I thought it was just the dinner!
So...
Here we are.
At the crossroads.
For some reason, Spike doesn't care, even with his... size, that the road we're about to race on is wet, dirty, narrow, smells like a stampede of Applejack's cows except that they not only grazed, but left a large pile of landmines behind, and the fact that Rarity, who I wish would stop eyeing Spike's body, is on the sidelines, with her hair swept to one side, mocking my hairstyle. Who does she think she is? Mocking the Dash?
I sigh. It's just Rarity trying to intimidate me. I know her: sparkling in the sun light while Spike is... gleaming with his shiny green scales trailing perfectly down his back and right to his tail. He's built like a dragon with more than just some fire. Not to mention that he gained those wings as an add-on from talking to the other dragon's around the area. Apparently dragons just need some fire to get those puppies ready. Problem was that he had to go on his own little adventure to find his parents, ask them if he was worthy, do some more tasks because they said he wasn't worthy, then come back, get fire on his sides, which, according to him, burned like Twilight's "Did it burn?" experiments, and then come back home to test out his new, large, purple wings with the expert: me, the Dash.
I shake my head. Focus, Dash. Racing is your game, and looking at Spike's wings is not your aim. Besides, why should I care about his new wings? Heck, I'm Rainbow Dash! I can take on anything, even dragons with their new...
...large...
...impressive wings.
I take a gulp. Maybe his wings might be too impressive.
I take a look to my left. Trees. Many, many trees. They don't have wings. Good.
I take a look to my right. Friends. Many, many friends. They may have wings, but they're not good as mine, except Twilight's, whose wingpower is unmatched when all the alicorn princesses decide to take a day off and give her all of their magic. Figures. Magic, magic, magic. Where's the wings?
I flutter my wings and look at Spike. He's directly beside me, to my right. I would have told myself he was there, but nah, I see right through him. I don't want to look at his... wings. Those giant, muscle-bound, hot rods wi--focus, Dash! It's like you're wanting to just tear those wings off and put them on top of yours! Let's take a deep breath... There. You have this race in the bag. Before you go blasting off into oblivion, two things...
One: ripping a pony's, let alone a dragon like Spike, wings are so not cool.
Two: having an odd desire like that is so wrong. Pretend you never thought of such a thing.
I sigh. Thanks to myself for promoting a better Rain for the Dash of today!
...
"Get ready!" the announcer--wait, that's Pinkie Pie, says in her large megaphone from the--
"Get set!" Oh my gosh, assume position!
Flank in air, tail flicked to cover said flanks, wings in ready position, glare not fixated on Spike's huge... hot--
"GO!"
I take off like usual: fast, fast, and fast! Wait, don't forget the word control. Twilight yelled at me for not saying that last time. Or was it Fluttershy? I don't remember, somepony yelled it. Probably Twilight, Fluttershy's yell has been a bit hoarse lately.
Whisking past a cloud, which had a pegasus standing on it with a camera before I decided to fly by it (thankfully him or her didn't have flash on), I smirk and look back at Spike, who, in my mind, would be way behind me. After all, Dash doesn't just dash.
Yet, right behind me is Spike, whose goofy smile makes my heartbeat suddenly turn erratic. I don't know why. That smile is like a godsend, like a flash from a camera (I hope that pony is all right), and man does it hurt just looking at it, flying by, and--
Wait, he passed me!
I gun it.
You sneaky dragon.
High tide. I'm looking for Rainbow Dash. For some reason, Twilight told me that she wasn't around. I doubt that. She likes to go in this one field when she's bored, upset, or has no other bother in the world except relax, take a nap, and worry about nothing but flying, Wonderbolts, her friends, and the occasional bowl of rainbow sherbet.
I swear, that Pegasus could eat a warehouse full of that stuff and still have room for more. I mean, I'd be worried if she got some weird mutated form of diabetes, but that would be her fault, not mine. Besides, dragons can't have diabetes; the disease would be on fire before they even decided to take a shot at screwing up my blood. Silly diseases, tricks are for other species that are too vulnerable to you!
Wait... that's a lie. Dragons can still get the flu.
Darn.
I look to my right. Trees, trees, and more trees. If I start a forest fire and a tree falls down and goes boom, would anypony hear that one tree go boom? Eh, Twilight couldn't even tell me the answer, her brain would be buried in papers that related to the structure, multiple reactions, and the meaning behind sulfuric acid. She even burned me with it! A dragon! Burning a dragon? Who knew?
I sigh. All it took was one little drop to make me go awol. One little drop.
I look to my left. Friends. For some reason, friends are a thing for dragons like me. I mean, we're not forever alone, except for a select few who choose to stay as mountain dragons and not socially inclined dragons. Instead, we're a very social, meaningful, wise species who like to use fire and drag gems out from beneath the soil and chow down like angry hungry pigs.
Despite my desire (previously) to eat every gem in Ponyville, these ponies still accept me.
Except Rainbow Dash.
I like to say she does, but her aura, her nature, something about her rubs--tickles--really, really bugs me. I can't find the right words, but I want to prove to her that I'm acceptable, a worthy opponent on the battlefield of racing. It would, I think, get me some street cred, and some newly accounted Dash cred, but I gotta first *win a race. So, I'll challenge her here soon. I gotta get to this field first...*
...and then nap with her for a while.
Never in my life thought that a dragon, who had just sprout wings, would be beating me. After he passed me, he went real low to the ground, which prompted me to do the same. It is an extremely narrow fit, but we both were able to fly side by side without damaging any nearby buildings.
I say this like it didn't happen.
Right now, I'm tasting some cabbage. It's not very good cabbage either. How this happened is a bit of a joke, considering I was shoved by a certain somedragon, whose... hot wings hit me into a poor cabbage salespony. His reaction when I landed in his wagon was priceless--
"My cabbages!" he said, as he gripped one tenderly in his hooves while tears glided down his cheeks.
I guess that's a good trade off.
I jump out from the cabbage stall remains and bolt to the skies, trying to see if I can find that dragon...
Ah-ha!
There he is, turning the corner near the finish line! I have just enough time!
I fly like I am fresh out the gate, bolting past one house, two, four, sixteen; did I lose count? Another pony--there goes his hat, a tree--that's a lot of leaves, and I really like her mane--Rarity got dashed!
Phew, he's really beating me right now! I gotta get closer!
Flapping my wings harder, I get near the big ol' dope, who decided that my absence meant he could showboat those big, hot wings of his. I'll show him who's boss!
I fly right past him.
Ha! Eat my dust!
I turn around, and see him smirk at me.
H-huh?
Wait, what's that noise?
Above me is the actual Spike, his green eyes bearing down on me. How did he get up there? How did he--
"Why are you cheating, Spike?" I shout at him.
He laughs heartily before flying ahead of me with his massive wings. "You never said I couldn't use magic!"
"Wings, Spike! WINGS!"
He keeps laughing at me. I don't like it when he does that to me.
So I bolt forward, chasing after the once little cheater. Magic, magic, magic...
Where's the wings?!
The nap we had was great. She, somehow, nuzzled into my wing that had only a bit of a hole for somepony to, I guess, snuggle between. Apparently Rainbow Dash even dashes in her sleep. What a pun! I better not tell her that when she wakes up.
She's... still asleep, but I need her up now; it's been long enough. "Dash," I say, my claw gently gliding over the end of her muzzle. "Wake up..."
Her muzzle twitches slightly, while her ear decides to go on a twitching frenzy. I chuckle at the sight. "You're so adorable, it's downright a crime..."
She must've heard it, because now she's frowning. It's like I had the key word highlighted--
"I'm not... adorable," Rainbow Dash mumbles, clutching onto my leg, which is near her face. She nuzzles up against it.
I can't believe it. I won't believe it. She heard me, and she replied to me in her sleep.
I have to tell Applejack about this; she'll never let Rainbow Dash down!
"H-huh?" Rainbow Dash says after yawning. She looks up at me, at my wings, then back at me in one, swift clean motion. "S-Spike!" she says, sliding out my wing cocoon. "What a-are you doing here?"
I smile. "Came back to Ponyville to visit..." I look at her wings. "Still flying high, aren'tcha?"
"Aw yeah! I--" She pauses, her face sort of... *flushed? "When did you grow...?"*
I flap my wings. "These babies?" I look at her. She's just giving me an absent-minded nod, her mouth agape at the sight of my new, large wings. I chuckle. "I got them from going on this adventure up in the Far North." I return my wings to my side. "You see, my parents gave me to the Princesses for the sole purpose of seeing if a dragon could even live among ponies..."
"Why's that?" The *Dash** asks.*
"They were diplomats, Rainbow Dash." Her eyes widen at that one. "I knew you were going to do that. Everyone does that when they hear that my parents were diplomats for the whole of Draconia..." Is it that surprising?
She frowns. "Twilight never told us about that, Spike."
I frown too. Twilight doesn't know that, because back when I was a baby, the School of Gifted Unicorns had their own top secret research team that extracted species of all kinds to test on. I just happened to be the one that wasn't going to be used for *other** purposes. They, instead, stuck me in with the testing of new unicorns. Twilight just happened to be the one.*
I'm so glad too. I hope we will never be apart.
"It's because she never knew," I say, looking down at the ground. "It was meant to be kept secret from her until she got her crown." She forgot... "I guess Celestia forgot."
"You didn't, though." I look up, seeing a smirk on her face. "I think that's enough." She turned my frown upside down. "So, doing anything?"
I *have** to get her for this now. I look to my left. "Well... I was just napping with you." Hey, there's that blush again! "I wonder why you don't think you're adorable."*
"I--Spike!" She hits me on my shoulder. What a weak hit. "That's not funny!" How can I not laugh at this? I see her fold her fore hooves together while she turns away from me. "I'm not adorable!"
I come closer, laying my wing around her. "Yes, you are." I nuzzle her cheek. "The Adorable Rainbow Dash, flyer of the Wonderbolts!"
She growls at me. "Shut up."
I smile. "All right, I'll stop teasing." She still has her face turned away from me. "I know what'll make you happy." I get closer to her ear. "How about a race?"
She turns around in a flash, her face bright as can be. That blush is still there, but not as red as before. "You're kidding? When did you get those wings?"
Oh... "Last week."
The draw bridge is down again. "Are you serious? One week of experience versus me, a long time flyer with the strength of the entire Clousdale team?" She smirks. "You're on."
I smile as I see her hold out a hoof. "I'm not done with the offer yet, Rainbow Dash."
She hesitantly begins to pull her hoof away. "What else is there? You offered a race, I questioned your ability, and I accepted." She looks at my wings.
I smirk. "Penalty. Loser buys the other dinner." She opens up her mouth, but i shut it right back up with the rest of my speech, "Uh-hu-uh. Not done." She closes her mouth. Her one eyebrow twitches furiously. "Two full-fledged laps around Ponyville. No rematches."
Rainbow Dash's hoof zooms towards my claw and bumps it. "Okay, but only if you don't use your flames."
"Why, are you afraid of getting *burned*?" I ask, smirking all the while. "Because I definitely would like to see you crash and burn at the finish line."
She smirks back. "Trash talk, I see?" She brushes up against me. "Only the weak speak like you." She flicks her tail at my nose. "Let's take this to the track, shall we?"
My face is burning up. Stupid sexy Rainbow Dash. "If you insist..."
Did I just call her sexy?
We're neck-a-neck: the final few flaps towards the finish line. He's looking at me. I'm looking at him. Where are we even going--
The cheers are all around us. We crossed the finish line.
"Looks like we have our winner!" Pinkie Pie says while hopping out Twilight's new and improved hot air balloon. We both stand in front of her, while she eyes us down. For once, I'm sweating, and it's not from the race.
"Congratulations, Spike!" she says, hugging him. "You won!"
Oh no. I lost.
To him.
I look over at him, and he's looking at me with a grin. "Told ya."
I sigh. He's taking me to dinner.
Even though my stomach is begging me to go get something to eat, I'm not feeling so hungry anymore.
I look at Rainbow Dash: her wings are to her side, her gaze is distant, her eyes are fluttering to a close...
She's definitely upset about this one.
I hug Pinkie back. Her hugs are deadly, but I'm not feeling any of her crushing hug, instead, my heart isn't liking to see Dash so down on herself.
I thank Pinkie and tell her to go get Sugarcube Corner ready, while I turn to Rainbow Dash, who is now walking away from the finish line, her head hanging low. "Rainbow Dash," I say. "Wait up."
She stops and I come to her side. "Are you okay?"
I wasn't expecting her face to be so full of tears. Streaks were everywhere... She quietly shakes her head.
I look away from her for a moment and look at Twilight, who is looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I give her a peace sign followed by a loop-de-loop. She nods and her horn begins to do its work...
"Mind if I take you somewhere?"
She sighs. "To dinner?"
I laugh. "That can wait. Right now, we need to talk." I nudge her. "And not here."
Letting out a whimper, she shyly nods. "O-Okay..."
I give Twilight a thumbs up.
And then we were gone.
I look around. "Why are we back here?"
He looks at me with a goofy grin. "I know how you like it here." I feel a blush coming on again. "Not to mention that this is where we made the bet, so why not have the dinner here?"
What?
"Hiyash Dash and Spike!"
I snap my gaze to a giddy Pinkie with a basket and blanket in her maw. I look at him. "You're serious?"
Pinkie Pie squeals, "He'sh serioush!" before putting the basket down beside her.
I watch as Pinkie lays the blanket down, revealing the candles (somehow lit), forks, spoons, napkins, plates, a recorder--why is that there?--two fancy glasses, and--Pinkie Pie places the giant basket in the center. She turns to Spike. "Anything else?"
He still is wearing that goofy grin. "Nope. Unless Rainbow Dash has anything she wants?"
I roll my eyes at him. "No, I'm good, Pinkie."
"Okie dokie!" she says, before leaving us alone with a fancy picnic.
"Like what you see?" he asks me.
Yes--no--maybe so? It's not what I thought--maybe a bit more... formal? "I like it."
He reaches for the basket, his grin turns to a soft smile. "That's great. I'm glad you do." He pulls out two sandwiches. "After all, I wanted to make this a bit informal..." He pulls out two normal glasses and a pitcher of water. "So I made sure we got some normal ones just in case."
I smile at him. He definitely got me. I thought he was trying to woo me like he did with Rarity.That would be the day...
...right?
I don't know why, but her smile has got my heart racing. It's going faster than our race we had earlier. It feels like the same race I had when I was younger, with Rarity to be exact, but it was an entirely different competition, one that had a battlefield of drama, hate, floating geometrical shapes that I just can't help but eat sometimes, and--
Oh...
Did I just fall in love with Rainbow Dash?
...
This is not happening. That smile, those wings, her mane--focus, Spike. It's just a dinner. Don't need to go sight-seeing on Rainbow Dash--
"Spike?"
"H-Huh?"
She still is smiling at me. "What do we have to eat?"
I almost fumbled the sandwiches in my claws. I set them on my plate, while I put the glasses in the right spots, leaving the more fancy ones behind. After fitting all the glasses and what not in place, I give her her sandwich. "It's your favorite."
She gasps. "The Hay Supercombo Supreme with extra daffodils!"
I nod. "Fresh, too." I see her drooling over the thing, which causes me to chuckle. "Dash, you don't have to wait."
She looks at me. "But, isn't that what you do on dates?"
My face is flushed. "D-Dates?"
Her face mirrors mine. This is not what I thought was going to happen.
This is not what I thought was going to happen.
All it was was a dinner with friends. I lost the race fair and square.
Now here we are, my big mouth opening up to him.
I...
I hope he doesn't take that too seriously.
I didn't mean to say it. My mouth just runs itself sometimes!
I--
"Did you really mean it, Rainbow Dash?" He twiddles with his claws. "Is this really a date?"
I can't even bear to look at him right now. I'm so embarrassed. If I say it's not a date, then he might get upset. If I say it is a date, then he might think that I like him or something.
I'm Dash, the one who flies alone without a partner. Instead, I fly with friends, not lovers.
So why does my heart want to go over there and hug him. Tell him I--wait.
Do I love him?
I see her looking away from me, her face looking like a bad spa accident. Like Rarity, when she ran out after...
...she said she didn't love me.
I don't know if I'll forget that: her mane had lost its bounce, her face was burned a bright red, her eyes had tears streaming down them, and her tail lost its Rarity-sheen. I can't break the scene, and instead remember her walk out the door, leaving me to the sounds of two spa employees, twins; they looked at me with sadness in their eyes.
I never want to be pitied by them again.
I look at Rainbow Dash, who now is looking at me.
"Spike..."
"Rainbow Dash..."
She gets up from her side of the blanket and sits near me. "I..." Her eyes glimmer in the light.
"Yes...?"
She looks at the basket. "Can I have some mayonnaise on my sandwich?"
"OH COME ON!" cries a certain somepony in the distance.
I know who that was and I'm sure we're being watched now.
"Sure," I say, handing her the bottle of mayonnaise. She checks to see the cap is on and grabs it in her maw. "Anything else?"
She shakes her head, and puts the bottle in her wing, cradling it with care. "Thank you, Spike." She gives me a little nuzzle. "Saving my sandwich, one step at a time."
I watch her go back to her a spot, a slight blush on her face.
Am I wearing one too again?
I bring a claw to my face. Yep, I'm smoking hot.
I don't know if I should be proud or upset by that.
We dug into our sandwiches, chowing down like two non-dating friends. We ate, drank our water, even had a bit of cider (which Spike found in the basket under the other sheets Pinkie Pie gave us) in our fancy shmancy glasses and talked about life.
Whether it was the latest drags in Canterlot to the little things in Ponyville, we talked about it all.
Now our stomachs are full--or at least mine is--and the talk is finished. All we have to do is clean up without doing anything romantic...
"Thank you for this dinner, Spike," I say, causing him to shoot his gaze at me. "It was..."
Cool? Awesome? Absolutely Amazing?
No...
"It was sweet."
My heart is racing again.
He blushes. "T-Thanks," he says, while grabbing my empty glasses and putting them in the basket. "I had to make it just right."
I raise an eyebrow. "Just right?"
He smiles. "Look... you remember what happened with Rarity--"
"She's a drama queen, Spike," I reply flatly. "She didn't want you, plain and simple."
He frowns. "That's the thing. I wanted her."
"Wanted?" Curse my big mouth for asking that.
"She was what I wanted: a mare with class, a crap load of gems, a caring, compassionate, generous pony." I watch his eyes dart to his sandwich and then back at me. "Then, after she left me, I had a realization." He smiles. "One I never thought I would even think about."
"What would that be?" Stop it, mouth. Right now.
He twiddles with his claws again--adorable! "I have something to tell you..."
Those words were unexpected.
These words are unexpected. They just roll off the tongue like a seamless dress floating in the breeze. A veil draped on the rack, a mannequin standing bare without even a slack, and a fake smile on its maw, staring at me blankly.
Never taking poetry again.
I sigh. Should I tell Rainbow Dash of my new feelings? Is it too soon?
I don't want her to think I'm replacing her with Rarity...
"Just try it, Spike," Twilight says. "You'll never know until you take a risk."
Was that just?
Oh, that sneaky mare. I'll get her back for coercing me into doing this.
"I... like you. A lot."
I never thought I'd see a mare's mouth drop wide open like that.
I'm...
Is this a nightmare that wants me to fly in his wings and tell him all about who he should like and dislike?
Is this a nightmare that wants me to fall in love with him?
Do I love him?
Love...
I look at him: his claws still twiddling like mad, his soft expression and gleaming green eyes that shine in the light--just like his scales. He is older now, more defined. I should know, his wings are huge--and I don't know why but they're so nice looking. I...
Oh whatever. Unlike Rarity, I don't turn him down so quickly. Besides, he's matured. He's funny and he can beat me in a race--
Wait. He can beat me in a race.
No pony beats me in a race like him.
I--
"Rainbow Dash." I look at him. "My feelings are a bit new but hear me out." He stops his twiddling and puts on a confident face. "Unlike Rarity, you make me feel genuinely happy. Even in the past, when Twilight and I had to go to Ponyville due to all those renovations and what not before the..." He pauses. "First War." A shiver. "I had to go fight. So I remembered who I liked the most. First was Twilight, because she's like a sister to me." He holds up one finger. "Then Celestia, because she's like my second mother." He holds up one final finger. "Do you know who this one is?"
I shake my head. "Fluttershy?"
"No, she's too quiet."
"Pinkie Pie?"
"Good guess, but no."
Applejack is all that is left. "Applejack?"
He shakes his head. "She's too into making fun of you."
I tilt my head. Who could it be? "Then who is it?"
He smiles and grabs my hoof. Gently he caressed it. "You."
"W-Why?" I breathe out. "Why me?"
He smiles. "Because you always inspired me to fly."
And I thought it was only going to be a dinner.
I smile. "I-I'm glad..."
He pulls me close--glad the stuff was put away--and puts me underneath his wing. "So... do you like me back?"
What he said... about me. About flying... I want someone to fly with. I'm not alone. I have my friends. So what does it matter if I have a lover?
Never again will you be in the Wonderbolts...
Who cares about them?
Ponies will look at you differently...
Who cares about them?
I look at him.
All I care is him.
"Yes," I say, giving him a kiss on his cheek. "I do."
I thought it was just a dinner...
She kisses me on my cheek.
I thought it was just a dinner...
But we're together now, and that's the next race we'll compete in...
...together.
