It's A Lonely Cause

Chapters

Rebel Girl
Your World
Make Believe
If You're Gonna Take a Chance
Take a Chance On Me
Back To Where We Started
Back Before We Were Broken-Hearted
Come My Way

Rebel Girl

Flitter stood in front of the Apple Family wagon, the sun shining bright in the midday sky. Ponyville was bustling as usual on a Friday afternoon, but she was on a mission and would not be deterred. She needed apples. She needed them now.

“Alright, Flitter,” Applejack said with her usual bright smile. “What can I do ya’ for?”

“Hmm,” Flitter rubbed her chin. “I need three jazz apples, two pink ladies, a couple granny smiths, and… a red not-so-delicious for my sister. She’s been getting on my nerves recently.”

Applejack shrugged. “Alrighty then.” She peered over her various barrels and plucked out the requested fruits. She put them all in a bag and held it out for Flitter to take. “These look good to ya?”

Flitter briefly inspected all the apples meant for herself but took special care with the one for Cloudchaser. She took it out and eyeballed it briefly before throwing it back to Applejack. “This red delicious is too… good looking. Don’t you have one with some mushy spots or a dent or two?”

Applejack blinked a few times. “Well, I ‘spose I could find something like that. The customer’s always right and all… I guess.” Applejack sold her soul and sifted through her baskets of apples before finding one at the bottom that seemed to fit the bill. “This one doesn’t have any dents, but I did have to pry it from a cobweb. Will that work for ya?”

Flitter took one look at the brown spot adorning it’s side and the traces of cobweb still stuck to the stem. “Perfect! She’ll hate—I mean, she’ll absolutely love it!”

Applejack raised a brow. “Alrighty then, that’ll be ten bits.”

Flitter tossed the requested coinage to Applejack and happily took her bag of apples. “Thank you so much, Applejack. I can’t wait to devour these later. They make the perfect ‘not sure if I’m hungry or just depressed’ meal!”

Applejack moved her hat aside to scratch her head. “Well, can’t say I disagree with you, but you and your sis’ must be having one doozy of a spat to request an apple like that. It’s quite literally the bottom of the barrel.”

“Yeah, well,” Flitter kicked at the ground. “She’s just been extra annoying recently. It’s like we’ve argued about every little thing this past week.”

Applejack waved a hoof. “Say no more, I’ve got a sister, too. Been there and done that plenty of times. Sometimes it seems Apple Bloom pounces on my last nerve just for the fun of it.”

“You can say that again.” Flitter quickly tied the bag of apples to her saddle. “Well, I’ll be seeing ya’ Applejack. I’ve gotta get home and—”

“Whoa! Flitter, watch out!”

“Huh—ack!”

Flitter dodged the swooping pegasus above her, but almost bit into that not-so-delicious apple she had purchased for her sister. Thankfully, her teeth just grazed it, but it was enough to know that it certainly wasn’t so delicious.

She pawed at her mouth, trying to get the abomination that was on her tongue off of it, only for the now two ponies beside her to speak up. “Ahem.”

Flitter looked up to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash, their heads tilted at her.

Rainbow spoke up first. “Hey Flitter… you alright? I didn’t mean to almost run into you.”

“I’m… fine,” she replied, dusting the dirt from Rainbow’s near-crash landing off of her. “Let’s just say that apple you picked for my sister is going to make her love me.” She looked over at Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow? What are you doing here? You’re usually on your second nap by this time of early afternoon.”

“Psh, whatever. It’s only my first nap time of the day. Besides, I really needed to see the only pony that can beat me in a hoof-wrestling contest,” Rainbow Dash said, smirking. “But that’s the only thing she can beat me at— oof!”

Applejack walloped her marefriend in the back of the head. “Gotta stop ya before you say too much and get yourself in a world of trouble.” She giggled when she saw Rainbow Dash rubbing the back of her head. “Besides, I’m able to keep up with ya in one other thing, but I don’t think she’d be interested in hearing that.”

Flitter felt her ears burn up. “Didn’t think I’d be getting apples and a life-altering mental image today.”

Dash waved a hoof at Flitter. “AJ wasn’t even trying with that one.” She gave the innocent pegasus a smirk. “But whatever. She knows she loves me.” Rainbow gave her marefriend a quick peck on the check before turning back to Flitter.

Flitter gagged a bit at the display of affection. It wasn’t that she had anything personal against their relationship, she was just getting tired of being reminded about her own relationship woes. AKA the fact that she didn’t have one.

Rainbow picked up on her distaste. “No worries, Flitter. You’ll understand when you finally find somepony special. It’ll happen someday I’m sure.”

Flitter felt her face heat up. Hopefully someday soon.

Applejack whacked Rainbow upside the head. “You really need to learn to control your mouth around other ponies.”

Flitter groaned as the two of them broke into a couple-ish argument about herself. They were just having a fun time, at her expense of course. Although, to be honest, it was pretty funny… until Rainbow Dash said she’d find someone. In fact, she has had somepony on her mind over the past year. He was tall, dark, handsome, had great hair and was downright dripping with sexyness.

And sexyness His name was Poptart!

It was as if the universe had opened its arms to her with love and adoration the day they met. Well, she was mostly drunk at a concert, but hey, life just works out that way sometimes. She and her sister were attending a local concert in a dingy bar in Manehattan to see a death metal band called CelestiaShallBurn when it happened. He was the lead vocalist of the band, and she was a nervous, shy pegasus. She still is that, since she normally wouldn’t have had the courage to talk to somepony of such moderate popularity, but when he tried to do a stage-dive during the final song only to accidentally land on her, bringing them both to the floor, she knew it must’ve been true love. There were no two-ways about it. It was meant to be.

“I know I will, Rainbow Dash,” Flitter said confidently, puffing her chest out, and her wings snapping to attention.

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Atta girl, Flitter! It’s a shame you don’t have somepony now. If you did you’d be able to join Ponyville’s Hearts and Hooves Day Scavenger Hunt!”

“The what-a-what now?” Flitter rose both of her eyebrows.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “The Scavenger Hunt that Princess Cadence is hosting here in Ponyville for Hearts and Hooves Day! Ponies all around town can’t stop talking about it!”

Flitter raised her brows for the second time. How come she hadn’t heard of it then? She’s been out for most of the day! “Really? But wait a second… Hearts and Hooves Day was like a month ago.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a belated celebration,” Applejack piped up. “Cadance got wrapped up with Flurry Heart learning destruction spells the actual day of or it would’ve been on the actual day. But yes ma’am, it’s a couples only scavenger hunt where the goal is to solve riddles spread all throughout town and see who can finish first. I’ve been having ponies in town mosey on up to me all week asking if I was goin’ with Rainbow Dash. Not that I’d have a choice.” She gently nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek. “I ‘spose I could do worse.”

Flitter watched as Rainbow Dash returned the favor, nudging her marefriend in the shoulder. The cowpony winced a bit, only to smirk back at Dash with a bit of glint in her eye, something that Flitter knew was not something she should be seeing.

“Anyway…” Flitter said, only for her voice to trail off. The couple stepped away from each other and shared an awkward chuckle.

“Sorry there, Flitter. We got a bit carried away.”

Flitter shook her head. “It wasn’t too much, Rainbow Dash,” —It was totally too much, but she didn’t want to make them mad— “Thank you for your help, Applejack. And… uh, Rainbow Dash, when is this scavenger hunt happening?”

Rainbow Dash smirked and hoofed her a flier. “Tomorrow! Lucky for you, I got another flier just in case I ran into somepony who was interested!”

Hesitantly, Flitter took it, looking it over briefly. The ‘Belated Hearts and Hooves Day Scavenger Hunt’ was taking place in front of Twilight’s old castle. It says to ‘bring someone you love from the bottom of your heart’, as each couple will be finding clues to help bring them ‘closer together’. Flitter found herself heating up at the thought of being with Poptart, alone in the forest, leaning on him for support and asking for him to protect her through thick and thin… Oh! It was making her want to find him! After all, he’s only in town for the next few days!

Flitter looked at Rainbow Dash and grinned. “This is really cool! Thank you, Rainbow Dash!”

“You’re welcome! Now all you need to do is get yourself a special sompo— oof!”

“Ignore her, sugarcube,” Applejack stated. “Don’t feel the need to rush anything. There’ll be plenty of these things in the future.”

“Y-Yeah,” Flitter stuttered out. “Thanks again!”

Flitter trotted away from the two, her mind racing at the thought of seeing Poptart again. She was going to ask him, and he was going to say yes, and the perfect day would initiate in less than twenty-four hours! She looked at the flier with a bright grin as she walked away from the apple stand.

She so had to go home and rub this in her sister’s face.

Flitter walked on the boulevard of her hopefully not broken dreams, ones that will soon become her reality assuming there’s an ounce of good left in the world. Her plan was flawless, her methods were the picture of perfection, and she knew that it would go off without a hitch so long as her sister wasn’t involved… which she wasn’t! All she had to do was get home and give her sister that abomination Applejack called an apple, and she could relish in that sweet pre-victory celebration. She couldn’t wait any longer. She needed to get home now.

Flitter raced around the corner. Her and her sister’s place was just a few hoofsteps away. If she was lucky, there wouldn’t be anypony else to stop her, even if it was the hunk that was standing in front of her, waving at her and—

“Hey, Flitter!”

Suddenly, Flitter’s eyes widened. She skidded promptly to a halt. Her heart began to race as the stallion that was on her mind was walking up to her, that whimsical smile gracing his face. It was Poptart. It was him! What was he doing here?! She wasn’t ready!

“P-Poptart?!”

He gave her a quirky smile. “Yep, that’s my name! Or it was the last time I checked, heh. What’s up? On your way home I take it?”

Flitter took a moment to regain her senses. She had to blink away her stasis so she could finally utter something intelligible. “Y-Yeah, you know. Going home. Where I live. With my sister. It’s you know… where I reside and stuff.”

Poptart cocked an eyebrow at her before slowly nodding. “Gotcha.” He eyeballed the bag attached to her saddle. “I take it you were out shopping this afternoon? Did you get anything good?”

She caught herself staring at him again. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She nodded her head. “Oh yeah! I was just getting some apples, because you know… they're like… good and stuff.” She just couldn’t help herself but to look at him. His hot pink coat, black and pink mane… those silver eyes. He was perfect!

“Apples?” he replied. “I love apples! Jazz, pink lady, granny smith… they’re all so good!”

He even liked the same apples as her! He was such a beautiful specimen of a stallion.

“...but I’ll tell you what,” he continued. “Red Delicious are totally my favorite!”

Okay, so he was almost perfect. She could still work with that.

Before Flitter had a chance to speak, Poptart’s eyes travelled down to the flier sticking out from under her saddle. A smile instantly spread on his face. “Oh, are you participating in the Hearts and Hooves day thing?”

“Huh?” It took Flitter a moment to come back down from her adventures on cloud nine. “Oh! Yeah! Well, I mean, I want to! It seems like a lot of fun!”

“Totally!” Poptart replied. “From what the flier said it seems like it’s going to be a blast!”

An awkward silence built up between them. This was Flitter’s chance. The conversation was set, the scene was built up and all she had to do was take the plunge and ask. She could do this. She was meant to do this. The universe was literally handing her happiness on a silver platter and she just needed to take the first step. It was time to shine and make her dreams come—

“So,” Poptart stated after clearing his throat. “I don’t suppose you have anyone to partner with do you?”

He made the first move. She was not prepared for this. She had to think quickly. Luckily, a lightbulb lit in her head. She had to pull out all the stops and do the one thing guys can’t resist.

Flirt.

“Oh, well, I might…” she said, using her softest sweetest tone. Flitter flittered her eye and fluttered her mane in his direction. “I guess it just depends on how this conversation go— “

“Cool!” he replied, interrupting her golden globe worthy performance. “Well, see you later!”

And just like that, he walked past her. Flitter was left behind, frozen in place in a very flirtatious pose. She couldn’t believe it. She pulled herself together and turned around. He was already a good thirty hoofsteps away.

“Wait! I have to ask you something!” She cried out. “Come back!”

He paid her no mind, most likely unable to hear her. Flitter pouted for a moment before rolling her eyes. That did not go as planned.

She let out a deep sigh and muttered to herself. “Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to ask him later.”

She was fairly close to her home at this point and she still had a good deal of bragging to do to her sister. Sure, she hadn’t officially made it a date with Poptart, but all things in due time. She wasn’t going to let a little awkward conversation get in the way of her enjoyment.

Slowly but surely now, she walked up to the front door of her place. She knocked on it a bit, just to let her sister know she was at the door. She could hear a rather obnoxious “It’s open you birdbrain!” from the inside, but she paid it no heed, Flitter just threw the door wide open and moseyed on in. She set her saddlebag on the counter and walked into the living room, finding her sister humming to herself, nonchalantly laying on the couch with her head up against a pillow. Cloudchaser had some gentle rock and roll playing from the nearby stereo in their living room.

“What are you listening to?” Flitter asked.

Cloudchaser stopped her humming session to look over at her sister, smirking. “Nothing in particular… just a bit of A Neigh to Remember’s newest single. They went a bit softer on this track, though, not sure if I like it yet.”

“Their newest single?!”

“Yeah, came out last week. Lots of ponies were talking about it! It’s sad that you missed out on all the hype…”

Flitter tuned out her sister. Her voice was grating her ears. After all, she was more worried about why she saw Poptart just outside their place. Something wasn’t right here. She needed to find out why.

Cloudchaser rolled her eyes and released a large sigh. “...I wish I could’ve gotten to listen to them live, but we had that little mishap with you know who.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Flitter said, grumbling to herself. “I know Spike didn’t mean to, but how he managed to short circuit the entire sound system in the venue with just one burp is beyond me. He needs to never drink alcohol again.” She shuddered at the thought of that night, her Post Traumatic Spike Disorder coming back full strength.

“Definitely! Especially a Fireball Pop with a nine-to-ten alcohol to coke ratio,” Cloudchaser said. She whistled, something that made Flitter wish she could flitter her ears closed.

“Exactly…” Flitter muttered. She tilted her head. “Hey, do you know why Poptart was just outside our place a few minutes ago? I almost ran right into him.”

Cloudchaser waved a hoof dismissively at her sister. “Oh, he was over to talk about the upcoming scavenger hunt that Princess Cadance is hosting!”

Flitter’s eyes widened. “He came all the way over here just to talk to you about it? He’s staying halfway across town.”

“Why are you even surprised?” Cloudchaser said, rolling her eyes. “Everypony knows about it! What, are you just hearing about it today?”

Flitter peeked at the flyer still scrunched beneath her saddle and quickly hid it from view. “Oh, psh, of course not. I’ve known. Just didn’t think to bring it up.”

“Whatever,” Cloudchaser replied. “Besides, why do you care what he’s doing with his time?”

“Because he just got here, that’s why!” Flitter nearly shouted over the gentle guitar riffs that drifted into the room. They nearly caught her enough to bob her head to its sway, but she paused, and shook her head. “And besides, I wanted to talk to him about it. He doesn’t come around much, so I wanted to get his hot take on it.”

“My, my, sounds like somepony is very interested in what Poptart is doing,” Cloudchaser practically sang, her eyes drifting to the stereo. She batted the volume button with her wing, dulling the tunes to a small whirr, almost as if she left the window open on accident and a stray gust of wind came in.

Flitter groaned. “If you say so. Besides, I already have somepony who I’m asking to go with me to the scavenger hunt!” Flitter was a bit hesitant to tell her sister exactly what her plans were since she hadn’t officially asked Poptart yet, but the fact that he came over here just to talk about it meant he was at least interested in participating. That’s a good start!

“And that pony is…?”

Flitter felt like she was about to burst into a pile of anger and feathers. Luckily for her, she was not about to lose her cool over her sister’s rather gentle prodding of the subject. She needed to gain an upper hoof in this sisterly rivalry. How she would do it might be a bit risky.

“None of your business until you tell me who you’re going with,” Flitter said, pointing her hoof at her sister. “You brought it up so you must have had a date already.”

Her sister recoiled, pushing back against the pillow she was laying on. “Can’t believe you tossed this back at me, but no biggie.” She changed that look of disgust to a smirk that Flitter became worried about. “You really want to know who I’m going with? You might not like it one bit, sister.”

Flitter chuckled. “Why do you say that?” It was probably some loser like most of her boyfriends have been. She couldn’t even remember the last time she dated somepony remotely acceptable.

“Because from how you reacted earlier, you will be yelling at me for the next…” Cloudchaser squinted at the nearby clock on the wall before she continued, “...forty minutes.”

“I bet you I won’t. He’s probably not as good as who I’m planning on asking out. My guy is sweet, handsome, charming, and so caring that he’ll easily carry me across the finish line without you even in sight!”

Flitter finally felt like she one-upped her sister after dishing out her riposte. There was no way Cloudchaser could have a better partner than she would have. That’s like… imagining sleeping without a second pillow. It’s just a scientific impossibility! There was no way she could top—

“Poptart.”

Suddenly, the world that she believed would believe in her betrayed her within an instant. “What?”

“Do you need your ears cleaned again, Flitter?” Cloudchaser said, nudging her little sister with a hoof. “Poptart just came by to ask me to go to it, and I said yes!” She squealed upon saying the word ‘yes’. “I can’t wait to show off to everypony that we’re doing this together! Can you believe he came all the way across town from his motel room just to ask me personally? It was the sweetest thing he could’ve ever done for me!”

While Cloudchaser was chasing cloud nine, Flitter was falling back to the ground again, crashing and burning like she usually did as she entered the stratosphere. She hated when this happened, her sister always getting ahead of her and ruining what little faith she had in the world within seconds. Why did she even think she had a chance when Cloudchaser existed? Not that she would ever think ill beyond completely erasing another pony’s existence off the face of Equestria, but… it certainly was something she could imagine in her dreams. Like, without Poptart, her supposed perfect day would just be… miserable at best.

“Oh, I’m sorry Flitter,” her sister spoke up. “You weren’t planning on asking him out, were you? Because I would just feel so bad if that were the case.” Cloudchaser pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.

Flitter meanwhile scrunched up her face and stuck her nose up in the air. “Oh, of course not. I had somepony else in mind. You can have him all to yourself. I prefer a bit more class in my partners.”

“Oh, I’m so sure,” Cloudchaser replied with a snarky smirk. “While you and your partner are searching for the first clue, Poptart will be carrying me across the finish line like a princess returning to her castle. Oh, can’t you just imagine it!”

Unfortunately, she could. Flitter looked at Cloudchaser’s ear-to-ear grin. It made her hate herself, so much so that she turned away and walked away from it. She would prove her wrong. She didn’t need her. She didn’t need Poptart now… even if she did think he was a hunk.

There had to be somepony else out there. There had to be.

“Flitter, where are you going?”

“Out!”

“Why?”

“Instead of arguing with you over who’s going to win, I’m going to go ask my partner officially. And by the way… we’re going to smother you and Poptart tomorrow! Just wait and see!”

Flitter didn’t even turn around to entertain Cloudchaser’s rebuttal. She just unpacked those apples in her saddlebag and tossed that bag back on her. She eyed the one not-so-delicious apple and smirked.

Her sister called out to her, “Yeah, right! Poptart and I will easily beat you and whoever you con into taking pity on y-oof!”

Flitter watched as the apple knocked Cloudchaser upside the head with enough force to make her keel over. Giggling, she piped up her last reply, “Enjoy that. You’ll need it to beat us!”

As she slammed the door shut, Cloudchaser rubbed the back of her head. She was seeing about three different apples on the floor, yet she only felt like she got hit by one. Once her vision caught up with her thoughts, Cloudchaser picked up the apple and squealed. “Ooooh! Red Delicious, my favorite!” She chomped into it and hummed in pleasure. She turned to the stereo and flicked the volume with her wing.

The sounds of sweet, sweet victory filled the air.

Your World

Flitter felt high on life.

“I feel like crap…”

That is if life’s highest point was approximately three inches above the ocean floor.

Luckily for her, she wasn’t near the ocean floor. In fact, she was walking on a dirt trail leading towards a park that she was planning on moping in. All she needed to do was find a tree to lay under and just have a good old fashioned cry.

Flitter shook her head. She could feel the tears coming in, but she didn’t want to cry just yet. She didn’t want anypony to see her, ask her questions about her day that was already miserable enough as it was. She just wanted to mope, cry, and mope again, in that order.

Her mind leaped ahead of her, thinking back to Cloudchaser. How she managed to not only read her like a book, but to also take all those plans that Flitter deemed as flawless, and just stab them full of holes. How her sister managed to do this was beyond her. It was like she already had the copy of her plans before she even thought of them and decided, ‘You know what, I’m going to copy them and make them mine just so Flitter can’t have any reason to enjoy life!’

Just the thought that Cloudchaser could be that far ahead of her in every single facet of her life made failure a sweet, loving friend that she wished she could toss on the side of the road. If only she could be like her sister—scratch that, Flitter didn’t want to actually be like her, she just wanted to do something that Cloudchaser couldn’t do. Instead, Cloudchaser could do anything. That sister of hers won over the only love that she would most likely ever have in her life. Her sister was able to train with the Wonderbolts, something that Flitter has been wanting to do since she was a foal. And the fact that she passed flying training way before Flitter did was just the worst thing, since even the basics of flying troubled her even now.

Flitter gritted her teeth, staring at the brown, dry grains below. Her hoof sifted them as she scooted it along, but that’s all it did. They just moved as she did, and nothing more. It wasn’t exciting. It wasn’t something that she could write home about.

Yet, she wasn’t failing at it, either. She hadn’t crashed yet. She hadn’t made a fool of herself… yet. And she was just fine, if anypony considered fine as ‘about to burst into tears because her life was nearly over’. That was… only partially acceptable, as she still felt she needed to spite her sister. Even if it failed spectacularly, at least she could put it to her one last time, before she hid herself from the entirety of Ponyville and—

Flitter groaned. “Ugh… stupid, stupid, stupid!” Her hooves pitter pattered against the dry dirt path she angrily danced on. “How did I not connect the dots? I mean, it’s easy, especially in connect four, but I just can’t see the playfield!” She almost bopped herself on the back of the head, but she pulled her hoof back. She looked around, just to make sure nopony was looking at her. Thankfully, there was no one in sight. She sighed and progressed on.

As she walked, her mind drifted back to that imaginary partner of hers. Who was left to pick up? Big Mac? No, he’s married to Sugar Belle. Discord? He sounded freaky and way too unapproachable, even if he was totally into Fluttershy. Flitter could even tell that he had the hots for Fluttershy. Still, that’s all she knew. Yeah, there were a few nice stallions around, but Flitter just assumed they were taken too, knowing her luck.

With a slight growl, Flitter professed her anger to the world, “If only there was a reasonably nice-looking guy left to ask out—oof!”

Flitter fell on her flanks. What did she just run into? A minotaur? She tried to see what was in front of her, but all she saw was a flurry of blurry colors: purple, green, and a shade of black. None of those colors made sense together!

“Flitter? Is that you?”

Flitter felt her eyes snap back to reality. She knew that voice. The only pony in the entire town had that voice. Well, not a pony exactly...

She remained on the ground and looked up at the dragon, her wings standing at attention. “Spike! What are you doing here?”

The dragon in question reached a claw out to her. “Oh, you know… living life, being a dragon, acting cool. All the usual stuff.”

Flitter took his claw and got back up on her hooves. She took a brief moment to dust herself off before once again addressing him. “I see. Well, I’m sorry I ran into you. I had my head up in the clouds.”

Spike shrugged and looked at the indentation in the dirt where she was laying a mere moment ago. “Are you sure? You seemed pretty close to the ground to me.”

Flitter deadpanned. “Hardy-har-har, so funny I forgot to laugh.” She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “Anyway, I actually meant what are you doing here in Ponyville? Aren’t you usually at the castle with Twilight this time of day? Helping with nobles and documents and whatever?”

Spike rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, about that. You see, I kinda cut out of work early today. It was a slow Friday, so I figured I’d leave early and hang out at my place here in Ponyville for the weekend. I mean, Twilight doesn’t know I cut out early, but eh, she’ll adapt and improvise.”

“Oh yeah,” Flitter stated. “I forgot you got a place here in town. I’m amazed you don’t just want to live in the castle twenty-four seven.” She took a brief moment to imagine herself in his fur, er, scales, living it up at the palace day in and day out. Servants and soldiers waiting on her all day, all the space and free entertainment she could ever want, and most importantly, no annoying older sisters to crank her life’s difficulty setting all the way up to survival mode.

“Eh,” Spike replied, “it’s okay. But I prefer to view it just as a place of work. Everything is too clean and pristine there. I show up to breakfast in the morning with one scale out of place and I get looked at like I'm a pariah from whatever esteemed guests Twilight has over for the day. At least here in Ponyville I can hang with my friends and be myself.”

Flitter nodded. “Fair enough I guess, but whatever, it’s beside the point. I take it you’re just heading home for the day then?”

“Yep!” Spike replied. “And I plan on eating this apple on the way there!” The dragon produced a crispy, bright red apple from a small satchel he had carried on his back. “I haven’t had one of these bad boys in a long time.”

It did not take long for Flitter’s keen eyes to decipher what he was holding. “Is that a jazz apple?”

“You know it,” he replied. “They’re the best! Way better than those nasty, red-disgusting ones.”

Flitter felt a tiny pulse in her chest at hearing his words. Another creature that appreciates an apple as much as she does, much less one that shares the same taste? The gears began twisting and turning in her mind. This could be it.

Spike wasn’t the ideal candidate to be her partner, especially after he ruined her last concert experience, but he could fit the bill. He’d gotten taller, standing at least a foot taller than herself. He had a decently muscular build, strong wings and a nice-enough face. Not to mention he was royalty. That had to count for something, right? She didn’t need the situation to be perfect, after all. Just good enough to make her sister angry. That’s all she wanted.

Now she just needed to actually ask him.

“So, Spike, I have a question for you.” She batted her eyelashes at him just enough to grab his attention. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard about the Hearts and Hooves day scavenger hunt have you?”

Spike rubbed his chin for a moment. “Oh! You mean this thing?” He reached back into his stachel and took out a copy of the same flier she received earlier. “It seems pretty cool. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I was just wondering if you had planned on entering. It definitely looks like it’ll be a lot of fun.” Flitter gave him a sly smile. “Like, a lot of fun. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Spike cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess. But I don’t think I’ll be participating, no.”

“Oh?” she replied, taking a step closer to him. “Why ever would that be?”

Spike glanced over the flier once more. “Well, you see in big letters near the top where it says it’s for couples? Yeah, that’s my problem. I haven’t had the time to find a special somepony. Between the nobles asking me when I’m getting married, and Twilight’s mental breakdowns about the myriad taxation increases she tries to pass, I don’t get to go out and see the world with somepony else.”

Flitter squeed on the inside. This was perfect! He was single! He was just as much of a loser as she was!

“Really? That’s great—I mean, oh, that’s too bad. And here I thought every mare in the kingdom would be coming after you! I’m amazed you’re not beating them off with a stick!”

Spike chuckled. “Well, one beat me with a stick once after I asked her out. That was a bit of a messy situation. But nah, only the older ones who are born into the nobility eyeball me. And they only do that because they think it’s weird that a dragon is royalty. I’m like the complete opposite of royalty. I’m like… un-royalty or something.”

“How could they think that, though? Didn’t you save Equestria so many times that it would just be… I don’t know, weird to think otherwise?”

Spike’s gaze darted away from Flitter, while his claw scratched at the back of his neck. “You’d think, but no, they’re just stuck in their own little worlds. You know how it is.” Spike noticed Flitter’s head tilted a little too far off-kelter. He smiled and continued, “Guess you don’t. You probably shouldn’t, because man, these nobles nag like crazy. Everypony has to have their way or the highway and nopony can agree on anything, at least not without a few glasses of wine in their system.” The dragon shuddered. “Never thought I was going to be talking to ponies that would badger me about every little thing like they do for a career. If Celestia saw me do what I did to that one pony one time… oh, man, she would’ve banished me to the sun. It’s like being banished to the moon but you actually die instead!”

Flitter couldn’t help but laugh at that. It felt like something she could compare to when she was younger, well, expect the burning to death part. Her sister would nag on her all the time about not playing with her food so much while at the dinner table, probably because their mother didn’t really teach them table manners at all. That didn’t matter though. It just showed Flitter that, well, Spike was a bit like her. They liked the same apples, they both have very taxing lives (his oh-so-more-literally), and well, they both didn’t have a partner to go to the event which was a clear sign they both sucked with the opposite sex.

“So… uh…”

Spike tilted his head. “What’s up, Flitter? Did I say something wrong?”

Flitter caught herself staring at him and shook it off. She gave him a slight smile. “No, not at all! I… just...”

Filly, if you don’t do it now, you’re gonna die as a turbo virgin. One with only a sad supply of apples, jazz or otherwise, to keep her company. And your sister will be there… mocking you for all eternity.

That last thought put the fear of Celestia sending her to the sun into her. Flitter steeled herself forward, her ears high and her wings shaking in anticipation. “Spike, will you be my partner for the Hearts and Hooves Day Scavenger Hunt?”

There, she said it. She was able to finally ask somepony who wasn’t going to be Poptart out to the event. Now she just had to open her eyes and take a good look at how Spike was reacting to her invitation and—

Spike simply took a bite of his apple. “Really?” he asked between munches. “You want me to go with you? No offense, but did you get a concussion when you ran into me? Mares like you don’t generally ask out guys like me.”

Flitter blinked a few times. That wasn’t what she was expecting at all. She thought she was going to get turned down immediately, but instead, he was asking if she had a concussion from when she ran into him and—wait he thought she was braindead?

“No, I didn’t get a concussion you dork,” she began. She rolled her eyes. “But I did ask you about the whole thing and… I thought about how different you looked and everything since I last saw you...”

Flitter felt a bit of heat burning her cheeks when Spike let out a laugh. “Yeah, it has been a while since we really even saw each other.” He tapped his chin with a claw and gasped. “Actually, is this one of the first times we talked? Outside of random group conversation I mean.”

“What do you—” Flitter suddenly gasped. “That’s so weird! I’ve heard so much about you that we really haven’t… talked one-on-one.” She took a pause in the oddity of it all. Even though she knew a bit about him, she hadn’t really gotten to know him. It’s like meeting a pony for the first time, except you suddenly ask them out on a date because there’s no time like the present.

Flitter felt that heat intensify in her face. She really needed to calm down. This was getting way out of hoof for her. She looked up to him and said, “Well, I know this is so sudden, but do you want to be my partner, Spike?”

Spike shrugged. “I don’t know, I mean, I am a pretty busy guy. Got a lot on my plate, y’know, like reading about a whole lot of nothing and listening to that new single that got dropped recently from A Neigh To Remember. I like the softer vibes it has going f—”

“Not you too!” Flitter said suddenly. He’s also a work in progress, from what it looked like. “Ugh, well, do you want to do it or not? The scavenger hunt I mean.”

Spike smirked. “I think I can do that. Under one condition though.”

Flitter’s eyes widened. “What would that be?”

“I wanna know why you’re actually asking me out for this,” he replied. “I’ve been around enough ponies trying to kiss up to Twilight to get their way to know when the same thing is happening to me. I mean, we just randomly run into each other and you ask me out. Spill the beans, the whole beans and nothing but the beans.”

Flitter rose a hoof to protest his point. “Psh, oh please. Can’t you just accept that I think you’re a nice looking drake that I wouldn’t mind spending some time with?”

“Nope.”

Flitter’s mind raced as she tried to think of another excuse to get him locked down but nothing came to mind. Why was she lying anyway? It’s not like he would care about her and her sister’s petty arguments.

“Okay, look,” she started. “I didn’t actually plan on asking you. I wanted to ask another stallion that I liked but my sister stole him from me before I even had a chance to ask him. I’m pretty sure she did it on purpose.”

The dragon folded his arms and drummed his claws. “I see. Go on.”

“Well,” she continued, “I can’t just let her get away with this so I told her I was asking somepony else who was way better and that… we’d kick their butts in the competition. That’s kind of why I asked you so suddenly.”

Spike remained silent for a brief moment. “So, let me get this straight. You’re essentially wanting me to pretend to be your boyfriend for tomorrow just to show up your sister, and beat her and the guy you like in a scavenger hunt that you don’t even really care about?”

Flitter reeled back ever so slightly. “Pretty much.”

“Okay, I’m down.”

“Huh?” Flitter looked up at him. “You are?”

“Yeah, I haven’t had any real drama go down in awhile. This shipwreck of an idea may be fun to see up close.” The dragon emitted a small chuckle. “Besides, I’m always up for a good underdog story. Us being the underdogs in this scenario, of course.”

So, he’s a drama magnet and willing to help a pony with a severe sister rivalry? That’s… way too convenient even for her. Not that she was complaining.

“But!” Spike cut into her thoughts. “There will be one condition.”

There it was. She knew it was coming, but she didn’t want to say anything until it happened.

“And what condition would that be?” Flitter asked.

“Look, every few months I have to attend some stupid dinner with all these nobles and business ‘gurus’ and they always give me a hard time about being single. ‘When are you going to get married Spike?’ ‘You should meet my granddaughter; you two would get along so well!’ All that jazz.”

“Uh-huh?”

“Well, I have another one in a couple weeks and if I do this for you, I need you to pretend to be my date for the night for me. Having them off my back just once is more than enough to improve my quality of life.”

Flitter cocked her head to the side. “So you want me to pretend to be your date just to get some well-meaning ponies off of your back. That’s not exactly noble of you, I gotta say.”

Spike shrugged. “Look who’s talking. Besides, noble was last year. This year is about survival.” Spike held out a claw to her. “So are we agreed?”

Flitter looked into herself for this one. She had no other options, well, except that one stallion who’s into writing his own music, but she knew for sure that, with those rumors she heard from the mares at the market, he was completely enamoured with some random mare that came into town recently. So, she really didn’t have any other options. She only had Spike, who, honestly, wasn’t that bad of a choice. Flitter couldn’t have run into anypony any better than someone who wasn’t even a pony to begin with.

And that, to her, was acceptable.

She stuck her hoof out and gave his claw a small shake. “Agreed.”

“Then it’s a date,” Spike replied.

Flitter shook her head, her bow bouncing back and forth as she did. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’ve completely lost my dignity, haven’t I?”

“Eh,” the dragon replied. “You should check in your sofa cushions. I find all kinds of lost stuff in there. Last week, I found five bits!”

...and he’s got dad jokes. This was going to be quite the interesting date. But it didn’t matter. She was going to beat her sister and that was all that mattered. Revenge would be hers and it would be as early as tomorrow.

She couldn’t wait!

Make Believe

Where was he?!

It had been a mostly restless night for Flitter. After parting from Spike’s company the evening before, she made sure to just ignore her sister and lock herself up in her room for the night. That being said, sleep didn’t exactly come easy. Between the looming heartache of her true love spending the day with her sister and the anxiety of spending her whole day with a relative stranger… getting some shuteye wasn’t easily achieved.

Regardless, there was only one way to make this all better and it was completely within her hooves. She had to win this scavenger hunt with Spike, rub it in her sister’s face and show Poptart that she was indeed the superior sibling. That would solve all of her problems for sure.

But to do that she needed her partner and he was nowhere in sight! It was already eight forty-five in the morning, the games started at nine and she hadn’t seen Spike anywhere. She had been pacing back and forth near the entry table in the park for the better part of half an hour waiting for him, but to no avail. Honestly, she probably expected too much. There’s no way this was going to work. It was all too random, too out of left field. It was just her being stupid again, losing to her sister as usual and—

“Hey, Flitter!”

Her ears perked up. “Spike?”

Sure enough, she looked up and saw the dragon walking over to her, sipping on a travel mug that stated ‘I Love Caffeine’ on it. He slowed down as he got closer and finally came to a complete stop about a few hoofsteps away..

“Sorry I’m late,” he replied. “The flier didn’t specify which park to be at so I guess I went to the wrong one.”

Flitter raised an eyebrow. “But Spike, there’s only one park in Ponyville.”

“Huh?” He scratched the back of his neck. “I wonder where I went then? Weird, crazy stuff.”

Flitter was about to argue his clear lack of instinctual direction further but thought better of it . “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re here now. The event starts in like fifteen minutes.”

“Fourteen actually,” Spike replied, looking at a watch held on his wrist. “Well, it’s closer to thirteen now since time is constantly moving and whatnot.”

Flitter smacked a hoof to her face. “Are you always like this?”

He shrugged. “Only on Saturdays, and maybe Sundays if I fill up enough on gems. Those things are addictive, let me tell you. They’re like pills but don’t kill ponies with ‘Lil’’ as their first name.”

Flitter snickered under her breath, a nice break from the wallowing in self-doubt she’d been accustomed to recently. “Okay, fine. I can live with that. Come on, let’s go to the sign up table.”

“That’s where you get signed up, right?” Spike asked.

“Just shut up and come with me,” she replied with a shake of her head while pointing to the nearby table. The table itself was nothing more than a park bench with three female ponies sitting behind it and a clipboard in front of each of them. “But remember, we’re a couple, so you have to make it look believable.”

Spike took a sip of his beverage and gave her a thumbs up. “Got it.”

They walked side by side over to the table and the three mares waiting on them smiled brightly. Right as Flitter was about to speak, however, Spike saw fit to throw out his first verbal nonsense of the day.

“Boy Flitter!” He said, sending a wink in her direction. “I sure am happy to do this scavenger hunt with you. You make me… uh… very happy! And I like your bow! It’s cute!”

“Ugh,” she muttered under her breath. He’d need to work on his affectionate phrasing later. She paid no heed to him as she addressed the mares in front of her, “So, put me and the dolt together as a couple, please.”

“The dolt?” One of the mares said. She was practically eyeing Spike up and down, smiling all the while. “Spike, you managed to finally snag a mare? I’m so happy for you!”

Spike stared with a proud poker face at the mare. “I did! I’m so glad I didn’t have to bribe Rarity to this shindig.” He chuckled. “In all seriousness, it wasn’t an easy choice, but I think I lucked out.” He made a show of putting one his arms around the now impossibly annoyed Flitter. “You know what they say, once you’ve tried the best, try the rest! ...Or the other way around. I’ve tried the rest but not the best… or… something like that. You get the idea.”

Flitter turned to glare at the drake, who threw up his claws. The rest of the mares giggled at the couple. The oldest one, a very fair elder who didn’t look her age, spoke up first, “We get the idea, Spike. We’re all glad that you netted the best. What’s your name, dearie?”

“Flitter,” Flitter said lamely. Spike was very well known around town, but Flitter? She was known for being Cloudchaser’s sister, not her own pony. Every time someone asked her name, it was like she was invisible. And that absolutely sucked.

“Great!” the elder cheered. She scribbled her name and Spike on the paper. Then, she levitated it with her magic and slid it in a ballot box.

Flitter was just about to leave when she felt something graze her side. She turned back to the mares at the table. It was a pair of nametags, with a nice little clip on each. If it was any other situation, it would be just Flitter’s name and nothing more. But this wasn’t normal. No, this was abnormal, as her name was paired next to Spike’s like a foal playing with two dolls and smacking them together while making kissy noises.

“These are your nametags, Flitter, and Spike. Instead of them actually showing who you are directly, they will show that you’re partners by both name and color. You’re part of the purple team, or at least, that’s what color you’ll have. It’s quite fitting, actually.”

“Definitely,” Spike replied. He watched Flitter snap to him once again, this time with a raised brow instead of a fury of emotions. That must’ve meant she was totally okay with him saying something here. “It won’t make us stand out as much when we take over the competition. We want to be the underdogs, right, Flitter?”

Flitter smiled. “Exactly. We’ll show everypony who’s the best couple!”

The two shared a very confident hoof bump, a smirk both gracing their faces. Then, Flitter giggled as Spike’s eyes nearly went cross-eyed for a second, probably because he was focused too much on her. Why would he be? Flitter wouldn’t know. This was relatively new territory for her, even if it was all pretend.

Spike turned away from her and looked at the casting couch of mares in front of him. “Well, ladies, I’m going to go win this thing with my mare. It was a... pleasure talking to you all.”

“Same to you!”

“Of course, Spike, congratulations on getting a mare! Do let us know when a Spike Jr. is on his way!”

“When are you both going to get hitched?”

Spike and Flitter both mirrored each other. The combined strength of infinite disappointment in both of their glares made the two ponies who were not the elder pony shrivel back in their seats. Then, they laughed their way past them, walking straight into the park.

There were a lot of ponies there. Flitter didn’t really expect the turnout, even if she herself didn’t expect to be here either. But with Spike walking beside her, his claw slowly reaching towards her hoof, she could accomplish anything—

Wait, what.

“S-Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

Spike tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

She watched his confused face morph into a smirk. He knew what he was doing! “Spike, you know what you’re doing.”

“Nope. Have no idea what you’re talking about. You must be love drunk or something.”

“Love drunk?” Flitter said, an octave higher than she thought she could ever muster. “What does that mean?”

“It’s when ponies start seeing things when they’re with someone they care about, or something. I don’t know, Rarity started saying it to me one day after reading a book about ‘romance’. To be honest, I can’t remember the title, but if it wasn’t ‘The Turbo Virgin’s Guide to Romance’, I’d be shocked.”

Flitter blushed. “Spike, that’s silly. It was probably some teen drama with a sprinkle of relationship issues mixed in.”

“You’re right. I’m just wanting you to be distracted while I get to hold your hoof.”

“Exactly, I know I’m right, and—” Flitter abruptly stopped to look down at her left forehoof, which was now being held gently by Spike’s claw. Suddenly, everything felt real. Her hoof, the dragon beside her, even that dog peeing on the tree near them.

Oh no… she was getting lost in the moment.

She shook it off with great haste and took her hoof back. “Look, I appreciate the effort towards believability here, but I’ll be taking my hoof back. Walking with just three legs isn’t as easy as it seems.”

“Fair enough,” Spike replied with one final smirk. “Regardless, it looks like we’re gonna have some competition.”

“Huh?” Flitter was now completely undistracted as she looked around the park. Couples were absolutely everywhere. There had to be at least twenty or more. “Why are there so many couples?”

“Well,” Spike chimed in. “You know what they say. The birds and the bees are a powerful motivator.”

Flitter took just a moment to take in the surroundings. Couples young and elderly, rich and poor and even new and old all seemed to be here to take part in the game. This wasn’t fair. She didn’t think in a million years she’d be having to deal with this much competition. Her path to victory just got that much more complex.

“You know what, it’s all good,” she said aloud. “We’ll just have to work extra hard to win, Spike. Failure is not currently an option on the table for us. Understood?”

“Got it!” He replied. “And we’re supposed to have fun too, right?”

“Huh?” She raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, that too I guess. But don’t forget our primary objective.”

“Beating your sister?”

“Exactly!”

“Speaking of which… Hey, Cloudchaser!”

Spike was waving at the couple in the distance. Much to Flitter’s dismay, it was her sister… and Poptart. Oh no, she wasn’t ready to see them yet. She didn’t have anything planned to say to justify her action of being here with Spike! What would she say? What would she do?

With her mind racing a thousand flaps per minute, she turned to Spike and put a hoof to his mouth. The drake tried to move it away, but she had other plans, especially when he was trying to practically talk through her hoof.

“Oh, Spike, is that you and—” Cloudchaser gasped. “Flitter, you’re here with Spike?”

Flitter sighed and turned to ‘greet’ her sister. “Yeah, sis. Spike and I are—”

“Dating!”

Cloudchaser’s ears twitched at hearing Spike’s proclamation. “Really? When did this start?”

Flitter’s eyes widened. Think of something filly. Think! “We started dating—”

“Yesterday,” Spike said, smiling. “She asked me out by going to this scavenger hunt with her. It was pretty sweet, actually. She said I was one of the coolest and most attractive drakes out there! I hadn’t really talked to Flitter before, but I thought, you know what, she’s really cute and kinda funny. Found all that out when we started talking last night, and I think we have that connection. Do you know how hard that combination is to find these days?”

Flitter felt her heart nearly burst out of her chest. What in the world was that? Was that a weird attempt of a love confession that she somehow did? What was her sister going to think of that?

Cloudchaser smiled. “Wow, that’s… really cool, actually. I’m quite happy that she finally found somepony that wants to be with her for her.” Flitter swore she saw her sister smirk at her for a split second. “I’ve been wanting her to find somepony to be with for a while now, and I’m glad it’s you, Spike.”

This had to be a joke. That tone of voice she used. The eye contact. Poptart literally scratched his head at the whole situation and—Flitter gasped—he didn’t think she was weird for dating Spike, did he? If Poptart thought of her as a weirdo, that would completely shatter any possibility of her and him being together.

Not that, well, her sister was already dating him now. And she herself was apparently dating somepony, too. That didn’t shatter it one bit.

“Well, I’m glad that she wanted to be with me, too. I feel incredibly lucky to be with her and all. After all, my track record has been incredibly lackluster up until this point.”

Flitter had to resist the urge to facehoof. When Cloudchaser and Poptart were out of their earshot, she would tell him off. This was way too much for her.

Cloudchaser, however, ate this up like it was her breakfast. Heck, it probably was. She laughed, hard, while Poptart took center stage.

“This is pretty cool, huh guys?” the pink stallion asked the group. “The four of us are competing against each other on such a beautiful day. By the way, what’s up Spike, I haven’t seen you in awhile. You still go hang out at The Aftermath?”

Spike reached out and gave a hoof bump to Poptart, much to Flitter’s dismay. “I haven’t been over to Manehattan in awhile actually. Been too busy with work at the castle. But I’ll make sure to catch one of your guys’ next shows for sure.”

“Wait,” Flitter interjected. “You two know each other?”

“Oh yeah,” Spike replied. “I always try to keep up to date on the local metal scene. Just turns out that Poptart is at the front of it.”

Things just went from awkward to plain weird in his head. Her pretend boyfriend knows the love of her life. Could things please just stop being crazy for a single minute? Was that too much to ask for?

“So you’re with Flitter now, huh?” Poptart resumed. “She’s pretty cool. We got a little ways back, too.”

“Yeah,” Spike stated. “She’s pretty awesome.”

Flitter was about to faint. This wasn’t what she expected. Heck, nothing ever went the way she thought it would. However, things hadn’t exactly gone wrong yet either, even if she felt like Spike and Poptart knowing each other was too absurd for her to comprehend. She was still standing, and Cloudchaser wasn’t talking anymore. It was perfect.

Well, until everypony ducked from the sound of a poorly made megaphone gracing their eardrums.

“Hello, citizens of Ponyville!”

“Twilight, you’re using your Canterlot voice.”

“My, what?” All eyes were on her as she took a step back from the podium, sheepishly grinning. “Heh eh, sorry everypony. A bit too formal, wasn’t it? Let me retry that!” She cleared her throat and began a bit more softly, her wings a bit at attention. “Attention, everypony! Before we start the scavenger hunt, we have to lay down the ground rules here. And no, I don’t mean literally. Don’t get your wings all in a bunch.”

Some of the ponies in the park chuckled at that, while others remained quiet, looking onward with interest.

“Anyway, let’s set the stage, shall we? Princess Cadance wanted to make sure that everypony had fun while completing this event. You will each receive the first clue, which are being passed out to you now, that will eventually lead to five others. Each clue you find will be attached to a Hearts and Hooves Day related item and the first couple to return to our lovely assistants at the sign-in table will win our grand prize: an all expenses paid magical night out in Canterlot. You’ll receive dinner at the finest of restaurants, namely The Trot and Whinny, followed by backstage passes to the Canterlot Theater’s production of ‘Bats’! Doesn’t that sound like fun!”

The announcement was followed by a flurry oohs, ahhs and even cheers and hoof stomps.

Flitter raised a brow after seeing Spike giggle out of nowhere. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, the fact that she sounded like Rarity for a second. It’s like she asked Rarity to write the script for what she was going to say. Rarity is the only pony I know that would say that being out in Canterlot is ‘magical’.”

Before Flitter could respond, Twilight continued.

“Now, that won’t be the only prize of course. For second place, you will receive a lovely bouquet of the finest flowers Roseluck’s Flower Shoppe has to offer, and for third, you’ll receive a twelve-piece box of assorted chocolates, straight from Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s bakery. Both are fine prizes indeed!”

The crowd cheered once again. It was like lightning, everyone was ecstatic over this, except for them, that is. Cloudchaser was too busy staring at Poptart, while Poptart was too busy staring at Twilight. Spike was just looking around, and scratching his head and Flitter was trying not to stare at all three of them. He was probably looking for Princess Cadance or something, which did also baffle Flitter, who had now found her gaze honed in on Spike’s spines. Had he always had spines like that? They were pretty cool looking.

Flitter shook her head. She needed to stop looking at Spike like that. She should be looking at Poptart. Yeah. That hunk… that her sister was dating.

She groaned, and went to adjust her bow with her wing. “Well, looks like everypony is excited over this.”

“Yeah,” Cloudchaser said bluntly.

“Yeah,” Spike said excitedly.

“Yeah,” Poptart said in general.

Flitter rolled her eyes. This was her life. How she got here was something she marveled at.

“Attention, everypony! Princess Mi Amore Cadenza wishes to—bah!”

The stallion who was holding the megaphone got hit in the back of the head by a rogue wing of Twilight’s. “Oops!” she exclaimed enough to be heard faintly enough over the megaphone, prompting a few chuckles in the crowd. It brought everyone back into the announcement, if they were dozing off or distracted, that is.

Princess Cadance slowly drifted the megaphone towards her and smiled. “Sorry about that. Even after all this time, Twilight still has a malfunctioning wing.” Twilight glared at Cadance after that one, causing the pink alicorn to stifle a giggle. “Sorry, somepony had to say it! I hope you all are having a wonderful belated Hearts and Hooves day! This would’ve been sooner if we had control of Flurry Heart’s ability to destroy everything in her path, but alas, she takes after her father!”

Flitter laughed at that one. Spike, however, didn’t. He just tilted his head. Guess he was lost.

“Anyway, I’d like to say a little bit about the event, particularly as to why we decided to have this in Ponyville. I’ve always wanted to host something like this, and when Twilight decided to find what her purpose was here in Ponyville, it felt like I needed to show this place a bit more love than I already had. I’m glad that Twilight was able to meet all of her friends here, and now they have slowly become friends of mine too. However, unlike Twilight, I am not the Princess of Friendship. If I was the Princess of Friendship, there wouldn’t be so many rules…”

The four of them had their attention to the speech broken by a young mare approaching them with small satchel.

“Here are your first clues guys,” the mare stated whilst handing a small, folded piece of paper to both Spike and Poptart. “Good luck!”

The two couples eyeballed the papers for a brief moment before turning their attention back to the speech going on.

“...and that’s why rules suck!” Princess Cadance chuckled into the megaphone. “Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my view on why I, and Twilight’s friends wanted to give you all a slice of what love truly is: an extension of that word of friendship. And all these ponies that have registered for this event want to not only enjoy the love they have for their partners, but also to ensure that their love will continue with purpose and integrity. With that all being said, let’s get this scavenger hunt started, shall we?”

The crowd reignited with life full of stomping, cheering, and excited neighing to remember. Flitter facehooved. She needed to stop herself before she wrecked herself.

Flitter turned to see Spike looking at her. She tilted her head. “What’s up, Spike?”

Spike’s eyes widened. “Oh, was just thinking. Didn’t realize I was staring at you, Flitter. My bad.”

He was staring at her? What for? “Got your head in the clouds?”

She gave him a smirk that made the dragon groan. “No, dragons don’t get their heads stuck in clouds. We get our heads stuck in everything else. Like gem hoards. And coincidental holes, for some odd reason. Not sure why I keep running into the one on the way home. It’s like the tree runs into me!”

Flitter giggled. “Well, I’ll make sure to guide you while we’re out today so you don’t run into any more trouble, Spike. Literally.”

“I appreciate that, Flitter.” For once, she saw a genuine smile on his face as opposed to the supposed fake ones he’d been mocking up all morning to look like a happy couple. It looked genuine at least: his lip just tucked in a bit more than he did before, and his teeth were shining in the light. It actually looked… nice, on him.

“Well, that’s that, isn’t it?” Cloudchaser stated, interrupting Flitter’s ill-fated thoughts. “Looks like it’s time to get down to business.”

Flitter snapped back to the real world and saw her sister take the small slip of paper from Poptart and open it up. “Yeah, I guess it is.” She did the same with her and Spike’s paper.

Cloudchaser looked up from her paper. “Oh, this is gonna be a walk in the park. C’mon Poptart, let’s show everypony how it’s done.’

The pink stallion followed her as she began to walk away. “Sounds good to me. It was great seeing you, Spike! You too, Flitter.”

“See you later… Poptart…” Flitter trailed off, watching him walk away.

The games had begun.

If You're Gonna Take a Chance

Spike looked at his watch. It was nine-twenty and the hunt was just getting started. All the couples had just received their slips of paper, detailing the first stop on their quest to win the scavenger hunt. What was amazing was that no two ponies would have the same path to victor, each with different clues to find and locations to visit. This at least assisted in making the game more fair to where everypony had their own challenge to tackle.

But Flitter could care less about being fair. No matter the circumstances getting laid out in front of her, she just wanted to beat her sister. Whatever path it took to get there was fine by her. Victory needed to be in her grasp, and by victory in her grasp, Flitter meant Poptart holding her in his hooves, and she would do whatever it took to make it happen. Hence the fact that she showed up with a dragon she officially met for the first time the night before.

“Hey, Flitter?” he asked.

“What?” Flitter asked. “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a mental monologue?”

“Ah, gotcha,” he replied. “I mean, that’s cool and all, mental monologues are important now and again, but don’t you want to get started? Your sister and Poptart already looked at their clue and left the park.”

“Huh?” Flitter looked up and sure enough the bane of her existence was far out of her field of vision. Curses! She monologued for too long! “Thanks for the heads up, Spike! We gotta be on the edge of our hooves with this. No time for messing around.”

Flitter popped open their designated small piece of paper and read over it. “Okay, let’s see what’s up.”

“What’s it say?” Spike asked.

Flitter held up the paper where he could read it along with her and she began to read aloud: “‘A place where happiness is only a cupcake away!’”

The two both eyed the cryptic clue on the piece of paper. Cupcakes, happiness? Where could this first clue be leading them? As far as Flitter was concerned, it could be anywhere in Ponyville. This was no ordinary starting clue.

“Alright, Spike,” she stated, pulling the clue closer to her own eyes. “This is going to be a hard one, but maybe if we dissect each word on its own, then maybe the picture as a whole will become more—”

“Sugarcube Corner!” Spike called out aloud. “That’s an easy one!”

Flitter’s eyes burst open. Of course! Happiness and cupcakes - two personality traits commonly associated with one pony and one pony only: Pinkie Pie! That had to be it!

“I think you’re right, Spike!” She cried aloud. “Come! We have no time to waste!” She grabbed a hold of his claw with one hoof and began to drag him behind her as she took off.

They were off to Sugarcube Corner where part one of her victory tour would begin!

“So, as I was saying… this is really easy and—”

Flitter grit her teeth as she and Spike walked up the steps of the Sugarcube Corner. She was already anxious, her mind racing at the thought that other ponies sounded like they were ahead of them. If she hadn’t lived in her head so often she wouldn’t have these mental breakdowns of hers. They were derailing her sanity, at this point. Thankfully, she had Spike with her—

“Flitter, are you—”

“Yes, Spike, I’m just thinking,” she said, groaning. “Come on, let’s get inside!”

Quickly, she pushed the doors of the establishment open, thrusting the pair into the world of sweets. The smells of cupcakes, muffins, and other assorted baked goods tickled Flitter’s muzzle, the scent making her drift towards the counter.

Spike followed close behind, although he wasn’t so enamoured by it. The aroma was sweet, but he was hungry for some gems… but he wouldn’t mind a cupcake from Pinkie. Speaking of, where was she?

They looked around the establishment. She wasn’t behind the counter, or at the tables to their right. They didn’t hear any sort of commotion in the store at all. Where was she?

“Pinkie Pie?”

Spike called out to the abyss, yet it didn’t answer back.

“Weird, I thought she would be here. Where would she—”

“Surprise!”

Suddenly, a pink fluff monster that just so happened to be named Pinkie Pie jumped out from a random corner above them, sailing down directly next to the couple. She somehow didn’t break the floorboards with her landing. The two nearly jumped out of their own skin, Spike stretching his arm out to protect Flitter, while Flitter almost banged her head on the counter. Luckily for her, she was able to shove herself off the wall with her wing, but she wasn’t happy about it, grimacing as she gripped her wing.

“Whoops! Too much surprise?”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “More like a heart attack, if you ask me.”

“Ignore her, she’s just injury prone,” Spike replied dryly, earning a glare from Flitter. He shrugged and turned his attention to Pinkie. “So! Hey, Pinkie! Is this your clue?”

“I don’t know, silly! Tell me, what is the clue?”

Spike took the note from Flitter and read it out loud, “‘A place where happiness is only a cupcake away.’”

Pinkie Pie grinned ear-to-ear. “Yep! That’s mine!” She giggled to herself. “So, guess I’m going to be serving you up one of my special cupcakes!”

Spike and Flitter watched as Pinkie hopped behind the counter with a bit too much spring in her legs. She almost somehow hit a light fixture in the process, which made Spike wonder if she was part pegasus.

“So! Are you both excited?!”

Spike raised a brow. “Kind of. More like worried. You haven’t told us what this ‘special cupcake’ is.”

Pinkie let out a hearty laugh. “It’s something that will make you both crazy in love!”

Flitter’s eyes widened. That was not part of the plan. She did not want to fall in love with Spike, even though he wasn’t too bad on the eyes, he wasn’t…sigh...Poptart. Her heart fluttered at even thinking of his name now, either that or she was feeling like she was about to barf. She couldn’t tell sometimes, but maybe that’s for the best. She didn’t want any of the other ponies that they’d run across to think something was wrong, that she and Spike weren’t a couple. That would completely ruin everything.

Spike laughed too, his voice cracking as he spoke, “I b-bet! Listen, if your cupcakes can actually do that, make sure you do not let Twilight or Cadance know. I swear, that’s nearly close to magic warfare you’re about to weaponize there.”

Flitter shook her head. That’s so goofy. A cupcake? Being weaponized? If Pinkie actually made this work, maybe she could request a few to… well, be a bit more geared towards her sister. Of course, it wouldn’t be based in love. That would be totally uncool.

“Trust me, I’m the only pony that could do that,” Pinkie declared, smirking. She threw a cupcake pan into the air. The pan landed on the counter with a loud CLANG, which echoed in Spike and Flitter’s ears.

Spike recovered first. He had shook his head, only to realize that Pinkie, somehow, with any time passing, had a cupcake ready for the two to devour. It had purple and light blue frosting intermixing in a swirl, and in the center laid a pink cherry, which matched Flitter’s bow. Spike stared at it in wonder, while Flitter still looked like she had seen something crazy, which Spike wasn’t ready to ask her about. It wasn’t his place, was it?

Flitter was unaware of it, but Spike was right: she was seeing something. She saw three Pinkies and three Spikes. Somehow that pan clanging against the counter top scrambled her vision to the point of no return. She was worried that if it didn’t change up soon, she was going to be permanently stuck with everything in threes. Now she definitely wanted to barf.

Luckily for her, Spike had turned to check on her. He cupped her cheek a bit, pushing her muzzle up for him to get a better look. “Everything okay, Flitter? You look a little messed up. Just being honest here.”

Flitter shook her head out of his grip. Now there were only two Spikes. Still one too many. “I’m totally fine!” She chuckled awkwardly to herself. “Look, I can walk this off.”

Spike smirked. “Okay, do it.”

Flitter took her first step and gasped. Her foreleg had wobbled when she tried to move it. She almost met the floor for the first time today, but she saved herself by shifting her balance toward the wall, leaning gently up against it. She turned to see Spike still wearing that smirk, only it was starting to morph into one of those grins that Cloudchaser wore whenever she caught Flitter putting her hoof in the cookie jar.

That back then irritated the heck out of her, and she didn’t want Spike to emulate it.

“Don’t say it—”

Spike shrugged. “My bad. When you said ‘walk it off’ I thought you meant with like... actual steps.”

Blood coursed through Flitter’s veins, and slowly but surely, she became flushed. She growled low, hopefully low enough that Pinkie didn’t hear her, but knowing her luck, that mare would hear her and—

“What was that noise? It sounded like a hungry pony!”

Flitter facehooved. She facehooved hard.

Spike laughed, and grabbed the cupcake off the counter. “How much do I owe you, Pinkie?”

Pinkie shook her head so hard, Spike thought she almost snapped her neck. Thankfully, after the mare’s eyes stopped spinning in her head, she added, “No can do, Spike! This is all part of the clue!”

Then, Pinkie’s muzzle contorted, as if someone had tried to graze her muzzle like a guitar, only for all the strings to get plucked.

Spike tilted his head, ignoring Pinkie’s now expensive fix. “I can sense a but here, but I’m not sure if I’m thinking of the right one—ack!”

Flitter decided to interrupt him with a quick wack of a wing to the back of the head. “That’s completely uncalled for, Spike!”

“Got you smiling, though,” Spike replied, watching as Flitter started to smile. She slowly stepped away from Pinkie and the dragon, watching from a far distance.

“Anyway—”

“Awww! You two are so cute together!”

And now Spike felt a heat grace his cheeks. He tried to regain his dignity, that one that made him a true dragon, but it got murdered brutally by a dancing tree named Flynn. Not sure why it was named Flynn, but it just rolled off the tongue, so to speak.

Flitter was the first to respond, “We are not cute—”

“Aww, you denying that you’re not cute is even more cute!”

As if on cue, Flitter’s muzzle scrunched up like an accordian. Spike looked over and nodded. Yep, she was cute right there.

Then his eyes widened, and he envisioned himself standing in lava.

Pinkie gigglesnorted. “Alright, I need to stop or you all will faint before you even eat the cupcake!”

Spike picked what little was left of his dignity off the ground, while Flitter shook her head, now only seeing the one dragon that kept her grounded. The two looked at her and tilted their heads. “So, what’s that catch of yours?”

“Well, you both need to take the first bite.”

Spike blinked.

Flitter blinked.

The cupcake would have blinked if it wasn’t an inanimate object.

“What.”

Pinkie shoved the cupcake in front of them, which was now placed on a nice plate with a bunch of hearts on it. “Ya! You both need to take the first bite for it to taste like the love you have for each other!”

Spike and Flitter both blushed. That could’ve been taken in several ways, which both of them decided to imagine instead of what was actually said. Flitter hid herself behind her wings, while Spike just looked up at the ceiling, thinking the decor was nice, even if there was none hanging on this day, for some reason.

Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Wow, I didn’t think you two would both be living in the Sugarcube Corner’s gutters, but I’m more surprised that my tail didn’t twitch to warn me of this!” She gripped at her own tail with her forehooves. She nudged it, and it sagged back to the ground. “Darn tail is broken! Guess I need to fix it with a little sugar!” She turned her attention back to Flitter and Spike, who were still stuck in the gutters. “Hope you two enjoy the cupcake! Don’t make too much of a mess!”

With that, the Pink fluff monster that Flitter deemed as the devil incarnate hopped out of view, leaving Spike and Flitter alone with a cupcake of their ‘relationship’.

The two spared a look at each other. Both of them were worse for wear with all that teasing. Flitter’s heart almost leaped out of her chest with how fast it was racing, while Spike felt like he was burning up in a volcano. However, they both were alone, finally, with a cupcake that they could eat.

Spike spoke up first, “Well I guess we can finally start eating that cupcake.”

“Y-Yeah,” Flitter stammered out. She cursed herself underneath her breath, before she continued, “Can’t believe we survived that.”

“Well, I’m an expert at playing survival mode, so of course I survived,” Spike replied, smirking. He pointed a claw at Flitter. “I was just worried about you. You know, since you’ve been stuck in the tutorial for most of the time we’ve been together.”

Flitter rolled her eyes and strolled up to the counter. “Please, never say that again.”

“Gotcha. I’ll say that again next time you mention surviving.”

Flitter groaned. She grabbed the plate off the counter. “I’ll go find us a seat, while you get the napkins.”

Spike saluted the mare. “Gotcha! Not sure why you made that sound like a punishment though, but you do you!”

Flitter ignored him and moseyed on over to a table. For some reason, all of them had a long pink candle in the center. It was being separated by a long silver centerpiece, and a few flowers to boot. There was a sign that said, ‘You may eat the flowers, just be careful of thorns.’ Sure enough, there were a couple of thorns on one of the flowers. Flitter rolled her eyes and set the plate on the table and waited for her drakefriend, err, fake drakefriend, to bring over the napkins.

She sighed. Today had already been hectic, and it was just getting started. How this whole clue just riled her up and having her blush like a bride was insane to her. She would have never thought that she could do this, especially with Spike. He was such a good fake drakefriend… well, not exactly fake, more like pretend, but that didn’t bother her. Semantics weren’t her strong suit, and neither was fly—

Suddenly, the table shook. Spike slammed the napkins down on the counter, nearly sending the plate flying, that is, if Flitter didn’t have her hoof still on it. The candle and flowers that had a few thorns on them, however, did not survive. They sailed into the air, and landed almost perfectly on a table across the room.

Spike whistled. “Wow, I actually pulled that off. That must be, like, a one in a million chance or something.”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “You almost got thorns in my eyes, Spike.”

“Oops, sorry,” Spike said apologetically.

Flitter just scoffed at him. “Let’s get this over with…”

Spike picked up the cupcake, his eyes scanning over it, visually testing it systematically for areas of weakness, most likely areas where they could both bite without things getting too awkward. It was easier said than done: his eyes could only do so much before he had to at least squish it a bit. He had to be careful, he didn’t want to waste any napkins.

After a few more seconds of Spike undressing the pastry with his eyes and poking at it with his claws, Flitter rolled her eyes and snatched the cupcake from him. “Look Spike, it’s not that complicated. We just both take a bite, wipe the frosting and shame from our lips and move on with our day.”

“Got it,” the dragon replied. “So, I guess we should just… do it.” He gulped and inched his mouth closer to the cupcake being held in Flitter’s hoof.

Flitter did the same, moving closer, inch by nerve-wracking inch, centimeter by painful centimeter. The tension was growing and her face began to heat up. She tried to just focus visually on the cupcake, but she couldn’t help but get distracted by the dragon snout on the other side of it. Lined with teeth… and smooth scales…

Luckily, her quickly regressing train of thought was cut off by the feeling of the sweet icing and warm pastry touching her teeth. She had made it to the cupcake. Her lips snuggled closely around it, engulfing exactly one half of the dessert. Of course, that wasn’t all she had to worry about as the dragon’s lips were coming in for a landing.

And then it happened. He took his bite.

Their eyes locked for just a moment, neither daring to pull away yet whilst their lips were mere millimeters away from each other. He had really nice eyes. They were such an inviting and interesting shade of green. There weren’t that many green eyed ponies in the world, well, other than Applejack… and Daisy… but not the green that he had. Maybe if she moved a bit closer, she could see them even bet— Wait, was touching her lips and why did it feel… scale-ish?

Oh my gosh…

Their lips were touching. They weren’t just close to each other, they were actually touching lips. This was not good.

A muffled squeak emitted from Flitter as she quickly chomped down on her half of the cupcake and shot backward into her seat. “Okay, we’re done.”

Spike, on the other hoof, was still left with half the cupcake in his mouth, looking just as awkward and confused as his partner. He shook his head briefly and chomped down on his part of the cupcake,

“Yum!” He exclaimed, an obvious attempt at changing the unspoken topic. “Oh, wait a sec..” he muttered, tidbits of cupcake flying out of his mouth. “I think there was something in there.” The dragon stuck his claw into his mouth, much to Flitter’s distaste, and he pulled out a small piece of paper. “A contaminate!”

Spike got up from the table as if to throw it away when his foolishness finally dawned up on Flitter.

“Spike, wait!” She said, dashing up from her seat and grabbing the piece of paper. “Don’t you know what this is?”

“Hmph,” he replied. “A poorly executed attempt on my life.”

“No…” she replied, uncrumpling said paper and holding it out in front of him. “It’s our next clue, ya ding dong.”

“Oh,” he stated with a sheepish grin. “I guess it makes sense. Putting the clue inside our cupcake is a very Pinkie Pie thing to do.”

They both resumed their seats at the table, but before Flitter could just move on and go over the clue, Spike just had to open his mouth. What was it about ponies in her life not being able to just shut their mouth when they needed to?

“So,” he started. “We totally kissed. Just saying.”

Flitter set the clue on the table and slammed her hoof onto said table. “That was not a kiss!”

“I dunno,” he replied. “You were all looking at me in the eyes and stuff and then your lips touched mine. I think that counts as a kiss by most definitions.”

“No,” she said. “It was just an incidental touch of our snouts, nothing more, nothing less. And I wasn’t looking in your eyes. I was just distracted by a fly I saw in the background. That’s all.”

“Okay, sure, whatever you say,” he replied with a snort. “But it was totally a kiss. A weird one, but a kiss nonetheless. You totally enjoyed it, don’t even lie.”

Flitter’s heart raced just a tad as she thought about it. Was it actually a kiss? Did it really count? Or was it just an accident? Well, of course it was an accident… but did she want it to be an accident?

Her brain was taking her down a very weird path that would surely require months of counseling after this day was over, so Flitter decided it was high time to change the subject.

“Look, believe whatever will help you sleep tonight.” She held up the small piece of paper. “We’ve wasted enough time here already! Cloudchaser and Poptart are probably on the next clue!”

“Fair enough, I mean, I’ll be sleeping well tonight knowing that you’re in denial, but go figure.” He eyed the piece of paper too. “So what does the next clue say?”

“I don’t know, I’m having to deal with your teasing, you goof,” Flitter said, pointing a hoof at Spike. The dragon laughed. Flitter ignored him and flipped it around. “Looks like it says, ‘She’s not the Equestrian Average, she’s the type of pony everypony should know.’” Flitter’s muzzle collapsed on itself. “What does that mean, Spike?”

Spike chuckled. “That’s a bit tougher, but I think I know who that is. She sang a really catchy song about everypony knowing her, once. You might not like what she has to say about us, though.”

“Oh great,” Flitter said with a groan. She threw her hooves in the air. “A previous marefriend of yours?”

“Marefriend? I don’t know if you forgot that I hadn’t had a relationship because of Twilight, but just letting you know, I’m just drowning in virgin tears.”

Flitter nearly keeled over at that one, her stomach forgetting what air was. She laughed and laughed and laughed. It was one of the best laughs she ever had, and it was all due to Spike saying he was drowning in…

Then, she laughed again. “V-Virgin tears!”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Hey, your track record is pretty unscathed too.”

“R-Rather would be unscathed than whatever you s-said!” Flitter struggled to get out due to fits of laughter. She sighed from her life high and wiped her liquid pride from her eyes. “M-Mind helping me up?”

“I don’t know if I should,” Spike replied, pretending to look elsewhere.

“Oh you baby,” Flitter cooed as she picked herself off the ground. “Guess I’ll do it myself then.”

Dusting herself off, she then returned to Spike’s side. “Well, since you know where this next clue is, lead the way, my dragon.”

“Woah, you’re already saying I’m your dragon?” Spike asked. “Careful, I might believe you, and a certain pony behind the counter might too.”

Flitter scoffed at that one, waving a hoof at him. “Oh, puhlease! Pinkie’s not listening in on us and—”

As if she summoned the devil himself, Pinkie Pie appeared in front of them. Flitter nearly jumped out of her fur once again, while Spike, who knew that mare’s presence was lingering, watched as Flitter tried to register what just happened.

“P-Pinkie Pie!”

“Yep, that’s me!”

Flitter was clutching at her own chest. She needed to be careful, her words were powerful, as if they were part of a powerful incantation. “Please, don’t jump out of nowhere again. I don’t think my heart can take it.”

“Okee-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie said. She had a camera dangling around her neck and a grin that threatened to leave her face with how wide it was.

Flitter became worried. Very worried. “Uh… Pinkie, what’s with the camera?”

The pink pony gigglesnorted and held the camera up for Flitter to look at. “Oh, I took a picture of you and Spike eating the cupcake together! It was sooooo cute! That’s going to go up on the relationship wall where everypony after the hunt will come and see their love on full display!” Pinkie Pie squee’d as she hopped in place. “Ooooh! It’s so exciting to see everypony so happy! It makes me happy and all mushy inside, like when I eat cupcakes! They’re always so chewy and fluffy!”

Flitter snatched the camera and looked closer. “Oh great, you got it when our lips… did the thing…”

“Of course, silly!” PInkie pleasantly squeaked. “It was the most adorable part!”

Flitter found herself heating up. She felt like she looked like those apples she picked earlier: completely and utterly red. However, Spike looked like he was more curious than embarrassed. In fact, he had his head tilted, looking like he wanted to say something.

Then, Spike opened his mouth, “So wait, let me get this straight…”

Pinkie turned her attention to Spike. “Okay!”

“You took a picture of us.”

“Yep!”

“And I didn’t see a flash?”

“Well of course not, silly! They made this thing called a flash hider, you know.”

Spike’s mouth formed an ‘o’. “Guess I should get myself one of those…”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “I think we have more to worry about than a flash hider, Spike! Pinkie, please don’t post this on the relationship wall.”

“Awww, why?” Pinkie asked, walking up to Flitter.

Flitter took a step back. She did not need Pinkie up in her space. That was asking for trouble. “Because… I don’t want everypony in town to know that we kissed!”

“Ha!” Spike shouted. “I knew it was a kiss.”

Flitter gave him a glare, one that said, ‘if you open your mouth one more time I’m going to stab your eyes out’. She smirked when Spike pretended to whistle to himself, looking away from her and Pinkie.

However, Pinkie was unaffected. In fact, she was even closer now, her muzzle almost bumping into Flitter’s.

Pinkie stole Flitter’s smirk. “Sounds like somepony’s embarrassed. You shouldn’t be embarrassed, Flitter! When love is in the air, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of kissin’!”

Pinkie punctuated her point by making little kissy faces. It would’ve been fine if she was like, on the other side of the room, but she was so close to Flitter’s face, that they were almost recreating that kiss she had with Spike but without the cupcake.

Flitter hopped away from her, nearly launching herself into the wall. “Uh, can we not do that?”

Spike chuckled, but he kept his mouth closed. Pinkie, on the other hoof, just shrugged. “Okay…” she began, only to snap her attention right back to Flitter. “But that won’t stop me from posting the picture on the wall!”

Slowly, Pinkie brought out the picture for the couple to see. “Wait! I’ll do anything! Please, please, please don’t put it on the wall!”

Pinkie raised a brow at Flitter. “Annnything?”

“Yes. Anything, Pinkie.”

The pink party pony purposefully inched closer to the purple wall labeled ‘relationship wall’ and smiled. “If you can get first in the scavenger hunt, I won’t post it on the wall.”

“Deal,” Flitter said, offering her hoof to Pinkie.

“Nuh uh, Flitter!” Pinkie replied. “That’s not all. If you don’t get first, I also get to make extra copies and send them to everyone in Ponyville!”

Spike’s eyes widened and shoved Flitter, who was about to pummel Pinkie, aside. “Okay, Pinkie, that’s a bit overkill. How about I propose a counter-offer?”

Flitter felt like her heart was beating out of her chest. She was about to knock the picture right out of Pinkie’s hooves with a tremendous leap, but Spike had shoved her aside. He also had, for once, said something that didn’t sound like he was going to smite her existence. It made her feel elated, as she breathed out a rather shaky sigh of relief. She smiled and began her appreciation for her partner, “Thank you, Spike, I’m so glad you’re here to help me make sure the picture doesn’t—”

“Give me the extra copies. Then I’ll hand them to whoever asks for one.”

Flitter groaned. “And just like that, my appreciation for you just got burned to a pile of ash.”

“Hey, my stomach resembles that statement!” Spike exclaimed, chuckling. He gave her a grin. “It’s just a kiss though. I don’t see why you’re upset.” He patted her on the head. Besides, was it really that bad of a kiss?”

Flitter shook her head. “Not really, but at the same time…”

Poptart… Her heart ached. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea!

Spike put a claw on Flitter’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Don’t worry.” With a smile, he turned to Pinkie. “So, do you mind if I take the extra copies if we lose?”

Pinkie hummed quietly to herself. She held a hoof there, rubbing it against her chin, as if she was living in a bubble, one filled with cotton candy, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles that cascaded down a chocofall into an ocean of vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

“That totally works!”

Flitter looked on, dumbfounded.

Spike looked on, smiling, his eyes drifting to Flitter’s face.

The picture, which had them totally kissing on it, stayed still, because it was a picture.

Spike spoke up first, “Great! And man, that’s a really good picture. That totally shows the beauty of the moment and—oof!”

Flitter had batted Spike upside the noggin with her wing. “Shut up and let’s get going.” She gave Pinkie a smile. “Thank you for the cupcake. Have a good day!”

Pinkie bounced in place. “You too Flitter! And make sure you keep her close, Spike!”

“Of course,” Spike began, giving Pinkie a thumbs up. “I don’t have a choice at this point!”

Flitter rolled her eyes at Spike. “Let’s keep moving.”

Spike glared at her as she walked past.

Flitter finally felt a sense of victory wash over her. Together, they had completed their first clue. Sure her dignity was being thrashed about like she was on a cruise ship during a bad thunderstorm, but that didn’t mean her dignity was lost forever. In fact, it was only just the beginning. Since Spike was the one who was trying really hard to sell their relationship, why couldn’t she try to sell it too? It might even keep him focused on this hunt instead of everypony else.

A smirk wormed onto Flitter’s face. She knew just how to do it too. She saw it in a movie once, and it got that stallion to shape up easily as he stuttered and watched the mare leave. All it required her to do was show a bit of tail.

Before she left the Sugarcube corner, Flitter looked over her shoulder and flicked her tail at Spike’s snout.

That heat from before felt like it was resurging, so she quickly looked away, and raced out the door. She didn’t need to see Spike’s face to know he was flustered. She did it as the mare did in the movie, after all. What other reaction could he have?

Little did she know, Spike wasn’t flustered. Somehow, someway, Spike was spellbound. His eyes watched her tail sway as she raced out of view. Pinkie saw this frozen dragon and giggled. She walked up in front of him, her lips mirroring Flitter’s smirk.

“Looks like she’s not embarrassed anymore…”

Spike blinked rapidly. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that…”

He shook his head and looked down at Pinkie. He quickly grabbed one of her forehooves and shook it rapidly, while he rambled off his goodbye, “Thanks again for the cupcake, Pinkie! I’ll talk to you tomorrow!”

Pinkie Pie grinned. “Okay! Let her know she’s more than welcome to swing by!”

Spike laughed. “I’ll let her know!”

The dragon waved happily to Pinkie as he exited the Sugarcube Corner, its doors gently clicking to a close.

Take a Chance On Me

The two had walked out of the Sugarcube Corner feeling… closer, if Flitter had any say in describing their ‘relationship’ thus far. It was meant to be all pretend, since Spike was only a pawn in her plan to defeat her sister and Poptart. She was using Spike in order to get to Poptart, the stallion of her dreams. Yet…

Flitter raised a hoof to smack herself silly, but she stopped. She didn’t want to cause a scene and embarrass herself in front of Spike, yet she needed to get her head on straight. These… mushy feelings were not going to make her deviate from her plan! She needed to maintain a clear view of the prize here, and with Spike being an almost perfect representation of what she imagined her and Poptart would be, it was making everything a bit harder to bear. She hoped Spike and her could be friends once she got with Poptart, even though her heart twinged at the thought of leaving him after this.

The troubled mare looked over at Spike, whose eyes were set on getting to their next destination. He, for some reason, wouldn’t disclose where this next clue led, and Flitter had no clue why. Was this to tease her and make her feel stupid for not figuring out the clue by herself? Or was he hiding something from her? After all, he did say something that kinda has her feathers all ruffled up…

“You might not like what she has to say about us, though.”

And that emphasis on their relationship made looking at him that much harder.

While Flitter was suffering in her lonesome, Spike was feeling… different. He felt a ringing in his ears, and he knew why. It was due to what he had said to Flitter. It was ominous, like watching one of his favorite slasher films, yet cheesy, which was also like one of his favorite slasher films. The statement was true, though. Rarity was going to be like talking to Twilight in that she’ll probably lecture Flitter about how relationships work, while also making sure Flitter's actually in love with him.

His heart leaped just a tad at the possibilities he envisioned, but they also made an adrenaline rush course through his veins. It terrified him, enough to consider throwing this in the towel, since she would surely figure them out and disqualify them from the competition. But then, he remembered the snooty snobs and the continuous bickering that they gave him when they said he was ‘not with someone’.

That made him steel himself forward. He knew he had done a good job so far. He was putting a lot of effort into selling this relationship. In fact, he hadn’t felt like he was trying this hard since the last time he was trying to impress Rarity herself!

Unfortunately, that was years ago, though. He’s been such a total turbo virgin ever since.

Spike groaned, his claw grasping at his face with agony. He knew he needed to dial it back a few notches, but if he let up now, would Flitter notice and pull him aside?

Then, Spike realized something. Why was he trying so hard to appease Flitter? He knew this was pretend and well, he knew that she didn’t like him like that. Yet… what was that tail from earlier? She had flicked him right in the snout, and that usually means that she’s… a bit more interested in somepony than not, right? He wasn’t one-hundred percent in tune with pony mannerisms, but it seemed that way. His brain felt like it was melting trying to wrap his mind around Flitter’s tail—Spike’s eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head of that thought. He took a deep breath and tried to look like he wasn’t visibly shaken by the gutters in his mind.

However, his attempt, like his luck, was horrible. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Flitter looking at him. She had an eyebrow raised, and she looked like she was about to say something to him. He counted down the seconds.

Three.

Two.

One.

“What’s wrong, Spike?”

He gave her his full attention. “N-Nothing,” he began, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and continued, “Just had some indigestion from eating too many rubies this morning. You know how it goes…”

“No… I don’t. How do you get indigestion from gems?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Gems work with my body like hay works with yours. Think if you ate too much hay, you’d feel the same way as I do.”

Flitter’s eyes widened. She looked away from him, seeing the ground being more interesting. “Oh…”

Spike and Flitter were about to fall into silence once again, but Spike knew he didn’t want to stop talking, especially since he left it on such an awkward note. So, he asked her a question, one that he felt might be more relevant: “Anyway, have you figured where we’re going yet, Flitter?”

Flitter flicked back to him, her ear twitching and her mouth trying to form into a smile. He really must’ve gotten her feeling queasy too after that imagery.

Then, she looked forward and spoke out, “Not really. The clue is confusing… I mean, what really is the Equestrian Average?”

Spike wanted to explain it to Flitter, but every time he read the clue in his head, he also saw Flitter too, and couldn’t shake the heat he felt broiling throughout his body. It was making him feel light on his feet, that is, if ‘light on his feet’ meant dodging searing hot coals that were on the ground.

His gaze darted away, while he ran his mouth, “Think of it as that she stands out to everypony, and not just because she’s important.”

Flitter’s muzzle scrunched up. “So, she’s like Pinkie in that she’s an Element of Harmony?”

“Yeah, but like I said, she’s always the one that stands out because she tries harder to make everyone else stand out.”

Flitter hummed to herself. She couldn’t really picture an Element of Harmony that could do that other than Rainbow Dash or Rarity. And since Rainbow’s house was on the other side of town…

Flitter felt like her jaw was going to fall to the ground. She squeaked out her answer, “Are we going to see Rarity?”

Spike nodded. “There you go! I thought it was pretty obvious, but sometimes ponies need every little detail explained to them and—ack!”

Flitter had batted him with her wing, this time in the shoulder.

Spike was about to growl at her, but he saw her face. Her lips were sagging down, and her eyes were looking a little watery. He reached out to her. “Flitter? Is everything—”

Flitter wiped her eyes with her hoof. She giggled. “Sorry, it’s happy tears, trust me. I thought it was going to be more serious.”

“But it is kinda serious, to be honest,” Spike said, much to the chagrin of Flitter. The pegasus folded her wing back to her side, while Spike eyed the houses that they passed. “Rarity is a big deal to me. She’s…”

Spike’s voice trailed off. Should he say this to her when he was supposed to be Flitter’s drakefriend? They say talking about your crushes or exs to your current ‘marefriend’ was a curse. Yet, here he was, about to tell her the whole shebang.

That irked Spike. That irked him so much that he refused to say the rest.

“She’s, what, Spike?”

Until Flitter said that. Spike internally groaned, his mind telling him he was a moron for ever thinking of bringing up this subject.

Sighing and preparing himself for the end of his meager existence, Spike answered Flitter’s question, “She’s the first pony I fell in love with.”

There, he said it. This pretend relationship would certainly stay pretend. Cursed. Spoiled. Everything was now out on the table. Flitter would certainly be annoyed or upset by this.

Yet, all Spike heard was her laughter. It wasn’t a belly laugh, just a fit of giggles, but as they walked, it felt like there were butterflies fluttering around them, dancing happily in the spring sunshine. He looked at her further: her smile was contagious, her eyes glistening in the bright white light, and her bow, that bow… all of what Flitter made Flitter told Spike why his heart was jumping for joy.

Was this what it felt like? Even if it was all pretend?

Spike felt his world grow just a little brighter.

“Spike, everypony knew that.”

And then it just turned into a world of shame, regret, and darkness.

“It was pretty obvious, wasn’t it?” Spike awkwardly shuffled out of his mouth. His eyes were downcast, his claw was reaching for the back of his neck to ease his pain, and his side was being slightly nudged by Flitter’s wing—wait, what?

He looked over to his right. She was gently caressing his side. He brought his gaze to her eyes. They were still sparkling, but she was giving him a slight smile to boot.

That made Spike think of her like a gem.

His stomach growled.

“Flitter…”

Flitter didn’t want him to be distracted. She had to get him back on track, and Rarity was going to be one of those said distractions. He had to make sure he wasn’t going to drift when they were dealing with her clue.

So, she gave him reassurance. “That doesn’t mean your feelings for her were joked about, Spike. They were just out there for everypony to see.”

Spike smiled. “Yeah, that’s true. I thought I hid them well, but I guess I was the worst at hide and seek, too.” He chuckled and touched the edge of her wing. He pushed it just a tad with one of his claws, and smiled. “Thanks, Flitter.”

“No problem, Spike. Now, enough about your feelings of her. You’re with me now!” She playfully nudged the dragon with a hoof. “Since you’re so worried about her, should I be preparing for my grave?”

“N-No!” Spike breathed through his fits of laughter. He calmed down as they rounded a corner and continued, “Well, I just felt I needed to warn you about her. That’s kinda why I took the scenic route to be honest—”

“Wait, what?” Flitter said, glaring. She snorted. “Why did you think that would be a smart thing to do in a competition, you dolt?”

Spike shrugged. “Well, yeah, it is a competition, but we have to keep our image up, don’t we?”

“Right…” Flitter said, her voice trailing off. She had twirled her wing around as if to say, ‘continue’, which Spike read like a book.

“Well, I thought that since I knew it was Rarity, you’d need to know a bit more about her. She’s… a very curious pony. She’d want to know all the details about our relationship, and if we’d slip up once, she’d be able to tell if we’re not actually together.”

“Why’d you say that?” Flitter asked. “I know mares sometimes can tell when somepony is in love but, with how you describe her, she sounds like she knows way more than she lets on.”

Spike twiddled with his claws. “Let’s just say… she reads a lot of romance.”

Flitter groaned. “Oh great, so she’s one of those mares.”

“One of those mares?” Spike tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t know what that means, Spike?” Flitter asked, which she promptly stifled a giggle when the goof shook his head. “How? I mean, you lived with Twilight the bookworm for the longest time, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I never heard of that phrase. Besides, she didn’t exactly get any action like that, Flitter!”

“TMI, Spike. TMI,” Flitter warned, her face the epitome of reacting to cringe. “Besides, I wasn’t thinking of it like that! Think more like ‘head stuck in a book about two ponies kissing for days on end’. She probably thinks she’s an expert on romance because she’s read so much about it!”

“Oh, then you’re totally right. She tried making me sit through a discussion with her about some weird book about vampires that were too interested in making love with non-vampires. They, for some reason, liked attacking werewolves? It’s such a confusing book that by the twentieth time she gushed about it, I almost died of boredom.”

Flitter giggled as her wings folded to her sides. “Well, now I know how I’ll react when she asks about us.”

“With mock horror?”

“No, but close,” Flitter replied, sticking out her tongue. “That’ll be for you to find out, and for me to keep to myself.”

“Glad you have a plan,” Spike lamely put it. He turned and looked at the place of interest: the Carousel Boutique. “Huh, looks like we’re here.”

Flitter smiled. “Finally!” She showed her enthusiasm to Spike, before her expression turned serious. “Hey, Spike, could we walk a little closer when we go in?”

“Why?” Spike asked. “Do you want her to faint on seeing us like this?”

“I mean, it’ll drive the point home without saying anything,” Flitter said with a shrug. “Might as well go in for the kill so we can get all that out of the way, right?”

Spike scratched his chin in thought. It was a good idea. It could actually help them shave some of the time they lost from taking the scenic route. And without having to say a word about it would be a bonus. “I see what you mean. It’ll save us some time, I hope.”

Flitter grinned. “Now you get it!” She hopped in front of him, her muzzle close to the door. “Follow my lead, Spike.”

She nudged the door open, and Spike strolled in, his leg grazing against her fur.

Inside, the world of fashion, fashion trends, and a mess of material lay haphazardly. For some reason, it was almost as if she wasn’t actually the clue and more so busy with her business. Flitter teetered a bit, her mind thinking of all the time lost if Spike was wrong with this answer of his, yet when she saw Rarity turn the corner with a crown of red roses and some real bright red lipstick on her muzzle, she knew she was either on the prowl for a stallion who didn’t enter the hunt, or she was the answer to the clue that she and Spike desperately needed.

Rarity gave the two a rather generous welcome.

“Spike and Flitter? What brings you by?”

More like a confused one. Flitter looked up to Spike, who, in turn, gave her a smile, one that said, ‘Let me handle this first.’

Spike turned his attention back to Rarity. “Hey, Rarity,” he began, before he looped his arm around Flitter, who promptly squeaked like a mouse. “I wanted to introduce you to my marefriend. Flitter, this is Rarity, my best friend.”

To say Rarity blew up into emotion and high-strung musical notes was an understatement.

Rarity squealed so loudly, the sounds of glass shattering echoed in the room behind her.

“Oops, I need to make sure my mirrors are scream resistant, don’t I?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “You say that, but even when they say, ‘Twenty percent more scream resistant than the leading glass makers’, they still shatter when you do that.”

“Guess nopony can resist me, darling,” Rarity replied, fluttering her eyelashes at Spike.

Flitter now understood why Spike likes Rarity so much.

While her eardrums tried to recover from the audioquake that had just occurred, Flitter attempted to introduce herself to Rarity. “Hello, Rarity, it’s nice to officially meet you for the first time, without all the drama, imminent destruction, and—”

Rarity smiled, offering her hoof to Flitter. “I’m glad to make your acquaintance dear.” The two ponies bumped hooves. Then, Rarity continued, “Now why don't you two have a seat here in my dining table while I go whip us up some tea?”

“But Rarity, we have a clue and—”

“Wait, you got a clue of mine?” Rarity said, brow raised.

Spike nodded. “Yep, we got our first clue given to us about…” He paused to look at his watch. “Thirty-five minutes ago.”

“Oh,” Rarity began, before she let out a hearty laugh. “I completely forgot that was happening today!”

“Pardon me for being so forward, Rarity, but why the get-up, then? You look like you dressed for the occasion.”

Rarity gave Flitter a smile. “Dear, once you get into the clothing business, you’ll understand that you need to roleplay a little sometimes!”

“Roleplay?” Flitter tilted her head, her ear twitching as she spoke, “Does that mean what I think it means?”

Spike shook his head. “Think of it like she’s trying to understand why ponies would want to wear her clothes in the first place and—oof!”

Rarity had magically tossed a rose over his direction, smacking him right between the eyes. “Seriously, Spike, do you always have to sound like that?”

Flitter pulled out a chair and took a seat in it. She put her forehooves on the table and rolled one of them towards Rarity’s direction. “He does, and it’s gotten him closer and closer to the doghouse.”

“Doghouse? I’m a dragon, not a dog!” Spike retorted. He showed them his pearly whites, chomping like a mechanical jaw. “See? Dogs don’t have these chompers! I mean, I would show you that I could breathe fire, but y’know, I'm not a huge fan of burning houses down.”

“A fact I am most appreciative of, darling,” Rarity replied dryly.

Flitter blinked, and then she blinked again. They were definitely friends, that was for sure. She just hadn’t seen two ponies like them interact so casually like this. It was refreshing to see. It shattered whatever preconceived notions she had of Rarity, except the ones that Spike warned her about.

Speaking of, why was Rarity smirking at her? Did she put on too much eyeliner today?

Rarity shoved a few pieces of cloth off the table. “Well, don’t make too much of a mess while I’m in the kitchen!”

With that, she walked into the room beside them. Flitter could hear her shuffling and fiddling with what could’ve been her kitchen cabinets. Then, a loud clang was heard, followed by a few doors being shut.

Then, Rarity called into the dining room, “Spike, do you want to help me make this tea?”

Spike looked at Flitter before he answered her. “Of course! Anything for you, Rarity!”

Flitter smiled. So that’s why Rarity was looking at her like that. Was this a test, perhaps? Smirking, she propped her chin on one of her hooves and groaned. “Anything? I wish you’d help me with what I needed, Spike!”

Spike, suddenly, stood frozen. He was almost around the corner when Flitter said that. What the ever-living heck did that mean? Was Celestia trying to smite him down with this mare? He sighed, and peeked around the corner at Rarity, who was fiddling with the stove. “Hey, on second thought, I may have to sit this one out. I don’t want Flitter getting the wrong idea, if you catch my drift.”

Rarity turned around and giggled. “I understand, Spike. I didn’t exactly need your help with this anyway. I just wanted to see if you were still the same Spikey-Wikey I’ve known for the past few years.” She smirked. “Looks like you still are.”

Even though he knew he could burn the house down, Spike still let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils. “I can’t believe you still call me that, Rarity. I thought that we buried that hatchet!”

Flitter, on the other hoof, wasn’t worried about any of that. Spikey-Wikey? How did she not hear that nickname uttered once? That was so… adorable, if she was being honest. It made the big bad dragon look like such a goofy sweetheart. It…

Wait, did she just call him a sweetheart? And why was her heart beating a tad bit faster again? Flitter’s eyes widened as she squeaked. Her wings were twitching! Mayday, mayday! Imagine legs being bent back, and somebody getting their head lopped off—Flitter’s wings stayed folded to her sides. She sighed, and watched as Spike watched her internally battle herself, his body just a hoof away from being up against hers.

She looked at him like she saw a ghost.

He looked at her like he saw her picking her muzzle.

Rarity just continued boiling some water in the kitchen, humming to a tune that everypony should know.

As soon as Spike heard Rarity humming louder than usual, he dodged over to the table where Flitter was sitting and pulled up a seat next to her. “What the heck was that?” he asked.

Flitter straightened up in her seat and put on her best dramatic voice. “Oh, I’m quite certain I have no idea what you’re talking about… Spikey-Wikey.” Flitter chuckled a bit and winked at the dragon.

“Okay, laugh it up. Yes, it’s a funny nickname. You’re about ten years late to the party.” Spike shook his head. “I mean, I could always give you a nickname if you’re jealous.”

“Oh gosh, no,” she said, violently shaking her head. “Please. I had to deal with that all my life growing up with Cloudchaser. She had a different name for me every day it seemed, and most I can’t say in polite company.”

“I gotcha, I gotcha,” Spike replied. “...Flitter Flitter, Chicken Ditter.”

Flitter deadpanned. “Never say that again.”

Spike laughed a bit to himself. “Okay, okay, I promise. But for real, what was that line? ‘I wish you’d help me with what I needed’? I have legitimately no idea how to respond to that.”

“Oh you sweet summer child,” she replied, gently patting her hoof on his cheek. “I’m just being your marefriend! If I were to let you just walk in there with her and not say anything, she’d know we were faking. I was trying to play the whole ‘needy and clingy’ angle.”

“Ahh, yes, needy and clingy.” The dragon had heard tales of such a thing but had never experienced it in real life. “Good plan. I guess I still have quite a bit to learn about all these dating shenanigans.”

Flitter giggled. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“You’re not exactly batting a thousand, either. I mean, you couldn’t even admit that we kissed over that cupcake.” Spike crossed his arms. “I’m over here trying to sell our relationship and accept reality, but no, you want nothing to do with it.”

“It’s not that, it’s just… it’s complicated!”

What was wrong with this dragon? Did he not have the slightest understanding that once she admitted they kissed that’d be burning a bridge she could never build again? Once you kiss… the whole relationship arc changes. Kisses are what turn nice buddy comedy books into Rom-Coms. And she was not ready to be in a romantic comedy story, but she couldn’t quite shake the fact that her life was quickly heading that way. At this point, she was on the verge of just having to accept it.

And she’d probably need to if she was going to sell this relationship to the next four clue holders. It would be awkward, but she may as well get it out of the way now so they can move forward and get on each other’s nerves like usual again.

“I’m just saying,” Spike said with a smug grin. “The sooner you accept it, the happier you’ll be.”

“Well, I mean…” Flitter’s thought was cut short by the sound of Rarity’s hoofsteps approaching, about to enter in on their argument. “You know what, Spike? If you want a kiss, try this out for size.”

Flitter grabbed the dragon’s face and brought it to her own, planting her lips directly onto his. The dragon’s eyes popped wide open while Flitter kept hers closed and pushed into him a bit tighter.

His lips… they were… soft? But they were also a bit rugged, yet gentle. It was… it was… nice!

CRASH!

Flitter’s surprise kiss was suddenly broken up by the sounds of glassware shattering on a hardwood floor. She separated from the dragon completely, her cheeks flushed red, only to see Rarity standing in the kitchen entryway, mouth agape, a mass of broken teacups on the ground by her hooves.

Spike, meanwhile, was still left in the same position, eyes wide in confusion, mouth hanging open slightly.

Flitter decided to break the suspended silence. “You see, Spike,” she said, turning her head toward him. “That was a kiss.”

“That…” Spike muttered. He shook his head to try and let his brain matter wash away the shock. “That was definitely a kiss. I just, I can’t, I don’t—Woah.”

Rarity tried her best to break the awkward tension in the air by clearing her throat. “Well, my dears, I’m glad to know you had a, um, shall we say, enjoyable time while I was gone. I had some tea for you, but it would appear that the floor is enjoying it even more at this point. My apologies.”

“No, we’re sorry you had to see that, Rarity,” Flitter spoke up. “But you know how it is when you’re with somepony you love.” Flitter wrapped the still reeling dragon up in a tight hug. “I can just barely keep my hooves off of him.”

Spike let out a cough. “Flitter, ech, please stop. You're choking me!”

She immediately released the dragon at the sight of his normally purple facial scales turning into a deep shade of blue. “Oh, sorry Spike.”

Rarity chuckled and took a seat across the table from them. “I must admit dear, it is ever so adorable seeing you two together. I know you’ve waited a long time for this, Spike.”

“Heh, yeah,” Spike said while rubbing the back of his neck. “I really have been.”

Flitter blinked and looked at the dragon. “You have, Spike?”

The dragon didn’t say anything but instead gave a slight, embarrassed nod.

“Spike, dear,” Rarity said, looking at the dragon. “Would you please leave the room for a moment?”

“Huh?” he replied with a confused look.

“Flitter and I need to have a ‘mares only’ conversation.” Rarity smiled sweetly at the mare sitting across from her. “It’ll take but a brief moment, I promise, dear.”

This time it was Flitter’s turn to be confused… and slightly frightened.

“Oh yeah, sure,” he stated, rising up from his seat. “I”ll just wait outside until you come and get me.” Right before he walked away, Spike gently laid a claw on Flitter's shoulder and brought his mouth to her ear. “Good luck,” he whispered.

Flitter gulped as he walked away and she briefly turned her eyes toward Rarity, who was still holding the same smile from before Spike even got up. This was not good. She knew something. She found out their secret. Rarity was going to blow everything up and banish her to Tartarus for what she’s done. There could be no other explanation.

The time for death was upon her.

“So,” Rarity spoke up after the resounding click of the front door came to a rest. “How are you today, Ms. Flitter?”

Flitter felt her heart skip a beat. “I-I’m good. How about yourself, Rar-,er, Ms. Rarity?” That was strike one and the conversation hadn’t even started yet.

“Oh please, dear. We’re all friends here. Simply ‘Rarity’ will do.” Rarity gave her a sweet smile. “And I’m doing lovely. Thank you for asking.”

“That’s good to hear,” Flitter said, releasing a sigh of relief under her breath. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Rarity cleared her throat and began. “Well, I’m glad you brought that up. I know you’re in a rush trying to win this scavenger hunt and all that, so I won’t take long. I just wished to ask you a simple question.”

Oh gosh, here it comes. The dreaded moment she was waiting for. The inevitable question that would most likely doom her to the bottom of the existence barrell…

“How do you actually feel about Spike?”

“Huh?” was all Flitter could muster after hearing the pointed question.

“Spike,” Rarity reiterated. “How do you feel about him? Have you known each other long? I wouldn’t assume so since he hasn’t mentioned you the last several times he’s been over, but I’m just curious is all.”

Flitter’s chest began to shake as her heart rate increased. What was she supposed to do? Tell the truth? She couldn’t exactly just throw down the fact that she was using him. That wouldn’t go over well. But… she was also beginning to wonder if that was the truth. They had only been together for a short time throughout the day, but she’s probably laughed more this morning than she had in the few weeks.

Maybe the truth… wasn’t exactly truthful.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Flitter piped up. “Well we’ve known each other for a little while, but we only started getting closer recently. As far as my feelings go…” Flitter sat up in her chair a bit and took a deep breath “I really really like him. He makes me laugh and actually treats me like I matter. Like, even though we haven’t known each other very long, he pays attention to me and puts me first. That’s not something I’m really used to feeling that much…”

Where did that come from?

“Well that’s simply wonderful to hear, darling,” Rarity stated, clapping her hooves together in delight. “As he may have mentioned, Spike and I go back a very long ways. We’ve been friends longer than I’ve been friends with most anypony else. He’s very special to me.”

Flitter nodded. “I could tell when we first walked in here that you two had something special. He just seemed so comfortable.” She felt a small twinge of jealousy build up in her chest.

“Oh yes,” Rarity continued. “We’ve been close for many years now. He used to have quite the crush on me, you know, but over time, we managed to grow into the best of friends.” Rarity hummed a brief but happy tune to herself. “He really is quite sweet. But, all of that considered, I’ve always waited for the day where he would finally find a mare to be in his life. And, as it would seem, he chose you. You’re quite lucky, you know.”

Lucky? He chose me? Well, that was only partially accurate as they both had a mutual agreement, but whatever.

“L-Lucky?” Flitter responded.

“Oh yes,” Rarity stated. “You see, something you’ll come to learn about Spike is that although he’s quite shy, you’ll be hard pressed to find another stallion, or much less a dragon, that is anywhere near as kind, thoughtful, and caring as he is. He would sooner give up everything he owned to help somepony before hurting another creature. He’s quite special.”

The way she was painting him up to be was like a superhero almost. Like she could see no wrong in him. This couldn’t be the same dragon that gave her a hard time over an accidental kiss. Or could it?

“Wow…” Flitter said. “I mean, I can tell he’s pretty special just from the time we’ve spent together. But to hear you say all that… I guess I really am lucky.”

“Oh yes, quite.” Rarity nodded. “You must understand something. As a member of the royal family, Spike receives date and even marriage requests left and right from mares all over Equestria who are more interested in his social status than himself personally, so the fact that he chose you tells me that you’re somepony very special to him as well, darling. For heaven's sake, the first words he said to me were him calling you his marefriend. You’re very special, indeed.”

Flitter sat back in her seat, the gears in her mind twisting and turning. Spike told her that he never had a real relationship before. All this time she just assumed he meant that nopony was interested, but instead it would seem that half the kingdom wanted a piece of his tail. Not only that, but the idea that ponies were only interested in him based on what he could do for them… was she any different? She didn’t really care about social status, of course, but she was still just thinking about her own personal gain.

She was the same as the rest of them. Yet, according to Rarity, Spike might actually think that she’s… special. She’d never been special to anypony before.

“That is… that is really good to know, Rarity.” Flitter emitted a small chuckle and dropped her eyes down to the table, feeling a bit too guilty for eye contact. “I’m really glad I ran into him by chance. I’m definitely lucky.”

“I'm glad you realize that,” Rarity said. “Because if you ever forget and/or hurt him in any way, I’ll be more than happy to sew your wings together like a freshly knitted scarf, are we clear?”

Flitter looked up, expecting to find Rarity laughing. But no, there was a dead serious look on her face that wasn’t going anywhere.

She gulped. “We’re clear, Rarity I promise.”

“Very good!” Rarity hopped up from her chair and levitated the front door open. “You can come back in, Spikey! We’ve just finished!”

The dragon walked back inside and took a seat next to Flitter again. He looked her up and down. “Wow, you don’t look so hot, Flitter. Everything good?”

Flitter merely nodded and made a poor attempt to put on a smile. Having your ability to fly threatened wasn’t something that would put anypony in a good mood. Not to mention the remnants of guilt she felt slowly welling inside her when she looked at him.

“Anyway,” Spike said. “I won’t ask about what you talked about. That’s girl business. But I am curious as to our next clue, Rarity!”

“Oh, of course, dear!” She said, taking a small folded piece of paper out of her pocket. “I nearly forgot. You two best be in a hurry. I’m afraid I took a bit more time with poor Flitter here than I meant to.”

Spike took the clue from her and hopped up from his seat. “C’mon, Flitter. Let’s hurry up and get to the next spot!”

He held out a claw to her to help her up from her seat. Flitter simply looked at his outstretched palm for a minute, a small smile starting to curl on her face. She gratefully took his claw and rose to her hooves.

“Bye Rarity,” Flitter said with a small wave. “It was great meeting you. Thanks for the… advice.”

“Later, Rares!” Spike called out as they headed for the door.

“Good luck, you two!”

And with one final resounding click, they had left the building and were about to open the next clue. As far as Flitter was concerned, with any luck, this next clue would be easier to stomach than the last one.

...Or at least she hoped.

Back To Where We Started

The two had exited the Carousel Boutique with two very different views on the experience.

Spike, who was sitting by himself outside, twiddling his thumbs and trying to act natural, was elated when he saw that Flitter had survived Rarity’s onslaught. Thankfully, she wasn’t too battle-scarred, just well-worn. He had been a bit worried when Flitter looked like she saw something rather inappropriate, but that was the price she paid for being his ‘marefriend’.

Flitter was absolutely terrified of Rarity. She would never ever make her mad if she could help it, but her mind was convincing her that it wouldn’t be easy. Every time she looked at Spike, her heart thrashed like it was at a concert. It hurt to see him when she was the one using him for this scavenger hunt, but it hurt more when she imagined Rarity stitching her wings together after finding out she was using him to get with Poptart and—

She took a deep breath and looked over at Spike, who had the clue in his claws. He was about to open it up without her at least seeing it, and that made those feelings of guilt shatter into pieces.

“Spike, don’t open it! Let me see it first!”

Spike defended himself from the flurry of hooves trying to snatch the clue from his claws. “H-Hey!” he shouted. “I’m the one with claws here, it’s easier for me to open it than you!”

“Pfft,” Flitter began. She rolled her eyes. “You know, just because I have hooves doesn’t mean I can’t open up a piece of paper, Spike.”

“I know, I know. Magic and all that ‘Theory of Hoof-Touching’. Trust me, Twilight lectured me on the subject.”

Flitter raised a brow. “That bad?”

Spike nodded and held the clue out for her to grab. “Let’s just say, she recorded it in case I forget with some old tape thing in the basement of the old house. Too bad it was burnt to a crisp.”

Flitter grabbed the clue. “Hey, Twilight’s a pretty thorough pony. If she’s going to make sure you know something, she’ll go the extra lengths to make sure you know it.”

“That’s probably because she’s OCD, but we’ll go with what you said,” Spike suggested, which made Flitter facehoof. “What? Like you said, I lived with her. That’s a front row seat to Twilight’s methods of madness!”

“Fair point, Spike,” Flitter responded. She flicked open the clue, her eyes dancing all over the page.

Then she stopped and pulled the clue away from her. “Lucky for you, you’ll find no April Showers here?” Her muzzle caved in as she continued, “Who made these clues, because they need a raise.”

Spike smiled. “Lucky for you, I’m here to help save the day.”

“No, no, you are not figuring this one out without me,” Flitter replied, her brows furrowing.

The dragon threw his claws up. “Hey, just because I get riddles better than you doesn’t mean you have to get angry at me. That’s a you problem and—hey!”

Flitter gave him a swift kick to the shin. “Look, if you’re going to tease me, at least humor me, then. Otherwise, I’m going to start charging you a hefty fine per tease.”

“That’s totally illegal somewhere in Equestria, but since I’m a nice guy, I’ll indulge you,” Spike said, giving her a smirk. “So, where do you think this clue will lead us, Flitty?”

“Flitty? That’s the best you could come up with?”

“Hey, you didn’t like Flitter Flitter, Chicken Ditter, so I had to improvise! That one took me a good twenty minutes just idly thinking on how to improve this whole relationship act.”

To Spike’s surprise, Flitter’s face fell. She looked away from him and watched as the clouds drifted over Ponyville. Did he say something wrong? Wasn’t this just an act? Or…

Was this what it felt like? Even if it was all pretend?

Spike’s eyes widened. Could it be that she felt the same way?

His view of her told him something was up—Flitter looked like she was about to burst into tears—but he couldn’t just bring it up now. It wasn’t the time or place, especially with all these ponies around trying to find all these clues. He’d bring it up later, when he knew for sure that nopony was around to snoop on them.

Spike reached out to her and pulled her close. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“No, you didn’t make me upset,” Flitter began. She shook her head and nuzzled into his side. “You couldn’t do that. You’d probably lop off your own arm before you did it.”

Spike chortled. “Most likely. Depends on the day of the week.” He looked at his watch. “I don’t plan on doing that today, but if I get close to making you upset, just tell me.”

“Alright,” Flitter murmured. “As long as you buy me flowers after I get a good cry in.”

Spike raised a brow. “Why would I buy you flowers—”

“Because the next clue is at Roseluck’s flower stand!” Flitter shouted. She hopped up and down while shoving the clue right in Spike’s face. “It took me a bit, but look! ‘Lucky for you’ normally means that I’m lucky that someone else is thinking of me, but when you think about it, there are very few times you think of someone else when there’s no April Showers around and—”

Spike scratched his head. “Are you on crack? Her name Roseluck and ‘April Showers bring May Flowers’.”

“I was getting to that!” Flitter replied. “Jeez,” she added, punctuating her distaste with an eye roll.

“Yeah, sure you were.” Spike chuckled. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Flitter ignored him and grabbed his arm. “Come on, Spike, let’s not dilly dally any longer! We gotta get this done before Cloudchaser and Poptart beat us and—”

“What about Poptart and I destroying you at this scavenger hunt?”

Flitter’s eyes widened. That couldn’t be her sister, could it?

As she turned around, she saw her arch nemesis stare at her with a smirk that made Flitter’s blood boil. Cloudchaser, who had her wing wrapped around Poptart, strolled up to Spike and Flitter. Poptart wasn’t looking as smug, giving the two a smile.

“Hey, Spike! Hey, Flitter!”

Spike waved a claw up and shared the gesture. “Hey, Poptart.”

However, Flitter didn’t share the same enthusiasm. She was battling herself on the inside. What should she say? The same thing? Or should she say something different? Her life was ticking by and the longer she took, the more awkward it could get!

With a bit too much emphasis, Flitter excitedly shouted, “Hey, Poptart!”

The gesture got Cloudchaser howling and gasping for air, while Poptart sort of waved her off, even though a smile was still plastered on his face.

Flitter, on the other hoof, was dying on the inside. If Celestia could just strike her down, then that would be great. Or, even better, if she could convince Spike to burn her to a crisp, then she would not have to bear with the embarrassment she had right now. It was even more embarrassing than over-explaining the heck out of her view of the clue!

Her heart was about to bolt out of her chest, while her mind was ready to overload from all the emotions that she felt. Thankfully, Spike stood by her, keeping space between her and Cloudchaser.

“So, how are you two doing at the scavenger hunt?”

Poptart’s question hung in the air, and Flitter didn’t have the ability to reply. She was afraid she’d mess it all up again. So, she peered up at Spike, hoping he got the message.

Spike gripped her close and smiled at Poptart. “We’re doing pretty good. We’re just about to head to our next one!”

Flitter felt her emotions finally cascade down her spine, leaving her mentally panting, while her body simply shivered in Spike’s grasp. He was really good at this. He just needed to cut out all the other nonsense.

Flitter watched as Poptart was about to open his mouth. What was he going to say? Were they ahead of them or were they behind? She couldn’t tell, Poptart just looked happy and undeniably attractive all the time to her.

However, Cloudchaser butted in her little fantasy. “Probably way farther ahead than you, Flitter.”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “That’s what a pony who’s behind would say.”

“No way, I know for a fact we’re ahead of you!” Cloudchaser rebutted, unwrapping her stallion from her wing. She pointed a hoof at her sister.

Flitter smiled, stepping forward to get in her sister’s face “Oh yeah? What clue are you on?”

“We’re on our fourth clue, what about you?” Cloudchaser bragged.

While Flitter and Cloudchaser fought in their first skirmish, Spike had found himself looking over at Poptart, who was surprisingly quiet throughout the whole build up of this fight. Not that he had anything to show for his involvement, since he wasn’t making much of an attempt, but Poptart was trying to calm Cloudchaser. The stallion had tried to butt in to say something, but every time he tried, he just shut his mouth and watched.

There was definitely something off here with Cloudchaser and Poptart’s relationship, but he didn’t want to make Flitter angry if he went to talk to Poptart alone. Not to mention he didn’t want the argument turning on him. That would be asking for a death sentence, one that would be carried out by Princess Celestia, if Spike had to guess, since he was royalty and all.

Yet, his curiosity got the best of him. He shook his head and steeled forward, leaving his marefriend to handle her sister.

Spike slipped beside Poptart and gave him a friendly nudge. “Mind if we just let them go at it for a second? I had something I wanted to ask you.”

“Sounds good to me,” Poptart said, still giving the fighting sisters a side glance. “I knew they liked to argue, but I didn’t think they were this competitive. Cloudchaser’s been talking about beating Flitter almost all day. Has Flitter been the same way?”

“Oh you have no idea,” Spike replied with a chuckle. “But from what I’ve seen they should run out of steam here in a bit. In the meantime, how have things been? Like I mentioned this morning, sorry I haven’t had much time to keep up with your band.”

Poptart waved a hoof. “Don’t even worry about it, bro. I feel ya. We’re not exactly selling out clubs or anything. I guess most of Equestria isn’t ready for our brand of extreme music yet. Maybe someday.”

“Heh, yeah, maybe.” Spike snapped his claws. “That reminds me, have you gotten a chance to listen to the new Saltlick Carnage album yet?”

“Dude, yes!” Poptart shouted, eyes widening. “It was so good. Completely outrageous. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!”

“I know!” Spike said, fangirling just a bit. “It’s so extreme. Did you hear that it got banned from Trottingham and Canterlot because of the album art?”

“Haha, yeah!” Poptart released a snort. “I guess that’s what having an exposed mare cutting off her own tongue and shoving it in her butt as your album cover will do to you. It’s ridiculous, man.”

“Of course, dude! The nobles up in Canterlot were probably quivering when they saw that album art! Trust me, they’re sticklers about everything and—”

“Spike… what are you doing?”

The dragon felt his heart freeze as the sound of Flitter’s ticked off voice filled his ears. “Oh, well, you see, Poptart and I were just—”

“Just nothing!” She continued, running to his side and grabbing a firm hold of his arm. “You were fraternizing with the enemy. That’s what you were doing!”

“Fraternizing with the enemy? What are you, a war general?”

Flitter smirked. “I can be whatever you want me to be if we win this hunt. But we’re not gonna be able to do that if you spend all our valuable time chatting it up about Celestia knows what!”

“Hey, Celestia would care about Saltlick Carnage’s album too,” he began, stepping away from Poptart. “She’s a huge fan of grindcore, y’know, but don’t tell her I said that!”

“Not my point,” Flitter continued, pulling Spike away from his friend. She looped her wing around his back. “Let’s get going! We’re burning daylight!”

Poptart sighed, only to yelp at the sudden contact of Cloudchaser’s hoof in his side. “Don’t think you’re off the hook, either, Poptart,” Cloudchaser chimed in. “We need to focus on winning. There will be time for... friendship later.”

Poptart nodded and waved at Spike and Flitter. “Hope you all have fun with your scavenger hunt!”

Spike returned the gesture, even though Flitter was not having any of it. “You too, Poptart! Hope you survive the war—ouch!”

That shin-tingler was totally worth it, in Spike’s eyes.

Spike rubbed at his wrist. Maybe that shin-tingler was not as worth it as it seemed. Due to that whole encounter, he has been yanked around more than a dangling light switch. His arm bore most of the pain, but that wrist of his was going to be sore for a while. He hoped that this wasn’t going to continue being a ‘beat up Spike to a bloody pulp’ sort of ordeal. He’ll have to talk to her about it later, when he could get the chance.

Flitter, on the other hoof, was starting to calm down. Granted, she was still feeling the adrenaline rush of shouting at her sister, but she wasn’t yanking at Spike’s arm with her teeth. She probably shouldn’t have done that, since she definitely needed his arm to hold onto the clues and other things that she didn’t want to hold onto for the hunt, but he’ll be fine. He’s a dragon, after all. He’s got scales… and muscles… and green eyes, and a great smile! He’ll—

Flitter felt a familiar heat reminding her of her feelings. She really needed to get herself together, because she was feeling a lot about both Spike and Poptart, yet she didn’t know how to classify them. Was she in love with Spike? Was she in love with Poptart? What was her deal, and why wasn’t her heart calming down?

Flitter fanned herself and took a deep breath. She hoped to Celestia that Spike didn’t notice her goofy little act. She was just trying to calm down. Any more of that teasing would probably make her turn into a raging balloon that was about to burst into millions of tiny pieces.

Or she could just turn into a pegasus about to run into a tree—

Flitter yelped as she dodged the tree.

Spike looked at her, and stifled a laugh. “I’m sorry, but did you almost just run into a tree?”

“N-No! I was just trying not to trip over…” Flitter began, searching the ground beside her. She grabbed a branch and waved it in front of him. “See! Totally almost tripped over this branch!”

“Right…” Spike said, letting the word trail off enough just so he could get under her skin. She groaned in response, which got him laughing like a hyena.

Flitter rolled her eyes. “So, how far are we from Roseluck’s place?”

Spike hummed to himself in thought. That’s like asking how high was up. He didn’t have a tape measure with him, and he wasn’t willing to ask Twilight for an extended one that could actually measure how high up was, let alone the distance between this tree that Flitter almost ran into and Roseluck’s stand.

So, Spike threw out a random number. “About a few houses away.”

Spike watched as Flitter’s smile doubled in size. “Great! Let’s keep moving!”

It was at this moment that Spike felt his heart twinge. Either that, or his stomach was growling. It didn’t matter which, though, he knew that he needed to get her to slow down and focus on something that was bothering him immensely. “Yeah, but there’s something I need to ask you about. Can we just sit down and talk for a little bit?”

“But Spike, we just talked about how we only have a little bit of time to beat my sister and—”

“I know, Flitter. I know,” Spike said, shoving a hoof out to put a plug on that muzzle of hers. “But at the rate you’re going, either I will suffer a dislocated shoulder from how much you’ve yanked my arm, or you’re going to suffer a heart attack, and trust me, those are pricey treatments. I should know this, I’m the Royal Revenue Auditor.”

“The Royal Revenue Auditor? What type of position is that?”

Spike smirked. “Let’s just say, I get to see how much these hospitals and clinics rake in and oh man, do they roll in bits!”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay!” She took a deep breath, her exhale fluttering in the breeze. “So, regardless of all that, what is it that you want to talk about? World Peace? Hayburgers? The price you’ll pay if you tease me again?”

“Nothing like that,” he replied. Spike darted his eyes around until they focused in on a bench a bit off the road a short walk away. Nopony would bother them there. “Let’s go take a seat at the bench over there and talk, okay?”

“O-Okay,” Flitter answered, her voice cracking. She felt an anxious bubble forming in her gut as they walked towards the bench. What did Spike want to talk about? If it was about the argument, then she’d need to apologize… Or worse, maybe it wasn’t the argument at all. In fact, Flitter had a hunch she knew what Spike wanted to talk about. It’s been an incredibly confusing day for her emotions so it stood to reason that he’d be going through something similar.

There was an equal or greater chance this conversation was about to be extremely awkward.

Once they reached the bench, Spike sat down and patted next to him, bidding Flitter to do the same, which she did. It was still relatively early in the day at this point so the sun was sinking, illuminating the rustic beauty of Ponyville around them. Under normal circumstances, it would be quite relaxing and enjoyable. But these were far from normal circumstances, so all the scenery was lost on one poor mare sitting on the bench.

“Look,” Spike spoke up, breaking Flitter from her self-induced paranoia. “Things have been really weird today and I just want to get a grasp on what’s going on.”

“You could say that again,” Flitter replied with a snort. “Well, I’ll try my best to answer whatever you wanna ask.”

“Well, to start,” began Spike. “What’s the deal between you and your sister? Do you guys like… hate each other or something? Because, not gonna lie, the sheer amount of dedication you have towards beating her is a bit scary. Impressive, but scary. I’m just curious, is all.”

Flitter shook her head and let out a large sigh. “No, I don’t hate her. She’s my sister. I love her to death, honestly. But it’s just…”

“Go on?”

She slammed a hoof down onto the bench. “It’s just that she gets everything I want in life. She tried out for the Wonderbolts, while I still haven’t gotten my flying license. She had always brought oats for lunch to school, while I only got hay. She gets Poptart and I get you.” Flitter yelped and immediately covered her mouth with a wing. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Spike replied. “So, essentially she’s living a life that you wanted or something?”

“Yes, no… maybe?” Flitter responded. “It’s hard to explain. Just, she always beats me at everything. For once I wanted to beat her. I wanted to be the cooler sister. That’s why I was so excited to get to do this romantic scavenger hunt thing with Poptart. I knew she liked him, maybe even more than me, but it didn’t matter because she got him and I didn’t! It’s always been like this.”

“I see.” Spike rubbed his chin. “Well, I’ll tell you what. I think I know how you feel.”

‘Psh.” Flitter leaned back and looked at the dragon. “No offense, but you were an only child. How would you know what it’s like to have a sibling?”

“Oh, it has nothing to do with siblings,” Spike stated. “But put yourself in my scales. If you think being around an overachieving sister is hard, imagine growing up with the saviors of Equestria.”

Flitter blinked a few times, trying to come up with something to say. “Oh, I guess—”

“I mean, every week it seemed there was some friendship problem that needed to be solved, or a competition that needed winning, or a reincarnated villain that needed to be stopped. And every week, I got to see Twilight and the others get called to save the day while I was either left behind or brought along as the third wheel. I could never live up to the bar they were setting. I dunno, I guess it made me feel kind of useless.”

Flitter drooped her head down as she listened to him pouring his heart out. Little did he know exactly how similar their circumstances were. “I know the feeling. It’s almost like I have to wonder why I’m even around when my sister is here to be great at everything. I’m not even asking to be great… I just want to be good enough for once.”

“Heh,” Spike said with a brief chuckle. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I think that’s one of the reasons I was willing to join you on this wild goose chase.”

“Huh?”

“You see, when you approached me about all this, it was the first time in a long time someone seemed interested in what I actually had to offer as an individual, not just money and prominence. It felt good, even if the plan was just to use me.” Spike sighed. “I felt like I mattered.”

Flitter couldn’t help but remember Rarity’s words: “...the fact that he chose you tells me that you’re somepony very special to him as well.”

Oh great. This had officially confirmed that Flitter became what she hated. Here was this poor dragon that just needed some encouragement in his life and what did she do? Used him like a dollar store hooker. Some piece of work she was.

“Well, if it means anything, Spike,” Flitter said. “I’m really glad I ran into you. I’m not sure anypony else would’ve actually helped me like this. And I mean, you’re not the worst guy I’ve ever hung out with.” Flitter sent a sly smile his way.

“Oh gee, thanks,” Spike replied with a small smile of his own “But to be honest, today has been pretty fun. I’m glad you asked me. Far be it for me to get in the way of somepony’s sibling rivalry revenge plot.”

“Really?” Flitter could feel her heart rate picking up as she focused in on him. “I’ve actually had fun so far today too. I mean that cupcake was good and…” she inched a bit closer to him. “You’re pretty cool, all things considered.”

“Thanks.” Spike leaned back into the bench. “I guess that brings me to the next thing I wanted to ask you about.”

“Go ahead,” she replied. At least they got the tough part out of the way. The rest of the conversation should be a breeze now.

“Are we just going to keep ignoring the fact that you totally kissed me at Rarity’s place? Because, I’m sorry, but you can’t argue about that one.”

Now the conversation turned a mild breeze into a full-blown tornado. Flitter’s mind raced back to when they were in her house. Back to when she legitimately grabbed him by the cheeks and planted her lips on him. Why did she do that?

“Oh, well, I guess we probably shouldn’t,” she replied, her voice just a tad shaky. “I mean, I guess I should apologize.”

Spike shook his head. “Oh man, there’s no need to apologize. It was awesome! Being kissed like that in the moment… it was pretty tight. I just want to know why. It came a bit out of nowhere to be honest.”

“Well,” Flitter shook her head. “I guess I’m not really sure. I mean, I wanted to show Rarity just how dedicated I was to you, especially after the warning you gave me. But at the same time, seeing how close you two were, I guess I just kind of acted in the moment. It was pretty dumb, huh?”

“Nah, it was cool,” Spike said with a smile. “It’s not every day somepony just gets up and decides to kiss you, so I’m pretty grateful for it. But, honestly, it did kind of make me wonder what’s really going on between us.”

“Us?” Flitter asked. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we started the day as business partners, but I don’t think that’s the full story anymore.” Spike stared off in the distance. “I’d like to think we’ve at least graduated to acquaintances at this point, wouldn’t you agree?”

Flitter chuckled. “Yeah, I’d say we have.”

“Awesome!” Spike said. “You know what that means?”

“What’s that?”

“It means I can officially take whatever food I want from your fridge without asking if you ever invite me over. That’s the important thing.”

The two erupted into a small fit of laughter. Flitter had honestly forgotten how much she missed laughing and just taking life easy for a time. It was refreshing. He was refreshing.

“Well, I guess that’s enough soul searching for now,” Spike said, standing up from the bench. “But just do me one last favor if you could?” Spike reached out a claw to help Flitter up.

She gladly took his claw and rose back onto her hooves. “What’s that?”

“Warn me the next time we kiss. I gotta be ready with my A-Game if we’re gonna do that again.”

Flitter laughed. “Okay, deal. But it’s awfully bold of you to assume there’ll be a next time.”

“Oh, there will be if we keep this up.” He made a point of smoothing back his head spikes. “Mares can only resist my wit and charm for so long before succumbing to my natural magnetism.”

Flitter found herself erupting into a giggle fit once more. “Okay, fair point. But for now, let’s just focus on getting to Roseluck’s flower stall. We’ll never win if we don’t hurry.”

“Deal.”

And just like that, the two ran off toward their next goal, bright and genuine smiles adorning their faces. Maybe, just maybe, the day would get a bit less weird from here on out.

Flitter couldn’t be more happy about what has happened. Well, other than the argument, of course, but she wasn’t going to nitpick it. The only thing she was willing to nitpick was that conversation Spike and her had. It had brightened up her mood tenfold, and really made her feel like she understood Spike’s perspective. It made what she said back at Rarity’s a bit more of the truth than she thought…

Flitter’s gaze darted to Spike, who, like usual, wasn’t as focused on her as she was on him, and she would never admit this, but she liked that he wasn’t focused on her so much. Granted, she liked the attention, but she wasn’t somepony who craved it. Besides, she didn’t need him to pay attention to her when they had a more overarching issue to complete: the scavenger hunt. They were super close to Roseluck’s stand. All they had to do was round the corner without running into anything and they were right at that flower mare’s storefront, if you could call it a storefront.

The pair rounded said corner and gasped at the sight that laid in front of them.

Roseluck’s stand was usually a bit smaller than what it was now. In fact, it was way smaller than the huge stockpile that stared Spike and Flitter in the face. There were flowers of all kinds: red and pink roses, daisies, lilies, and even some beautiful carnations! Oh my! Flitter stared at them, both for how beautiful they were, and also because her stomach was growling, and sometimes flowers made for good appetizers.

Spike, on the other hand, couldn’t think of the words to eloquently visualize his feelings. He just stared, and stared, and stared some more, until he picked his jaw off the ground and nudged his ‘marefriend’.

“Hey, Flitter.”

Flitter picked hers off the ground too, although hers wasn’t as clean of a transition. “Y-Yeah, Spike?”

He turned to her and pointed at the display. “That’s a lot of flowers. Like, not even exaggerating, there’s at least five.”

“I know, Spike. I know,” Flitter replied. She had to restrain herself from turning into a giggling mess from his reaction, but luckily, she was starting to get used to his humor… if getting used to his humor involved scrunching her face together with her hooves. “Don’t you want to get me one?”

“Only if the price is right,” Spike began. He shrugged. “I guess it really depends on if it’ll sell this whole thing, you know?”

Flitter, once again, felt a pang in her heart when he said that. Her emotions were really on overdrive. “Y-Yeah, Roseluck won’t expect a thing if you bought me one of those!”

Spike nodded and looped his arm around Flitter. He looked down at her. “You ready?”

“Yep!” she cheerfully replied. She nuzzled against him for good measure as they approached the stand.

To Spike and Flitter, they looked like a couple. Spike had that old school style of bringing his mare close, while Flitter was keeping in step with him, nuzzling him all the while.

To Roseluck, the interspecies pair looked like a drunk pegasus mare trying to lean up against her dragon friend for support and failing to do so properly every third step.

Roseluck gave them a very awkward sort of a smile, a smile that Spike noticed immediately. It was a bit shaky, like the left side of her muzzle was having an anxiety attack due to not taking its meds and the right side was the older sibling that had its life together and therefore became the family favorite. The scene made Spike nearly chuckle, but he was able to stop himself before he embarrassed Roseluck and Flitter alike. He was pretty good at embarrassing those around him, but not today!

“Hello, Roseluck!” Flitter greeted.

“Hello, Flitter,” Roseluck replied through somewhat clenched teeth. She shook her head to try and shake the awkwardness out of her, with only a bit of results. Spike could see her lips were still twitching like mad. “And hello to you, Spike! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen you around.”

“Hey, Roseluck. Long time no see. It’s been like… over a month or something.” Spike said, giving her a smile. “Mind if we ask if this is your clue?”

Roseluck’s eyes widened. “Ah, so you’re not here to buy flowers, then?”

Flitter smirked. “Oh, he’ll get me one if he knows what’s good for him.”

“I’ll budget one in for you later, for sure” Spike said with a punctuated eye roll. He pulled out the crumpled up piece of paper and read it out to Roseluck. “Lucky for you, you’ll find no April Showers here.”

That awkward smile of hers finally fixed itself, turning into a grin that could rival Pinkie Pie’s on a bad day. “Wow! I was wondering when somepony would drop on by and read off that clue! Was worried for a second that nopony got it!”

Spike chuckled. “That would be pretty silly if they didn’t use a clue relating to you, Roseluck. You sell flowers. Everypony in Equestria needs flowers on Hearts and Hooves Day!”

“That is true,” Roseluck began, twiddling with her hooves. She looked at her display and sighed. “I just thought I’d have a few more ponies than I’d normally get, but the scavenger hunt has them going around my stand, not to it.”

“That was a miscalculation,” Spike said with a chuckle, only to be bopped upside the head by Flitter’s wing.

The mare in question smirked. “Then I’m glad we were at least able to brighten up your day by stopping by, right?”

Roseluck kept that grin going, her ears up high. “Yep! So, with the clue reading out of the way, I guess you will be getting flowers after all.”

“Wait, we are?” Spike said, much to the chagrin of Flitter, who glared at him with miniature daggers. “I was going to pay for one of them, but I guess if you’re offering.”

Roseluck giggled. “Well, it’s all paid due to the clue itself, since we don’t want ponies spending money on the vendors… you know, we don’t want ponies unable to buy something if they can’t afford it.”

Flitter, like Roseluck, kept that smirk of hers on her face too. “If he didn’t have some bits to spare, I don’t know if I’d be as happy with him as I am right now. I’m totally just with him for the money.”

Spike groaned. “Oh boy, looks like I’m going to have to ask Twilight for a stipend or something, because man, Flitter’s got my wallet begging for mercy.”

The two mares laughed. “Well, Spike, that’s usually how the cookie crumbles… unless you two decide to trade off each time you go out,” Roseluck stated. She walked over to her display and beckoned the couple with her hoof. “Come on over, the flowers don’t bite!”

“Are you sure? Last time I saw a flower, it tried snapping at me,” Spike said with a very serious tone. He watched as Flitter groaned, while Roseluck just facehooved. “Was that a swing and a miss?”

“No, I’ve just heard that so many times that it’s become a staple whenever I say that line,” Roseluck said lamely. She presented the many flowers she had to the pair, who were spellbound by her collection. “The clue led you here, but now I have to judge your love for each other, right?”

“I guess,” Spike began. He scratched his head. “I’m not sure something as simple as a flower can actually sum up my love for her, though.”

Flitter nearly blew up at that comment. It wasn’t that it was bad, because it wasn’t. It’s just… that was a huge bombshell to drop on her without giving her some fair warning. Love was a strong word and—wait, Spike said he loved her. Even though she knew this was an act, her cheeks were burning like a bright flame at that thought. Flitter looked over at Roseluck to see how she was faring.

Roseluck was trying to respond to Spike’s sudden declaration, but she was squee-ing a bit too hard to really say anything. That… was a very interesting reaction.

However, it was soon short-lived, as Roseluck finally was able to say something: “That was the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard from a stallion—er… a dragon about his mare!”

Spike raised a brow. “What do you mean? It’s true, though, really. If I was lying, she’d be telling me off right now and—ack!”

“Stop it while you’re ahead, Spike,” Flitter said, glaring at him. She saw that the dragon was rubbing his side and sighed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to hit you that hard.”

“It’s okay, just tell me next time you decide you want to completely incapacitate me. I didn’t even bring my insurance card with me.”

Flitter giggled. “Oh you poor baby,” she cooed. “Do you want me to kiss the booboo away?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I’ll live, Flitter. You don’t need to—”

Spike abruptly stopped as she nuzzled where she hit him. Suddenly the pain just numbed itself, to the point that he wasn’t sore from the hit. What type of voodoo magic did Flitter have and how could he harness it?

“Wow, thanks, Flitter. I just suddenly feel a thousand times—”

Roseluck squealed, destroying Flitter and Spike’s ear drums. The two turned their attention to her as she smiled gleefully at them. “You two are perfect for a couple, I swear. His sweetness and your snarky attitude! Too cute!”

The two were flushing at this point. They may have dialed that relationship selling point up a bit too high. They started the day with the knob at ‘Super Delicates’ and have since cranked it up to ‘Whitest Whites’. Besides, they were distracting themselves from the main goal: the clue itself. What did Roseluck have in store?

“Thanks, Roseluck,” Spike began. He tilted his head at the display. “So what do you want us to do?”

“Yes, the clue. Right,” Roseluck said. She cleared her throat before she continued, “On Hearts and Hooves Day, ponies will come to buy flowers for their significant others, right?”

“Yep, following you so far,” Spike said, nodding.

“Well, I decided the best way to judge your love is for each one of you to pick a flower that best defines the other.”

Flitter blinked.

Spike blinked.

The sunflowers in the corner blinked.

There were about one hundred and eighty-two blinks altogether.

“So, Roseluck?” Spike asked.

“Yeah?”

“You want me to pick a flower that best defines Flitter?”

Roseluck bobbed her head very rapidly. “Yep!”

“And I have to pick one for Spike?” Flitter asked.

“Of course! Make sure you pick one that defines your significant other, or else they’ll most likely feed you to the wolves, or something,” Roseluck instructed. She shrugged. “Well, that’s what I heard from somepony once, but that’s probably not too terribly accurate. You know… probably.”

Spike shook his head. He couldn’t believe she just said that. But given Flitter’s rambunctious temperament, he wouldn’t be surprised.

After a couple moments to recoup, Spike looked between the two mares. “Well, who should go first?”

Roseluck smiled. “Well, it doesn’t really matter, but if I had to advise you, I’d say Flitter should go first.”

Flitter stuck her tongue out at Spike. “Mare’s first, Spike! Get with the program.”

“Alright, my bad,” the dragon retorted. “Go wild.”

Flitter immediately started looking at all the flowers. She perused the petunias, researched the roses and tallied the tulips. She had to find that perfect flower for Spike. But what did she honestly feel were his strongest characteristics that could be wrapped up in a flower?

She rubbed her chin for a moment. Well, he was strong, so she’d need a big one. One that had a strong stem. He was also really funny, so something bright and colorful had to be chosen. Add on to that that he had such a positive outlook and he really seemed to care, something calming and not covered in thorns was a must.

And that’s when she saw the perfect flower. A sunflower.

Flitter took the brief travel over to the said sunflowers and snatched one in her wing bringing it back to the two. “Here you go, Spike! Just for you!” She tossed the flower at him which he gracefully caught. “It’s a sunflower in case you couldn’t tell.”

Spike had a huge grin on his face as he held it and looked it over. “Wow, thanks!” He turned his attention back up to her. “Why’d you pick this one?”

“Huh?” Flitter felt herself get just a bit shaky.

“Yep, that’s the second part of the challenge,” Roseluck said with a grin. “You have to tell your partner why you chose that flower for them. So go ahead and spill the beans, girl.”

Flitter let out a sigh. She wasn’t prepared for this. How could she explain things without letting too many of her feelings out in the open? She couldn’t. That was the beginning and end of it. She was just going to have to expose herself for Spike to see.

“Okay, so, I picked a sunflower for a few reasons,” she started. “One, they’re big and strong, just like you. Sunflowers are also really bright and sunny, and you’re always super positive and happy. You’re like… a really bright spot, even on a cloudy day. But also, I always feel relaxed when I’m around you, almost like I’m standing outdoors next to a sunflower field, just enjoying the warm, summer breeze.” Flitter giggled involuntarily. “I just think this flower really represents you well.”

Roseluck instantly squealed, hopping back and forth on her hooves. “Oh my gosh, that was awesome!”

Spike, meanwhile, was just standing and smiling while looking at the flower he had been gifted. “Wow. Thanks a lot, Flitter. I really… really appreciate it. It means a lot.”

“N-No problem,” Flitter said, nervously kicking at the ground.

“Well, Spike, it’s your turn,” Roseluck said, turning to the dragon. “You have a tough act to follow, though.”

“Hmm, let’s see here…”

Spike scanned his eyes over the flowers, one by one, taking in their beauty and colors. Flitter watched him do it. What was he going to pick? Probably something dumb as a joke. Or maybe something really simple like a rose for love… which was something she’d still need to check with him about later. Dropping the ‘L’ bomb like that out of nowhere was definitely worthy of a wing smack.

She found her thoughts getting cut off as Spike finally seemed to find out which one he wanted.

“Got it!” He shouted, pulling a flower out and walking it over to the two mares. “Might I present to you my flower of choice.”

The one he was holding was a dark purple carnation. It was pretty no doubt, and a bit unexpected. But it was an odd choice as far as Flitter was concerned. The flower itself was a little undersized and the dark purple coloring was borderline bleak. Where was he going with this?

“Ooh, a carnation!” Roseluck piped up. “Interesting choice. So, spill it. Why’d you pick it?”

“Well, for a couple reasons,” Spike said, holding out the flower. “I knew not just any flower would do when it came to how I feel about you, Flitter. But this one… this one checked all the right boxes.” He cleared his throat. “For one, this flower is very moody. I mean, I hold it at one angle and it looks all dark and kind of sad. But if I hold it up to the sun…” Spike held the flower up, “It becomes a much brighter shade of purple, almost glistening. Just like this flower, Flitter, your moods seem to change on a dime. But, also just like the flower, I think you’re absolutely beautiful either way.”

Flitter just looked at him, her heart practically coming to a full stop. She was… beautiful?

“But even more than that,” Spike continued. “This flower was a bit smaller than the ones around it. It was also a bit darker. It really stuck out to me and when I looked at the bunch of flowers it was next to, it was the first and only one that I noticed. You’re different Flitter, just like this flower. You stand out. But that’s why I picked you, just like I picked this flower. I love that you’re different and I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

He walked over to her and gently placed the flower in her mane.

Flitter felt the flower slide into her mane. It didn’t poke her head like she thought it would, and there were no thorns on it whatsoever. What did poke her head were these thoughts that she was having. They were fluttering around in her mind, jabbing at her like she was getting what she deserved. She was being shown what love truly looks like, yet it was just pretend. It was just for this scavenger hunt. It was Poptart she was after, not Spike.

...right?

Her wings twitched. Her eyes widened. Her vision was flurry. Her heart was racing. She couldn’t control what she was feeling, she could only hope that this wasn’t pretend, and even if it was, she’d make sure Spike knew it wasn’t just pretend to her.

Or maybe it was! Agh, she couldn’t make sense of this at all!

Flitter watched as Spike took a step back and admired her, eying her up and down. He gave her a whistle before he spoke, “See, perfect, just as I envisioned it would be. It really ties in with your bow too and—”

Spike stopped talking when he saw Flitter hiding behind her hoof. It made him raise a brow and walked over to her, cupping her cheek as he spoke, “Flitter, what’s wrong?”

“Spike,” she said. “G-Give me a minute.”

Spike nodded. He watched as she wiped her face with her hoof and looked at him, smiling, her eyes glistening in the sun. The flower did too, still perfectly tucked in her mane. It made him really happy that she hasn’t thrown the flower out of her mane yet, or even worse, stomping on it and storming out. That wouldn’t look too good for their relationship.

What did look good was her nuzzling up against him, her cheek grazing his side.

“Flitter…”

“Thank you, Spike. That was… really sweet. I don’t think the flower I picked for you even measures up to what you gave me just now.”

“Well, actually, it does measure up pretty well. I mean, come on, this sunflower is huge and—ack!”

“I didn’t mean by size you goof!” Flitter said, batting him with her wing. He answered with mock pain, groaning as if he was hit where the sun didn’t shine.

“Well, size does matter in some cases, so I was worried that you were thinking with something else, not—okay, okay, I’ll stop!”

Flitter’s wing was raised high, but after hearing her dragon plead for mercy, she let it fold to her side. She gave a nod to him and smirked. “That’ll be ten bits for that one, by the way.”

“Oh boy, that sounds like a discount and a half. Want another one for a snack?”

The mare giggled. “No, I’m good, Spike. Besides, I’m not hungry. I’m just—”

Yet again, Roseluck interrupted them, this time without squealing her head off. Instead, she vied for a different approach, one where Flitter and Spike’s eardrums were safe from the flower mare’s onslaught. She simply told them the truth, and only the truth.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, but that… that was something else.”

The two turned to Roseluck, both with synchronized head tilts. The flower mare giggled at the display, continuing her critique.

“I know, I know, that may not be the right wording, but I’m just… blown away by how you two interact. Are you sure you two aren’t married or something?”

Now that got both of them flushed beyond belief.

“N-No!” Spike began, shaking his head rapidly. “We just started dating recently and—”

“And we… wanted to try and figure out what we liked about each other, so we thought this scavenger hunt would be perfect for us!” Flitter finished, giving her dragon another nuzzle.

Roseluck grinned. “Well, I’m glad you both decided to try this scavenger hunt out. It definitely helps couples see if they’re perfect for each other or not.” She looked at her flowers. “Just like my flowers! We’re having a sale next week! Don’t forget to tell your friends!”

Spike chuckled. “I respect the hustle, Roseluck.”

This clue was definitely one of the better ones, in Flitter’s mind. Roseluck was somepony that didn’t know Spike or herself that well, so she actually didn’t feel like her hooves were weightless… well, until Spike put that flower in her mane. Then it wasn’t just her hooves that were weightless. This was one that she would remember even if their relationship turned out to resemble her current trend of luck: crashing and burning in a horrifying inferno.

Flitter shook her head. Even if this was all pretend, at least she’d enjoy herself. And if this wasn’t pretend, she’ll make sure Spike knew it. She hadn’t decided yet.

“That was really fun, Roseluck. Thank you for allowing us to do this,” Flitter said, smiling.

“Aww, you don’t need to thank me. Like I said, I’m just glad I could be a part of something that revolves so heavily around love for another pony or dragon, in your case.” She looked over at Spike. “Didn’t know you had it in you there, Cassanova.”

Spike smirked. “I’m full of surprises, Roseluck, you just never get to see them.”

“You could say that again,” Flitter said with an eye roll.

“I’m full of surprises, Roseluck, you just never get to see them,” Spike repeated, earning him a glare from his mare, and a nice, hearty laugh from Roseluck.

Life was finally starting to turn over a new leaf for Spike. However, it felt even better to have somepony to share it with, even if it wasn’t as real as he wanted it to be. It—

Spike turned away from the mares. Was he really thinking of Flitter like that? He did pour his heart out for Flitter, but he didn’t know if it was too much or too little. Selling this relationship was tough enough as it was, now he was starting to feel something for her and…

He felt a certain fire burn inside him, and no, it wasn’t his stomach growling. He knew what it was, and he wasn’t ready to admit it. He needed to figure out if this was something that he could truly pursue, even if it meant having to use Twilight as a point of reference, experimenting fruitfully until he tested his hypothesis to the point of no return.

When he turned back to his mare and Roseluck, the two were chatting happily. Flitter was smiling, no longer looking like she was about to cry over something he did. She was so radiant in the sun, just like that flower in her mane.

Spike strolled up beside Flitter and looked at Roseluck. “So, Roseluck, since we did your task, do you mind giving us our next clue?”

Roseluck sheepishly smiled. “Sorry, Spike. Didn’t mean to forget to give you two your clue. However, I can’t exactly give it to you just yet.”

“What do you mean?” Flitter asked. “We gave each other flowers, just like you said and—”

Roseluck smiled. “Yep! You did, but I need you to open this box. In it will be your clue and… a souvenir?” Her muzzle scrunched up as she continued, “I’m not sure if it goes with the whole hunt, but that’s what I was told to say when you both completed it!”

Spike laughed. “At least you stuck to the script! I’d be off course if I was in your hooves!”

Flitter looked at the box. “So, Spike, you mind opening it?”

“Nope! Don’t mind at all!” Spike said, flipping the box open to reveal a small piece of paper, which he assumed was the clue, and a little plush toy to boot. He took them both out and showed the two mares.

Flitter grabbed a hold of the toy. “Wow, I didn’t expect the scavenger hunt organizers to be this cheesy.”

“Really? I mean, come on, Flitter, Princess Cadance is the Princess of Love for a reason. If this event wasn’t cheesy, I’d think everypony would think she’s fallen ill... or worse.”

“You probably would know about it first, considering your position, Spike,” Flitter noted, getting Spike to nearly burst out laughing.

“Maybe, depends if she goes to a hospital in Canterlot, or if she goes to one in the Crystal Empire. I don’t get to see how much she spends on that type of stuff,” Spike said lamely. He opened the clue and read it out loud. ““When you arrive at the next destination, you’ll bear-ly be able to keep your eyes open!”

Flitter raised a brow. “Did somepony just write a dad joke in this clue?”

“Not to defend it or anything, but sometimes the idea well goes a bit dry,” Roseluck replied. “That’s how it goes for me sometimes. Think I have a good idea for my business, and the next it just looks like something a foal would think of and it fails miserably.”

Spike shoved the clue in his pocket, and looped an arm around his mare. “Well, Roseluck, as much as I want to talk to you about your business, I think Flitter and I have a scavenger hunt to complete.”

Flitter nodded. “Thank you once again, Roseluck. What you did for us was really special.”

Roseluck’s cheeks blossomed a generous red hue. “Oh, hush. I don’t need the praise. I just was your guide and you two did all the rest!”

“Yeah, but we still needed you to guide us, right? That deserves some praise,” Spike elaborated. He waved the flower mare goodbye, which Flitter mimicked with her free wing.

As they turned away from the stand, Spike remembered what Flitter picked for him. He kinda wanted to know more about her pick, but it didn’t really need to be said. He was just happy he had something that Flitter thought reminded her of him. It fit well in his claw, and well, it was pretty tall.

Then, he remembered what he gave Flitter, and that made him ready for what was going to come next, as soon as he could figure out what ‘bear-ly keep your eyes open’ meant.

One way or another, they were going to find out and very soon. They still had a competition to win.

Back Before We Were Broken-Hearted

It was early afternoon at this point, the morning breeze a far gone memory. It was getting rather warm actually as the midday sun hung high in the air, restricting all below in its bright embrace.

Long story short, it was hot and Spike and Flitter were tired. The two had decided to hunker down on a shaded bench in town while they attempted to figure out the next clue. They may have been getting just a bit behind their competition, but even Flitter knew they couldn’t just bounce around town all day without any rest.

That being said, she had sent Spike on a mission to retrieve some beverages for them. She could only pray for his mission to be a success as she was quite parched at this point. She needed water or death would surely consume her and then she’d never win! Luckily, she saw him approaching from the horizon. She felt faint, but he was only a few hoofsteps away. She had to make it.

“Alright, Flitter, I got a blueberry slush for me and a grape slush for you.” He sat down on the bench next to the ridiculously overdramatic mare. “And I also got a big cup of water for us to sha—”

The mare greedily snatched the cup of water he had just produced and chugged the whole thing in one long gulp and then attempted to hand the cup back to him.

“...share.” Spike finished his thought, taking the now empty cup from her. “Gee… thanks.”

“Sorry, Spike,” Flitter replied. “I was just really thirsty. I didn’t know you wanted any.”

Spike rolled his eyes and set the empty cup to the side, taking a sip of his slush instead. “Well, this will have to do, I guess.”

“Thanks a lot, by the way,” Flitter said, taking a sip out of her own slush. “Grape is totally my favorite.”

“I’m aware,” he replied with a chuckle. “You told me specifically ‘get me the grape flavor or I’ll kill you’ before I left. I figured your message was pretty loud and clear. Although, not gonna lie, I was tempted to get you that nasty orange flavored one just to see your reaction. But, ultimately,” Spike rubbed the part of his back that Flitter had seen fit to hit multiple times since they met, “I thought better of it.”

“Good thinking,” she stated with a grin. “But thank you regardless, even if you were thinking about being a jerk.”

“No problem.” Spike smiled at her. “Now that we’re in the recovery process, let’s say we try and buckle down on what the next clue could mean. I have a feeling it’s way more obvious than we’re making it out to be.”

They took out the clue and looked over it one more time. “When you arrive at the next destination, you’ll bear-ly be able to keep your eyes open.”

Spike rubbed his chin. “Hmm, I feel like they wouldn’t have put a crappy dad joke in here for no reason. Especially if this is a clue that Twilight wrote. Everything she does has a purpose, even if it's a lame one.”

“Excellent deduction,” Flitter agreed. “So let’s just focus on that part. ‘Bear’. Do you think it means we have to go to the woods? Like Everfree Forest?”

“Nah,” Spike stated. “The clue is too indirect for that. I don’t think they’d send us mindlessly into the forest like that. I mean, they might, but I doubt it.”

“Well, where else would have something bear related?” Flitter asked. “There’s gotta be someplace right?”

“Heh, I wish Fluttershy were here,” Spike said. “She knows everything there is to know about animals in Ponyville. She even has a pet bear.”

It was at this moment that Spike realized exactly where he ranked on the evolutionary totem pole and spoiler alert, it wasn’t very high up.

“Fluttershy’s cottage!” The dragon exclaimed, thrusting his arms out, accidentally tossing his slush through the air and to Celestia knows where. “Awe man…”

“I’m glad you figured out the clue,” Flitter said, taking an extra loud and obnoxious slurp of her beverage. “But don’t think you’re getting any of my slush. You made a poor life decision and now you get to live with it.”

Spike sighed. “Fair enough. But I’m totally getting another one on our way there.” Spike stood up to leave but was pulled back down by a hoof.

“Wait a minute, Spike,” Flitter said. “Before we get up and go get into who knows what kind of awkward situation, I wanted to ask you something.” Flitter set her slush to the side and gently fiddled with her hooves.

Spike blinked a couple times. “Okay. What’d you wanna talk about?”

Flitter released a sigh of her own. “Look, you can’t laugh at me or anything. I’m not good at these kinds of conversations.”

Flitter did her best to not let Spike see it, but her heart was racing on the inside. It had been since he touched her mane to give her the flower. A flower which she has made sure not to lose or even bend a single petal out of shape since she got it. She was terrible at talking about her feelings, so there was no way this conversation was going to go in any positive direction, but she needed to get a couple things out there. She had no choice. She couldn’t keep dealing with the building anxiety.

“Well,” Spike cut into her thoughts. “I poured my heart out between the last two clues, so it’s only fair I hear you out this time. I promise I won’t laugh. At least not out loud.’

Flitter stuck her tongue out at him in jest before clearing her throat and starting the sure to be doomed conversation. “So, I just wanted to say thanks again for the flower. It was really sweet and all.” She reached up and gently touched it, ensuring it was still where she left it. “But I have to ask: did you actually mean what you said?”

Spike leaned back a little and gave her his full attention. “Did I mean what I said?”

“Yeah, about the whole ‘beautiful and stand out’ thing. You know, the reasons you said you picked the flower.” Flitter diverted her eyes from his and instead opted to look out in front of her. “Did you mean it… or was that just acting? I mean, it’s totally cool either way, I just—”

Flitter was cut off by the feel of his claw gently touching her hoof.

“I meant it,” Spike said. “Every single word.”

Flitter chanced a glance at her hoof and sure enough, she had his claw gently resting on top of it, just firm enough to feel secure but not so much it felt suffocating. He was good at this.

“You really meant it?” she asked again. “The whole thing?”

“Yep,” he replied. “You are moody, you’re beautiful, and you definitely stand out in a crowd. And ultimately… I love all that about you. You’re different.” This time it was his turn to clear his throat. “I know we talked about it a bit, but getting love letters left and right gets really boring and is honestly a bit depressing. Every mare seemed to be the same: just another floozie after my money or trying to get some kind of political gain. But you… you were different. You were honest! And honesty goes a long way.” Spike briefly chuckled. “I can’t remember the last time a mare straight up told me she planned on using me. It was refreshing.”

And there he went again, effortlessly wiggling his way into her heart like a plump worm digging into a mushy apple. Okay, maybe not a worm, but the same principle applied. She couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something much bigger than she intended was happening here.

She actually liked him. Dang!

“Well,” she replied, scooting a bit closer to him, making sure to keep her hoof interlaced with his claw, “I meant what I said about you, too. You know, that you’re big and strong, and bright and funny and stuff.”

“Really?” Spike asked. “Heh, and here I thought you were just trying to show me up in front of Roseluck.”

“No, not that I couldn’t have if I wanted.” She giggled and shook her head. “But no, I actually meant it, I promise.”

A moment of silence passed between them as they sat on the bench, hoof in claw. A small breeze blew between them, adding a nice coolness to the air, relieving them of some of the heat that had been building up inside of them throughout the conversation. Spike turned his head and looked at Flitter, who did the same.

“So, maybe I’m reading too far into this, but I have to ask you a question,” Spike said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free claw,

Flitter nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Does this all mean that we can officially call this a date now?” Spike asked, his cheeks reddening a bit.

“Hmm…” Flitter scooted just a bit closer and looked up at him. “I guess that depends on if you can answer one last question from me.”

“Which is?”

“Will you kiss me?”

Spike opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find any words. All that came out was a muffled gasp for oxygen as his brain tried to process what he was hearing... and thinking… and—

“...and I’ll take that as a yes.”

Flitter gently brought her hoof up to his face, lightly placing it on his cheek. She looked him deeply in the eyes as the distance between them closed before closing her eyes right as their lips touched.

Spike kept his eyes open a moment longer than she did, but after feeling the velvety touch of her lips on his, his eyes closed as well and he reached his free arm around her back at the base of her wings and pulled her in closely, deepening the kiss.

As it went on, his claw held her hoof tighter and tighter as the kiss grew deeper and more intimate. What lasted for a few seconds felt like hours but they finally separated, each taking deep breaths to catch up on the oxygen they were missing out on.

“Wow,” Flitter said, taking a few staggered breaths. “That was… that was…”

“Nice,” Spike said, finishing her thought for her. “Really nice. I just… it was…”

“Something else,” Flitter piped up.

The two of them both had flushed red cheeks at this point but neither cared. They were both feeling awkward and embarrassed, but they were awkward and embarrassed together, so all was good.

“I uh… I guess we should go to Fluttershy’s place now?” Spike asked with a nervous grin. “We don’t wanna get too far behind.”

“Right,” Flitter nodded. “We still have to do the… whatever it was we were doing. The scavenger thing.”

They both got up from the bench and started to walk off toward Fluttershy’s cottage… very close together.

“You know you forgot your slush back there,” Spike said as they walked away.

“Eh, I’m not thirsty anymore.”

It had taken them a bit longer than usual, since, well, they finally admitted to each other that they sort of, kind of—actually, they really liked each other. It was obvious to the both of them now that they were together. They didn’t need to fake it anymore.

Which meant a lot more time to be a bit more carefree than what they were before.

It was shocking to Flitter. She knew she had some feelings for Spike, but that dragon had a way with words and his actions, and she couldn’t help but grow even fonder for him. However, had they grown close enough that she wasn’t into Poptart anymore? Well… she didn’t know how to list Poptart now on her ‘possible date partners’, especially since she now had Spike.

She had Spike.

Flitter felt bubbly again, that feeling where she just wanted to fly, but she knew she had to stay grounded. It wasn’t because of Spike or anything. He had wings too, after all, but… flying wasn’t her strong suit. It was just an urge she had to satisfy nowadays, and she still enjoyed flying even if she probably would crash into a tree or two each time she did it.

And Spike was okay with that. Sure, he’d tease her for almost running into one of them, but that dopey smile of his as he held her close told her a different story. He did not care that she couldn’t fly well. He liked her all the same.

A smile stayed on Flitter’s face as she felt his claw graze her wing. It was just a slight graze, but it made enough of an impact to have her squeak just a bit. She tried to hide into his form, nuzzling his side as they walked, but that was all moot, as he looked down at her with a raised brow.

“Something wrong, Flitter?”

She shook her head. “N-Nothing!”

That stutter of hers made Flitter internally facehoof. She couldn’t get away from her nerves, even if she wanted to. She waved her forehooves out in front of her, while shaking her head.

Spike, however, took the opportunity to take it a step further. “That doesn’t look like ‘nothing’. Did I do something?”

“Kind of,” Flitter muttered softly, her eyes darting from his face to his claws. She started staring at the claws, wondering if that touch was on purpose or something, but then she realized she was staring at them, and yelped. She closed her eyes tightly shut.

And then he felt her cup her cheek. “Hey, look at me, Flitter.”

She did what she was told here, looking to see the dragon’s face peering into her eyes, full of concern.

“What did I do to you?”

“You… uh… grazed my wing.”

Spike tilted his head, only to realize that she had been staring at her claws before she decided to close her eyes. His eyes widened. “Oh. I see.”

“Yeah. Hehe,” Flitter said, awkwardly giggling while shuffling her hooves. “Uh… could you let go of my fa—”

Spike quickly pulled his claw off her face. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay, Spike. Just uh… don’t do that again, for now. It’s way too early for that,” Flitter warned.

Spike nodded. “Agreed. It was an accident, I promise.”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “I didn’t doubt you before, but with how you said promise there, I’m starting to think otherwise.”

“Let’s just say that word choice was accidental too,” Spike said. He looped his arm back around her, being extra careful of her wings. That got her looking up at him and sighing, which he was very happy to see. “Anyway, we’re pretty close to Fluttershy’s. I mean, didn’t we just pass over the bridge a little while ago?”

Flitter raised a brow. “Why are you asking me this? Do you have short term memory loss or something?”

Spike chuckled. “No, I’m just making sure you’re not melting into me, Flitter. Gotta make sure you’re on your ‘toes’ so to speak.”

“I hate you for saying that,” Flitter said bluntly.

Spike smirked. “You totally don’t, but I won’t refute it. Don’t need you to smack me in the back again.”

Flitter frowned. “I didn’t realize I was hitting you a lot, Spike.”

“Pfft, don’t worry, you don’t hit too hard. Besides, I don’t need you going soft on me now. We still have this competition to win, don’t we?”

“Yeah!” Flitter cheerfully replied. She found herself smiling. Her cheeks hurt. “Alright, let’s get going, Spike!”

With that, Flitter trotted on ahead of him. There was the mare Spike loved!

The two ran forward on the dirt path leading to Fluttershy’s cottage. Thankfully, it actually wasn’t too far at all, so the impromptu race ended as quickly as it started.

The pair was now in front of the humble abode. The grassy roof canopy contrasted the cream-colored walls and brown flower holders. The door, which was still as it had always been: sawed horizontally so Fluttershy could probably easily shove it open if she needed to, was still there. Light peered into the windows of the abode. Spike tried to peek inside, hoping that Fluttershy was inside.

But she wasn’t. Not at all.

“Huh…”

“What’s wrong, Spike?”

Spike turned around. “Fluttershy isn’t home.”

“She isn’t?” Flitter said, her voice squeaking. She threw her hooves over her mouth and peered at him, hoping that he hadn’t noticed, but the dragon was too in his own head to notice, which made her slowly move her forehooves back on the ground.

Meanwhile, Spike spent his time tapping his chin. Where in the world could she be? He could just knock on the door, but he wasn’t a normal dragon. No, he was thinking of something way more elaborate and over-the-top, because he was Spike… who so happened to have lived with the most prominent over-thinker of all time.

Spike sighed and pitched his idea to Flitter. “I’m going to try and see if I can see her from above. Maybe she might be in the back or something feeding the animals.”

Flitter tilted her head. “Or we could just knock on the door like a normal pony.”

“Ha!” Spike began as he spread his wings. “And you think I’m a normal dragon?”

“No, that’s why I said ‘normal pony’,” Flitter bluntly put it, deadpanning. She clip-clopped toward the door and raised a hoof. “I can see that you’re not going to do this, so I’ll do it for you.”

Spike smirked. “See, now you get it! Glad I have a marefriend as understanding as you, Flitter!”

Then, he shot up in the sky, leaving a poor blushing mare to weakly knock on the door.

Knock… Oops!

She had done it twice, mostly because she accidentally nudged it a bit harder than she would’ve liked on the first knock, and due to her being unluckier than most, it actually pushed the door open, which meant that Spike was wrong, and Fluttershy was actually home.

The second motion she took, however, was more the result of Flitter trying to get the part of the door she accidentally pushed in back into place, so it didn’t look like somepony came and broke into Fluttershy’s home. She had scrambled to get it shut, and thankfully, she managed to do so without Fluttershy ever coming to check out the noise.

Flitter sighed. She hoped Spike had better luck in finding Fluttershy than she did.

Spike flew down, landing a bit haphazardly as a plume of dust flew into the air.

“Spi—” Flitter had begun, before she had realized what was coming towards her face. She had shielded her face with her wing, but not before she ate a muzzle full of dirt. She was now coughing manically, her lungs begging for her to keep her muzzle shut next time.

Spike dusted himself off and turned to Flitter. “Hey, Flitter, I found Fluttershy and—ack!”

Unlike the many times before, when Flitter would just smack his back or his shoulder, the mare he had fallen in love with decided a different tactic, one that meant charging him head on. She had headbutted him, which sent the poor dragon sailing through the air, before he landed on his back.

Spike groaned. He’d definitely be feeling that later. Thankfully, later wasn’t now. Even though his head hurt just a tad, his eyes caught sight of something mind-numbing. Flitter was on his chest, apparently sharing the same injury he had. Her eyes were flickering, as if she was trying to figure out if they even worked anymore. Her fur was rubbing up against his scales, which made Spike feel about twenty times hotter than normal, yet he couldn’t shake her off. He didn’t want to make her angrier than she already seemed.

So he waited, his arms nowhere near her, as she recovered.

“Oof… note to self: never run head first into a dragon.”

Spike felt the heat smoulder on his cheeks. “Hehe,” he uttered, sheepishly smiling at his mare. “That should’ve been obvious.”

Flitter shook her head and glared at Spike. “What was with that landing Spike and—” She stopped rather abruptly when she noticed her position: her flank sitting right where his legs were. She yelped, flinging herself off him like he was on fire, which would be a bit more ridiculous since he was resistant and—

She quickly turned that part of her brain off and smiled at the dragon. “Sorry, Spike. Didn’t mean to land on you.”

“No worries. Like I said, you don’t hit too hard.”

“Says the dragon who’s grimacing right now.”

Spike was grimacing, holding his head with a claw. “This injury was due to me hitting my head against the ground, not because you hit me.”

‘Right…” Flitter sang, her voice trailing off. She flicked her tail and smirked at him. “Well, where is Fluttershy, then?”

“R-Right here, Flitter.”

Suddenly, Flitter turned scarlet. Her eyes widened. “F-Fluttershy?”

Yellow and completely mirroring tomato-faced Flitter, Fluttershy slowly trotted in front of them, her head hung low. “I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything. I just… didn’t want to intrude.”

Spike shook his head. “You wouldn’t have intruded. Heck, if you said anything earlier, you could’ve saved Flitter over here from turning into an apple.”

Flitter glared at Spike again. “I’m not an apple,” she said lamely.

That got both Spike and Fluttershy laughing, the dragon holding his gut while Fluttershy simply giggled into her hoof.

Flitter groaned. “Yeah, laugh it up. Me being an apple is funny.”

“It’s not funny because of that,” Spike replied with a smile. “You’re just too adorable to not tease.”

Fluttershy gasped, which caused Spike and Flitter to turn her attention to the canary pegasus. “Wait, are you two here for the Scavenger Hunt?”

Spike and Flitter nodded, together, almost as if they were the same pony...er, dragon thing.

“Wow!” she exclaimed, her voice sounding slightly less like a shout. She was now grinning at the couple, her forehooves cupping her face. “I’m so happy for you, Spike!”

Spike saw the ground being way more interesting than this conversation. “Thanks,” he muttered. He then pointed at Flitter. “She’s one of a kind.”

Flitter’s heart was jumping out of her chest. That was way too sweet of him. She needed to top him in that category.

So, she gave Spike a smile. “Thanks, Spike. But I could say the same for you.” She walked over to the dragon and offered him a hoof. “There isn’t a dragon out there that’s like you.”

“I hope there isn’t one like me, because if there was, I’d have to fight him,” Spike said as he grabbed Flitter’s hoof. With a bit of a tug, Spike was able to get himself off the ground again. He dusted himself off before he continued, “But I’m glad you think so highly of me. So, thanks.”

The couple shared a brief smile.

And then Fluttershy squee’d.

“Oh, you two are so cute together!” Fluttershy’s wings were on full display now. “How long have you two been dating?”

“For a little while now,” Spike put it simply, his arm wrapping around his mare. She nuzzled into his leg.

“Yep!” Flitter added. “And I’m already feeling like we’re pretty close.”

Fluttershy grinned. “Well, I’m glad you finally found somepony, Spike. Maybe you’ll finally get all those ponies to stop sending you mail.”

Flitter turned to Spike, a brow raised. “How many ponies sent you requests?”

“Uh… I kind of lost count after twenty,” Spike said, awkwardly chuckling.

Flitter blinked.

Fluttershy blinked.

Spike shrugged. “What? I stopped caring after the twentieth one asked if I wore pants!”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “Anyway! Fluttershy, do you need us to read off our clue?”

“Well… kind of,” Fluttershy began. “Twilight told us all that we had to ask the couple for the clue, so we’d know which one we’d have to give them…”

“Wait, I thought each pony had their own adventure?”

Fluttershy’s grin fell. “Well… they kind of lied. It was like a half-lie and—” Fluttershy stopped when she felt a tugging at her leg. She looked down to see Angel, who was looking at her with a glare. “What’s wrong, Angel?”

The bunny shook its head and pointed directly at Spike.

Fluttershy tilted her head. “What’s wrong with Spike?”

Angel somehow shook his head even harder and pointed again at Spike, almost like he was accusing him of something.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh… I’ll make sure to tell him!”

“Sorry, I’m not fluent in Bunny Sign Language,” Flitter said. “What’s Angel saying?”

“Well… Angel basically said that I was being a bit insensitive since Spike is a dragon and—”

Spike put his hand out, promptly stopping Fluttershy’s rambling. “Look, I appreciate the whole language thing, but that’s not important to the scavenger hunt. Besides, Angel, you know how I am. Fluttershy couldn’t hurt me without feeling guilty afterwards.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks turned to a slight pink. She smiled. “Sorry, Spike. Angel’s just making sure I don’t say something out of place. He doesn’t want me to have to deal with somepony complaining to Twilight later. You know how it is.”

The bunny stood proudly in front of the three, puffing his chest out.

Spike chuckled. “Oh I definitely know how it is.” He held out a curled up fist to Angel, who promptly bumped it with a smile on his face.

Fluttershy rolled her eyes at Angel and smiled. “So, what is your clue?”

Spike scrambled to find the paper, only to remember he put it in his pocket. Quickly, he snatched it and opened it up. “When you arrive at the next destination, you’ll bear-ly be able to keep your eyes open.”

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy began. “You got that one.”

Flitter raised a brow. “Is this one bad or something?”

Fluttershy chuckled behind her hoof. “No, not at all. It’s just… a bit more about feeding the animals than anything.”

“Wait, are you saying we’re going to be taking care of your animals for you?” Spike asked.

“In a sense.”

Spike groaned. “Great, free manual labor for a clue. Should’ve known my good luck streak was coming to an end.”

“Oh, it’s not manual labor, you just get to feed the animals and—”

“Wait, that sounds like fun,” Flitter said. She clopped her hooves together. “So, where are they?”

Fluttershy turned around and beckoned the couple with a hoof. “Follow me.”

Flitter looked at Spike, who promptly pulled her close to him, before he looked at her, smiling. “Lead the way.”

They walked down the hill, walking towards the backyard of Fluttershy’s cottage.

The dragon, the mares, and the one agitated bunny stared at the other animals in front of them. There were many animals: bears, deer, squirrels, koalas, goats, giraffes—there were so many different ones that Spike didn’t even know all of them to be able to categorize them.

“Huh. Fluttershy, how many animals do you take care of these days?”

Fluttershy hummed to herself, before she let out a shaky breath. “Would five hundred animals shock you?”

Spike blinked, and then blinked again. “You know, that’s not exactly shocking. Especially considering you probably have about a thousand more down at your animal sanctuary.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Flitter jumped in, rolling her eyes. “He’s just joking. That’s a lot of animals.”

Spike ruffled Flitter’s mane, being extra careful of her bow and the flower in her mane. “This is why I’m dating you. You just, get me.”

She batted his arm away from her with her wing. “Ruffling my mane isn’t going to save you from my wrath if you keep being obnoxious.”

Fluttershy’s giggling tickled the air.

Spike chuckled too, his lungs feeling fuzzy. “So, what are we going to do, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy cast a hoof out at the animals sitting in front of them. “You two are going to take care of one of the animal’s babies for the day.”

Flitter tilted her head. “That’s it? Just babysitting an animal of our choice?”

“Yep!”

“And there’s no catch?” Spike asked.

“Hmmhmm,” Fluttershy hummed. She walked over to one of the baby squirrels and cups it in her wing. “Look at how cute they are!”

The squirrel squirmed in Fluttershy’s wing, before looking up at two new visitors.

Flitter squealed. “Oh, he’s so cute! Can we pick him, Spike?”

Spike sighed. She already decided to pick the squirrel without even looking at the others? He wanted to see how cool a baby lizard looked, but, at the same time, he knew it would hurt him more if he saw Flitter heartbroken.

So, he spoke up, “Sure, Flitter. We could do that.”

Flitter trotted in place, stomping around excitedly. “I’m so happy! Gimme, gimme!”

Fluttershy cooed at the squirrel, before he offered the little one to Flitter. “Be careful. Make sure to leave him in your wing. He likes cuddling a lot.”

Flitter, for once in her life, felt like her heart was about to implode. She couldn’t handle the squirrel's cuteness, but now she was being given the opportunity to die by cuddling.

This was the best opportunity she was ever given.

Flitter took a deep breath and mimicked Fluttershy’s wing position. With a little bit of effort, Fluttershy slid the squirrel into Flitter’s wing. She was able to keep him steady, even if the squirrel was crying a bit. She softly shushed the squirrel, rocking the baby with her wing. It purred and snuggled into it further.

And Flitter’s heart was gone. Blown up. Destroyed. Murdered in a shed by Fluttershy.

Then she felt a claw gently clutch her shoulder.

“Aww, he’s adorable!” Spike said, smiling. “He really looks like he likes your wing.”

Flitter nodded. “Yeah, he does.”

Spike shrugged and looked up at Fluttershy. “So, what do we have to do? I would assume there’s more than just holding it.”

“Yes, well, you see…” Fluttershy stated calmly, her voice trailing off ever so slightly. “This baby squirrel has been naughty recently and hasn’t been eating his acorns, so you have to feed him from a bottle and then put him back to bed afterwards.”

“Oh joy,” Spike said with an eye roll whilst Flitter was still cooing over the infantile animal. “Well, whatever, that doesn’t sound too hard.”

“Oh, have no fear, Spike, it’s not,” Fluttershy said with a chuckle. “But here you are.” Fluttershy produced a bottle from behind her and handed it to the dragon. “Make sure he eats for at least fifteen seconds to get his proper nutrition. And then he has to go to sleep right afterwards. No staying up past his bedtime!”

Spike looked up at the sun still shining bright in the sky. “It’s like 3 pm. He goes to bed that early?”

Fluttershy nodded vigorously. “Mhm, he’s just a baby so he needs lots of rest. Oh, and one more thing, his name is Hamilton.” Fluttershy waved and began walking away.

“Wait, where are you going?” Spike asked, a slight element of distress to his voice.

“Oh, I have a few other animals I have to feed in the meantime,” she responded. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Spike gulped. “But what if we do something wrong or lose him or something?”

“Nonsense!” She exclaimed. “I have full faith in you two. Good luck!”

And with that, Fluttershy was gone, leaving Spike and Flitter to fend for themselves. Spike walked back over to Flitter who was still cuddling the baby squirrel. He found it amazing that her eyes weren’t doing the comic book thing where her pupils turn into giant hearts. It was pretty adorable seeing her fawning over Hamilton like that, however.

“Okay, Flitter,” Spike said, holding out the bottle. “I guess it’s time to feed him. It shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

“Oh, of course not,” Flitter said, still rocking the baby back and forth. “He’s just a little angel.”

“Cool.” Spike stretched out his arms, ready to get down to business. “Well, you’re obviously the master of getting him to sleep, so I guess I’ll take the reins with feeding him. I’m gonna have to do it the old fashioned way and hold him in my arms, though. My wings aren’t exactly comfortable like yours.”

Flitter nuzzled Hamilton on the cheek before gently holding her wing out. “Alright Spike, just be careful with him. If you hurt him I’ll probably have to kill you.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I took care of Twilight for years. I’m pretty sure I can handle a baby squirrel.”

The dragon gently took Hamilton from Flitter and cradled him in his left arm, being careful not to squeeze too hard or drop him. The little guy was pretty adorable with his soft fur, twitchy nose and bushy tail. It wasn’t hard to see why Flitter fell in love on impact. Spike, of course, was above such things, but he had to admit the squirrel was adorable.

But he was still asleep and needed to be awoken for feeding time.

“Alright little guy, time to wake up,” Spike said to Hamilton. Of course, there was no response. The squirrel just kept snoozing away. “C’mon bro wake up.” This time, Spike jostled his arm just a bit, hoping for success. But failure was all that came.

“Heh, he’s a pretty heavy sleeper, huh?” Flitter asked with a snicker. “Try rubbing his belly or something. I bet that’ll work.”

“Good idea,” the dragon replied.

Spike gently touched the sleeping squirrel’s small stomach, rubbing his claw back and forth on it. The tiny creature began to sir ever so slightly. Finally! Now Spike could start the feeding, get it over with after a few seconds and they could move on with their day and get to the next clue.

Hamilton stretched himself out and yawned in an adorable display, followed by cracking one eye open… And that one eye was pointed directly at Spike’s teeth.

“SKRAAAAAHHHHH!”

The squirrel immediately flew into a mad frenzy and began climbing all over Spike. Up his arms, down his legs and up his torso before settling in on his face as the point of attack.

“Ah! Get it off me!” Spike danced around trying to get the enraged creature off his head. Scratches, bites, kicks: the demon child had a whole arsenal of pain-causing attacks up its sleeve. “Help me, Flitter!”

“Ah, okay!” Flitter immediately leapt into action, trying to catch the rambunctious rodent. “Hold.. Hold still, Spike!”

“I’m trying!” he replied in his pain-induced panic while he was still under siege. He did his best to remain motionless but every nip and scratch caused his body to jolt. “Hurry!”

Flitter nodded and did what she had to do. At this point, this involved leaping onto Spike’s back and wrapping her wings around his whole head. This allowed her to perfectly capture Hamilton in her floofy grasp. She wrapped him up in her wing and hopped back off the now battered dragon and cuddled him up close to her.

“You alright, Spike?” Flitter asked whilst holding the now completely calm and collected squirrel.

“That is not a child,” Spike said, pointing at Hamilton. “That is a ten on the Richter Scale.” He brought a claw up to his face and felt all the scratches and eventual bruises laced over his once reasonably attractive features. “I need a vacation.”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “It’s not hard, Spike. You just gotta learn how to handle him… you know, without scaring him half to death. Maybe try not showing your fangs next time.”

Spike covered up his mouth with his claw for a moment. “Huh, I kinda forget that animals are naturally afraid of these things. But whatever, take this.” Spike tossed the bottle he miraculously was able to hold onto to Flitter who caught it with ease and immediately plugged it into Hamilton’s awaiting mouth.

“There you go, that’s a good boy,” she said, rocking him back and forth again.

Spike, who remained a safe distance away at this time, let out a deep sigh. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. Celestia knows I never would’ve been able to handle all that on my own.” A lightbulb lit up in his head. “Hey Flitter, do you think that’s the point?”

“Huh?” she said, breaking away her attention from the feeding squirrel. “What point?”

“You know, the point of these tests. To show that we can’t do them alone.” Spike rubbed his chin. “For example, I never would’ve been able to do this one, obviously. And you wouldn’t have been able to get on Rarity’s good side without me being the common denominator. Like, it’s almost as if these challenges are specifically designed to bring ponies together.”

The squirrel burped, notifying Flitter to take the bottle away and begin the rocking process once more. After she had initiated project Make Hamilton Sleep, she spoke up. “Uh, yeah. Duh. It’s a romantic scavenger hunt, after all. It’s supposed to bring ponies together.”

“I know, I know,” Spike replied. “But I guess I’m honestly just a bit shocked that we’re experiencing it together. It’s almost a bit surreal. Like, holy crap, the world is actually being cool to me for once.”

Flitter chuckled at the dragon’s antics, about to speak up again, but they were interrupted by a new set of hoofsteps approaching them.

“Sorry, that took a bit longer than I thought,” Fluttershy said as she entered the scene. “The snakes were being a little more picky than usual today. They were tired of eating rats, for some reason.” She clopped her hooves together and gave them a smile. “I hope you two were able to handle little old Hamilton.”

Flitter nodded vigorously and held her wing open for Fluttershy to see the peacefully sleeping squirrel. “Yep!” she stated. “It wasn’t hard at all.”

“Ha!” Spike shouted. “Speak for yourself. Fluttershy, you’ve got some demon animals under your care. You might want to check around to make sure there aren’t any portals to Tartarus lying around your property.”

“Ooh, oh no!” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “Your face is hurt. I completely forgot to warn you that Hamilton is terrified of dragons.”

“Yeah, that would’ve been nice to know before he decided to use my scales as his personal scratching post.” Spike folded his arms and sighed. “But whatever, Flitter made it work. So if we could just get the next clue, that’d be great…”

“Oh, of course.” Fluttershy gently took Hamilton from Flitter and put him back in his nest from whence he came. She then produced the next clue from a small satchel she was wearing and handed it to Spike. “You guys must be getting pretty far along now on the hunt. I wish you the best of luck!”

“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Spike said with a smile before walking over to Flitter. “Okay, let’s pop this bad boy open and then get the heck out of here before I’m attacked again.”

Flitter grinned. “Sounds good to me. But I do have to admit it was pretty funny seeing you taken down by a squirrel.”

“Ha ha, that’s so funny I almost forgot to laugh,” Spike said, trying his best to stifle the grin growing on his face.

With any luck, this next clue would be less painful than the previous one.

Hopefully...

Come My Way

Spike opened up the small piece of paper, and read it aloud:

“Do not let your foundation fall. Seek a reminder amidst friendship’s halls?”

Flitter tilted her head. “What does it mean by ‘your foundation’?”

“Probably something to do with our... relationship,” Spike replied, gesturing between the two of them as he spoke. “Not sure what it’s talking about in the second half, though. All the clues up until this point sound like we’re going to meet somepony, but this one… it could be either or.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Do you go to visit a friend for a ‘reminder’?” Spike asked.

Flitter hummed to herself, patting her chin with a forehoof, before shaking her head. “Nah. Not many reasons to do that.”

“Exactly my point, but knowing Twilight, she would probably still have us meet somepony to make this clue ten times more difficult.” Spike groaned. “Looks like we got a hard one here, Flitter.”

To Spike’s surprise, Flitter nuzzled his leg. “Lemme see the clue,” she demanded, forcing Spike to scrunch down to give the pegasus a better look. Flitter’s eyes scanned it and gasped. “Spike, this isn’t hard at all!”

“What do you mean?” Spike said as he stood tall once again.

Flitter rolled her eyes. “Of course, you wouldn’t know this. Spike, that’s totally the School of Friendship.”

Spike’s eyebrows lowered. “I mean, I kinda gotta know that with the ‘seek a reminder at the friendship halls’ bit, but what reminder would help our foundation not fall—”

Suddenly, Spike’s snout was booped to a close. Flitter had flown up to his mouth just to shut him up. This was new.

“Spike, do you know about the new statue that was built on school grounds?”

Spike shook his head and pulled Flitter’s hoof away from his mouth. “Even though I’m super close with Starlight, I don’t hear much about updates to the school. I gave up teaching there once I took on more responsibilities at the castle. Why?”

Flitter groaned. “Dude, this was huge news when it got put out there!” She threw her forehooves up while she kept hovered over the ground. “They put it up just a couple years ago after some students were discriminated against by ponies outside the school! Headmare Starlight wanted to ‘cement the values of what friendship truly meant’ by sending a stark message to those who did this to their students… literally made out of cement.”

“So, in a sense, Starlight erected a statue to give these ponies a polite reminder on what it meant to not be racist?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Flitter muttered, her voice trailing off. Her cheeks became flush. “You know how I over-explain things.”

“Nope!” Spike replied, chuckling. He got a slight tap to the head for that one. “Ugh, soon I’m going to have to have a blacksmith make me some armor to protect me from you, Flitter.”

“Oh, you’ll live!” Flitter said, throwing a hoof at him nonchalantly. She smirked. ”Besides, I don’t think there’s a blacksmith that could help you with that.”

“You’d be surprised,” Spike began, rubbing his head. “I know some ponies… ponies that can make armor harder than dragon scales. It’s pretty cool, to be honest, but a bit pricey.”

“Especially for defending yourself from little old me?” Flitter said, fluttering her eyelashes at him. Her forehooves had been clapped together under her chin just for that added effect, one that Spike noticed very well. She giggled at his deadpan expression. “Oh, Spike, you’re too cute sometimes.”

“Not sure about that one, Flitter,” Spike muttered. He reached out and grabbed the pegasus in his arms, pulling her close.

Flitter didn’t push his buttons further. She sunk into his embrace, her eyes fluttering to a close.

Spike sighed and walked away from Fluttershy’s sanctuary, taking Flitter with him.

The two had walked a good while before Flitter had a rather oddball thought enter her mind:

“What if somepony sees us?”

That thought had shattered her desire to stay in Spike’s arms.

“Spike,” Flitter said, wiggling in Spike’s arms. “Put me down, please.”

Spike tilted his head. “Why? What’s wrong? Do you need to fly for a bit?”

Flitter nodded rapidly. “Yeah, got an itch in my wings that I need to fly off, you know?”

“Hehe, yeah,” Spike said, looking away. He let go of her rather unexpectedly, which made her flop on the dirt path with a squeak.

Spike’s eyes widened. “Oops! Sorry, Flitter. Didn’t mean to just drop you like that! Thought you’d just open your wings and take off—”

Flitter shook her mane free of the dirt she had before glaring at her, growling. “Spike! You could’ve given me a warning before you did that! I’m a pegasus, not a cat. I wasn’t born with perfect balance.”

Spike just shrugged. “You need a warning? I thought you were a tightrope walker in a past life!”

“You sir, make no sense sometimes,” Flitter began. She rolled her eyes and let out a huff. “Ugh, why do I love you so much, Spike?”

The couple suddenly froze in place. Flitter covered her mouth with both of her hooves, while Spike turned his gaze skyward. Two clouds passed them by—

Before Spike could process anything, his lungs were being invaded by a giant dust cloud. The dragon hacked up a lung and a half before he recovered, turning his gaze to that same sky that distracted him.

There, Flitter was. She was flying above him, sticking her tongue out. He tilted his head.

“What was that for?”

“Nothing, nothing at all,” Flitter replied. She hovered down beside him, smirking. “Just had to make sure you were paying attention.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who admitted their love just now—”

Flitter practically shoved a hoof in his mouth. The rest of what Spike was going to say was blocked out. He groaned.

“Don’t say it. I know, I did. Was a bit too early and—”

Spike shook his head, and grabbed Flitter’s hoof. He pulled it out of his mouth and said, “I mean, if you truly feel that way, I won’t make fun of you out loud.”
“Oh really? Maybe I’ll have to ask Twilight if she could cast a spell on me to read your mind.”

Spike raised a brow. “Yeah, like she’ll give you that willingly.” He was about to say something about Twilight being totally unable to replicate that ability, since Celestia wasn’t willing to divulge how to do it when he stopped and looked at Flitter. That flower of hers was still in her hair. Thankfully, it hadn’t gotten too battered from that whole love-dust incident. It just needed to be… fixed a bit.

Too bad she was a bit too far away from him for his liking.

“Hey, Flitter?”

Flitter gave him a small smile. “Yeah, Spike?”

“Before we go to the school, could you just humor me for a second?”

“As long as you don’t try to drop me or throw dirt in my mane, then sure, what do you need?” Flitter said, hovering closer to him.

Her eyes widened as she saw a claw of his slowly reach for her mane. She felt his fingers move strands of her hair, while his claw rubbed up against her ear. It twitched in response, and that familiar heat that bothered her the entire day seared right onto her cheeks.

He was fixing the flower in her mane.

Why couldn’t he do this earlier? Did she have to send smoke signals to Spike in order for him to fix her mane?

Flitter sighed. Knowing Spike, he’d probably interrupt that as a forest fire, or worse, an opportunity to make a forest fire.

“There, all done.”

Spike let go of her mane, smiling at the work he had done. Her flower was now in place, and not covered in dirt. He gave her a whistle.

“Spike!”

“What? I’m admiring my work,” Spike replied.

“Well, you can admire your ‘work’ later, we have to get to the School of Friendship!”

Spike looked at the sun. She was right. The sun was still setting, and setting fast. “You’re right! Let’s get going!”

Spike unfurled his wings and spread them proudly.

Flitter whistled. “Wow, didn’t know your wings were that big.”

Spike just brushed her comment off. He was more focused on the journey now. As long as they didn’t hit the Townhall or the Castle on their way there, they’d get there in time.

But knowing his luck, they’d both hit the Castle on accident.

It took them a few minutes to fly to the school. They landed near the school’s entrance, the large, gold-framed glass door standing tall and closed.

Spike walked up to the door and tried to open it, but the door did not budge. Not even a centimeter.

“Door’s locked?” Flitter asked, strolling on up behind him.

Spike turned his head towards Flitter and nodded. “Yep. Looks like they locked it up for the day. They probably closed it so the students could enjoy the event too.” He took in a deep breath. “So, where’s this statue?”

“Well,” Flitter began, walking to the right of the entrance. “It’s kinda on this second story balcony on the right side of the school.”

Spike followed her with a brow raised. “You mean our right, and their left?”

“Yes, Spike,” Flitter said, groaning. “Glad you understand the concept of a ‘point of view’. Was worried there for a second.”

“Sorry,” he replied. “I’ve always said I have two right feet and claws. I get stuff backwards all the time.”

Flitter shook her head. “I believe the phrase is two left hooves… or claws in your case.”

“Nah, I’m left clawed.”

She made a conscious decision to ignore his nonsense and kept her gaze forward, centered on the route to the statue. They walked up the steps to the balcony area, where the main object of their clue stood proudly in the light. The statue, which Spike thought Flitter was lying about, was a cement giant heart. Under the statue itself was a gold plaque with some words engraved on it.

“Huh… I really don’t know why I didn’t hear about this.”

Flitter looked at the plaque and sighed. “I don’t know how you didn’t know about it either. Must’ve had your head buried in all those taxes.”

Spike groaned. “Don’t remind me. After today, I’m going to have to deal with them tomorrow.”

“I’m glad I don’t have to deal with looking them over. I just pay them,” Flitter bluntly said. She giggled at Spike’s blank expression. “Don’t worry, you’ll survive.”

“Oh boy, I can’t believe you used that on me, now.”

Flitter laughed. She laughed so hard she fell into one of the nearby benches. She landed in a fit of giggles and feathers, but she didn’t mind the slight discomfort in her back. Nope, not at all. The laughter made her numb to the pain.

Spike rolled his eyes. She was on one, right now, and Spike wasn’t going to entertain it for the very moment. With all the lovey-dovey stuff they had going on, Spike had nearly lost focus on what they were supposed to be doing: beating the ever-living heck out of Cloudchaser and Poptart. True, he and Flitter were doing well now. They weren’t faking this whole relationship thing, They were actually… sort of… kind of… liking each other, maybe even loving each other? Spike wasn’t too sure on where he stood yet. He knew that he liked her for sure, though, and somehow, he managed to take a mare who wasn’t interested in him and make her totally interested in him. This was uncharted territory for the dragon given his usual track record, which looked almost as bad as the Cloverland Browns win total last year.

That had to mean something, right?

Spike’s gaze gravitated towards the plaque. He squinted, his eyes darting over the text.

It read as followed:

“The School of Friendship will not reject anycreature, regardless of who they are and what they may do. This school is based on the Founding Principles of Friendship: respect, trust, and love, and will continue to do so even in the midst of prejudice.”

Spike let out a whistle. Man, Flitter was right. This was a very serious ordeal, one that made Spike make a note to himself about not making Starlight Glimmer this mad.

He looked down to see if there was anything else, when he noticed that there was a little note taped underneath it. Wouldn’t this count as defacing school property?

With a quick flick of the wrist, Spike snatched the note and read it.

“For those who are here for the Scavenger Hunt, you must discuss with your partner what truly makes your relationship worth it to you. And don’t skip out on this; we’re watching.”

Spike’s eyes widened. He looked around, looking at every crack and cranny that he could possibly fit a camera in, but he found none, at least without having to fly up to check the rest of the building.

Flitter eyed Spike from afar, watching as his face went from happy, to blank, and then finally, to a more downcast sad look. She knew the situation was serious too. This was all water under the bridge now, but Starlight knew this was a perfect opportunity to teach something to her students on how to behave, on how to instill friendship. It also seemed like a more somber note to a scavenger hunt.

Spike walked up to Flitter and quietly sat down. The mare sat up, quickly making sure to keep herself covered. They sat in silence for a bit: Spike looking at the sun’s slow descent, while Flitter watched Spike’s face, her concern only growing as his lips sagged.

“Spike, are you okay?”

He didn’t respond, only staring off into the distance.

“Spike?”

“I know we talked about us, but do you think we know each other well?”

Flitter scrunched up her muzzle. “Well… you’re royalty, so I know you hang out with the Princesses and—”

“I’ll take that as a no,” Spike said. “And I don’t know much about you, Flitter.” He felt his heart slowly fall. “Like, we agreed to do this whole scavenger hunt thing as essentially strangers and now… we kinda just… like each other.”

Flitter understood why he felt the way he did. Now she felt the guilt creep into her heart. She didn’t mean to make him feel this way, but here she was, making him feel like crap anyway. She felt like the worst pony on this side of Equestria, and it was all her fault. Why couldn’t she fix this for him?

Wait…

She could fix this! All she had to do was prove to Spike that they did have a foundation, if she could label it as one. It was unconventional to say the least.

Just… how could she prove it?

She playfully nudged the dragon with a hoof. “Just because we’re new to this whole thing doesn’t mean we don’t have a foundation.”

Spike snapped over to her, his head tilted. “What do you mean? Aren’t we literally just two strangers who just fell in love over a scavenger hunt?”

“I mean, when you put it that way, yes,” Flitter said, grimacing. She cleared her throat. “But Spike, this is all a matter of perspective.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

Flitter threw a wing around Spike’s form, bringing him close. “You remember what I said to you when we were exchanging the flowers? That you’re big and strong and a bunch of other awkward stuff?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “I speak awkward as a second language.”

“Well, in a way, that’s our foundation!” Flitter hopped in the air to emphasize her thought.

Spike, meanwhile, scratched his head. “Awkward conversation and biting sarcasm?”

“Mhm,” she stated with a nod. “It may not be the biggest or most impressive foundation, but it’s what’s pulled us together. We’re both so awkward and snarky it’s like the universe meant for us to find each other, even if we get on each other’s nerves.”

Spike began to nod. “Yeah, I get it. It’s not the most picture perfect, romance-novel-esque foundation…”

“But it’s ours,” Flitter said, nuzzling his arm.

Spike smiled and gently brushed his claw over her mane. “And I guess if that’s our foundation, then getting to know each other and such is like building the house on top of it. One step at a time, right?”

“Agreed.”

“Well, in that case,” Spike said, rubbing his chin, “I guess we should do what the note says and talk about why this ‘relationship’ of ours is worth it to us. You did the flower thing first, so I guess I can take lead on this one.”

Flitter giggled under her breath. “Okay, go for it, Spike. Let me have it.” She did her best eyelash flutter for emphasis. “Make me your mare.”

“Oh great, now I have expectations,” he replied with a chuckle. “Well, let’s see here. You’re funny. That’s a big thing. You’re really cool, too. I respect any mare that digs heavy music.” Spike furiously rubbed his chin, trying to think of more. “You’re also really cute.”

Flitter blinked. “You think I’m cute?”

“Oh yeah,” Spike said with a wave of the claw. “No disrespect to your sister of course, but you definitely got the good genes. I mean, you got that adorable face, beautiful coat and let’s not forget that awesome bow that just pulls it all together. And then you have your sweet voice which is just the cherry on top of the Flitter sundae.” Spike smiled. “All in all, I’d say that you’re quite easy on the—”

He was cut off by a swift kiss to the lips by Flitter. Once again, she flew up just high enough to reach his face. Totally worth this. After the quick kiss was over she levitated back down and gingerly smiled up at him.

“Thank you, Spike,” she said, nervously kicking at the ground. “Nopony ever really seemed to pay much attention to me. It was always my sister, what with that rockstar hair and toned flank. I just… I don’t know. That meant a lot.”

“Psh, whatever, I’m just telling you the truth here. Nothing more, nothing less.” Spike gently put a claw under her chin and guided her eyes up to meet his. “You’re beautiful, Flitter. You can be annoying, but you’re a beauty and a great pony to boot. That’s why you’re worth it to me.”

Spike released her face from his claw, leaving her to just blush and try to look away before he noticed, but it was far too late for that. She let out a large sigh and sat down on her flanks. She tried to find some words to say in response, but couldn’t. It was hard for her to find the right way to describe how Spike’s words made her feel, but suffice to say it was pretty darn special. Finally, she found a stallion that liked her more than her sister. It just so happened though that this stallion was a dragon. But eh, who cares if it took a little interspecies dating to get where she wanted to go. Life can be weird like that sometimes.

“Well,” Spike spoke up. “Now it’s your turn. Why does this relationship mean anything to you? Why is it ‘worth it’?”

“Oh boy, now I have to follow your sappy monologue,” Flitter said with a chuckle. “Let’s see here: you’re tall, relatively strong looking, you have a nice face, and not to mention you’re pretty toned.” Flitter took an extra moment to scan her eyes over the dragon. By gosh, he was pretty handsome.

“Uh-huh, go on,” Spike said with a smile. “I already know I’m hot.”

“Take it easy, Spike,” she retorted with an eyeroll. “But to be honest, I think the thing that I appreciate most about our short time together has been how much attention you’ve actually paid to me. How much attention you’re still paying to me. LIke, you actually seem to care what I think and feel about things. That’s not… that’s not something that happens a lot in my life. It’s a nice change of pace.”

A brief moment of silence held in the air between them. Spike never really thought he was doing anything special. He was just being himself and listening to her talk throughout the day. I mean, sure, he did care about what she had to say and her feelings, but he didn’t realize he was doing anything special. He was just showing her some respect.

“I know I’ve said it before,” Flitter continued. Her eyes turned downcast. “But my whole life it was like nopony ever really listened to me. Even when Cloudchaser and I were kids, she got all the attention. Her ideas mattered and ponies listened to her. They still do. Meanwhile, it’s like I’m just a background character in a cheap romance fanfiction. I talk, but I get ignored. I speak up, but I get talked over or completely brushed to the side in favor of whatever Cloudchaser is saying or doing. It’s always been that way and it seems like it always will be.” Flitter felt a bit of a knot in her stomach as she resurfaced so many memories in her head. She turned her face up from the ground and looked at Spike. “But you make me feel like I matter. After one day, you’ve probably paid more attention to me than anypony has in the last year. That’s why this relationship is worth it to me.”

Spike wasted no time and immediately knelt down to pull her into an embrace. Her soft fur collided with his warm scales, creating a tight and heated bond. Flitter loved it. She burrowed her muzzle into his neck and just took a moment to breathe. Why was she so close to crying? She wasn’t sad. She couldn’t be sad over the stupid stuff she was just talking about. Wait, why were there tears coming out? Oh great, now Spike would think she was lame.

“Flitter,” Spike said, gently pulling back from her. He used a claw to wipe away the few stray tears from her cheeks. “You matter to me. I promise.”

She simply nodded and wiped another tear away on her own. “I know. Thank you, Spike.”

Spike gingerly stood up, helping Flitter to her hooves as well. “I’ll tell you what,” he began. “I think we aced this clue. Memories, sappiness, past regrets, tears… we gave it the works.”

Flitter laughed a bit between sniffles. “Yeah, Spike, I think you’re right. If anypony actually is watching us they’re probably gagging from all the cringiness.”

“True that,” Spike replied. “Now we just need to go find the next clue. It’s our last one!”

Spike took a few moments to search over the statue to try and find the other clue. His search came up empty, however.

“Well, I’m honestly not sure where it’s at,” Spike said, scratching the back of his head. “I can’t find it. I simply can’t.”

Flitter rubbed her chin. “Hmm, have you checked the other side of the paper you picked up that had the instructions on it? That seems reasonable, right?”

Spike immediately held up the paper again and flipped it over. Of course, she was right.

“Welp, looks like I have to bow to your wisdom again,” Spike stated. “Here it is.”

Flitter hovered in the air enough so she could see the clue, too. They both read it aloud together.

“A place most unnatural it may be seeming, but you’ll discover a change that will show love’s true meaning.”

“Any idea?” Spike asked, looking to the side at Flitter.

“Nope, you?”

“Nope.”

Flitter settled back down on the ground. “Welp, it’s the last one so it figures that it’d be challenging.”

“Yep,” Spike replied. “Looks like we have our work cut out for us.”

“Agreed.” Flitter stomped a hoof into the ground. “But we can’t get behind. We still have to win!”

“Right,” Spike said as he balled his claws into a fist. “Maybe we need to take this piece by piece and figure it out that way?”

Flitter nodded. “Okay, so what do you think ‘unnatural’ means?”

“Well, I know it’s not just ‘not being in accordance with nature or consistent with a normal course of events’ and—ack!”

Flitter had bopped him on the head this time with a hoof. “Didn’t know you were a mobile dictionary, Spike. You’re right, though… and—”

Spike gasped through his pain he had garnered from Flitter’s hoof. “Accordance with nature, Flitter!”

“Yeah, and?” Flitter asked with a raised brow. “What’s that got to do with a place most unnatural it may be seeming—” Suddenly, her eyes became the size of saucers. “Oh…”

“Now you get it,” Spike said, nodding. He brought her close. “We just have to head into the Everfree Forest and uh…” Spike flipped opened the note again. “...discover a change about love?”

“Spike, the Everfree Forest makes sense, but we have no idea where this love thing is going to be at.”

“Well, all I know is that I like you and clearly if I just bring you along, something will just magically happen like it always does in this crazy world,” Spike concluded with a shrug.

Flitter groaned. “You know what, maybe I am in a fanfiction and—”

“Stop, you’re going to give me a headache with that metaphysical talk,” Spike interrupted, leaving Flitter to sheepishly hide behind her wing.

“Sorry,” Flitter said. She nuzzled his leg. “It’s just an aching feeling I have. Besides, there’s no way that’s a possibility!”

Flitter chuckled.

Spike didn’t.

The awkward air filtered through Flitter’s lungs. She let out a dishonest laugh that mixed with a tension-easing cough, one that she hoped would get Spike’s glare off her shoulders, but alas, she was still getting that look of disdain she felt when she had stolen a cookie out of the cookie jar.

Then, Spike looped an arm around her.

Flitter looked up and saw those lips craning up.

“Ready to head out and find some love?”

Flitter nodded. “Although we don’t need to find love, Spike.”

“You’re right,” Spike replied, giving her a squeeze. “Glad we figured that all out.”

“Make that two of us.”

The two walked away from the school, their heads held up high, and their feet and hooves on solid ground.