Author's Note
If you want to read a chapter of this version without italics, click here. Password = 'password'
It's About Time
Dear Mom,
What do you know about time travel?
Twilight says she was visited by ‘herself, from the future’ or from next Tuesday morning rather. According to her, ‘future Twilight’ had burnt hair, a cut, and an eyepatch. She found a spell to travel back in time in the Star Swirl libary in Canterlot.
Twi’s been really high-strung again this last week. She worked herself up and woke me up at 3am with her pacing, all because she didn’t leave enough time in her schedule planner this month to her schedule planning for next month. I mean, she could let me do the planning, but then she’d probably take more time looking over my scheduling work for problems than it would take her to do her own schedule altogether.
She’s not as bad as the time she didn’t get a friendship report to you in time, but you know I begged you then to come right away. Please help me out here mom. I don't want Twi to end up like she did then.
Spike
Dearest Spike,
Thank you for your concerns.
First, to let you know, time travel magic is indeed real. I am fairly certain I know which spell future Twilight must have used. It is a spell that allows the user to travel back in time for a week. The user is limited to about a minute back in the week.
Time travel magic works on a closed-loop system. I realise you will not understand what that means. Basically, it means that you cannot change the past, because any actions you take when you go into the past already happened. Next Tuesday, this present Twilight will use the time-travel spell to go back in time and attempt to pass a message on to the Twilight of a week ago. There is no strict ‘beginning point’ where this loop begins.
I apologise if that is difficult to understand, but I struggle to come up with an analogy to simplify it for you. If you wish, I can explain it to you in more detail the next time you come to Canterlot.
Please keep me informed of any further updates, but at the time I do not believe this warrants my interference.
Regards,
Mom
Dear Mom,
I guess future Twilight did have a reason to worry. Cerberus came to town. Fluttershy managed to get him to calm down, and Twilight is taking him back to the gates of Tartarus. I don’t know how far away that is, so I don’t know when she will be back.
Twi did a good job with the town, though. Somewhere along the line she went from disaster-proofing to cleaning up Ponyville, but we did catch a leak on the dam. Well, I’m sure you’ll hear more from Mayor Mare’s official update.
Spike
Dear Mom,
We got the notice for Cerberus. When I got the scroll, however, it bounced out and gave Twi a paper cut across the face. Now she’s freaking out because future Twilight supposedly had the same paper cut, and then a few minutes later she had a bad hair accident that future Twilight also had.
I tried to help her calm down by taking her to see Pinkie. This is where it gets weird. A flowerpot dropped out of nowhere from INSIDE the tent, but Twi didn't care about that. She's getting really bad though. She has all the instruhments out so she’s trying to monitor everything.
Spike
Dearest Spike,
I think I know how this is going to pan out. It is tough for me to say this, but please go along with Twilight for now. There is a lesson to be learned here, and though it sounds cruel, it is one Twilight needs to learn.
I assume Twilight will come to Canterlot Monday evening in order to access the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing. Please tell when you are coming, and I will let the guards know. I will stop by as well to make certain events do not get out of hoof.
Regards,
Mom
Hi Mom,
We’re on the train right now. Pinkie Pie is coming with us as well. Twilight got us these really lame dark rubber costumes, so make sure the guards know we’re sneaking around.
Spike
Mom,
I think you were right, Twilight learned something today. I learned something today as well. Urgh, so much ice cream. I wish I could go back in time and tell past Spike not to eat so much ice cream. I don't think past Spike would listen though.
Spike
Author's Note
If you want to read a chapter of this version without italics, click here. Password = 'password'
A Canterlot Wedding
Dear Mom,
Did Twilight never get the royal etiquette lessons I did? I thought she knew who Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was. Isn’t she that pink alicorn?
Spike
Dearest Spike,
I find myself a little puzzled that Twilight does not know Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. After all, Cadenza was Twilight’s foalsitter for a number of months when she was younger. When Twilight first hatched you and I took her as my pupil, Cadenza helped me significantly in knowing how to work with Twilight. Additionally, I am certain Cadenza is close friends with some of the students that were in Twilight’s year at my School, and even has selected a few of them for her bridesmaids. Has Twilight really not interacted with Cadenza in all this time?
If that is the case, please do not tell Twilight. I believe Captain Shining Armor wanted to travel to Ponyville and tell her about the wedding himself as a surprise gift, but that is currently unfeasible. At the very least, the captain can surprise Twilight with whom the bride is.
While we are on the issue of royal etiquette, please do not refer to Cadenza as ‘that pink alicorn’ in the future, or to any pony as ‘that pony’ either. I know you do not mean anything by it, but it is incredibly rude to many ponies.
Lastly, please do not attempt to send any more letters until you get to Canterlot. We are putting a shield up in response to a credible threat, and dragonfire is part of the block.
Regards,
Mom
Dear Mom,
Do you know that I don’t recall Cadance at all? Shiny made plenty of stops by the tower after I moved in with Twilight as her assistant but he never brought her with. I don’t remember seeing her when I was living with you, either.
I just think it odd. Twilight was complaining that Cadance didn’t remember some skit or something they used to do together. When you haven’t seen one another since I was born how can you expect Cadance to remember?
I talked to Minuette and Twinkleshine today, and they’re two of the bridesmaids. I’m happy to hear that. Maybe Twilight will reconnect with them. Minuette said Moondancer hasn’t come out of her house in weeks except for books though.
Oh, mom, would I be able to see you again today or tomorrow? It’s been a month and I wasn’t able to come to the National Dessert Competition.
Spike
Dearest Spike,
I am sorry, Spike, but I will be busy for the next day or so. Luna and I are keeping watch from one of the towers. I may be able to chat after the rehearsal tomorrow. I promise you I will clear time for you after the wedding, however. Until I lower the sun tonight, however, please do not send any letters unless you deem it urgent.
As for Cadenza, she has been keeping a low background for the last few years. For all the royal etiquette lessons I had you take, she took three times as many. She has also been working on the frontier and in the bureaucracy as one of my right-hoof ponies. Captain Shining Armor had to meet her several times a month as part of his duties. Twilight Sparkle did not, and it seems the two fell out of touch completely over the years.
Again, I apologise, Spike. I would like to send you a longer letter, but I am extremely busy.
Regards,
Mom
Mom,
I don’t think Twilight took the revelateion surprise well at all. I’ve been going around with her today, and she seems to think Cadance is ‘the absolute worst bride to be ever’. Twi ignored Minuette and Twinkleshine and Lyra earlier and just called Cadance a name behind her back because she wanted some revisions to her dress. Rarity was ok with it, even though it bothered her when her friends wanted changes for their Gala dresses. Believe me mom, those dresses were ugly, and Twilight’s changes to hers were big compared to Cadances here.
But just earlier at dinner, Twilight got angry about Cadance’s behayvior. Rarity thinks it’s just stress, and everypony else thinks so as well, but Twilight knocked everypony’s drinks over and stormed off. This is bad. I’ve never seen her this angry before.
Spike
Dearest Spike,
Thank you for the update. I will talk to Twilight after the rehearsal today.
Regards,
Mom
Celestia was stunned. What had happened to her student to set her off like this? Certainly, Cadance had been a little out of sorts the last week, but it was the same for everypony. Between the wedding planning and the threat, Celestia thought the spouses-to-be surprisingly well-adjusted. Now Cadance had run off crying, and Shining Armor had disowned his sister as his best mare.
She thought about what to say. Celestia looked over to Spike, hoping she could gain some input from his expression. Though the dragon was her son in all but blood, he had been working with Twilight Sparkle for the last two years, and knew Twilight at a fundamental level better than any pony.
He was walking away. Yes, he did warn me that Twilight was acting irrationally. It was a tough choice for her to make, but she thought her student needed a time-out to think over what she had done before Celestia went to find her again. If Twilight was wallowing in guilt over her actions, it would be easier for Celestia to walk her through her anxieties and help her come to terms with the wedding. Twilight Sparkle was not the first student of hers to have an older sibling get married and feel like she had been cut adrift.
If only Shining Armor and Cadance hadn’t made the decision to only announce the wedding a week beforehoof, then Twilight could have had some more time to accept that her brother was getting married, Celestia thought, rolling her eyes at the excuse the couple had given her of desiring privacy.
Well, she may as well head out. “You have a lot to think about,” she told Twilight as she left the great hall.
Knock knock!
Princess Celestia, diarch of Equestria and the pony responsible for raising the sun, normally wasn’t afraid of the sound of someone knocking on a door. She had lived for a very long time, and had seen and done many things. Once, it had been the sound of her knocking on somepony else’s door that struck fear into her heart, as she delivered the news of a death to a close family member. Thankfully, Equestria had not been at war for many centuries.
She knew exactly why she was terrified this time. On the other side of the door was a baby dragon she had raised and considered her son, and they were about to have a conversation in which Celestia would have to admit her shortcomings. The presence of big flaws in his mother figure might strike Spike deep to the core.
Well, if it hasn’t already, Celestia admitted to herself. Between the way she had been wrong about Twilight’s reactions and how she was struck down by the Queen of the Changelings during the wedding reception, Spike might already be traumatised. To her eternal shame, it had taken Celestia nearly a full day after the wedding to be able to talk to Spike.
“Come in,” she called.
The door opened, and Spike sidled in, softly closing it behind him, as if he felt ashamed of somewhere. “Mom?” He whispered softly. “Oh, you let your hair down.”
Yes, I did. Her mane, normally floating off in the ethereal winds, was now lying down flat. Celestia only let her mane do so around a close few she trusted, and only in the most intimate, private of moments. That she was doing so now let Spike know he could relax and divorce himself from the formalities he was used to in less relaxed moments, which was most of the time around her.
“Come here Spike,” Celestia said, beckoning with her hooves.
“Oh, mom,” Spike said with visible tears in his eyes, hopping up and hugging her. “I was so worried when you got beat by that big bad bug! I thought we were done for!”
“There there, Spike, it’s alright now,” Celestia said, holding Spike in her hooves and letting him cry. Spike was noticeably larger than the last time he had cried in her legs, and Celestia found herself anguished at how much she had missed.
The pony and the dragon stayed that way for a while, each finding comfort in the other’s embrace as Spike’s body continued to shake with sobs. Celestia shed a few tears of her own, aware of how close Equestria had been lost the day before.
At last, Spike seemed to gain some semblance of control. Or perhaps he simply has no tears left to give, Celestia thought, before scolding herself. He is just a child. Do not be so cynical, Celestia. “Are you feeling better, Spike?” she asked in a soft, soothing tone of voice.
Spike sniffled a little pit, wiping his nose. His eyes were still runny, but he was breathing easier now. “Yeah,” he said, but the dragon made no effort to leave Celestia’s grasp.
“I asked my sister to field any questions and hold the fort for the next several hours. If you wish to talk to me, I have the time now,” said Celestia. She watched as Spike fidgeted, looking ready to say something, but always stopping just before he could work up the nerve. Celestia would have to coax him into it. “You wanted to talk about me being in the cocoon?”
Spike nodded.
Celestia bit her tongue. This was the toughest subject of them all. Get past this, and everything else would be easy. “I am not perfect, Spike, and I let down my guard. It was possible I could have died, but even if she had won, I do not think the changeling queen would have killed me. I am not immortal either, but I have lived all these years as well. I have sometimes lost, but I am still here today. Even Discord, as alien as he is to our beliefs, has always tried not to even maim a pony, let alone kill.” The words turned to ashes on her tongue, as she thought about the lone exception. That madpony to the north was due to return sometimes soon.
It was something she would have to work with Spike over for the next few days. Celestia made the note to ask her sister to keep an eye on Spike’s dreams and nightmares as well. She knew he would need them. She opted not to stay on this topic much longer, instead asking, “Would you like to talk about Twilight as well?”
“Yeah,” Spike said, thankful Celestia had brought the topic up. “Mom, we were wrong about her. How can I face her after that, after leaving her behind? She got kidnapped right after, mom! None of us thought to look for her, we weren’t even aware she was gone!”
“There, there,” Celestia said, giving Spike what she knew were empty words. They did their job nevertheless of comforting him. She had thought for a while about what to tell Spike, knowing he would be distraught over the way Twilight had been shunned after her tantrum. It had been a major kerfuffle on Celestia’s part, made even worse by the fact she had been wrong, but for all the right reasons.
Celestia had already chatted with Twilight about the events of the wedding. But it wasn’t Twilight Celestia was concerned with now, it was Spike, her surrogate son.
“Spike, do you know why I asked you to start sending me updates whenever you thought Twilight was having a really bad day?” she asked.
Spike made to speak, only to cough for a few seconds, clearing up his through. Finally, he said, “That’s easy. Twi’s a powerful magic user but also prone to nervous breakdowns. You’ve told me before self-discipline is as important as talent and practice in any field of life, mom, and Twilight just hasn’t gotten it yet.”
“Yes, that is essentially correct,” Celestia said. “But what I want to make clear to you Spike is that it was not your fault.”
The baby dragon looked up, wiping tears out of his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I have had many students over the ages, Spike. Some were younger than Twilight was when she started, some were older than she is now. Most were fillies, a few colts. They were mainly unicorns, with the occasional Earth pony and pegasus. To a one, I was more than just a teacher to them, Spike, I was also a mentor,” Celestia explained. “I helped guide them as they grew up before my eyes. Some even considered me a mother much like you do, but in turn, I have learned how to handle ponies when they are having trouble. Let me ask you Spike, did it ever occur to you that Twilight was right and Cadance was in fact, evil, or more appropriately replaced by the changeling queen?”
Spike was slow to it, but eventually he shook his head. “No, it didn’t,” he said.
“Yes, and I would have thought the same as you did,” Celestia said, coaxing Spike out of his metaphorical shell. “I’ve presided over many, many weddings in my lifetime. Several dozen a year over thousands a year adds up to lots of ceremonies, and I even used to help plan them before stepping back in the last millenium. Almost every time, with only a few exceptions, the bride and the groom have become stressed out in the days leading up to the wedding. The bride especially often is obsessed with getting the best day of her life just perfect, and sometimes she snaps out at those just trying to help her. When I saw Cadance, every little odd action of hers fit in perfectly with what I have seen a thousand mares before her act like.”
Celestia looked down, and saw Spike was becoming more attentive to her. “But what about Twilight? Shouldn’t we have listened to her?”
“It was my intent to. After the fact, I have no right to ask for forgiveness. At the time, however, I wanted to let her stew for a while, and feel guilty about her actions. Then I would talk it over with her, much as I am with you,” Celestia explained. “She is not the first student I have had who lacks self-control, though she is getting better, thanks to her friends. What I would have done, had Cadance not actually been the queen of the changelings, is what I have tried and found to work the best with other students before.”
Spike looked down, burying his head into her chest. Celestia gave him some time to mull her words over. Even if Spike was the first dragon she had raised, she knew from experience it was for the best he had some room.
Then he spoke again. It was quiet, and Celestia strained to hear him. “Does Twilight know I’m sending letters about her?” he asked.
“No, she does not,” Celestia said. “I have kept all your letters in strict privacy. Twilight knows you and I talk, but I have only ever told her that it is your own issues we talk about. There is no reason for her to believe otherwise. You never stopped calling me mom, and I would not mind if you ever do.”
Spike popped his head back up, surprise at her last few words. She beamed back at him in return. The radiance of her smile had its intended effect, as Spike’s mood instantly lifted.
“Thanks mom,” Spike said, hugging her back again even harder.
“You’re welcome, son.”
They held their hug for several minutes. Celestia didn’t begrudge Spike for it: it had been many weeks since last he had been in Canterlot to see her.
Finally, Spike fidgeted, and she let go, setting him back down on the ground. Spike looked around her bedroom, examining the decorations, and seeing what she had swapped out since the last time he had been there. He was quick to notice one item. “You still have the fire ruby I gave you,” he commented.
It took Celestia a second to remember what he was saying, but she smiled when she did. “Yes. It is one of my most prized possessions. You gave it to me for Mother’s Day one year, even though you loved fire rubies.”
The two looked over at the fireplace, where a large fire ruby larger than the size of Spike’s curled up fist sat on the mantle. “I remember, you let me go out with a couple of the Royal Guards to dig for gems outside of Canterlot. What were their names again, Stonewall and Rampart I think?”
“Stonewall retired last year, though Rampart still works in the palace,” Celestia said, confirming his guesses. “I hear you gave up a fire ruby again to a pony you loved this year as well.”
Spike coloured at the light teasing. “Yeah, I gave Rarity one I dug up since she really liked it.”
“Even though it was your birthday present to yourself. That was most selfless of you, Spike, and I’m proud of you,” Celestia said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Spike fidgeted even more under the kiss, but he didn’t back away.
That’s enough of the teasing for now. Someday, I will have to talk to him about his feelings for Rarity, but that day will not be today, Celestia decided. Instead, she asked, “Spike, do you want to stay with Twilight still?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Spike asked, confused.
“I mean that if you do not want to stay with Twilight as her assistant any longer, you do not have to. You may return home, home where the heart is, or where the hearth is,” Celestia said, letting out a soft giggle as she looked at where the fire ruby was against the fireplace hearth. “I know I asked you to serve under Twilight for a little while, but that was to give her a steady support to lean on, a constant in her life if you will, and for you to gain some experience. I’m certain her worldly knowledge has rubbed off on you, has it not?”
“Y—yeah,” Spike said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. “I can recite all the laws of magic, eeeevverrryyyyy one of them,” he said, dragging one of his words out in a show of exasperation. He brought a claw up to his chin. “Let me sleep on it, mom. I don’t know. I would love to move back to Canterlot, but I also can’t help but feel Twilight still needs me. I mean, you just talked about what she’s like. Who knows, I might help her in the future. Maybe I’ll be the one to save her from the villain next time!” He said, puffing his chest out with a bit of bravado.
Celestia smiled at him, amused. “I’m sure you will do just fine, Spike.”
His chest sagged back into place. Spike was quiet again, and Celestia found herself on guard. It was moments like this when Spike was quiet that were the most important. Her suspicions were confirmed correct when he said, “Hey mom, can I sleep with you tonight?”
She raised an eyebrow. Spike really had been shaken by the day before. Celestia knew it both intellectually and spiritually, but that he had asked that still rattled her. She gave him a soft smile again. “Of course, Spike. I’ll just let the guard know to let Twilight know where you are at.”
“Thanks, mom,” Spike said, sighing in relief.
Hours later, as they tucked in for bed, the moon high in the sky, Celestia hugged Spike in close. The dragon grabbed at her, embracing her warm body again. “Good night, son,” she whispered.
Author's Note
If any proofreaders wish to point out errors, please do not do it for Spike's scrolls. I deliberately put in a few mistakes to reflect he is a kid, and so his writing will not be perfect. Anything else is fair game. The non-italics version of the first two chapters are for those readers who have a hard preference for non-italics.
Anyways...this isn't a story about Twilight. It's a story that revolves around Twilight, but it's more about Spike. It evolved out of my thought process about Spike saving the day in Lesson Zero by warning Celestia Twilight was having a major meltdown. From there, I considered how he might have done it in other episodes as well. It works perfectly for It's About Time, to the point Celestia even pops up at the end of the episode practically trolling Twilight, as if she knew what was going on.
Then I thought about A Canterlot Wedding and how it could majorly backfire on them if Celestia has a second opinion she relies on to think Twilight is just having a major fit. And really, from Celestia's opinion, she was wrong, but for all the right reasons. It's heavily implied Twilight hasn't seen Cadance in several years, and ponies change in that time, not to mention the potential bias of wedding stress. But the character really affected here is Spike, and that's where I turned it into a chance for Momlestia with Spike.
Anyways, this was written in a month where I challenge myself to write a fanfiction a day. If you liked this, consider Glimmer in the Snow, an origin story of Our Town with a focus on Double Diamond and Starlight Glimmer!
