Just one week.
Fanfic by englishwitch
Edited by DerpyDash2131
Disclaimer: The following is an entirely fan-created parody. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, its characters and all other affiliated merchandise are the intellectual property of Lauren Faust and Hasbro. Please support the official MLP: FiM show.
I make no profit, or money at all, for the production and distribution of this fanfiction.
Chapter 5
Day 2
Twilight woke to the gentle humming of Spike. The smell of pancakes reached her nose a second later.
With a smile, she opened her eyes. Spike was carrying a plate stacked high with pancakes that were decorated with blueberries and dripping with maple syrup.
"Breakfast, Twilight." Spike smiled as he brought the plate up to her.
"Breakfast in bed?" Twilight grinned as she sat up to eat. "Thank you, Spike. That's so nice."
Spike blushed and handed the plate over. "Well, actually, it was your mom's idea. She said 'you should enjoy a good breakfast, and not worry, she'll take care of everything.'"
"Take care of everything?" Twilight looked at the clock and gasped. She should have been up almost two hours ago. She had to open the library. She leapt out of bed, almost spilling her breakfast over the floor.
"Twilight, relax." Spike tried to reason with her, but she didn't hear him. With mighty leaps, she dashed down the stairs, taking them four at a time.
"WAAAAAAA!!!" Twilight screamed as she crashed into a stallion at the foot of the stairs. The two of them tumbled together in one huge ball of hair and hooves, rolling across the library floor until they crashed into the far wall.
Moaning and groaning, the two ponies untangled themselves from each other.
"Wow that hurt." The stallion groaned, "I got to be more careful where I stand." A brown coat, a dark brown mane and an hourglass for a cutie mark. Time Turner, the clock maker and repair pony for all of Ponyville. He single-hoofedly made sure the Ponyville clock tower always ran on time.
"Sorry Turner." Twilight blushed and rubbed her head with a hoof. "I didn't expect anypony to be in here.
"Didn't Spike tell you, dear?"
Twilight and Turner looked to the voice, Twilight Velvet was approaching. "I opened the library for you. I can run things for a little while so you can sleep in. You really do work too hard." She looked at the two of them. "My, you're bleeding."
Twilight looked down at herself. Her knee was scraped, but it was nothing worse than a trickle of blood. "I'm fine." Twilight mutter, guessing where this was leading.
"No, no." Twilight Velvet. She threw a hoof around her daughter and dragged her to the table in the middle of the room. Her horn glowed with a white aura. A small white box floated out of the kitchen and landed between the two of them. "We should get that cleaned and dressed. Don't want it getting infected now, do we?"
Twilight sighed heavily as her mother used her magic to open the box, her first aid kit, to pull out cotton swabs, antiseptic and a small bandage.
"Mum, I don't need a bandage, it's just a graze."
"We should keep the area clean, now, bring up that knee."
Twilight complied, only because she knew if she didn't Velvet would use her magic to bring it up herself. She glowered at Turner, who was looking at the book case with rapt attention, but was fooling no one, he was snickering too loudly.
Velvet dabbed the swaps with the disinfectant, carefully cleaned Twilight's knee and wrapped the gauze bandage around the minor injury. "There we go. Good as new."
Twilight pulled her leg from the table before her mother decided to kiss it better. "Can I help you with anything Turner?" She rounded on the brown pony, who shook his head slowly, an irritating grin on his face.
"Just looking for some light reading." He smirked. "Might be a while."
Twilight growled quietly. Her horn glowed, and her magic grabbed a random book from the Romance section. "Here." She hovered the book in front of his face.
He looked at the cover, a mare with the wind blowing through her mane standing on a cliff top, looking out to sea.
"I don't know."
"It's great." Twilight said flatly. Her levitation expanded and gripped Turner, dragging both pony and book to the door. "You'll laugh, you'll cry, it'll change your life." She pushed the pony outside, pushing the book into his hooves and closed the door on his face.
She turned to face her mother. Velvet looked at her, with incredulity. "If that's how you treat customers it's no wonder the place is empty most of the time." She sighed and shook her head, showing a patience only a parent can show. "Time Turner and I were having a lovely conversation while he browsed. Did you know he's single?"
Twilight said nothing. She thought Turner had a budding relationship with Derpy, the mail mare. Maybe not a full relationship yet but certainly more than friendship.
"Where's Dad?" She hoped the change of subject would work.
Velvet's posture became stiff. "Your father decided to sneak out when I wasn't looking instead of helping me." She said in a hot tone. "He's probably out somewhere making a fool of himself."
Twilight’s stomach suddenly growled very loudly. Her mother shook her head. “You shouldn’t skip breakfast dear, it’s not good for you. Now, you head upstairs and have those pancakes.”
“Ummm...too late.” Spike emerged, with an empty plate in his hands, syrup around his mouth and a sheepish grin.
Velvet sighed, smiled and shook her head. “Okay.” She half laughed. “I’ll just make some more. Spike, can you be a dear and hold the fort for just a few minutes?”
Spike nodded his head, a proud smile on his face. “No problem Auntie Velvet. I’ve taken care of the library before.”
Velvet looked surprised. “Oh really?” She said nothing else but her look urged Twilight to follow her. It was one of those unspoken commands that a parent could somehow communicate. Twilight never knew how, or when, parents learned how to do that.
She was led down into the kitchen where Velvet began mixing up a fresh batch of pancake batter while Twilight busied herself with her usual morning cup of tea.
“You leave Spike in charge of the library, alone?” Velvet asked, trying to sound casual.
“He’s my assistant, mum.” Twilight explained. She took her cup of tea and sat at the small table.
“He’s been in and around libraries all his life. He knows how to take care of the place when I’m not around. And the Ponyville library is a lot easier to run than the school library in Canterlot.”
“But he’s just a baby dragon.” Velvet looked concerned.
“He’s almost eleven. He’s only a baby in dragon terms. They live for thousands of years; he won’t even be considered a teenager until he’s almost a hundred.”
“He’s still a baby.” Velvet replied. “Maybe you work him too hard?”
Twilight sipped at her tea, choosing not to get into the same old argument. Spike had plenty of free time and enjoyed the work and responsibility he was given. He was never shy about complaining if he thought he was being treated unfairly. She wished her mother could see that. But, as always, she had a bit of a blind spot when it came to Spike.
Twilight Velvet finished the pancakes, stacking them on a clean plate and drizzling them with syrup. Twilight Sparkle licked her lips as the meal hovered across the room and landed in front of her. She was about to take her knife and fork when her mother snatched the utensils in her own magic and started to cut the pancakes into bite size pieces.
“Mum?” She looked at Velvet, who grinned sheepishly as she realised what she was doing; she was cutting up Twilight’s pancakes for her, as she had done when her daughter was a filly.
“Sorry, force of habit.” She half laughed and let Twilight take the utensils in her own magical aura of levitation. “I’ll head back upstairs and make sure Spike is okay?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “He’ll be fine, mum. He knows we’re down here. He’ll call if he needs any help. Sit down and have some tea. We haven’t had the chance to catch up yet.”
Velvet looked to the stairs for a few seconds then nodded. Her child’s logic this time was sound, Spike would call if he needed help. She sat at the table, her horn aglow while the tea made itself behind her back. Twilight never knew how she did that, the last time she’d tried to move something without looking at it the only thing she’d done was leave a stain on the ceiling that still refused to vanish- even under the most intense cleaning spells!
“So,” Velvet smiled, “are you seeing anypony?”
Twilight sighed and shook her head. A chance to talk, really talk, and that was the subject she brought up. “No mum. There’s been no pony. No dates, no relationships, no dinners for two, or coffee in the afternoon, or secret midnight rendezvous. I’m not seeing anypony at all.”
Her mind briefly flashed to an image of Big Macintosh and the experience they had shared. No, he didn’t count. It was to get Smarty Pants back and she’d Pinkie Promised never to speak of it again.
The teacup landed gently on the table in front of Velvet. “It’s a shame. I had hoped you might meet somepony at Shining’s wedding. But I suppose, what with the changelings and all...”
Twilight stopped halfway through her breakfast. “Mum, please. Can we not talk about this? I just haven’t had time for dating. I’ve been too busy with my studies. I can’t let down the princess.”
Velvet smiled proudly. “I know dear. You never liked the thought of letting anypony down, but I’m sure the princess would let you to take a break from your studies to explore relationships.”
“Maybe she would.” Twilight sighed. “But I just haven’t met that special somepony yet.”
“You won’t while you spend your nights inside with your studies and your books. You should try and get out more, socialise with ponies and make some more friends.”
Twilight sighed inwardly. This conversation could go on all day with the two of them saying the same things again and again. She bought herself a few minutes of silence by stuffing her mouth with pancakes. Velvet took the time to drink her tea. She was beginning to sense that the subject needed to be changed.
She cleared her throat. “I -”
They were suddenly interrupted by a yell from upstairs. Spike yelping in shock. Both mares leapt away from the table and raced up the stairs into the main library room.
They both skidded to a halt at the sight before them.
Night Light was wearing a long coat, it was the golden yellow colour of fresh straw, decorated with a whole rainbows worth of gems along the cuffs, trim and hem. It ran long down his flank, almost hiding his cutie mark.
Twilight Sparkle and Velvet, stared with twin expressions of shock, horror, fear, and disgust.
"Dad...what happened?"
Night Light proudly turned, letting the mares get a full look at his new garment. Twilight Sparkle almost facehoofed, in the centre of the coats back were silver rhinestones arranged to look like her fathers cutie mark.
"You like?" He asked, his grin widening. "Pretty cool? Pretty stylish and hip?"
"Where in Equestira did you get that thing?" Velvet asked, her eyes widening in dismay.
Night Light seemed oblivious to their dislike, "There's a marvelous boutique here in town, run by Sparkle's friend Rarity." He nodded to his daughter. "She's told us all about her in her letters. Well, since she's a mare on the cutting edge of fashion I decided to browse. I caught her working on this as soon as I walked in."
Twilight shook her head in disbelief. "Rarity was making THAT?!"
Night Light nodded proudly. "She was making the coat, I made the suggestion of the gems to add a little... pizazz. " He seemed happy with his choice of word. "I'm sorry, kiddo, I know you aren't up to date on what's cool, but I don't think that Rarity is as talented a fashionista as you think she is. She fought against all my suggestions. She thought something plain and boring would be better." He laughed lightly and shook his head. "I managed to persuade her in the end, and I know she realised she was wrong, as she had tears of joy in her eyes as I left."
Twilight Sparkle really did facehoof this time. She made a mental note to apologize to Rarity later. She made a second mental note to get Spike to 'accidentally' burn that coat the second her father took it off. "You've been out in public, like that?" She already knew the answer but she couldn't help herself.
Night Light shrugged. "I know, I should have waited until tonight, a big unveiling at the bar. But once it was finished I couldn't resist showing it off." He glanced at Twilight Velvet. "By the way, I'm going out tonight. I ran into a few guys from Canterlot and made a few pals here in Ponyville, we're meeting up tonight at the inn."
Velvet rolled her eyes and sighed. "Another night of drinking?"
Night Light shrugged casually, "I'm just having a little fun." He swaggered off, heading back out the door and out into Ponyville.
Twilight Sparkle looked at her mother, who just sighed and shook her head.
"You're not going to say anything, are you?" She pressed.
Velvet just shook her head. "If your father wants to make an ass of himself, that's his prerogative." A face by the window caught her attention; Cranky Donkey had been walking by as she had spoken. "No offence."
Cranky nodded his head and grunted. "None taken."
Twilight Sparkle looked over to Spike, who was still staring into space, in a state of shock. She waved a hoof in front of his face, he didn't even blink. "SPIKE!" She shouted in his face. The dragon flinched and snapped back to reality.
"Twilight?" He looked at her in shock. "Your dad...he-"
"I know Spike." She said grimly. "I saw." She felt a shudder. A coat like that wouldn't look good outside of a Sapphire Shores concert. It wasn't for general wear and wouldn't have looked good on a stallion half his age.
"He forced Rarity to make something so ugly." Spike shook his head. "Can I go visit? Make sure she's okay?"
Twilight smiled at Spike's concern. "Of course, go ahead."
Spike was out of the door so fast he was just a purple blur. Pinkie Pie on coffee couldn't move so fast.