Pointed in the Right Direction
Pointed in the Right Direction
Life in Ponyville had progressed at its own steady rhythm long before Twilight Sparkle and Spike made Ponyville their home and their presences had done little to change that particular fact. The sun rose and set, stars danced in the night sky and seasons changed. Crises came and went, leaving the town no worse for wear. Ponies continue to go about their day-to-day lives, acquaintances and friends of a small town who enjoy a good time together or those intertwining with one another as they fall in love, as all are wont to do. It was just another day for Twilight as well when she woke up with the lustrous golden dawn of a Sunday morning in June. Rolling to her side, she listened to the familiar snores Spike rasped from the foot of her bed.
She didn't have much planned for the day aside from some pleasure reading, so she contemplated sleeping in like Spike but quickly discarded that plan. Maybe she could surprise him by making breakfast for a change? Why not? Her cooking skills were probably getting rusty anyway, so this would be a nice change of pace. So she got up and made her bed before heading down to the kitchen while she hummed a little tune under her breath. She looked around the kitchen, trying to remember where anything other than the kettle, teapot and cups might be. A mare needed her tea for those long nights of intense studying after all. So there was nothing for her to do except turn the kitchen inside out.
Twenty minutes later, most of the cabinets had been opened and their contents strewn about in a haphazard mess. She heard a grumpy groan behind her followed by an irritated young dragon saying, “Jeez Twilight... What the heck are you doing?”
“Well I was trying to fix us breakfast, but I can't find the frying pans,” she said huffily. “Where do you keep them anyways?”
“In the lower cabinet on the right side of the stove?” he said as he raised an eyebrow. “Where they've always been?”
“Oh,” she said bashfully, a slight blush of embarrassment tinging her cheeks as she noticed that it was the only one left unopened. “I guess that makes sense. Why don't you have a seat while I make us some flapjacks?”
“I can make breakfast,” he said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I'm up anyways, so it's not a problem. Though I don't know why anypony hasn't been by to see if we're being robbed with the ruckus you've made.”
“Was I really that loud?”
“I wouldn't be surprised if Fluttershy was hiding under her bed from fright,” he said with a laugh.
“Oh.” She replied with a downtrodden expression. “Sorry, Spike.”
“Meh,” he replied as he shooed her away from her localized disaster area. “It's fine. I got this.”
“I really wanted to surprise you too.” Twilight lamented.
“I know,” he said as he sighed. “Oh! How about this? I'll get everything out for you and you can cook. Is that a good compromise?”
“Perfect!” Twilight said excitedly. “You really now how to brighten my day, huh?”
“Hey, it's what I do,” he said as he began putting everything that wasn't needed away. “So, what do you want to do today?”
“I was just planning on relaxing at the library mostly,” she said as she watched him efficiently go about his work. “Maybe go out for lunch? What about you? You can have the day for yourself.”
“Eh, your plans work for me too,” he said. “I don't really feel like going out right now in any case.”
“Don't you have any friends you'd want to hang out with?” Twilight asked.
“Snips and Snails don't really count,” he replied as he thought about how they always tried to get him to send weird stuff to Celestia, not to mention their distinct lack of initiative for doing fun things. “But the Cutie Mark Crusaders are pretty cool, though I don't feel like shortening my lifespan by getting involved with their harebrained schemes today.”
“Oh,” Twilight said as a slight weight settled in the middle of her chest.
“It's fine,” he said as he continued his work. “I might drop by the Boutique and see if Rarity needs me for anything if I get really bored, so there's nothing to worry about.”
“Alright,” she replied to his words, dispelled that odd feeling. “Today's going to be a good day, I can feel it.”
***
“OH DEAR CELESTIA, IT'S HORRIBLE!!” One of the Flower sisters shouted.
“IT'S HORRIFYING!!!” The second joined in.
“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON!!!!” The third Flower sister screamed as they ran down the streets of a small mountain village in the dark of night, rousing the villagers from their slumber.
“What's wrong?!” Somepony shouted as they leaned their head out of their bedroom.
“It's Doctor Twilenstein!” They shouted in unison, all clearly panicking. “She's up to something again! We don't know what it is, BUT IT ISN'T GOOD!!!”
“Dear Celestia, save us from overly excitable ponies and scientists...” The pony leaning out of his window muttered. “Okay everypony! You know the drill! Annoyed mob assembly in twenty minutes!”
Meanwhile in Castle Twilenstein...
“Okay, Spigor, increase the aetheretic phase inducer by thirteen point five,” said a lilac coated mare who sported a pristine lab coat and triple magnification safety goggles which made her eyes comically distorted. The room she stood in was coated from floor to ceiling with machinery that was blinking, buzzing or moving in odd ways as they did whatever it was that they did.
“Yeesss Doctor Twilenstein... Yeesss...” her assistant hissed in reply.
“Spigor, what have I said about talking like that?” She grumbled, irked by his words. “And stop slouching and dragging your leg like that. It's bad for your posture.”
“Jeez...” He replied with a long worrying look. “You never let me have any fun.”
“This is fun,” she said primly. “You don't think this is fun?”
“Well... if you call giving an orange the peel of a banana the definition of fun...” he said with a look of utter confusion. “I think you need a new dictionary.”
“Hey!” she said with an annoyed look. “What's that?” She finished as she was distracted by an odd noise coming from outside. She trotted over to the window and looked out. “What's going on? I can't make out anything?”
“Try removing your goggles first?” Spigor said with a groan.
“Oh, right,” she said neutrally. “Why's everypony coming up to the castle at this hour?” she asked quizzically at the sight of thirty or so townsponies with torches, pitchforks and other miscellaneous farming implements in tow. She even thought she saw somepony with a butter churn?
“Oh, I don't know...” Spigor said with a roll of his eyes. “Maybe because you're doing weird experiments again?”
“It's not weird, it's useful,” she said trying to defend the validity of her experiment. “Don't you find it really annoying and frustrating as you try to get an orange peel off? Not to mention all that weird white stuff that sticks to the outside of the wedges.” She shuddered at the last with a noise of disgust.
“I don't have any trouble with that stuff,” he said with a look of incomprehension for her thoughts.
“Of course you don't,” she replied with a scrunched muzzle. “You eat the whole thing without peeling it anyways.”
“My eating habits aside, don't you think we should go see what they want this time?” he said as the noise steadily increased.
“May as well,” Twilenstein said as she began trotting to the staircase that led to the ground floor, Spigor hot on her tail. A few minutes later, they were opening the gates and lowering the draw bridge as the annoyed townsponies drew up to the edge of the moat. Twilenstein and Spigor made their way across the bridge only to be met by the village elder, a middle-aged stallion with a salt and pepper mane who wore an annoyed expression. “Good night, Elder. What can I do for you?”
“What're you doing this time, Doctor Twilenstein...” He asked in a weary voice, having had this conversation countless times before. “You know you have designated hours for your experiments so you don't go causing a panic with the townsponies.”
“I wasn't doing anything particularly dangerous, I swear.” She replied.
“That's what you said about the experiment involving that fluffy pink pony that lives two towns over last week.” He deadpanned. “Then we had over two hundred of them running around with a pillow factory's stock of pillows, waging war against anypony they saw. Some of the townsponies still haven't recovered from the whiplash.”
“Oh, yeah,” she replied sheepishly. “How was I supposed to know that if she got wet that she'd self replicate?”
“Right...” He said skeptically. “So, you know how this goes, Twilenstein. We get annoyed, you try to explain how it's harmless and what you're doing, we don't understand so you continue anyways and then something weird happens. Like that wave of bird-orange hybrids. All I have say about that is that's the most disgusting way to get a lifetime supply of orange marmalade I've ever heard of, not to mention the mess they made.”
“I swear that nothing weird is going to happen this time.” She replied with a strained smile. “It's for the betterment of all ponykind!”
“I don't care, Twilenstein...” He said with a sigh. “It's time to wake up.”
“Huh?” She said in utter confusion.
“I said it's time to wake up.” He said, his voice changing to that of Spigors within those few words. “It's time for lunch.”
***
“Wha...?” Twilight said as she blinked in the bright midday light. “Spigor?”
“Huh?” Spike said with a look of comic disbelief. “Who's Spigor?”
“Oh, it's you Spike.” Twilight said with a jaw cracking yawn. “I had the weirdest dream.”
“I figured out that much,” he said laughing.
“That's the last time I read Marey Shelly before I take a nap,” she said with a rueful look at the book beside her. “So, what was that about lunch?”
“It's time for it.” He said simply. “Let's go out. Kinda stuffy in here anyways.”
“Alright.” Twilight said as she got to her hooves with another deep yawn. “Let me get my saddlebags first and then we can be on our way.” Spike just nodded before moving to the front door to wait for her. After getting her things, Twilight left the library with Spike at her side. They debated about where to go; eventually they settled on one of the upper middle class cafes that had a good variety of food and a reasonable price range. After they were led to a seat, they perused the menu shortly before placing their orders. As they sat there in silence, a niggling thought began to worm its way to the forefront of Twilight's mind. She tried to think of something else, but it wouldn't go away.
“So how many friends do you have here in Ponyville, Spike?” She eventually asked. “I know about the Crusaders, but who all do you normally have fun with?”
“Oh... Ummm...” He said as he contemplated his mental list of ponies that he considered friends. “Well I guess there's you, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and then there's Rarity.” He finished with a telltale sigh. “I guess there really aren't many ponies that I would consider my friends. I don't mind that though, because I have all the friends I need in you and the others.”
“Oh.” Twilight said as that same weight resettled in her chest from earlier. “But, are you sure you don't want any other friends closer to your age?”
“Nah.” He said nonchalantly. “I'm fine.”
“Okay.” Twilight said, a little sadness adding more to that weight in her. Has he really been like this the whole time we've been here? Maybe it's that dream lingering a bit, but maybe... Spike really can't make any friends here because he's always helping me out. The Cutie Mark Crusaders make sense because Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are sisters of our friends and Scootaloo always hangs out with them. But are we the only real friends he has?
Twilight was driven out of her thoughts as their drink orders were delivered, though she never really lost that heaviness in her heart. They talked and laughed about something or other that had happened throughout the week, eating their meal with smiles and laughter, though Twilight barely tasted her meal. When they left, they decided on a change of pace, so they walked around the town for a while, Twilight gave Spike his allowance for the week and a good bit more besides. Not one to look a gifting horse in the mouth, he took the bits and made a good day out of it, even buying a little glass bauble for Twilight. She didn't say anything except a simple, yet heartfelt thank you for the present. What else could she say? After all the things that they've done for one another, there really wasn't much that has been left unsaid between them.
As the afternoon rolled on, they passed by the new motion picture theater that had been put up a few months ago. Spike drifted over to look at the posters in the “now showing” displays. One apparently had caught his eye because he hurried back over to Twilight with an excited glint in his eye and asked if they could see it. She agreed on the terms that his ticket was paid for with next weeks allowance to which he agreed emphatically. So with that matter settled they bought their tickets for the two thirty show, which were quite reasonably priced, and relaxed in the velvet upholstered chairs that ringed the air conditioned lobby for the next viewing in twenty minutes. The interior and furnishings were quite extravagant, going so far that they reminded Twilight of some of the more exclusive restaurants in Canterlot. Plush carpet on the floor, rich brown wood paneling the walls and brass light fixtures spread evenly with magical flames that were dimmed since it was in the early afternoon.
The movie was called The White Knight, which turned out to be something akin to a historical recreation with added action. Spike sat beside Twilight, his eyes wide at the actors on the screen as some princess from the pre-alicorn period was captured by some evil unicorn mage to be his bride, while the knight was powerless to stop him. Not letting that stop him, the knight went on a mighty quest to find a legendary sword smith to forge him a blade to vanquish the villain. Twilight actually knew this particular tale and studied their portrayal with the dispassionate eye of one who knew how everything was supposed to unfold. She found it wanting to say the least, but she continued to watch it for Spike's sake as she knew he would be talking about nothing else for the rest of the night and in the days to come.
The movie was over in an hour and a half, which left them the lion's share of the afternoon. Even though they did little enough for the duration of the movie, they decided to head back home as they found their selves surprisingly tired. After putting away their things, Twilight and Spike retired to their favorite reading nook to pick up where they had left off on their relaxation earlier though Twilight left the Marey Shelly book alone. They sat around on comfortable pillows and talked about the movie for a while, Spike mostly talked about the chivalrous knight.
Twilight was happy to see him excited about the valor and heroic deeds portrayed in the movie, so she didn't feel the need to ruin his fun by telling him that the knight died pitifully instead of rescuing his princess. In all actuality, just before he made it to the evil unicorns keep, an errant breeze caught him off guard as he tried to cross the narrow bridge to the front gate. It was actually his squire who did the rescuing, much to the humor of those of the time and future historians. Twilight actually felt kinda bad for laughing about it afterward though.
They spent the better part of an hour talking about the movie before Spike decided to return to his comics while Twilight decided to take a nap. By the time she woke up, the sun was well on its way to setting and Spike was napping against her so she woke him up, asking what he wanted to do for supper. They decided to stay at home this time, so Spike took the initiative as he went to the kitchen to begin preparations for their meal. The only thing she wished she had was some way to divert her mind from unpleasant thoughts now that she didn't have anything to keep her occupied.
Now what was she supposed to do? Mull over her thoughts, she guessed. So she did. It wasn't like she asked him to not make any friends. If anything, that's precisely what she would want him to do. But sometimes things don't work out that way, even if she gave him two or even three days off each week. She needed him around the library quite often to help with chores, experiments, run errands, cook, clean, reign her in when she got overly obsessive about something or other and all the other innumerable things he did for her that might not even have proper names. She didn't think she had even thanked him for doing any of these things lately unless she happened to be unoccupied and noticed him doing them.
She was a horrible friend.
So what could she do to make it up to him? Maybe triple his allowance? No... even though he would love that, it wouldn't really do anything to deal with the problem at hoof. Enroll him at the local school? Not likely... Because he was mostly taught by Twilight, he had greatly surpassed the education level of the fillies and colts that were around his age. That would only take time out of his days for the other things he would still have to do. Maybe she could start doing some of the chores around the library. Well it would be a start, but it really wouldn't be a solution. What he really needed was to make some friends of his own, especially since it seemed as though most of the fillies and colts his own age don't interest him as potential friends.
Then there was the other problem. The one that Twilight now noticed as she thought about his lack of friends. What did Spike really want to do? Surely he wouldn't want to spend his life dusting and cleaning up after Twilight, right? Honestly, who would want to do that? The number of nightmarish messes he had cleaned up because of her would need an entire slide show presentation to effectively correlate her age to mess size/horrifying factor. With foot notes. Though there was that one time she accidentally filled the basement with pudding... He hadn't minded that one so much. Then there was the fact that Twilight had been basically grooming him to become a scholar with the width and breadth of her lessons. Maybe being a scholar wasn't what he wanted to end up as?
Maybe she'd figure something out if she sent a letter to Princess Celestia or talked to her friends. Both would be preferable. Definitely both. Looking up at the clock, she noticed that only fifteen minutes had passed, which left some time to write a letter to the Princess before supper was ready, so she took advantage of it and got to work right away. The letter was fairly short for Twilight, only taking up a single fifteen inch long sheet of parchment. When done, she rolled it up without tying a ribbon around it since she was only asking advice and went into the kitchen. The room was stiflingly hot and humid as she spotted Spike with a medium sized wok in claw, his own viridian flames being used to keep it hot.
“Hey... Twilight...” He said between bursts of flame and breath. “Thought... I'd... make... stir-fry.”
“I can see that.” Twilight said with an appreciative sniff of the air. The smells of hot oil, vinegar, the other spices and ingredients blended together into one spectacular bouquet of sensory delight. “What brought this on? You normally don't make dragon flame stir-fry.”
“Eh...” He began to reply. “Call it... a... thank you... for the... movie.”
“No need to thank me, Spike.” She replied. “You paid for your ticket out of next weeks allowance.”
“I don't... care... about... that.” He panted out. “You still... saw it... with me... even... though... you... got... bored... with it.”
“I wasn't really bored with it per se.” Twilight said, embarrassed that he had noticed. “It just wasn't historically accurate enough for me to really get into.” Instead of immediately responding, he took a deep breath before letting out one sustained tongue of fire lick the bottom of the wok while only keeping its contents moving slightly to add the final touch of scorched flavor to it.
“It doesn't really matter.” He said as he regained his breath. “You still gave me a really good day and we may as well end it with something just as good.”
“You still didn't have to.” Twilight said with a grateful tone.
“I didn't, but I wanted to.” He said as he split the contents of the pan between two plates and added shattered gems to one. “Just to end the day on a good note. Thanks for everything, Twilight.”
“I didn't do all that much, but it looks and smells delicious Spike.” Twilight said in appreciation of his culinary skill. “Thanks.”
“Hey, it's what I do.” He said with the casual confidence of one who knows his skill. “And you do plenty for me. Now, let's eat before it starts to get cold.”
“Oh, one last thing before we start.” Twilight said as she remembered her letter. “Could you send this to the Princess for me?”
“Sure.” He said but quickly showed hesitation. “Actually... do you think it could wait until we're done eating? It's not a pleasant experience to have a letter come up when you're trying to have something go down.”
“Oh.” Twilight said as she thought about it. “It can wait.”
They both got a good laugh out of the potentially horrible outcome before they sat down and ate their fill.
***
The next morning, Spike was up bright and early while Twilight lingered in bed as she had tossed and turned all night. Oh the irony of it all. Well not really, but Twilight hadn't spend the night studying as one would expect so she was not only grumpy, but frustrated that she had wasted valuable time. Except that it hadn't really been wasted as she spent the night thinking about possible plans for Spike to gain some friends. The only downside to most of the plans she had come up with involved him leaving Ponyville to broaden his horizons. To live apart from her and learn who he really is apart from her assistant. Twilight was wary to bring this to light around him yet because she wasn't sure how well he would handle even an imagined suggestion that he was being sent away. After all, it was one of his greatest fears.
“Twilight!” He called from downstairs. “The Princess just replied!”
Thank you, Celestia! Twilight thought elatedly as she was filled with sudden energy. She rolled to her hooves and hopped off her bed to trot downstairs. Spike waited for her in the doorway to the kitchen as the buttery aroma of cooking pancakes wafted in the air, scroll in claw with a half smile on his face.
“You should be lucky I've been doing this for so long, otherwise this would be coated in half cooked pancakes,” he said with half a chuckle. “I'm surprised it took the Princess this long to reply. She's normally fairly quick with her solutions.”
“Yeah...” Twilight said with a guilty grimace as she took the note in her magical grip. “It was something important, so I'm honestly glad she took her time.”
“Important?” He said curiously. “Anything I should know about?”
“Eventually, Spike.” Twilight said with a sad smile. “You'll know soon enough.”
“Alright.” He replied with a cautious tone. “Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, so don't be too long.”
“Okay.” Twilight replied before heading back upstairs. After she closed the door, she moved to her bed before unrolling the scroll.
Twilight,
I am moved that you seek me out for advice in your life, even now. Ever since you were a young filly, still coming into her own, you held nothing back in the questions you asked me in your unbridled quest for knowledge. To be honest, some were particularly tricky and difficult for me to answer without giving you too much or too little information.
In life, however, the answers can't be found in textbooks or have a clearly 'right' or 'wrong' solution. Sometimes the answer can only be what is considered the 'best.' This is both the problem and the solution that you're seeking right now; the best for Spike and the best course of action. Sadly, I cannot tell you what I would do in a similar situation. This is something that the two of you need to discover for yourselves.
However, I can give you some advice that may point you in the right direction. Firstly, tell Spike of your worry for and about him. He is a young dragon who has yet to come into his own, but he deserves to know and influence the path his life may take. From his actions in the past, he lacks for nothing in both his moral and mental strength. You have made sure of that, Twilight. Secondly, your friends are always there to provide support and give advice as needed. Thirdly, I will support both of you no matter the outcome. Lastly, but most definitely not least, the two of you are as close to one another that if he were not clearly another species, it would be difficult to say that you two were related by blood. That aside, the two of you are most definitely family in all other sense of the word. A family worries, frets and looks out for those they care about.
I know this may not be what you want to hear, but you needed it all the same. I hope to hear from you about how everything turns out.
Your friend before anything else,
Celestia
Twilight looked up from the short letter and felt none the better though determination came to the forefront. Despite her feelings, Twilight felt confident both in herself and that her friends would help her in this as they had time and time again. She sighed before she placed the letter in her night stand and left her room. Spike was just sliding the last pancake from the frying pan when she entered the kitchen.
“Just finished making breakfast, so I hope you're hungry.” Spike said as she moved to sit down. “So did the Princess give you any good advice?”
“Enough for me to know that I'm on the right path.” She replied.
“Well that's good, I guess,” he said with a slightly skeptical look. “She really didn't have anything else to tell you other than keep at it?”
“Well, she had a little something extra to add, but not really,” Twilight said with a half smile. “Now lets eat before those pancakes get cold.”
“Alright.” Spike said as he grabbed their plates and moved them to the table where syrup and toppings were waiting. “Don't forget you can always talk to me about anything, Twilight. I can always lend an ear if nothing else.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” Twilight said with a little laugh. “Since when did you get so considerate?”
“I've always been considerate.” He said confidently. The look Twilight gave him crumbled that confidence in moments. “Okay, okay, fine... I've been learning a few things about being a gentlecolt from Rarity. She always tells me that 'one should be considerate of the feelings of those around him and offer a caring ear even if you don't understand what's wrong.'”
“That's very sound advice, Spike,” Twilight said with a smile. “Rarity certainly knows what she's talking about. Now, enough of this. Time to eat.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said as he slathered a large swath of butter on the top pancake before pouring a good amount of syrup over the stack. They ate quickly, the short stacks of delicious pancakes disappearing in record time. Once they finished, their plates found their way to the sink, Twilight gave Spike a short list of chores to take care of for the day while she would go out to take care of a few errands, though she wasn't sure when she would be back. As Twilight left the library, she double checked her saddlebags to make sure she didn't forget her bits. She really did have to get more parchment, ink and quills after all.
With her monetary supply assured, she went off to deal with a few personal necessities before dropping by the Boutique as Rarity would be the most available at this time. Her visits to the various stores didn't take too long aside from a minor hiccup in getting her ink as Twilight had to wait for the proprietress to prepare an extra three wells for her. With her errands done, Twilight made her way to the Boutique. As it was a Monday, she was pretty sure that Rarity would be available due to some infinite dislike of hers about working on the start of the week.
Twilight walked up to the dark store front with a lightening of her chest. She knocked a few times and waited. She faintly heard the sound of a couple things being bumped followed by the door opening to reveal a fairly tired Rarity, though she still looked as if she had been in at the spa for several hours. Rarity took a few moments of staring uncomprehendingly at Twilight before the sight of her friend finally registered in her mind.
“Oh!” She said finally. “Twilight, dear, what brings you here so early in the morning?”
“Early?” Twilight said in confusion, her other reply lost for the moment. Rarity looked over her shoulder to check the clock and saw that it was almost eleven.
“Early for a Monday, dear,” Rarity said with her usual hatred for the day. “Would you like to come inside and join me for some tea? I could use a strong cup right now and your company would be most welcome.”
“If you wouldn't mind.” Twilight replied in gratitude as Rarity stepped back to allow her entry. “I thought that I would come by to ask you for some advice.”
“Think nothing of it, Twilight.” Rarity said as she led the way to her kitchen. “Shall we wait until I'm a bit more awake with a hot mug of tea in front of me? I wouldn't want to drift off in the middle and miss something important.”
“I don't mind waiting.” Twilight replied. “I plan on talking to the other girls at some point as well about this.”
“It must be something quite dire if you're seeking out all of our advice.” Rarity said as she filled a well used kettle with water before putting it on a live burner. Once the kettle was set down, she brought out her teapot and tea container.
“It's nothing dire, just... difficult.” Twilight said in answer.
“Well, I'll give you all the help I can Twilight.” Rarity said as she stared at the kettle, willing it to heat up faster. “I just hope that my advice can be helpful.”
“Don't worry about it so much, Rarity,” Twilight said with a smile.
“If you say so,” Rarity said with a slightly skeptical expression. They lapsed into silence as they waited for the water to boil. After almost four minutes the kettle began to emit wispy shreds of water vapor before it quickly ramped up to emit a shrill whistle. Working with the efficiency of a long time tea maker, Rarity levitated the lid off of the pot before taking a pinch of tea in her magic and crushed it into the flow of hot water. Replacing the lid on the pot, Rarity retrieved a small container of fresh cream from her refrigerator and moved the two items to the table. She returned to her cupboards one last time to retrieve a pair of tea cups, their accompanying saucers and the sugar bowl. Once she set the final items on the table, they waited a couple more minutes to let the tea steep properly, its aroma invigorating the two ponies. Once Rarity felt that it was time, she lifted the teapot to pour a very dark tea that was almost black apart from the slightly auburn color that could be seen when the light shone on it. “Cream or sugar?” Rarity asked as she mixed both into her own beverage.
“If you have any honey, I would appreciate it,” Twilight said with a guilty half smile. “I can't drink the darker tea without honey after the Princess recommended it to me. Sugar just doesn't have the same taste when mixed with a dark tea.”
“Of course, just a moment.” Rarity said as she brought her honey container out of hiding. Twilight took it and added a modest amount to her tea. They gently nursed their cups of tea as they waited for them to cool enough to drink. Finally with some tentative sips, they began to drink their tea, the almost-too-hot tea having an immediate effect as it coursed down their throats. “Oh, that is simply divine.” Rarity said in abject pleasure, Twilight laughing at her friends appreciation for the drink.
“So, do you think you're awake enough to hear me out?” Twilight said after her laughter subsided.
“Give me another moment and I'll be all ears.” Rarity said as she drained half of her remaining tea in one long swallow, refilling it once she was done. “Go ahead, Twilight.”
“Okay... The thing is...” Twilight began explaining to Rarity about how she recently noticed Spike's lack of friends and how she has raised him. It not only felt gratifying to get it off her chest, but she also felt like she was being coated in some vile substance. Oh, how she hated these truths. She kept on going though because this was no longer about her. It was about Spike. She would do anything for the little dragon.
“Twilight, dear, I know what you mean.” Rarity said as Twilight ran out of things to talk about. “Spike really needs to meet ponies his own age, and not just for friendship, but for all of the things he isn't finding here too. Though I must say that you're being entirely too hard on yourself. You've helped to raise a fine young drake.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked as Rarity finished, though she gave her friend a grateful smile at Rarity's halfhearted attempts to validate how she was raising him. “You don't mean what I think you mean, do you?” She continued after a moment of thought.
“Well, I do hope you're thinking about romance, Twilight...” Rarity said with a knowing smile. She took a deep breath before releasing it in a long sigh, her smile fading with her expelled breath. “Of course you, I and everypony else for that matter can tell that Spike has a crush on me. I must say that I'm rather fond of the young fellow myself. Fond, but not romantically so... I figured out easily enough that I was his first crush and I wanted it to be something truly special for him. I've never done anything to dissuade his interest, though I've certainly prolonged it with my own displays of affection toward him.
“Even though it was one sided for the most part, I do have to say that I'm actually grateful, honored even, that I was his first real love. If he were older, I certainly would have seriously considered his courting attempts, especially as he has taken my lessons to heart, but he should find somepony his own age to have a real relationship with. It's for his own good, just like what you're trying to figure out how to do. The thing is... I don't want to break that golden little heart of his. I know it may seem a little cold, mean hearted really, but I think he should fall out of love with me on his own just as he fell in love with me. I really do care a lot about him and I want to continue being such good friends with him, but I just don't want him to come to resent me or let hard feelings come between us.” Rarity turned her attention to her tea, taking a few quiet sips as she let Twilight mull over what she had just heard.
“You must really have given this a lot of thought, huh?” Twilight said eventually. Rarity twitched her ears before she looked to her companion. “I mean, you've been helping him understand love in a non-platonic way without ever really making it seem that way. The only thing is that I wished you would have told me all this before. I didn't say anything because you've been good to him aside from a few things I didn't really care for, like the whole pin cushion thing.”
Rarity winced at the memory, looking away again. “Not one of my best moments.”
“But he's happy by simply being with you.” Twilight continued. “He goes on and on about the things you teach him whenever he comes home from a day with you. His personality has even changed a bit because of you if you can believe it. I don't even remember the last time I've heard a snide remark from him, though his sarcasm is as good as ever,” she said with a rueful chuckle. “He has really changed quite a bit in that respect. All I can really say is that you've taught him a lot more about the love between two special someponies than I ever realized until now. I guess I never really thought to teach him about that stuff.” Twilight paused for a moment to smile sadly at her friend. “Thanks, Rarity.”
“Oh, Twilight.” Rarity said, with a wave of her hoof. “I don't deserve your thanks for this. If anything, you should be angry with me for leading him on like that. Even I'm angry at myself now that I reflect upon it.”
“Oh, don't get me wrong, Rarity.” Twilight continued. “I'm plenty miffed, not to mention sad because I'll be the one he talks to as he breaks his own heart over you, but you're still my friend and you're teaching him very important lessons about love. I'm sure even Cadence could appreciate what you've done for him, so don't be angry at yourself for teaching this last lesson as gently as possible.”
“That's lofty praise for somepony who's only leading the poor fellow on...” Rarity replied a bit sadly.
“You can stop with that attitude right now, Rarity.” Twilight said sternly. “Maybe you could have handled things better, but what's done is done. I don't think Spike would want to trade anything for even a moment of your undivided attention. What you can do, if you want to make yourself feel better is to support him. As a friend.”
“You're right, Twilight.” Rarity replied once she got over the mild scolding.
“I know.” Twilight said smugly. “Now I think that's enough of that for now. Let's finish our tea and figure out who I should visit next.”
With that, they talked casually but with purpose as they brought up the merits and downsides of each of their friends as far as their advice would go. Fluttershy would likely be worried overly much for Spike, especially with his age and species. Rainbow Dash would likely tell Twilight that she shouldn't do things like this behind his back before letting him know first, quickly followed by her going off to help him with 'awesome lessons' to impress his new friends immediately. Pinkie Pie would likely have strangely sage advice and would show up with her Pinkie Sense when the time was right for her input, so there was no point in seeking her out because she would be there when she was needed the most. Finally they were left with Applejack, who would likely have the most solid advice for the core issue at hoof.
With a plan of action, Twilight's sadness fled in the face of her resolve. There wasn't enough room in her heart for such a trifling emotion when there were things to be done after all. This was not her life that she was asking about, seeking advice for after all... It was all for Spike. The dragon, barely into his teens, was one of the finest individuals Twilight had ever known and loved. She would do right by him no matter the cost to her. It was the very least she could do, especially if Spike ended up following some other path in life. With the teapot sitting, only the dregs of the tea left and Rarity slowly losing her conversational edge as the caffeine ebbed out of her system, Twilight decided that it was time to follow through with their conversation. It was time to visit Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack would be there, working hard as she always was, but would have a little time to spend with a friend in need. At the least, Twilight could always go back later on in the day if she was too busy.
So with a warm farewell to Rarity and a thank you for the tea, Twilight left the Boutique a little after one. As she made her way through town, Twilight decided to go through the market to get something to eat since she had skipped lunch. The square was fairly busy for a Monday, especially after lunch, though Twilight was lucky enough to get some fresh sunflower seed snack bars from one of the vendors. Munching on the still warm snacks, Twilight made her way out of town and down the lane to Sweet Apple Acres. As she made her way down, Twilight spotted a certain little Apple filly making her way home well before she should be out of school. Worried that she might be sick, Twilight cantered up to her and caught her attention.
“Apple Bloom!” Twilight said as she drew level with her. “What are you doing out of school so early?”
“Oh! Hi, Miss Twilight.” Apple Bloom said once the surprise of her appearance wore off. “We all got sent home early today because Featherweight got sick in class. Miss Cheerilee took him home and gave us the rest of the day off so we could try to avoid getting sick too.”
“That's too bad about Featherweight.” Twilight said, knowing full well how hard illnesses can hit a young pony out of nowhere. “Could you stop for a moment? I've got a spell to make sure you don't catch whatever bug he had.”
“Oh! That's right handy,” Apple Bloom said with a grin. “It's not gonna hurt, is it?”
“Nope.” Twilight said as her horn lit up. “It's a really impressive spell that can immunize a pony against whatever illness that was around them. It even sanitizes the pony as a side effect. The only down side is that it makes you a little sick for the rest of the day which won't be very bad, maybe a little dizziness or fatigue, so you should drink a couple glasses of orange juice after you get home.”
“But I've got chores and stuff to do when I get home,” Apple Bloom said with concern for her responsibilities.
“I'm sure Applejack would appreciate you being a little sick instead of you maybe getting really sick in a day or two.” Twilight said consolingly but continued as Apple Bloom still looked unsure. “I'll tell you what I'll do for you. You tell me what your chores are and I'll do them for you.”
“Miss Twilight, you ain't gotta do that.” She protested.
“It's what friends do for each other.” Twilight countered. “Now, would you like to have a free pass against whatever bug Featherweight had and no chores for the day?”
“If it's what you really wanna do...” Apple Bloom said reluctantly.
“I do.” Twilight said as she finally cast the spell she had held off. “Also, you can call me Twilight, Apple Bloom.”
“Are you sure?” Apple Bloom said as she shook her head to clear away the mild dizziness.
“Absolutely.” Twilight said. “I think we've known each other long enough by now to be considered friends. Besides, I don't call your sister 'miss.'”
Apple Bloom giggled at the thought and shook her head while Twilight cast her spell. With that, they continued on their way to the farm which came into view as they rounded the next curve. As they closed the distance, they saw Big Mac working on a plow that had warped as it had caught on something while he was working. Once they neared the house, Twilight reminded Apple Bloom to go drink some orange juice right away before she did anything else while Twilight moved over to talk to the big stallion who was looking curious as to why his littlest sister was home early.
“Good afternoon, Big Mac.” She said in greeting. “One of Apple Bloom's classmates got sick today, so Miss Cheerilee sent the class home. I made sure Apple Bloom won't get sick, but she should take it easy for the rest of the day. She was worried about her chores, so I volunteered to do those for her in exchange.”
“That's mighty nice o' ya, Twilight.” He replied with a smile. “I take it that wasn't the only thing you needed?”
“I was hoping to talk to Applejack too.” She replied with a half smile.
“She's out in the north fields right now, which is where Apple Bloom's chores would have started anyways. She helps carry in the bushels o' apples, so you can do a little double duty,” he said with a grin.
“Thanks, Big Mac,” Twilight said with a smile. “Before I head out, let me help you with that.” She said as she nodded to the plow, her horn lighting up. A look of concentration fell over her face and her horn flared brightly for a couple moments before the plow straightened itself out with a deep groan. “Phew!” She said as she wiped a bit of sweat from her brow. “I sharpened the blade and strengthened the metal while I was at it.”
“Ya didn't have ta do all that,” he said with a slightly uncomfortable expression on his face.
“Call it an early thank you to the family.” She replied. At his quizzical expression, Twilight just laughed a little and continued before he could reply, “You'll find out soon enough, but I need to talk to Applejack first.”
With that, Twilight turned and left for the north fields. As she walked for a few minutes, she noticed that the trees she passed were completely bare of their usual vibrant red fruit, proof of Applejack's iron-clad work ethic. By the time she had made it almost a third of the way into the field, she finally noticed a bushel of apples by the base of a tree. Smiling, now that she knew her friend would be somewhere nearby, Twilight picked up her pace while she kept her ears open for the telltale sound of apple bucking. As she continued on her way, Twilight's smile faded as she heard nothing except for the sound of bird song. Maybe I missed her as she was going back to the farm? She thought as she wondered where her friend might be. She was about to turn around and head back when she noticed a hoof poking out from behind a tree a short distance away. Chuckling to herself, Twilight walked over to see Applejack leaning against the trunk of a tree with her hat lowered over her eyes as she took a nap.
Smiling to herself, Twilight cast a voice changing spell to mask her voice as Granny Smith's. “Well what do we have here?! You sleeping on the job again, youngun?!” She said in a mock outraged tone, her voice cracking exactly like the wizened mare. The effect was immediate as Applejack jerked out of sleep and hopped to her hooves, her hat falling to the ground in her haste.
“I-I wasn't sleepin' Granny Smith, I swear!” She drowsily shouted. She stopped immediately as soon as she saw Twilight laughing, though she cackled like her Grandma. “That's downright dirty, Twi! Darn near gave me a heart attack with that!”
“Sorry about that, youngun,” Twilight said with a wide grin as her horn lit up to remove the voice spell. “I couldn't resist. I blame it on Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.”
“Well... don't do it again, ya hear?” She said as she eyed Twilight with a stern look. “So what brings ya out to the farm?”
“Well, I needed to ask you for some advice mostly, and to do Apple Bloom's chores before that.” Twilight answered. At Applejack's curious look, Twilight explained how she prevented the little filly from getting sick and promised to do her chores for her.
“Well that's really nice o' ya, Twi.” Applejack replied with a big smile. “Ah think Ah can forgive ya fer wakin' me up like that since ya did all o' us a big favor like that.”
“It's what friends do for each other, right?” Twilight said as she looked around at the copious amounts of harvested apples. “How about I take these back to the farm and we can get the rest of the chores out of the way so we can talk.”
“Sounds like a plan ta me.” Applejack said as she put her stetson back on. “Ah think Ah slept long enough as it was. Did you see if Big Mac was workin' on the plow when ya came through? He got it caught on a stone an' bent the darn thing real good.”
“Oh, I took care of that too.” Twilight said as she began lifting bushels of apples in her magic. “I told him that it was an early thank you for the advice I'm asking for.”
“Ain't no reason ta pay me back like that fer some advice.” Applejack protested.
“It's worth it to me, Applejack.” Twilight retorted. “We'll talk about it later though. I'll be back in a little while after I take these back.” Applejack nodded uncertainly but gave in at her friend's serious expression. For roughly an hour after that conversation, Twilight and Applejack were hard at work harvesting the northern field. With Twilight's ability to carry several times the load that either Applejack or even Big Mac, not to mention her ability to magically harvest large areas in an instant, they harvested almost three times the area that Applejack had hoped to do in a fraction of the time. As Twilight began doing more work, Applejack almost felt guilty for having her friend do this much for her even though Twilight told her that it was her own way of thanking her. When Applejack finally felt as though Twilight had done far more than she was comfortable with, she told her that it was time to call it a day and offered her some refreshments back at the house.
“That sounds great, Applejack,” Twilight said with a grateful smile. “It looks like we got a lot done today though.”
“You can say that again, sugarcube.” Applejack said ruefully. “'Cause of you, we're well ahead of schedule fer the week.”
“I'm glad I could help out,” Twilight said with a happy smile. “After we cool down a bit, I'd like to ask you for your advice before I head back home.”
“Not a problem, Twi.” Applejack said in all seriousness. With that, they returned to the barn with the last of the apples before entering the relatively cool house. Applejack had Twilight to wait in the living room while she got their refreshments. When she walked in, Twilight saw Granny Smith dozing peacefully in the corner on her rocking chair and Apple Bloom sprawled out on the couch fast asleep, their snores providing a strange harmony of relaxation. Smiling to herself, Twilight sat in one of the straight backed chairs while she waited. It didn't take long for Applejack to come in with a bowl of sliced apples thinly coated in honey along with a pitcher and cups on a tray that was filled with cold mint tea balanced on her back.
“Time ta get up, lazy bones,” Applejack said with a nudge to her little sister after she slid the things on the table. “C'mon Apple Bloom.”
“Come on sis...” She moaned pitifully. “Jus' five more minutes...”
“Ya sure ya don't want any cold tea or honeyed apples?” Applejack asked with a sly smile.
“Ah guess that's a good reason ta get up...” Apple Bloom said grudgingly as she rubbed at her eyes. “Oh, heya Twilight. Thanks again for fixin' me up earlier.”
“It's not a problem, Apple Bloom.” Twilight responded with a smile. “I know I wouldn't like to find out that you had gotten sick if I could have prevented it. You feeling okay right now?”
“Peachy keen,” she said with a big grin. “Ah got a little tired, but nothin' like what ya said.”
“Must be that farm filly vitality, huh?” Twilight replied with a small laugh.
“You know it!” Apple Bloom said with exuberance to spare.
“Well, why don'cha use some o' that vitality an' help Twilight at the library over the summer?” Applejack said with a sly smirk. “Yer always complainin' about how there's nothin' ta do at the farm but the same ol' chores every summer.” Apple Bloom looked up in shock at her older sister at the suggestion.
“I may just take that offer,” Twilight said with a sly grin at seeing Apple Bloom look at her in turn with a look of shock. “I could always use another set of hooves in the library.”
“Wha?!” Apple Bloom said in retaliation before grumbling under her breath. “Well... Ah guess...”
They both laughed at her reluctant agreement. Once their laughter died down, the trio began to chat amicably over the light snack and refreshing beverages while Granny Smith continued to snore contentedly in the corner. Eventually, Applejack began to worry a little as Twilight continued to talk of other topics rather than bringing up whatever it was that she needed advice on. It wasn't as though Twilight seemed to be forcing her good cheer, but her seriousness from earlier really made Applejack feel as though she needed to get the the matter at hoof sooner rather than later.
“So, Twi, what was it ya needed advice for?” Applejack said smoothly in the midst of a topic change. Twilight glanced aside as though caught in the act of some deception. Applejack just waited patiently and got a sigh in response as Twilight looked back with resolve fit for an Apple family mare.
“Well, it's a bit difficult...” Twilight began but stopped as Applejack immediately looked to Apple Bloom with a look that brooked no argument. Apple Bloom looked back with a look that spoke volumes of long term suffering. “Wait a minute, Apple Bloom. I'd like your input too...” Twilight said as the filly hopped of the couch to go to her room. At Applejack's expression of reluctance, Twilight nodded. “She's not just your sister anymore, Applejack... I'd like to count her amongst my friends too.” Applejack smiled proudly at the filly who had stopped in her tracks. At her sister's nod, Apple Bloom returned to her seat while Twilight collected her thoughts.
As she began, Applejack immediately knew why Twilight had asked Apple Bloom to stick around aside from the fact that they were deepening their friendship. Spike quickly became the apparent topic of the advice as Twilight talked about both their relationship and what she thought of as his needs. Apple Bloom looked at Twilight in awe as she realized what one of the first duties of true friendship was. Sound advice and an open ear as her friend vented her fears and frustrations. Twilight spoke about a great many things which seemed to be unconnected in most ways, though not to her as she went on. By the end, she seemed deflated as she sat there in her chair. Applejack began to think, sorting the thoughts in her head into the proper order while Apple Bloom took a more direct approach as she hopped off her perch to rear up and hugged Twilight around one of her forelegs.
“Are ya sure about this, Twilight?” She asked in a slightly sad voice. Twilight nodded silently, so Apple Bloom continued, “Well, why don'cha talk ta him about it?”
“Well... It's not that simple...” Twilight said haltingly. “I mean, it was his greatest fear to be sent away by me a few years ago.”
“That was a few years ago, right?” Apple Bloom responded. “He might've changed in that time, right?”
“Maybe...” Twilight said in concession. “But he might not have either...”
“Yer just talkin' like he hasn't changed at all, Twi.” Applejack finally chipped in. “A year's a mighty long time for somepony to not change... Even if he changed a little, it's still a change, right?”
“I guess...” She said forlornly. “But this was from King Sombra's door of true fear where somepony was shown their worst fear to prevent them from opening it.”
“Well, Ah don't know a lot about that magic stuff, but what Ah do know is that Spike's a mighty brave fella,” Applejack said with a sly smile of her own. “Remember how he saved me from that timberwolf?” At Twilight's nod, she continued, “Not a lot of stallions in town could've done that an' not wet themselves in the same situation. Ah say ya talk it through with him an' see if he's game fer it.”
“But... what if he hates me for it?” Twilight said despairingly.
“Apple Bloom says she hates me every time Ah ground her,” Applejack said with a rueful smirk.
“I do not!” The filly countered with a dirty look.
“Do too...” Applejack said with a laugh.
“Would ya younguns quit yer caterwaulin'?” Said a creaky voice from the corner of the room to everyponies surprise. “Ah swear... Try to catch a few winks o' shut-eye in this house...”
“Sorry 'bout wakin' ya up, Granny...” Apple Bloom said tritely.
“Ain't nothin' ta worry 'bout, Apple Bloom.” The wizened mare said with a grin which showed she knew what had been going on. She looked to Twilight, her knowing gaze demanding full attention, Granny Smith continued when she knew she had it, “Ya shouldn't be worryin' 'bout what he would say today... Ya should be worryin' 'bout what he'd say in the years ta come. He should be thankin' ye fer doin' what's best fer 'im when he could be grudging ya fer what ya didn't...”
“I guess so...” Twilight said after a long sigh. “What do you have to say Applejack?”
“Well, Ah'd jus' say that we'll be here whenever you need us...” she said with a sheepish grin at being one-upped by her Grandma.
“Well...” Apple Bloom began but stuttered out under the gaze of her elders.
“Come on, Apple Bloom... You can tell us.” Twilight said gently to the young filly. “We aren't going to make fun of you...”
“Since you were talkin' about finding a school fer Spike... Ah thought maybe he could go to the new one my cousin's goin' to in August.” Apple Bloom said with a helpful smile.
“Where does your cousin live and what kind of school is it?” Twilight asked curiously.
“She lives in Manehattan.” Apple Bloom said but then turned pensive and let go of Twilight to ponder the second answer. “Lemme go get my letters from her, Ah can't remember what it's called.” She finished as she cantered off.
“Do you think they would allow dragons to be enrolled there?” Twilight pondered aloud with a smile at Apple Bloom's eagerness to help.
“Ah don't see why not.” Applejack replied. “'Sides, Ah don't think they'd deny the newest Princess anyways.”
“I don't want Spike to be treated any differently, though.” Twilight said. “If they don't accept other species in their charter, I wouldn't want to force them to change anything just for me. So I'll probably get in touch with them anonymously first.”
“Sounds like a bunch o' hooey ta me.” Applejack said with a wave of her hoof. “Ah don't see why they wouldn't take him in as a student.”
“Well, there's a lot of reasons...” Twilight trailed off as they heard the clatter of hooves coming down a flight of stairs with Apple Bloom appearing a moment later, a few letters held in her mouth. Tossing them on the table she began sorting through them with a reading speed that even Twilight could appreciate.
“Ah ha! Found it!” She exclaimed as she pointed to a specific spot.
“Broadened Horizons Polishing School for Fillies and Colts...” Twilight said with half a smile. “You know what? I don't think I'll have any trouble with them accepting Spike. They were one of the prospective schools I would have gone to had I not become the Princess' protege. They're one of the few highly visible schools that openly welcome non-ponies, even offering scholarships for any of their bright students that need financial assistance.”
“Ya know, if Ah didn't know any better, Ah'd say that this was almost too good ta be true...” Applejack said with a scratch to the back of her head. “Ah mean, ya come here fer advice an' it turns out Babs is goin' ta some fancy school that Spike could go to.”
“It's funny how these kind of things happen, huh?” Twilight said with a laugh. “Look at how we became friends... Nopony would believe that kind of thing if it hadn't actually happened.”
“Ah guess yer right, Twi.” Applejack said with a rueful chuckle. “It jus' seems like we have luck in spades when it comes ta this stuff.”
“You know...” Twilight said after a short moment of contemplation. “I'd still trade all my luck away as long as it meant my friends and family were happy.”
“Ah'm right there with ya on that one.” Applejack said with a fierce grin. “So, how 'bout we finish off these apples before ya have ta mosey on.”
“Ah could use a glass o' that mint tea, Applejack.” Granny Smith said as she reclined back into her chair. Applejack smiled as she filled a cup and brought it over to her. “Thank-e kindly.”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom said happily as she quickly got a sticky hoof full ahead of her elders. “Now that I think about it, I'm sure Babs would appreciate a friend at her new school. Her old ones went to different schools or started workin' after primary school.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Apple Bloom.” Twilight said happily. “I'm sure Spike would like to have a friend waiting for him on his first day there. Do you think it would be okay if I got her address so that we could write her?”
“I don't see why not.” Apple Bloom said with a little laugh. “I've mentioned him in my letters to her once in a while. She always thought it was pretty cool that I'm friends with a real live dragon.”
“Well, it looks like she'll get to know him in person soon.” Twilight replied.
“Yep!” Apple Bloom said after she swallowed a mouthful of honeyed apple. “I'm sure that she'll be real happy ta count him as her friend.”
“Alright, Apple Bloom, let's give the rest o' these apples ta Twilight.” Applejack interjected to let Twilight actually eat her own share of food before the little filly ate everything in the bowl. “Ah'm sure Twi has to get back ta town before the day ends.”
Twilight and Applejack laughed at the little pout she gave but brightened as all four of them talked about how Twilight should bring up Spike's potential plans tonight after supper. She agreed eventually after Granny Smith gave her a look telling her to 'cut the nonsense and do what you need to do.' By the time they finished their refreshments, it was almost three thirty so there was plenty of time to take care of a few things. After Twilight copied down Babs' address, she thanked the Apples for their help in while they thanked her for doing so much for them. Twilight left with a light heart and a smile on her face. As she made her way back towards town, she spotted a familiar pink shape bouncing its way up the lane. Soon enough, Twilight met with Pinkie on the path and stopped to greet her energetic friend.
“Hey, Twilight!” She replied giddily. “I've been looking for you.”
“You have?” Twilight replied. “Well, I'm here right now, so what can I do for you?”
“Well, my Pinkie Sense has been telling me that somepony close to me has something important to talk about,” she said with a tilt of her head. “I just got done talking to Rarity and she told me that I should look for you.”
“It's definitely important and I plan on talking about it with you soon, but for now, I should really be getting back to the library.” Twilight answered.
“Okie dokie.” Pinkie Pie replied as she turned about to accompany her back to town. “So when's Spike leaving?” If Twilight had been drinking something at that moment, she would be unsure as to whether she would be choking on it or spitting it out. Maybe a little of both. Definitely both. Twilight looked at Pinkie and she looked back with a look of pure innocence.
“Why would Spike be leaving?” Twilight said as she tried to manage her friend.
“Well, my Pinkie Senses told me that somepony that wasn't a pony I know would be leaving soon.” She answered. “Cranky isn't going anywhere as long as Matilda's staying here and I know that she isn't planning on going on vacation until this fall. I don't know any other non-ponies aside from Gilda or Spike and I don't even know where Gilda is, so that just leaves Spike.”
“I was planning on talking with you eventually, Pinkie, but I figured that you would find me on your own when the time was right.” Twilight said with a small smile. “I don't know about Spike leaving anytime soon, but I was hoping to talk to you about some things.”
“Oh, you're worried about how he doesn't have many friends in town and that you think he's being overly sheltered because he's your number one assistant...” At Twilight's look of guilty consent, she continued, “But that's just silly, Twilight. He loves it here like it is.”
“I thought I might have been overreacting, but I don't think so, Pinkie.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Everypony needs a chance to discover what it is that they really want to do in life. Spike deserves that same chance. I think it's time for him to find out who he wants to be.”
“I guess you have a point... But!” Pinkie said as she bounced in front of Twilight to look her in the eye. “Is he going to have to give up what he has right now?”
“What? No!” Twilight said with a hurt look. “Why would he have to give up what he has?”
“Because that's what it seems like you're doing,” she said with a piercing expression. “You don't have to give him up either, Twilight. If anything, you should be there for him when he's trying out all the new things he's going to be doing. Not literally beside him, but I think you know what I mean.”
Twilight paused for a moment as her mind digested Pinkie's words. “You're right, Pinkie. I don't really have to give up anything either,” she eventually said with a beaming smile. “I thought that something was going to get lost, but that's not the case at all.”
“Yep!” Pinkie said as she returned to Twilight's side and pulled her into a gentle hug. “If anything, you two are going to be gaining a lot more than either of you could imagine.”
“I guess so,” Twilight said with a breathless chuckle as she returned the hug. “Can I count on you to plan a going away party for Spike?”
Pinkie simply scoffed with a wave of her hoof in response, as though it would be a simple matter. They laughed for a moment before they broke their hug and continued down the path. Pinkie made sure that Twilight came with her to Sugar Cube Corner for a free pair of small cakes. Twilight tried to offer her some bits in thanks, but Pinkie vehemently declined them, almost physically throwing Twilight out of the shop as Pinkie sent her on her way. With a shake of her head, Twilight made her way back home to wait out the remaining time until supper.
***
“Hey, Spike?” Twilight began as they polished off the cakes Pinkie had given them, Spike's being coated in sapphires and rubies. “There's something I need to talk to you about...”
“Yeah?” He replied as he licked some little bits of gem from his plate. “What's up?”
“What would you say about going to school?” She began.
“You mean with Apple Bloom and the others?” He said with a slightly distasteful grimace. “Aren't I a lot further ahead than what Cheerilee teaches?”
“Yeah, by about four grades by my curriculum.” Twilight affirmed. “If you were a pony and had your cutie mark, you would most likely be in a polishing school right about now or searching out an apprenticeship.”
“Then what school are you talking about?” He asked, his suspicion rising by degrees. “What're you planning, Twilight...”
“Well... I was thinking about a certain school in Manehattan...” Twilight said tentatively. Spike's eyebrow raised at that.
“Manehattan? Why Manehattan?” He asked. “Why send me off to school in the first place?”
“Well, I got to thinking about a lot of things...” Twilight started and explained her whole argument, realizations and advice given to her (excluding Rarity's of course.) “So, I think it might be a good idea for you... for us to do this. I kinda need to grow up too, Spike.”
“Wow...” He said a little breathlessly. “You really thought this through, huh...” Twilight nodded as he continued, “I guess it doesn't sound like such a horrible thing to me.”
“You mean...?” Twilight said as she was suddenly filled with bounding hope.
“I guess I can give it a shot.” He said finally. Twilight practically vibrated with exuberance.
“Oh, Spike!” She said as she rounded the table to hug him so fast that Rainbow Dash would have stared in amazement. “I really hope this turns out well!”
“Well, it's not like you're going anywhere, right? Plus the rest of our friends aren't going anywhere...” he said with a chuckle. Twilight shook her head against his shoulder in acknowledgment.
“Oh it's going to be so great, Spike!” Twilight said as she let him go. “If I never had gotten into the School for Gifted Unicorns, I had hoped to go there. They have so many amazing courses and trades you can study.”
“It sounds like a pretty big deal, huh? I may as well see what tickles my fancy then.” He said as she released him as she opened her mouth to take a deep breath. “Don't! Please don't tell me anything right now. I doubt I could remember anything you would say anyways right now. Lets save it for tomorrow, okay?”
“Alright,” Twilight said with a breathless chuckle instead as she affectionately ruffled his dorsal fins. “Be sure to thank Pinkie Pie for that cake tomorrow. That was really generous of her to make that for you.”
“Yeah, delicious too,” he said with a look of unadulterated bliss. “Oh yeah, one thing about me going to this school, when does it start?”
“Not until the start of the next school year in August.” Twilight replied. “We'll go for a visit next week, but first I need to write a letter to the Princess.”
“Alright.” He said as he hopped off his chair to put their dishes in the sink. “At least I get to enjoy the rest of my summer.”
“I'll be sure to plan a few trips with just the two of us.” Twilight said as she made to leave the kitchen. “I won't be long, so you can just wait down in the library.”
“Alright.” He said distractedly as he started cleaning up. With that, Twilight trotted upstairs and got to writing a letter detailing everything that had happened, from her friends' advice to how everything turned out with Spike. By the time she was done, it took up two of her new sheets of parchment, but she was happy with its contents. By the time she descended again, Spike was half sprawled over a cushion with his face between the pages of a comic. He looked up at the sound of her walking closer and got up. “So, was that letter for the Princess the other day about me?”
“Kinda...” Twilight said a little guiltily. “I was worried about what you'd say if you thought I was just sending you away because you needed to go. I remembered that you being sent away was your greatest fear when we were in the Crystal Empire and it really worried me. However, the Princess definitely had some good things to say about you though in her reply. She said that you're strong, Spike.”
“She really said that about me?” He asked with a bit of wonder in his voice.
“She did,” Twilight said as she proudly continued, “and it looked like she was right, too.”
“But... I'm not really that strong,” Spike said after a brief moment of introspection.
“Maybe not physically,” Twilight said with a gesture at his body. “But you're definitely strong here and here,” she said with exaggerated pokes to his heart and forehead.
“If you say so...” he said with an unsure expression.
“I do and so does the Princess,” Twilight said almost sternly before continuing vehemently, “If you asked any of our friends, they would say the exact same thing too. You should know exactly what it means to be strong of heart and mind after doing what you did for the entire Crystal Empire.” By the time she was done, Twilight was breathing heavily from the sheer force of emotion put into her words.
“I... I guess I never really thought of it that way.” Spike said, a little awed by how strongly Twilight felt. “But being sent away isn't my greatest fear anymore, Twilight...” he continued, “It's me leaving you for good. You said for yourself that it's never going to happen.”
“Not. Ever,” she said with a quick hug. “Besides... we have a lot of years ahead of us to spend together, so I think we can spend some time apart without worrying too much.”
“Plus it's not like we'll ever be out of touch or anything,” he said with a little flicker of emerald flame for emphasis.
“Hold on a moment, I need to ask Princess Celestia how she sends us letters through your fire.” Twilight said suddenly as she realized that this would be a lot better than sending their mail through the post. With her short addendum quickly made, she gave Spike the pages who, with a perfunctory lick of flame, sent them off in a wisp of smoke. “You know, I never get tired of seeing your fire magic at work.”
“It is pretty cool, huh,” he said with a grin. “So I'm really that strong, huh?” He eventually asked with a ponderous look at Twilight.
“Yep.” Twilight said with a prideful look. “It makes me even more proud to call you family. I'm sure Shining Armor would have something to say to you too if you asked him.”
“Really?” Spike asked as his eyes widened at her praise.
Twilight just chuckled and nodded reassuringly at that before they began settling down to relax like usual. There would be a lot of planning come morning. Twilight would have letters to write and summer trips to plan before the school year crept up on them. They decided to turn in with the sun with Twilight mightily yawning from her efforts throughout the day. Deciding that there weren't many days left for them to spend their days together like that, Twilight decided to be a little cuddly as she invited Spike to sleep in bed with her. He muttered something about how he hadn't done that since he was a hatchling and would be embarrassed if anypony found out about this, but his actions said otherwise as he hopped up on the edge of the bed while Twilight got comfortable. With smiles on their faces, the pair drifted off to sleep.
***
The next morning saw a reply to Twilight's latest correspondence with the Princess. The Princess expressed a desire to pay all expenses for Spike's schooling, even going so far as to promise an allowance for him. As an aside, she asked them to come to Canterlot over the upcoming weekend so that she could teach them how to freely use Spike's fire magic to send letters to wherever he wished. To say the least, Twilight felt an immense amount of gratitude for the Princess and wrote that they were honored by her generous act and accepted it with joy. Spike seemed almost beyond words that the Princess was doing all that just for him. He even wrote a personal letter expressing his feelings in addition to Twilight's massive missive.
After that, Twilight decided to drop by the train station to see when the next train to Manehattan would depart and purchase their tickets while she was at it. With the next one departing Friday at five A.M., Twilight had plenty of time to write a letter of introduction and plan for their visit to the school. It would likely be an two day event, the train ride lasting six hours without any delays, so they should make the most out of it. Asking the conductor for the time tables for Manehatten on Saturday, Twilight decided on the ten A.M. departure so they wouldn't have to rush around in the morning as much. With that taken care of, Twilight wrote the Princess to let her know that they would be in Canterlot that Saturday around three in the afternoon due to the train scheduling. Twilight sought out the most up-to-date guides on the city while Spike made a list of the attractions Twilight found most appealing. By the time lunch rolled around, they had a full itinerary with barely any room for the school visit itself despite Twilight's assurances that there was nothing to worry about.
With that, Spike decided to let things fall as they would and enjoyed the days leading up to Friday, chores included. Pinkie dropped by and chatted with Twilight on Tuesday, just after their plans were finalized, shouting something about knowing something was going on, which lead Twilight to take her aside and talk to her for a little while to explain things. Pinkie, eventually satisfied that no party was needed, left with a cheery smile and a promise to have something “extra special” planned for Spike when he was to leave for his new school. At least they could convince her not to plan a party for every time they left or came back over the rest of the summer.
With an impromptu party averted, Twilight decided to tell him about her conversation with Apple Bloom, and how she and her cousin had helped Twilight with her decision. She told him that even now he had a friend waiting to get to know him in Manehatten. He certainly perked up even more than he was at hearing that. “So maybe after you finish your chores, you can drop by Applejack's and talk to Apple Bloom for a bit.” Twilight suggested when she noticed his interest.
“What for?” He asked at the seemingly random change in topic.
“So you can ask her about her cousin,” Twilight said with a laugh. “I thought it would help you get to know her a little.”
“Oh,” he replied with a smack of a clawed hand to head. “That makes sense.”
“Of course it does, and maybe you can write her a letter to introduce yourself to her before supper tonight while we're at it.” Twilight said with the hopes of the two starting a pen pal relationship over the summer so they would know each other better before the fall.
“May as well,” Spike replied with a shrug, “I mean, it couldn't hurt, right?”
“Of course not,” Twilight said with a happy smile splitting her face as she continued in mock seriousness, “But your chores aren't going to do themselves, so the sooner you finish, the sooner you'll be off to the farm.”
“Right. On it.” He said in a similar tone, only to bark a little laugh as he went off to do as he was bid.
Later that day, after an afternoon filled by long hours of kicking the dust with Apple Bloom, Spike was standing at Twilight's writing desk with a small box providing him with a little more height. After almost an hour of writing and rewriting, Spike finally uncapped the sand well to spread the fine brown grit over the thick parchment with a pleased smile and a short nod of a job well done.
Dear Babs Seed,
My name is Spike. In all honesty, I haven't done much letter writing of my own in the past from me to somepony else, so I'm sorry if my letter's a little awkward. Even though it may seem a little out of the blue, I'll soon be enrolled in the same school you'll be going to in the fall. Apple Bloom and Applejack helped somepony very close to me make a hard decision much easier for her, even helping her choose the school I'm going to. Since Apple Bloom knew I would need a good friend to help me adjust to a new place, she said that you would be a great friend and took an entire afternoon telling me about you.
You're smart, athletic, tough as nails, loyally defend your friends, work hard and determined to get your cutie mark. From everything that Apple Bloom says, I'm looking forward to meeting you in person. Speaking of which, I will be in Manehatten this Friday around eleven in the morning if you would be interested in meeting us in the grand central train station and we'll be in Manehatten for two days though we'll be leaving around ten on Saturday. Apple Bloom showed me a picture of you, so I should be able to spot you if you decide to meet up with us. I'll include a photo of me as well. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
With the best regards,
Spike
With a final glance over his letter, he felt that it would be the best he could do for now and rolled it up with a small photo of him before sealing it with a small blot of wax that matched the green of his scales. He walked back to the kitchen to wait for Twilight to return with their meal, deciding to order some take out for a change. Twisting the scroll in his claws, he pondered his strange mix of emotions as he sat in the kitchen as late afternoon light filtered through the windows. Excitement for their trip coming up, uncertainty about meeting somepony new even though he would likely get along well with her, a strange hollowness at the thought of leaving Ponyville and most everypony he knew for his new school and even a twinge of fear at the unknown. He knew that nothing was changing between Twilight and him. The same went for everypony else he knew as well, the sentiment told him. But even the thought of being gone for extended periods of time from Twilight still had something of a taboo feel to it as it was only extenuating and often grave circumstances where he would leave her to do what was needed. He would think things through after supper with Twilight, maybe even asking her help in sorting out his thoughts.
As that thought finished, the kitchen door swung open with a cheery Twilight walking through levitating a couple large brown bags with her. “Hey Spike, you finished writing your letter to Babs?” She asked as she sat the bags down on the counter.
“Yep.” He replied as he placed the item in question on the table. “Took a couple drafts, but I think I'm okay with this.”
“It's always good to make sure you're happy with your letter before you send it off.” Twilight replied.
“You definitely make sure you're thorough with yours,” Spike said with a laugh but sobered up pretty quickly.
“You alright, Spike?” Twilight asked as she noticed his quick shift in attitude.
“I think you may be right about all this, Twilight.” Spike said as he looked at the letter. “Can you believe that this is the first letter to somepony who isn't the Princess or written for somepony else? This is my first actual letter to somepony...”
“Really?” Twilight asked, her heart going out to the little dragon.
“Yep.” He replied simply. “Strange, isn't it?”
“Oh, Spike,” Twilight said with a short sigh. “Isn't this part of what we're trying to fix? There are a lot more firsts you're going to be doing before long. Some might not be pleasant, but you still have to do them. This should be one of those happy firsts.”
“Oh, I already figured that out and it's not really that I'm sad over it or anything like that,” he replied with a wave of his claw. “It's just that I though I had everything I wanted out of life already. I guess that was just a silly thought of mine.”
“Spike...” Twilight deadpanned.
“Yeah?” He replied, confused at her tone.
“You're only ten years old.” She stated.
“I...” He trailed off as the statement had a moment to sink in. She had a point. He looked at her and saw her raised eyebrow, showing that she knew it too which made him laugh a little. “Yeah, I guess so...”
“Good.” Twilight said, ending the conversation.
With the matter settled, Twilight went about trying to set their places at the table without any help from Spike. When she opened the same cupboard three times in a row as she tried to remember where the plates where, only to find bowls in their place, Spike coughed surreptitiously and motioned for her to look in the one just to the left of that one when she turned to look at him.
“You sure you won't starve without me being here when the fall rolls around?” He asked with a snicker.
“I'll get by,” she replied with a faint blush as Spike chuckled at her while she quickly set their places after retrieving the sneaky things. With that, they ate pretty quickly, their attention on the now rapidly cooling food before them. With a contented sigh, Spike leaned back in his chair and waited for Twilight to finish her meal a few mouthfuls behind him. “You want to come with me to the train station to send your letter in person?” Twilight asked with a sigh of her own as she patted her stomach.
“Sure,” he replied as he slid off the chair and grabbed the scroll. As they left the library, the sun was almost ready to touch the horizon so Twilight lifted Spike up on her back for a quick flight to the conductors booth at the station. Once they set down, Spike slid off her back and walked up to the window with the letter in claw. “Hi, I'd like to send this letter?” Spike said with a little nervousness. He hadn't the need to send letters like most everypony else when a lick of fire would suffice so he wasn't entirely sure what to do.
“No problem.” The conductor said before Twilight walked into view. “Oh! Princess! What brings you by today?”
“Well I would like his letter to be sent through the Royal Post...” She said by way of explanation.
“You sure it's important enough for that?” Spike said with a surprised look over his shoulder.
“If it's important to you, it's important to me.” Twilight said with finality.
“I guess that settles it,” the conductor said with a knowing chuckle.
“Thank you very much.” Twilight replied with a smile.
“Isn't a problem, Princess,” he replied with a tilt of his cap. “Glad to be of service.”
“Thanks a lot,” Spike said as he scratched behind his ear in slight embarrassment.
“Let's go home,” Twilight said as she draped a wing across his shoulders. “I'm sure the conductor is ready to close up and go home too.”
“Right.” Spike replied.
“Oh! One more thing before we leave,” Twilight added almost at the last minute. “Could you inform the Royal Couriers to bring her reply as well? I wouldn't want Spike to miss her reply because it would arrive after we had left.”
“I'll let the Couriers know, Princess,” he replied with a smile. “Spike will get his reply with time to spare.”
With that, they took their time heading back in the gathering dusk. They stopped to watch for a moment as the sun gently fell below the horizon, that moment of perfect twilight where light and darkness was balanced. The balance quickly shifted though as night took dominion of the sky. With the moment gone, they continued on their way back home to settle down for the night.
***
When Thursday rolled around, Spike was channeling his inner Pinkie Pie by ten that morning. There was the trip tomorrow, he was excited for Babs' reply to his letter, and Pinkie Pie to add to the general confusion involving the day before a trip. Twilight wasn't sure where Pinkie came from, but her presence kept Spike occupied while Twilight went about the general preparations, for which she was eternally grateful, due to the fact that Pinkie often is the antithesis of progress. Pinkie had left around eleven to help the the Cakes with the usual midday rush. By the time noon rolled around, a knock came from the front door. Spike, who was still in the process of dusting excessive amounts of confetti from the bookshelves, froze as though struck by lightning.
“I think that might be for you, Spike,” Twilight called from upstairs.
“I... I got it!” he called back with a slight catch in his voice. With an audible gulp, he climbed down the ladder and answered the door. As he suspected, a blue-gray pegasus stallion in the distinctive black and white Couriers uniform was waiting.
“Spike, I presume?” He asked with a smile.
“That's me.” He replied simply.
“Well, I have a letter for you from Manehatten,” he responded as he dug through his saddlebags for the letter.
“Thanks a lot.” Spike said as the Courier passed him the letter.
“Not a problem,” He replied with a smile. “It's my job after all.”
With that, Spike waved in farewell as the stallion turned to leave. After he had taken to the air, Spike closed the door and looked to the letter in his claw. This was the moment he was waiting for. So why was he so nervous? His heart was beating fast enough that he wondered if he was about to have a panic attack. Suddenly, a shadow passed over him which made him look up to see Twilight standing beside him.
“Looks like it got here on time,” she said with a smile. “You want to read it now?”
“Yeah...” he replied with a glance to the object in question.
“It's okay, Spike,” Twilight said as she wrapped a wing across his shoulders. “I'm sure it'll be fine.”
“You're right.” He said sheepishly. With that, they moved over to the couch and settled on it. Spike stared at the letter for a moment before sliding a claw under the flap of the envelope and neatly sliced it open. He glanced up at Twilight who smiled reassuringly back, so with one last sigh, he eased the letter out and opened it up.
Dear Spike,
You wouldn't have imagined how surprised I was when I got a letter from you saying that you were gonna be going to my new school. Apple Bloom told me a bit about you in some of her letters, especially when you help her and the other Crusaders out and I would be really happy to be your first friend in Manehatten. About your visit on Friday, I'll be there rain or shine to welcome you to Manehatten.
Since I have a Royal Courier waiting outside right now, I'm gonna have to cut this letter short so I don't keep him waiting. Make sure to tell Princess Twilight that I really appreciate it too.
Hope to see you soon,
Babs
Spike looked back to Twilight with a big grin and Twilight laughed happily as he gave her a quick hug. “She said she'll be there!” He exclaimed happily.
“That's great!” Twilight said while tightening the hug a little. “See? I told you everything would be fine.”
“I was still nervous though.” He replied. “I haven't done anything like this before and I've never met her, so I wasn't sure.”
“Well, I'm glad in any case.” Twilight said as she slowly got up. “Why don't you finish cleaning up the confetti and we'll go out for lunch?”
“Sounds good.” He replied. “Oh yeah! Babs said thanks for letting her use the Royal Couriers.”
“I'm glad I could help out.” Twilight replied before grinning suddenly. “Tell you what, finish the cleaning later. I'm feeling like a milkshake. Sound good to you too?”
“Oh man, it's like you're reading my mind,” Spike said before grinning in return.
With that, they spent the rest of the day in high spirits, cleaning and chores barely on their minds as they focused on the next day and the things to come. The day seemed to melt away and as they turned in for the night, Spike fell asleep quite quickly. Twilight was pretty surprised about that due to Spike's poor record involving the nights before some large event or other. When she thought on it, Pinkie may have had something to do with it, so Twilight thought that she should give her a small present to show her thanks while she was in Manehatten as well as the souvenirs for the rest of her friends. With that last thought, Twilight turned over on her bed and dreamed about tomorrow.
***
The next morning, Spike and Twilight made it to the train station with minutes to spare. Surprisingly enough, it was Twilight that had overslept while Spike was up and active at the first ring of her alarm. With time on the line, Spike pulled out his trump card and whispered to Twilight that they were about to be late. That did the trick as Twilight practically teleported out of her bed without the use of her magic and quickly gathered all their supplies before running out of the library. Spike followed behind her as he locked up and made sure to put up the note explaining that they would be out of town for the next couple days.
“You should have woken me up sooner, Spike.” Twilight said grumpily as they threaded their way through the light crowd of Canterlot bound ponies.
“I let your alarm keep ringing and even shook you a few times, but you wouldn't wake up.” He explained as they gave the conductor their tickets and boarded the train.
“At least we didn't miss the train.” She conceded.
“So, do you want to get some sleep once we get to our car?” He asked as they made their way back. “I know I could use a nap already.”
“May as well.” Twilight said as they entered their cabin in the first class car. “We have a six hour trip ahead of us so we may as well use it to make sure we're rested up by the time we get there.”
“Right,” Spike replied with a yawn as he hopped up on one of the well padded benches to lay down. “Night... Or should I say 'morning' in this case?”
“I don't think that matters,” Twilight said with a giggle. “I'll set a spell to wake us up by eight so we can get some breakfast.”
“Alright.” He said as he curled his arm around to function as an impromptu pillow. After setting the spell in place, Twilight stretched herself out on the other bench and joined Spike in alleviating her fatigue at waking up so early. The train left a short time later though they were briefly disturbed by the conductor checking the tickets of the passengers. He left the sleepy pair in peace after briefly checking their tickets. Aside from the conductor, they slept in peace until Twilight's spell woke them with an incessant chiming until Twilight woke up enough to deactivate it.
With the pair wide awake, they meandered their way to the food car for some breakfast. While they had slept through the Canterlot stop, other ponies had gotten on to join them on the trip to Manehatten. The public car was fairly full as they passed through it and the food car was practically full to bursting with hungry ponies. After almost an hour in the car, they finally left with full stomachs and made their way back to their cabin. Once there, Twilight pulled out a book from her bags while Spike opted for another nap to sleep off the meal. The trip passed in relative peace as the miles passed by, though once Spike woke up he fidgeted with nervous excitement as their destination came closer by the moment.
Eventually, the conductor came by for a final ticket check when they were ten minutes away from Manehatten. Spike practically vibrated with excitement at the announcement. Twilight smiled as she gathered their things and pulled Spike back to his seat. When he asked why they weren't moving towards the exits yet, Twilight told him to wait for the train to stop and let the other passengers exit first so they wouldn't get separated in the rush of ponies exiting. He sighed in response, but made his peace with her sound advice and waited impatiently. Soon enough, the train began to brake as they neared the station which just made Spike fidget more as his excitement ramped up more and more. As the train finally came to a stop with a bone shivering shriek, Spike got up and paced a little in the confined space until Twilight finally got up herself with a smile at his excitement. They made their way off the train, encountering only a few other ponies who waited out the rush, and looked around the bustling train station for Babs.
“Hey Spike! Over here!” Called out a surprisingly loud voice. Looking around, Twilight saw the young pony waving over at them. Faintly remembering her from around Ponyville a while ago, Twilight noticed that she hadn't changed aside from growing a couple inches and a pair of saddlebags. They quickly made their way over to their greeter and formally introduced themselves.
“Hey Babs,” Spike said with a big grin. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Same here, Spike,” she replied with a grin of her own. “Thanks again for lettin' me use tha Couriers, Princess.”
“Please, just Twilight is fine,” Twilight said in her most congenial tone. “Anyways, it was important to Spike, so it was important to me. No need to thank me, Babs.”
“Yeah, Twilight's pretty cool like that,” Spike said with a happy grin directed up at her. “So, I'm glad you could make it out to meet up with us.”
“Sure thing, Spike.” She replied. “A friend of Apple Bloom's is a friend of mine.”
“Would you like to come along with us and show us some of the sights before we have to go to the school?” Twilight asked once they finished their greetings.
“Sure!” She replied. “I know all o' tha best spots around town ta show ya.”
“That sounds great!” Twilight said with a small laugh. “Lead away, Babs.”
“Got ya covered, Twilight,” She replied as she turned around to lead them off. “Do ya know where tha school is?”
“More or less,” Twilight replied. “I remember that it was near the docks on the south side of the river so that they had access to their training vessels.”
“Yep, but you should let me lead ya around for now.” She said as they continued through the station. “Tha streets can be a bit confusing if you're from outta town.”
“We're in your capable hooves,” Twilight said with a smile.
With that, they finally exited the station and found themselves in the hustle and bustle of downtown Manehatten. Babs turned right and led them down the street for almost seventeen blocks to Central Park. To occupy the walking, they talked about little things like some of the courses Babs looked forward to when school started up. She hadn't really thought too much about it since there were so many different things for her to do in the general studies program, so she figured that she would just pick what sounded like fun and go from there. Once there, Spike and Twilight practically gaped at the expanse of open land surrounded by towering buildings. Babs grinned at their expressions before leading them into the shaded interior of the park. The pathways were practically teeming with ponies exercising, walking, sitting on benches and generally enjoying themselves. After a while, they stumbled upon a pony selling frozen yogurt, so Twilight decided to treat all of them of a scoop though Babs told Twilight that the next meal was her treat. After eating their treats, they made their way through the park to the other side. Once there, Twilight looked up to a small clock tower and noticed that lunch was rolling around and asked Babs for a good place to eat. She grinned at that and led them off again, keeping quiet as to their destination despite the questions. They didn't have long to wait until they were standing in front of a slightly dingy but energetic looking restaurant.
“This place is great.” Babs said as she led her companions inside. “Hey, Deep Dish! Got room for three?”
“Babs? That you?” The slightly pudgy pony in question said as he leaned over the counter to get a look at his guests. “What do you think? Of course I got room for a regular, just gimme a moment to clear a table.”
“A pizza place?” Spike asked as he looked around at the other patrons and smelled the fragrant air. “Nice.”
“Tell ya what, though,” Babs said cockily as she led them over to the table that was being cleaned for them. “This ain't like any pizza ya had before.”
“The regular for you Babs?” Dish asked once they sat down.
“Not this time,” she replied with a grin. “These two're newcomers, so let's go with a house special, cheese only. That okay with you two?” At their nods, she confirmed the order with him.
“I'll cut you a deal for twenty three bits, drinks included,” he said with a smile.
“Ya got a deal.” Babs answered. As he turned to leave, he finally noticed that Twilight wasn't just any unicorn when he noticed her wings.
“P-Princess Twilight?!” He said in shock as recognition dawned on him.
“Just Twilight is fine.” She replied in automatic response.
“Wha... What're you doing here!” He said as he took an involuntary step back out of nervousness.
“Well, Babs brought us here for lunch.” She replied simply.
“You know Babs?!” He said in surprise.
“Yeah, she's going to the same school as Spike.” Twilight said. “Plus she's a relative of a couple of my friends, so there's that too.”
“Yeah, Dish, it ain't a big deal,” Babs said with a wave of her hoof.
“Of course it's a big deal! I got a Princess eating under my roof!” He said with a wide eyed look of awe.
“Mr. Dish, really, just treat me like any other patron.” Twilight said, mildly uncomfortable at his response.
“Dude, seriously.” Spike chipped in when he noticed that Dish was about to protest again. “We don't need five star service or anything. If Babs says this place is good, then just do what you do to make it good.”
“A-are you sure that's okay, Princess?” He asked when Spike finished. At her nod, he nodded a jerkily acceptance. With that taken care of, he took their drink orders and left to place their orders.
“Does that happen very often?” Babs asked with a half grin after Dish had left.
“More than I'd like to admit,” Twilight said with a sigh.
“So you come here a lot?” Spike asked to keep the conversation going.
“Oh yeah,” Babs said as she raised a hoof to swipe at a little bit of drool that tried to escape her mouth. “Came here all the time after school with some of tha other Crusaders after school for a snack since it's close ta my old school.”
“Do you still keep in touch with them?” Twilight asked.
“Not since the end of school,” She replied with a deflating sigh. “They've all got their cutie marks now and are apprentices since we're through primary school.”
“I'm sure they'll remember how you were such a good friend, helping them get their cutie marks and all.” Spike said, trying to cheer her up. “I'm sure you'll find your cutie mark at our new school.”
“I hope so.” She replied.
“Don't worry so much.” Twilight said, smiling warmly as Babs looked at her. “It'll come when the time is right. It always does.”
“I guess you're right.” Babs replied. Just then, Dish returned with their drink orders and left quickly to go about his other errands. It was still a busy lunch time after all. “So why're you going to my school, Spike?” At that, Twilight decided to give Spike the reins of the conversation for the most part, chiming in every once in a while to add something. By the time they were done explaining, Babs looked at Spike with conflicting emotions: a little sadness, some sympathy, but happiness above everything else. “Sounds like that pony ya were talkin' about in your letter is a lot closer to you than you let on.”
“Oh?” Twilight said as she looked at a slightly blushing Spike. “What all did he tell you about me?”
“Just that ma cousins helped you out with a hard decision and that you were 'somepony very close to him,'” Babs replied with a grin at seeing his face burn in embarrassment.
“That's so sweet!” Twilight said with an evil grin and saccharine voice as she pulled him into a hug. Spike made a noise of protest but got muffled as Twilight muttered to Babs, “It's not very often I get to embarrass him, so thanks for that.”
“Ha!” Babs laughed at the display, Spike finally pushing Twilight away while Twilight just chuckled at him. “Ya guys're great.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Spike grumbled with a grin of his own. “You gotta admit that I do give the better than I receive.”
“That you do, though I never did find out where you developed your sense of humor from.” Twilight replied.
“What can I say?” He responded with a smirk. “I'm just that awesome.”
“Humble too.” Twilight snarked. Babs just laughed at seeing the two banter but cut off when she saw their pizza being brought over. As it was slid onto the table, Spike's and Twilight's eyed widened at the sight of the pizza. It was probably three times thicker than any pizza they'd had before and practically oozed flavor into the very air. It was all they could do not to drool at the sight. “W-what's this?” Twilight asked breathlessly. A moment later, Dish returned with plates, a spatula and some seasonings.
“This... is Deep Dish's deep dish pizza.” Babs said with a knowing smile. “Best pizza in Equestria, but that's just my opinion. I'll let you two be the judge of that for yourselves.”
With that, Babs leaned forward to grab the spatula in her mouth and served each of them a steaming slice of pizza, the sauce and cheese oozing slowly down the sides. As they waited for the pizza to cool, Babs just sat and enjoyed watching her companions stare and try to restrain their hunger long enough to really enjoy it. A few minutes later, Babs began to eat her slice, giving the sign that it was time to eat. As they took their first bite of pizza, they were almost in a state of shock at the explosion of flavor and combination of textures. They slowly chewed their first bite, relishing the flavor. Then they ravenously devoured the rest of their slices. To say that it was the best pizza in Equestria was a bit of an understatement, Twilight thought as her eyes locked on the next helpless piece of her meal. All too soon for Twilight's liking the pizza had been demolished and the three of them sat there, letting their meal settle.
“That...” Twilight began after a moment of private introspection. “Was the most delicious thing I've eaten... ever...”
“You can say that again.” Spike said as he patted his stomach. “So you eat here pretty often, huh? I can see why.”
“Oh yeah,” Babs said with a chuckle. “You can order by the slice too, which is great.”
“Nice.” Spike replied.
“Thank you for the meal, Babs.” Twilight said happily.
“No prob.” She replied. “The school's still a ways off if ya guys wanna get a taxi instead of walkin' the fifty blocks or so.”
“I think a taxi would be perfect.” Twilight conceded.
“Ya wanna wait a little more, or head on out?” She asked.
“Heading over now might be for the best,” Twilight said with a glance to Spike. “I have a list of things for us to do while we're here to make the best of our trip. I'd be really happy if you'd join us. Your parents are okay with you being with us for most of the day, right?”
“Sure thing,” she replied with a smile. “Ya wouldn't believe how surprised my mom was when the Courier showed up. I told her all about Spike and how you were the one taking care of him, so I put two and two together and told her that you were the Princess that sent the letter. She practically ordered me to show you two the best time in Manehatten today.”
“It sounds like Twilight whenever Princess Celestia comes to Ponyville.” Spike snickered.
“Spike!” Twilight responded indignantly. “I do not do that.”
“Right,” he replies with a laugh. “So you didn't want us to build a replica of Ponyville within minutes of her arrival because the parasprites ate most of the town? Then there was the lunch party at Sugar Cube Corner...”
“Okay, okay...” Twilight said with a slight blush. “I guess I get a little overexcited when the Princess comes to town...”
“What was that about Ponyville bein' eaten?” Babs asked with wide eyes.
“I'll tell you about in the taxi.” Twilight said sheepishly.
With that, Babs went off to settle the bill while Twilight placed a generous tip on the table. With everything taken care of, they left and found a taxi in short order. As they were carried to the school, Twilight told the tale to Babs, who had never even heard of parasprites until that day. To say the least, she was glad to have never encountered them before and hoped that she never would. Even without Twilight's accidental oversight with her spell, they seemed far more troublesome than one would ever imagine. By the time Twilight finished the story, Spike eagerly looking around the city at the sights the whole time, they were within a few blocks of the school.
“Jeepers, Twilight.” Babs said once the tale finished.
“You can say that again.” Twilight chuckled.
“We're almost to the school, Mam.” The taxi driver said as the high walls of the school came into view.
“Thank you.” Twilight answered. “Sorry about dragging you along like this, Babs.”
“It's not a problem,” she replied with a wave of her hoof. “I didn't have anythin' else planned for today anyways.” With that, they fell into an easy silence as they neared their destination. Once there, Twilight paid their fare plus a generous tip. As Twilight finally turned to take in the sight of the school, she practically brimmed with joy at seeing such a marvelous paragon of such energetic and passionate learning. The outer wall consisted of a clean granite, carved into murals of joyous fillies, colts, and griffon cubs involved in various activities ranging from active sports to delicate acts of artistry, all of which was accented with glimmering metals, mainly copper and pewter. The front gates crafted out of intricate wrought iron were closed, though the school could be seen through the gaps as it rose seven stories from foundation to roof with several large wings and outbuildings. The building was built out of beautiful, polished white granite veined with silver with verdant ivy growing thinly over trellises that only added to the majesty instead of detracting from it. All in all, Twilight fell in love with the school the moment she laid her eyes on it.
“Something I can help you with, Miss?” Called a slightly raspy voice a little to their side. Quickly looking around, Twilight saw a gatekeeper leaning slightly out of the guard room.
“Oh! Yes,” she replied quickly, hoping that he hadn't noticed her slight drooling at the sight of the school. “My name is Twilight Sparkle and I was hoping to speak to the Dean of Admissions or the Headmaster of the school. I'm hoping to enroll Spike here for the upcoming school year.” She finished with a motion towards Spike.
“You didn't come none too soon, either,” he replied with a slightly serious tone. “Too much longer and there wouldn't be an open spot for the little guy.”
“Really?” Twilight replied, slightly put off. “There is still room for him, isn't there?”
“Sure there is, though if you had waited another week or so we would have been filled up with new students. You're just in time,” he said with a consoling smile. “If you would give me a moment, I'll be right back. Gotta let the Dean of Admissions know that he has another hopeful.”
“Thank you,” Twilight responded as he retreated from the window to some unknown room inside. “So when did you come to get enrolled, Babs?”
“Tha day I graduated from Primary school.” She replied. “My mom and dad were lookin' around for somethin' that would set me up right, so I wouldn't have ta find some job just ta get by like they did when they graduated. They looked 'round for a few months in my final year before they finally found a pamphlet for here, an' that's that. My grades went up once tha bullyin' stopped, so when I saw that there was an entrance exam that could get me a scholarship, I started workin' harder'n anypony so they wouldn't break the bank for tuition. Turns out I qualified for the New Day Scholarship with my score and how my parents are financially so here I am. Their general studies program really sounds like a lotta fun... sorta like Crusadin' but without the tree sap.”
“Tree sap?” Twilight said questioningly.
“Don't ask.” Babs deadpanned.
“Right,” Twilight said with a little laugh.
“So what was that about a test?” Spike asked Babs a little nervously.
“Oh, it's just a short exam on all that ya learned in school. It was pretty hard but I got a ninety-five on it,” she finished with a look of pride.
“Congratulations, Babs!” Twilight responded with joy. “That's fantastic!”
“It ain't nothin' special,” she replied with a blush.
“Hard work and diligent study should always be praised.” Twilight said sagely which brought a sheepish smile to Babs' face.
“You think I'll do okay, Twilight?” Spike asked nervously.
“Of course you'll do fine.” Twilight responded boldly. “I taught you personally and you passed every test I gave you with flying colors. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Miss Sparkle?” The gatekeeper finally called out, cutting their conversation short. “The Dean will see you now. He'll meet you all at the front door.”
“Thank you very much,” Twilight replied with a smile. A moment later the gates swung open silently of their own accord, a gravel walkway stretching to the radiant school. With the way open, Twilight took the first step, her hoof crunching the gravel softly under her weight.
Author's Note
Now that I've completed this behemoth of a first chapter while avoiding a critical blow, it's finally time to get back to my other stories :D Comments always appreciated as usual 
