Twilight's Red Velvet

1

“Do you really mean it, Twilight?”

“I know she means a lot to you, Spike, but you wanted my honest opinion.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle sighed from behind a leather-bound book, eyeing her scaly friend as his expression grew from grim to distraught in a record-breaking time.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just . . .,” She reached over to offer comfort to the poor dragon, but it was hastily declined.

“I know, Twilight, I know. It’s just . . . I thought I’d at least have a chance.”

Twilight’s sincerity glowed as she placed the book to her side and embraced the young, weeping dragon.

“Oh, Spike, don’t worry about a thing. Rarity’s just like that; I’m sure there are plenty of other dragons, and maybe even ponies, who will take your fancy!”

“You think so?”

“Of course!” She bounced, shelving her book for later, “In fact, I’m sure there’s somepony right now looking for someone like you!”

“Really?” Spike beamed, “I guess I never thought of it that way, Twi. I’m sorry for making such a fuss about it. You always know what to say.”

“Don’t worry about it, Spike. It’s only natural! Just remember to be rational when it comes to it, okay?”

Spike, standing at the door with a small pail in hand, stood to collect that last nugget of wisdom.

“Rational? Uh, okay.”

Twilight reserved her doubts on whether or not Spike knew what it meant, but she still giggled as she watched her little friend hobble out the door in search of a special somepony.

“Speaking of going, I best head to Applejack’s; I’m sure she’ll need help with something. I don’t want her going crazy again; I know her brother’s been out of town recently.”

The newly-appointed Princess spotted her parcel by the bed and quickly filled it with all manner of things. Books, papers, and an assortment of quills just in case she found something interesting. Recently, as she’d soon come to discover, it was simply easier to travel prepared for anything. Although she was a “princess” by law and nature, she still found it comforting to consider herself a “Student of Research” before anything else.

“I think that’s it!” With one hearty hoofstep, she ventured yonder, hoping to reach the apple farmer before noon. Twilight trotted forth, entertaining the thought of Spike reaching out for his first love.

It was just that time of year, she exclaimed. The fall leaves were starting to turn on the outskirts of Ponyville, and the date had already been set for the annual “Running of the Leaves”. Everything was starting to be put into place; and as the days consecutively concluded, the autumn finale would be topped with the Fall’s Royal Ball. Anticipation for such an event could be seen even as Twilight strolled through town. Posters began to spot any and all bare walls, accompanied by crowds of giddy ponies looking to attend. It was an expensive occasion, but only because of the tickets’ limited availability. Since the coming years, the Fall’s Royal Ball had become the site for everypony to attend. Once a party exclusive to regales, the recent invitation of the common allowed for anypony to join in the festivities. It had become the highlight of the season, and ponies willing to travel to Canterlot would no doubt be there. Twilight had considered attending the event on multiple occasions; but with the event, she'd discovered a passion for creating dilemmas, anything to misplace her attendance. Still, regardless of how many times she'd muddied dates, misplaced numbers, and simply forgot to RSVP, a constant remained: Who would she go with? Twilight never found herself ready to answer such a question. Rather, all she could recall was the time last spring where Rarity was, by her own accord, put in charge of that same quest: finding suitors her friend should fancy. Twilight should’ve known there’d be an assortment of high-fashion stuck-ups and a thundering cloud of flamboyant mares, all proudly announcing their arrival to anyone within a couple hundred meters of her living space, a humble response to a broadly described advert subtly taped to their front door. Her head began to ache as the pain of trying to pry everyone from her front lawn resurfaced. At least she’d learned one thing from the occasion: Never hire Rarity to be a matchmaker.

As Sweet Apple Acres came into view, so did the aura of the fall season. The ripe leaves carried with them an assortment of hues, already dotting the path with magnificent reds and yellows.

“Mornin’, Twilight! How nice of you to drop by!” The cheers of a pleasant farm pony hollering away filled Twilight with a familiar joy.

“Good morning, Applejack! How goes the harvest?”

“The picking? Bah, same-o same-o,” Applejack heaved at another apple tree, its fruit falling to a thud, “And what are you up to?”

“Oh, the usual. I figured with Big Mac out of town, I thought I’d help you with the harvest!” Twilight smiled, levitating one of the apples to her hoof, inspecting it closely. It was ripe and perfectly round; its color bold and bright, a true statement to the Apple Family’s standard. Any less than perfect, she once recalled her friend say to another, and it couldn't be sold. Twilight was thoroughly convinced farming was a craft; she returned the apple to its stock.

“Well, shoot. We could always use a helping hoof, Twi!” Applejack heaved at another tree, “Say, could you carry the baskets and make sure none of them apples are left behind? It’d be a mighty big help, Twi.”

“Certainly!”

Twilight lifted an empty basket and placed it at the base of another tree, giving Applejack the right away. The farmer nodded and knocked the tree cold, allowing for the bountiful fruits to cascade into the basket. Before moving on to the next tree, Twilight scooped up any of the extra produce and placed it beside the others. The whole ordeal was an arduous task and she found herself amazed year after year the grit earth ponies had toward making their living. Twilight never thought herself to be superior to anypony, but as her recent coronation became the year’s highlight, the question was brought to the forefront of her mind. Having wings, Twilight quickly took advantage of the sky to learn how Pegasi conducted their business. Her findings were unsurprising, for the most part, as pegasi wings acted as claws to grab and operate certain machinery. It abridged the usual “wing power” solution, but it was still a nifty way of contributing to the everyday life. Still, Earth ponies remained a fascination for the princess; a life of mouth and hoof, she couldn’t imagine such a thing. She stood close enough to wonder, but never enough to envy. Twilight eyed Applejack as she moved from tree to tree; it was certainly not her first time helping out her friend, but it continued to amaze her that she was able to do such work, often by herself.

“She does it all so effortlessly. Yeesh, I should go outside more,” she sighed, dismissing the thought before it further clouded her mind. The last thing she’d want is to break down from curiosity in front of her friend, a phenomenon she hardly wanted to admit to. The memory of her breaking out quill and pad in front of her friends just to study their behavior was embarrassing enough to silence any further pondering.

“What’cha got on yer’ mind there, Twilight?” Applejack called from ahead, “You’ve been mighty quiet this whole time.”

“It’s just that-,” She caught herself, swallowing the thought once and for all, “Hah, never mind. It’s nothing, Applejack. How’s your day been?”

Applejack bucked another tree, pausing after doing so, “Hmm, mah day’s been fine. I woke up, Granny’s been out with Big Mac, so I made breakfast for me and Bloom, checked the chickens, and now I’m here with you.”

“Still more productive than my day,” She laughed, “Granny went with Big Mac?”

Twilight grabbed a second basket, harvesting the rest of the fallen apples.

“Nah, Granny’s doing one last delivery before heading to Canterlot; we’ve been invited to supply some of the food for the dance there.”

“Really? Are you going to Fall’s Royal Ball?”

Applejack was taken aback by Twilight’s seemingly suppressed expression. She sounded shocked, but the overall tone was muffled to a low growl. Applejack scratched her ear.

“Uh, yeah, but I’m just there to sell apples. Don’t you go on getting the wrong idea, Twi," Applejack winked; the princess’s eye twitched, learning that the consequences of bad ideas lasted longer than she expected.

“Do you know if any of the others are going?”

“Hmm? Oh, I think Fluttershy is going for her own reasons. Uh, Rarity is going because, of course she is. Hmm, Rainbow Dash . . . I don’t know. I honestly haven’t talked to her in a while . . . and I’m going. Say, are you going too, Twilight?”

Twilight had been dreading the question. She knew it’d come up, but her only defense was to hope that it wouldn’t.

“I-I haven’t thought too much about it,” she lied, “I guess I got busy, you know, being a princess and all.”

Applejack nodded, “That’s alright, you’ve got a whole month to think over it; actually, more like a few weeks now. Speaking of princess duty, how’s that treatin’ you? You haven't beheaded a pony, have you?” She said the last bit with a strange fascination.

"What!? No!"

To be honest, life hadn’t changed much since becoming a princess. Other than the paparazzi looking to fabricate another story, bombarding the Golden Oak Library with photographers rather than average readers, life hadn’t changed much. Since the first week of being royal--a day which had been spent entirely filling out regulation paperwork--nothing had really come up. For now, she considered herself a “really formal librarian", even if the public eye saw her in a different, more celebritized light. Still, it was enough to satisfy her needs; organizing books and sorting shelves was her favorite pass-time and she needed it now more than ever.

“It’s . . . busy, I suppose,” Twilight swayed behind Applejack, the baskets by her side, “Well, honestly, it’s pretty boring. There hasn’t been enough going on. At least, nothing to write home about.”

“Hmm,” Applejack trudged along, wiping a hoof beneath her lock of mane. “Well, if ya say so. Have you heard from Rainbow lately? I saw her yesterday making a fuss with some of the other weather ponies. Does she still work with them? Or am I too outta touch?"

Twilight smirked; she had heard about that commotion as well. In fact, some of the townsponies came to her front door looking for a princess to play the judge in the whole affair. She, of course, declined, but it was nice seeing a bit of responsibility leak into her domain, even if the matter was meager.

“No, I heard about that. I think they found her sleeping in the middle of their route. It was something crazy like that. Rainbow Dash always knows where to find a good spot, even if it isn't to others' convenience.”

Applejack snorted at the thought, shaking her head, “An’ How are those fly’n lessons treat’n you?”

“They’re well; I’m getting the hang of it, to say the least,” Applejack opened the door to her apple cellar, “You can go ahead and put them right down there; you’ve been helpful plenty.”

Twilight nodded, doing so.

“Welp, it was mighty nice of you to stop by, why don’t you come on in for some water or somethin’?”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t intrude; it was nice seeing you!"

Applejack insisted before waving, watching Twilight take her leave. Although only an hour seemed to pass, the sun had already begun to sink low into the horizon. The alicorn hurried home, passing by ponies as they waved and returned to their hypnotic gazes, fantasizing what a night in Canterlot would be like. Though, as the sun retired to let the night reign supreme, ponies began to wander out of the streets. Lights illuminated amongst the Ponyville homes as husbands returned to their wives and families were reunited by the presence of colts after play, all while a blanket of stars faded into existence. Twilight hurried into the home of her own, marking her library as closed before shutting the door behind her. From amidst the evening light, Twilight ignited a candle by her bedside.

“Spike? Where are you, Spike?” She called out, but to no reply. From what she gathered, the library was empty; nopony was home. “Hmm, that’s strange. It’s getting late; I thought he’d be home by now.”

Her curiosity took her to the front door, where she peeked out the window, hoping by chance she’d spot him. “Spike? Are you sleeping?” She checked the house one last time before exploring further. Twilight opened the door and crept outside.

The air was cool, damp, and held a familiar scent; it would rain tonight. Baking in the sky, a bright orange moon beamed down onto the earth, casting shadows as long as the great oak itself. It was like a lantern hanging low in the sky, vibrantly radiating a valiant light, allowing life to continue deep into the night. Twilight peered from side to side, eyeing each home as their lights flickered out one by one.

“Where could he be? He’s never this late . . .”

“Twilight! Twilight!”

Twilight huffed, spotting a silhouette bouncing closer with each call, “Spike!? Is that you?”

“Twilight! I’m sorry, Twilight.”

“What happened?” Twilight scanned the little dragon, looking him top to bottom, in search of any scrapes or bruises, “You’re never this late.”

“Sorry, Twilight, I was at Fluttershy’s house; I guess I lost track of time.”

The alicorn sighed, but nodded it off; it was true Fluttershy liked to keep her guests longer than most desired, but even with an iron will, it was hard to deny her unrivalled hospitality. Spike held his claws out, revealing a small parchment.

“Here, I got this letter before I left.”

Twilight lifted the letter from her friend, eyeing it skeptically as the two took shelter within the library. “I wasn’t expecting any mail . . .”

“Maybe it was sent to the wrong pony, you know there’s a new delivery mare.”

Twilight lit another candle, “Probably, but she’s not new, she’s been in town for a while, if anything, longer than we have.”

Twilight held the parchment sideways, nearly dropping it once she found the sender’s address.

“Well, Twilight? Who’s it from?”

It took a moment to cough up the words; had it been that long? Twilight was certain she’d given her the yearly best, was it not enough?

“Well?”

“Hold on, Spike . . .,” Twilight snagged a calendar from within her shabby study. It glowed bright purple in the grip of her magic.

“It can’t be,” Twilight Sparkle flipped through the calendar over and over, scanning the months. It was like a detailed catalog of everything she’d done in the past month, no matter how small; be it a coronation, a birthday, a day at the spa, or even a night of studying, Twilight had penciled it in. On the last day of each catalog's validity, Twilight was always the first at Quills and Sofas for the newest edition. Record keeping wasn't a passion to the alicorn, but rather a vital necessity.

“How long has it been?” Twilight skimmed another calendar, “September, August, May?”

“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike sat up in his bed, watching as the purple mare fumed over months of carefully documented weeks. Finally, having uprooted a filthy drawer, she'd found it.

“Wrote Letter to Mother”

“I-It’s from mom, Spike. She wrote us a letter.”

The calendar fell to the floor with the sound of a million pages toppling in violation. Spike was unimpressed. “Well, that’s great! When was the last time we’d heard from her? I’m sure she’d be so proud of you, seeing how you’re an alicorn now!”

“Yes, Spike, but that’s just it,” Twilight began to tear the ribbon, “I haven’t spoken to my mother in four years! What will she think of me?!”

“Maybe you should just open the letter first.”

“Right,” She exhaled, pacing now. “You’re right, let’s see what she says.”

Twilight trembled as she separated the sealing from the page, and even more so as she began to unroll the parchment. All she could think of was how disappointed her mother would be and how awful of a daughter she’d been.

“Nearly 4 Hearth's Warmings . . . 4! I must be the only pony in Equestria to forget about their parents on the holiday! Even Rarity couldn't have messed up this bad, and I don't think I've ever seen her parents!”

“Well? What’s it say?” Spike lazily hung his head over the basket-bed, almost ready to topple over. Twilight took a deep breath before opening her eyes to read the little words that danced across the page with the most perfect hornwriting she had ever seen.

~~~

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I realize it’s been a while since we’ve written each other, and I know you’re probably beating yourself up over this, but, would you like to meet sometime? It’d be nice to have a little “mother-daughter” time if you’re not too busy. And yes, I heard what happened! We are so proud of you, Twilight!

Stay bright!

Twilight Velvet~”

~~~

“Well, that’s nice of her! See? There’s nothing to worry about!,” Spike rolled back into his basket, tucking himself in as he spoke, “What time are you going to leave? You are going to reply, aren’t you?”

“Well, of course, Spike,” Twilight raised her chin, tucking the letter under a nearby book, “it would be rude of me not to. But . . .”

“Oh, what now?”

“I don’t know if she’d want to really see me. I mean, it’s been so long; I can’t even remember much about us. She was always busy and . . . I was always busy! We were always in our studies and . . . oh, I can’t even remember her as a mother. It was always my brother and I,” Her shivering knees were almost audible as she continued to pace about the library.

“Do you hate her for that?” Spike muttered, half asleep.

“What?” She halted, “Of course not, I don’t hate her. She’s my mother, I could never. I just . . . feel like I never met her.”

“No problem then. Wake me up before you leave,” Spike rolled to his side, excusing himself from further conversation. As the last candle died out, Twilight stood in silence, staring at fleeting memories deep within the darkness of the library. All she could see from her foalhood were pictures of she and her brother; never her mother. Even her father seemed to be out of the picture. Of course, there were events where they’d be logically present, but what if they were there by assumption? By default? The thought haunted her; she was in her life...

but, if that were true,

Why couldn’t she remember?