Eleven days, three hours, and twenty minutes. And I'm still counting. What is the point of all this counting? I really don't know, all I know is that it just feels like my head has become one giant clock.
It's so hard to believe that only yesterday had Fluttershy, the kindest pony I've ever met, had blown up when I mentioned Discord. I never thought she would act this way; I assumed she would act sympathetic about the discussion of Discord, about him being turned into stone.
I am so dumb! Who am I to believe that there's anypony out there I could talk to about Discord? No way am I telling Princess Celestia, that's completely out of line now! And Spike-
"Twilight?" The baby dragon called, having finished his mopping. He gazed across the room and watched as the unicorn stood in front of her desk, furiously writing in that journal of hers. "Uh, Twilight?"
Twilight immediately heard him and paused her quill before turning to look at her assistant. "I'm sorry, Spike. You were saying?"
He raised an eyebrow at her, particularly at her journal. "I was just going to ask if you wanted to head out to some restaurant for lunch."
"Oh," she chuckled. "Sure, Spike. Sounds good." Her magic floated her used quill and placed it atop the ink bottle. Then she closed her journal, carefully locking it.
Spike placed his mop down, still gazing at her journal. "You know, you sure have been writing a lot." He pointed out. "I can't help but wonder what it is you're writing."
He noticed Twilight flinch as soon as he said that. She held her journal close to her chest before turning to look at him, a glint of worry in her eyes.
"It's nothing, really," she said, almost desperately. "Just usual pony stuff and all!" She laughed nervously before placing the journal in her carrier bag. "Moving on! What restaurant do you have in mind?"
Spike looked at her for a few moments, still so curious. However, his growling stomach distracted him and he began pondering. "Well, any kind as long as they're able to serve gems. I feel like having some rubies right now."
_
"Well, at least they serve fries," Spike muttered as he and Twilight sat at one of the tables outside a restaurant. "Seriously, Twilight, do these ponies not realize a dragon's diet?"
"Hmm?" The unicorn looked up from her journal. "I'm sorry, Spike. You were saying?"
The baby dragon blinked, gazing at the journal that leaned against the table in front of her. "What are you writing now?" He asked.
"I'm not writing anything," she responded, flipping to the next page. "Just reading previous journal entries. You know one's journal is like a book itself, right?"
"Gee, I wouldn't know," Spike said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, "I've never spent writing a journal twenty-four/seven."
"Your meal, madame," their waitress announced as she pushed a cart with their ordered dishes. "A daisy sandwich with alfalfa on the side, and a basket of hay fries, well-seasoned?"
"Thank you," Twilight said gratefully, the hunger showing in her eyes. "That looks so delicious."
While munching on his fries, Spike watched as Twilight carefully locked her journal as she had always done before placing it beside her. One hoof rested on it while she used her magic to lift her sandwich and bite into it.
The baby dragon had wondered before, now he was downright curious why his unicorn friend would focus so much on that journal of hers all of a sudden. Sure, her recent entries could possibly be about lessons in friendship she learned, but that was only once a week. Twilight seemed to spend every day writing about something in that journal of hers.
There were times while he did his chores that Spike sneaked a glance over at Twilight when she was busy writing. The expressions she made whenever she wrote something down made him wonder if she was hiding some sort of emotions from her friends.
There were times she held an expression of frustration, then times her bottom lip would quiver when she looked over what she wrote, then there was that small smile on her face after she placed her quill down. Spike had no idea whether she was angry, upset, or cheerful. That one rainy day he knew she was cheerful because she acted like a total equivalent to Pinkie Pie if not more...
"Delicious," Twilight said happily before lifting a napkin and wiping her lips. "How are those fries doing for you, Spike?"
The baby dragon had been so occupied with staring at her journal that he almost didn't hear her. "Huh? Oh, uh, they're great! Better than the last time." And he shoved another piece into his mouth.
"Perhaps tonight we can go out for dinner as well," Twilight said as she lifted her glass of chocolate milk and drank.
Chocolate milk...
Spike recalled that one rainy day when Twilight drank excessively of a huge jug of chocolate milk Pinkie Pie had offered her. She was acting like a kid! And that was nothing compared to her singing in the rain and nearly catching a cold from not using her umbrella as much.
However, for some reason, Spike couldn't help but wonder what else the chocolate milk reminded him of. His brain was just so fuzzy when he tried to recall. He did remember trying to forget something about, what was it, eleven days ago...he must have done a great job to wipe such a memory from his brain. Perhaps the memory wasn't that wonderful and he just simply forgot...
"Okay, who wants dessert?" Twilight asked him as soon as they finished their dishes. "Got any room in there for some delicious chocolate pie?"
"Pie?" The baby dragon's mouth drooled. "Definitely want pie!"
After Twilight made another order with their waitress, she opened up her journal and read it over while she waited. Spike just watched her as she read, simply pondering. Then he saw her take out a quill and ink bottle from her bag. She was so focused on writing something, just as she always had been for the past few days.
"Writing a review for this restaurant?" He joked. "Because in my opinion, I'd give this a seven out of ten, mainly because they don't have gems."
Twilight let out a laugh as she continued her writing. "No, silly. But I am writing to remind myself about the wonderful food here and that maybe we can come here next time for breakfast or whatever."
Perhaps he was wrong. Maybe she wasn't hiding anything, just simply writing down random things that have occurred to them recently.
The chocolate pie finally arrived and Spike was the first to dig his fork into it while Twilight still wrote in her journal, allowing Spike to take the first helpings of their dessert. Spike ate like an animal, not caring that chocolate sauce covered most of his face and that bits of cream flew in all directions.
Bits of chocolate flew into one of Twilight's pages and the unicorn gasped in horror. "Spike!"
The baby dragon stopped eating before looking up into her scornful face. He shuddered under her disapproving gaze, however, he licked the chocolate on his lips.
"Okay, that is kind of gross," Twilight rolled her eyes before she grabbed a napkin and quickly dabbed her journal. "You nearly ruined most of my riddle!"
Spike stopped licking his lips and raised an eyebrow at her. "Riddle? Riddle for what?"
Twilight's eyes widened, realizing what she had said, and immediately gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh, nothing important! Just some random stuff I came up with! Nothing whatsoever!" She quickly closed her journal. "Time for me to have some pie!" Before Spike could say anything, she grabbed her fork and scooped up a small portion for herself. She busied herself with savoring the chocolate taste. "Mmm! Delicious!"
Spike just watched as she ate, no doubt trying to avoid any further questioning he had. He simply shrugged and continued eating pie. However, his eyes never left the sight of her journal, which Twilight's hoof was placed on protectively while she ate.
_
"Whoo, I think I ate too much pie!" Twilight laughed as they entered the library house.
Spike watched as she placed her carrier bag down, digging into it and taking out that familiar journal. He just continued gazing at the unicorn as she proceeded toward her study desk and placed it there, carefully opening the lock before flipping the pages. The baby dragon stood off to the side, making sure Twilight didn't notice his curious stare.
She summoned a quill and ink bottle and began writing again. Spike listened closely, hoping to hear any hints he could get out of the discreet unicorn. He could only make out a few words:
"Twist and turns...choice you make...foundations of home-"
"Spike?" Twilight began, shifting her eyes and finally noticing his gaze. "Uh, do you need something?"
The baby dragon flinched as soon as her purple eyes met his green ones. He gave a nervous smile, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Uh, writing a story, I bet?" He couldn't help but say.
The unicorn gave him an annoyed expression. "Don't tell me you're still curious about what I write in my journal."
"No, of course not!" Spike said quickly. "It's not like I tried to open it once or anything like that!"
Twilight raised an eyebrow at him, her lip slipping into a disapproving frown as she continued looking at him. Spike gave a nervous chuckle.
"Okay..." He sighed. "Maybe I was a teeny bit curious one time." He watched as she immediately turned her back to him, leaning over her desk to cover her work. "Oh, come on! Can't blame me for wondering why you suddenly write in that book of yours! I mean, I may not know the exact timing, but I believe it was eleven days ago since you began writing in that thing!"
He noticed Twilight's body tremble as soon as he said that, but she immediately regained her posture and her shoulders slumped a bit. She slowly turned to Spike, her hard look now replaced with an apologetic expression.
"It's private, Spike," she stated simply, "though I don't refer to this material as a diary as any mare would call it, a journal is just the same. And whatever is written in there is only known by me and only me."
With that said, she used her magic to put her writing tools away, then she carefully sealed her journal, shutting it extra tight since her conversation made her have thoughts.
Spike scuffed the floor with a foot, disappointed by the 'security' his friend was going through just to keep her private thoughts safe. He watched as Twilight gave her mane a flip, then casually walked past him.
"I'm going out," she said as she made her way over to the door, "I just remembered that Applejack needs help on her farm. Take care while I'm gone, okay, Spike?" Before she opened the door, she turned to him, a sly, yet warning smile on her face. "And stay away from my journal."
Spike gulped a bit, not sure whether to humor her expression or become terrified of it. He gave a nervous salute, indicating his promise.
"Good assistant," Twilight smiled before she walked out the door and closed it behind her. And she was gone.
Spike decided to organize the library before taking a nap. As he gathered books off the floor and began placing them in their slots, the baby dragon couldn't help but look over his shoulder. Over at Twilight's desk.
There sat her journal, completely visible to his eyes. Locked but present to him...almost tempting.
"No, Spike," he urged himself as he turned away, "Twilight said to stay away."
He kept fighting with himself as he finished sorting all the books. He shut his eyes tightly, trying not to take a second glance at the journal. The baby dragon tried to busy himself, doing whatever chore he had in mind, from dusting the shelves, washing the windows, and sorting out scrolls.
Yet in the end, his eyes finally looked back at Twilight's desk.
Suddenly, his hands were reaching out...his legs carried forward...Spike's eyes seemed completely dazed as his mouth hung open, as if he were under a spell.
"Maybe..." He mumbled. "Maybe just a peek..."
Next thing he knew, the journal was in his possession. Spike's eyes widened, realizing how close his fingers were to those written pages...
But there was still the lock.
"Oh, well!" He told himself with a roll of his eyes. "Can't read this thing if it's shut tight!" He blew a sigh of relief, thankful he wouldn't be betraying Twilight's trust.
Suddenly, he sniffed a sweet aroma in the air. The baby dragon, still holding the journal, followed the scent, his tongue wagging. Opening the door, he saw Big Macintosh hauling a huge vendor cart with an apple logo on it. The delicious smell of baked apple treats emerged from within its case.
"Apple fritters..." Spike drooled, clutching the journal in his hands. He chased after Big Macintosh, still holding the journal in one hand.
After buying a few pieces from him, Spike went back into the house. The baby dragon licked his fingers with satisfaction, having savored every bite.
"Way better than chocolate pie," he smiled to himself. He walked into the library, gazing at the books he sorted out. "Well, seems my chores are done. And it looks like I've forgotten what was so important about about reading Twilight's journal." He gave himself a approved nod. "I better put it back on her desk before Twilight-"
He cut himself off, gazing down at his hands. They were empty.
His eyes widened in horror. "Before Twilight..." He gulped as he rushed around the house, searching desperately. "Before Twilight finds out I lost it!"
No, no, no! How could he have lost it? It was in his possession, left in plain in sight of him. Oh, once Twilight came home, she would immediately accuse him of reading her journal and losing it in the process. She would go into a fit a rage, she would rant him out, probably throw him out of the house and-
"Come on, Spike," he told himself desperately, rubbing his scalp. "Where did you put it?" He roughly pounded his head a few times, trying to find answers. "You had it right before buying yourself some apple fritters..."
Suddenly, it dawned on him. He rushed over and gazed out the window.
"Apple fritters..." His mind processed. His eyes shot open. "Big Macintosh!"
_
Spike rushed into Ponyville, gazing around desperately for any signs of the big, red stallion and his apple cart. How could he have been so careless as to leave the journal on that apple cart? Some number one assistant he was! And he would be called far worse once Twilight came home and noticed her precious journal missing.
"Got to find it!" Spike told himself desperately as he barely avoided a pony hauling a wagon full of ordered soda pop. "I can't let Twilight think of me as a horrible assistant! I can't bare to see the disappointment in those eyes of hers!" His head with spinning with the severe possibilities for his actions.
While one thought was how angry Twilight would be, the other was imagining the tears that would fall from her eyes to realize that the baby dragon had lost her precious writing material. He can't handle seeing her angry, but he absolutely could not bare to see her cry. This made him even more determined as he picked up his speed, going as fast as his little legs could take him.
"Where are you, Big Macintosh?" Spike muttered to himself, searching past other ponies.
Finally, his eyes caught sight of a familiar orange tail between the book shop and the art supply store. A look of joy spread across Spike's face as he rushed past a few ponies.
"Big Macintosh!" Spike cried out, trying not to lose sight of him. "Big Mac, wait!"
The crimson stallion's ears perked up as soon as he heard his name. Fiddling the piece of grass between his teeth, he turned and noticed the baby dragon rushing toward him. He gave a light chuckle as Spike finally stood before him, panting. "Howdy, Spike," he greeted. "Need more apple fritters?"
Finally breathing normally, Spike looked up at him with anxious eyes. "What I need is that journal!"
Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow at him. "Journal? What journal, Spike?"
The baby dragon felt his heart drop. "The journal!" He cried out rather loudly, turning a few heads toward his direction. However, he ignored the stares as he explained his situation. "I'd been so curious about what Twilight's been writing in her journal for the past eleven days, and there were even times when I'd try to ask her what she's been writing!"
His words came out like a speeding pegasus, and Big Macintosh had little time to take in every word, but he listened to Spike. He just gave a slight nod as he nibbled on his grass stem.
"Today, she was writing in that journal as usual!" Spike continued. "Then she went out to help your sister and I promised to never look at her journal even though we both knew she always locks it! As hard as I tried, I actually almost tried to open it despite that dumb lock! Then you came along with your delicious apple fritters! It was after I bought some that I realized I left the journal with you!"
Big Macintosh's eyes widened a bit as he gazed down at the baby dragon. He stood back as Spike fell to his knees, at the brink of tears.
"I need to bring that journal back before Twilight comes home!" Spike cried. "Or else she'll get angry with me! Or worse...she'll cry! And I hate it when she cries!" He flailed his arms up and down, his green eyes glistening. "Please tell me you have it, Big Mac!"
The stallion gazed down at him for a few moments. Then a calm smile formed on his lips. "Eeyup."
Spike stopped waving his arms and looked at him, his eyes widening. "Y-you do?"
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said again as he turned to his cart. "Sorry for the misunderstanding a few moments ago, I didn't quite understand when you mentioned the term 'journal'."
Reaching into one of the compartments of the cart, Big Macintosh pulled out Twilight's journal. Spike's heart swelled with joy as his green eyes sparkled with happiness.
"I mostly refer to this kind of thing as a diary," Big Macintosh explained. "But considering how Twilight ain't a regular pony, can't blame her for referring a diary to a journal and such."
"Yeah, yeah," Spike said quickly, grabbing the journal from him. His smile widened as he gazed at the material in his hands. "Oh, thank you! Now there won't be any water works after all!"
"But seriously," Big Macintosh began wisely. "Were you really going to read her personal things?"
Spike looked up and met the slight disapproving glance of the stallion. A bit of sweat poured down the side of the baby dragon's face and he chuckled nervously.
"I was going to," He admitted quietly. "But I had second thoughts! Twilight's too important to me, I can't do that to her!"
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh agreed, a calm smile across his lips.
"Well, thanks again, Big Mac," Spike said as he turned on his heels. "I got to get home and put this back on her desk before-"
Suddenly, something white and fuzzy zoomed past Spike. He barely had time to blink before realizing that the journal had vanished from his hands.
"Wha-?" He exclaimed in confusion. He immediately turned and found a round, puffy ball of fur with a purple bow idly fiddling with Twilight's journal.
"Opal..." Spike's tone was deadly as he narrowed his eyes at the mischievous cat.
The white cat simply turned in his direction, purring nonchalantly while her paw fiddled with the lock of the journal. Spike's fists tightened, baring his dragon teeth.
"Uh, Spike?" Big Macintosh spoke out, shuddering at the sight of the baby dragon's angered expression.
"Oh, Opal..." Spike tried to sound polite, but it was difficult when he was so frustrated right now. "Hey, kitty...Give Spike that book, please..."
He took baby steps toward her, hands slowly reaching out toward the journal she was now sitting on. He cooed a bit, trying to keep her calm while he prepared to grab the journal from her. He slowly edged closer...
Opal hissed before swinging her claws at him. Luckily, Spike jumped back just in time before that sharp weapon could touch his face. Opal stopped hissing and turned back to Twilight's journal, purring as she played with the lock, her claws lightly grazing it.
Finally, Spike couldn't take it anymore.
"Give me that book!" He shouted before rushing at the stubborn cat.
His outburst had many ponies staring at his direction, and they began witnessing his actions as he came at Rarity's cat.
As if on cue, the white unicorn herself came onto the scene. "Has anyone seen Opal?" She asked as she turned to Big Macintosh.
The stallion pointed a hoof toward Spike, who was trying to pull Twilight's journal away from the cat's teeth. Rarity cried out in horror.
"Spike!" She exclaimed. "What on Earth are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Spike demanded, not bothering to look at her as he tried to remove the journal from Opal's strong teeth. "Your dumb cat stole my book!"
"Well!" Rarity gave her mane a flip, shocked and displeased by the baby dragon's tone directed at her. "I never! Pardon me that my cat is being terrible, but I think you are being quite rude right now, Spike!"
Spike just ignored her. Crush or not, she just couldn't step up to her cat the way Spike was doing right now. He fell on his bottom as soon as Opal ripped the journal from his hands. The cat gave him an evil grin, book in her mouth.
The lock was broken.
"Oh, no..." Spike gulped, his eyes widening. Then he growled, his hands open as he glared at the mocking cat. "That's not yours!"
And before Opal knew it, Spike tackled the cat. Rarity shrieked, nearly on the verge of fainting as she watched the baby dragon wrestle with her cat for possession of that journal. By now, most of Ponvyille was watching Spike as he tried to keep Opal's claws away from his face, doing his best to hold her back while trying to reach for Twilight's journal.
Oh, how close her claws were...Spike couldn't imagine how Rarity could put up with such a monster for a pet. This was exactly why he liked Applejack's dog better...
"Opal!" Rarity exclaimed. "Oh, dear, don't hurt yourself!"
"Oh, gee, thanks!" Spike said sarcastically. "I appreciate your concern for me!" Finally, he had the journal in one hand while he held Opal down in the other.
Suddenly, with surprising strength, Opal whipped her tail at him and he fell down and splashed into a puddle of mud along with her. Spike coughed, mud covering his eyes. He quickly wiped them and gazed down at the journal in front of him.
To his horror, the book lay opened on the mud. The visible pages were caked on its sides and large, brown blotches covered most of the left page where words were written; fortunately, the other page was blank.
As remorseful and ashamed as Spike was for having ruined Twilight's precious journal, his eyes focused on the few visible words that were not covered by mud.
Feeling sorry...for the princess...my friends...what could have been...him...
Spike shook his head, trying to erase what he just read. He shouldn't have done that! He shouldn't have read what Twilight had written! He was a bad assistant and he knew it! He turned his head and found Opal snickering at him; she had somehow managed to avoid the mud and she swished her clean, furry tail mockingly him. Spike growled, fists tightening as he just laid in the mud in front of Twilight's sprawled, muddy journal. And most of Ponyville was staring at him.
Despite the humiliation, the baby dragon needed to pick himself up and get the journal cleaned quickly. He needed to get home before-
"What's everypony doing?"
His heart dropped. He didn't dare lift his eyes when a pair of purple hooves stood in front of him.
"Spike?" Twilight said gently. "Oh, my gosh! What happened?"
"I'll tell you what happened!" Rarity cried. "He attacked my cat! All for some book!"
"Now, Miss Rarity," Big Macintosh told the white unicorn firmly. "You know he had good reason. I mean, that there book is Twilight's journal."
Spike finally had the courage to look up, and he regretted it as soon as he saw the look of surprise in his friend's purple eyes.
"My journal?" Twilight repeated. She gazed down in the mud and her mouth slightly fell when she saw her precious journal lay sprawled int he mud in front of her assistant. "My journal!"
Her voice strained, as if she was on the verge of crying. Spike felt like crying right now. He really hurt Twilight now...destroying her trust...what could he do if she yelled at him, better yet, sob right in front of him? All of Ponyville would consider him a bad friend, and he knew it.
"I'm sorry, Twilight!" He spoke out desperately. "I never read it, I swear!" He stood up, mud dripping down his belly. "I was going to read it, but then I decided not to because that would make me a bad number one assistant! Then Big Macintosh came along with his apple fritter cart and I...and then I left the journal...and then I came here...and then Opal..." So much to explain and so little time to do so when he saw Twilight's expression unchanged.
His voice trailed off, gazing into those purple eyes that were usually so calm and cheerful. However, Twilight's eyes were slightly widened, and she blinked as she gazed down at him. Spike gulped, bracing himself for a severe scolding and a waterfall of tears...
"Oh, my gosh, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed.
Before the baby dragon knew it, Twilight rushed over and wrapped her hooves around his tiny body. His eyes widened, surprised by the unexpected gesture. He shifted his eyes to the unicorn, whom held him close as if he had been in danger. Of course, danger didn't even begin to describe Rarity's dumb cat...
Finally, Twilight looked at him, her purple eyes full of worry. "Are you okay? Did Opal scratch you?"
Spike couldn't say anything. He just stared at Twilight with widened eyes, his jaw opened slightly. "Wha...?"
"Look, I know what you did was wrong," Twilight began gently, "and Rarity said you were a little rude to her..." She shifted her eyes over to the distraught white unicorn.
"I don't care what Rarity thinks of me!" Spike suddenly spoke. "All I care about is what you think of me!" His green eyes glistened, as if he was on the verge of crying instead. "Twilight, I ruined your journal. Don't you hate me?"
Twilight turned back to the journal that still laid on the mud next to a now uninterested Opal. Using her magic, the book floated out of the puddle and dripping. She noticed the lock was broken. She looked back at Spike, whom held his head down in shame.
"Oh, Spike..." She spoke softly as she landed the journal beside her. She reached over and held her assistant close. "You know I could never hate you..."
Spike looked at her, his eyes still saddened. "Really?"
"Well, I am a little upset about my journal," she confessed. "But I know you never meant for it to happen." Then she gave him a sweet smile. "In fact, I'm touched you would go to all that trouble just so you wouldn't upset me."
Her smile made his heart rise with hope, and he smiled a bit. "So you won't cry?" He couldn't help but ask.
"I'd cry if Opal really did hurt you," she told him. She turned to Rarity. "Sorry, Rarity, but your cat really needs to show some respect."
"Oh, well, I'm really sorry about that...and does she ever..." Rarity rolled her eyes in tiny agreement.
Twilight laughed before picking up her journal. "Well, it was only one page, and that was today's entry..." She wiped away the mud, smiling as her words became visible again. She turned to Spike, who was still coated in mud. "Well, this day's been interesting..." She gazed around at the many ponies that had witnessed everything, especially the touching scene between her and the baby dragon. She gave a light chuckle before turning back to Spike. "Let's go home, Spike. You're going to need a bath."
"Here, Twilight," she turned to see Big Macintosh with a couple of bags of warm apple fritters dangling from his mouth. "Don't worry, it's on me. I'm sure you and Spike could sure need these after all that." And he gave a wink.
"Aw, you're too sweet, Big Macintosh," Twilight said as her magic floated the two bags unto her back. "Well, we'll be on our way. Bye, now."
Passing by observant ponies, Twilight gave both Rarity and Big Macintosh a smile before she and Spike walked off.
"Hey, Rarity?" Spike stopped in his tracks and turned to the white unicorn.
"Yes, Spike?" She asked, hoping he was going to give her an apology for his attitude earlier.
"You really need to put a leash on that thing," he said as he pointed on Opal.
Rarity was left speechless as Spike followed close behind Twilight, ignoring the light chuckles from the ponies around them.
"That..." Twilight said as she proceeded forward. "...was surprising."
_
Spike sat on the rocking chair, a warm blanket wrapped around him. As soon as they got home, Twilight immediately gave him a bath. It was nice and warm and it was relieving to finally rid of the mud that had hardened on him earlier. He smiled to himself as he watched the unicorn write down on her now clean journal.
However, his smile quickly faded when he saw the broken lock.
"I'm really sorry it's broken, Twilight," he apologized quietly. Even though Opal was to blame, Spike felt it was his responsibility that it happened.
Twilight turned and gave him an assuring smile, her purple eyes calm. "It's okay, Spike," she said softly, "there really isn't a reason to have a lock on my journal anymore, considering I have the most trusted number one assistant in all of Equestria."
Spike's cheeks reddened a bit, touched by her statement. Though he was still so surprised that she had gotten easy on him, he knew Twilight had a kind, forgiving heart. That was one of the many things he loved about his unicorn friend.
Twilight came by his side and laid beside the rocking chair, her journal closed and placed under her gentle hooves. Spike gazed down at the journal. Though he knew better than to ask, he just couldn't let his curiosity go...
"So..." He began as he wrapped the blanket tighter around him. "Still not going to tell me what you wrote?" When she looked at him, he averted his eyes. "Yeah, when it fell in the mud...I kind of...I kind of saw a few words. But I didn't read the whole page, I promise!" He said quickly, afraid her calm nature would convert to anger.
Twilight gave him a soft smile. "Well..." She began quietly as she looked down at her journal. "Seeing as there's just no avoiding this..." She looked at him. "Do you really want to know what I've been writing about?"
Spike's eyes widened slightly. "R-really?"
"Well, I won't go into detail," she admitted, "and not too much, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all," he said simply, smiling at her. "Whatever little you can say is good enough for me."
Twilight chuckled a bit. Closing her eyes for a few moments, she opened them and gazed down at her journal. "Well..." She began quietly. "For the past eleven days I've been writing about someone."
Spike raised an eyebrow. "Someone?"
"Someone..." She repeated softly. "Someone who, as annoying as he could be, showed some sweetness in himself." She smiled sadly. "He's always been on my mind as the days go by. And I'm just thankful he's always by my side."
She turned to Spike, seeing the look of surprise on his face and his mouth hanging slightly open. She laughed a bit.
"Can you guess who he is?" She asked.
It didn't take Spike a second to answer. "It's me!" He exclaimed happily, nearly falling off his rocking chair.
"That's right, Spike," Twilight nodded, doing her best to smile. "I've been writing about the wonderful things we've done together these past eleven days. Especially the cotton candy cupcakes."
"Cotton candy cupcakes..." The baby dragon licked his lips. However, he looked over to the opened bags of apple fritters on a nearby table. "I'll wait for them. Big Macintosh sure knows how to make an awesome substitute treat."
Twilight laughed. "And I did write about your humor."
Spike smiled with embarrassment. "I guess there wasn't much to hide, huh?" He asked. "Though, I still feel pretty bad I almost read your journal..."
The unicorn smiled before nuzzling her nose against his forehead. "And I forgive you. You've always been my number one assistant, you always will be. And I will always trust you."
Spike smiled, his cheeks heating up. "Thanks, Twilight." Then his grin grew wider. "If I'm going to keep that title, I got to make sure you're happy! Whenever you need your journal, just call me and I'll bring it over to you! Don't bother using your magic because Spike is here!"
"And I'm glad you're here," she beamed. She watched as her assistant's eyes began to droop. She chuckled as he fought to keep awake, wanting to continue their conversation. "You must be tired."
"Not tired..." He drawled. "Want to...talk..some more...with you..."
And his head fell and he snored quietly. Twilight reached over and pulled the blanket closer around him as he slept on his rocking chair. She smiled as she watched him slumber.
However, the smile soon faded before she turned back to her journal. Making sure Spike was asleep and well, she quietly went up the stairs to her bedroom, journal floating beside her.
Laying on her bed, a quill and ink bottle on her nightstand, Twilight quietly opened her journal, gazing at her unfinished page from earlier. Thankfully, she was able to get rid of the mud before it could ruin most of her important writing.
She had been writing about Discord's riddles, one which had been used on her friend Rainbow Dash before she deserted them at the labyrinth, and Twilight had taken some time to use those words to her curious mind, forming her own riddle. One that could possibly show the lighter side of the Draconequus if he possibly did have one.
Twist and turns are his ways of delight...
Most of his master plan was to give us each a fright...
As terrible as he appeared or how he acted, it was his choice...a choice you make...
The foundations of home were, however, at stake...
But even during our battle, my heart ached
Feeling sorry for him was the one thing I never thought I would take...
No pony liked him, and the princess showed her hate...
My friends showed no remorse after we imprisoned him in his former stone state...
No pony remembers now what had happened but me...
I remember him perfectly, what had happened, and what could have been to see...
Still in the Canterlot gardens is where he still stands...
I wished better for him, I doubt any pony would understand.
Twilight sighed sadly, reading over what she just wrote earlier. That wasn't a riddle; it was a poem of sympathy and regret. Twilight, of course, adored poetry, but this was just heartbreaking...
She summoned her quill and moved to the blank page beside her written one. She closed her eyes for a bit, collecting her thoughts. Then she opened them and began to write.
Dearest Journal,
I need to be more careful when I write in you. As much as I love Spike, I'm worried he could try and read this.
However, today, he showed true loyalty to me when I left you on my desk when I went out. A little part of me was sure he would go to great lengths to open you, however, I just knew he wouldn't do such a thing. All I can say is that he is the best number one assistant ever. And the most trusted.
I will also say that Rarity really needs to do something about her cat. I would have used my magic to turn Opal into a mouse if she had hurt Spike. True, Spike tried to read you at first, but I came to mind and he just tried to keep you safe, even going as far as to wrestle Opal in the mud.
Though that was just so sweet of him, I can't help but be surprised that he was acting a little rude to Rarity. His CRUSH. I can't blame him, though. That Opal can be a real pain. Still, the least he could have done was apologize to Rarity.
I still remember back when Discord's chaos reigned that I made him the new Rainbow Dash. I know it wasn't a good idea, knowing that Rainbow Dash was the only one who could wield the Element of Loyalty. But Spike had loyalty; always had it. I put my faith in him even though it wasn't enough to stop Discord the first time. However, I don't regret trusting the Element of Loyalty on him. You don't need a simple necklace to know how loyal you are, and my assistant's loyalty has no limits, and that's why I feel like the luckiest unicorn ever to have him as a friend.
However, as important as he means to me, I just couldn't tell him about my thoughts on Discord. I doubt he even remembers him. No pony does. When he asked me again about what I've been writing in my journal, I thought about telling him the truth.
But I couldn't. I just couldn't. I can't imagine how he would react, I'm still upset about Fluttershy's reaction before I used the memory erasing spell on her.
A small tear slid down Twilight's cheek, but she continued writing.
So I made a small lie to Spike about what I've been writing about. I lied that I've been writing about him. While I mentioned baking cotton candy cupcakes and other such fun we had these past eleven days, Discord's name couldn't escape my mouth. So I pretended that it was Spike whom I've been writing about, showing him how much fun I've had with him by my side. Key terms were my only way out, so I stated things that Discord had that Spike could relate to.
Sweetness despite annoying me...always on my mind, of course, I've been thinking about Discord, haven't I?
Then when I mentioned about always being by my side, that was, indeed, Spike. And truly Discord as well. Though he was not by my side physically, simply remembering him made it feel like he was always there.
Though I felt guilty for lying to Spike, the smile on his face made me feel a little better.
I promised myself I would never speak Discord's name to anypony. And Princess Celestia...out of the question.
But I confide in you, journal. Even though your lock is broken, no pony would dare open you up. Spike already learned his lesson. Looking back on my words, I'm grateful he didn't go nuts reading these pages. I must sound like a crying filly on most of what I wrote.
But it is the truth, and the truth is that I wonder what could have been if we never turned Discord into stone. What would it be like if he were still here, along with his chaos of cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain? How would my friends cope? How would Spike cope?
I guess I'll never know. But still, somewhere deep down, I guess I'm hoping.
Twilight ended her writing, shutting her journal before placing her quill and ink away. She smiled sadly to herself, before she summoned one of Big Macintosh's apple fritters and bit into it. Chewing quietly, she hoped the Cakes would have a new stock of cotton candy soon.
She felt she needed to make cupcakes to reward Spike for being such a wonderful assistant and respecting her journal. And to secretly apologize for not being entirely honest with him.
_