It had been one year. One year since their last dinner date.
Spike wasn’t the kind of dragon to take ponies on dates all willy-nilly, but he always made an exception for his best friend. Starlight Glimmer was a different kind of pony. Sure, he had made great friends with Twilight and the others, but he had never understood anyone better than Starlight.
All those years ago, when he had made the mistake of letting his greed overcome him, his friends had been there for him. Made him feel better.
Starlight had no such friends. At least, not at first. Sure, what she had done in her village was absolutely unacceptable. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t entitled to a bit of forgiveness. Heck, even after what she had done to the timeline, she had been forgiven!
That wasn’t to say that Spike had trusted her right away. Far from it, actually. Of their group of friends, he had been one of the less enthusiastic about giving her a third chance. Their first trip to the Crystal Empire hadn’t come without its hiccups, but she had definitely proven herself to him by the end of it. If she kept up her progress, then she’d be completely forgiven in no time at all.
That time had flown by. It seemed like just yesterday they had made that fateful first step in Starlight’s change together. From then on, the two had grown to be the closest of friends. Inseparable. Wherever Starlight went, Spike was on her back, making the trip with her. Everypony else found it cute, but there was something more to it for Spike.
He didn’t have any romantic feelings for Starlight. Far from it. But he did consider her his best friend. Someone that he could confide in, and that could trust him with those same secrets.
As he set up their table for yet another dinner date, Spike thought back to the first time he’d confessed to Starlight how he felt about their relationship.
“Hey, Starlight?”
Starlight looked up from the book she was reading. “Yes, Spike?”
The little dragon gulped. Being emotional and cutesy wasn’t his thing by any stretch of the imagination. At least, he didn’t think it was. “I just wanted to say that I appreciate our friendship.”
“Heh, I appreciate it too, Spike.”
“No!” Spike blurted out without thinking. That truly got his friend’s attention, and she set her book down on the bed. “I mean I really appreciate our friendship. You’ve done a lot for me, Starlight. You’ve believed in me when nopony else has, you’ve given me advice. Heck, you even vouched for me when I defended Thorax!”
Starlight cocked her head to the side a bit. “Well, isn’t that just what friends do, Spike?”
“Yeah, I guess. But I mean, you’re not just a friend. You’re my best friend.”
Starlight blushed, a tiny smile gracing her lips. “Thanks.”
Spike smiled back, a blush of his own developing.
“... Hey, wait. Is that why you set your bed up next to mine?” Starlight asked. The only reply she got was an even deeper blush, and she giggled. “That’s alright. Your snoring honestly helps me fall asleep.”
“Heh, well… I just wanted to say that no matter what, I’ll always be your friend, Starlight.”
“And I’ll be yours,” she replied.
Spike was torn back to reality by the sound of glass breaking. The dragon, now much taller than he had been in his youth, stared at the wine glass he had dropped for a moment. Pieces of it lay strewn across the floor, his reflection shining back up at him from each little shard. Spike let out a sigh, bending down to pick up the mess.
As he did, he found himself reflecting a little bit more as well.
Spike sat atop his friend’s back, gently swaying as she trotted along the busy streets of Manehattan.
“Say, Spike? What did Twilight say we were supposed to be doing again?”
“Hay if I know,” the dragon shrugged, not bothering to pull out the checklist they’d been given. Starlight couldn’t help but giggle at his antics. “What I do know is that I’m hungry.”
On cue, Starlight’s stomach rumbled. “You can say that again. I don’t think I’ve had a decent meal since we got sent on this trip.”
“Hm… Well, we could always go grab a bite to eat. There’s a lot of great restaurants in Manehattan.”
“Well…” Starlight put a hoof to her chin, thinking on it. “I don’t want to abandon the assignment Twilight gave me. She could get angry, and nopony wants that.”
Spike smirked. “Twilight just wants you to make friends and better yourself. She didn’t say you couldn’t go out for a nice dinner once in awhile. In fact, I bet she’d love that you were socializing.”
The newly reformed unicorn took a moment, before finally deciding to give it a shot. “Alright, where do you recommend?”
“Man, what don’t I recommend,” Spike laughed. Tonight was going to be fun.
That night had come to pass long ago. After he had dumped all the shards of glass into a nearby waste bin, he finally went back to take his seat at the table, making sure to bring a replacement glass with him.
It was tradition that Spike would pour wine for the two before they began their meal. He had never broken that tradition, and he didn’t intend to now.
With a gentle splashing noise, Spike filled Starlight’s glass up about halfway before moving to his own. When they were both sufficiently full, he cleared his throat. “I’d like to make a toast. To you, Starlight. You’ve always been there for me, and I promised you that I would always be there for you, too.”
Spike gently lifted his glass, taking a sip of the tart liquid. He had never been a huge fan of the drink, but he had done it for Starlight.
She wasn’t here now, but he wasn’t going to break his promises to her. He never had. He never would. A tear escaped his eye, rolling down his cheek and landing in his wine with a plop.
Spike raised his glass again. “Here’s to us…”