Behind The Petals

by Gboyd

Chapter 3: Behind the Bushes

"Waahh!" The shrill cry echoed across the house, shattering the first five seconds of peace that the Sparkle family had seen all day. Shining Armor groaned and slammed in head into his pillow. Why wouldn't that baby just shut up and go to sleep? It was nearly three in the morning, and that demon child had been crying his lungs out since noon. Shining now firmly believed he would never be able to grant his ears silence again.
He heard his parents' and protests come from their bedroom, and Shining growled. Great, just perfect! Now his parents were up with only three consecutive hours of sleep, which meant tomorrow was going to be yet another day of walking on egg-shells. Another scream pierced the still air. Shining winced and pulled at his hair. If only he knew a silencing spell! He yawned, and swung his feet over the mattress and sat there, in a sleepy stupor, letting his thoughts wander.
This house had been misery, pure misery since the demon child had arrived. True, in the beginning, he had been proud to tears--er liquid pride--when Twilight had both earned her cutie mark, became Princess Celestia's personal student, and hatched the legendary un-hatch-able egg, but now he was wondering about the princess's decision... and whether it had been the right choice. Had to have been a hasty decision, right? Who drops a dragon into a unicorn's family without thinking about the repercussions first?
At first, things had been fine---great, actually. His parents were ecstatic at having yet another child, Twilight was obviously over the moon about her success, and he himself was beginning to entertain the thoughts of having a little brother to play with. But then the trouble came. At first, it was whimpers here and there, or a shriek of anger when the little demon didn't get his satisfaction. Thinking they had been doing something wrong, or spoiling him, if anything, the Sparkles soon backed off on their coddling and let Twilight take on the brunt of taking care of him. He was, after all, her responsibility. But no matter what Twilight tried, no matter what baby book she read or advice she got from all the mother-figures she knew, Spike continued to wail until his lungs gave out, or collapsed in a heap of exhaustion.
Suffice to say, everyone was tired of it. Shining even heard his father remark on one or more occasions that he would gladly do anything to be rid of the 'little banshee' as the males in the family had come to call him. His mother was more patient than most, and helped in any way she could, when she had the patience to do so, that is. None of the family knew much about dragons, let alone taking a of a baby dragon, so most likely what little they did to help often backfired on them. The constant shrieking was running everyone's nerves down, especially his mother's. Twilight was the worst off of all of them. Shining would often catch her in tears, breaking down because she didn't know what else to do. The family had requested several times to see the princess in court to gain advice on what to do, but the grant for that request could take weeks, even if Twilight was her personal student. The only other option was to write letters, but, like the grant, responses could take weeks. Explainable. She was the Princess after all.
Another cacophony of wails made themselves known, shaking Shining out of his sleepy stupor. As they grew in volume, Shining groaned in frustration. This baby had a problem. Whatever it was, Shining wished it would just quit! Crying never did no good for anybody in his book, and the devil had everything a child could possibly want! So what in the world was this baby's problem?
A soft tune from Twilight caused the cries to lower, but they didn't disappear completely. Shining scoffed. He wasn't going to hold his breath that the baby would go to sleep. Both Twilight and his mother had sung every single lullaby they knew; even going so far a make up lullabies in the hopes to transport the baby to dreamland, but so far, nothing had worked beyond a period longer than five hours.
Shining gritted his teeth, and made for his door, pre-paring to do whatever it took to get that baby to go sleep, regardless of Twilight's approval. Shining stalked down the hall and stopped mid-stride at Twilight's bed-room door. A soft pink glow peeked out from her door, but he ignored it. Shining raised a hand to wrench the door open, but Twilight's soft song made him pause. Even though her voice was muffled, he could still hear her.

Shining had never heard anything quite like it before. It wasn't quite a lullaby, but it was close enough. The notes rose and fell, like the waves of the ocean, or rolling hills. Shining leaned against the door, despite his earlier intentions, never noticing that the cries from the child had ceased. He had heard Twilight sing before, but never like this. Her voice was soft, mysterious, chiming wind-bells through the playful hands of a gentle breeze. He wanted to hear more.

Shining gently grasped the door handle, and turned the knob. With a quiet protesting creak, the door opened, and Shining slipped inside. Twilight was sitting on the floor in front of her bed, holding Spike, gentle rocking back and forth. A soft raspberry glow surrounded them and seemed to move in airwaves around the two, keeping in tune with Twilight' song. Shining stared, at a loss for words. A realization struck him. The baby had stopped crying. It had stopped! They had finally found the answer! Shining pumped a fist in victory and instantly winced, realizing he was still in Twilight's room. He glanced at her, and relaxed. Twilight's eyes were closed. Shining looked down at the baby in her arms, and cocked his head in confusion. Spike wasn't asleep. He was simply gazing at his care-taker with all the wonderment of an infant.
Twilight opened her eyes and paused within her song. She got to her feet, never releasing Spike, and ran one hand along her bed frame. The essence around her continued to move in tune as Twilight began to sing again. Shining felt a jolt go through him. This part of her song was grew deeper and deeper and more ominous, seeming to count down to something. As she continued, the magic around her grew darker and more intense. Shining instinctively drew back against the door, but movement from his little sister's arms caught his eye. Spike had shuffled deeper into his surrogate mother's embrace and closed his eyes.

With Spike now asleep, Twilight gently placed him on her bed, and pulled back the covers, still singing. Her tune returned to the one Shining had heard earlier. Bright, and bouncy... Hopeful.

When she finished, she crawled on the bed and sat back on her knees, her amethyst irises meeting Shining's. "Yes?" she whispered.
Shining blinked, realty coming back to shock him. "I--uh. When--how!? What did you do!?" he whisper-yelled. "Do you know what you did? You granted us peace for the rest of our days! What was that--that song? Can you sing it again tomorrow night--?"
Twilight blushed slightly, growing flustered at all the praise; a smile beginning to grow on her face. She scrambled off her bed and, standing on her toes, reached up to silence her dumbfounded brother with a finger.
"It's okay, since now, I sang, yes I know what I did, that is a harvest song, and yes, I can do it again tomorrow night."
For the second time that night, Shining found himself without words. Twilight skirted around him and opened her door as quietly as she dared. She gently pushed her stunned brother out into the hall. "You need to go back to bed, and so do I. Don't you have that guard assessment thingie tomorrow?"
"Well, yes, but I--"
"Then go!" Twilight tried to push him further, but Shining held his ground, ceasing her efforts.
"Twilight, wait."
She stopped backing up into her room and looked up at him, a hand curling around her door knob.
"Did you make all that up on the fly?"
Twilight smiled softly, once again, reminding Shining that her intelligence far surpassed her age. "No, I didn't." Her door softly closed, leaving Shining Armor lost on the other side with more questions and no answers.
He walked back to his own room, stewing. "Are there other songs like that one? Mom never sung anything like that to me, at least none that I can remember." He looked up and back down the hall at her bed-room. "If she didn't make it up, then... where did she learn it?'

The weeks soon passed in relative peace for the family. Even though her parents didn't quite know what miracle their daughter had performed, they were grateful for it all the same. As the school year, Twilight continued to run back and forth between her house and the castle, arms bursting full of books the Princess was having her read as well as homework papers. Within the passing of week-days, Princess Celestia's niece, Princess Cadence, came by to keep Twilight company whenever her parents went to a conference call, or a date to take a break from taking care of Spike. Sometimes, her brother stayed as well, turning what would have been a dull night of studying into a fun-filled evening of squealing and trying to hide from Shining and Cadence's attacking fingers.
Spike accompanied Twilight wherever she went these days, including classes and personal lessons with the Princess. He refused to be separated from her. The family knew from what the school staff had told them that Spike had essentially imprinted on Twilight as his mother, but ever since Twilight had starting singing those mysterious lullabies, he clung to her closer than ever. Twilight made it a point to spend as much time with Spike as she could, but sometimes she was able to slip away. Luckily, Spike was the only one who ever seemed to notice. But, being a baby who could only pronounce certain syllables, communication was a problem. Today, was one such day.
Their father, Night Light, was off at the castle. Being the head-servant over the castle staff, he was currently over-seeing a new stain-glassed window that was being set in. As for Velvet, she was off at a book signing. With school over for the day, Spike was currently crawling down the stairs towards the family room, where Shining sat in the love seat, reading a book.
The critch-critch of tiny finger nails against marble in the brief space of floor between the living room rug and the carpeted stairs caused Shining to glance up. Spike caught his eye and babbled.
"Well hey there, little buddy. You already up from your nap?" he asked, going over to pick up Spike.
"Shine!" Spike warbled. Shining chucked.
"Am I supposed to know what that means?" he asked. Shining tapped Spike on the nose. "You know better than to crawl down the stairs on your own," he admonished. "Where's your mommy?"
Spike whimpered in reply.
Shining was oblivious to the baby's response, going up the stairs to his little sisters' room. "Twily!" There was no response. Shining stopped, suddenly realizing how quiet the house had become. There no sound, anywhere. Usually at around this time, he would a creaks of the floor boards over head as Twilight moved around in her room, or the tell-tale sound a magical spell being done. But... there was nothing. No sound. It was like she wasn't even home...
Panic consumed Shining. Maybe she hadn't heard him? "TWILY!" He called louder. There was no reply. Shining raced up to her room and wrenched her door open. Nothing. She wasn't there. He bolted down the stairs and began to pace back and forth, trying to come up with a logical reason as to where she had disappeared to. "No! No no no no no no no. Okay, okay, okay, Shining, don't panic. Maybe she's outside, or at the castle? Maybe at the fire-pit? No she would have heard me--"
In his ranting, Shining forgot about the baby dragon within his arms, who was getting jostled and squeezed. Spike didn't appreciate it. And he let Shining know. Even though Spike hadn't gone through teething yet, he still had his tiny claws. And when loud whimpering wouldn't work to gain attention, Spike would scratch. And scratch he did.
"Ouch!" Shining yelped as a tiny slash of fire made itself known on his lower arm. He looked down and was met with furious emerald eyes and a pouty lip. "Oh. Sorry little buddy." Shining held Spike out at arms length. "Do you know where she is?"
"Gra'," Spike grunted, still disgruntled.
"'Gra'"? came the echo. "What's 'Gra'? Am I supposed to know what that means?"
Spike waved his arms and kicked his legs in frustration. "Gra!" he said louder. Shining shook his head.
"I wish I knew what you were trying to tell me," he muttered. "Twily would know." Shining looked around the middle level of the house before going outside into the front yard. His panic had lowered somewhat, but he was still worried.
While Twilight was a responsible young girl, she was still young and susceptible to being lured away. And even though Canterlot was considered the safest place in the world, crime still happened. Or maybe Shining was channeling his instructors' pessimistic personality.
Shining looked up and down the street, hoping to see a familiar indigo, pink, and purple hue. Nothing. Shining tightened on Spike. "Twily, where are you?" he whispered.

Twilight knew exactly where she was. And what risk she was taking, even though she'd done it before. And what she knew what she was carrying. And what she was carrying was annoying her to no end. Twilight twisted around to unsnag her drawstring bag from a branch, wincing as several branches poked her in the back. Twilight grunted, yanking the bag from the branch, or rather, trying to. "Why are castle bushes so grabby!?" she wined. Straining with the effort, she leaned backward and pulled with all her six-year-old might. With a loud pling the bag struck with freedom, sending them both tumbling out of the bush and onto the ground with a plop!
"Oof!" Twilight shook her head, trying to get her bearings. Standing a little unsteadily, she froze slightly, waiting for a palace guard to come around the corner. When none came, Twilight hiked the bag higher on her shoulders and set off with a small giggle. Another victory achieved.
The bag bounced with ever stride she took, and the grass shone through with a golden light as the sun made it way to crest the sky. Twilight skipped the field, singing happily as the rising sun lifted her spirits. It was no small feat for a thief to make their way through the castle gardens, since they were so heavily guarded. it was, after all, where the Princess did her work on most days. Therefore, it was no small feat that a six-year-old could do the same sneak route three times a week. One would think she'd have been caught by now. But if Clutterstep could live this way, then she could do the same thing at least three times a week to help him live!
Twilight stopped at the edge of the field, stopping for a moment to admire the scenery around her. The knee-length grasses had a golden sheen due to the sun above, and the entire field was framed with perfectly planted trees, with the Canterlot Royal Maze bushes lining the back. Clusters of flowers could be seen here and there, adding splashes of color to what would have been an otherwise, golden-green meadow. Looking ahead of her, Twilight spotted a small dip a few yards away. She ran the last few remaining steps and disappeared from the castle's view.
Her feet landed on soft moss, making a quiet squishing sound. She slowly turned around, facing the the small den that was Clutterstep's home. A small collection of knick-knacks and rusted, twisted pieces of metal stuck out of the ground, a warning for any predators' that might try to make him dinner. An sack cloth hung of above the entrance of the den, hanging from to pieces of metal that had been shoved into the ground. Twilight pulled aside the cloth and peered inside.
A bag lay to the side, while in the middle the was a pile of old clothes and blankets. Clutterstep was curled on top of the pile, asleep. Twilight smiled giddily and crept inside. She knew better than to scare him awake, even though the thought crossed her mind. What happened last time was still fresh in her mind, and the magical burns on the ground outside his den was still visible, if one was standing close to them. Most of the time, she was lucky if she gently shook him awake, but these days he was more jumpy than ever. And that was what bothered her most. He simply wouldn't tell her why. Then, her IS a boy---and it was very well known for all males to have stubbornness. The easiest way for her to wake him up without either of them getting hurt was for her to sing. It had worked before... somewhat. She had only tried it once before, but maybe it was time to try it again.
Twilight set her bag down, and shuffled over to the wall. She curled up and watched him for a while, her smile falling. He looked frailer than before she'd seen him last. Granted, that was over three weeks ago, but still! No one person can get that frail that fast! No one should have to live this way either...
A small groan caught her attention, she sat up straighter. Clutterstep turned and shifted over. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Something must have caught his eyes because he looked up at her with dazed eyes without warning. Twilight couldn't but smile.
"Hey," she greeted softly. Her voice woke him fully, and he smiled brightly.
"Hi!" He scrambled over and squeezed. "Where've you been?"
Twilight glanced away, ashamed. "I'm sorry I haven't visited. The Princess's been keeping me busy with books to read." She turned and dragged her satchel closer. "Here," she drew out a wrapped sandwich. "To make it up to you, I brought your favorite." His eyes lit up even brighter at the sight.
"Sweet!" He stole a glance at her. "That's right. I forgot. You're the one who'd been chosen--what's it like? Being the Princess's personal student, I mean?" Twilight shrugged.
"It's... I dunno. It's a little harder than what I'm used to, and the princess really hasn't taught me anything, so..." she trailed. Clutterstep noticed, and he stopped chowing down.
"Something happen?"
Twilight blinked. "No...?"
"C'mon, Twi' you can't lie to me. What happened?"
Twilight looked away. "Mom and Dad are over the moon about it, obviously, but... it's different now."
Clutterstep stopped chewing and gave her his full attention. Twilight sighed.
"Everyone is now under this sudden impression that I'm this miracle worker that my parents have been hiding, and now they want to show me off to all their friends. It's the same at school---all the sudden I'm the Princess's paper doll, and everyone thinks I can do amazing things. I'm not beyond Level 2 Levitation." Twilight huffed. "I can't do anything because the princess hasn't taught me anything worthwhile yet. It's all review." There was a pause. "And that not even the worst part..." she mumbled.
Clutterstep gazed at her a minute. He held up a finger. "Let me guess: You're in a position that allows you so many privilages that you don't know what to do with, the expectations on you have rocketed sky high, and people expect you to produce something mind-blowing out of the blue---not to mention allowing others favors. And... I'll bet there are certain people who are jealous of you." He grinned triumphantly at her stunned expression. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Twilight shook her head. "No. You hit every nail on the head." She gazed at him. "How did you..."
He tapped her nose, chuckling. "Because I know you." He bit into his sandwich again with gusto, leaving Twilight to giggle. "Sho, howsh Shipke?" he asked with his mouth full. Twilight rolled her eyes and face palmed.
"Oh for the love of--swallow!"
He did so. "You get any sleep lately?" he smirked.
Twilight folded her arms. "Yes I have, thank you very much." Twilight unfolded her arms and began to fold the wrapping paper. "He's actually a really sweet guy, and he's smarter than I anticipated. He's only a few months old, and already he's trying to imitate simple words.'
Clutterstep whistled, clearly impressed. "Wow. Then again he is a dragon. Guess they're smart." He pushed her bag towards her. "Not much is known 'bout them."
Twilight sighed. "Isn't that the statement of the century?"
Clutterstep looked up again. "Is that part of the problem?" Twilight looked away, trying to hide her anger.
"Yes." She snuck a peek at him. Clutterstep was just sitting there, waiting. Twilight released another sigh. "People are claiming he's a monster in hiding, or that Celestia's training him to be a monster, that I'm her secret slave---all kinds of nasty rumors." Twilight slumped, putting her face in her hands. "And I'm tired of it." She stood up, and snatched her bag. "I just want it to stop, so that I can study in peace, and take Spike to the park without getting glomped by strangers."
There was yet another long pause as this information was digested.
"You what you need?" Clutterstep spoke up.
Twilight looked at him with a deadpan expression. "What?"
"C'mon!" He grabbed her hand and took her back the route she'd come, through the maze bushes and out onto the street. "Stealth mission time." Twilight didn't have time to respond to his ridiculous idea before he yanked her behind a wall.
"What are you doing!?" she hissed. Clutterstep peered from behind a wall, mischief written all over his face. He put a finger to her lips and paused. Clutterstep's smile spread the most mischievous expression she had seen on him yet. He turned to face her, got down one knee, and put his hands over his heart respectfully.
"Twilight Sparkle, personal student of the Princess, herself, and, most importantly, friend of my heart, I would like to take this opportunity to graciously welcome you to one of my most favorite pastimes." He looked up at her, his mischievous grin never leaving. "Bothering your brother."
Twilight gasped, before a similar smile split her face in two. Clutterstep peered around the corner once more. "Let the games begin."