> A Game of Survival
>  by Cabensis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The calm before the storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Game of Survival
by Minimin22

Chapter 1
The calm before the storm



***


Spike could not believe his eyes! There, right in front of him, was an Ice Sapphire! One of the rarest gems in existence and also one of the tastiest. It's unrivaled glimmer was something for the eyes to long for, as was it's beautiful star-shaped appearance.

"Spike~!"

The temptation was too much! He just had to have one bite of that delicious rock whatever the cost! He felt his arms stretch out, his hands desperate for it's touch.

"Spike~?"

His hands edged closer and closer, ready to close around the delectable treat. He knew it was his, and he sealed the deal by firmly grabbing it--


***


Pain.

Lots and lots of pain.

The gem had disappeared with a poof and left in it's place were the silouette of a pegasus. One he surely remembered from somewhere.

"SPIKE! What's the big idea, huh?!"

Spike's eyes had just adjusted to the bright daylight when he was met snout to snout with the angry mare.

"You fall asleep during my awesome stunt show and then try to cop a feel?!" she blazed.

Looking into her fiery magenta eyes he finally realized who she was. "Ruh- Rainbow Dash?"

Yes, the mare he knew as Rainbow Dash. Half a year had passed since the event at the library and even though that ended the way it did, their friendship had continued to grow ever so much. He didn't have much time to reminisce however, as the mare in front of him seemed quite upset about something. 

"Rainbow Dash? No, it's Fluttershy~ Of course it's me!" she said sarcastically, "Now you better explain yourself!"

Spike blinked a few times. "Uhh... come again?"

Rainbow wore a look of disbelief. "WHAT? I'm talking about how you just flung your claws out and grabbed my..." she heard herself trail off. Unable to finish the sentence with words she instead finished with a huff and crossed her hooves across her chest, her face wearing a shade similar to her eyes.

Spike didn't know exactly what was going on but he knew he had to apologize. For something. 

"Uh... sorry RD. I don't know what happened there." he said genuinely, "I guess I'm a bit tired."

Rainbow floated over and took a seat next to the exhausted dragon.

"You know, you won't be able to admire the awesome pegasus that is Rainbow Dash," she puffed out her chest, "if you keep napping all the time."

"If I keep napping all the time? Let's just say I learned from the best." he muttered, gesturing to her. Sometimes Spike couldn't believe the size of her ego.

Rainbow was about to retort when she realized she couldn't, so she settled for asking him something instead. "What's gotten you so drowsy anyway?"

"You know Twilight?" Spike continued to mutter.

Rainbow brought her hoof to her chin and took a quick glance at the dragon. "You know, I might have heard that name somewhere..." 

Said dragon just fixed her with a glare that let her know he was in no mood for goofing off. "She was up early preparing for that slumber party you guys are having tonight."

"Oh?"

"It was 3 AM."

"Oh!"

"I was forced to help her."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, she was quite panicky, not to mention way to early to..." Spike managed to say before a huge yawn made all the following words incomprehensible. 

Rainbow got a puzzled look and shifted her body to face the sleepy dragon. "But... why are you not in bed then?"

Spike gave her a tired smile. "Because you said you had some new awesome flying techniques to show me. You looked so excited too, how could I say no?"

Huh. I must be really caught up with myself sometimes... and this guy...he just kept trucking on. I can't believe he could be so selfless. Rainbow felt familiar feelings resurface but she did what she always did and shoved them back into the vault. Regaining her composture she decided to change subject. "Um, about that slumber party..."

Spike tilted his head as if to say, "What about it?"

Rainbow knew she couldn't survive another slumber party with the girls by herself. Twilight had had several over the course of her time in Ponyville, and each became more and more 'girly' and cliché. Spike would usually spend the night elsewhere to avoid the event and she wished she could do the same. Rainbow didn't know what would happen this time, but what she did know was that it was going to be the end of her unless she persuaded somepony to keep her company. 

Yes, rather... somedragon.

"Actually... do you mind sticking around for that?"

Spike's eyes shot open, any trace of him being tired went away in an instant. "M-me? At the s-slumber party?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, you seem like the kind of guy that can liven things up a bit."

The color seemed to drain from Spike's face the more he thought about 'sticking around' for the slumber party. For a few moments he was completely silent, but not before too long did he respond again.

"N-no! Nonononono! Absolutely not! Never!" he shouted.

"What? Why?"

"Because..." Spike began, trying to think of a reason before deciding the answer would still be, "No!"

"Please? I need to have some other input than that of 5 mares talking about stallions all night!" Rainbow begged, shuddering at the thought.

"Still no!" Spike repeated stubbornly.

"Can't you do it... for a friend? Friendship is magic remember?" Rainbow tried, giving Spike her most innocent look.

"In this case I believe," Spike pointed his index finger at her, "Friendship is Death!"

It was around here Rainbow started to feel downcast. He was so strongly refusing to help her out that it made her feel... strange. Was it because it was her? Before letting her mind delve deeper into all these questions that bombarded her, she managed to stop herself. It was ridiculous, why did she even care?

Meanwhile Spike had recovered from his grand objection and was now quietly observing Rainbow. She looked so disappointed, sad even. He wondered why she reacted so strongly, but figured it was something he could worry about some other time. Right now he had to fix this. 

"Look... I'm sorry." Spike began, letting out a weak chuckle.

Rainbow looked up again. "It's okay. If you really hate it so much you don't have to. I'll manage." she muttered, her sadness now grazed with a sour aftertaste.

It was going to take everything Spike had to say what he was about to say. Everything in him screamed at him not to say it, to remember, but he knew he had to.

"I... I'll be there."
> All good things must come to an end
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2


All good things must come to an end



***


After the meetup with Rainbow, the day continued pretty smoothly. Spike had to Pinkie promise he'd be at the party before she was satisfied, after which he took his leave. He had gotten home around late afternoon and was currently organizing the books in alphabetical order. He did it somewhat begrudgingly though, considering his rude awakening earlier that day.

"Soo... how did it go?"

Turning around to look at Twilight, Spike saw her eyeing him curiously. Noting her expression he turned back and continued sorting.

"The same as usual: Great." Spike responded, brushing her off.

Twilight was taken aback by his grumpyness. "Are you sure? It doesn't seem like it." 

When she was met with silence she gave up and resumed studying.  A full minute passed before her assistant spoke up again. 

"Oh, yeah, before I forget..."

Twilight perked her ears, her muzzle still in the book this time.

"I'll stay for the slumber party you guys are having." Spike said monotonously.

Twilight snapped up from her read, her face gaining a bright, wide smile for a split second, that was soon replaced with a frown. "You know, after studying 'Slumber 101' closer it says that slumber parties are clearly mares only."

Spike pondered about if he should bail but soon decided against it, for two reasons. First, "Oh, sorry Rainbow, I couldn't make it. Mares only after all." was something he couldn't say, at least not after Pinkie promising, lest he'd get an angry Pinkie Pie on his tail. Second, he couldn't really abandon one of his closest friends. The Element of Loyalty had rubbed off on him.

"Can't you make an exception? The exception proves the rule you know?"

Twilight eyed the dragon with suspicion. "I guess. Wow, you must really want to come huh?"

Spike bit his lip, "Yes, you could say that."

"Ok, you can stay then. This time only though!" She was still suspicious of his clearly forced response, but decided to back off. Tonight might prove interesting.


***


Late evening approached faster that Spike expected. Well, it did mostly because he took a long nap to make up for his lost sleep, which he did to be able to take the night head on. Twilight was running around the library quadruple-checking to make sure everything were according to plan. They were well prepared in other words.

*knock, knock*

"Spike can you get that?" Twilight yelled from upstairs.

"Sure." Spike said abscent-mindedly and walked over and opened the door.

The sight he was graced with was that of an orange earth pony with a blond mane and a brown stetson hat ever so present atop her head. Following shortly behind her was a meek yellow pegasus hiding behind her cherry blossom pink mane.

"Hey, Applejack. Hi, Fluttershy." Spike welcomed.

"Howdy Spike! Mighty good to see ya." Applejack greeted with a friendly smile. 

"Um.. hi." Fluttershy added quietly.

Taking another glance at the farmer Spike noticed an amused grin playing on her lips. "Although to be honest, Ah didn't reckon ya'd set yer paw in this library under these circumstances ever again."

"I didn't either. Just don't ask why, ok?"

"Well, ok then." Applejack agreed.

"You guys just make yourself comfortable, and then maybe the hostess," he pronounced extra loudly, "could get her flank down here to greet her guests!"

Listening intently he could hear somepony thrashing about upstairs and the sound of several items crashing to the floor. "I guess it'll still be awhile." Spike concluded.

"That's okay, me and Fluttershy will just 'set up camp' meanwhile." Applejack shrugged.

'Setting up camp' as Applejack put it, proved to be quite easy with all the mattresses already lined up in a circle in the living room. There wasn't one for Spike of course, although Twilight had asked if he wanted one. He was the only male representative in the library so he had some level of respect as one he wanted to uphold, and therefore, he claimed the armchair instead.

No sooner had they finished getting everything into place, when the door was knocked on once again. This time, a bright pink earth pony skipped in along with 'the most beautiful creature in the world' as Spike liked to describe her.

"Heyy, hello Applejack-Fluttershy-and-ooohh! Even Spike! Auntie Pinkie Pie is here to paartayy!!" Pinkie exclaimed, still bouncing in place.

"Pinkie, dear, this is not the kind of party you normally throw, remember?" Rarity attempted to reason.

"Well, DUH! It's still going to be super duper FUN!" Pinkie bubbled with excitement.

Rarity gave a small knowing smile and then proceeded with bringing her bags in. An exuberant amount of bags flowed in enveloped in a bright blue magic aura, rivaling even the number of books in the library. When she was done the bags made a stack that almost reached the ceiling.

"Gosh Rarity, Ah didn't know ya were moving here." Applejack chuckled.

"Scoff if you must, Applejack, I'm just well prepared." Rarity let out a gasp and lifted her forehoof to her forehead, "What if we run into a fashion crisis tonight? Then you'll be thankful for the small selection of clothing I've brought."

"It's not like we can run into a 'fashion crisis', since we're not wearing anything anyway." Applejack deadpanned.

At hearing that Spike took a quick look at everypony in the room. 

"Suddenly I feel very embarrassed." he said, staring at the floor.


***


With everyone assembled the party began slowly but steady. Twilight had finally come down and taken a seat across everypony else, apologising for her late entrance. The other girls didn't mind of course, and with that said, the gossiping began. Yes, the party kept going. 

And going. 

And going.

Half an hour into this Spike, as he sat in his armchair, began to wonder about a small detail. Pretty insignificant really, just the matter of Rainbow Dash not even being there! Looking around himself he could, for the fifth time, establish that her presence was indeed not... present!

That Rainbow... is this her idea of revenge for the wing-pressure point thing all those months ago?  Spike thought to himself, his mind becoming sour when he thought of her potential betrayal.

He didn't have to worry for too long as said pegasus crashed into the library through a nearby window, her Wonderbolt-themed blanket and pillow in tow. Recovering from the crash she rose to her hooves, "Hey guys, sorry I'm la--" she managed to say before feeling her hindleg get wrapped in her blanket, making her trip and land face-first into a table.

"--OOWWW!!" she groaned, holding her snout.

This elicited a lighthearted laughter from everypony else in the room, including Spike, who lay on his back clutching his stomach from laughing.

"Hey, thanks for the warm welcome guys." Rainbow muttered, getting to her hooves once again and walking over to her spot.

"Sorry Dashie, it was just kinda funny!" Pinkie said, still giggling.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Rainbow said, ending the conversation.

The group soon returned to it's former chattering while Rainbow made herself comfortable. Laying down on her mattress, she felt a claw poking her cheek. "Hey, what took you so long?" Spike whispered.

"I overslept okay?" Rainbow whispered back, clearly embarrassed. "I took a nap and it lasted longer than I expected."

"The Element of Napping is more profound than Loyalty I see." Spike chuckled, earning a sour look from the cyan mare.

Ignoring the drake, Rainbow turned back to her friends' chatter. 

"...so anyway, what's going on in your love-life, Flutters?" Rainbow heard Pinkie ask. With hearing that, Rainbow went back to talking with Spike instead. Not that she wasn't interested in Fluttershy, it was just that she already knew most of it. On the other side of things, Fluttershy had a difficult time answering that particular question.

"Oh, um..." was all Fluttershy managed to say before adorning a light blush. "I-I... don't- I mean, nothing. Nothing's going on." she said, steeling herself.

"Aw, c'mon Fluttershy, ya don't have to be shy." Applejack reassured, unaware of the irony in her sentence. "Right, Rarity?"

Her gesture fell on deaf hears since Rarity were not listening to any of the things they said. She was too focused staring at both Spike and Rainbow Dash, specifically Rainbow. A lady shouldn't stare, she knew, but this... this was a crime.

"You okay there, Rarity?" Twilight asked, slightly confused.

Rarity on the other hoof finally snapped back to reality. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, it's just..." She nodded over to Rainbow and Spike.

"Huh? What's with them?" Applejack wondered, not getting it.

Really, am I the only one who notices these things? Rarity thought to herself. I guess I have to take the matter into my own hooves.

"Ahem. Rainbow Dash?"

Looking up from her conversation with Spike, Rainbow saw that everyone were looking straight at them. Unsure how to react, Rainbow just responded, "Uh, yeah, what's up?"

"I couldn't help but taking a look at your mane."

Rainbow stroked a hoof through her mane, noticing it was a bit frazzled, possibly because of her crash. "Yeah?"

"It looks absolutely horrid...!" 

Slightly, note, slightly taken aback, Rainbow was about to respond before getting cut of. "But fear not! I, Rarity, will restore it to it's former glory, and make it even better! You can put all your qualms to rest, I assure you!"

Applejack facehoofed at Rarity failing to grasp her friend's level of care for such things, but did think it'd make an interesting scene, so she followed suit. "She's right ya know. Better get fancied up Rainbow."

"N-no that's okay." Rainbow Dash looked around, desperate for support from her other friends. Unfortunately they all agreed with Rarity, although some did with a knowing roll of their eyes. Fluttershy was particularily happy with the turn of events, considering it took the spotlight of her. In one last attempt Rainbow looked at Spike, her eyes pleading for him to agree with her.

Rarity stifled a giggle. "You know what it's time for...?"

As the Element of Loyalty and a person, Dash would never forget the feeling of betrayal, the one she got when Spike looked at her with an evil grin.


"Make-overs!!"
> Not worth it
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3


Not worth it



***


"NO!"

Of course Rainbow refused to let Rarity give her a makeover, no matter how much her friends approved of it. There was no way she was going to let anypony touch her mane for something so trivial as 'looking good,' no, not now, not ever.

"Darling, please! You must let me fix it!" Rarity pleaded.

Watching the ongoing scene, the other ponies sat stunned, no one daring to intercept. Spike on the other hand, sat comfortably in his chair grinning like a madpony.

"You will be absolutely gorgeous when I'm done! Wouldn't that be nice?" Rarity continued to pester, looking for a way to convince the grumpy pegasus.

"Ugh! I told you, I don't want to be 'gorgeous!' I'm fine the way I am!" Rainbow retorted, standing up as if to prove her point. Rarity was about to continue her assault but was cut of by a certain drake.

"Besides, it's not like she can do 'gorgeous' anyway." he interjected, looking nonchalantly at the back of his hand.

"Yeah! It's not like I can... do..." Rainbow began before realization struck her. Whipping her head around to face Spike, she said outraged, "Wait, what did you say?!"

An especially fun thing Spike had learned from hanging out with Rainbow was that she could be very hot-tempered, and therefore easy to tease. All that he needed to do now was to flick the first domino tile.

Standing up from his seat he faced the mare head on. "I said: You can not do 'gorgeous!'"

"Is that a challenge?" Rainbow worded slowly, squinting her eyes at the dragon. In response Spike rose an eyebrow, his smile still hiding his true intentions from her.

"What if it is?"

"Oh, you're on!" Rainbow stomped her hoof down. "Rarity!"

"Yes, dear?" Rarity answered expectantly.

"Give me..." she gulped, "...the makeover."

Rarity's face lit up. "Of course, Rainbow Dash! You won't regret this decision ever!" she said, barely containing her excitement.

"I have a feeling I will." Rainbow mumbled, letting out a sigh.

Almost prancing in place, Rarity twirled around and skipped over to her mountain of bags, picking out several makeup-cases and brushes. "Pinkie, Fluttershy? Could you help me over here please?" 

Pinkie and Fluttershy shared an enthusiastic look, left their mattresses and walked over to Rarity. Well, Pinkie skipped of course.

The room then fell silent, with exception from the mumbling and giggling from the three mares over at the messy pile of bags. Applejack and Twilight each exchanged looks and chuckled lightly at the turn of events. 

Spike observed the scene for awhile, but soon found it uninteresting and turned to see how Rainbow was faring. Her eyes were wide open, looking forward blankly, and her mouth hung open slightly. It was like she had a hard time believing that she really agreed to something like this.

His observations were cut short, since Rarity and the girls were done with preperations and were now making their way towards them.

"Okay, Rainbow Dash! Just sit down on your mattress, we'll take care of everything!" Rarity ordered. Rainbow did as she was told and soon enough the operation was in full swing. 


***


"And then I said: Oatmeal, are you crazy?"

"Um, Pinkie? We've heard that story already."

Sitting huddled around Rainbow were Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy and Pinkie were on brushing duty, coat and mane respectively, while Rarity herself took the makeup part, her ability to use magic greatly increasing precision. The patient, Rainbow, was trying her best to not scream. Not that the makeover felt bad, just that there were so many knots in her mane that it hurt to brush it out. After a few minutes she felt her mane get straightened out, so she could finally relax a little.

"So, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity opened conversation.

"Hm?"

"I'm quite surprised you'd go through all this to impress Spike."

"WHAT?!" Rainbow blurted out, shocked.

Rarity didn't look the least fazed with her outburst. "Why, I've always tried to have you styled before, but you've always declined profusely. Then little Spikey-Wikey comes along and you do it in a heartbeat." she explained with a smile. "And please close your eyes dear. I can't curl your eyelashes if you stare at me like that."

Closing her eyes, Rainbow had now been rendered speechless. She had never thought that it could've been looked at that way. She, Rainbow Dash, doing this all to impress Spike? No way. Just... no way!

"But, didn't you hear what he said? He questioned my ability to be good-looking! My pride is on the line here!"  she tried to explain.

"Oh, yes he did, but you've never cared about someone implying that before." Fluttershy countered. "Some stallions on the weather team have teased you about it, I've heard." Immediately realizing how forward she had been, she quickly hid behind her mane. "Um... I'm sorry, was that okay?"

"B-but, those guys don't know me! I don't care about what they think!"

"But you do care about what Spikey thinks!" Pinkie said matter-of-factly, still brushing out the last strands of hair.

Groaning in frustration, Rainbow crossed her forehooves over her chest. "Ugh! Can you guys just drop it, and focus?! I'm getting a makeover for Pete's sake!"

"I'm sorry, dear. We won't tease you any more." Rarity said reluctantly, feeling the situation get out of hoof. 

Rainbow accepted the apology with a grunt, still a little sour that she had gotten cornered about something like this. Especially since it wasn't true.

Meanwhile, Spike, Twilight and Applejack were doing nothing in particular. Twilight was checking 'Slumber 101' again to plan ahead, while Applejack and Spike were just sitting around.

"Hey, Applejack?" Spike said, peeking at the group of ponies over at Rainbow's mattress.

Said pony was lying on her back with her stetson down over her eyes. She didn't bother to look up and just answered, "Yeah, sugarcube?"

"Do you think I have a chance with Rarity?"

Sitting up and letting her hat fall off, she looked at Spike with a worried look. "Why do ya ask me that?"

"Because you're the most honest pony I know." Spike answered sincerely. 

"Aww shucks, Spike. I'm flattered, but... Ah don't know a whole lot about love." Applejack admitted.

"I know," he began, not noticing the glare he got, "but I just need to get the viewpoint of somepony other than Twilight y'know?"

Applejack thought about it for a bit. She didn't know if this was going to hurt the little dragon, but she did know she couldn't lie. It would be a dead giveaway, considering her poor lying skills. So with that, she decided she would tell the truth, how she saw it at least.

"There's no way for me to know how Rarity feels about ya Spike, but if Ah have to guess... then Ah'm sorry but, Ah don't think so."

Spike took a moment to collect himself. "I... I probably knew that too. Besides these feelings, they've started to fade recently. I just wanted to know how it looked somewhat, before giving up."

"Y'know, you should probably tell her anyway." Applejack continued.

"No, I think she knows already. I feel like I can finally let this go now." Spike nodded, looking over to Rarity. "She probably spared my feelings this whole time. Truly the Element of Generosity."

Almost as if on que, Rarity exclaimed, "We're finished!" startling Spike a bit.

The group of ponies around Rainbow started to arrange their positions, making Pinkie and Fluttershy block out the view of Rainbow herself, while Rarity trotted off to the side, ready to present their work. Twilight put down 'Slumber 101' to join Applejack and Spike awaiting the revealing.

After everypony had settled down, Rarity spoke up. "Ahem! It was a hard operation, since we're not at a beauty saloon, but we're now proud to present:" Pinkie and Fluttershy moved away, revealing,

"The new Rainbow Dash!"

The sight they were presented with was almost blinding. The mare who trotted forward was, for the time it took to get ready, amazing. Not near perfect, but still,  an incredible sight to behold. Her rainbow mane was flowing out to it's edges, slightly curled and perfectly gracing her cyan coat with it's many colours. Her eyes were more pronounced, their magenta hue completed with a lighter shade of eye shadow. Twilight and Applejack were stunned.

"You look amazing Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Ah couldn't have pulled that off even if Ah had had all day. " Applejack nodded, nudging Spike.

Spike could do nothing but stare with his mouth wide open. His eyes were all over Rainbow, wondering how her new, refined style could complement her well-toned body and yet still manage to maintain the frisky look of an athletic mare. For a good minute he continued to ogle, making Rainbow start to shift uncomfortably.

"Uh... Spike?"

"W-who are you?!" Spike choked out.

All uneasiness gone, Rainbow smiled, mock-batting her eyelashes at the drake. "Not so cocky now are ya, dragon-boy?"

"I... I..." Spike stammered, clenching his fists and fighting a blush with sheer willpower. All that was left now was to admit defeat. He couldn't possibly deny it. Curses, this wasn't how this was supposed to go! I must save my dignity!

"Rainbow, you look..."

Rainbow's smile widened. The moment she had been waiting for was nigh. Another victory goes to Rainbow Dash, not only the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria, but also the most...!

"...ok."

The room fell silent once again. All eyes were directed at Spike, who somehow had managed to make a full recovery, from a stuttering mess, to a casual cool guy in the blink of an eye. Amongst the ponies responsible for the makeover, one could hear Fluttershy mumbling, "Oh, my..." and Pinkie quietly wondering why she hadn't felt that doozy. Rarity was also looking on, slightly offended that her work had just been labeled 'ok.' That couldn't compare to what Rainbow felt though.

Offended? Yes. Shocked? Yes. Mad about Spike obviously lying through his teeth? Oh, yes.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Admit it."

"Admit what?"

"I didn't get a makeover to be called 'ok.' Admit I'm a total knock-out." she said forcefully.

Spike just shrugged, bracing himself for the incoming explosion. Oh, the explosion. How he had waited. Teasing Rainbow was so much fun. 

The explosion he expected never came though. Looking up at Rainbow's face he could see that she, just like him, had turned completely calm.

"Huh. Okay, I see." she said.

This reaction was completely alien to Spike, and frankly, for the first time ever since they had started hanging out, he didn't know what to say. 

"I guess I'll just... have another makeover." Dash continued casually, bending down to Spike's eye level.

"Really...?" 

"No." she whispered. "You will."

Before Spike could react, Rainbow had grabbed him by his sides and floated up into the air. "Hey, Rares? Let's do Spike next!"

Rarity's eyes lit up for a second time that day. "Oh, yes, that's a wonderful idea!"

Spike's eyes however, were filled with horror. The whole reason he hadn't want to come here in the first place was because of this very thing. Bad memories resurfaced, remembering him of what had transpired all those months ago, and the shame it had brought.

"NO, WAIT!!" Pinkie interrupted, "We can't do that!"

"Why not?" Rarity responded, anxious to know why she couldn't unleash her creativity once again.

Pinkie fixed her with a glare. "Because we promised Spike we would never do that again! We Pinkie promised remember? He trusts us." she uttered slowly. "And losing a friend's trust is the fastest way..."

"...to lose a friend forever." Rarity finished with a sigh.

"FOREVER!!" Pinkie emphasized with a glare.

Wow, after all this time, Pinkie promises finally work in my favor. Spike thought as he hung limply in Rainbow's arms.

Rainbow started to regret not coming to that particular slumber party,  a lot had seemed to have happened back then. The way it looked now though, she wouldn't get her sweet revenge on Spike, and she couldn't have that. Thinking about it for a while, she got another idea.

"That's okay, Pinkie," Dash said, looking away innocently. "I haven't promised Spike anything so I'll just do it myself then! "

Pinkie's glare lessened.

"No! Please don't let her do this to me Pinkie! I'm to young and handsome to d-mmff!" Spike yelled before Rainbow pulled him closer, burying his face in her fur coat. Under any other circumstance Spike would've probably enjoyed this hug-like position, but his steadily rising fears didn't allow him to.

"As I was saying, I understand you have your hooves tied, so I thought maybe I could give him the makeover." Rainbow explained. "You girls could just... y'know. Give me advice and stuff. That works right?"

Pinkie thought long and hard about Rainbow's words, stroking an imaginary goatee all the while.

Spike was struggling in Rainbow's arms, trying to break free. Dash just smiled at the squirming dragon. There was no way he was getting out of this one, not mentally, and definitely not physically. She chuckled at the thought.

Pinkie was still a little unenthusiastic. She knew how much Spike didn't want to it, but that fight was between him and Dash now. "Okie-dokie-lokie." 

Spike, whose snout was still buried in Rainbow's chest, snapped his eyes open. Dash loosened her grip to hoof-pump the air.

"Aww, yeah! Awesome!!"

Spike looked up at Rainbow, the position he was in making it look like she was the highest authority in Equestria. "Wait, RD! I'm sorry! You look amazing, absolutely stunning! I was just teasing before, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he pleaded.

In response, Dash looked down at Spike. "Oh, now you say it? Sorry, pal. It doesn't work like that." Rainbow said with a sly grin, "Besides, you didn't think twice about selling me out when the girls wanted to give me a makeover before, soo..."

Rainbow flew over to hover above the very mattress she had sat on just a while ago. "...I think it's about time you learn what happens when you mess with Rainbow Dash!"

Spike's mind scrabbled for anything that he could defend himself with. Anything! Alas, he didn't find that special 'anything.'

Spike was out of usable arguments.

... ... ... ...

Spike blacked out!
> Turn for the Awkward
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4


Turn for the Awkward



***


Spike's head felt heavy and his body dormant as he lay on a soft surface. Wherever he was, he couldn't move a muscle and his face was coated with something... waxy.

If I'm dead right now, this really isn't what I thought it'd be like.

As the drake lay there in a void of mostly nothingness he pondered his life choices. Him choosing to be Twilight's assistant. Him choosing to move to Ponyville with her. Him choosing to help her with her ambitions.
He remembered meeting the ponies that became Twilight's closest friends. He remembered the countless adventures he were left tending to the library. He remembered... a dash of rainbow.

A rainbow?

Why did that symbol fill him with courage but also dread?

Just as Spike mulled this over, the darkness that clouded his senses slowly lifted. Sounds started to fade back into the world.

"...h...d..es..thi...d...?"

"O...! D..n't u.... th...t!"

"Wh...not?"

"Beca..se it's not f..r mak....vers!"

There was a slight pause in the muffled conversation.

"Hey, girls? I think he's waking up." he could hear a familiar voice say, loud and clear.

"What?! Oh yes! I've been waiting for this!" an equally familiar raspy voice responded, followed by an uncharacteristic giggle.

He could hear bodies shifting and hooves clopping against a wooden surface, probably to move to observe this pony waking up. 

"Dear... maybe you put on too much lipstick?"
"What's your point?"

"Well, he looks hideous."

There was a short pause.

"Again, what's your point?"

Spike was overwhelmed by curiosity. Who was this poor guy? And more importantly, why had these ponies destroyed his life? Against better judgement, and his tiredness, he opened his eyes and sat up straight. The light hit his eyes hard, causing him to hold up a claw to shield his face. When his eyes finally had adjusted to the light, he looked at the scene in front of him.

All of his six closest friends were standing in a half-circle around him, looking at him with various expressions, ranged from 'pity' to 'pure glee'. The expression of 'pure glee' belonged to a pegasus he knew all to well. She also seemed to have trouble holding back tears, as she bit her lower lip to keep them from pouring out.

"Hey... girls? What's up with everypony?" Spike asked.

There was no way Rainbow could hold back now.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!" her laughter roared through the library.

Rainbow collapsed on the floor, so Spike took a gander at his other friends. Fluttershy and Rarity both tried to look away, while Applejack and Twilight both had compassionate looks in their eyes. That didn't stop a few chuckles from escaping though.

"Why is everypony looking at me like that?" Spike asked grumpily.

Twilight cleared her throat, "Ehhm, you might want to take a look in the mirror."

As she finished her sentence she picked Spike up with her magic and levitated him over to a nearby mirror.

One look was all it took to shatter Spike's soul into tiny pieces.
His now hideous self consisted of a bright blonde wig, almost the size of his head, a pink frilly dress and a pair of heels that didn't even match. His face was covered with white face-paint, bright blue eyeshadow and the thickest layer of red lipstick he had ever seen. He also wore a couple of gaudy armbands and necklaces.

As he observed his new unholy self he heard a soft 'clicking' noise. Whirling around at the distinct sound he found Rainbow holding a small camera, grinning widely.

Spike could feel his eye twitch. "Rainbow, give me that camera."

Rainbow spread her wings in a defensive stance. "You'll have to pry it from my dead cold hooves!"

"No seriously, you don't wanna make this dragon mad."

"What dragon? All I can see is a 'cute' little pink princess!" Rainbow taunted.

Oh, that was IT. The battle between good and evil had just begun. With the deepest  war-cry Spike could muster, he charged at the light blue menace before him, while said menace cackled viciously and flew up off the ground.

The rest of the gang watched them for a while from a safe distance, until Applejack broke the silence.

"Maybe we should stop 'em?"

Twilight waved a dismissive hoof, never taking an eye off the scene. "Nah, it's okay. I was shocked the first time they did this too, but I figured out that it's just their way of bonding."

"Rainbow Dash! I'm going to destroy you and everything you hold dear if you don't give me that bucking camera right now!!" a scream roared from the scene.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at Twilight, "It's jus' their way of bonding?" 

"Don't worry AJ, they always say stuff like that." Twilight assured, although her face scrunched up at hearing her assistant's foul language.

The chase of the young pegasus and dragon continued for a few minutes. Rainbow continued to taunt Spike from the air as he himself stumbled around in his outfit, getting more frustrated with each passing second. It wasn't until one of Spike's heels broke the chase came to a stop, with his face getting a date with the cold wooden floor. Rainbow floated down and prodded at one of his spines.

"Giving up, champ?" Dash smiled.

Spike groaned and lifted his head to meet the smug grin of his enemy. "You... wouldn't DARE show that to anypony."

"This," Rainbow pointed at her camera. "is between you and me. I got you back, so I'm good for revenge. For now at least." She said, looking annoyingly content with herself.

"Gee, how considerate of you." Spike muttered in response as Rainbow helped him up on his feet. As soon as he got stable on his two now uneven shoes, he immediately swiped after the camera in Rainbow's hooves. She dodged smoothly.

"Tsk, tsk, Spike. Why so worried? Isn't it nice and reassuring knowing that this one incredibly embarrassing picture is in the hooves of a good friend?

"That's exactly what worries me." Spike said as he rose to his feet once again, dusting himself off.


***


The group of best friends minus Spike and Rainbow soon returned to 'mindless' chattering. Spike had taken a bathroom break, and Rainbow found herself bored to death once again. She frowned at her situation when a different thought entered her mind.
Maybe I should at least try to enjoy myself? It's kind of lame that I need Spike around, I mean, I do have awesome friends. She thought. She decided to listen in on a conversation between Fluttershy and Rarity.

"...and then all the butterflies flew off in one big cloud of colors! I was so happy to see them sprout their wings." Fluttershy sighed happily. "Oh, speaking of colors, how's that new gown of yours coming along, Rarity?"

No, I can't do this. Rainbow thought, shaking her head and retreating to her spot.
It was hopeless trying to understand the inner workings of this 'party.'  Really, it had 'party' in it's name, but it was not even close to her definition of one. In retrospect though, talking with Pinkie Pie might have proven to be a bit more interesting than Fluttershy and Rarity.

"What's wrong Rainbow?"

Rainbow lifted her head up and found Applejack looking at her with a small smile. Dash plopped her head back down on her matress, mumbling into it, "Nothing."

She thought for awhile and then resumed talking.

"It's just that... this party is not really my stuff. How can you enjoy it as much as you do, Applejack?"

"Ta' be honest, it's not really my kind of party either. But if you take it for what it is, and maybe try a little, it can be kinda nice." Applejack answered.

"Already tried that. But I can't... I..."

Rainbow looked up, trying to find a good reason why, but soon sighed in defeat,

"...just can't."

"Is that why ya brought Spike?"

Rainbow stared at Applejack with slightly wider eyes. "How did you know that?"

Applejack gave her a knowing smile. "Ah know Spike would never join another one of these... events by himself. Last time he vowed highly that he'd never go through this again."

"What happened back then anyway?"

"Well, pretty much what happened today: He got cornered and was given a makeover against his will. Not the brightest day of his life Ah'm guessing." Applejack said with a sympathetic look. "He made us all Pinkie promise to not do it again. Unfortunately for him, you weren't there to make that promise."

Rainbow felt a tiny bit ashamed now that she knew what she'd put him through. 

"It didn't seem like a big deal to us, but Ah suppose being dressed up like a girl when you're a guy can be quite humiliating."

"He didn't tell me about any of this." Rainbow muttered. "He was sort of unwilling at first, but agreed to come anyway."

"Ah guess he really values your friendship."

Rainbow sighed deeply and buried her face in the matress she was lying on.  That idiot. He wouldn't have had to do this if he really didn't want to or just told her why. Sure, it had hurt when he so forcefully rejected her offer but... it's not like she couldn't have handled it on her own. She was more than capable of dealing with... boring stuff!

She lifted her head and glared at the stairs leading to the bathroom.


It's not like she was grateful or anything.


As she thought this, the door on top of the stairs slammed open.

"Finally got all that gunk off me." an unamused dragon muttered from the doorway.

"Spike!" everypony said in unison.

He had now washed every last bit of makeup off and safely tucked the dress away in his room for safekeeping. The Spike who greeted them this time was nowhere near the atrocius vision they had witnessed earlier.

"Alright ladies, enough with this chitter-chatter. I propose we play a little game." he continued, bringing his claws together in front of him as he descended the stairs.

"Oh, really?" Twilight said, 'skeptical' written all over her face. "What game might that be?"

Spike put on an evil grin. "Truth or dare."

The room simmered down quite a bit as Spike presented his idea. Pinkie immediately approved of it though.

"Oooo! A game! I love games!" She beamed, hopping in place.

Rarity was not as eager as Pinkie though.

"Spikey-wikey? Aren't we a little too old for that, hm?"

Spike reached his arms out in front of him. "Are you saying that you don't want to play a game where the deepest of secrets can be revealed? Secrets that you could never hope to tap into in idle conversation?"

"I... well... that's not really..."

"Come on Rarity! It'll be super-duperiffically FUN!" Pinkie interjected, still hopping in place.

"Hmph. I suppose I could join." Rarity complied.

Rainbow was nodding slowly as she thought about Spike's suggestion. He might use this opportunity to get back at her again, but she didn't really care. If it came to that, it'd be her way of saying sorry she forced the make-over on him. Only IF it came to that though. She'd still do everything in her power to avoid that, simply because Spike himself had been trying to rile her up earlier that evening.

"Alright Greenfire, I'm in!" 

Spike's smile became wider. "Thought as much, Speedyfast."

"Ya can count me in as well, sugarcube. Ah'm all for a battle of wits and endurance." Applejack chimed in, her face showing her iron determination.

Amidst the slowly increasing pool of players, Fluttershy was sweating bullets. A game that was about being forced to do stuff wasn't quite her cup of tea. Rarity saw her concern however.

"You don't have to play if you don't want to Fluttershy." She assured. "That's alright,  Spike?"

Spike scratched his chin and then shrugged. "I can understand that."

Fluttershy immediately loosened up, and let out a sigh of relief.

With that, only Twilight was left, and she still had a look of skepticism applied to her face.

"Twi?" Spike inquired.

Twilight groaned in reply. "I guess."

Almost all of her friends seemed to want to play, so Twilight didn't want to be the wet blanket. Besides, it was listed in the 'games'-section in Slumber 101 so it was a valid choice for entertainment.

"Excellent!" Spike announced, jumping into his rightful spot on the armchair. "I'll go first!"

Spike laughed inwardly as a plan formed in his mind. Rainbow Dash had fallen right into his trap! A perfect opportunity to take back what was his: dignity. Refocusing his thoughts he pointed an index claw at his rainbow-maned friend.

"Rainbow, truth or dare?" He asked with a wide grin.

"Truth."

"Alright, I dare you to... huh? What?!" Spike choked.

Rainbow turned her head to the side and lifted a hoof to her mouth, pretending to be shocked. "What? You expected me to choose 'dare'? I totally didn't see that coming." She snorted.

Spike furrowed his brow. "B-but, truth is boring! I thought you of all ponies wanted to face a dare!"

"Anything to see you squirm. Truth please."

"You're dead to me." Spike growled, to which Rainbow simply grinned at him.

Well, so much for that plan. His turn was pretty much wasted the moment Rainbow had chosen 'truth,' so he didn't spend any time thinking of a good question.

"Okay, prepare yourself to reveal a truth, boring mare whom I now consider a wimp. What is your favourite color?" 

Dash grumbled at Spike's insult, but did not hestitate in answering.

"Rainbow."

Spike gave Dash an unamused stare.

"No. I said color. Rainbow is not a color."

"It is."

"It's not."

"Rainbow is my favourite color, short stack."

"Except it's NOT a color you nimrod! Choose a single streak of your mane!"

"N-nimrod?!"

Rainbow looked visibly annoyed and Spike equally so as they each tried to stare the other down.
Pinkie giggled while she observed the scene. "Hey! This is just like how Mr. and  Mrs. Cake acts some days!" She scratched her head. "Only with just a teensy tinsy bit more name-calling."

Rainbow and Spike simultaniously looked at Pinkie, then at each other. The thoughts that ran through both of their heads were understood by both parts. They were acting like a married couple.

"No way." Dash uttered.

Spike lowered his eyebrows and looked down to the side. "Ha. As if we would ever."

"Yeah." Dash grunted bitterly. "As if." 

Pinkie looked back and forth between the pair, and soon an evil plan was a-brewing in her mind. Romantic tension? She knew just the thing to ease that up. Match-maker Pinkie Pie was a 'go'!

With Rainbow Dash's final words, Twilight decided the turn was over, lest they'd be playing the game until late into the night the NEXT day.

"Alright," Twilight said, "moving right along..."

"Wait, we haven't resolved the whole 'color' question yet!" Spike interjected.

Spike was completely and utterly ignored as Twilight pointed a hoof at Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow, it's your turn now. Remember that you can't choose Spike because he was the one who asked you." Twilight reminded.

"Right, right." Rainbow mumbled, glancing around the room, past an unusually quiet Pinkie Pie, past an uninterested Rarity, until her eyes finally fell upon her old rival.

"Uhhh... AJ? Truth or dare?"

Applejack smiled, and said in a challenging tone, "Dare."

"Huh. Okay, wait right here." Rainbow said and left for Twilight's kitchen.

Applejack cocked her head to the side, confused as to what Rainbow had up her sleeve. It wasn't before too long Rainbow came out again, balancing a spherical, bright orange fruit on her head.

"Right, 'Orangejack'." Rainbow Dash smiled. "I dare you to eat this orange, and tell me you like it!"

Applejack felt the color drain from her face.

She hated oranges.


***


"Okay Pinkie, what do you want? Truth or dare?" Twilight asked.

"Give me the 'D'" Pinkie said gleefully, promting a snort from both Spike and Rainbow Dash.

"A dare?" Twilight asked for confirmation, while she shot the duo a disapproving look.

"Yeppers peppers!"

Twilight thought. Hard. What would one dare Pinkie to do? She could probably do anything without trouble. She wanted something that would be at least a litte difficult for the party pony.

"Pinkie Pie, I dare you to..."

Twilight got it.

"...fly!"

Pinkie's smile fell a little. "What? Earth ponies can't fly silly."

Twilight lowered her eyebrows. True, normal earth ponies couldn't fly. But Pinkie was no normal earth pony. Twilight had observed her abilities several times, and they still bothered her to no end. If she could just solve one teensy mystery regarding this pink enigma, she could die happy.

"I've seen you float around several times!"

Pinkie's smile returned, full force. "Oh, floating? That's like, an entirely different thing!"

Twilight gave Pinkie a look implying she thought the pink mare was mad.

"You just have to follow your feelings to float! I've seen Spike do it before actually." Pinkie continued.

"WHAT?! SPIKE!" Twilight shouted in disbelief.

Spike shrugged  and smiled deviously at the studious mare. Although he had no idea what Pinkie was on about, he could see that Twilight was going places. "It's not THAT hard Twi."

Twilight's eyes narrowed, and she was about to tell her assistant about the logical impossibilities behind being able to float without magic or wings, before being interrupted by a friendly alabaster hoof on her shoulder.

"Twilight. Just let it go, it's not really worth thinking about." Rarity said reassuringly.

Twilight looked up at Rarity a short moment and then let out a deep sigh.

"Alright, Pinkie. Just float a bit for me then, I guess."

Pinkie frowned slightly. "That's impossible! Earth ponies can't float!"

Twilight's eye twitched. She was tired, and now felt a headache starting to prod on the inside of her skull.

"I, Twilight Sparkle, dare you, Pinkamena Diane Pie, to simply fetch me a broom so I can bash my head with it repeatedly until I pass out. Then you can have your turn."

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie complied, pulling a small broom out of her mane and handing it to the grumpy unicorn.

While both Applejack and Fluttershy tried to prevent Twilight from giving herself brain damage, Pinkie adorned a face of somepony thinking deeply. 

But that was just a façade. It was finally her turn, and she knew exactly who she wanted to dare, and what she wanted to achieve with it. All she had to do was hope that he'd pick 'dare'.

"Spikey, I choose you! What's it gonna be, a truthing truth or a daring dare?"

Spike wasted no time answering. "Dare obviously. It's the only way to play this game."

Bingo.

Pinkie giggled almost menacingly. When she had observed her two bickering friends fight earlier, a series of twitches, eye-flutters and ear-flops resonated through her body. Not even she herself had completely figured out what it meant, but it sort of meant that someponies were about to become... better acquainted. It was a tricky combo to read nontheless.

"I dare you to spend 7 minutes in heaven,"

Spike said nothing as he thought about it. 7 minutes in heaven? Sure, if he had been any other guy, he would be in a pretty good spot. Being in a room alone with one of six beautiful mares was something stallions dreamed of.

For him though, he sensed it was going to take a turn for the awkward, and his prediction came to pass as Pinkie finished her sentence.

"with Dashie."

Now, Spike sat beside Rainbow as he had done the whole evening to this point. But now he was very careful with avoiding eye contact with her.

Rainbow stayed deathly quiet as well. That was one thing that surprised Spike, that she hadn't objected to the idea as soon as it left Pinkie's lips.

Did she actually think about it? What would that mean? Or was she just deciding wether she should bolt for the window or the door?

Dang that thought hurt.

Still, it's validity was clear and probable. Sure, Dash was his friend, and a very close one at that, but there were limits to what a 'friend' could do. Besides, he wasn't the coolest guy on the planet. Dash surely wanted the best, and he was not it. And even on the off-chance that she would agree to this stupid dare, he wasn't sure he wanted to go through with it himself.

"Pinkie, I refuse your dare."

Pinkie gasped, and so did everypony else in the room, although to a lesser extent.

Rainbow snapped her head towards the dragon beside her, mouth agape. Man, she felt weird now. Almost insulted in fact. Dares could be tough, hard to pull off or extremely embarrassing, but why was it that spending 7 minutes alone with her made him go so far as to refuse it? She couldn't fathom the reasoning behind his 'rejection'.

"Spike, I refuse your refusal!" Pinkie insisted, pointing her two front hooves at him. "You've been dared, you must do as I say!"

Spike grumbled. "Hmph! That may be... but Dash isn't a part of this dare! She doesn't have to!"

The small dragon turned to his prismatic-maned friend for the first time, smiling widely. "Right Dash?"

When he didn't get a response immediately, he opened his eyes and found Rainbow looking at him with fiery eyes.

"Uhh..." Spike droned, unsure what to make of her expression.

"So, you can't possibly stand the idea of being alone with me, huh?"

"What?"

"Is that what you're saying?"

"Wait, are you mad?" Spike asked, squinting his eyes as if he could understand her better if he did.

"Am I not good enough or something?" Rainbow pressed, "Is that it?"

Spike collected his thoughts. She was now accusing him of implying that she was not good enough for him.  He had only thought of her and considered her feelings on this matter, so how it had come to this, he had no idea. It annoyed him increasingly that his good intetions had the reverse effect on his friend. She wanted him to go through with the dare so bad? Well, she'd have it her way then! 

Spike turned to Pinkie, ignoring Rainbow's previous question. "Dash seems very eager on having those 7 minutes with me, so I guess I'll do it."

"What?! I was not 'eager'!" Rainbow defended.

"Yay!" Pinkie clopped her hooves together in excitement and searched around the library. Books, books, bookshelves, more bookshelves, Twilight fighting Applejack off with a broom, Fluttershy cowering behind a chair, and- "AHA!" When she spotted the nearby wardrobe she pointed at it.

"Okay! Get in there you two!"

Rainbow mumbled something to herself and slowly floated over to the wardrobe. Spike followed suit, minus the floating,  also grumbling to himself.

"Have a great 7 minutes guys! Promise me you wont go too wild though!" Pinkie teased, slamming the doors in their faces.

As the darkness of the closet fell over the two individuals, they both realized that they had probably made a huge mistake.
> It won't change your life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5


It won't change your life



***


"What did you do that for!?"

Twilight Sparkle was currently pacing around the library, muttering to herself. A summary of what had happened was in order. 

Fact: Pinkie Pie had just dared Spike to spend 7 minutes in heaven with Rainbow Dash.

Fact: Spike didn't want to. Rainbow Dash wanted to... sort of? (Speculation, more research needed)

Fact: Unicorns involuntarily release bursts of magical energy when aggravated, evidenced by the numerous charred black spots on the ceiling.

Conclusion: She was very stressed out having her dear younger brother-like assistant spend a forced 'event of intimacy' with one of her best friends.

Measure taken: Venting her frustrations through previously described outbursts of magic. 

Twilight let out an exaggerated sigh, "Just... why? Why did you do that Pinke?"

Pinkie Pie, who still sat a short distance away from the closet where she had lead her two friends to their challenge, turned to Twilight. "Oh, Twilight. You'll understand when you're older." she said reassuringly, a huge smile still plastered on her face.

Twilight's eyes narrowed. It seemed like her count of measure had to be revised. Scraping her front hoof against the floor like a bull, she charged at the closet containing her faithful assistant.

"Don't worry Spike! I'm coming to save you!!"

Her plan was ultimately thwarted by the pink guard in front of said closet. Pinkie wrapped her forearms around the unicorn, shushing her cries of protest.

"Twilight, it's okay! Spike may be a baby dragon, but he undestood the sick innuendo I made earlier. He's old enough!"

Twilight blinked a few times. Spike being old enough? No, that wasn't the problem here, she knew her assistant was very of much of age. The problem lay in that Spike had expressed that he didn't want to go through with it, but had been forced by Pinkie and Rainbow... and now she had no idea what was going on behind those two doors. She didn't like it.

She didn't like it one bit.



***



Behind the doors of the closet the two friends, Spike and Rainbow Dash, were very quiet. They had not engaged in any activities at all, nor any conversations. The closet was quite isolated, although Spike could hear Twilight's muffled cries outside the enclosed environment. It was understandable that she was upset, he would be too if she were the one doing the dare with one of his stallion friends.

Back to the closet though, not much could be said about it. It was as bland as they come, though very dark. The only thing providing a limited amout of light were the few cracks in between the doors. Numerous outfits hung above them, most made by Rarity herself. On the floor were a couple of assorted boots and horseshoes, as well as Twilight's box of fanfictions that she thought she had so cleverly hidden from him.

Ha. Since he was the one responsible for cleaning the library, that was unusually naive of her.

The sound of somepony shifting a bit brought him out of his observations and back to the reality he had been faced with. He was very alone with one of his best friends, one of his girl friends. During a game which was known to lead to first base. Spike swallowed a big gob of saliva, thinking maybe his rash decisions were finally catching up on him.

Rainbow Dash, was, quite simply, not in her element either. In her uneasyness she remembered an instance back in flight school where Fluttershy had been dared to do this very thing. It ended as expected. Fluttershy stayed red for the whole day, and the stallion, who thankfully was as shy as her, didn't speak of the event ever again. Rainbow had to admit, she didn't know Fluttershy had had it in her, but... she had never told Dash what had happened in that closet.

The realization sent chills down her spine. It didn't help that the awkwardness settled around them both like thick air either. Every ounce of anger she had felt prior to entering this wooden prison had vanished like a puff of smoke, leaving only the unsettling feeling of 'awkward'. Why had she been angry again? Whatever the reason, it was why she was here, right now, wringing her hooves in anxiety. What would she even say to Spike?

She snuck a look at Spike and was startled to see him looking at her as well. Or what she deduced was him looking at her, with it being so dark she could only see his silhouette. She decided to just dive in like she usually did, despite her mind for once screaming at her to think things through.

"S-so... uhh..."

Her voice was shaking. She hated it.

"...what are we supposed to do here?" she willed her voice to firmly finish her thought.

She could see Spike's silhouette scraping a claw against the wooden floor of the closet. He was probably uncomfortable too, the poor drake. "Oh, y'know. The things that ponies do when they do stuff."

Rainbow frowned. "Come again?"

"Stuff, y'know? With the stuff and the things?"

Rainbow gave a tiny hint of a smile. "So, wait, what exactly are you saying?"

"U-umm, well, when two ponies are exploring their compatibilities..."

Rainbow felt her face stretch into a grin. "I swear, you're so innocent I can't help but find it adorable."

The drake blushed bright red and let out an indignant huff. "Oh yeah? Get a load of this then."

Rainbow watched the dragon slowly walk up towards her, while chanting the things they were supposed to do. "Synonyms include: Kissing, smooching, making out, lip-locking, sucking muzzle, tongue-wrestling, saliva trading, spit exchanging." he monotonously listed, "Do you want the extended version, or are you going to stop being ignorant and annoying?"

Rainbow was glad the darkness concealed her face, since it was a bit warmer than usual. "Okay, okay! Just shut up!"

"Are you sure? Living in a library gives you a really extensive vocabulary. I can probably think of several more ways to explain our predicament to you, like--"

"SHUT. IT." Dash pronounced every word heavily. Spike chuckled and sat back down in his previous spot. Somehow, the air was lighter now, at least a little bit.

"Well, actually there's a lot of things we can do. It's not unheard of to simply talk about stuff you know. Like, why did Pinkie even dare me to do this in the first place?" It was a peculiar dare, very specific, and judging by Pinkie's demeanor it seemed like she had thought of it a great deal.

"I don't know." came Dash's well thought-through analysis. "Knowing her it may just be for laughs though."

Silence settled over them once again with that remark. Spike could just barely make out Rainbow's frame beside him. It was a firm image of a pony, however, Rainbow's usually messy mane was still very curled form her makeover.

"I'm glad it was you who I got stuck in the closet with, RD."

Dash breathing slowed a little. He was... glad? She imagined he were a lot of things right now, but 'glad' was not one of them. "Why? Wouldn't you rather have Rarity or something?" she said, her tone just bordering on accusatory.

Spike's frills fell, and he let out a shaky sigh.

"Right, you don't know yet. I sort of, deduced that... it was never meant to be."

Rainbow gasped quietly. It had been no secret throughout Twilight's and Spike's time in Ponyville that he had had a crush on the fashionista, although he had always treated it like a secret. The things he would go through just to get her attention was enough to make the most mares jealous, wishing their own mates would do the same. Spending time with Rarity had at times seemed like only second to breathing for the drake.

And now here he was, saying he gave up?

"Spike, don't give up, man. I'm sure she will see the light eventually, and I'll be there to support you all the way!"

Spike's eyes had adjusted to the darkness now, and he could see Rainbow's face. She was being sincere.

Rainbow's eyes had adjusted to the darkness now, and she was lying so bad that she sincerely hoped it wasn't showing on her face.

"Thanks Dash," Spike began, "but there's a reason I think she would never see me as anything more than a friend." The drake stood up to his full height, which admittedly wasn't much, and held a claw out while gesturing to his body with the other. "Look at me."

Rainbow's head cocked to the side. "Rarity is into tall stallions...?"

Spike's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "What? No, no!"

The small dragon pinched the bridge of his snout, eyes firmly shut, thinking of how to introduce his problem to his friend.

"How about this: How old am I?" Spike finally said.

The question registered within Rainbow Dash. She hadn't thought much about it, but now that she did, she found herself very conflicted. On one hand he seemed mature, if not a little on the playful side, but on the other he looked very young. 

He had more than once proven to be an asset during their adventures, even going so far as to defeat Rarity's nightmare and save the crystal empire. The more she thought about the question Spike had asked, the more difficult it became to answer it. Dash finally let out a sigh and shrugged.

"I don't know. I've never really thought about it."

Spike smiled a bit. He had seen that Rainbow had been very hestitant on answering, and that was what made him smile. She didn't really care much about his age or looks, she just saw him as a cool enough dude to hang out with.

"You know back when I grew into a giant dragon and almost destroyed the entirety of Ponyville?" Spike continued. "I actually learned a bit from the experience."

"Yeah?"

"My growing is directly linked to how much stuff I collect. I collect many goodies? Huge terrifying dragon! I collect barely anything?" Spike motioned to his body. "This."

"Oh." Rainbow dash uttered. She could see where this was going now.

Spike continued. "It doesn't matter how old I get in here." he poked his head with a claw for emphasis. "My physical growth is only affected by my greed."

"So, you mean to tell me...?" Rainbow Dash leaned in closer, eyes slightly wider.

"That I never stood a chance in dating. Not just Rarity, but everypony think I'm just a little kid!" Spike snapped. "It's fate's cruel way of punishing me for going against my dragon nature and living like a pony!" 

Spike's short anger faded and was replaced by a solemn and sad look. "I'm cursed to forever have the stature of a child."

The gloom spread through the closet, enveloping the two in it's cold embrace. Whatever awkwardness were left were swallowed by the welling sadness eminating from the dragon. Dash wasn't used to dealing with these kinds of feelings. Sadness and her didn't go well in hoof, because you couldn't break the sound barrier to make it go away. You couldn't just speed up and away and expect it to do the same. It was like some sort of super sticky goo that just stuck.

"But, like, can't you just be a little greedy? Just grab a couple of treasures and become a teenage dragon?"

"Greed consumes you. The more you let it grow, the more corrupted you become. I can't control myself at those stages, it's too much." Spike said and let his claws fall back to his sides. "My dragon heritage stinks."

At that, Dash's wings flared up and she stomped up close to Spike.

"Now you listen here, gloombucket. You can't go around feeling that way! Some things are just there, you know? You're a dragon, and nothing is going to change that! Might as well enjoy the perks of being one and make the most of it!"

"What 'perks' are you referring to? I'm at loss right now." Spike said tiredly.

"You have an innate amount of cool. The things I've needed to do to get what you have naturally can even make me jealous! I mean, you're a dragon, a flippin' dragon! How cool is that?"

Spike looked at Rainbow, an eyebrow raised. "How do you even measure coolness?"

"Well, not to brag but, my innate ability is to measure that with high precision." Dash said, smiling proudly. Spike just shrugged at her. Sometimes it was just best to not question her, since the answer you would get would not explain a thing anyway.

"Besides..."

Spike listened.

"...you've become all the more admirable now. Not that you weren't before I mean." Dash said abruptly.

"What do you mean?"

Dash shuffled her front hooves a little. "It's easy to do stuff when you get lots of praise for it. I can really admire those ponies who just grin and bear it, the ones who do stuff in the background, stuff that's harder than doing a triple aileron roll or even breaking the sound barrier, without even getting acknowledged for it."

Rainbow Dash shifted her gaze to Spike, looking deeply into his emerald eyes.

"I can't imagine what it's like to fight against your nature, but I know that you just got way cooler in my book. A dragon that fights against his greed, even giving up on love, just to be able to live a life that ponies take for granted? Just to be able to have friends?"

Dash found herself staring longer into his eyes. Spike's deep emerald green eyes. They were a little glossy.

"It's much easier to give in, but... the fact that you haven't done that proves just how much you care about us, and about Ponyville." Dash immediately broke eye contact with Spike that moment. "It's truly amazing, Spike."

Spike wouldn't admit it to anypony else, ever, but Dash's words had really touched him. 

"Thank you."

He knew Dash wasn't any good with showing feelings like this openly, so he was all the more thankful that she did. Her fastened glare further conveyed to him that if he told anypony about her little speech he'd be a very dead dragon. 

This now glaring pony before him was the mare he had had the pleasure of truly getting to know since just a few months earlier, Rainbow Dash.

He was glad.

"So... ya wanna make out now or what?"

Spike's eyes widened as his breath hitched in his throat, starting a ripple of strong coughing to coarse through it. The coughing slowly phased out, becoming painful wheezing instead, while Rainbow chuckled and apologized for her teasing.

"I'm joking, I'm joking! Sorry Spike."

The poor dragon continued to wheeze, "Why would you do that?!"

Dash planted her front hooves on the thin wooden floor. "Well, I don't like the emotional and sad stuff! I just wanted a mood changer!"

"Well, you got one that's for sure! I was happy, now I'm pissed!"

"Sorry!"

Spike looked away from the apologizing mare. He wasn't really pissed, but she could use some time in the 'apology club'. Her words from earlier were still fresh in his mind, and those words made him infinitely happy, especially since his dragon nature was something hard to believe. Rainbow Dash had accepted this fact of him and even praised his efforts. 

He let his thoughts melt away, revealing that their way to pass time was squarely in front of him. Why hadn't this come up before? He chuckled.

"Hey Dash?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna read something funny?"



***



Two creatures, one pink and one purple sat crouched on the floor, a good distance apart. The purple creature growled in low baritone.

You have something I want.

The pink creature didn't waver the least, and just responded with a purr.

You can't have it.

Purple let out a roar, intended to frighten it's foe, but alas, Pink didn't look the least fazed. Purple had faced many a challenge, but this  Pink menace was something on an entirely different level. Purple started to growl, dangerously low.

Move.

Pink found Purple very interesting. No other creature had ever been this persistent, but Pink's inner instincts told them to hold their ground. As much fun as Purple was, Pink could not let them pass into their territory.

Sorry!

Purple had had enough. With another roar, it lunged at Pink, ready to rid the world of an injustice.

"That's enough of both of you!" A calm, but very assertive voice sounded. "Behaving like ferocious beasts... what do you have to say for yourselves?"

Pinkie and Twilight stopped in their tracks. To their right, Fluttershy had appeared, and were piercing them with a very frightening glare, the glare infamously known as 'The Stare'. Pinkie's smile and gleeful demeanor disappeared in a flash.

"I-I just thought we were having fun." she wimpered, crumbling under the yellow mare's gaze.

Twilight mustered her courage and tried to object. "But she is the one who--!"

"Hush!" Fluttershy cut off. "I don't want to hear it. Now apologize to one another, and behave like grown mares." she demanded, not taking her eyes of the two feuding ponies for one second.

Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry for pouncing on you, Pinkie."

"Don't worry, Twi! I'm sorry too!" Pinkie said with a smile.

"Good, was that so hard? Now, no more fighting, ok?" Fluttershy added as she flew back to where she came, which was the kitchen. The two mares nodded towards Fluttershy, but didn't leave their positions. Pinkie and Twilight were still not agreeing, but had at least decided to not fight hoof to hoof over it.

Back in the kitchen, Fluttershy were greeted by the smell of melted chocolate and marshmallows.

"Ya got 'em sorted?" Applejack asked.

"Oh yes."

Applejack and Rarity were as per usual, in the process of making s'mores. It had been sort of tradition for them to make the treats since Twilight's very first slumber party. While it was fun to do, it also served as a healthy reminder for the lesson they had learned that night.

"I can imagine why Twilight is so upset though." Rarity said. "Poor little Spikey-wikey, engaged in such activities!"

Applejack wrinkled her eyebrows. "Uh... not so sure anythin' is going to happen, Rares. Rainbow knows what she's doing most of the time, an' Spike is no ditz either."

Fluttershy took a seat at the kitchen table. "I suppose so. Rainbow is no good with these situations, anything remotely close to romance makes her just... shrink away."

"Then why ever was she so obviously offended when Spikey rejected the dare?" Rarity asked, while stirring the melting chocolate.

"Ah don't know," Applejack chimed in, "but Ah think Pinkie might know somethin'. That dare was strange, considering what kind of party this is, mostly mares and all"

"I think it was more strange how Pinkie could even consider it a good idea to put Spike and Rainbow Dash in a closet expecting them to engage in most intimate acts!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Intimate acts? Ah think you might be overreacting there Rarity. Took lessons from Twi Ah take it?" Applejack chuckled.

"How can you sit and laugh, when two of our friends might be getting 'frisky' with one another right this moment!?"

"Rarity..."

"Think of young Spikey! He's not even ready for those things!"

"Rarity."

"And Rainbow Dash is just so unpredictable! Who knows what she might do to him!"

"RARITY!"

Rarity stopped her rambling when she started to smell something burnt.

"Yer burning your chocolate." Applejack said in a deadpan tone.

Rarity sighed as she moved the pot from the stove to the sink. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy and Applejack."

"Don't worry Rares. Here, let me take care of that for ya. Go sit down a bit, okay?" Applejack responded, taking over Rarity's work of washing the pot with burnt chocolate. Rarity complied and took a seat next to Fluttershy.

"Gosh, Rarity. I didn't know you felt so strongly about this." Fluttershy said with a hint of worry. Rarity leaned back, elbows on the table and eyes at the ceiling. "I guess I'm just worried. I don't know what for, but I'm worried."

No further words were spoken between the three as only the sound of Applejack washing the pot in a steady stream of water rang throughout the kitchen. Applejack found herself wondering if it was so certain that nothing would happen between Spike and Rainbow. Considering that Spike had confessed to giving up on Rarity, and Rainbow's state at this party, the possible outcomes were many. She didn't entertain the thoughts any further though, deciding it would be rather silly for anything suspicious to happen. And she was no silly pony.

"Um... hasn't there been 7 minutes already?" Fluttershy wondered out loud.

Almost on cue, Twilight's voice pierced the walls. "Time's up, Pinkie! Let them out now!"

Contrasting Twilight's demands were Pinkie's protests. "B-but they haven't even done anything yet!"

The three friends dropped whatever thoughts they were having and entered the living room to find that a wrestling match between Twilight and Pinkie were taking place.

"Done anything?! Just what is your plan with this dare, you deviant?" Twilight huffed, sidestepping Pinkie and making a dash for the closet. She fell flat on her face when Pinkie threw herself and latched onto Twilight's midriff. "Stop! Don't ruin their time together!"

Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack stood flabberghasted. They even forgot that they could intervene, just because of the bizarre scene.

"I've already bent the rules once today, and it was once too many! I refuse to let even a single more minute pass with those two in that closet!!" Twilight yelled, scraping her hooves across the wooden floor in an attempt to crawl towards her goal.

Then... laughter happened. Laughter resonated from within the closet.

All actions stopped. Twilight stared wide-eyed and Pinkie smiled widely.

What were they doing in there?!



***



"Bwahahah! I-is this for real?! Twilight wrote a shipfic about two characters that have barely interacted?" Rainbow laughed, banging her hooves on the floor.

"It's true! Look! 'Lightning Storm and Sweet Scales: An Unexpected Romance'!"

Spike and Rainbow Dash were having a blast. The moment Spike had suggested they read some of Twilight's fanfictions, Dash was hooked. Spike smiled wickedly at Rainbow, giggling at the prospect of the two aforementioned characters in a relationship.

"B-but those two only met at the end of the first book and haven't interacted ever since! How could you possibly put those in a romantic setting?" Rainbow wheezed between her chuckles.

"Twilight has the ability to do so!" Spike exclaimed. "To be fair, it's pretty nicely written, if not a little wordy. Give it a read! I'll light the place up with my fire."

Spike let a small, but steady flame flow from within his mouth, providing an ample source of light. He had started to gain the ability to control his flames' temperature and size, something that proved useful in many applications. Rainbow began to read.

"Oh, how I wish you were mine, Sweet Scales. How I long for your claws to run through my mane. Even a single minute without you paints naught but the harrowing colour of darkness that is despair in my heart, and uh... ehhmm..." Rainbow hitched. "How do you pronounce that?"

"Pronounce what?" Spike said, leaning in closer. Unfortunately that push caused the page to be set aflame.

The piece of fiction frazzled as the magical fire consumed it, turning it into dust, which sped away though a crack in the wooden doors.

"Welp. That's that I guess." Spike said bluntly. "I hope Princess Celestia doesn't mind some late night reading."
The duo looked at each other before bursting out in laughter all over again. The giggles of mirth slowly phased out, both of them wiping the stray tears from eyes. They both turned to the other abruptly after that, eager to share their thoughts on the rest of Twilight's fanfictions--!

Boop.

Their snouts were touching.

Just like that, everything changed. In one fell combo of actions, Spike and Rainbow Dash were back in something they thought would be the awkward game. However, strangely enough, neither of them found themselves able to pull away. 

Suddenly, all that mattered were their eyes, emerald and rosy magenta, intertwined in a moment of complete silence. 



***



"Pinkie, you're breaking the rules!! Let me go, or I'll--!" Twilight thrashed in Pinkie's grip.

"You can't! You mustn't! You shall not!!" Pinkie protested fiercely. "It's just getting good!"

Twilight's mind suddenly became enlightened. She was a unicorn. Unicorns have a special ability. Her eyes widened.



***



Spike's throat felt dry. Why hadn't he pulled away yet? For some strange reason, the odd lighting in the closet made Rainbow's eyes almost enchanting.



***



Twilight's horn began charging energy. It was elementary. Magic was the answer, and Twilight had started preparing a fine energy blast that would end this farce once and for all. "Magic! Go-- owww!!"

Needless to say, Twilight would have been successful had she managed to fire the spell at the correct angle, in the correct velocity, in the correct density. A powerful yank to her ears by Pinkie ruined any chances of those variables being correctly measured.

Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity watched in awe as the blast of energy fizzled away from Twilight's horn and flew through the air, ricocheting off of various objects in the room. The blast even angled towards the trio once and did almost char the mane right off Rarity's scalp had she not ducked at just the right moment.

The blast reflected off a mirror behind Rarity and started heading straight towards a foot on the closet currently sheltering the dared duo.



***



Rainbow could get used to having Spike's claws run through her mane. It was unlike anything she had felt before. Why he had started doing it didn't even matter anymore, it felt way to good for her to allow logic and reason to muscle into her thoughts.

Spike was on the brink of panic. He had for some reason started to run one of his claws through Dash's rainbow-coloured mane, and didn't know why or what to do next. He couldn't pull away, something in the back of his mind refused to move his snout from Rainbow's. That something just couldn't get enough of those content half-lidded rose eyes looking at him with such relaxation.
A powerful rustle shook the closet at that moment. 

What happened next occurred within only one second, but it was one heck of a second.

The bump caused the relaxed Rainbow Dash to tilt forward, which in turn caused Spike to fall backwards onto his back, his skull making hard contact with a closet wall in the process. Rainbow Dash had no control over her body as she felt her lips push slightly onto Spike's.

And that was The one second. The following second bore more unfortunate events.

During that second second, the force of the closet's fall broke the hinges of the doors, making them promptly fall to the living room floor. Many gasps were heard. Not because of the doors, but because of what they revealed. A situation full of misunderstandings, created by an overprotective unicorn and her pink friend's interference.

Spike and Rainbow Dash were kissing.
> Maybe it really will change your life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 6


Maybe it really will change your life



***


A thing you’ll soon notice as a living, thinking being is that sometimes you make bad life choices. Sometimes a bad decision joined by a bad circumstance leads to implications, accusations, interrogations, terror, disaster, treachery, death, murder. The situation Rainbow Dash and Spike found themselves in simply lead to severe embarrassment, although they might’ve actually wanted to trade that for death.

“R-Rainbow Dash!! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Oh-h-- gosh! I’m sorry, I mean, um we’re, um, oh my, I’m so happy for you...?”

“Why, pull my tail and slap me in the face, does this mean Ah’m a silly pony for not seein’ it comin’?”

“How, you, did, what, why, he’s, I, you, but, why, I—!”

“Yaahoo!! You finally did it! Dashie! Hey Dashie! What topping would you guys want on your wedding cake!? I was thinking maybe chocolate with those white sprinkles! Or maybe roasted coffee flavoured? Maybe you don’t even want a cake and we should have a wedding panna cotta! Oooh! How about a wedding panna cotta followed by a wedding cake? But, who am I kidding? I mean, ‘hello?’, wedding days totally calls for cake and nothing else!”

Rainbow were sitting on her rump, hunched over, holding her face in her hooves. Words, there were too many of them. Shut up. Shut up. Shutup-shutup-shutup-shutup.

“Hey… RD. Are you okay?”

That was it. Rainbow Dash let her vocal chords rip,

“Everypony, shut up!!”

Everypony did go quiet, save for Pinkie who was still, albeit quieter, making plans for the ‘wedding’. Spike got startled by Rainbow’s fierce reaction, so he had taken a few precautionary steps back. An angry Rainbow Dash was not entirely safe to be around.

Rainbow took a few deep breaths, calming herself before venting her thoughts. “First off, it was an accident. And it wasn’t even a kiss. It was more like our lips touching—”

“By all definitions, in all languages, in all cultures, a kiss.” Twilight interjected. A intensified glare from Rainbow Dash let her know that interruptions when Rainbow was speaking was not approved of in any shape or form, whether scientific or not. Twilight wisely backed off.

“As I was saying, it was a complete accident! There, end of story! Applejack, you’ve always been a silly pony! Fluttershy, you’re my best friend, thanks for your support, but there is nothing to support, okay? And Pinkie, on the wedding day, the cake should have mint frosting!”

Spike furrowed his brow. “Don’t you mean that there will be no wedding?”

Rainbow wheeled around and suddenly Spike found his vision obstructed by fiery magenta eyes. “That’s what I said, didn’t I?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s exactly what you said.” Spike answered very quickly. Unlike the eyes he had seen in the closet, these showed him the fiery depths of Tartarus and the ponies writhing in agony there, promising him a one-way ticket to eternal suffering if he pushed the matter further.

Rainbow stopped burning Spike with her eyes and let out another sigh. The truth was, she did enjoy almost everything that had happened between them in the closet and was annoyed it had ended the way it did, with everypony seeing things and assuming things.

“Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry, but do you expect us to believe the scene we saw was nothing but a complete accident? You were on top of Spike, pinning him to the floor with your muzzle on his!” Rarity spoke with increasingly higher pitch. The unicorn’s mind was in a haze, she felt lightheaded. How could this be happening? Rainbow wasn’t like that! She was a dear friend that’d never take advantage of the weaker; a friend, that had helped her so many times in the past. While her methods and train of thought at times didn’t exactly match hers, she knew that Rainbow wasn’t a bad pony. But this… this!

“Maybe if a certain pink earth pony hadn’t interrupted my spellcasting, this whole thing could’ve been avoided!” Twilight said out loud. Pinkie Pie stopped smiling and put on a sourpuss face.

“Hey! You were trying to ruin everything!”

“No, I was trying to save my assistant from being coaxed into something he didn’t want any part of!” Twilight snapped.

“I really think we all should try to get along…” Fluttershy said meekly.

Pinkie pointed an accusatory hoof a the purple unicorn. “You! You were trying to upset the balance of nature! This was meant to be, just like balloons were meant to be floaty and Rainbow’s wedding cake was meant to have mint frosting!” Pinkie’s eyes widened. “Oh! Dashie! Did you want a cellular peptide cake with mint frosting? I can arrange that, Discord has ties around the universe!”

Rainbow’s mouth opened, closed, then opened again. 

“What is… I don’t even—”

“Now wait just a gold darn minute! Are we discussing Rainbow an’ Spike’s smoochin’ fest, or types of cake?” Applejack interrupted, scratching her head with a hoof.

“We are discussing Rainbow and Spike’s… situation!” Rarity emphasized heavily, before quickly turning back to Rainbow Dash. “What do you have to say for yourself Rainbow? Taking advantage of poor young Spikey-wikey like that! You might’ve scarred him for life!”

“Scarred him for life? Are you kidding me? Spike is a tough dude! He can handle anything!” Rainbow scoffed.

Twilight gave a small nod. “Spike can by no means handle anything, but he is very capable, I agree.”

“Whose side are you on anyway?” Rarity said to Twilight accusingly.

Twilight’s face contorted into another frown. “I’m on Spike’s. I just didn’t want him to be forced into something he didn’t want. Once I get that thing clear, everything will be just fine.” Twilight thought about it a minute, hoof to her chin. “You know, we still haven’t asked Spike about what happened.”

Everypony turned to the drake only to find that he wasn’t there.


***


Spike sat on the front porch of the library treehouse, gazing into the dark streets of Ponyville. Almost all lights in all houses were off, save for a few, and the cold summer breeze felt great in his face. The moon painted everything with a mild, blue screen of light, making the small town a truly marvelous sight to behold.

“Mind if I join you?”

Spike looked up to see his long-life friend Twilight Sparkle smiling down at him. He half-heartedly  gestured to the empty spot beside him, while Twilight complied and took a seat.

“It’s a very beautiful night. Sometimes I like to put down my late-night studies to just gaze at the stars.”

“Twilight, is Rainbow Dash going to be okay?” Spike asked tentatively, still staring out into the moonlit town.

“Of course she’s going to be fine, she’s Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said, gesticulating with her front hooves. “She’d ‘bust on through this’, as she probably would have said if she was here.” she continued, thrusting a hoof out as if to ‘bust through’ something.

“Please Twi.”

Twilight dropped her smile for a moment before allowing it to come back, albeit a bit smaller. “She’s okay Spike. I think Rarity’s accusation is really bothering her, but she’s okay.”

Spike let the words sink in while the two sat in silence, watching the wind rustle the leaves on the olive green trees. A few clouds passed by the edge of the moon, filtering it’s light into a softer shine. Spike fidgeted with his claws, getting increasingly worried.

“Twilight, what if…”

Twilight turned her gaze to Spike, cocking her head to the side.

“What if the kiss hadn’t been an accident? What if I had wanted to date Rainbow Dash after this?”

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise, she’d never thought her assistant to be into a mare like the daring pegasus. “Are you saying you want to—?”

“No I’m not,” Spike said quickly, “I’m just wondering how everypony would react to it.”

Twilight froze up. She had never thought of it that way, but how would she react? She’d be happy for him, of course, but… would it work? His feelings for Rarity had always been a subject she looked on lightly, it was after all, a foalhood crush, nothing more. Rainbow and Spike, this… kiss of theirs, was real, a real ‘something’ that would happen in any healthy romantic relationship. Was he ready for it? Heck, was Twilight ready for it?

“I’d be happy for you, of course.” Twilight said, smiling with her eyes.

Spike turned around to finally look her in the eye. “What if I was underage?”

Twilight continued, going on autopilot, “That’d be wrong, but you aren’t underage even if you... look...” Her eyes snapped open. 

Of course, it was all so clear now. Her assistant’s worries, Rarity’s accusing tone, it all made sense. She had been an idiot, how could she not have seen it?

“Spike, everypony knows about it, how old you really are. Even Pinkie Pie understood it earlier this evening.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “A romantic relationship is not impossible.”

“Rarity didn’t understand, and what about all the other ponies?” Spike continued, “What would happen if all ponies in Ponyville started to see my budding relationship? Would they call the local guard? The royal guard? The princesses themselves!?”

Twilight didn’t respond this time, she only put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. Spike sighed shakily.

“For a brief moment, during our accidental kiss, I felt like it could actually work, a relationship with a pony. Then when I saw the face Rarity made, I remembered why it was impossible. It hurt when I realized it had been hope playing tricks on me.”

Twilight pulled the dragon closer to her side, gently stroking the side of his arm. “None of these things are going to happen, you know. Ponies might whisper and glance, but they won't do anything as silly as calling the royal guard, I guarantee it. You’re overreacting.”

A weak chuckle could be heard from the dragon. “That’s coming from the right pony.”

Twilight gently tapped his chest with her free hoof,. “It’s only fair that the roles are reversed sometimes. But if you have enough strength to make a quip, I suppose you’re feeling at least a little better?”

Spike nodded, smiling a little bit. “Yeah, thanks Twi. You can head on in, I’ll come join you later.”

Twilight mirrored his smile with one of her own and then turned back and entered the library once again. She could see that something was still bothering the drake.


***


“I keep telling you, it was an accident!”

Rainbow was up face to face with Rarity, both having equally intense glares, equally furrowed brows and equal stances, stances that indicated that a fight was inbound unless they resolved the issue faster.

“And I keep saying, it doesn’t matter! You might have done irreparable damage to his innocent mind!” Rarity said, squinting her eyes tighter.

“Spike can take it, he knows it was an accident as well!”

“Well, he might know it intellectually, but his feelings must be in uproar! Confusing thoughts undoubtedly worms their way into his mind right as we speak!”

“Spike is his own grown person! If he can’t handle a little bump in the road, he won’t be able to face anything life throws at him!”

Rarity puffed her cheeks out. “Now, see, that’s where you are wrong. He’s not his own grown person, he’s still a young boy! One that is wise beyond his years, true, but still.”

Rainbow felt her mouth hang open. This was exactly what Spike had told her about in the closet. Rarity truly didn’t see him as a grown up, much less dating material. Dash shook her head, mustering up her previous demeanor.

“So you’ve been leading him on all along? That’s surprisingly nasty of you!”

Rarity grew tense, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. “I have NOT lead him on!! I have simply been mindful of his feelings!” Rarity breathed long hard breaths, like she had run a marathon and was exhausted. Once she regained her composure, she continued. “Enough of this. It’s beside the point.”

“And your point is? I’ve been dying to hear it for a long time now!”

“My point is, Spike’s too young to court anyone! Explain to him and make him understand that you didn’t mean anything by that kiss.”

Rainbow felt her anger fade away briefly. ‘Meaning’ Rarity said. Had there been any meaning to their kiss? She obviously understood that it had been an accident, but what if the accident hadn’t taken place? Would they still have done it? The setting had been right, Spike’s eyes had been right, and by Celestia that mane stroking thing had been so right…

“I don’t need to explain anything to him.”

Rarity was starting to become aggravated with this stubborn mare. “Yes you do—!”

“Shut up, Rares. I’m sorry, but just shut your speech hole for a millisecond!”

Rarity closed her lips tightly, channeling all her frustration into simply pushing her lips tighter. Her patience was wearing thin and she didn’t know how much of this rainbow pegasus’ ignorance she could take. 

“I’m gonna tell you this one more time. Spike understands. He’s not a young boy that doesn’t know what to do with himself, he just looks like one because he’s a dragon who doesn’t follow his greed!”

Rarity’s eyes widened as she finally understood why Rainbow was being so forceful. Rarity sighed deeply, almost like she was trying to purge her body of all air. Her eyes were closed, and she waited a few moments before speaking up, a lot quieter compared to her earlier statements,

“Oh… he… he told you as well didn’t he?”


***


Despite what many ponies might’ve said about her, Applejack was a very observant pony. With a large family as the apple family she had learned that there were times when you had to look out for the group’s best. Nothing good would come out of staying in the conflict between Rarity and Rainbow Dash, so when she first sensed it coming, she’d taken the liberty of escorting the rest of her friends back into the kitchen. Twilight had gone to see how Spike was doing, and she trusted that Twilight, if anypony, could get the dragon back on his feet.

“Thank you Applejack, I appreciate your concern.” Fluttershy smiled weakly.

“Don’t fret none, Fluttershy. Ah didn’t want to be there when that bomb goes off either.” Applejack said with a chuckle.

“I… I don’t like it. Why do they have to fight?” Pinkie whimpered from where she laid slumped on the ground before the door leading into the living area.

“Ya see Pinkie, this is what some ponies call arguin’. It’s a long and tough conversation that is supposed to solve problems.”

Pinkie blew a stray strand of hair off her face. “I know what arguing is, it’s bound to happen in any relationship, but why do they have to scream at each other?” she mumbled.

Fluttershy went over and gave Pinkie a reassuring hug. “Pinkie… I don’t like this any more than you do, but this is something they need to solve on their own, in their own way.”
Pinkie heard some clopping behind her and soon felt Applejack’s comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Fluttershy is right, and don’t go thinkin’ this is the end of anything! Our bond together is too strong to be shattered by something like this, you’ll see.”




***




If Rainbow’s mouth had hung open earlier, it completely smashed through the floor this time. “Hold on, what do you mean ‘he told you as well’?”

Rarity paced around the room, not really sure where she should be going or what she should be doing. Her mind was warping back on itself, and all the questions she had asked herself long ago threatened to burst back into her head. “About his dragon nature, age, growth, everything. He has told me all of it.”

“Then why? What’s the deal here?” Rainbow asked, her voice becoming stoic.

“I simply thought that…” Rarity bit her lip. When Spike first had told her, the explanation her mind provided seemed so rational and reasonable, but now that she was forced to face the question under pressure, her answer seemed all the more ridiculous. It would make her sound like a fool, but she had stepped halfway onto the bridge, there was no point in turning back. 

“I thought that… he was trying to make me feel okay about dating him.”

Rainbow didn’t say anything in response.

“As I’ve said before, I’ve never questioned his intellect. He knew why I wouldn’t date him, so I thought he told me so I’d get around that. But now that I hear that he told you the exact same story… I could never delude myself with the notion that he was trying to convince me through charading for you. It’s simply too farfetched.”

Rainbow still remained silent. Rarity watched her for any subtle hints of movement, but found none.

“As difficult it is for me to say, I submit that Spike is older than I first may have thought, but… I don’t think I could ever see myself dating him.”

Rainbow then forced herself to ask this following question, for the sake of her draconic friend. “Why? Why can’t you give him a chance? He’s a great--!”

“I know, I know!” Rarity cut her off, stomping her front hooves on the floor in frustration, “But in my eyes, he’s been the young boy with a crush for so long now. I- I don’t think I could ever see him as anything else but a good friend.”

Rainbow felt strangely relieved. She viewed it as a sinful feeling to have considering what she’d just heard. She berated herself for it. Even though he’d given up on Rarity, Spike would probably be devastated if he had heard her surprise confession. But now Dash had all the jigsaw pieces in place, the picture was whole.

“I can understand that, somewhat, I mean. But I think you should at least treat him like you’d treat any grown up.”

“I shall do my best, of course.” Rarity sighed. “I’m sorry for all this, it just all came welling up when I saw you two kissing in that closet—”

“Yup, well, yeah, enough about that.” Rainbow hastily said. “I guess I’m sorry for yelling at you. When I get fired up, I get fired up, y’know?”

Rarity let out a giggle. “That’s actually one thing I can relate to.”

Rainbow walked over to Rarity as she approached her. They stood in front of each other for a while. 

“Friends?” Rarity asked carefully, holding up her hoof.

“Friends.” Rainbow smiled, giving Rarity’s hoof a gentle tap with her own.

For a few minutes they were content with just standing across of each other, at least until the sound of hooves slowly clopping together were heard from the other side of the living room.

“I must say, I’m impressed. You managed to solve a very difficult problem without any physical harassment of any kind. This will make a fine letter to the princess!” Twilight exclaimed, while nodding in approval. Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash shook their heads at Twilight, but the feeling of relief still caused a smile to linger on their faces.

The three friends shortly decided to bring the rest of their group back into the living room, now that no threats were present anymore. Applejack, Fluttershy and surprisingly Pinkie as well were very careful when asking how it had gone, not wanting to stir anything up again if the issue hadn’t been resolved. To their great relief it had, and soon enough they joined the rest of the gang in the joy of just being in each other’s company.

It was around this time Spike opened the front door and walked in, having had more than enough time to collect himself after all emotional turmoil.

Only for it to begin anew when he saw Rainbow Dash.

Yes, while Spike had indeed steeled himself for the judgement of other ponies regarding his whole age and growth problem, he had not in the least prepared to meet with the mare he had accidentally kissed. Much to Spike’s discomfort, Rainbow herself didn’t seem particularly bothered at all.

“Hey Spike, what’s up? You okay?”

His entire body stiffened at the sound of her voice, forcing him in place. He tried to speak, but Rainbow’s eyes instantly stole his attention.

Come on Spike! Just say something! Anything will do!

But it didn’t matter what he wanted to do, because his body refused to cooperate. All he could do was look at her face, studying her eyes which were filled with confusion. He then looked at her lips. Those rough, but tender lips.

No! Stop it! 

So very kissable.

Stopitstopitstopit!

His pupils instantly darted away, trying to find anything else to look and cling on to. He tried to say something, but his vocal chords were stubbornly stiff, instead producing a small squeak.

What the heck was that!? I don’t even feel embarrassed. I just want to die!

“Why don’t you let me take care of this Rainbow, and I’ll get you a working Spike the Dragon shortly.” Twilight joked, stepping in between the two. Rainbow agreed to this with an awkward chuckle and returned to her spot in the living room.

Twilight looked on, making sure Rainbow was out of earshot, then pushed Spike yet a little further away from the group.

“What are you doing?”

“I… I don’t know.” Spike mumbled, “I just can’t talk to her after what happened.”

“You were perfectly fine just after getting out though.” Twilight noted.

“Well, I didn’t have time to be embarrassed, you guys were shouting all sorts of stuff at us!” Spike said with a huff and a puff of smoke from his nostrils.

Twilight nodded in understanding, but her eyes remained firm. “Still, get your act together. You’ll have to talk to her sooner or later you know.”

Spike’s brows furrowed. “First you say I’m overreacting, then you tell me to get a grip? Is this how it’s like to be you?”

Twilight frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but returned to the girls with a groan instead.

Spike was left standing awkwardly in the middle of things, halfway between the exit and the group. He glanced at the door behind him, wondering if it’d be for the best if he just left. He could go to Sweet Apple Acres, they’d surely let him stay overnight.

Spike then looked forward towards the girls. They were swept up in the general atmosphere of the slumber party, talking and joking all the same. He looked at each of them and saw that they were all happy. They probably didn’t even need him there. They probably wouldn’t even notice he was gone.

When he laid eyes upon Rainbow he saw that while she also seemed quite content with the situation, she occasionally glanced in his direction. He quickly looked away whenever she did though, not daring to look her in the eye.

No matter what he felt about it, he realized that taking his leave would only make things harder later. And so he reluctantly trudged over to the six mares, careful to avoid eye contact with anypony, particularly Rainbow Dash.

The girls were all swept up in their respective conversations as he took his seat on the familiar armchair, prompting the drake to let out a sigh of relief at the lack of attention from the party.

“Hey Spike, is everything cool?” a familiar voice said. Spike instantly tensed up again, knowing who it belonged to.

“C-cool? Yeah, everything is cool! Haven’t been cooler!” he stuttered, gripping the hand rests of the armchair tightly.

“You sure? You seem kinda off.”

“Must be your imagination.” Spike answered stiffly. 

Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure what to make of Spike’s behavior. The only thing she knew for sure was that it was starting to annoy her. Why was it that he could barely speak a sentence now? And for the love of all the sun reaches why couldn’t he look her straight in the eye? Rainbow had experienced ponies not looking her in the eye before, Fluttershy was a prime example of that, but this was different.

This was Spike, someone who would usually banter with her and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, usually with a dose of sarcasm. Seeing him outright refuse to look at her was unnerving to say the least.

“I mean, why would I be off? Nothing unusual has happened right?”

Rainbow reached for something across of her mattress, not taking her eyes off the dragon before her.

“Just the normal everyday slumber party, right?”

She gripped the object tighter, and swung it.

“So there’s no reason for anything to be— oof!”

Spike didn’t know what hit him until he found himself on the living room floor with a grumpy pegasus hovering above him with a large pillow between her front hooves.

“Look at me damn it!” she growled, her glare growing more piercing by the second. “I hate this thing you’re doing!”

Spike could only look at her dumbly with his mouth agape. 

“I…” he started, but as soon as he realized that he was staring straight at her he turned his head away. “...don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“See, that right there!” Dash exclaimed, “Why can’t you look me in the eye?! If you have something to say, say it to my face!”

“I can’t, okay?! I can’t look at you!” Spike shouted in frustration. “Just leave me be!”

“To Tartarus with that.” Dash whispered, but it was a whisper intertwined with a hiss. “If you’re not going to face me on your own, I’m going to make you do it!”

The drake’s eyes widened as he looked down at his claws. He balled them into fists, feeling Dash’s proclamation aggravating to say the least. Just because she liked to dive into things head first did not mean he wanted to. After all, living with Twilight did not go without it’s consequences, and one of the things he’d picked up was being cautious and calculating. Doing things without thinking even just a little bit was something that spelt disaster in his mind, and throughout the evening it had proven painfully true.

“Hey Dashie? Does this mean it’s time for a...?” Pinkie whispered, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Rainbow turned her gaze to Pinkie and confirmed with a small nod. “Pillow fight. Get the supplies, we’re going to war. Just leave Spike to me, you can have everypony else.”

Pinkie gave a mock salute, and turned to the rest of the group.

“Ya think you can take the four of us alone, huh, Pinkie?” Applejack said with a confident smirk. Twilight nodded in agreement with Applejack’s statement, giving a small confident smile of her own.

“Pff. This is the most unrefined part of any slumber party. Count me out.” Rarity said with a small huff. She liked the entire concept of slumber parties, the makeovers, the chatting, the secrets and the like. Pillow fights were the rare exception.

“Boo!” Pinkie whined. “Come on Rarity! Applejack and Twilight needs all the help they can get if they want to take me on!”

This perked Twilights ears, prompting her to take a step forward. “Please Pinkie Pie. Let’s be realistic here, the odds of you not becoming a mountain of pillows is below two percent. I’ve done the math.”

“How you do math on things like that Ah have no idea.” Applejack whispered to nopony in particular.

Pinkie giggled in a lighthearted fashion. “Oh Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. I eat math for breakfast!” She then pondered her statement for a second. “And for lunch I eat some realism with a side of sliced science! Some magic theories for dessert is also good before finishing off with a bottle of 4th wall soda!”

Twilight just blinked a few times, once again wondering if Pinkie was completely insane or just messing with her. Knowing Pinkie it might be a little of both.

Applejack shook her head with a smile, having known the party pony for such a long time that she never bothered trying to understand her inner workings anymore.

Suddenly a pale green pillow soared past the three ponies, just barely avoiding them all… but hitting Rarity right in the face. The fashionista shook her head a few times after the shock, trying to orient herself.

“Oh my gosh! I-I’m sorry Rarity.” a quiet voice came from across the room. At the opposite end of them stood Fluttershy, looking really guilty.

Rarity gave her a wry smirk. “It’s quite alright Fluttershy. Although…” she said as her horn started to glow, encasing the thrown pillow along with her own in a pale white aura. “...if you expected to get no form of retribution you will be sorely disappointed!”

The guilt on Fluttershy’s face melted away into a mixture of fear and relief, though the latter was more prominent. She managed to dodge the first pillow as it flew towards her, but the second hit her in the side.

“Aw yeah! Rarity is game! Let’s do this!!” Pinkie exclaimed, hoof-pumping the air.

A short distance away Rainbow watched, nodding with an approving smile. Now that everypony was preoccupied she could finally focus on the matter at hoof. She returned her gaze to the small drake before her. He was still not about to look in her direction anytime soon it seemed, further fueling her drive to make him do it.

She was going to give him one more chance.

“Hey Spike.”

The dragon continued to stare off into the distance, but she saw in his eyes that he had indeed heard her.

“Stop being a stupid half-pint and look at me while you talk.”

He snarled at the comment, squinting his eyes at whatever he was looking at in the distance. Rainbow narrowed her eyes at him.

“Alright then. Prepare to get your tail handed to you.”