//------------------------------// // XIX - Nothing is working // Story: A New Kind Of Party // by Wolfie 03 //------------------------------// Mid-August, 1005 A.D. Unstable stacks of books encircled the lavender unicorn. Floating mid air were various scrolls that were being filled in by quills held by magic. Aside from a continuous scratch from the pens, there was no other sound. The librarian looked between five different tomes set on the ground floor desk, mane slightly tangled and eyes bloodshot. Beneath the main book was a long letter, flattened by constant reading and rereading, contents memorized by the receiver. The windows were closed, though there was barely enough sunlight left in the day to make a difference. The mulberry hue of magic was the majority of light in the library, along with a single candle placed on on the wall. A tawny owl blinked slowly from his perch, silently watching his owner slave away, unaware of anything around her. None of the shelves in the tree building had any books as they were in in various stacks and piles around the room. The front door shook the building as it crashed against the wall. A young dragon, brows furrowed heavily, scanned the mess waiting inside. His gaze darkened as earlier memories shot through his mind, explaining the cause. He grunted duly, barely noticing the owl fluff his feathers at the sound, and slammed the door behind him. As much as he wanted to climb and stomp over the different obstacles, he knew he would probably be the one to have to repair and clean up the mess. Instead, he deftly waded through the scattered piles, heading towards the stairs on the far right. Just before he reached the end, a flying book whizzed by his snout, tripping him into a stack on his right. Barely covering his head in time, the books toppled over, cascading down and causing a chain reaction around the room. Once the dust settled, Spike strained his ears to listen for the librarian. Hearing only the squibble of quills, he got up with a confused frown. He glanced up to the now visible desk and found Twilight sitting there, hunched over as she read. Carefully, he moved closer. With each step, his earlier anger and disappointment drained away, leaving him concerned for the mare. “Twi-... Twilight…?” A lavender ear flicked quickly before stopping, trained forward once more. “Twilight… Are you ok…?” The lad found no other indication that he had been heard and with with the current worst case scenario. “Sorry about knocking over the books.” The drake crept closer, squinting at the floating papers. “Theory of Inevitability, The breakdown of worlds into Chaos, the knowledge base of all things dragon… What are you doing Twilight?” The mare still didn’t answer. Owlicious hooted from his perch. When Spike looked over, the bird shrugged his shoulders with another, softer hoot. The lad crossed his arms with a huff. “Some help you are…” He turned back to the studying mare, poking her side. “Twilight, do you need any help?” There was still no response from the unicorn. Spike’s mood plummeted. He slumped in place, biting his lip to stop any whimpers from escaping. The owl watched with concern as the drake slowly went for the stairs, shuffling his feet. With a silent flap of his wings, Owlicious flew over to his owner, landing on the desk before her. Purple orbs slowly focused on the thing in front of them, blinking quickly as the mare came up from her thoughts. “Owlicious…? What is it…?” Twilight’s voice was rusty as she croaked out a question. The bird lifted his left wing and pointed to the disappearing purple tail. “Spike…? Oh, he’s home. I wonder if everything is ok…” The librarian grew more lively with every step she took away from her papers. An image of a pink mare sitting on a shelf, throwing cakes, flashed into her mind. Twilight growled and shook her head. Scolding with cake. Of course she scolds ponies and dragons with cake… Should have guessed it much sooner. The train of thought derailed when the lavender mare came to a stop in front of the drake’s room. Beyond, she could barely make out sniffles, low muttering and a steady thump as though somedragon was hitting the wall. “Spike? Can I come in?” Twilight asked loudly, opening the door immediately anyways. The youth shifted on his bed on the far wall, staring at his feet that hung off the floor slightly. The rest of his room was clean, comic books and action figures on the shelves on the right of the door while the desk on the left was clear of clutter. The sole trash can situated next to the desk was overflowing with scraps of paper and plans crumpled up. “H-hey Twilight… What were you working on downstairs…?” The drake pulled his legs up and rested his arms around them, hiding most of his face behind his knees as he kept looking to the ground. “Oh well, now that I have a lot more time to myself, I thought I would redouble my studies.” The mare trotted over the rest of the way and sat on the bed beside the lad. “What have you been up to today? Uh, it is still Wednesday right?” Distracted purple eyes searched for a calender only to stop at the sigh from her right. “No, it’s Thursday. I’ve just spent most of today helping around town, cleaning up after… what happened yesterday…” Spike tilted his head to the right, avoiding the soft searching gaze. Twilight reached out and hooked a hoof around the small shoulders, pulling the drake closer with a nuzzle. “Oh Spike, we didn’t know! It’s just a part of being a dragon. But everyone has to be cautious when it comes to greed. It makes… uh, messes… out of anyone.” The purple pony half-glared to the distance, stumbling only when it came to describing the results of greedy desire. The dragon peeked back with a sniffle. Spotting the deep anger in purple orbs, he buried his nose back into his knees. “You’re not just talking about me are you…” “What? Oh, well, I’m just, saying that anyone can, uh, go a little…” Twilight twirled her left hoof as she scrambled to think. Spike rolled his eyes at the falter. “Go a little crazy? Become a monster?” He snapped, curling up tighter. “What?! No-” “Twilight, I turned into a ginormous monster that almost destroyed Ponyville.” The deadpan was effective in preventing the mare from continuing the train of thought. “We still love you no matter what, especially since you didn’t mean to become... Like that.” The mare finished strong, nodding once firmly. The lad looked up, the mist thinning from his gaze as he turned slightly hopeful. “Like how Pinkie Pie…?” He stopped when the pony shook her head no. “She… It’s different. A different kind of problem.” Twilight kept her voice in control, making it come out slightly strained and painfully neutral. “But-! She was like me, she just wanted only you instead of-” The unicorn turned to look sternly at the young dragon, brows coming down as her gaze focused on his words. “Have you been talking to Pinkie Pie…?” Spike didn’t bother trying to meet the scowl and shrugged. “I was helping as many ponies as I could… I did destroy the Cakes’ house and took a lot of their product.” “Noooo, Pinkie Pie was trying to scold you with cake. She said so herself.” Twilight’s frown grew even darker. “Once again, scolding with cake…” “It’s kind of hard to figure out if it’s scolding or a food fight with her.” Spike tried to lighten the mood with a half grin but dropped it when the glower turned in his direction. Shrugging again, he went back to his curl. “Well, anyways, we did talk some. You should talk with her Twilight. You haven’t gotten much sleep since you guys broke up right?” The unicorn waved a hoof dismissively before artificially brightening up once more. “Ooh, if you were helping everypony, that must mean you were helping Rarity as well? I bet that was nice.” She let the act go when it became the drake’s turn to darken sadly. “Spike…?” “Rarity won’t want me to be around when she’s got Applejack’s help!” The lad couldn’t stop the tears that tumbled down his face. “They- they told me yesterday about how they’re dating now and-and all those kisses and head rubs and-and everything! were just signs of ‘platonic affection’, stuff Rarity would do for any ‘youth she knows and likes as a friend’.” With a shaky claw, he tried to wipe away the wetness but wasn’t very successful. Purple hooves were much better at catching the problem. “Oooh, Spike… I’m sorry. Love is hard. And painful. And sometimes doesn’t work out at all.” Twilight scowled over the dragon's head as she pulled him into her chest. “Most studies show that eventually, the pain goes away. In 94.78% of cases at least.” Spike put his own arms around the lavender barrel. He mumbled into the fur there as he continued to cry. “I don’t know Twilight...I don’t think dating books would be all that accurate for every single relationship.” He shrugged, turning so his voice was louder. “I don’t think you should only read books about breakups…” The studious mare sat up straight, hooves tightening around the purple dragon, mouth dropping open in shock and disbelief. “You can always trust books! You can trust books more than you can trust some ponies even!” She dropped him back on his bed and began to pace the small bedroom. “Books don’t lie or hide information unless it’s a great mystery novel! They are always there when you need it and don’t try to take over your life by chasing away friends or family!” Twilight shook her head, eyes scrunching. “Books can help you when you feel bad, when you feel happy, when you’re unsure about what is going on or want more information!” Spike exhaled gustily, stretching out and jumping down from his bed. “Twilight… I don’t think that’s what friendship is about. You need to talk with ponies…” The dragon tried to stop the lavender mare with a claw on her side. “You need to talk to Pinkie Pie…” Twilight’s right eye twitched as she stared at the lad in her pacing path. She gave a short snort and shook her head. “No. I have things to do, papers to write, a life to live without ponies who are ‘obsessively paranoid controllers’.” The unicorn used air quotes with a scowl. Looking at the disbelieving face of the lad, she reached out and rubbed the top of the purple drake’s head. “It’ll be fine, you’ll see.” Spike crossed his arms, frowning at the studious mare’s exit, but didn’t say anything more. Once the door was closed, he slumped into his seat, slamming his forehead against the wooden surface. The doorway opened silently, allowing a draft to alert the lad to the motion. Glancing to the left, he found Owlicious sitting on the edge of the desk, staring down at him blandly. “Let me guess… She went right back to work.” Spike commented, sighing at the nod his statement got. “Aaaand she hasn’t even cleaned up at all…” Another nod. The dragon slammed his forehead back into the desk. “...Of course…” -NKP- “She hasn’t slept since you guys broke up!” Spike passed a pink bowl to the earth pony as they sat across one another with the kitchen counter in between. “Can’t you talk with her?” Pinkie flicked her ears back. Clear blue eyes shifted to the right as the pink muzzle scrunched. Not trusting her voice, the earth pony shook her head, ducking down. Her fur had lost some of its bright shine, making it seem duller compared to normal, while her mane was only halfway curly, drooping down her face and neck more than it usually did. A few more of the curls seemed to deflate at the pleading gaze. The dragon frowned, grabbing more ingredients from the cabinets in the candy themed kitchen. The two continued to work silently, steadily restocking the business, before the lad tried to get the pink baker to talk. “Please say something…” “I’m sooorrrrryyyy!” Pinkie wailed as she flung her hooves out over her muzzle, what little frizz in her mane flattening as she leaned against the counter. Spike exhaled and walked around to pat reassuringly the distressed mare. Pinkie turned to lean into his small frame. She took a few moments to absorb the care before standing up, rubbing her eyes. “I keep trying to find a way to say sorry to Twilight, but either she ignores it or it fails mid-way, like the universe isn’t satisfied by my attempts and I have to keep trying new ways to get my message there!” The pink mare drooped in place, half-heartedly raising a hoof to the sky in protest. A shiver shook the middle of her back while her right ear twitched and her tail shaked. Feeling her heart sink into her stomach, she looked up to the drake, eyes filling once more. “... Sorry Spike… There just wasn’t any other way for your story to go. I’m sure there’s some kind of happiness coming your way, eventually.” Pinkie reached out, placing a comforting hoof on the purple shoulder. “You don’t have to worry, I’m sure Applejack will make sure Rarity stays happy…” It was Spike’s turn to tear up. He leaned forward, arms curling around his center, when pink hooves pulled him closer. Pinkie hummed sadly, trying to cheer the both of them up and only half succeeding. The drake pulled out of the hug with a sniff. “Thanks Pinkie… Maybe I will find happiness but… maybe you guys need it first.” Spike smiled through his tear tracks as he rubbed a claw on his face. “Maybe we can head over together? See if we can get Twilight to talk?” “Sure…” Pinkie couldn’t stop a hopeful smile from growing as she nodded slowly. An ear twitched to the doorway where two pairs of eyes peered around the edge. The pink party pony ducked her head with a gentle grin. “Buuuut maybe we should finish baking first!” Slightly more chipper, the two friends continued to bake, churning out more of the pastries needed. By the time they were done catching up most of the stock, it was dinner time. Smiles growing with every step, the two went back to the tree library, talking about some of the more amusing faces the townsfolk wore the previous day in response to Spike’s growth. When they entered, they both halted in shock. The inside was even more of a mess than usual. Books were still in the knocked over stacks from earlier, and added to the mix were now mounds of research papers. The owl was perched on one of the highest shelves, dully looking down at the unicorn who was now in the middle of the room with even more books and papers floating around her. Pinkie crunched down, ears flat, as she saw the mess. Owlicious deadpanned the two in the doorway, fluffing his feathers. Spike faceclawed. The two inched their way around and to the middle of the room, hooves and claws stepping carefully around the mess. Once they were inside the cleared circle, the earth pony stopped at the edge while the dragon continued forward, poking the purple side. “Twilight…?” Dazed purple eyes slowly turned down to look into green. The magic continued to float and drift around them, as once again no other light sources were prepared. “Oh, hi Spike. I was wondering where you were. Have a nice day?” Twilight’s voice was just as distracted as her thoughts. Languishly her eyes moved beyond the drake to the spot of pink. They dilated before shrinking to pinpricks. “...Oh… What are you doing here?” “H-Hi Twilight…” Pinkie raised a timid hoof in a wave. “I-We… thought that me and you could talk?” The unicorn frowned. “I don’t think so. Honor Guard sent me a list of everything you did. There’s nothing more to say.” She turned her frown to the lad, features turning darker. “Spike… Go to your room please.” The purple dragon groaned and hung his head. Before he could take another step, Pinkie reached out and put a hoof to his shoulder. “Twilight, he just wants to help make you happy again. I want you to be happy. Even if it’s not with me.” The earth mare looked down, her carefully neutral face morphing into a anxious scowl. “You’re still talking with that stallion…?” “Yes Pinkie Pie, I’m talking with other ponies. Something you need to realize is very normal for everypony.” Twilight glared back at the other mare, flaring her magic to send more things flying into the air. “Something you should do. Elsewhere.” Pink ears went flatter as the party mare started to back up, even as she tried to defend her stance. “I do talk to others! My friends help me a lot, especially when it came to Honor Guard… Though maybe General Raisin was a little wrong about what to do about him…” Twilight froze, body stiffening. Her ears began to flick wildly as her mind fully pulled away from her studies to what that particular line could mean. “What do you mean, General Raisin… I thought that was a book or made up character.” “Well, he’s a raisin muffin! Derpy was right, muffins are pretty good.” The baker tapped her chin, gaze turning to the ceiling. “Then there’s the other friends I told you about, a little over a year or so ago. Madame le Flour, Rocky, Mr. Turnip, and Sir Lintsalot!” The lavender mare flinched. Shaking her head, Twilight put her hoof down sternly. “Those are NOT real friends! In fact, I don’t think that’s very healthy at all.” She levitated over a large blue book with strict white font on the front, flipping the pages rapidly. “I would suggest you find official help for that.” Pinkie stood up straighter, a lick of annoyance coursing through her center. “Hey! That’s not very nice to say! I don’t say that about any of YOUR friends!” “What are you talking about?! All my friends ARE real! This is just more of your paranoia and instability showing!” Twilight shoved her face angrily to the other mare’s, scowl heavy. “This isn’t good for anypony!” The pink neck snapped back as tears built up in blue orbs. “You… That’s not very nice to say…” “Neither is any of the things you did or said to Honor Guard! Or to who know how many other ponies that you were trying to keep me away from!” “I wasn’t trying to keep you away from them!” Pinkie Pie tried to move forward, pushing against the unicorn stretching forward. “I was afraid that they would try to trick or force you away! For a Pie, there’s only ever one special somepony! I couldn’t risk losing you!” The earth pony shut her eyes, unable to stare into the anger in purple ones any more. The dragon backed away to an edge of the circle, claws held anxiously before him. The pet owl flew down and landed on his shoulder, gaze just as anxious. “What do you mean!?!” The unicorn shook her head, unknowingly sending more books and scrolls into the air as another lick of anger flared. “There is always somepony else. All the books and dating studies argee. There is no perfect match, no soulmate, no destined partner.” Twilight towered over the now cowering earth pony, looking down her nose as her voice leveled out to a neutral monotone. Pinkie stared back up, eyes frantic, as her fur lost some more of its color. She took shallow breaths as she tried to remain calm enough to speak. “I-I-We-There are too soulmates! My grannies were soulmates! My mom and dad are soulmates!” The party pony shut her eyes as she spat out the words, muzzle down turned to the ground. “We-we always have a sense about who our special someponies are going to be! Your books don’t know what they’re talking about!” Realizing what she said, the baker looked up with a gasp. Finding only coldness in the unicorn’s eyes, she started to back up once more. “So you dated me because of some ‘special sense’, and not because you liked me for me? You are basing everything on a ‘sense’ that isn’t explainable by any magical or scientific means.” Twilight moved forward, chasing after the retreating mare just as slowly. The swirling vortex of paper, books and objects parted to allow them passage. “I see. Then it’s even better that we broke up now instead of when it would be too late.” The earth pony shook her head, tears streaming down her face, as she lost all sense of buoyancy. “No, no that’s not why! Well, not all of why… Please! I just knew that I would like you, then I learned more about you, and found that I did and- please, don’t say that-!” “Leave please…” The librarian softly commanded. When this didn’t send the other mare scurrying out, she half-shouted, raising a few inches into the air as she did. “GET OUT!” Pinkie Pie turned tail and ran. Spike and Owlicious also raced up the stairs to the lad’s room, hiding from the crying unicorn who slammed the front door shut behind the straight pink tail. Twilight flung out her magic, sending every book back onto the shelves and all the pieces of papers, scrolls and supplies back into place with a bright flash of mulberry. Once the way was clear, she ran upstairs, flinging open and slamming shut the doors before jumping into bed. Curling up, the unicorn sobbed silently, keeping the motion and sound restrained in a practiced manner. Spike waited until things got quieter before sneaking back out. Searching for the other library residence, he found her in her room, having cried herself to sleep. Tear tracks were still visible in the lavender fur. The lad sighed and pulled the blanket over the mare. Afterwards, he returned to his own bedroom and found the pet owl still sitting on his desk, a question in his beady gaze. “She’s asleep… I didn’t realize it would get this bad…” Spike ran a claw along his head spines. “This is going to be harder to fix. In any kind of way.” The dragon sighed, shrugging as he crossed his arms. “They were pretty happy together… Maybe not together, but there has to be a way to make them both happy…” -NKP- The party planner ran through town, two stories above most of the other ponies in town. She crashed through the upper floor window and rolled forward then up into the bed. She flung the pink and pastel pink blanket over herself in one motion. Once she was safely hidden away, she allowed the wracking cries to go free, muffled halfway by the covers. Except that it wasn’t unnoticed by the rest of the household. The Cakes peeked around the corner, sharing anxious frowns at the worsened condition of the pink earth pony. They slowly entered, stopping at the end of the bed, shifting in place as the wails continued. Cup Cake reached out and held hooves with her husband before reaching with her left hoof to the bundle of blankets. “Pinkie Pie…? Dear?” Pink orbs drifted over to the broken window and twitched. “Did something happen…?” The pile of blankets stopped producing sound abruptly, though it began to shiver violently. The stallion leaned forward next to his wife, gentle smile in place. “Pinkie Pie, we know you’re in there… We just want to help.” A pink muzzle inched out of the bundle, freeing just enough to be heard. Though it still trembled. “Even if I’m the reason why Twilight is super sad, locked away in her own room without seeing daylight or friends?!” The couple glanced towards one another with a concerned scrunch of their faces. The blue mare spoke slowly, uncertainty lacing her words. “Honey, while we are worried about our neighbors, we want to make sure YOU are ok and happy.” Mrs. Cake moved to sit on the bed itself, hooves pulling away the wrapping. “Wouldn’t you say it’s a little hard to make others happy when you are sad?” With the last of the blanket pulled back, the pink baker was exposed, her fur colors dim with every inch of her mane and tail flat, blue eyes broken with a watery sheen. Her lower lip trembled as she stared from the circle she made with her hooves. “But I’m sad because Twilight is sad and doesn’t want me to be with her anymore!” “Yes, but you should find happiness without needing others to be happy.” Mr. Cake pressed into view, sitting on the other side. “Weren’t you happy before meeting Twilight?” “Yes… but I was WAY happier with Twilight! What makes me happy is when other ponies are happy! And I really really really want Twilight to be happy and she’s not! They were wroooong!” The sobbing earth pony wiggled in place, eyes scrunched tight. The married couple exchanged bewildered stares. Taking the first step, the blue baker rubbed the party pony’s back. “Who do you mean hun? Who were wrong?” Mrs. Cake kept her voice soft as she asked, moving closer incase she got an even softer response. Pinkie took her hooves off her muzzle, looking up with a shaky lip. “Do.. Do you think talking to different objects is bad?” Finding the couple frozen in shock, the pink mare continued. “They haven’t really had the best ideas lately…” “You… talk to various objects…?” Cup Cake leaned back, even as she kept comforting hooves on the pink shoulders. “What kind of things…? What do they say?” “Well, there’s Mr. Turnip who’s a bunch of turnips in a pail, Madam le Flour who’s a bag of prench flour, Rocky, my oldest and longest friend who’s a pile of rocks, and Sir Lintsalot who’s a ball of lint I found under my bed one day... They were worried about my friends leaving me or… or other ponies trying to take Twilight away from me.” The younger baker shrugged, unable to meet the anxious gazes of the other earth ponies. “Twilight said it… wasn’t healthy to think like that or talk to them.” Carrot Cake bit his lip, unsure what to say. Luckily, Cup Cake was able to think of a gentle way to discuss the problem. “Honey, that… Twilight is right… If those, uhm, objects, really are saying those kinds of things, then they aren’t helping you. If anything, it seems to be hurting your relationships with others.” The blue earth pony nuzzled the right side of the younger mare in her grip. Connecting with blue orbs, she pressed for more information. “How… How long have you been hearing these things talking to you…?” Pinkie Pie shrugged, breaking the eye contact. “Since I was a filly…” The answer was barely above a whisper. The Cakes sighed as they stared at one another again before giving the younger pony a tight hug. Mr. Cake finally worked his courage and mind in tandem to try to help the baker living with them. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we can help with these objects talking with you.” The stallion paused, shifting his gaze over the room, before continuing on. “Though, I would stop listening to them. Especially if they tell you to stop talking to friends or family.” The party mare nodded, leaning into the couple’s embrace. Once the younger mare’s emotions were more stable, the older bakers accompanied her to the local hospital, asking about mental health institutes. Pinkie wasn’t sure about it, but when the doctors talked about how it would help the party mare with relationships and adjusting to real life, then she was on board all the way. They returned home satisfied and pleased with the results they found. Pinkie half-skipped along the road, card with the appointment date and time stuck behind her ear. When they passed the town library however, a good portion of the energy left as blue orbs scanned the tree and found most of the lights were off. Both her ears flattened painfully as she trailed after the older bakers, heading off to retire for the night. The next morning, Spike woke up in a mess of a bed, covers turned into a blanket cave. Once he emerged from the cavern, the lad exited his bedroom mindlessly. He dropped down each step heavily, claw rubbing his eye. In seconds Owlicious landed on his shoulder and hooted dully. The dragon stopped at the touch and peered at the bird. “What did you say…?” Spike turned his sights forward when he saw that the whole library was cleaned spotless. Standing in front of the lad was the other resident. Twilight held a scroll up, eyes wide, as she read the contents. When she felt the two claws push on her back leg, she rolled it back up via magic. She continued forward into the main room, head moving creakily. “Morning Twilight…” The drake murmured as he followed the mare. When he found she didn’t move further along, he edged around her, heading for the kitchen. “What were you thinking of for breakfast?” “What? It’s time for dinner, not breakfast.” Twilight finally tore her sights away from the shelves to look at the lad confused. “Uhh, no it’s not Twilight… Did you get any sleep last night?” Spike tried to think of what they had done last. It was difficult to think this early in the morning. “Oh. Well, I did, a little, but then I realized I hadn’t even started to learn anything from the Elenchus branch of magic. And since I couldn’t waste any time, especially not with others who are going to base things on a lie and/or false facts.” A purple eye twitched. The unicorn twisted in place, heading straight for the desk where there was already a stack of papers and two large piles of books waiting. “I may have lost some track of time, but you don’t have to worry about that. Eventually everything will be be fine.” Spike deadpanned the mare, except that it didn’t matter as she dove back into her research. Shaking his head, he continued on to the kitchen, cooking up a simple breakfast. Once he had two plates ready, he went back out to the lavender unicorn, poking her side. “You have to eat at least…” Handing off the plate, he started to eat in place, speaking around mouthfuls. “Have you sent the Princess a letter about what’s happened?” Twilight’s ears twitched nervously. “No. There’s nothing to report. If anything, it’s a report of failure.” The mare started to scribble furiously. “So I have to get a lot of good news to send before sending anything about the breakup.” The purple drake sighed and sat on the step, munching away as he watched the pony. Why do I have this really bad feeling about this… A loud knock rang through the library, disrupting the tense silence that had ruled moments ago. Spike set the current grouping of books down, checking that the unicorn was indeed too absorbed in her work to answer. When he saw the spot of orange on the other side, he almost wanted to shut the door immediately. The two shared a glare on each side of the entry way. Except that Applejack dropped it quickly and pulled off her hat, holding it to her chest. “Look, do ya mind if Ah come inside…?” The dragon grumbled but backed up nonetheless, shutting the door behind the visitor. They didn’t make it very far before stopping when they noticed the slightly more frazzled unicorn. The earth pony put her hat back on and gazed neutrally to the lad. “Ah was hopin’ to talk to ya about what happened few days ago.” She kept half an eye on the mare in the far corner as she spoke. “Did ya want to talk here or…?” Spike shrugged, crossing his arms as he looked off to the left. “Look, I get it. Rarity picked you, you’re dating, and I won’t ever get a chance. Nothing to talk about.” “Ya sure…?” Applejack frowned concerned at the bland tone. “Ah- well, we wanted to make sure that you were ok. Ya seemed mighty upset before.” “Yeah well, it’s not easy to just stop feeling this way.” The lad glanced briefly to the unicorn before shifting in place. Both speakers froze when a new voice joined the conversation. “Of course it’s hard, but if you put your mind to it Spike, it isn’t impossible.” Twilight trotted unsteadily over, right eye twitching to it’s own beat. “Except for when ponies feel the need to lie to you. Then it becomes exponentially harder to adjust and trust their word ever again.” The dragon slouched down, anxiously holding his elbows. The apple seller jerked back, shock riddled across her face. The unicorn began to eyeball the other mare with a heavy frown. “Isn’t that right Applejack? He would have known this much earlier if the two of you had just told him.” Twilight stomped her hoof, face stern. “If you ponies were just honest about what was going on, a lot of heartache wouldn’t have happened. It says so in all the reference books!” The two by the front door stood shellshocked at the accusation while the lavender mare turned about and spoke over her shoulder. “I would be careful Applejack. Rarity seems more than willing to say ‘little white lies’. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is just as willing to lie about more than her cat ‘being sick’.” “Whoa nelly! Don’t ya go talkin’ about my marefriend like that! We’ve already had a talk about what happened then. Ah don’t rightly like what yer implyin’ there.” Applejack briskly walked up to the other mare, standing firmly in the way with a scowl. “An’ ya knew about us datin’ too; yer more than willin’ tah lie about little things, just like the rest of us.” She looked towards the lad, eyes apologetic. “An’ we’re sorry we didn’t tell ya sooner Spike. But that ain’t no reason to go flying off the handle and sayin’ that Rarity might cheat on me, Twilight!” She stared the unicorn down. Twilight couldn’t hold the gaze and instead looked to her right, brows furrowed. “Maybe she’s not cheating on you, but the books agree, ponies who constantly search for attention or drama often make up situations that fills that need, even at the cost of their relationships.” The unicorn jumped into the air as the earth pony slammed her hoof down. Glancing back, she found Spike had a claw on the orange mare’s left foreleg while her right one made a dent in the wooden floor. Applejack stared down into pleading green orbs, breathing evenly. She took another deep breath and slowly let it back out. “Ya have a nice night Twilight.” She tipped her hat once more and quickly left the library. Spike followed after the mare, stopping her once they were outside with the door shut. The apple farmer continued to take calming breaths. Noticing the dragon beside her, she tilted her hat back and frowned, glancing towards the door. “What’s got her tail in a twist Spike?” Worried green eyes turned to look at the lad cautiously. “Do ya need a place tah stay while Twilight is actin’ crazier than a barn full of cats?” The drake shook his head as his feet shuffled. “No, don’t worry about me… It’s… Twilight broke up with Pinkie Pie.” The lad whispered as he rubbed his left elbow. “What? Why would she…” Applejack trailed off as her mind went to what her marefriend had just been accused of. “What in the hay would Pinkie Pie hide from her? How? Ah ain’t seen that mare keep a ‘secret’ for longer than a month if’in it wasn’t something serious or sworn by a Pinkie Promise.” “I… I’m not sure if I should say…” Spike couldn’t meet the mare’s eyes. He only looked back up when there was an orange hoof on his shoulder. “Spike, Ah want to help… But to do that, for any of us tah help, we need to know what happened.” The farmer tried to keep her voice equally as quiet as they kept a half-eye on the oak door. “She-Pinkie Pie… She thought that everypony was trying to steal Twilight away from her, and tried to ‘stop’ them.” The dragon couldn’t meet raise his eyes from the ground. “Things like, chasing ponies away, throwing all those cupcakes and-and… starting fights.” Applejack raised a brow at the last comment. Rubbing her chin, she frowned thoughtfully. “Alright… Maybe we can see what Pinkie says. Ya don’t find the whole truth if ya just listen to one angry side.” She tried to smile reassuringly and gave the lad a friendly pat on the head. “If ya need any help or want to get out of the library, feel free to stop by the farm or Ah’m positive Rarity would be willin’ to have ya visit her shop.” Spike shrugged at the offer. Staying by the door, he waved goodbye to the orange pony, waiting until she was out of sight before heading back inside. He found the librarian back by the desk, with double the amount of books and papers in the air above her head. Sighing, the dragon picked up a broom and tried to keep the rest of the place clean. When the sun had gone down, the purple mare was still working, showing no sign of preparing for bed. The plates of food were barely touched beside her. Spike sighed again and went to rouse the working pony. “Twilight…? When were you thinking of going to bed…?” “Hmm? Oh, no need. I’m sure I can find or maybe even develope a spell to help concentration with limited REM cycles.” Twilight waved a dismissive hoof to the question, eyes firmly on the paper in front of her. Spike and Owlicious shared concerned glances. Giving up, the purple drake put down his cleaning utensils and walked up stairs. As he reached midway, he leaned over the side to call to the pony below. “Still not going to write to Princess Celestia about all this…?” “Still don’t have enough good news!” Twilight almost sang back as she continued to write. Spike didn’t bother to reply, rolling his eyes and sneaking up the rest of the way. Reaching out, he snatched a quill and paper from the air, holding them tight against his chest. The lad shut his bedroom door behind him securely. He jumped up to his bed with the borrowed supplies. “Sorry Twilight… But I don’t think you can do this alone…” Spike began to pen a letter, pausing as needed to find the right wording. Seconds later, he sent a flash of fire to burn the scroll to the capital. [Two weeks later, Canterlot Castle] The navy colored skies were bright as the night grew older with each passing second. The sun had set an hour ago but many ponies were already well into their dreams for the night. The Lunar Princess sat on her throne, doing her routine check of ponies’ dreams, when a particularly familiar unicorn’s nightmares broke her serene state. There had been many with nightmares before, and many much worse than this, but it was a personal friend this time, making it stand out further. “What can possibly haunt thine dreams this time Twilight Sparkle…?” Princess Luna murmured to herself, casting her mind to the small town in the south. “Your luck has not been with thee these past few weeks…” Pitch black darkness surrounded them, obscuring the surroundings. Heavy flashes of light cracked through the air without a sound. The lights were blinding one moment before disappearing into the nothingness only to reappear in seconds. Monotone voices droned in the background, overlapping one another while a high pitched sound echoed over top… In the middle, lost in a whirlwind of books, papers and stripes of mulberry magic was a single purple unicorn, tears streaming down her muzzle. The Princess of the Night tried to speak out, raising a hoof to grab the mare’s attention, but the wind drowned out her words as her presence went unnoticed. Soon, the dreamscape cracked, dropping away into nothingness in great chunks. Eventually, everything merged together in a fuzzy black mist that shrunk into a small point rapidly, pulling away from the princess of dreams. Luna jerked open her eyes with a gasp. Her chest pounded for no explanation while her ears strained to hear something unheard. Her loyal guards, fur and ears stiff, stood at attention. The princess hunched forward, tapping her chest briefly before straightening rapidly. The guards added an extra inch to their stance in response. “Guards, we shall converse with our sister.” The navy blue maned mare stood up, gaze distant as she tried to pinpoint her sister’s location. The two batponies saluted and fell in line with their Princess. Together, the three traversed the large palace, taking the shortest route to where the Solar Princess had retired for the night. Stopping in front of the large white double doors, Princess Luna took a breath before knocking, old anxieties shifting through her. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for Celestia to open the door with a smile. “Hello- Oh! Good evening Luna, is something the matter?” The sun princess continued to smile, though it was a warmer one reserved for family. “Would you like to come inside or are you still in the midst of your duties for the night?” “We-I would like to sit with you, to talk about a concerning issue.” Luna glanced to the guards on either side, nodding to them each once before stepping inside. She used a flash of magic to close the doors behind the two sisters. Once they were alone, the lunar princess dropped a large chunk of her stiffness, sagging in the middle of her sister’s room. “Sister, I fear for Twilight Sparkle’s current state…” Princess Celestia frowned worriedly and reached out with her wing, pulling her younger sister to her side. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?” “It is her dreams, sister. She has been plagued by nightmares for several weeks now.” Luna tucked her head into the white side. “She cannot be doing well with so little sleep. I have tried to help, but she wakes before I can do anything on her behalf.” The older sister nodded slowly. She reached out with her magic and summoned an older scroll, unfurling it with a simple flick. The navy mare frowned at this silence and looked up to the other curiously. “Sister…?” “Yes Luna… I know she has not been doing well; Spike likes to inform me of things my student tries to hide from me.” Celestia pulled up another paper and made a quick note on it. Setting the two pieces aside, she sat down beside the younger alicorn. Princess Luna continued to frown in confusion. She shook her head, trying to stand up in protest but was held back by the white wing. “Why don’t you help them directly? Can’t you do something!?” The white alicorn faced her sister with a sober expression, eyes almost misting over. “We can’t solve everything for our subjects… They would never be able to learn or grow on their own…” She looked back up to the fireplace, taking solace in the warmth at her side. “I cannot help my student until she comes to me, asking for help… Or if things have gotten too out of hoof.” The younger royalty stayed silent, leaning into the white neck. Together, the two sisters stayed like that in the middle of the room until the night guard reminded the lunar princess that the night was still young. Sharing a brief farewell, Luna left, leaving Celestia staring into the night sky.