Of Dragons and Unicorns

Chapters

The Plan
The First Scheme
The Second Favor
The Second Scheme
The First Favor

The Plan

Though she might complain a bit on the surface, it was an open secret that Twilight Sparkle thrived on the workload Celestia sent her. Sure, to outsiders it could - at times - seem excessive, overwhelming even. But Twilight quietly reveled in the implicit sense of trust her mentor displayed. So much work upon one pupil might seem harsh, but that's not how Twilight took it! It seemed confident. It seemed assured. Not to mention the never-ending, enthusiastic support from her young study, Spike! And so it was with a happy, dutiful sigh that the unicorn sat at her desk under the gentle flicker of lamplight, parchments and quills and inkwells and books neatly placed before her. She took up her quill - tapping the nib carefully on the edge of the inkwell - in the shimmer of a purple aura, beginning to scrawl notes on the dusty parchment before her, outlining the dense tome her snout was buried in. It was a book on the pre-history of Equestria, detailing the Lunar Struggle that lead to-

...or not, Twilight puzzled, as it became quickly apparent that she was reading a book on the various flora of modern Equestria, and not a history book. With a scrunched muzzle and a frustrated huff, Twilight craned her neck, scanning the spines of the pile of books on her desk. Her eyes narrowed through dangling purple bangs, reading the rambling list of book titles. A Symposiom on the Ethics of Amniomorphic Magi, 1001 Uses for Molted Feathers, Humans: Myth or Monster?... nope, she didn't have that book with her! Twilight huffed, having her workflow so rudely interrupted.

"Spike, could you do me a favor? I forgot to get the ONE book I need, could you grab The Eternal Night: An Overlook at Threats Prevented? I think it's... on..."

Twilight's voice trailed off. The sound of the eager footfall of chubby dragon feet would have normally interrupted her by now, and it's absence slowly reached the precipice of her mind. She blinked, returning her neck upright, corners of her mouth falling into a concerned frown. Her head bobbed back and forth, scanning the library, and noting the conspicuous lack of a certain baby dragon. She swallowed a lump in her throat. With the heavy thump of hooves against hardwood, Twilight hopped out of her chair, calling out into her echoing hallways once more, "Spike...?"

No response.

Her eyebrows bent. Pensive hoofbeats and an audibly thumping heart echoed through empty hallways as she apprehensively proceeded, eyes warily scanning back and forth between infinite walls and rows of books. He's probably just focused on whatever dinner he's scrounging up. Yeah, he's just got a hungry belly, she tried to reassure herself. She chewed on the corner of her lower lip as she stepped passed the observatory window, catching a glance of the sinking sun in the sky, the rolling hues of vermilions and lavenders crashing against the rooftops of Ponyville. Despite the worry plaguing her mind, she couldn't help but pause and admire the sight - if only for a moment. The Royal Sisters did such beautiful work. Her mind would trail happily to Celestia before swirling quickly back to Spike, pupils constricting with the sudden rush of worried adrenaline. Twilight shook her head with a groan, and it was sheer serendipity that led her to stare back out the window one more time. And there, walking his stubby little legs with purpose, she saw a familiar blur of orchid and green scales making its way towards the library.

"Spike!?"

* * * * *

Pickaxe stumbled over his own hooves, encumbered with the weighty boots necessary for traversing such challenging terrain. He cursed under his breath with a stifled snort and a frustrated flick of his ears, doing his best to silence himself, pensive gaze scanning upwards as he craned his neck. The blazing sky gave no sign of relent as he squinted brown eyes from under the rim of his pith helmet, the harsh canyon walls framing the intense, beating sun and meandering sky, craggy walls offering the occasional whisper and grumble as errant pebbles tumbled down rocky walls. The Earth pony scanned the sky, gasping and hugging a shadowed wall at once! The sun momentarily gave way to the flicker of a shadow, a swooping wall of darkness passing overhead. Distant growls, roars rumbled. More pebbles - some rocks - tumbled their way down the canyon as the dragons overhead began to roost.

He could feel his heart pounding out of his chest, doing his best to keep his breathing to short, quiet little puffs through gritted teeth. A trembling, clay-colored nose dove in his saddlebag, digging around before retrieving a notepad and pencil. He hunkered down, pencil in his teeth, doing his best to scrawl messily in his notes.

Dragons appear flighted, comfortable in arid terrain. Mated pairs? Maternal instinct apparent but unsure. 50ft observed approx. in flight, by shadow, assumed @ maturity? No speech observed, presumed oviparous, nests appear to be made of sto

Pickaxe swallowed a yelp at the overwhelming THUMP from above him, diving down and hugging the wall for dear life, notepad and pencil abandoned to fate. Terrified eyes dared to peek upwards through a pumpkin mane, and as he watched the violet, scaly hide settle on the rocky overhang mere feet above him, a mocking voice sang inside his head. Wow Princess Celestia, a Royal Exotic Field Researcher? Of course of course, thank you! I'm so honored to be considered for such a PRESTIGIOUS position!

A massive dragon foot pawed and scratched at the overhang, a cascade of rocks following soon after; Pickaxe winced.

Oh? Of COURSE I understand the danger of such a position! Needless to say, most field research MUST be done solo as to

Even Pickaxe could hear the loud, snorting puffs of a curious dragon sniffing and inspecting... whatever it was that dragons inspected, even through the crackling drizzle of stones still falling. He whimpered, hoping against hope to avoid becoming dragon chow.

preserve the integrity of the natural habitats I would be exploring! I can't believe you would consider me for such a position, Celestia, th

A dragged foot could be heard overhead, followed by the loud tumbling of another stone.

ank you SO much, my liege! I won't let you down! Ha ha. Hahahaha.

He groaned with disdain as he trembled, booted hooves covering his snout. He lay there, frozen. Soon, there was an odd peace, only broken by the occasional tinkle of a falling pebble. Pickaxe worked up the courage from within his quaking form to peer out from his shielding hooves - and for all the quiet and still he'd been maintaining, the gasp pulled from his throat might have betrayed his presence that much more easily. But he couldn't help it; before him, laid not a particularly large stone, but rather what he could only assume was a dragon egg. He didn't move, he only laid there, shocked, noting its lightly dimpled, lavender surface, its purple freckles, it's... stillness.

But Pickaxe only admired such a rare sight for a moment before an entirely new rush of panic washed over the poor pony form. A dragon egg means curious, searching dragon parents. He assumed. He, nor any other pony, knew THAT much about dragons - that's what he was sent to remedy - but parents tend to be protective and he wasn't about to bank on an exception to that right now. Hooves trembling in their boots, he pushed himself off that wall he'd held onto for so much security, figuring that they'd either see him returning the egg on his own, or when they came to search for it; might as well demonstrate good will. His belly dragged along the unforgiving terrain as he inched towards the egg, terrified gasps muffled through a tight-lipped muzzle. Each inch he crawled took an eternity, eventually returning to the harsh rays of the assaulting sun, never before more thankful for his hat. Finally, thank the stars, he reached the large egg, almost touching his snout with it.

With shaky, slow, careful knees Pickaxe stood, eyes wide with terror as he slowly turned his head sideways. Some part of him was expecting to be greeted with a gnashing maw, a roar, and his own demise - so his entire frame visibly relaxed at seeing the colossal being at rest, back turned to the pony. The dragon was curled upon the overhang (which Pickaxe now guessed to be a nest?), wings furled around its shoulders, tail lazily wrapped around its massive girth.

And it was only then that he truly understood just how low the overhang was. An odd mix of terror and relief washed over him upon the realization that he could reach the nest.

Pickaxe swallowed, gathering within the pit of his being a new resolve. With an energized grunt, he circled the egg, rolling it forward with his forehead, carefully doing his best to about the bumps and pits of the uneven ground. In short time he reached the edge of the craggy wall, raising his head with a tight-lipped expression. Alright. Forehooves carefully leveraged themselves on the cusp on the egg, and he began to heft and roll the heavy object up the uneven wall. He could see the dragon's tail idly shifting so close above him; the trembles started again. He froze; egg pinned in between his forehooves and the canyon wall. He could see how close he was to the cusp of her nest, not to mention how close the dragon was.

Now or never.

With a grunt and a terrified shove, he catapulted the egg over its tail, into the nest, and threw his body again in the safety of the shadowy overhang in one scrambling move. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He could only wait.

And wait.

And after what seemed like forever, he again heard that familiar shuffling, the guttural grunts of the dragon trundling to its feet; Pickaxe remained frozen. Deep puffs of dragon sniffing, scraping of pebbles, dragon talons kicking, the tumble of an object, a familiar egg rolling before his eyes. His eyes grew wide.

Pensively, the pony crawled back out from the shadows, adjusting the rim of his hat, looking to the familiar egg, then back up to the nesting beast. Again, it was curled up and appeared to be sleeping once more. His eyes darted between the egg and dragon, confused. He furrowed his brow, and - emboldened by the heretofore lack of aggression from the beast - retrieved his pad and pencil. Returning to the shadows, he continued.

...made of stone, low altitude, brooding by 1(?) parent. Apparent incidents of rejection of young? Egg fallen from nest. Reintroduction attempted, rejection repeated. Causes unknown, further investigation needed

Pickaxe sighed, carefully sitting on his haunches, back pressing against the rocky facade of the canyon wall. The pencil hung lazily in his lips, notebook sitting idly in his hooves. His head lolled back with a gentle thump as thoughts raced through his head.

But his moment of peace was short-lived. The calamitous clanking and trumpeting of chariots, the echoing wingbeats, the determined whinnies and rustling of armor; Princess Celestia's entourage carried a distinctive noise. He winced at the whooshing rush of air pressure bearing down against him as the startled dragon took to the wing with a startled growl, hooves darting up to protect his noggin from sudden falling pebbles. He sat still, hearing the settling of the rocks before peeking up to see his liege, flanked by gold-clad pegasi, chariots crudely, crookedly parked on the narrow canyon path.

"Aha, Princess Celestia! What a sight for tired eyes," Pickaxe would practically laugh as he bowed on his forelegs, looking up from under the rim of his hat with a wearied smile. Never before had he been more happy for such a serendipitous rendezvous time.

"Sir Pickaxe!" The princess would smile a stately smile, craning her long neck in return with a grin. "It would seem we arrived just in time, then? Are you okay?"

"Y-yes, Princess! I mean, yes, I'm okay. But also, y-yes, I'm very thankful that... yes, everything is okay, Princess."

She would smile, relieved. But it wouldn't take long before she looked over idly, noticing the lavender egg laying several feet from her field researcher. She turned to Pickaxe, mouth opening to speak - but he would beat her to the punch.

"Y-yes, Princess, the egg! It's, um, I have to be honest and say not something I wholly understand myself? But. Well," he stumbled over to Celestia's side, nosing through his notes enthusiastically, tripping over his words and clamoring to tell him what he'd observed. How it'd pushed it BACK out of the nest, and how he'd THOUGHT it was just an accident and and and.

Celestia listened intently, gentle eyes following along in his notes. Once he'd reached the end of his diatribe, she would take a moment to digest all she'd just heard. A light sigh would escape her nostrils.

"Well, if such is the case..."

* * * * *

Sure, some part of Spike's mind was faintly aware of the sinking sun, and another faint part of him was probably aware of the curious nature of such a late arrival home, but those thoughts were distant and irrelevant to the smirking dragon. No, Spike had plans. Big ones. Plans so spendiferous and fantastical that they needed every ounce of cunning and wit he could come up with (which was a lot). There had been false starts in the past! Attempts and follies, times that Spike was sure that he was using every ounce of cunning and wit he could come up with. But this time, he was positive; he HAD to be! And so it was with all the bravado he could muster that he combed through the (proportionately) tall grass homewards, clutching an armful of sundry items against his chest as well as he could manage, humming a gentle tune under his breath.

Due to the umbrella in his grasp jutting in front of his line of vision, Spike didn't even see Twilight galloping towards him. It was only the rhythmic sound of hoofbeats that betrayed anypony's approach, and Spike did his best to maneuver his tiny snout around the armful of objects to see the source of it. It was a futile endeavor, teetering on unsteady feet to try and catch a peek.

"SPIKE!"

"G'ahh!" he yelped, tossing his prizes with the shout. He looked to Twilight with a pout, then to the ground, "Do you know how long it took me to get all this stuff?! What the hay, Twilight!" he huffed, immediately setting to the task of gathering them back up with a dour expression.

"Where were you? You didn't tell me you were going anywhere!" Twilight's chest heaved, jaw just barely hanging slack, eyes restlessly pinging between her young friend and his strange collection of goods. The tiniest of shakes was perceptible in her legs.

"Geez, Twilight, relax, I'm fine," he grumbled, doing his best to compromise a long length of rope on top of of a pair of goggles in his clutches. His eyebrows were furrowed, eyes pinned downwards.

"I can see that now, but I didn't... know... Spike, what is all this stuff?" she said, tone changing mid-sentence, catching her breath with a few deep sighs, tossing her head lightly in a nervous gesture, blinking.

That question seemed to be enough to snap Spike out of his grump. His eyes flickered with a glimmer of enthusiasm, flicking his earfins as he looked up to Twilight with a big grin. "Aha, so you noticed!"

Twilight's expression was a tight-lipped one, and her eyes rolled the lightest of rolls. Horn shimmering, she hefted Spike's umbrella out of the grass in a helpful gesture, only to have Spike hop and snatch the hovering implement in his own claws. Twilight's magical grasp didn't relent, and Spike hung there, tail tip barely touching the ground, one arm skywards and clinging to the umbrella, the other cradled around his stuff, holding it tightly to his chest. She couldn't help but chuckle a little bit seeing his short legs idly kick and search for ground, but it wasn't long before she gently lowered both dragon and umbrella, lavender aura dissipating from it.

"Very perceptive, Twilight!" Spike grinned.

Twilight blinked.

"Well, you know how last time I was SURE I had figured out the ultimate plan, right?"

"Wait, Spike -"

"Yeah, of course you do! Every bit of my cunning and wit, right? Well now I'm ultra, super, one-hundred percent -"

"Is that a hairbrush?"

"Yes. ...sure that THIS plan has EVERY bit of my cunning and wit, and -"

"Oh no, Spike, no no no. Not this again, please."

" -this is finally it! Gosh I'm so excited Twilight, I've planned out every detail to a T, this is gonna be perfect and -"

Twilight groaned before he could even finish his sentence. To be honest, she was barely listening; not out of disrespect, but out of the knowledge of what her young friend's spiel was. She'd heard it about seven times before, by her count. And so due to this, the duo spoke the next sentence in perfect synchronicity, apart from tone;

Twilight grumbled and Spike declared with bubbling enthusiasm, "Tomorrow's gonna be the day I FINALLY win Rarity's heart!"

Author's Note

Six chapters and an epilogue are planned, stay tuned and thank you.

Edit: okay so there are definitely going to be more than six chapters, I take more time to get to my point than I thought.

The First Scheme

It was one of those rare, perfect afternoons that happen so infrequently in the springtime; gentle, balmy breezes balanced just right with the warmth of the sun, gusts carrying the scent of grass and dissipating morning dew, and trees and clouds taking their own lazy pace at rolling with the breeze. It was a morning that any would agree would be criminal to ignore; a morning inspiring small talk about the weather both parties were sincerely heartfelt about exchanging. Rarity, needless to say, wasn't exempt from the enchantment of such picturesque days, and upon awakening to such an idealistic scene, had quickly made the decision to take advantage of such beautiful conditions!

Though no-one would mistake Rarity for the "outdoorsy" type, such a beautiful day was simply begging for an afternoon in the park. Rarity had made quick work of packing a stylish saddlebag with a blanket, some neat sandwiches for a light brunch, a few other just-in-case items, and a novel for company, delicately arranging each item just so in her bag. Her normally-cascading violet coifs were held neat and prim with a polka-dot elastic, wide-brimmed sun hat (signature curled fringe peeking from beneath its rim) and sunglasses completing the ensemble. Her work could wait for a hiatus of a single afternoon, she rationalized. A lady deserves an afternoon off!

Rarity set to hoof through town, seeing Ponyville unusually alive and bustling right along with her, with the weather. It seemed like everyone was just that much more alive, grateful, happy. Small talk among townsfolk was exchanged, flowers smelled, existence marveled. But she was simply passing through town, and as much as the interactions were appreciated, she had a novel to keep her company and cucumber-dandelion sandwiches to enjoy. All by her lonesome, Rarity trotted happily to the nearby park.

The park was mainly a grassy field with gentle, rolling hills, dotted with buttery spots of yellow and white from the tiny spring blossoms fighting their way though the grass, sparse, proud trees surrounding its perimeter. A pond stood still and cool in the center; a single tire swing sat undisturbed above it, hanging from a tattered rope suspended from an overhanging bough. There were a few wooden park benches too, but as Rarity approached, all were empty. She sighed happily; she might have been a bit of a socialite, but the afternoon alone was a welcome respite! She pulled a darkened trail through the tall grass, lifting dainty hooves extra-high as she stepped, before nosing into her saddlebag and cheerfully tugging at her blanket's corner with her teeth. She cast it before her, cyan aura tugging at all four corners, holding the blanket taught, draping it over the grass carefully, gently stepping upon the blanket once she was satisfied and diligently smoothing out wrinkles and fussing her blanket to absolute perfection. Rarity heaved one more light sigh as she laid on her side lazily, hoisting her saddlebags off with her magic and draping them before her. It was set to be a lovely afternoon.

Twilight Sparkle wished she could make the same claim.

Sure, Twilight could see the same beautiful weather, but she'd be damned if she could enjoy it. She and Rainbow Dash had just prior parted ways; Twilight did her best to reason Rainbow Dash out of her plans, but "a deal's a deal, Twilight! I don't squelch on a deal, duh." While she didn't expect anything less from the bearer of The Element of Loyalty, that couldn't prevent her from hoping. Regardless, Rainbow Dash had at least been kind enough to let Twilight know the intricacies of Spike's Masterful Plan, not to mention where Spike was, and so Twilight hurried in an odd, restrained gait, a kind of gait that one might adopt when one is in a rush but wanting not to appear as such. Her hooves nervously kicked up the dirt around her as she trundled along the path to the park, head craning to and fro for any hint of orchid scales or green spines. No luck, so far.

Twilight crested a hill, pausing for a moment. She could feel her mind racing, feeding into its own cycle of what-ifs and its own casting catastrophe and and and. She swallowed a lump in her throat, mind pinging back at once to a memory from her youth, to a certain fantastic babysitter. Twilight's anxiety certainly wasn't anything new, and even back then, she'd get so worried over the silliest things. Twilight pushed her forehoof against her own chest, remembering Cadance's words - it's all alright, kiddo, c'mon - she exhaled carefully, deeply - just breathe it out with me, alright? She repeated the soothing gesture once or twice more, inhaling with a new resolve and a calmer mind. It's okay, it was gonna be okay. Amethyst eyes scanned the rolling sky before her, lazy pegasi flitting to and fro; as was the norm.

"Oh no..., " Twilight muttered, anxiety gripping the depths of her chest again. A certain azure blur was distinct among the pegasi. She was running out of time.

She kicked off once more, trotting a bit faster along the path to the park. Twilight passed a few parch benches, knowing she was getting close. She looked back and forth, and it was then - before her, she saw Spike proudly approaching a particular white unicorn in repose, and the strangest sensation of mutual relief and utmost trepidation washed over her, hooves breaking into a gallop.

* * * * *

Twilight's parents blinked in unison, in matched confusion and surprise.

"I-I'm sorry, Princess, what?...?"

The Princess offered a half-nod to them, her stately eyes a bit more haggard than usual. They stood at the head of Celestia's classroom, vacant but for themselves, their children, and a young reptile. Twilight and Shining Armor were excitedly telling one another about their lessons from today, Spike listening with rapt attention. Celestia looked over to the trio before reiterating, "I do. I believe it might be in everyone's best interest if Spike were allowed to reside with Twilight on a more... long-term basis."

Her parents blinked again, taken aback and looking back and forth to one another, then the princess. Twilight Velvet would chime in first, "I... isn't he a little young for that? If I may, Princess, that seems a bit... like a smidge of an imposition?"

"It's certainly not my intention to impose on you two, Velvet! But he's very independent, and frankly... well, we don't know too much, but he's an absolute angel... when Twilight's around. Perhaps because she hatched his egg? We're not sure, and it's certainly not your responsibility. But..." Celestia trailed off, carefully picking her next words, "...has... Twilight seemed unusually restless on your end lately, at all?"

"Well..." Night Light chimed in, "...girl's been a bit of a brat about bedtime lately..."

"But that's just her age, dear!" Velvet added.

"Well yes, but... Cadance said she's been a bit more stubborn, too..."

Velvet paused in an uneasy silence.

"Mm. Far be it from me to question... well, anything, but I'm merely making the suggestion, that it might be good for all the parties involved...?" Celestia let the statement dangle pointedly.

Velvet and Night Light exchanged unsure glances, a silence hanging palpably in the air. Celestia broke it with a light sigh, hating to strike what she felt was a somewhat manipulative chord, but she added nonchalantly, "Plus, the... unique, exclusive opportunity to raise and befriend a creature so rare as Spike's kind seems like... somewhat of a prestigious opportunity, one that may be worth capitalizing on, if nothing else."

Their eyes lit up with a flicker of realization; it was Velvet that was the first to cede, eyes looking to her husband with an appeasing glance. "Well, dear... the Princess does have a point, you know? And... maybe it'd be good for Twilight! Have someone to look after, teach her a little responsibility!"

Night Light still faltered, unease in his voice, "It might, but... it just... seems like an awfully big undertaking!"

Celestia chuckled. "Nonsense, little fella sleeps most of the day away. And don't worry, I'm by no means proposing a permanent relocation for Spike, maybe... maybe just weekends at first? Don't worry, I'd still keep him in my stead the majority of the time. Plus, " she chuckled, "I'd be more than happy to provide the gems he's so fond of eating."

"He eats gems?!" Velvet yelped.

"Yes, yes! But it's alright, the Royal Mines are brimming with ones with far too many imperfections to make any use other than dragon chow," she added, a desperate, reassuring tone in her voice.

The parents exchanged glances once more, excusing themselves from the Princess. They took their leave in a corner, discussing carefully the pros and cons, weighing another mouth to feed in their house against the idea of having children responsible for raising what amounted to a one-of-a-kind creature like that. Could you imagine the prestige?! But... they already needed Cadance just to juggle the two little ones in their house already (though Shining was coming into an age where he resented the implication he needed a foalsitter, geez!). But... maybe it would help with her unusual bouts of acting out as of late?

Celestia watched tensely at Velvet and Night Light commiserating, doing her best to gauge how their conversation was going, nose tilting in their direction. She hoped so earnestly for their compliance. Celestia loved all her students, all her subjects, and far be it from her to choose favorites; but it would be a lie to claim that didn't hit a special, painful note in her heart each day when Twilight was getting ready to leave class, to see how intently she would stick close to Spike, to hear that ritual they'd subconsciously perfected every day - so you're going to be back tomorrow, right? Yeah, don't worry! O-okay I won't! - and to have to deal with a sullen, pouty, defiant little dragon for the rest of the night. Of course, she didn't begrudge his childish behavior; if anything, it only deepened her sympathy towards the duo's unusual situation.

It was such a delicate balance, leveraging "suggestions" with a gentle touch towards Twilight's parents. If so needed, of course, Celestia could proverbially invoke eminent domain, and make what is right happen. But she didn't want to, didn't want to have to. So, she waited, a cautious optimism held in her breath.

The duo nodded in uneasy unison, approaching Celestia once more.

"...after thinking about it, we think you're right. It's worth a shot if nothing else, right? We're willing," said Night Light.

Celestia's entire frame visibly relaxed, a warm smile spreading into her cheeks. "Wonderful! " she exclaimed, clapping her forehooves together. With a gentle smile, she bowed her head, looking up, "Well, I believe you have some news to break? I'll leave you to that; I'll gather some belongings of his." Celestia turned on her heels, striding away awash in a warm relief.

The nervous set of parents approached the oblivious trio, stammering and tripping over their words.

"Twily, dear? Er, Spike, Shiny? We, um, have... some news for you all!"

Shortly thereafter, every on-duty guard and resident of Celestia's classroom wing of her castle yelped, flinched, or pomfed at the unison screams of unbridled joy and excitement that reverberated through the hallowed halls out of the blue. Through many blinks and murmurs of confusion, business shortly resumed as normal for all but a very select handful of the building's current occupants, who were busy celebrating in the utmost of glee.

* * * * *

Spike's knees shook, but he gathered himself, fists clenching around the object behind his back, a deep breath helping him gather his resolve. His eyes fell to the gorgeous mare before him, her delicate haunches so perfectly posed, those cute little glasses balanced delicately on her muzzle, those brilliant eyes so intently scanning the book between her forehooves. Of course, he was nervous - but Spike had thought this through, and he'd covered every possible little wrinkle and blip that could go wrong. This time. This time his plan was perfect. He took one last heaved breath for courage, and forced his stubby legs forward.

"H-h-hi, um, hey there Rarity!" Spike chirped, a nervous smile etched into his cheeks, the tremble overwhelming his body immediately evident. He turned his knees inwards, toes wiggling.

Rarity blinked with a start, not even noticing his presence until he spoke. She looked up from her book and offered a genial smile. "Spike! Why hello there, how are you on this gooorgeous day, doll?"

"Not much! Um - dangit - I'm good Rarity, ahaheh!" Spike blushed, heel-toeing in his nerves. His eyes darted upwards just for a second to check; he chuckled a bit under his breath upon seeing Rainbow Dash bolt above, pushing a cloud in front of her. Just like I planned... He gave the tiniest of fist-pumps.

"Y-yeah, but um, w-what are YOU up to, Rarity...?" Spike stammered.

Rarity's eyes fell back down to the novel in her hooves, smiling a warm smile, "Just enjoying this splendid weather and a good book. A wonderful break from this order I've been positively slaving over, ugh!"

"Y-yeah, I'm sure you've been swamped Rarity, aha-ehheh..."

Spike craned his head upwards; Rarity hadn't even really taken notice of the shifting shadows above her. On breezy days like that, lazily rolling cloud cover was to be expected! But this one had lingered for a bit longer than they normally would, and slowly - a few more gathered (much to Rarity's oblivion). Spike gulped nervously; Rainbow Dash would peek out of the looming cloud cover, making eye contact. Spike offered a restrained nod, a gesture to be returned by Rainbow.

Spike preemptively flinched in anticipation, and Rainbow Dash popped out of her cloud cover to give a mighty buck to the line of clouds above them, a roaring thunderclap echoing as her kick dominoed through the line of clouds! Rarity flinched with a start, looking skywards, past the rim of her shades, to the suddenly-darkened skies; a fat raindrop would plop squarely on her snout, greeted with a displeased whine.

"Wh...?! Rain, we weren't supposed to have...?!" Rarity scrambled to her hooves, doing her best to shove her book into her saddlebag as the gentle shower picked up intensity.

This was Spike's chance.

Like a valiant knight unsheathing a sword, Spike boldly revealed the umbrella from behind his back! "Don't worry, Rarity, your pretty little head's not... going..." Spike's impassioned speech trailed off. His thumb claw was pressing on the button to release the umbrella's tines, but there it stayed, sealed and unopened.

"...Ahehe."

Spike offered a genial smile to the still-scrambling Rarity, determined claws pushing and lashing at the release mechanism of the umbrella, to no avail. He flopped to the ground, practically wrestling with his foe at this point, back legs kicking at the release mechanism with all his tiny might, hands gripping onto the handle, struggling and pushing. But it just wouldn't budge!

He kept trying, determined to save his beautiful lady's mane from getting disheveled. He was so intently focused on the task at hand, that he barely registered Rarity's voice behind him.

"Spike, dear, shouldn't you be taking shelter? I don't think it's going to let up!"

Spike blinked, pausing his umbrella endeavor to roll over and look to Rarity... who was more than sufficiently covered by a delicate umbrella of her own, carefully positioned on her back. Spike gawked.

"...y-you?! Had?! An umbrella alrea-WHY, Rarity, why did you already have an umbrella?!"

With a demure bow of her head, she offered, "A lady is always prepared, Spike!"

Spike groaned in frustration, kicking his undefeated, umbrella-ey foe away in abject frustration. Rarity blinked, unsure as to the source of her young friend's outburst. "Are... you going to head indoors, Spike?"

"N-No, I'm fine! Don't worry about it, I'm, uh. It's cool, Rarity! Don't worry about it, " he grumbled in frustration, fighting back tears. He didn't want to admit his scheme; Rainbow Dash should cut this out soon enough, he should be fine.

Shrugging and accepting her friend's odd explanation as Quaint Dragon Behavior, Rarity shrugged and made her hasty leave out of the park, towards somewhere infinitely more climate-controlled and dry. Spike sat there, alone in the rain, cheeks hot from a mix of his tears and his gritted teeth in frustration! The umbrella wouldn't open, HER HAVING AN UMBRELLA OF HER OWN! Rookie mistakes, Spike, rookie mistakes! Spike continued to mentally chide himself, blinking with a start at a sudden pause in the rain. Did Rainbow Dash finally let up? Spike looked up.

No, the rain was still pouring around him - and around Twilight, the umbrella held in her aura shielding them both. He sniffled and pouted, immediately looking down from his friend. "Yeah, yeah, I know! Rub it in Twilight, g'uh..."

Twilight chuckled a little, bowing her head and bumping purple cheeks with Spike, "Sometimes things don't go how you plan, okay?"

Spike huffed and ignored her further.

Twilight sighed, insistently nuzzling her friend's cheek that much more, "come on buddy, is sittin' in the rain gonna fix any of this?"

Wordlessly, eyes still avoiding her, Spike sighed and just barely shook his head.

Twilight smiled, scooping Spike up with her magic and plopping him on her shoulders, "Them come on Spike, let's go get ya dry. We both know how easy you catch a cold."

Spike's arms remained defiantly crossed over his chest for a moment, but then, they relented, defeated claws finding respite in handfuls of Twilight's mane that he held for comfort. "Y-yeah, I guess we do..."

Twilight wasn't the best at offering comfort. In fact, she was downright awkward. But that never stopped her from trying. "Tomorrow's... tomorrow's a new day, okay?"

"Y-yeah... yeah!" Spike suddenly perked up, a renewed sense of bravado washing over him, "and what kind of master schemer gives up after one little setback?!" He chuckled, cockily adding, "I already had a backup plan. Time for Plan B."

Twilight rolled her eyes, thankful Spike wasn't in a position to see it, and added, "And I'm just sure Plan B is an awesome plan, a plan that uses every ounce of your cunning and wit, Casanova."

The Second Favor

Spike sank deeper into the depths of his bubble bath with a huffed grumble. He was submerged the the soapy water up to his nostrils, head and its spikes sticking out like a cresting sea serpent; when he sighed, he blew tiny little bubbles in the water before him. The drifting steam and water enveloping him warmed his cold scales, body relaxing quite in spite of his mood. He didn't want to admit Twilight was right; but she was; a nice long bubble bath really was helping him feel better. He let heavy eyelids fall closed, sinking further into concentration (and bubbles) with a reflexive twitch of his ear fins.

Well, that was a bust.

Twilight passed outside the bathroom door, pausing for a second to listen with an erected ear. She heard stillness; she sighed. As much as Spike liked to pretend he was so exceptionally mature for his age, Twilight knew his deep, dark secret of how much he loved to play in the bath. Of course, she spared him the shame of letting him know she was privy to such knowledge, but any time Spike took one of his famous seven-hour bubble baths and Twilight passed the door, she could hear distinctive splashing, cheerful giggles, Spike narrating a little story to himself - that sort of thing. He would drag his tail along underwater with only his spade sticking out and pretend like it was a shark, with that sort of unbridled imagination that surrenders reluctantly to the arrival of more and more years. The kind of almost defiant creativity, an imagination with such a boldness that Twilight admired. But that night, she only heard silence.

Poor little fella must really be upset...

She swallowed; Spike was okay, right? Her hoof began to rise, reaching to the door, but at the last moment she lowered it. Guilty eyes darted down, sighing.

...I've done enough meddling today.

She hurried herself to the bedroom, hefty tome trailing idly behind her in her aura. She tossed it onto her bed with a flick of her head, plopping down right next to it herself. She buried her nose in the dusty pages, hoping to focus on the wide gamut of useful applications of horse feathers, rather than her gnawing, self-admonishing thoughts.

Huh! Why have I never thought to ask Rainbow Dash for her old feathers, I could make my own quills! Owlowiscious' feathers are way too small for that. That would sure save a lot of trips to... Sofas and Quills... for Spike, uuugh.

Twilight groaned, cheek plonking down onto the pages with a resigned look. Spike was really upset. His baths don't take this long on a good day. Was it her fault? Did she make it worse? No - it wasn't your fault, he upset himself, he has his little plan and you tried to stop it! ...should I have tried to stop it? Well yes! Because it's not... ugh.

Her thoughts were swirling and groping and unclear, and the only real thing she could figure in her mind was that Twilight didn't want Spike to be upset.

Spike didn't want Spike to be upset either, needless to say! He grumbled, rolling over in the water, conjuring up more details to his next plan. One that she wouldn't try and mess up! He could admit, he was cross right now; on the way back to the library, Spike had asked Twilight what she was doing at the park, and sure enough, she was honest. And that was just sticking in his craw! Why in the world would she try and mess up my plans?! Ugh, but either way - his mind could see it now - Rarity, so scared and afraid, and here he would come! The brave and valiant dragon, the brave and valiant and handsome dragon, to save the beautiful mare from the danger. He'd be a hero! And surely Rarity would fall for him...! Who could resist such charm and bravado. He chuckled a little in his mind, proud of his own wit.

His thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt sound of hoofsteps, causing Spike to spin around and listen. He heard the footfalls pause and peered over at the door, swallowing a lump in his throat and getting some butterflies in his stomach, poised to give her a piece of his mind! He furrowed his brow. Sure, she's gonna check on me, try and be sweet after she tried to mess up my plan today?! Well, we'll just see-

But the hoofsteps resumed, almost quicker, and Spike blinked at their hasty departure.

...oh.

Guess she isn't gonna check on me.

Spike blinked a few more times, sighing once more. He halfheartedly pawed at the water in front of him, creating some very unenthusiastic waves before swimming over to the drain stop, reaching down and pulling it up with a tug. He shivered as the water disappeared from around his sides, climbing gracelessly out of the basin, dangling from its edge and landing on the floor with a wet squelch. He was done soaking for tonight, he thought.

* * * * *

"Alright, everyone ready for bed time?" Cadance called from the hallway.

Spike and Twilight's respective heads popped out from the edge of the covers, still giggling a little. The pair had been lost in Twilight's sheets, playing, hiding, chasing tails and exploring. The juvenile dragon had been coming home with Twilight for weeks now, but this was it! The first big sleepover, Spike was getting to spend the night! They'd carefully counted down the day for weeks, and once it finally arrived they were like two fillies on their first Hearth's Warming morning. Twilight was the first to giggle and reply, "Okay, Miss Cadance!"

She chuckled warmly, backing into the room, horn bright aglow. "Alright you two, now I know this isn't the, uhh, most graceful solution, but..." she took a few more steps, carefully hoisting a wicker bassinet in her magic, edging it through the door jamb, "...I think this will work as a bed, okay, Spike?"

Cadance dropped the bassinet on the hardwood floor at the foot of Twilight's bed, it creaking gently with a tiny hop. She wore a bent frown; this was the best solution she could tape together on such short notice. One would really think this was the sort of thing Velvet and Night Light would have figured out. She didn't let it bother her too bad though; Twilight was long since out of this bed, might as well make it useful.

Spike slipped out of the bed, landing with a rebounding hop to curiously scramble over and inspect his new bed! Clawed digits ran over the brown wicker, hands plunging in to the layers of covers and blankets it held. He playfully pushed against the thick cushion in the bottom, smiling and climbing in, nosing his way under the covers.

"Ahaha, wow, this is cool!"

Cadance giggled. "Well, I'm glad! Sorry to have to make you sleep in that, little guy, it was just the best I could -"

"Don't be sorry, I like this!" Spike called back, nesting and adjusting himself in the small bassinet, only his nose poking out from the tangle of covers, sheets draped haphazardly over his eyes and head spines. He stretched out his limbs, feet happily pushing against the walls of it, "I dunno, it makes me feel... safe? Safe I guess." He nodded, sheets billowing with the gesture. "It's small and comfy."

"W-well, great then!" Cadance laughed, stepping over to Twilight's bed, "Your turn, kiddo," she said, nuzzling her neck as she tugged the blankets up to Twilight's chin with her magic, tucking her in nice and gentle. The filly looked up to her foalsitter with wide eyes as she said, "Ninight Cadance!"

"G'night, Twilight!" Cadance said, lifting her head and turning to leave.

Twilight quietly began to stammer, "Um, are you gonna... you know..."

Cadance warmly chuckled, closing the gap between her and a lamp mounted on the wall. She bowed her head, eyes falling closed as the rosy aura pulsed around her horn, tapping her horntip against a gem fixed squarely in the center of the lamp, held fast by brassy tines. Her magic swirled down her horn and into the faceted stone, the gem pulsing faintly and flickering before emitting a constant, gentle pink light. She craned her neck and looked back to the now-smiling Twilight, scooting herself deeper into her covers, saying, "Don't worry, I wasn't gonna forget!"

The room was awash in the low, ruddy light, the nature of its enchantment making the light flicker and falter ever so slightly. Twilight didn't reply, she just grinned sheepishly at her foalsitter before nodding and rolling over. Cadance took her leave from the room, pulling the door shut as she did.

However, much like every set of children to participate in a sleepover throughout recorded history, Twilight and Spike were not about to go to sleep at their bedtime.

She rolled over, peeking to the rosy bassinet and the shifting lump it contained. She whispered, "...you still up?"

"Yeah!"

"Cool!" she giggled, "...um, sorry about havin' to sleep in my old bed. I don't think we really have any, like, sleepin' bags or anything like that, I don't really... have other ponies over much," she offered, a bit of a self-admonishing ping in her voice.

"Geez everyone, the bed is fiiine! It's little and it's comfy and I like it," he stated very matter-of-factly, nodding. It took him a moment, but he continued, "...really Twi, you dun need to feel bad."

"...still gonna, " she half-joked.

"Blah blah, I know, " Spike teased, giggling. He waffled for a moment, the forlorn tone of her last sentence sticking with him, "And... hey, maybe I'll get to stay over a lot more!"

"M-maybe!" she said, excitement in her voice.

Spike yawned, curling up into the blankets and nuzzling into his pillow, nibbling on his claw idly. His eyelids were getting heavy.

"I mean, I know I'm not other ponies, but... haha, yeah!"

"Yeah," Twilight replied. She could hear Spike begin to slur his words, his doziness evident in his voice. It was contagious; Twilight yawned, adjusting herself in her bed. She thought to continue talking to her friend, but slumber quickly won out with both of them, the pair dozing off happily.

* * * * *

Spike stepped into the bedroom, oversize bath robe swallowing him whole, pressing his head spines flat against his crown. Despite the robe, he still left a wet trail in his wake, tracing his path from the bathroom to his present point. Twilight heard him enter, but her nose remained buried in the pages of the book she wasn't even reading. She'd had a little time to ruminate and choose her words carefully, but despite that preparation, she still didn't know quite what to say.

Luckily, Spike was the first to speak, chirping plainly "...you were right."

She looked up from her book, "...I was?"

"Yeah. About the bath! I feel a ton better, I don't even think I'ma get a sniffly nose."

"O-oh! Well, I'm really glad Spike!" she flashed a smile before it faded as quick as it appeared, "...listen, I'm sorry."

Spike shuffled out of the robe, the wet fabric clinging to his scales, "It's fine. The umbrella ended up thwarting me way better than you ever coulda, either way," he teased.

Twilight offered a relieved chuckle, smiling down to her friend.

"Besides, there's no way you're gonna be able to do anything about my next plan!"

Twilight blinked, smile vanishing, "I-I'm sorry?"

"Yup!" Spike boasted, self-assured grin pulled into his cheeks, "It's just too perfect. I've got it all planned out, and it's perfect, and even IF you tried, you couldn't!" He crossed his arms boastfully across his chest.

Twilight swallowed glass, trepidation gripping her form, "R-really."

"Yup!" Spike nodded, stretching before crawling into the wicker basket to the side of Twilight's bed, "so don't even try! I'm finally upping the ante, I've been... I've been playing it too safe! But if I really wanna win Rarity's heart, I gotta raise the stakes! I'm all in on this one."

Twilight hefted her book off the bed with her magic, setting it on her desk for the night. A purple aura surrounded the knob on the gas lamp illuminating the room and began to turn it, dancing flame flickering into nothingness. She shuffled her form under her own covers, head flopping back onto her pillow as forehooves curled daintily around the hem of her blanket. She fidgeted under her blankets. He was talking about upping the ante and raising the stakes and generally just using terms that implied... risk. Now he was little, but even Twilight knew he was brave.

She fought with herself, resisting every urge to pry and ask him not to or anything like that. But something in him was different, and that same something was pushing her to protest much, much more intently. But all Twilight could think about was the pain in his voice earlier that day, hearing that note of betrayal in Spike's voice, "You came to what?!", when she told him about her prior planned intervention. She could feel his claws tighten around the handfuls of her mane he was holding when she did. And Twilight winced at the recollection. It was enough to keep her quiet.

Besides, as much as she never wanted Spike to hurt, he had to make his own mistakes.

Right?

"...Don't worry Spike, I know you've got this."

Spike was honestly surprised at her yielding reply! "You'll see! Heck, maybe Rarity will even let you be her mare of honor at our wedding!"

Twilight laughed grimly, "Y-yeah."

"I wonder... what her dress..." Spike muttered, the sandman making a quick and merciless end to his consciousness. He fell asleep mid-sentence.

Twilight's mind was heavy, but the gentle snoring of her roommate worked as an odd lullaby, sleep quelling her tumultuous thoughts before she even knew it. Despite the day's quibbling, the duo managed a peaceful sleep.

The next morning was another beautiful day. Pale morning sun spilled in through the windows, its gentle warmth and light urging their eyelids open and their bodies up. Spike was the first to rouse, stirring in his blankets and reflexively nuzzling his cheek into his pillow. A few lazy blinks and earflicks and his emerald eyes focused around the bedroom, seeing a sleeping unicorn and owl. His belly growled; Spike rubbed it. He thought back to the prior night. Huh, guess I did forget to eat a good dinner... he recalled, a little embarrassed at his childish behavior.

Spike scaled the side of Twilight's bed, clawing his way up the blankets, perching himself next to her.

"Hey. Hey Twilight," he whispered, gently shoving her haunches, "I'm hungry, you wanna go get some grub?"

"Mmff..., " Twilight stirred, blinking a few times before shaking her messy mane out of her face, lazily sitting upright. She yawned, smacking her lips a few times before replying, "Yeah, that's fine! I could use breakfast too."

Spike excitedly hopped off her bed, setting to task of gathering up a few things into Twilight's saddlebags to prepare them for the trip. Twilight thanked him, lazily rolling out of bed and onto all four hooves. A quick brush of her mane, and Twilight was ready to go get a meal. They exited the treehouse together, Spike taking an excited lead as he half-ran down the dirt path, Twilight laughing at his exuberance. He did tend to think with his stomach.

They stepped into the town center, looking up and down the rows of vendors and the carts, salesponies shouting to and fro, samples being given out, wares bought and sold. Spike bolted up and down the aisles of carts, waffling on his decision. Twilight was in the habit of just giving him a few bits and letting him make up his own mind. Sure, she never liked him wandering too far, but Twilight usually couldn't finish her meal, and if there's one thing that could summon Spike faster than his own food, it was somepony else's food being given away.

"Oh, howdy Twilight!" Applejack called from her cart.

Twilight walked over, "Oh, hey there Applejack! How's business today?"

"Pretty darn good! Not as good as we made out yesterday, ah think some a' those little storms scared ponies inside today. Spring showers, haha!"

"Y-yeah. Never can predict 'em, right?" Twilight laughed, a little nervous.

"Mmhmm. Heh, interest ya in some apple fritters today, Twi?" Applejack winked, putting on a bit of a salespony persona jokingly.

"You know, actually? That sounds great. Let me just ask Spike if... he... Fluttershy?"

Twilight trailed off, looking for her friend and finding him not among the rows of vendors, but off near the town square, talking to the yellow pegasus all by himself. Fluttershy was tilting her head.

Twilight swallowed, placing her hoof against her chest. Breathe it out. She told herself she wasn't going to meddle anymore, she wasn't going to worry, she was going to let him make his own choices.

But she still needed to ask him about the fritters, right?

"Er, I'm gonna go get him real quick, be back Applejack, " Twilight called over her shoulder as hurried hooves carried her to the dragon. She trotted up, ears lightly pinned. Spike was intently conversing with Fluttershy, but as soon as Twilight approached, he faltered, swallowing his words.

"H-Hey Spike, everything okay? I thought you were getting breakfast!"

"Oh! Hey Twi, yeah, I was! But, um. Then I saw Fluttershy and I really wanted to say hi, y'know?" Spike laughed nervously, hands held behind his back. Spike was not a good liar.

Twilight wore a bent frown, taking a deep breath, "Er, hey Fluttershy."

"Hello, Twilight!" she replied cheerfully, smiling with meek eyes.

"A-alright, um, does an apple fritter sound good to you? Applejack's got some fresh ones, I just wanted to know if I should be buying one or two!"

"Uhh, yeah?!" Spike exclaimed, eyes glimmering. "Thanks Twilight! I'll catch up."

They exchanged glances, Twilight taking one quick look back to Spike as she headed back to the apple cart. She knew he was up to something, but she also knew she didn't know what, and she knew it'd be like getting him to the dentist to get him to give her details. Even the talented must recognize impossible endeavors; and so, it was with a resigned sigh Twilight trotted back and bought two of Applejack's pastries, leaving Spike to the dangers of his own ideas.

She just didn't want him to get hurt.

Spike watched cautiously as she stepped away, feigning conversation with Fluttershy until she was out of earshot. Once sufficient distance had been made, the dragon's voice lowered once more as he whispered, "...alright, and nosy unicorns are officially out of the way. So whaddya say, Fluttershy?"

"Well..." she hesitated, "I'm sure I could ask him to, but... are you sure, Spike? He can get... grumpy."

"Yeah! I'm sure Fluttershy, I've really thoughts about this. And come on!" Spike brandished the comb from behind his back once more, delicate metal teeth bent at an angle, "Tell me Angel wouldn't love this brush for his tail!"

"...He would love a comb like that for his little tail..."

"Sooo?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment more, offering a gentle nod, "...alright, Spike, I'll help you. I'll talk to Bruno in a bit and we'll get it all set up."

"YES! " Spike cheered, hopping up to give a startled Fluttershy a hug around the neck. He giggled, fist pumping with one arm before dropping back to his feet, "Thank you SO much! Oh my gosh, this is finally going to be perfect!" He thrust the comb into a confused Fluttershy's awaiting hooves, giggling as he slinked away, "Later today Fluttershy! I'm counting on you!"

The Second Scheme

Spike's nervous fingers cycled their grip around a stick he held, scanning eyes and furrowed brows. He sat still, safe under the cover of a shrub, considering his options, his plan, every little detail he could imagine. His toes wiggled in the cool soil, taking an idle bite from a handful of pilfered honeycomb (bee stings never were much bother for his thick hide). The Knight inspected his Excalibur with a cautious determination, wearing a bent frown, examining its details and contours. He was a small Knight - one without a steed, or a helm, or much else. But Spike had courage, Spike had honor, and by his reckoning, a Knight didn't need much else.

The good looks and astonishing charm were just a bonus.

And so, for now, his branch would be his sword, the shrub would be his castle, Rarity would be his damsel in distress, and Bruno would be his dragon.

...Er, rather, my... my 'beast'. Yeah.

Spike cleared his throat, the slightest of waver evident in his voice. His grasp tightened as his resolve steeled, discarding his honeycomb, tail pushing into the soil and forcing him to his feet. His snout poked its way from out of the safety of his coverage, looking back and forth before reluctant legs shoved him out of the safety of this bush. C'mon, knights are brave, Spike, he thought, shaking his head with a groan and a twitch of his ears. Spike plodded forwards, a new fire of determination in his eyes. This was it. This was it. He'd tried before, but this was finally it - and as Spike trudged with visible trepidation to the precipice of his destiny, the ghosts of his self-doubt clung greedily onto his legs, slowed his steps. But that was natural, he supposed, all things considered.

This was the most important event of his life, after all.

He held his branch poised and ready across his tiny chest, cautiously looking back and forth as he pushed more and more into town. The odd gazes gathered from the towsnfolk didn't faze him; they could gawk on, they weren't a Knight like him. Lost in his own fantasy of heroism and valor, not much fazed Spike right now either way! Not much besides the beautiful mare that fell into his sights at that moment. Spike sighed, then swallowed.

Rarity was sitting alone, outside of a cafè. A drink of some variety sat undisturbed at the table before her, a porcelain vessel resting at home on a platter; Rarity didn't pay it much mind. She was sitting upright in her chair, sewing some fine detailing onto a garment, old-fashion needle and thread trailing and dancing in an electric blue glow, bobbing in and out of the burgundy fabric. She looked to be embellishing it with some gemstones - naturally. She held the bundled fabric in her hooves as the needle and thread weaved, pausing from moment to moment to fish another gemstone out of her saddlebag and hold it poised against the cloth.

Spike approached, prone, stick falling to his side as he felt the nerves wash over his form. He swallowed sand before daring to speak, "H-Hey there, Rarity!"

Rarity's gaze didn't break from the project in her hooves, the familiar voice being all she would need to know to whom she was speaking, "Why hello, Spike! Are you feeling okay?"

"Um... yeah, I'm feeling just fine?"

"Good!, " Rarity gingerly held another gem to the fabric, "That rain yesterday was dreadful, I've been fighting the sniffles ever since!" She punctuated her statement with an indignant groan.

"O-Oh no, I'm sorry! Are you okay? D-Do you need anything?" Spike offered, looking away from Rarity to scan the horizon. No sign of Fluttershy, or Bruno at that.

Rarity shook her head, gaze never breaking from her work, "No, no, dear, I should be fine! I'm just sensitive to rain, as it were? Those are no conditions for a lady to be subjected to!"

Spike gave a halfhearted chuckle as his heart started to sink; Fluttershy did say noon, right? But he perked right up; distantly, faintly, Spike could hear crunching branches and shifting foliage. A harsh sigh punctuated one, final gathering of resolve as he looked up to Rarity, "Of course! N-not at all, especially one as fair as yourself, eh....hehe."

She giggled warmly at his cute declaration, quite used to them at this point. Her gaze never changed. "Mm, what's a dragon like yourself doing all by his lonesome on a day like this?"

As thorough as Spike had been in his preparations, he stammered; an alibi wasn't something he'd had the foresight to consider. With any luck, Bruno would hurry up, and he could start! But he bluffed, "Oh! I'm, um, just... getting... some tea for Twilight! Y-You know how she loves her tea...!"

His earfins flicked; a few startled shrieks could be heard in the distance. Finally. He craned his head over his shoulder, looking back and forth.

There he was.

Pulling his stick up from its imaginary sheath, Spike stood poised and bold, back turned to Rarity, fins flared and a puff of green embers illuminating his maw. His eyes locked forwards, on Bruno. The bear barreled over the horizon in an instant, head held low and roaring! Ponies dove for safety left and right, clearing out of the animal's path as it lumbered towards the young dragon with a burning focus in a flash of brown fur and slobber. Spike's knees shook, but he didn't move; sure, this was scary, but Fluttershy was nearby, Bruno was a friend. Was it a little... duplicitous to stage such an event?

Did it matter if it won Rarity's heart?

Spike lowered his head in preparation as the bear was quickly closing the gap between the two of them. He smirked; for once, it looked like everything was going according to plan! He shouted behind him, "Don't worry! Don't worry Rarity, I'll save you, I got this!"

Such was the first time Rarity's broke her focus. She looked up, genial expression melting into one of terror in record time. She screamed, rear legs wildly bucking, kicking her table over as she desperately scrambled to - well, anywhere, away. Her shrieks pieced the air, trembling body paralyzed in terror as she pressed her shaking form against the barrier of the table, forehooves hiding her face.

"SPIKE! Spike, run, get out of there!"

"N-No, I got this, okay! I'll save you!" he barked, in a tone that was a queasy mix of defiance, courage and apprehension. Spike held fast, one leg pivoting behind him, glistening eyes locked on the charging bear, the charging bear that closed the gap in an instant. The bear's gait lumbered from its bolting speed to a steady deceleration, galumphing right in front of Spike and pausing. He reared onto short hind legs, roaring thunderously, thick paws hanging carelessly at his side, craning his shaggy head.

Spike didn't move.

"B-back, foul beast!" Spike shouted, voice betraying his slipping confidence. He hoisted his weapon defiantly, shoving his branch towards the bear's chest, expecting Bruno to cower and back off, like planned.

Spike didn't expect the bear to swat his branch into splinters like a matchstick, however.

His frantic gaze darted from his now-empty hands, to the remains of his weapon on the ground before him, to the bear in front of him, back on all fours, coal black eyes ferociously focused on the small reptile. Spike gulped. A growl flourished into another roar through the bear's gritting teeth, his lumbering form swaying gently back and forth with his short steps towards Spike. He could feel hot blasts of breath from Bruno's nostrils, see black gums glistening with thick saliva. There was an uneasy standoff. Neither Spike nor Rarity dared move.

Spike was not about to let this opportunity slip through his claws.

Where is Fluttershy, where is Fluttershy, where is she oh no oh ff- Spike's mind raced as he grit his teeth.

He and Bruno locked gazes, both afraid to move. But Spike had to prove himself, had to be brave, had to be the Knight. His tiny muzzle snarled as he huffed deep from his gullet, a threatening flurry of green flames flickering out his nostrils and between his teeth, wild eyes never wavering.

And Bruno called his bluff.

The bear sneered with a groan, hoisting a shaggy paw and curved claws skywards, growl rising. He wound up his swipe, but Spike didn't waver. The bear roared, swinging his paw forward.

"SPIKE!" , Twilight screamed.

* * * * *

"Spike, you there?" Twilight urged, nuzzling against her sleeping friend's side, "We're here, wake up!"

The snoring dragon awoke with a start, shaking his head and lookout of of the chariot. Young eyes glistened in awe at the boundless blue sky, the endless stretches of tawny sands, the gentle rolling waves crashing on the shoreline. Spike climbed gracelessly over a protesting Shining Armor to get a clearer view of Horseshoe Bay, head turning slowly as he took it all in.

"Whoa..."

"Alright, guys, let's get set up!" Twilight Velvet called back to her children plus one in the rear of the chariot. She and Night Light gathered up the saddlebags containing a cooler and a few snacks, towels and the like; Twilight, Shining Armor and Spike certainly did their part, the unicorn duo hefting inflatable toys and plastic buckets, Spike picking up a single plastic pail and shovel proudly. One by one everyone hopped out of the chariot, Night Light straggling behind the group to speak with the pegasi pulling the vehicle, happily paying them for their time and discussing when they'd like to be picked up. He soon did his best to catch up to his family; it was a difficult endeavor to catch up to children as excited as that, though.

Twilight and Spike led the group, the filly's excitement only surpassed by Spike's; not only was this his first time going to the beach, it was, for all intents and purposes, his first real visit outside Canterlot! The completely different topography, the smell of the salty air, the warmth of the soft sand beneath his chubby feet, the bearing sun rays, everything was overwhelming and novel and he had to slow his pace down just a moment to take it all in!

"The pictures didn't even start to give it justice!"

"Right?!" Twilight answered, not even look back to Spike as she dropped her inflatable, her little legs bolting towards the shoreline. She left deep hoofprints in the wet, cool sand, giggling and hopping in place as an encroaching wave splashed around her ankles. "C'mon!"

Spike followed suit, dropping his pail and shovel off with the pool toys. He cautiously took a few steps into the shoreline, wiggling his toes in the moist sands, yelping a little at a rolling wave engulfing his ankles!

"Ahah, it's a little cold!"

"Yeah, but you get used to it, come on!" Twilight called, leaving a long line of hoofprints along the shoreline. Spike nodded, trotting up behind her.

"Hey, hehe, I have an idea!" Twilight said, pressing her hoof carefully into the wet sand, just out of the reach of the shifting tide. She pointed to the raised center of the hoofprint, only the faintest imprint of her frog visible, saying, "Now step right there."

Spike obliged, carefully leaning forward and pressing his clawed foot into the empty center of her print. He raised his foot, the duo giggling at the silliness of the resulting print; it looked somewhat like a dragon wearing bell-bottom's footprint. Twilight and Spike continued along, leaving the strange prints for anyone to see.

Velvet and Night Light watched with the slightest edge of apprehension; they were safe, Shining was already nibbling on a sandwich before he did anything else - but the beach was a little busy on such a beautiful day. They couldn't help but notice the stolen glances and confused whispers as other ponies caught a glimpse of Twilight - or, moreso, Spike. They did their best to restrain their parental worry.

This trip had been Celestia's recommendation. Spike was growing, learning, and adapting well, especially once he'd been allowed more time with Twilight. At first, it had just been spending the night on the weekends; but as time passed, the pair grew, more and more he'd stay an extra night here and there, come home with Twilight Thursday instead of Friday. And at first Night Light and Velvet were a little recalcitrant, but they'd be lying if they said the little reptile wasn't growing on them, too. But Celestia thought this was important, this trip to the beach.

Of course, Spike's novelty had quickly worn off in Canterlot, and all its residents were fast to accept his scaly little self, but, as Celestia said, "Equestria is a large place, Velvet, and I believe we'd both be foolish - or willfully naive - to believe your daughter and Spike are never going to travel beyond Canterlot. So far Spike's been nothing but well-loved, but... he's different. Unfortunately, until ponies get to know him, they're likely to treat him as such. I don't believe it would be sound to shelter him from that reaction forever... maybe, maybe get them out there a little. It's unfortunate, but we can't be afraid for him forever. Perhaps Horseshoe Bay?"

The parents swallowed, trying to keep a gentle touch. Children are sensitive; if they were to act like something was wrong, Twilight and Spike would certainly pick up on it. So there Night Light and Velvet sat, distracting themselves and spreading towels.

Twilight and Spike continued on their perplexing-footprint-creation quest, endlessly hopping away on the damp shoreline; she was so absorbed in the task, she didn't even notice as she scrambled straight into another filly on the shore! The two of them shuffled off of each other with mutual giggles, rising to their hooves.

"Haha, sorry!"

"It's okay! I'm Candy Floss."

"Er, Twilight Sparkle! H-hi!" she added with an awkward grin.

"How are... you..., " the filly trailed off, gawking at the dragon standing shyly behind Twilight. She froze.

She quickly noticed this and stepped out from between Candy Floss and Spike, tilting her head to indicate him, "...and this, um, this is Spike! He's a dragon!"

"He's a dragon?!" she faltered back a half-step on her hooves.

Spike waved meekly, looking downwards to his toes and smiling.

"Yeah! He's a one-of-a-kind baby dragon from Canterlot!"

"Er... hi."

Candy Floss gasped, "He can talk?!"

Spike nodded, getting a bit bolder, eyes bouncing up to meet the other filly's, "Hehe, y-yup!"

Candy Floss blinked a few times, stepping forward and recovering the distance she'd initially lost. Her eyes were alight with a youthful curiosity that was quickly overwhelming her initial nerves. She spoke directly to Spike this time, "...do... do you breathe fire an' eat gems and kidnap ponies and stuff like that...?"

Spike replied in complete earnestness, "...Gems? Yeah! Fire? Um... workin' on it! Kidnap ponies? Uh... well one time, me and Twilight were playing hide and seek, and she hid in a box, and I figured it out and instead a' tagging her I sat on top of the box for a while so she couldn't get out, does... does that count?"

Candy Floss giggled, "No, that's not kidnapping, that's playing hide and seek right."

Twilight cut a glance at them both as they shared a laugh.

"Um, can you swim?"

Spike blinked, "Uh... I've never tried."

Twilight chimed in, "Me and my parents were gonna try and teach him today!"

"Oh, cool! Come on, Spike! Let's go see if dragons can swim!" Candy Floss chirped, waiting for Twilight's lead. She took the hint, smiling and leading the pair towards her parents.

* * * * *

"Um, Fluttershy...?!" Twilight gawked, hooves taking a few nervous steps back from her friend.

"Oh, hello again! Twilight, you've met Bruno, right?" Fluttershy said, gesturing with a wing towards the bear calmly perched next to her. Bruno grunted gently, nodding his huge head and taking another idle bite of the chunk of honeycomb in his girthy paws.

"Y-yeah, what's he...?"

"Well, Spike was kind enough to give me a new brush for Angel! But, he-"

"Asked for a favor," she knowingly recited, eying the bear.

"Yes! And he wanted to know if I could ask Bruno to put on a little show for him!"

"To protect Rarity."

"...yes!"

Twilight groaned, tossing her head. Congratulations, Spike, this may be your most contrived scheme yet. Still, she was standing there with the object of his scheme; it must not have initiated yet. Twilight's pensive hoof reached out to pet Bruno behind the ear, and he simply groaned and pushed his massive skull against her rubbing, still slowly chewing. Maybe... this won't be so bad? Bruno is a sweetheart. I guess the worst he's gonna get is a bruised ego, hehe. Twilight chuckled, pulling her hoof back and looking to Fluttershy, "So, are you headed there now?"

"Mmhmm! Did you want to join me?"

"I-if that's alright?" Twilight asked, not waiting for an answer as the trio pushed townwards. She was actually a bit at ease, strangely enough; sure, it wasn't going to work, but Bruno was a baby, a baby who listened to Fluttershy's every whim! With the way Spike was talking the night before, she was certain it was going to involve fire, explosions or edged weaponry. She guessed Spike had gotten her all worked up over nothing!

It was then that they heard Rarity's distinctive scream.

Twilight froze, heart immediately beating out of her chest, pupils constricting. She swallowed, pinning her ears, frozen hooves pushing themselves to walk, then bolt as fast as they could.

"Fluttershy, something. Something's wrong, something's wrong something's wrong!" she shouted, running far past her confused friend and her ursine companion. Her shaking hooves carried her as fast as they possibly could, frantically running towards the assumed origin of the cry. Twilight galloped, hard and fast. Finally she crested the brink of a hill, and in the distance she could see the scene: there stood a defiant baby dragon, a roaring bear, and an upturned table.

Panic and adrenaline gripped Twilight, but she kept her sense keen; she closed her eyes, focusing as her horn flickered to light. In a crackling flash she teleported, rematerializing squarely behind this unknown bear and Spike.

"SPIKE!" Twilight screamed.

His tiny legs managed to shove himself back in perfect time; the paw swiped squarely at the air where Spike had been standing only moments ago. He laid on the ground, able to feel the breeze as the claws grazed by his stomach. He started trying to push himself back, bear approaching even closer, rearing up to swipe again! Spike winced his eyes closed and flinched, hands futilely raising in front of his snout in a feeble attempt to guard himself. He heard the bear roar.

But he didn't feel anything.

Warily, shaking, Spike peeled an eyelid up, peeing through his fingers, and looked up; the bear was turned at its waist now, roaring behind itself. It was then that he saw Twilight, head bowed and horn alight. She circled the bear more, horn glimmering with a wash of light as a bolt shot from it, against the bear's side! He growled out in shock, swiping as Twilight deftly stepped back.

"Spike, RUN."

"Twilight! No, you're messing it up, it's FINE, that's -"

"IT'S NOT BRUNO, SPIKE, RUN," she shouted sternly, eyes never breaking from bear before her. The bear that was getting angrier - with a growl boiling over into a roar, he lunged towards the unicorn, swiping, his paws carefully parried with another flashing bolt of her magic. Shaking hooves pushed Twilight further back, further away from Spike (and Rarity), but the bear didn't allow the gap to remain for long.

Spike could only watch in horror; he was frozen, legs paralyzed, mind racing and desperate to save Twilight. But he laid there futilely in the dirt, palms resting on top of the splintered remains of his "sword".

Twilight shouted, even more frantic, "SPIKE, RUN!"

And that was enough to push him to move, finally; he scrambled, never quite making it all the way off the ground, pushing a body that felt as heavy as lead to hide behind the upturned table with Rarity. The pair sat in wordless horror, neither looking to one another, merely staring ahead with empty eyes.

Twilight didn't necessarily have an exit strategy to this, truth be told. Right now it was just a dance of the bear groaning and swiping, only to have Twilight zap it away, leading to the bear's increasing anger; lather rinse repeat. Sure, slowly she was leading the bear out of the heart of town, closer to the edge of the woods, but Twilight couldn't afford the luxury of thinking that far ahead. She simply moved in time with her foe, hoping against hope Spike would be able to get himself to safety.

Fluttershy and Bruno finally managed to catch up to their friend, but she could only manage a whispered, "Oh no..." as she felt the color drain from her face at the sight before them. She stood frozen; Bruno didn't quite have the presence of mind to register exactly what was occurring before them. He merely chewed away.

The strange bear readied his paw again; Twilight held fast, but truth be told - she was wearing out. He knees trembled as his shoulder pivoted to swipe, but midair, he froze, and his head craned skyward! He took a few deep, audible sniffs at the air, curiously looking around. His eyes locked with Bruno.

Rather, they locked with his honeycomb.

The bear, seemingly suddenly oblivious to the annoying stinging unicorn, lowered himself to all fours and calmly trundled over to Bruno. The pair exchanged cordial sniffs and glances, the stranger offering a questioning grunt to Bruno. Fluttershy stood perfectly still.

Bruno returned the grunt in an affirming tone, offering his honeycomb forward. The strange bear, decidedly singleminded, pawed the honey-soaked treat into his grasp, gnawing on it as he wandered back into the forest, satiated. The bear gone, Fluttershy fainted at once; Bruno sat down with his friend, concerned.

Twilight's shocked eyes watched the scene unfold in apprehending trepidation; as she saw that massive brown hide disappear into the edges of the forest, she let out an audible groan of relief.

"Spike...! It's okay, he's gone," she panted.

The small dragon's - and Rarity's - heads emerged from the cusp of the table, glancing around to confirm Twilight's statement. Upon seeing the all clear, Rarity was the first to hurry out from behind the cover, shaking forehooves wrapping themselves around Twilight's neck.

"Twilight...! Th-thank you, so much! I... you're a hero!"

Twilight awkwardly returned the hug, Spike's tiny jaw agape. That... that should be me! Abject defeat washed over him as the adrenaline faded.

"Don't... worry about it."

As Twilight's adrenaline faded, the overwhelming relief of seeing her companion alive quickly relented to another series of emotions. Another, far angrier set. Spike yelped as she scooped him up gruffly in her magic, the dragon dangling gracelessly in the air, limbs kicking. Twilight could feel the heat rising in her face as she turned on her heels.

"...but gather up your stuff, Rarity, I'm sure you need to rest after that! And so does Spike."

Stern hoofsteps plodded along, pressing onwards, "Spike needs to go to the library right now, doesn't he."

The First Favor

* * * * *

The persistent, upbeat murmurs of conversation rolled through the royal reception as the filly Twilight Sparkle nuzzled into her mother's neck with glee, tiny forelegs pressing against her. She couldn't help herself as she hobbled back down to all fours, wide eyes staring at her own haunches with unbridled glee as she giggled, clumsily chasing her own rear to get a better look at her brand-new cutie mark. Her father's gaze was warm, and both parent chuckled as their daughter hobbled around in such wild enthusiasm, exchanging a quick, affectionate nuzzle; the pair looked up to make idle small talk with other parents. They knew that letter of recommendation would do the trick! Of course the yearly dues were a little steep, but that was the price of success, they supposed! And look how it had paid off, their daughter under the close mentorship of Canterlot's elite. Not to mention earning her cutie mark! That too.

"Mom! Mom! Oh my gosh, look, it's got stars like yours! Did grandmom's have stars too?!"

"No, her brother is doing exceptional in Cadet training too! We're just thrilled to pieces with how well they're excelling. Can you imagine the opportunities that are going to -, " her mother blinked, bowing her head with an earnest gesture to her friend as she looked down to her daughter, "I'm so sorry sweetie, what was that?"

"...um, nothin', it's fine mom!" Twilight giggled, to be greeted with a rehearsed smile and a turn of the head from her mom. Her mom turned and resumed the conversation with her friend without missing a beat, and Twilight ambled off into the crowd for whatever mischief she could find.

Princess Celestia watched her student with gentle eyes through the ethereal tendrils of her cascading mane, Twilight darting and weaving through the adult legs of the crowd, still pausing periodically to admire her newly-adorned cutie mark. She chuckled, looking down to Pickaxe. "They're always so fascinated by it when they first earn it!"

But he was far too enraptured by the reptile sitting before him to respond. Pickaxe busily shuffled around and circled the creature, furiously scribbling notes away, taking measurements and carefully poking and prodding at the oblivious dragon. To which the infant was apathetic; he simply suckled on his tail spade, bright eyes enamored with it, fat arms slowly, clumsily grasping their way around his own tail. He toddled onto his side in the cradle of his eggshell with a harmless thump, quietly cooing between suckles, blinking eyes full of wonderment before their thin lids drooped closed in a nap. His legs shuffled, smooth skin still wet with a light sheen, blunted spiked glimmering and fragile little earfins slicked to the sides of his cheeks.

Oviparous, confirmed, offspring hatch viable tho vulnerable in apprt. need of much nurturing? Specimen approx. 14" snout to tailtip, 12.2 oz, appears to be a terrestrial

Pickaxe shook his head in recollection as he took his notes, pausing, before slowly continuing.

specimen, else deformed? unsure, offspring wingless, suspected parent flighted species, malformed? imposter egg from other parent? nest-stealing dragon species?

He sighed, scrawling more off-the-cuff theories as he inspected the creature, his tiny body rising and falling with the rhythm of his slow, sleeping breaths.

"So he's a dragon?" Twilight popped up next to the pony and asked, Pickaxe doing all he could do to stifle his yelp, hooves scrambling in place. Her eyes glimmered as graceless forehooves held onto the edge of the table, arching her neck as high as it could reach to try and peek over the edge of the egg, get a look at the newborn. Pickaxe composed himself, his eyes equally wide with wonderment at the rare creature he was getting the benefit of studying.

"Uh-um, yeah! Yep, he sure appears to be a... healthy baby dragon! Fascinating," Pickaxe whispered in reply, nodding with a smile to Twilight, a messy mop of orange mane bobbing along.

Twilight continued to struggle to get a peek, gasping at the feeling of being hoisted upwards. Unsure legs kicked helplessly in the air, wide eyes calming as she looked over to see Celestia, her spiraled horn glowing, lifting Twilight to the tabletop. Dainty hooves settled onto the table, Twilight gasping as she took careful steps towards the egg.

She admired him, not even turning to head to face the princess as she spoke, "Wow... so um, does... does he go back with his parents now?"

Celestia failed to reply, wearing a bent frown. Her eyes fell wordlessly to Pickaxe, and their gazes met. His eyes were full of trepidation, and for a moment they bounced back to the dragon curled in front of them, his back turned to them both, then back to the princess. He gave only the smallest, most constrained shake of his head.

The princess cleared her throat, speaking slowly, being careful to choose her words with deliberation and care, "Well, Twilight... no. No he doesn't, actually! You see..." Celestia faltered, "...we don't know a lot about dragons, so we're doing our very best to learn as much about them as we can! And so this little guy presents a very... unique research opportunity, so he's actually going to be living with me at the castle."

Twilight's big, curious eyes turned up to Celestia, then back to the dragon, still suckling away on his own tail. "But what about his parents, aren't they gonna miss their baby?"

Celestia pulled her lips tight, heaving a gentle sigh, eyes falling closed, "Well, Twilight... we don't know much about his kind. But from what little we do know... his parents didn't seem particularly keen on keeping his egg. It's... probably for the best if he's raised in our stead."

The princess's reply was curt, but it was all that needed to be said for Twilight to blink a few times in realization, and look down to the dragon with sad eyes. She swallowed, looking up and across the room to her own parents. She must have been out of their sight for ten minutes or so at this point, but there they stood, cheerfully socializing, sipping away on their drinks and regaling one another with tips and stories and pride of their successful colts and fillies. She shook her head, a mess of a mane fluttering along with it, and closed the gap between her and the slumbering infant.

Celestia started to say something when Twilight bent down and nuzzled his wet cheek, but she held fast.

"...don't worry, li'l guy! Celestia's a really good mom."

The princess chuckled warmly, a world-weary sigh punctuating it.

"...so what's his name?!" Twilight chirped suddenly.

"...Well, Twilight, since you were the one talented enough to perform such a feat, I suppose that honor should go to you, then?"

Twilight gasped hard with wide eyes, mouth slowly turning up into a smile, "...ohmigosh REALLY? Ah, ah..." she stumbled around the reptile, inspecting his smooth body head to toe, "um, ummmmahh... Spike!"

"Spike?"

"Yep. 'Cos he's got spikes," she nodded assent. Twilight smiled; she was proud of herself. The newly-so-dubbed Spike stirred awake with a coo, bright green eyes flickering upwards, meeting Twilight's, a fascinated breath slipping from her muzzle. A thoroughly soaked tail spade slipped from out of his tiny maw, jaw cautiously teething on nothing for a moment before yawning, his entire body sprawling every which way as he did. An incredibly careful hoof eked towards his little clawed hand; Twilight muttered in awe as the infant's gentle hands wrapped around it curiously.

A million questions and statements and exclamations flew through the filly's mind, all of which fizzled and failed to come out of her mouth. She giggled a little as he attempted to gnaw on her hoof.

"Twilight, dear? Time to go, honey, it's bed time for little fillies," her mother would chime from behind her, "you can play with your new little friend tomorrow."

* * * * *

Many others may claim to understand the art of fluffing a cloud to perfection for a nap, but Rainbow Dash was quite self-assured she was the undisputed master. Busy hooves pushed and fussed with the wispy whorls of her cloud, rolls of the cloud lazily dissipating as she kicked them off. She circled on her perch like a cat, dainty muzzle burying itself in the pillowy cloud and tossing a mote wayward before she finally flopped onto her belly, satisfied with her awesome handiwork. She'd had a long day! A 2 P.M. nap was well deserved, she thought, unfurling her wings in a lazy stretch. Rainbow Dash sneezed, flicked her tail, then carefully set to the task of preening, flight feathers bending in a wide arch as diligent, careful teeth nibbled and tugged and fussed and rearranged her plumage. It was a grooming ritual she found soothing, and one she often set to before a nice long nap.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Spike yelled from the ground, causing the pegasus to flit in surprise.

"Urgh! - bleh, " she spat out a mouthful of feathers, rolling over to the side of the cloud and peering over, "Oh, uh, hey Spike! Um, what's up?" a ping of mild annoyance evident in her voice.

Spike ignored the fluttering cascade of azure feathers that danced in descent around him. "Well, I just have the absolute deal of the century to offer you, is all, " he scoffed playfully, faux-polishing his clawed digits on his belly. One hand was hidden behind his back.

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow and blinked, contemplated for a moment, and in one clean move she kicked off the edge of her cloudy respite. Her wings didn't even flap, just opened as they held her steady for her quick descent, touching down lightly in front of Spike. "I'm listening. But this better be good."

"Haha, well you tell me, are THESE good!?" Spike declared, revealing from behind his back a pair of goggles; Rainbow Dash immediately gasped.

"Ohmigosh, are those the official Wonderbolts Training Academy Replica Flight Goggles?! Spike dude, how did you even GET those?!" Excited forehooves idly danced against the grass, Rainbow Dash fidgeting in excitement.

"A dragon's got his ways!"

"Awesome," Rainbow Dash smirked, but as she reached out to scoop the goggles from his grip, Spike's free hand pushed itself against the heel of her reaching hoof. Rainbow Dash blinked, and Spike tutted a few times playfully.

"Now now Rainbow, I said I had a deal for you, I have a favor to ask."

"Wh. What kind of a favor," she hesitated, ears lightly pinned and a bent frown spreading in her cheeks.

"Wellllll, you see, I have this plan, and it's an awesome plan, and I used -"

"Every ounce of your cunning and wit?" she knowingly recited.

"Every ounce! Every ounce of my cunning and wit, and this time it's PERFECT. But I just, uh, I need a little help with a few parts of it!" Spike's eyes glistened with sheer enthusiasm, wide grin on a tiny muzzle, and the strap of the goggles still in his clutches, his little hands clasped expectantly in front of his chest in a pleading gesture.

"Aha! Uh, well," Rainbow Dash faltered, eyes wandering for a moment before she chuckled, smiling down at her young friend, "normally I'd be a little more hesitant to pony up my awesome skills on a whim? But for you - and such a flawless plan - I think we can make a deal," she nodded a big nod, mane bobbing, punctuating it with a wink. Part of her was a little concerned about a condescending tone, but the rest of her took note of Spike's never ending exuberance, and disregarded the concern.

Spike's entire body tensed up with excitement, shoving the goggles into Rainbow Dash's hoof in the same gesture as leaping forward to hug her neck. She chuckled a little at his excitement, peering over his head spikes to the high-quality, lovingly detailed pair of goggles in her hoof with starry eyes and a barely-subdued squeal.

"Aahhh, thank you thank you thank you!" Spike hung gracelessly around her neck, giggling before scuttling up a little to cup her ear with his hand, burying his snout sneakily in the gap, "okay. Here's what I need you to do...."

* * * * *

A bell rang out, a classroom's worth of hooves clamoring to the ground in mutual enthusiasm to go home. A classroom minus one, however; Twilight took her time to carefully pack her folders into her saddlebags, giving awkward see-you-laters to her passing classmates, before slipping out of her own desk with a gentle clop. The room was quickly emptying out, but she didn't seem in a particular hurry. It always took a little bit longer for Shining's cadet training to get out, and their parents (or Cadance, depending on the day) would always pick the two up together, and if all parties would be completely honest, it made Twilight nervous to wait in the atrium alone. So it was with due diligence that the filly organized her belongings, nervously walking forward, and up to her mentor herself.

"You did very well today, Twilight, I can tell you've been paying exceptional attention," Celestia remarked when Twilight approached.

"Oh, uh, thank you Celestia! I'm tryin' my best!" she replied, eager to please tone resonating in her voice, looking up with eyes thirsty for approval. They were greeted with an affectionate, regal smile.

A young Spike would apprehensively dart out from under Celestia's desk, clumsily scrambling between the princess's legs up to Twilight. "Hey Twi!"

"Hey there Spike! How're ya doin'!"

"Really good! Look, lookit what I'm learning!" Spike nodded, holding a short, chubby finger up as he took a deep breath, tiny chest puffing up. He huffed a few times, face curled in concentration, and with a determined exhale, tiny fists curled tight. A few glimmering, green embers would flicker out of his curled lips, falling harmlessly to the floor. He didn't quite realize when to stop and continued exhaling, the breath eventually ending in a raspberry and a deep inhale.

"Ohmigosh Spike that's so cool!" Twilight almost shouted with a grin and an excited hop-in-place.

"Haha, he is quite the little fast learner," Celestia remarked, a dry undertone to her voice betraying the many, many burned linens and curtains in her study that have led to his current point of progress.

Spike took a few more deep breaths to catch it, "haa.... haa... thanks!" His tone would drop, still breathing heavy, "So, um... do you think Cadance would let ya come down here again over the weekend? She did that one time and it was really cool."

"Maybe, I dunno!" she mused with curiosity.

"Oh, okay..."

"...awww!" she giggled, closing the gap between the two of them with a quick nuzzle against her tiny friend, "don't worry Spike! I'll be back in two days at the MOST. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine I guess," Spike giggled and teased.

"Okay! Bye Miss Celestia! Bye Spike!" Twilight called out, finally taking her leave out into the hallway.

* * * * *

Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Twilight grumbled; she wandered through Ponyville, plodding along a dirt road, again searching for her young, reptilian assistant. He was insanely loyal - right up until he got a wild hare of an idea in his little head, and then all bets were off. And Twilight would be lying if someone asked and she said it wasn't at least a little maddening. He'd taken off again without telling her where he was going, and Twilight needed his help with her current project.

(Truth be told, some part of Twilight was pretty aware of the fact that she was more than capable of finishing the present assignment on her own; she'd located all the necessary books, and had even already gone to the effort of bookmarking the relevant chapters. However, every time she sat down to focus on the work before her, her mind couldn't help but wander to the whereabouts of her friend; sooo she needed Spike in the library for this assignment, she rationalized.)

She sighed, making her way into the heart of the town, pausing only to scan the horizon. It just so happened that a little bit of serendipity landed in Twilight's life, and Rainbow Dash wandered next to her as she was paused.

"Oh, hey Twilight! What's up?"

"Oh hello Rainbow! Um, not much, I'm just..." she would pause, being unable to help herself from noticing the pair of goggles proudly dangling around her friend's neck. "Wow, those are gorgeous, where... did... wait."

"No, you won't believe it, Twilight! Sp-"

"-Spike, right? Uuugh," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

Rainbow Dash blinked, then smiled, "...yeah, how did you know! Haha, I can't believe he'd give me something this sweet, all he wanted to do was -"

"Help with his plan, I'm sure."

"...yeah!"

"Well awesome, neat, do you know where he is?!" Twilight's tone was bordering on curt at this point. To be honest, the entire situation was... vexing her. It wasn't that he was so doggedly pursuing her. It wasn't the elaborate and excessive efforts he expended on his plans. Honestly? She didn't know what it was; all she knew was that she was mildly annoyed.

But her friend's tone didn't even faze Rainbow Dash. "Yeah! I was actually going to go meet up with him right now to help him, wanna tag along?"

"Really, Spike, already?" she thought aloud, "...um, yeah, thanks!"

The duo began their journey to a nearby meadow, Twilight's gait noticeably more rushed and anxious than that of her friend's. She was nervously half-running, pausing each time she became aware of the gap between her and Rainbow Dash, waiting for the mare to catch up. Her eyes would be darting about, head turning and niggling little thoughts nibbling away at her. Frankly, even to the normally-unflappable Rainbow Dash couldn't ignore Twilight's behavior at this point.

"...Dude, Twilight. What's up."

"...did you really agree to help him on his little hare-brained scheme?! Do you really think it's going to work?" Twilight would half-snap.

Rainbow Dash blinked, then chuckled a little. She was aware that she had the right to be upset at her friend's actions; but she wasn't, regardless. If anything, her anxiety was kind of cute. So Rainbow Dash laughed a disarming laugh, bumping Twilight's shoulder with a gentle hoof and offering a playful smile.

"Yeah, I totally agreed to help him," she smiled, "And no, I don't think it's gonna work at all," she punctuated her thought with a mischievous giggle, "but hey, it's worth it to me; it should be funny either way!"