//------------------------------//
// Chapter 42: Explanations 
// Story: Spike of All Trades 
// by Ariamaki 
//------------------------------//

He gingerly made his way to a smaller chair across the room, somewhere with a bit of distance from both Dash's seat and the hallway Scootaloo had run down.

"I think that's up to you? I shouldn't pry, probably, but at the same time that was... weird."

"Ugch, yeah, and the weirdness is definitely my fault. I mean, apart from the whole 'Scootaloo getting chucked through my window' bit. That weirdness was all you, right?"

"...Yeah. Sounds like you might have seen it coming though?"

Between Dash's lack of surprise, the anger, and the talk about 'spying', Spike had a feeling he knew how this had started, save for the details.

Rainbow Dash leaned further back into the couch with a sigh and started in with the same tired expression of somepony on a therapist's couch.

"Lil' bit. So, lemme explain this cut and dry. Scootaloo was supposed to come over and stay here after school, like usual. She was a few minutes late, and I figured I should just blast on over to ask Cheerilee what happened. Found out you had picked the girls up, swung out to the Clubhouse, and then waited for you."

"Waited? We went straight from the schoolhouse to the clubhouse! And if you only went to Cheerilee after Scootaloo was already late to get here..."

Dash just looked at him with an exasperated expression.

"No, right, the timeframe checks out because it's you. Got it."

"So anyways, you all showed up, and I kept an eye on things!"

"Without telling us?"

"Yeah, that's the tough bit. So Scootaloo probably told you already, but I've been training her in a lot of traditional pegasus stuff: Speed, maneuvering, weather control, stealth and um, the E word. I can never say it right."

"Earnestness? Eagerness. Effacement. No wait, the context was stealth, so... Espionage?"

"That one! Never took Prench, but I always remember the word because it shows up on a lot of manuals. Anyways, I've been teaching her a lot of stuff, and she takes to it pretty well, but I like to test her in our downtime. Sort of a game between the two of us, right?"

"So you were spying on her, and only incidentally spying on the rest of us."

"Yeah! Which, uh, doesn't sound any better."

"Nope."

"Still! This one has been pretty regular the last few months: We keep tabs on each other and try not to get noticed. And it's good training! She's getting way better, and getting better fast, but..."

"But you're a grown mare with some Wonderbolts training and probably more years of experience than she has years of life."

"...Yeah. And frankly? I'm also still me. So I gloat about winning, without thinking about how that looks, and it's not easy to apologize for that even if I remember in the moment. Reflexes, right?"

Spike thought back to Twilight's little 'Clock. Is. TICKING.' moment a few years ago, plus his own 
incidents, and just nodded in response. He knew all about regretting reflexes and instincts.

"Right. So I knew all about your new... gamer-thing. Gratz, by the way! Seems legit. Once this all blows over we can mess around, could be cool. Maybe you can try catching lightning!"

"Sure thing. But I don't think this is just going to blow over."

Dash rubbed her face into the couch with a groan of frustration.
"I know! But... Geez, it's not easy trying to teach her. I love it, and she learns a lot, but most of the time I feel like I'm the one making more mistakes. And it feels ten times worse when I make a mistake around her. Like, at least when I mess up a trick or something alone in the woods, I'm not being a bad influence or letting down my... biggest fan."

"Dunno what you want me to say Dash: I'm just a kid too. Basically her age, give or take."

"Sure, but you're... not Twilight's kid, obviously. Is there a word for-"

"No. Although we do sometimes try to invent one!"

"See, it's stuff like that! You spend a ton of time around Twilight and Celestia and other... smart, problem-solvey-ponies. I don't like admitting it, but I'm just not that. Right now I've got a sulking filly down the hall, and I've also got you here. Asking you for help is better than trying to fix it myself, and faster too."

He wanted to make a joke about speed, but it probably wouldn't be right in the circumstances. Moreso than even the rest of today, his head was buzzing with the information he'd gotten from this. And it wasn't all about the problem between Scootaloo and Dash. That was a lot of it for sure, but... He hadn't noticed anything. Dash had been at the clubhouse, watching them, and neither the Crusaders nor Spike himself had picked up on it. Ever since this morning Spike had been elated and excited about his new abilities, but now it was clearer than ever: They weren't a free pass.

On top of that was the actual problem (his own concerns about shortcomings and awareness could wait), the tension between two of his friends. He hadn't even noticed a single sign of Scootaloo being frustrated with Dash before today, but clearly that whole explosion hadn't just been from one incident. It had been a tipping point after what was presumably weeks or months. He couldn't ask Twilight what to do, but he had some idea how she'd treat it, or how he would...

"I may not be Twilight, but I'll tell you what I think: It's not going to be enough to just say you're sorry. I mean, still do say that, but first you've got to figure out why this happened, how Scootaloo feels about it, and what to do moving forward. This is a straight-up friendship problem, and you know how those are: even once you apologize, if it's not sincere and if the root causes don't change? Nothing will be fixed."

For a while, Dash didn't respond. She sat silently and mulled over what he said, leaving Spike to stand there feeling awkward. He never knew what to do in moments like this, the bit between giving somepony a suggestion and hearing their response. Eventually she stood, nodded, and turned towards the other room. She didn't leave though, instead turning to Spike and gesturing for him to come over. When he did, she pointed down the hall.

"You're one hundred percent right dude. So... you talk to her first, say goodbye for today, and it would be totally cool of you if you softened things up for me... And then I'll deal with this like an adult. Or like an adult that isn't me, anyways."

"Sure thing, Dash: And don't be too hard on yourself. We've all got our gaps, right?"

The kind-of guest room (Scootaloo spent enough time here that Dash had apparently just converted it permanently into a home-away-from-home for the filly) down the hall was firmly shut up, but with the Cloudwalking spell on him, Spike could knock on the pillowy door and even get a decent sound out of it.
"What?"

"...It's me, Scoots. I'm going to head out and let you two handle things: I talked to her about the whole situation, and... I dunno what to say to you about it. But I am sorry it happened."

The door opened a crack and the orange pegasus leaned out just a bit, her face turned away in a fruitless attempt to keep him from seeing how much she had been crying. Even if he hadn't seen her eyes in the brief second she was looking at him, her voice was strained and soft.
"thanks."

"Is this all going to be OK?"

"mmh. Yeah. You talked to her?"

"Yeah, and I'm going to talk a bit more, once I go to leave: Gotta hammer home how much of a problem this is. Did you have any clue it was happening?"

She sighed, but it seemed to put her back into a more stable state of mind.
"Didn't even cross my mind today... I got complacent, is what she'd say."

"Yeah, well... screw her, ya know?"

Scootaloo giggled at that, before lowering her voice even further than before.
"I mean, I could, but I can't tell if that'd be a good idea right now, or a terrible one."

"I was being metaphorical you silly pony. I mean, you-do-you-"

"Or I-do-her?"

While the Gamer's Mind kept him from doing a double-take at the continued only-maybe joke (which was a bit far even for Scootaloo), he still tried to shove the mental image aside, mostly failing.
"What I mean is, don't take it too seriously, and don't be afraid to take her to task for this whole thing. But also try to understand why she did it, right?"

"Right."

There was a moment of quiet as she mulled over his words, but eventually he heard her through the door again: Not deflecting with a joke or sounding nearly as mad as before, but more like the old Scootaloo.
"Thanks man: See you in a few days, alright? Maybe we can jump our training up a step to make up for you losing the quest boost?"

"Any time."

Spike turned and made his way back to the living room, ready to get on Dash's case one last time before he left... but it was clear from her face that she had probably heard him... or both of them. She looked wistful and disappointed with herself, but there was still a core of steely determination under that: This was going to turn out alright.

"...Figured out what you're going to say to her?"

"I'm thinking start with an apology, end with an apology, pepper a few throughout, and... I dunno. I've been thinking about how cocky I can get for a while anyway, so maybe dropping it down a peg or two in general is better for everypony. Think explaining that will work?"

"I think as long as you're still you afterwards, she'll accept it."

Dash's smile was small, but earnest, and she walked over and gave him a brief hug.
"Thanks again, Spike: You really are pretty awesome at this sort of thing."

"Oh yeah?"

Dash (of all ponies) could recognize somepony fishing for compliments, but she just kept grinning.
"Yup: Twilight definitely raised you right. Half the time I'd rather ask you for advice than her!"

That made sense, coming from Rainbow Dash. While Twilight knew a lot more than he did, and she had more experience solving these sorts of problems hooves-on, Spike... Usually he favored fast, direct solutions with clear explanations. Celestia (and by extension Twilight) liked to see ponies learn how to solve a problem themselves, with a little nudge along the way. It turned out that Spike would rather just guide them through it himself and hope they internalized the lesson afterwards.

He didn't say anything further, and Dash ruffled his spines with her hoof before letting him go. It was a nice gesture, and it sent a shock down his back... Not from the contact, but from his power.


You've obtained the title [Number One Assistant]!

[Number One Assistant]
To assist is not just to add to the effort of others, it is to multiply. You have proven that you are capable of the attention, courtesy, thoughtfulness, and skill required to be worthy of this title. Continue on this path, and remember: The best way to help someone is to help them improve.

You gain a special sense of what others need to achieve their goals.
All benefits of your aid and assistance are increased significantly.
Warning: Simple acts of kindness can have far-reaching repercussions.
 
 
Spike didn't say anything about it to Rainbow Dash, but inside of him there was a swell of pride and glee. He wanted to help his friends whenever he could, and having it confirmed by things like the Balanced Soul, and now this? If nothing else, The Gamer had been a confidence booster for him. It was also his first Title, and a very well-fitting one... Diving through his menus quickly with a series of subvocal commands, he found that it replaced his 'default' automatically, and was already in effect. And speaking of titles, he looked over at Dash and realized that whatever her title had been when he looked up from the ground, he'd have to find out about it later: Hers was clearly new.


[Penitent Pegasus]
Rainbow Dash
LV 28