Spike tried to crack open his left eye, but the swelling did its job and kept it shut. He reached his one good arm over to grab his cup of water from the bedside table and took a few sips to wash away the taste of blood from his mouth.
“Oh… this sucks so bad.”
He heard the door to his room crack open, revealing Twilight.
“Hey, Spike. How are you feeling?” she asked, approaching him. “Any better?”
Spike chuckled and motioned toward his bruised and bandaged body. “Well, I can officially move my left leg now, so that’s a plus.”
Twilight laughed and lightly nudged him with her hoof. “Well, nobody ever said being a hero was easy.”
“Yeah, yeah, I guess. But I didn’t know it’d be this painful.” He groaned slightly as he stretched to put his water back on the table. Twilight quickly intervened and set it back for him.
“Well, Spike, I have some good news, if that’s any consolation,” she said.
“Oh yeah? And what might that be?”
“You have a visitor,” she said with a smile.
“Oh dear sweet Celestia, if it’s Pinkie, ask her to save the party for next week when I’m mobile again. I’m not exactly up for visitors right now.” He frowned and sunk his head into his pillow.
“Oh, I think you’ll want to make an exception,” Twilight said with a wink before turning back to the door. “Alright, c’mon in! He’s ready.”
Spike moaned and looked up to have his eyes greeted by a familiar sight
“Vinyl?”
“I think I’ll just leave you two alone,” Twilight said with a wink as she backed out the door.
“Hey, Spike,” Vinyl said, slowly approaching him. “How are you doing?”
Spike laughed lightly. “I’ve been better.”
“Heh, I imagine,” she said. “Modem got you pretty good, huh?”
“Yeah… you know, you could’ve mentioned he was a martial arts expert before I stepped in to save the day,” Spike said. “That could’ve saved us both some trouble.”
“I tried,” she said sitting next to him on the bed. “But, I know you would’ve saved me anyway.”
Without another word, she planted a light kiss on his cheek and nuzzled him. A muffled groan escaped from his lips.
“Ah, okay, that kind of hurt. In a good way, though.”
Vinyl pulled back and chuckled. “Sorry, but I just couldn’t help myself. You know how these moments are. Anyway, thank you, Spike.”
Spike tried his best to ignore the blushing on his cheeks and play it cool, but it was to no avail. “Hehe… no problem, Vinyl. A little bodily injury was more than worth stopping that guy from hurting you like that. And I’d do it any day, any time.”
“I know you would.”
Spike gulped down a breath of air. “So, Vinyl, about the whole thing with Flitter. I promise, it wasn’t—”
Vinyl cut him off with a hoof to his mouth. “Twilight explained everything. And besides, they call it the past for a reason. What matters is right now, and what we do toward the future. You feel me?”
Spike tried to continue, but instead relaxed beneath her touch and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I feel you. Quite literally at the moment.”
“And that’s what’s important.”
Vinyl couldn’t help but to smile as she looked at him. She’d been searching a long time for the perfect stallion for her. But somehow, someway, that perfect stallion ended up being the perfect dragon instead.
She rested her head up against his. “Hey, Spike?”
Spike turned his head toward her. “Yeah, Vinyl?”
She motioned her head slightly toward him and whispered in his ear. “I love you.”
There it was. Spike could feel his heart bubble and melt into a horde of butterflies in his chest. Those words. Three simple words, yet they had never sounded better.
He had only one response.
He leaned over and shared a deep kiss with her.
“I love you, too.”