//------------------------------// // Good Day // Story: Blonde Moments // by FamousLastWords //------------------------------// Spike stalked through the front door of the castle, his belly full and his heart happy. He carried a to go box with some of the extra crinkly fries he had left for Twilight. They were her favorite, or at least they were the last time he checked. “Twilight!” Spike called out into the dimly lit entry hall. “Where are you? I brought you some fries! The kind you like!” Spike peered around the first level of the castle. She wasn’t in the kitchen, the main hall or the lounge. This could only mean one thing. Once again, she’s locked up in her room. The dragon trekked up the stairs to where all the bedrooms were. He made his way down the decorated halls until he reached the large door at the end which led to Twilight’s personal quarters and study. Just as he expected, it was closed up tight, save for a soft glowing light peering out from the crack underneath it. Spike knocked a few times. “Hey, Twilight? You in there?” No response. He knocked a few more times, a bit louder. “Twilight! Can I come in? I got you some food! I promise it’s good.” Still no response. Spike shook his head and cracked open the door. Interfering with her royal duties was normally grounds for a stern talking to, but the box of crinkly goodness he had would hopefully help his case. He slipped into the room, ready to begin his search. As per the usual, it was a mess. Books lying around, disheveled blankets on her bed. It was the only space in the castle Twilight didn’t keep in pristine condition. It was organized chaos. He was fully prepared to to see her outfitted in her lab coat working on her next experiment that’d he inevitably become a part of. Or perhaps she’d be writing up a new trade document for taxation relief in Ponyville. Unfortunately, as he scanned his eyes around, the truth of what his eyes showed him wasn’t anything nearly as glamorous as he’d hoped. Spike frowned for a moment and set the box fries on a nearby counter. He walked up to the desk at the corner of the room where the alicorn was sitting. Her face was drooped into a book and snores could be heard emanating from her mouth. Given the appearance of the bags beneath her eyes, it would appear she hadn’t slept well in quite a while and just collapsed mid-study. Spike reached out a claw to gently wake her. He lightly ran his claw though her mane. “Twilight?” She cracked a small smile and latched a hoof onto his claw. “Mm, just a few more minutes. School doesn’t start for a, erm, for a bit longer…” She unleashed another loud snore and snuggled into his arm. Spike rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile. “That’s great, Twi. But wouldn’t you rather sleep in your bed? It’s a lot more comfy than your desk.” He shook her a bit harder this time, causing her eyes to pop open. Twilight took a moment to take in what was happening. Her eyes glanced over the dragon arm in her grasp and travelled over to the string of drool leaking from her mouth onto the book in front of her. Her face heated up for a brief moment before she lifted herself up and gently let go of Spike’s claw. “Oh, I’m sorry, Spike,” she said, letting out a loud yawn. “I must have dozed off.” “Ya think?” he said with a chuckle. He reached out his claw, helping Twilight get out of the chair. “Maybe you should go to bed and take the afternoon off. You look exhausted.” “Oh, I couldn’t do that,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I have to read over that lawbook to figure out what’s legal and what’s not about a new trade proposal from Manehattan. I know there’s something too good to be true about it, and I’m gonna figure out what it is, even if it kills me.” Spike relinquished a sigh. “Twilight, you fell asleep while reading that book. You need to get some rest. Please? For me?” Twilight looked longingly at her bed and snapped her head back to Spike. “No, I just can’t. There’s too much to do with not enough time. Besides, as you saw, I just got done taking a nap. I’ll just get some coffee and get back to it.” Spike wanted to protest, but he knew it’d be useless. When she had her mind set on something, not even Celestia could convince her otherwise. “Fine, but let me come with you. I know how you like your coffee, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself by accident. That’s a real possibility when you’re this tired.” Twilight nodded and walked out of the room with Spike. “So, how was your day, Spike?” “Pretty good. Went to the park for a bit, visited Derpy and her sister at the hospital then had some late lunch with Starlight and Trixie.” Spike chuckled. “Those two are a strange duo, I’ll tell you that right now.” “Heh, you don’t have to,” Twilight responded. “Anytime they’re together, I consider putting the town on yellow alert. How’d things go at the hospital, more specifically?” “Same old, same old,” Spike said. “The Cake twins actually gave Dinky, the sick filly in there, a present. I saw them at the park with their parents, and they gave me a stuffed bear to give to her. If I didn’t have to keep up appearances as the cool guy in town, I would’ve melted from the cuteness.” “Aww, that’s sweet,” Twilight said. “Definitely,” Spike said. “By the way, I have a question to ask you.” By this time they had made it to the kitchen area and Spike began to make the coffee for Twilight. “A question? If it’s anything about legal trade practices, please save it for another day.” Twilight shuddered just thinking about the work ahead of her. “Nah, nothing like that,” Spike said. “But I had an idea earlier after talking with Trixie and Starlight. I could use your help with it if you’re down.” Twilight emitted a small chuckle. “An idea stemming from those two? Do I even want to know?” “Fair point, but no, you might actually like this,” Spike said, hopping up and taking a seat on the counter. “Apparently, Trixie used to perform for the foals at the hospital before getting kicked out for a magic malfunction.” “That is very true,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “According to the records, the incident caused close to a thousand bits in property damage that came out of the town’s tax reserves.” “Well, that being said, I was thinking she deserved another chance to perform there,” Spike said. “It was an accident. We all have those. But I was going to ask the hospital if they could give her another chance. And maybe, possibly, perhaps… a letter of recommendation from the Princess of Friendship could help my case? You feel me?’ Twilight deadpanned. “You want me to write a letter saying that Trixie should be allowed to perform there again after causing damage to their property? Why in the good name of Equestria would I do that?” “Twilight,” Spike pleaded, “you always say everybody deserves a second chance, and it could really benefit Trixie. She’s a really talented performer and it’d be a great, constructive use of her time as opposed to the trouble she tends to find herself in. The kids would love it and personally, I’d like to see it, too. It’d be a good change of pace from just reading stories to them every week.” Twilight thought for a moment and took a deep breath. “You’re right, everybody does deserve a second chance. But at the same time, I have to think of what’s best for the town before what’s best for my friends, or the friends of my friends in this case. How do I know she wouldn’t have an ‘accident’ again and cause even more problems?” “I’m glad you brought that up!” Spike said with a smile. “I was thinking we could set some strict rules about the kind of magic she’s allowed to use. That way we have our bases covered. Not to mention, I’d be there, too, so I could make sure things stick to an inside-friendly set of guidelines. I just think this would be great for not only all the kids but her, too. Please, Twilight?” Spike pouted and put on the best puppy dog eyes he could. Twilight tried to ignore him, but she couldn’t pull herself away from his cute display. “Alright, alright, fine. I’ll do it. But under the condition that you make sure she doesn’t do anything dangerous or destructive, even by accident. Because if something like that happens again, there’ll be nothing I can do about it. Agreed?” Spike grinned and hopped off the counter. He wrapped Twilight in a tight hug. “Thank you so much!” Twilight grinned and lightly pushed him away. “Of course, Spike. You know, it’s not fair to use those puppy dog eyes to get your way. It’s my weakness.” “I know,” Spike said. “And I fully plan on exploiting it when necessary.” Spike glanced over at the coffee maker which was now filled to the brim with the delicious, dark liquid. “And look at that, your coffee is done. Three creams and two packets of sugar?” “You got it,” she replied. Spike made up the desired beverage and handed it to the overworked mare. “Now, on a similar yet completely separate note, I have another question. Or a favor, I should say.” Twilight took a sip and looked up at him. “You’re just full of those, today. What do you need?” “Well, like I said, I’m going to be at the hospital for the show. I’m planning on setting it up for next week sometime. And, you know, I was thinking it’d be pretty awesome if you came with me. Like, as a plus one.” Twilight paused mid-sip of her coffee. “You know, take a break from all the royal stuff and come have some fun. You could let me buy you some lunch after.” Spike smiled at her. “I was thinking we could even invite Derpy to come with us. She could use the fun, too. It’d be a nice change of pace.” Twilight set down the coffee. “That’s a nice idea, Spike, but I’m just not sure I’ll have the time. Meetings, trips… there’s a lot going on.” “Well, then you should make the time,” Spike said.. “Look at your schedule for next week, see what times you have available and I’ll make it work. It would really mean a lot. You could use the break and I’d love to be able to do something fun with you. Besides, think of how awesome it’d be for all the kids to not only get a magic show but also get an actual visit from a Princess. That’d really make their day.” Twilight rubbed her chin. “I get what you’re saying, and it would be nice. But like I said, there’s just so much stuff I have going on.” “I know there is!” Spike said with a bit more volume than he meant. “But, you need a break and I want some time with you like we used to have. This is the third time I’ve found you passed out at your desk in the last month, and I’d rather not have there be a fourth.” Twilight looked him in the eyes. She could see the seriousness in his gaze and felt it piercing her heart. She let out a sigh and looked down at her coffee. “Wednesday.” “Twilight, I’m just really worri— Wait, what’d you say?’ “I can make room on Wednesday to go with you. Is that okay?” Spike smiled. “Yes, that will be perfect! Thank you, Twi. And look, I’ll even help you with any Princess duties you need afterwards. That way, you don’t even have to stress about getting work done.” “Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said with a smile. “And thanks for the coffee, too. But for now, I really need to get back to work.” Twilight levitated her cup and started walking out of the kitchen. “Wait!” Spike called out, causing her to turn around. “Yeah?” “Why don’t you let me help you?” Spike asked. “I can help with taking notes or something while you read, that way you’re not giving yourself too much strain.” Twilight smiled. “It’s a lot of work. Are you sure? It could take awhile.” Spike laughed and nodded. “Nothing I haven’t done before. If I can reshelve an entire library, I can handle this. And besides, I was just gonna take a nap, but I think this would be a better use of my time.” Twilight nodded. “Well, better grab yourself a cup of coffee, then.” “You kidding?” Spike said. “I’m taking the whole pot.” The two shared a laugh and went up to her room. Spike couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t a whole lot, but it was a start. And with any luck, Derpy would agree to accompany them to lunch as well. That way, he could could help two overstressed mares in one go. And maybe, just maybe, Twilight could start getting in the habit of being around friends again and making new ones.