Diplomatic Troubles

Spike was sitting calmly within the library, relaxing without the usual orders from Twilight. He took the liberty of wandering into the market on his own and buying a small tub of ice cream while she was away. Twilight couldn't nag him if he spent his own bits  on the ice cream, after all! It was early in the evening, and Spike was nearing the bottom of his ice cream when he realized he was still hungry after his stomach reminded him with an audible growl.

"Quiet, you," Spike said, looking down towards his belly as he said it. He was about to shovel another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth when he heard a knock at the door that sounded as if it were rehearsed due to the pattern held within it. He stuck the spoon into the tub of now-melting ice cream, hoping it wouldn't topple over in his absence. He half-rushed, half-shuffled his way to the door, due to the tiredness he felt due to lounging around all day.

Upon opening the door, however, he felt much more energetic as adrenalin began pumping through his body. "Rarity!" he exclaimed in an almost too loud fashion. "Hello, dear!" the white unicorn said with a sincere smile that managed to look uniform and sweet at the same time. Beside her was a basket of gems, and Spike's stomach growled once again at the mere sight of such food. It was nearly over-flowing with various colored gems of all kinds. There was an abundance of sapphires, which were Spike's personal favorite this particular month.

"What're you doing here?" Spike asked, but quickly added nervously and with a slight stammer, "Not that I'm unhappy to see you! Just curious is all." Rarity waved a hoof elegantly towards him and said, "I just came by to drop off these gems for you to eat, seeing as Twilight is busy at the moment. Are you alright?" Spike's heart fluttered at the fact that Rarity was concerned for his well-being, though he knew she generally cared for everyone's well-being. "Uh, yeah. I'm okay," he said, rubbing the back of his head in an attempt to seem casual in front of the unicorn. Gazing back down to the basket of gems he asked, "Are all those for me?" It was all he could do to keep himself from drooling in front of the diamond of his eye while he spoke.

Rarity looked to her side as if she'd forgotten what she'd brought with her immediately after setting it down. "Oh, yes!" she said, seeming to remember, "I took the liberty of making sure you had something to eat, just in case Twilight stays a bit longer than intended." The purple dragon rubbed his chin and asked, "Where is she, anyway? She left so early this morning, and without even leaving a note. I was kinda worried about her up until now."

"Oh she didn't tell you? She's over at Sweet Apple Acres, with Applejack," Rarity said with a small, toothless grin. Trying to ignore the grin for now, Spike asked another question in curiosity, "With Applejack? Doing what?" Rarity looked down at the young dragon, unsure if he was serious. She sighed softly, reminding herself that he was still young, and gave him a sly smile along with a wink that made him nearly levitate. "Nothing out of the ordinary, darling. Don't worry, though, her and Applejack are doing just fine," she reassured him with a slight giggle.

"In any case, I must be getting back to the shop," Rarity stated as she turned to walk away at a brisk, but elegant pace, "I've got a few things I need to take care of before the Festival arrives." Spike waved even though she couldn't see the gesture and said, "Bye Rarity!"  "Goodbye, my dear," she called back over her shoulder.

Spike grabbed the basket of gems and licked his lips as he shut the door behind him. "These are gonna be great," he said to himself, cherishing Rarity's gift. He reached down and grabbed a small sapphire and tossed it up in the air, only to catch it within his maw to devour it. Happy and with food, Spike sat down at the table to begin his buffet.

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight and Applejack were sharing stories over some apple pie that Granny Smith had baked earlier that day. They were sitting beside the barn, their plates sitting adjacent to them. Twilight was levitating her pie absent-mindedly as her and Applejack had a chat while gazing up at the clouds. They hadn't talked of anything of great importance. Only about small things, such as new trees that were to be planted after the festival, or how Twilight got her books sorted. Rather than focusing on the worries and bothers of daily life, the two mares instead focused on the simpler, more happy things.

Taking the final bite of her piece of pie, Twilight sighed happily. "This was nice, Applejack," she said as she turned to her friend with a small, satisfied smile on her face. "I reckon you'd be right on that one, Twi'," Applejack responded. "It's gettin' a bit late, huh? Guess you oughta head home and check on Spike," she added with a small sigh.

At the mention of the baby dragon, Twilight's heart felt as if it had skipped a beat. "I totally forgot about Spike!" she exclaimed as she rushed to a standing position. With a groan, she apologized to Applejack, "I'm sorry but I've got to head home to check on him. He's probably worried sick about me, and I forgot to leave him something to eat. He could be starving!"

Applejack gave a short laugh, "I'm sure he's alright, Sugarcube. Y'oughta mosey on over to your library, though. I'm sure he'd like to hear from ya. I'll see you tomorrow at the Mayor's office. Or should I call it your office now?" With that last question she gave a sly smile and a wink that made Twilight's mind torn between dread and excitement. "Okay. I'll see you then," is what Twilight could offer in terms of a reply as she turned to gallop towards her library, worried and angry with herself.

It came to the point along the trip back home that she began speaking aloud to herself, disregarding the curious looks she received from other ponies as a result. "How could I be so careless? He might be starving. He's going to be so mad! Oh no.."  she said as she broke out into a sweat from both running and complete nervousness over her current situation.

As she burst through the door, she yelled, "Spike!" She saw him sitting in a chair that was made specifically for him, leaning back in it. Caught off-guard, the surprised dragon yelled, "Woah!" as he fell backwards, not able to regain his balance. Twilight cringed as he tumbled backwards out of the chair, and then noticed a basket of gems that was nearly empty. "Oh I'm  sorry, Spike. Are you alright?" she asked as she moved over to help him up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Did you have fun?" he asked as he got up, and even with a smile that threw Twilight for a loop. "Um.. Yes. I had a lot of fun. You're not mad?" Spike cocked an eyebrow and replied, "Mad? Mad that you went to hang out with Applejack? Please. If you ask me, you need to get out more often."

Twilight took his comment humorously, as she was glad he was not angry. "Where did you get the gems, anyway?" she asked, though she thought she knew the answer. "Rarity came by and dropped them off for me. She said you were with Applejack. When I asked what you were doing there, she just smiled at me and walked away," he said with a shrug, as he was still unsure of what to make of it. "What were you doing there, anyway?" he asked.

Thinking about it, Twilight smiled at the time she had with Applejack. "Unwinding," she said simply. Spike noticed her smile and was still confused about it. With a sigh, he returned to his dinner of gems. "There's that smile again. Seems everypony  knows something I don't today," he said before taking a bite out of a cracked ruby.

"Anyway," he said, his mouth still filled with bits of ruby. "Tomorrow is the big day, huh? You ready?" he asked. "Well I have Applejack, and I've got you," she said earnestly, "so I suppose I'll do just fine." Spike looked relieved. "Good," he said, "I wouldn't want another episode like when you worried over that time spell. Nearly drove me just as crazy with your nervousness."

Twilight chuckled at the thought and nodded. "Well I'll try not to go overboard this time," she said with a sense of uneasiness. Spike nodded, "We'll see, I guess." He chomped on another sapphire and leaned back in the chair, and Twilight considered what she'd do tomorrow. She made sure to note "Do not go crazy," as one of the objectives.