Author's Note
This was an idea proposed by yodajax10 so suggested I publish it. I've done a lot of collabs with him, including quite a few involving Luna as Spike's dragonsitter (which is a concept that pops up here).
The reason I've tagged this "Alternative Universe" is specifically because I'm almost certain there will be no period of celebration in "Nightmare Knights" when the team is formed, and because in canon I don't think you can really find much evidence to even suggest any kind of romantic feelings between Spike and Tempest.
Also, please don't post the song "Accidentally In Love". You're thinking about it, I'm thinking about it, everyone's thinking about it. So let's try to resist the obvious joke/reference, thank you.
Accidentally In Love
The news came to Twilight the way most news from Princess Luna did, through a dream. Or more specifically the interruption of a dream. It was another one of those dreams about books and library shelves, but by now Twilight had gotten used to having her dreams interrupted. It was far from the weirdest time it had happened.
"Oh, Princess Luna, what a surprise," Twilight greeted with a smile and a wave. "What brings you here tonight? Are you dragonsitting Spike again and I forgot?"
Princess Luna smiled back and shook her head. "Oh no, your memory does not fail you. I'm not here to dragonsit Spike, tempting as the offer may be," Then she explained. "I... recently ran into some trouble in another realm, a parallel universe of sorts. In this realm, an evil who calls herself Eris reigns supreme and intends to use this other realm's version of my sister for evil and chaotic deeds."
"So you need the help of my friends and I?" Twilight offered. "If this is a dream, we can probably conjure up just about anything we need to send Eris or any other evil packing!"
The night princess reluctantly shook her head. "It's not that easy I'm afraid, Twilight Sparkle. You see, in this realm only villains are allowed to enter. A fact that Stygian and I learned the hard way. If not for the fact that we are former villains, I suspect we wouldn't have made it out to tell you the tale," Then she added. "I had to do a fair bit of searching. I needed to assemble a unique group of former villains. I couldn't contact Discord, and Starlight is not familiar with the dream realm or any concept of parallel universes. So I had to broaden my search a little. But I'm pleased to announce that my team has been formed, I call them 'The Nightmare Knights'!"
"Ooh, sounds like a superhero team!" Twilight commented. "Did you get that from Spike's comics?"
Luna blushed a bit as she admitted. "Maybe I 'borrowed' a little from the likes of The Power Ponies but any direct inspiration from them is merely coincidence, I assure you."
Twilight didn't press. She herself was guilty of indulging in comic books from time to time (largely because Spike was so into them. And who could forget the time she and her friends had gotten pulled into one by accident). Then an idea came to her mind! "We should totally have something to official commemorate them, like we did for Starlight, Trixie, Discord, and Thorax after they saved us all from Queen Chrysalis."
"It's like you read my mind," Luna proudly nodded. "I was thinking a little celebration would be in order to wish this new task force well. It is my hope that if this assignment goes well, I can find use for them in both the dream and the waking worlds. As the recent ordeal with Cozy Glow has made clear, our security detail could stand to be improved a fair deal."
At that Twilight's eyes lit up like stars! "That's an excellent idea, Luna! We can host it at the School of Friendship! And just wait till I tell Spike about this, he'll be thrilled!"
And telling Spike is exactly what Twilight did the next morning (after a quick visit to Pinkie Pie to officially enlist her services as a party pony of course. You couldn't have a party in Ponyville without Pinkie Pie, it just didn't work). She found him just outside her castle, undergoing another flying lesson with Smolder. It really warmed her heart to see the two together, in a way they'd become almost like siblings.
"Remember, Spike, you gotta work on keeping your momentum," Smolder instructed Spike as they flew about in the open sky. "And when you land, you don't wanna descend too slowly or the blood will rush to your head and you'll pass out. But you don't wanna go too quickly either, because then you'll lose control and crash. Do it nice and easy."
Spike tried his best to follow Smolder's instructions, but his wings were being stubborn and uncooperative today. It was of no surprise to the little dragon when he ultimately fell from the sky and hit the dirt. Fortunately he was unharmed thanks to his thick dragon scales. Twilight was at Spike's side in an instant, helping him brush off the dust and making sure he hadn't damaged anything. Although he appreciated the affection, Spike still couldn't help but whine. "I'm fine, Twilight. You don't have to do this every single time I crash. I'm a big dragon, I can take care of myself."
"Oh I know you can, Spike. But old habits die hard," Twilight apologized. Then she cleared her throat to change the subject. "Anyway, I have big news. You know Princess Luna, right?"
"My dragon sitter? Of course I do, no way I could ever forget!" Spike happily nodded. "Why do you bring that up? Is something wrong with her? Is she sick? Maybe she needs a visit from Doctor Spike?!"
"Doctor Spike, really?" Smolder rolled her eyes. "And since when do dragons need dragonsitters? I don't recall that ever being a thing back in the dragon lands."
Spike only chuckled. "Smolder, you don't know what you've been missing out on. I'll have to explain it to you later."
Meanwhile, Twilight corrected Spike. "There's nothing wrong with Luna. She just informed me last night that she's assembled a special task force for a very special assignment in another realm, she's calling it 'The Nightmare Knights'. And I figured we could have a party at the School of Friendship to celebrate it. I know how much you adore Luna."
Spike could barely contain his excitement at the news! "Oh heck yes! This is the best news I've ever heard! Not only do I get to see my number one dragon sitter again, but I also get to see her sweet new team of superheroes! I wonder who she picked, or if I'll recognize any of them?"
The young alicorn just giggled and winked at her dragon companion. "We'll just have to wait until later today to find out."
A few hours later, Pinkie Pie had just put the finishing touches on the party decorations at the school, when the familiar dark blue coat of Princess Luna was spotted on the horizon. And riding in a chariot beside her were four individuals who from a distance could not be properly identified. But three of them looked vaguely ponish, while one looked more like a cat that stood on two legs instead of four.
The chariot descended from above and skidded to a halt just outside the school. All eyes immediately became locked on Princess Luna, the unofficial guest of honor. "Greetings, everypony and everycreature," She politely greeted. "It is my great pleasure to present to you on this day, what I hope will be a new task force for love, justice, and most of all friendship. And so, I now present to you 'The Nightmare Knights'!"
As confetti cannons fired off one by one, the four individuals that had been riding with the alicorn stepped forward. One by one they all revealed themselves as: Trixie, Stygian, Capper, and Tempest Shadow (only a handful of ponies knew her real name was actually Fizzlepop Berrytwist, and Twilight had promised to keep it that way).
Trixie of course delighted in the spotlight, enjoying every moment of it. "It's the Great and Powerful Trixie's honor to serve you all," She boasted. "You can rest easy knowing that there is no evil that could ever hope to be a match for Trixie's magical know how and clever wit."
Capper, though not as boastful as Trixie, nevertheless enjoyed all the attention he received. "Hey ya'll. Sure is nice to see all you technicolor ponies up close and personal. Just so we're clear, any rumors you might have heard about my past life are greatly exaggerated. If I ever was a follower of that no good Storm King, it was only 'cause he kept breathing down my neck about it. Good riddance to bad rubbish I say!"
Stygian was mostly silent. More of a scholarly than a social type he wasn't much for words. Still he found the courage to say. "Hello, everyone. I've been honored to get to know Princess Luna since my own journey back to the light began almost a year ago. And I'm proud to serve on her behalf and Equestria's behalf."
Tempest didn't really say anything. Although Ponyville hadn't been a direct target of the Storm King's short lived invasion, she had been responsible for sending armies to raze it while in pursuit of Twilight Sparkle. And she wasn't sure how many still believed she had truly changed in the months since the Storm King's defeat and demise. Heck, she'd almost turned down the request from Princess Luna to serve on her task force and had only reconsidered when told it would involve a lot of battling and thinking on her hooves. Those were two things the former second in command was comfortable with.
Yet as Spike looked at the broken horned unicorn, he suddenly began to feel different. He couldn't really explain it but he got a funny feeling inside that he'd never felt before. This did not go unnoticed by Smolder, who waved a claw in front of Spike. "Hey, you okay? You looked like you were zoning out there for a moment."
Spike quickly and defensively retorted. "I-it's nothing! N-now come on, I want to introduce you to Princess Luna." And he took Smolder by the claw and led her away.
The party quickly got underway, and everyone was excited to see "The Nightmare Nights" up close and personal. Even the likes of Capper and Tempest drew lots of attention. And as time went by even Stygian and Tempest became better at interacting. It seemed like a task force that had been well thought out.
In the midst of all of this, Spike was glad he still managed to work his way through the crowds and lead Smolder to Princess Luna. "Here we are," He said and turned to Princess Luna, clearing his throat. "Luna, this is Smolder. She's one of the students at Twilight's school, and the one who's teaching me how to fly like a dragon. I've learned a lot since she came along."
Princess Luna offered her hoof to Smolder, who very reluctantly offered a claw in reply. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Smolder," She greeted in a warm tone. "Anyone who's a friend of my precious dragon youngling is a friend of mine. It warms my heart to see that a gentledragon like him has managed to find dragons like you to help him understand more about his heritage. And from what Twilight has told me, you two get along quite well together."
"W-well it's not like we're a couple or anything. I don't have time for any of that mushy junk," Smolder defended. "We're just fellow dragons who like to learn from each other about what dragons do here versus what they used to back in the dragon lands. It's not something I can get out of any other student, not even Gallus or Ocellus."
"They are among your circle of close friends if I'm not mistaken," Luna acknowledged. "Equestria owes you six a great debt of thanks for preventing Cozy Clow's plot to take over. I only wish that in my youth, I'd been as lucky as you are to have made such good friends."
Smolder just replied. "Well hey, nocreature's perfect. And anypony who could put together a rocking task force like this is a-okay in my book! But if you ever need a little dragon assistance, just give me a call!" She let out a small flame to show just how serious she was, but Luna and Spike only giggled at the overly dramatic show.
Just then who should happen to come walking by but Tempest? She'd been hoping to have a talk with Luna, and hadn't anticipated Spike would be using this opportunity to introduce Smolder to the princess. "H-hello, Spike was it?" She awkwardly greeted the little dragon. "It's been a long time and... well, don't hate me but I kind of forgot your name. Spike just sounds right for some reason."
Spike said nothing, all of a sudden he could start to feel that funny feeling again and he didn't know what to say or do. He just stood there in silence, even as the broken horned unicorn gave him a gentle (almost loving, you might say) pat on the head. "Well anyway, it's nice to meet you again. I... guess maybe you'll see me around after all of this, if I'm lucky." And with that she turned and trotted away.
As soon as Tempest was out of sight, Spike's funny feeling started to grow. "What's going on with me? This isn't natural, is it?" The little dragon thought to himself before suddenly he felt his wings spring in the air and get incredibly stiff as if they hadn't been moved an inch in weeks! To make matters worse they began lifting him into the air, as if they had a mind all their own! "Gah! What's happening?!" He yelped in horror as he continued to float in the air, flapping his wings as he tried in vain to get down.
Spike's yelp drew several sets of eyes toward him, all reflecting back looks of concern but mostly confusion. One set of eyes, however, was more frightened than anyone else in the room! Princess Luna became alarmed!
Yet before anyone had a chance to act, Spike flew off as fast as his wings would let him! Where he was going, he didn't really know or care! All he knew was that he needed somewhere away from prying eyes where he could hide, at least until he could figure out what the heck was wrong with him.
Immediately, Luna sprang into action! "Smolder!" She unintentionally shouted in her royal Cantelort voice. "Go get Twilight Sparkle, immediately! I must tend to my unexpected young charge!"
Luna took off in search of the young dragon for whom she cared so much and had dragonsat for on so many occasions. At this moment she only knew one thing for certain, there was something he'd been keeping to himself for a long time. Something that troubled him greatly.
It didn't take the night princess long to locate Spike, she found him floating on the ceiling of an open broom closet, his wings still lifting him into the air and refusing to let him down. She quickly cleared her throat to inform him of her presence.
"Gah! Luna!" Spike cried in shock. "I don't want you to see me like this! This is embarrassing!"
Luna tried to keep a straight face. "We both know this is hardly the first time I've caught you in the middle of something embarrassing. Let's not forget the time I saw you posing in front of the bathroom mirror."
"T-that was different!" Spike retorted. "I don't even know why this is happening, I swear!"
"It seems like the trigger was seeing Tempest," Luna commented. "From what Smolder told me you were acting weird whenever she was around. Would you care to tell me why that is? I promise I won't judge you."
The little dragon stuttered and gulped. "W-well, e-ever since the invasion of Canterlot, I started seeing Tempest around more and more. A little bit here, a little bit there, you get the idea. But lately, whenever I start thinking about her this happens and I don't know why. It's even happened in the middle of the night sometimes, it just seems to come and go at random," Then he glumly added. "I feel like I should just stay up here."
But Luna thought otherwise. Using what magic she had on reserve after her close call the night prior, she pulled Spike down from the ceiling and into her embrace as she hugged him tightly. "It's okay, dragon youngling. I'm here now," She spoke in the maternal tone she often adopted whenever she was comforting a young one. "As your dragonsitter I can promise you, things are going to be okay." Spike didn't say anything in response, he just buried his head in her neck for comfort.
Twilight and Smolder found Spike and Luna a short time later. Immediately upon seeing Twilight, worry washed over Spike anew. "Oh no!" He thought to himself. "Twilight's probably mad at me because I ruined her party for Luna's 'Nightmare Knights'!"
But Twilight (as if she knew what Spike was thinking) instead used her magic to pull Spike away from Luna and into the embrace of the one who had hatched him, raised him, and made the fateful decision to make Princess Luna his official dragonsitter. "Spike, parties may come and go. But you'll be with me forever, I promise."
"Thanks, Twilight," Spike softly replied. "But I still don't know why this is happening."
"That's easy," Smolder quickly retorted. "It's what happens when a dragon is in love. It's just like the molt, it's something all dragons know about. Though unlike the molt the effects here are a little more pleasant to other creatures. The only thing left to think is who you're in love with."
Luna quickly put two and two together. "You said this all started when you kept thinking about Tempest, correct?" She inquired of Spike who nodded his head. "Then it stands to reason that Tempest is the one you're in love with. You've developed a crush it would seem."
Twilight couldn't help but beam! "Aww, I didn't think you had a crush on Tempest! I always kind of thought you'd keep pinning after Rarity!" She added with a chuckle. "Changing paces there, Casanova?"
Spike brushed the remark aside as he blushed. "Twilight, please, not in front of Smolder! Besides, I don't even know why I have a crush on Tempest! I barely even know her." He confessed.
"Love can be a very confusing thing, Spike," Luna softly replied. "I may not know as much about it as my niece Cadence does, but I can assure that from the many creatures I've talked to this sort of stuff is normal for any creature going through this stage."
Twilight then suggested. "You should go talk to Tempest about this, Spike. Regardless of how you feel about her or how she feels, one way or another you'll feel better than you've ever felt before. Last I heard, Tempest is out on the balcony."
Sure enough, the broken horned unicorn was indeed out on the balcony of the school, looking up at the stars. Awkwardly, Spike walked in, catching the mare's attention. The little dragon tried his best to act casual about the situation, hoping that it might defuse the tensions. "H-hey, Tempest," He greeted with a wave from his claw. "You uh... look good in that Storm King army armor, even if you're not evil anymore," Tempest opened her mouth to speak, only for Spike to then suddenly blurt out. "I have a crush on you but don't know why!"
Tempest was rendered speechless, caught off guard by the surprise announcement!
Spike tried to put his claws to his mouth as he hastily apologized. "I'm... I'm... so sorry, Tempest. Really, I am. I-I know you've been trying to change your ways since the Storm King was defeated and I didn't mean to make things awkward for either of us. I'll just... go, we never have to talk about this again."
But before the little dragon could leave, Tempest put a hoof to his shoulder. "Hey, Spike, it's okay," She told him with a sincere smile. "Look, I'm... very flattered that you feel this way about me. But let's face the facts, I'm way too old for you. Besides, you're not really my type. No offense."
"None taken, I already kind of knew you'd say that," Spike admitted as he sat down. "I still don't know why I'm going through this. I feel so stupid."
"You're not stupid," Tempest reassured him as she lay down beside the dragon. "I can try to help you. I kind of know what it's like to have a weird crush on someone. While I was serving in the Storm King's army, I at one time actually had odd romantic feelings for him," Spike was rendered silent by this surprising revelation, and thus he was caught off guard by what Tempest did next. She made a playful gagging sound. "Yuck! Am I glad I got over that really quickly! I'd never say it to his face of course, but the Storm King was as ugly as could be. The only good thing I can say about him is that he had a kind face, the kind you'd like to forget."
Spike giggled at the response. "Good one, Tempest!" He snickered. The laughter did help to make the mood a little less awkward.
"Well, if you'd like," Tempest offered to the little dragon. "After this whole 'Nightmare Knights' thing is done, I could drop by Ponyville every once in a while and we could just hang out. You know, as friends."
"I'd like that very much." Spike simply replied.
Tempest smiled. "Good. I'm glad we were able to settle this without ruining our friendship." Then she pulled Spike close to her chest. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Spike finally felt relaxed.
