Spike entered the library that evening, whistling and dancing his way up the stairs, all the way into his little basket bed. This oddly jubilant behavior brought Twilight's attention away from the book she'd been reading. Now was the time to get to the bottom of things!
The unicorn shut her book with her magic; then followed Spike up the stairs to her room.
"Spike?" The clopping of Twilight's hooves against the wooden steps filled the library.
"Oh, Spiiiiike!"
Spike opened his eyes as he laid on his back in his bed to find the purple unicorn standing above him.
"Yeah, Twilight?" Spike answered with a lovesick sigh.
"I know you've been keeping something from me, Spike."
Uh-oh. Busted. Spike forced the smile away in an effort to place innocent. "What are you talking about?"
Twilight flashed a knowing smile as she looked Spike right in the eyes. "Who is she, Spike?"
"Who's who?"
"Don't 'who's who' me, Spike. I know about your new girlfriend."
Gritting his teeth to fight the sudden ager burning in his gut, Spike sat up. "Rainbow Dash spilled the beans, didn't she?"
"I'm sorry, Spike. I didn't ask her to."
"You're not mad at me, are you?"
"Maybe a little annoyed." Twilight rolled her eyes. "But mostly I'm happy for you!"
"I thought if you found out, you might think I didn't want to be your number one assistant anymore."
"Of course not! Why would you think that, Spike?"
"Because I've been wanting to spend time with Sapphire instead of with you?"
"It just means that you really like this girl. I would have understood if you'd just told me. In fact, why don't you bring her on over to Ponyville sometime? I'd love to meet her!"
Spike stood up from his bed to embrace Twilight around the torso. "Thanks, Twi. You really are the best."
Bring her on over to Ponyville. That thought brought an idea to Spike's mind as he let go of Twilight and turned back for the stairs.
"Where are you going now?" the unicorn asked.
"I gotta go talk to Pinkie Pie really quick. Don't worry, I'll be back within the hour."
Twilight smiled. Pinkie Pie was always the first pony anypony went to when they needed to plan for a party, and she had a feeling a welcoming party for Sapphire was what Spike had in mind.
The next morning…
"I don't know about this, Spike. Most other creatures I've known get a little anxious with a strange dragon around. We're not exactly known as the type of creatures who make new friends."
"Don't worry!" Spike answered. "They're my friends, Sapphire. They won't kick you out of town or anything like that."
Most of the ponies enjoying the mid-morning sunshine went about their business paying little attention to the two dragons. Some of the ponies were tending to the gardens in their yard, a few of them had spiraling horns coming from their foreheads. Unicorns, as Sapphire's parents had taught her. A few other ponies fluttered about the sky with feathery wings. Pegasus ponies.
Several ponies, including a lazy-eyed blond pegasus, stopped what they were doing at the sight of the strange dragon walking through their village. The wide, untrusting eyes of the ponies followed Spike and Sapphire as the baby dragons made their way through Ponyville.
"Spike." Sapphire pulled herself closer to her new boyfriend for comfort. "Why are they staring at me? Maybe we should turn back."
"Uh, we don't get a lot of strangers in Ponyville, that's all. Don't let it get to you," Spike answered, unable to come up with any other consolation.
Spike lead Sapphire through the town of ponies until the dragon duo reached a building carved from a tree on the edge of town. "This is where I live," Spike explained. He held an open palm towards the door. "Why don't you go on in first?"
Sapphire turned the knob and stepped in the door to be greeted by a loud "SURPRISE!" that nearly knocked her off her feet.
Six ponies were inside the library, all smiling at their new arrival. Hanging from the ceiling above them was a large tissue banner that read, "Welcome, Sapphire!" Streamers flew through the air. A few balloons were scattered about the room, and a delicious looking cake sat on a table standing against the far wall of the room.
"Wow. This is neat! Did you set this up, Spike?"
"Um, yeah. I did. Pinkie Pie did most of the work, though."
At the mention of her name, a bright eyed smiling pink pony bounced up to the two dragons. "Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie, and let me be the first to welcome you to Ponyville! Spike's told us all about you, it's great to meet you, it's so cute that little Spike has a girlfriend! So what's your name? Where are you from? How old are you? Do you like cupcakes? I LOVE cupcakes! Blueberry cupcakes, lemon cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes! Cupcakes with sprinkles and chocolate frosting and cherries on top!"
Sapphire turned away from Pinkie's seemingly infinite rant to shoot a shrug at Spike as if to say "what's going on?"
"Eh, don't mind her," Spike said as Pinkie continued with her nonsensical monologue. "She's just being Pinkie Pie."
"Nice to meet you, Pinkie." Sapphire turned around to shake Pinkie's hoof. "If you're Spike's friend, then you're my friend!"
Pinkie's big blue eyes seemed to glow at Sapphire's last word. "Friend!" With no warning, the pink pony snatched Sapphire in a hug she thought would crush her spine and pop her insides out through her mouth. "Oh, I'm so happy to be your friend! Because I'm everypony's friend, and now I'm every dragon's friend, too!"
It took Sapphire a few seconds to catch her breath after Pinkie set her back down. After such a tight hug, it was miracle she'd ever breathe properly again. "Wow, thanks. I wasn't expecting this. I didn't think I'd be welcome here."
"Not welcome?" a mare with a wide brimmed hat and blond ponytail smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Why in Equestria would you think you wouldn't be welcome here? This here town's got the friendliest buncha ponies I ever met!"
"Because I'm a dragon who didn't grow up here?"
"Aw, shoot, don't y'all give it another lick of thought. Any friend of Spike's is welcome here! Especially one he speaks so fondly of."
Sapphire blushed and fidgeted at the thought that Spike had told all his pony friends good things about her. "Well, I have only good things to say about Spike, too."
"Name's Applejack," the cowgirl continued, "pleased to be makin' yer acquaintance!"
"Likewise," Sapphire replied as Applejack gave a polite bow.
A violet unicorn with wide bangs was the next one to step forward from the crowd of ponies. "Hello! I'm Twilight Sparkle."
Sapphire smiled wide, shaking Twilight's hoof. "So YOU'RE the Twilight Spike's told me so much about. My name's Sapphire."
"It's nice to meet you, Sapphire. I can tell you, you're one lucky little dragon for winding up with Spike."
Smiling, Sapphire leaned her head on Spike's shoulder. "I already know that."
"So, you're the one who's been looking after Spikey-Wikey this past week. It's a pleasure… I suppose." A white unicorn stepped forward to greet Sapphire.
The name Spikey-Wikey forced the purple dragon into a facepalm, though he swallowed his desire to protest the embarrassing name.
"I guess that would be me. And you are?"
The unicorn held one hoof to her chest in pride. "Rarity, of course. I'm sure Spike's mentioned a thing or two about me… right?"
"You might have come up once or twice. I'm sorry, he hasn't said much about you."
Though she feigned a smile, on the inside Rarity was boiling like a whistling teakettle. Her right eye twitched with her effort to restrain her growing frustration. "Oh, well that's quite alright, darling. After all, not everypony can be popular, right?" Rarity's curly purple locks danced as she gave her head a little shake.
A blue pegasus hovering in midair suddenly caught Sapphire's attention. A rainbow of six different colors streaked down her mane and tail. "Let me guess," Sapphire said, pointing a claw at the pony suspended in midair, "you're Rainbow Dash."
"THE Rainbow Dash!" Just to show off a little bit, Dash did a midair backflip. "Why? Have ya heard of me?"
"Not much other than what Spike's mentioned."
There was one pony among the crowd who had not taken the initiative to introduce herself. A pegasus who radiated tense nerves behind two locks of long pink hair.
"Oh, you must be Fluttershy. The quiet one."
Drooping under the weight of the sudden attention, the pink haired pegasus scraped her hoof across the floor, her eyes averted to the wall. "Um… yes."
"Isn't this great?" Pinkie bounced up and down in place, eyes shut tight with glee. "Now you've met all of us and we're ALL your friends! Come on, everypony! Let's cut the cake and play some games!"
The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent playing games, eating cake and drinking punch. Sapphire had proven to be talented at Pin the Tail on the Pony, as well as a skilled dancer thanks to her dexterous footwork which Spike had seen before on the frozen pond.
Spike's friends told her the stories of their adventures, like how they freed Princess Luna from the corruption of Night Mare Moon, or their battle against a wacky entity known only as Discord. They'd also had several run ins with dragons in the past, which only amazed her further that she was welcome in Ponyville.
As the afternoon rolled on, Spike's friends left one by one until only the two dragons and Twilight Sparkle remained inside the library. With the party over, Twilight suggested that Spike show Sapphire around Ponyville while she went about the cleanup.
Not that there was much to show. Ponyville was only a tiny village, and Sapphire had already met most of Spike's friends. There was one thing on Spike's mind, however.
Revenge.
For there was Rainbow Dash, the sole patron sitting at Ponyville's sandwich shop. Spike couldn't believe his luck! Having vengeance in mind before he left Twilight's library, he'd managed to sneak a couple Dragon Peppers out with him. This was the perfect time to use them.
"Sapphire," Spike whispered to the dragoness holding his paw. Without a word she leaned in for Spike to explain the plan to her.
"You sure?" Sapphire asked.
"Oh yeah." Spike let out a malicious chuckle. "She was spying on us the other day, you know."
Sapphire hadn't known that until know. She shared Spike's sinister grin. "Do it."
"Ok, on three. Ready? One, two… three."
Spike darted inside a nearby bush. Sapphire sauntered innocently up to Dash as she was about to take the first bite of her sandwich. "Um, Rainbow Dash, I hate to bother you, but I need your help with something."
Rainbow brought her attention away from her sandwich to look at the little dragon. "What's the matter, shrimp?"
"I can't find Spike. I was wondering if you could fly around and see if you can spot him for me."
"Playing hide and seek, is he? Well you've come to the right pegasus! I was QUEEN of hide and seek when I was a filly! You just wait right here, kid. I'll find him in ten seconds flat!"
More eager to show off to a stranger than to actually help her, Dash bolted into the sky; out of sight. Rainbow had taken the bait. Sapphire waved for Spike to go.
The coast was clear. Peppers in paw, Spike crept out of the bush, tiptoed onto the patio of the restaurant and slipped two peppers inconspicuously into Dash's sandwich. The trap had been set. Spike jumped back inside the bush just as Dash came back into view in the sky.
"Sorry, kid. I couldn't find him. Guess I'm a little rusty."
Sapphire shook her head. "No, that's ok. Thanks for looking."
"Why not go find Pinkie Pie? She LOVES hide and seek!"
"I might do that. Thanks again!"
The sandwich beckoned for Dash's attention at the growl of her stomach. Sapphire had walked away. With no further interruptions, Rainbow opened her moth wide and bit off a large chunk of her food.
Blinking her eyes in confusion, Dash chewed more slowly. Something was… different about this sandwich. For some reason, her mouth was growing warmer. There was a distinctively peppery aftertaste after she swallowed, but she hadn't ordered for any peppers on the sandwich. The tingling sensation in her mouth had grown from warm to hot to absolutely burning in a matter of seconds. Dash held her hooves to her mouth to stifle a groan of pain, sending out a puff of smoke as she did.
"Water! WATER!" After a pained shout, Dash burst into the air, swinging her head from left to right, desperately searching for some sort of solace from the burning. There was a small lake off in the distance. A plume of smoke trailed after the rainbow pegasus as she shot off through the air. A loud splash followed soon after.
Both baby dragons fell over on their backs, their stomachs tightening with fits of uncontrollable laughter.
"Nice one, Spike!"