Spike came to a complete halt as both names mixed to create a new color. “Did you say… Mineral Water and Nebula?”
Steadfast stepped in front of the dragon with both ears folded back. He quickly glanced over his shoulder and noticed Saradiamond was talking to Broadside without looking at him or Spike. “I did…” Steadfast said through the corner of his mouth. “And I mean no disrespect, but please do not mention either of those names around Saradiamond.” After the jouster made his request, he winced an eye at the slack-jawed Spike. “Also… you make it sound like you know those two names. Did you happen to read the entire section of Morganite’s Mission?”
“I have, actually,” Spike answered. “But…” He attempted to gather his thoughts, but Spike was too fixated on Pinkie Pie’s hunch. She was onto something! “You see…” Again, Steadfast looked back at his teammate before back down at Spike. “I want to ask you maybe another question?”
“Please, anything!”
Steadfast was resembling Sugar’s behavior. However, the difference between him and her was that Steadfast had no ques of a defensive attitude. He just stared at Spike with interest, and it appeared that Steadfast was willing to be somewhat open about several truths.
“Do you know Sugar Crush?” Spike asked.
“Yes!” Steadfast answered in a whisper. He didn’t turn his head, but the stallion’s pupils did their best to see what was in his peripheral. “What about her?”
Spike matched Steadfast’s volume, “Where do I begin? I mean, I don’t want to upset you for bringing up… N-Nebu-la…” Steadfast only nodded, his gaze unaffected by the mention of her name. “This morning, we were at the Chocolate Palace this morning because of a few reasons.”
From afar, a boisterous voice cried, “We found the stairway, Spike!”
“Shoot!” Spike stomped his foot on the grass. Time was not on Steadfast or Spike’s side. It was a do or die moment. “To summarize, Pinkie Pie over there asked Sugar why Nebula wasn’t on your team anymore, and Sugar flipped out and scolded Pinkie for unearthing a very sensitive subject matter! Also, Sugar asked us not to mention Mineral Water’s name around Saradiamond because… Sugar didn’t want her to know his name yet?”
The muscles in Steadfast’s cheeks visibly tensed. “You just confirmed my suspicions.”
“About what?” Spike asked.
Pinkie Pie and Rarity were almost in range of their conversation.
“My friend, Mineral. He finally came out of the dark and found somepony.”
Spike was confused by the analogy. “What do you mean?”
Pinkie broke off from Rarity and began to hop over to the conversers. “Let’s talk later about this, great hero,” Steadfast said. “And if it doesn’t trouble you, I… I might need your help if possible.”
“I have a strong feeling you will be helped,” Spike said, his claw clenched in a strong, heroic grasp. “There’s more than one reason why we are here.”
With one final hop, Pinkie Pie reached Spike and Steadfast. “Hi!” Pinkie smiled at the jouster.
“Greetings!” Steadfast grinned. He shot Spike with a wink and the two bumped hoof and claw once more. “My name is Steadfast, and I must thank you for announcing that the Great and Glorious Spike the Dragon has come to the best location in the Crystal Empire.”
“Well, somepony’s gotta do it! You don’t idly look at Princess Celestia and say, ‘Oh yeah, she’s here or whatever…’ When it comes to anything that is important, you have to make the world know who’s coming!”
“Indeed,” Steadfast said as he faced Rarity. “Though it is a shame nopony proclaims your presence with trumpets. You ladies deserve some loud praise.”
“I could say the same for you as well,” Rarity said, eyeing the athlete. “They say words sometimes fail to describe great details when it comes to fine looking ponies. And I must say, Morganite’s Mission did fail to address your golden physique.”
Rarity’s flirting with Steadfast, unfortunately, got under Spike’s scales. The crystal pony caught Spike in his jealous stare and said, “But looks alone do not compare to feats.” He returned his attention to Rarity. “Am I right?”
She looked down at the dragon, “You are very correct.” A light-blue veil engulfed Spike and quickly pulled him toward the mare into her arms. “And I am very proud of what he has done for you and your home.”
Pinkie Pie clung herself against Rarity and Spike. “Group hug!”
As Spike was enjoying Rarity’s soft hold, and slightly disliking Pinkie’s tense grip, he saw Steadfast wink at him. What a total bro, Spike thought.
Being garnered with attention was nice, however, all good things come to an end. Both mares let go of Spike and looked down at him. “Whatcha two talking about?” Pinkie Pie asked.
Even when she wasn’t trying, Pinkie managed to ask the wrong questions. Spike’s mind fumbled about, not sure how to answer. Steadfast, however, remained calm and said, “He and I were about to go into detail explaining the ways of jousting.”
“Ooo, sounds fun!” Pinkie squeaked.
Rarity looked between Steadfast and Spike. “An explanation would be nice, but right after business.” She extended her arm to Saradiamond and Broadside, “Please lead us to your teammate. I am sure she will be pleased to hear that Princess Cadence and Shining Armor would love to have your attendance at the castle.”
Steadfast rose his brows, “Is that so? I am- surprised by this summon!” In long steps, Steadfast lead the way to center field.
Rarity accompanied Steadfast’s left while Pinkie Pie and Spike followed the two unicorns. The pink mare kept to herself, staring at the back of Rarity’s head. Spike looked at Pinkie for a moment before she caught him staring. “What’s up?” she smiled.
“Oh! I umm…” Should I tell her what Steadfast and I talked about? Spike had very little distance for idle talk; the four were almost to their destination. “Keep… being observant.”
“Indeed!” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Gotta keep our head in the game!” When Steadfast came to a halt, the stallion gestured to the Great and Glorious hero. A hoof pushed Spike’s rear, “Go gettem’, Tiger.”
Pinkie Pie’s light spank forced Spike to jog a few steps away from her. He walked past Rarity and Steadfast and observed Broadside’s bulky figure. “I apologize if my friends and I are intruding on your jousting practice,” Spike said.
“There is no need to,” Broadside said as his smile curled like his mustache. “Heros always appear on short notices.” His eyes glanced at Pinkie Pie and Rarity for a moment and nodded before his attention returned to Spike. “What brings you three here? Saradiamond said you wish to discuss business, so I assume good news is upon her and my son?”
Spike looked back at his friends and jouster, “We are here because I wish to invite Saradiamond and Steadfast to the castle on behalf of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor’s wishes.”
A noticeable gasp came from Saradiamond. “A royal summoning?” Steadfast nodded to answer his teammate’s astonishment. It took the mare a few moments to regain her stiff posture. “I am beyond grateful, not to mention pleased to see you deliver the message.”
A prideful grin gleamed on Broadside, “As am I.” He asked aloud to the three visitors, “If you don’t mind informing me as well, why are they being summoned?”
Rarity stepped forward, “We can easily include you as well if you wish.”
“If I was not requested, then do not feel obligated to invite me.”
“I disagree with disallowing you to the castle,” Rarity countered. “You see, the prince and princess are in dire need of assistance from the citizens of the Crystal Empire. Saradiamond and Steadfast are just two of the long list of ponies needed to help aid in setting up the upcoming Crystal Fayre.”
Saradiamond tapped her chin, “So Princess Cadence and Shining Armor need members the community to help them.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Pinkie Pie said and gestured to the stadium surrounding them. “And with a place this big, they need crystal ponies like you, Steadfast, and Mr. I Don’t Your Name Yet to prepare the best jousting tournament this city has ever held!”
Broadside’s brows twitched a little but gently placed a hoof on his chest and said, “My name is Broadside.”
“Gotcha!” Pinkie winked.
“But why does Princess Cadence and Shining Armor need our help specifically?” Steadfast asked. “I have faith they will perform much better this year than the previous… setback we’ve endured. Surely they have learned from their mistakes.”
Rarity used her hoof to fiddle with a small tuft of grass. “Unfortunately, they are worried that they will create more errors if they don’t turn to the ponies who know the customs of the Crystal Fayre.” She directed her muzzle toward Saradiamond. “And from what I have heard, last year’s tournament was canceled because of poor management.”
A rough sigh escaped the light-blue unicorn. “Forgive me for being harsh, but…” Saradiamond furrowed her brow, “...I am very… disappointed with how… how…” Her anger simmered down when she found herself staring at Spike.
“Just tell us the truth,” he said. “Tell us how disappointed you were.”
Saradiamond swallowed before sighing again. “It was... a complete... disaster! Our jousting tournament was treated like a secondary side venue!” Spike was intimidated by the mare’s angry brows and was quick to notice Steadfast and Broadside’s nervous glances. “And what made the entire ordeal so much worse was how the tournament was canceled!” Saradiamond rolled her eyes, “Tsk! I remember every letter of that confounded message we received! ‘We regret to inform the Crystal Empire’s Elite Jousting Committee that the Crystal Fayre’s jousting tournament will be canceled. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor apologies for the inconvenience.’ What nonsense! It was a weak apology for something the entire Empire takes great pride in!”
Curious if he could make an interjection, Spike rose a nervous claw. Saradiamond parted her lips but noticed the gesture and kept quiet. She also relieved the tension in her brows. “Forgive me for ranting…”
“You aren’t the first to complain about last year’s Crystal Fayre,” Spike said. He was glad to see a less-than angry Saradiamond and no longer felt intimidated by her stare. “And I am sure you certainly won’t be the last.” He took a few steps toward the glittering mare and stopped in front of her, “It’s good to be honest and express your distress. Now I can deliver the news to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor about how you wish to have them understand the importance of your tournament.”
Saradiamond smiled and bit her lip, “Can you… save them from my rant? They don’t need to hear the extent of my anger.”
Rarity nodded, “I believe that can be arranged. Tonight, we will be informing the prince and princess about the crystal ponies’ opinions about last year’s fayre in detail; without the need for anger, of course.”
“I agree,” Steadfast added. “There is no need for anger. Times are better now thanks to Spike.”
Saradiamond presented a soft grin to Spike, however, her ears were pointed back. “Yes…” she muttered. “Times are good…”
The gesture was enough to peak Spike’s interest. And he wasn’t the only one to notice it. “Darling,” Rarity spoke up, “is something the matter?”
Saradiamond was quick to perk her ears up. “Oh no! Nothing is wrong! I was just… caught in the past for a moment.” The jouster batted a hoof, “You know how some memories can just suddenly pop out of nowhere and suddenly you’re smiling about what was.”
“I know, right!” Pinkie Pie added and sprang forward. “It happens to me all the time! One moment, I’ll be baking, and then suddenly, bam! I’m thinking about the time my sister, Maud, found her pet rock, Boulder.”
“Your… sister has a pet rock…?” Saradiamond asked with a raised brow.
“Mmhmm!” Pinkie nodded. “So would you, Steadfast, and Broadside like to come to the castle and help make the best fayre the land of Equestria has ever seen?”
Saradiamond looked to the dark sky and squinted, “As in tonight? It seems awfully late, not to say I am complaining about the summon.”
“Oh no, dear,” Rarity said, the curls of her mane bouncing as she shook her head. “It would not be fair to anypony if we didn’t inform Princess Cadence about a spontaneous audience. We have yet to plan a day to meet at the castle.”
“Aaaaaaaaaand…” Pinkie Pie sang, “This gives you plenty of time to think about what you want to say to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor!” She looked at Saradiamond and Pinkie’s ears sheepishly fell down. “Just don’t be too frustrated when you see them. Flurry Heart can be a little loud when she cries, so don’t let her hear you get angry.”
The jouster gave Pinkie an irritated stare, “I’m sure I can manage that.” Broadside and Steadfast both laughed amongst themselves, and the two stallions were both greeted with a harsher glare.
“Alright, alright,” Spike said. “Let’s end tonight on a good note, shall we?”
Saradiamond blinked and smiled at the dragon, “And how you accomplish that?” The unicorn waved her head a few times, causing her mane to shimmer like a clear ocean.
Spike clasped his claws behind his back, unsure of how to answer the lovely sapphire mare. “By… you know… saying it was nice meeting you, your teammate, and what I assume your coach?”
A mellow giggle escaped Saradiamond. “And it was nice to meet you personally.”
A gasp broke everypony’s attention. “Goodness!” Rarity exclaimed, her head aimed at the dark-blue sky. “I am so sorry, but we must go. We promised somepony we would be meeting them after sundown.”
Broadside frowned, “That is a shame.” He gestured a hoof toward the white fence not far from the group. “I was hoping to see if you three would be willing to see how we jousters practice.”
“Maybe…” Spike looked at Steadfast, remembering how Steadfast asked for assistance. “Tomorrow morning I can come and watch.” He then asked Pinkie Pie, “Maybe you can come along as well if you like. I’m sure you have questions to ask in regards to jousting.”
“Ooo! I like that idea!” Pinkie Pie beamed.
Steadfast agreed with a smile. “I believe that can be arranged.” He gandered to his father and teammate’s gracious joy. “And they don’t appear that they want to reject your attendance.”
Rarity barely lifted her hoof, though it was enough to absorb everypony’s attention. “Forgive me if I do not join the early morning practice.”
“I won’t be offended,” Broadside said. “But you will be missing an extravagant display of skill.”
Before any more words could drag out the attendance of the three visitors, Rarity asked her friends, “Shall we be off then? I am eager to surprise Sugar’s inspiration.”
Saradiamond’s ears twitched, “Did you say ‘Sugar’…? As in Sugar Crush?”
“I did,” Rarity said. “She also told me she was a friend of yours.”
“And you mentioned something about ‘surprising her inspiration.’” A light smile lifted Saradiamond’s lips, “Would you mind telling me just who her inspiration is?”