Monday morning sneaks up on you like a disgruntled ex. Sunday nights were filled with dread of the coming days for many folks. They watched their Hoofball and had their picnics; but all the weekend fun in the world couldn't stop Monday morning from rearing its ugly head. Luckily for Starlight Glimmer, she was a student. Well kind of.. Regardless she had nothing to do Monday morning and planned on sleeping in. Free from the life of a free-form benevolent dictator, she now had time to catch up on the important things. Like an eight hour sleep cycle.
But for reasons unknown her body refused to sleep last night. She had tossed and turned until she was sick of it. She had instead opted to read a book she had already gone through. Predictably the hero was an average pony with a simple background thrust into greatness by an old sage-like figure who dies before he can do anything important. She was just getting to the point where he saves the damsel when she saw a sliver of light coming through her window. When it made contact with her eyes she silently cursed Celestia under her breath. The Sun was approximately ninety two million miles away; and yet the light shinned directly in her eyes enough to hurt. She pulled the curtain shut with her magic.
She once again tried to sleep, but it wouldn't come to her. Sighing to herself she got up from her bed and walked over to her mirror. She looked at herself and noticed the tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation beginning to form on her face. Sometimes she looked at this mirror and didn't like what she saw. She combed through her mane a few times attempting to form it back into the sideways loop she had adopted soon after coming to Ponyville. Her brush got caught a few times and when she pulled it hurt and wouldn't go through. Her mane apparently didn't want to cooperate. Even when she forced it her mane would just reform back into its feral state. Looking a lot like the way she used to wear it, only sloppier.
She sighed and finally gave up. She made her way out of her room and down the empty hallways of Twilight's castle. She still felt weird sometimes living here. It wasn't the company kept in the castle,It was the lack of it. She had never heard of a Princess with and empty castle before she had met Twilight. When she visited Canterlot Royal Palace everypony was waited on hoof and tail by an army of servants. The halls were always bustling with the voices of nobles and foreign delegates. Then again Twilight was not exactly the textbook definition of Princess, she mused. Recalling a time she had seen her majesty face-down in a plate of pancakes.
With that thought she entered the kitchen to find Spike already up. He wore an adorable pink apron that had 'If you cant handle the heat, don't mess with the dragon' written on it in purple lacy text. He appeared to be making breakfast by the many items strew over the kitchen island and the bowl he stood mixing thoroughly. Although what exactly he was making was anypony's guess as it was a mushy brown paste that seemed to be many different ingredients thrown haphazardly together. "Oh hey Starlight, digging the new look" He said. "Why are you up so early?"
"I never went to bed." She said grumpily.
"Really? Oh that stinks. I get insomnia sometimes, but most of the time Twilight keeps me so busy I pass out the moment my head hits the pillow, ya know?" Spike said while he cracked some eggs into a bowl of batter. "Feel free to have some coffee. Twilight says I shouldn't drink it, but I know which cabinet she hides it in; and a chair high enough to reach it."
"I suppose it couldn't hurt. I don't think I'm going to be able to go to sleep." Starlight said eyeing the steaming pot. She reached for a cup and for so reason thought her hoof would keep gravity from pulling it to the ground. It crashed and shattered into tony pieces. Spike had stooped his mixing to look over. "I'm so sorry spike! I must be really tired. I didn't think it would.." She started. Spike just smiled and reached for a dustpan and broom. "It's fine, I got this. You'd be surprised how often Twilight breaks something first thing in the morning."
Starlight smiled back and this time she gently picked the coffee cup up in her magic. This one said 'Worlds Best Faithful Student' on it. When she had her coffee in tow she decided since she was up early enough that she would watch the sunrise from the eastern balcony. She was halfway through a sip when she turned a corner and bumped into something plush. She realized a second later that it was Twilight. To her horror, her coffee had spilled all over her teacher; she could tell because Twilight was wearing one of her formal princess gowns. And it now had a huge brown stain on the front. She was so shocked that the cup came out of her her magical grasp and was only spared by Twilight suddenly grabbing it in her magic.
"Starlight! Oh, what a mess. This is just great." Twilight said. "How am I supposed to get this clean by tonight?"
"Oh my gosh Twilight.. I didn't mean to! I didn't see you around that corner and I.." Starlight said her face screwed up in fear and regret. "I'm so sorry."
Twilight sighed and looked at the the dark brown stain on her beautiful dress. "It's okay. I bet Rarity can get this out. This is what I get for wearing this stupid thing around the castle. I was just practicing for the Banquet dinner tonight, trying to get used to it." She said slipping out of the ruined gown. "Can you do me a favor and bring this to Carousel Boutique when Rarity opens shop? I really need it by tonight and there is still so much to do."
"Of coarse I can." Starlight said. What was this dinner thing? She knew Twilight had told her at some point. But like any great student will tell you. Sometimes the best way to learn is to drown out everything your teachers tell you with conversations in your head like this one. "What do you got going on here anyway?" She asked innocently.
Twilight raised one eyebrow. So she caught on that Starlight was a bad listener, big deal; If she hadn't learned that by now there was truly no hope for the princess of friendship. "Its a Banquet to help victims of Fillydelphia's parasprite epidemic. They only recently got a lid on it. As it turns out, a lot of ponies lost their homes. Princess Celestia asked me to host it since me and my friends had personal experiences with those little monsters..." Starlight had heard of parasprites but couldn't imagine a whole swarm devouring everything in their path. Did that include ponies? Did they eat ponies too? If so, she didn't want to find out. She was about halfway through trying to calculate the caloric content of an adult pony when she realized Twilight was still talking.
"...so then Pinkie marched them out of town and I played it off as a parade." Twilight seemed lost in the memory for a moment and then focused back in on the present. "Anyway have you seen spike? He wasn't in his room and I need his opinion on the food that were gonna serve as appetizers. He might be able to subsist on gemstones but he has refined taste for gourmet."
"I think he's making us breakfast." Starlight said. "Although its kinda hard to tell, its kinda a mess."
"Oh no... That dragon knows good food, but he cant cook to save his life."
As if brought out by the mention of his name they both heard spike call out to them that breakfast was ready. Twilight pushed her into a corner an shushed her.Twilight's aparent favoriot coffe cup floating silently between them. The baby dragon wandered past them with the bowl of brown mush he had been making earlier under one arm; with the other he held a wooden spoon that he was licking the contents off of. "Huh, that's strange I could have sworn I just heard them talking. Oh well, more for me." He said as he inhaled the contents of the bowl. "Bleh, needs more nutmeg."
When Tartarus's kitchen had passed, Twilght and Starlight crept out from their hiding spot. Twilight wiped her brow; as if relieved she didn't have to taste the baby dragon's brown breakfast batter. She quickly retrieved her gown and gave it to Starlight. "Here take this to Rarity. Tell her to put it on my tab." She said, then paused. "By the way, whats with the hairstyle?"
Starlight had almost forgotten her nappy uncooperative mane. "Oh this? Its a new style i'm trying. It's called the No-Sleep Natural." She said Sarcastically.
"Nice."
Twilight and Starlight parted ways and she made her way to the castle door and found found that it wouldn't budge. She puzzled at it for a moment before trying again. It still wouldn't open. She put the gown down and tried to open the other one. No luck. Frustrated she tried kicking it with her back legs, charging at it, and even calling it mean names; all to no avail. When she was considering jumping out a window a voice behind he made her jump. "You gotten kinda wiggly it and lift up." Spike said. Starlight looked at the dragon then back to the door and tried what he suggested. "No no, here let me." He said. For some reason that only the master of doors could know, it worked when Spike did it. "Thanks!" She said as she picked up the gown. "Hold on. Can you do me a favor?" Spike said holding up a spoonful of the mush. "Can you tell me if this needs more peanutbutter?" Starlight considered her options. She could shove the spoon to the ceiling and run away to join the circus with Trixie. But then, Trixie's carriage was rather small; and she hadn't practiced her act. "O.. Ohkay."
Spike lifted the spoon to her mouth and she tried to take a small bite but found the whole spoon shoved violently into her mouth. Spike withdrew the spoon and looked up expectantly. "Well?" Through barley contained tears Starlight said with the goop still in her mouth. "UTS RUGLY GOUD"
Spikes eyes lit up and he skipped; literally skipped away. Saying something about proving Twilight wrong. Not a second after he was out of sight did Starlight hack up the 'breakfast' into a nearby umbrella holder.
