the cocksure voice of Captain Spitfire, with her executive officer Fleetfoot at her side, both wearing their officer's uniforms as they stepped out the door of the dining hall. "How are the cadets coming along?"

Rainbow straightened her back reflexively and smiled, thinking back to how the day had gone. "It was fantastic! I couldn't ask for a better group of recruits to train! They've all got so much drive, it's hard to narrow down which of them are the best. It's gonna be tough dividing them into teams tomorrow."

Spitfire nodded, smiling contently. "I have every confidence in you, Rainbow Dash. You'll figure it out when the time comes."

Rainbow Dash beamed at the praise. "Hehehe...thanks!"

Fleetfoot took a step forward. "So, we missed you at supper. The Captain and I were hoping to see you there, maybe swap some stories and whatnot."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Oh...uh, well, I'm...kind of helping a friend learn how to fly after I finish my official training courses."

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "This friend got a name?"

"Spike," she said simply. "My dragon friend, from Ponyville. He's the one who saved the Equestria Games during the ice archery mishap a few years back."

Fleetfoot and Spitfire exchanged a look, before shrugging.

"Hmmm...we normally don't allow the facilities to be used by any-pony other than Wonderbolts and Wonderbolt trainees, but I guess as long as it's not interfering with your duties, there's no harm," Spitfire allowed. "Just make sure you're giving your cadets the appropriate amount of attention."

Rainbow Dash saluted. "You can count on me, Captain!"

The two officers nodded and began walking past her, in a clear sign of dismissal.

"Wait," Rainbow called out to them. "Maybe we could still, you know, swap stories and all that stuff tonight?"

The two Wonderbolts paused their step and exchanged a troubled look.

"Sorry, Rainbow Dash," Fleetfoot said sympathetically. "The Captain and I both have a lot of work to get to. Meal times are really our only free slot during the day."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. This full schedule of hers was looking more and more like a problem.

"Alright," she said, hesitantly. "I'll, uh...I'll be here tomorrow, then. Same time, same place?"

Spitfire and Fleetfoot both smiled at that.

"Glad to hear it, Rainbow Dash!" the Captain beamed. "I'd love to hear about the time you and your friends took on Tirek."

"I want to hear more about your scuffle with Discord, personally," Fleetfoot added.

Rainbow Dash laughed uneasily. She just hoped she would be able to reschedule with Spike before he arrived for practice the next day.

"Looking forward to it!" she said, nervously.

Rainbow Dash spent the next day running her cadets through a gauntlet of trials, many of which she had developed herself through her own self-training. It took some getting used to on the part of her trainees, but once they figured it out, they started making real strides. And now that Rainbow Dash was seeing them do what she herself had done as a young mare, it was that much easier for her to spot the leaders and the followers.

She had drafted up a list of possible teams before the day was out. After training, she went over ideas with her two senior officers in the mess hall at their designated table.

"So, Galeforce is a really strong flier, but he's not that experienced and makes a lot of rookie mistakes, so I was gonna pair him with Zephyr," Rainbow Dash explained at the table while the other two pegasi listened, chewing their food. "She's already passed the remedial exams and is only in the training program to get her technical qualifications. She's got loads of experience, and I think he'd really benefit from being on a team with her as the leader."

Spitfire nodded, halfway through her hay burger. "Sounds like a good plan. Who's next on your list?"

Rainbow Dash checked her list. "Let's see...Whiplash is kind of a loose cannon, so I'm pairing her with Mistral - she's really big on protocol and a stickler for the rules, so she'll be in charge. Same with Stormfront and Shrike. Ummm...Starling and Albatross make a good team - she has maneuverability and he has high stamina. Was thinking of making her the leader..."

Fleetfoot took a sip from her water-glass. "Is there any-pony on this list that you haven't figured out yet? It sounds like you've got them all paired up just fine."

The blue pegasus nodded. "Yeah, well, I'm just trying to get these teams set up just right."

"Come on, Rainbow Dash," Fleetfoot sighed. "Relax. It's not like they're gonna be together for their whole career. Just for the training period."

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "How compatible the teams are can make or break a cadet's training experience. Remember what almost happened with me?"

"I remember," Spitfire sighed nostalgically. "But you're a special case, Rainbow Dash. Always have been."

She beamed at the praise. "Heh-heh - I am pretty awesome, aren't I?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't go blowin' it out of proportion," Fleetfoot chastised.

Rainbow Dash chewed on her hoof as she studied her list. "Let's see...I got all twelve of my cadets paired into teams, and I'm all set for tomorrow...I don't know though, I feel like I'm forgetting something..."

Spitfire finished off her hay burger. "Oh yeah, whatever happened to that dragon friend of yours who you were helping out?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes flew open as she stood up abruptly. "Oh crap! I totally forgot!"

Without so much as a word, she dashed away from the table and took off into the air, blowing right through the doors which banged open on her way out. She flew up over the compound, past the tarmac, out onto the field where she spotted a familiar blotch of purple.

Rainbow Dash mentally kicked herself! How could she have been so brainless? She knew she was going to miss her appointment with Spike! She knew she was supposed to get in touch with him beforehand to reschedule! How had that one simple task have so completely slipped her mind?

Was she just so busy with her work? Had that been the cause? No, she thought back to her day - it had been busy, but it hadn't been that busy! She could have easily spent five minutes writing a letter or sending a courier or something! She'd just been so distracted with her work. It wasn't that it occupied that much of her time, but it was all she had time think about. She also wasn't used to holding down such a regular job before. Her whole life, her job as a weather pony had been a simple one - wake up each morning, check the weather, and kick it into shape if it wasn't on its scheduled behavior. Most of her day beyond that was spent relatively free of responsibility, allowing her mind to wander as it pleased.

But not anymore. Now, she had a responsibility to the Wonderbolts, and to all her trainees who had the same dreams growing up as she had. Compared to her previous job in Ponyville, which she had trusted to another pegasus until she got back, being a Wonderbolt training instructor was a significant responsibility, and took up way more of her free time than she was used to spending on one thing. And then she had lessons with Spike on top of it all!

She had been sweating all day, and her Wonderbolt uniform was clinging to her body in all the wrong places, and she wanted nothing more than to go back to her bunk and take a long shower, followed by an even longer nap. Rainbow Dash thrived on short bursts of high intensity interspersed with long periods of downtime, and with all the hours she was clocking in at the academy, she was not only finding herself more tired than usual at the end of the day, but more and more unfocused as well. And now she was completely dropping the ball on Spike's lessons.

Her stomach turned into knots as she glided down towards the dragon, hoping he would forgive her. Maybe all this multitasking wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Spike!" she blurted all at once as she landed.

To her surprise, however, she found Spike busy doing wing-ups.

"Oh, hey!" he grunted as he lowered himself to the ground. "How was dinner?"

Rainbow chewed on her lip, looking nervously at him. "I'm sorry, Spike! I totally forgot about training! I was in the mess hall with some officers and I got so absorbed in all the plans I was making with my trainees and...and I'm just really sorry, alright?"

Spike was taking the moment to catch his breath, his body flat on the ground. "Aw, don't worry about it. I asked one of the cadets where you were, and they said you were with the Captain, so I figured it was something important. So I decided to come out here and do my exercises until you got back. That way we could spend even more time on flight stances."

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion. "You're not...mad?"

Spike shook his head. "Nah. You're a busy mare. Me, I've got nothing but time on my claws."

He went back to doing his wing-ups, leaving Rainbow Dash just staring in befuddlement.

"Spike..." she muttered.

Here she had been ready for him to completely chew her out for going back on their arrangement - and after he had parted with a signed copy of the Daring Do comic book for her trouble! But he seemed completely unfazed by her absence. It didn't even seem to bother him. She was so used to people constantly giving her a hard time for her absent-mindedness and short attention span. She usually let it roll off her back, but that didn't mean she didn't care about what her friends thought of her!

Captain Spitfire glided down towards them, with Fleetfoot on her tail.

"There you are," she called out, sounding concerned. "You left in such a hurry, we weren't sure if something was wrong."

Rainbow Dash looked back at her Captain and nodded, still looking somewhat unsure of herself. "Uhh...no, uh...apparently not..."

"Hmm..." Spitfire mused and turned to the dragon in their midst, who had gone back to doing wing-ups.

Fleetfoot strolled over to him and leaned down to look him in the eye as he exerted himself.

"So, you're Spike, huh?" she said, in full drill sergeant mode. "I remember you from the Equestria games. You've gotten a bit bigger since then. I bet you think you're hot stuff now, don't you?"

Spike did not let the officer's words slow him down. "No ma'am."

Fleetfoot smiled and leaned in a bit closer. "You think you're Wonderbolt material, son?"

Spike continued his wing-ups, unimpeded. "No ma'am."

"And why is that?" she demanded.

"Dragons can't enlist, ma'am," he explained simply without breaking his stride. "I'm not eligible."

Fleetfoot furrowed her brow. "Then why are you here?"

Spike halted his progress, holding himself poised on both wings as he breathed heavily, sweat dripping from his snout.

"I'm here because I want to be trained by the best, ma'am," he explained simply, staring at the ground. "And that's Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash felt something in her chest swelling a little at his words.

Fleetfoot nodded and stood back up. "As you were, then."

Spike resumed his wing-ups as Spitfire gave Rainbow Dash an approving smile.

"The kid's got grit, I'll give him that much," the Captain said with a nod. "I got to say, Rainbow Dash, you never cease to impress me. Training the new recruits and a dragon at the same time? You're either the single most ambitious pegasus I've ever come across, or the craziest."

Rainbow Dash flushed at the praise and glanced upward in thought as she laughed. "Yeah...crazy..."

Fleetfoot put her foreleg around Rainbow Dash's shoulders and grinned. "Crazy or not, it's this kind of go-getter attitude that'll take you real far in the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash. Keep this up, and you'll be a full fledged officer before you know it!"

Rainbow felt her pride swelling under her words. "Oh, you know me - always putting in a hundred and ten percent!"

Spitfire gave Fleetfoot and nod said. "That said, if this time slot is already taken, then it'd be rude of us to keep you occupied for the duration."

Rainbow Dash snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, uh, no, it's fine! I, uh..."

"Relax," Spitfire replied, extending her wings in preparation for takeoff. "We usually take lunch in our office, but you're welcome to join us there tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Fleetfoot chimed in. "We still need to hear the story of how you took down Nightmare Moon!"

"Oh!" Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise. "Uh, okay!"

Lunch was when she usually spent time with her cadets, hearing their questions and concerns, but she supposed she could make time to see her commanding officers.

The two pegasi nodded and took off, leaving Spike and Rainbow Dash to their training.

Spike collapsed on the grass, utterly spent. "Phew! I thought they'd never leave."

Rainbow Dash chuckled, equally relieved. Apparently, Spike had been putting on a show for the higher ups. Whether that was out of his own pride, or if he was trying to make her look good, she couldn't say. Either way, the Captain and her X.O. seemed to have been impressed with him, and in turn, impressed with her. Which was always a win in her book.

Though the way Spike's eyes had been lingering on her skintight outfit, she felt it was a safe bet that he was trying to earn her favor, which was never a bad thing.

"I was wondering how you were managing to do that many wing-ups," she winked at him. "Still, not bad."

He smiled up at her. "Does that mean we can we start working on wing formations now?"

She smirked back at him. "Right after your laps, mister."

Spike withered. "B-But...I already ran my four laps for the day!"

Rainbow grinned mercilessly. "And now you're gonna run four more! Now hustle it up!"

She began running down the track as Spike stumbled to his feet, barreling after her.

"Wait up!"

Over the next few weeks, the two of them continued to meet for training. Rainbow Dash's days had never been as busy as this for such an extended period of time. In a way, it was a lot like what she had gone through during her own Wonderbolt training years ago. She woke up at the crack of dawn to meet her trainees out in the field, who seemed to be taking to their new team formations pretty well. Together, they ran through drills and exercises throughout the entire morning until they broke for lunch. During her lunch break, Rainbow often found herself in Spitfire's office with the Captain and her executive officer, before returning to her trainees for more drills.

Then, at the end of the day, Spike would arrive, and the two of them would train for another hour or two. It wasn't that he was difficult to train or anything - he required more patience than anything else. He was going through exercises that she had done herself as a foal! It was difficult for her mind not to wander during his lessons, simply out of boredom.

It didn't help that every so often, she would catch his eyes lingering on her flank, which just distracted her even more. She didn't call him on it, so as not to make things awkward, but she had spent some time with Fluttershy the week before training, consoling her after her plans with Spike had fallen through, and gotten a pretty good idea of what had gone on there. And if Fluttershy's red-faced mumbling could be believed, it had not been at all an unpleasant experience. Rainbow Dash didn't have the time to spare to give the thought much consideration herself, but still, every glance that Spike cast her way made her that much more curious at just what the dragon was thinking about her, and that did not make for a productive training environment.

It seemed like every-pony wanted a piece of her these days, and Rainbow Dash was finding less and less time each day to do anything relaxing. She had many gears, and could easily shift from low gear to high gear in the blink of an eye. But staying in high gear all throughout the day? She was starting to lose sleep, and was catching herself nodding off during Spike's drills.

"What's next?" he would ask after flying through her latest obstacle course.

Rainbow Dash, who had taken to watching from the ground as Spike completed his drills, would shake herself to full alertness, before nodding and smiling.

"Would you mind running through that one just once more, Spike?" she would usually respond.

"Aww, come on!" Spike would complain, usually tired and sore by then. "We've been doing this for two hours!"

"You make your most obvious mistakes when you're tired," she would always retort. "Now do you want to become a good flier or not?"

All of this was just so far beyond Rainbow Dash's comfort zone as to make her head spin. Schedules, weekly planners, checklists for Celestia's sake! This was Twilight's schtick, not hers! It got to be so bad that Rainbow Dash actually went to the princess for help.

"You've got to help me, Twilight!" she said during her weekly meeting with the rest of the elements at the Crystal Library after the others had left. "You're good at time management, right? I've never had such a busy schedule before, and I don't know how to deal with it all!"

Twilight glanced over at the schedule that Rainbow Dash had shown her, eyeing it with a professional gaze. "Hmmm...well, it looks as though you've done as much as you can, Rainbow. Your Wonderbolt training is on a fixed schedule, so it's not like you can adjust that. Apart from dropping one or both of your other activities, there's not much more you can do. Have you considered alternating days between your lunch meets with Spitfire and your students? And what about pushing Spike's lessons back an hour to give yourself time to recuperate a little from your day?"

Rainbow Dash left, thanking the princess for here help. She didn't mention the wayward glances Spike had been giving her. It was pretty obvious to her just what had gone on between Twilight and Spike before he had taken off on his journey of self discovery, and she knew Twilight well enough to know that bringing it up would just make her upset. Besides, that kind of mushy stuff was the last thing Rainbow Dash felt like talking about with any-pony. But she took Twilight's advice to heart, and asked Spike to come by an hour later than usual the next day.

The day she did, however, she woke up to a knock at her door late that afternoon! She had decided to take a quick nap after training, and had somehow managed to sleep through his appointed time!

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she blathered, stumbling out the door, flight suit half-zipped up, completely embarrassed at how unprofessional she was being. "It won't happen again! I swear!"

Spike's cheeks colored - something about the way she was squeezing into her flight suit was sending his thoughts in all sorts of directions - and he suddenly didn't seem to mind being stood up again.

"Aw, don't worry about it," he said, brushing her apology off. "I've been getting plenty of practice in on my own, so any time you can give to me is appreciated!"

Spike was far too forgiving in Rainbow Dash's mind. Every little misstep she made, he just shrugged it off. How exactly could he be so calm and nonchalant about all this? He was depending on her to make him into a good flier, and she just kept screwing it up royally! It could not have simply been because he was crushing on her. That Spike was clearly interested in her was immaterial; if that was all this was, there was no way he would have kept coming back after all the abuse she had heaped on him during training. The grueling exercise alone would have driven him off. She had noticed his wandering eyes from day one, and part of the reason she had been drilling him so hard was to make sure that Spike wasn't just being a lovesick fool and finding any excuse whatsoever to be around her (not that she could blame him if that was the case). No, Spike was clearly committed to learning how to fly, and Rainbow Dash respected that, regardless of what other trees he might have been barking up.

It wasn't like Spike was making no progress, either. He was flying on his own without fear now, and his wings had only gotten stronger. He was now familiar with all the basic wing positions and flight patterns, and had even tackled some of the more advanced aerial maneuvers, like corkscrews and aileron rolls. He had also discovered, over the course of their training, that he was even able to stand on clouds just like pegasi.

No, Spike was definitely making progress. But what was bothering Rainbow Dash so much was that she knew he could be making better progress. And she knew that if she could just manage to focus her attention more on his training, then he would be all the better for it. He was clearly giving it his all, and it tore her up inside that she was not able to do the same. That being said, if she were to focus all of her attention on Spike, the Wonderbolt cadets' training would suffer as a result, and she had a responsibility to the Academy as well! Each and every day, her cadets were after her for more questions and more tips, all of them eager to become better fliers! They were all counting on her to be the best teacher she could be, and it was eating her up inside not being able to deliver on that.

She was Rainbow Dash! She was supposed to be the best! Her friends were counting on her to be the best! And if she couldn't be the best, then what good was she? What kind of friend would she be if her friends couldn't even count on her to give it her all when they needed her help? She was never one to settle for second place - anything less than a hundred percent would never be good enough for her. So why would she settle for anything less than that for her friends?

Her friends deserved more than that. Her cadets deserved more. Spike deserved more. And every day she failed to deliver, she went to bed feeling worse and worse about herself. This whole multitasking thing was starting to be more trouble than it was worth.

After each day of training, Spike and Rainbow Dash usually finished with a race through the obstacle course. He would take everything he'd learned and speed his way through a series of clouds, flags, rings and balloons, and try to fly through it as fast as he could. He never came anywhere close to beating Rainbow Dash, much less the academy record, but he was beating his previous time with almost every race. As much as he was improving, he was still pretty bulky compared to other pegasi. While that lent him great wing power, it caused him to struggle with tight maneuvers, which was unfortunately what Wonderbolt training was all about.

On her last day at the Wonderbolt Academy, Spike finished the obstacle course with his best time yet. Rainbow Dash sighed as she glided across the finish line, staying just ahead of the young dragon, acting as a pacer, urging him to squeeze out every last bit of speed he could. She watched him blast through the finish line with a gasp of exhaustion, and she let out a relieved sigh. It seemed that he had still managed to become a good flier in spite of all her numerous flub-ups.

She couldn't keep this up for much longer.

"Way to go, Spike," she cheered him on half-heartedly as they both descended towards the field. "You're officially the fastest dragon I've ever met."

Spike raised an eyebrow as they landed. "Aren't I the only dragon you've ever met?"

"Details, details," she said, waving him off. "But yeah, I think you're just about there."

He raised an eyebrow. "Just about where?"

"I mean, you've made it," she smiled somewhat somberly. "You're now a proficient flier. There's not much left for me to to teach you without getting into expert level material."

Spike's expression seemed to fall at that. "Aww, really? I feel like I'm still a beginner."

"That'll go away with practice," she shrugged. "Just keep at it, and you'll be fine. You can always ask me for the occasional pointer, but at this point, I've done all I can for you."

Spike looked downright saddened by this news. "Well...can't I...you know, just...keep practicing with you for a little while longer?"

Rainbow Dash chewed on her lip. It was the last day of Wonderbolt training - in the morning, her cadets who met the Wonderbolt accreditation would be admitted - and she was really looking forward to taking a few days off. That said, it wasn't like she wouldn't have the time anymore. But how long would she need to keep training with Spike before he thought he was ready? Weeks? Months? She didn't think she could keep this up anymore. And besides, how many more times could she sleep through her sessions before he gave up on her? As much as she wanted to fulfill her friend's expectations, she couldn't help him if he wanted her to be something she wasn't.

"Look..." she said, looking away uneasily. "I'm sorry I haven't really been as...on-the-ball as I should have been these past few weeks. Maybe I'm not really teacher material after all."

"What are you talking about, Rainbow Dash?" Spike asked, flabbergasted. "You've been an excellent teacher! You said it yourself - I'm a proficient flier now! And that's all thanks to you!"

"It's thanks to your talent, Spike," Rainbow Dash sighed. "You went from being practically grounded to flying with ease in three weeks flat. I've been trying to help Scootaloo for years, and she hasn't even made it that far."

"I still would never have come this far without you," Spike argued.

"Maybe..." she admitted, slowly stepping to the edge of the field. There was a small knapsack waiting for her, which she picked up, removing the item inside and offering it to Spike. "But the truth is, I could have done a lot better. Here."

Spike looked at the article in her hooves. It was the Daring Do comic he had given her when they had just begun, still covered in its clear plastic wrap.

"Rainbow Dash?" he asked in confusion. "Why are you giving this back to me? I traded it to you fair and square. We shook on it."

She shook her head. "I can't train you anymore, Spike. If you're not satisfied with what I put in the last three weeks, then it's not fair for me to keep it."

Spike stared dubiously at the comic book in her hooves.

"Why can't you train me anymore?" he asked, bluntly. "Is it just too hard with all your other work?"

She shook her head. "No, not really. I just...don't feel up for it anymore."

"Why not?" he pressed. "You've practically bent over backwards these past few weeks to fit my training into your schedule. Now that you're finally getting some more free time, shouldn't it be easier for you now?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head, refusing to make eye contact with the young dragon. Why was he being such a pest about this?

"I just don't want to do it anymore, alright!?" she blared, throwing the comic book at him and closing her eyes as she turned away, angrily. "Give me some space, will you!?"

Spike took a step back, looking like he'd touched a nerve, the comic flopping unceremoniously to the grass. "Sorry..."

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. She hated feeling inadequate, and she hated letting her friends down, but most of all, she absolutely hated that damn guilty expression on his face! This wasn't his fault after all! He had been granted the gift of flight by whatever magic dictated the life cycle of dragons. Rainbow Dash wasn't one who put much stock in higher powers, but she firmly believed that creatures with wings were meant to fly! And Spike had the added luxury of being close friends with the best flier in Equestria, who also just so happened to be the freaking Element of Loyalty for crying out loud! It only followed that he should be able to come to her for guidance!

But as it turned out, not only was she inexperienced with teaching student fliers, but she had been tapped to train two separate parties at once! When she had first signed onto this rigorous schedule, it hadn't seemed like that big a deal. She figured all it would entail is showing them what she knew, and letting them follow suit. And with the Wonderbolt trainees, that had been largely the case. Most of them were experienced fliers, and could learn by example. But even that small exercise got tiring after being repeated over and over again, eight hours a day, six days a week. And after each training session, she had to suddenly switch gears and begin training someone entirely new to flying.

Spike had required a lot of work these past few weeks, and as far as he'd come, it had still been exhausting work, and the prospect of continuing was a daunting one. But more importantly, she felt like he would have come a lot farther if she'd just been able to push herself a little harder. That went for the Wonderbolt cadets as well - just like the proverbial hawk who chased two rabbits but caught neither, dividing her attention like she had been doing had allowed both objectives to falter. From her perspective, it should not have taken much more effort to get both jobs done to perfection, but she just didn't have enough focus for both tasks. And that she had encountered such limitations at all was such a colossal disappointment, and all of these feelings had compounded, making her feel like all of her efforts to be a teacher had resulted in one giant failure. She had never really taught before, and this was supposed to have been her big chance to prove herself.

She knew that other ponies would tell her that she had started off by biting off more than she could chew, but she didn't care. She was Rainbow Dash! This should have been nothing for her!

She heard the sound of what she assumed was the comic book dropping at her feet, and she looked down at its bright, vibrant cover behind the shiny plastic sheath.

"If you don't want to train me anymore, then that's fine," Spike said slowly as he stepped into her view. "But this is yours. A deal's a deal."

Rainbow Dash wrinkled her nose. She knew she should just accept it and leave it at that, but that just didn't sit right with her.

"I haven't earned it, Spike," she snorted as she stepped over it and began to walk away. "I won't take it."

"Why are you being so hard on yourself?" he demanded, grabbing the comic and hopping into the air to glide down and land in front of her, blocking her path. "All I asked you to do was make me into a flier. And you have!"

Rainbow Dash turned the other direction and grunted.

"I should have been able to do better," she said simply.

Spike took a breath. He knew that Rainbow Dash could be touchy about her accomplishments, and he thought that by paying her homage and complimenting her at every turn, she would accept his gratitude. But now he saw that she would require a different sort of approach.

"Fine," he said bluntly. "You want proof that you've made me into the best flier I can be? Then I challenge you to a race!"

Rainbow Dash snorted derisively without slowing her step. "You're joking, right? I've won every race we've had for the last three weeks! I could beat you with my eyes closed."

"Not a Wonderbolt race," Spike added, keeping pace with her. "Not an obstacle course with twists and turns - a straightaway. No fancy cornering or maneuvers; just speed. A thousand-meter dash, straight through the air."

She paused and turned to look back at him, curiously. She knew that she was faster than him, but while watching him race, she noticed that while Spike lost a lot of ground making turns, he gained a lot of it back in the straightaways, just like he said. He was a powerful flier, and he had a lot of stamina to boot, thanks to their training. And she could tell the way he spoke that he was well aware of this fact.

The idiot really thought he could win.

Rainbow Dash felt her blood boiling in a way it hadn't in a long, long while. This was what she was good at. She had been struggling with the task of being an instructor for the last three weeks. Trying to impart her skills on others had been a challenging task, but all Spike wanted was for her to demonstrate those skills for him now.

This she could do.

"Alright Spike," she grinned back at him. "You really think you can beat me in a straightaway?"

He snorted, and a puff of smoke escaped his nostrils. "I know I can. You trained me too well. In fact, I'm so sure of it, I'm willing to bet you this Daring Do comic that I can win."

Rainbow Dash smiled widely, a huge grin on her face as she stepped up to look him in the eye.

"No going back, Spike!" she jeered, lowering herself into a challenging posture, as if she were ready to tackle him. "That comic is gonna be mine by the time we're done!"

"We'll find out soon enough," Spike smirked. "Now are you fit to fly or what? Cause I'm ready to go whenever you are."

Rainbow Dash struck the ground with her hoof, giving her technicolor mane a toss. "You're on!"

The two fliers started at the far edge of the tarmac. The runway was just under a thousand meters, but it would suit their purposes just fine.

Rainbow Dash was stretching her wings in preparation. She had already flown quite a bit that day during training with the Wonderbolt cadets and Spike, but she supposed he could use the handicap. Besides, he had already gone through a full day's training as well, so neither of them were at their peak.

Regardless, she was pumped.

"You ready to get your tail handed to you, Spike?" she taunted, hopping back and forth from one hind leg to the other while she flexed her wings.

Spike was already lowered into a ready position at the edge of the runway where the tarmac met grass, preparing for takeoff. "Only if you are."

Rainbow Dash spun on her heels and dropped into crouch just to his left.

"Alright then..." she crowed, eyeing him warily. "On your mark..."

She watched as Spike reared up in preparation to launch.

"Get set..." she said, coiling her hind legs to leap into the air. "Go!"

The two fliers took off with a blast, lifting off the ground to shoot into the sky.

Rainbow Dash pulled ahead quickly, accelerating all at once, leaving a bright rainbow contrail behind her. Spike meanwhile was snaking up and down through the air, his whole body gyrating with each wing flap, each one carrying him forward with a mighty gust. He beat his wings as fast and as hard as he could, but Rainbow Dash had already pulled away from him, and was still putting distance on him.

By the time they reached the halfway point, however, Rainbow Dash turned to glance back to see his progress, and was astonished.

Spike was catching up to her!

She put on an extra burst of speed, feeling the wind whipping at her skin. She did not dare glance back for fear of losing her focus, but she could feel, rather than hear, the steady whump...whump...whump of massive wings behind her as he edged closer.

How was he keeping up with her? Were his wings really this powerful? He had almost twice her body mass; there was no way he was keeping pace with her! But try as she might, she could not put on any more velocity without tipping into sonic rainboom speeds. A shockwave from this distance would shatter every window at the academy, and there would be hell to pay!

Spike was on her tail, his powerful wings carrying him ever closer to her, inch by inch, one powerful flap at a time. Rainbow Dash may have been the more agile flier, but his wingspan was almost twice what hers was! It was simple physics - her wings could accelerate to her top speed almost instantly, but his greater wingspan took time to build up speed, and every turn he took reduced his speed, forcing him to start over from almost a standstill. But in a straightaway, they were just so powerful that he was still accelerating, even as he was keeping pace with Rainbow Dash!

He had yet to even reach his top speed!

Dear Celestia, how much faster would he be going if they had attempted a two thousand meter dash? For Rainbow Dash, winning this race would be by virtue of the track being short enough for her top speed to keep her in the lead! She would have to challenge him to another race after this one, one where they were both fresh and ready to fly. And next time, they would start somewhere far away from the Academy or anywhere pony-folk dwelled, so she could see how he stacked up against her sonic rainboom.

They were neck and neck now, and the end of the tarmac was in sight! She flapped her wings as hard as she could, just brushing the edge of rainboom speeds as they neared the finish line.

Thirty meters...

Twenty meters...

Ten meters...

Both fliers blew across the finish line with a gust of wind and dust kicking up from ground beneath them. The two of them glided down to the grass and landed running, using their legs to slow themselves both down as they sped across the grass.

"Whew!" Spike blared, out of breath, collapsing onto his hindquarters. "Oh man, that was close! Did we tie?"

Rainbow Dash caught her breath, smiling from the runner's high. "That was pretty close, Spike, but I'm pretty sure I had you by a nose."

Spike gaped up at her, flabbergasted. "What? No way, we totally tied!"

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Come on, Spike...I'll admit, you're good. But not that good."

"Actually," came a familiar voice. "I'm pretty sure Spike won that race."

Both fliers sat up to see Captain Spitfire strutting over to where they sat, and they both got to their feet.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Are you sure, ma'am?"

"Only technically," the Captain shrugged. "In Wonderbolt standard races, standings are judged by the fliers' head position. In that case, Rainbow Dash, your head crossed the finish line before his did. You would have won that race."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "I'm sensing a 'but' coming here..."

"But...that wasn't a Wonderbolt standard race," Spitfire said with a smirk. "It featured none of the maneuvers that we require from our fliers. That race had all the makings of a thousand-meter dash, just like in the Equestria Games. And by the Equestria Games' standard, all racers' positions are judged by whatever body part crosses the finish line first. And Spike's got longer forelegs than you, Rainbow Dash. I'm afraid his front legs crossed the finish line before yours did."

Rainbow Dash stared at Spike in disbelief.

"No way..." she breathed. "How could you possibly have gotten that fast in such a small amount of time!?"

He just grinned, sheepishly at her. "What can I say? I had the best flight instructor in Equestria."

Rainbow Dash ground her teeth together. She didn't believe that for a second. There was no way Spike's dragon heritage hadn't played some part in his growth. He had just grown too much and too fast. He just seemed to be so naturally strong in body now that just by nature of having wings, they carried him all the farther for it. Rainbow Dash had nothing to do with it. She had just given him the tools he'd needed to get started.

"Now then, if the shenanigans are over with," Spitfire said, lowering her aviators to peer at Rainbow Dash. "I have some actual Wonderbolt business to get to with our flight instructor here. Rainbow Dash, could I see you in my office please?"

She nodded, still looking somewhat bitterly at Spike, before trotting off to grab the nap-sack containing the grand prize that had been waiting for them by the finishing line, and tossing it unceremoniously at Spike's feet.

"Here," she grunted. "It's yours. You won it fair and square."

Spike looked up at her, looking concerned. "Rainbow Dash..."

She turned away from him with a toss of her rainbow mane.

"Just go home, Spike," she said dismissively as she followed Captain Spitfire back to the compound. "I've got things to do."

Spike watched her and the Captain leave, and he reached down to slip the backpack around his shoulders, fitting them snugly between his wings, before taking off towards the direction of Ponyville.

What had he done to upset Rainbow Dash so much? He'd just proven to her how good she was. He thought he had been an attentive student. He hadn't made a fuss whenever she had occasionally been late, and even that hadn't been that often. He supposed he had balked at how much exercise had been expected of him, but he had still risen to that particular challenge every time, or so he believed. And even when he'd failed, she had done nothing but encourage him. All in all, he thought training had been going pretty darn well.

So what was it? Was she just tired of bending over backwards for him? He could understand having worn out his welcome. He supposed he had not been very considerate of her feelings or her time by asking after her when he did. He probably should have waited until Wonderbolt training had finished its three-week run before bugging her about training him, but he had been worried that if he didn't do something, he would have slipped back into a funk. He realized it must have been rough on her, but she had seemed up to challenge at the time. He had received nothing but support and encouragement from her, so he supposed doing all that all the time must have been more exhausting than it seemed. But Rainbow Dash was not the sort to pull punches - if she had been fed up with him, he fully expected her to be up front about it.

Then a thought occurred to him that chilled him to the bone. Had Rainbow Dash caught him staring at her flank? Could she have thought that he was being a creep or something? Was that why she was so upset and aloof with him? While he couldn't imagine Fluttershy or Twilight blabbing about their private affairs, Rainbow Dash was no idiot, and she was close friends with both mares. She surely must have known or at least guessed at his history with the two of them by now. She could very easily have gleaned what had gone on. Had such revelations cast suspicion on him as a friend? The thought made him feel sickened and weak.

How had he so royally screwed up? How could he have ruined his friendship with not one but two ponies with a single act? And if Rainbow Dash, the loyalest of his friends, was being so aloof, what would the rest of his friends think when they found out? What if they had found out already!?

He felt like crying. He felt like rolling up into a ball and disappearing. He felt so worthless that he couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with any-pony he passed on the street on the way to his single studio apartment.

He fled inside his little sanctuary and bolted the door behind him.

And he didn't think he would ever come out again.

Rainbow Dash's mind was wandering as she followed Spitfire to her office. She hadn't meant to treat Spike so poorly, but she was just so fed up with the dragon. How could he be so oblivious about this? Couldn't he see that his success was not due to her talent, but his own? For the past three weeks, Rainbow Dash had been dropping the ball at every turn, and Spike had prevailed in spite of it all! He didn't owe her anything, and certainly not a super-rare comic book that clearly had enormous sentimental value! She just could not have justified trading with him for such a lackluster performance on her part. Rainbow Dash was better than that - she knew she was better!

But then...he had beat her in that race, hadn't he? Whereas three weeks hence, he could barely get off the ground, now he was flying with confidence. Even if he wasn't Wonderbolt material, didn't she deserve a little credit for getting him that far?

Something in her gut just wouldn't allow it.

"Rainbow Dash?" Spitfire gesticulated with her hooves in front of the other mare's face. "Hello?"

The pegasus blinked and shook her head. "What? Yeah, yeah, sorry...what?"

Spitfire sighed. "I said, that was a pretty impressive race you and Spike put on back there. I had wondered why air-traffic control had been asked to go on standby. If you wanted an officially sanctioned race, I could have arranged it for you."

Rainbow Dash shook her head, looking away. "No, I'm sorry, that...that whole thing was kind of a spur-of-the-moment type thing."

The Captain raised an eyebrow. "I bet. Anyway, I wanted to show you something..."

Spitfire reached behind her desk and pulled out a manila envelop, opening it and dropping it on top of her desk for Rainbow Dash to read.

Rainbow Dash peered over the desk at the contents - it appeared to be a duty roster - and read it aloud.

"Zephyr, Mistral, Shrike, Starling..." she muttered as she flipped through all the names, each with the recruit's photograph and vital statistics, before giving Spitfire a questioning look. "These are all my recruits. Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

The Captain smiled. "Oh, something happened all right. Keep reading."

Rainbow Dash began sweating as she hurried through the pages, looking to see what had gone wrong. Had some-pony been hurt? Were they caught breaking regulations? Had they all been kicked out of the academy? The further she read without seeing anything amiss, the worse her imagination got!

When she finally reached the last page, however, she was surprised.

"All above applicants accepted pending remedial review..." she read aloud, before looking up at Spitfire, astonished. "All of them!?"

The Captain smiled proudly. "Yep. Acceptance letters go out tomorrow to all twelve candidates. A one hundred percent acceptance rate."

She leaned forward, peering at the other mare over her glasses.

"This has never happened before, Rainbow Dash," she said somberly. "In the entire history of this academy, every group of first year trainees has had at least one drop-out."

Spitfire slid off her glasses and folded them up, sliding them into her jacket pocket.

"I've said it before, and I imagine I'll be saying it again," she said wistfully. "But that is an academy record."

Rainbow Dash felt light-headed. She had thought for sure her students wouldn't have been up to snuff. She hadn't spent nearly as much time with them as she'd wanted to. Some of them still seriously needed to work on their form! Though they had all improved, and while they were definitely better than they were at the start of training, she hadn't expected more than one or two of them to pass, maybe a handful at most.

But...all of them!?

"That was some seriously fine work, Rainbow Dash," Spitfire said, proudly. "Every trainee stuck it out because of you. Even the ones who would have otherwise quit wanted to stay on because you inspired them to. You may be the best flight instructor this academy's ever seen. And we'd be honored if you'd stay on as a regular here. Full time."

Rainbow Dash's mouth hung open. She closed it, swallowed, and opened it again, though nothing came out save for a single vocalized breath, and she closed her mouth again, eyes as wide as saucers.

This was for real. It hadn't been a fluke. It was back-breaking work, but...had she actually managed to train both the Wonderbolts and Spike, and satisfy both parties simultaneously?

When nothing further escaped her lips, Spitfire smirked.

"I can see this is going to be a big decision for you," she said thoughtfully. "Take your time and give it some thought. I'll be waiting for hear back from you."

When Spike heard a knock at his door, he was laying face-down in bed, his possessions, comics books, actions figures and empty snack food bags and beverage cans littering his floor.

Whoever it was, he didn't want to talk to them.

"Go away..." he grumbled into his pillow, not caring if he had been loud enough for any-pony to hear him.

His ears pricked up at the voice that called from beyond the door however.

"Awww, come on, Spike," Rainbow Dash called from outside. "I just came by to apologize."

Spike wasted a second or two rubbing his eyes in confusion - why would Rainbow Dash come here? She never came to visit him - before rolling out of bed and hurrying for the door, kicking past several aluminum cans and nearly tripping over a plastic bag.

"Rainbow Dash?" he muttered as he swung open the door to see her standing outside his apartment.

She was still garbed in her Wonderbolt regalia, with an additional saddlebag around her waist, and had a sheepish grin on her face. She didn't seem anywhere near as upset as she had been before. In fact, somehow, she looked even more resplendent in her uniform than ever before. Her coat somehow looked bluer, in spite of the evening hour, and her mane seemed even more rainbow-y, if that was even possible.

She looked completely different than she had been just earlier today.

"Wait..." Spike rubbed his eyes again, not convinced that he hadn't been transported to an alternate dimension where Rainbow Dash wasn't avoiding him for being a philanderer. "Apologize for what?"

She offered a resigned sigh that was softened by a cheerful smile.

"For being such a jerk these past few weeks," she admitted with a shrug. "I guess the stress of being an instructor was really getting to me. But I promise it won't happen again."

Now Spike was totally confused. "What are you talking about? You haven't been a jerk at all, Rainbow Dash."

She shook her head. "Well, thanks. You're wrong, but thanks."

"You weren't a jerk," Spike insisted. "If anything, I was being a jerk by forcing you to do two things at once!"

"You didn't force me to do anything," she shook her head, her technicolor mane swishing as she did. "You couldn't force me to do anything, Spike. I make my decisions for me alone. I could have said no. I could have backed out at any point."

Spike smirked. "No you couldn't. You're Rainbow Dash - you never back down from a challenge. Come on, I know you better than that."

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Heh - probably right. But hey, it payed off! You're a flier now! And my entire class passed their qualifications! The Wonderbolts were so impressed, they wanted me to sign on as full officer!"

Spike's eyes widened. "Are you serious!? That's fantastic, Rainbow Dash! See, I told you you were the best flight instructor I could ask for!"

She smiled proudly, though her cheeks were a little red. "Hah! Yep!"

"So, are you going to take the job?" Spike asked.

Rainbow Dash looked uneasy. "I...I haven't decided yet. I'm still kind of processing it all."

Spike nodded, as he thought about what it would mean if Rainbow Dash took the position. It would mean she would leave Ponyville - and no doubt she knew that. This would be almost like what he had done a year ago, leaving her home behind to start anew. It would be a big step, a huge change. And while it was everything he knew she wanted, he couldn't help but feel like his circle of friends was drifting apart.

Of course, that had been happening ever since this whole mess started.

His eyes fell on the knapsack that he had discarded on his way in, which still contained the sealed copy of the Daring Do comic he had won, and he reached down and offered it to her.

"Here," he said, sheepishly. "You deserve this more than I do. You really earned it."

Rainbow Dash scoffed and shook her head. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Spike! You won it fair and square!"

"I only won by a technicality," he said. "We both know you're the better flier overall."

"Exactly," she winked. "And I don't need a comic book to prove it."

"Rainbow Dash, you put yourself through hell to get me and the Wonderbolt cadets trained!" Spike objected. "I could see how hard it was for you! You were doing the work of two pegasi! You barely got any sleep these past few weeks! You deserve something to show for it!"

She smiled and puffed out her chest. "I have something to show for it! This uniform!"

Spike threw his arms up in the air, tossing the knapsack aside as he did.

"Gah!" he groaned. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Rainbow Dash laughed out loud. "Come on, Spike, it's me!"

He grumbled and she laughed some more.

"So yeah, Pinkie Pie wanted to throw me a welcome home party," she said, rolling her eyes. "Wait till she hears it'll also be a 'New Prospective Job Opportunity' party. But anyway, you should come along."

Spike felt a knot growing in the pit of his stomach. "I...I don't know. Will Twilight and Fluttershy be there?"

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "I should hope so. Why?"

He looked away. "I, uh...I think I'll pass then. You go celebrate."

She gave him a suspicious look, before shrugging. "Oh well, your loss then. I'll tell every-pony you said hi."

Spike nodded. "Yeah...you do that."

Rainbow Dash gave him a sidelong glance as he closed the door.

Now she was really curious.

Spike was awoken a few hours later by another knock on the door.

"Hey, Spike!" an all too familiar voice called to him.

Spike rolled out of bed, glancing at the clock on the wall. The studio apartment that Princess Celestia had set him up in was sparsley furnished. It had a bed, a couch, a refrigerator, a stove, a small wooden table and two chairs. The clock on the wall was the only time keeping device in the place.

It was nearly midnight.

"Rainbow Dash?" he muttered through sleep-filled eyes.

He meandered once again towards his front door, stumbling over the trash that littered his floor, before unlocking and opening the door to find his friend standing right where she had been a few hours beforehand, looking noticeably more disheveled. Her mane was tussled and her Wonderbolt uniform was partly unzipped, and her cheeks were noticeably red from the dim outdoor lighting.

And she had an even bigger grin on her face than usual.

"Hey there buddy!" she smirked. "Still cooped up in here?"

Spike gave her an unamused scowl. "Um, yeah? It's almost midnight."

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Like that's an excuse."

She lifted her hoof to her ear, and cast a sidelong glance at him.

"So, how was the party, Rainbow Dash?" she said, inviting him to ask the question himself.

Spike blinked, her implication taking a second to register, before sighing.

"Umm...how was the party, Rainbow-"

"It was awesome!" the blue pegasus guffawed standing up on her hind legs to gesture with her hooves. "Pinkie Pie reserved the entire first floor of the Crystal Library, which would normally be kind of lame, but there was a disco ball and music and dancing and punch and everything!"

Spike raised an eyebrow at her exuberant state. "Did Applejack supply the punch?"

Rainbow Dash paused mid-thought. "Yeah, why?"

"Just a guess," he sighed.

"But yeah," she went on. "The whole town was there! You really should have been there, man! I'm surprised you didn't hear us all the way out here!"

Spike rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Don't worry. I could."

Rainbow Dash pursed her lips, sensing his mood.

"Ugh...alright, alright..." she said, somewhat deflated. "Sorry for waking you..."

"It's alright," The dragon shrugged. "Wasn't getting much sleep anyway. So...what's up?"

Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof, as if suddenly remembering.

"Oh yeah!" she said, excitedly. "I wanted to ask you something earlier, but it felt kind awkward bringing it up, cause y'know, this kind of thing isn't really my strong suit. But it kept bugging me all throughout the party, and now I've just got to know...what exactly happened between you, Fluttershy and Twilight?"

Spike felt the knot in his stomach return. He thought he had avoiding having to explain all this to her. Evidently, he was mistaken.

"You...you didn't hear about that from them?" he asked, looking at the floor, his eyes flitting up to watch her reaction.

She shrugged. "I got the gist of it. I kind of wanted to hear your side of the story though."

He chewed on his lip and slowly pawed at the floor with his foot.

This was going to be a long night.

"You...better come in and sit down for this..." he suggested.

The two of them sat at the small wooden table at the kitchenette, a single ceiling lamp overhead illuminating the nocturnal setting. While the living area was littered with clutter, the kitchen was kept relatively clean.

Spike spent the next half hour or so regaling Rainbow Dash with the sordid tale of his exploits. About halfway through his story, the mare reached into her saddlebags to pull out a jug of cider that had apparently been a gift from Applejack at the party, and began drinking it.

"Damn..." she muttered, when he got to the end story. "That's a tough break, Spike."

He glanced shyly at her. "You're not...mad?"

She snorted. "Why would I be mad? It's not like you took advantage of any-pony. I mean, I get why they might be a little sore about it, but from where I'm sitting, it just looks like a couple of consenting mares who tried fooling around, and changed their minds after the fact. It kinda sucks for you all, but hey, these things happen, y'know?"

Spike stared blankly at the equally blank wall he was facing. As guilt-ridden as he had felt over the whole ordeal, the thought of simply forgiving himself and letting it go had never really seemed like an option.

"Huh..." he thought out loud. "I never thought of it that way."

Rainbow Dash pushed the jug of cider across the table towards him. "Here. Sounds like you need this more than I do."

Spike took a grateful swig of cider. It was cool and spicy and it made him feel warm inside.

"So that's why you really left Ponyville, then?" the pegasus asked, hesitantly.

Spike thought back to the day he left. What had he been thinking anyway? Did he think that somehow Twilight would take him back if he proved himself? Or was he just doing it to lash out at her? No, if that had been it, he would have given up and come wandering home long before he had. Fluttershy's book had told him that all dragons went through a coming-of-age process that involved a similar journey of self-discovery, some of them taking years to complete. Perhaps it had just simply been instinct.

"It was for a lot of reasons," he shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was just trying to prove that I was worthy of...something..."

He trailed off, not even believing his own argument anymore, and Rainbow Dash took another swig of cider.

"You got to stop doing that, Spike," she said nonchalantly.

"Stop doing what?" he asked.

"Thinking that you've got nothing to prove," she smiled, resting her front legs on the table. "You're an awesome dragon, and you always have been. Besides, getting laid doesn't have anything to do with proving yourself. At least, it shouldn't."

Spike rolled his eyes. "In a perfect world, I guess..."

Rainbow Dash sighed and shoved the cider in his direction. "Yeah, yeah, in a perfect world, the magic of friendship would conquer all misunderstandings and we wouldn't have to deal with all this stupid drama."

Spike accepted the jug and took another gulp. This was what he needed, he decided. He needed some-pony to sit and listen to his troubles. Some-pony who didn't judge him, and allowed him to be honest with himself. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had given him some of that, but Rainbow Dash clearly boasted more experience than those young mares did.

"Heh," he chuckled to himself. "And here I was worried that you thought I was some kind of lech or something."

Rainbow Dash snorted and burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Bwahahahahaha!" she chortled, tears running down her face. "Seriously, Spike, how can you be such a clueless dork!?"

He narrowed his eyebrows at that. "What does that mean?"

She wiped her face. "I mean, so what? So you fooled around a little! Who cares? We all got to let off some steam every now and then. As long as you're not hurting any-pony, then what does it matter?"

Spike groaned. This was the real sticking point for him.

"But Rainbow Dash..." he sighed. "I did hurt them!"

"Twilight and Fluttershy hurt themselves, Spike," she replied, bluntly. "Twilight's an idealist and has trouble seeing past her own nose because of it. And Futtershy's got such a heart of gold that there's no way she's gonna do something to upset one of her friends."

She took another sip of cider.

"Though I got to admire her guts though," she nodded approvingly. "I didn't think the girl had it in her."

Spike thought of a crude joke, but decided to let it pass and leaned his elbows on the table, resting his head in his claws.

"I still should have been more considerate," he grumbled. "Neither of them deserved being put into that situation."

"Stop beating yourself up for this!" she berated. "You have a right to be happy too. I mean, sure, you probably could have handled it better, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. It's no-pony's fault from what I can see."

"I guess not every-pony sees it the way you do, Rainbow Dash," he sighed.

"It's something I've learned to live with," she said, downing the last little bit of cider, giving the empty jug a regretful look, before standing. "Anyway...are you gonna be okay, Spike?"

He shrugged. "I'll live."

She wrinkled her nose at that, but was overcome by a yawn as she realized just how tired she was. "I guess that'll have to do. I think I've kept you up late enough. I should probably head home."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your home up in the clouds?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Yeah. Duh."

He wrinkled his nose. "Which means, you'd have to fly there."

She eyed him curiously. "What's your point?"

He crossed his arms. "Aren't you the one who told me never to fly drunk or tired?"

"You're talking to the greatest flier in Equestria!" She boasted, puffing out her chest. "Besides, I'm not that drunk!"

Spike eyed the jug between her hooves. "That thing was full when you got here. Now it's empty. I had, like, two sips. And that's on top of Applejack's special punch that I'm guessing you had at the party."

Rainbow Dash pursed her lips, looking away in embarrassment. "I hate it when some-pony uses my own argument against me..."

Spike frowned. "Rainbow Dash..."

She finally relented. "Alright, fine, I'll stay on the ground for tonight. Must be a spare room at the Crystal Library somewhere, I guess..."

He shrugged, and the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"You could always just crash here, you know?"

Rainbow Dash considered the dragon's words for a moment - that did sound easier than waking up Twilight and making a big thing out of it - before something finally clicked in her head and she leered her eyes at him.

"Ohhhhh..." she chuckled haughtily, her tone shifting completely. "I see what this is all about!"

Spike flinched at the unmistakable implication she was driving at, instantly wishing he could take back what he said.

"Uhhh, wait!" he protested, holding his claws up. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Oh really?" the blue mare giggled. "Don't think I haven't noticed you checking me out these past few weeks."

"What!?" Spike yelped, blushing red.

"Not that I blame you, " Rainbow Dash continued in a self-satisfied tone, cheeks red for an entirely different reason. "The flight suit does make my flank look pretty amazing, if I do say so myself."

Spike's felt his eyes move, unbidden, to once again reaffirm this assertion for the millionth time, and he felt the heat in his cheeks growing hotter.

"How did-!?" he blurted, before shaking his head. "I mean, uh...I wasn't checking you out! What are you talking about?"

"You're a terrible liar, Spike," Rainbow Dash smiled chidingly at him. "It's alright. I wasn't complaining."

Spike was so embarrassed he almost felt like crying. The look she was giving him just made it all the worse. He couldn't believe himself. He told himself that he wouldn't allow himself to let his baser instincts get the better of him. But she had such an addictive personality that he couldn't help but enjoy to be around her. The fact that she was just such a pretty mare made it all the more difficult not to be drawn to her, and the Wonderbolts flight suit she was wearing just contoured so perfectly to her hips that he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering.

"I wasn't thinking like that!" he insisted, completely red-faced as he looked away. "The last time I thought of some-pony that way, I basically ruined our entire friendship! I won't do that with you!"

Rainbow Dash smiled knowingly. She knew this of course - in fact, now she could confidently say that she understood the situation pretty well now - which made the decision all the easier for her to make.

"I'm not Fluttershy, Spike," she said slowly, shaking her head. "And I'm certainly not Twilight. I don't care what any-pony says about me or my decisions. And I wouldn't expect anything less from you. There's no way I'd let something like that affect our friendship."

He gave her a curious look. "Really?"

She began to slowly circle the table to approach him.

"I've never been the type to want to settle down with any-pony, Spike," she assured him. "I hate holding myself back. I've always gone with my gut. And tonight, my gut's telling me to treat myself."

Spike swallowed hard as she approached him, turning in his chair to see the playful look in her eyes, and he felt himself beginning to sweat.

"Wh-what do you mean, 'treat yourself?'" he asked nervously, swallowing again.

She winked at him. "Like I said...we all got to blow off steam."

Spike flinched at her approach, and she paused her step, sensing his uneasiness, taking a steady breath.

"Look, if you really don't want to, then I'll understand," she shrugged. "But I trust you, Spike. Heck, you're one of the few guys I do trust. You're nice, you're smart, you're fun, and you're a pretty good looking dragon, all things considered. And we both know you've been eyeing me up. So what else is there to it?"

She was getting close now, and Spike could feel the heat swelling in the pit of his stomach, as well as...other areas.

"I, uh..." he licked his lips, looking nervously at her.

She leaned in closer, a sultry look in her eyes, and it was all Spike could do not to imagine the way her lips would feel on his. He couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze, and his eyes were lingering where the zipper to her flight suit lay halfway undone by her neck, all the while fighting back the urge to reach out and help it along its journey.

"You've got me for the rest of the night, Spike," she whispered, breathing huskily into his ear. "So what do you say? You gonna do something about it?"

The butterflies in his stomach gave way to a warm swelling of heat as he nodded, licking his lips as he leaned forward. Rainbow Dash seemed to watch him inquisitively as he kissed her, a claw raising up to encircle the back of her neck. She then pressed forward, and Spike felt her lips mashing against his own as she grabbed him by the shoulders, leaning almost all of her weight into the kiss.

He let out a surprised murmur as she shoved him back into the chair, nearly knocking him backwards, until she planted her front hooves on his knees, stabilizing him, and he finally parted with her, gasping in surprise.

"Whoa..." he stammered, holding onto her for support.

She looked up in thought, licking her lips as though considering the taste of his own.

"Interesting..." she said to herself, before giving him another sultry smile as she stood back on all fours and gestured with her head towards the bed. "Come on..."

She didn't wait for him to get up, and very nearly dragged him out of the chair and practically tossed him on the unmade bed with an unceremonious fwoomp.

"Ooph..." Spike grunted as he landed on his hindquarters amidst cluttered bed sheets, looking up at her as she crawled onto the mattress with him, immediately pinning him to the bed. Her lips went for his once again, and Spike felt the air leave his lungs as she kissed him even harder than before, gyrating her hips over his own, eliciting a growl of pleasure from his throat.

She was so much more forceful than he'd imagined. Everything from the way her tongue probed his mouth to the way her body pressed against his demanded his full attention. She devoured his lips with such carnivorous intent that it was difficult to remember which of them was predator and which was prey. She was like a force of nature; whatever she wanted, she was determined to get, and he was completely powerless to stop her.

Rainbow Dash parted with him as a trail of smoke drifted upwards from between his lips. She exhaled, and a similar wisp of smoke that she had captured from his mouth escaped her own lips, a self-satisfied smile on her face as she practically purred.

"I always wondered what a dragon tasted like..." she winked deviously as she arched over him.

Spike was looking at her with something close to awe.

"Should I be worried?" he shuddered humorously, not knowing what to do next. This was nothing like anything he'd experienced before.

Rainbow Dash sat up over him, straddling him comfortably as she smiled seductively down at him, her weight sitting delightfully upon his arousal.

"I think you should be quiet..." she grinned as she began tugging down the zipper to her flight suit until it reached the junction between her bottom legs. "If you know what's best for you..."

Spike's face lit up like a Hearts and Hooves day tree as he watched her, and Rainbow Dash smiled widely as he did. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her without clothes on, but somehow, slinking out of the skintight spandex made it all the sexier for it, and she loved every minute of it. She loved how easily she could make him squirm, and every gasp of breath he took was intoxicating to her senses. He may have had his share of experiences in the past, but he hadn't had anything like this before. She was Rainbow Dash, and he was about to find out exactly how much of a difference that made.

"Mmmmmmmmmh..." Spike exhaled as her lips descended past his neckline.

Rainbow Dash slid down the bed, her lips descending across the scales of his chest. They were warm and metallic and clicked as her teeth grazed against them, but the feeling of every little flinch of taught muscle and sinew beneath his scales was turning her on more than she could have ever guessed. Life out in the wilderness, plus three weeks of non-stop training had made him into a lithe, muscular beast, and she could feel every inch of his flesh flexing and reacting to her touch through his scales, and damn it if it wasn't making her feel hot as hell!

Further fueled, she kissed her way down the stretch of his abdomen, until she reached the crux between his legs.

"Ahhhh..." Spike breathed as her hot breath tickled his scales, eyes flickering in elation until they flew open as her mouth neared his tender bits. "W-Wait! Wh-what are you...?"

Then his head flew backwards as he felt her lips envelope him, his whole body stiffening under her touch.

"Nnnnnnnnnnngggg!" he groaned loudly, feeling the warmth of her mouth surrounding his arousal, her tongue gently massaging him from within its wet confines.

This was about the last thing he had been expecting, but damn was it incredible! He could feel her tongue swirling all around him, lolling him back and forth like a lollipop. His claws dug into the bed sheets as she suckled the tip of his throbbing arousal, flicking the tip of her tongue up and down, closing her eyes as she hummed in satisfaction, sending shivers up his spine.

Her eyes opened once again, meeting his gaze with a seductive smile that made his cheeks flush even more. She was toying with him! Teasing him! She knew exactly the effect she was having on him, and she was savoring every moment of helplessness he felt within her grasp. As she traced her tongue along his shaft almost casually, he almost panicked when he realized how near he was to release at that moment.

"W-wait!" he gasped, hips twitching uncontrollably. "S-stop! I'm gonna...!"

She did not relent, and he went into spasms as he came, his voice lost in his throat as he saw stars. Rainbow Dash let him slip out of her mouth just in time, letting his essence spill out across his own chest as she watched in amusement, a single hoof stroking the bottom of his shaft to coax him along until he was finished.

"Awww..." she chuckled playfully, grinning down at him with that same taunting smile of hers. "There you go..."

Spike clenched his eyes in a mixture of pleasure and shame after succumbing so easily and making a mess of himself. He had read about fellatio in some of his comics, but this was the first time any-pony had gone down on him, and he had been completely unprepared for the sensation.

Rainbow Dash reached for the box of tissues by the bed (she did not need to ask what their purpose was), and casually dabbed at his chest.

"A bit too much for you, Spike?" she giggled playfully, teasing him with her words as she wiped his scales clean.

Spike grit his teeth. This was just another power play for her. It always had been. She knew she was more experienced than he was, and she was using it to her full advantage. All she was doing was proving her superiority, and she was getting a kick out of teasing him and toying with him like he was a complete amateur.

Well, he thought grudgingly, let her have her fun. But he had his pride as a dragon, and while she may clearly have had the upper hand, there was no way he was going down without a fight. He may not have been as experienced of the two of them, nor was he the most athletic, but in terms of raw strength, he still had a trick or two up his proverbial sleeve.

"I'll show you 'too much,'" he grinned, before seizing her by the forelegs and rolling her onto her back, shifting himself on top of her and using his body weight to keep her pinned the bed.

"Hey, whoa!" she blurted in surprise, eyes wide as her wings played awkwardly outward beneath her. "What do you think you're doing?"

Spike curled back his upper lip in a wide, mischievous grin as he held both her front hooves down over her head.

"Payback..." he smirked, holding her hooves down with one arm, as another claw began to work its way down her front.

Rainbow Dash' smile widened as her cheeks flushed red. "Well, well, Spike...this is a side of you I certainly haven't seen before..."

He leaned down and snapped his teeth together just beyond her ear, causing her to flinch with a start as his claws teased their way through the soft fur of her underbelly, a low growl emanating from his lips as his tongue darted out to tease the rim of her ear. As his teeth grazed her ear, her eyes fluttered closed as his claws continued their journey down her abdomen.

Rainbow Dash shuddered in excitement. She had been hoping all her teasing would pay off, but she never imagined he'd take charge like this! She probably could have broken out of his grip with a few well-placed kicks if it came down to it, but for now, she didn't struggle, allowing herself to be held down and fondled. She would have been lying if she'd said it didn't drive her absolutely wild, and the more his hot breath tickled her ear, the more his claws fiddled with her the tender flesh of her underbelly, the nearer they drew to the crux between her legs, the more and more excited she got.

"Mmmmm..." she hummed in approval as she felt him tug the zipper of her uniform all the way down past her sex, and then proceed to delve his fingertips between her folds. His claws were long and thick, and he was just forceful enough for it to be sexy but he was just delicate enough not to hurt her. And as her whole body began to shake, she had to admit, the feeling of those claws inside of her was making her feel really, really good.

"Ohhhhh, man!" she exclaimed, biting her lower lip as she clenched her eyes in pleasure, not even trying to free her hooves anymore. "Don't stop, Spike! Just...don't stop!"

He kept clawing her, and her whole body roiled in pleasure as she felt his teeth take a hold of her ear, her hips undulating in response to his tormenting touches. His lips descended to her neckline, and her wingtips quivered. And as he plunged his claws ever deeper inside of her, she let out a cry of ecstasy as she pressed her back hooves to the bed, lifting her hips off the mattress, as wave after wave of pleasure rocked her entire body.

"Oh, Spike, yes!" she wailed, biting her lip as her whole body shook. "Yes!"

He could feel her squeezing his claws from inside of her, and he growled in triumph as he leaned forward to capture her lips in another ferocious kiss which she greedily accepted, mashing her lips into his as if retaliating to a declaration of war.

All the squirming and moaning had made him more than hard enough again, and as she lay prone, gasping for breath, he positioned himself between her legs.

"H-hey," she wheezed, looking down at him. "Hold up a sec..."

He blinked up at her, sobering a little at her protest. "Oh, sorry...did you want to stop here?"

She shook her head, still panting. "No, no...it's just..."

She took a breath, before smiling and wrapping her hind legs around his waist and rolling him onto his back, once again straddling him from on top.

"I think you've been in control long enough!" she crowed, rubbing her wetness against his boy parts as she pinned him back down on the bed.

Spike would have laughed if the switch didn't turn him on so much, and instead he simply placed his claws around her waist and began urging her down to grind against his shaft a little harder, which was an action that she took more than a fair share of pleasure denying him for as long as possible.

"Mmmm..." Spike groaned, wanting nothing more than to be inside her. "Rainbow Dash..."

The blue pegasus grinned in triumph as he said her name, her own body aching for more. "Oh yeah...that's more like it..."

She rewarded him by sliding down upon him, enveloping his shaft with her tight, moist confines. She was in turn rewarded by the sight of his head tilting back in bliss as she began to undulate and gyrate her hips, feeling his mass delving inside of her, delighting at the sensation of his hips jutting up into hers.

"Nnnnng..." she groaned in approval as she bounded up and down over him. "That's good, Spike. That's perfect. Keep doing that..."

Spike obeyed, thrusting his hips upward to plunge into her again and again as Rainbow Dash began to arc her back, her hooves resting on his chest as she clenched her eyes shut.

"Oh my gosh..." she breathed, cheeks red as she rode him hard, her insides on fire as she felt him swelling inside her. "Oh my gosh, Spike! Don't stop!"

Spike looked up at the pegasus as she rolled her hips over his, her walls massaging him as his head fell back in pleasure. His claws dug into her hips as he felt himself growing closer by the moment, his hips thrusting up hard enough to lift her off the bed.

"Rainbow Dash..." he moaned, a trail of smoke escaping his nostrils as he clenched his eyes in ecstasy.

About the time Rainbow Dash threw her head back, her wild mane tossing back as she howled into the night, Spike felt himself succumb to her once more, releasing inside of her as she clamped down upon him, swallowing him up as she fell forward onto his chest, her breaths coming out in loud, panting gasps of air.

"Ahhhhhhhh..." she released a breath, her whole body sweating from exertion, laying on top of Spike's scaly form. "Oh my gosh..."

Spike lay on his back, savoring the moment as he felt his head spinning from a mixture of pleasure and exhaustion. He was practically intoxicated with her, to the point where he doubted he could so much as stand right at that moment.

He never would have dreamed of this night going like this. He had feared that he had stepped on a landmine somewhere down the road, and as a result had ruined his friendship with the mare. Of course, he wasn't sure just what affect this night would have on their friendship either. She had said that she wouldn't let it change anything, but whether or not anything would actually change remained to be seen.

He certainly believed that Rainbow Dash knew what she had been doing when she'd come to him that night. But did he?

When she tugged her Wonderbolts flight suit all the way off, he assumed that was an indication that she was ready for bed.

"Alright, take five..." she said, breathily. "Then we can start round four."

"Wait, what?" Spike blinked in confusion. "You...want to keep going?"

She winked at him as she cracked her neck. "You kidding? I said you had me for the rest of the night, Spike."

She leaned forward and planted a greedy kiss on his lips.

"The whole night..."

Spike gulped. It looked like she wasn't quite done with him yet.

The two of them awoke to the sound of knocking at the door.

It had been a very late night, and the two of them were sleeping off their workout from the night before. It was well after noon that either of their eyes began to flicker open. There was a stirring of motion, a nuzzle here, a kiss there. Spike was sore everywhere and had several bruises under his scales, but Rainbow Dash never felt more limber - all in all, not so different from how their normal training sessions usually went.

Neither had truly woken up, however, until the knocking sounded at Spike's door.

"Spike?" a young sounding voice came from just beyond the door.

Spike and Rainbow's eyes flitted open, and they both exchanged a look. Spike gestured to the door, and then himself, as if to ask whether he should answer or not. Rainbow Dash simply responded with a shrug.

The knocking persisted.

"Spike!" Apple Bloom's voice sounded. "Come on, we know you're in there! We're worried about you!"

Spike winced, a guilty expression on his face, as he looked apologetically at Rainbow Dash.

She sighed and waved him forward, as if telling him to go ahead.

Spike slid out of bed, sliding the covers back over Rainbow Dash, before he tiptoed towards the door. The stealthy approach was mired as he accidentally kicked a can, which skidded across the floor noisily.

"Spike?" Sweetie Bell's voice sounded this time.

He mentally cursed himself as he reached the door, unlocking it and opening it a crack to peek outside to find the Cutie Mark Crusader's expectant faces waiting for him.

"Hey Spike!" Apple Bloom said by way of greeting. "How've you been? We haven't seen you in weeks!"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo stomped her hoof. "We were hoping to see you at Rainbow Dash's party, but you were a no-show! What gives!?"

Spike smiled uneasily. "Oh, uh...sorry guys. Guess I've been a little busy lately."

"Doing what?" Sweetie Bell asked.

Spike scratched his head. "Oh, uh...training, mostly."

Scootaloo's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! Rainbow Dash mentioned that she'd been training you last night."

"Oh..." Spike tried not to blush. "Did she now?"

"Yeah," Sweetie Bell lamented. "But our sisters didn't let us stay for the whole party. It went pretty late."

"Is that so?" he asked, wanly.

"Yeah, we didn't even get to try out my sister's special punch either!" Apple Bloom complained. "Applejack's been all week making that stuff!"

"You don't say..." Spike muttered.

Sweetie Bell raised an eyebrow. "Did we...catch you at a bad time, Spike? You keep glancing back inside like that..."

Spike jerked his head around - he'd hardly even noticed.

"N-no!" he blurted. "Not really! Just...you know...sleeping in."

Apple Bloom smiled widely. "Well, that's no way to spend the day! Why don't you come hang out with us?"

Spike glanced uneasily back inside again. "Uhh...how about later today? I still...need to wash up and everything."

The girls exchanged a suspicious look before nodding.

"Sure," they all collectively agreed.

"We'll be hanging out at the hayburger for the next hour or so," Apple Bloom mentioned. "Meet us there if you can."

Spike smiled companionably, still sweating. "Will do!"

He waved goodbye as the three young mares wandered off down the walkway away from his apartment complex and then shut the door.

"Talk about timing," Rainbow Dash sounded from his bed.

He turned and saw her sitting up, and she watched him as he made his way back to her.

"Tell me about it," he agreed, slipping back under the covers and began massaging Rainbow Dash's shoulders.

She reacted immediately.

"Mmmmmmmmm..." she sighed contently as she melted into his touch. "Ohhhhh, man, you can keep that up forever..."

"I've got to eat sometime," he pointed out without stopping.

"Nnnng...you can learn to do without..." she said out of hand, leaning into his dexterous fingers.

Spike simply laughed and continued rubbing her shoulders, enjoying the moment while he could. With any luck, they'd never leave the bed again that day.

Sadly, the moment was ruined when a muffled, high pitched voice yelled out "Rainbow Dash!?"

Both of them looked up at the one and only window the apartment provided on the wall opposite the door. It wasn't very big, nor did it provide much of a view. But it was still enough for the orange-furred, pink-maned pegasus with her nose pressed against the glass to see what was going on.

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash yelped angrily, leaping out of bed towards the window. "What have I told you about spying on me!?"

Scootaloo gasped and recoiled at the mare's approach, flailing her arms before falling backwards, stumbling through some bushes and taking off in a panic.

"I didn't see anything!" she hollered, running like a bat out of Tartarus. "I swear!"

When Rainbow Dash got to the window, she was long gone.

"Darn that girl," she grumbled in irritation. "I'm gonna have to smack some sense into her one of these days..."

Spike looked nervously at Rainbow Dash as she gave him an apologetic smile.

"I, uh..." she muttered in resignation. "I probably better go. Should probably talk to her before she gets the wrong idea."

Spike bit his lip, all his hopes for the day crumbling at her words. He knew getting into this that they would have to part ways soon enough. He just wished it could have lasted longer.

"Heh..." he muttered grudgingly. "I thought Rainbow Dash didn't care what any-pony thought of her or her decisions."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Still, Scootaloo's a good kid. She deserves to know the truth at least."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you going to tell her?"

Rainbow Dash gave him a half smile. She could tell just what he was fishing for.

"That you and I are still just good friends who needed to let off some steam," she said definitively.

Spike nodded, soberly. He had assumed as much, but hearing it still made him uneasy. He was trying really hard not to get too emotionally invested in this - he knew Rainbow Dash well enough to know that nothing would drive her away faster. The worst part, though, was that he didn't think he could deal with not knowing when or where their paths might cross again.

"And do you think these two 'good friends' are going to be letting off steam again any time soon?" he said, not so much tiptoeing around the issue as barreling into it headlong.

She chuckled as she touched a hoof to his chest.

"That, Spike, depends entirely on you..." she said.

He glanced down where her hoof touched him, which she promptly raised and gently bopped his nose, causing him to flinch back a little with a laugh.

"Heh..." he chuckled. "Should have expected something like that."

He watched her leave with a flick of her tail.

"See ya round, Spike," she said as she trotted out the door, before taking off after Scootaloo.

Spitfire raised her glasses as Rainbow Dash stood in front of her desk.

"Is that a no?" she asked, skeptically.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Not exactly. See, I definitely want to be a Wonderbolt. But I can't leave Ponyville either. My job as an element of harmony is too important, and with Princess Twilight's castle being present in town, there's definitely cause for a Wonderbolt presence in Ponyville."

Spitfire scratched her head. No-pony had ever had the audacity to make such a request in lieu of an acceptance into the ranks.

"So you want us to build an entire outpost in Ponyville just so you can stay there?" she asked, incredulously.

"A very small one," Rainbow Dash explained. "Just a way-station, really. Wouldn't need more than a hoof-ful of Wonderbolts there at any given time. You can put me in charge, or directly under some-pony of your choosing. But like I said, my skills will be best served at the side of the Princess, as the element of Loyalty. And there have been enough mishaps centered around Ponyville that the Wonderbolts could do a lot of good if they had wings in Ponyville airspace."

Spitfire pursed her lips as she considered the options. "I don't know, Rainbow Dash. Even a small garrison needs to be built, stocked, and manned - which is still pretty expensive. I like you, and I want to do right by you, but even my pull has limits. I can't go blowing our budget on a project like this just on a whim."

Rainbow Dash was determined. "Don't think of it as a project...think of it as putting a Wonderbolt directly within Princess Twilight's retinue. Think about it - the Princess of Friendship, with a Wonderbolt within her inner circle of closest friends. You could put it on all your banners and adverts - 'The Wonderbolts: Official guard to the Princess of Friendship.' You'd make back every bit you spend within a month, and you'd have recruits out the ears! Plus, you'd have a direct point of contact within Princess Twilight's retinue. Come on, what do you say?"

Spitfire chewed on her lip as she considered this new possibility. Rainbow Dash made a compelling case, she thought. She'd make a great captain one day.

"Those are some excellent points there, Rainbow Dash," she nodded. "Alright, I'll run it by the board of directors. I'll let you know what they say."

Rainbow Dash smiled in self-satisfied triumph. "Awesome!"

"I'm sticking my neck out for you here," Spitfire gave her a wry smile. "Don't make me regret it."

"You won't!" she grinned.

Scootaloo and her friends were giving Spike an odd look as the four of them sat awkwardly around a table at the local hayburger.

"You two did what!?" all three Crusaders bellowed at once.

Spike held his claws up, cringing at the looks they were getting.

"Shhhhh!" he shushed, vehemently. "Not so loud, girls!"

Scootaloo looked incredulous while the other two glanced around, shrinking sheepishly into their seats.

"How long has this been going on?" she demanded in a more hushed tone, otherwise undeterred by his urging. "Rainbow Dash wouldn't give me any details!"

Spike scratched his neck. "Just last night. Uhh...actually, it...was probably kind of a one-time thing..."

"Whoa, whoa, what!?"Scootaloo narrowed her eyebrows, volume increasing again. "Spike, do you mean to tell me that you made a freaking one-night stand out of-"

"Quiet, will you!?" he shushed. "And if you'll just give me a second to explain..."

The other two Crusaders both gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and she calmed down a little.

Scootaloo crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Alright...talk."

Spike did.

After he was done, Scootaloo promptly stood up and turned towards the store counter.

"I need a milkshake..." she said, walking off.

As Spike watched helplessly as she left, the other two Crusaders were left gawking at the dragon.

"Wow..." Apple Bloom blinked. "Who'da thunk it?"

Sweetie Bell gaped at her. "That's all you can think to say!? Shouldn't we...I don't know...do something about this!?"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Um...excuse me?"

"Like what?" Apple Bloom scoffed. "Rainbow Dash clearly ain't interested in a relationship. What's so hard to believe about that?"

"I don't know..." Sweetie Bell stuttered. "Couldn't we help somehow?"

Spike raised a finger. "Uhh...ladies...?"

"If it wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be," Apple Bloom shrugged. "No sense fightin' it."

Sweetie Bell clapped her front hooves together. "But what if it's true love!?"

Apple Bloom fixed her with a sardonic stare. "Really? Have you ever even been in love, Sweetie Bell?"

The other mare threw a quick glance in Spike's direction. "Uhh...maybe once or twice..."

Spike blinked, totally confused. "Ummm..."

Apple Bloom shook her head. "If it were true love, they'd be together. Simple as that. You can't force it."

"Yes you can!" Sweetie Bell countered. "We used to do it all the time with magic!"

"Nothin' true about that kind of love," Apple Bloom shook her head, before looking at the dragon in their midst. "Spike, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for letting Scoots spy on you, and I'm sorry things got so complicated between you and Rainbow Dash. We're here if you want to talk."

"Yeah!" Sweetie Bell added. "Or, if you want, we can help come up with a brilliant scheme to get the two of you back together and-"

"Talk," Apple Bloom said pointedly.

Sweetie Bell rolled her eyes. "What? I'm just saying. That spell can't screw things up every time. I mean, statistically-"

She was interrupted by Scootaloo slamming her drink down on the table and sitting back down.

"I guess that goes for me too, then," she sighed in resignation, sipping a chocolate milkshake from a straw. "If that's the kind of pony Rainbow Dash is, then I'm not gonna hold it against her. Or you. So I'm here to talk if you need, Spike."

Spike let out a sigh, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. "Thanks girls..."

The other two mares smiled, but Scootaloo held up a hoof.

"On the condition..." she added, "That you go talk to Rainbow Dash. Right now."

Spike blinked in surprise. "But...but she could be anywhere by now! I mean-"

"What's she been training you for?" Scootaloo insisted. "You got wings! Use 'em!"

Spike stumbled out of his chair. "R-Right!"

The three mares watched him leave, and sipped their drinks.

"Huh..." Apple Bloom sighed, sitting back in her chair. "Never would have pictured those two hitting it off that well."

"Hmm...maybe with Princess Twilight," Scootaloo shrugged. "But Rainbow Dash? I'm surprised she didn't break him in half!"

"I think Fluttershy would be a nice fit for him," Sweetie Bell said, head in the clouds.

"Nah, she's too skittish," Apple Bloom said dismissively. "Now Pinkie Pie..."

"How could any-pony date Pinkie Pie?" Scootaloo shuddered. "She's too insane!"

"What about your sister?" Sweetie Bell asked Apple Bloom. "AJ's getting to be marrying age."

Sweetie Bell held her hooves over her ears. "Aww, come on, don't even joke about that!"

As Sweetie Bell laughed, Scootaloo elbowed her gently. "What about your sister, Sweetie Bell? We all know he had a crush on Rarity a while ago."

Sweetie Bell just shrugged, sipping her drink. "Ehh...I ship it."

The other two mares just gave her a strange look as she went back to her meal.

Rainbow Dash felt high as a kite as she flew home from the Academy later that day. She did it! She had found the solution that let her stay in Ponyville and let her become a Wonderbolt! After years of putting it off, she had finally managed to reconcile her dreams with her duty, and she felt like a million bucks for having done so.

To think that less than a day ago, she had felt so completely out of it! It seemed that no matter how bad things seemed, if you were strong enough to stick it out long enough, you really could find light at the end of the tunnel. And if you were really good - like Rainbow Dash clearly was - you came out the other end shining like a diamond!

She had won so hard, she just didn't know what to do with herself! Not only had she impressed the Wonderbolt cadets with her skills so much that she had inspired the whole team of trainees to stick to it and put in the effort to join the ranks, not only had she trained a complete and total novice until he was strong enough to nearly beat her in a thousand meter dash, not only had she gotten to celebrate with one of the wildest nights she'd ever had in a long, long while, but she had actually managed to convince the Wonderbolts' captain to grant her greatest wish. And she had done it on her terms!

All this just reinforced what she had known all along - that it was awesome to be her!

The only thing that could make this day even more pleasant would be...

Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt in the air above her cloud house. There, waiting just outside her door, was Spike the dragon.

She smiled in amusement. What was he doing back so soon, she wondered? Back for more already? Was he that hooked on her already? She hoped not - the last thing she wanted was a guy who wouldn't leave her alone. She liked hanging around with the dragon, and he was a damn good lay, but it didn't matter how handsome or charming or good in bed he was, she wasn't about to let any-pony keep her to themselves.

And if Spike didn't get that, then there would be problems.

She glided down to alight upon the clouds that made up the base of her home, giving him a wayward glance. He was walking on clouds as comfortably as though it was the ground now.

"Hey Spike," she smirked, nonchalantly. "Miss me already?"

That's when she noticed the backpack around his shoulders.

"Umm..." he muttered, sliding it off to reach inside. "Actually..."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. This again?

"Oh, come on!" she complained. "We've been over this like a hundred times already, Spike! I don't need that silly comic book!"

"What?" he blinked in surprise, before realization dawned on him. "Oh, no, no, it's not the comic. It's...well, here..."

He pulled out her Wonderbolt uniform, neatly folded up, and offered it to her.

"You...left this at my place," he said, blushing. "I, uh...washed it for you."

She blinked in surprise. She had totally forgotten about the uniform she had left there.

"Oh..." she muttered, taking it back. "Well, thanks. 'Preciate it."

He smiled, blushing slightly. "I, uh...I also spoke to Scootaloo and her friends."

Rainbow Dash could barely contain her laughter. "Hahahaha! And?"

He smirked back at her. "It took some explaining, but they mellowed out after a while. Scootaloo demanded that I speak with you, though."

"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

Spike shrugged. "That's the thing - I don't really know. To be honest, I'm kind of flying into unfamiliar territory here. I don't know what's expected of me, or what I'm allowed to do or anything. And it's not like I have the greatest track record either."

Rainbow Dash sighed impatiently, but she supposed she couldn't fault him for being naive.

"Look, it's simple," she said patiently. "I don't really do the whole 'mare-friend/colt-friend' thing. To me, that just seems like a big waste of time and energy. The way I see it, if two ponies - or a pony and a dragon - want something from each other, they should just go for it and get on with their lives. And if one of them decides to move on to some-pony else, then that's fine. No hard feelings."

Spike's blush increased. "What if...one of them wants to do it more than the other?"

Rainbow Dash gave him a snarky smile.

"Then you sit on your tail and wait for me to come to you," she crossed her arms. "It's gotta be on my terms, Spike. Is that gonna be okay with you?"

Spike thought about that for a moment. He was still completely unsure about this, but it's not like he was committing to anything. That was probably for the best - he honestly wasn't sure he wanted to even try to tackle a relationship with any-pony anymore. And while this understanding between him and Rainbow Dash felt completely tenuous to him, at least she had clearly stated exactly what she expected from him.

He was used to being a follower. And while he had left Ponyville distinctly to get away from being a follower, so much time had passed since then and he felt like something familiar might be good for him, even if it was only for a little while.

So he nodded.

"Sure," he smiled. "I think I can manage that."

Rainbow Dash smiled in return. "Good. Anyway, now that that's out of the way..."

She held up the Wonderbolt uniform in one hoof, letting it unfold and hang loose on her foreleg, fixing the dragon with an all too familiar grin.

"What do you say you come inside so I can show this off some more?" she said with a flick of her mane. "I know how much you like the way it looks on me."

Spike's eyes widened. His cheeks had already been red, but they were now a shade of deep crimson.

"Sure..." he nodded. "I think I can definitely manage that..."

Author's Note

Less substance to this chapter, but more content overall. I felt like I spent less time belaboring character's inner musings, especially towards the end, but somehow this chapter turned out just as long as the last one. If any of you prefer shorter chapters, I apologize.

I'm also concerned about pacing. As much as I enjoyed writing this chapter, it felt like I was forcing it out towards the end, so I hope that isn't reflected by the writing.