A Glimmer of Magic

Spike stared at Starlight.

Starlight stared at Spike.

“Um…” Spike looked at his feet. “Do you… want anything?” He hadn’t much experience with foals, after all. Actually, he had absolutely no experience, which kind of made him wonder why Twilight asked him to take care of young Starlight, instead of him going to get the foal supplies. Then she started laughing.

“Oh Spwike. This iswn’t fwunny… why Twiwight do this?” Spike could understand some things of what she said, but the rest was foal babble. He couldn’t stand it.

“Hey Starlight. I hope you’re back to normal soon. I can understand what Twilight’s doing, though. You’re her very first pupil. I guess she really doesn’t want you to leave, but-” He stopped, for Starlight had started crying.

“She my fwiend, and teachwer! She not bawd guy!” Starlight was losing it. Spike picked her up and started rubbing her back. Starlight burped again, then looked super embarrased. This time Spike laughed.

“Don’t worry. All foals burp,” he said to her, which made her groan.

“But I not a foawl! I a grown mawre!” Starlight started hyperventilating. Then there was the sound of a door closing.

“Twilight? Are you there?” the voice of Pinkie Pie called out. Starlight’s eyes grew wide and she pointed to her blanket frantically.

“You want your blankie?” Spike asked. “But it’s not naptime…”

Starlight kept pointing.

“Oh all right.” Spike got up and picked up the blanket. It was an old one that belonged to Applebloom once, and Twilight had asked Applejack if she could have it for Flurry Heart. Applejack, not guessing the truth for once, had given it to her, saying that she needed it back because of sentimental value. Twilight had made Starlight promise that nothing would happen to the blanket. Starlight hadn’t actually used it until now, but she grabbed it out of Spike’s claws and covered herself in it. Then she pointed to the shelf.

Now Spike understood. “Ohhh… you don’t want your friends seeing you like this, so you want me to put you on the shelf, covered in the blanket?” Starlight nodded.

Spike picked her up and put her on the shelf. “Now DON’T MOVE. Twilight will be very angry if anything happens to you.” He patted her back twice, then left to answer the door. She could hear the conversation from her hiding place.

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At the door…

“Hey guys!” Spike opened the door, and looked at the cute face of Flurry Heart. “Wait, why is Flurry here? Are Princess Cadance and Shining Armor here already?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie said, jumping up and down like normal. “They’re at the train station. Fluttershy wanted to bring Flurry with us, and they agreed! So heeeeeeeeeere’s Flurry!” She put Flurry Heart in Spike’s arms. She cooed. Then her ears perked up, and she flew off into another room. Spike started to run after her, but Applejack stopped him.

“It’s fine,” she said. “As long as she’s not loose outside or causin’ mischief, Flurry Heart is a-ok.” The farm pony sat down and sighed. “Man she’s a hoofful though. Ah’d watch the castle kitchen if ah were you”

Spike groaned. A loose baby alicorn was the last thing he needed right then…

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Back in the room, Starlight was hiding. Really well, she thought. Then somepony lifted her blanket up. She shrieked, and hid her face from the intruder.

“Hiya strwange foawl!” the intruder said.

The intruder talked in foal-speak? Starlight thought. She turned her face towards the intruder, and was muzzle to muzzle with Flurry Heart.

“Um… hi?” Starlight was confused. Had Flurry escaped the Crystal Empire? She was too young to fly all the way from there to Ponyville. “How diwd you get hewe?” she asked.

“Well my mommy and my daddy bwought me hewe,” Flurry explained, “when awl of a suddwen I was wifted up and pwaced in a foawl cawaige. Then I was bwought to this castwle and set fwee. I esc-es- got away and fwew hewe. That when I fownd you!” Flurry sat down, satisfied.

Starlight sighed. “A woose baby alicworn. Lawst thwing I need wight now…”