A Letter for The Princess
It was the fifth time Spike was dusting the shelves in the library’s study. The twelfth time that he had mopped the floor. The third time he vacuumed the air for foreign pathogens. He had spent most of the past three months holed up in the library with Twilight only leaving to fetch groceries and keep their friends informed about her health. The girls had tried after the first week of Twilight’s isolation to get her to come outside. It all ended the same for the next month and a half.
They would try things ranging from trying new dresses for the Gala to helping at the farm. Taking care of animals and contributing to organizing parties. Even Rainbow Dash had decided to invite her to a museum. Granted, it was a Wonderbolt museum but, it still counted as learning according to the cyan mare. Nothing worked, though, she still uses the same excuse ever time.
“I can’t leave now, what if the Princess comes to check up on me? Or if she sends a reply through regular mail and I’m not here to answer immediately? Sorry girls, I just can’t today.” Twilight would say before going back inside to study or write another letter to the Princess.
Spike couldn’t leave her alone, so he stayed back as well. If she had been left alone, then he would find her starving and unconscious on the ground. It had happened before in Canterlot before they came to Ponyville. It was the time when he had decided to attend a show with their old friends and visit Shining Armor. It was only for three days but, it was three days that Twilight had ignored eating, sleeping, bathing, and getting fresh air. He found her passed out from exhaustion and lack of nutrition. It was the last time he would leave her alone unless fully prepared.
Twilight strolled in with a book hiding her face and sat down at her desk that had several other tomes opened or bookmarked. “Spike, take a letter.” She said, her eyes were not leaving the surface of the book.
“Twilight, you aren’t sending her another one are you? This letter is the fifth one within the past hour. I can’t even imagine what you even have to tell her that you didn’t already tell her twenty minutes ago.” He responded as he reluctantly took out the quill and paper.
“Please, Spike. I just want to make sure she received my last letter. I mean what if when you sent it out to her something happened that stopped the magic to arrive? Maybe that’s why she hasn’t been answering. Or, what if she has gotten them but, is too swamped actually to read them? Or, what if somepony intercepted them and was burning them?” she started to panic again.
It had become a daily thing these days, she would ask Spike to take a letter, and he would try to talk some sense into the mare. She would then proceed to list various ways in which the letters might not have arrived which, prompted her to have panic attacks. Spike knew better than to get her riled up any further and decided this would be the last time he would try talking her out of it.
“Ok Twilight, I get it.” He put quill to paper and looked at the pile of nerves that was his pony sister. “I’m ready when you are.”
“Thank you, Spike.” She proceeded to clear her throat and began the letter.
“Dear Princess Celestia, It’s your faithful student Twilight Sparkle. Again. I don’t know whether or not you received my last letter or any of the other 457 but, I am sending this one to you in regards to the lessons I have learned thus far just in case.” She started before sitting back down.
Twilight looked out the window to see the Moon and stars in their full glory and wondered where the time had gone again. She looked at the clock on the wall and noticed it was close to midnight. She didn’t care; sleep rarely came to her these days as her time was filled with books and letters and more books and more letters. She became aware that Spike was still waiting for her to continue, so she began again.
“I have learned that friends are there for you no matter the situation. Despite our differences, my friends have understood that sometimes I need some time alone. Especially, when furthering my studies on friendship. Though because of this, I am starting to realize that my views are somewhat returning to how they were before I came to Ponyville.”
Spike stopped writing for second and looked at her for a minute. She didn’t stop talking thinking he was still writing.
“I have an idea as to why this is happening but, I can’t blame anypony except myself. I feel that I must have failed you somewhere along the line these past three months. Otherwise, I have no way of actually explaining why I have not gotten a reply from you during this time frame.” She continued.
Spike put down the quill and paper and started to walk over to her. He noticed that she had gone back to staring outside. The clock was two till and still she kept going with the letter.
“I know that the girls are trying their best to get me to join them once again but, I can’t get it out of my mind that I don’t deserve them as friends. I keep thinking that because you haven’t replied, I’m nothing but a failure. Where did I go wrong Princess? How could I have come so far and yet fail to grow at all? Why is it that I can’t get these thoughts out of my head? Why aren’t you answering any of my letters?” she choked on the last question and started to cry.
Spike closed the distance in an instant and wrapped his tiny arms around the mare. She hugged him back and kept crying. He began to cry as well at this point. He cried for his sister going through such anguish over a simple reply. He cried that he couldn’t do anything to make it better. He cried because she cried, and they kept hugging each other. It was midnight; the clock struck, and they pulled apart wiping the tears away.
Spike led her to bed and away from the room that had been her makeshift bedroom for the past month and a half. He tucked her in and wiped away the rest of her tears. He turned off the lights and opened the curtains to let the moon shine inside. It calmed her down and let her sleep. Whether it was a peaceful sleep she would never say and he would never know. Spike went to the study and picked up a clean piece of paper and took a freshly ink-dipped quill.
“Dear Princess Celestia, I hate you.”
Author's Note
So I got the idea from a song I've been listening to for a while now. This one to be precise:
The way I see it is that Twilight thinks it would bother Celestia further if she just showed up at Canterlot. With no replies being received she has no idea as to whether or not she is actually welcomed there. She has no way of knowing whether she would be able to meet the princess or be turned away at the gate. With that going through her mind she sticks to just writing the letters.
Thank you for reading and let me know what all of you think in the comments.