Beyond Her Garden

--Please note, this story is NOT about the mane six, I needed a way to get them out of ponyville and this was the best way, as it sets me up for a third installment in the story if I so please, and it makes sense. Thank you and enjoy <3--

“Twilight!” Spike shouted his caretakers name from the lower level of the library, his young voice a mixture of fear and concern.

“What is it Spike? Is everything ok?”  Why does he sound so panicked? Oh Celestia, please tell me he hasn’t gone and broken something.

“It’s…” His voice trailed off. Twilight could hear a muffled whimper from where she was reading. “It’s… Celestia… she has some bad news… I… I think you should come read this…”

Ok, he sounds really shaken up. What could he possibly be so sad about? Or is he even sad, more like, confused? Or, angry? No, he is always over-exaggerating…I bet he just heard Rarity has a coltfriend or something. Does she? No, I would have found out WAY before spike. Unless it was a secret…maybe that’s why Spike is so shaken up? But, I mean, it is just girl issues, he can’t be th-

“Twilight! Please, you… you need to read this letter… I‘m scared and I don’t know i… if this is real or… just a… I… don’t...” Twilight hadn’t realized she had gotten lost into her own thoughts until spikes voice snapped her back to reality. Note: Do NOT get lost into your own thoughts when Spike is talking to you, he gets VERY impatient. She chuckled to herself at the mental notation, but suddenly snapped back to reality. She could hear Spike trying to hold back tears, and he was doing quite a poor job. His voice was weak and shaky, as if his best friend had died.

“I’m coming Spike, is everything alright?” Twilight set down the book that she had been reading next to her bed, ladning with a thud. Through the pitch black, she carefully trotted down the stairs and towards the library. Upon arriving, she found her pet owl, Owlicous, perched next to Spike. Spike was standing at the window, using the moons luminescence to read a letter. She flicked a switch at the bottom of the stairs and filled the whole room with a new-found warm glow, unlike the cold one spike had been using to read the note. As Owlicous blinked a few times to get used to the new source of light, Twilight shifted her gaze from him and onto Spike.

Well that must be the letter he was talking about.Twilight took a step forward, making an audible clop. Hearing the sound, Spike immediately looked up from the note and onto Twilights face. He dropped the note and dashed into Twilight, immediately breaking into tears.

“Spike, what is going on? You are starting to scare me.” She tried to sound less frightened than she really was.

Spike didn’t answer; he just continued to weep into her foreleg.

Oh my goodness, in all the years I have known him, I have never seen him this upset. What could he possibly be so sad about? Did he hurt somepony?  Or, did he hurt himself?

She nudged Spike’s head off of her foreleg lightly, and as she did so, she looked into his eyes. He looked at her with longing, as if he was looking for an answer or just some sort of comfort. She could see that he was in pain, not physical, but emotional. Never in her days had she ever seen Spike so emotional. He always had a happy-go-lucky view on everything, except for when she had him do chores. In fact, he rarely ever cried or even showed any strong emotion. She could tell something was definitely wrong. She wanted to ask him, then and there, what was going on. By the way he was standing; she could tell he was not physically hurt. She opened her mouth to ask him what the matter was, but realized it would be best for him to get some sleep first. Being that she hadn’t read the letter, she would be unable to help him anyway, as she would have no idea on how to respond.

“C’mon Spike, let’s go get you into bed.” She looked down to spike with a look only a loving mother could give.

Spike sniffled as if he were about to speak. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just pointed. Twilight followed his claw over towards the note he had dropped earlier. Her first instinct was to go and pick it up, find out what all of this was about. Then, yet again, her motherly instincts kicked in. She held off the urge to know what was happening, so that she could get spike to bed and calm him down.

“Don’t worry, Spike. It can wait. Let’s go get you tucked in” She focused her eyes back on the small green dragon next to her and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little guy.

“It is going to be ok Spike, I promise.” She tried her best not to sound concerned.

“You" Spike sniffled audibly as he spoke. "You haven’t even read the letter yet. How can you even tell that everything is going to be ok?” Twilight could tell Spike was having a hard time calming down. She had to say something that would help calm him until she could read the note; she couldn’t just send him upstairs without comforting him.

“Because you have me, and I have you. That is all we need to be ok, no matter what. Now let’s get you to bed, you need some rest and it’s late.” Twilight brought him closer with her left foreleg and Spike let out a long sigh of relief. It could have been a second or an hour, Twilight didn’t know. It just felt like she was doing something right. Like, at this very moment and at this certain time, there was nothing that could have cheered him up more than her presence.

She broke the warm embrace and used her magic to float him onto her back. At the same time, she used her magic to pick up a blanket lying on the chair nearest to them. She trotted slowly up the stairs and into their room, making sure he wouldn’t fall off of her back as she did so. She set him on his bed and dropped the blanket onto him. Using her snout, she pushed the blanket around him, making a small Spike-filled blanket burrito. As she did, she made small, light exhaling sounds. Her father had done so to her and spike ever since she was a foal and spike was just a hatchling. After she and Spike left their parents house, and she became his primary caretaker, Spike had grown so accustomed to it that whenever he went to bed, Twilight would do the same. It was comforting for him, reminding him that she loved him just as much as his adopted parents had, and although Twilight would never admit it to anypony, she missed the small gesture more than she had expected. For her, it was like a soft kiss on the cheek from a loving mother, or the warm embrace of a caring father. It was always the little things she loved and missed, and her father tucking her in was the one she missed the most.

As she finished the final corner of the blanket, she looked at Spike and kissed him on the forehead.

“I love you Twilight and no matter what you see, I want you to know that I am here for you just as much as you are here for me.” The innocence and sweetness in his voice made twilight shed a tear of pure happiness.

“I love you too Spike, I will talk to you in the morning, ok? I know you may have many questions and concerns about whatever is on that piece of paper, but don’t worry. I will probably end up being just as confused as you, but after I soak in whatever that letter says, we’ll talk about it.”

“I understand Twilight. Just, remember, you have me.” Upon hearing his reassurance yet again, Twilight gave him another kiss on his forehead and then trotted out of the room.

Ok, whatever this note is going to say, I am ready for it. I am Twilight Sparkle, I defeated Discord and Nightmare Moon. Maybe it is something small and Spike is just shaken up by it. If it is something big, then I have to prepare for tomorrow morning’s talk. Slow down twilight, you still don’t know how you will react. Ok, wait and remember not to over think things. You haven’t even read the letter and you are already deciding how you are going to react.

Twilight walked over to the window where Spike was reading near. As she picked up the letter, she noticed it was actually quite larger than the usual check-up letter she would normally receive. Preparing to read what was contained in the letter, she realized that the window cover was still up so that anypony walking by would be able to see inside the house. Using her magic, she pulled the canvas window cover down over the window, blocking the view into her house, and the moons light from entering inside. As if knowing that Twilight was about to read something saddening, Owlicous followed her over to the chair where she sat and landed on her shoulder. Twilight looked at the back of the letter before flipping it over and took a deep breath, preparing for what she was about to read. Once she felt she was ready, she flipped the paper over to see a long paragraph of writing.

My dearest student,

Twilight. I have heard some very saddening news that I must share with you. Immediately.

Twilight stopped reading for a moment to think. Oh dear Celestia, something terrible has happened. Ok, I just need to read the whole thing, no distractions. No matter what, you are a strong filly; I can read a letter without immediately assuming the worst.

My dearest student,

Twilight. I have heard some very saddening news that I must share with you. Immediately. Now, Spike, I know you are going to read this before Twilight so I want you to give this to her and not read beyond this point. What is to follow is not for young ears. Now, Twilight back to the topic at hand, your mother and father have passed away today in a horrific accident. They were riding a cart from Canterlot to go and see you. They were alongside a cliff when the cart’s wheel broke causing the cart to topple over into the canyon. I am truly sorry to break this news to you so bluntly, and I know how this feels, losing loved ones, and I am so sorry that this has happened. They loved you so much and I know that you loved them. This is just how life works. Throughout their lifetime, they have helped me, Canterlot, and Equestria so much and they lived a great life. Shining armor is still on his honey moon so he has not heard about this yet. I think it would be best for you to tell him yourself, once you have heard everything from me pony to pony.  I am inviting you and your friends if you would like them to go, to Canterlot to stay in the castle. I look forward to your letter back, but I want you to have some time to yourself before you reply. I love you, my student, and I am sorry for what has happened. I hope that there is something, anything, I can do for you once you arrive in Canterlot. You’re mentor,

Princess Celestia

The letter floated silently towards the ground. She felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach multiple times. She was unable to think, or form a full sentence, or even move. The only thing she felt was a hot tear rolling down the side of her right cheek. She was not ready for this.

“I’m so sorry Twilight” Fluttershy’s soft voice broke the silence. Fluttershy sat across from Twilight, along with Rarity, Rainbowdash, Pinkiepie, and Applejack. They all sat looking at Twilight, waiting for some sort of proof that Twilight was listening to them. Twilight spent the whole night, and half of the next day sitting in her chair, staring at the letter. She was supposed to meet Rarity and Fluttershy at the spa in the morning, as they were going to discuss the strategy for growing during the seasons they would normally be unable to. Ever since Twilight had become a part of ponyville, she was able to use her magic, along with Rarity, too grow food during the seasons they normally wouldn’t be able too. It helped ponyville a lot because this meant everyone would have food year round, and the prices would stay the same even through winter. Twilight was supposed to meet them as soon as she awoke, but after a few hours, Rarity and Fluttershy began to worry. They went over to the library to see if she was even home, and that’s when they found her, crying and looking down at a note.

“Twilight, my dear. I don’t mean to be rude, but don’t you think you should clean up a bit before spike wakes up? It’s almost twelve, and that’s usually when he awakes, and I don’t think it would be good for him to see you like this.” Rarity gazed at Twilight, longing for an answer. Before she could though, Applejack cut in.

“Wait just a second here Rarity. Ya can’t go an’ rush Twilight into bein’ ok. She needs to take some time ‘fore she goes actin’ all happy.”

“I never said such a thing! I simply made a suggestion that she should composer herself so she doesn’t make spike worry.” Rarity looked to Twilight as if she expected her to back her reasoning up.

“She’s got a point Twilight, if Spike sees you like this, he could panic himself.” Rainbowdash spoke confidently, but then blushed as she realized her choice of words.

“I mean, not that you are panicking or anything, we just don’t want spike too. Not that it’s our job or anything. But if you need help, we can help too if you want!” Rainbowdash looked at her friends, most of them staring at her like she was crazy. She wanted to get out of there, fast. She did not want to embarrass herself more than she already had. “Erm…is it hot in here? I’m gonna go get some fresh air.” As Rainbow went to open the door, Twilight finally spoke up.

“No, you guys are right. I need to go and wash up and act like I am okay. It will help Spike. I don’t want him to see me like this.” Rarity looked proudly towards Applejack. She ignored Rarity’s childness as she asked Twilight a question.

“Are ya sure sugarcube? We can always go an take Spike somewhere while ya think” Twilight sat in silence for a few seconds, thinking it over.

“No, it’s for the best. Besides, she wanted me to go to Canterlot with you five, and the next train is tonight. We should really be getting ready for that. Would you girls mind coming?” Twilight finally looked up to them. Her eyes were big and shiny from crying all night and it was obvious on her face.

“Well, I don’t have to work today, what do you say girls?” Raindowdash rose into the air, trying to lighten the mood as she spoke, and the others all chimed their responses in unison.

“That would be marvelous”

“Of course! It will be like a party!”

“Ah guess I could leave the farm for a few days”

“Um…okay, I can make it once I feed the animals.”

Twilight rose out of the chair and wiped her eyes. She looked at all of her friends in the same room. They were all there, for her. “I love you fillies” Twilight smiled as she said it, seeing all of ther faces making the similar grin.

“Group hug! We should TOTALLY have a group hug!” Pinkie bounced up and down as she made the suggestion, seeming a little too excited for just a hug. They all went into the center for a long group hug.

I may have lost my mother and father, but I still have my family here.

Throughout the day, more and more pony’s heard about what had happened to Twilight. Many came by to give their condolences, making it hard for Twilight to get ready on time. Somehow though, she got ready with five minutes to spare. She used the five minutes to think about what she would say to spike once they were alone at the castle. Earlier on in the day, spike had gotten up just as her friends had left to get ready. Since they both had little time to get ready, they both agreed that they would try and act as happy and normal as possible, and wouldn’t talk anymore about it until they were alone at the castle. Her five minutes of down time went by quite fast, as it was already time for them to head down to the train station. With Spike by her side, she exited out the library’s main doors where a small group of five mares she knew greeted her. Of course, Bon-bon and Lyra were together, along with berry punch, carrot top, and derpy hooves.

As soon as she turned around, Derpy greeted her.

“Hello Twilight and Spike!” Derpy’s smiled at them both. Before Twilight or spike could respond, she started to speak again. “I made this muffin for you last night, Twilight! I made it purple because you are!” Derpy handed her a dark purple cupcake that smelled of vanilla and cinnamon. “And this one is for you Spike!” Derpy handed Spike a similar sized green muffin, with what seemed to be purple streaks.

“Thank you Derpy, I was actually quite hungry.” Twilight dropped the muffin into her saddle bag so she could save it for later.

“Yeah Derpy, thanks! This muffin is awesome!” Spike chimed with half of the muffin in his mouth. Derpy giggled at the sight of the small dragon struggling to speak and eat at the same time.

“Hahaha, your welcome Spike!” Derpy flapped her wings a few times excitedly at the praise, floating slightly off of the ground.

“Berry and I picked these for you out of my garden. They were the ripest ones we could find and we picked enough for you and your other friends.” Carrot top reached into her saddlebag and pulled a small canvas bag filled with carrots out.

“Thank you Carrot top, these are-” Twilight suddenly noticed how large they were and went wide eyed. “Carrot top, how did you… these must be worth a fortune, I can-”

“No, it’s okay. I want you to have these. We picked them just for you!” Carrot top smiled at Twilight as she said it. Twilight had never noticed, but Carrot top always had a slight sing-song to her voice, much like Pinkie’s but not as prominent.

“Thank you fillies, this means a lot to me that you guys came to visit and gave us such great gifts!” Twilight looked at them and smiled lightly. Large carrots and two colored muffins weren’t usually something that carried meaning, but to Twilight, it meant that even the friends that she didn’t get to talk to as much still loved her.

“Well, there was one other thing.” Twilight looked to Bon-Bon as she spoke.

“We heard you two were walking down to the train station, so we were wondering if we could maybe walk you guys there!” Lyra said, finishing Bon-bon’s sentence.

“Of course you fillies can!” As twilight said the five words, Derpy made an excited whimper and did the same flapping with her wings she had done moments ago. Twilight cocked her head at the other four friends and Berry explained.

“She does that whenever she is happy. It’s quite cute, isn’t it?” Twilight chuckled at the response; she really did have some incredible friends.

Twilight and the other five of her friends looked out of there cabooses windows, waving at the ponies who had come to say goodbye to them. They would only be gone for a week, but the town wanted Twilight to know that they all loved her. As the train began to roll from the station, Pinkie tapped her shoulder.

“Hey Twilight, how do you think the town will do without us?” Twilight cocked her head at Pinkie, and then remembering Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie, she replied with a simple response.

“I think they will be just fine Pinkie.”