As Spike stepped into the kitchen, he immediately noticed a delicious scent wafting up through the air. "My goodness," he said with surprise. "Is that—?"

"Eggplant parmesan!" a familiar voice exclaimed and as Spike looked over by the kitchen counter and the stove to the left, he knew why the voice and that scent had been so familiar. Standing there, Pyrex dish levitating in her magic beside, was Minuette. "Heya, Spike!" the bright blue mare said animatedly. She wore a wide, toothy grin that was only interrupted by her chipper-sounding words. "It's great to see you again!"

"Oh my goodness—hi, Minuette!" Spike exclaimed. "I didn't realise you'd be here!"

"Well, you know me," Minuette said, walking across the kitchen to set the Pyrex dish on the counter. "I'm always happy to see an old friend and catch up, of course. And when Rares here said that you'd be stopping by, I knew there was no way I could miss ya! Plus I know how you always liked my eggplant parmesan... and Rare-Bear's been begging for me to make it."

"But of course!" Spike laughed and then turned to Rarity, who was standing near Sweetie Belle by the wall. "Though I must admit, there's one thing I don't understand... I thought your boyfriend was going to be here. Or did I misunderstand something?"

Sweetie Belle snickered and looked to the side. Rarity blushed, offering nothing more than a sheepish smile. Spike turned his head to Minuette, who was busy removing the eggplant parmesan from its dish, and then back to Rarity. And then, after a moment, he blinked. Slowly, he raised a claw and pointed it towards Minuette. Then, still facing Rarity, he mouthed, "Her?".

There was a moment of hesitation. Then, with a smile, Rarity nodded.

"Holy crap!" Spike exclaimed.

"Oh, Spike, darling... I'm so sorry—I should've—" Rarity already looked distraught.

"No, no, no! Dang it, Rarity! I've already told you, like, five times—I'm totally over you. Maybe a year or two ago I would've been upset. Actually, scratch that—I would most definitely one-hundred percent have been upset. But right now, I am so happy for you." Spike looked to Minuette. "And you guys seem like you make a great couple, for sure."

"Well, thank you, Spike!" Minuette said. "I'm really glad you think so."

"I am as well," Rarity agreed, wiping at her brow with a hoofkerchief. "I mean, I don't know why I even worried... of course you'd be happy for us."

"Aw, don't worry about it, hon." Minuette trotted over to Rarity and put a hoof around her shoulder. "These sorts of things just stress you out, y'know? It would've made anypony feel nervous."

"Yeah, don't sweat it," Spike said. "I'm here for you, no matter what."

Rarity opened her mouth as if to respond; however, before she could speak, she was interrupted by an irritated young pony. "You guys done yet?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I'm starving."

"Oh, of course." Minuette trotted back over to the eggplant parmesan and the plates laid out on the counter. "You all can go and sit in the dining room and I'll be there with the food in just a moment."

Spike followed Rarity and Sweetie Belle as they continued through the kitchen and past a large doorway in the wall that opened up into a small, cosy dining room. On one wall was a door that presumably led to the stairs up to the living quarters; the other two walls were adorned with large glass windows through which the last remaining vestiges of sunlight were fading away. Rarity sat down in her seat on one side of the rectangular table and, for a moment, Spike motioned to follow her. As he stepped forward, however, he heard Sweetie Belle clear her throat and, when he turned to face her and tilted his head, the filly merely replied with a head-nodding gesture at the seat next to her, on the other side of the table. Luckily, Spike took the hint and sat down next to Sweetie, across from the open seat.

Not a moment later, Minuette stepped into the room, magically levitating four separate plates of eggplant parmesan. She set one down at each of their places as well as a fork, a knife, and a glass of water. The napkins were already there on the table, so Spike took the opportunity to unfold his over his lap before reaching for his fork. By the time Minuette was in her seat, Spike had already taken a few scrumptious bites and he was not alone in doing so; Sweetie Belle, for her part, had nearly devoured a quarter of the food on her plate. It was only Rarity who waited, leaning over to plant a quick peck on her girlfriend's cheek as she sat down.

"Thank you so much for dinner, Minuette," Spike managed in between bites. "It's delicious."

"I couldn't agree more, darling," Rarity said, magically sawing through the eggplant with her knife.

"You're very welcome," Minuette said as she poked at her salad with a fork. "Always a pleasure."

"So... on what business did Twilight send you to the castle, Spike?" Rarity asked.

Spike swallowed a bite and wiped his mouth with the corner of his napkin. "Nothing that important... she just had a few questions for Princess Celestia that she thought it would be better to send me to explain rather than just in a letter. Plus I ended up getting to talk to Princess Luna too, so that was pretty awesome."

"Glad to hear it," Rarity said. "The princesses are doing well, I trust?"

Spike shrugged. "Same old, I guess. You know how they are."

Rarity laughed. "I suppose I do."

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Spike gestured with a claw towards Rarity and Minuette.

"It's been what, six months now?" Minuette replied, looking fondly at Rarity. "We met at Canterlot Theatre during an intermission and really hit it off, and one thing led to another, and... well, yeah. It's been going great, wouldn't you say?"

"Most definitely," Rarity replied with a blush.

"Wow... that's pretty awesome, you guys," Spike said. "Who knew that two of my best friends would be such a great match for each other?"

"Funny, you keep saying awesome," Rarity commented.

"Well, I have been hanging out with Rainbow Dash a lot, so it sorta starts to rub off on you after a while," Spike explained.

"Hmm... I guess she would be looking for other ponies to hang out with, now that Scootaloo's... gone."

As soon as Rarity finished the statement, Spike heard a choked sob beside him. By the time he turned to face Sweetie Belle, she was already out of her seat and running out the door to the stairs.

"Nnngh... sorry—don't feel well—I'll eat dinner later—sorry." With that, Sweetie Belle disappeared up the stairs.

Spike looked back to Rarity and Minuette for one moment before pushing his chair back and running after the filly.