Sitting with his back to the rough bark of the library treehouse, Spike chewed on a spinel without much enthusiasm. The gemstone was anything but tasty and the young dragon couldn’t understand how some could possibly call it a ruby. This was no ruby! Rubies gave the impression of melting on your tongue and flooding your palate with spice; the spinel had nothing more than a stale bitterness to its pasty feel. Oh well... With the wartime restrictions on food, he would have to deal with what he was given. And spinels were always better than just grass.
Spike looked over his shoulder and was not surprised to see that lights were still on in Twilight’s room. When he had left for his evening walk around Ponyville, his friend was still buried in one of her heavy tomes about humans. Spike was willing to bet his scales that she was taking notes right now.
Twilight’s love of studying was not new by any means, and nor was her curiosity regarding the latest discoveries, but it seemed to the young dragon that her thirst for knowledge regarding humans was exaggerated.
Like everypony else, Spike had been very eager to meet this new kind of sapient bipeds, but he didn’t care about anything beyond the basic details, meaning which of the humans would side with them and which would not. For Twilight, it was different. She seemed to want to know everything there was to know about humans, from the most precise biological details to the long and overly complex history of their race. Spike suspected that by doing so, she would take her mind off the war and escape to her own private world of ink and wisdom.
And the dragon couldn’t really blame her. This world had been rather chaotic for the last thirty months or so.
First, there was Equestria being suddenly freed from its isolation due to some spell cast by Princess Celestia, with everypony discovering that the earth they believed to know by heart was in fact populated by millions and millions of a kind that nopony had ever heard of before. Then came the diplomatic relations that the princess had made for Equestria with human nations, followed by Celestia’s tragic demise, and all the nations of the world engaging in a gigantic conflict in which Equestria was thrown in... All of that was far beyond the rational understanding of things for a little dragon such as Spike, or for any Equestrian pony for that matter.
Spike gave a frustrated sigh and tried to take his mind off things with another mouthful of spinel. It didn’t work.
High above the dragon, perched on one of the branches of the treehouse, an owl hooted in the night. Spike looked up towards the immense dark branches, and for a split second, envied the creature that was nesting there. How lucky it was not to be concerned with the war. All it had to worry about was to hunt to gather enough food for its young and to find a nice spot to rest during the day. It needn’t think about how torn in two Equestria was since the start of the war, or worry about the fate of those ponies gone to the front.
Long before all of this, back when Spike and Twilight had just moved into Ponyville, the young unicorn had told a riddle to her number one apprentice, or rather, a philosophical question: Was it better to be a fool, or to be wise?
The dragon hadn’t even thought twice before answering: To be wise was the way to be, of course! Who would want the life of a dimwit?
Twilight hadn’t offered her opinion right then, preferring to set her book down on a table where other books were already stacked in an impressive pile before replying to Spike, a small smirk on her face. She’d told Spike that his stand on the matter was the most obvious one. It seemed common knowledge that the wise pony was better fitted to move on and discover the beautiful things in life. But, she said, the wise pony would move on to discover all the injuries, all the sufferings that he would never be able to face, that made for an unavoidable part of life. The fool however, would live for the now and without a care for such things, simply carrying his boat along the great river of life as best as its rudders could. Therefore, concluded the young unicorn, it all depends on what you choose for yourself, between wisdom and instant happiness.
Twilight had then added that she agreed with her assistant, her own opinion being that the wise pony could prepare itself for the difficulties of its life, and that the knowledge it gained everyday allowed it to play music, cook a nice meal for its friends and generally uncover all the secrets of life. And that was well worth all the joys of the fool’s life.
Spike had remained true to this philosophy for a very long time. But today... today... to be in the feathers of that owl for even just an hour, the dragon would give all the gems of Equestria and of all foreign lands beyond.
He was about to take another mouthful of spinel when he heard the sound of hooves shuffling the grass nearby. Spike’s ears perked up in surprise. Who would visit the library at this hour? The dragon peered into the night, and saw a shape draped in white and purple that took form as it came closer to him. When he was close enough to make out its azure eyes, Spike thought his heart would burst from joy.
“Rarity!” he cried out as he took three steps without thinking to get closer to his friend.
The unicorn smiled broadly when she saw him, and extending her hooves, seized him in an unrestrained embrace. Spike, who was both surprised and thrilled by this affectionate physical gesture wondered if he wasn’t actually dead or dreaming.
“Careful, Spikey-wikey,” she said in her gentle velvet voice. “You’re going to crease my new dress.”
Spike gently let go of her with a wide grin. Only Rarity could open a conversation with something to do with her clothing!
He took a step backwards, examining the unicorn’s dress. She was wearing a dress of a cream hue that went perfectly with the strip of lilac that ran across it, as well as a prune-colored scarf which hung on her belt. But all of that didn’t catch his eye as much as the giant hat the unicorn wore: to Spike it looked like a great white feather, as if a massive bird had let just a touch of its feathery fall to the ground, just for Rarity.
“Rarity...” said Spike after a few seconds, “You’re... absolutely stunning!”
“Thank you,” replied the unicorn with a blush. “It’s the latest fashion in Vienna, you know.”
Spike took her word for it, even though he didn’t know where that city of humans was exactly.
“How long have you been back?”
“Just now, I hopped off the train,” replied Rarity while walking towards the library. “I see that Twilight is still awake,” she said, pointing a hoof towards the library.
“She hardly sleeps anymore,” said Spike melancholically. “I don’t think she’s been out once in the last three weeks.”
“Oh, the poor dear! I hope my visit will do her some good.”
“I hope so too,” said the dragon as they arrived at the foot of the treehouse. He pushed the door to the library open and let his friend in.
As usual, the library was spotless and the books neatly shelved. But there was something different in the air. Maybe it was the dust covering the books that used to be Twilight’s favorite, or the staleness of the air. But mostly, the feeling came from a parchment that had yellowed with time, sprawled on the purple unicorn’s desk and bearing her neat and recognizable writing. Spike knew that parchment well, for having sent many of its kind to princess Celestia. They were the friendship reports that Twilight used to send regularly to the Equestrian ruler.
Twilight had been in the middle of writing one when news of Celestia’s death reached her. She’d immediately stopped, and had galloped outside to try to gather information. Ever since that day, Spike had never seen her pick up that letter again, and it stayed unfinished forever.
Rarity walked timidly through the library, looking about for her friend. Spike pointed her towards a small purple figure curled up on a bench, next to impressive piles of books that surrounded her like a book fort.
“Twilight!” called her assistant. “Look who came to visit!”
Twilight Sparkle lifted her muzzle from between the pages of her book and glanced over her shoulder.
“Oh, hey Rarity. You look good,” she mumbled before sinking back into her book.
“What do you mean, ‘oh hey Rarity’?” shouted Spike. “Rarity has been out of Equestria for over ten months and this is how you greet her?”
“It’s alright,” said Rarity, placing a soothing hoof on his shoulder. “Could you be a dear and go make us both a cup of tea?”
“Just for Rarity, Spike,” Twilight said flatly. “I’m not thirsty.”
Spike was about to protest but a look from Rarity, filled with kindness but still adamant, made him grant her request without another word. As he went to the kitchen, the dragon couldn’t help but notice how Rarity’s new job had affected even her behaviour.
While Spike was busy heating up the water and preparing the cups and herbs for tea, Rarity trotted towards her friend, and sat right next to her. Twilight was still completely absorbed in her book, not taking any notice of Rarity’s presence to her left.
The white unicorn gave two little coughs, which earned her Twilight’s attention.
The librarian gave an exasperated whinny and closed her book abruptly before setting it down with the others.
“What do you want, Rarity?” asked Twilight rather bluntly.
Surprised with her friend’s aggressiveness, Rarity waited a few seconds before answering.
“I just came to see you, that’s all,” she answered with a smile.
“Couldn’t this wait till tomorrow?”
“No, not really. The Empress wants to see me first thing in the morning, so--”
“The ‘Empress’?” cut in Twilight, raising an eyebrow at the word.
“Yes, well... you know... Luna. Our sovereign.”
“I’d forgotten she adopted that ridiculous title after her sister died,” grumbled Twilight. “Isn’t being the only reigning princess in Equestria enough for her?”
Rarity blinked in surprise. Several times. By all the beasts of the Everfree forest, what had gotten into her friend? First she ignored her, then she openly insulted the Empress...
“Darling,” said Rarity gently while placing her hoof on Twilight’s own, “are you sure you’re all right? You look exhausted.”
It wasn’t just the librarian’s unkempt hair that led her to believe it, but also the bags hanging heavily from under Twilight’s eyes like cheap makeup, as well as her abnormally dull eyes.
“I’m fine, thank you very much!” snapped back Twilight, withdrawing her leg. “And I’ll be doing even better once Spike will have brought you your tea, once you drink it and once you leave!”
“Twilight, dear,” Rarity whispered softly, “you don’t know what you’re saying.”
“No, I know very well what I’m saying,” replied Twilight. “But I don’t have anything to say to somepony who sold herself to Luna.”
It took Rarity all of her self-control to act ladylike and to not strike her friend hard across the cheek.
“I can understand how my current job may not suit your taste,” said Rarity with much diplomacy. “After all, you and Celestia were very close and--”
“I forbid you from saying her name in my presence,” hissed Twilight, spitting out each word icily. “You are the last person in all of Equestria with whom I want to talk about the princess right now. Now, if you’ll excuse me...”
And without waiting for a reply, the unicorn opened up her book and buried her face in it once more. Rarity stayed there without doing anything for a few moments. Then she adjusted her hat, got off the bench and, her head hanging low, walked sulkily towards the door.
Spike joined her outside, bringing her her tea with two sugars, just the way she liked it. The unicorn and the dragon stayed there for a moment in silence, watching Ponyville sleep.
“That didn’t go nearly as well as I had hoped,” Rarity said in between two slurps of her tea.
“Celestia’s death was terribly upsetting for Twilight,” said Spike. “And things only got worse with time.”
“Same for Equestria,” said the unicorn wistfully after a long while. “Does Twilight never leave the library?”
Spike shook his head.
“Not even to see the girls?” asked Rarity.
“Don’t you know?” replied the surprised dragon. “Twilight is the only one of you six that still lives in Ponyville.”
It was Rarity’s turn to be stunned. Spike quickly resumed the situation for her, counting off his claws.
“Rainbow and Fluttershy both left for the front in the beginning of the war; like all the other pegasi, actually. You were appointed to diplomatic relations by Luna shortly afterwards.”
“Sure, but what about Pinkie Pie? And Applejack?”
“Pinkie just kept on being Pinkie,” explained the dragon with a defeated shrug. “I don’t think she fully realizes what war means; though I can’t say I do, either. She decided to go cheer up the ponies on the front by setting up some sort of travelling show. Last news we got of her was that she was leaving for a place called Falanders, I think. Where’s Falanders, anyway?”
“It’s Flanders, Spike,” corrected Rarity. “It’s in Belgium. Not very far from where Rainbow and Fluttershy are stationed, in fact. I do hope they get to meet each other there. And what about Applejack?” she asked. “Did she go with her?”
“Not exactly...” said Spike, seeming to have chosen the words carefully. “The thing is, Applejack was kinda like Twilight, she found it hard to stomach the princess’s death as well as Luna being crowned as the only ruler of Equestria. But you know what AJ’s like, she was always one to speak her mind out loud. A bit too much, maybe. She took a stand against Luna, several times and quite radically. The princess-- uh, I mean the Empress, let it slide a few times, but when she saw that AJ wouldn’t quit, she decided to punish her. Remember how Sweet Apple Acres was given to her family by princess Celestia, to Applejack’s great-grandfather?”
Rarity nodded.
“Yeah, well,” continued Spike, “Luna simply figured she was in her right to reclaim the farm and all its orchards.”
“The Empress did that?” exclaimed Rarity, bewildered.
“It was only supposed to be temporary, until AJ offered a public apology and started showing some support for Luna; but Applejack took the confiscation of her land very badly. She fought the imperial guards that came to execute Luna’s orders and wounded some of them very badly. One guard died from his wounds in the hospital.”
“So Applejack’s in prison now?” asked Rarity.
“She split town after that,” explained Spike. “No one really knows where she went but she left Equestria, that’s for sure. Luna condemned her to exile in absentia.”
“So that’s why Twilight’s been left all alone,” said Rarity with a last sip of her tea.
“Yeah,” added the dragon in a saddened tone. “I hope this war ends soon so that you can all come back to Ponyville. I’m sure Twilight would feel that much better if she knew that her friends were there safe and sound by her side.”
Rarity would have replied that there was little chance of Applejack ever returning to Ponyville, even once the war was over with, but she didn’t want to burst her friend’s bubble. Instead she simply nodded and gave him a weak smile.
In spite of the sugar in her tea, there was a bitter taste in her mouth.
“What about you?” asked Spike. “How are your missions throughout Europe going?”
“Ah, well,” said Rarity with a smile, “I’m always either in the train, or on a boat. I meet people that dress as fancily as they speak and that don’t seem to mind conversing with a unicorn in any way.”
“And what’s Europe like?”
Rarity momentarily stared into space.
“It’s magnificent, Spike,” she said after a while. “Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Budapest... I was even in London once!” she exclaimed with stars in her eyes. “I just don’t understand why Celestia only broke the Equestria isolation spell when she did.”
All of these unknown human city names were making Spike’s head spin. Also, they gave him the burning desire to see them all.
“When the war is over,” said Rarity, “I’ll take you to Austria, to the city of Kraków. That’s the city of the dragon!” she added with a wide smile.
“Really? You Pinkie promise?”
“Really!” she replied with a laugh. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”
Spike joined his friend in merry laughter, while far from there a rooster sang to announce the sunrise; or rather, to announce to Empress Luna that it was time for her to raise the sun.
“Already?” said Rarity, examining the sky. “I have to go back to Canterlot immediately. And Spike, in case we don’t see each other until much later...”
The unicorn bent down and planted a kiss on the dragon’s forehead.
“Take care of Twilight for me, all right?”
Spike wanted to pinkie promise to her that he would, but only painstakingly managed to blurt out a series of incoherent noises. But it didn’t matter, for Rarity hadn’t noticed and by then was already galloping to the train station to catch the next train to Canterlot.
The dragon stayed there for a while longer, watching the love of his life shrink into the distance until she disappeared. He gave a sigh of melancholy and went back inside the library treehouse.
Perhaps now that Twilight was alone, she would want some tea.