//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 Decline // Story: Some Pony to Watch over Me: Twilight and Spike Style // by Zephyr Spark //------------------------------// His clawed hand silenced the ringing alarm clock. Spike stretched his arms over his head and arched his back, loosening his stiff limbs. He had a restful night but time to get back to work. Those chores wouldn’t do themselves, no matter how much they should. He took a step out of his bed towards the door. Spike opened the crystal door and found two bloodshot lavender eyes staring at him. He yelped, jumping feet off the ground. His claws sank into the crystal ceiling, as he swiveled his head to look at the intruder. Twilight smiled at him from the floor, her mane disheveled, bags under her eyes, and a green saddlebag on her side. “Morning Spike,” Twilight said as Spike's claws dug into the crystal ceiling. “Don’t scare me like that,” Spike said. “If I thought we were under attack, I could have let loose a fire breath and hurt you.” “Never mind that,” Twilight plucked Spike from the ceiling with her magic and dropped him onto the floor. Spike noticed she did not set him down like yesterday, but just dropped him inches from the floor. She said, “We’ve got things to do.” Twilight pulled out a scroll from her saddlebag and unrolled the parchment. She recited the contents, “9:30 am, surprise Spike with gem pancakes for breakfast.” She stiffened, “Oh no. I forgot to cook the pancakes.” What?” Spike asked but Twilight raced away, dropping the scroll to the ground. Her hooves on the floor echoed through the hall. He chased after her, baffled and confused. Despite his short legs, he caught up to Twilight with some effort. Keeping pace with her, he panted, “Twilight, what’s going on?” She noticed him and stopped. Her momentum propelled her a few feet, screeching across the crystal floor. She pushed Spike back with her hoof, “Do you think you could wait five minutes? I’ll have breakfast ready in a bit.” “I can cook, Twi,” Spike said, resisting the urge to say he was a better cook than her. Twilight was possibly the most gifted magician of their generation, but her cooking skills were below average. Pinkie Pie once joked Twilight couldn’t cook a bowl of cereal. He might have laughed at the joke if it weren’t for a certain kitchen mishap some time ago. “No, I’m doing it today. Just go back to your room and sleep a bit. I’ll call you in five minutes.” With that, she stumbled down the stairs. Spike blinked, his mouth agape, and scratched his head. Twilight looked like a mess. Her hair could have been a mop, her eyelids drooped over her pupils surrounded by red lines, and her legs quavered, as if standing was a trial. He hoped nothing was wrong with her. The sound of pots slamming on the floor accompanied by an “Oops” dashed all hope. He wasn’t going to stand by and let Twilight hurt herself. Racing down the stairs, he came to a ghastly sight. Bags of opened white powder spread across the counter and the floor. Three pans had fallen to the ground and eggs splattered across Twilight’s face. Spike gaped. Twilight wasn’t a gifted chef but she was never this clumsy. He inhaled sharply through his nose and released an exasperated breath from his mouth, steadying his nerves. He walked right up to Twilight and pushed her out of the kitchen, ignoring her complaints. Spike stamped his foot and raised his voice, “Twilight, that’s enough! You’re in no condition to be cooking.” “But I –.” “No, you’re just going to hurt yourself. Let me make breakfast. Go clean yourself off.” Twilight sniffed. Her eyes feel to the floor, “I just wanted to make you a special breakfast. I had everything planned out, but all I’ve done is make a mess.” Spike felt his heart plummet. Twilight was trying to make him something special, and he was yelling at her. Sure she made a mess, but she only wanted to surprise him. Spike sighed with a smile, “It’s fine, Twilight. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” He grabbed a rag and wiped the egg yolks off Twilight’s fur. He said, “How about this? We’ll make breakfast together. You can be my little assistant.” He poked her nose, earning a happy laugh. Twilight beamed at him and said her thanks before wiping herself clean. They returned to the kitchen and cleaned up Twilight’s mess. Spike opened a drawer beside the stove and took out his apron and white chef hat. He wrapped the apron around his body, letting Twilight help tie the knot in the back, and put on his hat. Flexing his fingers, Spike grinned, “Let’s get cooking.” With Spike’s culinary skills and Twilight’s help, they cooked pancakes for two. Twilight filled Spike’s pancakes with gemstones. Spike’s mouth watered at the sight. Even though they started out bumpy, Spike had to admit this was nice. There was no other word to describe it. It was nice to have someone beside him as he did what was normally his chore. Making breakfast with his best friend was nice. Those pancakes were excellent, especially with crunchy, delectable sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. Still, he worried about Twilight. Even as she smiled and ate, he couldn’t stop wondering how she worked herself into this state. “So,” Spike said between bites, “gemstone pancakes. What’s the occasion?” “There’s no occasion,” Twilight explained. “I just wanted to do something nice for you.” “Oh, well thanks,” Spike said. “But why didn’t you try to make these before I woke up?” “I was busy. I guess it slipped my mind. Anyways, I have some plans for us today,” she opened her saddlebag. A frown spread across her face as she looked through bag. She turned the bag upside down and shook it, releasing several parchments. She gazed over each parchment with increasing irritation. Her eyes and upper lip twitched as her face contorted into a grimace. Spike knew that look. Twilight only looked like this when agitated. Either her workload stressed her or she misplaced something. Eyes still trained on the parchments, she said, “Where’s my scroll? I worked all night on it. I know I had it this morning. Where is it?” “You mean the scroll you were reading about making pancakes?” Spike asked. “I think you dropped it outside of my room.” “And you didn’t pick it up?” Twilight snapped, making Spike flinch. She softened her expression, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude. I’ll just go get it.” She scooted out her chair and walked off. As she stumbled away, Spike stared at her disappearing figure and worried. Twilight wasn’t the kind of pony to misplace an important item. Her organization system ensured she could not lose anything. More importantly, she seldom vented her frustrations or even her annoyances at him. Minutes later, Twilight returned with the scroll sticking out of her saddlebag. She walked like a zombie, placing a hoof in front of the other and dragging herself across the floor. Her eyes were nearly shut, and Spike could have sworn she was sleepwalking. He tried to warn her as she approached the table, but she bumped into a table leg. Her eyes flashed open and darted around the room. She looked around with a confused glance, as if she just woke up from a dream. Still, she shook her head and unrolled the scroll. She read, “11 am, Baltimare Comic Convention.” “You want to go to a Baltimare Comic Convention?” “We’ve never been before, so I thought it would be fun. I heard Hum Drum’s actor from the movie we saw yesterday will be making an appearance.” Spike did like the thought of checking out an actual convention. He always wanted to attend comic signing, witness amazing cosplays, and watch movie previews. He furrowed his brow and folded his arms, “Are you sure you can travel like that?” “Like what?” Twilight said, oblivious to her appearance capable of frightening Sombra. “Do I need to dress better?” Spike resisted his urge to facepalm. “You need to look at yourself in a mirror. You look like Discord’s mother fused with an angry yak.” A thought, besides the unpleasant notion of Discord’s scary mother, crossed his mind. He remembered something Twilight had said. “Wait, did you say you worked all night on that scroll?” His eyes widened and he extended his palms in question, “Are you saying you didn’t get any sleep last night?” “No, not really.” Twilight admitted. She walked past Spike and shifted through her various parchments strewn across the counter. This time, Spike facepalmed. No wonder Twilight looked so miserable. Hopping from his chair, he pushed Twilight out of the kitchen towards a sofa in the lounge. “Really, Spike I’m fine,” Twilight protested. Spike shoved her onto the soft marshmallow of a sofa. Even as her eyelids drooped, she struggled against Spike. She yawned, “I just can’t sleep right now.” “No, it’s bed time for you,” Spike said. “How do you expect to do anything if you haven’t slept?” “But the convention—.” “Will still be there when you wake up,” Spike said. He rested her head on a pillow and flung her saddlebag onto the floor. “We’ll go in a few hours after you’ve gotten some sleep. Okay?” “But I can’t sleep. Not when we’re—.” “Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head,” Spike crooned. “Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed.” Twilight’s eyelids grew weary with every passing second. She was too old for this silly old lullaby to put her to sleep. At least, she should be. But Spike’s singing voice combined with a filling breakfast and her exhaustion were wearing her down. “Drifting off to sleep, exciting day behind you. Drifting off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you.” Twilight fell into the couch. “Just for a few hours,” she mumbled. “Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed.” Spike left her snoozing on the sofa, returning to the kitchen so he could clean their dishes. Twilight slept. She dreamed of Spike’s voice lulling her to sleep. He was so gentle, so sweet, so, she realized with a start, so mature. When did that happen? When had he become the adult and she the child? Her dreams of the little dragon transformed to a giant purple dragon flying away from Ponyville. Sleep became impossible. Her eyes closed, her breathing was steady, but her mind refused to settle. Several long hours later, she rose from the couch but restful sleep still eluded her. Believing Twilight had enough sleep, Spike headed out with her on the train to Baltimare. He was so excited to see the convention that he failed to notice Twilight swaying to the rhythm of the train. Even when they turned in that night, Spike did not realize Twilight was wide-awake. The orange stallion jumped through his lasso just grazing the rope. With expertise acquired from years of practice, he threw the lasso around the bull’s legs. The bull collapsed in a thundering heap, but assured every pony he was alright. Ponies cheered, relieved to know the stunt had not harmed the bull. Spike thought how grateful he was that Twilight found them excellent seats beneath the shade. They were in a perfect position to watch the Appleloosa rodeo. Spike swallowed the rest of his apple cider, savoring the tangy flavor dancing on his tongue, and wiped the foam from his mouth. His eyes gleamed as he watched another stallion start the lasso trick. Twilight even bought him a straw hat shaped like Applejack’s, with a high crown and a wide brim. He couldn’t wait to show it to her when they got back. “Not bad,” Spike nudged with his elbow Twilight. “But these guys couldn’t hold a candle to Applejack.” “Yeah. She’s the best,” Twilight yawned, “at this.” Spike glanced at her. He thought she had gotten some sleep, but that yawn concerned him. “You feeling alright?” He asked putting a clawed hand on her shoulder. “What? Of course I feel alright,” Twilight said. Spike’s eyes narrowed. Twilight's half-closed eyes stared into empty space even though the rodeo was in front of her. He opened his mouth to follow the question when Twilight tensed up. “Wait a minute,” she pulled a scroll from her saddlebag and scanned the contents. Spike rolled his eyes annoyed she interrupted him. Twilight’s eyes gaped with alarm. “What is it?” He asked, “Is something wrong?” “What time is it?” “Um, I don’t know,” Spike shrugged, “3:30 maybe 4.” “We’re going to be late,” she yanked him from his seat and bolted off the stands. “I made dinner reservations for 3:45 in Canterlot. I planned for us to finish watching the rodeo at one, but I lost track of the time. Now we’re going to be late!” “It’s not the end of the world if we miss,” Spike bumped on Twilight’s back as she raced across the ground, “a dinner.” “You don’t understand. This is a special Canterlot Restaurant. It’s exclusive and I only got a reservation because I’m a princess. I hope they don’t cancel.” Twilight stopped in front the station, her momentum carrying her a few feet forward into a sign. Shaking her head, she righted herself. Twilight inspected the train schedule on the bulletin board posted outside the platform. She groaned, “Oh, it’s no good. I’ll have to teleport us.” “Do you really think you should be teleporting like this?” Spike asked. His question went unanswered as Twilight’s horn shimmered with a violet aura and they both vanished in a burst of light. Spike rubbed his eyes. The spell blinded him like the flash of a camera, leaving splotches of color in his vision. His vision returned and he could only see blue. He wondered if Twilight had flubbed the spell and put them in the middle of an ocean. Then, he realized there was a strange pressure on his ears. He glanced at Twilight beneath him and his heart skipped a beat. They were now hundreds of miles above Canterlot. They started falling. Spike lost his grip and fell off of Twilight. Miles below, Canterlot rushed towards them. He screamed as his stomach summersaulted and his hat flew away. A few feet from him, Twilight’s eyes were shut as they plummeted. Struggling against physics, Spike moved his arms like a swimmer. Inch by inch he came closer to the alicorn, but every second they fell another mile. Angling his head away from Twilight, he released a torrent of flames and rocketed himself into her. She jerked with a start. Flapping her wings, she grabbed Spike and made a gentle descent to a public square. Spike rolled onto the ground, unsure if he wanted to kiss the ground or hyperventilate. This wasn’t the first time he almost fell to his demise, and he doubted this would be his last. But it was the first time Twilight had missed her destination and took a nap in the middle of a free fall. That settled it. She hadn’t slept. Rolling to his hands and knees, he took a calming breath. He let loose his emotions, “What was that?” Twilight staggered to her hooves, “I guess my teleportation was a little off.” “A little?” Spike deadpanned. He pointed to the air above them where they had fallen. “You call that ‘a little?’” “We made it to Canterlot, didn’t we?” Twilight smiled as she dusted herself off. Spike wondered if they were having two different conversations. “A hundred feet above Canterlot is not Canterlot,” Spike stated through tight lips. His arms folded across his chest as he scowled at Twilight. “Alright. Next time I won’t go teleporting miles away.” Veins throbbed in Spike’s head. He muttered unintelligible words unsuited for someone his age. “Oh hush. We’re here and that’s all that matters. Now let’s go.” With that, she levitated him onto her back and raced towards an elegant building. All the while, Spike fumed. Why wasn’t she listening to him? Why was she being so difficult? Spike’s frustration soon became concern. If Twilight wasn’t feeling well, she wouldn’t be able to perform the simplest spell or do any of her princess duties. He had to solve this now. Twilight swiveled her head and glanced at him. “Oh Spike, you lost your hat,” Twilight frowned. “When we visit Appleloosa next month, I’ll just have to buy you another one.” Spike’s heart froze. “What do you mean next month?” During dinner, Spike excused himself to the restroom. He took a roll of toilet paper and a pen he snatched from a waiter to write a letter to Princess Celestia. He hoped she could remind Twilight about her royal duties or spur her to action. If any pony could talk sense into Twilight, she could. Turned out toilet paper couldn’t teleport like actual paper. He triggered the fire alarm. That spelled the end of their Canterlot adventures. Twilight and Spike boarded a balloon back to Ponyville, with Twilight grumbling every second of the way. He had to tell her what happened. Even sleep deprived, she could guess the fire breathing dragon set off the fire alarm. If she was watching him before, she wouldn’t take her eyes off him now. She planned to spend time with him according to the schedules she charted out for the rest of the month As they touched down, Spike reached over the basket and dropped to the ground. The sun had yet to set and Twilight still had plans. He loved spending time with Twilight, but not when it made her such a mess. Talking to her at dinner didn’t work. Despite his efforts, he just couldn’t get through to her. She needed help from someone else.