"Spike, seriously, you gotta calm down," Smolder said calmly.

Unfortunately, her younger companion, who was currently whizzing around the table and trying to make sure everything was in its proper place, didn't seem to be taking her advice under consideration. "I can't just calm down, Smolder! This is Dragon Lord Ember coming along! The leader of all dragons! If we're going to be giving her a nice time in Ponyville, we've got to make sure everything's in order."

Smolder, leaning back into her own chair, rolled her eyes. "The way you're acting, it's like she's never come over here before."

Spike paused here, looking to her with no small measure of incredulity. "In the few times she's visited, she nearly got involved in a war with the Changelings, been insulted by the head of Equestria's education system, and gotten involved in an apocalyptic battle with a trio of villains."

Staring at him, Smolder eventually started to look somewhat nervous herself. "Okay...yeah, you're right, she hasn't exactly had the best track record coming to this place."

Spike sighed. "This is going to be one of the last important things we do here in the Friendship Palace before me and Twilight finally move back to Canterlot. I wanna make sure Ember has at least one pleasant visit here before that happens!"

Smiling to him, Smolder flapped her wings, sending herself over to him, wherein she patted him on the shoulder to try and relax him. "Dude, chill. There's nocreature else coming to mix up the visit, there are no bad guys to fight, and its just gonna be you, me and her."

Hearing all that, Spike took a few deep breaths, and after that final exhale, he looked up to her with appreciation. "Thanks, Smolder. You're right, we can do this. There's...there's no reason to get worried, right?"

Smolder nodded with a smile, then glanced to the side while she pondered her fellow dragon's question. "Well...unless something crazy and unexpected happens. You know, the kind of random thing Ponyville seems to attract like a magnet?" Though she'd said the words in jest, Spike clearly didn't take it that way, since he soon looked as pale as a sheet, prompting an apologetic and hasty retraction on Smolder's part. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

Spike, naturally, had a hard time recovering from that one, and didn't look all that pleased when he did. "I just...need this to go well."

Placing one claw upon her hip, Smolder looked to him with a smirk. "Why? Got another one of your crushes going on here?"

Spike blushed immediately, but shook himself out of it shortly afterwards. "No. Ember was the first dragon I ever knew that I was able to be friends with. She's...important to me."

Hearing the genuine way he'd spoken, Smolder eased off, sighing briefly before giving him another pat on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. She'll be happy to be here. Besides, even if things go wrong, it'd still be better than having to stay in the Dragon Lands and deal with whatever nonsense my brother and his friends have been getting up to, whatever that might be this week."

Spike chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that would get tiring after a while." The two shared a laugh together, but it was soon interrupted when, all of a sudden, they heard a distinct roar from outside. Immediately, they knew who it was, and so flapped their wings, launching themselves outside. Once there, they looked up, briefly shielding their eyes from the bright light of the sun. Soon, a silhouette began to make itself known, and was heading straight towards them. They took a step backwards, watching as the leader of their people, Dragon Lord Ember, made a graceful descent to the ground. Once she was there, smiling to the two of them, Spike rushed forward, his youthful excitement overwhelming him. "Ember! You made it!"

As always, Ember was taken aback at how forward Spike was, seeing him hug her as closely as kin. No others would have dared be this way around her, but for him she'd make an exception. "Nice to see you too, Spike." Glancing upwards, the dragoness spotted the one she'd chosen for Twilight's school, and so smirked towards her. "And you, Smolder? I'm hoping you haven't torched the school at this point, right?"

Folding her arms, Smolder let out a quick snort of smoke from her nostrils. "You get into one teensy-weensy fire-contest with Spike and suddenly that's all anycreature can say about me!"

They all laughed at that one, even Smolder, and it wasn't long before Ember turned her attention yet again to her host. "So, will the Princess be joining us?"

Sighing, Spike shook his head. "Afraid not. She's got a lot of work to do over at Canterlot. The rebuilding of the palace is taking time."

Ember nodded solemnly. "I bet it would. That place was a total wreck last time I saw it." A smile came to her. "Still, if anycreature can get it up and ready again, it's her." Her eyes drifted to the Friendship Palace. "So, shall we?"

Spike nodded enthusiastically, heading off to the palace, with the two dragonesses behind him, and once inside, he gave a bow to the elder while gesturing to the arranged table. "Welcome to the Friendship Palace!" Standing up again, he nervously poked the ends of his claws together. "Um, I hope you like it."

Ember chortled before giving him a nod. "Let it never be said you can't make a Lord feel welcome." She turned, looking to the nearest wall. "Besides, it'd be hard for me not to feel welcome in a place as tasty-looking as this one."

With memories of her previous visit resurfacing, worry came to Spike's expression. "Er…"

But he didn't get the chance to say anything, as Ember suddenly let out a boisterous laugh. "Relax! I'm kidding! I learned my lesson from last time." Then, looking to the wall again, she took on a mournful look. "Unfortunately."

Moving over to the table, Spike pulled out a chair, clearly inviting Ember for it. As for Ember herself, who definitely wasn't used to this sort of politeness back in the Dragon Lands, she shook her head slightly before moving over, sitting herself in the offered chair. Smolder too looked to Spike with some amusement as she took her own place, turning as Spike left the room to no doubt get the tea. In his absence, she glanced over to her ruler. "So...good flight over?"

Ember hesitated here, then shrugged. "Well...I saw a cloud that looked like a duck, I think."

Smolder nodded. "Ah, good." After a long silence, she sighed., "We're not that good at small-talk, are we?"

Another shake of the head from Ember. "Not in the slightest."

And it was at this point when Spike suddenly started running back, a tray in his claws bearing three still-steaming cups of tea. The two dragonesses smiled to him as he arrived at the table, seeing him gently set it down before giving another bow. "Enjoy. But be warned, it's still hot." When he looked up, he saw them both giving him raised eyebrows, prompting a blush on his part. "Oh, right, dragons."

He took his seat as the other two took their first sips of tea, which eventually led to a contented sigh on Ember's part. "Ah! Wonderful. After a while you kinda get tired of nothing but gems back home."

Smolder chuckled. "I hear ya. I used to be pretty against tea and stuff, but I eventually started after all my friends kept going on about it."

Spike looked to her smugly. "And lo and behold, she enjoyed trying something new. Who'd have thunk?"

Smolder rolled her eyes. "Yes, Spike, trying new things is good, friendship is a positive influence, and all the rest of it. No need to hammer in the lesson at this point."

Seeing that little exchange, Ember of course smirked to her orange compatriot. "To think, you were once so resistant to the idea of coming here. Now look at you, an exemplar of dragons learning friendship."

Smolder leaned back into her chair, grimacing slightly. "Don't know how I feel about representing my entire race."

Spike shrugged. "I know the feeling. That was pretty much how it was for me here in Equestria for my whole life. But hey, you get used to it."

Ember looked to him with interest. "Must've been difficult, being the only dragon here for so long."

But, contrary to her expectations, Spike actually smiled to that. "Hey, it's been pretty great. I had good friends with me. A real family. Can't ask for anything better."

Ember smiled, taking another sip of her tea before continuing. "It's good to hear ponies were nice to you for all that time. I realise we dragons haven't exactly made the best impression for ourselves over the years."

Smolder looked away, seeming somewhat uncomfortable herself. "Yeah, and given how much I didn't even want to be here, I probably wasn't giving off the best vibes to start with either."

Spike seemed unconcerned, looking to his fellow dragons with the friendliness they'd both come to expect from him. "Hey it's no trouble. Whatever issues Equestria might have had in the past, they're gone now."

Ember studied him closely. "You think so?"

Spike gave a confident nod. "I do! I mean, think about it. Smolder and her friends helped save all of Equestria's magic from an Equestrian. You and all our other allies helped save the world, and as for me..." A degree of cockiness came to him. "Well, not to brag or anything but I like to think I've done a pretty swell job of selling the idea of good dragons to the folks up in the Crystal Empire."

Smolder had to fight the urge to groan to that last declaration, but while Spike was lost in his fond memories she at least leaned in closer to whisper to the young Dragon Lord. "Careful, he really likes talking about that one."

Ember blinked with confusion a couple of times, but otherwise seemed alleviated by Spike's earlier remarks. "Well, I'm glad things between us and Equestria are picking up. With all our neighbouring countries in fact." Her expression briefly turned sour. "Though dealing with the Griffon leadership can get pretty trying on occasion."

Spike laughed. "If you're talking about Grandpa Gruff, don't worry about it. Nocreature likes having to talk to him." They all laughed together at that, and when it was over, Spike looked to Ember with warmth. "You know, it's pretty great that I met you, Ember. You were the first dragon I ever met who I thought was a decent person. Everyone else was...well...you know..."

Ember nodded in agreement, smiling to him. "I know, I know. It certainly wasn't helped by my Dad encouraging that behavior for so long. And hey, meeting you helped me become Dragon Lord, so I'd say the relationship worked out pretty well for me." Then, realising what she'd said, she quickly laughed nervously. "Oh, and you're also a pretty great person even if you hadn't helped me become leader of my people. Just felt I needed to clarify that."

Spike beamed. "Thanks. Looking back, that really was the turning point for our kind, wasn't it? I kinda don't want to think how things might have gone down if I'd actually taken up your Dad's offer to just walk away."

Smolder sighed. "We'd probably all be bowing down to my brother at this point. I mean, I love him to bits but...yeesh."

A shiver went down their spines at that thought, but they soon recovered from it, with Ember picking up her tea cup and holding it up in Spike's direction. "Well, here's to Spike then. The little dragon peacemaker."

Smolder matched her motion. "To us, the Changelings and the Crystal Empire."

Spike's chest swelled with pride. "Well, yeah, I was kinda awesome, wasn't I?" Then, remembering himself, he cleared his throat. "Oh, not that I'd ever let that stuff go to my head of course...hehe."

Author's Notes:

I really wanted more scenes of these three together before the show ended. Oh well