***A Patriot Pony Production***
The sun was setting on Ponyville as Spike walked through the crystal corridors of Twilight’s palace, carrying a stack of neatly tied scrolls in his arms. The falling star seemed to set the sky on fire, casting a red and orange glow across the land and giving the inner palace halls a warm, welcoming feeling. The day was over, and it was time for the night to take its rightful place in the sky.
Upon arriving at the door to Twilight’s personal office, Spike came to the unfortunate realization that he couldn’t open the door conventionally. Thinking quickly, he extended a foot and kicked the door once, then twice. As he pulled his leg back, preparing to kick again, the door swung open.
Ahead of him, inside her office, Twilight sat at a desk and raised an eyebrow at the dragon. “Is that your idea of knocking?” Her glowing horn began to dim until the magic was gone. “I already caught you eating bits of the outer walls once before, don’t ruin our doors too.”
Spike approached the desk and set the dozen or so scrolls down. “My arms were full. This is the last of the biographies you wanted from the main library.”
Twilight looked like she had completely forgotten about the door, and her face lit up at the sight of the pile of scrolls before her. “Oh, Spike, thank you! I shouldn’t need anymore help if you want to go ahead and have your guys’ night with Discord and Big Mac.”
Spike let out a sigh of relief. He’d been helping the princess with her little project for hours, and he still didn’t understand a thing she was doing. Over the years, he came to the conclusion that it was better for him to ask fewer questions, but now, it was over, at least for this particular evening.
With his buisness concluded, Spike began to back towards the door. “Alright, have fun with... eh, whatever it is you’re doing.”
Twilight looked up from her desk, eyebrows raised. “Well, it’s actually-“
He bolted into the corridor and shut the door behind him. A long breath escaped him. “Whew... That was too close...” If another second had passed, there was no telling how long he would have been stuck there, listening to Twilight ramble on about her research.
It was guys’ night, and in a world where mares reigned supreme, he needed to find respite with his fellow guys. Was that really too much to ask? “Discord and Big Mac are probably waiting for me already...”
His gaze shifted down the hall, towards the central chamber, where they were probably already waiting for him. Spike’s body turned in the right direction, but before he could take a single step, a sickening feeling came over him. It began in his lower stomach and quickly rose to his chest and into his throat. His mouth was forced open, and Spike belched a wave of green fire into the air.
From the fire, an ornately decorated scroll fell and landed firmly into the dragon’s open hands. “Whoa... A letter from Princess Celestia this late?” Spike considered returning to Twilight’s office and giving her the letter, assuming it was from Celestia to her, but then he saw the addressed name.
~Spike~
~Urgent~
With his curiosity peaked, the dragon glanced up and down the hall, confirming that he was indeed alone. Once he was certain that he was in private, Spike pulled the silk string holding the scroll together and let the parchment unfold. Then, his eyes began to read.
*To Spike,
I require your presence immediately for a special assignment. A carriage is already on route to pick you up. Tell no pony of your mission.*
The message ended so abruptly that Spike figured there had to be more, but there wasn’t. Getting a letter from the princess so late was unusual enough, but it’s message made the whole situation all the more surreal. He paced the hall, reading the letter over and over again.
“Special assignment?” He looked back towards the door leading into Twilight’s office. “Tell... no pony?”
Wondering to himself what could have been so important for Princess Celestia to demand his silence, he was startled by a loud ‘knock’ at the palace doors. Dashing through the crystal corridors, Spike raced for the doors, not wanting to be seen or heard by anypony else.
He came to a screeching halt and opened the door, coming face to face with an armored stallion with a stern look. “Are you Spike?” His voice was low and gruff.
The young dragon gulped nervously as he nodded his head. “Y-Y-Yeah...” Things we’re getting weirder and weirder.
The guard motioned towards a second guard and a carriage behind him, out in front of the palace. “The princess is waiting. Let’s go.”
Spike hardly figured he could decline at this point. Reluctantly, he followed the guard to the royal buggy and climbed inside. The guards in front of him flexed their wings and began to run forward. Before Spike knew it, he was high in the air, soaring towards the city of Canterlot.
***
The flight was short, and Spike was brought directly to the palace of the two sisters in Canterlot. Upon his arrival, the sun had set completely while the moon quickly rose to take its place among the stars. “Thanks, guys... You can let me off here.”
But they didn’t stop. The winged guards carrying the cart flew past the grand steps leading up to the palace and flew higher. “Uh... Guys?”
There was no response as they carried Spike up to a balcony overlooking the city of Canterlot near the peak of a tall tower. They brought the carriage alongside the rails and prompted Spike to get out. The dragon didn’t understand where they brought him, but he did as they asked and climbed out of the carriage and onto the balcony. “Wh-What an I doing up here?”
One of the guards looked towards the door and nodded. “She will see you now.”
Then, the guards disappeared quietly into the night, flying back down towards the city below. With no way to get back down, the only way for Spike to go now was towards the door. He turned and raised a fist to knock, but before he could make contact with the glass surface of the door, it quickly opened.
“Oh, you’re here! Wonderful timing, Spike. Come on in, please, and make yourself comfortable.”
His jaw dropped. Standing before him, Celestia herself held one hand on her hip and another on the door she just opened. The princess wore a white gown with gold trimmings that held tightly to parts of her body while exsposing generous amounts of the rest.
She offered him a kind smile while she spoke. Spike couldn’t even understand what she was saying. His face felt hot, and his heartbeat thundered in his ears. All he could see was the movement of her lips as she tried to get his attention.
“Spike? Spike, I need you to listen.”
He shook his head, snapping back to reality as his cheeks burned red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, princess... What were you saying?”
Celestia eyed him up and down, pursing her lips. “I was just about to tell you why I’ve brought you here.” Then, she let out a long sigh and brought her hand up to her brow. “It’s... my parents...”
Spike’s eyes widened. “Whoa, you have parents?”
Celestia chuckled and draped and arm around Spike as she brought him inside, closing the door behind them. “Of course. Did you think Luna and I came from nothing? Yes, Spike, I have parents, and they are here now, in my palace.”
Spike nodded his head. “I get it. You don’t get along with them, so you want me to solve a friendship problem for you to help you reconnect with your mom and dad.”
Celestia recoiled and gave him a surprised look, causing Spike to turn red out of the fear that he might have misspoken. “What? No, Spike... It’s nothing like that at all.”
Now, Spike raised an eyebrow at her. He was still in the dark on why he was even in a Canterlot in the first place. “Oh... Then, what is it?”
Celestia closed her eyes and let out a low breath, appearing to struggle to form the words she needed to say. “Spike, I...” She placed a firm hand on his shoulder, looking him dead in the eyes. “I need you to be my date tonight.”
Spike felt like he’d just been blindsided. Her response was not at all what he had been expecting. The dragon’s eyes widened, and his face turned hot once again. “D-D-Date?”
Celestia offered him a reassuring smile and nodded her head. “Yes, Spike...” She retracted her hand and made her way across the room to her bed before sitting down. “I might have boasted a little to my mother after drinking that I am in a relationship with a dragon, and during my boasting, I invited her to meet my... boyfriend...”
Spike was beginning to put the pieces together, now. “You mean, the boyfriend that isn’t real?”
Celestia nodded her head somberly. “That’s right, Spike. My parents are here, and they’re expecting a charming, interesting, and tender dragon to enjoy dinner with them. That’s why I need you.”
Standing before her, Spike observed himself and tugged at his hoodie. “I don’t think I’m dressed for anything as important as dinner with your parents...”
The princess waved her hand dismissively. “That won’t be an issue. I like you the way you are, and so will they. I just need you to pretend to be my date this one time to impress my mother.”
This wasn’t at all how Spike envisioned his evening playing out, but the whole ordeal sounded exciting in a strange way. “I, um... I mean, of course, Princess Celes-“
Celestia quickly brought a finger to his lips, cutting him off. “None of that, Spike. You’re my date tonight, so there’s no need for such titles.”
Spike wasn’t certain, but he thought he saw a hint of blush on her cheeks. “My mother believes our relationship is intimate...” Then, she stood up from her bed and fiddled with her gown, straightening out her bust so they fit comfortably within the white, silky straps that confined them. “Well, I suppose there’s no putting this off any longer. Come, darling...” She extended a hand, taking Spike’s in her own. “Let’s go meet my parents.”
***Up Next: The Performance***