Confrontations Pt. 2
Spike cursed the morning rays of light that had assaulted his dried and sleepless eyes.
The entirety of night previous was not one of his best, the numb feeling in his body was intense and his nerves were on edge. Every time he closed his eyes, the smell of the air brought memories of his life in the hollowed out oak tree. His previous life anyway. Not that he was unhappy with it, but he didn't want that life anymore. He'd grown, he'd matured and he'd found a new sense of self worth that made him want more.
He wanted to do as he pleased, but also he didn't want to hurt the mare's feelings. How could he compromise the two?
Before he could repeat the series of slumber rejecting thoughts again, the basement door opened with the object of his struggle greeting him. "Good morning Spike!" She said happily. "Breakfast is ready."
Reluctantly, the drake arose from the makeshift bed of a blanket, pillow and ground and stretched out his limbs. Twilight had insisted that he take the guest room, since he would no longer fit in his basket, not that he was sad about that mind you, but he declined in favor of the basement's cold ground. He couldn't explain why, but he didn't feel comfortable enough to sleep in a bed in this place yet. It still felt a little alien here, dispute the life he'd spent within.
"Alright, thanks." He stood and cracked his neck a bit, much to the unicorns revulsion.
"Um, ok. it'll be upstairs." With that, Twilight nodded awkwardly and trotted back from whence she came. Leaving the drake to stare blankly up to the door.
'Why do I feel this way? Why don't I want to go up there? I'm home now, I've proven that I can take care of myself. Twilight doesn't seem mad at me, nopony did. So why do I feel so unsure right now?'
Gulping down his fear and mustering his courage, Spike quickly ascended the stairs, as if any sign of hesitation would force him to turn around and curl back up under the blanket. 'Keep it cool Spike, nothing bad will happen. It's just breakfast.'
Quickly enough, he soon found himself in the dinning area where a well sized stack of rubies and emeralds laid out in a spread on the table. His stomach raged for the delicious gems to be within it, and reminded him just how long it had been since last he ate.
He licked his lips as he eyed the stack before him, finally he reached out, grabbed an emerald and brought it to his mouth. His mind went into Nirvana as the sweet rock assaulted his taste buds. True he'd gone with out gem stones for long periods of time, but this one was simply fantastic. There had to be more to it than met the eye.
"Hey there Spike, feeling better?" Twilight asked with a smile.
"Sure am," he replied happily, the gems making him forget his troubles for a moment. He raised one of the emeralds, "these are delicious Twi! What are they?"
The mare chuckled. "There just gem stones, Spike." She nuzzled him, "The same ones I've always given you."
Glass broke and the world came to a screeching halt, the feeling he before came back stronger than ever.
'Always given me?'
Was this how his relationship with Twilight would always be? He a child who would always need to be "given" things? Dissuaded from earning, or being seen as equally capable of it? It made sense he'd be feeling this way, he rationalized that the mare's actions the night before and recently were just her trying to cope with his return. Running him a bath, getting his favorite book, cooking for him.
But he didn't want that attention and treatment anymore. Things had changed, he had changed.
"Are you ok, Spike?" She asked in concern. Apparently, his lack of movement had lasted a bit longer than he'd thought.
Maybe he'd just need to nudge it in the right direction. Try to bring the new Spike to light and let the old one go. "Yea, I'm fine." He shrugged nonchalantly before stuffing his face with an emerald. "Just thinking."
"Oh? What's on your mind?"
"Stuff."
"Okay? Care to share?"
'"Stuff"? Really Spike?'
He swallowed and stroked his chin, trying to appear more sophisticated. "Just what's happened lately, you know." Considering what all had gone on, it wouldn't be a stretch to have a few things to dwell on. The air ship, the first killing he'd ever seen, the fight where he'd assaulted Sin, and now returning home.
Twilight nodded in understanding and smiled. "Well your home now." She leaned in and kissed the dragon's forehead. "And that's all that matters."
'All that matters? Me being here is all the counts?' He refrained from words. Obviously he'd need to kick things up a notch if he wanted to get out of the motherly affection phase.
"Yea," Spike rubbed the affectionate-ed area. As the mare took her own seat to eat, the dragon began contemplating a new approach. "Hey Twilight, you think it's time I got a job?"
In a second, the addressed spat out her food and coughed a bit. "A job?! Where did that come from?"
He shrugged. "We'll, while I was traveling, I've been developing some skills." He retrieved his bag and pulled out some gems and his gem carving kit. Twilight looked on with impressed eyes at the exquisite and refined craftsmanship of the different shaped gems he presented. Spike was just happy he hadn't eaten them... yet. "There's loads of stuff I can do in town. I can cook, manual labor, maybe get a job over at quills and sofas."
"Those are very impressive." She conceded. "But you're still a baby dragon Spike, and there are laws in place that wouldn't let anyone higher you."
The drake looked himself over than gave her a deadpan. "Really?" She couldn't seriously be denying his matured form, true he wasn't a full grown behemoth yet, but calling him a 'baby' was hardly accurate anymore. Though, Twilight didn't seem to buy it, electing instead to push the fact that the labor laws in place would be upheld.
In a matter of minutes the conversation had escalated into a debate about how unfair such a law was. After all, dragon maturation wasn't the same as that of a pony. Even for his age, he was a great deal brighter than those who'd be considered his peers. As was his maturity level and now his body. Why was Twilight so adamant about keeping with some silly regulation?
"I'm sorry Spike, but I wont let you break the law." She took a calming breath. "Look, if you want me to start paying you for your chores around the library than-"
"It's not about that." He sighed in frustration. "Never mind, just forget it." There was no point, she chose a stupid law over her own assistant. If he wasn't allowed a job here, than there was little else he could do to be seen as an adult.
The dragon stood from his undersized chair and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Twilight asked in a sudden panic.
"To see Sin." He replied before stepping out and walking to the forest, any more words lost to him. "At least he gets me."
To his surprise, he actually found the desired stallion while venturing into the market district. Sin in Ponyville? Well, that's unexpected. True to his word, he greeted the pony, "hey Sin."
"Morning," He replied in his usual empty way.
Deciding his own troubles could wait a bit, Spike inquired as to why the pony was in town.
"Just came to get some liquor." Sin replied before continuing on his way, a very confused Spike in tow. "If I'm going to be stuck here, doesn't mean I have to be sober while doing it."
The drake wasn't completely sure how to take such a blunt, not to mention discomforting, statement. Since when did Sin drink? "Oh, uh, ok. But what about Pinkie's party?"
"Yea, that's another reason."
The two reached the only booth that had what the pony was looking for, though he seemed none to pleased with the fact that wine was his only alcoholic option. With a few bits he obtained through selling his gems, the pony paid for a couple of bottles and went on about his way.
"I'd expect you to back home with Ms. Twilight. Why are you out here?"
Spike grumbled and crossed his arms in a pout. "She's still her motherly self."
Ah, nothing more need be said. But that didn't mean that the dragon have plans to do so anyway.
Sin was no stranger to listen to the dragon's rants. Be it about the lavender unicorn or that white one he was(?) in love with before he left. The kid seldom had little to say. Considering the random arraignment of torn fluff and disembodied filly doll heads stuck on tree branches the pony had woken up to this morning, some sensical conversation was very much in order.
So, the mare was treating him like a kid and he wanted to be seen as an adult. At least, that's what he got out of the fifteen minute ramble he was given. There might have been some kind of strange desire for the dragon to sleep with his mother in a romantic way, but that may have just been a misunderstanding. He stuck with the former topic, for obvious reasons.
"Well, you were practically her child." He shrugged as the two walked out of town. "It's only natural that she'd still hold to her old beliefs."
Against his better judgement, the pony also motioned how Spike just dumped the fact he wanted to get a job after he got back for being gone for six months. The reaction was as expected.
"You're saying this is my fault?"
"No, what I am saying is you've been away for a while," Sin said matter of fact-ly as they began approaching a small cottage on the edge of the forest. "And she, as your caregiver, may have wanted to spend some time with you?" It was actually more a statement than question, but that format was typically the best way to get to his friend.
"Yea, well, I'm not a baby anymore."
Apparently this wasn't working. Maybe he really was being overly babied? He had lead a pretty sheltered life before, this country wasn't exactly known for it's strife and peril... Well, since Discord and Nightmare Moon anyway.
He chuckled inwardly, He remembered that incident happened while he was in the Senate. Everyone was complaining about Celestia not raising the sun that day. The country was on the verge of actually sending an emissary to see why the sun princess wasn't preforming her duties. Equestria wasn't the only country who'd suffer from it after all.
They approached the entrance and Sin gave his attention to the building on his left. It was a kind of burrow natural home. He had to admit, it was quite a pleasant place, animals scuttled about, there was a garden full of delicious and healthy looking foods, and the location of the real estate was simply impeccable for his needs. If the place wasn't occupied, he'd seriously consider purchase.
"Spike?"
Sin looked around, he could have sworn he heard something. "Did you hear that?"
"Fluttershy." Spike pointed with his thumb.
Oh yes, the pink maned mare from before. The other four he'd gotten a feel for, and Rarity reminded him of a pony who made him want to empty his stomach every time he thought of her. If memory serves, this would be the final of the six of Celestia's pets.
Or it would be if she hadn't stopped at the front yard and look on like an elk about to be pounced by a mantacor.
"Don't be afraid Fluttershy," Spike said kindly before pointing a lazy claw at Sin. "He's not as dangerous as he looks."
After a brief moment of indecisiveness, the mare began to approach again, albeit, more cautiously. "Uh..." She said something else but the calm quiet of winter drowned her out."
After a few requests for her to repeat herself, the pegasus finally spoke above a whisper. While the two conversed, Sin decided to have a philosophical moment.
It was a common theme that ponies here would be aptly named. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Now Fluttershy? One had to wonder: Did parents push their kids into these names? Applejack was obvious, but was Rainbow's parents the pressure putting folks to push their daughter to be the fastest? Did this Fluttershy's parents intentionally shelter her from the world or abuse her to make her as shy and withdrawn as demonstrated?
Windmane always took pride in his Equestrian derived name. Compared to most, it did sound exotic, but he didn't care much for flying. So naming incorrectly was possible. How embarrassing would it be to end up with a suggestive name and having no skill or interest in that area? Now that would be cruel. Of course there's always changing one's name. But how hard would that be in terms of legalities?
"Sin?"
'Oh wonderful, they want something.'
"Sin."
"Hmmm?"
"It's true you're living in the Everfree forest, right?"
"Yes." he nodded.
"Oh my, isn't that dangerous?"
Sin just shrugged, and the group stood in awkward silence.
"... um. Ok. I'm sorry for asking." She hid behind her mane a bit.
Sin furrowed his brow, her shy mannerisms, it struck a cord with him. Submissive and timid, two things he really hated in the world. Lack of a back bone was always a gate way to be ruled, he was half expecting a violent boyfriend to poke his head out of the door and start yelling at her to get inside. It was always individuals like her that would be the poster pony for more intrusive law to "protect" the weak and meek.
"Yea, ok." He turned his attention back to Spike. "As for what we were discussing earlier, I'm not saying you're wrong. However, I do think you should give her a real chance. From what I gather, you're just stressed and just projecting it onto her."
Spike rolled his eyes. "But she's treating me like a child, and keeps going on about how laws are preventing me from getting a job."
Sin froze mid step, now that part the dragon had failed to mention previously. He turned and was given an elaboration about how his age would make it difficult for him to work.
As much as Sin would love to rip into the protige of the Sun Monarch, he had to be fair. It wasn't Twilight's fault that those kind of regulation were in place. And that the dragon shouldn't be angry at her for them.
"I guess you're right." Spike sighed. "But I don't want to go back to being treated like a child. I just... I don't know." He looked to Fluttershy for some advice on the matter, which gave Sin a moment.
After a moment of thought, an idea came to the stallion. "Find me in the forest tomorrow morning." He smirked, "and bring a shovel and lunch."
Before the drake could as why, Sin disappeared into the dark of the forest.