"You gave us quite a fright, my dear boy. I was worried our effort to put the statue back together would have been for not." Fancy Pants said, adjusting his bowtie. He levitated his monocle off, wiped it, and placed it back near his left eye. A coaxed, watery-eyed, sheepish grin was given to the delegates in the room before the little dragon darted passed them and out the door, leaving the bouquet behind. Fancy Pants shrugged at Princess Cadence and Twilight. "A rather interesting fellow... how about we convene in the banquet hall then? I believe we could all use a bit of refreshment."
Spike bolted down the hallway of Canterlot Castle. He flew by several ponies while covering his nose. Both doors to the castle flung open.
"I gotta get away from these stupid --" Spike darted out into the streets of Canterlot then slipped on a bit of water left from the leaking pipe, "-- flowers!!" he said with a shout, soon tripping on a piece of roadwork. He tumbled down the street. His quick journey came to an abrupt stop. "Great. Now I'm in a hole. What does Equestria have against me anyways? I said I was sorry. I learned my lesson."
Spike rubbed his forehead and stood up. The little dragon scanned the area after he dusted himself off. He flexed his claws, and then latched onto the wall of the hole. The dirt underneath the sharp purple claws gave way.
After rubbing his back, Spike latched onto the pipe with his claws. Step-by-step, Spike made his way along the pipe, and then leapt onto the stone ground.
"Yesh, they need to put a sign up for something. And there it is over there. What a pain in my backside." Spike said. Two green eyes locked onto the crystal formation at the end of the water pipe. Spike's nostrils flared. He wiped the drool from his mouth. "Mmmm. Gems..."
"Spike, are you alright? You took a pretty big tumble." Princess Cadence said. She waved a gentle hoof in front of Spike's face. A raised eyebrow and concerned eye reflected off the little dragon's green eyes. The princess looked Spike over, pressing on several spots. No response came from the red sore near the dragon's backside. "Twilight, I think something is wrong with Spike."
Twilight trotted up behind Princess Cadence. She gave her faithful, number one assistant a once over. The pony got to eye level with Spike and put a hoof near his eyes then traced it across the air towards the crystals containing the water pipe.
"I see," Twilight said with a slight chuckle before she levitated Spike onto her back, "he's just salivating over those gems. Wait, how did those gems get there anyways?"
Princess Cadence smiled at Twilight, "You're not the only one who's been studying her spells. Thanks to Shining Armor, I managed to hone my crystal spell. There were quite a few sleepless nights between the two of us."
"So that's why Shiny's letter was so unintelligible. He was half-asleep. O dear, I better write my BBBFF an apology." Twilight said.
"Why?" Princess Cadence said.
"Umm, well, it's kind of a long story." Twilight said then shied away. She levitated Spike off her back and onto Princess Cadence's, "Please watch over Spike. I'll take care of the delegates and get things settled for the end event."
"Wait, he's still in a daze. Twilight, what am I going to do with you." Princess Cadence said, ending with a firm hoof pressed against her forehead as Twilight ran back towards Canterlot Castle. The princess eyed her passenger once more. She trotted along the stone path. Several groans came from her back, "Spike, you feeling better?"
"Huh, wha?" Spike said in quiet voice. He eyes watered. He froze, "O no."
Princess Cadence stopped. Several ponies turned away from her.
"Sorry," Spike said with a sheepish grin as he eyed Princess Cadence's half-singed tail, "it'll grow back."
The princess looked at her tail, sighed, faced the road, and resumed her trek towards the tower. On her back, Spike watched the crystals disappear the further they traveled. The little dragon scratched his head.
Two puppy-dog eyes greeted Princess Cadence when she looked at the little dragon. She raised an eyebrow, "What are you up to?"
"Can you make a mountain of crystals with that spell of yours?" Spike said.
"That would take every ounce of magic I have. I'm not my aunt Celestia in terms of magical prowess." Princess Cadence said.
"Ok, maybe I can have half a mountain of gems. Please?" Spike said.
"I can't just make them appear out of thin air. I need a nexus for them to originate from." Princess Cadence said. The two reached the top of the stairs to Twilight's room. She pointed towards the tip of her hoof, "The crystals need a 'point' to grow from." She lowered her hoof, "I don't magically produce emeralds, diamonds, rubies, and other precious gems, at least I don't believe that I can make those types of gems."
Spike's tilted his head. He gazed at Canterlot. Drool began to pool at the base of his feat and Princess Cadence's hooves. The princess gave a half-hearted, forced grin to the salivating dragon that turned towards her. She levitated a towel out of the room and placed it on the floor below spike, a bucket placed on his nose to catch the remaining drool.
A sharp, sudden sensation hit Spike. The spark inside him faded. His happy smile gone, Spike faced Princess Cadence, "You can't make some gems for me?"
Spike removed the bucket from his nose and dumped it off the side. The front door pushed in, a small rock down kicked the steps, the little dragon entered Twilight's room. He slammed the door behind him. His mind filled with ideas and possibilities of his stomach never being empty. The daydream shattered when he remembered Princess Cadence's words.
"Spike?" Princess Cadence said in a soft, quiet tone. She opened the door to Spike packing his things, along with Twilight's. "I thought you two were staying in Canterlot for two more days for a bit of rest and relaxation."
"Naw, Twilight said she wanted to get back to Ponyville. There's something Applejack had been meaning to bring her. That stupid bugbear attacked, and she didn't get to look at it." Spike said in a huff.
"I'm sorry I can't make crystals magically appear for you out of thin air." Princess Cadence said, ending with a smirk. She pulled Spike closer, "But I never said I wouldn't make you a gem. I'm still learning the finer mechanics of the spell, but I can make you something rather precious if you like. Perhaps a snack or two?"
Spike smiled at Princess Cadence then hugged her. The princess pushed the little dragon back, winked at him, and then illuminated her horn. Her eyes fixated on the picture frame of Spike and Twilight. Several crystals, pale blue and dark pink, protruded from the frame. The little dragon smiled at the frame.
Princess Cadence tapped a soft hoof against her chin. She smiled at a small bowl full of candy. With her horn aglow, she turned the candy into several beautiful crystal gems.
"Thanks!" Spike said. His eyes glazed over. The smell of the gems entered his flared nostrils. "Gems..."
"Are you going to try them?" Princess Cadence said. Spike shook his head, and then apologized to the princess. Her eyes followed the gem that flew into the air. The pink colored gem disappeared behind a set of pearlescent, strong white teeth. Princess Cadence's lower jaw dropped. "What?!"
"It tastes awful." Spike said, and then darted into the bathroom. He grabbed a tooth brush and furiously scrubbed his tongue. A loud gargling sound resonated inside the small room then ceased. The now empty mouthwash bottle was thrown into the garbage. "That has to be the worst tasting gem ever."
"Hmph," Princess Cadence disappeared in a flash of light.
Spike sighed. He slammed his claw against his forehead.
"What happened between you and Princess Cadence?" Twilight said.
"Her gem tasted terrible." Spike said.
Twilight's face turned red before looked at the bowl of gem candy. She faced Spike, "You're in a world of trouble now, Spike. I'm not getting involved in this one."
"Great, another mess. I wonder how long she'll stay mad at me." Spike said.
"I'd give her a week. That spell was something she made with Shining Armor's help, so it's rather dear to her. I remember how Shiny wrote to me about Princess Cadence and a spell, but the writing was all over the place. It didn't make sense till now." Twilight said. She glanced at Spike and smirked, "I guess those gems are more fragrant than tasty."
"Gems like that shouldn't exist. They're an affront to dragon kind," Spike said, placing two claws over his mouth.
Twilight glared at Spike. Her faithful, number one assistant pointed towards the drawer behind him and said "packing" before darting off. Twilight walked toward the bowl of crystal candy.
"Eww," Twilight said in a hushed voice after her tongue touched a piece of candy she levitated towards her. She shivered before tossing the piece out the window. "Spike's right. These do taste terrible. Even Discord wouldn't eat these things."
"I'll be the judge of that, Princess Bookworm." A voice said with the gems disappearing, leaving an empty bowl behind.
After a loud groan, Twilight walked towards the bed. She levitated the cover up as Spike continued to dart around the room.
"I think I'll take a little nap before we hit up the train." Twilight said. She leapt into bed and released her magical grasp from around the covers, allowing them to gently fall onto her. Her hooves latched onto the pillow, and she snuggled against it. "Better get some rest yourself, 'Princess' Spike."