Twilight's eyelids were glued shut. The bedsheets felt damp and clingy. Her back was bent and aching. Even before waking up, she knew this was going to be a bad day.
After a great amount of effort, she forced her eyes open. The room was bright, but not bright enough. It looked grey, like it was stuck in a cloud. It felt cold, too, which only made the damp sheets feel more uncomfortable. Even so, she didn't want to get out of bed. She just wanted to close her eyes and pretend that morning never came. Nopony would know.
Her stomach rumbled, and she became aware of the empty feeling in the centre of her belly, pulling her skin inwards like a vacuum had been trapped inside. She groaned in silence. She didn't want to move... no, she couldn't move, but her food was all the way to the kitchen.
Maybe Spike was awake.
“Spike?” she called, hoping the little dragon decided to get up early that day, but no response came. The castle felt empty. Twilight slid back under her sheets. If she ignored her hunger, maybe it would go away.
It didn't. In fact, it only got worse.
She sighed. There was nothing else for it. She threw her sheets off of her as decisively as she could, exposing her body to the cold morning air. She glanced at her clock... To her shock, it was already ten. Ten! How could she have slept for so long?
The chill bit at her fur and tickled her skin. She threw on a dressing gown, only to find that it, too, felt soggy. Or maybe she was soggy. Maybe she had been sweating during the night. Maybe she had a nightmare and just couldn't remember what it was. Maybe it was too hot. No, that was impossible: she felt freezing.
How could it be so late and yet so cold at the same time? She might be ill, Twilight thought.
She tried to shrug off the discomfort and trotted downstairs to the kitchen. She heard a faint scrabbling sound, echoing off the walls. Spike's snoring, no doubt. As Twilight opened the fridge, she felt her stomach cave inwards like some kind of punctured balloon. She clutched her belly as she browsed her food.
A sandwich? Porridge? Oats?
Twilight decided she couldn't even wait to prepare a meal. She grabbed the first thing she could find (a block of cheese) and began chewing. It was thick, meaty, and almost tasteless, but it sated her hunger. As soon as she had swallowed, the item looked unappetizing. She could see the grease and oil on its surface and the hardened edges that had dried out in the fridge. She threw it in the bin as soon as she could: she'd get her breakfast somewhere else. Maybe a café?
She heard the kitchen door swing open slowly. She turned around to face Spike, who was slumped to the side. His eyelids were drooping and his mouth was hung half-open.
“...urgh...” he said. Perhaps it was supposed to be a 'hello', but all Twilight heard was a groan.
“...morning,” she replied. “You look... fresh.”
Spike groaned. “I don't feel fresh,” he replied. “I feel awful.”
Twilight wiped her mouth with her hoof. “You're sick?”
“Yeah,” he said, pouring himself a glass of water. “Spent the night throwing up.”
Twilight tried widening her eyes, but they wouldn't obey her. “What? Why didn't you tell me?”
“You were asleep. And very unresponsive.” Spike began sipping the drink, screwing his face in disgust. “Ugh, I can still taste it." He rubbed his eyes. "I'm absolutely exhausted.”
Twilight levitated a small book from a shelf just outside the kitchen. “Do you need me to keep an eye on you? Do you need a doctor?”
Spike shook his head. “No. There's nothing left down there,” he told her. “I think I'll just catch up on some sleep, if I can.”
Twilight trotted out of the kitchen. “In that case, I'm going to head out. I'm in the mood for coffee. And maybe cake.” She sniffed the air as she trotted through the grand castle doors into Ponyville. “Perhaps some velvet cake?" She shook her head. "Actually, I think I'll get a croissant.”
A nice read and a delicious breakfast to pamper herself with. Yes, that'd be the ticket, she thought.
Twilight sat down at one of the outdoor tables by Sugarcube Corner, trying to get as comfortable as she could. She had a terrible crick in her neck and lower back, and found it near impossible to not feel the wood of the chair dig into her spine. And she still felt sticky.
But it was nothing a relaxing coffee (or perhaps tea?) and a book couldn't cure, she thought. She flipped to the page she had left off at. This story was a guilty pleasure of hers, the continuation of a series of novels she followed as a teenager. Not only did they have nostalgic significance, reminding her of her romantically frustrated childhood, but they were a pleasant release from her romantically frustrated adulthood as well.
“Oh, hello, Twilight.”
Twilight's eyes left the pages of her book and turned up towards Pinkie Pie. The poor mare looked like she had been dragged through a puddle. Her eyes were like coal, absent of the lively electricity they usually had. Her coat was dull, more like an old curtain than the beautifully vibrant thing it usually was.
“Hello, Pinkie,” Twilight replied, stifling a yawn. “You look down.”
“I am down,” Pinkie replied. “I'm so down I feel I'm below sea level. I'm drowning below sea level, even.” She sighed. “I would do a 'feeling down' party, but I really don't want to.”
Twilight raised her eyebrow. “What happened?”
Pinkie pulled up a chair, forgetting she was in fact Twilight's waitress for the morning, and held her head in her hooves. “The foals are both off to the dentist with toothache,” she explained, “And the Cakes are blaming me for feeding them too many sweets and cakes and pastries.”
“Did you?” Twilight asked, her discomfort getting the better of her.
“Of course not!” Pinkie exclaimed. “How could you? I'm the carefullest pony anypony could ask for to take care of a pony's teeth!”
Twilight held up her hooves defensively. “Fine, fine, I get it. I'm sorry,” she replied. She rubbed her eyes, clearing up her hazy vision. “So, what are you going to do?”
“Lock myself in my room,” Pinkie told her, “And eat lots and lots of cakes.” She sighed. “It's what I always do when I'm upset.”
“Does it work?” Twilight asked. “I'm feeling pretty bad today myself, so I could use any advice you have to offer.”
Pinkie sighed. “Well, no, not really. I just feel very, very full.” She got to her hooves again. “I'm sorry, what did you want? We have cakes and goodies and drinks and hot drinks and—”
“Coffee,” Twilight replied. “And a croissant.”
“Ooh, fancy!” Pinkie replied, some of her old joviality returning to her. “I'll be right back!”
Twilight dove back into her book. Maybe she could find some respite among the old, worn pages. "I think I'll pay Rarity a visit later," she muttered to herself as she read. "Perhaps she can find some way to make my back stop hurting," she grumbled.
“...and then,” Rarity went on, “All the stitches came out, and now I'll be delivering the dresses several days late!” She tossed one mess of fabric aside and snatched up another, quickly weaving her needle in between the seams, faster than Twilight's eye could follow.
The walk to the Carousel Boutique had been long and painful. Although the fresh air did wonders for the sticky feeling she had felt all morning, it persisted, and the aching in her neck made walking very uncomfortable. It also had the effect of making her aware of everything else wrong with her body that morning: a pang in her sides, a sore hoof, a splinter stuck in her leg, or even dust in her eye.
Her arrival to the shop had not made anything better. Rarity was as worked up as ever, and surrounded by a mountain of dresses, each one falling apart at the seams. Literally.
“That's a strange coincidence,” Twilight said. “Pinkie's day has been all wrong too, so far.” She tapped her chin. “For that matter, so has mine and Spike's.”
Rarity looked up from her stiching. “Oh, dear! What happened to you two?”
“Well, I've just been feeling... off all morning. My back hurts, my neck hurts, and I feel sweaty and sticky.” She shuddered. “I might be coming down with something. Spike was sick during the night and hasn't had any sleep. And Pinkie is being blacklisted by the Cakes.”
“Goodness,” Rarity muttered. “It sounds like all of Ponyville is under the weather.” Rarity sighed. “I even tried ice-cream, but not even soothing dairy can help me now! I just keep on remembering my deadline again and again and again. It's horrible! It's ruining my life.”
“It can't be that bad,” Twilight replied. Rarity threw her hooves in the air.
“Oh, but it is! I can just tell that I'll be working late trying to catch up with things! I just know it!” She dove back into her work. “A designer can tell these things, you know.”
Twilight stroked her chin, deep in thought. “You know, maybe this isn't a coincidence. Maybe this is the work of some...” She hesitated. “...evil villain intent on ruining our day!”
Rarity raised her eyebrow, but didn't look up from her fabrics. “That sounds awfully far fetched.”
“What other explanation is there for me feeling awful, Spike being sick, the Cake twins getting toothache and your dresses falling apart?” Twilight asked.
“Well, Spike eats far too much junk food, the Cake twins live in a bakery surrounded by sugar, and Opal seems to think my work is a scratching post,” Rarity told her. “Although, I have to admit I don't have an explanation for your own sorry state. Maybe it's just one of those mornings, dear?”
Twilight nodded. “Maybe, but you have to admit, that's an awful lot of coincidences.” She trotted towards the door. “I'm going to check on Fluttershy. If she's having trouble too, then that's just one more clue towards finding out what's going on in Ponyville!” With that, she opened the door, rattling the bell as she went out. As she crossed the doorway, she knocked her hoof against the small step, causing her to wince in pain. “Ouch!”
The noise from Fluttershy's cottage was almost unbearable. The animals were nearly out of control, and they were making no secret of it. The squirrels were chattering, the birds were tweeting, and the ducks outside were quacking like maniacs. Twilight felt her ears flatten against her head as she tried to block out the cacophony.
In the centre of the cottage was Fluttershy herself, lying on a couch with a big bag of ice plastered to her head. Her eyelids were only half open.
"Uh... hi, Twilight," she groaned. "Sorry if I can't get up... headache..."
Twilight trotted over to her friend and examined her eye. Yet another pony miserable, she thought to herself. And it looked like Fluttershy was barely keeping herself together. A headache, and all this noise? She was probably at her wits end.
"It looks like a migraine," Twilight told her. "Do you have spotty vision? Have any of your hooves gone numb? Do you feel nauseous?"
"Um... all of the above," Fluttershy said. "My eyes feel like they're going to explode..."
Twilight sighed. "Yes, that sounds about right. Let me get you some water and aspirin."
Fluttershy brightened. "Oh, yes, please. I can't get up without wanting to throw up..."
Twilight found the kitchen, and began raiding Fluttershy's cupboards for medicine. She quickly discovered that Fluttershy had plenty of medication... but barely any of it was for ponies. Most of them were for her animals, and it was a herculean task to find the relevant pills. Twilight popped her head back out of the kitchen.
"Fluttershy," she asked, "Where do you keep your aspirin?"
"...third cupboard on the right, top shelf..." Fluttershy's weak voice replied. Twilight returned to her search, and this time, found the small box in no time. She poured a glass of water and tossed two pills in there, before mixing the substance around with a spoon.
"This should help," she said, and returned to Fluttershy with the glass. "Here, drink up."
Fluttershy tried sipping at the mixture, her face twisting in disgust. Aspirin was not known for its fantastic flavour. Finally, she swallowed the whole thing in one go, and resisted the urge to retch it up again.
"Thank you. Now I just need to get some sleep..."
"You should also get some fresh air," Twilight suggested. "Going outside is good for you. Especially for us ponies: we were born outside, after all."
"...I know, Twilight. But I don't think I have the strength for that today."
The alicorn princess frowned. "Since I'm here... did you notice anything strange this morning? Maybe somepony you didn't recognize, or an odd feeling?"
"Not really," Fluttershy replied. "I wasn't paying much attention, though. I was busy feeding the robin family this morning, and then I got this awful headache."
Twilight sighed. A dead end. "I see. Well, there are two ponies left I can talk to, so maybe they'll have some clues." She turned to leave. "Do try to get outside at some point: and eat well. Migraines can be cured with food... once you stop wanting to throw up."
Fluttershy nodded as Twilight left. "Of course, I'll certainly try," she said, before widening her eyes. "Oh, watch the door! It's a bit low..."
"Ouch!"
"...oh, confound it, where's the yellow one?"
As Twilight trotted down the road, nursing the bruise on her head, she began to hear the sound of muttering from the trees. She stopped in her tracks. The Acres wasn't that far away... she could probably stand to waste five minutes.
She scanned the side of the road, looking for where the voice might be coming from. She decided it was coming from her left, and began exploring in that direction. She peered around the thick, rough tree-trunks.
She narrowed her eyes when she saw who had spoken. There, standing next to a large pile of... were they socks?... was none other than Discord himself, Prince of chaos, Archduke of unpredictability, and Baron of Discorditopia, a small plot of land that resided somewhere between a mirror's reflection and under the kitchen sink.
"Discord!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
The centuries old monster peered at her from over his pile of laundry. "Oh, dear Twilight! But I specifically chose this patch of forest to avoid being disturbed!" He clutched the sides of his misshapen head. "What must you think of me, reduced to such lows!"
"What do you know about my friends all having miserable days?" Twilight demanded. "This feels just like one of your tricks!"
Discord frowned at her, his eyebrows knotting together as he examined the little pony. "Everypony is feeling miserable?" He crossed his arms. "Well, it's nothing to do with me! Not only would I never stoop to such trivial tricks as... what exactly happened?"
"I have a sore neck, Pinkie is eating cake in her room, Rarity's dresses are a mess, and Fluttershy has a migraine," Twilight snapped. "And also Spike was sick."
"Ugh, how dull," Discord said, waving his talon. "Like I said, those petty parlour tricks are worthless to me. Not even mildly entertaining. Not to mention, I'm reformed, remember? Second time's the charm."
"The saying is 'third time's the charm'."
"Yes, well, I'm ahead of the curve," Discord told her. "And I have my paws full of this absolutely horrendous task," he went on, pointing at the huge pile of socks. "I suppose somepony as busy as you doesn't even want to know what little old Discord is busying himself with?"
Twilight didn't reply.
"Oh, how kind of you to ask! Well, I received a little visit from my cousin... her name is Order, by the way... a frightful bore... And she had the gall to bet me that I could sneak into Celestia's bedroom and rearrange her fancy dress cupboard and sneak banana peels all over the floor! Long story short, I couldn't, and now Order has forced me to organize all these socks!" Discord wailed. "Me! Organizing! Then she just upped and left to go to the Horsehead nebula, saying she'd be watching my progress. The nerve! Just because she was born three centuries before me she thinks she can be all high and mighty!"
Twilight tilted her head to the side. "How hard can organizing socks be?"
Discord held his head. "Well, there's always one missing, isn't there? She assured me that they were all there, but no matter how hard I look, I can't find this accursed yellow one!"
He dove back into the pile of footwear. Twilight was sure she heard sobbing from within. "Would you say you're having... a bad day?" she asked.
Discord threw his head out, and gave her an expressionless look. "Why, yes, I am having an absolutely rotten day, thank you for noticing."
Twilight shook her head in dismay. "Oh, no, they've gotten to you too!"
"Who has? I already told you, Order won a bet."
Twilight cantered off towards Sweet Apple Acres, wearing a worried expression. "Sorry, I have to go! Applejack might be in trouble!"
Discord watched her leave with a petulant huff. "Well, fine! I didn't want your help anyway!" He looked back at the task before him. "Confound it," he muttered, and began picking at the socks methodically.
"Ha! Just a little to the left, Apples," came Rainbows distinctly juvenile voice. Twilight slowed her canter down to a trot as she got closer and closer to the farm. What was going on?
"Still better'n your throw."
"I got two left! I've won two games to your one, and you know it. You've got no chance."
Twilight rounded the last corner and took in the sight before her: Sweet Apple Acres, bathed in late morning sunlight. The grass was a vibrant green, wet from a midnight shower, and the air was thick with nature. Not far from the house, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were engaged in a heated game of horseshoes.
"There you are!" Twilight exclaimed, rushing towards them. Rainbow only just stopped herself from botching her throw due to the unwelcome distraction.
"Hey! Warn a filly next time!" she exclaimed, putting the horseshoe down. "You'll make me lose!"
"'Sup, Twi'? You look pretty darn worried, if I might say so."
Twilight came to a stop, panting. "Are you two okay? Do you have the flu? Has the barn collapsed?"
"Nope, perfectly healthy," Applejack replied. "I'm just whoopin' Rainbow's flank at a game of horseshoes, if you didn't notice."
"Really?" Twilight asked. "That's a relief. Everypony in town has been crumbling under a literal tidal wave of bad luck," she said. She began pacing around the pair, puzzled. "I wonder why you two escaped it? Maybe Sweet Apple Acres is outside of the spell's radius?"
"Spell?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Well, it would have to be," Twilight explained. "Nothing else I can think of makes sense."
"What do you mean, 'bad luck'?" Applejack asked. "'Cause as a matter of fact, I spent an awful amount of time this mornin' sorting through yesterday's harvest. Rotten apples got stuck in there." She shook her head. "I was worried I might have to postpone my sales."
"And I had my own problems," Rainbow added. Twilight's ears pricked up as she listened to both ponies tales. "My house got hit with a rogue cumulus! You have no idea how much of my stuff is broken." She flared her wings as she exhaled heavily.
"That's terrible!" Twilight exclaimed. "So you didn't escape the spell."
"It was just unfortunate is all," Applejack said. "And besides, we feel loads better now." She gestured towards Rainbow Dash. "We met in the orchard, chatted for a while, and decided we'd have a fun game together. Nothing like fun to make everything seem a little better."
Rainbow tossed Twilight one of her horseshoes. "You want in? I don't know what stuff happened to you but I swear you'll feel better after this." She snickered. "AJ is so easy to rile up."
"Am not!"
"See?"
Twilight looked at the post, which sat a good dozen yards away, and peered at the horseshoe, which was balanced on the tip of her nose. "Uh... what are the rules?"
"Closest to the post wins. But this can just be a practice round," Rainbow said. "Three throws each!"
Twilight lowered her head and chest, as if readying herself to pounce. The horseshoe wobbled on her nose, and she very nearly dropped it on the ground. "This is hard," she said, surprised.
"Yup. It takes a lot of balance," Applejack said.
Twilight threw her head upwards, sending the little metal object flying through the air towards the post. All eyes followed it as it span around, and landed not a foot away from the post. Twilight gave a little whoop of joy and her neck stretched out with a quiet cracking noise. "Hey! That was a good shot!"
Rainbow snorted. "Beginners luck," she said. Applejack snickered.
"Ya'll are just jealous," she said. Rainbow crossed her forehooves.
"Am not."
"Looks like I ain't the only one easy to rile up."
Twilight straightened. "So... you're sure you didn't sense some arcane presence?"
"Sugar, if you an' Celestia didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, I think we're all safe 'n sound."
Twilight sat down, contemplating the issue. "Hey, you know what? I should go and get the others. They'll all be really glad to get away from their problems for a while."
Rainbow and Applejack shrugged. "Hey, why not? I could grill up some apples... the ones that ain't rotten... and we can make a meal of it."
"Hey, I don't mind. More ponies to beat, right?"
Twilight tapped her chin, a smile forming on her face. Fluttershy needed to get outside... Rarity would drive herself crazy if she didn't get away from work at some point... And even Pinkie needed some social interaction, otherwise she would eat herself into an early grave.
But why stop there, she thought? Spike could have a relaxing afternoon nap in the sun and she could help Discord get through his sock problem. Twilight chuckled. There was a sentence she never thought she'd think.
"Okay then! We can still salvage this day!" she exclaimed, and spread her wings. "Let's meet up on top of the hill to the east of Ponyville! Could you girls set up the post?"
"Sure thing," Applejack replied. Twilight grinned, and soared up into the sky. The crick in her neck had vanished.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I know it's been a while since we've had to send you friendship reports, but we felt it'd be nice to get nostalgic for a change. Today we learned that even though you might be in a bad mood and everything seems to be going wrong, spending time with friends can make even the worst day feel bearable.
We've all had pretty rough mornings, and some of us still have a lot of work to do (Rarity and Discord) but it's always a good thing to get some R&R and relax. We're all feeling much better, and horseshoes (the game) is really fun! We hope you're having a better day than we were, at least. Can you believe I actually thought something was out to get us? I suppose I'm still prone to overreacting.
(That said, if you do detect some arcane presence in Ponyville, let me know.)
Forever your faithful students,
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Discord
PS: Sorry about the banana peels. It was for a bet. Do you happen to have a spare yellow sock lying around?
Celestia put the letter down with a satisfied smile. "Well, that was a pleasant surprise," she said to herself. She looked back towards the door she was currently taking refuge behind. Beyond was an entire room full of ponies with their hearts set on debating the ins and outs of janitor administration. She sighed, and looked back at the letter.
With a determined look, she turned towards her assistant. "Raven? Do find Luna and tell her I'd like to spend the afternoon in the gardens, if she'd like."
Raven tilted her head. "But the meeting?"
"I've been at my wits end all day. They can argue amongst themselves, and besides, I don't believe my sister is familiar with horseshoes." She gave Raven a sly smile. "It should be an easy win."
The End
Author's Note
Doo doo dee doo doo doo, I wrote this in a day!
I kind of wanted to emulate a very slice of lifeish story featured a small, unassuming problem as simple as everyone having a bad day it's own story. They're kind of a rarity around here, and I always found something charming about them. I hope I managed to capture some of that here.
I think I let myself get very nostalgic with this one, especially when I did the letter to the Princess. Remember those? I certainly do. I kinda' miss 'em.
If you enjoyed this story, you may also enjoy The Bully is Back, another story of mine.
Anyway, thank you very much for reading my little story. Please upvote, comment, leave advice and criticism... the works. Have a very good one.
