Spike sat in the shade of several apple trees, feeling anxious. He was still at Sweetapple Acres, where he and Apple Bloom had put together a romantic picnic on a secluded part of the farm. After everything was set up, she had disappeared to go retrieve his date, leaving him in his current situation.

He wrung his hands as he surveyed Apple Bloom's handiwork. He sat upon a traditional checkered blanket, spread with an array of foods. There were candles to be lit, as the sunset was not far off. Off to the side was a record player pre-loaded with a soft violin piece, in order to, as Apple Bloom told him, "set the mood". It certainly seemed romantic enough, but Spike couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong. His mind raced, trying to figure out what it was, but he was flailing at an answer that wouldn't come.

He was relieved when, a few moments later, he heard the sound of hoofsteps approaching. He gave his spines a quick adjustment, lit the candles in a flash of green flame, and awaited Rainbow's arrival. A mixture of excitement, dread, and nerves filled him; mostly nerves.

It was then that his co-conspirator led Rainbow Dash around the last cluster of trees, and Spike saw her.

Spike couldn't believe, after all the years he and Twilight had lived in Ponyville, he'd never noticed Rainbow Dash's beauty; it was unmistakable as he looked upon her now. She didn't look as though she'd done any extra preparation or preening for their date (which made sense, considering how much she loathed that sort of thing), but it was as if a veil had been lifted and Spike was seeing her for the first time. Her sky-blue coat shined, looking enticingly smooth. The late afternoon sun glinted on her multi-hued mane and cerise eyes, sparkling more than the finest gems imaginable. In a word, she was stunning.

Rainbow trotted over to the picnic. "Hey, Spike," she said cheerfully, and sat down.

"H-hi," Spike stammered, still nearly speechless.

Apple Bloom then appeared at the pair's side. "Ah'm gonna leave you two alone now. Good luck!" She walked away from them, making sure to start the phonograph as she left.

Though she was gone, Spike highly doubted that she was out of earshot. He shrugged it off, though. There wasn't much he could do about nosy fillies.

"Well, I'm starving," said Rainbow Dash after a moment, grabbing for the nearest plate of sandwiches.

Spike took one as well, and they both ate in silence for a few minutes. Spike used the time to rack his brain for something witty or charming to say. After thinking for a few seconds, he decided that a compliment seemed like a safe option.

"You look really pretty, Rainbow Dash," he said tentatively.

"Well, duh," she responded, talking with her mouth full, "took you that long to notice?"

Spike didn't know how to answer that, so he took a large bite of his sandwich to buy some time.

"Listen, Spike," she went on, "I'm just gonna get this out of the way: no surprise kisses this time, got it?"

Spike nodded.

"Good."

In the silence that followed, Rainbow noticed for the first time the music. "Yuck!" she exclaimed. "What the heck are we listening to?"

Spike smiled nervously. "Um, Apple Bloom said it would be romantic."

"Well, it stinks." Rainbow Dash stood, walked over to the record player, and lifted the needle, causing the music to stop.

"Much better," she said as she came back over.

"Well, besides the music, is everything else okay?" Spike asked, doubts about this date now gnawing even more insistently on his mind.

Rainbow Dash glanced around. "To be honest..."

"Yes?" he said fretfully when she paused.

"Well... it's kinda... y'know, lame."

Spike hung his head sadly. "Oh, okay." He began to think how foolish he'd been to ever presume he would be able to impress Rainbow.

Rainbow Dash saw how hurt he was and rushed to explain herself. "I didn't mean it's not nice," she said. "It's just not my style."

"Sorry," Spike said quietly, the tremble of impending tears only just audible in his voice, "it's just that Apple Bloom was so sure this would work, and this was the kind of date Rarity always loved."

"Well, there's your problem," Rainbow said. She flew over to him and threw a foreleg around his shoulders, trying her best to stop the waterworks before they started. "Me and Rarity are about as different as you can get. Taking me on a date like this is like taking Fluttershy to a karaoke bar: bad idea."

Spike giggled a bit at the image of their shy friend trying to sing in front of a crowd.

Rainbow grinned, encouraged. "You see? You just need to think about what kind of mare you're dealing with: awesome and radical, not girly and sappy."

A small smile curled Spike's mouth. "Okay, Rainbow. I promise to do better next time."

Rainbow Dash eyed him wryly. "And who exactly said there's gonna be a next time?"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean-" Spike sighed. "I blew it, didn't I?"

Rainbow Dash laughed softly and shook her head. "Relax, Spike; it takes a lot more than one cheesy date to make me give up on you."

"So we can go out again?"

Rainbow nodded. "Sure, but why don't you let me take you out this time? I'll show you how a real date's done."

"Sounds great."

"Cool. I'll see you later, then, Spike. We can plan out our date then."

With that, she took off into the sky, leaving Spike staring after her, mesmerized, for several more minutes.

He came out of his trance when Apple Bloom appeared from behind a rather rotund tree very near the picnic area. He had expected as much.

"You were spying on us the whole time, weren't you?" he said flatly.

"Ah don't know what you're talking about," she replied, "but Ah will say that Rainbow's sure got some nerve criticizin' my music."

Spike arrived home a little later to find his lavender mistress waiting for him with an impatient look on her face.

"Uh, hi, Twilight," he said uncertainly.

"How did it go?" she asked bluntly.

"Not so good, actually."

Twilight smirked ever-so-slightly. "So I take it there are no plans for a second date?"

"Oh, no, there are."

Twilight huffed, frustrated. "I'm sure you two will have lots of fun," she said sardonically.

"Okay," Spike replied, still unsure why she seemed so upset. "I think I'm gonna go take a nap. Today has been kind of exhausting."

"Go ahead," Twilight said.

After Spike had disappeared to the second story, Twilight allowed a fresh wave of disquiet to crash over her mind. If this date had been a one-time thing, she could have handled it, but now that a second was looming, it was even more troubling. The more times Spike and Rainbow Dash went out, the more emotions became invested, and the more emotions became invested, the easier it was for this little foray to end in disaster.