Remind me why I'm here again?
Twilight had invited me to watch the meteor showers the previous day. Normally I'm not one to really enjoy such... outings, but I typically prefer not raising a ruckus over a decision like that.
Guess I'm a pushover like that...
I had arrived shortly after most of the other ponies had. Much to my dismay, Fluttershy was there as well. I didn't hate the mare, it's the headaches she causes that twist my wings.
I look at Rainbow Dash and she gives me a smirk. Ever since we apologized to each other, we've been working together pretty well. She still challenges me to races, but they were a lot more friendly in context. One thing I learned was to never get between her and Applejack. Their challenges to each other scare me a bit.
"... Yeah, I'm a sweet talker," came Spike's voice from my left. I look to see him and Twilight coming up the hill with a wagon.
"And a number one assistant, right?" was her response as she winks at him.
Did she just... I doubt that was the intention but nothing I can't poke fun at.
I had a small grin as I flew up beside her and Spike went to unload the wagon.
"Flirting with your number one assistant, are we?" I whispered to her so Spike couldn't hear.
She gave a squeak of surprise before blushing and smacking me on the shoulder. Spike looks at us, confused. "What's up?"
"Nothing at all." I smile at him. "Long time, no see Spike. Haven't seen you since the first day I was here."
He grins at me as he sets up the picnic with uncanny speed. "I have seen you flying above the town doing wind duties. No offense, but you kind of stick out against the sky."
I deadpan as Rainbow... chuckles or giggles, I couldn't tell, through the apple she was eating. "Yeah, green against a blue sky is kind of hard to miss. That being said, I wish I had a rad assistant like you, Twilight."
"Oh, I can be your assistant, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo had apparently took a place beside her idol while I was embarrassing Twilight.
Rainbow grins. "Oh yeah, squirt? How about throwing this apple away?" She throws the core on the ground in such a way, I had to resist facehoofing.
"Yes ma'am!" Scootaloo picks up the core and dashes off.
Jeez, I knew she idolized Dash, but I never thought it was THAT much.
Rarity must of noticed the look on my face, because she said, "let the filly do what she wants. Besides, we need to thank Spike for this wonderful spread."
"Aw, It was nothing." I simply rolled my eyes and sat to the side as he took in the attention.
Wish I could handle attention like that.
Rarity said something and put a rather glamorous bow-tie on the dragon.
A small sigh later, I look up to see a streak across the sky. "The showers are starting, everypony!" That got their attention, as we all sat and watched the meteor showers.
I'll admit, they are very pretty. I'm sure it's fine to think or say that, I've already turned in all my stallion cards by this point to voice cracks and what-not.
After the showers ended, the mares turned their attention to the spread. The cookies were --
"Wow! These cookies are delish!"
-- Apparently popular.
"Speaking of, Spike, can you bring us some punch?"
I roll my eyes. "I'm sure you're just as capable of getting them yourself, Twilight." She glares at me and opens her mouth to retort, but gets cut off by a snore. Looking over, I see Spike sleeping in the punch bowl
I grin and --
"And now the punch has been... 'spiked'!"
I glare at Pinkie. "Oi! Don't steal my thunder!" The girls started laughing as I pouted. A while after that, we decided to pack it in for the night.
The next day, after hearing from Rainbow Dash that Twilight wanted to show us something, I found all the mares in front of the library. There was an owl perched on Twilight's back.
Twilight get a new pet?
"Oh, what a fantastical, fluffalicious feathery little friend!" Pinkie spouted off.
I saw my chance as she opened her mouth "I'm--"
"HOOked!" I finished for her.
"HEY!"
"Revenge has never been so satisfying!" I proclaimed loudly with a massive grin as the other mares laughed
"Yes well, he is quite a charmer." Fluttershy piped up. I hear a grumble and I look to see an irritated Spike perched on a window-sill with a book.
"Yes, and since he's such a star, I made him this." I look back down to see Rarity attaching the SAME bow-tie she made for spike onto the owl.
"Whoa whoa whoa, Rarity." She gives me a quizzing look. "You're telling me that you're willing to give the same bow-tie you gave Spike, somepony you've known for Celestia knows how long, to an owl that you've known for literal minutes?"
"His name is Owlowiscious." Twilight piped at me with irritation.
I gave her a look. "I'll touch on that name later." I look back at Rarity. "So yeah, what gives?"
"Why, I don't see anything wrong with giving Owlowiscious a present."
Logic...
I heard a growl from Spike as he slams the window shut from his re-entry into the library. I glare at Rarity, who seemed rather oblivious to what she said.
"M-maybe Spike feels threatened over the fact that Owlowiscious might replace him." At that moment, for the first time in a while, I loved Fluttershy for pointing out something that could be very well true.
At the same time, a feeling of dread washed over me. The set-up was very familiar.
Twilight simply smiled. "That's crazy. There's no way he could be replaced."
"That quote is not really aspiring a lot of confidence in me, Twilight..." Yet another nail on the banner of dread...
She gives me a funny look. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Ugh, never mind. I need to do some shopping, so if you'll excuse me." With that, I flew off.
How dense can Twilight be? I just hope it's not as serious as I think it is.
"... Sorry, all out of quills!"
"Huh?" I look down to see spike sitting in front of a door with Pinkie Pie at the entrance.
"Ugh, shoot." Spike said dejectedly.
"Oi Spike, whats up?" I ask as I land next to him.
He sighs. "Been trying to find a quill or at least a feather for Twilight. Sadly I haven't found one yet."
Must be trying his best to keep his position as assistant. Celestia knows how fate loves to screw around with anything that tries to find something.
"Does the feather have to be specific?"
He shook his head. "Not really. Any feather will do."
"Then I might be able to help." I look at my wing for my longest feather.
"Thanks dude, but what are you--"
*Pluck*
"Ow." I muffled through the feather I had between my lips.
"You didn't have to do that!" Spike exclaimed, holding his claws up.
I spat my feather at him with a 'poo' before saying, "Anything to help a friend in need, ay?"
He gives me a smile as he grabs the feather. "Thanks dude, I owe you one!"
Apparently Pinkie observed the whole exchange because she suddenly said, "wow, you certainly come far from being Mr. Secludy-pants!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it means!" She dives back into the house.
I don't even wanna know.
Sighing, I turn back to Spike with a bit of a joke in mind. "Well, when you give that to Twilight, tell her I said 'YOU BETTER APPRECIATE IT'!" He recoiled and I chuckled. "Just kidding. Tell her to make good use of it."
He salutes before running off.
I just hope nothing too drastic happens.
Too bad that wasn't the case, as later on in the same day, I found him looking like he thought up an evil plan. Unfortunately for him, he looked the wrong way before dashing right into me.
"Ow. Oh, uh... h-hey Zephyr. What brings you here?"
I raise an eyebrow. "Oh, nothing. Other than wondering what you were thinking about back before you dashed into me."
He panicked. "I-it was nothing, I swear!"
"Lies are unbecoming of a dragon of your age."
I should talk...
He sighs. "Fine, I was thinking of a way to get that pesky owl in trouble as revenge for trying to replace me and setting me up."
"Setting you up?"
"Last night, before we got to the hill, I, uh... accidentally burned a book she wanted for the night." I resisted snorting in laughter for whatever reason. "I told her I couldn't find it because I was afraid of how she would react, yet that owl ratted me out over it. I did fess up and tell her I accidentally burned it, but she reacted the way I feared she would react."
"Which was?"
"Telling me how disappointed she was in me and giving the cold shoulder."
hm, I wonder if he is expected to have a perfect run of everything, leading to his fear of failure and being replaced.
"I hate to say this, Spike. You kind of shot yourself in the claw in regards to that. You should've admitted to burning the book by accident right when you did it. I would think she would forgive you for an accident."
I shake my head. "Then again, despite your stature as number one assistant, your rational thinking was overridden when panic settled in, also something a lot of foals tend to be victim to. That's why you lied, isn't it?"
He slumped his shoulders. "Yeah, all I thought about was all the trouble I would been in if I told her on the spot." He shakes his head, looking angry. "That still doesn't mean I should be replaced by some owl she only met last night!"
Ah, so Fluttershy WAS right. Unfortunately this is starting to remind me more of--
"Every time I try and do a task for her, she only accepts Owlow... whatever his name is, and what he has done for her!"
"So... what WERE you planning to do?"
He smirked. "I was going to... 'borrow' a fake mouse and frame him for making a massive mess over tearing it apart!"
Red flags everywhere... this is the same...
"Essentially... sabotage in an attempt to defame, right?"
He nodded, rather proud. "That's about the jist of it."
I shuddered out a sigh. "Spike, that's a very poor plan. Twilight could easily walk in on you setting it up, the end result leaving you both heartbroken..." When he gave me a confused yet scared look, I shook my head. "Why don't you come to my place for a bit to cool down instead?"
He slumps a bit. "Yeah, I guess so." I kneel down for him to climb on. Admittedly, it felt weird to have a dragon ride on my back.
My house wasn't too far from our place of conversation. I offered Spike something to eat or drink and he simply took water.
I'm getting lucky with all my guests wanting only water.
Seating myself on the couch near the back door as Spike took the offered chair, he spoke up, "I need to ask, why did you sound so adamant over my plan being poor and the both of us being heartbroken over it? It almost sounds--"
"-- Like I speak from experience? Yes..." I absentmindedly swirled the water in my glass with my hoof, ignoring the look of concern he had on his face. "Allow me to tell you a story that happened just over ten years ago. Back before I got my cutie mark... back when I was young and stupid."
I took a drink before looking at Spike. He seemed settled in to listen.
"Before my mother joined... no, created the band known today as Harmonecence, she was a drifting singer and harp player. There were plenty of bands who wanted temporary mare singers in some of their songs and they would often go to her. That's how she became so famous to begin with.
"She never explicitly showed it, but she did have have times of stress during that part of her career. She was happy to do what she was doing, but she was also very happy to have a son waiting for her every time she came home."
One of my ears swiveled to face the back door when I thought I heard a bump come from it.
"I was ignorant of the times of stress my mother went through, but she usually made it clear whenever work was on her mind. I tried my best to complete chores and tasks around the house, aiming not for allowance, but for recognition. I had very little, if any, friends at that age, forcing me to seek attention and love from the only pony I saw almost every day.
"When she made the decision to start her own band, I was unaware of all the things that was expected of her as bandleader and singer. From the day the band officially launched, I noticed that all the attention and recognition I once got from her diminished greatly. Every time I asked her why, I never understood the answer she gave me, always keeping me in the dark.
"As it went on, the panic caused by my simple-minded need for attention from my mom had been rising. At first, I thought nothing of it, but it degraded me into thinking that what I was doing wasn't sufficient enough for her approval. I started going above and beyond what I previously did for her, much to her eventual chagrin and annoyance."
I chuckle, inciting a surprised look from Spike. "I would learn much later that she kind of liked it when I had my moments of laziness. Even though it would annoy her that I was too lazy to do one or two chores, she appreciated the normality it brought with it." This got a small smile out of him.
I sigh before shaking my head. "It all eventually got to the point where she started snapping at me with mild irritation. I finally got attention, but it wasn't the kind I wanted. I wanted her to be happy with me, to be proud of everything I have done for her, not to be met with annoyance and displeasure.
"After a particularly big snap, I started blaming the band for her problems and her irritation. My thought process was 'if the band never came to be, my mom wouldn't be like this! she wouldn't be irritated at me for trying to help her. I wouldn't be vying for her attention so much'."
"Just like me with Owlowiscious..." Spike frowned.
"My blame turned to jealousy, and I made a plan to sabotage the band in such a way that she would no longer want to be with them. In my mind back then, it was flawless and would ensure me getting my mother's true attention back. Needless to say, it got her attention when she caught me midway through my execution."
I let out a shaky breath, fighting desperately to hold back tears. "I had... never seen my mother... so angry in my life. Before she snapped at me with irritation, sure, but she was never truly angry until then. The way she yelled at me... what she had said at that moment. It was then I became convinced of one thing.
"She didn't love me anymore... she didn't care about me anymore. Her band had replaced me and I became nothing. I didn't matter anymore. She had stormed out, leaving me in the mess I created to try and get her back.
"After that... I ran away. No point in returning to a place... a home that you felt no longer accepted you. Now I'm just a colt, running while blinded by tears through Manehatten in the middle of a white winter. It didn't take long before I got lost amongst the countless alleyways that were spread out like a spider web waiting to trap it's prey. That night, I slept fitfully in the emptiest trash can I could find."
"W-why a trash can?" I could tell Spike was trying to hold back his own emotions.
"I... certainly felt like trash that was callously thrown away. After all, trash is unwanted and undesired waste.
"For the next three days after that, I lived in the alleyways. Even if I found food that was half-way decent, I barely ate and nothing could fill the emptiness I felt. During the coldest day of winter, I tried to keep myself warm, but newspapers and scrap cloth couldn't save me from the unforgiving gusts of ice cold wind." I closed my eyes.
"So cold... so alone..."
"Because of my slim complex as a colt, it didn't even take two days for me to waste away into nothing but bones, fur and feathers. I started losing feeling in my entire body, which only reinforced the emptiness I felt. By the third day, I could barely muster the energy to move.
"It was that night that my mother found me. She had been sending search parties to look for me for the past two days I was gone. It was when the other band members convinced her to look for me herself, stating that if she still loved me, she would search for me with her heart.
"I had never seen her so angry until the day I ran away... and I had never seen her cry until right then." I finally let a tear fall down my face as I stared listlessly at my half empty glass. "When she tearfully embraced me, the warmth I felt from her was something I missed, something I never wanted to forget."
I shook my head. "Due to my self-negligence, I was almost lifeless when she found me. She rushed me as fast as she could to the nearest hospital to get me treated for third degree frostbite. The way the doctors and nurses called me a miracle, I can tell I almost didn't make it."
"Y-you almost died?" Spike was starting to sob a bit. I thought I heard slight sobbing elsewhere.
"If it wasn't for my mom finding me when she did and holding me close as she rushed me to emergency, I would of died. After I was stabilized, she cried as she apologized to me, saying she never should of been so angry with me, for never giving a proper explanation as to why she acted like she did. She blamed herself for holding me at legs length, for ignoring all my attempts to make her happy.
"I think she broke down more when I told her what I told Rainbow a few days ago; "shouldn't I be the one saying sorry?" I told her that I should've realized what she was going through, and that constantly vying for her attention only added to her stress. My jealousy towards her band members simply for trying to work with her was unjustified."
I choked out a sigh. "She was so afraid to leave my side in the hospital every time they closed. The other band members visited me during my stay and they were rather good-natured about my attempted sabotage. This relieved me, and they quickly became something akin to a second family to me.
"A few weeks later, I was cleared to leave the hospital under the condition that I stay inside until I could walk and regain feeling in my body. I couldn't walk for another week after, and feeling didn't return until a month later. I couldn't feel the warmth of my mom's body whenever she hugged me.
"I was so stupid back then... so naive... so, very blind." I started crying silently. Spike came over and hugged me, letting his own tears flow as well.
"Spike, please... promise to never put Twilight through what I put my mother through. She is akin to a big sister to you, and you're the only one who truly understands her. If something ever happened to you, I don't think she could bear it."
I break the hug and look at him. "Don't let miscommunication sever your bonds, or all you'll be left with is regret and emptiness."
"Y-yeah..." His eyes were red when he looked at me. Silence reigned between us.
I gave an almost sad laugh. "At least a few good things came out of it. Not only did my bond with my mom get stronger, I became more resistant to cold." Bad way to break the tension, but that was all I could think of.
He gives me an almost painful smile. "I-I need to go... thanks for having me over."
"It's no problem." He takes his leave out the front door.
I once again hear something out the back door. Drying my tears, I peek outside. It was nighttime, but the only thing that stood out to me was a wet spot in front of the door, like somepony rained a little on that spot.
"I need to write a letter to my mom. I wonder how she's doing." As I went to get my writing supplies, I remembered that the first Harmonecence song she sang was a tribute to me, and it played in my mind.
"After all... I'm her immortal."
Spike, Golden Oaks Library
Spike had just gotten back to the library, Zephyr's story weighing heavily on his mind. He had almost done something that could of broken his bond with Twilight, something that could of left him as a broken shell.
He couldn't bear it. He had to apologize more profoundly and be more clear about his problem, about his insecurity.
When he started climbing the stairs up to the bedroom, he started hearing sniffling. Fearing for Twilight, he rushed into the room to see Twilight with swollen eyes, like she was crying.
"Twilight! What's wrong? Did somepony--" She tackled him.
"Oh Spike! I'm so, so sorry!" She cried out almost hysterically.
When Spike didn't go back to the library, Twilight panicked with Owlowiscious. Oddly, the first pony she thought to ask for help from was Zephyr, thinking that what he said earlier in the day had relevance.
Before she could knock, She heard Spike speaking with him and he said something about having experience with something. When he started telling a story, she decided to listen to it through the back door, knowing full well eavesdropping was not something that would be appreciated.
It tore her apart, hearing what Zephyr went through with his mom, Harpsong. All of the connections she made with the story. In her mind, she practically ran through what it would of been like if she was Harpsong and Spike was Zephyr. Her ignorance of Spike's jealousy crashed down on her harder than the anvil and piano she got hit with a while back.
"So you heard the story too huh?" Spikes voice was pained rather than disappointed.
"I was so blind to your jealousy, expecting you to just accept my decision. I did everything without properly explaining it to you, and even spoke too harshly to you over the book without considering your fears. I'm sorry, Spike."
He sighs. "I need to apologize as well. I should've told you about the book, but my pride and fear prevented me. I should've been straightforward about my jealousy instead of trying to outperform." He looks up at her. "Can you... forgive me?"
"If you can forgive me." They both embrace again.
Spike broke the hug and turned to the owl. "And Owlowiscious? I'm sorry for being condescending towards you. I knew you had good intentions, but I never acknowledged them." Spike held out a claw. "Partners?" The owl flew down with a soft 'hoo' and extended a wing for him to shake.
While they did that, Twilight started on a letter.
Dear Princess Celestia:
I've learned something very important today, not just about friendship, but about family as well. Becoming jealous over something without telling another about it will get you nowhere.
At the same time, being ignorant of another's jealousy over your decisions without consulting them is devastating as well. If such miscommunication is to continue, both parties will do things they will regret, and both will forever be left with a feeling of sorrow and emptiness.
Communication is key in any relationship, whether it's between friends, lovers, or even close family. For without it, the bonds you worked hard to build up will eventually shatter. I have learned to value such communication and bonds between my friends, especially the one between me and my number one assistant.
Your Faithful Student;
Twilight Sparkle
"Hey Spike, can you send a letter for me?" She could tell he had become tired from all the emotion. As soon as he sent off the letter, he fell asleep, inciting a smile out of her and put him in his bed.
"I think I'll turn in early today. Owlowiscious, You take a break as well. See you tomorrow night." With that she climbed up into her bed and fell asleep.
Princess Celestia, Canterlot Castle
Celestia found the letter sent to her by her Faithful Student before she turned in for the night. The message brought back painful memories of her sister's bottled up jealousy towards her and her own ignorance of it.
"I am glad she has learned this lesson when she did. After all, nopony should go through that kind of pain...
"Nopony should go through what me and my sister went through..."