Quiververse Bonus Reel

by EchoWing


Vignette Six - Owl's Well That Ends Well

“Mom, stop.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight, really, but…” Twilight Velvet did her best to restrain her giggles as her daughter led her into her new home, but it was a losing battle. “You got your wish!”

Twilight Sparkle let out an aggravated and embarrassed sigh. “You never let that go.”

“Well dearie, when your children make cute wishes about living in a library, you’ll tease them about it too.” Her giggle-fit having subsided, Velvet took a look about the place with approval. “And this is a very nice library. I wish your father had been able to come visit, but…”

“But he’s awfully busy for an astronomer, I know.” Twilight managed a sad sigh as she busied herself with making tea. “And truthfully, I’m glad that you were the only one who came. I don’t think I can deal with talking about this with both of you.”

What mirth faded from her face as Velvet found a place around a table and waited for her daughter to finish making their tea. As cups and kettle were brought over and the drink was poured, she took up her cup in her hooves, breathed in the aroma, and finally got down to business. “Alright, what’s wrong?”

Twilight frowned. “I think I’m being a horrible caregiver to Spike. Again.” What followed was a short story involving an owl, a runaway baby dragon, an escape during the night from an enraged, full-grown dragon, and perhaps a very insensitive pony. “Mom, Spike ran away because I was giving more time and attention to a new pet. And worse, I didn’t even realize it right away. He’s more than a friend to me, he’s practically a baby brother, and…” She let out a regretful groan. “I feel just like I did those first few days at Celestia’s school. I thought looking after him now would be easier, and then this happened.”

Velvet gave her daughter a sympathetic smile. “Twilight, let me tell you a few things right now. First, looking after a child, being anything even remotely resembling a parent, isn’t easy, and it doesn’t get easier no matter how many children you have. The best thing that you can do is try to learn from it, and be a little more receptive to what Spike needs.”

The daughter gave her mother a worried expression as she raised her head and asked, “And second?”

“And second, as much as I know this won’t help, you’re not the only one who’s failed Spike at some point.” She turned regretful as she admitted, “You’re likely fourth on the list at this point.”

Twilight blinked. “Fourth.”

“Spike’s original parents who either lost or abandoned his egg, Princess Celestia, me, and then you.” At her daughter’s dumbfounded look, she explained, “Twilight, there are only so many ways that the egg Spike hatched from could have ended up as part of that test. I doubt a pony went into the Dragon Lands and stole his egg before it could hatch.”

“And Celestia?”

“Twilight, what did she do with Spike after he hatched? She passed on the responsibility of raising him to you, a filly who’d just barely earned her cutie mark and was just starting as her personal student. Sure, she said that she’d help you raise him, but from the sounds of things, she failed to do exactly that. I don’t care if she was trying to get you to grow as a pony or however she wanted to see it, that was far too much to put on you too quickly, and I told her so myself.”

A shocked gasp escaped her daughter’s lips. “Mom! You questioned Princess Celestia?!”

“No, I called her out for making a terrible mistake and absolutely failing you as a mentor and teacher, and when she tried to cover her plot and say that she was trying to teach you a lesson, I told her where to shove it.” She raised her hooves and held them a hair’s breadth apart. “Came this close to slapping her across the muzzle and pulling you out of that school.”

Twilight stared at her mother in wide-eyed disbelief, words puttering on her lips and failing to form until she pieced together, “But… you… she…”

“Twilight, Princess Celestia is many things. She’s your mentor. She’s our sovereign. She’s the pony who raises and lowers the sun. But there’s one thing that she isn’t – your mother. And your mother is going to do what she needs to in order to look after her babies when they need her help. And when I saw you at that High Tea and realized how much trouble you were having, well, I had to do something.” A half-smile formed as she asked, “That’s why Spike started living with us. Why I took over raising him, until I thought you were better equipped to look after him.” She sighed and admitted, “And I’m not gonna say I did a perfect job either.”

“Mom, no, don’t say that! You and Dad were amazing parents!” Twilight turned nervous as she admitted, “I mean, I’ve always worried about failing Celestia or my friends, but you? Dad? Shiny? I’ve never worried about that. I know that you all love me, and that you’re proud of me.”

“And we are, Twily. Don’t you forget that.” Velvet sighed as she admitted, “But there’s still times where it feels like we failed Spike. Not formally adopting him despite all our efforts to try, for one thing.” She grumbled something about red tape before moving on. “And the Sibling Supreme for another.”

“He took part.”

“He kept score, Twilight. That’s what your father and I should have done, for all three of you. We raised him, home-schooled him, helped him to become the wonderful young drake he is now, but we never officially called him son, and I’m always going to feel terrible about that.” She bowed her head and noted, “Maker only knows how he feels.”

An uncomfortable silence formed before Twilight finally ventured to end it. “Why didn’t you pull me out of the School for Gifted Unicorns? After all that? Was taking Spike in…?”

“Twilight, I’d have taken Spike in regardless of what happened with you at that school. You stayed there because Celestia had the good sense to admit that she’d made a mistake, and because she made a very passionate plea for you to stay.” She frowned and admitted, “And also because something told me that if we’d pulled you out, it would’ve destroyed you. Can you blame me for not wanting to see that?”

Twilight sighed. “No. And as much as I hate to think it, you probably did the right thing calling Celestia out like that.”

“Damn right I did.”

Twilight could barely roll her eyes at her mother before the library door opened. “Hey Twilight! Sofas and Quills finally restocked! I think I’ve got enough to last you a little…” The two turned to find a familiar little dragon standing at the door in surprise before he called out, “Velvet!”

“Spike!” His cargo was put aside as the mare rushed towards him and took him into a tight embrace. “Oh it is so good to see you! What were you doing, running off like that?!” She loosened her hold and gently ran a hoof across his coxcomb. “And what’s wrong with calling me ‘Mom’?”

“Nothing, it’s just…” He gave an embarrassed look. “Sorry.”

That just prompted another hug. “Don’t be, dear.”

Twilight approached and joined in on the hug, suddenly awash with sadness for both Spike and her mother. Both accepted the embrace, though it only eased her mood by a small amount. Spike deserved better from her, and she was going to do all that she could to ensure that he got it.