S.P.A.R.K.S.

by Cardinal Dan Productions

Part 13: Into The Night

Author's Note:

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Night had fallen across Equestria as Spike and Sparks approached their evening destination. It was one of the classier restaurants in Ponyville, a place where the ponies with the most bits to spend on a weekend night could go to enjoy minuscule portions, all while flaunting their wealth at the same time. It was called the Lockhart Lounge, and it stood near the center of the town, which was now bustling with activity. Spike wouldn’t have chosen this particular establishment himself, but his date had been adamant about it, and she could be very persuasive when she wanted to be.

Outside the restaurant, a line had begun to form, stretching from the doors to a nearby fountain. Spike eyed the line before looking to his right at the synthetic mare beside him. “You did reserve us a table, right?”

Sparks nodded her head, offering him a cheeky grin as they passed the line and approached the doors, which were guarded by an intimidating stallion in black attire and sunglasses, despite the lack of sunlight. “Affirmative, Spike. It wasn’t difficult. Once I mentioned that my date was a hero of Equestria, and that I was closely connected to Princess Twilight Sparkle, they were more than accommodating.”

Spike let out a chuckle. He never thought she could be so resourceful as to use Twilight’s status to their advantage. Then, he noticed that she had called him a ‘hero’, something that he certainly wasn’t used to. Sure, he had his fans back in the Crystal Empire, but outside of that, he’d always thought of himself as more of a dashing sidekick that tried to be there for Twilight when she needed help. Twilight usually was the one who did all of the heroic deeds. Regardless, if Sparks considered him to be a hero, who was he to argue? He kept his thoughts to himself as they approached the bouncer, who raised a hoof to stop them in their tracks.

“Hold it, you two.” He peeked to his left at a notepad sitting on a nearby podium.

Sparks frowned at him and tapped her hoof impatiently. “I believe you’ll find everything has been properly arranged. My date and I would very much like to continue our evening out uninterrupted.” The little dragon frowned at her, but it looked like she didn’t notice, due to her keeping her eyes on the bouncer.

From behind the podium, he nodded his head and moved to let them pass. “Of course, ma’am. I was only double-checking your reservation, and I apologize for the delay. Your table is waiting for you inside.”

The ponies in line watched and stared with jealousy and disbelief as they were escorted into the lodge. Once inside, Spike found himself amazed by the sights around him. The center of the entire restaurant was a giant bar that formed a wide circle. This structure was surrounded by rows upon rows of tables that gradually raised in elevation the further away they got from the bar. Then, there were what looked to be private rooms and lofts high above. A waiter took them past several rows of tables occupied by well-dressed ponies to an empty one towards the back, and the two of them took their seats.

The stallion then offered them menus for drinks and starters. “Here you are. My name is Emerald, and I’ll be serving you tonight. Are you ready to order now, or would you like some time to decide?”

Sparks didn’t need food or drinks, so she instead looked at Spike, who had his eyes on the menu in front of him. Everything was unfamiliar and had unnecessarily complicated names. He looked back up at the waiter and offered him a meek smile. “I think we’ll need a little time to figure it out.”

The waiter nodded and gave them a short bow before backing away. “Very well, sir. I’ll return when you’re ready.”

When he was gone, Spike turned to Sparks with something boiling inside of his chest that he needed to let out. “Sparks, what you did back there was uncalled for.” His harsh words seemed to have caught her off guard, and her ears folded back. “You said you got us a reservation, and I believed you, so there was no reason to get upset with that guy at the door for doing his job.”

Her gaze fell. “I… I’m sorry, Spike. In my eagerness to proceed with this date, I lost my temper and patience. I hope you can forgive me.”

He cracked a weak smile and nodded his head as he reached under the table to take her hooves into his hands. “Of course, Sparks. Just… be more mindful, okay?”

Sparks’ eyes met his, and a huge smile came over her face as she felt his touch. “Affirmative, Spike. I will expand my parameters for ‘mindfulness’.”

Spike raised an eyebrow at her, caught off guard by her response. “Was that sarcasm? Where did you learn that?”

She looked a little embarrassed, but she looked over her shoulder and nodded towards a table to her right and his left, where two ponies were talking amongst themselves. “Just now. I was not intending to listen in on their conversation, but I couldn't help overhearing some of the more interesting parts of their choice of topic, some of which contained sarcastic remarks. I found this way of speech to be interesting and desired to try it out.” She looked back at him and smiled meekly. “I hope I did not cause you any offense, Spike.”

He shook his head, but remained wide-eyed at her frighteningly fast method of learning. “No, that’s alright… I’m just amazed. Did you hear anything else that you thought was interesting?”

She pursed her lips and glanced back towards the other table. “Hmmm… Not particularly, nothing that should be shared aloud, I mean. They are having a private conversation, after all.” Then, a strange smile came over her face as she continued to stare coyly at the ponies out of the corners of her eyes. “I will say, however, that their plans for after the conclusion of their date are most… intriguing. It appears to involve some sort of romantic ritual and copious amounts of alcohol.”

Spike couldn’t help cracking a smile at her pleasure. She seemed so proud of herself, in a mischievous sort of way. “Well… For grown up ponies, that’s usually how they tend to end.”

Sparks’ eyes snapped back to him, looking very interested by what he had just said. “Indeed…” She then paused for a brief moment as she peered through her flickering visor. “Just how do you believe our date should end, in order to be considered successful? My data stores hold insufficient and incomplete information on dating, and such information could prove useful for us.”

The little dragon’s cheeks instantly felt hot as he knew what she was alluding to. This being his first real date, even with an artificial mare, he didn’t know quite what to expect. Regardless of that, it certainly wasn’t what was being suggested by Sparks. He tried to avoid contact with her intense gaze by looking down at the menu before him, but she was visibly persistent, waiting patiently for an answer. “Well… I, um… I don’t really…” Her sly grin wasn’t helping matters either, almost as though she knew she was causing him to sweat. “I’ve never really… I haven’t been on a lot of dates, so I don’t know.” He hoped silently that his answer would be enough to satisfy her, but she continued to stare and smile at him, like she was waiting patiently for him to continue. He soon began to feel the pressure of her gaze and frowned. “What?”

The synthetic pony chuckled and shook her head casually. “There’s no need for alarm, Spike. I just think you’re… cute. It is difficult to describe, but I find enjoyment in looking at you. The movement of your eyes is most fascinating.” She leaned forward across the table a little, as though she were trying to get a better look at his face. “The heat and coloring in your cheeks suggests you are embarrassed by my staring, but your silence tells me you don’t wish for me to stop. Is this true, Spike, or am I misunderstanding your bodily responses?” She looked genuinely concerned, now, her smile having faded.

Spike’s mind rushed to think of a way to play off his previous signs of discomfort. He knew she was right. While her staring was a little weird, he couldn’t help feeling like he enjoyed being in the company of a mare who was so interested in him, like a strange kind of positive publicity. “No, I just…” A long sigh escaped his lips. “I really like you, Sparks, and I’m nervous. This date is a first for us both, and I want it to go as smoothly as it possibly can.”

Her eyes lit up, and her lips curled into a wide smile as she leaned into the table. “Nervousness is a natural reaction to unfamiliarity, Spike. I feel a similar sense of anxiousness as well when I’m with you. I like you too, Spike.” Her glowing expression forced a meek smile onto his face as her eyes burned into his. “I like you very much. Now, let us decide what to order for you.”

***Up Next: Sparks Fly***

Comments

[DavisSentoV5]

I was wondering, when this chapter was gonna get updated. It was so weird for this story to not get its daily updates, like the time it got rewritten. Good chapter tho, can't wait to see how the date plays out

[Anon E Moose]

Sparks, do the poor dragon a favor and turn down the "seduction" setting from an 8 to a 5, will ya?

[Xanni]

"subsequently his left" - that's not the word you're looking for. "subsequently" just means "occuring afterwards". "correspondingly", maybe?

"he certainly wasn’t what was being suggested by Sparks" - I think you're missing one or more words here.

[FirewaspRambo]

Anyone else use Curie's voice from Fallout 4 as S.P.A.R.K.S.' voice

[DavisSentoV5]

9713418
I use EDI's voice from Mass Effect

[Xanatos Speed Chess]

9718723
In the toolbar above where you type the comment(s) -- click the icon that looks like a camera, and you'll be asked for a link to embed as a video.

[chavis54]

9713440
I'd been hearing it as the AI from The Last Federation, but now it's definitely EDI