Before the Friendship Games: Twilight Sparkle

Twilight pocketed the bag containing the De-Stressor as soon as she exited the laundry room. She sighed in contentment and smiled as she unwittingly passed her mother.

"Feeling better," Velvet asked, causing Twilight to jump and yelp. "Oh, I'm sorry hon! I didn't mean to scare you," she said in an apologetic tone as she put a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Twilight put her hand to her chest and sighed. "It's okay, mom," she said with a smile. "You just surprised me, that's all. I am feeling better, though."

Velvet took her hand off of Twilight. "Good to know," she said with a smile. "You looked like you needed it."

"Yeah," Twilight said. "I did." More than you could imagine, Mom. More than you could imagine. She smiled inwardly. "Say, is dinner being made?" All those climaxes built up an appetite!

"It'll be ready in a few moments," Night Light called out from the kitchen as the scent of meatloaf and vegetables wafted through Twilight's nostrils. She sighed contently, then stretched.

"Need help setting the table?"

"That'd be great, sweetie," Velvet said as she walked past Twilight.

By the time Twilight finished setting the table, dinner was ready.

Once dinner had been finished and Twilight helped clean up, she went into the living room. Spike followed her as he dashed out from under the dining room table, then grabbed a toy from his mouth and ran to her. Twilight giggled and reached for the toy, but Spike backed up playfully, his eyes practically twinkling with excitement. "All right, you," she said as she grabbed the toy, then began a tug of war with him as he growled. Spike's tail wagged as he shook his head to and fro in an effort to get Twilight to relinquish his toy. The battle lasted for all of about a minute, then Twilight tossed Spike's toy, causing him to run after it. Moments later, Spike returned and another round of tug-o-war began.

Twilight pretended to give up the fight by letting go, then grabbing it a split second later, successfully taking it from Spike. Spike panted excitedly, then ran around and barked loudly as though he was becoming impatient. She threw the toy, restarting the cycle. This went on for several more minutes until she got bored and pet Spike on the head.

Twilight stood up and stretched, then yawned. She checked the time on her phone. There was still a little time left, and one yawn did not mean she had to go to bed immediately. She continued to stare at her phone and thought about Indigo. If Twilight texted her, what would she say? She seemed friendly enough, but that last remark of hers played through her head. "Only when I want to be, Twilight...Only when I want to be."

Twilight began to feel nervous. What if Indigo wasn't feeling friendly and she decided to text? What if she got mad and decided to not be friends? Or worse, what if she started to actively hate her?! She began hyperventilating, then felt something rub against her leg. She looked down to see Spike looking back up at her. Calming down, she picked him up and received several puppy kisses. She giggled, then pet him on the head. "Thanks, Spike. I really needed that." She snuggled him, then gently lowered him down to the floor and watched him scamper off. She smiled warmly and wondered where she'd be without the little guy, then shuddered. She'd rather not think about that.

Now that her worries were over, Twilight's eyes widened. I haven't cleaned the De-Stressor yet! I completely forgot! She high-tailed it to her laboratory, where she felt sure that she'd have the privacy she needed. She took the bag out of her pocket, then put a new pair of gloves on. She opened the bag, then took out the De-Stressor and discarded the bag. She walked over to her special cleaning machine, which was as white as it was sterile.

Twilight's cleaning machine was another prized creation of hers, as it was not only very effective but just as efficient! She had sensors installed so the machine would know how much was inside it and how many cleaners it needed to use. Being environmentally safe was a benefit as well. She beamed as she opened it, put the De-Stressor in, then took off her gloves and started it. The machine hummed and whirred as she yawned again. Maybe she did need to go to bed a little early tonight, but first things first! She had to wait until her De-Stressor was completely cleaned.

It was then that Twilight realized she had nothing to do at the moment. Sure, she could probably do wet chemistry, but at the rate she was yawning, that would probably be a bad idea. She folded her arms and tapped her foot as she struggled to come up with a decent time-passing idea. Maybe she could clean her lab. She looked around and noticed that for once, it was relatively spotless as opposed to its normal state. Rarely was there not a single piece of paper with data on it on her work desk, or blueprints for a future idea. She sighed. The one time she had her lab clean.

Twilight made a sputtering noise and began pacing the lab while she continued to wait on her cleaning machine. Minutes began to feel longer. She began to feel antsy, not having anything to do! She took out her phone and played a game on it until the machine went off. Finally! She walked up to the machine and opened it as steam billowed out. Twilight waved her arms, dissipating the steam, then took the De-Stressor. She flinched momentarily, as it was still hot from the cleaning process. She immediately pocketed it, then closed the cleaning machine and headed back inside her house.

Once inside, Twilight checked her phone, then smiled. Perfect timing. She was actually starting to get tired. She said her goodnights to her family, then went upstairs. She grabbed her "Do Not Disturb" sign and put it on her doorknob, then closed the door and put on her pajamas. She sighed contently as she got into bed, then slowly fell asleep.