Light The Candles

by Salohcin-Silverwing

Chapter 2: Sharp Dressed Dragon

Chapter 2 - Sharp Dressed Dragon

Spike ran to the Carousel Boutique as fast as his scaly little legs could carry him. His shining tiny tuxedo and top hat had managed to stay materialized, and he was nearly halfway there!

I hope Twilight can hold the spell on these duds until I get to Rarity's. Spike desperately wanted to impress Rarity on his birthday, especially since the mustache plan he tried last week only succeeded in making her laugh for five minutes straight. Spike smirked with confidence. Nopony can resist the tux. I hope Rarity invites me to t- WHOOSH! Whoa! That was close. Spike looked behind him at the tree branch that almost impaled his top hat. Concentrate, Spike.

Spike ran past the halfway point between the library and the boutique: Sugarcube Corner. The usually bustling bakery was strangely quite; the smell of freshly baked cupcakes (and sometimes hot sauce) was absent from the building. Twilight said that the Cakes went on a supply run. thought Spike. It's too bad they took Pinkie Pie with them. She would have thrown a great party... But Spike's daydreams of hot sauce covered cupcakes will have to wait. He had no idea how long the spell would last!

*****

Fluttershy strolled cheerfully through the center of Ponyville, her light pink mane swishing in the calm air. In her mouth she held a small basket of flowers, freshly picked from the fields. It never crossed her mind that a wildly-running baby dragon in a tuxedo would ever- CRASH! Spike collided right into Fluttershy, knocking her basket of flowers high into the air. All the shy Pegasus could mutter was a tiny "meep," but Spike quickly grabbed the basket, catching most of the flowers as they fell back down.

"Uh-oh. I'm reeeeeally sorry about that, Fluttershy." Spike lent a hand and helped pull the shocked pony back on her hooves.

"ohdatsaalwight,Zpike." was all Fluttershy could manage to say as her eyes swiveled around in a dizzying manner. Spike quickly grabbed the rest of the flowers and shoved them into the basket. "Sorry I can't stay, but I'm really in a hurry." And before Fluttershy could shake her head, Spike had zoomed out of the way. He could already see the boutique's roof up ahead!

Wow. I think I might actually make it this time! Spike's thoughts began to race as the Carousel Boutique came closer and closer into focus. He could see the roof. Now the windows were in view. Now the door!

Spike checked to see if his tux was still there. Strong and suave as ever! Look out, Rarity, here I come!

The stoop was merely steps away, and Spike's pulse was racing! As Spike reached the top of the stoop, he quickly knocked on the door. He could hear Rarity's voice from inside: "Coooming."

Any second now, and she'll see how cool I look! Spike hastily straightened his bow tie and slicked back the scales on his head. He could hear Rarity's hoofsteps getting closer. The door slowly started to creak open…and…WHOOSH! SPLAT!! A rainbow-colored streak knocked Spike off his feet, causing him to land into a huge puddle of mud.
At that exact moment, Rarity had opened the door, and was shocked to see an incredibly filthy, and disappointed, baby dragon. To say the least, Rarity was confused. "Oh, well…good day, Spike. What brings you by today?" Rarity tried to avert her eyes from the mud that was covering her beautiful front steps.

The thick layer of mud that now coated Spike had broken the spell on the tuxedo and top hat; all of that effort, and now he looked even worse! Spike tried hard not to cry, but his big green eyes began to water. "I…I…I…" Spike desperately searched for words to come out of his mouth, but all he could think about was how rotten his luck was that Rainbow Dash just HAD to practice low-flying maneuvers today! It's not FAIR!

Rarity, seeing Spike about to cry, placed her hoof on a part of his shoulder that wasn't covered in mud, and gently tapped him. "There, there. It's alright, Spike. Would it cheer you up if you had some tea with me?"

Spike's expression instantly changed at Rarity's last sentence. Not even the thick mud could hide his gleeful smile. "Would I?!" Spike began to happily stroll up the front steps of the Carousel Boutique, but was stopped by a gentle push from Rarity.

"Um, Spike," Rarity grinned. "How about you get cleaned up first?"

"Oh, sure. No problem." Spike hopped off the steps and cheerfully spun around rapidly like a tiny scaly tornado. Within a few seconds, the purple dragon was free of mud, his spines straight and shining in the afternoon sunlight. Rarity smiled as she led Spike into the boutique for a cup of tea. (and, if Pinkie Pie left any from her last visit, a few crumpets.) Spike's smile widened. Maybe this won't be such a bad birthday, after all.

*****

From atop her observatory deck, Twilight followed Spike's little marathon to Rarity's through her giant telescope, showing a grin on her face that would have easily fitted a criminal mastermind. Phase two complete.

In a showy flash, a rainbow-colored Pegasus pony made a short landing on Twilight's observatory deck. "Good job, Rainbow Dash." Twilight high-hoofed her high-flying friend as they both trotted into the main branch of the library.

"Not that I don't enjoy pranking Spike, but why did you want me to cover him in mud? It was a pretty sweet move and all, but what's your deal, Twilight?"

"Oh, we're not pranking Spike, we're stalling him." A confused look swept over Rainbow Dash's face. Twilight sighed as she patiently patted Dash on the shoulder. "I'll tell you all about it…"