The Crown
Upside down
(Compliant.)
Sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains. It was the start of a brand new day.
Twilight stirred in her bed, eyes cracking open. With a yawn, she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. The unicorn grinned, if she recalled the weather schedule correctly, it was going to be a beautiful day! Stretching, she pulled a curtain open, flooding the room with light.
As she'd expected, it was a glorious morning. The sun was still rising, not low on the horizon, but high enough for the sky to be a lovely shade of blue. There wasn't a cloud in sight. The leaves of the library swayed gently in a light breeze, which Twilight imagined could only feel pleasant. There was no doubt about it, today was going to be a great day.
Another stretch, and she pulled the sheets off herself and clambered out of bed, easing herself off the mattress and reaching the floor with a soft thud. She made to check Spike's basket, but remembered that he'd spent the night at Applejack's with the CMC. Hopefully they'd not caused too much havoc. Giggling at the mental image of all four of them covered in sap, Twilight stepped out of her bedroom and into the bathroom, running the shower. She idled around patiently, it took a couple of minutes for the water to warm up, she'd learned her lesson after the first unpleasantly cold wash.
Stepping in to the shower, she let the water wash over her, enjoying the feeling and letting her muscles relax. It felt like she might have slept a little bit funny on her right foreleg, but the warmth of the water was doing it's job, loosening up the muscle in question and taking care of any lingering discomfort. She sighed contentedly, working the limb under the spray, doubly making sure that it was taken care of.
That out of the way, she started her daily wash proper. Picking up a bottle of mane and tail shampoo, she squeezed a hooful into her mane, working it in with her hooves. Taking time to make sure that her forelock, roots, and nape all received and even and equal coating. Similarly, she coated her tail from base to end. Once she was satisfied with her work, she put her head under the nozzle and washed the floral scented foam away, before turning around and repeating the process with her tail.
Satisfied her mane and tail were now sufficiently clean, she picked up a bottle of body wash, depositing a generous dollop on her back and using her magic to work it into her coat all over. The smell of lavender filled the bathroom as Twilight scrubbed and cleaned her coat, again, standing under the flow of water to wash away the foam.
She was, she decided, now sufficiently clean to face the day. After a couple more moments under the soothingly warm water, Twilight turned the nozzle off and stepped out of the shower. It was quick and easy for her to dry herself off with her magic, but she wrapped herself up in a towel too, just to be sure.
Twilight inspected herself in the bathroom mirror, wiping the film of condensation from the surface. She was clean.
'Check.'
With a smile, she trotted out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom. She sat down in front of her full-length mirror and floated over the brush she kept on her dresser. She began to brush her mane and tail, working out any residual dampness and unpleasant tangles, and getting it back to her trademark 'perfectly straight' look. It was a soothing sensation, and she hummed as the brush did it's work.
She considered things she could do today. Seeing as it was such a nice day, it'd be a shame to spend all of it indoors. Maybe she could sit and read in the park? She was most of the way though 'Wordy Spellinghood: An Exploration In Magical Rhymes And Rhythms', and it would be nice to read out in the sun.
Perhaps she could meet some of the girls for lunch? Applejack would probably be busy at the market, and Rarity had a big order to complete, but maybe she could meet Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash at Sugarcube Corner and get something to eat with Pinkie. Twilight always enjoyed spending time with her friends, and was never one to pass up a tasty treat.
She'd have to collect Spike at some point. She didn't want to cut his fun short though, so afternoon was probably the best time to get him. He was probably still sleeping right now anyway, she wouldn't be surprised if he'd stayed up the whole night with those fillies, talking and playing games, Celestia knows they could be a hooful. She giggled behind a hoof, if that was the case then he'd be wiped out for sure.
There wasn't really anything she had especially planned for today, and she'd rather let Spike enjoy his day off. She decided that this morning she would finish reading her book in the park, and then see if she couldn't find the other girls for a nice lunch. Maybe they could all get some food to go and have a little picnic!
Focusing back on her reflection, she could see that (at least from the front) her mane was now sporting it's usual 'straight edge' style. A quick turn of her head left her happy that her mane was fine, and the same with her tail, groomed and taken care of. Her mane and tail were presentable.
'Check.'
Standing up and turning around, she pulled open the other curtain, fully revealing the day through the wide window. Ponies outside were going about their business, walking, flying, working. She watched them for a moment, a small smile on her face. Ponyville really was a nice little town. Prone to some very strange events, yes, but a nice town nonetheless.
Her magic settled on her bed sheet, levitating it up and pulling it taught, removing any wrinkles in the blue fabric. She gently placed it back on the mattress, before re-arranging her pillows, setting them down one by one until they were all settled in their place. She scrutinised the bed set for a moment, making sure she was happy with how it was laid out.
These sheets were a gift from her parents, a moving away present. Navy blue and with white and yellow stars dotted around, including one purple recreation of her own cutie mark. As it was now, the sheets and the pillows were set out perfectly straight, all in line and with no creases or wrinkles anywhere.
Twilight smiled, happy with the bed.
She trotted towards the door again, pausing before crossing the threshold. Using her magic, she opened her bedroom window slightly, allowing the breeze the enter, filling the space with fresh air and the ambience of outside. Gentle birdsong and the rustling of leaves drifted into the room, accompanied by the fresh scent of blooming spring flowers, recently cut grass, and even breakfast treats from the market and beyond. She breathed in deep and sighed a happy sigh.
Her stomach rumbled at first whiff of food. She'd only had a small dinner last night, and was really looking forward to having something to eat. She glanced back in her bedroom, giving it one last look over. Her room was presentable.
'Check.'
She stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. As she trotted past the bathroom and towards the stairs, she took her towel in her magic, folded it once, and then again over itself, and floated it back onto the towel rack, pulling the bathroom door closed behind her. She looked back, making sure both doors were closed before carrying on towards the kitchen.
Twilight paused upon reaching the top of the stairs. She took a breath, and set off down.
'Count steps.'
The staircase followed an odd, winding path down to the bottom floor, gracefully curving gently to the right before reversing course about half way down.
'4. 5. 6.'
The stairs opened up into the library itself. Every other step had a trio of ornate little hearts set in to them. Twilight always thought that was cute.
'12. 13. 14.'
The kitchen was only around the corner from the staircase, it'd be no time at all before she was comfortably sat at the table with her breakfast. She licked her lips at the thought of pancakes, there was some leftover batter in the fridge that needed using. What better way to start the day? Twilight made sure to always have a filling, nutritious breakfast. It was the most important meal of the day, after all!
'18. 19. 20.'
Twilight stepped off the staircase and onto the wooden floor of the library. 20 steps. That wasn't right, she must have miscounted.
The mare sighed and trotted back up the steps, all the way to the top. She must be hungry if she miscounted! She never miscounted when Spike was here. In fact, if he was here then breakfast would probably already have been taken care of. He really was a very helpful drake, she should treat him sometime, maybe with a nice Emerald or something similar.
Back at the top, she paused, and took a breath again.
'Count steps.'
She set down the staircase again, focusing more intently on her actions this time. Once again she crested the curve.
'4. 5. 6.'
Back to the middle, where the stairs opened out more.
'12. 13. 14.'
Now on the final stretch, heading back down to the library.
'17. 18. 19.'
She reached the ground floor. 19 steps this time.
'Check.'
She'd probably gotten distracted by the thought of breakfast. She snorted and rolled her eyes, letting such a silly thing mess up her routine! Chuckling to herself, she trotted to the kitchen, opening up the fridge to reveal a small jug of pancake batter just asking to be cooked. She licked her lips in anticipation and pulled the jug out, setting it down on the counter top.
Grabbing a pan, she put it on the stove and lit the flame, leaving the pan to heat up for a moment. After not too long, as she was eager and a little impatient, she began to pour the batter into the pan, letting it sizzle away as it cooked. The smell alone was already divine. Spike knew how to mix some amazing batter, Twilight just hoped she could cook it right.
She flipped the semi-formed pancake over, letting it cook on the other side. She watched it intently, not wanting to burn the thing.
Another minute and the first one was ready, she floated it out of the pan and onto a plate. Three more followed it not long after, and breakfast was almost ready. Almost.
'Stove off.'
Twilight turned the gas knob, switching the stove off. Twilight turned it again, switching it back on, and then off again, just to make sure it was off. The stove was no longer lit.
'Check.'
Fetching a cup, Twilight filled it with apple juice (a gift from Applejack). Setting everything at the table, she grabbed a fork and a bottle of syrup, squeezing it's contents onto her pancakes until satisfied. She sat down, hummed excitedly, and dug in.
Twilight Sparkle was a messy eater. It was something that drove Rarity mad, and, honestly, it was something she did get embarrassed about. However, at home with nopony else to see here, she didn't pay much mind to it, simply enjoying her breakfast. By the end of it her chin was smeared with syrup, and crumbs adorned her face, but it didn't matter too much. The pancakes were delicious, and she'd freed up some room in the fridge. A win-win situation.
After letting her meal settle for a couple of minutes, Twilight moved the cup, plate, jug and pan into the sink, ready to be cleaned up later. She was sure there'd be more mess to clean up after dinner, anyway. She did run the water a little though, enough to wet a tissue to clean her face with.
Now full up and crumb-free, Twilight left the kitchen, throwing the tissue into the trash can on her way out. She was nearly ready to head out, there were just a couple of things to take care of first.
'Read mail.'
Twilight sat down by the front door of Golden Oak. She glanced up at the clock on the far wall. 9:25. Too early for the mail to arrive. Twilight knew that depending on how much there was to deliver, Derpy should be here with her mail any time between 9:43 and 10:05.
She sighed, and waited. She could only hope that the mailmare was ahead on her rounds today, otherwise she was in for a boring few minutes. She supposed she could get back to reading 'Wordy Spellinghood' in the mean time, but if she finished the book now then she'd have nothing to do later! She couldn't deviate from her routine, either. So she sighed, and held steady, sat by the door, watching it eagerly and waiting for the mail to arrive.
After what felt like an eternity, at 9:49 there was a knock at the door. Springing to action immediately, the unicorn opened the door, and as expected found that the mailmare was there. She was carrying a small package in her mouth, addressed to the library.
"Hiuh, Twiliughfh!" The grey pegasus chirped.
"Good morning, Derpy." Twilight replied, smiling. "Is that for me?"
"Mmmhmm!" She confirmed as Twilight grabbed the package with her magic. Derpy pulled out a clipboard from her saddlebag and presented it to Twilight. "Sigh here, please!"
Twilight did as the mare asked, taking the pen in her mouth and printing her signature on the paperwork.
"All done! Thanks Twilight, c'ya later!" The walleyed pegasus said enthusiastically, turning and leaving, rising into the air with the beats of her wings. Twilight waved her goodbye and stepped back inside. Inspecting the package, she carefully peeled away the tape from one of the seams, opening one side and freeing the contents from the box.
'Unicornicopia: 10 Easy Spells For Growing Faster Food'. She was expecting this to arrive. The library did already have a copy when she moved in, according to the records at least. But try as she might, she couldn't find it anywhere, so in the end she'd just ordered a replacement copy. She smiled as she floated it into it's proper place, under 'U' in the 'Food and Drink' section.
The smile turned to a frown.
Maybe it should be under 'U' in the 'Magic and Spells' section? But then that would be ignoring the food aspect entirely. Perhaps she should re-arrange the shelves, change how the books are organised. Then she could put it in the 'Food' section of 'Magic and Spells'.
Or should it be in the 'Magic' section of 'Food and Drink'?
Groaning, she decided to leave it for the moment, she could come back to this particular conundrum later. As much as she'd like to, she wasn't about the re-arrange the whole library right this second, that could wait. She had other plans, and besides, Spike wasn't there, and she'd learnt a lesson from Applejack about biting off more than you can chew not too long ago...
She shook her head. Later. She could look at how the shelves were organised later. With help from Spike. Right now, she had a book to finish reading in the sun!
Using her magic, she threw the now empty box clean across the room, through the door to the kitchen, and it to the trash can, where it landed with a very satisfying 'dink'. She commended herself on an excellent shot as she picked up her book and headed back towards the front door.
'Did I turn the stove off?'
A moment of doubt just before she reached the door. She was sure she did turn the stove off, her routine had never failed her before, so it should be fine. But having said that, she had to repeat a step today because she was distracted...
Better safe than sorry.
'Stove off.'
Twilight trotted back into the kitchen. The stove was, as expected, off. Twilight sighed, mentally chastising herself for worrying about nothing.
Still...
She turned the stove on. She turned it off. On again. Off again. Now she knew for certain that it was definitely, absolutley switched off.
'Check'.
Content that everything was fine, she made her way back to the front door, checking her bookmark before heading outside. Page 693, and she knew she was on the third paragraph of the page. Smiling, she snapped the book shut, placed it in her saddlebags, and placed the saddlebags on herself. Picking up her keys off the counter, she finally stepped outside, locking the door behind her, unlocking it, locking it again (as part of her 'going out' routine), and then trotting away to enjoy the park on a lovely spring day.
Morning routine.
'Check.'
