Background Pony #3026
“Slow down, Spike!” She was already huffing and puffing in her futile attempt to keep pace with the furry little missile.
“Come on, Twilight! How can you be so slow with those long legs of yours!” He stopped and turned, giving her a chance to close the gap. “I should be the one trying to keep up!”
“Yeah, well don’t forget I’ve got a couple of…” she paused as if to catch her breath, “… disadvantages.”
Spike cocked his head at an inquisitive angle. “Like what?”
“You know which ones,” she hissed.
“No I don’t,” Spike retorted. “You okay? Your face is getting kind of red.”
“I’m fine!” Twilight snapped at her dense companion. “Go chase a squirrel or something.”
“Squirrel?! Where?” he shouted, causing Twilight to worry about drawing too much attention to her talking pet. Thankfully, the purple puppy lunged into the undergrowth in search of his fluffy-tailed targets, leaving her alone on the path.
She straightened up and stretched, attempting to ease some of her soreness, then glanced at her fitness band. If she had timed this right, Flash Sentry should round the corner in about ten seconds.
With noone else nearby, Twilight doused her chest with a little water from the fountain to serve a dual purpose: one, to cool her aching “disadvantages” that had been bounced mercilessly for the last fifteen minutes. Two, to make it look even sweatier and thus, she calculated, even more appealing.
Right on cue, Flash jogged around the corner and nearly collided with her. “Twilight?!” he said, surprised to see her out at the park. His eyes were drawn to her soaked sports bra like iron filings to magnets, if only for a brief second before he regained his composure. The red that crept into his cheeks wasn’t all from the physical exertion, she noted with satisfaction. “I uh didn’t know you ran here, too.”
“Yeah!” she lied. “Spike really needs the exercise, but it’s just so hot today!” she said, dabbing her forehead with the back of her hand.
“Sure is,” Flash said, glancing down again. “Um, mind if I walk you home?” he asked, scratching the back of his head anxiously.
“Uh-of course not,” she smiled back, hoping the hot weather would excuse her flushing cheeks as her escort slipped his thickly-muscled arm around hers and clasped her hand. Hypothesis comfirmed, she thought as they started back down the path. Sometimes it helps to play to one’s disadvantages.
“Okay, Twilight! I got one!” Spike emerged from the bush, gripping a very upset squirrel by the nape of the neck. “He says he was just minding his own- Twilight? Hey, where’d she go?” His keen sniffer picked up a whiff of Axe body spray. “Eugh, who wears that stuff?” The only person he knew who doused himself with that vaguely offensive rip-off was…
“Oh my gosh!” he gasped, inadvertently releasing his chittering captive. “Flash Sentry kidnapped Twilight!”