“Let me in!” Spike demanded as the door got increasingly hot.
“What have you done with my Spikey!” Blueblood cried out as something hard rammed against the secret door.
The only Unicorn in the room, Silver Cloak was sweating as his horn tried to secure the ever melting door while the only Pegasus was pressing his back against the hidden entrance in the closet. “We’ve dug too deep!” Cloak said as the dragon lay on the fire.
“Oh, you’re just noticing this now?” Dagger braced himself for another thump. “We should have just called it off an hour ago. We need to do something now.”
“Like what?” Cloak winced as the door was barely kept it together.
“You know,” the Pegasus said as there was another bang. “We’ve got to tell Spike the truth.”
“Did you forget that he has a direct line to the Princesses? If we tell him, we’ll get something far worse than court-marshal.”
“What do we have to lose now? We’ve got what we wanted.” Another bang, “I don’t know how much longer I can hold this up. I could really use your help anytime now. Just let him in.”
Reluctantly, the Unicorn slowly opened the scolding doors to a very irate dragon. “What is going on here!” he demanded as Cloak now focused his magic on the hidden door, giving his comrade some rest. “Did you two have something to do?”
“We didn’t mean to let it go this far,” Dagger spoke up as he left the walk-in closet. “We are so sorry for this.”
“But what did you two do?” Spike repeated his question, “It’s clear that you’re the ones that are making Blueblood act the way he does now. So talk or I’m telling Princess Twilight.”
“Spike, is that you?” Blueblood’s voice can be heard. “Please tell me you’re alright.”
Just then, Cloak got an idea, “Wait right here,” he then trotted back into the closet to the door, “Your Highness.”
“Silver Cloak! What did you do to my fiancé!”
“Sir Spike is fine, but you must stay in there for a while.”
“What are you talking about? Is he alright?”
“He is,” he looked back at a rather crossed dragon. “But he purposed that since you just fell in love with him all in one night, he wishes to set a test for you.”
Spike mouthed, ‘What?’
“I don’t understand,” Blueblood said, letting something rather heavy drop from behind the door. “What test?”
“Oh, it’s quite simple really. Sir Spike said that he fears that this whole proposal thing was a bit too quick. He said that he’s skeptical that you fell in love with him at first sight, so he wants to test you. The test is that if you can stay in that room, not be able to see him for an hour and a minute, then he’ll agree to marry you immediately.”
Spike was about to object but Dagger silenced him with a wing.
“Truly?” the Prince said in pure astonishment. “Well, I will not disappoint. Very well, I shall wait for him to show that I am indeed fit for his love.”
“Okay, good,” the unicorn finally let go of his magic as he stepped away. “We’re gonna be stepping outside of your chambers, so we’ll come and get you when your time is up.”
The two guards and the young drake stepped outside into the hallway before closing the melted doors behind them. “Okay, talk,” Spike folded his arms, “What is really going on here.” So the guards confessed to the young dragon of how the Prince was mistreating them so badly to the point where they both felt that they needed to get back at him. They told him that their intention was to humiliate Blueblood somehow, and a certain potion provided the answer. When they told Spike that they put Love Poison into his champagne, the dragon smacked himself. “Oh! Now it makes sense! Celestia, I should have seen this coming!”
“Again,” the Pegasus Guard said, “We are so sorry that this… practical joke has gotten out of hoof. But at least we are able to stop it from becoming something messier then it already is.”
“Not to mention you guys kinda humiliated me in the process,” Spike told them, his arms still crossed. “Do you guys have any idea what Equestria is gonna say about us come tomorrow morning?”
“Once the poison wears off,” Cloak stated, “Then it would be best to tell what has really happened.”
“Or why not we do it now?” Spike pulled from his coat pocket a small slip of paper and a pencil.
“Uh, what are you doing?”
The little drake ignored him as he scratched down a single sentence before sending it through his green fire. “I just told Princess Twilight that everything is resolved, and two guards were responsible for slipping Love Poison into Blue’s drink.”
Cloak’s expression drooped while his comrade smacked the back of his head with his wing, “Oh pony up! We knew that we’re gonna get caught eventually.” Dagger sighed, “I suppose that we might as well face the music for humiliating the Prince like that.”
Spike was about to say something when he burped up a scroll. “Huh, that was fast.” He unrolled the scroll to read its contents. The young dragon took several steps back, “This is odd, Princess Twilight has told me to take a couple steps back and for you two to step into someplace that has a shadow. She also said that is an order.”
The two guards looked at one another in confusion, when they couldn’t find one; they went to a broom closet and opened the door. Spike jumped as he saw shadows pulling them in, both of them screaming before the door was slammed shut. “The hay?” Spike cautiously went up to the door to open it, only to find nothing but the contents of a broom closet.
“They’re put under arrest,” Spike jumped at the new voice behind him. Quickly turning around, he found a Lunar Guard standing behind him. She continued, “Pardon the sudden appearance Sir Spike; we tend to work quickly and silently.”
“W-Where did they go?”
She smirked, “In a secured cell in the dungeons to wait for their court-martial.” Shaking her head, she trotted over to close the door, “Poor Solars, they fall for it every time,” Turning to the young drake, she insured, “So where is His Grace anyway?”
“He’s waiting in his Nerd Cave for the potion to wear off.”
The Bat Pony blinked, “Blueblood has a Nerd Cave? Since when?” Spike shrugged, “Well regardless, I think we can take care of things from here. You may go back to the gala now Spike the Brave and Glorious.”
Just as the Lunar Guard was trotting up and open up the melted door, the little dragon called out, “Wait, I stay for a bit?”
Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “What for?”
“I mean, when his head is all cleared up, I want to talk to him.”
_*_
About an hour later, a Lunar Guard finally found the latch to the hidden entrance in which Prince Blueblood stepped out, “Hello? Silver Cloak? Curved Dagger?”
He nearly jumped as he noticed a Lunar Guard, “Oh, sorry, I tend to forget you ponies can do that.”
“Are you feeling alright Your Grace?” the Bat Pony asked.
Blueblood sighed as he put a hoof to his head, “I think so. At least my thoughts aren’t clouded with Sir Spike anymore… Sweet Celestia that was embarrassing. I don’t know what happened that I suddenly lost control and-”
“You were poisoned.”
The Royal Unicorn’s ears perked up, “What?”
“Apparently, from what I’ve heard, your personal guards thought you treated them too unfairly. So much so, that they’ve slipped a Love Poison into your drink to get back at you. To which, you instantly fell in love with Sir Spike. And before you ask, those two are in a cell in the dungeons as we speak.”
“Oh dear…” he shook his head, “Any idea where Sir Spike is?”
“Over here,” following the young voice out of the closet, Blueblood spotted Spike waving from the couch by the fireplace. “Hey…”
“Evening…” the Prince nodded his head, turning his glance away from the dragon.
“Can we talk?”
Blueblood sat down next to Spike, getting how uncomfortable this was, the Lunar Guards melted into the shadows of the room, giving them some time alone.
“About what happened,” the Prince began. “I am… So sorry for what has occurred. I couldn’t keep my emotions under control and…” He shook his head, “I suppose we’ve made tremendous fools out of ourselves, have we?”
“You remember what happened,” Spike inquired.
“Unfortunately. All those things I’ve said, clinging to you like a stuffed toy… and showing you my Nerd Cave… And tricked you into engagement (which by the way, I’m calling it off).”
The little drake laughed, “Yeah. We’ve… We’ve learned a couple things about each other… and ourselves.”
“Indeed… I suppose my Aunts would want an answer and given that you and my bodyguards know the truth… Then I might as well come clean with them.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Blueblood raised an eyebrow, “On what?”
“Considering what has happened, I think its best that we just go ahead and tell everypony. I still stand by that you shouldn’t keep what you’re interests are a secret, I mean, you’ve pretty much-won mine when you showed me your comic book library.”
“Yes. Though to be fair, I honestly didn’t know that Prince Shining Armor and I share the same hobbies. Do you think he’ll be impressed with the room?”
“Ya kidding? He’ll be like Daring Do finding a lost treasure room; he’ll be like a colt in a candy shop for being in there.”
“You know… perhaps since you’ve put up with my… emotions, that I could extend that invitation towards you as well.”
“Really?”
Blueblood nodded, “Day or Night if you wanted to borrow something from my personal collection, all you have to do is ask.”
“Well, thanks.”
There was another awkward moment of silence before Blueblood said, “I think you should do the same.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, at this point, I can’t keep everypony ignorant of my sexuality for long. With you, however, you’re still young and have plenty of time to figure these things out. All I want to say to you is that you should live authentically. For you don’t have to force to wear a façade, but you’re free to be who yourself and develop crushes for those you care for. Don’t take this freedom for granted. If in your mature years that you find that you like mares and stallions, then don’t be afraid to hide it. You’ll have me to support you whoever you decided to be with, regardless the gender. After all, with all that’s happened, it’s the least I could do.”
“You know, you’re much more likable when you want to be.”
The Prince laughed, “That’s because my stressful job of balancing relationships and customs suck the energy of being nice on some days. After all, it isn’t every day that I go on dates with the gender I prefer.”
“So I guess there’s some good from drinking a Love Poison?” Spike smirked.
“Perhaps… But those guards still need to be pushed somehow, they did poison a pony of Royalty.”
The baby drake’s grin turned wicked, “I don’t know if this is legal, but could I put in a suggested punishment?”
Blueblood raised an eyebrow, “I would be lying to say that I wasn’t curious.” Spike guested with his claw to lean closer to which he whispered it into his ear. “You can do that?”
Spike nodded, “I can get Twilight to help.”
The Prince smirked, “Oh I like your way of justice. But like I said, whoever you do decide to have a relationship with, I think they would have a wonderful coltfriend.” With that, the Royal Unicorn kissed the drake on the cheek.
Spike blushed, “Uh… thanks… I guess I should get back to the party then.”
“The night is still young,” both Blueblood said as he got up. “I suppose it’s time to come out to my aunts. And knowing them, they probably will get cousin Cadence over to play matchmaker with me.”
“And I’ll go fixing up that punishment,” Spike said. “One more thing, know that we have some things in common, do you want to be friends with me?” he held out a claw, to which, Blueblood shook it in agreement.
_*_
“Look on the bright side,” Cloak said as he rested upon the uncomfortably wooden bed. “At least we probably won’t have to serve that royal pain ever again.”
“That’s in the best case scenario,” Dagger laid his back against the stone wall. Looking above at the only tiny window in the room, he could barely see the stars. “We could be charged with cleaning the latrine with toothbrushes for years for doing this.”
“Or maybe Blueblood would have us be his boy toys to be played with,” the Unicorn chuckled.
“You think he’ll do that to us?” the Pegasus’s eyes widen.
His comrade shrugged, “It’s up to the Royals to give what punishments we get. At this point, I don’t really much care if he makes up put on Prench maid uniforms for the rest of our lives; we’ve finally got back at him. And that’s all that matters.”
There was a banging from the door before the slot near the floor slid open, “Here’s your water.” A picture with two metal cups was pushed into the cell before the slot was slammed shut.
Getting up from the hard bed, Cloak lit up his horn as he poured the water into the cups before passing one of them to Dagger. “You know, even though this isn’t whiskey or anything strong, I want to give a toast.”
Taking the cup, his comrade tilted his head to the side, “To what?”
Chuckling, he approached him by saying, “To us, and teaching the Royal Pain-in-the-flank a lesson in respect.”
Shrugging, Dagger clicked his cup against his friend before they drank together. After that, the only thing either stallion saw in their heart-shaped pupils was each other. For a still, sweet moment, there was one thing that was on their minds.
“Wanna buck?’
“Hell yeah!”
And then they banged.
Hard.