With permission from MallaJong, I am continuing the story of Spike and Princess Luna's relationship.
Fair warning, my writting skills are not of his level, so please bear with me.
After the Grand Galloping Gala, Spike returns to Ponyville and continues as Twilight assistant. However, the connection with the Princess leaves them both wanting more. But with their duties to perform, such luxuries are few and far in-between. When can they meet again, and how will they go about it without raising suspicions?
Before I begin, I would like to inform you that my knowledge in Elizabethan English is exceptionally limited, and therefore, I have decided to NOT use it in fear of making an absolute arse of myself. If any of the readers here know how to use Elizabethan English, then please read this story, replacing the appropriate words as you read along. Thank you.
Again, I would like to thank you for casting that linking spell on me. It’s so nice to be able to send my letters to you personally. It has been wonderful to be able to speak with you without having to leave Ponyville. As much as I would love to board the next train to Canterlot, I’m afraid that my duties to Twilight remain a top priority. I do miss your company Princess. Therefore, I have a suggestion.
In a few days’ time, Ponyville will be celebrating the Nightmare Night Festival. You may not know this Princess, but there is a holiday surrounding the legend of Nightmare Moon. It’s kind of awkward now that I'm telling you about this, but I was wondering if you'd like to attend the celebration. Ponies get to dress up in costumes and go around asking for candy. There will also be some festival activities to enjoy.
I am sure that the ponies of Ponyville will welcome the Princess of the Night to partake in the festivities. I look forward to hearing from you soon Princess. And I also hope to see you at the festival.
You’re Friend,
Spike.
Spike carefully rolled up the parchment containing his letter and blew a dark blue flame, incinerating the letter, sending it on its way to Princess Luna. Feeling rather pleased with himself, he went back to designing his costume.
Up in Canterlot Castle, Princess Luna was taking a stroll in the royal garden when a puff of blue and smoke flew towards her, which magically turned back into the form a letter. Coated in an aura of a mild cobalt blue, Princess Luna brought it closer to herself. “Oh my, a letter from dear Spike” Luna thought to herself as she read his letter. “Oh how wonderful. I must definitely make an appearance; however, I wonder if Big Sister would approve?”
Later that day, Spike was alone in the library, up the ladder, with several books in one claw when he felt the usual sensation in his belly. He began wondering from whom the letter was from when suddenly, he belched a small flame of dark blue. He released his hold on the ladder as he caught hold of the scroll with much enthusiasm… forgetting that he was currently about ten feet up the ladder. His enthusiasm turned to shock as he realized his view of the bookcase was replaced with that of the ceiling. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor. A copy of ‘A Tail of Two Ponies’ lay open on his face. From the floor, he held the letter close to his chest as he surveyed to room. No sign of anypony. He got up quickly, stacked the books neatly on the floor, mentally reminding himself to put the books away later, and ran to the bedroom. Again, nopony was there. He unrolled the letter and began to read it.
Good Day dear Spike,
I hope this letter finds you well. After much consideration, I have agreed to attend this celebration you speak of. I will arrive about an hour after I have raised the moon. However, given that our ‘relationship’ is not yet publicly known, it would be best that we were to keep our distance and that I am addressed in a more, formal manner.
Once we have obtained some privacy, we can converse as we did back during the Galloping Gala. I hope you understand Spike. And thank you once again for the invitation.
Princess Luna.
Spike read and re-read the letter several times. He understood that if they were to be seen speaking in such an informal manner, many of the ponies might get the wrong idea or worse, gossip about the relationship they might share. To protect her image, as well as keep the gossip to a minimum, he would abide by the Princesses’ wishes. He had a feeling that this night was going to be hard, but all in all, at least he’ll get to speak with her again.
He wrote another letter to her, all the while keeping track of how many parchments he had used. Twilight was already getting suspicious about the amount of parchments they were ordering. He wrote,
Dear Princess Luna,
I understand your caution and I will respectfully abide by it. You will find me acting as the other ponies do to avoid any suspicion. I hope you have a great time during the festival.
Your friend,
Spike.
And with another breath of blue flame, the letter was sent on its merry way. Humming happily he went back to work. The day finally came and everypony was getting ready for the festivities. Costumes were getting a last look over, the town was checked and rechecked of their decorations and every home was preparing sweets and candy for the fillies and colts that were coming.
However, back at the Library, Spike was pacing impatiently for Twilight to get ready. He was thinking about Princess Luna and the fact that he did not want to miss out on her grand entrance. Finally, Twilight arrives in her costume. Spike, on the other hoof, had no idea who she’s trying to dress as.
“Did you even read that book I gave you about obscure Unicorn history?” Twilight asked, glaring at Spike.
Spike was beginning to worry, trying to come up with an excuse when there was a knock at the door. Thanking Celestia, he made a mad dash to the door. “That sounds important.” He said before running off.
As he opened the door, Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom jumped up and recited the Nightmare Night chant, “Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!"
Later that evening. As the ponies gathered around the statue of Nightmare Moon, spilling the contents of their candy bags, the sky suddenly darkens, and from those dark clouds, a figure appears. A dark chariot arrives pulled by two bat winged Pegasus. The Princess of the Night has arrived.
As Princess Luna arrives, in a flurry of dark clouds and her own royal carriage chauffeured by two of her Pegasus Guards, everypony runs for cover. The only two that don’t seem terribly terrified are Twilight and Spike. Although Spike runs to town, he is in fact happy to see that Princess Luna has arrived as she had said.
However, upon reaching the town square, he soon realizes that her arrival has brought fear into the ponyfolk. Not wanting to raise suspicion to himself, he stays at the far back bowed down on his claws and knees.
As the Princess of the moon leaves, her feelings hurt, Twilight motions towards her. Spike grabs her costume, telling her it’s Nightmare Moon, only for Twilight to remind him that she is no longer evil. As she leaves, Spike rubs his claws together, a worried, almost disappointed look on his face. In actual fact, he had wanted to talk to her himself. Now he had to wait for another opportunity.
Luna on the other hoof is wondering why she is here. Spike’s letter mentioned that her subjects would be happy to see her on Nightmare Night. But she was met with fear and screams. She desired love and admiration. She even wanted to rid the silly notion of the reason of the festival and turn it into a night of feasting. However, nopony was willing to give her even a hint of what she wanted. She walked away, eventually lying down, in front of her own statue, sadness threatening to overcome her.
Spike on the other hoof, was following Twilight, who finds the Princess at the statue in the clearing. He stays a little further back, trying to make out their conversation. It was rather difficult for Spike as he was too far away to properly hear what they were talking about. He did however, hear the following sentences though.
“IT WAS THOU WHO UNLEASHED THE POWERS OF HARMONY UPON US, THAT TOOK AWAY OUR DARK POWERS!”
And a moment later,
“THIS MUCH VOLUME WHEN ADDRESSING OUR SUBJECTS!”
Followed by,
“CHANGE OUR APPROCH?!”
It was rather confusing to poor Spike. But then again, he was admiring her beauty rather than trying to figure out what they were talking about.
The two ponies started to leave. Spike noticed that they were heading towards Fluttershy’s home, Spike left, going back to the town square. There he sat, thinking on how to handle this predicament he has gotten Luna into, ignoring the fillies that joyfully ran past him. “The ponies of Ponyville still think that she is Nightmare Moon. Think Spike, think.” He said to himself. "How can you fix this so the ponies no longer fear the Princess?" He pondered totally oblivious to his surroundings. So deep in thought that he had not even realized that Twilight and the Princess were already participating in the night’s games. Suddenly he heard the Princess shout out, “Haha! The fun has doubled.”
Peeping around the corner, he sees her announce excitedly, in her own, normal voice, “Hear me villagers, all of you, call me LUNA!”
Spike is both happy and relieved that the Princess has learned to speak without using her previous voice of authority. Probably now she can begin to enjoy the night’s festival… which in turn was ruined. In an attempt to save pipsqueak from falling into the apple bobbing basin, she had grabbed his costume and hauled him above the water. Suddenly, Pinkie screamed, that Princess Luna is attempting to gobble Pipsqueak up. This spooks the fillies, making everypony run in fear. Fear took over poor Spike. Not fear that the other ponies felt, but fear for the Princess, that once more, her heart was wounded. However, he could not stop giggling when Princess Luna screamed out loud, “Thy backside is whole and ungobbled!” This immediately changed when lightning flashed and the Princess suddenly used the previous voice of authority.
His heart ached when he heard that Luna had cancelled Nightmare Night… forever. “Oh Luna” he wept. Hurt that she had not found the happiness that he had hoped for her. The only thing he could do was to find her. And to apologize for bringing her this pain. He found her quietly walking towards the Nightmare Moon statue and raced ahead of her.
Luna, her head hung low, slowly walked up to the statue of herself. A grim reminder of how the other ponies still view her. She lays down, her heart wounded from the screams of terror. In her mind, she could still see the terror in their faces, the disfigured looks in their screams, their rejection. All she can do now is to fight back the weeping that threatened to overwhelm her. She crosses her forelegs and buries her face into them. Spike, who was watching her, now quietly emerges from the bushes.
“Princess,” he whispers, as he slowly approaches the Dark Sapphire Blue Alicorn. “I’m sorry the night has not turned out well for you.”
Princess Luna looks up from where she lay.
“Dear Spike, is that you?” she asks, looking at the dragon in a dragon costume. Her eyes twitch, and for a moment, it would seem that she would rain down upon Spike the full extent of her fury. When suddenly, she bowed her head low, and as if the pain had burst the dam, streams of tears flowed from her beautiful soft eyes. She places her head between her hooves trying in vain to hide her sorrow from Spike.
Spike slowly walks over to Luna, kneeling down beside her head. Slowly, he brings his claw up to her and gently strokes her mane. “I’m sorry Princess,” he apologizes once more. “I really thought that they would no longer be afraid of you.”
“But they are. They are Spike.” Luna cries, despair in her voice, her tears still flowing freely. “They will never accept me. I shall forever be Nightmare Moon to them.”
Risking it, Spike puts the other claw under her chin, mildly shocking the Princess with his bold and daring move. He tilts her head and looks deep into her tear soaked eyes. “I’m not afraid of you Princess. And I am, and always be, your friend.” He says tenderly.
A tinge of happiness begins to seep back into her heart. As well as another feeling that began to follow as well. A different, yet warm feeling draws her closer to Spike.
‘Ching ching’
Spike looks up quickly, in the distance, he sees a pony approach. And if it wasn’t for the tall wizard like hat and the chiming of bells, he would never have guessed that it was Twilight approaching. Quickly he looks back at Luna and leaned closer, whispering into her ear, “Twilight will make things better Princess. If you trust me, then trust her.” As he turns to leave, he is suddenly tugged back as Luna wrapped her hooves around his claw. An almost pleading look, asking him not to leave could be seen in her face. Spike smiled back and simply said, “Trust me Princess.” And he pulled away, diving back into the bushes. Soon, he sees Twilight take the princess away to look for a pink chicken, one Miss Pinkie Pie.
Trusting Twilight with whatever plan that she might have in order to help the Princess, Spikes makes his way back to town. He still needs to keep up his appearances, so he begins helping with the clean-up. After all, Nightmare Night was still officially cancelled. Busy moving fallen decorations around, he overhears the Mayor’s attempt to sound scary, and he mumbles to himself, “Ahh, the rainbow wig just kills it for me.” And wanders off, dragging away a dark ribbon with skulls on it.
For some time now, Spike is helping the rest of the ponies clean up the mess the town was in, and he soon begins to wonder for it has been a while now since he last saw or heard of the Princess or Twilight. But then he sees Pipsqueak and the other fillies and colts run past him screaming happily that Nightmare night is back. A smile appears on him face, and a burden is lifted from his shoulders.
He turns to look in the direction of the meadow, and he sees the Princess and Twilight as they walk back to the town, both of them smiling and giggling. Spike too smiles, his spirits lifted. And soon, Princess Luna begins to join in the fun and games. With a little advice from Twilight, she even manages to throw in a couple of playful scares every now and then. As the festivities slowly come to a close, Twilight beckons for Spike to follow her. She leads him to the Nightmare Moon statue where she requests that Spike take a letter for Princess Celestia. As he finishes the letter, lightning flashes overhead, followed by a scream. And as they look up, they see a screaming Pegasus fly past, a smoking rainbow behind her.
Spike looks in awe as the beautiful Princess of the Night floats down, sitting on Rainbow Dash’s cloud. As the three of them giggle at the turn of events, all Spike could think of is how beautiful Luna’s giggles sounded.
Soon, Princess Luna's chariot arrives and her guard informs her that it is almost time to return to the castle. She smiles and nods at her chaperone. Turning towards her two friends, she once again thanks then both for a most splendid time. As she boards her chariot, Spike could not believe that he had not a chance to be with her. That there was no time spent alone with the Princess. However, as the guards began beating their wings, Princess Luna looks back at Spike and winked. Spike stood there, jaws wide open as the chariot took flight, leaving them both watching until the chariot was out of sight.
"Come on Spike, let's get home to bed." Twilight said. And the two of them walked back to the library. A little disappointed, Spike followed Twilight back home.
Later, as Spike curled up into his bed, he suddenly belched blue flame and smoke. “A letter!” he thought gleefully.
"Spike, was that a letter from the princess?" Twilight asked hearing the commotion.
Spike stuffed the letter under his blanket, "Nope... ugh... sorry Twilight, think I had, ugh... too much candy." he said, as he covered his face with his blanket.
"Told you, you ate too, hoooo, much." twilight half said, half yawned. "You'll be better in the morning. Goodnight Spike."
"Mmmmm.... goodnight Twilight." he said, as he waited for her to fall asleep so he could read the letter.
A month has passed since Nightmare night. And now Spike finds himself on the train to Canterlot along with his friend and secret crush, Rarity. He thought back on the day before, when Rarity had asked if Twilight had any recommendations on where she would stay during the week she’s be up in Canterlot. Twilight on the other hand had told Rarity that she’d take care of it and got Spike to write a letter to the Princess immediately after Rarity had left.
What was even more surprising was that in the return letter, the Princess had requested that Spike accompany Rarity to Canterlot as well. The Princess had some Royal Business that she needed Spike to handle. Puzzled, the little dragon simply shrugged and left to pack his bags.
Suddenly, Spike was brought back to the present when addressed by Rarity, “Well Spike, just us two now. It’s going to be so lovely to finally get to Canterlot. Oh I wonder where Twilight has me stay.” Rarity started, looking out the window in the direction of Canterlot.
“Not too sure, but Twilight would at least try to get you something lovely.” Spike said, trying to keep a straight face. He had promised Twilight that he would not spoil the surprise she had for Rarity.
“Hmmm… something tells me that you know more than you’re telling me. Does my little Spikie-Wikie know something about this?” Rarity asked, rubbing the baby dragon’s head gently.
“Nope. Sorry Rarity, Twilight hadn’t told me anything about where you’ll be staying.” Spike lied. He didn’t want to, but he already made a promise. In fact, Twilight was adamant about Spike reciting the Pinkie promise as well.
“Oh phoo… Well, I guess it’ll have to be a real surprise then.” Rarity gave in.
The rest of the trip, the two friends passed the time with conversation, moving from one topic to the next. Spike was personally very pleased to have spent this time with Rarity, something he had long wanted to do. If nothing else, he at least was able to spend these few wonderful hours with her. Very soon, the announcement was made that they’d be arriving at Canterlot station.
Five minutes later…
Once at the station, both Rarity and Spike retrieve their belongings and left the platform, where they are greeted by a Unicorn in a butlers outfit. He walks up to the two of them. “Miss Rarity and Master Spike I presume?”
“Why yes, we are. Is there a problem?” Rarity asked.
The Unicorn smiles and bows his head slightly. “Not at all miss. I am here to escort you to the palace. Please, come this way.” He says as he magically levitates their bags behind him. “Unngh…” he grunts from the sheer weight of their luggage. Well, Rarity’s mostly. And they make their way over to the awaiting carriage. All Rarity could do was giggle slightly, trying her best to hide both her excitement as well as her embarrassment.
Soon, with everything loaded up, and with both Rarity and Spike sitting comfortable inside, the butler takes his place at the seat of the carriage. With a gentle tap of the reins, the two earth ponies pulling the carriage begin their journey towards the castle.
Inside the carriage, “Oh Spike, we are on the way to the palace!” Rarity squeaked, unable to hold in her excitement. Spike on the other hand, only smiled. His thought now drifting between seeing Rarity so happy and wondering why he had been summoned to the palace.
“Spike! Aren’t you the least bit excited?” Rarity called, seeing that Spike showed so little enthusiasm about going to the palace.
“Not really. I used to live here myself. Before Twilight and I came to Ponyville that is.” Spike said, matter-of-factly.
“Oh, right.” She said as she blushed slightly.
Arriving at the Palace, the carriage stopped and after a moment’s pause, the butler opened the door, offering a hoof to Rarity. Taking it, she made her way off the carriage, followed by Spike who was right behind her. Rarity stood in awe at the magnificence of the palace.
“Miss Rarity, Master Spike, this way please.” The butler pony beckoned. And they followed him inside. Through the grand hall, up the stairs, and through the long corridor they went, until they reached a large beautiful double door. “One moment please. Allow me to announce you.” The butler said as he walked into the room.
“Excuse me your Highness” They heard him say. Rarity felt her heart skip a beat, “Miss Rarity and Master Spike have arrived.” And with that, they were ushered into the throne room.
Princess Celestia sits on her throne, flanked by two Unicorn guards. And immediately, the two of them bowed low. “Rarity, Spike. How lovely to see you again.” The Princess spoke. “Now, Twilight has written that you will be here in Canterlot for a few days. Come with me my dear, and let’s see if we can get you settled in.” And with that, she leads Rarity out of the throne room.
“And Spike,” she turns to look at him just as she was about to leave. “Please wait here. Somepony is here to see you.” She says with a wink, and then continues out the door. Feeling rather bewilded, Spike simply stood there, waiting for the unknown pony.
Twenty minutes pass and Spike is still waiting. Yawning, Spike moves to the window, looking out at the city below when suddenly he hears the sound of hooves clopping on marble. Looking over his shoulder, he sees a dark blue Alicorn, standing behind him.
“Princess.” He says as he bows before her.
“Dear Spike.” Princess Luna greets him. “How wonderful to see you again.”
“It is good to see you too Princess.”
“Come, let us retire to my room, where you can tell me about your trip here.” She tells him, beckoning him to follow.
Spike followed the Princess of the Night through several corridors. He hadn’t realized that the castle ran so deep. “Wow Princess,” he suddenly said. “Your room is pretty far in.”
“Yes it is dear Spike.” She started, “For you see, during the day, I take my rest for I have to tend to the night. And seeing that so much happens during the day, the noise gets rather distracting. So I had my room moved far to the back of the castle where it would be much quieter.” She explained.
Soon they reached a large double door where two dark coated Pegasus guards with bat wings stood. As the two neared the door, the guards glared at Spike, causing him to leap back. “At ease.” The Princess commanded. “This is Spike, the baby dragon. He is my guest and I expect that he be treated so.”
“Yes Princess.” The two guards responded in unison, standing back at attention.
“Please do come in Spike.” Said the Princess as she magically pushed the doors open.
Once inside, Spike noticed how big and spacious the room was. He gathered that the ground floor of the library back in Ponyville could fit in here. It was decorated in colours that would match and compliment the occupant. The Princess moved over to the bed where she removed her crown, breastplate and shoes and set it down on the pony mannequin nearby.
“Please have a seat.” She said as she patted the large bed.
Spike moved over to the bed, noticing that it was large enough to accommodate at least three ponies comfortably. Spike hopped on, sitting near the edge, waiting for the Princess to climb on and get comfortable.
“Now Spike, please tell me about your day. How was the trip here?” she asked.
“Well Princess… it was-“ he began just as the Princess cut in.
“Please Spike, when in private, you may drop the formalities and simply address me as Luna.”
Spike smiled as he relaxed a little. “Well, if you are alright with that… Luna.”
Luna giggled slightly, “Yes Spike, I am. Now, you were saying?”
Spike then told her about his trip, as well as some of the things that had happened during the last few days. Like when Apple Bloom had the old perplexing sickness called Cutie Pox as well as the race to find out which pet Rainbow Dash would choose.
Luna listen as Spike went on, when suddenly; she let out a very large and rather unladylike yawn.
“Princess, I mean, Luna, am I boring you?” Spike asked, as he was taken aback by her sudden yawn.
“Oh, I’m sorry Spike. It’s just that, well, I’m just tired. I usually sleep during the day, seeing that my duties are during the night. But no, you are not boring me Spike.” Luna said, trying to ease the little dragon.
“Oh, Luna, I’m keeping you awake when you should be resting. I’m so inconsiderate. I didn’t mean to –“
“Shh… it’s alright Spike.” Luna said as she held a hoof to his lips.
“I have an idea.” Luna suddenly said, startling Spike. “I have guards with me throughout the night. They stay awake because of a spell that I know of that changes their sleep patterns. Basically, it makes them nocturnal so they can serve me. If I were to cast it on you, then you’ll sleep during the day and will be awake at night.” Luna explained.
“That’s great Luna. Then I can sleep when you’re asleep and we can spend time when we’re both awake at night.” Spike replied, feeling rather excited.
“Lean back against the bed and I’ll cast the spell.” Luna said as she aimed her horn at Spike.
As Luna began the spell, cobalt blue magic enveloped her horn. Concentrating, she aimed her horn at the now, wide eyed Spike. There was a flash of light as the spell hit its target. Slowly, Luna opened her eyes, “Spike? Are you alright?” she asked. However, the only response she got was the light snoring of a purple sleeping dragon curled up at the edge of the bed.
“Well, I guess it worked then.” Luna giggled to herself. She gently levitated the sleeping dragon nearer the center of the bed where she draped a part of the blanket over him. Yawning, she curled back under the covers, settling herself back to sleep. She didn’t have any plans for the two of them just yet, but she was sure that they would at least enjoy each other’s company come the night.
Well, that's it for now. Made this one short coz the next part is going to be quite long. Didn't wat to make it too long tho. But I'll be sure to post up the rest soon enough. Hope you like it.
To my readers, I know the first attempt of chapter 3 was pretty bad and yeah, it was done in a rather lazy way. I hope that this re-write of chapter 3 makes up for the previous one. Again, thank you for your patience and understanding. So here is the re-vamp of Chapter 3. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3 : Sweet and Elite - Part 2
Spike yawned as he stretched out on the bed. He looked around, wondering where he was. It was dark out, the room seemed huge and the bed, softer than he remembered. He sat up, and as he looked around, he felt disorientated. Trying to figure out the situation, his gaze fell upon the silhouette of a beautiful dark blue Alicorn, sitting on the bed, no more than three feet away from him. He realized where he was.
“Evening Spike. Did you sleep well?” Luna asked.
Spike simply blinked. He never realized how beautiful Luna really was. Her dark mane flowing, glittering like a thousand diamonds, the soft facial features, her trim petite body.
“Spike? Are you alright?” Luna asked again, a little concerned.
Snapping out of it, Spike quickly shook his head from side to side. “Yes Princ.. I mean, yes Luna, I’m fine. Just, not used to waking up at night.” He yawned, rubbing his eyes with his fist.
Luna smiled sweetly, happy to have a friend with her. “I hope you are hungry Spike. I had the servant pony bring this up for you.” She said as she levitated up a large silver tray, laden with fresh cut fruits, and gemstones and placed it on the bed between them.
Spike’s eyes lit up when he saw the platter before him. His eyes sparkled with appreciation, his mouth drooled with anticipation. As he reached out for a sapphire, he suddenly stopped. Looking at Luna, he asked, “Is it really alright to eat on your bed Luna? Twilight never lets me eat in bed.”
Luna giggled at the innocence of the question. “It’s quite alright Spike. And after all, I am a Princess. A little thing like eating in bed isn’t going to cause any trouble.” She said as she took a dainty bite out of a slice of apple. Spike smiled as he picked up the sapphire and took a big bit out of it, spilling a few shards on the silk sheets.
Spike sat there happily munching and chewing through the pile of gems. Sapphires, rubies and emeralds. One after another, the little dragon devoured the gems in front of him. All the while, Luna watched him eat as she quietly nibbled the various fruits.
Finished, Spike leaned back against a large pillow, patting his overstuffed belly. He put a claw over his mouth as s slight burp escaped his lips. “Oops, excuse me.” He said and grinned.
“What an appetite you have Spike.” Luna said.” Now let’s go take a walk in the garden.” She said as she got off her bed.
“I’d love to, but what about your duties Luna?” Spike asked.
Luna smiled as she turned to face Spike. “Oh the important task has already been taken care of. After all, it’s two in the morning. I’ve already had a few hours to take care of my main duties. Everything else on today’s agenda has been moved to another time. Now come, let us go.” She said as she made her way towards the door. “Oh, and I had this bought up for you,” she said as she levitated over a coat and a soft thick matching scarf. “The night can get quite chilly for somepony who isn’t used to it.”
“Thank you Luna.” Spike said as he slipped on the coat and scarf and followed behind her.
They walked out to the garden. The night was very quiet and not a sound could be heard. So quiet it was that they could hear the grass as it crunched softly underhoof. It was a very cool night and Spike was glad that he had the coat on. Still, it was rather chilly and the little dragon pulled the coat a little tighter around himself. They made their way to the centre of the garden where Luna had already had two lounge chairs ready. Luna climbed onto one and lay down comfortably, crossing her forelegs in front of her.
“Come sit next to me Spike.” Luna said as she patted the second chair. Spike climbed up onto the second chair and leaned back.
For a moment, they both looked at the night sky, simply watching the stars scattered across the night sky, twinkling as they seem to dance in place. Only a crescent moon was visible making the sky seem empty. Yet the night was indeed lovely and Spike sighed softly as he gazed upon the night’s beauty.
Her ears flicked up at the sigh as it escaped his lips. “What are you thinking Spike?” Luna asked.
“Oh, just how much I love how beautiful the night sky is tonight.” Spike answered, his gaze still locked at the twinkling stars above them.
Luna smiled as happiness and appreciation flowed through her. Besides her sister, Princess Celestia, nopony had ever told her how beautiful they thought her night was. It felt good to be appreciated. “Thank you Spike. It’s lovely to hear you say that.” She said softly, looking down as she rubbed her hooves together, a tear rolled down her cheek.
Spike turned to look at Luna as she spoke. In her sweet smile Spike noticed a hint of satisfaction. Like something had finally gone right and she was pleased that it had happened. Then he noticed the wet trail across her cheek. Unsure what her feelings were, he asked her, “Luna, why are you crying? Are you sad?”
“I’m not feeling sad Spike.” She said, turning to look at the baby dragon. “I’m happy. Happy to have my night loved and appreciated. And I’m also happy to have a friend to share my night with. Thank you.” Luna smiled, tears beginning to well up.
Spike got off the chair and moved close to Luna where he boldly reached out with his left claw and gently held her chin. Using his scarf, he carefully wiped away the tears from Luna’s beautiful cyan coloured eyes. She had felt his touch like this once before, back during the Nightmare Night celebration. She was crying, and Spike held her chin in his claws just like tonight, and whispered, “I’m not afraid of you Princess. And I am, and always be, your friend.”
She opened her eyes to see the sweet dragon looking back at her, with that lovable silly grin he always seem to have on his face. Luna smiled back, a comfortable silence between them.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, blowing slightly harder than before. The chilling wind blew past the two friends in the garden. Spike who was not used to the cold night air tried in vain to fight against the bitter cold. Luna saw her little friend struggle and quickly pulled him onto her chair and pressed him against her chest. Her wings unfolding and rested in front of her and Spike, creating a perpetual wind barrier of feathers.
Soon, the winds died down, and so did the biting cold. Spike stopped shivering and opened his eyes. He was feeling warm, a soft blanket of feathers around him. It was then he looked up to see Luna looking down at him with her bright cyan eyes. All Spike could do was stare. He could not believe he was in lying between her forehooves, so close to her chest and with her wings around him. He started to stutter, unsure what to say when Luna spoke.
“Shhh… its alright Spike. You can stay warm with me.” As she hugged him.
Stunned as he was at the Princess’ action, all Spike could do was smile as a contented sigh once again escaped his lips.
Spike leaned back against Luna’s chest. Part of him enjoyed the warmth as well as the sense of security that she gave him; however, another part of him was screaming that this was highly inappropriate. Was it alright to be this close to a Princess, let alone snuggle up against her? What would somepony think if they were to see him and Luna together? And yet, all his worries melted away when Luna lowered her head closer to him and nuzzled the top of his head. And as if Luna could sense his worry, she softly whispered into his ear. “You can relax Spike; nopony comes out to the garden at this time of night.” And with that, she heard him sigh as the tension slowly slipped from his body.
They sat there together in silence as time crept by slowly. They watched the stars twinkle in the night sky, like dancers performing across a dark blue backdrop. Every so often, a falling star streaks by.
“Wow… I didn’t know that there were so many falling stars!” Spike said aloud.
“Yes Spike. Although many ponies do not see them for they are only visible at night. And usually it is only I alone, who sits and watch their short lived beauty. That is why I am very happy that you accepted my invite Spike. As you can see, it gets quite lonely here at night. I have the beautiful night sky yet I have no one to share it with. Besides my sister, Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, you are my only friend.”
Spike smiled, happy to be in her company. “Yes, it really is a lovely night, and I am glad to be your friend, though right now, I am feeling a little cold.” He said as he shivered slightly.
“Alright Spike, we’ll go back indoors where it’s warmer. And maybe we’ll get a little hot chocolate to warm you up.”
“Hot chocolate sounds great.” Spike said, licking his lips, already imagining the warm chocolate drink in his mouth.
Luna waited for a moment to allow the wind to die down a little before pulling her wing back to their folded position. Spike slowly swung his legs over the edge of the lounge chair and hopped off, onto the grass. However, as his foot touched the wet grass, a rather loud and shocked ‘Eeep!’ escaped his lips. Frozen on the spot, Luna asked what the matter was. “Cold grass.” Spike answered meekly as the cold wet blades of grass slipped between his toes. Luna giggled at poor Spike’s discomfort as he yelped, taking another step forward. Eventually Luna decided that she’d rather not have Spike wake up anypony should he finally give in to the cold sharp pains that torment him so. Wrapped in dark bluish magic, Spike was gently lifted off the grass and carried back to the castle, all the while Luna trotted beside him, little giggles escaping her lips.
Reaching the castle, Spike sat down on the carpeted floor, rubbing his feet in his claws in an attempt to warm his feet. He briefly thought about using his fire breath to add to the effort, but decided against it in case he might burn his toes… or the carpet. Luna on the other hoof, could no longer hold in her amusement and lay on the carpet, hooves over her muzzle, trying her best to stifling her laugh.
“Ha ha Luna. Very funny.” Spike remarked at his rather joyous companion. “It felt like I was stepping on ice.”
“Mmmph… in a way Spike, you were.” Luna said smiling at Spike’s confused look. “When the night gets really cold, much like tonight, the water on the grass freezes over, becoming like ice crystals. So yes, in fact you did step on ice. And yes, the grass is watered every evening.” Luna concluded.
“But it wasn’t iced up when we first walked out into the garden. Why was it iced up now?” he asked.
“Mmmm….” Luna sighed as she slowly stood up. “Were you really that relaxed Spike? We’ve been out there for almost two hours now.”
“Tw-tw-two hours? Really? Wow, time flies when you are in good company.” And with that Spike started to blush. Luna simply smiled happily at the comment, but remained silent.
“Uh huh… so why weren’t you affected by the ‘iced’ grass?” trying to change the subject. “Oh right, night, cold, you’re probably used to it.” He said with a sigh.
Luna giggled again. “No Spike. Look.” She said as she lifted her hoof to him. “Glass shoes.”
The look on Spike face can only be described as ‘priceless’.
“Right!” Spike said suddenly as he leapt to his feet. “Let’s go get that hot chocolate you mentioned.” And off he walked, in the direction away from Luna.
Once again, Spike was wrapped in blue coloured magic and levitated back towards Luna. “Spike? The dining hall is this way.” Luna said, tilting her head in the other direction, putting Spike down.
“I knew that.” He said, his face turning a deeper shade of red. He started walking quickly in the direction Luna mentioned. Luna sighed again as she caught up with the little dragon and the two walked on towards the dining hall.
Soon, the two friends walked pass one of the castle servants, making his rounds. Luna stopped the unicorn dressed in a simple butler’s outfit and requested that he bring two large cups of hot chocolate, extra dark, and a large bowl of marshmallows, and a little something extra to one of the cups, to the second east west wing dining hall. The unicorn bowed before the Princess and walked away. “This way Spike. I’ve just asked for our drinks to be brought to us.” Luna said to Spike.
Moments later, the two friends were sitting at a modest dining table. With Luna at the head of the table and Spike right beside her. Candles lit up the room, casting a warm glow. “Warm enough for you now Spike?” Luna asked her little friend.
“Yes, it’s much warmer in here.” Spike said smiling. “So after the hot chocolate, what would you like to do then?” he asked.
“Truth be told Spike, I really have no idea what we can do at this time of night. Usually I would be reading some letters addressed to me, or I would be helping my sister with some of the reports regarding the Kingdom. It’s pretty routine, not to mention boring” Luna explained.
“If you’d like, I could help you sort out some of that paperwork. I help Twilight with hers all the time.” Spike offered.
“Thank you Spike, I appreciate the offer, but some of these letters and reports are rather confidential. However, I do have one suggestion on what we can do. How about after our drink, we go over to the south tower? There is something there that you might like.” Luna said with a smile. However, before Spike could respond, there was a slight knock on the door as the butler pony walked in, a tray of hot chocolate and marshmallows in his magical grip. The two thanked the butler pony as he bowed his head low and walked out the door.
“Here you go Spike.” Luna said as she levitated a tall mug over to him. And as the mug settled gently in front of him, he noticed something special in his cup. There was a stirrer, an emerald stirrer in fact. Spike’s eyes went wide for he has never had or even seen a jewel stirrer before. “Wow Luna, is that a… I’ve never had a jewel stirrer before. Can I eat it? Or is it just for stirring my drink? Umm…”
Luna smiled at her friend as she magically opened a long case that was also on the tray revealing several more jewel stirrers. “You may go ahead and enjoy that stirrer anyway you like Spike, I have several more here for you.”
“Wow thanks Luna. Though, there is something I would like to try.” And with that, he scooped up a marshmallow, and then held it in one claw as he drove the stirrer into the marshmallow. He then dipped the entire marshmallow into his cup of thick dark chocolate drink. A moment later, he brought it out, opened his mouth wide and chomped on it, marshmallow, chocolate and stirrer. “Mmmm…. Now that was good.” Spike said as he slouched lazily on the chair, half a stirrer in his claw. Suddenly, through his ‘chocolate-marshmallow-jewel’ induced ecstasy, he saw Luna magically picked up the spoon. Chivalry taking over, he stood up on the chair and took the spoon from her magical grasp. “Allow me Princess… I mean Luna.” He said, smiling sheepishly.
“Alright Spike,” Luna replied. “Two scoops please. I would like mine sweet.” Spike nodded as he scooped up a small mountain of marshmallows with the spoon. In went the first spoonful, like snowflakes they fell into her cup. Soon, the second spoonful followed. Luna quietly stirred her drink. Mixing in the fluffy white sweetness to the rich dark chocolate. Spike watched her as she took a long sip of her drink. “Mmmm… perfect.” Was her reply when she lowered her mug back onto the table. It was then Spike saw the chocolate mustache on her upper lips. Spike chuckled rather openly as he pointed at her muzzle. Luna narrowed her eyes a little to take a look, and as she focused back onto Spike, she saw him holding out a soft napkin. She smiled as she leaned forward towards him. Gently he wiped the chocolate off her lips. Unintentionally, his attention began focusing on her lips. His heart started beating a little faster. Luna on the other hoof, didn’t seem to notice Spikes sudden interest and she patiently waited for him to wipe away the stain.
“Ah alright Luna.” He said as he pulled the napkin away.
“Thank you again Spike.” Luna said as she smiled sweetly at him. Spike blushed again as he took a large sip of his own drink.
The two friends finished their drinks in silence, each savoring the thick delicious flavor of their now warm chocolate drink. By now, Spike had gone through three jewel stirrers. “Alright Spike, let’s go to the south tower now.” Luna said as she pushed away her empty mug. Spike hopped off his own chair, but not before grabbing one more marshmallow, speared by a ruby stirrer before following Luna out the door