Around Ponyville, there was a sense of excitement in the air. Outside of Twilight’s castle, Twilight and her friends looked around the clear, blue sky and saw only a few pegasi flying and pushing some clouds out of the way.

“Any sign of her?” asked Twilight as she moved her head.

“I got nothing, sugarcube,” answered Applejack. She looked around her friends and frowned. “I’m more wondering where Spike and Starlight are. What’s taking them so long?”

Almost immediately after asking that question, the sound of the castle doors creaking open could be heard.

“Sorry I’m late!” a mare called out.

The group turned around to see a skinny and curvy Starlight Glimmer panting a little as she held onto the door. She was dressed in a long, black skirt, a long white formal shirt and a purple sweater vest. She walked down the steps and smiled meekly.

“Are they here yet?” she asked.

Twilight shook her head in response. “Not yet, Starlight. Ember and her guard should be here any minute now. I’m a little worried since the letter I got last night said they would be here by noon, and it’s a little past it now.”

Rainbow waved a hand. “Ah, she’s probably not as fast as pegasi like me. Don’t sweat it though, Twilight. I’m sure Spike’s friend will be here soon.”

“Speaking of Spike, where is he?” wondered Fluttershy. She looked at Starlight. “Is he almost ready? I thought he would’ve been out here by now looking for Ember.”

Starlight rubbed the back of her head and sighed a little. “He said something about making sure he was ready. I tried to check on him before I came out, but he insisted he was almost ready.”

Applejack looked at Rarity with a smirk on her face. “And I thought you took forever with getting ready. Looks like you’re rubbing off on him.”

Rarity frowned and crossed her arms. “Well excuse me if some of us want to look presentable for a guest,” she argued.

“Well he better hurry up,” said Twilight. “I know he’s excited to see Ember, but she’ll be here any moment.”

The sound of the castle doors opening again caught everypony’s ears and they turned around. The mares gasped and looked shocked as they saw Spike coming out of the door. He was wearing a sleek back tuxedo with shiny black shoes. As Spike straightened and rubbed his green spines, Rarity felt her cheeks turn a dark shade of red as she looked upon his well toned body and noticed how rather tight the suit was on the drake. Her mouth was agape and she turned to hide her face.

Rainbow whistled loudly. “What’s with the getup?” she wondered. “You’re seeing a friend of yours, not taking her out on a date.”

Spike blushed a little as he looked at the others. “I want to make sure I look good for Ember when I welcome her to Ponyville.”

Rarity frowned and huffed. You certainly have a weird way of welcoming her then.

Spike pulled a little around the tuxedo. “Maybe I should’ve asked Rarity to make me a new one though. This is a little tight around me.”

Applejack laughed a little. “I’ll say, sugarcube. Why are you in it though?”

“I told you all that I have to look good when Ember comes to town.” Spike frowned as he looked at his friends. “Why aren’t the rest of you dressed up? Come on, Ember is going to be here and we need to make a great first impression with her. We got to make sure everything is perfect for her. I hope she likes the room we set up for her. Do you think we should’ve gotten more gems?”

Rainbow looked at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “I guess there’s something else Spike picked up as well.”

The group of friends, and even Twilight, laughed at that response.

Spike shook his head and sighed as he walked down the steps. “Come on, this is serious. I want this visit to go well for Ember.”

Twilight smiled and put a hand on Spike’s shoulder. “I know, Spike, and we’re proud of how determined you are in making this trip a success. But dressing up really fancy isn’t going to really make this alliance permanent. Everything will be alright, Spike. You just need to relax.”

Spike thought to himself for a moment and then sighed in defeat as he nodded. “You’re right, Twilight,” he admitted. “I just want things to go well and help Ember out.”

Starlight gasped and pointed to the sky. “Well I hope you’re ready because I think I see something in the sky.”

The group looked up and saw two rather large figures in the sky coming at them. Spike gulped a little and clenched his fists. Pinkie squealed in delight and hugged Fluttershy, who seemed nervous. Applejack and Twilight smiled as they looked at each other. Rainbow smirked to herself as she cracked her knuckles. Rarity’s eyes narrowed a little as she clenched a fist.

It’s now or never, Rarity, she told herself. I won’t give up Spike so easily to the likes of Ember.

The figures in the sky descended to the ground and were close to Twilight and her friends. They both landed on the ground that shook it and made the group stumble around a little. As they regained their balance, the group looked to see Ember wearing her golden armor, but was wearing a golden crown with red gems around it instead of her helmet, and carrying a large, bulky brown bag. Next to her was Matches wearing his silver armor that shined brightly in the sunlight and was wearing a helmet similar to Ember’s and carrying two brown suitcases. Both dragons bowed, and then Twilight and her friends bowed before the dragons.

Ember rose up and smiled softly. “Princess Twilight, it is good to see you again,” she said.

The alicorn got up and smiled back. “It’s good to see you as well, Ember. I have to admit, I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon. Let me be the first to welcome you to Ponyville.”

Ember looked around the town and saw several ponies walking around and chatting with each other. Some were smiling and laughing as they sat and ate lunch. Some ponies even noticed the two dragons and waved at them. Ember smiled awkwardly as she and Matches waved back.

Ember looked back at Twilight. “This seems like a really friendly town,” she said. “Back in the Dragon Lands, most dragons keep to themselves and aren’t that social, but I’ve been slowly changing that.”

“And if things go well for you, maybe one day the Dragon Lands will be like that too,” said Spike.

Ember looked to see Spike in the tux and her eyes went wide. She felt her cheeks turn a little red as she looked at him and gulped a little.

Spike walked up and held his arms out. “You remember about hugging, right?”

Ember nodded and leaned in to give Spike a hug. She couldn’t help but smile as she felt the embrace of the friend she made not too long ago.

“It’s good to see you again, Ember,” said Spike. “I really missed you.”

Something about that last statement made Ember feel a little more relaxed and calm. “It’s… it’s good to see you as well,” she said softly. “There’s a lot we have to catch up on.”

“Ahem!”

Ember and Spike looked over and saw Rarity tapping her foot rather impatiently while the others stared at them with perplexed looks. The two dragons broke off the hug and each blushed a little.

“Are you two quite done yet? Rarity inquired.

“Don’t be so rude, Rarity,” said Twilight. “Spike and Ember are just happy to see each other.”

A little too happy for Ember it seems, thought Rarity.

Twilight looked over Ember’s shoulder and stared at Matches. “Who’s your friend?”

The dragoness looked at Matches and felt a little embarrassed. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said quickly and put a claw on his shoulder. “This is Matches, my friend and guard during this trip.”

Matches bowed and said, “It’s an honor to meet you, your highness.”

Twilight laughed a little and waved a hand. “You don’t need to call me that,” she said. “You can just call me Twilight. Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean everypony has to call me that.”

“Very well then, Prin–um, Twilight,” said Matches.

She stepped to the side and held out and arm. “You already know who Rarity is, but let me introduce you to the rest of my friends.” She pointed to each of her friends. “This is Applejack, Starlight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow.”

“Howdy!” greeted Applejack

“What’s up?” asked Rainbow.

“Hi!” said Pinkie.

“Um… h–hello.” said Fluttershy nervously as she hid behind Rainbow.

Starlight walked up and looked at Ember with an incredulous look. “Wow, the ruler of the Dragon Lands. Spike has told us so much about you.”

Ember rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. “Well, I am technically ruler, but the Dragon Council are really the true rulers. Being Dragon Lord, you have to answer to them and follow their will.”

A loud poof could be heard and the group turned to see an eager Twilight writing in a green book.

“We’ve only met, and already I’m learning more about dragons,” said Twilight in an enthusiastic tone.

Matches raised an eyebrow and looked at Spike. “Is she always this eager?” he asked.

Spike smirked and said, “You should see her during book sorting day.”

“Something tells me I don’t want to know.” Matches looked at Spike’s clothing and then at his friends and how they were dressed. He looked over at Ember. “I think we may be a little overdressed.”

Ember frowned and looked at the rather bulky armor she was wearing. “Yeah, maybe we are,” she admitted. “I thought since this was going to be a more militarized land, I would just bring the armor and some undershirts. Did you remember to pack any other clothes?”

Even with the helmet on, Ember could noticed how red Matches’ face had turned.

“I forgot,” he said and removed the brown bag. “I packed all of the stuff that the Dragon Council allowed us to take.”

Spike smiled and said, “Don’t worry about it. Rarity is the best dressmaker in Equestria. If anypony can make you new clothes, it’s her.”

Rarity blushed a little and said, “I appreciate those words, Spikey Wikey, but it may take a little longer since I don’t know their measurements.”

“Well let’s first get you all inside and settled,” said Twilight. “We’ve set up a room for each of you.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” said Ember.

The group started to move to the castle, but as Spike turned around, he saw something that looked like another figure in the sky as he turned around. He looked back, but saw nothing but the clear blue sky. He raised an eyebrow and scratched his head.

“Spike?” He turned around and saw Twilight with a perplexed look on her. “Is something wrong?”

The dragon looked back at the sky, and then shook his head. “Nah… I just thought I saw something. It must be my imagination.”

Twilight shrugged and waved a hand. “Come on, I need your help in getting Ember and Matches settled in.”

Spike nodded and ran into the castle with Twilight.

Twilight smiled as she and her friends walked through the castle. “I know this place can be a little hard to navigate, but you’ll get it down in no time,” she said. “What do you think of the place so far, Ember?”

There was no response.

Twilight and the others looked back at the dragoness.

“Ember?” asked Spike.

Ember looked around the castle’s interior in awe. “This castle is amazing,” she said. “It’s a lot bigger and more beautiful than the one back home. It’s even made of crystals. How did Equestria create such a place like this?”

“Kind of a long story,” said Rainbow. “However, I will say it did involve Twilight kicking some demon ass.”

Ember raised an eyebrow and had a curious look on her. “Alright, now I’m really interested, but maybe you can tell me later. What do you think of the place, Matches?”

Matches frowned as he looked around the hallway. “It’s actually kind of pathetic,” he said.

“Matches!” scolded Ember. “Don’t treat our friends like this!”

Matches sighed a little. “I meant security wise, this castle is pathetic. There are no guards, no traps, no defenses at all. What kind of a castle is this?”

Twilight frowned a little. “Well, I never really saw any need for guards. This town is relatively safe, and I can always count on my friends to come quickly and help me if I’m in danger.”

“Well if somepony sneaks into your castle in an attempt to hurt you and your friends?” asked Matches. “They could easily sneak in and attack the princess or any of her friends so easily.”

Starlight and Twilight stopped and looked at each other with awkward looks on them. They both chuckled weakly and briefly looked away.

Spike bit his lip for a moment and quickly pointed a finger. “Here we are!” he said hastily. “This is your room Ember.”

He opened the green colored door and clicked a switch as he walked in with the others. Ember looked around the place and took in all she saw. The room was spacious, but was rather simplistic. It had a large bed with a red comforter on it and a few pillows on it in the corner. Across it were two comfy purple chairs with a small round table in between. On the far side of the room was a large window with two red curtains covering it, and a small desk with a chair pushed in for writing. Next to the writing desk was a large brown dresser drawer and near it was a small closet with some hangers in it.

“What do you think?” asked Spike. “I don’t know how dragons normally sleep back in the Dragon Lands, so I’m sorry if it’s not exactly the way you wanted it to be.”

Ember smiled softly and rubbed Spike’s head. “Hey, don’t worry, runt,” she assured. “I think I’ll really like it here.”

Spike blushed a little and rubbed his hands. “Well… I did make sure you would be comfortable. I do hope that–Whoa!”

Spike was cut off by a suitcase levitating between him and Ember. He looked over and saw a rather disgruntled Rarity with her horn lit up.

“Well, I’m glad you like this place, Ember,” said Rarity. “Why don’t you go ahead and get your stuff unpacked while Spikey helps Matches to his room?”

Ember raised an eyebrow as she took the suitcase. She looked at Rarity and felt a little cold as she could’ve sworn she saw a glare for a brief moment. She shook it off and put the suitcase down.

“You don’t need to worry about that, Rarity,” said Spike. “Matches’ room is right across from Ember’s. It’s pretty much the same room as this one.”

Twilight looked at Ember and said, “You’ll both be near Spike’s room as well. Since Spike will help you get around Ponyville, you can always go to him anytime you want to if you have a question.”

Rarity twitched a little and mustered every bit of willpower she had to not say anything. She forced a smile to hide her anger, but her left eye kept twitching.

Spike noticed the twitch and looked concerned. “Are you alright, Rarity?” he wondered.

The unicorn quickly nodded and turned away. “I just have something in my eye, Spikey,” she said.

Spike tilted his head in confusion, but shrugged it off.

Twilight looked at Ember’s suitcase, and a thought crossed her. “Ember, didn’t Matches say something about stuff the Dragon Council allowed you to take? What’s that about?”

“Well, the Dragon Council thought that as a gesture of goodwill, they decided to share something that both ponies and dragons have in common; using magic.” She looked over at Spike. “Isn’t that a way to make friends? Find some common ground with another dragon, or in this case pony, and become friends that way?”

Spike nodded and grinned. “That’s right. I think you’re doing great, Ember. You’ve already learned a lot about how to make friends, and I’m proud of you.”

Ember blushed a little, but kept a straight face. “Th–thank you, Spike,” she said softly.

Rarity walked towards Spike and put a hand on his shoulder. She looked at Ember with a forced smile and said, “Well, we’ll leave you here to unpack while we help Matches. Come along, Spike, I’m sure he’ll need help.”

The drake looked a little sad, but nodded anyway. He looked at Ember. “Once you’re done unpacking, I’ll give you and Matches a tour around Ponyville.”

“Good idea,” said Ember. “I’d like to see what else this town has.” She looked over at Twilight. “Are you all coming?”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Pinkie suddenly ran up and put a mouth over her. She looked at Ember with a wide smile.

“She would love to, but can’t,” said Pinkie. “She has some… um, princess stuff to do, we have to help her out. Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

The alicorn nodded and muttered something that Ember couldn’t understand.

“I’ll go with them,” offered Rarity. “I want to help out Spike and make sure Ember and Matches don’t get lost.”

Spike nodded. “Thanks, Rarity.” he said. He looked at Ember. “After the tour, we’ll go to Rarity’s shop for some new clothes.”

“That sounds good,” said Ember. “If she’s as good as you say she is, then I can’t wait to see what she can make for me and Matches.”

“Maybe you and Rarity can bond as well,” said Spike. “You didn’t get much of a chance to talk to her when we were in the Dragon Lands.” He looked over at the unicorn. “Wouldn’t that be great, Rarity?”

She forced another smile and nodded curtly. “That would be… wonderful, Spike,” she said. “Before we leave though, maybe you should change into something a little more casual, darling.”

Spike looked at his tuxedo and blushed as he nodded.

Rarity smiled and turned around. “Come on. We need to help Matches.”

Ember watched as the group went out of the room, but she noticed Rarity looking back at her with daggers in her eyes. Rarity mouthed something that Ember couldn’t understand and then left the room. The dragoness stood there with an agape mouth and felt that cold feeling again. She turned around and frowned.

“What’s her problem?” she asked herself.

Ember and Spike, who changed into a green polo shirt and brown slacks, laughed as they both sat on a red couch at Carousel Boutique. They each had a cupcake with blue icing and gems sprinkled all over it in their hands.

Ember chuckled a little as she took a bite out of the cupcake and swallowed it. “I can’t believe such a tiny flower caused all that trouble and made your friends like that,” she said. “As bad as what happened to your friends was, that was funny.”

“Just don’t bring it up to Applejack,” said Spike. “She really hated what happened to her.”

“Got it,” said Ember as she took another bite of the cupcake. She smiled and said, “Man, I got to ask those bakers how they make this stuff. Normally, we eat gems regularly, not use them for stuff like cupcakes, cake, or other foods.”

“You never tried it?” wondered Spike.

“We never really thought of it,” said Ember. “Maybe you can give me some advice about cooking.”

Spike blushed a little. “Well, I’m not really the dragon to go to. You’d have to ask Pinkie Pie. She was the one who came up with most of these recipes and taught me them when I moved here.”

Ember smirked as she laid back. “So you can cook, clean, play piano, and ice skate. Is there anything you can’t do?”

Spike shrugged a little. “Well, I’ve been asked if I can sing,” he said. “I tried it once at the Equestria Games and it didn’t work out. Maybe I should try again someday.”

The sound of footsteps caught Spike’s ear, and he looked to see Rarity standing the doorway.

“Am I interrupting anything?” she asked.

Spike waved a hand. “Nah. I was just telling Ember about some of our past adventures.”

“Is Matches done?” asked Ember.

Rarity stepped to the side and held an arm out as she smiled triumphantly. “I have managed to make some clothes for him. Come on out, Matches.”

Matches stepped out and adjusted his new shirt. He was wearing a silver shirt, dark blue jeans, and an open buttoned black shirt with holes cut out to allow his wings out. Ember smiled and nodded slowly as she looked at the clothes.

“Looking good there, Matches.” She looked at Spike. “I see what you mean by saying Rarity was good at making clothes.”

“Told you so,” he said. “Rarity can make anypony look good; even Rainbow Dash and she’s not one for fashion at all.”

Rarity looked at Ember. “Darling, please come with me.”

Spike got up to follow. “I’ll help you out if you want, Rarity,” he offered.

Rarity shook her head. “I’m sorry, Spikey Wikey, but I think I can handle this by myself. Why don’t you and Matches talk while I take care of Ember?”

Spike looked dejected, but nodded anyway. “Okay, I can probably talk to him about some of our recent adventures. See you two later.”

Ember walked with Rarity down the hallway and out of range of Spike’s voice. She looked over at the unicorn and was met only with an irritable look on her. Ember felt that cold feeling again and looked away.

Ember fidgeted and her cheeks were burning red as she covered herself. She looked around as she stood on a small pink platform and saw herself in three mirrors surrounding her.

“Are you sure I have to do this, Rarity?” she asked in a small voice.

The unicorn came over with a roll of measuring tape and a small pad and pen in her hand. She nodded and said, “Ember, if I’m to get your proper measurements, it’s only fitting that I ask that you remove that armor of yours. Besides, we’re both ladies here.”

Ember looked down, still having an embarrassed look on her, and nodded. “Alright, if you say so.”

Rarity smiled a little. “Good, now please put your arms to their sides and we’ll begin.”

Ember slowly put her arms down to her sides, allowing Rarity to get a better look at the dragoness’ body. She looked up and down at Ember’s rather curvy body.

She’s skinny, but leaned muscled like Rainbow, thought Rarity. She looked at Ember’s bosom, kept in by a black bra, and frowned. The size of her bosom is quite large as well. I’d say it’s probably around a c-cup like me. Her eyes went down around Ember’s hips, which was partially covered by black panties. Even her hips are large and curvy. She could sway them around and seduce Spike with them. It’s even worse than I thought, she’s gorgeous!

“Um… Rarity?” asked Ember. “Are you going to measure me? You’re just staring at me, and it’s getting kind of awkward.”

Rarity broke out of her thoughts and walked over. “Alright, darling, this won’t take too long.”

Rarity began wrapping the measuring tape around Ember. She muttered to herself as she used her magic to write down the measurements. Ember stood perfectly still as she felt the tape go across her body. Ember looked at Rarity, who still looked a little upset, and frowned.

Maybe this would be a good time to try and get to know her more like Spike suggested, she thought to herself. Maybe I can also try to find out what’s making her so angry. But what can I talk about? She thought for a moment, and then something crossed her mind that made her smile.

Ember looked at Rarity, who was measuring her left leg. “You know, I heard Spike say something about helping you out earlier. Does he help you out a lot?”

“He does,” answered Rarity bluntly. “Now hold your arms out please.”.

Ember raised her arms to her side. “What does he do around here to help you?”

“Well I do use him for various tasks. He brings me stuff that I need for designing clothes, sorts out fabric, organize my sewing kit, and helps me hunt for gems for the orders I make.”

Ember raised an eyebrow. “He hunts for gems only? Does he eat them?”

“I give Spike some gems to eat as a reward,” replied Rarity. “He mostly eats a lot of stuff ponies make like pancakes or hay fries. Other than that, I do reward Spike for his hard work and how good of a friend he is to me with gems.”

Something glistening caught Ember’s eye and she looked over. She turned her head and saw sunlight shining on top of a red dresser and something shining on top of it. She squinted her eyes and gasped as she saw a red ruby in the shape of a heart.

“Whoa, Rarity,” said Ember in a shocked tone. “Is that gem what I think it is?”

Rarity smiled sinisterly as she lowered her head. I was hoping you’d see that. Now to spring the trap!

She looked at the dresser and her horn lit up. The gem levitated towards her and she held it up to Ember. “You mean this?” she wondered.

“Yeah! That’s a Fire Ruby, a really rare gem to find!” said Ember enthusiastically. “Those are the tastiest gems a dragon can find! Where did you get one of those?”

Rarity took the necklace and put it around her. “If you must know, darling, Spike gave this to me.”

Ember’s smile faltered a little. “... What?” she asked.

Rarity smirked a little. “You heard that correctly, Ember,” she said. “Spike gave this gem to me on his birthday. He said he was giving it to make as a token of how much he cares about me so much. He’s a very close friend of mine, and I a good friend to him.”

Ember felt something in her that made her shock turn into anger. She unconsciously clenched her fists together and gritted her teeth. She looked away to hide the irritable look on her.

What’s wrong with me? she asked herself. So Spike gave something to one of his friends. It doesn’t mean much. I mean all Rarity said was that Spike was a close friend, but yet I don’t get what I’m feeling.

Rarity stood up and smiled. “Well, that takes care of that,” she said. “That didn’t take too long, now did it?”

“I’ll say,” Ember agreed. “You must be very good at what you do. It’s no wonder why Twilight told me about that shop you’re opening up in… Manehatten, is it?”

“That is correct,” said Rarity. “Perhaps one day I’ll show you it and my shop in Canterlot. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must get started on making some new clothes for you.” She started to walk over to a nearby sewing machine and hummed to herself.

“Rarity?”

The unicorn looked back at Ember, who seemed a little uncomfortable. “Yes, darling?”

“I just want to be clear about one thing,” said Ember. “Are you alright with me?”

“I’m not understanding,” said Rarity.

“I’m just saying that you seem a little… hostile around me, and I don’t know why. If I made you mad, I’m sorry.”

Rarity sighed and smiled softly. “It’s not that, darling. I guess after all the trouble dragons have caused us in the past, it’s kind of hard to not to feel a little worried.”

Ember’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry, Rarity,” she assured. “I’m going to change that.”

“I have no doubt, Ember,” said Rarity as she walked over to the dragoness. “I just have one last bit of friendly advice for you.”

“And that is?”

Rarity placed a hand on Ember’s shoulder and gave her a cold look. “Stay away from Spike,” she warned in an icy tone. “I know how you’ve been looking at him and acting around him. I’m just letting you know right now to back off.”

Ember felt a chill run down her spine. She said nothing as Rarity backed away, turned, and walked over to the nearby sewing machine and began pulling various fabrics from a nearby shelf.

Just what is her problem!? she asked herself. And what does she mean by how I’ve been looking at Spike? Is she implying the same thing Matches has been asking me about him? I don’t like him like that.

Ember felt a little empty as she said that and held a hand over her chest. … Right?

Ember smiled as she walked down the street and looked down at her new clothes. She was wearing a red tank top that had holes cut out for wings, and had several gems on it to make it look like a yellow flame, and wearing a pair of dark navy blue jeans.

“How do you like them?” asked Matches as he carried two bags, with each one containing the armor they both wore.

Ember nodded and said, “It’s really comfortable. It’s nothing at all like how the clothes we normally wear feel like. It’s like wearing a cloud or something.”

“I’ll say,” said Matches. “I may have to get rid of all those old clothes at home for these instead.”

Ember looked over at Spike, and frowned. He, too, was carrying two large bags that each was stuffed with clothes for her and Matches. Spike, however, was having a little bit of a hard time carrying it, and was walking a bit slowly.

“Do you want some help, Spike?” asked Ember.

Spike shook his head. “Nah, I’m good,” he said in a bit of a strained voice. “I just didn’t think Rarity would make this many clothes for you and Matches.”

“I figured since you two were staying the week, I may as well make enough clothes to last that long,” replied Rarity. “Don’t worry about Spike either, Ember. He’s done this for me for a few years and doesn’t mind helping me out.”

Something about the way Rarity said that made Ember’s blood boil and grit her teeth. She didn’t dare look at Rarity as she could’ve sworn she was glaring at her. She looked up at the sky and noticed it was turning orange, and the sun setting over the hills.

“Wow, I didn’t think we were gone that long.” Ember looked back at Spike. “I hope your friends didn’t mind we were out for so long.”

“Don’t worry about it,” assured Spike. “We’re coming back just in time any way.”

The castle came into view and the group walked up to the doors. Ember opened the doors and the others followed behind her. She raised an eyebrow as she looked around. The entire castle was pitch black, save for the light coming from the door.

Ember looked over at Spike. “What’s going on here? Where’s a light switch?”

Suddenly, the room illuminated and blinded Ember and Matches for a moment. Several loud blowers echoed and both dragons felt some tiny stuff falling upon them.

“SURPRISE!” a chorus of voices cried out.

Matches, who was still a little dazed, quickly grabbed Ember’s hand and pulled her behind him. “Don’t worry, Ember!” he bellowed. “I’ll save you from this threat! I’ll make whoever dares attack us feel the wrath of the dragons!”

The sound of several voices screaming and whimpering made him smile. “That’s right, you should run for thinking you can attack the Dragon Lord!”

Spike ran over and held Matches. “Whoa! Slow down there, Matches!” he ordered. “You and Ember are alright! Just open your eyes and take a look around!”

Both dragons slowly opened their eyes and the room wasn’t as bright as before. The castle was covered with various colorful streamers, balloons, and confetti on the ground. Around the main entrance to the castle was a large group of ponies wearing colorful hats and holding party horns. They all looked nervous or fearful as they stared at Ember and Matches. In the middle of the room was Twilight and her friends, all of whom had awkward smiles on them. Matches then felt a hand on him and he looked over to see a concerned Spike.

“Take it easy, Matches,” he said. “Haven’t you or Ember ever heard of a surprise party before?”

Ember moved past Matches and raised an eyebrow as she looked around. “A… surprise party?” she curiously asked. “Is it like a Feast?”

“A what now?” wondered Spike.

“A Feast,” said Matches. “When a dragon finds a gem deposit, they usually gather a lot of dragons together and eat as many of the gems as possible. Afterwards, any gems that remain, the dragons take with them. Some of them can get pretty interesting as we try to see how many gems a dragon can fit in their mouth and eat them, or who can find a rare gem.”

Spike chuckled a little. “Well… this isn’t exactly like that. This is better; much better. A party in general is when all you bring all your friends and other invited guests together for some fun. It can be about almost anything like a birthday party, a graduation party, or, in this case, a surprise party. This one in particular is the traditional Welcome to Ponyville party that Pinkie Pie always throws for new guests or ponies moving here.”

“Oh…” Ember looked around the room and smiled sheepishly at the nervous crowd around them. “Um… sorry about that. Just kind of new about learning this stuff, and I guess we kind of overreacted.” She chuckled nervously and her eyes darted around.

The crowd looked a little uncomfortable, but smiled a little anyway.

Ember sighed and hung her head. “What a great way to make a first impression,” she sarcastically said.

Spike took Ember’s hand and squeezed it a little. “Just relax, Ember,” he said. “It took a while for everypony here to get used to me. Come on, I’ll show you around and introduce you to some of the towns ponies around here.”

Ember smiled softly as she looked at the sincere look on Spike. “Alright, let’s go.”

Pinkie pulled out her Party Cannon and grinned. “Let’s get this party started!” She pulled the rope and confetti shot out of the canon. The crowd cheered and music began to play.

Spike walked Ember and Matches around and introduced them to other ponies around town. Ember met and shook a reluctant Mayor Mare’s hand, and wished her the best on the visit. She then met the Cake family and they were more than happy to share the recipes they use to make stuff with gems. Ember than met an odd chestnut stallion who was asking if she’d seen some sort of screwdriver, and brushed him off.

Soon enough, Matches and Ember made their way with Spike to an open room that had music blaring in the center of the room with two unicorns at a small DJ station. Ponies were dancing in the middle of the room with friends, lovers, or even by themselves.

Matches laughed heartedly. “You were right, Spike. This is better than any Feast I’ve been to.” He saw a table with some cupcakes on it. “I’m going to grab something to eat quickly.” He walked over to the table and grabbed a few cupcakes.

Spike looked over at Ember. “Having fun?”

She nodded and smiled. “I have to admit that it’s… interesting, but it does seem fun.”

Spike began walking towards a nearby table. “Let me grab some punch really quick and then we’ll–oof!”

Ember gasped as she saw Spike walk right into a red pegasus. She ran over to check on him. “Are you alright, Spike?” she asked.

He nodded and dusted himself off. “I’m fine. I guess I just didn’t watch where I was going.” He looked at the pony he bumped into. “Sorry about that.”

The pony turned around and smirked. “That’s alright, buddy,” he said in a low voice.

Ember and Spike both got a good look at the pony. He was wearing some raggedy and worn black leather jacket, with one hand inside a jacket pocket, with a white shirt underneath and worn out blue jeans. His mane was yellow and spiked, and his eyes were just as yellow as his mane.

Spike tilted his head in confusion. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you around town before?”

The pegasus chuckled and smiled wickedly. “I’m just a drifter going from town to town. I heard about this party and decided to come to it. I especially didn’t want to miss one that included a Dragon Lord.” He held out a hand towards Spike. “The name’s Hot Streak.”

Spike slowly reached his hand out to shake it. “Um… I’m Spike. Nice to meet yoooof!” He winced in pain as he felt his hand being gripped very tightly.

Ember pulled Spike away and glared at Hot Streak. “What’s your problem?” she demanded.

“Heh, sorry about that,” he said as he put his hands up. “I forget I don’t know my own strength. You must be the Dragon Lord everydr… erm, everypony has talked about. Why are you even here?”

“I am hoping to improve relations between dragons and ponies,” answered Ember. “I’m hoping by the end of this for all of us to become friends.”

Hot Streak scoffed and shook his head. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“Why do you say that?” asked Ember as she raised an eyebrow.

“Because I know what you’ve all done in the past for ponies. You’ve all caused quite a lot of trouble in the past, and I’m not sure if I want that.”

Ember felt a little angered. “Well I’m trying to put that behind us,” she argued. “It won’t be easy, but Spike has proven that if a dragon can make friends with ponies, than other dragons can.”

Hot Streak looked over at Spike and his eyes narrowed. “Ah, yes, Spike,” he said in a cold tone. “I’ve heard some things about him here and there, but I’m still not convinced. This whole thing sounds like a waste of time.”

Ember opened her mouth to speak, but Spike stepped forward and got in Hot Streak’s face with a glare.

“Back off, ‘buddy’,” he threatened. “I helped Ember learn to accept friendship and teach it to other dragons, and I believe this will work out. I’ve seen too many dragons around here doing terrible things to ponies, but I want to help change that too. If you can’t accept that, then maybe you should leave right now and leave her alone!”

Some of the crowd looked on in anticipation as they waited to see what happened. Ember looked at Spike, who had a determined look on him, and felt her cheeks flush red for a moment. She looked away to avoid the attention and felt her heart racing a little.

Hot Streak scoffed again and raised his hands as he walked away. “Alright, fine,” he conceded. “I was on my way out of here anyway. This party is getting lame anyway.” He shoved his way past the crowd, but turned back with a smirk on his face. “Oh, and Spike? I’ll see you later, buddy.”

Spike growled a little as he watched Hot Streak disappear into the crowd. “I hope to not see you again.”

Matches ran over and looked worried. “I heard yelling. Is everything okay?” he wondered.

Ember nodded. “I’m fine,” she assured. “Spike and I just ran into some trouble, but Spike was able to get rid of that pony.”

“That’s good to hear,” said Matches with a grin. “I’ll be sure to remain vigilant so that nothing like that happens again.”

“Thanks, Matches,” said Ember. She looked over at Spike and felt a little shy. “Um… thanks, Spike, for the help.” The drake looked at her with a concerned look. “What’s wrong?”

Spike shook his head. “It’s just that guy,” he said in a wary tone. “I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve seen him before. I just can’t remember where.”

The music stopped and the crowd cheered wildly. At the DJ station, a palish green unicorn stallion and a white unicorn mare smiled at each other as they heard the crowd applaud. The stallion grabbed a nearby mic and tapped it a few times to check it.

“Good evening, Ponyville!” he announced in a jovial voice. “This is DJ-P0N3 and MC-W1SH. Equestria’s number one DJ couple, asking you, Ponyville, are you having a blast!?”

The crowd cheered wildly again, which made DJ and MC smile again. “Then let’s keep the beat going!” He looked over at Vinyl. “Hit it, baby!”

Vinyl nodded and placed another record on the player and a needle on it. A low beat started to play that intensified as it went on. The crowd went back to dancing and laughing again as the music became louder.

Spike’s scowl changed to a smile as an idea popped in his head. He grabbed Ember’s hand and pulled her. “Come on,” he urged. “I want to do something with you.”

Ember refused to budge though. “Wait a minute, Spike,” she objected. “What are you doing?”

Spike grinned confidently. “I think we should dance together.”

Ember’s face went red and she tried to keep a straight look. “D–-dance!?” she asked nervously. “But dragons don’t dance!”

“Well this dragon can, and I’ll even show you,” said Spike.

Ember let out a sigh and nodded. “Alright, I’m not sure if I’ll like it, but I’ll try.” She looked away for a moment to hide her blush. “Don’t even try to think this means anything either.”

Spike frowned and tilted his head. “I don’t know what you mean, but come on.” He pulled her and both dragons walked into the middle of the dance floor.

Ember saw Matches with a confused look on him. “Try and dance!” she yelled at him. “Maybe you’ll like it too!”

Matches looked uncomfortable and looked around. He saw Twilight talking with Applejack nearby and walked over to her. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned to look at him.

“Um… care to dance?” asked Matches with a sheepish grin on him.

Twilight chuckled weakly. “Well, I can’t exactly dance, but if you’re willing to give it a shot I’ll–”

“That’s great!” Matches took Twilight’s hand and the two ran off onto the dance floor while Applejack laughed a little.

As Spike and Ember made their way into the crowd, Ember got a little flustered as she felt ponies bumping and making sudden moves around her and Spike.

“I’m not so sure about this, Spike,” she warned. “This seems a little weird to be moving your body like this.”

“Ah, come on, Ember,” encouraged Spike. “You got to get into the rhythm is all. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here with you.”

Spike bobbed his head slowly as he listened to the music. His hips began to sway and his arms moved around. Ember watched for a little bit to observe what Spike was doing and making a mental note about his moves.

After a while, Spike smiled and pointed to Ember. “Show me your moves!”

Ember did nothing for a moment and panicked a little. She awkwardly began moving her body around and swaying her hips to the beat. She tried to remember what Spike did, but her nerves got the best of her. Several ponies around her raised looked at Ember with confusion on their faces.

The dragoness sighed and frowned. “I can’t do it,” she bitterly said. “I told you that dragons don’t dance.”

Spike smiled and took her hand. “Don’t be like that. You just got to get into the groove and let yourself have fun. You’re taking this too seriously. Just follow my lead and you’ll get it down in no time.”

Ember opened her mouth to respond, but Spike pulled her in closely, which made her heart skip a beat. “I don’t know if I’ll like it though,” she said.

“Hey, if I can do it, you can too,” said Spike. “Just trust me.”

The sincere smile on Spike’s face made Ember feel a little calm. She nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go.”

Ember watched Spike dance for a little bit and tried to copy what he was doing. She moved her body around and bobbed her head along to the music. She found herself smiling as she danced, and saw Spike laugh joyfully. She felt that same calm feeling from when she met Spike earlier, but this time it also felt like a weight she didn’t know she had on her be lifted off her shoulders. She laughed joyfully with Spike as the two of them danced together.

“You’re right, Spike,” said Ember. “This is actually pretty fun.”

“Told you that you would get the hang of it,” he said with a laugh. “Just because you think dragons can’t do something, doesn’t mean that shouldn’t stop you. You’re already doing great.”

Ember smiled softly and looked away for a moment. “Well… thanks,” she softly said. “Just know this doesn’t mean anything, okay?”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “What does that even mean?”

Ember opened her mouth to speak, but a white hand waved in front of her. She looked over and saw Rarity smiling.

“Mind if I cut in?” she asked.

Spike shook his head. “Not at all.” He looked at Ember. “Sorry to cut this short. Why don’t you go introduce yourself to more ponies?”

“That would be a good idea,” said Rarity. “I think maybe you’ve spent a little too much time with Spikey Wikey and need to see other ponies. Wouldn’t you agree, Ember?”

The dragoness felt her blood boiling again and her anger building up. She kept a straight face and slowly nodded. “Fine, but one last thing before I go.” She leaned in and glared at Rarity. “I want to talk to you later. Meet me in my room in one hour.”

Rarity glared back at her. “Fair enough, darling,” she emphasized the last word with a venomous tone.

Ember wanted to say something else, but turned away to not look at Rarity anymore. She walked past the crowd and some smoke billowed from her nostrils.

“Alright. This has gone on long enough,” she sternly said. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.”

The sound of the party could be heard in the distance as Rarity walked down the hallway. She soon came across the door to Ember’s room, and knocked on it. The door opened to reveal a rather impatient Ember tapping her foot.

“Come in,” she said in an icy tone.

As soon as Rarity stepped into the room, the door slammed shut and Ember looked at Rarity with a cold look on her.

“Are you having a good time, Ember?” asked Rarity.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “As fun as it is though, I think I’m getting a little tired and want to rest for the night.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Then why did you invite me here?”

Ember shot a glare at her. “Because I think we have a problem.”

“I told you, Ember, there is–”

“Don’t give me any of that,” the dragoness interrupted. “This seems to go beyond just dragons. I think you have a grudge against me, and I want to know why.”

Rarity crossed her arms and scowled. “Well, darling, if you had listened to what I told you before, this wouldn’t be happening.”

“What are you talking about?” demanded Ember as frustration built up in her.

“Think back to what I told you about Spike,” answered Rarity.

Ember thought back to an earlier conversation and recalled as much as she could remember. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind that left her feeling cold.

Stay away from Spike.

Ember felt her anger building up and she clenched her fist. “Are you kidding me!?” she yelled. “Are you just upset because I’m spending time with Spike!?”

Rarity refused to back down, despite the furious look on Ember. She instead walked right up to her and scoffed. “Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on,” she said. “I know how you’ve been looking at Spike.”

Ember’s cheeks flushed a little and she flinched. “Wh–what did you say?” she stuttered.

“You’re doing it again,” said Rarity. “I’ve seen the way you look at him. You have that look on you that you’ve fallen for him. Your face turns red, and from what Matches told me while I was getting him measured, you can’t seem to stop talking about him.”

Ember had a mixture of embarrassment and anger on her face. I’m going to get you for this, Matches, she thought to herself.

“I warned you before to stay away from Spike,” threatened Rarity. “There is only room for one lady to have his heart, and it’ll be me.”

“I–I have no interest in him!” she objected. Ember felt her stomach twist a little upon saying that and felt empty. “H–he and I are j–just good friends! That’s all!”

“You lie,” said Rarity. “Matches has told me that not only do you talk about him, you seem to think about him a lot too.”

Ember gritted her teeth and snorted. Matches, what were you thinking!?

“Sorry to tell you this, but he likes me more,” said Rarity in a haughty tone. “You may as well forget about him and move on to find another dragon of your own. I think Spike deserves to be with a lady such as me.”

Ember’s body shook with anger and her nostrils were billowing smoke. Something inside her snapped and she felt her patience reach a boiling point. Amidst the anger though, a thought did cross her mind. She gasped in realization and her anger changed to a smug smile.

“So you say Spike deserves a pony who is a ‘lady’ huh?” asked Ember.

“That is correct,” replied Rarity. “I’m glad you’re finally understanding this.”

“Let me ask you something then. Why haven’t you said anything?”

Rarity raised a hand, but she couldn’t think of any words to say. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing happened.

Ember smirked a little. “It’s funny that you say that Spike likes you more, but yet you haven’t done anything yet. I don’t recall him ever saying in the time I spent with him that you were his marefriend or anything. It seems like for somepony who cares about him, you don’t really do a good job showing that.”

“I treat Spike like a good friend,” argued Rarity. “He’s a dragon who I’ve come to love, and I–”

“Use him for labor and work only,” Ember interrupted again.

Rarity’s eye twitched a little. “Excuse me!?”

“You heard me,” said Ember. “You admitted it yourself you use Spike for work. All you seem to use him for is to have him do all the hard work around your place. For somepony who claims to be a ‘lady’ and care about Spike, you certainly have a funny way of showing it.”

Rarity felt her body shaking with anger. “How dare you?” she said in a low, venomous tone.

Ember got in Rarity’s face and her eyes narrowed. “‘Ll admit that I’m not sure what Spike is to me,” she said. “What I do know though is that maybe he does deserve somedragon who isn’t going to do nothing but play with his feelings and use him for labor only.”

“I don’t treat him like that!” Rarity snapped. “For the record as to why I didn’t make my feelings known to Spike, he was still not of age yet. And he has no complaints about helping me out. He does so out of the goodness of his own heart, and he even gave me a Fire Ruby, that you said was very rare, as a sign of how much he cares about me!”

“That still doesn’t make up for everything you’ve used him for!” Ember shot back. “You claim to like him only now that I… became his friend. You seem more afraid that I’m going to take away the one dragon that’s done all the hard work for you.”

“So you do intend on making him yours, huh?” asked Rarity.

“If it means to save him from you playing around with his feelings, then I guess I’ll do what must be done,” replied Ember. “He deserves better than you.”

Ember and Rarity glared at each other and said nothing. The room fell deathly silent as they both remained motionless and stared at each other. Rarity slowly raised a hand up, and Ember followed suit. They both could see a fire in each other's eyes and both had furious looks on them. Suddenly, a knock at the door broke them out of their trance, and they looked over.

“Ember?” a voice called from the other side.

The dragoness recognized the voice and she stepped away from Rarity. “Come on in.”

The door opened and Matches came in. “There you are, Ember,” he said. “It’s time to make our report to the Dragon Council.” He noticed Rarity staring at Ember with a sullen look on her. “What’s going on here?”

Rarity huffed and quickly walked past Matches. “Nothing at all,” she said. “I was just talking with Ember about something, and was just leaving.” She looked over at Ember and glared at her. “See you around, darling.” The unicorn walked out and the door slammed shut again.

Matches looked at the door and then at Ember with a confused look on him. “What was that all about?”

Ember waved a hand. “Nothing,” she dismissed. “Let’s just get to the report.”

Matches held up a scroll and quill. “I’m ready,” he said.

“One last thing before I begin, Matches.”

“Yes?”

“We need to talk about you telling things you shouldn’t.”

Matches gulped a little from the cold look he got. “Alright.”

Ember turned around, and gasped as she saw something moving outside. She quickly ran over to the window and looked around. The only thing that greeted her was a full moon and some houses nearby.

“Something wrong?” asked Matches.

Ember shook her head and pulled the curtains close. “Nothing. I just thought I saw something. I guess I’m a little out of it from everything today. Let’s just get back to the report.”

Matches held up the scroll and quill. “Ready.”

“Dear Master Ash, I…”

On one of the rolling hills near Ponyville, Hot Streak descended onto the ground. He took his hand out of his pocket and held a rounded red crystal with a yellow aura swirling around inside. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. Slowly, his body began changing. He grew taller, his wings became more rigid and lost their feathers, and his fur slowly transformed into scales.

Garble patted his face as he put the crystal back in his pocket and smiled sinisterly. “This is going a lot better than I thought it would,” he said. “That transformation crystal worked out, and I can easily watch those wimpy ponies without them even noticing me at all.”

He walked up the hill and to a lonely tree nearby. He leaned against it and laughed. “I didn’t even have to do anything at all. It seems poor Ember and one of those pesky ponies are already fighting with each other. And it’s all over Spike’s heart? Ha! I don’t see how anypony or dragon can see anything in him at all.”

Garble rubbed his head and thought to himself. “I got to make sure though to play my cards right, or this whole thing can blow. At the same time, I can’t let this chance pass me by. It’s like the universe itself has given me this opportunity!”

Garble saw Ponyville in the distance and he laughed coldly. “I think with what I’ve heard tonight, it’s time to play match breaker.”