Candy Girl

Report

Chapter 6

“What’s wrong, sister? You seem bothered.” Luna asked as she entered her sister’s chamber. It was rare to see her sibling with such a troubled look.

“It’s these recent letters from Twilight Sparkle. I’m afraid she took my words a little too serious when I asked her to study friendship. She’s actually been studying an actual friendship between Spike and a filly named Peppermint Twist.” Celestia said as she lie on her bed looking over the letters.

“Is that all sister? Why not just visit your pupil and set her straight?” Luna said sitting at the front of her sister’s bed.

“It’s not Twilight that has me worried but the relationship between Spike and Peppermint Twist. I think Spike and Twist may be romantically involved.”

“Would Twilight not notice such a thing?” Luna asked.

“Twilight is well versed in many subjects. Romance is not one of them. Some of the things she writes in her letter show a deeper relationship than she’s willing to see. For instance, she describes how Twist came to the library after bumping into Spike to become friends. Doesn‘t that seem a bit odd to you?”

“It does sound like she went out of her way, but perhaps she’s just fascinated after meeting a dragon for the first time.”

“That’s what I thought as well, but she apparently had a lot of question about Spike. What his favorite food was? His hobbies? His favorite color? I‘d say she was more interested than Spike rather than dragons in general.”

“I see, but what about this filly‘s crush has you worried?”

“Without proper supervision and guidance, I fear their curiosity may get the better of them. I should let Twilight know of my suspicions immediately.” Celestia said levitating a fresh scroll and quill to her side.

“Hold on, sister. Perhaps this could be a learning experience for our young dragon.” Luna said staying her sister’s quill.

“What do you mean, sister?”

“You sent Twilight to Ponyville to learn the ways of friendship. Couldn’t we use this as an opportunity to teach Spike about love? You said that Twilight was not well versed in the ways of romance. Maybe she is ill suited to dispense this lesson. I say we let him learn the ins and outs of love on his own.”

“What you’re suggesting is incredibly dangerous, Luna! He’d be walking blind into a situation he couldn’t possibly understand with the possibility of affecting any number of lives.” Celestia said chastising her sister.

“I know. It’d be just like the old days.” Luna said excitedly.

“That was so long ago, Luna. Don’t you think we’ve grown out of that hobby?”

“I recall you enjoyed it far more than I did. Besides we so rarely spend time together since my release.”

“Very well, sister. What did you have in mind?”

The Next Day

Spike stood outside the school with an anxious expression. He didn’t normally wait outside the school for Twist, but something had happened recently and he needed to speak to her immediately. As the bell rang, Spike stood outside by the door trying not to draw too much attention to himself. Unfortunately, being a dragon in a town full of ponies made that extremely difficult.

The act of remaining incognito was broken almost immediately as Snips and Snails walked out of the class first and spotted him standing there. It had been awhile since Spike had spoken to them. Things ended rather badly the last time they met. He still felt pretty bad about it but couldn’t find a good way to apologize for it.

“Hey, Spike.” Snips said as they walked over. Snails merely waved without making much eye contact.

“Hey, guys. How’s it going?” Spike said trying to make small talk.

“It’s been pretty good. Right, Snails?”

“Yeah, pretty good.” Snails said looking down. Spike decided to try and clear the air.

“Snails, I wanted to apologize….. for Twist.” Snails looked shock but quickly put on a half hearted grin.

“Psshaw! Don’t worry about it. I totally forgot about that.” Snails said waving off his apology.

“Are you sure?” Spike asked as he remembered how torn up the colt looked after talking to Twist.

“It’s water under the bridge. I don’t even care about-”

“Spike, what are you doing here?” Twist asked interrupting Snails.

“Hey, Twist. I needed to talk to you about something. It’s kind of important.” Spike said noticing how Snails was sort of moving away as the filly walked over.

“Oh, I get it! Couldn’t wait, huh?” Twist said winking at him.

“It’s…uhh… not that kind of a problem. I‘ll explain on the way. I’ll see you guys later.” Spike said waving goodbye. Before he could leave, he was stopped as a familiar voice called out.

“Hold it right there, Spike!” Scootaloo shouted. Spike and Twist turned around to confront the boisterous filly who was flanked by Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, who was hiding behind Scootaloo.

“Hey, guys. What‘s up?”

“I wanted to ask you a question. You don’t mind?” Scootaloo asked. Twist glared at the pegasus as she moved closer to Spike.

“Sure, what do you-”

“Actually, we’re in a rush. Maybe later. Come on, Spike!” Twist said pushing Spike forward.

“Come on, Scootaloo. Let‘s just give up.” Apple Bloom whispered to her friend.

“Right, I wouldn‘t want to keep you two from your date!” Scootaloo shouted attracting the attention of the entire class which was outside now. Spike and Twist turned around and looked at Scootaloo before looking at each other. After a short silence, the duo burst into laughter.

“That‘s a good one, Scootaloo!” Spike laughed.

“Can you imagine? The two of us as a couple!” Twist said holding a hoof over her mouth in an attempt stifle her laughter. The orange filly was more than a little embarrassed by the display.

“Why are you two so buddy buddy all of a sudden?” Scootaloo asked becoming red with frustration.

“Maybe because we are.”

“Yeah, she comes down to the library and we just hang out. It’s pretty cool having someone around I can talk to who isn’t Twilight.”

“Hold on a second! Are you jealous of my friendship with Spike, Scootaloo?” Twist wondered aloud. The crowd of students murmured at Twist’s suggestion. Scootaloo turned even redder as her classmates attention turned towards her. Apple Bloom decided she had enough and stepped up.

“No, that’s not it at all. She only asked cause…. I was too scared to. I‘m the jealous one.” Apple Bloom admitted causing her fellow students to gasp. Spike was at a loss for what to do with this newfound revelation. Luckily, Twist wasn’t.

“Don’t we have to get to that really important thing at the library?” She said. Spike quickly realized what Twist was doing and seized the opportunity.

“Right, we should get going. This has been….. enlightening. Well, I’ll see you guys later.” Spike said walking away with Peppermint Twist at his side. With Spike and Twist gone, the crowd began to go about their own business. More than a few talking about the scene that had just occurred.

Apple Bloom looked at Spike as he left and sighed. She wondered what would happen now that her feelings for the dragon were out. Would he avoid her altogether or pretend she didn’t exist?

“I’m sorry, Apple Bloom. I totally screwed up.” Scootaloo said.

“It’s okay, Scoot. This wouldn’t have happen if I’d had the courage to ask him myself.”

“It’s not all bad, Apple Bloom. At least, we know Spike isn’t dating Twist. That’s good!” Sweetie Belle said trying to offer her friends some words of encouragement. It seem to work as she bucked up a little bit.

“I guess.” Apple Bloom said perking up a bit.

“Twist is your friend too. She’ll probably even help you.” Scootaloo added.

“She’s lying to you.” A familiar voice spoke up. It was Diamond Tiara, accompanied by Silver Spoon. The filly had a bandage under her chin and a rather sad look on her face. Diamond Tiara had seemed different lately. Ever since she showed up to class with that band aid over her chin, she never picked on anyone. She just sat at her desk with a far off look on her face.

“What? Why should we believe you?” Scootaloo asked.

“I know alright! Just trust me on this one. You don’t want to try to get in between Twist and Spike.” Diamond Tiara said rubbing her chin.

“Yeah right! Like we’d believe anything you’d say.”

“She’s telling the truth, Scootaloo. I wouldn‘t get your hopes up if you expect her help getting close to Spike.”

“Hmmph! Don’t bother, Silver Spoon. Let‘s go.”

“Hey!” Apple Bloom called out to her. She knew it was crazy, but she felt like Diamond Tiara was actually trying to be sincere.

“What?” Diamond Tiara asked in an annoyed and exhausted voice.

“Why are you telling me this? I mean.. it’s not like you to try to help me. I was just wondering why you’d tell me something like that.” Apple Bloom asked. Diamond Tiara looked at Apple Bloom for a moment before sighing.

“I felt like it. Okay? It’s up to you if you believe me or not.” Diamond Tiara said before walking off with Silver Spoon close behind.

“You don’t believe her, right?” Scootaloo asked.

“I don’t know what to believe, but I felt like Diamond Tiara wasn’t messing with us. Maybe I should talk to Twist alone?” Apple Bloom said just as a tall, melancholy figure approached.

“Hey, Apple Bloom. Could I talk to you alone for a second?”

Meanwhile

Peppermint Twist followed a very angry Spike as they walked to the library. He had every right to be angry after all. She was supposed to tell him when someone was getting suspicious about their relationship and that whole mess with Scootaloo made it clear that she had been hiding her suspicions.

“I’m sorry, Spike. I thought I could handle it.” Twist apologized. Spike just sighed.

“It’s not important. We’re just lucky they bought our act. Next time I expect you to be upfront with me. If someone finds about us, it‘s over.” Spike said without looking back at her. His disappointment hit her hard though.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you. We’ll do whatever you want okay.” Twist said trying to cheer him up.

“Whatever. We have something bigger to deal with. Princess Celestia wants to talk to you.”

“Really? The Princess Celestia wants to talk to me. Gosh, I’m so honored. I never thought I’d get to meet her. She’s so important and powerful. I wonder how I should act. I’m not really the high society type. Do you think I should bow? Or is it curtesy for girls? I wonder if-”

“Will you shut up! Do you know what it’s like listening to you go on like that? If it’s not too much trouble, maybe you could shut your mouth for two seconds, instead of saying everything on your damn mind all the time!” Spike said getting fed up.

“I’m sorry.” Twist responded quietly.

“Big surprise. Anyway, I think she’s onto us. Maybe something in one of Twilight’s reports made her suspicious. I don’t know, but you can’t tell her anything.”

“Okay.” She said feeling more down than ever. Spike couldn‘t have her being depressed around Princess Celestia. He turned around and placed a claw on her chin bringing her eyes upwards.

“Listen, I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s just this whole situation with Celestia and the stuff back at school has me a little stressed out. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I just really need your help getting through all of this. Who’s my sweet treat?” Spike said cheerfully.

“I am.” Twist said cheering up a bit.

“That’s my girl! Let‘s go.” Spike said stroking her cheek.

“Umm…Can I ask you a question?”

“What is it?”

“What are you going to do about Applebloom?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to let her down gently. You’re not jealous, are you?” Twist didn’t answer. She knew that Spike only considered her a friend, despite the intimate nature of the relationship. That meant he was technically single to anypony who looked at him. A thought that always lingered in her mind, especially now that her former best friend Applebloom had laid her feelings out for all to see.

“Listen, you may not be my girlfriend, but you’re my sweet treat. You don’t need to worry about anyone else.”

“Oh, Spike!” Twist said leaning forward for a kiss but Spike turned around and kept walking.

“We should hurry up. Twilight will get mad if we keep the princess waiting.”

“Okay,” The filly said catching up to him. She was happy with being Spike’s sweet treat, even if that meant he didn’t technically consider her his girlfriend. It didn’t matter as long as she got to be near him. As long as she was with Spike, everything would be okay.

As they walked to the library, Spike wondered if the princess really did suspect anything. Maybe she didn’t suspect a thing, but why would she want to talk to Twist specifically? If she did know something was up, why didn’t she tell Twilight immediately? There were so many questions running through the dragon’s head that he almost walked past the library.

“Spike, we’re here.” Twist alerted the dragon.

“Oh! I guess I’m just a little nervous.” Spike took a deep breath and exhaled as he opened the door. Inside, he found Twilight and Princess Celestia chatting casually, As casual as Twilight could act when the princess was around anyway.

“Ah, Spike! This must be the young filly whom Twilight spoke so highly of. It’s nice to meet you, Peppermint Twist.” Princess Celestia said walking forward.

“The pleasure is all mine, your highness.” Twist said bowing deeply.

“I wanted to speak with you about your friendship with Spike. Twilight’s report has me curious about you two.”

“I don’t understand, Princess Celestia. Was something wrong with my report?” Twilight asked worried.

“It’s quite the opposite, Twilight. The detail with which you described their interactions made me want to observe them myself. I hope you don’t mind.”

“N-Not at all. You’re always welcome to join me in my studies. If there’s anything I can do to help, please don‘t hesitate.”

“Actually, I’d like to speak to them alone.”

“Alone? I was hoping I could sit in.” Twilight said disappointed.

“I’m afraid my questions could compromise your research and I look forward to your next report untainted by any outside influences.”

“I understand, your highness. I’ll be at Sugarcube Corner, if you need anything just ask.”

“Thank you, Twilight. I will.” The princess nodded as her student left the library. She turned her attention the filly and dragon before her. She found it odd that Spike looked more nervous than Twist who was a little cooler in her demeanor. She knew her hunch about something going on between them wasn’t too far off.

“Now I’d like to ask a few questions to you two about your relationship. I’ve been talking to Twilight and she told me how you two bumped into each other. Could you tell me what that was it like for you two meeting each other?”

“If I had to describe it, I’d have to say it was like finding a piece of yourself that you didn’t know was missing. I know it sounds weird but being friends with Spike completes me.” Twist said wistfully.

“It sounds like you feel a great deal for him. Have you ever considered being more than friends? Perhaps a couple?” Celestia asked but Spike jumped in to answer this one.

“We have such a great friendship though. I really think we work better as friends.”

“That’s such a shame. I thought you two would make such a cute couple.” Princess Celestia said causing Twist to get excited.

“Really? Did you hear that, Spike? Princess Celestia thinks we’d make a cute couple! Isn’t that wonderful?” She looked to Spike who showed no happiness at Celestia’s opinion and even less at her reaction.

“Oh! I thought you valued our ‘friendship’ but perhaps I was wrong. I guess we could become a couple but then I’d need a new friend. Maybe Apple Bloom would be interested in replacing you.” Spike said putting an end to her excitement. The implication was clear.

“On second thought, I think you’re right. We should just be friends.” Twist said quickly taking her statement back. Spike wasn’t ready to let her off the hook so easily though.

“No, I think it’s a good idea. We could go on dates and I could hold your hoof. In the meantime, I’d hang out with Apple Bloom and do all the things we used to do as friends. I‘m sure she‘d appreciate the type of friendship we have more than you do.” Spike said pretending to give the idea some thought. He knew the thought of Apple Bloom and Spike hanging out together as ‘friends’ sent Twist into a full panic.

“No, I appreciate our friendship. I don’t want to be a couple. I want things to stay as they are.” Twist pleaded desperately.

“Hmmm, I suppose if you insist on staying friends. I can’t really argue with that.” Spike said throwing his arms up as if he was being forced to give up on the idea.

Princess Celestia watched the entire conversation and she could divine several things from it all. Twist and Spike’s was far from anything resembling a friendship. It was more like Twist was a slave than a friend. She could see in the way she hung on his every word. She could also see a more domineering and controlling side start to come out of Spike. The way he used the word friendship implied something else entirely. At this point, she pretty much had their little secret figured out.

“I see. Well, I can tell the two of you are the best of friends. Let’s move on to something else.” The princess mostly made small talk after that. She learned that Twist was quite the accomplished student. She could see a lot of Twilight in her. The way she lights up when a question is asked and how she speaks with such excitement when delivering an answer. Yet, she could sense Twist was heading down a dark path. Her devotion to Spike made her unable to see how Spike truly saw her. She knew no good could come from their relationship in the end.

“That’s wonderful, Twist, but I should be going. The sun won’t lower itself. Before I go, I’d like to speak to Spike for a moment.”

“Of course, I’ll go get Twilight.” Twist said leaving the two alone. Spike felt a little nervous again as he stood by himself with the princess.

“Spike.” The alicorn said watching the filly leave. She hoped that he took the words she was about to speak to heart. There was still time to turn from the he was leading Twist and himself down.

“Y-yes, your highness.”

“Strong feelings are dangerous. Take proper care that you don’t take advantage of what you have. It could come back to haunt you.”

“Of course, princess.” Spike said feigning understanding. It was obvious she was talking about Twist but he didn’t see a problem with the way things were now. The current arrangement satisfied everyone. What was wrong with that?

With that said, the princess took her leave. As she walked outside to meet Twilight, Spike pondered her last words. What did she know? Was all that talk about Spike and Twist becoming couple just talk? Princess Celestia’s visit had passed without incident but he was more confused than ever as to why it happened.

“At least it’s over and Twilight’s none the wiser.” Spike thought to himself. Whatever Celestia knew, she obviously didn’t plan on letting Twilight know.

“Spike? It’s getting pretty late. Want to walk me home?” Twist asked in a soft, sexy tone. The dragon stretched his arms above his head allowing his body to become a bit looser.

“Let‘s go.” Spike smiled.

Later that Night

The princess of the moon waited atop a hill overlooking Ponyville. Her eyes searching the starry skies for a familiar figure. Suddenly, she spotted a white blip flying towards her. It was her sister. Luna was eager to divulge what she had learned following Spike as he went to pick up Twist. She felt lucky to have witnessed the drama in the schoolyard. Watching from above, cloaked in a magic spell, was like watching a drama unfurl before her eyes. The theater troupes in Canterlot could certainly learn a thing or two from these mere children. Reality proved far more exhilarating fodder than what they portrayed on stage. As Celestia landed next to her sister, she could see the excitement in her face.

“I see you’re quite happy, sister. Care to share?” Celestia asked.

“Just relishing the fact that we might be witnessing the birth of a love triangle.” Luna said absolutely giddy.

“Really? Another filly has fallen for Spike. He certainly is popular.”

“I believe she’s related to the Element of Honesty. Her name is Applebloom.”

“Applebloom?” Celestia recalled Spike mentioning that name before.

“Yes, she was apparently a close friend of Twist before she joined up with her current group of friends. She expressed her feelings for him before her entire class. It was quite the scene. What did you learn?”

“I can confirm that Spike and Twist are romantically involved but things are not as I anticipated. It would seem as though our dragon has complete control over this filly. Her feelings blind her to what Spike is doing.” Luna clapped her hooves together at this news.

“That’s wonderful! So it is as we suspected. Things are bound to get more juicy.”

“I thought we were doing this to teach Spike a lesson. You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“We are, but can I help being entertained by it all? You must admit that it is rather exciting.”

“I suppose, but I fear where it might lead them.” Celestia said looking down on the quiet little town.