Trusted Scales

"It's.." Spike said, pausing to choose his words. His clawed hands were a blur of gestures, as if trying to whirl around his thoughts in mid-air. "How can I put this?" he said as he sat still, his hand making a gesture that looked like a fast-paced windmill. His mouth was perched open, as if to say something, but nothing would come to his mind to be said.

In the end, he simply sighed and stared Fluttershy in the face, giving off an expression of both embarrassment and amusement at his own confusion. This earned him a bit of a smile, he could see, and it reassured him to know she at least wasn't completely mortified or otherwise simply scared.

She was, however, rather nervous; this much was clear to him. Using her right wing to pick up the cup of tea in front of her, he noticed that the liquid inside of the cup danced about in an erratic fashion. It was as if she was trying to shake up whatever ingredients she had used to make the tea.

"You okay?" he decided to ask, attempting to break both the ice and the unsettling silence that had befallen the room. He gave Fluttershy a small, toothy smile, but quickly came to close his lips when he noticed her eyes darting between his mouth and what he presumed to be his fangs.

"I'm, um.." she replied, somehow coming to look even more nervous as she sunk behind her mane. "I'm fine," she finally settled upon saying, her voice barely above a mumble now. "Ho.. How are you?" she asked, looking rather interesting in her tea with how intently she stared into the cup.

"I'm good," Spike answered, now consciously aware of trying to hide his fangs. He felt something warm on his back, and turned around to find sunlight flooding into Fluttershy's kitchen. It was then that a brilliant idea dawned on him.

"It's a very nice morning," he commented, hoping that she'd take the bait. If all went well, perhaps both of them would be more comfortable. He turned around and took a sip of his now-cooled tea.

"O-Oh yes," Fluttershy agreed, her face visibly brightening at the prospect of a change in conversation. Or rather, for any conversation at all.

"Yeah. I've been cooped up in the library for so long, I'd almost forgotten how nice our mornings look," he said with a relaxed sigh, setting the trap. His thoughts briefly went back to Pinkie Pie's fondness of sunrises, and he silently thanked her for the inspiration.

"Really?" Fluttershy asked, emerging from behind her mane ever-so-slightly. Her expression changed from timidness to slight curiosity, and Spike knew his plan was coming together nicely.

"Mhm. Hadn't gotten much fresh air, either. Kind of miss it, really," Spike said, trying to keep the grin off of his face as he realized just how well he was pulling this off.

"We could - I mean if you don't mind.. We, um," Fluttershy tried to say something. After a moment, she took a deep breath and gathered herself, taking a small sip of her tea.

"We could..?" Spike asked, feigning obliviousness as best he could.

"If you want, we could go out," Fluttershy suggested calmly, but soon took on a shade of red that Spike hadn't quite planned for. "O-Outside!" she blurted out, waving her hooves in front of her in a panic. The display took Spike by surprise, and he jumped in his seat.

"That sounds nice," he said casually, dismissing her previously odd behavior. "Good idea," he said, giving her credit for the idea, and silently praising himself for being so cunning in his plan.

Sure, it was a very simple plan. But that didn't mean it couldn't take pride in it, right?

Standing up from his seat and pushing the chair in, Spike was mindful not to bump his head on the ceiling fan hanging over the table. This led to him craning his neck downwards, and earned an amused giggle from Fluttershy. The mere sound alone sent a familiar sensation of warmth through Spike's blood, and he couldn't help but cherish it.

"What?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face slowly. This only served to make Fluttershy burst into an uproarious laughter, and caused Spike to begin laughing alongside of her. The cacophony of laughter filled the kitchen and broke down whatever awkwardness there was to be left in the room.

This exchange lasted all of ten seconds, but it felt like minutes had passed between the two laughing creatures. Gathering himself, Spike gestured for Fluttershy to take the lead out of the cottage.

"Hold on," she said quickly, darting over and into a small pantry tucked away in the corner of the room. Upon emerging, she carried in her mouth a cloth wrapped around various vegetables and fruits. She looked to be weighed down by all that she had chosen, and it was her turn to crane her neck downward.

The gentledragon that he was, Spike's first reaction was to walk over and hold out his hands in assistance. She looked to Spike with an expression of gratitude, then gave it to him carefully. He effortlessly carried it in one hand, and smiled at Fluttershy.

"Thank you," she said quietly, then moved ahead of him casually and at a slow pace. Spike followed suit, matching her pace foot for hoof. A strange aura of peace overcame him, and he cast a glance down at Fluttershy. To his surprise, she was looking up at him out the corner of her eye. The expression was not of fear, but something.. Different.

For some reason he couldn't explain, Spike darted his eyes away from her gaze, and gave a nervous chuckle. The heat returned, and if he could blush he was sure that he would be doing just that. He shook his head quickly, ridding himself of the peculiar conditions, and focused on the peaceful walk.

A familiar white rabbit came bouncing along, and hopped up onto Fluttershy's back. "Oh, hello Angel Bunny," she said sweetly, greeting her most loyal pet. He gave a smile and nuzzled her as best he could, then turned to nod at Spike with an expression of disdain.

He didn't feel angry at the rabbit, and simply smiled at Angel and gave a nod in return. It didn't take long for the rabbit to settle in and close his eyes, deciding a nap was the appropriate course of action for such a nice stroll.

It didn't take long for Spike to also realize just where Fluttershy was leading him, either. She moved out along the path leading away from her cottage and took a turn onto a dirt path. He had been on this path before, and had to admit it was one of the nicest spots he had ever come across. It led up onto a hill that house three shady trees that was rather convenient for napping - or in Fluttershy's case, bird-watching.

What was truly amazing about this spot, however, was that it overlooked a massive meadow of colorful flowers and green grass. It was unattended to, and was a majorly popular spot among local residents. There were several ponies actually in the meadow now, but none that Spike or Fluttershy took special notice of.

Spike laid out the cloth with all of the food atop it, and Angel magically awoke when he noticed it. He hopped down and made his way over to the pile, picking out a delicious-looking carrot to nibble on. Satisfied with his choice, he hopped over to lean against a nearby tree and feast upon his impromptu meal.

Spike took a seat at the cloth opposite of Fluttershy who was now smiling and looking out over the meadow. He had to admire how the morning light bounced off of her, and only now noticed how nice she looked.

"Beautiful," he thought aloud, shattering the calm silence that had arrived. Fluttershy turned towards him and gave a curious, "Hmm?"

"You look rather nice today," Spike said, not one for withholding compliments. He was rewarded with confusion, and Fluttershy's face took on another shade of crimson, and she thanked him quietly.

Well, there was progress. It was slim, but there was a bit of progress. She could at least look at him without fearing him totally. She still looked pretty nervous, but Spike figured that was just Fluttershy being Fluttershy. He liked her that way, in some odd sense. It was an adorably endearing trait that he'd always liked. It could become a hassle at times, sure, but at other times it was simply nice.

Now that the air was calm and the silence had returned, Spike had ample amounts of time to gather his thoughts. He spent a long while simply sitting there, nibbling on an apple every once in a while. It came down to one final question that he had carefully picked the words for.

Just when he was about to start his discussion, Fluttershy took the words right out of his mouth. "Spike?" she asked, not turning to look him in the face.

"Yes?" was his reply. She was acting strange, and after a few moments he asked, "Something wrong?"

"N-no, that's not it. I have a.. Question," she said simply, her eyes flicking between his face and the ground below her. She had a slight blush on her face, but otherwise she seemed collected and calm.

"Go for it," the dragon encouraged her, happy with the sudden conversation. It seemed like this would be a lot easier than he thought. Who knows? Maybe Fluttershy would even get the ball rolling.

"What.. What do you, um," she asked, hesitating before completing her sentence. After a few moments, she hid behind her mane once more and mumbled, "Nevermind."

"Now come on, Fluttershy. You can ask me anything," Spike reassured her, taking on a visage of careful kindness. She took another deep breath, and Spike couldn't help but wonder if Twilight had taught her that method of calming down that she and Cadance use.

"Whadyuthkfme?" she spat out in a speed that was almost incomprehensible. Spike ran his brain overtime trying to figure out what she said, but to no avail.

"Care to run that by me again? Maybe a little.. Slower?" Spike joked in a reassuring manner. His smile dissipated when he saw she had started to form tears in the corner of her eyes. "Hey, hey.. It's alright. If you don't wanna ask you-" he began, holding out a hand in a gesture to calm her down.

"No, no," she said, closing her eyes. She held them close for a few moments, opening them only when her eyes were dry once again. She steeled her nerves visibly, tensing up on the spot. "Whatdoyouthinkofme?" she said once again, only slightly slower. A blush was beginning to overcome her, and she turned to look at the meadow again calmly.

Had he not spent so much time around Pinkie Pie, Spike probably would have had to make her ask one last time. Fortunately for him, he was used to the pink mare's tendencies to speak at an unbelievably quick pace. He registered what Fluttershy asked and thought it over.

He realized that she had stolen exactly what he wanted to say, and almost laughed at the prospect. The seriousness of her expression prevented him from doing so, but he did feel a bit amused by the notion.

"Hm," Spike said, leaning back onto his arms, "That's a tough one." He thought long and hard about just what she meant by that, and didn't really have any solid answers. At least two or three minutes passed as they sat there in silence; Spike, mulling over the question, and Fluttershy, who sat vigilantly watching the other ponies in the meadow move about.

He couldn't stay lost in thought forever, however. He'd have to answer her eventually. Steeling his own nerves, Spike prepared to deliver what he hoped was an adequate and pleasing answer.