Divine Intervention

by Closer-To-The-Sun

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Spike, Rainbow Dash
Length: 4565

Rainbow Dash makes a visit to the library to find Spike at home. As the two chat and hang out, Dash is beginning to ask herself some personal questions.

“You may be right,/I may be crazy./But it just may be a lunatic your looking for.” –Billy Joel, “You May Be Right”

Sequel: "Trying To Be Cool"

Spike is left to his daily tasks as Twilight Sparkle is in Canterlot on official business. This includes a visit from Rainbow Dash, who is looking for more books to read. Spike gives her some suggestions and Dash admits he knows what he's talking about. This sparks something in Rainbow's head. She slowly begins to see the small purple dragon in a new light after a number of recent events. What exactly is going on with her?

Published 2012-08-21 14:44:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-21 14:44:02 UTC

Ch. 1 Turn The Page

Chapter 1: Turn The Page

Celestia's sun was shining down on Ponyville, giving a warm afternoon feel for the residents. While most of the ponyfolk were relaxed, there was one light blue pegasus who was racing towards her destination. It was Rainbow Dash, whose multi-colored mane was a blur to anypony who saw her. Finally landing in front of the Ponyville library, she checked the saddlebag on her back, double-checking to make sure it had not fallen off mid-flight, which it had a tendency to do. After her examination, she knocked on the door.

"Just a second!" a muffled voice from inside called out.

"No rush," Rainbow Dash replied to the voice. While she wasn't in a hurry, almost everything in her life was some sort of race or competition. It's how she was.

After what felt like eternity to the blue mare, the door was opened. Expecting to see her purple unicorn friend, Dash saw a small purple and green dragon.

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash!" Spike said excitedly.

"Hey there, Spike. Is Twilight around?" Rainbow Dash asked in a bit puzzled tone.

The dragon shook his head, "No, she was called to Canterlot on official business for a few days."

"She is? Bummer, I needed to return some of the books she let me borrow," Dash explained, making a slight motion to her saddlebag.

"Oh, in that case, I can help you out!" said Spike enthusiastically, "Come on in!"

A small smile came across Rainbow's face in relief that she could return the books. The only issue she has with reading was the fact of late fees. They scared her to death. She followed the dragon inside the library.

Spike led the pegasus to the center table in the library. Without being told what to do, Dash took her books out of the saddlebag and placed them on the table so Spike could check them back in. Writing down the book titles on the sheet of paper, Daring Do and the Final Crusade and Daring Do and the Kingdom of the Sapphire Skull, he then took them to the shelf and place them in their proper location.

"So you really liked those Daring Do books, don't ya?" Spike asked as he was on his stepstool.

"Yeah, gotta admit Daring is pretty awesome. That last book of the series is really weird though. Not as good as the first one," Dash commented.

Spike chuckled as he got back on the floor, "Yeah, I remember when I read that last one. Thankfully, Twilight told me some other good books to read."

"You read, too? But aren't you like three years old in dragon years?" the pegasus asked in surprise.

"I'm thirteen….in dragon years I think….you know what, I'm not sure how the age thing works with me. All I know is that I'm pretty smart compared to most dragons," Spike thought about exactly how his age would work out being a dragon amongst ponies.

Rainbow laughed, "Yeah, what other dragons know how to get blueberry stains out of their scales?"

"Hey, watch it! I might show you how hard it is to get those out!" Spike threatened as his face was flustered.

Still laughing, Rainbow placed a hoof on Spike's head and roughed him up slightly, "I'm just messing with ya, you little twerp. You know that."

Spike still looked sour, but he seemed to brush it off, "So, what kind of book are you looking for?"

"Hm…." Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her chin, "something with action is always good, and something funny would be cool, oh, and totally have something that makes me want to keep reading!"

Spike waddled to the bookcase to grab a few books down, "Well, if you want action, then you will really want to read Luna Wars: A New Hope. It's a personal favorite of mine. Oh! And another great one would be Buck Cassidy And the Sundance Colt. It takes place in the badlands when Equestria was still very wild. And you totally have to read Donkey Quixote, it's really fun to read."

Rainbow Dash was surprised at the stack of books that Spike had in his claws, "Whoa, are you sure these are some good books for me?"

"Trust me, these are some of my favorites. If you don't like any of them, I'll buy you lunch!" Spike sounded extremely confident.

A sly smile came across Rainbow Dash's face, "Alright, you're on!" The blue pegasus began loading the books into her saddlebag.

Spike pointed to the mare, "But no cheating, alright? You can't just look over it like it's nothing and put it down! You have to give them a shot."

Rainbow smirked and placed her hoof on Spike's head again, "What, you don't trust me?"

"You broke into a hospital and the library to continue reading a book because you were to proud to admit you like reading," Spike reminded her.

Dash was silent, trying to think of a comeback, but she knew that she was beat, "Alright, you got me there, you little nerd."

The pegasus and dragon started there way towards the door. "I'll stop by tomorrow then and let ya know how my reading goes," Dash continued.

"Hey, don't just rush through them! Enjoy them!" Spike was a little bothered that she seemed to be so relaxed about her new reading material.

"Geez, Spike, you really are the egghead's assistant, aren't ya?" Rainbow turned to him after she stepped outside.

"And proud of it!" the dragon boasted.

Laughing Rainbow Dash began to take off, "Alright, well, see ya later, shorty!" And with that, the pegasus returned to her home in Cloudsdale.

Later that night, Rainbow Dash was busy reading the new books she had checked out from the library. Already done with Donkey Quixote and Luna Wars, she was in the middle of Buck Cassidy And The Sundance Colt. Rainbow had to admit, Spike knew what he was talking about.

Ch. 2 New

Chapter 2: New

The next day, Rainbow Dash flew back to the Ponyville library with the newly finished books in her saddlebag. The blue pegasus was surprised at herself for staying up all night to read the books Spike lent her. While she did feel a bit nerdy for reading all night, she had to hand it to Spike for recommending good books to her.

Dash landed and knocked on the door of the Ponyville library. Almost instantly, the familiar purple and green dragon answered the door with a warm and welcoming smile.

"Hiya, Rainbow Dash!" Spike greeted her, "What brings you around here so soon?"

"Would ya believe me if I said I finished those books you gave me?" Dash replied with a smirk.

Spike gave a grin, "I knew you would like those books! Come on in, I'll return the books for ya."

Rainbow followed the dragon inside the building to the table in the center of the room, "I have to admit, those were great books you suggested. I loved each of them, especially Luna Wars." She placed the three books on the table.

Spike began his work of checking the books back into the catalog, "It's a great series to read. Sometimes I reread it just for fun."

"Do ya happen to have the next one?"

Spike paused to think before replying, "Unfortunately no, a brown stallion came in yesterday after you left and asked if there was a copy of Luna Wars: The Chaos Strikes Back. He commented that it was a matter of life and death, so I lent it to him. Apparently he really needed to read it for something."

"Bummer, I was looking forward to it," Rainbow commented bitterly.

Spike noticed that his pegasus friend was a bit upset, "Hey, there are still other amazing books to read, Rainbow Dash!"

The pony's ears perked up, "Like what?"

Spike pauses for a moment, placing one of his claws under his chin, as if it was the only thing to keep his head from falling off. With a sudden burst of energy, the dragon rushes to his stool to pick it up. Grabbing it, he hurries to another part of the library shelves. Rainbow Dash looks on with a puzzled look at Spike, as if he has lost his mind. Spike then places the stool down. Climbing up, he pulls out a large and heavy-looking book. Though he struggles a bit, he manages to get it to the center table all by himself. Taking a big sigh of relief, he proudly spoke, "Here we go! You'll love this book!"

Dash stared at the brown cover of the book, "Um....what is this?"

"This is a great story called Seven Guards. Don't let the size of it scare you, it's an amazing story," Spike explained.

Dash looked uncertain, "How about giving me a quick summary?"

"Well, to be brief and not spoil too much, a group of misfit and former guardponies have to save a town from bandits," Spike spoke, picking his words carefully, "and trust me on this, you will be surprised with this book."

Rainbow Dash seemed to be persuaded, "Alright then, I'll give it a shot," she looked at the book and then back to Spike, "though I'm not sure I can fly with this thing...."

"Oh, don't worry! You can read it here in the library!" the dragon cheerfully offered.

"You sure it's cool if I do that?"

"Of course! I'm just going to be cleaning up a bit before Twilight returns from Canterlot."

Dash smiled at the dragon, using her front hoof to pull Spike to her and rough his head up slightly, "Heh, thanks, pint size."

Spike laughed as Dash teased him, "Haha, don't worry about it. Anyway, you can go to the couch there and read." He pointed to the sofa that most ponies that visited the library relaxed and read.

The pegasus went to the sofa and began to read the large novel. Her attention, however, was focused on the movement out of the corner of her eye. While she wanted to read, the small dragon performing his daily chores seemed to interest her more. Spike didn't seem to notice Dash looking at him every so often, and she prayed to Celestia that didn't the dragon find out.

Forcing herself to stop looking, Rainbow stuck her nose in the book and began to think to herself. 'Alright, Rainbow Dash....what was that? Why did were you staring at the pipsqueak of a dragon? He's a little squirt, nothing more,' Rainbow paused to peer out from the book to see Spike placing some books back on the shelves, 'Okay, maybe a little more than just that. He did change a bit after that whole thing during the dragon migration. I mean, sure, his body didn't exactly change, but he really seems more....well....awesome. And after what the girls told me about Spike filling in for me during the Discord thing. Maybe Spike isn't the little punk I always thought he was....'

Ch. 3 Outer Space

Chapter 3: Outer Space

"Rainbow Dash? Hello? Anypony home?" Spike called to the pony, waving his claws in the air in hopes of getting her attention.

The blue pegasus was snapped out of her thoughts by the dragon's voice, "Huh, wha?"

"I was saying that I need to go and run some errands and pick some things up before Twilight gets back tomorrow morning. Will you be alright if I leave you here by yourself?" the dragon repeated his question that Dash didn't hear.

"Oh, uh, you know what, why I don't I help ya out? Ya know, so you don't have to carry all of that stuff alone," Rainbow quickly added the second part to give her a reasonable excuse to go with him.

Spike nodded, "Alright, that will be really helpful for me!"

Rainbow Dash hopped off the sofa and walked with Spike out of the library and to the Ponyville marketplace. As they walked, Spike started some small talk between himself and the blue pony.

"I didn't mean to disrupt your reading like that. It really looked like you were sucked into the plot of the story."

Rainbow gave a half-hearted laugh, "Heh heh, yeah. I was really sucked into the story." The pegasus was not going to admit she was thinking about Spike the entire time.

"You can come by the library at any time to continue whenever you want. I'm sure Twilight won't mind too much," Spike smiled.

"Alright then," Rainbow quickly said before changing the subject, "Hey, Spike. You remember that dragon migration not too long ago?"

Spike turned his head towards Dash as he continued to walk forward, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I know this sounds weird coming from me and all," the pegasus began, trying to look anywhere but at the small dragon she was trotting next to, "but have to say that after seeing ya stand up to those other dragons and be really gutsy, I have some new found respect for you."

Spike slightly laughed at the idea, "You have respect for me?"

Rainbow Dash quickly added to her statement after Spike's reaction, "I mean, don't take it the wrong way, you're still a little squirt and all, but you know what? You're alright in my book, kid." She lightly hit her hoof against Spike's arm, giving him a smile.

The dragon's cheeks slightly turned a shade of pink, "Haha, alright. Thanks for the complement, Rainbow Dash."

"So, shall we get those errands out of the way then, shorty?" Rainbow asked, changing the subject.

The small dragon nodded, "Yup, let's get these things done!"

The afternoon quickly went by as the blue pegasus and the purple dragon finished the checklist and enjoyed each other's company. Celestia's sun was sinking downward in the distance and the night was beginning to settle in on Equestria.

Spike and Rainbow Dash returned to the Ponyville library from the errands as the Luna's moon was beginning to rise and light up the evening.

Entering the library, Rainbow spoke, "Where do ya want the quills, parchment, and herbs at?"

"Oh, you can set them on the center table. I'll take care of them in a second," the dragon replied, carrying a paper bag of food with both of his arms, trying to see over the top of it.

"Gotcha," the pegasus replied as she placed the saddlebag of items on the table before trotting to the kitchen where Spike when. She watched him unpack the paper bag of food from behind for a moment. She then quickly snapped herself out from thinking about the dragon by violently shaking her head.

Spike heard the movement behind him. He turned around and saw Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway. With a warm smile, he spoke, "You know, you can go home now."

"You sure? I mean, I can still help ya out, if ya want," Dash was a bit surprised at herself for offering to help Spike.

"Yeah, I can handle things from here. I'm just going to organize the stuff we just got and then enjoy a few gems before bed," Spike explained.

The pegasus still had a concerned look upon her face, "Alright, if you're sure and all."

"Yeah, no need to worry about it," Spike said as he walked with Dash to the doorway.

Outside in the night air, Rainbow turned around and looked towards Spike through the doorway, "Alright, guess I'll see ya around then."

Spike nodded, "See ya. And Rainbow Dash?"

The pony tilted her head at her name being called, "Hm?"

"Thanks for making today fun."

A smile appeared on Dash's face, "Hey, thank you for being awesome!"

Spike laughed as the two bid farewell to each other.

Taking a deep breath of the crisp night air, Rainbow Dash flew up into the sky to return to her home in Cloudsdale. As she soared through the air, she smiled as her mind reflected on the fun day she had with the small dragon. Dash was surprised to find that both she and Spike shared the same type of humor and even the same type of spicy food. However, as her mind wandered to when they returned to the library, Rainbow was surprised that she offered to stay and help out Spike with anything he needed.

"What was that all about? Did I seriously ask Spike if he needed help with chores? Wait….did running those errands count as chores?" Rainbow Dash kept asking herself questions that she thought she had the answers for. Yet, she did not have any of them. One question that she asked herself, however, she found a bit more serious and shocking:

"Sweet Celestia….am I….crushing on Spike?"

Ch. 4 You May Be Right

Chapter 4: You May Be Right

The next morning, Rainbow Dash woke up at her home in Cloudsdale. She dragged herself to the window of her room to find that Celestia's sun was high in the sky, meaning it was the afternoon. Scratching her head and unkempt mane with one of her hooves, she trotted to the restroom so she could have a quick shower. Her face was one that lacked apparent emotion. Inside of her head, Dash was still asking herself the question she could not answer the night before. Did she really have a crush on Spike?

She thought about it more as she showered, 'What is with me? I mean, this is Spike, we are talking about. The egghead's little assistant. Sure he's cute in his own weird way, but he's not really that great….is he?' Rainbow was unable to answer her own question. With a frustrated grunt, she turned the water off and stepped out to dry herself off, 'I need something sweet to calm me down'

Leaving Cloudsdale, Rainbow flew down to the familiar town of Ponyville. Her destination came in to view, the town's bakery, Sugarcube Corner. Landing carefully, she entered the door and was welcomed by a familiar voice.

"Hiya, Rainbow Dash!" an excited pink pony greeted the blue pegasus.

"Hey, Pinkie Pie. Can I get two chocolate cupcakes?" Dash asked as she made her way up to the counter. She was doing her best to hide that she wasn't feeling her best.

"Of course! That will be four bits, please!" Pinkie spoke cheerfully as she got her friend's order.

Dash placed the money on the counter and took her sweets to an empty table. Just before the pegasus could take a bite, the front door opened and another one of Dash's friends entered, it was Twilight Sparkle.

"Hiya, Twilight! Would you like the usual to go?" Pinkie asked with warm smile.

"Actually, I would like it for here, if you don't mind," the purple unicorn said.

"Okey Dokey!" the pink pony replied as she hopped to a different part of the kitchen.

Twilight then turned to see Rainbow Dash. Trotting up to her table, Twilight spoke, "Oh, hello Rainbow Dash! How have you been?"

Dash placed the cupcake she was about to eat down, "Been doing alright. How was Canterlot?" She wanted to get the topic off herself.

"Oh, just royal business as usual. Nothing too fancy. Anyway, Spike told me you stopped by quite a bit while I was gone," Twilight commented.

Dash rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, "Oh, he did? Heh, I guess I was over there quite a bit the last few days…."

"And he got you to read Donkey Quixote. I must say I'm impressed you gave such a book a chance," the unicorn took a seat across from the pegasus.

Dash gave a small laugh, "It was pretty interesting. I liked it a lot."

Twilight smiled, "That's great to hear, I love it when friends enjoy reading new and interesting things. You know, not judging a book by its cover."

Rainbow fell silent for a moment. As she was quiet, Pinkie Pie appeared from the kitchen with a cup of tea and a blueberry scone.

"Thank you very much, Pinkie Pie," Twilight spoke.

"Not a problem!" Pinkie replied as she bounced back to the kitchen.

Breaking her silence, Rainbow Dash began to speak, "Hey Twilight, can I ask you for some advice? It's for a friend."

"Of course, what can I help you with?"

"Well, I have a pegasus friend up in Cloudsdale….and she's crushing badly on this….dragon."

Twilight looked puzzled, "Dragon?"

"Yeah, there are a few up in Cloudsdale," Rainbow lied.

"Okay. What seems to be the problem?"

"My friend is a bit older than the dragon and I- I mean, she doesn't know what to do about her feelings. She has known the dragon for quite a long time, and while they haven't exactly started hanging out together until recently, she kinda wants to let him know how she feels. Get it off her chest, ya know? It wasn't until recently that she saw him in a whole new light and she likes what she sees," Rainbow was trying her best to not trip over her words.

Twilight, with a hoof under her chin, continued to process the information she was given, "Anything else?"

Dash added one last statement, "Yeah, and I'm at a loss of what to do….for them, what to do for them. Since I want to help her and all!" She panicked as she added a little to her words.

After a bit of silence, Twilight finally spoke, "For your friend, I recommend that she be forward with how she feels. She should let this special dragon know how much he means to her, even it was just recently that she sees him differently."

"What about rejection?" Rainbow was concerned.

"Friendship, from what I've studied, is something that one cannot let issues stand in the way of. It might not be easy for somepony if another pony doesn't share the feelings they do, but honesty is something that all friendships must have," when Twilight finished, she took a sip of her tea.

"So, they should try to still be good friends, no matter what?" Dash asked softly.

"No matter what," Twilight nodded.

A small smile appeared on Dash's face, "Thanks, Twilight. I'll let my friend know she should do that."

"And I wish you luck," the unicorn smiled back with a wink.

"You knew?" Rainbow Dash was taken back by the fact Twilight figured it out.

The unicorn giggled, "I wasn't born yesterday, Rainbow Dash."

"But….it's Spike!" Rainbow Dash spoke in a hushed tone.

"I know, and I'm fine with it. I trust you and I know you're a great pony as well as a great friend."

Dash smiled, "Really?"

"Though you can be crazy sometimes," Twilight added.

Rainbow Dash gave a heavy sigh, partly because she knew her friend, "You may be right, Twilight, I might just be crazy."

"Love causes such, Rainbow Dash. I'm sure you've read enough books to figure that out," the purple mare spoke with a laugh.

Rainbow gave a small laugh, "That I have. And again, thanks."

"Of course, what are friends for?"

Ch. 5 You

Chapter 5: You

Celestia's sun shined down upon Ponyville. It was a warm and pleasant day for all the ponies that were out and about. One blue pegasus, however, was a bit uneasy as she flew towards the library. Rainbow Dash, who convinced herself the night before to follow her friend's advice about being forward with her feelings, was in a panicky state. She couldn't help but feel nervous. Dash never had to tell anypony how she felt about them, and most of the time she didn't feel a need to. But now, she was given the task to tell Spike how she felt about him.

'Coming on, Rainbow Dash! You can do this. I mean, its just Spike, right? What's the worst that can happen? He's a little shrimp and it's no big deal if he finds it weird, right?' the pegasus repeatedly tried to calm herself, but to no avail. She didn't have enough time to as she arrived at the library's front door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked at the door.

"Coming!" a voice called from the inside, causing Rainbow to gulp. The door opened to a small purple dragon with a smile on his face. "Oh, hello Rainbow Dash! You come by to continue reading Seven Guards?"

"Uh, hey Spike. No, actually, I'm here to talk," Rainbow's voice sounded firm, but her body was slightly shaking due to her uneasiness.

Spike tilted his head, "Talk? Well, I think Twilight went out to help Cheerilee with her class today. But I'm sure she'll be back around dinner time."

Dash replied, "That's not what I mean. I'm here to talk to you, Spike."

"Me?" the dragon was puzzled, "About what?"

Rainbow's face became slightly pink, "Can we go inside and talk?"

"Um, yeah….sure," Spike moved aside so the pegasus could enter.

Once inside, Rainbow looked towards the dragon and tried to think of how she could word what she wanted to say without it making them both feel weird.

Spike looked at Rainbow Dash was asked, "Am….I in trouble?"

"Huh? What?" the pony was confused, "No, no, nothing like that. I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay….about what?" Spike's voice still was one of a filly that was in trouble.

Looking away from the dragon, Dash spoke, "Well, remember you going on that dragon migration? During that when Twilight, Rarity and me were spyin' on ya, I noticed you were pretty cool and gutsy doing all of that by yourself. And after being pressured by those jerk dragons, you still did the right thing. I guess I never paid too much attention to ya, but I see now that you're a pretty awesome guy. It's a shame we never really got a chance to hang out until recently, ya know? So, yeah….that's what I wanted to say. Sorry it seems weird and all."

Rainbow Dash looked up to see Spike smiling at her, "You really mean all of that?"

Dash's cheeks became a shade of pink again as she looked away, "Yeah, I mean it."

"Wow….thank you, Rainbow Dash. And all this time I thought you hated me," Spike commented as he rubbed the back of neck with a claw.

The dragon's words surprised the pegasus, "Really? How can I hate such a cute little runt?" Rainbow trotted over to Spike and placed her hoof on his head, roughing his head up a bit.

"Hey, I'm not cute!" Spike sounded sore at her joke but his face had a smile, "I'm a dragon, you know!"

"Well, how about I treat the dragon to some gems? I do want to get to know my new friend better," Rainbow Dash offered with a smile.

Spike's face lit up at the pegasus' suggestion, "Sounds good to me!"

Rainbow allowed Spike to hop on his back and the two exited the library towards the center of Ponyville.

Inside her head, Rainbow Dash spoke to herself one final time, 'I guess I can't be fully honest with him right now. But I guess there's not harm in waiting until he get's older. Sure, he might be a little squirt now, but he'll be a pretty cool dragon when he gets older. Maybe then I'll tell him….'

END