"I don't see what the big deal is. Why do we have to buy some special blanket? A normal one would be just fine!" Spike complained, riding on the back of Twilight Sparkle. The purple pony trotted along Ponyville's humble business district, her dragon assistant in tow, looking through various windows. She stopped and sighed, growing weary of Spike's constant complaining.
"I thought you'd be happy getting a new blanket - we could just wait for Celestia to mail it back, even if she realizes it's yours," Twilight replied briefly, standing out in the middle of the long path between businesses. Other ponies were going about their day, in and out of various homes and businesses. Many of them spoke about the day, while some prattled on about more recent events, such as now legendary party that Pinky held not long ago. Looking about, she felt her cheeks flush red at her own confession during the evening's festivities, and began to wonder if anypony had judged her differently for it - but soon banished such thoughts. The had all accepted the new couple there so openly, she needn't feel so self-conscious.
"Twilight?"
Startled, Twilight jumped to attention, before matching the voice to the dragon. "Uh, sorry, mind wandered a bit," she laughed nervously, before moving out to one side of the path. "Look Spike, you're a growing dragon and you need a new blanket anyway. On top of that, I need to find one that can withstand your flame when you have... night accidents," she tried to step around the embarrassing subject, but her words fumbled and it came out exactly what it was.
"Twiiiiliiiighhht!" Spike whined, causing the purple pony to steal a smirk and look ahead.
"I'm sorry Spike, but I can't afford to buy blankets every time this happens, and you can't receive objects that large yet," she debated. She was more than surprised when Celestia had sent a note with six separate tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala almost a year ago, but Spike had handled it admirably. But since then the limits of Spike's magical send and receive system hadn't been tested, and as far as blankets were concerned it was a no go. Looking back toward the baby dragon, she saw he wore a pouting look that made her smile inwardly, but knew she had to wipe it off his face. "Be grateful I'm doing this for you, Spike," she chided.
Sighing, the Dragon crossed his arms, and leaned back. Realizing he no longer was up against Twilight's mane, he found himself waving his stubby arms wildly about, trying his hardest not to fall of his friend's back and regain his balance. Just as he was about to take a tumble, however, a small glow erupted from Twilight's horn and Spike stopped falling, his screaming cut short as he was nudged slightly back into a stable position. The glow dissipating, Spike bashfully looked toward the ground. "...Thanks Twi," he mustered.
Giggling, Twilight looked straight on again as she approached the last business on the road - a slightly colder looking building, Twilight's eyes shimmered at the displays in the window - lab supplies, and what looked to be components for spells and scientific tests! "Spike!" Twilight called, as if the Dragon didn't already see what was exciting her. "Look! I didn't know a place like this was in Ponyville! Another pony who appreciates the magic of knowledge!" Drumming her feet along the ground in applause for her discovery, Twilight immediately headed for the door.
Spike, on the other hand, seemed displeased. "But I thought we were looking for a new blankie..." He grumbled, the mere prospect of abandoning a quest meant for solely for him suddenly made the blanket search of utmost importance in his mind. Looking at the microscopes and small machines, his eyes fell to a half moon as he sighed, dejectedly spouting, "Not school supplies." This caused the pony to shake her mane deprecatingly.
"Oh Spike, they're not 'school supplies.' They're instruments and tools to further our understanding of magic - or the world around us!" Tittering at her companion, the pony started to move around a large table which sat a number of interesting items, from certain components lined neatly in a row or a couple of microscopes that lay nearby. In the center of the table was an impressive looking telescope that dwarfed the one she had at home in the Library by a wide margin. Twilight Sparkle ogled just about every item she saw, giving a second look to just about everything. "Manticore's hair, Phoenix down, oh!" She paused, giving a very strange look at a jar that was covered in a black cloth that read simply 'Cockatrice eyes'. Giving a visible shudder, Spike was jostled from his uninterested stupor.
"What is it, Twilight?" He yawned, growing tired, but not without sympathy for his friend. "Something wrong?" Looking over the components, he really couldn't see anything that would upset her.
Twilight looked back at Spike a moment, before coughing to remove any suspicion of the shudder being related to anything else. "No, it's nothing. It's really not important," she covered, still shuddering at the memory of waking up from a stone coma with snails crawling all over her face. It was not an experience she wished to recall, nor share with Spike. "I wonder what pony cares for this shop," she mused, changing the subject before Spike had a chance to interject. Realizing she hadn't been greeted by anypony, Twilight started looking for signs of life. Even now, she felt strangely alone in the shop. Suddenly her back twitched as she felt Spike leap off, the dragon wishing to continue on foot and have a bit more control of what he was experiencing.
"Hey Twilight, look! I didn't know they sold groceries here, too!" Spike commented suddenly, appearing from under a table with a large gemstone. Shaking her head, Twilight lifted the ruby from his hands and kept it just out of his reach. "Hey! Come on, give it back, Twi! I wasn't just gonna eat it without asking!"
"Spike! I don't think these are for eating at all! Gemstones are often used in magical research for their strange properties and crystallization." She berated, looking up at the large ruby above her. "They can widen an effect of a spell, or even focus one into a stronger reaction," Twilight informed, sighing briefly as she recalled her days at Canterlot University, studying magic under her various professors. How proud they'd be to see her now, continuing research into all kinds of magic - especially Friendship.
"Plus with the right technology they can be used to channel energy differently than most materials!" A voice shot out, scaring Twilight from her thoughts. The large ruby dropped from the air, landing unto Spike's waiting arms. The little dragon hugged the gemstone tightly as he stroked his treasure. Turning quickly, the purple mare found herself gazing upon a brown stallion, his brown hair standing up on it's own. An hourglass adorned his flank upon either side, and a smile floated upon his face. "Well hello there!" He greeted. Twilight could now see where the stallion had come from - a large stack of papers she had seen earlier hid a desk behind them.
Taking a moment to collect herself, Twilight returned the smile and greeted the colt herself. "Hello, sir. My name is Twilight Sparkle." Turning to her dragon familiar, she rolled her eyes as Spike seemed completely enamored with the large gemstone. Once again her horn glowed, plucking the ruby straight out of his hands and into the air, bringing the gemstone close to the other pony. "And the dragon is my friend, Spike." She said, happy to have kept herself from adding any other unsavory words to her speech toward her dragon.
"The pleasure is all mine. I'm known around here as 'Whoof', Dr. Whoof. PhD in magic and technology," the Earth pony mustered, swelling with pride. Swaying his hoof about, he looked on as Twilight placed his ruby gemstone on a table and out of Spike's current reach, much to the dragon's dismay.
"Really? I can understand the technology, but... excuse me for saying, but..." Twilight stammered, trying not to offend the Doctor.
"Earth ponies and magic?" The brown colt finished her question with an expected look. Twilight's mouth hung open for a second as she tried to think of a better way to phrase it, before succumbing to the point that there was no reason for it. Closing her mouth, she nodded sheepishly. The stallion chuckled, shaking his mane about. "I hear that all the time. I've not read one story about Earth ponies and magic, and I intended to change that."
Twilight paused. "Story?"
"The News." The Doctor mused, motioning over to a stack of newspapers in the back. "I'm a fan of knowing where I stand in the world, whenever and wherever I may be," he laughed, before turning back to the purple mare. "Now, what can I help you with?"
Twilight smiled as she continued looking around. "Oh, well, I saw all this in the window and just had to come in. I mean, nopony I've met so far in Ponyville has shared my passion for science and research," she said, walking up to the table and looking over all the instruments. "To be honest, if it wasn't for my friends, I'd feel alienated." Suddenly she flushed and lowered her head, "Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to go into my life story."
"Quite alright, m'dear. I understand the bit of loneliness of being unappreciated for your hard work and study. Most ponies I see come in thinking this is a good place for school supplies," Dr. Whoof mentioned idly, causing Spike, who had been despairing over the loss of his ruby, had spun around and pointed at Twilight.
"Ha!" He cheered, feeling vindicated over his earlier response. What was delivered, however, was a gentle kick to the ribs from a fairly unamused Twilight. Hitting the ground with a soft thud, Spike rubbed his back a moment, glaring at Twilight. "Hey, what was that for?"
Rolling her eyes, the mare returned attention to the Doctor, who had seemingly enjoyed their little interaction. "I'm sorry, Doctor, Spike here can be a little obnoxious." She stressed the last word, sending a warning look over to the dragon who was busy picking himself up.
"Yeah, yeah... Sorry and stuff," Spike muttered, which earned a second eye-roll from Twilight.
Dr. Whoof chuckled, waving a hoof. "Think nothing of it. I certainly won't." Walking toward the spell components, he looked them over a bit, his eyes landing on the covered jar. "I had to place this cover over the Cockatrice eyes because of the mothers who would bring their little fillies and colts in here." He continued to ramble for a minute about a particular harrowing experience involving them as Spike walked over to Twilight, tugging at her mane for her attention.
"Hey Twi, aren't we gonna go find a blanket soon? I don't want to be out too long, I told Snips and Snails I'd see them after they get out of school and I don't want to be late." Twilight, now informed of further plans outside of the search for a new blanket, looked outside and watched the shadows of various ponies walk by, figuring out the basic time from where they were positioned to how they stretched in the sunlight.
"We still have some time, Spike. Besides, I think the Doctor can help."
"Help, you say?" The Doctor echoed suddenly, cutting into his own revelry. Looking between the two, he seemed a bit more attentive than he had been before.
"Oh? Oh yes, I wanted to ask you if you had anything for Spike here that would prove effective against... um... Late night expulsions," she worded, attempting to dampen the blow to Spike's ego.
It didn't work.
"Twilight! That sounded even worse than accidents!" Spike cried, putting a hand over his face to hide his rampant embarrassment.
The purple mare looked at the dragon with a quizzical expression written all over her face. The dragon peaked between his fingers, saw the mare and colt were still looking at him, and closed his eyes again, intent on feeling like he wasn't even there. Dr. Whoof coughed, trying to deviate from the awkward situation. "You need something to help shield against... what now?"
"Flame breath. Magic flame breath, but flame all the same," Twilight informed, somehow causing Dr. Whoof's expression to relax, which both confused and relieved the mare, even though she wasn't sure what he was on about in the first place. "Spike sends my letters through his flame breath, but lately he's been shooting off flames in his sleep - he just sent his third blanket this morning, and it's starting to get ridiculous. I think we're also missing a few books now."
Dr. Whoof studied Twilight a moment before a realization dawned on him. "Ah, I see, you're the pony from Canterlot! Midnight Sprinkle!" He stamped his hoof at the 'epiphany'. The Doctor went behind his desk a moment, and disappeared behind the pile of newspapers.
Twilight blinked and turned her head slightly. "Uh, no, Twilight Sparkle. We already went over introductions." Suddenly wary, she averted her gaze to something else for a moment while the Doctor regained his composure.
"Oh, right right, my apologies. Won't happen again, Twinkie."
"Twilight."
"Twilight, right." Putting a hoof to his head, the colt nodded as he did so, before turning to Spike. "And you say you need a flame retardant blanket for your lizard?" He called, returning a moment later with a small bag hanging from his mouth, which he placed on the table.
"What do you mean, lizard- Wait, did he just insult me?" Spike said, looking two times of confused and incredulous at once. Twilight raised an eyebrow and simply looked at Spike before turning her attention back to the brown Earth pony.
Turning around to face them, the Doctor had a bit of a grin on his face. "Okay, Twilight, I think I've got something for your flame problem, although I've not heard of many salamanders able to breathe flame before."
"Salamanders? Now you're just making animals up!" Spike accused, earning another swift kick to the dragon's backside.
Shaking her mane, Twilight stared at the colt in front of her. "Dr. Whoof, are you feeling okay?" Looking over the brown Earth pony, she could see he was certainly giddy about something, but a somewhat vacant look was in his eyes. It hadn't occurred to her before, but what was an Earth pony with a degree in magic and technology doing all the way out here in Ponyville, anyway? "You were totally with us one moment, but now you seem kinda crazy." She put bluntly, having little knack for tact.
The Doctor hesitated. Looking about his store as if in a daze, his gaze fell upon Twilight a moment before closing his eyes and shaking his head. There seemed to be a dawning moment registering on the stallion's face, and he started to redden in the face. "M-My apologies, Miss Sparkle. I sometimes grow a little too excited and start to lose a few... details."
Twilight smiled, some pity flowing up from inside. "No, no, it's fine, Doctor." She wasn't all that sure as to why he did, or why he got excited, but right now she just wanted to go through the rest of this as painless as possible. "I'm not offended at all."
"Well I am. He called me flame retarded." Spike kicked at a table leg, but ended up with an unexpected kick to his rump in return, this one a bit sharper than the others.
"Spike, that's Flame. Retardant. It means that it resists flames and catching on fire," she informed, putting a hoof to her face and shaking it. "Honestly Spike, I think we need to have a vocabulary lesson when we get home to the Library." The dragon merely huffed and crossed his arms at the accusation against his own vocabulary, but said no more on the subject.
Turning back to the brown pony before her, Twilight smiled once again, this time pure. "Now that that's taken care of, what do you have in mind to make a blanket flame retardANT." Twilight stressed the final syllable, much to Spike's displeasure, who waved it off and made his way to the door. Twilight giggled softly and let the Dragon go, knowing she could handle the rest herself. "I think I know a few books that might have the spell, but I want something a bit more permanent."
Dr. Whoof looked back up finally, a small smile. "I am sorry, Twilight. I am." Twilight merely waved it off before Whoof turned to the materials he gathered. Twilight waited patiently as the Doctor scrawled a bit and added a few ingredients to the bag he had brought over form his desk. Grunting, he picked the bag up and placed it near the purple mare. "This all should be what you're looking for." Turning back around, the small bag was packed with a few things Twilight didn't recognize, which peaked her curiosity.
"What is all of this?" She asked, poking a hoof through it all. She recognized some of it - basic things meant for extending the effectiveness of spells, and others which were actually used to hinder the effect of magic. Among them, however, was the gemstone Spike had been hugging earlier.
"Just cast a flame retardant spell as normal - any you find should suffice. If I had a spare blanket I'd do it myself with a couple gemstones I have in the back..." Dr. Whoof trailed, before nodding his head, content with whatever thought had crossed his mind. Twilight found it cute, before turning her attention back to the bag. "Make sure to add what's in the bag to your spell, and it should bond to whatever material you use - I put enough in there to coat the entire area around that rascal's bed with an invisible layer."
Twilight nodded as she could see the ingredients start to add up in her mind. Smiling softly, she found herself nodding her own head in agreement. "Thank you, Doctor. How much will it be?"
Waving a hoof, the good Doctor waived off the price. "I'm funded fairly well by Canterlot University, and as a fellow student from there, I can't in the right mind," he paused mid-sentence, chuckling to himself. Twilight understood what was funny, and was glad the pony in front of her could laugh at his own shortcomings. "In the right mind, charge you anything. I gather you've already lost enough due to his flames," tittering to himself, he muttered, "Fire breathing dragons living in a library that's inside a tree house. Wonders never cease...!"
Twilight gleefully took the bag and raised it with her magic, giving Whoof a small hug. "Thank you, Doctor." Although she had only just met the pony, she felt a small kinship when he revealed he was also from the Canterlot area. "If it means anything, you're welcome by the Library any time. I may live there now, but I still try to do my duty as a Librarian," she related, putting a hoof to her chest.
This was an outright lie, as the Library in question was an absolute mess at the moment, but nopony had been in since she lived there, which had caused her to worry some. She guessed maybe they arrived and left without her notice, or when she wasn't around, but it didn't seem very likely.
The Doctor, on the other hand, seemed agreeable to the idea. "I haven't brushed up on my studies recently, so I believe I'll take you up on that offer, Twilight." Putting a hoof out, Twilight met it halfway and they shook hooves.
"Deal. See you around, Doctor," she waved, and started for the door. As she did, Dr. Whoof watched her go, a certain contentedness playing on his features.
Twilight stopped a moment, as if recalling something. "Oh, Doctor..." She started, turning around.
"Yes?"
"What's the ruby for? It doesn't do any sort of effects for what this spell is supposed to do," the mare asked, coming to the conclusion that the Doctor may have made a small mistake.
Laughing to himself, the spiky-haired stallion shook his head. A grin playing on his features, he admitted, "It's for Spike."