> Enkindled Hearts
>  by Rated Ponystar
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Surprises All Around
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Edited by: Mr.Minimii and Adjudicator


***


When Twilight first discovered she was to become a princess, one of the first things she wondered was what exactly she was going to be a princess of. The alicorn sisters ruled Equestria, Celestia during the day and Luna the night, due to their talents in controlling both celestial objects in the sky. Cadance was in charge of the Crystal Empire with her brother. So what was she going to be in charge of?

Apparently, paperwork, the way things keep going, thought Twilight, denying another request to lower taxes for the rich with her hoofprint. In order to get more accustomed to the prospect of being a ruler, as well as the duties that came with it, Celestia had only recently allowed the newest princess to handle the throne and all state of affairs during the twilight hours between night and day. Twilight found it overwhelming at first, but both royal sisters had provided her with scribes and assistants to help her out.


Good thing, too; I doubt I would be able to handle all of this with just Spike alone. Princess Twilight paused in her reading of a recent report on the borders of the Badlands to look up and try to spot her number one assistant. To her disappointment, there wasn’t a single sign of the dragon.  Frowning, she shook her head. Missing again. It’s been like this for months, only now it’s getting worse and worse. How long is he going to keep going wherever he goes without telling me? He’s just a baby dragon, and I’m responsible for him! Sure he’s an adult by pony standards, has wings, and is now even taller than me, but still…

“Princess Twilight?” Twilight jumped a bit before turning to one of her robed scribes, bowing as he addressed her. “Princess Twilight, it’s time for Princess Luna to take control of the night court and raise the moon.”

A tired, yet grateful smile stretched across Twilight’s face as she banished her thoughts about Spike for now. After declaring her court adjourned, she climbed down off the throne and made her way to the main doors, the guards pulling them open for her. Waiting outside was Princess Luna, who nodded with a smile while Twilight tried to hide behind her mane, wishing she’d stop blushing every time the two of them kept meeting.

“Ah, Twilight Sparkle. I trust your hours at court went well?” asked Luna with her light blue eyes that Twilight swore twinkled just like the stars in her mane.

“Perfect…” whispered Twilight before she shook her head and sheepishly smiled. “I mean court was perfect, y-yes. That.”

“Excellent. You have come very far these past seven years since joining my sister, your sister-in-law, and I in alicornhood. I must admit, you… are amazing, as they would say.” Now it was Princess Luna’s turn to blush. “You are a powerful magician, have faced grave dangers, coming out alive when most would perish, and have done the impossible, upon being the first to turn into an alicorn without the magical blood that flows through me and my family. You are… remarkable…”

“T-thank you, but I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you…” said Twilight, dreamily. Her eyes widened before continuing, “and Princess Celestia, of course!”

Princess Luna giggled. “Yes, we are glad you have come so far in your lessons. Are you still up for stargazing this moonlit evening?”

“Of course!” answered Twilight, with a slight tremble in her voice. “I always love it when we stargaze. I’ll see you later, Princess Luna.”

Luna nodded before walking her way towards the throne. Twilight slowly backed away until the doors were shut from the outside. Sighing in relief, Twilight heard a few giggles from her advisors, which she responded to with a threatening glare before dismissing them.  As she made her way for her chambers, she couldn’t help but kick herself for nearly losing her cool. I have to be more careful…

“Twilight! Oh, Twilight, darling!”

Her ears perked up upon hearing the familiar voice and smiled. She turned around, only to be attacked by a white unicorn wearing a very expensive looking crystal dress, most likely said unicorn’s own creation, if Twilight knew her well. Hugging her back, Twilight said, “Rarity, I’m so glad to see you! I didn’t know you were coming to the castle tonight. If I had known, I would have prepared something for your arrival!”

Rarity stepped back and raised her hoof. “Oh, darling you don’t have to do that for moi. I’m already still in your debt for what you did for my wedding with Fancy Pants.”

“Only the best for best friends,” replied Twilight, chuckling. “But what’s got you so excited? Does it have to do with your fashion stores? Is business picking up?”

Rarity shook her head, her grin so wide it could split her face. “I went to the doctor’s today with Fleur, because of those stomach problems I told you about, right? Well he did some tests and…” Rarity squealed, covering her mouth with her hooves. After a moment of shaking, she screamed, “I’m pregnant!”

After a quick gasp, Twilight was soon squealing alongside her fellow Element, earning a few chuckles from the nearby guards before they went back to their stone faced expressions. The girls held each others hooves as they bounced up and down, shouting in joy together. Twilight, calming down but still keeping her smile up, urged Rarity to follow her as the two rushed down the halls. Entering Twilight’s bedroom they found a fresh pot of tea waiting for them, as she always ordered, along with a few crumpets. The two friends sat down on their cushions and poured each other a cup before toasting to Rarity’s miracle.

“I can’t believe it! You’re going to be a mother, just three months after your wedding!” giggled Twilight. “Have you told anypony else?”

“Fleur knows, having helped me get to the doctor’s, and Fancy Pants will know when he comes back from his trip to Manehatten,” explained Rarity. She wiped a tear from her eye while slowly rubbing her stomach, where the new life slept peacefully. “Oh, Twilight, darling. This year has just been a dream come true: married to a noble and handsome stallion that I love with all my heart, my business extending all across Equestria, and now my own foal. I truly am blessed.”

“And I’m happy for you, Rarity. I know all of Ponyville will be too,” said Twilight, knowing all the reactions their friends would have. Pinkie Pie would naturally throw a party and want to do the baby shower. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, if she wasn’t practicing with her fellow Wonderbolts in Cloudsdale, would exchange a few jokes about Rarity looking overweight in the future before congratulating her. Fluttershy would offer to baby sit whenever it was needed. And Sweetie Belle would be so excited at the prospect of being an aunt she would, in the younger sister’s own words, burst.

“Yes, darling, I already have plans to visit Ponyville after I tell Fancy. I haven’t been there since the wedding and it would be great to see everypony again,” mused Rarity, looking out the window. From a distance stood the small town they loved so much. “I do miss living there sometimes. I love Canterlot and all, but Ponyville will always be my home. You understand, right?”

“More than you think,” answered Twilight, also staring at the town that changed her life forever. It held so many memories, both good and bad, but all of them worth keeping forever. There were times she wished she could return to those days where she was just a simple librarian, but she, like the rest of their friends, had moved on to new stages of her life. Yet the one thing that still lived on was their friendship, and they always got together whenever they could just to catch up on each others’ livelihoods.

Rarity put her teacup down, and cleared her throat. “Anyway, Twilight, I came here for a reason other than to tell you the good news. I was hoping you could tell me where Spike is.”

“Spike?”

“Yes. See, I already have asked Fleur to be the godmother and she said yes. I want, and I’m sure Fancy will agree with me, to have Spike as the godfather,” explained Rarity.

Twilight leaned back in surprise. “Spike? A-are you sure about that, Rarity? He’s only a baby dragon.”

“Oh, pish posh, Twilight Sparkle,” said Rarity, waving her hoof. “Spike is seventeen, that’s a pony’s legal age, isn’t it? Besides, he’s always been there for me and is like a little brother to both me and Fancy. After all, next to you and Pinkie Pie, he was the most dedicated to helping design our dream wedding. I’ve always seen him as a little brother and I know he would be perfectly capable of taking care of the foal should anything bad happen to me or Fancy, heaven forbid. So, where is he?”

“I wish I knew,” admitted Twilight, rolling her eyes. “He’s been coming and going at the strangest of times. One time I didn’t see him for a full day, and when he came back it was three in the morning! I asked him what he was doing and if anything was wrong, but he just smiles and tells me not to worry.”

“Oh my! Do you think he’s doing something dangerous?” asked Rarity, leaning forward.

Twilight shook her head. “Who knows? I know he’s ‘technically’ an adult, being an Equestrian citizen and all, but I can’t help but worry…”

The mood seemed to take a somber turn, and Rarity coughed into her hoof distractedly in an attempt to break the tension. “Well, I’m sure Spike is okay, and he’ll tell you if anything is wrong. Shall we talk about something else?”

Twilight shrugged and brought her tea to her lips. “Like what?”

“Like when you’re going to confess to Princess Luna that you have a crush on her,” said Rarity, quickly raising another pillow with her magic to block the tea spat out of Twilight’s mouth. “Come on, dear. You’ve been crushing on her for a long time now; surely you have to tell her soon.”

“R-Rarity…,” coughed Princess Twilight, whipping the tea from her mouth. I knew I shouldn’t have told her. Thank goodness for Pinkie Promises, though.

“I mean really, Twilight, you and her would be perfect for each other. You both are good friends, love reading, stargaze all the time, even have similar ideas on how to run the country. You’re almost fit for each other!” pointed out Rarity. “Are you afraid she’ll reject you?”

“It’s not that, it’s…” Twilight shifted her hooves around, avoiding Rarity’s gaze by lowering her head towards the table. “It just can’t work out between us! She’s my friend! A friend for nearly ten years! It would be such an awkward change in our relationship that it could ruin our whole friendship. Not to mention that, despite being an alicorn, Cadence and I are different from Celestia and Luna. We age, unlike them!”

“How is that a problem?!” demanded Rarity, pounding her hoof on the table. “Love, Twilight Sparkle, has no limits by time. It lasts forever.”

“Yes, your love may last forever, but you yourself may not,” responded Twilight. “Princess Celestia and Luna can’t age because of their connection to the sun and moon; as long as they exist, the two of them will never grow old. I don’t have a cosmic entity to grant me that. I’ll grow old, just like you girls, and die. I can’t put Luna through that!”

“Darling, I’m certain that Princess Luna and Celestia have had to deal with such thoughts in their lifetime? If I recall, Celestia has had many lovers in the past. Surely, despite knowing your mortality, they would both be ready to say goodbye when it comes to it,” pointed out Rarity.

“Maybe so, but I’m just… really worried, Rarity!” confessed Twilight. She stood up, staring into the night as every single bad scenario she knew started flying out of her mouth. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if one of us ends up hurting the other? What will the others say? You know that most of the nobility don’t like same gender relationships; it could hurt Princess Luna’s reputation. How can I do that to her after all the hard work she spent trying to earn their trust and love? What if Celestia and Luna get into an argument and I have to choose who to side with? My mentor, or my marefriend? It’s just… it’s just too risky to suddenly change everything!”

Taking deep breaths, Twilight fell to her haunches as Rarity walked over and nuzzled her friend. “Twilight, change always comes with risks. You don’t know if what choice you make will end up being good or bad in the end, but I believe you should give this a try. After all, ‘Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all’.”

“Lord Whinnyton,” said Twilight, smiling at the quote from the famous pony.  Sighing, she gazed up at the moon and said, “But… I don’t know if I can do it. Even if I could, what do I do? How do I handle this?”

Rarity shook her head. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Love comes from the heart and is different for everypony. You will have to discover the answer on your own.” She hugged her best friend and nuzzled her once more. “I’m sorry, dear, but I have to go. Fancy is coming home soon and I want to be there to tell him the good news. Do tell Spike my offer to be our foal’s godfather, will you?”

“I will,” promised Twilight, hugging back.

“And Twilight?” Rarity stepped back and gave her a smile. “It’s ultimately your decision, but I think you should give a relationship with Luna a try, despite your worries.”

The two waved goodbye as Rarity exited the room, escorted by a guard. Alone, Twilight sighed and looked towards the moon again. Can it even work? I do… care about Luna, maybe enough to give a relationship a try, but is it worth the risk? The sudden change from friend to marefriend isn’t easy. At least with Rarity she was already smitten by Fancy Pants the moment they met. This is different.

Twilight shook her head. There would be plenty of time to think about her problems with Luna later. Right now, she wanted to deal with one issue at a time, starting with Spike. She had to find him, not just because Rarity asked her too, but because she was tired of not knowing where her assistant was going every night. For all she knew, he could be in some kind of trouble. Twilight decided to use a spell she recently learned that allowed her to find anypony that she ‘marked’ as long as they weren’t too far away. Closing her eyes, her horn began to glow a bit before a small purple sprite appeared at the top of her horn and flew outside the window. Taking flight, she followed the sprite with great haste, hoping to find her assistant. Preferably not in any danger.


***


Of all the places she had expected to find the sprite land at, Fluttershy’s cottage was the last on her list. The sprite winked out as she dismissed the spell and proceeded to make her way towards the front door, with even more questions on her plate. Knocking on the door, she waited for Fluttershy to greet her, but nopony came. Checking the windows, Twilight saw none of the lights on except one that seemed to be coming from Fluttershy’s bedroom. Biting her lip, she pondered on her choices before deciding to pick the lock with her magic, planning to apologize later if need be.

The door creaked as Twilight entered the house, noticing all the animals tucked into bed and sleeping without a sound. With some careful tiptoeing—and a little spell to silence her hooves—Twilight made her way up the stairs, where she started to hear noises from above. It sounded like grunts and moans, followed by the occasional sound of something hitting the floor. She began to pick up her pace as she heard Fluttershy scream like she was in pain. Oh my gosh! Are they fighting?!

“S-spike! Please! D-don’t… Ah!” cried out Fluttershy from inside her bedroom.

Wasting no time, Twilight kicked the door open with a loud bang, shouting, “Spike! Why are you hurt… ing… wha…”

Twilight was suddenly reminded of a time when she was younger, where she saw her parents making out in the kitchen. Being only a filly at the time, she called it the grossest and ickiest thing she had ever seen. It haunted her for months.  Now she was seeing such a scene again, only this time it involved her little brother figure on top of one of her best friends, barely covered in sheets, lying on a bed and looking just as shocked as she was.

Her best friends weren’t fighting… they were mating.

“T-twilight?!” shouted Fluttershy as she dove under the covers.

“Twilight?! What the hay! Get out of here!” yelled Spike, covering himself as well while throwing a pillow at the intruder.

“S-sorry!” replied Twilight, closing the door just before the pillow could smack her in the face.

She rushed down the stairs, waking up all the critters that began screeching and creating a racket. She raced in a panic into the bathroom, opened the door, locked it, and turned on the sink, splashing water over her horrified face. After a few more splashes, Twilight slowly looked at her reflection, her mouth still wide enough to catch flies. Her mind was working at full capacity to wipe the sight of love making out of her head, but it was going take a major amount of brain bleach to get rid of it. As she tried to erase the most mind-scarring thing she had ever seen, question after question started ripping her brain apart.


Fluttershy and Spike?! How?! When?! Are they in love?! Is this just a friend with benefits thing?! Is this even legal?! She’s a pony and he’s a dragon! She’s older than him! He’s a baby dragon! Oh my gosh I just saw one of my best friends and a dragon who’s all but like a brother to me rutting in bed! Augh! Mental images! Curse my brain for memorizing everything I see!

“Twilight?! Are you in there?!” asked Spike, knocking on the door. “Are you alright?”

“I… I think so… maybe…” answered Twilight, eye twitching every half second.

“Um… listen. Fluttershy and I aren’t angry and… well… I guess you have some questions.”

Twilight nearly ripped the door open with her magic. She glared into the frightened eyes of the nervous dragon, a red flush spread across his purple face. “That’s an understatement! Why in harmony’s name did you keep this from me?! You and Fluttershy?! I can’t even think of how that even works, let alone the idea of it! I’ve never seen any hints between you two and I sure as hay want to know how this all started!”

“I’m sorry,” muttered Spike, rubbing the back of his neck. “I… was going to tell you, I was… I just… didn’t know how.”

Remembering Cadance’s breathing exercises, Twilight slowly started to calm down and collect herself. “Look, I’m sorry I yelled at you. I came here looking for you because you’ve been leaving without a word and coming back late.  I was beginning to get worried. I never expected to find you and Fluttershy having s-s… se…”

“Sex?”

“Yes, that…” finished Twilight, shaking her head. Somberly, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you trust me?”

“I…” said Spike, closing his eyes. “I was afraid. I was afraid you wouldn’t approve of us. I mean, it’s kind of a strange sight isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it was,” groaned Twilight, making Spike smile a bit.

“Look, come sit down and we’ll tell you the whole story.”

Twilight nodded and followed Spike to the living room. The critters were heading back to bed while Fluttershy nervously sat on the couch. Upon seeing Twilight, she flew forward and cowered in front of the alicorn. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Twilight! We didn’t mean to keep this a secret; I mean we’ve only been officially together for three months. Oh, you must be so mad at us! It’s all my fault, I wanted to keep it a secret and—“

Fluttershy was soon silenced by a kiss from Spike, raising her head from under her hooves with his hand. Both ponies blushed, for different reasons, before Spike removed his lips from his beloved and said, “Fluttershy, stop. She’s not angry and it’s not your fault. We both agreed to keep it a secret, but I guess the secret had to come out sometime, huh?”

“A-are you sure, Spike?” asked Fluttershy, earning another kiss as an answer. This time she followed through with it, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and pushing forward, moaning in pleasure.

A loud cough from Twilight reminded the two lovebirds that they had a guest in the room and separated with nervous smiles on their faces. Twilight rolled her eyes, but remained calm and directed the group to the couch and chair before them. The three sat down, Twilight across from the couple who held onto each other as Spike’s wing wrapped itself around Fluttershy like a protective blanket. She smiled and gave a small peck on the cheek as a reward for his kindness.

“Well, I guess it’s safe to say that you two are in love,” joked Twilight, making the couple blush. “Just… how did this all happen?”

“Well, officially it was three months ago,” explained Spike, “but the real story starts much earlier than that…”

> A Shoulder To Cry On
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Edited by: Mr. Minimii and Adjudicator


***


Spike had always heard of the saying ‘Life isn’t fair’, but never truly understood the words until today. Life wasn’t just unfair, it was downright cruel. It had all been planned perfectly. He turned seventeen last month and finally found a proper date to ask Twilight for a day off so he could spend time with Rarity in Ponyville. Only this day was going to be different from all the other days he went to visit Rarity. He wasn’t going to just assist her with her dresses, nor was he going to drink tea while the unicorn shared the latest gossip. He was going to finally do the one thing he had wanted to do since meeting her thirteen years ago: ask her out on a date.

It was a just a fantasy when he was younger, knowing their age differences could cause a scandal and hurt Rarity’s reputation. So he decided to remain patient and bide his time until that big day when he became an adult in the eyes of Equestria. It was going to be the perfect day, the day he dreamed about for years, where he and Rarity would finally be together, no longer as friends, but as something more.

If only he wasn’t such a big dreamer; maybe then the utter crushing weight of reality wouldn’t be hurting this much. Spike slowly lifted his eyes from his crossed arms, holding his knees as close to him as possible. He gazed over the dozens of trees he had utterly ripped apart around him, thankful that he didn’t use his fire in his rage, or else things would be worse. A tiny splash of water hit the top of his spines, soon followed by a second, then a dozen more.

“Great, as if I didn’t have enough problems,” muttered Spike as his scales and drooping wings got soaked from the downpour. He knew he had to get up and find shelter, but it was a long flight back to Canterlot. The closest place he could find protection from the rain was the library, which was now in control of a mean elderly pony who he suspected had a thing against dragons; Sugarcube Corner was closed due to a mold infestation, thanks to a practical joke gone wrong, and Rarity’s shop was out of the question.

Rarity...

Closing his eyes, he buried himself under his arms, letting his wings cover him like a protective shield, both against the rain and the cruel world from the outside. Rarity. A name he would have sung in worship, but now it was nothing to him but an echo on the wind. A name he had given everything to, hoping that someday his reward would come. Yet after thirteen years of hard work and planning, it never came. He would never have her heart; maybe he never had a shot to begin with. It didn’t matter now; nothing mattered now, except to just sit in the rain.

“Spike?”

Slowly spreading his wings, he saw a set of gentle, concerned cyan eyes staring down at him with an umbrella hat. He forced a small smile and nodded in greeting. “Hey, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy immediately rushed to his side, pushing his wings aside while examining him. “Oh my goodness, are you okay?! One of my animal friends told me something was tearing apart his set of the woods and I rushed right over! Are you hurt?!”  She then started looking around, biting her lip. “I-Is whate-ever caused this g-g-gone?”

Blushing, Spike rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding Fluttershy’s eyes. “Well… um, that was me. Sorry, and no, I’m not hurt.”

At least not physically anyway… thought Spike as he got up, Fluttershy staring at him with her wide eyes.

“You did this? Oh my…” Fluttershy nervously shuffled her hoof on the dirt, lowering her head a bit. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t want to talk about it…” muttered Spike, turning away.

“But…”

“I don’t want to talk about it!” yelled Spike, growling. He quickly realizes his error when he saw Fluttershy step back, shivering. “Fluttershy… I… I’m sorry, I just…”

“Do… do you want me to leave? If you’re angry then I can just go and…” A thunderous boom made Fluttershy yelp and fall down, covering her head with her forelegs while shivering.

Looking up at the storm, Spike cursed as flashes of lighting followed by cracks of thunder were spotted in the distance. Helping Fluttershy up to her hooves, he said, “Let’s get out of this storm first. Is your place nearby? I didn’t really notice where I ran to…”

Fluttershy nodded and started running in the direction of her cottage, Spike right behind her. A few more lightning bolts in the sky encouraged them to run faster, jumping over dead debris and ducking under low branches. Well, for Spike anyway, who sometimes wished he could take back his growth spurt. After a few more turns, they soon spotted the warm cottage and entered the safe haven. Gasping for breath, they sat down near the front door while shivering from the cold. The two of them glanced at each other and gave a chuckle at the sight of their wet and muddy appearances. Spike looked around and saw all the animals under Fluttershy’s care hiding in their beds, birdhouses, cages, or holes in the wall while the storm continued to rage on. The only who seemed relax was Angel, lying on the couch reading a magazine. He gave the two a dull look before shrugging his shoulders and returning to his business.

Fluttershy got up and pointed to her bathroom across the hall. “Um, you should get cleaned up. I’ll use the upstairs bathroom and then prepare some hot chocolate. Does that sound good?”

“Sounds great, thanks,” said Spike, making his way towards the bathroom. He moved slowly and carefully in an effort to avoid getting the floor muddy.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” said Fluttershy, realizing his action. “I’m sure Angel wouldn’t mind cleaning up if we make a mess.” The said bunny turned away from his magazine and gave his owner a look that said ‘Are you kidding me, girl?’, but rolled his eyes lazily and shrugged his shoulders again.

Spike nodded and continued making his way towards the bathroom. Turning on the shower, he stepped in and sighed in relief as the warm water began to wash away the filth on his scales. Taking the soap, he started to clean himself, but slowed down as his thoughts began to creep up on him. Not only did he cause damage to the trees that were home to a few of the animals under Fluttershy’s care, but he also yelled at her.  And despite all that, she offers me her home as protection from the storm….

A knock on the door woke him up from his monologue. “Spike? It’s me. Um, I made the cocoas. Are you finishing up in there, or maybe I could reheat it for you? I mean, if you’d like.”

“Y-yeah, sure. I’m coming right out,” replied Spike, mentally adding another thing he should be grateful for from his friend’s kindness. He thought about her earlier offer to speak about his problems and found himself considering it. I need to talk to somepony about this, and Fluttershy is a good listener.

His mind made up, he washed off the remaining soap before turning off the water and dried himself off. Glancing at the window, the rain seemed to be only pouring down harder. Guess I’m heading home late tonight, or in the morning if Fluttershy lets me spend the night here.

He returned to the living room and spotted his host, washed and refreshed, flying in from the kitchen, balancing two mugs on her back. Landing beside him, she raised her back a bit, offering one of the hot cocoas. He took the mug with the bunny rabbit face and sat down on the couch, much to Angel’s irritation. The rabbit stuck his tongue out before getting up and stomping his way towards his bed. Fluttershy took her doggy-faced mug and sat down next to him with a gentle smile on her face.

Minutes passed by as the pattering rain from outside echoed across the room, occasionally bolstered by a small snore from one of the animals. Taking a deep breathe, Spike put his mug down on the table and folded his claws over his legs. “Fluttershy? I’m… I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“It’s ok—“

“No! It’s not okay,” shouted Spike, growling. “You were just worried for me and all I did was direct my anger towards you. It was wrong.”

He looked at the ground, narrowing his eyes while cursing his race’s anger problems that always seemed to get worse as he grew older. He lost count of the number of fights he had been in, not to mention the number of scoldings from Twilight, and swore to keep his anger in control in the future, if only to stop making his friends worry. A hoof nudged his claw, knocking him out of his thoughts before he stared at the smiling pegasus next to him.

“It’s okay, Spike. Everypony gets angry sometimes, even me. I’m pretty scary when I lose control,” pointed out Fluttershy, bashfully.

Spike shivered. Angry Fluttershy, or ‘New Fluttershy’ as some of their friends called it, was not a pretty sight to see. He recalled one time when the normally shy pony had been walking around with Angel for a trip to the park when she bumped into a rude stallion that started to yell at her. Spike was hanging out with Rainbow Dash and Applejack at the time and the three were ready to come to her aid when Angel started stomping his foot on the pony. Annoyed, he grabbed the rabbit with his magic and hurled him across the street where he landed on the ground, rubbing at a newly-formed lump on his head.

Everything else happened in a blur. Fluttershy, with fire in her eyes, screamed in rage and charged at the jerk, throwing him across the entire town where he landed on a traveling rock farmer’s cart. Fluttershy flew across the street to rescue Angel, nuzzling the bunny as she carried him back home to treat his wound. As for the unicorn, he was in the hospital for a few weeks before being released. Everypony said he ran out of town like an entire changeling horde was after him.

“Yeah, but it was still wrong of me,” whispered Spike, leaning back against the couch.

“Do you… do you want to talk about it?” asked Fluttershy.

Spike closed his eyes, his claws clenching tight as he thought about Rarity. He really wanted to just go home and hide underneath his covers, maybe tell Twilight about what happened, and have his mother figure comfort him like the old days. Still, Fluttershy was a good friend, and he knew he had to release what was building in his chest before he exploded again. 

“I… I went over to Rarity’s… I was planning to ask her out,” said Spike, remembering how busy the boutique looked when he entered the building. Rarity was pushing herself to her limits, as always, but still looked radiant as ever. She had been overjoyed to see him, not to mention being given an excuse to take a break. He could still smell the jasmine tea she presented to him as they sat down to talk on their usual couches.

He glanced at Fluttershy, whose frown started to increase; she most likely already knew where this story was going. Sighing, he continued, “It was fine at first. We chatted, drank tea, shared the latest gossip – the usual. Then… she told me that she had a visit from Fancy Pants.”

Teeth gritting, Spike tried to push aside all desire to curse the pony’s name, despite what he had done. He had met ‘the most important pony in Canterlot’ years ago when Rarity introduced him, and they had become good friends over time. He wasn’t like the other nobles, snooty and snobbish, but decent, with a good sense of humor and an open-minded view on all individuals. He actually admired the guy a bit, but now? He wanted nothing more than to punch that monocle of his straight down his throat.

“He…” Spike struggled to say the words, tears flooding his eyes. “He asked her out, and she said yes…” He covered his eyes with his claw as Fluttershy wrapped a wing around him.

“I’m sorry, Spike,” whispered Fluttershy, wrapping her legs around his waist. “I know how much you cared about her…”

Spike let out a bitter laugh. “Everypony told me to just drop it… to just give up on her, that it couldn’t happen, and that I would only get hurt in the end… I guess they were right.”

“No, don’t think like that,” scolded Fluttershy, turning his face towards hers. “You had no idea if Rarity would accept your feelings. It’s not yours or anybody’s fault… it was just bad timing, that’s all.”

“I…” choked Spike, wiping his tears, “I don’t know what to do, Fluttershy. What do I do?”

Her answer was forcing his head to rest on her shoulders. He blushed a bit at the thought of them being so close, but soon relaxed and hugged her tight, letting her soft humming heal his torn heart. As she stroked his back, she whispered, “Just let it all out, Spike. Whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, I’ll be here. If you want to talk about it, I’ll be here.  I’m your friend, Spike, and you can count on me to be there for you.”

The remaining resistance he had been holding for hours fell apart and Spike cried out thirteen years of unreturned feelings. He was sure that Fluttershy’s coat was now damper then what the rain had done earlier, but he couldn’t stop. He hadn’t cried this much in years, not since he was three and got lost in the castle looking for Twilight. Hours passed, and before Spike knew it, he was sleeping on the couch, two warm blankets covering him. As he began to feel his eyelids shut, he saw Fluttershy looking down at him with her usual gentle smile. He smiled back, eyes still misty.

“Thank you,” whispered Spike as Fluttershy nuzzled his cheek.

“Goodnight, Spike…” said Fluttershy, calmly walking towards the stairs and shutting the lights off.


***


Spike woke up to the sound of birds chirping in their houses on the walls, while his nose picked up the aroma of blueberry pancakes. Licking his lips, he sat up and yawned so loud he was sure it could be heard all over the house. Fluttershy walked out of the kitchen wearing a pink apron around her neck and bearing a spatula in her mouth. Setting it down on her table, she greeted the dragon by nuzzling his cheek.  “Good morning, Spike. I have breakfast cooking, would you like some?”

“Yeah, that would be great,” replied Spike, rubbing his stomach. “I shouldn’t stay too long though; Twilight’s going to be worried when she realizes I didn’t come home last night.”

“Oh my, that would be bad. I’ll make sure to hurry up then,” said Fluttershy, grabbing her spatula. Before she could re-enter her kitchen, there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” said Spike, rising to his feet and stretching his back. Surprisingly, he slept pretty well last night and felt a little better after confessing his troubles last night. There was still some part of him, a small piece, that was hurting, but time would fix that. Hopefully.

Walking up to the door, Spike peeked through the window next to it, expecting to see the milk or mailpony, but upon spotting a familiar indigo mane that he could recognize from anywhere, he jumped back. Heart drumming in his chest, Spike rushed into the kitchen where he spotted a confused Fluttershy and stammered, “It’s R-Rarity.”

Gasping, Fluttershy turned off her stove and flew to the door. Spike cautiously crept towards one of the windows and peeked out. Sure enough, his former crush was standing there, biting her lip and looking around like she was nervous of being spotted. He also noticed that she didn’t have her usual make up on and that her hair looked frazzled, a sight anypony rarely ever saw with Rarity.  Ducking for cover as she looked in his direction, Spike closed his eyes and pressed against the wall. I don’t want to see her… not now…

Fluttershy seemed to have read his mind as she pointed to the kitchen, which he quickly hid in. Back pressed against the wall, he poked his head out as Fluttershy let Rarity in. Before the pegasus could exchange greetings, Rarity ran inside shaking her head, eyes misty. “Oh, Fluttershy! It’s horrible! I’m horrible! How could I have been so insensitive to him?!”

“To who, Rarity? What’s wrong?” asked Fluttershy, closing the door.

“To Spike!”

Spike felt his spine freeze up as he listened closer. Sitting on her haunches, Rarity proceeded to cover her face with her hooves and started to sniffle. Fluttershy quickly glanced at Spike with worry before wrapping her legs around her teary-eyed friend. “Shh, it’s okay. What happened?”

“Spike came to visit me yesterday. When I told him I was going to start dating Fancy Pants, he just stormed out of the shop in a heartbeat, slamming my door closed and shattering all the glass,” muttered Rarity, wiping her eyes. “I only remembered afterwards that he still had that crush on me. I was so caught up in the moment, thinking of Fancy’s visit that I forgot Spike’s feelings!”

“Rarity…” said Fluttershy, rubbing her back. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“I would never hurt Spike, Fluttershy,” explained Rarity, shaking her head. “I care about him, really I do. He’s been one of the sweetest friend’s I’ve ever known and I love him like a brother. You don’t know how hard it was to keep up such a façade so that I didn’t break his little heart when he was younger. I wanted to tell him we were just friends, but I… I couldn’t… I didn’t want to hurt him.”

Sighing, Rarity stared at the ground with such a sad look in her eyes that Spike only recalled seeing such sorrow once before: the first time she ever went to the gala and had her dreams crushed.  Fluttershy wrapped her wing around her friend, and asked, “And you thought he would outgrow it?”

“As he got older, yes. I thought he would accept the fact that I didn’t share those feelings with him… but… I was wrong,” said Rarity, whimpering like a whipped puppy. “Had I known I wouldn’t have been so… brash about my new relationship with Fancy Pants. The way he looked at me, Fluttershy. It was like I had torn out his heart and crushed it into tiny pieces. I tried to chase after him, but I guess those flying lessons from Rainbow Dash paid off.”

She chuckled, but Spike could still see a few tears drip from her eyes. Spike turned away, growling not at Rarity anymore, but at himself. You made her cry. You swore to never make her cry, no matter what!

“I couldn’t get any sleep last night. I was just so worried about Spike and our friendship that I… Oh, Fluttershy!” She grabbed onto her friend and started shaking her, crying hysterically. “What if he hates me?! What if he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?! I didn’t want to hurt him, Fluttershy! Oh, I’m sure he hates me!”

“No,” said Spike, slowly coming out of the kitchen. “I could never hate you, Rarity.”

Rarity gasped, standing perfectly still as Spike slowly walked over with a small smile on his face. He lifted his claw and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. “You really shouldn’t cry. It’s unfitting for a lady like you.”

“Spike… I…” Rarity started, but Spike held his claw up.

“No… Rarity, you don’t have to apologize. I should.” Spike sighed and struggled to say his next choice of words. “I… I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I didn’t mean to make you feel worried or scared. I… I do love you, maybe a part of me always will, but I know we can’t be together now, no matter how much I wanted us to.”

Rarity sat up and shook her head, sympathy in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Spikey-Wikey. I really do care about you, just… not the way you want us to go. I just wish I didn’t hurt you.”

“Maybe it’s best this way,” suggested Spike with a shrug of the shoulders. “I just want us to still be friends. Can we?”

“Of course,” said Rarity, holding out her hoof with a smile. Spike took it before pulling the unicorn forward and hugging her. The two continued to embrace each other, feeling their sorrows slowly dissipate before they released their hugs and chuckled. “Well, I hate to leave and all, but I think I need a good bath. I don’t want to smell like a pig.”

She turned to Fluttershy with a hesitant smile. “Uh, no offence to them of course.”

Fluttershy nodded as she escorted Rarity to the exit. The three quickly exchanged goodbyes, and one last hug, before Rarity made her way down the road. Before reaching Fluttershy’s gate, she turned around and shouted, “Spike?”

Spike raised his head.

“You’ll always be my Spikey-Wikey! Always!”

For some reason, Spike felt that it was the best compliment he ever had been given. Raising his claws, he waved back at Rarity who nodded and trotted off.


***


“Oh, Spike. I wish you told me how you were feeling,” whispered Twilight, fighting the urge to hug her assistant in a bone-crushing embrace. She too thought his old feelings were gone as he grew up, but she was so foolish to believe that. It’s like I don’t know him anymore…

Spike chuckled, rubbing the back of his scale spines. “Relax, Twilight. It took some time, but I was able to recover. Fluttershy helped me a lot too,” he said, hugging the pegasus affectionately. “She’s a great listener if you need a pair of ears to hear your troubles. And Rarity and I patched things up pretty quickly.”

“Still, you could have told me.”

Sighing, Spike regretfully looked at her. “I know, but I didn’t want to worry you. You were just starting to use the throne and I didn’t want to keep piling more problems on you. Besides,” Spike gently kissed a blushing Fluttershy on the cheek, “I had somepony helping me already.”

Twilight smiled at the sight of the couple and wiped away a small tear from her eye. He really is growing up so fast. “So what happened next?”

“Well,” spoke Fluttershy, “a month passed and everything was normal. The two of us were just friends still, but we had gotten closer. Then one day…”


> Returning The Favor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Formerly edited by: Adjudicator

Edited by: Mr.Minimii and ugugg93


***


If there was one thing Spike missed most about Ponyville, besides having nice neighbors instead of rude snobs, it was the food. Canterlot may have had five-star restaurants, but sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned pile of extra crispy hay fries and chocolate milkshake. It was even better when you were spending time with your friends. The gang had decided to get together for a quick lunch date, but unfortunately they weren’t all there. Princess Twilight was too busy with work, having been rushed into tax duty, and Fluttershy hadn’t shown up, much to Spike’s disappointment. He had been looking forward to meeting with the pegasus who he had grown closer to over the past month. Fortunately, it still didn’t prevent him from having fun thanks to Fancy Pants, who decided to join them, as well as being able to exchange jokes with Pinkie Pie .

“... and then he said, ‘I’m your other end!’” said Pinkie, finishing her newest joke which set the entire table into a round of laughter.

“Gahaha! Good one, Pinks! I gotta tell the team that one when I get back,” laughed Rainbow Dash, banging her hoof on the table.

“It was a little vulgar,” snickered Rarity, covering her lips, “but even I must admit it was funny.”

“Quite so, my dear,” agreed her coltfriend, Fancy Pants, who was busy wiping away some salad dressing from his coat. Normally he would have worn his usual suit, but he insisted on 'fitting in with the commoners’ and went naked during their get together. This managed to attract the attention of a few mares in the town, but a quick, sinister look from Rarity made them walk away with their tails between their legs.

Fancy accepted a napkin from Spike, nodding in thanks. The former heartbroken dragon no longer held any contempt with his rival. In fact, Spike had started hanging out a lot more with Fancy Pants, for the dragon had few guy friends. He even confessed to Fancy his old anger at him for taking Rarity, but it was all water under the bridge in a matter of minutes. As way of an apology, he set up a date for Spike with his old flame, and good friend, Fleur De Lis. Although it wasn’t a bad experience, the two quickly realized they were better off as friends.

He watched as Fancy Pants shared his salad with Rarity, who gave him a quick peck on the cheek, much to the disgust of a gagging Rainbow Dash. The relationship between the two unicorns couldn’t have been better, with Fancy being a true gentlecolt that had nothing but respect and caring towards Rarity, who never stopped talking about him.

“I’m really glad Twilight let me have this day off, guys,” said Spike, sighing in comfort. “It’s been crazy now that Tax Season has started.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” moaned Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. “You’d think after saving the world so many times we’d be exempt from  this.”

“Ah, shoot Rainbow. It’s just a part of life ya gotta get use to,” said Applejack. “Macintosh and Ah, well mostly Macintosh, have been doin’ the farm’s taxes for years and ya don’t see us complainin’.” A small smirk stretched across her muzzle. “Or at least tryin’ to get out of it...”

Rainbow Dash threw her hooves up in the air. “Oh, come on! Are you ever gonna let that go?! How was I suppose to know that faking your death to avoid taxes was a crime?!” Leaning forward, Rainbow brought her hooves down from the air, and instead used one to rub the bridge of her snout. “I’m just glad the princesses only let me off with a warning. Still, don’t know why you girls didn’t stop me ahead of time...”

“Well, Ah wanted to see ya learn yer lesson on bein’ lazy,” admitted Applejack.

“It was one of those rare times I was ever gonna get you in a dress, dear,” said Rarity, giggling. “Granted it was for your open casket funeral, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

“And I’ve always wanted to throw a funeral reception!” said Pinkie Pie, bouncing on her pillow cushion. “Most funerals are sad and all, so I had a chance to make one really fun!”

Spike shook his head with amusement. “I still can’t believe you manage to get everypony drunk and get them all in a conga line.”

“Yeah, too bad it caused me to be banned from the funeral home.”

Everypony laughed, even Rainbow Dash despite being it at her expense, and continued finishing their meals. Spike looked around and sighed. “Guess Fluttershy isn’t coming after all.”

“Shame, I really wanted to speak to her about maybe using some doves for a part of our act,” said Rainbow Dash. “Maybe I should go visit her after lunch and see how she’s doing.”

“I can do it for you, I was going to meet up with her after this anyway,” said Spike, wiping his face with a napkin.

This made Rainbow Dash tilt her head. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. When did you two become so close as friends? She mentions you a lot in her letters to me and I’m kind of surprised. What happened?”

Spike, Rarity, and Fancy Pants glanced at each other for a moment, but thankfully it went unnoticed by the others. Clearing his throat, Spike answered, “Well... she was there when I needed somepony to talk to and... well, we just got a bit closer in our friendship and all.”

He noticed the sad twinkle in Rarity’s eyes, but a quick smile toward her direction was enough to make it disappear. Even though he was no longer in love with her, Rarity was still important to Spike and he would always do his best to be there for her. While the broken heart incident was long over with, he could sometimes feel Rarity looking at him with sympathy and regret of her actions in hurting him. Even if he continuously told her that all was forgiven and done.

Rainbow just stared at him a bit more before shrugging. “Eh, whatever. I’m just glad somepony’s been watching over her with me in the Bolts and all. I’m just a bit surprised since you two barely have anything in common.”

Truth be told, Spike had to agree. Out of all his friends, he rarely hung out with Fluttershy until last month. Still, Spike was glad that he had a pal to hang out with more since everypony else was busy with their jobs. Her cottage was also a great place to relax and take a break from the stressful life of Canterlot politics. He and Fluttershy would sit down and chat over some tea or go for a walk in the woods. Sometimes he even helped her out with her animals, who were starting to grow used to him.

Before Spike knew it, their lunch was over and everypony was saying their goodbyes. Promising to meet up sometime in the future, Spike made his way towards the edge of town and the path towards Fluttershy’s. As he got closer to the edge of the Everfree Forest, he wondered why Fluttershy was late. Maybe she got sick or a patient needed her? I hope everything is alright.

His thoughts were soon interrupted when he felt somepony barge into him at top speed, knocking him to the ground. Rubbing his head, he painfully looked down and gasped. Slowly lifting herself off him, Fluttershy, covered in blood and with eyes tearing up, asked, “Spike? Help...”

At first he thought it was for herself, but then he noticed something in her forelegs. A dying young doe...


***


The cottage door slammed open as Fluttershy, carrying her dying patient, rushed inside followed by Spike. Angel, rising up from his bed, looked ready to kill someone for waking him up, but his anger was soon replaced with horror as he rushed towards his master’s side to assist. Fluttershy quickly gave out orders. “Spike! Get me my emergency medical kit on the third shelf in my room! Angel! Get a pillow and then start boiling some water! Move it!”

Spike didn’t even bother giving a response, he just ran up the stairs and quickly found the kit. Making his way downstairs, he quickly gave Fluttershy the bag from which she dumped out all the contents and started getting to work. He took a moment to finally see how bad the damage was: a torn abdomen, bite marks all over its legs, as well as half of its tail ripped to shreds. Spike closed his eyes and turned away. He wasn’t a doctor, or even a vet, but even he could tell that this poor doe was done for.

Yet when he looked at Fluttershy, eyes full of determination as sweat dripped down her brow, he couldn’t find it in him to say this. She was so dead set on saving this creature that Spike was sure she would even give the grim reaper The Stare. It was one of the things he admired about her, and in ponies in general. Whether it was Rainbow Dash and her flying skills or Twilight with her magic, when a pony loves something so much they put everything they had, and more, into it, and Fluttershy was no exception when it came to her animals. Maybe there was a chance she could save it, but either way he couldn’t abandon her.

For two hours, he and Angel obeyed every order from Fluttershy. They helped her hold down the wounded doe, got her any medicine or painkiller needed, and handed her water and a handkerchief when she needed it. Finally, Fluttershy took a deep sigh and closed her eyes. “There... I’ve done all I could...”

The doe was now wrapped up in bandages while a small IV Fluttershy kept around was connected to its foreleg. It was finally asleep, its chest rising up and down in a well paced manner. Fluttershy slowly got up, only to lose her balance and nearly fall over if Spike hadn’t caught her.

Blushing, Fluttershy sat back on her haunches and nervously nodded. “T-thank you.”

“You need to rest, you’ve been working non-stop,” said Spike, gently picking her up and taking her to her couch. He gently laid the blushing and drowsy pegasus down and fetched a blanket.

Fluttershy shook her head. “No... I... I need to make sure she’s okay.”

“Fluttershy, you’ve done enough,” said Spike, giving her the blanket. “You said it yourself. There’s nothing more you can do but hope she gets better. If you keep worrying like this, you’ll only end up hurting yourself.”

The pegasus tried to say something, but a yawn soon proved Spike’s reasoning. With a sigh, she hesitantly took the blanket and covered herself up with it. “The moment anything happens, you tell me, alright?”

“I will, now go to sleep,” said Spike, patting her rear leg. Fluttershy gave a small smile before allowing sleep to finally overcome her.

Spike looked at his sleeping friend  for a bit before making his way to the doe who was being watched by a vigilant Angel. He knelt besides the bunny and together they kept watch over their patient. The silence between them went on for some time until Spike said, “The doe isn’t going to make it... is she?”

Angel simply shook his head.

“We need to be there for Fluttershy when it happens.”

Again Angel nodded before continuing his watch in silence. Over time, the doe’s breathing became softer and softer... until at last her chest fell one last time and never rose again. The two of them bowed their heads in respect before Spike got up and made his way towards Fluttershy. As he reached out to wake her up, he hesitated upon seeing her peaceful smile. It nearly broke his heart to know that he was going to shatter whatever dream she was having with a hard dose of reality, but he knew better than to delay it.

“Fluttershy, wake up,” he said, shaking her from her nap.

Fluttershy slowly rose up and stretched her wings before turning to Spike. “Spike? What is it? How’s the doe?”

Spike tried his best to keep his face as neutral as possible, but upon seeing Fluttershy’s pupils shrink and her mouth slowly open in horror, it was clear that he had given all away. “I’m sorry...”

Fluttershy flew out of her couch, knocking Spike back as she landed on next to the deceased doe, and stared in horror. Eyes slowly starting to mist, Fluttershy gently took the dow into her forelegs and cradled it close to her body. “No no no no! Celestia, no!”

She cried into the doe’s bandaged body, her sobs bringing all her animals out from their hiding places. Each of them looked towards their mistress and began to lower their heads in sympathy. The cries of his friend managed to make even a tear come out of Spike’s eye as he slowly made his way to her. Covering her with his wing, he muttered, “I’m sorry, Fluttershy.”

“Why didn’t you wake me!” shouted Fluttershy, glaring her teary eyes towards his. “You should have waked me! I could have saved her!”

“There was nothing you could have done.”

“Horseapples!” shouted Fluttershy, much to not only Spike’s shock, but the animals’ as well. “I could have done something! It’s what I do!”

“Fluttershy, listen to me!” shouted Spike, taking her by the shoulders, much to her surprise. “You and I both know that doe wasn’t going to make it... You knew that despite everything you could do, there was nothing you could have done to save it.”

Fluttershy just sat there, looking into his stern yet sympathetic eyes. Whimpering, she shook herself out of his grip and gently placed the doe back onto the pillow. Rising back to all fours, she retrieved her blanket and used it to cover the body. She continued to stare at her fallen patient for a long time. After what seemed like an eternity, she asked, “Then... was everything I did worthless?”

Spike sat up and placed his claw on her shoulders. “No. You made her last few moments comfortable. She passed away peacefully. You may not have saved her life, but you gave her a comfortable death. I think... she would have thanked you for that.”

The floodgates opened once more as Fluttershy fell into his arms. In a reverse situation, similar to his only a month ago, he was now comforting his friend by having her cry on his shoulder. He soon began to cry as well, not just for the life lost but also for the pain Fluttershy was going through. The animals of the cottage soon joined in, hugging the two or each other as they came together to comfort the one pony who they loved so much.

As well as the loss of a young soul taken away.


***


Spike watched as Fluttershy laid the flowers on the fresh grave she had only finished digging. He was surprised that behind her house, and a little further on, there was a graveyard for all the animals that had passed away under Fluttershy’s care. He slowly walked up to Fluttershy and hugged her as he glanced at the wooden tombstone:


Here lies Ms. Doe

She was a brave patient ‘till the very end

RIP


“This isn’t... the first time...” muttered Fluttershy in Spike’s arms. She slowly pulled herself away and looked towards the mass amount of wooden headstones she had carved herself. “I’ve lost many animals. Most grow old and die, which I accept because it’s all part of nature’s design... but... when they die under my care... when I can’t save them...” She wiped away a fresh set of tears. “I wonder if, deep inside, I’m just a failure at what I do...”

“Don’t say that,” growled Spike. “Don’t you ever say something like that, Fluttershy. You are not a failure. I’ve seen you save tons of animals and they love you for all that you’ve done for them.”

“But I...”

Spike shook his head. “No, Fluttershy. Don’t think that. Don’t think that at all. You think Twilight hasn’t failed? Or any of our friends? Even Princess Celestia and Luna? Horseapples, I’ve failed too...” He clenched his fist. “I tried for thirteen years to get Rarity to fall in love with me and I failed. But that doesn’t mean I’m just gonna give up on love... somepony, dragon, griffin or whatever is out there for me.” He stood tall and stared at Fluttershy eye to eye. “The moment we give up and call ourselves a failure is the moment we really are losers.”

Fluttershy stood there, her tears slowly coming to a stop. Although he could see some glimmer of hope in her eyes, there was still doubt. Lowering her head, Fluttershy whispered, “Is.. is it that simple?”

Spike sighed and use his claw to slowly lift up Fluttershy’s head and give her a smile. “No... but I managed to move on thanks to a certain pegasus. And I’ll do the same for her whenever she needs me.”

At last, a small smile appeared on Fluttershy’s face.


***


“Oh, Fluttershy I’m so sorry,” said Twilight, levitating a tissue to her nose and blowing it. “It must have been so hard, losing a patient like that.”

Fluttershy nodded, staring at her hooves that were pressing against one another. “The thing was... it wasn’t the first time I’ve... lost an animal. Just how she died and... how I wasn’t there...”

She whimpered and pressed herself against Spike’s chest as her coltfriend hugged her. “The worst was... the nightmares...”

“Nightmares?” asked Twilight.

Fluttershy nodded and hid behind her mane. “For a while, I had the same nightmare over and over again: I was working on Ms. Doe when suddenly she died... then she turned into one of you girls, or Spike, or somepony else I knew... and I just sat there... holding any of you as I cried out for help, but nopony was there to hear me.”

Shivering, she wrapped her forelegs around Spike’s body and sighed. “I’m just glad Spike was there for me.”

“I guess that explains why you were out so late and tired in the morning those days, huh?” asked Twilight with a smile.

“Yeah, I just.... I just couldn’t leave her like that, you know,” said Spike, rubbing the back of his neck. “She was so scared and I promised I would be there for her.”

“But you must have gotten over it, eventually,” pointed out Twilight.

“Oh, I did,” answered Fluttershy, nodding her head. “Applejack most likely told you this story, but one day...”


***


This was it. It was time to take one final gamble. Spike could feel every scale he had work up a sweat at he concentrated on the cards in front of him. Across from the table was his arch-nemesis, Angel, calmly looking at his cards with a carrot in his mouth. Between the two of them was a mountain of freshly baked cinnamon cookies, courtesy of Fluttershy for them to share. As if I’m sharing the best cookies on the planet with this furball.

Licking his lips, Spike took one last look as his hand before slamming it on the table. The cookie pile rattled a bit, but still stood strong as the dragon called out, “Full House! Beat that!”

Angel took out his carrot and smiled, revealing his own hand. Spike’s mouth dropped so low Angel could see his tonsils. “S-straight Flush?!”

Like a blow to the stomach, Spike fell the weight of defeat upon him as he crashed onto the table. Angel grinned and took his prize over to his side before munching on the delicious cookies. Spike got up and rested his head on one of his claws while growling at the cheerful bunny. “One of these days, Angel. One of these days.”

“I’m home!” shouted Fluttershy, closing the door behind her. She flew over to her closest friends and kissed Angel on his forehead, much to his embarrassment. She noticed the cookies and tilted her head. “Huh, I thought you loved my cookies, Spike. Why does Angel have them all?”

Spike gritted his teeth. “Your little demon spawn pet decided to play poker for the cookies. You can see the results of that decision.”

“Angel,” chided Fluttershy with a stern look. “Mama is very disappointed in you. You do not go scamming others out of their treats. Now give Spike some of your cookies this instant, mister.”

Angel sighed and, reluctantly, pushed a good portion of his share to a beaming Spike. Spike quickly began to shove the cookies into his mouth, tasting the sweet cinnamon goodness that felt like he was tasting a bit of heaven. “Seriously, Fluttershy. You make better cookies then even Pinkie Pie! You could make a killing if you sell these.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, no... I couldn’t do th-”

Everyone jumped as the door slammed open with an echo that made all the animals rush into their homes for protection. There at the entrance, gasping for breath, a sweaty Applejack looked up at her friends with fear and desperation in her eyes. “F-fluttershy! Come quick! Winona's puppies! They’re missin’!”

> Search and Rescue 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Formerly edited by: Adjudicator

Edited by: Mr.Minimii and ugugg93


***


“Wait, a minute,” said Twilight, interrupting the story. “I already know about this. You guys, Applejack, and her siblings went out into Froggy Bottom Bog and found the puppies. One of them was hurt really bad—” Twilight stopped and saw the nervous look on their faces as the two squirmed in their seats. She narrowed her eyes. “What happened?”

“Well,” said Spike, rubbing his arm, “it may have been a bit more dangerous than we expected.”

“How dangerous?” demanded Twilight.

“...I kinda died,” confessed Spike, sighing.

“You what?!” shouted Twilight, unleashing the Canterlot Royal Voice. All the animals awoke in an instant and chaos ensued. Fluttershy quickly got up and went to work calming down all her animals. Spike was ready to help her, but was thrown back into his seat by a raging Twilight who got into his face. “Tell. Me. Now.”

“Alright! Alright!” shouted Spike, putting his claws up. “Geez, this is why we didn’t tell you. It went like this...”


***


As soon as the duo heard about the news, Spike and Fluttershy flew at top speed towards the farm with Applejack galloping right behind them. Not to anypony’s surprise, Fluttershy was leading them with a worried yet intense look on her face that reminded Spike of her expression during the year Ponyville had to get water into Cloudsdale. Everypony knew that if Fluttershy ever got determined on something serious, not even Sombra could stop her.

The three of them arrived at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, where Big Macintosh was waiting for them. Fluttershy landed, grabbed the bigger pony’s shoulders, and started to shake him. “Big Macintosh, where are they?! Are they hurt?! What about Winona?!”

“Calm down, Fluttershy,” urged Applejack as the pegasus started to slowly breathe. “Apple Bloom and Winona went on ahead of us, trying to catch their scent. We don’t know if they’re okay or not, but we have to be calm.”

Spike landed and put his claw on her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy lowered her ears and let her wings relax. “I’m sorry. I’m just so worried. I was there when Winona gave birth and—”

“We know how much you care about them, sugercube,” said Applejack, nuzzling Fluttershy’s neck. “But we can’t act like we got rattlesnakes in our socks. We’ll find them.”

Fluttershy nodded and nuzzled back, slowly calming down. Before anypony could say anything else, they suddenly heard a series of barks and shouting from the distance that started to get louder over time Turning around, they saw  the source of the noise coming from a muddy Apple Bloom and Winnow, rushing towards them with fear decorating their faces.. When they arrived, Apple Bloom stopped to catch her breath while Winona continued barking and running around a bit. She soon stopped and looked towards the direction she had come from, whimpering as her tail lowered depressingly. Fluttershy was quickly at her side, scooping up and nuzzling her. “Oh, Winona! Don’t worry! We’ll get them back! I promise!”

Winona responded with a lick before barking towards towards the direction they came from. Fluttershy gasped, “Froggy Bottom Bog?!”

“Yeah, that’s where the trail was before we lost it,” said Apple Bloom as she started shaking the mud off her body, although some of it remained on her long ponytail mane. “We tried searching around the area a bit, but no luck. We’re gonna need to go in deeper.”

Spike cracked his claws. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

The others nodded and took off for the bog. Spike flew in the air with Fluttershy and quickly flashed a smile at her. “Don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay.”

Although Fluttershy responded with a small nod, she continued to look at their destination with worry. Spike sighed and went back to focusing on his flight. Hang on, pups. We’re gonna rescue you.


***


While Froggy Bottom Bog was no Everfree Forest, it still wasn’t a place to be taken lightly. There were quicksand ponds, poisoned plants, alligators, and deadly hydras inside the swampy bog. The party of six made sure to keep their guard up for anything as they shouted out the names of the pups. Spike, up in the air with Fluttershy, wished he had Twilight scrying spell to help them out. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack here. It was a good thing that they had Winona who, despite her age, was still a good sniffer and tracker even after all these years.

Spike gazed over to Fluttershy, who was busy looking over every inch of dirt. He had to admire the look of intensity on her face, like a mother bear that had lost her children. She was also their second advantage in this treaturous bog. If anybody who could spot things with an eye for detail, next to Rarity of course, it was Fluttershy. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Fluttershy gasp and dive down towards a set of bushes. Seeing this, Spike caught up with her and landed as well, watching Fluttershy inspected a few half broken branches.

She started sniffing the plant, but then whistled for Winona, who rushed over along with the Apple siblings. Winona began sniffing the bush before she started barking and pointing her head past the bushes. Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, I agree. They went that way.”

Apple Bloom tilted her head. “How in Equestria do ya know that?”

Pointing at the branches, Fluttershy said, “I noticed this bush out of place with the others, like it had been moved recently. When I looked closer, I saw the tiny bite marks and I recognized them as puppy teeth.” Spike and the others had to look real close to see them, but sure enough there were bite marks. “Finally, I smelled the area and it smelled a lot like urine. I think one of the puppies used this as a toilet and I had Winona here confirm my suspicions.”

Applejack rubbed her head and whistled. “Golly, Fluttershy. Yer like some pet detective or some sort. That’s amazin’!”

“It... it’s nothing special...” whispered Fluttershy, pawing her hoof.

“You kidding? I’d never would have found that stuff. Plus, we're one step closer to finding the puppies. Good job!” complemented Spike, earning a blushed yet smiling reward from Fluttershy.

Wasting no time, the gang ran towards the direction Winona suspected her puppies were. They traveled for a bit longer until they came up two paths that lead in opposite directions. Winona sniffed and tried to pick up a trace, but she whimpered upon finding nothing. Applejack sighed, “Great, Ah guess we gotta split up now.”

“Looks like it,” said Spike, looking at the left path and pointing his finger towards it. “Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, and I will go this way. The rest of you go right. Meet back here in half an hour?”

“Eeyup,” agreed Macintosh as his group began making tracks towards their path.

Spike and his group started down their own path with Fluttershy in the lead. Looking up at the sky, he could see that the sun was starting to go down. A sense of fear began to grow inside him.  If night arrived and they still didn’t have the puppies by then... the more dangerous creatures would come out and, if the puppies were still alive by that point, it wouldn’t take too long for a crocodile or some other creature to come and gobble them up.

Shaking his head of such dark thoughts, Spike resumed calling out the pups. He then felt somepony tapping his shoulder and turned around to spot Apple Bloom with a worried look on her face. “Spike, we’re gonna find them, right?”

Spike grinned and answered, “Of course we’ll find them. And if they’re in any trouble, we’ll rescue them and go home for some sweet apple pie.”

This didn’t seem to convince Apple Bloom, whose head drooped even lower. “Ah hope so... ah don’t wanna have another funeral...”

In an instant, Spike wrapped a wing around Apple Bloom’s and gave her a sympathetic smile. “How have you been doing since.. well, Granny Smith passed away?”

“A-alright I guess,” answered Apple Bloom, wiping a tear from her eye. “Ah just can’t believe she’s still gone ya know? She’s been around in Ponyville for nearly a hundred years, it just doesn’t feel the same without her. Ah’m glad she went in her sleep peacefully and all but...”

“I know, I miss her too,” said Spike, somberly. ‘I can still remember all the times she gave me cookies and milk growing up. Remember that sleepover when we were twelve?”

A smile stretched across Apple Bloom’s face. “Ya Ah do. We were telling scary stories when Granny Smith came down wearing her makeup and Scootaloo thought she was a zombie and fainted. Still not letting her forget that!” The two laughed while Fluttershy nearly jumped from their chuckling before nervously got back to the task at hand. Apple Bloom sighed and looked at the bog with fear in her eyes. “Ah really hope we find them... Ah just don’t want to bury more family members so soon, Spike.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t, trust me,” promised Spike.

“Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye,” said Spike, going through all the motions. This made Apple Bloom smile again before she turned away with a flushed face.

“Say, Spike... we’ve known each other for a good while now, a-and y’all been there for me since we lost Granny Smith,” whispered Apple Bloom, shifting around nervously. “Ah was wonderin’... if it’s not too much trouble... if ya like to go out sometime?”

This nearly made Spike lose his footing as he stared at Apple Bloom with a slightly opened mouth. “I... whoa... I didn’t think you... thought of me that way before...”

“W-well, it’s only been recently, and...” Apple Bloom gulped, “... yer such a nice guy and all. Maybe we can try it out? See where it goes?”

Spike tried to say something, but he couldn't find the right words to express his thoughts. Of all the things he had expected in this rescue mission, this had to be near the bottom of his list. Rubbing his claw through his spines, Spike answered, “L-look, Apple Bloom, I’m flattered, but I think we need to focus on finding the puppies first before anything else. I’ll... I’ll let you know what I think afterwards.”

“Oh... okay,” whispered Apple Bloom who turned away without a word and slightly moved further away from Spike.

The feeling was mutual as Spike increased his pace until he was side by side with Fluttershy who looked at him with concern. She glanced back at Apple Bloom, who was mumbling to herself, before asking her dragon friend. “Spike? What happened? What did you two talk about?”

“Well...” Spike tried to find someway to explain, but decided to just come out and say it, “... Apple Bloom asked me out.”

Just as he suspected. Fluttershy let out a little gasp and turned back towards Apple Bloom who noticed she was being stared at and turned away. Facing Spike again, she asked, “Did you agree to go out with her?”

“No,” answered Spike, sagging his shoulders. “And I don't think I will. I mean, Apple Bloom is cute and we’re the same age, but we’re better off as friends. I’ll be sure to tell her later when we’re not looking for lost pets”

For a second, Spike thought he heard a sigh of relief, but Fluttershy quickly started coughing and he chalked up to just his imagination. Fluttershy then asked, “Are you interested in dating again?”

“Yeah, but from my past experiences I think it’s safe to say I have a thing for older mares. Guess I can blame that on my old crush with Rarity,” said Spike, chuckling.

“Oh, that’s good,” whispered Fluttershy with a smile. She quickly blushed and shook her head. “I-I-I m-meant that it’s good that you know already what type of mare you like.”

“Uh, thanks,” said a confused Spike. She’s acting strange. Must be the bog or that annoying barking I keep hearing... wait a minute!

“Girls, quiet!” shushed Spike, holding his claws out. The two of them stopped moving and went silent as Spike pointed to his ears. “Do you hear that?”

Everyone held their breath as they listened in. Soon enough they heard the sounds of tiny barks and whimpers that made each of them look at each other and shout, “The puppies!”

Immediately, they dashed towards the cries, charging through every brush and low branch in front of them. They soon found themselves in a clearing right next to a murky lake where they spotted all six puppies crowding around each other, yelping and barking.

Apple Bloom was the first to reach them, and, upon seeing a familiar face, five puppies instantly jumped on top of her and started licking her with joyful faces. “Hey! There y’all are! Ya nearly scared us half to death with yer runnin’ away!” cried out Apple Bloom, struggling to remain serious as she giggled from the licking.

Although it was a happy sight to see, Spike and Fluttershy quickly saw that only five of the puppies were crowding around Apple Bloom. Turning towards the spot the puppies jumped from, they gasped upon seeing the sixth one lying on his side and moaning in pain. The two were instantly at its side as Fluttershy turned him over and started examining him.

“What’s wrong with him?” asked Spike, loud enough to get Apple Bloom’s attention into noticing the sick sixth puppy. She soon sat next to him and also waited with halted breath.

Fluttershy pressed her forehead against the puppies forehead. “High fever.” She pressed her ear against his chest. “Trouble breathing and rapid heartbeat.” She looked into his bloodshot eyes and felt his warm, sweaty coat. “Eyes are getting puffy and he’s sweating like crazy... I think... I think he ate some jimzo fungi.”

“What’s that? Is it deadly?” asked Apple Bloom.

Fluttershy grimly nodded. “It’s a very poisonous fungus that causes extreme amounts of pain and eventually kills whoever ate it in a few hours. I can cure it, but I need to get him home for treatment.”

Spike growled at their misfortune and stood up. “Okay, let’s get him out of here and—”

Before he could continue, Spike felt the entire ground start to shake so much that he nearly fell over. Eyeing the water, he noticed large ripples in the water that only made him worry even more. That worry was soon realized as four large snake-like heads came out of the lake and spotted a new tasty meal for them to eat. If that wasn't bad enough, at the back end of its tail looked like a scorpion stinger which made Fluttershy gasp. “That’s... that’s a Scorpion Hydra!” The hydra let out four loud roars that echoed across the bog before looking at the group, licking all four of it’s chops.

“Oh, this is just great...”  muttered Spike, looking up at the hydra. Although it was only half the size the one he first met with Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie many years ago, it still looked big enough to eat them all in one gulp. “I suggest we run now!”

The hydra roared as the group ran away, the puppies jumping on the ponies’ backs as they made their escape. The four-headed beast removed itself from the river and started to chase after its prey, knocking away any trees that stood in its path. Spike cursed at their predicament. He and Fluttershy could have easily flown away from the hybra with the puppies, but Apple Bloom would still be stuck on the ground in a helpless state. Deciding to grant the others some breathing room, Spike turned around and smashed his fist against the center right one’s nose. If it wasn’t for his dragon strength, Spike was sure his claw would have broken like a twig. The center right head reared back, shrieking in pain as the others tried to attack with their jaws.

Smirking, Spike prepared to jump into the fray when he heard a voice cry out his name. Turning around, Spike saw Fluttershy rush over to him. “What are you doing?! We have to get out of here!”

“I can hold it off long enough for you two get away safely!” shouted Spike, turning back towards the hydra which was showing signs of recovery. “Look, trust me! Get that puppy healed and find the others! I’ll be careful!”

Fluttershy bit her lip, tears beginning to form on her face, but she shook her head nonetheless. “Please be careful. A Scorpion Hydra's stinger is poisonous and kills almost instantly.” Fluttershy turned around, gave one last look, and flew away.

Spike nodded before flying back to the hydra. I really have to be insane to do this, but I have to make sure the girls will be alright!

The four heads managed notice Spike, and each made an attempt to swallow him whole. Spike managed to maneuver himself out of the danger by twisting around the heads and making them bump into each other. Flying towards the right side, he reared his fist back and pounded the farther right head in the cheek sending it crashing against the next head. The impact had a cascading effect, sending that head to the next, all the way to the last head on the left.

Spike smirked at the sight. Reminds me of Twilight’s Neighton’s Cradle back in her office.

His small victory was short lived as the heads soon shook themselves out of their daze and attacked again. This time Spike flew high enough to be out of their reach and stuck out his tongue. “Ha! Can’t reach me here!” His taunt was soon silenced by the unexpectedly large stinger that nearly hit him. The hydra shot its tail out a few more times, but Spike managed to dodge its blows and fly high enough for it to also be out of reach. “Ha! What are you gonna do now!” yelled Spike, crossing his arms.

The four heads looked at each other and seemed to be in conversation before turning their attention to the direction where Fluttershy and the others were heading. It turned around and started making its way after the others. Spike could feel sweat dripping down his neck. Oh, man! I have to think of something! What would Rainbow Dash do in a situation like this?! It then dawned on him in an instant. Duh! Make them really pissed off!

Flying behind them at their height level, Spike shouted, “Hey, rocks for brains!” The four hydras turned around. “What’s the matter?! Too scary snaked to face a single dragon that’s smaller than you?! For guys with four head, you sure have no brains!” The four heads growled with murder in their eyes as Spike turned around and raised his tail. Shaking his rump, he said, “Betcha can’t catch me! Nah Nah Nah!”

This managed to finally break their patience as the hydra went after Spike again. Flying low, Spike flew between their legs before using his claws to scratch both of them repeatedly and draw blood before flying back up. All four heads hopped around in pain while Spike, taking advantage of the situation, tried to charge forth again, but one of the heads managed to hiss at him and shot the tail forward.

Spike gasped as he tried to avoid it, but it was too late.

The stinger slammed into his chest, knocking him out of the air and into a nearby tree where he slid down. Groaning, Spike slowly got up until he realized he had been hit by the poisonous stinger. Immediately, he padded his chest for the wound, but to his shock he felt nothing. Not even a scratch.

Unleashing the breath he had been holding, Spike muttered, “Thank Celestia for dragon scales.”

He looked up to find all four heads looking at him rather evilly, and realized that they didn’t know their secret weapon had failed. A smile graced Spike’s lips. Oh this is gonna be sweet. Time to put those acting skills to good use.

Faking a groan, Spike clutched his chest and tried to do his best painful expression. “You got me! I can feel... poison spreading... can’t feel arms... eyesight going...” Moaning he moved back and forth like he was drunk and continued his monologue which caused a bit confusion among the heads, having never expected this from dead prey before. Taking a leaf out of the fancy nobles he had to deal with on a regular basis, Spike dramatically placed his claw over his forehead. “Oh this is it! I’m off to the big gem cave in the sky! I can feel the cold embrace of death take me! Oh what a cruel fate to die so young and handsome.”

Gripping his chest again, Spike fell to his back and coughed. “Tell my friends... I love them... ugh... tell them to bury me facing the rising sun... gasp... and... and.... blah.” Closing his eyes, Spike went limp for a while, but made sure to twitch a bit for extra measure.

The four heads of the hydra looked at each and their apparent kill with raised eyebrows. Finally, one of them leaned its head forward and start to sniff the body. Waiting for this, Spike opened his eyes, raised his head, and unleashed the fury of his dragon fire. The flames hit dead-on as the hydra’s burnt face screamed in agony.

The other heads, confused and worried, stumbled around until they fell back into the lake. Making sure his plan was a success, Spike flew over the bubbles and narrowed his eyes to see if there was any sign of the beasts. Wiping his hands clean, Spike smiled. “And that’s that. Too easy.”

He was about to fly back to the others when suddenly the stinger came around and wrapped around Spike like a rope. Spike barely had time to take a breath as he was dragged underwater, the hydra swimming down lower into the deep water. He tried to break his way out, but even with his strength the tail wrapped around him was too strong. The hydra kept dragging him further and further down until they reached the bottom of the lake and all four heads, one of them completely burned, turned to him with sinister smile. Knowing that he was only seconds away from certain death, Spike saw no other choice but to open his mouth and bite into the tail. With teeth that could munch on diamonds, the hydra instantly let go with a cry of pain, and Spike quickly swam away.

With the hydra right behind him, and his oxygen quickly leaving him, Spike had to find a way out of this or he was done for. He soon spotted something on the bottom of lake that made his eyes widen, it was another hydra, this one with five heads instead of four that seemed to be sleeping. At first, Spike was frightened that he had run into another hydra in the lake, but soon realized that this was his chance. It was risky, and it could double his trouble if he failed, but with very little air left, Spike could see no other choice. If he could do this, then he was home free. If not? Well, I have always wanted to learn how to play the harp...

Putting his plan into action, Spike continued to swim for hydra before getting close enough so that he didn’t wake it. He turned around, and waited for the other to come charging at him at full speed. Praying that this would work, Spike waited until the center right head was about to eat him in one gulp and swam upward at the last second. To his amazement, and joy, the hydra chasing after him crashed into the former sleeping hydra. Irritated that it’s beauty sleep had been disturbed, it began to attack the Scorpion Hydra who quickly tried to defend itself. Seeing that the attention had been pulled away from him. Spike was about to pat himself on the back when he suddenly started coughing as water rush into his windpipe

He could feel the air in his lungs slowly being replaced by water as he struggled to keep focus. Realizing that he was drowning, Spike tried to swim back to the surface, but he could feeling his muscles slowly failing. Closer and closer he got until he found himself slowing down. No! No! Not like this!  He tried to force himself awake, but he knew it was over. He was too far away from the surface. Finally, his body gave out and felt himself only floating in the boggy water. Alone. So this is it, huh? I’m sorry, Twilight. I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I’m sorry everypony...

Spike wondered if his body would just sink to the bottom to become fish food or float up so his friends could have a decent funeral for him. As he it got darker, he flashed back to all the great moments in his life and smiled. It may not have been a long life, but it was a good one that left without any regrets. Letting himself relax for one last time, in hopes of dying peacefully, Spike looked up as his vision began to darken. As his remaining strength faded, he saw someone flowing down towards him. It looked like... like...

An angel? Coming to take me? were Spike’s last thoughts before he closed his eyes and his life faded to black.


***


The first thing Spike saw when he opened his eyes was darkness. He tried to wave his claw in his face, but couldn’t. He tried to move, but it felt strange, like he was flying, yet he could feel his wings weren’t flapping and there was no air around him. He tried to remember what happened when he saw something in the distance.

A bright white light with warmth coming from it.

Shivering, Spike slowly began making his way towards the light, finding a sense of peace with it. Like it was calling him.

“... spike...”

Spike rubbed his chest and grunted in pain. It felt like something was hitting him from inside. He also swore he heard a voice, but it was so soft that Spike just assumed it was his imagination. Shrugging it off, Spike made his way closer to the light, now about halfway there.

“...Spike...”

The blow came again, this time harder. The voice was louder too, but Spike shook it off and struggled closer and closer to the light. He was nearly there, ready to embrace it and escape this darkness. He didn’t know what lay beyond it, but it had to be better than this. Just as he was about to touch it, the blow came back, harder than ever to the point where he screamed.

“Spike!”

The voice rang in Spike’s ears again, but this time he gasped. He knew that voice. “F-fluttershy...”


***


Spike awoke, only to puke out the nasty bog water he had collected during his drowning trip. Hacking and coughing, he felt his entire chest and throat burning inside him as he tried to clear his vision. Laying his head down, he weakly looked up and saw a smiling Fluttershy wipe tears from her eye as she embraced him. “Oh, thank goodness! Spike, you’re alive!”

“A-alive?” repeated Spike, weakly moaning. He looked back at Fluttershy and saw that she was all wet, her mane as flat as seaweed. Realization soon struck in as Spike weakly gasped. “You... you saved me...”

The last thing Spike saw before falling unconscious was Fluttershy nodding her head.


***


The second time he woke up it didn’t feel as bad, but Spike nevertheless groaned from the agonizing pain. Rising up from where he stood, he looked around and almost panicked as he remembered his last thoughts. They hydra. The lake. His heart beat like crazy as he wondered if he was dead, but then recognized where he was. It was Fluttershy’s bedroom and he was lying on her bed. Rubbing his eyes awake, he saw it was nighttime and wondered how long he had been asleep. Hoofsteps from the stairs next door alerted him, and he turned to his right to see Applejack walk in with a look of relief.

“Thank goodness yer okay, sugarcube,” said Applejack. “Ya gave us a mean scare nearly drownin’ back in the bog.”

“Sorry, he got me when I wasn’t looking,” muttered Spike, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes widened as he turned to Applejack and asked, “Fluttershy! The puppies! Are they okay?!”

Applejack nodded her head. “The puppies are fine, even the sick one. Fluttershy took care of them all, and they’re back at the barn with their mama safe and sound.” Applejack then pointed at Spike. “It was you she was worried about. I never saw her more scared in mah entire life. Even when you all were in the clear, it took both me and Big Macintosh to get her to finally get to sleep on the couch.”

Spike quickly got off the bed and rushed past Applejack, ignoring the lingering pain in his body. Rushing down the stairs, he saw Fluttershy on the couch in a deep sleep. He could see the bags under her eyes and how messed up her mane was, indicating that it must have taken her sometime to fall asleep. He smiled and walked over, caressing his claw gently over her cheek. “Thank you, Fluttershy. I owe you... everything...”

A smile slowly stretched across Fluttershy’s face as she felt his warm touch. “Spike...”

Blushing, Spike slowly picked her up and made his way towards the stairs where Applejack was waiting for him. “I’m gonna put her to bed. I’ll be fine on the couch,” said Spike.

“Alright, Ah’ll come check on y’all tomorrow. Have a good night’s rest,” said Applejack, tipping her hat.

As she made her way towards the door, Spike whispered shortly, “Wait.” Applejack turned around, and Spike continued whispering. “Promise not to tell Twilight about this? She’s got enough to worry about with the whole princess thing, and hearing me almost kicking the bucket will make her have a heart attack.”

Applejack bit her lip and scratched her head. “Ya know Ah don’t like lyin’, but Ah understand what yer sayin’. Ah won’t say nothin’, and Ah’ll tell Big Mac and Apple Bloom the same thing, but if Twilight asks, Ah gotta tell her. Ya hear?”

Spike nodded. “Thank you, Applejack. Good night,” Tipping her hat a second time, Applejack exited the house, leaving Spike and Fluttershy by themselves. Sighing, he made his way up to the bedroom where he gently placed Fluttershy on her pillow and covered her with the blankets.

He paused and looked at the pony who saved his life by risking her own. He could still remember the cold embrace and darkness surrounding him as his life slowly swept from his body. Shivering, Spike was about to leave when he heard something that made him stop.

“Spike... don’t leave me...”

Turning back to Fluttershy, he saw her kicking in the bed with a worried look on her face. Concerned, Spike walked back to the bed, got under the sheets, and embraced Fluttershy from behind. “It’s okay... I’m safe...”

This seemed to work as Fluttershy slowly started to relax. Although Spike wanted to let go because of the awkwardness, he soon found himself slowly falling asleep as well, and the two were left in bed together, held in the close embrace.
> These Strange Feelings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts
 
By The Rated Ponystar
 
Formerly edited by: Adjudicator
 
Edited by: Mr.Minimii and ugugg93
 

***

 
“Okay, the animals are all back to sleep. Is everything alright with you tw-Eep!” Fluttershy was nearly toppled over by a crying Twilight who hugged her harder than she ever hugged before.
 
“Thank you! Thank you for saving him, Fluttershy!” cried out Twilight as tears dripped down her face. The princess had felt her own heart nearly come to a stop upon hearing that her number-one assistant had momentarily left this world, only to be saved by the very pony in her grasp. “I-I-I don’t know what I would have d-done if I lost him...”
 
Fluttershy smiled and hugged back. “It’s okay, Twilight. It’s okay.”
 
Twilight nodded but soon broke the hug and glared at a nervous looking Spike. “Why didn’t you tell me?! How could you have been so reckless?! You could have died?! Hay, you did!”
 
“It was a long time ago, Twilight! And I didn’t tell you because I knew you would be worried!” Spike shouted back.
 
“Of course I would! Why wouldn’t I be worried for my little brother!” shouted Twilight who rubbed her eyes. “Spike, If I lost you.... I don’t...”
 
Spike’s anger soon waned as he walked up to his big sister figure and hugged her. The two smiled and let themselves be caught up in the moment. Twilight closed her eyes, trying to fight off the images of her oldest friend drowning, and instead tried to remind herself of the here and now—that he was alive. She was proud that he did what he did to protect the others, yet at the same time, she couldn’t help but worry. Is this how Applejack and Rarity feel about their sisters?
 
“Twilight, I’m sorry,” apologized Spike. “I should have told you. I guess I just didn’t want to worry you.”
 
“We’re family, Spike. I’ll always be worried,” said Twilight, putting a hoof against his cheek. “But I’ll always be proud of what you did. Risking your life to save your friends is a noble thing. And, honestly, I guess I would have done the same thing, too.”
 
With everybody calmed down, Fluttershy poured each of them another cup of tea. Sitting down in her respective seat,. Twilight began to relax again as the soothing tea worked it’s magic. Looking at the couple, she asked, “So was this when you guys managed to finally hook up?”
 
The two looked at each other nervously and chuckled. “No.”
 
Twilight’s shook her head in shock. “B-but that... that was like a textbook moment from a love story! She saves your life, you sleep in the same bed, didn’t that make you two fall in love?”
 
“Twilight, not everything you read from books is accurate, especially romance novels,” groaned Spike, rolling his eyes while Fluttershy giggled. “And no, I didn’t... know I had feelings for Fluttershy back then, but a certain Element of Kindness did.”
 
He nudged a blushing Fluttershy who tapped her forehooves together nervously. “Not immediately. It started around the fall...”
 
“What happened?” asked Twilight, leaning forward. It surprised her how intrigued she had become about learning their process into becoming lovers when she had freaked about it earlier. Maybe I should write a book? With their permission, of course.
 
“Well, remember the last Running of the Leaves? How I took part in it? It kind of started a few days before that...” said Fluttershy, sighing as she remembered the days that lead to her falling in love.
 

***

 
Fluttershy was nervous. Okay, she was usually nervous, but she was more nervous than she tended to normally be, and the worst part was she didn’t know why. All she was going to do was have a picnic with Spike, it wasn’t any different from the other times they had one. Granted, she had something important to ask him this time, but even then her heart wouldn’t be pounding like this. Nor would she be running around like a scared little chicken for her things.
 
“Where is it?! Any of you seen the picnic basket?! Was I supposed to bring the blanket, or was Spike?! Do I have enough rubies? Milk or juice?! I should check on the weather, and make sure it’s not going to rain! Has anyone seen the basket?!” shouted Fluttershy, running back and forth as her little woodland critters tried to help her out. She quickly rushed towards a mirror and looked at her reflection. She had a different mane style today, deciding to braid it, and almost thought she was looking at a different pony. She had no idea why she wanted to try a new style today of all days, but she liked it.

I wonder if Spike will? She thought to herself
 
Angel just continued to shake his head at the sight of his mistress’s behavior, and decided to calm her down with his usual response: a carrot thrown to the head. Rubbing her noggin, Fluttershy took a moment to calm down and take a deep breath as a pack of squirrels and chipmunks all pushed the basket she needed to her.
 
Smiling, she picked it up and gently put it on her back. “Thank you, my friends. I really am sorry I’m acting so silly today.” She looked at the clock and and gasped. “Oh, dear! I’m going to be late! Angel, you're in charge! I love you all, bye!”
 
Fluttershy galloped out of her house with anticipation and fear both growing inside of her. It was such a strange feeling that the more she thought about her time with Spike, alone on one of her favorite meadows, the more she wanted to fly around in joy. She started to blush again. I really hope he can help me. He’s the only one who can.
 
Before she knew it, Fluttershy had arrived at the meadow where she spotted Spike, scales shining in the sun, waiting for her. He was laying down the blanket when he looked up and noticed her. He gave her a smile that made her own widen while he waved his claws around.
 
“Hey, Fluttershy. How are you?” asked Spike, whose eyes widened as she got a bit closer. “Did... did you do something with your mane?”
 
Fluttershy gulped. “Is it good? I could back home and change it. You don’t like it... do you?”
 
“No, far from it. You look... really nice...” complemented Spike, rubbing the back of his head.
 
A small squeal of joy escaped Fluttershy’s mouth as made a mental note to try the braided style more often. The two friends sat down, and engaged in small talk while setting up their lunch. Time passed and, after many laughs, giggles, and gasps over the latest gossip and news, the two ate their fill and decided to spend the rest of their time laying down watching the clouds fly by.
 
Fluttershy took a deep breath and tried to think of a way to ease the conversation into the question she wanted to ask. “Um, how’re things in Canterlot?”
 
“Pretty good. I met a new friend who happens to be a dragon as well!” said Spike with excitement.
 
“R-really? Th-hat’s nice...” asked Fluttershy, shivering. She hated the fact that she was still afraid of dragons, at least the really big ones, and she often wondered if Spike ever took offence. I’d hate to hurt him. He’s been such a good friend. 

A sudden train of thought appeared in her head, and it quickly caused her to worry, even more so than the fact that there was another dragon living in the city just nearby. “Is... is this dragon a female?”
 
Spike turned to her and raised and eyebrow. “No, it’s a guy. Why does that matter?”
 
Her mouth opened, but no words came out, and she soon found herself blushing as she covered her lips. Why did I ask that? What does it matter if he’s friends of a dragon of either gender? And why am I feeling so hot right now.
 
“W-what’s this dragon like?” asked Fluttershy, hoping to steer the conversation away from her outburst.
 
Spike chuckled. “He’s pretty cool. A bit taller than me, and a few years older, too. He was actually born and raised in Equestria as well; can you believe that?! Not to mention he works as both a bouncer and bartender at one of my favorite clubs: Wubs World. Maybe I’ll take us there someday.”
 
Tilting her head, Fluttershy asked, “That’s the one where Vinyl and her wife, Octavia, own right?” 
 
“Yeah, apparently Vinyl knew him when she was living in Manehatten and gave him a job when he moved to Canterlot. He and I hit it off pretty quickly,” said Spike, getting up and stretching a bit. “So what’s up with you? Got any plans?”
 
Fluttershy wrapped her wings around herself, which Spike took immediate notice of. Concerned, he scooted over and placed his claw over her shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
 
Whimpering, Fluttershy closed her eyes and tried to summon up her courage. She slowly looked at him, and found herself lost in his green reptile eyes. Normally, she would find such eyes frightening—always associating them with a sinister beast. But when she looked into Spike’s, it was like looking into a green fire, burning and mesmerizing for the soul to see.

She stared for a few more seconds before shaking off the feeling. “Um, I was... I was wondering if you could help me... with something...”
 
“What is it?” asked Spike, tilting his head.
 
“It’s... it’s alright if you don’t want to help, but...” Fluttershy gulped and quickly blurted it out, “I was thinking of running in the Running of the Leaves this year, and I want you to help me out!”
 
Spike blinked a bit before snickering. “That’s the big deal? Fluttershy, that’s nothing to be scared about.”
 
“Oh, maybe for other ponies, but not for me. All those eyes staring at you and judging you as you try your best to beat an army of better athletes than you,” said Fluttershy, shivering at the thought. She almost wished she was a possum so she could just curl up and play dead if such a thing happened.
 
“But if you're afraid of it so much, why bother doing it at all?” ask Spike.
 
“Because... because it looks like so much fun!” shouted Fluttershy, shocking Spike. “Everypony’s always doing their best for helping the leaves fall, and they look so proud and happy. I’ve always wanted to be join them and be part of the fun, but I never had the courage to do it. I’d normally ask Rainbow Dash or Applejack, but they’re both too busy with their jobs this year.”
 
“So... why did you pick me?” asked Spike, confused. “I mean I’m flattered and all, but...”
 
Fluttershy turned her thoughts back to the day at the bog, where she saw him fight against that Stinger Hydra to save her, Apple Bloom, and the puppies. It was only for a few minutes before he was dragged underwater, but it was so amazing to see the once tiny baby dragon she adored grow up into such a brave fighter.
 
“I... I’ve seen you perform pretty good in athletics, and I trust you...” said Fluttershy, smiling with a light blush on her cheeks. “So will you help me?”
 
Spike nodded and grinned. “Of course! We’ll make you one of the best runners yet!”
 
Fluttershy wrapped her forlegs around Spike’s neck and hugged him, nuzzling his cheeks affectionately. “Thank you so much, Spike! You’re a really good friend!” A few second later, she realized what she was doing and quickly broke up the hug with a blush decorating her face. “S-sorry, I guess I just got too excited…”
 
“Relax, Fluttershy. It’s fine,” assured Spike, rubbing the back of his neck. “So… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
 
“Y-yes, I’ll see you then,” said Fluttershy. The two packed up and waved each other goodbye. However, Fluttershy walked back home with an extra spring in her steps.
 

***


The wind whipped through Fluttershy’s face as she continued her sixth lap, her hooves completely sore. Despite this, she gritted her teeth and tried her best to keep up her strength. She was so close to breaking her record, and she didn’t want to fail like the last three times. The finishing line was just ahead, and she made one last sprint before collapsing on the ground. Closing her eyes, Fluttershy tried to take in deep breaths for her aching lungs.
 
“Alright, Fluttershy! You beat your record by two seconds!” Spike exclaimed, walking towards her with his stopwatch. “You’ve really improved these past three days.”
 
Fluttershy opened her eyes and found herself feeling suddenly rejuvenated upon seeing the proud face of her dragon friend. She would never say this against Rainbow Dash or Applejack, but Spike was the best trainer she ever had. He never pushed her more than he needed too, and always encouraged her when she felt her confidence failing. Best of all, he had been the narrator for the Running of the Leaves with Pinkie Pie for years, and so knew the layout of the track and competitors better than anypony.
 
When they weren’t training her stamina, speed, or reflexes at Sweet Apple Acres, they were discussing strategies such as what obstacles to look out for, such as bees, low branches, ditches, and more. They also talked about which competitors to look out for and what strengths and weakness each had. Not to mention there was the occasional dirty player that tried to cheat their way into winning, and she had to be careful of them.
 While Fluttershy had no desire to win first place and had settled for wanting to do her best, there was no shame in trying. 
 
Not wanting to get hurt, she paid attention to those lessons the most.
 
Fluttershy let Spike help her back to her hooves where she wiped the sweat from her brow and took off the headband she had on. Spike nodded. “You’ve really gotten better, Fluttershy. Come Saturday, everypony’s going to have their jaws on the floor when they see you in action.”
 
“T-thanks,” muttered Fluttershy, hiding behind her mane. It was becoming a more recurring action for her every time he complimented him. And I still don’t know why…

“Hey, y’all!” cried a voice from a distance. They turned around and saw a dark red filly with crossed eyes and an apple muffin cutie mark heading towards them. She fumbled up on her landing a bit, but she quickly recovered, readjusted his saddlebags, and smiled at the two. “Hey, y’all, Aunt Apple Bloom said to give y’all some water since she figured ya must be parched.”
 
She reached into her bags and pulled out two bottles of water, which Fluttershy and Spike took, licking their lips. Fluttershy immediately began to suck the bottle dry, a satisfying gasp escaping her lips when she finished followed by a burp. Covering her lips, she whispered, “Excuse me.”
 
The other two laughed before Spike asked the red filly, “So Apple Muffin, you thinking of entering the Running of the Leaves, too?”
 
“No, Ah’m not a very good athlete. Mah eyes kind of make it hard to walk or fly well,” answered Apple Muffin, frowning, but then smiled a second later. “But Ah’m helpin’ out with the after party! Mrs. Cake was really impressed with my apple tarts, and wants me to help me out! Maybe even take me on as an apprentice!”
 
Spike and Fluttershy licked their lips. While Granny Smith was still alive, Spike and Fluttershy didn’t think anypony could rival the old mare’s cooking, but Apple Muffin had recently proved that wrong. The three started walking towards the farm when Fluttershy asked, “How’s Derpy doing, Apple Muffin? The foal doing alright?”
 
Muffin rolled her eyes. “The foal’s fine, but Mama’s still upset she can’t do much now that she’s all big bellied. Ah think she misses flyin’ and doin’ her mailmare duties, but Pa’s been forcin’ her to relax. She was really upset she couldn’t help ya with findin’ them puppies last month, but thankfully she’s gettin’ over it.”
 
Spike couldn’t help but snicker. “Sounds almost like Cadance when she was pregnant. How he managed to survive is a miracle.”

“Ya ever think about gettin’ some foals of yer own, Spike?” asked Apple Muffin, tilting his head. This made Spike blush as a smile appeared on the fillies face, eyes widenin’.“Ah know! Aunt Apple Bloom has that crush on ya right? At least that’s what Pa and Aunt Applejack keep tellin’ me. Mah be ya should marry her and have a family!”

Suddenly Fluttershy found herself turning towards Apple Muffin and glared at her, “He’s not interested!”

Realizing what she just did, Fluttershy froze up and covered her mouth. Spike and Apple Muffin were also flabbergasted, with the latter backing up a bit in fright. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me…” That was a lie. She knew what that was. It was ‘New Fluttershy’.
 
But I never act like that unless I’m really angry and… why would I be angry at the thought of Spike and… Apple Bloom… thought Fluttershy with a small growl. She shook her head and tried to calm down. Maybe all this exercise is getting the best of me…

“Uh, like Fluttershy said, I’m not interested in dating Apple Bloom let alone marrying her, Muffin,” answered Spike, glancing at Fluttershy with worry. She turned away to avoid his gaze, hoping he wouldn’t question her behavior.
 
Apple Muffin looked at Spike and then at Fluttershy before smiling. “Oh, Ah get it. Y’all are goin’ out already, aren’t ya!”
 
“What?! No!” shouted both of them. “We are just friends!”
 
“Suuurreee ya are.” Apple Muffin grinned and slowly lifted himself in the air. “It’s alright, Ah can keep it a secret until y’all are ready to come out in the open. Now if y’all excuse me, Ah’m gonna go see those pies Ah got bakin’ in the oven. See ya later!”
 
“But we’re not—“ said the two embarrassed adults as they watched the laughing filly fly away towards the Apple household. They slowly looked at each other only to turn away the instant their eyes met.
 
A long silence stood between them until Spike coughed into his claw. “Um, I’m gonna head back home. Want me to walk you back to your cottage?”
 
“N-no, I-I think I’ll be fine… um… see you tomorrow?” asked Fluttershy, nervously backing away from Spike.
 
“Y-yeah, I’ll be there tomorrow. Um, see ya.”
 
“Right.”
 
“Goodbye.”
 
“So long.”
 
“For real this time.”
 
“Indeed.”
 
Despite saying goodbye, they were still looking at each other. Spike snorted and shook his head. “Okay, this is getting weird. I swear I’ll get that filly later,” he mumbled. “Let’s just turn around and head back to our respective homes, deal?”
 
“Sounds good…” whispered Fluttershy.
 
They took a deep breath and turned around, proceeding to walk away from each other. Out of the corner of her eye, Fluttershy turned her head to see the retreating figure of Spike. She had to admit that, for a dragon, he wasn’t that bad looking. In fact, his scales were really bright in the sunlight, almost like the gems he eats. His wings were quite powerful, too, having seen them in action many times. He was also kind, sweet, brave, generous, and somepony you could rely on. And he has a nice rear….

…

…

…

WAIT WHAT?! Fluttershy, to her horror felt her wings stuck up like two flag poles. No…. nononononono! This can’t be! I’m not! I can’t be!

Fluttershy started galloping as fast as she could back to her home. She needed to think. Not about Spike. Or maybe about Spike. She didn’t know, this was all just so sudden. Or had it? Maybe it had been there all along and she didn’t know about it until Apple Muffin’s comment. But I’m a pony! He’s a dragon! I mean…

She didn’t stop galloping until she made to her house and slammed the door shut, alerting her friends. Angel walked over to her, quickly sensing her distress, but was nearly knocked over by his owner who ran into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and jumped in. The soothing, warm water made her sigh in relief from the sweat and grime she had gained from her work out. It also was useful in stopping her from having another panic attack.
 
Taking a deep breath, she tried to remember those princess breathing exercises Twilight always did. After a few of them, she closed her eyes. You’re just letting Apple Muffin’s comment get the best of you. It’s a misunderstanding. You’re not in love with Spike. You’re not in love with Spike. Now just say that out loud and everything will be okay.

“I’m in love with Spike!”
 
…
 
…
 
...
 
“…Oh, ponyfeathers…”
 


> The First Kiss
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Formerly edited by: Adjudicator

Edited by: Mr.Minimii and ugugg93


***


How did this happen? Fluttershy knew that she and Spike had gotten closer in the past few months since the Rarity incident, but to the point where she was crushing on him? Spike had always been one of her dearest friends and one of the few dragons she could handle being with. She never imagined that this would happen. Staring into the ceiling in her bed, Fluttershy tried to get to sleep, but found herself thinking of the young dragon in a new light.

She was remembering things about him that she never thought about before. Things like how smooth his scales were whenever they hugged. How piercing his eyes were, like two sets of flames that melted your insides. His noble personality. His strength. His amazing ability to cook anything. And most importantly, he was so kind. Much different than the brash dragons she had the displeasure of knowing.

Whimpering, she covered her head with her pillow. But I can’t be in love with him! We’re not the same species, and he’s much younger then me! Not to mention he’s Twilight’s little brother in all but blood! What would she do if she found out about me lov-I mean liking Spike? She shakily stood up at the prospect of an angry alicorn princess, magic flaring at full power as she begged for mercy. She could banish me! Imprison me! Or even imprison me wherever she banishes me!

Sighing to herself, Fluttershy shook her head. “No, stop it, Fluttershy. Twilight is your friend, and she would never do something like that.... right?”

Besides, I can’t worry about this now. I need to focus on the Running of the Leaves, resolved Fluttershy, slowly calming down her beating heart. After that I can figure out my feelings for... Spike...

Just thinking of his name made her heart flutter in excitement. She hadn’t felt like this with any of her previous crushes. Despite what some ponies seemed to think, Fluttershy had her own needs and desires; finding a partner was one of them. She had crushes on a few ponies she knew while growing up in Cloudsdale as well as a few here in Ponyville. Her shyness, however, always prevented her from taking any initial action. But this was a different case. Spike was somepony she had known for years, and was a different species. 

I’ll have to be careful when I deal with this. Especially since it’s only been a few months since he lost his crush on Rarity, thought Fluttershy as she slowly closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. The whole while, her thoughts wandered to the purple dragon she had come to admire so much. 


***


At long last the day had finally come. After long, grueling days of training, the Running of the Leaves had finally come. Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel nervous as she waited in line with the rest of the contestants for her number. She noticed that there were a lot more ponies taking part this year, mostly because there was a chance for a new winner. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had always taken part in the running with one of them always taking the victory. However, with Rainbow Dash in the Wonderbolts and Applejack having to deal with heavy farm work, many were excited at the prospect of one of them becoming the new top runner in Ponyville this year. 

Fluttershy wasn’t too occupied with the thought of becoming first or second or even third. She just wanted to have fun and do her best, although not becoming last would be just as good. Thanks to the training she had with Spike, she was more confident in her athletic skills than ever before.

Blushing at the thought of her crush, Fluttershy hoped that she would see Spike before he joined Pinkie Pie in the announcers’ balloon. She was really grateful for all his help, but now she was almost ready to faint now that the event had finally come. Any words from him would be a welcome calm her nerves. 

“Excuse me, Fluttershy?” asked Blossomforth, who was in charge of handing everypony their respective numbers. Fluttershy snapped out of her thoughts and apologized before accepting her number. “Good luck!”

Fluttershy nodded and walked away, using her wings to place her number on her flank, covering her cutie mark. She turned her head and soon smiled upon seeing Spike talking with Rarity, Apple Muffin, and her older half-sister, Dinky, who was sporting her own number. Walking up to her friends, she greeted them with a soft, “Hello, everypony.”

“I have to say, I never thought you would be here, Fluttershy,” said Dinky with a chuckle. “But then again, with Spike training you, I guess I better watch my back this year.”

Blushing, Fluttershy hid behind her mane and smiled. “I wouldn’t go that far. I just want to do my best.”

“Ah, don’t ya worry about that, sis,” said Apple Muffin, hitting her bigger sister on the shoulder. “After all, yer the captain of the dodgeball team back in that university ya go to in Canterlot! Yer one of the most athletic ponies Ah know!” 

Dinky blushed and ruffled her sister’s mane a bit. Turning back to Fluttershy, she said, “Anyway, I’m going to talk to Pipsqueak. He’s taking part in the race, too. See ya later.”

They waved goodbye, with Rarity giving a sly smile. “You know, I’ve been hearing rumors that Dinky and Pipsqueak are getting more... ‘friendly’ with each other.”

“Rarity,” chided Fluttershy with a huff. “You know better than to spread rumors.”

“Speak for yourself. If this is true, then Ah got some blackmail material,” said a grinning Apple Muffin.

“Oh, Fluttershy, there is nothing wrong with a little gossip about love lives,” said Rarity, waving her hoof in the air. “Besides, don’t you want to know how many stallions you’ve been attracting lately?”

Upon hearing this, Fluttershy quickly looked around to see if such a thing was true right now. She hated being the center of attention, especially from stallions who might have more... intimate fantasies about her. It was one of the reasons she hated being a model so much. The letters she received, some which made her faint for hours, were more perverted than Twilight’s secret book section.


***


“T-They aren’t that perverted!” shouted Twilight, interrupting the story.

Spike gave her a look of disbelief. “Oh really? So all those times I heard you moaning and panting that left me without sleep was nothing?”

“.... please continue...”


***


“I... I don’t attract that many stallions, do I?” asked Fluttershy, nervously.

“Are you kidding, darling? You’re one of the most talked about mares in the town!” Rarity shouted a little too loudly. “You’re a natural beauty, even more so than I. Not to mention all that training has made you quite toned. Not like Applejack or Rainbow Dash mind you, but you’ve gotten much better looking.” She leaned forward, keeping up a small smirk, and whispered, “To be honest, I wish I had your rump, dear. Mine’s just not as... firm as yours. I’m just a big marshmallow.”

“I can hear you, you know?” muttered Spike, trying to cover his ears. “I’m going to find Pinkie and get ready before I start thinking perverted thoughts.”

 “Wait,” said Fluttershy, smiling at him. “I just want to say thanks for everything you’ve done for me. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Spike smiled and looked into her eyes with those green emeralds that made her wings want to flare out. “Hey, what are friends for?”

She slyly waved goodbye as Apple Muffin walked over to Fluttershy and glanced at her, then Spike and asked, “Are ya sure ya two ain’t datin’? Ya lookin’ at him like he’s on display or somethin’.”

Fluttershy ‘eeped’ and quickly turned around only to sigh in relief when she saw Rarity rushing towards a just-arriving Fancy Pants, much to her relief. If Rarity had overheard that, I would never hear the end of it. Convinced nopony heard what Apple Muffin had accused, Fluttershy said, “No, Apple Muffin, I’m... I’m just...”

“Attention racers! This is Pinkie Pie letting everypony know that it’s time to get on line for the annual Running of the Leaves! Hurry up and get started, or else we’ll leaf you behind! Get it?!”

A few groans was the responce.

“Hey! You try making a bunch of fall jokes after doing this for so many years! I’m running out of material!” 

Fluttershy giggled and quickly made her way towards the starting line where the other runners were doing some last minute stretching. She nervously looked around and saw a few familiar faces like Lyra, Dinky, Pipsqueak, and more; all of them more experienced or athletic than her.

Fighting down a gulp, Fluttershy shook her head and focused on the road ahead of her. I can’t get distracted. Remember what Spike said: ‘Focus on the road and nothing else.’ 

“Attention everypony! This is Spike, your co-announcer for this year’s Running of the Leaves. Joining with me is none other than my usual pal, Pinkie Pie!”

“Hiya!”

“Looks like everypony is ready to get started! To your places!”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and stretched her legs one last time before lowering her upper body, her hindquarters up in the air as she prepared for the starting sprint. Everypony else was already following her lead, some gritting their teeth or looking at each other with determination in their eyes. The crowd was silent, careful to not make a single noise as they waited for the race to begin.

“On your mark...” started Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy whimpered. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

“...get set...” continued Spike.

Fluttershy shut her eyes. I can’t do this! I’m too scared. My hooves are cold. My wings are gonna freeze up. I’m going to pee myself. I’m gonna faint!

“...Go!” shouted both announcers. 

Training kicking in, Fluttershy opened her eyes, forgot all her worries, and ran as fast as she could. Cheers were jubilant for the start of the race, but Fluttershy paid no heed to them. She continued to focus on her starting sprint, careful not to waste too much energy at the start, remembering the time Twilight managed to come in fifth place due to her pacing. 

She looked around and saw herself in the lower middle of the pack. A better start than she had hoped. With the beginning turns coming around, Fluttershy made an effort to get closer to the side of the road where the corners were. The closer she was, the less energy she had to give when turning, and every bit counted.

“And we’re underway! Looks like everypony’s going at a pretty good pace from up here,” announced Spike, high up in the hot air balloon. “From the looks of things, the top three runners so far are Pipsqueak, Thunderlane, and Blossomforth.”

“It’s quite a difference not having Applejack and Rainbow Dash here for this year’s contest, but with both of Ponyville’s top athletes out, it only means that we’ll have a new star this year! Who's it gonna be?! I’m so excited I can hardly keep standing still!” shouted Pinkie Pie.

“T-think you could... so-o-o we don't lose c-control?!” stuttered Spike.

Fluttershy giggled at the mental image before she felt somepony bump her backside, forcing her to move back. “Oh, sorry!”

Bump.

“Um, sorry again.”

Bump.

“Oh my...”

Soon Fluttershy found herself in the back, overwhelmed by the pushes. She tried to find a gap to quickly speed through to get back her place in line, but there were too many ponies blocking her way. 

“Ooooh, looks like Fluttershy just got bumped into last place! She’ll have to get a bit more aggressive if she’s gonna have any chance of winning,” said Pinkie Pie.

“Yeah, she may need to channel some real iron will if she’s gonna have any chance,” said Spike.

Fluttershy’s ears flipped up upon hearing the emphases on the familiar words. Words that were the same name of a personal motivation instructor that she had the displeasure for knowing. Although she didn’t like using his techniques, due to a horrible incident a few years ago, she knew that Spike was right. Nostrils flaring, she thought, When somepony tries to block, show them that you rock!

Pressing forward, Fluttershy managed to bump straight passed two of the runners in front of her, causing them to trip and get left behind. With her aggressiveness fueling her, Fluttershy had soon found herself in fifth place among the runners, a feat which stunned the others who knew her.

“Wowy zowy!” cried out Pinkie Pie. “In a sudden twist, Fluttershy just bulldozed through the runners like a train on coffee! Talk about motivation!”

“It’s not a real surprise, Pinkie. Anypony can tell you Fluttershy’s can do anything if she puts her heart into it,” said Spike.

Fluttershy almost felt her heart beat out of her chest upon hearing that. The faith that Spike had in her only drove her in a way she never felt before. Originally, she just wanted to have fun and not do a bad job, but now, after hearing Spike, she felt a new motivation. She wanted to win. But it was only the beginning of the race and there was still a lot of ground to cover. Focusing on the task at hand, Fluttershy turned her attention back on the race and pressed forward.


***


“We’re halfway done with the Running of the Leaves, folks, and most of the trees have become as bare as a sheep walking into a barber!” explained Pinkie Pie.

“Wouldn’t a sheep go into a barber anything but bare?” questioned Spike.

“No, I meant the pony itself! Barbers are sturdy ponies! My great uncle was a barber and he could break rocks with his bare teeth!”

“Uh, right,” said Spike. “So far we’ve seen a lot of ponies go from first to last to even first again, with a few also dropping out of the race. Better luck next year, guys. I think the biggest surprise has been Fluttershy so far, who’s managed to stay in fifth place since gaining it a while back.”

Fluttershy had to admit, she was surprised herself. She didn’t think, by this point, she would have been anywhere near fifth place, but here she was. Besides the competition, she was also enjoying the sight of amber and yellow leaves falling off their branches for the winter season. It was quite a majestic setting, and made her wish she had done this a long time ago.

“Hey, Spike? Can you see who's in first? I can’t get a clear view if it’s still Pipsqueak or if Rumble managed to catch up from second,” said Pinkie Pie.

“Hmm, I can’t either,” answered Spike. “Let’s see if we can get closer.”

“Careful of those trees! We don’t want—” suddenly Pinkie Pie yipped, “Twitcha twitch! Twitcha twitch!”

All of a sudden, Fluttershy’s breathing stopped. Pinkie sense? Twitching tail? Something was gonna fall.

“Spike look out for the tree!”

“Oh horse-”

A loud pop was heard all throughout the forest. Screeching to a halt, Fluttershy turned around and looked up, as did the other runners who looked up. To their horror, especially Fluttershy’s, they looked and saw the air balloon, now pierced and leaking air, was now out of control. Pinkie and Spike’s screaming could be heard as they hung on for dear life. Fluttershy eyes widened as she hoped Spike could quickly jump out and fly with Pinkie in his claws, but she saw no signs of this happening. 

“Abandon balloon! Mayday! S.O.S.! H for harry, E for ergent, L for love me, P is for-”

“Pinkie! Get off my back so I can… oh sapphires! Hold on!”  screamed Spike.

All the runners watching in horror as the balloon flew further away, tossing and turning out of control until it faded into the distance of Whitetail Woods. A flock of birds flew out of where it was last sighted. No noise was heard from the two announcers.

Nopony said anything or did anything. Nopony except for a single yellow pegasus who was already flying at top speed towards the crash site. 


***


If there was any pony who knew Whitetail Woods like the back of their hoof, it was Fluttershy. Many of her woodland friends lived here, and she often visited them. Remembering the events of the crash clearly in her head, she estimated that the air balloon crash landed near the west side where the rabbits and squirrels often played. She only prayed that her two friends were alright and nopony was seriously injured. Her thoughts turned back to the time when Spike almost drowned; she nearly lost him back there, and she swore to never let it happen again.

Fluttershy flew faster, spotting the signs of the air balloon’s crash course from the broken trees above. Eventually, she spotted the purple sheet of the balloon itself and rushed over, praying that its occupants were alright. Her heart nearly stopped when she spotted her friends, unconscious on the grass and a few hooves away from the balloon, but there didn’t appear to be any serious injuries. 

Landing near Spike first, she tried to wake him up. Lightly shaking him, she cried, “Spike! Spike! Open your eyes! Please!”

“Ugh...” moaned Pinkie Pie, nearly surprising Fluttershy who quickly rushed over. “What happened? Did somepony spike the punch again? I keep telling Berry...”

“Pinkie, are you okay? Are you injured?” asked Fluttershy, quickly checking on her friend.

Pinkie Pie shook her head—a few pieces of candy falling out of her mane—and rubbed her noggin. “Whoa, what a ride.” She then gasped, eyes widening. Turning to Fluttershy, she grabbed her by the shoulders and asked, “Where’s Spike?!”

“I’m right here...” muttered Spike, slowly rising up. He then winced and his claw went to his left wing. “Dang it... it’s not moving...” He tried getting up with his feet, but stopped and growled. “Left leg, too.”

Fluttershy rushed over and told Spike to lay still and spread out his wings flat. Obeying, Fluttershy quickly started to examine it carefully with her hooves. Thankfully, there were no broken bones, but but his wing and leg were sprained. Fluttershy turned to the balloon and pointed to it. “Pinkie, see if there is a medical kit in there.” 

“On it!” Pinkie rushed over and started pulling out things from the balloon such as party materials, stuffed animals,  a kitchen sink and even her party canon. Spike and Fluttershy looked at the growing pile of random objects before glancing at each other. Shrugging, they just shook their head and decided not to ask.

“Here we go!” shouted Pinkie Pie, handing over the kit to Fluttershy.

The pegasus quickly took out some medical bandages and an ice pack which, according to the label, was charmed with a permanent freezing spell. Fluttershy started on the leg first, wrapping it with the bandages as carefully as possible. Pinkie Pie started rubbing her hooves nervously. “Is he going to be okay? Oh, this is all my fault! Will he walk again?! He’s not dying is he?! Please tell me I don’t have to throw a “Goodbye Spike May You Rest In Peace” party!”

“Pinkie!” shouted Fluttershy in a serious tone that she rarely ever used. Calming herself, she answered, “He’s going to okay. What I need you to do is head down that way and keep going until you find other ponies to come help us. I don’t think the two of us can carry Spike on our own.”

Pinkie Pie saluted. “Okie doki loki! I’ll be back with in two shakes of a pony’s tail!” In a pink flash, she was off to find help, leaving the two of them on their own.

While Fluttershy put the ice pack on his leg and moved to wrap up his wings, Spike closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry because of me you had to forfeit the race...”

“Hush,” said Fluttershy, smiling at him. “It’s just a silly race. I can always try again next year. You’re more important than that, and I was worried...”

Spike smiled and gently raised his arm to her face and caressed it. “You really are a good friend, Fluttershy.”

Blushing, Fluttershy touched his soft, scaly hand with her hoof and closed her eyes. She wanted to remember the warmth and caring that it held.  I just wish I was more than just a friend to him...

Snapping out of her thoughts, Fluttershy then said, “Y-you should relax. You took a nasty fall and all. Don’t worry, I’ll watch over you.”

“Yeah,” said Spike, taking a few deep breaths. “You're like my guardian angel. You know that?”

The smile on Fluttershy’s face spread even more as she wiped a tear from her eye. An angel. He... called me his angel... She didn’t know if it meant anything special or not, but it didn’t matter to her. Just watching him sleep peacefully was so heartwarming to her that she resisted the urge to squeal. Before Fluttershy knew it, she was slowly lowering her head towards his own. If only... if only...

And then, without any rhyme or reason, Fluttershy kissed her dragon crush on the cheek. It was for a second, but it felt like a lifetime of joy to her. Blushing, Fluttershy sat back straight up and held her hooves over her heart. Did I just... OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY CELESTIA AND LUNA! I KISSED HIM! MY FIRST KISS!

Spike held a claw to his cheek and blushed. “Uh...”

“That was just... um... a friendly kiss! Not that it meant anything!” shouted Fluttershy.

“Uh, okay...” muttered Spike, looking down at the grass. 

Neither of them said anything else, even when Pinkie soon arrived with paramedics. They loaded Spike up on a stretched and helped him get carried into town, but soon had to call in for a second one. The revelation of such a daring deed proved too much for the shy, love sick pegasus as she soon fainted after help arrived. A concrete smile pasted on her face the entire time.


***


Twilight could barely keep in her laughter as a red-faced Fluttershy tried to hide behind her mane. “Oh my gosh! You actually fainted?!”

“Well, it was kind of a surprise to myself...” muttered Fluttershy, squirming.

After she calmed down, Twilight asked, “So, if I remember what Pinkie told me, you two were found by the paramedics she brought with her, and you recovered in the hospital, right?”

“Yeah,” answered Spike, blushing. “I was really moved by how much Fluttershy cared for me after that. I didn’t know it at first, but I kind of started having feelings of her around then.” His then joyful expression then turned to bitterness and regret. “But... then I did something really stupid...”

Twilight was taken aback by the sudden attitude change. “What happened?”

“This happened a few weeks after Rarity said she was getting married,” answered Spike, hesitating to continue. A squeeze from his marefriend who nuzzled him, reassuring that everything was alright, made him soon continue. “Fluttershy and I would go to have the greatest moment of our lives... and then I screwed it up and almost ruined everything between us...”

> The Drake's Nest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Formerly edited by: Adjudicator

Edited by: Mr.Minimii and ugugg93


***


Despite loving Ponyville more, Spike always considered Canterlot his home. It was the biggest city in Equestria, had the biggest population, the biggest trade, and the biggest tourist attraction. But what was bigger than any of it was the rumor mill. Everypony from the rich to the poor spread the news of the latest gossip like wildfire to the point where everypony knew every rumor within twenty-four hours from who was sleeping with who to what was the the latest drunken scandel. However, the one piece of news that everypony was talking about was the future wedding of Fancy Pants, the most important pony in Canterlot, and his future bride to be Rarity Belle, one of the fastest rising stars in fashion design and the Element of Generosity to boot. Even more amazing was that the wedding and reception was going to take place at the palace itself with the new Princess Twilight unifying them. 

Everypony who was anypony was in a frenzy either trying to get into the good graces of the hosts to get an invitation, or to offer their services in the hopes of increasing their own social stature. While no royal wedding, Fancy Pants was one of the richest and most powerful nobles in the land, second only to the Bluebloods—who had been outraged to learn they had been banned from coming—and to be involved in such a ceremony would do wonders for their reputations. Professional wedding planners from all across the country and even other nations around the world had offered their services, but to their surprise Rarity had only two individuals in her mind to help plan her perfect day.

Of course, the first was Pinkie Pie who was taking care of the reception party. While some recalled her actions at a previous Grand Galloping Gala, quickly returning their invitations in response, others remembered her services during the wedding of the rulers of the new Crystal Empire and decided to not complain. Not to mention she was an Element of Harmony herself, so nopony was going to say to one of main defenses of Equestria against chaos and darkness the word ‘no’.

The real complaints were for the second individual, Spike. He wasn’t at all surprised at their outrage that a “beast” was going to be taking part in the creation of the biggest wedding since Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. He had dealt with it when he was made Twilight’s personal assistant when he was a baby, and when he became her Head Scribe in court. Despite having been born in Equestria, lived in Equestria, educated in Equestria, and even saving the Crystal Empire where he had been knighted at the age of sixteen, the youngest age one could be knighted, there were still those narrow minded individuals who saw nothing more than a dragon who could breathe fire and wanted nothing more than to bite their heads off. 

And there were a few times Spike wished he could give into the temptation.

Truth be told, Spike wanted to plan the wedding ceremony. Not just because Rarity and Fancy Pants were his friends, but it was also for personal closure. He would be lying if he didn’t feel a hint of hurt when Rarity announced she was getting married, despite knowing there would be nothing between them. Yet, he still felt he needed to show to her, and himself, that it was all in the past, and give his blessing by giving her the best wedding she would ever have. 

Some of those narrow-minded guests argued about his admittance—never mind his participation of planning the thing—but they were quickly silenced by the actions of the future bride and groom as well as Princess Twilight Sparkle. And nopony, unless they had a social death wish, would go against a princess. 

It really does pay to have friends in high places, thought Spike as he watched his assistants put up the white ribbons on the columns of the throne room. The wedding was taking place in one of the ballrooms of the castle in less than a week, and there was still so much left to do. Looking over his checklist, he walked over to the altar where the florists were arranging the yellow and white flowers that would stay preserved thanks to a few nifty spells. 

“Mr. Spike?” a unicorn ask as he rushed in from the right, a letter grasped in his magic. Giving it to Spike, he said, “The orchestra we’ve hired says that their pianist is sick with a stomach flu. The doctors say he’ll be out for at least two weeks.”

“Well, great, now where are we gonna get music for the event?” mumbled Spike, cursing his luck.

He didn’t notice one of the guards had walked towards him and clear his throat. “Head Scriber? There is a mare here to speak to you.”

“Not now, I’m dealing with three problems at once; we still need a hundred more cushions for the guests, the suits for the groomsponies had to be sent back for refitting, and I have no music! What else could go wrong?!” shouted Spike.

“Sir? We’re out of coffee!” alerted another employee.

“Oh, please tell me I did not just hear that...” growled Spike, smoke coming out of his nostrils, causing the others to step back a bit. “If anypony expects me to do this without a cup of joe, I will probably end up burning this castle to the ground!”

“Um, should I tell the Element of Kindness that you are busy then?” asked the guard, nervously. Trained soldier or not, nopony liked to be near an angry dragon. 

“Fluttershy?! She’s here?!” shouted Spike as an idea came to his head. “No, I’ll go see her. Regal, you take over for now, I’ll be back in two shakes of a tail.”

Spike followed the guard towards the exit of the ballroom where Fluttershy was waiting for him, nervously looking at the guards that had accompanied her. However, as soon as she saw Spike, she smiled and the two quickly hugged. Spike sighed, it had been at least a week since they had a chance to talk, and he missed her. After dismissing the guards, the two walked over to a nearby balcony and looked down upon the entire city of Canterlot in silence, letting the wind blow against their faces. 

Spike took a deep breath and let it out. “I really needed a break, I’ve been driving myself crazy the past few days.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t be overworking yourself,” warned Fluttershy, pawing her hoof on the floor. “I know you want to work hard for Rarity and Fancy Pants, but I know they wouldn’t want you to work yourself to death.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Spike, leaning his arms against the balcony. “I just want to do this really well, you know? A lot of ponies are expecting me to fail so I want to prove them wrong. I want to show them that I am not some ‘dumb beast’ but a ‘noble dragon’.”

“I think you’re already a noble dragon,” comforted Fluttershy, placing a wing over his shoulder. 

Spike blushed and nodded. “Thanks. By the way, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I came to check up on you. Twilight told me you were getting a bit stressed, so I thought I could come up to Canterlot to see if I could help you,” answered Fluttershy with a wide smile.

Spike raised his eyebrows. “All by yourself? You never like heading into the city on your own.”

Hiding behind her mane, Fluttershy replied, “W-well... I-I-I really... m-missed you. And I really wanted to h-help.”

Nodding, Spike then asked, “Well, you're arrived just in time. The orchestra I had hired had to drop out, so I’m left without music. Do you think your birds can work another wedding like they had with Cadance’s and Shining’s?” 

“Oh, I’m sure they would love to! The new birds I have are children of the last ones that sung at that wedding, and I think they would be honored.” The joyful look on Fluttershy’s face quickly washed away any worry that Spike had in his mind. If there was one thing he liked most about Fluttershy, it was the fact that her smile could make you feel better instantly. It was like Pinkie Pie’s, except while Pinkie can make you happy, Fluttershy could make you feel relaxed and at peace. 

“Thanks, Fluttershy. I’ll make it up to you,” replied Spike.

“You don’t have to...”

“No, I do!” said Spike as he rubbed his chin, trying to think of how to repay one of his best friends. Then an idea came to him of where he could take Fluttershy. “I have an idea, but I have to ask if you're okay going to a loud environment with dancing and drinking? Do you mind going to a club?”

“Oh my,” muttered Fluttershy, stepping back a bit, causing Spike to regret his idea. But she then sighed and she nodded. “I... have been going to a few clubs... with Rarity.”

“Great! I can show you some of my friends there. They’ll really like you,” said Spike as the two of them guided them back inside. “Where are you staying? In the palace suites like last time?”

“Oh, yes. I would have been fine with a regular hotel, but Twilight insisted.”

“Okay, it’s a date then! I’ll pick you up at seven!” said Spike, smiling as he turned away to get back to work. However, he left Fluttershy beat red and sputtering to herself as she try to comprehend what she had heard.

The word “date.” 


***


Date.

She was going on a date.

She was going on a date!

Or maybe he didn’t mean ‘date’ date, just... date as in an event the two were going to attend. Maybe he was just using a simple term that she had heard so often. And if so, why did that make her feel worse? Fluttershy continued to ponder as she walked back and forth in her room, an action she had done for about four hours. She knew her imagination was going wild, but she had to admit that she truly desired it to be a real date.

Ever since she had come to terms with her feelings for Spike, Fluttershy had done everything she could to try and spend as much time with him as possible. Not just because she loved being in his company, but also to see how he felt about her. He obviously cared for her, and she could feel a bond growing between them that she had not felt in her entire life; one that she didn’t even share with Rainbow Dash and her other friends.

Spike was someone she longed to be with, the first in her entire life. Rarity often told Fluttershy that she knew Fancy was the pony for her because she couldn’t imagine a single day without him. It was a state of happiness that Fluttershy felt the same way whenever she was with Spike. Ever since he came to her house, crying over learning his crush was nothing more than a dream, they had been together as much as possible. She thought about him everyday, even when he was working at the castle. In return, he would try to visit Ponyville with any free time he had, even if just to see her for ten minutes.

Their friendship had evolved, but she didn’t know if Spike saw it the same way she did. She would, dare she even say it, move to Canterlot just to hang out with him more.

Sighing, Fluttershy stopped her trotting and flopped onto her bed, looking up at the ceiling. I have to tell him... but... I’m so scared... what if he rejects me?

She knew all her friends would tell her to go out and tell him, and maybe this was her chance. They would be going to a club, a place where couples tended to relax and have fun, and it may help her relax better to the point where she could tell him that she loved-

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts as she looked at her clock and gasped. “J-just a minute!” 

Wishing she had a chance to make herself look proper, Fluttershy flew to the door and opened it, revealing Spike with a smile on his face. “Hey, Shy, ready to go?”

“Um, yes,” answered Fluttershy as she followed the handsome drake, closing the door behind her.

You can do this, Fluttershy, you can do this! 


***




Spike was nervous at first about the idea of bringing Fluttershy of all ponies to his favorite club in Canterlot, but nevertheless he was gonna make sure that they enjoyed themselves. After landing down in front of the establishment, Spike waved his hand towards the club and said, “Welcome to The Drake’s Nest, and contrary to the name, it’s for all races, not just dragons... that is alright, right?”

“Oh, yes. As long as they’re not huge dragons the size of a building that can crush me in one stomp or swallow me whole,” said Fluttershy, shivering. 

Spike laughed. “Nah, almost all the dragons that come here are about my size, maybe a bit smaller. Wyverns are also fond of this place, and they’re no bigger than a minotaur. Besides, the place is owned by a pony, so everything is cool.”

“O-okay,” muttered Fluttershy, walking right behind her dragon friend. She looked at the entrance which was designed very much like a real dragon’s cave, only it had lights and magical will-o-wisps around the entrance to give it that nightclub feeling. Not to mention the bass coming from inside was so loud that both friends could feel their spines tingle. 

They reached the front door where a brown-furred minotaur gave a grin and slapped hands with Spike. “Spike, dude, I haven’t seen you in two weeks. Word on the street is you’re plannin’ that fancy weddin’ that’s been the talk around the city.”

“Well, for once the rumors are true. Both the bride and groom are my friends, so I’m doing it as a favor,” answered Spike.

“Sweet.” The minotaur then looked behind him to notice a shy pegasus hiding behind Spike’s back. “And who's this shy little thing?”

Shaking his head with a smile, Spike moved so that Fluttershy could be seen. “This is my good friend, Fluttershy. She’s a bit nervous since this is her first time coming here.”

“S-sorry,” whispered Fluttershy. 

“Relax little thing, ain’t nothin’ to be scared of. You two head on inside and have a good time,” said the minotaur, stepping to the side and letting them in.

The two nodded their heads in thanks as they stepped inside. Spike welcomed the familiar sense of excitement and fun as he turned around, laughing at the sight of Fluttershy’s shocked expression. He couldn’t blame her; he could remember the size of the dance floor, lights going on and off at the bottom, while dancing to the tunes of the club’s DJ up on stage. The disco ball, lights, glow sticks going around while everypony was either shaking themselves up a sweat, drinking at the bar, or making out at the various tables spread across the outer walls. 

The club looked like a real dragon cave, with stalactites, fake treasure glowing on the walls, and fake lava pools that were really fruit punch. Originally, the club was for dragons only, but over time it welcomed other races to join. Dragons, griffins, minotaurs, ponies, goats, and donkeys were all out having a good time. He nudged Fluttershy and yelled, “What do you think?!”

“What?!” shouted Fluttershy, rubbing her ears.

“I said what do you think?!”

“Oh! It looks great!” replied Fluttershy with a rare look of excitement on her face. 

Spike was about to ask her what she wanted to do when he spotted a few familiar faces at the bar. Grinning, he pointed in the direction and said, “A few friends of mine are here! Want to meet them?!”

“Oh, are you sure they’ll like me?!” asked Fluttershy, shivering. 

“Relax, they’re cool, and they’re bound to love you!” answered Spike, taking Fluttershy by the shoulder and guiding her to the bar.

They soon arrived next to a group consisting of a blue and silver drake about Spike’s height, a red and yellow dragoness just a bit shorter with really big wings, a donkey with tattoos on his head, and two ponies she quickly recognized as Vinyl Scratch and Octavia; both of which she knew only by reputation as the top musicians of their respective brands.

Among seeing them, the group quickly embraced Spike as if he was family, leaving Fluttershy to watch in the background. After a few quick high fives and small talk, Spike quickly came back to Fluttershy and brought her front and center, which only made her squirm a bit upon seeing every eye on her. 

“Alright, guys allow me to introduce Fluttershy. She’s one of my best friends back in Ponyville,” said Spike, putting an arm around her shoulder. “Fluttershy, these are my friends in Canterlot. This is Limestone, he’s a miner that works in the crystal caves Twilight found a few years ago.”

The blue and silver drake raised his claw in a two finger salute. “Hey there.”

“That’s Ruby, she’s studying physics at a local college.”

The dragoness raised the drink in her claw. “Nice to meet you. Any friend of Spike is a friend of mine.”

“Ulysses E. Finster is a bouncer for hire at a few nightclubs such as this one. Don’t let the size fool you, I’ve seen him throw out people twice his size,” warned Spike.

“Call me U-E, everypony does,” said the donkey, giving a wink.

“And this is Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ Pon-3, one of the best DJ’s in Canterlot.”

“Uh, one of the best DJ’s in the whole fricken world, bro!” proclaimed Viny, as she wrapped her hoof around Octavia. “And this is my stuck up, but totally hot, wife, Octavia.”

“Vinyl, I can introduce myself thank you,” chided Octavia who walked over and shook her hooves with Fluttershy. “I must say, it’s an honor to speak with one of the Elements of Harmony. I’ve seen you and your friends a few times, but it’s nice to actually speak with the saviors of Equestria.”

“Oh, I just helped out a bit. Nothing special,” replied Fluttershy, nervously poking her hooves together.

“Don’t kid yourself, Fluttershy. Twilight and the others couldn’t have done it all without you,” said Spike, making Fluttershy’s blush turn even redder.

“Hey, Spike, since you brought a newbie, you know she has to go through the initiation, right?” said a grinning Ruby, the rest of the gang nodding their heads in agreement.

“Aw, come on guys. Can’t we let it off this once?” chuckled Spike, shaking his head.

“You know the rules, bro. First comers got to get first served,” said Limestone as he turned to the barkeeper and shouted, “Yo, Mixture! Seven Blast Off’s!”

Fluttershy nervously raised her hoof. “Um, excuse me? What initiation is this?”

Spike rubbed the back of his neck, cursing that he forgot this when bringing her to meet the guys. The initiation wasn’t bad; far from it. The only problem was that he didn’t know how much of a lightweight Fluttershy was when it came to drinking. Before he knew it, seven vermilion drinks with limes in them were presented to the group who each took one except for Fluttershy who was staring at it with a tilted head.

“I’ve never seen a drink like that before,” said Fluttershy, taking it with her hooves.

“It’s a very hard drink, but it kicks you right into gear. It’s one drink we all share together, and anypony we bring with us has to join. Having one is alright if you can take it, although drink too much and you pass out just like Vinyl did in her first try,” chuckled Limestone.

The DJ pony groaned and pounded her head. “Don’t remind me. Octy here still has photos of me puking on the sound system.”

“No to mention kissing the rim of a toilet, and having a losing battle against a wall because you claimed it talked trash about your pet dog when you don’t even own one,” giggled Octavia, earning a smack against the shoulder.

“Oh, dear,” said Fluttershy, looking at the drink with wide eyes. “Sounds... potent.”

“You don’t have to drink with us, Fluttershy,” offered Spike, but Fluttershy shook her head.

“N-no, I don’t want to do that when it’s clearly important to you all.” Fluttershy nervously raised her glass. “Bottom’s up, I guess.”

The rest of them, including Spike, although hesitantly, raised their glasses and were about to drink...

“Well, looky here! It’s Spiky-Wikey and his Lonely Brainless Loser Band.”

The glass in Spike’s claw instantly broke. Ignoring the spilled contents all over him, he cursed whatever deity that decided to screw with him for having him in the club as well. He was ready to have a fun night with his friends, but, of course, he showed up to ruin everything. Turning around, Spike muttered the name of the one dragon he hated more than anyone else in the world.

Garble...

> Hearts On The Dance Floor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Formerly edited by: Adjudicator

Edited by: Mr.Minimii and ugugg93

Note: The song played I do not own but I did modify the lyrics of the original to make it ponyverse like. Thanks to DARKPHANTOM13 for the song suggestion. 


***


The moment Spike heard his voice, he was already ready for a fight. He heard the others get up from the seats and stand right beside him in unison, equally prepared in case there was any trouble. If he was who Spike thought he was, trouble was the drop of a bit away. He watched as the tall, red adolescent dragon walked toward them with some dragoness hanging on his arm—A.K.A. this week’s bed buddy.

There were very few individuals on Spike’s “Hate List,” but up on the top was Garble. The bully had never forgotten of that embarrassment Spike made out of him and his friends years ago when he went to the dragon migration. Unfortunately, this was the son of the new dragon ambassador, and it was only a matter of time until their paths crossed again. Since then, it had been nothing but conflict between him and his friends against Garble and his goon squad. 

The two groups stared at each other for a long time stared silently, the club’s music playing in the background. Finally, Garble smiled and spread his arms out like he was greeting them. “Well, don’t let us ruin your evening. Please, drink the night away while we get our own.”

“What do you want, Garble?” growled Spike, crossing his arms. “Because we’re in no mood for any horse apples from you.”

“Speak for yourself, I could use a good fight to knock this punk down a few pegs,” muttered U-E, stretching his shoulder. 

“Ditto,” seconded Vinyl as she started to charge her horn, but Octavia put her hoof on her shoulder and shook her head.

Garble only continued to smile as he walked past them, pushing Limestone and Ruby out of the way as he made his way to the bar and ordered a drink. Spike made sure to keep an eye on him while the other was on Fluttershy, who was hiding behind Ruby as if already sensing how dangerous he was. Garble took his shot and swallowed it whole before leaning back at the bar. 

“So Spike, word on the street is you're in charge of that stupid pony wedding that’s going on? Fancy Pants and that other mare... what’s her name? Whority?”

“It’s Rarity, you bastard!” growled Spike, nostrils flaring green flames. “And if you say anything about her or Fancy Pants, I’ll end you!”

“Temper. Temper. Remember to watch it. After all, it got you kicked out of three clubs already,” warned Garble, sticking his claws up.

“As opposed to the seven you were banned from, including that one where I hauled your scaly butt out?” pointed out a grinning U-E, who took a high five from Limestone.

Garble glared at the donkey, a blush on his cheek appearing before the redness started to spread around his entire face. Hissing, the red dragon cried out, “Shut it you lousy good for nothing, ass! You’re kind was better off being slaves before the princesses changed that many years ago!”

“And you're better off jumping into a lake and drowning yourself,” commented Limestone, who looked ready to charge, but saw that Garble’s gang was much larger than their own, and backed down.

Garble huffed before spitting on the ground, right next to the hoof of Octavia who jumped back and wiped it with a clean napkin nearby. He raised his claw and pointed to Limestone, Ruby, and Spike. “You three are a disgrace to the dragon race. In fact this entire club is for opening it up to the other races. Have you no pride of being dragons? The real superior race of this world? You hang around with these pansy ponies and good for nothing but labor donkeys like they’re your equals. Have you no shame?”

“The only one who should be ashamed is you, Garble,” said Ruby, narrowing her eyes. “Your father is an ambassador for our people and yet his son is constantly getting into trouble and likes making racist remarks about other races he thinks are below him.” She then smiled. “In fact, hasn’t your father decided to send you back to the nation while also making your younger sister his heir instead of you?”

Garble showed his teeth and looked ready to smack Ruby, but Limestone was already there in front of her. “Try anything, and I swear...”

The tension was thickening between both groups, and Spike wondered if there was any chance to avoid bloodshed tonight. Much as he liked to clobber Garble, he wouldn’t risk Fluttershy from his own problems. He decided to be the better dragon, and stepped towards towards Garble, making sure he was relaxed and didn’t look threatening. 

“Look, Garble, none of us came here for a fight,” said Spike. “We’re here to have a good time and nothing more. Just take your drink, your friends, and leave us alone, alright?”

His archenemy raised an eyebrow, and rubbed his chin while Spike did his best to assure the others to relax as well with a few subtle winks. Garble smirked and nodded. “Okay, Spike. Fair enough, I’ll leave you and your group alone...”

Spike sighed in relief.

“... on one condition,” said Garble, raising a finger and pointing it to his shot glass. “One of you dweebs has to face me in a drinking contest. Loser leaves the club, and doesn’t come back.”

“Come on, that’s not fair!” said Octavia, puffing her cheeks.

“What’s wrong? Afraid of a little competition? Got the balls to go one-on-one?” tempted Garble, showing his teeth. 

Spike looked at the rest of his friends who were nodding in agreement, some of them like Vinyl and U-E looking for a chance to show up the jerk. He glanced toward Fluttershy, still holding her drink in her shaking hooves, who was now showing herself out in the open. She looked Spike and whispered, “You can do this” to him which made him feel suddenly ten times braver. Spitting into his claw, Spike held it out and said, “Alright, you're on. But you will swear on your honor as a dragon that you’re telling the truth.”

“I swear on my honor.” Garble smirked, spat in his own claw, and shook his with Spike’s. “Alright, so the one I pick to face me in a drinking contest is...”

Spike puffed out his chest while the rest of his friends looked ready as well. However, Garble didn’t even bother looking at them, and just pointed at his target. “You!”

Everyone gasped, and Spike even felt like kicking himself when he remembered there was one other pony in this group who was inexperienced with clubbing. The same one he swore to make sure nothing happened to: Fluttershy. The poor pegasus ‘eeped,’ and hid behind Ruby again who shielded her with her wings. 

“Leave her out of this! She’s just joined us!” yelled Spike, claws ready. 

Shaking his head, Garble said, “You said I could pick any of your friends if I choose, and she’s your friend, right? She’s holding the drink you were all about to have, meaning she’s part of your group. Unless you want to go back on your word and dishonor yourself?”

Spike clenched his claw so hard he was sure blood was gonna come out and drip on the floor. The worst part was that Garble was right. Dishonoring yourself was something a dragon couldn’t live with, even one such as him. Spike always valued keeping his word, and he knew he would have to. He looked at the pale, fragile form of his best friend, and cursed himself for not remembering her safety. 

Limestone shouted, “Come on, Garble, she’s just a rookie. She can’t—”

“I’ll do it.”

Everyone turned their heads to see Fluttershy poke her head out from Ruby’s wings, and float down. She drank her glass with one gulp, and gently put it on the table before taking a deep breath and letting it out. “I’ll do it.”

Vinyl stepped forward and pressed her hoof against Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Fluttershy, you don’t have to do this. This guy’s been a pain in our flank for a long time. It’s not your fault.”

“T-true, but he insulted Spike, and...” Fluttershy stared at Garble with as much bravery as she could muster. “And I won’t let him be mean to my best friend!”

“Oh? Is the little cute pony going to make me regret making fun of this loser?” mocked Garble, who patted the seat next to him. “Bring your butterfly butt over here, so I can cream you, and see your backsides walk out the front door when I’m done.”

Fluttershy was about to sit when Spike stepped forward and tugged her tail gently. “You don’t have to this. I’m okay taking your place, honor or no honor.”

Fluttershy smiled before holding his claw with both her hooves. “I’ll be okay, trust me.”

He tried to say something else, but Fluttershy quickly sat down and nodded. Garble, chuckling, tapped on the counter. “Barkeep! A round of drinks for a little game of ours!”


***


Spike couldn’t believe it, and he was sure the crowd behind him couldn’t believe it. He looked at his friends who were either trying to lift their jaws off the floor, or were cheering on Fluttershy as she drank her fourteenth shot in a row. While her mane seemed to be a bit more wild, and a flush was on her cheeks, Fluttershy let out a satisfied “Ahhh” before slamming the cup down. “Boyah! How do you like that!” 

The crowd cheered as Fluttershy waved at them, a bright smile on her face. The same could not be said for Garble, who looked ready to fall out of his seat or puke, maybe even both. The guy had been boasting he could out drink anyone, and was convinced this was going to be an easy victory. His mistake.

He lifted his shot glass and, looking green, drank the whole thing in one gulp. He burped a bit of fire from his lips, but he had managed to hold it down. “T-think...y-you... can... can... beat me...” slurred Garble, whose look ready to roll to the back of his head. “I.. I ain’t lettin’... some stupid... horsy... thingy... beat me...”

Fluttershy replied with a sly grin. “Oh, really.” She reached out and took three shot glasses, much to the surprise of the crowd who soon started to cheer for her to drink all three at the same time. Fluttershy waved for Spike to come over which surprised him, but he nodded and walked over. Handing the shot glasses to Spike, she turned around and leaned back, opening her mouth while pointing to it. 

This got the crowd even more riled up as Vinyl screamed, “Alright, Fluttershy! Taking it like a boss!”

Spike grinned, and dumped all three shots into Fluttershy’s mouth who quickly got up after they entered her mouth, and swallowed it as one big gulp. She shook her head a bit and panted, but she smiled and raised her wings which erupted in applause for her. Garble was looking at Fluttershy with wide eyes as she rested her elbow on the counter, glaring at him with daring eyes. “Looks like this ‘horsey thing’ managed to up you times three. Can to try copying me? Or are you to scared to play with the big boys, little hatchling?”

“Ooooohhh!” screamed the crowd as Garble’s face turned even redder than normal.

“Burn,” said U-E, grinning.

“Total burn,” replied Limestone with an equal grin.

With shaking claws, Garble took three shot glasses, and raised them one by one into his mouth. But before he could finish the third glass, Garble couldn’t take it anymore and he fell to the floor, throwing up everything inside. The crowd stepped back in disgust, but soon realized that Fluttershy had won, and cheered again. The intoxicated pegasus rubbed the back of her neck as they shouted her name. Spike and his friends all congratulated her by shaking her hoof or patting her on the back, although Vinyl’s almost neatly caused her to fall off her seat.

Spike, smiling like it was his birthday come early, looked down at the defeated and gagging Garble who appeared ready to rage out and burn everything to the ground. The flames coming out of his nose made it seem even more believable. Crossing his arms, Spike stated, “You lost, Garble. A deal is a deal. Now get out of here like you promised, or do you want to lose your honor along with your lunch?”

Garble growled, but got up with the help of his friends and walked towards the exit. Seeing the excitement and confrontation over, the crowd soon said their final congrats before heading back to their own excitement in the club. Fluttershy, realizing now that she had won a drinking contest against a dragon, gasped and held her hooves to her heart. “I... I actually won! I didn’t think... for a second, I thought...”

“Dude, you were great! That was the most awesome thing I’ve seen in a long time!” shouted Ruby, patting her back. “Fluttershy, I think I speak for everyone here when I say you're part of the gang!”

“Yeah, you have got to come over to me and Tavi’s cub! We’ll have a blast! And drinks are on the house!” seconded Vinyl with her wife nodding.

“And if you ever need help with any kind of trouble that revolves physical work...,” U-E cracked his hooves, nodding to Limestone who nodded back. “Just give us a call, too.”

“I...I...” Fluttershy looked at her new friends, blushing up a storm before she nodded. “Thank you. I hope we become good friends.” She then turned to the dance floor, and her smile grew before getting off her seat and walking over to Spike. “Um, Spike? Do you want to dance?”

“S-sure,” said Spike, taken by surprise. He wrapped a wing around his best friend, and the two of them walked over to the dance floor where a everypony was shaking it to a new track that had come on. 

Fluttershy looked like she was having second thoughts by the time it started while Spike was finding his heart beating as he realized that he had never danced with Fluttershy before. Deciding to take a risk, he smirked, and gently pulled Fluttershy closer to him as he began to sway back and forth, Fluttershy following his example.

“Hey, I know this song. Follow my lead!” said Fluttershy who soon turned around while shaking her flanks. Spike giggled and followed suit, and the two of them jumped up, along with the crowd, before falling and moving closer. 

The chorus sung, and the two of them raised their respective upper limbs up, shaking them high into the air with everyone else. Fluttershy stood up on her rear hooves, and started banging her head, her pink mane flying and making her look even more beautiful than Spike had ever seen her. Not wanting to be outdone, and finding his rhythm, Spike started to do some impressive footwork. His feet stomped and swept around the area, earning a small laugh from Fluttershy.  

The two inched closer to the point where they bumped flanks as Spike took Fluttershy by her forearm, turned her around, and held her close to him, chest to chest as the two looked deep into each other’s eyes

Holding her forelegs, Spike continued to guide Fluttershy through their dance, and they were soon finding themselves in the middle of the dance floor with everyone making room. Seeing they were now the center of attention, the two looked at each other and smirked. Spinning Fluttershy so that her back was against his, he held her tight as he started grinding against her flank. Despite her blush, Fluttershy played loose with it, obviously due to the alcohol she had taken earlier. 

“Shall we?” asked Spike.

“Let’s,” encouraged Fluttershy with a wink

The two, holding each other, spun across the floor and as Fluttershy and Spike opened their wings and flew high into the air. They flew around, holding each other as they appeared like angels in unison, dancing and flying at the same time with grace and excitement at the same time. Spike threw Fluttershy higher, to the point where she was nearly touching the ceiling and spun around like a top. 

The crowd gasped as Spike landed on the ground, and then caught Fluttershy with his claws as she held on to his neck and laugh. She was sure she almost had a heart attack for a second, but now, watching the smile on her dragon’s face only made her wish that she had danced with him a long time ago. Diving to his knees, Spike held onto Fluttershy as they looked deep into each other’s eyes. 

They were so pressed together that the two felt each other’s heartbeats. Looking into each other’s eyes, Fluttershy and Spike’s cheeks grew red as all other sounds, even the song itself. They grew closer until their lips were only inches apart. They could feel each other's breath. 

Finally, Fluttershy couldn’t hold it any longer, and pressed her lips against Spike’s.

Spike’s eyes widened while the entire crowd was cheering. He looked out of the corner of his eye, and saw his friends shouting and whistling. Spike, although confused, couldn’t help but love this feeling, and soon gave in and returned the kiss.

The taste of Fluttershy’s lips were like a combination of honey and flowers. Sweet and soft, like a gentle breeze had been pressed against his face while he held her in his arms. Fluttershy herself felt like she was on cloud nine because she finally had her first true kiss with somepony that she loved with all her heart. 

The song ended as the two separated from each other, the crowd still cheering. Spike just stared at a smiling Fluttershy who looked at him with eyes that made more beautiful than any gem in the world. So many questions were ringing in his head. Why had Fluttershy kissed him? What is a spur o the moment thing, or... or...

Is she in love with me? Spike asked in his head.

Before Spike could answer, he felt a chill pass through his spine as he heard ponies mumbling and quiet down. He looked at his friends who were quickly stomping their way towards him with angry looks on their faces. He gritted his teeth and could already guess who it was as he turned around, and, sure enough, there was Garble, stomping over with his entire group.

“What the hay, Garble! You lost, so get out of here!” shouted Spike, stepping forward. 

Garble got close to both Spike and a shaking Fluttershy, who looked terrified at the sight of the red dragon’s raging eyes upon her. “I didn’t come here to be insulted and kicked out by a loser and his apparent whore. First, you’re friends with ponies, now you’re sleeping with them? You’re sick.”

“I dare you to call Fluttershy that one more time, so I can just kick your scaly butt!” cried out Spike, growling, his claws glistening in the lights from above.

Garble smirked. “Let’s stop beating around the bush. We both know this is gonna end with us tearing each other apart, so let’s to it.”

“Fine by me... make your move....” growled Spike.

“Well, if I’m gonna make the first blow...” Garble clenched his fist and gave a grin that all but worried Spike. “I should make sure it lands where it hurts the most."

Garble raised his fist, but turned at the last second and punched Fluttershy straight in the face.

Time slowed down as a horrified Spike watched Fluttershy fall to the dance floor, her face bleeding as she landed on the floor, hard. Gasps were heard everywhere right before a whimper from a shaking and teary-eyed Fluttershy.

Only one word rang in Spike’s head a split second after this.


Kill!



> True Dragon Rage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Formerly edited by: Adjudicator

Edited by: Mr.Minimii and ugugg93


***


Before Spike knew it, he had already tackled Garble towards the the bar where they smashed into a table. Garble kicked Spike off him, but the younger dragon was back to attacking with his claws. He tried for a swipe at Garble’s neck, but the elder drake was able to grab his arm and deliver a swift kick to his chest before smacking him down with his tail. Spike soon felt it wrap around his throat as he was lifted up in the air and kept getting punched over and over again. 

Taking what little breath he had, Spike unleashed a flame at Gable’s neck. Dragon fire didn’t hurt other dragons, but it was enough to blind the dragon a bit and allowed Spike to free himself from the tail. He responded by stomping on it as Garble let out a cry of pain. Without remorse, Spike took a big beer mug, shoved it into Garble’s mouth, and smashed it by slamming his mouth close. While a dragon’s mouth was powerful in crushing almost anything, the inner gums were still as weak as any non-dragons, and Gable was forced to endure glass in his bleeding mouth before Spike kneed him in the face. 

Backing up a bit, Spike tried to catch his breath while rubbing his neck. He checked on the others who were already joining in on the fight. Ruby and U-E were back to back, dealing with their own goons. Ruby and Garble’s lady dragon friend were at each other’s throat, banging each other’s heads against the floor as they rolled around. He finally saw Ruby get up top and started pounding the dragoness in the face over and over again before taking a deep bite on her neck, making her scream in pain as blood started to flow. 

U-E already had two knocked out dragons underneath him as he held another by the throat with foreleg around his neck and a fourth dragon on the ground, puking his guts out after a well placed sucker punch. Despite being friends for three years, Spike still couldn’t believe there was anypony out there as strong as U-E, and that testament was fully realized as U-E choked slammed the dragon into the dance floor, sending half of the dragon’s body straight through the floor. The other was picked up and bodyslammed into another table, drinks flying everywhere.

Spike remembered his own fight and turned back to Garble only to get a punch in the face that knocked him back a bit. Although dazed, Spike was able to block the next few blows before trying for a right hook. Garble grabbed his wrist and turned him around before putting Spike in a headlock. Although bleeding out of his nose and mouth, Garble gave a sickening grin as he said, “You know, Spike. After I’m done wasting you and your precious friends, I’m gonna take that stupid marefriend of yours, break her wings, and find the steepest cliff in all of Canterlot to see if she can fly!”

Spike’s response was taking his tail and whipped it right between Garble’s legs. The bully let go and hugged his groin as Spike backed up and spat on the ground, eyes filled with fury. “I am going to kill you and spit on your corpse!”

Eyes everywhere widened as they saw Spike’s scales start to glow blue as small sparks appears. Garble’s mouth dropped as Spike opened his mouth and unleashed a roar, followed by a blue arc of lightning. The older dragon was too stunned to dodge as he was thrown back from the blast and landed right on the DJ’s now broken set. Garble groaned as he slowly got up and weakly pointed at Spike. “H-how?! How does a twerp like you know how to breathe lightning already?!”

Spike smirked. “It pays having an adopted alicorn mother who knows all the elder dragons that were willing to teach their craft..”

This only enraged Garble more as he unfurled his wings and roared. Spike roared back as the two flew towards each other.


***


Fluttershy slowly found herself becoming more and more aware of her soundindings, followed by an intense pain on her muzzle. A hoof landed on her shoulder and she cried out, holding her hooves out in defence as tears lingered in her eyes. 

“It’s okay, Fluttershy! It’s me, Octavia!”

Opening her eyes, Fluttershy saw the famous cellist looking at her with worried eyes. Realizing she wasn’t in any immediate danger, she relaxed a bit and looked around to see that she was behind the bar in the club. “Wh-what happened?”

Scowling, Octavia muttered, “Garble hit you, remember? Then, everyone broke out into a fight.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she remembered the big bully hitting her in the face, and started to whimper. Shaking, she asked, “H-how is Spike?”

Octavia looked up and winced. “I... I’ve never seen him fight this intensely before. The two of them are going all out.” 

Fluttershy slowly looked up and gasped. Her heart cried out with worry as she saw a bloody and beaten up Spike crash against the floor as Garble, equally damaged, landed on him with both feet. Garble picked up Spike and went for a bite against his neck, but Spike managed to stop his jaws with his claws and push him back. Ducking under another punch, Spike managed to uppercut him into a wall where Spike slammed his elbow against his face and into the wall. 

Although she was worried for Spike, a part of her couldn’t help but be... scared at this side of him. She knew he was a dragon, and dragons were violent, but Spike rarely ever went this far. Normally, he was polite, funny, and emotional at times, but this was... 

“Brutal,” Fluttershy whispered as she saw Spike throw Garble into the fake lava pool and dive in after him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Octavia dragged her down as Vinyl flew above them and crashed into the bottles on display. Blood and glass covered her entire body as Octavia was right there beside her wife, hoof against her mouth as her eyes watering. “Vinyl are you okay?!”

Vinyl, her shades now in pieces, looked up and smiled weakly. “Hey Tavi...” She coughed a bit. “Mind giving me a drink? I need something to dull the pain.”

Octavia smiled before kissing her wife on the forehead. “Idiot. Just stay still, I’m gonna take over, okay?”

She turned to Fluttershy and asked, “Watch her for me, please.”

Fluttershy only nodded before an enraged looking Octavia jumped over the counter. Vinyl started chuckling as Fluttershy took some clean towels nearby and started putting them on her wounds. “You shouldn’t laugh. You’re only gonna make it worse.”

“S-sorry,” laughed Vinyl. “But those guys are gonna get their butt whooped so bad.”

“What do you mean?”

Vinyl grinned. “You’ll see.”

Fluttershy looked up and saw Octavia hopping from table to table towards Limestone. Limestone was barely standing as he wiped off the beer that had gotten on him during the fight. Vinyl had just been thrown into the bar and was sure to be out for the rest of the fight, leaving him to deal with these remaining three dragons who were cracking their knuckles.

Just before they were gonna charge forward, Octavia appeared, landing on a nearby table from her jump from the bar. She glared at the three and asked, “Which of one you bastards hurt my wife?”

The three looked at each other, laughed, and then pointed at themselves. Octavia narrowed her eyes. “Guess I’ll just have to beat up all three of you just to be sure!” With great speed, she jumped up into the air and screamed before kicking one in the face. When she landed, one of the other dragons tried to grab her, but she quickly got behind him with a spin and bucked him towards Limestone. Wasting no time, Limestone delivered a hard clothesline that knocked the dragon right off his legs.

The other two tried to attack Octavia from behind. She ducked down, avoiding their grabs and elbowed them in the back before raising her hindquarters and bucking them in the face. She flipped back to her rear hooves and stood up on them, her forelegs spread out in a fighting position. 

“W-who are you?” asked one of them, growling.

Octavia growled, “I’m the mare that plays double bass that’s gonna kick your ass!”

With unexpected speed, she charged forward and flipped both dragons over. One of them tried to get up, but just as he did he was met with Octavia’s right rear hoof to his face. This was followed by the left one, and a spin kick that knocked him into a chair, breaking it. 

The other got up and tried to attack, but Octavia’s feet were quicker as she lifted her rear left leg over and kicked the dragon in the face over and over again, his head knocking back with each kick. The previous dragon got up, groaning, but Octavia back kicked him with the same hoof and he went down again. With a final spin kick, the other dragon was knocked out, and Octavia put all hooves down and sighed. “I hate violence, but sometimes you have to take out the trash.”

Fluttershy sighed in relief seeing her new friend okay, but then gasped as she saw Garble holding Spike in a death grip. Before she knew what she was doing, Fluttershy grabbed a bottle of wine and threw it at Garble’s head, knocking him back as he let go of Spike.

***

Spike didn’t know who it was that threw that bottle, but he owed them a drink after this. Getting up, he glared at the bully, images of Fluttershy crying guiding him as stomped forward. Garble, backing away and growling, shouted, “Why don’t you just give up! I’m a true dragon! You’re just a brat raised by a bunch of ponies!”

Stopping in place, Spike growled. “You’re right. I was raised by a bunch of ponies. Ponies who loved me and took me in when I had noone. Sure, I was treated like a beast by some, but I had those who always saw me as a friend.” Looking at his blood covered claw, Spike clenched it and growled. “You have no idea how hard it is to control myself. I can burn their houses down, crush their bones with my strength, rip their skin off, and more. I’m dangerous, and I learned that the first time I lost control of my greed and became a monster. I nearly destroyed my home and got one of my friends killed. Since then, I’ve been working hard everyday of my life to control what lies inside of me. I’m stuck in a glass house and all that I touch can shatter into pieces if I’m not careful. I’ve never even once gone all out. But just this once I’m gonna show you just how much of a dragon I really am!”

With an earth shattering roar, Spike charged at Garble and unleashed a punch to his jaw that utterly shattered his bone. The red drake was sent through four tables before landing flat on the wall. Before he could get off, Spike was already grabbing his head and shoving him over and over again into the wall. He then threw Garble away and kicked him in the stomach, sending him onto the dance floor. 

Gable tried to get up, but Spike was already by his side. He tried to say something, but all he could manage was spitting blood pitifully onto the glass tiles. Spike took Garble’s tail and snapped it over his knee, causing the drake to scream as tears streaked down his cheeks. Seeing his mouth open, Spike took his claws and began to scrape his talons over his toungue. Gasps echoed around the room as Spike finished, lifting the now broken dragon. He then opened his wings to their full extent and flew up high up to the roof before coming down and slamming Garble on the floor with all of his strength. 

Slowly standing up, Spike looked at his prey—the prey that dare hurt his mate. He was going to make him suffer. Make him pay. His scales glowed again before he unleashed the lighting breath again. Garble continued to scream and shake as blast after blast Spike delivered.

Suffer! Suffer! SUFFER! SUFFER AND DIE!

“SPIKE! STOP!” 

Like a slap to the face, Spike gasped and stopped. He turned to his left and saw Fluttershy, looking at him with fear and worry as she slowly moved toward him. He lowered his claws and looked at the ruined body of Garble, smoking, burned, bleeding, yet alive. “I...” he said as he looked at horror at what he did. He fell to his knees and nearly puked. “I didn’t mean...”

Everyone, even his friends, were looking at the intense scene before them. Spike closed his eyes in shame as Fluttershy came over and hugged him. Finally, the others came to his side and they left the club. Spike having to be dragged.

It took twenty minutes for somepony to finally call for an ambulance. 


***


Both Twilight and Fluttershy were comforting the depressed dragon as he lowered his head in shame. Twilight couldn’t blame him. All his life, Spike had to deal with ponies saying he was a threat to them; a monster lying in wait. Yet, she couldn’t blame him for being angry for what that monster did to Fluttershy. 

 “How did I not hear of this? Or the other princesses?” asked Twilight, wondering why she wasn’t there for her number one assistant.

“They did,” muttered Spike, getting up and pacing around the room. “Celestia and Luna both learned what happened. I didn’t get arrested because it was self-defense, but I begged them not to tell you about what happened.”

“Spike, why?” asked Twilight as she got up and nuzzled him. “I would have understood.”

“I was afraid, alright!” shouted Spike, rubbing his head. “I was just... afraid... of what I did... what I would’ve done... if Fluttershy wasn’t there...”

Fluttershy now got up, walked over, and kissed him. He kissed back and the two relaxed in each other’s embrace. Twilight smiled before asking, “What happened to Garble?”

Spike sighed and shook his head. “You really want to know?” Twilight nodded. “His father learned what happened after Celestia told him. Because attacking Fluttershy, a hero of our nation, could be a possible act for war, the ambassador took the full blame and resigned. But his son got the worst of it. He...” Spike winced. “He’s dead...”

“D-dead?” gasped  Twilight. “Spike you....”

“No! I didn’t kill him! He survived, but...” Spike sighed, his eyes reflecting a sense of pity. “Garble had disgraced himself, his family, and his race by turning back on his honor when he refused to leave me and Fluttershy alone. Because of this, added with all his previous misdeeds, he was fully exiled with no name or anything but the scales on his back. He begged his father to forgive him and give him another chance, but he was all but dead to him. From what I heard, after a week of exile, he was found dead. Nopony knows how or why, but then again none of the dragons cared. An exile gets a graveless burial and forgotten. I may not have liked him, but I never would have wished him dead.”

Twilight and Fluttershy both walked over to comfort him, but he pushed them away and sighed. “I need some air.”

He opened the door and slammed it. Fluttershy sighed and gave a sad smile. “I’m sorry, it still bothers him whenever he talks about it.”

“I guess this explains why he was so... upset before the wedding...” Twilight recalled. “How did you two deal with this?”

“It wasn’t easy, but... well, let me tell you what happened...”




> Enkindled Hearts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enkindled Hearts

By The Rated Ponystar

Formerly edited by: Adjudicator

Edited by: Mr.Minimii and ugugg93


***


“Are ya sure yer okay?” asked Applejack for the ninth time at Fluttershy’s stoop. “Mac said ya were shakin' somethin' fierce when ya came back from Canterlot yesterday. Did somethin’ happen?”

Fluttershy, barely keeping her door open, shook her head. “N-no... I’m fine... I was just... just was a bit overwhelmed is all.”

“Are ya sure?” asked Applejack again, getting a quick shake of the head in response. Sighing, she nodded. “Okay, but if ya need anythin’, give a holler. Remember that the weddin’s comin’ soon.”

Fluttershy whispered goodbye before she closed the door and leaned her back on it. Truthfully, she was far from fine. Her mind was still plaguing her with what happened back at the club last night. Seeing such a violent streak in Spike as he tore apart Garble made her blood turn to ice. Even now she could feel her fur rising up in fright just thinking about it. 

Yet, she also felt ashamed. Since Spike had only fought against Garble for her sake. He did it because she was his friend.

But were they more than friends now thanks to that kiss? 

Fluttershy felt her heart flutter when she thought about it. It was ironic that his kiss was so cold, yet brought more warmth to her heart than anything else she'd felt in her life. She felt as if her heart was enkindled by some burning flame that made her want to never let go of Spike. To kiss him and hold him forever in her embrace would be like taking in the flames of love itself.

For the first time in her life, she cursed somepony. She cursed Garble, hoping that he would get what was coming to him for ruining that moment. Fluttershy wanted nothing more than to fly to Spike and kiss him again, letting him know that she still loved him.

Then why am I so afraid to do that? she asked herself in shame. Yet, she knew the answer. I’m such a coward. 

Fluttershy nearly leapt up into the air when she heard her door knocking rapidly. “Fluttershy! Open up! It’s Ruby!”

“Ruby?” asked Fluttershy as she turned and opened the door. The large dragoness was there, sweating heavily. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you! Do you know how hard it was trying to find you? I spent nearly an hour flying around Ponyville asking ponies if they knew you, but most of them were afraid of me. Guess you guys don’t get dragons here too often, huh?”  asked Ruby, chuckling as she walked inside while ducking because of her height. “I came to find you because we need your help. It’s Spike.”

Fluttershy’s first reaction was to rush towards Ruby and hold her by the shoulders. “Is he alright?! Is he hurt?! Or in trouble?! Please let it not be both!”

Ruby raised her claw to calm her down. “Relax, he’s not hurt. The princesses have good healers. And no, he’s not in trouble. I think he told only Princess Celestia what happened and, from what I hear, Garble’s gotten himself in real trouble. Spike and the rest of us are safe since it’s being played down. But...” Ruby sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Spike’s been refusing to talk to us. He locked himself inside, and he hasn’t given any orders for the wedding. Everypony thinks it’s just stress, but we know that’s not true.” Ruby looked straight into Fluttershy’s eyes. “I think he blames himself for what happened to you.”

“W-what?” stuttered Fluttershy. “B-but it’s not his fault! He was protecting me!”

“Yeah, and he almost killed Garble for it. If you didn’t stop him...” Ruby shivered. “Garble’s a pain in the rear, but even I felt sorry for him after that beat down.”

Fluttershy lowered her eyes as they began to mist, but that didn’t last long as she then looked at Ruby with a determined look. “Take me to him.”


***


Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

He kept repeating that over and over again in his head. Spike looked outside the balcony of his room and down at the city below, hoping to push his thoughts away with its sights. It didn’t work. Nothing had worked. Books, meditation, the wedding, exercise, sleep. Nothing stopped him from remembering the look in Fluttershy’s eyes as she saw him ready to end Garble’s life.

The fear in those eyes. It was like she was looking at him as if he was a monster. And she’s right. I am a monster, Spike thought bitterly as he looked at his hand. He could still imagine it covered in Garble’s blood. 

Worst of all was he had no regrets. He knew now why she was so important to him. Why he wanted to spend so much time with her after all these months. The kiss made him realize what had been in front of him for so long.

He was in love with Fluttershy. His dragon instincts saw her as his potential mate, and he knew that he would protect her. He didn’t know when such feelings were planted, but he suspected they had been there for a long time. That kiss they shared was more precious than any gem he owned or tasted. It was like finding something he had been missing for so long. 

It was love. 

Ever since he lost Rarity, he never thought anypony could take her place. He dated a little, but nopony came close. Yet when he thought of Fluttershy and him together it was like everything fit, even more so than it did when he thought of Rarity. She was the most precious thing to him, even more so than Twilight. 

Who was the one pony who stuck by him through it all? Who was the one pony whose kindness and friendship did he learn to value even more than Twilight's? Who was the one who stuck by him and slowly became the most valuable thing to him.

Fluttershy was the answer to all those questions, and if the kiss meant anything it meant she loved him back as well. Knowing this, a part of him wanted to go find her and profess his love, even swearing to never scare her again. Yet he was hesitant. He knew why. He was dangerous to be around with, much less romantically involved.

He held such great strength and power, but also a powerful lust of rage and greed that all dragons had. What if what happened five nights ago happened again and this time instead of Garble it was Fluttershy? Spike would never forgive himself.

There was also the fact that Fluttershy was a pegasus and he was a dragon. Ignoring that there were those who didn’t like cross species relationship, he would never be able to give her a child. They could not reproduce together, and no magic was available to help with this. Fluttershy loved children, she saw her animals as her own. If he couldn’t provide her with foals, how could he even make her happy?

And finally, there was the biggest factor: lifespan. There was no max lifespan to how long a dragon could live. Some of the oldest had lived to be up to five thousand years old while others lived for three hundred years. Either way, Fluttershy would be long dead by the time Spike was finally ready to pass on himself. And who was to say he wouldn’t betray her and have other mates when she died?

Could he even live with himself to see her fade away? To hold her in her final moments before breathing her last breath? To watch her casket sink into a grave to hold her remains forever more? He accepted long ago that his pony friends would die one day while he was still in his youth, but this was different. Friends and lovers were different.

“Could we even have a chance?” asked Spike out loud. “I never thought about this with Rarity. Why now?”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“I said I wished to remain alone!” shouted Spike.

“...It’s me,” said a familiar whisper. “Please, let me in.”

Spike’s eyes widened and quickly opened the door. “Fluttershy...”

She walked inside, never taking her eyes off him and visa versa. The two looked at each other in silence, neither knowing what to say. He wanted to smile at her, but he instead lowered his eyes in shame. He didn’t deserve to look at her. Not after he scared her last night.

“Can we talk?” she asked, her voice soft and sweet.

Spike was ready to say no, but one look into those innocent blue eyes and he felt all his willpower leave him. Sighing, he nodded and sat on his bed while Fluttershy continued to stand. Neither of them said anything for a long time. They just glanced at each other or looked down on the floor. The ticking of a nearby clocked echoed in the room, mocking them as the two of them continued their silence. Finally, Fluttershy took a deep breath. “It’s not your fault. Please don’t think it’s your fault, because it’s not.”

“Fluttershy...”

“No!” she stomped her hoof and glared at him. “Let me finish.” He closed his mouth and nodded. “You did nothing wrong. I don’t blame you. If you didn’t stop Garble, who knows what he would have done, and I will not have you locked up in here feeling guilty. You are not a monster, you are a hero. Yes, you went too far, but I’ve also lost control of myself at times. Did you know I once made Rarity and Pinkie Pie cry because I went to far when I tried to be more assertive? they forgave me after I apologized and never blamed me afterwards. Just the lessons I was taking. We all make mistakes, Spike, but I haven’t once blamed you for this.”

“I almost killed him...” muttered Spike, covering his face in shame with his claws. “You saw what I did! Don’t you see?! If you didn’t stop me, I might have killed someone!”

“But you didn’t,” said Fluttershy, walking up to him and gently pulling his claws down with her hooves. She then stroked his face as tears dripped down. “You stopped. If it had been any other dragon, I’m sure Garble would be a stain on the floor, but you didn’t do that. Know why? Because you have a good heart in you, Spike.” She pressed her hoof against his chest and smile. “And I know that deep down you can control what you have inside you. You're too strong to let it control you.”

“I... I...” Spike lowered his head, sniffing as he cleaned his face. “When I saw you down there... bleeding... all I could think about was getting revenge. Not once did I come to check if you were alright! I let my rage get the best of me!” He sighed. “You are so important to me, Fluttershy. More than you know. That kiss we had, it was... amazing...” Out of the corner of his eye he could see her blushing. “I wanted to say how much you meant to me after that, and I still do, but how can I say I love you after that’s happened?”

Fluttershy gasped lightly before stepping back. “Y-you love me?”

Spike cursed himself but nodded. “Yes, I love you, Fluttershy... but I can understand if you—”

He didn’t get a chance to finish. Fluttershy was already on his lips, kissing him with all that she could. She didn’t need words to say her response, the kiss was enough. Spike caught himself and brought her closer to him. The warm feeling both felt in their hearts enkindled again as they kissed harder and harder. Finally, Fluttershy broke the bond and smiled. “I love you, too.”

Spike closed his eyes and shook his head. “Can... can this work out? You and me?”

“You have doubts?”

“Of course!” shouted Spike turning away and shaking his head. “W-what will others say?! You and me? Our ages?! Our races?! What will—”

“I don’t care.” Spike turned around and saw, for the first time in his life, not a speck of fear in Fluttershy’s gaze. If it wasn’t for her appearance, he could have swore he was looking at Rainbow Dash. “I don’t care what ponies say about you and me. We’re of age to be lovers. We’re friends who have known each other for years. You and I both know our friends will never abandon us. And if the do? I won't give a buck.”

Spike’s eyes widen upon hearing a very rare curse from Fluttershy’s lips. Gaining his mind back together, he muttered, “What about foals? I can’t give you foals.”

“We’ll adopt. Ponies, dragons, griffins. Heck, I don’t care if it’s a changeling.” She walked closer to him, her posture still strong and her eyes still roaring with fire, yet gentle as water. “Just because I can’t give birth to a foal doesn't mean I can’t still be a mother one day. And it doesn’t mean you can’t be a father. We’ll raise them like good parents, no different from anypony else out there. And there is no one I’d rather have as the father then you.”

“You’ll die before me,” whispered Spike as he got up and started to move forward. They soon were inches apart as they raised a hoof or claw and held each other. “I don’t want to lose you to time. I’d rather die with you than see you leave me. I...” A tear dripped down his eye. “It would be so long before we see each other again.”

Fluttershy leaned over and kissed his tear away. “We’ll be together even when I die. Our love and memories will live on in the our souls. We won’t be separated forever. I will be with you and await you on the other side.” She smiled at him. “Spike, I want this... I want to be with the dragon who won my heart a long time ago..I want to be by your side until the day I die. And I will wait for you, each moment of eternity until you are with me once again, forever. You are the one I love, and I will love you for the rest of my life. The question is will you?”

Spike stared at Fluttershy. He stared at her smile, her eyes, and her mane. And then he took her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. The two held each other again, this time as gently as possible as they fell onto the bed.

Their choice had been made.


***


“And that’s it. That’s the whole story,” said Spike with a smile. 

Twilight leaned back in her chair and wiped a tear from her cheek. “That’s one of the most amazing stories I ever heard. You two... you really do love each other.”

Fluttershy leaned against her coltfriend and nuzzled him. “It hasn’t been easy, but we’re happy we’re together.”

Twilight got up from her seat and walked over to the two of them, hugging them both. “Well, I think you two deserve each other, and you have my blessing.” 

“Thanks, Twilight. That means a lot,” said Spike, hugging back. “I guess we should tell the others now that you know.”

“And they’ll support you guys all the way. If you guys get any trouble from anypony because of you two being together, then you let me know,” said Twilight with a smirk. “I think a friendly princess visit will help make things clear.”

The three giggled as Twilight was escorted to the door. She turned around and said, “You guys are going to be alright. Besides,” she glanced at the moon with a light blush on her cheeks, “talking to you guys has also helped me realize something as well.” They looked at her with raised eyebrows, but she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You two have a good night, I’ll see you later.” Twilight was about to take off when she remembered something else. “Oh, and Spike? You should let Rarity know if you want to be her future foal’s godfather or not. See you!”

“Goodnight, Twilight,” the two said before they closed the door and looked at each other, smiling.

“That went well,” said Spike leaning down and kissing Fluttershy’s neck.

“Y-yes,” whispered Fluttershy, blushing as a sly smile appeared on her face. “But now that she’s gone, what do you say to finishing what we were doing before?”

An equally sly grin appearing on Spike’s face showed he was fully behind this. The two were about to head up when they stopped and shouted, “Rarity’s having a foal?!”


***


Okay, Twilight. You can do this. You made up your mind already. So you can do this! thought Twilight has she did her breathing exercises over and over again. She was inside her room, telescope ready for her nightly star gaze with Luna, but if everything went well they wouldn’t be needing it.

Every second felt like an eternity as Twilight waited for her secret crush to come and enter her room. It would be any minute now. This is a bad idea! I’ll just tell her I’m not feeling well! Or I’m too tired! 

It was too late. The door opened and sure enough, Princess Luna walked with with a smile that made Twilight’s heart thump twice.

“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. Are you ready to look at the stars tonight?” asked Luna. Twilight opened her mouth, but all she could say was a weak whisper. She tried to speak, but failed over and over. Luna tilted her head, her eyes showing concern. “Is something wrong?”

“W-well,” Twilight gulped, “I was wondering—if it’s alright with you—that we do something else tonight instead?”

“Oh? And what is it?”

Before Twilight knew what she was doing she leaned forward and kissed the night princess. Luna’s eyes widened as she tried to say something, but the kiss prevented it from being spoken. She reeled back a bit, but soon stopped and stood there, her face still stunned. Even Twilight didn’t even know why she was doing this. This was not even close to any of the eighteen different plans she came up with for this moment. When Twilight finally broke the kiss, the two blushing alicorns sat on their haunches in silence.

Twilight was sure Princess Luna was going to slap her, yell at her, or walk away in silence. What she didn’t anticipate was Luna teleporting both of the into her own chambers, with Luna right on top of her as they lay on the bed. She didn’t even notice she was being kissed again at first. Breaking the kiss, Luna gazed into Twilight’s eyes and grinned.

“Oh, I think this will be a much better night activity, Twilight Sparkle.”