//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Dash and Burn 
// by TheMessenger 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight tried to ignore the thumps across from her as she finished her coffee. She peeked out from her newspaper and watched as Spike's tail whipped back and forth like a pendulum. She felt his intense stare and didn't have to look up to know Spike's features were molded with impatience. Every so often, he would nervously run his thin serpentine tongue over his lips or bend down and flick his tongue at the puddle of syrup on his plate.

Twilight sighed. "Do you want more pancakes, Spike?"

"Huh?" Spike raised his head. "Oh, uh, no, I'm good. I'm just, you know, waiting."

"Hmm." Twilight folded her paper and set it aside. The empty plates and cups and used utensils on the table were suddenly lifted, held by a cloud of violet magic, as the alicorn got out of her seat. "Alright, let me clean these first, and then we can get started."

Spike followed Twilight out of the dining room. "Can I help?" he asked, reaching for the floating plates. 

"Really?" Twilight regarded her assistant with a lifted eyebrow. "You were complaining about having to the dishes all the time just last week."

"Yeah, well, it's not so bad if we do them together," Spike said, wringing his claws. "I just figured the sooner we finished cleaning up the sooner we'd start practicing."

"Unless you end up flooding the kitchen with soap again."

"Aw come on, Twilight, how was I supposed to know that potion would've done that?" Spike protested.

"Maybe if you bothered reading the instructions," Twilight shot back with a smirk. "Come on, I'll lather, you rinse."

The two shared a smile before walking into the kitchen. They made their way to the sink and set the dirty dishes in. "Did you send my letter to Princess Celestia yet?" Twilight asked as she pulled out a sponge and soap from beneath the sink while Spike soaked the plates and utensils. 

"Not yet, you gave it to me pretty late last night. I figured I'd better send it when we know the princess is awake."

Twilight pursed her lips as she began to scrub the dish ware. "Alright, but we should send it sooner instead of later. Princess Celestia'll want to hear my answer soon."

"So you're really going to do it?" Spike asked, looking to the alicorn at his side. "Have you told our friends yet?"

"Not yet," Twilight answered with a shake of her head. "Haven't had the chance.

"But you are telling them, right? You're not going to just leave without explaining anything to them, are you?"

Twilight draped a wing over Spike's shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll tell everypony soon." Smiling, she flicked her feathers against the back of Spike's head, nearly knocking him off balance. "Hey, don't get all mopey already. We've got months before I leave."

"I'm not being mopey," Spike said stubbornly. He took the sudsy plate Twilight gave him and held it under the running faucet. "Why would I be mopey? I mean, yeah, I guess I'll be upset about not being able to see our friends for a while but, well--" Spike turned away. "Can we talk about this later?"

"If that's what you want," Twilight said, turning away as well. The two breezed through the rest of the chore in silence, and after placing the dishes on a rack to dry and wiping their hooves and claws, the princess and her assistant made their way through the castle, toward the entrance. Noisy flaps echoed along the crystal walls as Spike spread and folded his wings, keeping them stretched. 

Their friends were outside waiting for them, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, with the chalkboard propped up between them. "Told you they'd show up soon," Applejack said to Rainbow, who folded her forelegs over her chest. 

"Whatever, it's about time." Rainbow Dash turned to the approaching dragon. "So, ready to show me what you can do?"

"Wait, are you going to help me learn to fly?" Spike asked, his features brightening. He slumped down when Rainbow started to laugh.

"Nah, just here to watch." She pointed to the white numbers on the black board. "What, you thought I was going to help win this little game you set up against me, that I'd help you beat me? Forget it!"

Spike stood there blinking for a moment. Suddenly, he threw his head back and snorted. "Please, as if anyone could break your crash record. There's no way I'll even come close to that number."

The mares around Rainbow released oohs and gasps. She ignored them as she grinned. "Tell you what, big guy, keep that number of yours below mine, and I'll get you a ruby. Break my record, and you have to do whatever I tell you for a week."

"Two rubies and you have to dig them out yourself while I watch," Spike offered. "And I get any other gem you find."

"Fair enough." Rainbow extended a hoof. Spike grabbed hold of it, and as the two shook, their glares met. It was only after Twilight called him over did Spike turn away, giving Rainbow Dash the opportunity to massage her hoof.

"Geez, big guy's got a heck of a grip," she muttered, shaking the limb. 

"Honestly, Rainbow, making such a bet with a friend," Rarity said disapprovingly.

"What, don't think your Spikey-Wikey can win?" Rainbow Dash chuckled before playfully nudging the unicorn. "It's all in good fun, and who knows, maybe it'll motivate him or something."

"Don' sound so bad, me an' Big Mac do this all the time. I'm sure we can trust Rainbow to show some restraint." Applejack's eyes narrowed as she glared at the pegasus. "Right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I won't make his life too miserable," Rainbow assured, waving her hoof lazily. 

As the five mares talked amongst themselves, Twilight Sparkle was having her own discussion with Spike. The dragon shrunk under her glare and cringed, preparing himself for a scolding or, worse, a lecture.

"What have I always said about making bets?"

"Rainbow started it," Spike said weakly, rubbing his elbow awkwardly. 

"And you let her provoke you?" Twilight groaned and pressed her hooves against her forehead. "I thought you were smarter than this, Spike."

"Sorry."

"Do you want me to talk to her? Maybe I can convince her to call it off."

Spike shook his head. "That's okay. Don't worry, I've got this."

Twilight stared at her assistant for a moment before shaking her head and sighing. "If you say so," she conceded. "Did you stretch yet?"

Spike spread his wings and leaned forward. "Yeah."

"Not just your wings. Remember, you're using your tail to steer."

Spike's tail whipped side to side eagerly. "I'm ready, let's do this."

"Alright. Just remember, we can take a break whenever we need. There's no pressure, so go at a pace you feel comfortable, and--"

"Twiiiilight."

"Okay, okay." Twilight bit her lip. "Just, please be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, I know," Spike huffed as he clawed at the ground impatiently. "Can we go?"

"Fine, follow me." Twilight flapped her wings and took to the air. Spike tested his own, then ran off after his friend, keeping his wings spread wide. As he picked up speed, Spike pulled his limbs closer to his body, away from the ground. His heart beat wildly as he glided over the grass. Taking a deep breath, he began to flap, hoping to rise to where Twilight was.

Everypony winced as Spike fell back to earth, skidding through the grass until he came to a stop. Pinkie Pie picked up a piece of chalk and quickly drew a tally mark as Rarity coaxed Fluttershy into opening her eyes. Spike picked himself up and dusted himself before spreading his wings again and running off. Once again, he rose slightly above the ground, and again, Spike's wings began to beat frantically. Slowly, the dragon's altitude rose. He suddenly started to shake violently, forcing Rarity and Fluttershy to gasp and turn away. 

Twilight descended to his level, shouting encouragements. Spike's wings flapped harder and faster. For a moment it seemed that Spike had regained his balance, only for him to drop out of the sky like a stone. Twilight's horn alighted, blanketing Spike with a light purple glow. Her magic slowed his descent, but the thud his body made against the earth sent shivers down everypony's back.

Once more, Spike ran through the grass until he started to glide. He hadn't gotten very high before he crashed into the dirt again, and then again. Twilight landed beside the dragon, making sure he was unhurt. 

Spike shook his head and forced himself up. Rolling his shoulders, he tried again, this time managing to hover besides Twilight for a few moments before collapsing. "I'm fine," he insisted when Twilight approached. "I'm just a-a little winded, that's all. Just, give me a second." He took another deep breath and tried again. 

"Well, you two can open your eyes," Applejack said, patting Rarity and Fluttershy. "He's finally in the sky. Huh, today must be an off day."

"Maybe he's nervous about the bet?" Fluttershy suggested. "I know I would be."

"Geez, now I feel kind of bad about it."

"So you'll call the wager off?" Rarity asked.

"Of course not," Rainbow Dash said. "If he asks me to, yeah, but calling the challenge off like this would just be insulting. If he thinks he's got a chance, I've got to give it to him. But yeah," she continued, grimacing, "this is painful to watch."

"Ooh, just wait until he tries to land." Pinkie Pie shivered. "It hurts my everything just thinking about it."

As he flew besides Twilight, Spike grew steadier. The mares below laid back in the grass or on the picnic blanket Rarity had conjured to watch the two purple figures dart about in the sky. Interest eventually waned, and the ponies' attention were drawn elsewhere; funny shaped clouds were pointed out, and the latest gossip was spread. Rainbow Dash's focus remained on the flyers above as she barely registered Pinkie Pie's latest babysitting escapade. It wasn't until the silence became oppressive that she realized that everypony was waiting on her.

"Uh, sorry, what's up?" she asked, forcing back a blush.

Applejack rolled her eyes. "We were jus' askin' you 'bout your tour with the Wonderbolts. From your letters, sounds like you've had one heck of a month."

"Huh? Oh, right, the Wonderbolts, yeah, they were great. The tour was great, can't wait for the next rotation."

The other four mares looked to each other. "Is that it?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow sighed and rolled onto her side. "Yeah. It's just, kind of hard to explain. I mean, the tour was fun and everything, but it all felt empty after I was done. It's like, I just had the time of my life, but now I've got to wait almost an entire year before I get to do it again."

"Oh, but I'm sure that'll change once you leave the reserves and become a Wonderbolt full time," Fluttershy said. "Then you'll be on tour much more often."

"Yeah, I guess." Rainbow Dash turned and looked to the sun. "Geez, how long have we been out here? What time is it?"

"Oh, some time around lunch. Speaking of which..." Pinkie Pie lifted the blackboard and removed a basket from underneath. "Who wants cupcakes? I've got chocolate, lemon, vanilla, sapphire, carrot, red velvet..."

"Don't you have any, I don't know, lunch foods in there?" Rainbow Dash asked. 

"Why?" Pinkie's bottom lip began to quiver. "Don't you like cupcakes anymore?"

"Of course I do! I'm just in the mood for a sandwich," Rainbow admitted.

"Oh, well, I've got plenty of those too!" Pinkie stuck her head in the basket. "There's peanut butter and jam, cream cheese and tomato, peppers and mushrooms, three cheese grill, mustard and zucchini--"

"Shouldn't we wait for Twilight and Spike?" Fluttershy said. "What if they got upset with us if we started lunch without them?"

"Aww, but we're starving," Pinkie Pie moaned, rocking with the basket cradle between her forelegs. 

"Then just call them down," said Rainbow. "They've been up there for, like, hours, I'm sure they're just as hungry as the rest of us."

Applejack shook her head. "Bad idea, remember what happened the other day? Or are you tryin' to make him crash?"

"Hey, I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a cheat."

"Runningoftheleaves," Applejack coughed.

"Gesundheit," Rainbow Dash responded. "But seriously, if Spike wants to learn to fly, he's got to learn how to handle distractions. If he can't keep his focus while in the air, he'll just be a giant dragon-size problem for everypony else."

"Rainbow Dash, that was unnecessarily harsh," Rarity reprimanded sternly. 

"I'm just saying how it is," Rainbow asserted. "Flying isn't some kind of game. If you're not paying attention, you could easily hurt yourself or the ponies around you. You can't let something as small as a dinner call break your concentration."

"Rainbow Dash is right, but Spike's still learning," defended Fluttershy. "Baby steps, he'll get there with practice."

"Well there's a time for practice and a time for lunch, and now is the time for lunch!" Pinkie wailed. As if on cue, Spike began to wobble in the air. He stretched out his arms and legs, trying to keep balanced. Twilight hovered beside him.

"I think Pinkie Pie's right," the alicorn said. "Ready for a break."

"M-maybe later," Spike wheezed between pants. "I'm not hungry." 

Spike's stomach growled lowly as if in protest. "Well, at least your belly's honest," Twilight joked. "Come on, we can practice some more after lunch. Knowing Pinkie Pie, she's probably got some gems in that basket just for you."

"Well--" 

The dragon's stomach released another might roar. Spike frowned at the treasonous body part as Twilight giggled. "Alright, but I want to start practicing right after we eat."

"No, you wait thirty minutes after eating or you'll get cramps like last time."

Spike hesitated for a few seconds before grumbling, "Fine." He slowly followed Twilight as she descended. Carefully, he attempted to mimic the alicorn's motions, keeping his wings at an angle. He tried not to wince as the wind blew past his wings. Then, as the two approached earth, Spike extended his limbs toward the ground. His wings beat steadily, slowing him down.

The knuckles of his front claws brush against the ground, and he pitched over, burying his face in sand before flipping over onto his back. "Ugh," he groaned as he felt six shadows fall over him.

"Well, least you landed where you wanted this time," he heard Applejack say. 

"Yep," piped in Pinkie, "and you didn't even crash into Twilight! Or your castle!"

"Yay," Spike muttered as he rolled himself upright.

"Or anypony else's roof or gardens or flower stands or little old mares trying to cross the street. Hmm," the pink earth pony hummed, "maybe practicing so close to town isn't such a great idea."

"How many?"

"What was that, darling?" Rarity asked as she, Twilight, and Applejack helped Spike stand.

"How many times did I crash?"

The mares shared a look before Pinkie Pie spun the chalkboard so that the side with writing faced him. Spike groaned at the sight of the multitude of white tally marks. 

Rainbow Dash walked over and struck the dragon's shoulder. "You know, it's not too late, you can still back out," she teased. Spike answered with a glare and rose to his full height so that he stood a smidgen taller. That smidgen was enough to wipe away Rainbow's grin and fill her with annoyance.

"You kidding? I'd have to crash that often every day for a month before I'd reach that number." Spike jabbed a finger at the number within the white box.

"Spike, your math's wrong," Twilight whispered. "If you crashed that often at a constant rate, it'd only take you--"

"So you're not going to call it quits?" Rainbow asked. "You can still back out, you know."

Now Spike began to smirk. "What, are you afraid of losing?"

Everypony watched nervously as they watched the two leered at each other. Suddenly, Rainbow smiled. "You're flapping too hard."

Spike blinked, his challenging stare replaced with a look of confusion. "I-what?"

"Your wings, you're flapping them too hard," Rainbow Dash said, gesturing to her own. "Too fast and too short. You want longer wing beats with more power behind them. You're not going to make up for weaker beats by having more of them, that'll just tire you out, got it?"

"Y-yeah." Spike nodded. "Uh, thanks."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Rainbow said, giving his shoulder another playful punch. "You're still going to lose though, but good luck trying. Now come on, let's eat."