ONE WEEK EARLIER
Evening in Equestria. It was an unusually warm spring night in Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle had decided to take advantage of the good weather and move the party outside. She used her magic to scoop up the long table, punchbowl and all, and hoist it out the door onto the lawn just outside of her tree. Already the party venue looked magical; Twilight had enchanted some star-shaped origami to glow and float in the air just above the tables and dreamy classical music was playing from the gramophone. The sky was clear and starry tonight and a warm breeze gently rustled the origami, adding a zen atmosphere to an already calm night. Twilight sighed in contentment; at last, all the waiting was over. Tonight would be a night to remember.
"What a fantastic job, Twilight!" came a low voice from the doorway. Twilight turned to great the speaker; Spike stepped out of the library onto the lawn, his eyes sweeping the decorations with excitement. Twilight glowed with pride to see him today: a mature at long last. A mixture of her own brand of magic and Zecora's mysterious ways had allowed him to grow yet had prevented him from reaching a monstrous size - for the time being, at least. For now he was larger and more muscular than he had ever been before: not quite a fully grown dragon but certainly no longer a baby anymore. For argument's sake Twilight now saw him as an adult in every way: he was certainly more mature in his ways and mannerisms and was even a hard-working and vital part of the Ponyville community. This was to be the grand celebration to celebrate his adulthood in the eyes of pony society, similar to the Cutecinera that he never had.
"Thanks, Spike," Twilight said with a slight blush. She was distinctly proud of how distinguished the venue looked: not a patch on Pinkie Pie's blowouts, of course, but certainly elegant yet fun enough to please everypony. She gave Spike a long, warm hug as he came towards her: he was certainly much taller these days than ever before. "You should be proud of yourself, too, Spike. You are certainly one of the most vital features in our little town. I'm sure the whole town is proud of you."
Now it was Spike's turn to blush. "Shucks, Twilight," he muttered. He hurriedly changed the subject before she could embarrass him anymore. "What time do you think the others will be getting here?"
"Any minute now, I should think," Twilight replied, arranging some plastic cups neatly into a pyramid. "Are you ready to greet them? I just need to slip into my dress."
"I am stunningly handsome as usual," Spike said with a smile, adjusting the bow tie of his custom-made tuxedo as he did so. He did look handsome, Twilight thought, as she trotted back into the house to get dressed, leaving Spike alone on the lawn. The dragon began to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the calm of the evening and he sat down on a garden bench so he could better appreciate the air of excitement. Tonight was the night, he just knew it. After all this time, after all this waiting, he was finally going to tell her.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of ponies. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had arrived right on time, afraid of being late in Fluttershy's case and afraid of missing any fun in Pinkie's. They were draped in their old Gala dresses as was the tradition: since the debacle at the Grand Galloping Gala all those years ago the friends had vowed to make at least one party every year "the best night ever". This year Spike had requested that his birthday be the night and the ponies had all been keen on the idea. The two ponies had warm, joyful smiles on their faces as they greeted Spike and moved across the lawn to the bench where he was seated.
"Good evening, oh birthday dragon of Spikeyness!" Pinkie shrieked, dodging chairs and tables as she raced to him. She launched herself at his chest and squeezed him, barely winding the dragon at all. Fluttershy blinked as she approached him; she was aware that Spike would never hurt her but a part of her always stopped her from approaching the maturing dragon as fast as Pinkie Pie could. Old habits die hard, thought Spike fondly.
From this point on, ponies gradually began to arrive at the party. For this special event the entire town had been invited and soon the lawn was filled with the sound of eagerly chatting ponies complimenting each other on their evening gowns . The table that had been set aside for Spike's presents was already groaning under the weight of dozens of presents for Spike; this year, as in most preceding years, presents no longer posed a threat to Spike's development. If anything it was quite the opposite: Spike had become quite uncomfortable when it came to receiving gifts and his humble nature meant that he wanted for little in his comfortable life with Twilight. Soon Rainbow Dash and Applejack arrived together and Twilight finally emerged from the library and mingled with the other guests as the party entered full swing. Spike began to circulate the lawn and talk with the guests, ever the gracious host, but he did so somewhat reluctantly, searching the party with anxious eyes. The guestlist was not yet complete. Across the lawn he spied Sweetie Belle chatting with her friends, tossing her long mane as she laughed. Spike weaved his way over to her quickly, beaming as he arrived at the white pony's side.
"Sweetie Belle..." Spike began, but Sweetie Belle laughed softly so as to cut him short.
"Don't worry, Spike. She's on her way. I heard she was having a slight bit of trouble. And everything is okay, don't worry," she added quickly as she saw Spike flinch. "It's the good kind of trouble."
Spike nodded and turned away without a word, leaving Sweetie Belle and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to their silent, hurried discussion. Not that those young mares were crusading anymore: they had earned their cutie marks long ago. Much time had passed since he and Twilight Sparkle had arrived in Ponyville. He looked over at Twilight who was gesturing to the floating origami as she spoke with Cheerilee, probably explaining how she cast the light spell. Spike was so grateful to his friend for organising this party for him and he was struck by a sudden twinge of guilt as he realised that he was still feeling anxious. He looked around the party again, searching. This time his eyes fell upon a figure emerging out of the darkness into the warm glow of the lawn; a pony decked in a pink, purple and gold dress and wearing around her neck a large fire ruby on a gold chain. As she stepped onto the lawn she raised her gaze to meet his, her eyes filled with warmth as she moved in his direction. Spike willed himself to move to but the air had gone from his lungs and the bustle of the party had faded into silence; she stopped in front of Spike and paused, watching him for a moment before throwing her hooves around him in a warm, enveloping hug. Spike slowly wrapped his arms around her in return and he realised that he was completely unable to breathe.
"Spikey-Wikey," Rarity murmured softly, quiet enough so that only Spike could hear. "Happy birthday."
