Chapter 4: When a good mare breaks bad
...
.........
*yawn*
A tired Twilight Sparkle woke up on her bed, eyes heavy and legs splayed with her covers in a tangled mess. She tiredly crawled her way out of the trap she had made herself, her covers didn't seem to want to comply.
How in Equestria did this happen?
Twilight continued to fight against the lifeless covers of doom. She gave a quiet, yet exasperated huff as she finally made her way out of bed and landed unceremoniously on her legs, almost losing her balance but somehow managing to play it off to an invisible audience. The lavender mare gave herself a quick glance at the mirror and winced, but instead of following her usual routine of combing her hair first, she headed downstairs for some reason she herself could not quite explain. She just felt like today was going to be different in some way, skipping the comb for a few minutes just seemed to contribute to that feeling.
"Morning Twi!" little Spike greeted happily as soon as he saw Twilight through the kitchen door.
"Morning Spike, how'd you sleep?" Twilight asked groggily, Spike shrugged before going through the pantry.
"Slept pretty well considering it wasn't my bed I was sleeping on." Spike replied nonchalantly.
"Oh, sorry about locking you out of your room by the way." Twilight blushed slightly, embarrassed by her own actions.
"Our room, Twi." Spike corrected in the briefest moment of dead seriousness before instantly lighting up again,
"Besides, it's not the first time you had some idea you just had to write an exploratory essay on."
"Yeah..."
"What was it about this time? It had to be interesting, I could tell from the look on your face right before you sprinted into our room and locked yourself in for the night." Spike inquired, leaving Twilight with a blank stare as she scrambled for a valid answer that wouldn't reveal the true nature of her essay.
"I-it was about, eh, about..." Twilight rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, "About... Dandelion reproduction cycles! Yes, that's what it was about!" Twilight then shot Spike an awkwardly forced smile in hopes that Spike would buy the terribly bad lie.
"What's so interesting about dandelion sex?" Spike asked incredulously, he began to make his way to the pantry.
"Language, Spike!" Twilight chided, stopping the baby dragon in his tracks.
"Sorry." Spike apologized genuinely, but quickly recovered his mood, "Anyway, would you like some breakfast?"
"Sure." Twilight nodded, prompting the baby dragon to continue his way to the pantry and pull out an assortment of foodstuffs for the upcoming meal.
...
"So..." Twilight began between munches, "Any plans for today?"
"Well, I was planning on helping Scootaloo on her latest musical number." Spike replied nonchalantly.
"Musical... Number?" Twilight replied tentatively, cringing ever so slightly at the memory of the small orange pegasus' singing voice.
"You know, a song or performance?" Spike elaborated, burying Twilight's true meaning behind those words under six feet of sand. Twilight resisted the urge to facehoof.
"I was referring to her... Sub-standard musical talents." Twilight said as politely as possible.
"I know what you mean..." Spike's gaze trailed off as his expression turned nostalgic.
...
"Spike?" Twilight inquired worriedly as he just stared into the distance. No response. "Spike?" Twilight asked again, worry more evident in her tone. Spike shuddered and seemingly came back to reality.
"Sorry."
"Spike, what was that?" Twilight asked, worry still in her voice. Spike stared deeply into Twilight's soul.
"Veteran's memories, Twilight, veteran's memories." Spike replied sternly.
"Veteran's memories?" Twilight echoed.
"Yeah, of Scootaloo's previous attempts at singing." Spike shuddered again. Twilight cringed slightly and her expression showed how she felt genuinely bad for Spike's traumatic experience at such a young age.
"You know that you don't have to be near her when she sings, right?" Twilight offered with some comfort.
"Yeah, I just want to help her improve so that no more ponies get hurt." Spike retorted.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"That's just silly, Spike."
"Is it?"
"Yes, it's ridiculous, why are you really going with Scootaloo?" Twilight inquired, her BS meter had been triggered at 'veteran's memories'.
"Um, no reason." Spike dismissed nervously, Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "Fine, maybe it's because Sweetie Belle is always with her..."
I totally knew it. Twilight mentally patted herself on her back, her suspicions have just been confirmed after all. "You don't say?"
"I do say." Spike replied, totally unsure of where this conversation was headed.
"Aren't you a bit too young for chasing mares?" Twilight asked with a coy smile.
"Twilight, I'm almost thirteen years old now, I think I should be able to go for the girls I like." Spike protested immediately. Twilight decided to back off at this point.
"Hey, I'm just teasing you, as for Sweetie Belle, I just want you to be careful, alright?"
"Careful about what?" Spike asked innocently.
"Well, there are a few things you shoul-" Twilight paused when she noticed Spike lose his balance a bit, but he managed to catch himself, "Are you alright Spike?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. That was really weird though." Spike assured, "What were you saying again?"
"Well, I know you two are young and naive, but I want you to be careful when mingling with feelings, a lot can go-" Twilight didn't get to finish her lecture, Spike had collapsed on the ground, unconscious. "Spike? Spike!!"
...
"Get him to the ER, now!"
"What's wrong with him?"
"We don't know yet, sorry."
"He... He was just t-talking to m-me.. And he j-just."
"Miss Sparkle, all you can do right now for Spike is to keep your hopes up for him. Now, will you please go to the waiting room and let us do what we can?"
.........
Twilight sat at the waiting room, simply staring at the magazines splayed at the small table before her. She had enough time to read every magazine from beginning to end... Thrice. And the lavender unicorn was tired of distracting herself with the shallow articles.
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This salad tosser is simply magnifique!
Wubway: coming to a town near you, sandwiches and fresh beats have never been so plentiful.
Nopony could live without this waffle maker, it just does everything!
Is Spike going to die?
"Agh!" Twilight gave the table before her a frustrated kick, sending the magazines flying in every which way, she had had enough of these stupid magazines and she could no longer bear the worry she had for little Spike. Twilight then glanced upward to see the desk mare staring at her as a telephone hung in the air.
"Um, sorry?" Twilight managed to say before getting all of the magazines she had thrown into a neat stack, alphabetized of course, and then slumping down on her chair.
"It's... Quite alright?" The mare responded awkwardly and evidently concerned for her own safety.
"Uh, y-" Twilight was about to complete her response when a white earthpony with a pink mane and red cross cutie mark came through a set of double doors, it was Nurse Redheart. Twilight's attention was completely drawn by the news she was about to receive.
"Twilight?" Nurse Redheart began tentatively.
"Yes, Nurse Redheart?" Twilight responded, trying to keep her composure.
"Well w-"
"Is Spike alright? What happened to him?" Twilight blurted out, Redheart was somewhat irked but let it go with a sorrowful look in her eye.
"Yes, Spike, we managed to bring him back to consciousness." Nurse Redheart began.
"Oh, what a relief, so he will be coming home today?" Twilight interjected again, a faint smile beginning to creep onto her muzzle.
"Twilight, we had the chance to scan Spike, since we needed to know what's wrong and there isn't anypony waiting on the MRI today."
"MRI?" Twilight echoed, the sound of that made her pupils begin to shrink, the roots of the smile now gone.
"Yes, we have a good idea of w-"
"What happened to him?!" Twilight interrupted, again, this time with tears beginning to well up; she knew well enough where this conversation was headed.
There was a brief moment of absolute silence.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Twilight. Spike has a tumor pressing up against his cerebellum..." Nurse Redheart took a downward glance, avoiding Twilight's reaction as best she could.
"T-tumor?" Twilight repeated, her mind doing its best to reject the idea, her eyes now but mere pinpricks of black and purple and her ears folding back as her legs began to give up from underneath her.
"Twilight!" Redheart gasped once she saw the lavender unicorn losing her balance, she at once moved to the mare's side and helped her to a chair.
"It can't be, it can't be, it simply cannot be!" Twilight began to protest like a foal, "Spike, he's my little brother! Things like that can't just-"
"I'm sorry Twilight, as unfortunate as this is, you have to understand the reality of the situation." Nurse Redheart said, stopping Twilight from completely losing herself, "He's awake now, would you care to see him?"
Twilight stared at the pink maned mare for a moment before slowing down the breath she hadn't realized had sped up, she then squeaked a "Yes." and followed Nurse Redheart quietly and sorrowfully.
The nurse led Twilight through the wing of the hospital, they had moved Spike from the emergency room once he was stabilized. Twilight was deep in thought and followed the white mare without much focus to the world around her; when Nurse Redheart stopped at one of the doors, Twilight kept walking.
"Uh, miss Sparkle?" Redheart announced as soon as she noticed the lavender mare was walking aimlessly, she motioned towards the door once Twilight came back to reality.
"Oh, sorry." Twilight apologized sheepishly, turning on her hooves and walking to the door at a brisk pace. What she saw on the other side of that door took her breath away, she had never seen Spike hooked up to so many machines before, and she certainly wished she never had. "Spike." Twilight managed to gasp as soon as she caught her breath once more.
"Twilight?" Spike asked slowly, opening his eyes at the call of his name.
"Oh, Spike, it's alright now." Twilight rushed to Spike's bedside, tears beginning to well up again, giving him a loving hug in an attempt to comfort him.
"Erm, what's alright? What exactly happened?" Spike inquired, Twilight did a double take and blinked.
"Oh, sorry Twilight, we haven't told Spike yet." Nurse Redheart intervened with remorse.
"Told me what?" Spike inquired again, somewhat irked. Twilight gave him a teary gaze.
"I'm so sor- oh, look who's here!" Nurse Redheart finished with a slight hint of relief, "Right here, doctor."
"Oh, I almost walked into the wrong room, pardon me." a white unicorn stallion walked in with a clipboard levitated in front of him, he seemed to have had a tiny smile before, but all traces of it were now gone.
"I'm sorry, and you are?" Twilight asked politely.
"Dr. Helping Hoof, I have the test results that lead to our diagnosis for our little friend here." the doctor announced, indifference heavy in his tone.
"But I already got the diagnosis from Nurse Redheart." Twilight interjected, Nurse Redheart gave Twilight an alarmed look, flailing her forelegs side to side to indicate something, but she knew it was too late.
"Did she now? No matter, that will be dealt with later." Helping Hoof dismissed, giving Nurse Redheart a cold but brief stare, "Now, this is our patient, right?"
"Yes." Spike confirmed, impatiently staring the room down for answers.
"I'm very sorry," the doctor began, although he didn't seem very sorry, "I'm afraid the MRI revealed there to be a tumor growing in your brain cavity."
"What?" Spike raised his voice slightly.
"Brain cancer, you have a tumor pressing against your cerebellum and it seems to be what caused you to lose consciousness. The good news is that it seems benign, for now, and it doesn't seem like it'll spread, yet. The bad news is, well, it's currently entering stage two status."
Silence hung in the air for a few moments. Nurse Redheart gave a small cough.
"Are you sick, miss Redheart?" the doctor inquired.
"No, thank you." Nurse Redheart dismissed before turning to Spike and Twilight, "Stage two means that the tumor is becoming malignant, and it is likely to spread, albeit slowly. Spike's chances are still relatively good." the white mare informed and reassured. Twilight wasn't feeling very reassured.
"What exactly are Spike's chances of... Survival?" Twilight gulped. The doctor and the nurse exchanged glances briefly.
"I'm sorry, but survival isn't a common place for this kind of cancer. From the little we know about our patient's own cancer, I would say he has somewhere between twelve to fifteen months, very good chances indeed. If this was a decade ago, a patient with a similar tumor would have had much le-"
"You speak of him as if he were dead already!" Twilight blurted out, tears were now flowing, trickling down the fur on her face. Nurse Redheart looked down at the pristine white floor while the doctor simply blinked.
"Well, he's not dead yet, do try to make the best of the time that you have. Also: Spike will have to stay in the hospital for a few days, just a formal precaution to make sure he's stable." the doctor nodded to himself and walked out, "Come, Nurse Redheart, we have other patients to look after."
Redheart began to leave the room and stopped herself mid-step, turning to look at Twilight, "I'm sorry about the way Dr. Helping Hoof talks to others, I can assure you he means well... It's just that he's been desensitized by all of the pain he has seen over the years. I really wish the best for you and Spike, Twilight."
Twilight watched Nurse Redheart leave the room before turning to Spike.
"So, brain cancer, huh?" Spike said with a wry smile. Twilight approached his bedside and gave him a teary look, which was Spike's half-second warning before Twilight broke down into a fit of sobs on Spike's lap, "Uh, Twi?"
"How can you be so calm about this? Did you not hear what he just said?" Twilight questioned Spike between sobs. Spike cast a sidelong glance at nowhere in particular.
"I... May have been, uh, ready to hear news like that." Spike answered tentatively. Twilight looked up to Spike's grim face.
"What? How? Why didn't you ever tell me?" Twilight questioned, clearly confused at Spike's statement.
"Well, I never wanted to worry you in case it wasn't true but..."
"But what, Spike?"
"Well, I read this research paper on the dragons hatched in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, how they normally differ from dragons who are hatched naturally. They have certain health related... Issues."
"You're saying that this happened because I hatched you?" Twilight was beginning to regret everything since magic school.
"No no no, don't take it like that Twilight. It's not like you could have known." Spike reassured, seeing how Twilight interpreted his information.
"Oh Celestia, I'm so sorry Spike, for everything." Twilight began apologizing.
"No, seriously. I've thought about it for long enough and I really think th-"
"I should have gotten into calligraphy like mom did."
"Twilight!"
"Spike?"
"You aren't listening to me, I don't blame you for anything. I can't imagine living life any other way than the way it is now. I have you, I have my friends and I have my life; I'm content." Spike gave Twilight a weak smile, "It'll be alright."
Twilight simply looked at Spike, surprised by how he suddenly seemed so old and wise... He's just a child. Another thought hit her that she did not want to think about right now. "Spike?"
"Yes, Twi?"
"You don't have insurance, do you?"
"Never did, always had been pretty healthy up unti- oh."
Twilight stood from Spike's bedside with sudden determination, "Spike, you don't have to worry about that, I'll take care of everything. Everything will be alright."
"Sure, It's all going to be alright." Spike agreed, wincing slightly. Twilight glanced at a clock on the wall.
"Um, Spike?"
"Yeah?"
"I think it's time for bed."
"What?" Spike looked at the time, "Jeez, how long was I out?"
"Very." Twilight answered, they both gave a nervous chuckle. "Um, do you want anything before you go to bed?"
"No, I'm alright."
"Well, goodnight then." Twilight gave Spike a peck on the cheek, "I'll come back tomorrow morning with your tooth brush and some more comfortable sheets."
"Can you bring Blanky?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, I'll bring Blanky too."
"Thanks." Spike gave Twilight a tiny smile.
"Sleep well."
"Yeah, you too."
Yesterday night...
The lavender unicorn was laying down on her bed, staring at the empty inkwell before her; she had finished her piece without a drop of ink to spare. She had, after a few hours of writing, finally finished the final draft of her theory.
"Huh." Twilight quietly mumbled, she then levitated the piece of parchment in front of her to double check her work.
Well, compared to you, fewer books to deal with at a time just seems to lower the chance for me to hurt my back
... I guess I owe little Spike some credit, not that he needs to know. Twilight dropped that train of thought and read through her work:
Hoof-jack, by design, is a game of chance that is played on the basis of 'luck'. Fortunately, it is possible to turn this game of chance into a game of strategy where the player no longer has to guess if s/he is going to beat the dealer. This can be done by adding another set of values to the cards in the Hoof-jack deck; these values determine their value to you as the player versus the dealer instead of their value to the player's goal.
The entire theory behind this system is based on the fact that small cards seem to benefit the dealer more than the player since the dealer plays by strict rules and is less likely to go over twenty-one when the majority of the cards in the deck are small in value. So, to make this system simple we can add the values of negative one and positive one to small and large number cards, respectively. This will make a side score that tells the player how many large-value cards are in the deck versus the number of small-value cards, which in turn the player can use to change their betting strategy. One thing that must be made sure of is that the player starts the count at the beginning of the game! Otherwise, the count would be off and the accuracy of the system would be in serious question.
So, the values to be assigned are as follows:
Cards with the values of two, three, four, five, and six are considered small cards, giving them the value of negative one. Seven and eight, on the other hoof, are valued as zero since they are considered neither small or large and benefit both the player and the dealer equally. And finally, cards with the values of nine, ten, jack, princess, prince and ace are valued as one because they are considered to be the large cards that will give you the advantage over the dealer.
In conclusion, this system would cause the dealer to 'bust out' much more often (an example would be the dealer hitting a fifteen and getting a ten, causing the dealer to bust) and cause the player to win much more often than 'normal'. Turning Hoof-jack from a game of probability to a game of strategy and rudimentary math skills greatly increases the validity to the game and probably make it much more popular than it is today.
Twilight stared at the written piece before her, satisfied that it was done. The lavender unicorn mentally patted herself in the back and abruptly stood from her bed and began searching under it, pulling out a small box, kept secret with a small combination lock. Twilight quickly put in the combination and carefully placed the piece of parchment inside, locking the box and placing it back where it was.
"No one shall grace their eyes on this again, ever." Twilight whispered to herself. She then turned to her bedroom door, unlocked it so that Spike could come in, and then proceeded to her own bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
Present day... And hour.
Twilight burst into her home and dashed to the hidden wall compartment where she kept her savings.
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... He said it would cost approximately six hundred-thousand bits for treatment... Just treatment!
Twilight opened the compartment and began counting all of the bits and bank notes inside.
Thousand... fifteen thousand... seventeen thousand bits? There has got to be more than that...
Twilight stared at the pile of wealth before her, it was nowhere near what she needed.
"No, no, no.. This can't be all of it, it can't!" Twilight smashed her hoof into the compartment's inner wall, leaving a small dent on the wooden surface, and of course, making the lavender unicorn yelp at the unexpected pain. Twilight then sucked on her hoof to ease the pain when an idea came to her, an idea that brought a twinkle to her eye. That could do.
There was a purple blur where Twilight once stood, she was already at the underside of her bed. She pulled out the box she had in mind at mind boggling speeds and quickly set onto opening the combination lock, failing once, twice in her haste. "Come on, open!" Twilight whispered harshly at the lock, which as if in compliance, opened. "Much better." Twilight sighed, pulling out the piece of parchment she was looking for.
Twilight skimmed over her work to make sure everything was in order. I'm sorry, this is for you Spike.
.
The lavender mare made her way down to the kitchen, card counting instructions and a deck of cards in tow. She promptly sat down on a chair and began practicing for the near future.
Author's note:
That took way too long to write up, I'm so sorry about the wait! I've been busy keeping up with schoolstuffs that, really, can be a serious burden at times... Especially at a school of my vocation.
Well, onto the topic of the story itself. I apologize if the whole chapter seemed abrupt and unexpected, I needed the use of Deus Ex Machina to get the story going, and trust me, it will take an interesting turn. It has also been brought to my attention of a possible plot hole involving Celestia and the act of asking her for assistance, which I already planned for but didn't expect that it would look like a plot hole... It isn't, I think... Nah, it's not.
Anyway, please please please comment, it helps me greatly in terms of improving myself as a writer and I deeply, genuinely appreciate it. Oh, you can also thumb up my story if you enjoyed your free entertainment thus far, but that's up to you, really.
Until next time! (I sure hope that 'next time' won't be too far ahead)
-TheEngineer