Heart Burns

by TheMessenger

1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon

Chapter 7

Twilight Sparkle awoke to the sound of knocking, of heavy thuds of a hoof banging against crystal. The princess tried to ignore the knocking that echoed through her bedroom and bounced around her ears. She threw her pillow over her head and held it down to the point of smothering. She squeezed her eyes shut, reaching desperately for the dream she was swiftly forgetting. The princess tossed and turned, covering one ear with the bed and the other with her pillow.

The noise was muffled, but her makeshift earmuffs did nothing to quiet the raucous debate between her conscious and her exhausted body.

Responsibilities, her conscious had argued in her ear, first gently whispered, then screamed. What if one of her friends was at the door because they needed her help, her conscious guilted. She was a good friend, wasn't she? What would ponies say if they knew the Princess of Friendship failed to help a friend, neglected to care for her subjects, because she refused to rise from beneath her comforter?

Sleep, her tired body countered sluggishly, and Twilight had to admit her body made a good point. Slowly, however, that argument lost ground as Twilight felt sleep slip away from her with every resounding knock, as if the noise had frightened it away.

"Someone gonna get that?" Spike mumbled, curling more tightly in his basket, barely audible over the pounding. The knocks were growing louder and more frequent. With a defeated sigh, Twilight slowly lifted an eyelid and peeked at the clock on her nightstand. The time incited a loud groan, but it was already too late; her eyes were open, and she was awake.

"Seriously, who could be at the door so earlier?" Twilight muttered as she peeled away the covers and pushed herself up. She rubbed her eyes, stretched, then walked to the window of her room and slid aside the curtain. "I don't think the sun's even up y--"

Twilight blinked, then rubbed her eyes once more before continuing her stare at the blue pegasus tapping furiously in front of her. "Spike? Spike!"

The dragon fell out of his basket, startled out of his slumber by Twilight's scream. "Foowhatsit?" he groaned as he struggled onto his feet. He glanced toward the clock and frowned. "Twilight, do you know what time--"

The rest of Spike's sentence was cut off by his yelp of surprise as Twilight grabbed him with her magic and pulled him to her side. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" the princess asked.

Spike blinked, then rubbed his eyes. "Uh, are you seeing Rainbow Dash trying to break our window?"

The knocking grew louder. "Yes," Twilight answered. "I don't suppose you know why she's here so early."

"No idea," said Spike with a yawn. "I thought she always slept in."

"Not if there's something important," Twilight said, frowning.

Spike shuffled back to his bed and snuggled back in. "Better let her in and see what she wants then," he said, covering himself with his quilt. "I'm going back to sleep, have fun."

Twilight rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to scold her scaly assistant, only to be interrupted by a successive series of angry hoof stomps against the crystal pane in front of her. Twilight poked and prodded at the thick glass panel, searching for a latch or something similar under Rainbow Dash's impatient glare. At last, the window slid open, and Rainbow dove into the room, cushioning her landing with Twilight's bed.

"It's about time," Rainbow grumbled as she tossed aside pillows and the blanket. "I spent, like, an hour trying to get your attention."

Twilight crossed her forelegs over chest and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Have you counted how many window's this place has?" Rainbow asked. She jabbed a hoof shaking in exasperation at the walls. "And being made out of crystal definitely didn't make anything easier. Finding your room was a shot in the dark."

"And you couldn't just use the front door?" asked Twilight.

"Tried," Rainbow answered, "but no one let me in. Guess no one heard me, castle's a pretty big place after all."

"Oh." Twilight bit her lip. "That's a problem, I'll have to figure something out, like a spell that let's me know when somepony's at the door or maybe a herald or--" The alicorn brought her hoof to her mouth as she stifled a yawn. "Sorry, it's still a little early," she said, shaking her an in an effort to stimulate herself. "Especially for you, Rainbow. What's wrong? Is there the emergency?"

"Emergency?" Rainbow Dash repeated. She frowned and slowly approached the bundle of blankets within the basket at the foot of Twilight's bed. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just here for training."

"Training?" Twilight said. "Well, I suppose I could use a little exercise, but I've got plans for today so let's not go overboard like last time."

"Not flight training." Rainbow's eyes darted around the room before she lowered the voice and whispered, "For, you know, baking. I thought I told Spike I'd be over early tomorrow. He didn't tell you?"

"He..." Twilight began, then rubbed the back of her head. "...might have said something last night while he was telling me about his day, but I didn't think he meant early early. You could have given us an actual time."

"Well I'm here now, come on Spike." Rainbow Dash poked at the blankets. "We're burning daylight--"

"Technically, since the sun isn't up yet, there isn't any sunlight to burn."

"--wasting time here," Rainbow amended, glaring at the sheepish alicorn. "Come on Spike, I got up this morning for a reason, let's get to work."

Spike replied with an incomprehensible grumble and pulled the covers more tightly around him. "We should let him be," Twilight said. She lowered her head and gently nuzzled the quilt-covered dragon. "Baby dragons need their sleep," she added sternly just as Rainbow opened her mouth in protest.

"R-right, sorry," Rainbow apologized. "Geez, I keep forgetting Spike's just a...well, maybe calling him a kid isn't fair. He doesn't act like one very much."

Twilight giggled. "Sometimes, yeah, but at others?" The princess shook her head. "Give him a few more hours."

"A few more hours?" Rainbow Dash groaned. "What am I supposed to do until then?"

"Maybe you could get a head start in the kitchen, maybe get some practice in?" Twilight suggested. "Spike'll probably wake up sooner if he smells pancakes. Or smoke," Twilight added with a smirk.

"Hey, it's your kitchen," said Rainbow, throwing up her front hooves. "No skin off my back if I burn it down."

The two mares shared a laugh as they exited the bedroom, leaving behind the snoring dragon bundled tightly in his basket. "So, how were they?" Rainbow asked after they were a good distance away. "The, you know, the pancakes last night. Not too bad, right?"

"Not too bad," Twilight echoed as they made their way down the stairs. She turned and watched Rainbow's confident grin falter. "Yeah, they were pretty good, considering that was your first time."

"Heh, well, what can I say?" Rainbow said, tossing her short colorful bangs with a collected flick of her hoof. "I'm just a natural. Bet Spike's first time didn't go down as smoothly."

"Well, no, but he was four and didn't have anyone guiding him, so that's hardly a fair comparison."

"Wait, really?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, surprised. "He started cooking that young?"

"That was his first time trying anyways," Twilight said. "It didn't end well, but, well..." She shook her head. "Actually, it's kind of a private thing, maybe I shouldn't tell."

"Aw, come on, Twilight," Rainbow groaned. "Now you've got me curious, what happened?"

"Ask Spike, he should be the one to tell it," Twilight said, shaking her head again. "But anyways, I think calling yourself a natural might be going a little far. I don't think a natural would have had so much trouble cracking eggs. You must have spent my entire weekly budget on eggs yesterday, really should have let Spike handle that."

Rainbow Dash winced. "I'll pay you back when this whole thing's over."

"That's alright, I'm happy to help, even if all I can do is provide supplies," Twilight said, pushing open the kitchen door. "But can I ask you a question?"

"A question?" Rainbow shrugged. "Sure, about what?"

"Just..." Twilight waved her hoof indecisively. "It's just, Spike told me how yesterday went--"

"Oh, that can't be good," said Rainbow, crossing her forelegs over her front as she leaned against the counter.

"Calm down, he didn't say anything bad. I just thought your enthusiasm was interesting, surprising even."

"Hey, you know me, I give everything I do one hundred and one percent," Rainbow Dash declared with a grin. She rubbed her hoof against her chest.

"Except for studying," Twilight countered. "And your job as weather manager half of the time."

"Yeah, well, I make up more than enough for it in the other half," Rainbow snorted. "What, you didn't think I'd take baking seriously?"

"No," Twilight answered bluntly, "not really. Well, not as seriously as Spike's been making you seem like."

Rainbow Dash's smile vanished. "What'd he say?"

"From what he told me, it's been a little like that one Applebucking Season Big McIntosh couldn't work, and Applejack tried to do everything herself, only if Applejack started shouting at little dragons for offering help instead of being sleep deprived."

Rainbow ducked her head. "Sorry," she said. "I'll try to cut down on the shouting."

"Spike'll appreciate that. But anyways, I just thought it was a little strange how much you were against receiving help." Twilight walked past Rainbow, toward the refrigerator. "At first I thought you were just being stubborn, that it was a matter of pride or something similar, but then I remembered that you already accepted Spike's assistance as a tutor." The alicorn returned to Rainbow Dash's side by the countertop with butter, milk, and eggs. "Why was cracking eggs for you any different?"

"It...it's just something I had to myself," Rainbow said, raising her head.

"Something you had to do by yourself?"

"Yeah. I told Soarin' I'd make him a pie," answered Rainbow Dash with a sharp nod. "Not Spike or Applejack or Pinkie Pie; me, a pie from Rainbow Dash. That mean I've got to be able to do everything, the mixing, the eggs, the butter melting, the baking, everything."

"So it's a pride thing?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Exactly, like how it had to be you saving the Crystal Empire, a pride thing."

"Hey, that was a test, not some 'pride thing', it's completely different!" snapped Twilight, her wings shooting open and ruffling her feathers. Rainbow bit back a laugh as she watched the grumbling alicorn pull and push her feathers back into place.

"Whatever you say," she snickered.

Twilight humphed as she folder her wings back against her side. "Still, all the effort, even if it's just to save face...I've only seen you work so hard during flight training. The stallion's in the Wonderbolts, right?" Twilight narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not trying to bribe Soarin' with pie," Rainbow assured. "I'm already in the reserves, it'd be easier flying my way into the Wonderbolts than learning how to bake."

"I guess." Twilight's expression softened, and she giggled. "Yeah, you're right. Guess you must really like this stallion, huh?"

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash's eyes flew wide. "N-no, it's not like that!" she attested, emphasizing with her forelegs. A bright glow painted her face pink. "I think he's a cool guy and a great flyer and everything, but it's not like that. Seriously, it's not like that, stopping thinking about--"

"Rainbow Dash, be careful!" Twilight shouted, lowering her horn just as Rainbow's wild hoof brushed all the gathered ingredients off the counter. The butter and the plate it had sat on hovered separately in the air, caught in the princess's magic. A wave of milk that had been rushing out of the jug froze in place, still touching the levitated container's lip. Four eggs floated below the carton they had tumbled out, one barely an inch away from splattering against the kitchen floor. Taking a deep breath, Twilight set the ingredients back on the countertop, placing the butter back on the plate and refilling the milk jug as she replaced the eggs into their carton.

"Heh, sorry," Rainbow Dash apologized, turning red.

"I'm beginning to understand how the kitchen got as dirty as Spike told me," Twilight said with a sigh.

"Well, at least we cleaned everything up in the end," Rainbow said before shrugging. She leaned forward and stretched, then moved along the cabinets, opening the drawers. "Now, where's that cookbook?" she muttered as she reached inside the cupboards and pantries. Grunting, she pulled the large book out and propped it up against an empty fruit basket.

"What page is the recipe on?" Twilight asked, looking over the pegasus's shoulder. She pulled the book closer with her magic and opened it near the middle. A pink lacy cloth fell out. Before Twilight could speak, Rainbow Dash swooped by, grabbed the apron, and tossed it into the cupboards, slamming them shut.

"What?" Rainbow said, meeting Twilight's blank stare. "It's not like I actually need that girly thing. I bet Spike just makes me wear it to tease me."

"Well, I need it," Twilight said, opening the cupboard doors and levitating the apron out. "I can't afford to spend two hours washing flour out of my coat, I've got too much to do." As she spoke, the strings looped together around her neck on their own, pulling the pink cloth tightly over her front. "Alright, how can I help?"

"Just grab me what I need, and I'll do the rest." Rainbow leaned over the recipe book, flipping through pages. "Uh, okay, we need a mixing bowl, and butter, and an egg...no, was it two?"

The kitchen came to life with noise as Rainbow mumbled and searched through the cook book while Twilight gathered utensils and ingredients, only for Rainbow Dash to send them back.

*

Spike smacked his lips together, running his serpentine tongue along the dry walls of his mouth. His eyes squeezed together tightly, and he pulled the blanket over him closer. Slowly, however, Spike's eye lids lifted, revealing the green orbs hidden behind. With a sigh, Spike threw off his comforter. "Guess it's time to get up," he murmured to himself as he pushed himself up and crawled out of his basket.

Locking his claws together, the dragon reached up and stretched, then started walking out the bedroom. As Spike entered the hallway, he began to count the doors along the wall across. "Bedroom, bedroom..." he muttered as his pointer finger bounced between each door. When his finger landed on the door directly in front of him, he hesitated. Frowning, Spike approached and grabbed the door handle. He pulled the door open and sighed. "Bedroom," he grumbled before moving to the next room over.

The porcelain sink with silver tap and faucet met him on the other side of the door, along with a wet shower mat, a couple of puddles, and an occupied bathtub. Through a sea of bubbles, Rainbow Dash stared at the gaping dragon standing at the doorway. A bright pink flush painted his scales as Spike shuffled out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

The door opened minutes later, and out stepped Rainbow Dash with a towel draped over her back. Spike slowly climbed up onto his feet as she approached. "So, uh, bathroom's free," she said, tilting her head and rubbing the back of her neck. "You, um, didn't see anything, did you?"

"I saw everything," Spike said, crossing her arms together. "The bubbles, the rubber ducky, everything."

"Ponyfeathers," Rainbow groaned. "Look, keep it to yourself, alright? Nopony needs to know that Rainbow Dash likes bubble baths."

"First cooking and now bubble baths, what's with you and trying to hate the things I like?" Spike asked. "Whatever, just let me through, I really need to..." He gestured to the toilet behind Rainbow. "...you know."

"What? Take a leak? Go number one? Water the flowers? Make the bladder gladder? Tinkle?" Rainbow snickered. "Sorry, go ahead," she said, stepping out of Spike's way. "There's breakfast in the kitchen, so meet me there when you're done!" she called out as Spike slammed the door shut.

Tossing the towel onto the floor, Rainbow Dash made her way back to the kitchen. "Oh, hi," Twilight greeted, setting down the pen she was using. "That was quick, you sure you got all that flour out?" She lifted a cup of orange juice to lips

"Eh, probably," Rainbow said with a shrug. "More or less. Spike walked in on me so I kind of cut the wash short. Whoa!" Rainbow Dash leaped back as juice sputtered out of Twilight's mouth. "Geez, I just took a bath, careful!"

"Spike walked in on you?" Twilight exclaimed, her eyes wide, threatening to bulge out. "As in, while you were bathing?"

"Yeah. What's the big deal?" Rainbow asked. She walked to the counter and reached for the plate of pancakes sitting on it. "Heck, you bring him to those spa sessions, their hot tub isn't much different from a bathtub," she said with her mouth full of food.

"That's different," Twilight protested. "It, bathing is supposed to be a private thing, and Spike's getting to that age where, if the press got a hold of this, oh, the last thing I need right now is a scandal, especially with the fundraiser so close."

"Don't worry, he didn't see anything important," Rainbow assured, fanning herself with a pancake. "No harm, no foul. Hey, where do you keep the syrup?"

"Third drawer to your left," directed Twilight immediately before shaking her head. "And him walking in on you while you're in the bath doesn't bother you?"

"Nah, not really. Don't get me wrong, I get the whole modesty thing when you're in the bathroom, but come on, it's Spike," Rainbow Dash scoffed. "He's, well..." Rainbow frowned and waved her hoof aimlessly. "He's Spike. I mean, what, you don't trust him or something?"

"What, no!" Twilight nearly shouted. "It's just, I don't want him to, you know, see..." The alicorn coughed. "...things before he's..." She gasped. "And last night he was talking about, can we please talk about something else?" the blushing princess pleaded.

Rainbow shrugged. "What're you writing there?" she asked, pointing at the parchment sitting in front of Twilight. Twilight lifted the paper and shook off the streaks of spittle and orange juice.

"A checklist--"

"No way."

"It's for you and Spike," Twilight continued, ignoring Rainbow's sarcastic comment. "I took a look through the apple pie recipe in our cookbook and through our inventory and recorded all the ingredients we're missing or that we'd need more on." She held the list to Rainbow Dash but kept it away from her until she had wiped the sticky syrup from her hooves. "Everything is listed in quantities that would ensure enough supply will be present to provide for what I calculate to be the maximum number of attempts and that could be taken within a ten to twelve hour period, with predicted mistakes factored in."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Uh, okay. Now this time, in Equestrian."

"You need to buy enough supplies to practice with so just follow what the list says," Twilight explained. She pulled out a bulging cloth bag tied shut with string. The coins inside clinked together as Twilight dropped it into Rainbow Dash's waiting hooves. "This should be enough bits to pay for everything. Maybe it'd cheaper just to buy all of the replacement books," she added under her breath. "Anyways, I need to get going, try to save a few pancakes for Spike okay?"

"'Kay," Rainbow answered with her mouth full of pancake. "What?" she said under the princess's stare. "That was the last one, promise. The rest are for Spike, sheesh. I thought you had a meeting to get to, like right now. Shouldn't you get moving?"

The pegasus's words cracked like a whip over Twilight's head, and with a gasp the princess propelled herself out of the kitchen, nearly knocking Spike down as she flew past him at the kitchen entrance. Spike turned his head toward the direction Twilight was going just as a loud slam echoed from the castle's front door. Slowly, Spike got up and dusted his knees.

"Twilight running late?" he asked, walking to the counter. He stretched out his arms toward the plate of pancakes just out of reach. Rainbow Dash pushed the plate closer and slid the syrup holder toward him.

"Yep," she said. "Guess me coming here so early messed her schedule up pretty badly."

"Hmm." Spike lifted a claw to his mouth and yawned. "Guess so," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Aw come on, don't tell me you're still tired," Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Eh, a little," Spike said as he started to pour syrup on the pancakes. "What's that?" the dragon asked, pointing at the sheet of parchment Rainbow was holding. "Twilight didn't make us a schedule, did she?"

"It's a shopping list," Rainbow Dash explained, setting the parchment between the plate of pancakes and syrup. Spike leaned over the counter and quickly scanned through it, releasing a low whistle when he had reached the bottom.

"How many pies does Twilight think we're going to make today?" Spike said. "It's going to take us, like, five trips to get everything back to the castle. That, or we need to borrow somepony's wagon."

"Then let's cut some of it down," Rainbow Dash said. She picked up the pen Twilight had dropped and grabbed the list, moving it in front of her. "Maybe half as much," she muttered, scratching out numbers and replacing them with smaller values. "Why the hay would anypony need this much salt to make pies? I still don't get what it's for in pancakes."

Spike shrugged as he set the syrup dispenser aside. Placing the plate between his arms, Spike rubbed his palms together. "I think it's supposed to add taste or something."

"What, make it taste salty?" Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's get going," she said, tucking the list underneath a wing.

"What, right now?" asked Spike just as he bent over to take a bite.

"Yes, right now," Rainbow exclaimed with an irritated exhale. "I need to get as much practice as possible in today so we can't waste too much time getting supplies. Come on, let's go."

"But the market's not open for another hour," Spike protested.

"Another hour?" Rainbow Dash groaned. "Alright, let's see..." she muttered, taking out the checklist. "Flour, sugar, apples, blah blah blah, I bet Pinkie Pie has extra flour and stuff laying around somewhere, and we can just go to Applejack for apples. They're probably up by now anyways." Carefully, Rainbow folded the list in half, then tore through the crease and gave Spike the top half. "Here, you head to Sugarcube Corner while I go to Sweet Apple Acres, we'll meet back here. Ready?"

"Okay, just--" Spike began.

"Let's go!" Rainbow shouted, taking off into the air and flying out of the kitchen. "Last one back's a rotten--"

Spike ran after her, following Rainbow's tapering challenge. He got as far as the front foyer before stopping, placing his claws on his knees for support as he gasped for air. "Wait, you didn't leave me any bits!" he called out. "Rainbow Dash!"

His cry faded into an echo, and as he leaned back and groaned, Spike figured that Rainbow wouldn't be returning for him. Like always, the stuntmare was just a little too fast for him. Or perhaps, Spike thought glumly, she had simply ignored him, like always.

Spike shook his head. That wasn't true, he argued as he ran back inside and into a castle study. As he peaked underneath a desk and emerged with a light purple backpack, Spike reminded himself of the times Rainbow had caught him before he had hit the ground and hurt himself. She had followed him with Twilight and Rarity when he left to join the dragon migration. And she came to him of all dragons and ponies for lessons on cooking, that had to have meant something. Spike stuck his chest out and grinned at the thought, and with pride he tightened the straps of his backpack and marched out, taking a quick second to secure the castle door behind him.

He greeted the few ponies he met on his way to Sugarcube Corner, though, like many of Spike's mornings, his trip through was largely uneventful. It didn't take long before Spike stood before the doorstep of massive gingerbread house. He took a deep breath, taking in the aromas wafting through the window and door cracks. Suddenly, Spike couldn't even remember having breakfast. He stepped forward and pushed.

The door stubbornly refused to move. Spike looked around, ducking his head in order to cover his glowing blush, then grabbed the door handle and pulled. Again, the door did not budge. Locked, Spike realized, planting his face into the palm of his claw. He knocked twice, then rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited. After a few minutes passed, he tried again, and this time he was rewarded as the door flew open so fast, Spike barely had time to leap out of the way.

Pinkie Pie's head popped out of the store. "Spike!" she exclaimed. "You're our first customer of the day! Or, at least I'd say that if we were open right now. Ooh, but maybe I can sneak you in just for day, I need some help cleaning out the mixing bowls full of frosting, and you're the fourth best Ponyville-y for the job!"

"Um, actually, I need to borrow some stuff," Spike said, pulling out his half of the list. "I need..."

"Wowizers!" Pinkie said, holding the piece of parchment at an arm's length. "That's a lot of flour. And eggs. And salt. And--oh wait, do you want the numbers crossed out or the numbers written in the worst hoofwriting ever?"

"The worst hoofwriting ever," Spike answered, snickering.

Pinkie Pie sighed. "Rainbow Dash's writing gets harder to read every day."

"How do you, that's not--"

"Oh yeah, psh, I've got plenty of this stuff," Pinkie said, tossing the list back to Spike. "So what're you and Rainbow Dash up today? Is this for a super big prank?" The earth pony gasped. "How come she didn't tell me about it? How come you didn't tell me about it?" Pinkie Pie's blue eyes began to quiver, and her bottom lip began to tremble. "I thought we were friends."

"We were! I mean, we are!" Spike quickly assured, holding out his open claws. "It's just a, just a..." Spike chewed his lower lip, fighting the urge to wipe away the sweat accumulating on his brow. "It's a secret!" he said suddenly. "Yeah, a secret or a--"

"A surprise?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping. "Is it for a surprise party? Wait, a surprise party I don't know about?" Pinkie gasped again. "Is it for me? Is it my birthday already? Did we miss Gummy's birthday? How long have I been asleep?"

"It's not for a party! Rainbow just needs help practicing for--" Spike quickly covered his mouth, muffling the rest of the sentence. He turned away, fearful of further betrayal on his part, as Pinkie Pie tilted her head and stared, curiosity brimming from her eyes. Spike squeezed shut his own, hoping that somehow, someway, Pinkie hadn't heard his little slip up.

"Practice? Practice for want?" asked Pinkie, leaning forward until her face nearly touched Spike's. "What kind of flying stunt needs a whole lot of eggs and flour?"

"An, uh, awesome one?" Spike said meekly with a strained smile, taking a step back.

"Hmm, something doesn't add up," Pinkie Pie declared, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Spike jumped out of the way as she started to pace in and out of the bakery. "I mean, I get the eggs, but cinnamon's just ridiculous. If that stuff gets in your eyes..." Pinkie shivered. "Not even Rainbow Dash's daring enough to try the Super Deluxe Loop-de-Loop Dempsey Spice Roll of the Seven Suns."

"The, the what now?"

"Oh, it's this legendary Wonderbolt routine I made up on the fly." Pinkie snorted. "Get it, on the fly? But seriously, if it's not a prank, I can't figure out why Rainbow Dash would need cooking supplies."

Spike began to fidget. "Well maybe--"

"And weren't you and Rainbow in the market buying flour the other day?" Pinkie Pie continued, her eyes narrowing. "What are you two up to? Tell me!" Pinkie cried, jumping circles around the haggard dragon. "Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell--"

There was a loud ding from inside, and Pinkie gasped. "Muffins are ready!" she shouted before rushing into the store. Spike turned to leave, but before he could run, Pinkie Pie reappeared, screeching to a stop with tray of baked goods in her mouth and a large wagon laden with heavy sacks powdered white, egg cartons, and several plastic bags behind her.

"Sorry 'bout the wait," Pinkie said as she set the tray down. She placed a muffin in one of Spike's claw and the wagon's handle in the other. "If you need anymore, just let your Auntie Pinkie Pie know."

"Wait, you're just giving me everything?" Spike said in disbelief. "Then what was with the third degree?"

"Eh, I had a lot of time to think while on the way to the kitchen," explained Pinkie with a shrug. "I figured, you two must have a pretty good reason to be keeping whatever it is a secret, especially if you have to keep it from me." Her smile faltered slightly. "Kind of wish you and Rainbow could tell me at least, oh well."

Spike lowered his head. "Sorry, Pinkie," he said, "but I promise I wouldn't tell. Rainbow, she--"

This time, it was a pink hoof that covered Spike's mouth. "Uup, uup, uup," Pinkie said, shaking her head and smiling. "You should probably run along before you tell me anything else."

"Yeah, you're right," Spike agreed with a laugh. "Guess I'll see you later then," he said, grunting as he pulled the wagon of supplies toward him.

"Want some help?" Pinkie Pie offered as she watched Spike struggle with the heavy load.

"N-no, I've got this!" Spike insisted, pulling with all his might. His face turned pink from the effort, but the wagon barely budged. "Just, just need to, almost got it!"

Pinkie Pie tilted her head, and gently gave the little red cart a small push, sending Spike stumbling forward. "Why don't you use both claws?" she asked.

"Because..." Spike began to explain before recognizing that Pinkie had a valid point. The only thing preventing the use of both claws, Spike swiftly realized, was the muffin he had been holding. His stomach grumbled at the sight of the baked good, reminding him of the plate of abandoned pancakes back at home, and with a shrug, the dragon scarfed the muffin down, barely giving himself time to enjoy it. He swallowed and wiped crumbs off his lips, then placed the freed claw around the wagon handle. This time, when Spike pulled, the wagon moved with him.

The two said their good byes and separated, Pinkie Pie returning to the bakery as Spike slowly made his way through the town. The streets had grown more crowded, and Spike bumped and jostled ponies here and there all the way back to Twilight's castle. Several shot him haughty glares and recoiled when he brushed by or accidentally touched their jackets.

"Geez, what's with these ponies?" Spike muttered to himself as he passed by a group of chortling ladies wearing sun hats and carrying parasols. "They look like they're all from Canterlot. Definitely act like it too," he added, watching a stallion in a top hat tilt his nose upward and sniffed rudely at one of the local flower stand.

The number of fancy coats and parasols grew as Spike got closer to the castle. Some ponies even sat on checkered blankets and stared at the entrance through opera glasses. The wagon became harder to maneuver, and Spike tried his best to avoid hitting ponies with the burdened cart. Grunts and hisses and exclamations followed him as flour sprinkled onto expensive dresses. At last, the castle doors came into view, where Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood in front of with cart full of barrels.

"What's Applejack doing here?" Spike wondered aloud. Both mares appeared impatient, the dragon observed, so Spike broke into a jog, the fastest speed his load and surroundings would permit. He hadn't gotten far before he felt something pull his arm back, threatening to tear it from his shoulder. Yelping, Spike released the wagon and gently massaged the area around the socket. When the pain subsided, he picked up the wagon's handle and pulled.

The little red wagon refused to move. "Oh, come on," Spike muttered as he grabbed the handle with both claws and tugged as hard as he could. Again, the cart stubbornly stood in place. Spike let go of the handle and walked behind the wagon. He pushed against the back, first with his palms, then with his shoulder. His feet dug into the dirt as he forced the wagon forward. Finally, Spike felt the cart begin to roll.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, only to fall flat on his face once the wagon rolled too far away to support him. Spike's eyes widened in horror as he watched it reach the edge of the slope and began to rocket toward the castle. Spike scrambled to his feet and ran, ignoring the fancy mares and stallions gasping at him.

"Watch out!" he screamed to Rainbow and Applejack as the wagon full of flour and sugar flew uncontrollably towards them. Instead of dodging to the sides, the two mares ran toward the runaway cart and braced themselves. The wagon collided against the makeshift pony barricade, then stopped, coating Rainbow Dash and Applejack with flour but no worse for wear.

"Sorry guys," Spike said once he had reached them.

"No problem, sugar cube," Applejack replied as she dusted powder off her hat. "Of course, you could always make it up to me by tellin' me why Rainbow needs all these apples. And all that flour, egg, and whatever else you got in here," the farmer added, gesturing to the wagon.

"W-what do you mean?" Spike asked nervously. He glanced over to Rainbow Dash, questioning her with a look. Rainbow only sighed and shook her head.

"Rainbow here arrived at the farm just as I was 'bout to leave for market with a whole bunch of bits I know she couldn't have saved. Mare spends every last bit she gets each month," Applejack said, frowning at the shrugging pegasus. "Then she tries buyin' everything I got right here." Applejack pasted the large cart beside her.

"Come on, Applejack," Rainbow pleaded, "can't you trust a friend?"

"You can't blame me for bein' a little suspicious," responded Applejack with a scowl, "fool me once. Anyhow, I figured I'd better make sure Rainbow here wasn't up to no good, and then she tells me to ask you what's goin' on. Now I find you packing enough ingredients to make enough biscuits to feed an entire family of sleepy bears in the middle of fall. What in Equestria are the two of you up to?"

"W-we're not up to anything," Spike answered, taking a step back. "Really."

"Really?" Applejack asked, frowning as Spike quickly looked away. "Spike, be honest."

"We're just..." Spike kicked at the dirt and shuffled. "W-we're just, you know--"

"We're making, uh," Rainbow Dash suddenly jumped in, "you know, just making--"

"Pies!" Spike blurted out before slamming his claws over his mouth. Rainbow Dash covered her face with a hoof as Applejack raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're, makin' pies?" Applejack said slowly as she considered the squirming dragon. Suddenly, her face lit up. "Oh hey, right!"

Rainbow Dash fought the urge to cringe as Applejack turned to her. "That's right, you wanted to make a pie for that fella you've been eying."

"Not so loud!" Rainbow hissed. "Just, yeah, all this is for that, just keep it to yourself, okay?"

"Fine, fine, nopony'll hear it from me," Applejack assured, drawing an X over her front. "Honestly, Granny had no idea what I was talkin' about when I asked her how you were learning so I kinda figured you gave up."

"Me, give up?" Rainbow snorted. "Ha, since when does Rainbow Dash admit defeat?"

"Pinkie Pie?"

"Doesn't count," Rainbow immediately said.

"Well then, I guess you've got this whole baking thing figured out. Who ended up teaching you?" Applejack asked.

"Please, this baking business's easy," Rainbow said, fanning herself with a hoof. "It wasn't too hard to figure it out on my own. I just need a few hours of practice, and I'll be a master at baking."

"Really?" Applejack said. "Huh, who'd have guessed Rainbow Dash of all ponies had a knack at that baking?"

"Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it?" Spike laughed as he tried to push the beaming Rainbow toward the castle. "But we've still got a lot of practice to do, and I'm sure you're busy, so we'll be leaving now."

Applejack stopped Spike and Rainbow with a hoof on Spike's scaly shoulder. "Hold on," she said, "why're you here practicin' at Twilight's? Seems awfully rude, considering she just got the place."

"Oh, well, that's because, uh, I don't have an oven in my house," Rainbow explained quickly. "And, um, oh! Have you seen their kitchen?" she asked, pointing toward the castle. Rainbow stretched her forelegs out as far as she could. "It's huge! Twilight didn't mind since most of it wasn't being used, and, uh, yeah." She let her limbs fall back to the ground and turned to Spike. "Right?"

O-oh, yeah, right!" Spike agreed, nodding furiously.

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense," Applejack considered. "Big castle pro'ly means big kitchen. Still, I'm surprised Twilight let you in there unsupervised."

"Maybe she just trusts me, unlike some ponies," Rainbow declared.

"Hey, I'm there too," Spike announced, placing his claws around his hips.

"Yeah, and Spike's supervising," Rainbow added.

"Tell ya'll what, why don't the two of you come over to my place to practice?" Applejack suggested. "Granny plannin' to teach Apple Bloom her recipe this mornin' with her friends, and maybe you could learn somethin'. We've got plenty of apples and ingredients so you won't have to keep running to the market for more." The farmer grinned. "And 'course, Rainbow Dash bakin' is somethin' I've got to see for myself."

"Sorry, AJ, but that's kind of a private show," Rainbow Dash answered with a rueful smile. "We don't need more ponies on this secret, and I'm pretty sure I'll manage on my own."

"Shoot, too bad," Applejack sighed. "A darn shame, we were planning a picnic afterwards, figured the more the merry, and--"

"She'll do it!"

Both mares turned to the rapidly reddening dragon. "Spike..." Rainbow began lowly, her eyes narrowing.

"Great, I'll let Granny know," Applejack said as she walked to the cart full of apples and hitched herself to it. "Well, come on ya'll, let's go make some pies."

"Yeah yeah, you go on ahead, we'll catch up," Rainbow said before glaring back at Spike. "Me and Spike got some stuff to deal with first."

"Alright then," Applejack cheerfully exclaimed. "See ya'll in a bit."

Rainbow Dash waited for the farm mare to disappear from sight before whipping around to face Spike. "What. The. Heck?"

Spike cringed under the pegasus's stare. He groaned, crouched down, and wrapped his arms over his face just as Rainbow heard a low, pained growl. "Sorry, Rainbow," Spike said, "but when Applejack said picnic, and then she said pies, like the Granny Smith kind of pies..."

"Are you serious?"

Spike's stomach rumbled again. "All I've had today was a muffin, I wasn't thinking. I heard picnic and pies, and my mind sort of, you know, went blank."

"You went blank?" Rainbow groaned.

"Sorry."

"Stop it, why didn't you just--" Rainbow Dash stopped herself with a exasperated groan. "Ugh, great, now what?"

"Not my fault I didn't finish breakfast," Spike mumbled toward the ground.

"Yeah, sorry."

Spike raised his head. "Huh?"

"I said I'm sorry," Rainbow said, rubbing the front of her foreleg awkwardly. "I shouldn't have rushed you this morning, but I just wanted to start practicing so badly, and when I realized we had to go grocery shopping first, and then we had to wait for the market to open..."

"Your mind went blank?" Spike asked. Rainbow Dash sighed in response.

"Exactly," she said before falling backwards onto her back. "Now what? Applejack's expecting us so we can't not go."

"Well, maybe this is good," Spike considered. He sat down next to Rainbow, prompting her to roll off her back. "I mean, you'll get to practice, and I've seen the Apple family pantries, they're filled with cooking supplies."

"Yeah, but Applejack and Granny Smith and Apple Bloom'll be there."

"So?" said Spike. "It seems like Applejack and Granny Smith already know you're trying to learn how to bake, and Applejack said she'd keep it a secret. Plus, they think you figured it out on your own, and as long as we're careful, they'll never know I've been teaching, so your reputation'll stay safe."

"It's not that," Rainbow Dash said with a frown. "Well, that's not all of it anyways. I just, well, I don't know if I'm ready."

"Of course you're not ready," Spike replied bluntly. "You've barely gotten pancakes down, that's why we're practicing today."

"Well, maybe I don't feel comfortable practicing in front of an audience."

"Rainbow, come on, you practically live for the spotlight," Spike said, jumping to his feet. "Just like stunt flying."

"Except I know I'm good at flying," Rainbow countered. "But I know I'm not as good at baking as I told Applejack, and when everypony sees me screw up, just, argh!" Rainbow Dash pulled at her mane, lifted her head, and screamed into the sky, causing nearby ponies to stop and stare. She felt something tug at her shoulder and opened her eyes.

Spike's claw rested firmly around the top of Rainbow's foreleg. "You alright?"

"I'll be fine, I just need a few seconds," Rainbow said, taking a deep breath. "It's just, I want, need to look good when I'm in front of other ponies. I don't want others to think I'm a screw-up or anything."

"Even if it's something like cooking?" Spike asked.

"Cooking, flying, opening a jar of peanut butter."

"What about me?" Spike wondered. "You didn't mind messing up in front of me yesterday."

"Yeah, but it's, well, it's you!" Rainbow flung both forelegs at Spike's direction, gesturing wildly. "Come on, it's you."

Spike crossed his arms. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"I didn't mean it like a bad thing, it's, it's, I don't know," Rainbow said with a shrug. "I don't know why, but messing up around you isn't embarrassing. It's still frustrating as heck, but I don't feel like I screwed up. It's like, it doesn't feel like you're judging me or something, and it's okay to make mistakes."

"I don't get it."

"Yeah, me neither," Rainbow muttered.

"Well, why would Applejack and Apple Bloom and Granny Smith be any different? They're your friends too. I don't think they'd judge you too harshly for burning a couple of pies." Spike rubbed his chin thoughtfully before adding, "They'd probably even expect that from you."

Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to act indignant. "Hey!" she growled, leaping up onto her feet. Spike quickly held up his claws defensively.

"Just saying you shouldn't worry so much about what Applejack and her family thinks about your cooking," he said. "Applejack knows you're still practicing, and something tells me she didn't fall for everything you said." Spike lowered his arms and made his way to Rainbow's side. "Look, I'll be with you all the way, just like with the pancakes. Just follow the recipe, and you'll be fine, and if this really doesn't work out, we can always return to the castle to practice instead."

Rainbow Dash regarded Spike with a careful scrutinizing look. "You really want to go on this picnic, huh?"

"By now it's probably already closer to lunch than to breakfast," Spike said with an eager nod.

"Apple pies do sound pretty good right now," Rainbow admitted with a sigh. "Well, Applejack took all the apples so it's not like we've got much choice. Alright, grab the cookbook, we've got a show to put on."

Comments

[Jack Kellar]

Dash just has a big problem saying that she's comfortable around Spike, doesn't she?

[dangerbrony]

Let the (friend)shipping escalate. Great work on this chapter hope to see more soon.

[OmniFox]

Will their pets be there?

[Swashbucklist]

Twilight Sparkle awoke to the sound of knocking, of heavy thuds of a hoof banging against crystal. Twilight tried to ignore...

Two sentences in a row beginning with the same noun. Bad Messenger.

"And last night he was talking about, can we please talk about something else?"

I feel as though there are some words missing from this passage.

Not much to say about this chapter; like most of the story, it's just Spike and Rainbow Dash hanging out and practicing. Which is fine with me. I enjoy seeing them together, just doing whatever.

[TheMessenger]

5818311
I've been trying something out, using commas as pauses or hesitations instead of ellipses, since I hear ellipse use generally frowned upon. It's a bit of a trade, sacrificing grammar conventions for more natural feeling dialogue.

[RantingPirate]

5818529
I'm not sure what the formal conventions might be, but a lot of ellipses doesn't look good. The way I see it, an ellipsis doesn't represent a pause so much as it represents a silence, or trailing off into (or out of) one. That's my two cents, anyway.

It's nice to see a good Spike/Dash, especially one that looks like it's still updating. I'm excited to see where it goes!

[Captain PonySeidon]

More than happy to help. I hope you continue with this someday. Unfortunately the teacher in me gives me a 'nit-picky' bent so here's a few more for you.

"O-oh, yeah, right!" Spike agreed, nodding furiously.

Both mares turned to the rapidly reddening dragon. "Spike..." Rainbow began lowly, her eyes narrowing.

I like that you've got plenty of setup, and keep the characters true to voice. I await in anticipation the furthering of Spike & Dash's personal growths.