//------------------------------// // Spike // Story: Obligations // by ArgonMatrix //------------------------------// The Moon was just about to reach its zenith overhead when Twilight arrived back in front of her home she had left so many long hours ago. It was hard to believe that the same unicorn who had been bouncing giddily out the door like a schoolfilly earlier this morning was now dragging her somber body to the door with a perpetual frown adorning her face. Noting that the lights were still on inside the library’s lower floor, Twilight sighed and groggily forced the door open, wholly unprepared for what awaited on the other side. Balloons and streamers of every colour covered the walls of the room in a joyful mosaic, motionless as the books on the shelves. A round table draped with a lavender tablecloth sat as the centerpiece of the room with a virtually untouched array of treats arranged on top of it. Small bits of what appeared to be wrapping paper littered the floor and a phonograph sat unassumingly off to the side of the room. It was clear that a party had occurred at some point in the day, but there was a distinct lack of mess... at least in terms of how wild parties normally got in Ponyville. Twilight wandered over to the table, completely perplexed as she took in her surroundings. “Does this have something to do with—” Her thought process stopped abruptly as she noticed something in the air that she hadn’t previously: the odor of burnt parchment. She glanced around the library in a frenzy for the source before her eyes fell upon the charred husk of a book which lay on the ground by the front entrance. Confusion continued to riddle the exhausted unicorn’s mind as she discovered so many oddities. What had happened today? Looking down at the table, she noticed something indiscriminate sitting among all the party favors. A small scrap of parchment bearing her own distinct writing was sprawled out blatantly on the table, completely separate from everything else. Picking it up in her telekinetic grasp and bringing it nearer, Twilight noticed several circular spots on the page where the parchment was darker and the ink was smeared. Putting the observation in the back of her mind, she read the note quietly to herself. Spike, Don’t panic, I didn’t get foalnapped in the middle of the night or anything. I just had to get an early start so I left before you woke up; I know you won’t mind. I’ll probably be gone most of the day, but it’s not like it matters too much, it would’ve been a pretty boring day otherwise. I’ve got nothing better to do today so I figured I’d take the chance to run this study errand now that the opportunity presents itself! I know you won’t have much to do today either, so could you please run to the grocery store for some more celery. Maybe pick up some quills and parchment too, it’s not like you won’t have the time! I know your day’s probably going to be pretty boring, but rest assured that mine won’t be! I’ll tell you all about it once I’m back. Twilight She remembered writing the note haphazardly as she had left for the train station in the morning, but thinking about it more carefully now, she was surprised at how much her words came off as a taunt of sorts. Secretly she had just been subtly hinting that her day was going to be really exciting by juxtaposing it against the general mundanity of Ponyville, but it didn’t seem to come off that way at all on paper. Focusing now on the darker splotches which covered the paper, Twilight thought about them carefully. She had worked with parchment long enough to recognized those marks as liquid stains, most likely water. But why would water have been dripped in such a random pattern as this instead of just having spilled outright and ruined the parchment? Unless... ...were they tears? Twilight looked up from the note at the scattered party scene. As she took in the room, all of the events of her tragic evening came to her mind—along with all the words of her upset friends—and she slowly put the pieces into place. “...the absolute worst thing you could’ve done...” “...nothing could excuse that...” “...it’s because you weren’t here...” “...loyalty’s a two way street...” “...not normally one to play cruel jokes...” “...you really forgot...” “...such a significant milestone...” “...obligations of friendship...” “...hurtful words...” “...hardly involves us at all...” Twilight’s eyes grew wider with each passing memory and her gaze spun all around the colorfully decorated room. She caught sight of the heavily burnt book in the corner, paused, and looked back down at the note that had triggered her mental spiral, “...nothing better to do today...” Her eyes began to water, but she still stood in complete shock at the realization that was bearing down on her relentlessly. One final piece was all she needed to complete this puzzle, and her watery vision caught sight of it as she glanced down at the ground directly in front of her. Attached to a scrap of emerald and amethyst wrapping paper was an ornate gift tag with three, soul-crushing words emblazoned on it. “Happy Birthday Spike” “Oh, look who finally showed up.” A completely heartbroken, speechless Twilight craned her head to the source of the voice. At the top of the stairs stood her closest, lifelong friend. The one who had stood by her side for so long, helping her in ways no one else could. The one who marked her first ever tight-knit friendship and had stayed loyal to her in so many ways that she could never hope to repay. The one who was her balance, her guide, her second half. The one she had completely neglected in the pursuit of glory. Spike stared down at her pitiful form, an indefinable expression of anger, disappointment, confusion, and hurt crossing his face. Throughout all her encounters with her friends tonight, Twilight had never felt more alone, helpless, or guilty than she did at that moment. An invisible barrier of extreme tension filled the void between the two creatures, their eyes locked in a silent struggle. “Spike... I... I...” was all Twilight could squeak out before her throat failed her. “Save it,” Spike replied ferociously. “I trusted you Twilight, I thought we could always depend on each other. I’ve devoted my whole life to making you happy, doing whatever you asked without ever asking for anything more than your friendship in return. That’s all I’ve ever wanted... and I thought I had that.” Twilight could do nothing but stare through weeping eyes as the dragon tore at her soul. “And then you go and completely throw all that away, passing off my birthday—the one day of the year that I just want to spend with my best friend without worrying about anything—as just another boring pointless day?!” Spike’s tone had developed a raspy edge and tears were beginning to well from his eyes as well. Twilight just sat, motionless. “After everything we’ve been through together, do you still think of me as nothing more than a worthless assistant?! A second-rate friend?! Less important than a study errand?!” Whatever Spike had planned on saying next seemed to die in his throat as his lips began to quiver and he curled up into a sobbing mass of solitude. “I... I thought you l-loved me. I loved you as more than just a best friend. You were like a m-m-m...” he clenched his eyes as he struggled for the word, “m-mother to me. How could you neglect me so easily? Do you not n-need me anymore?” Every word hit Twilight with the force of an asteroid, punching holes in her heart and leaving her at a complete lack for what to do. Her mind hoped that everything was just a bad dream. She wanted to wake up and celebrate her best friend’s birthday with him and let him know how much she cared about him. How much she needed him. More than anything she just wanted to find a way to make everything better. To fix her mistake. But she had done the unforgivable, and made the worst of a bad situation. Still a blubbering mess, Spike got to his feet and gave Twilight a look that could freeze fire. Trembling steadily, he waddled off into the darkness of the bedroom, leaving a completely shattered Twilight alone with her compendium of thoughts.