In a surprise visit, Dragon Lord Ember comes to Ponyville with important news to give to her good friend Spike. According to her words, a great gathering among dragons is soon to be upon them, and in it, every dragon of age must find another dragon to become mated to by its end -- for life -- or risk becoming mate-less and alone forever, as stated by dragon law.

With such a sudden and perturbing turn of events, Spike, who is of the proper maturity, finds himself thrust into a most dire situation. Being raised by ponies has left him unfamiliar with his kind's inherent customs and traditions, but he knows that if he fails to participate or act like a proper dragon at the gathering, he fears he could lose his chance to show Ember the feelings he's been keeping from her for the past few years.

Does Spike have the ability to behave like the rest of his kind? And even if he succeeds in relearning his dragon instincts with the help of his friends, will he still be able to win over Ember's affections before someone else does?