//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Dawning Reality // by WordSPark37 //------------------------------// DAWNING REALITY Chapter One Slowly but steadily, the minute hand on a hanging clock took away precious time to prepare for the night’s festivities as Twilight busily scribbled down everything on a dry piece of parchment. The scratching of the ink-laden quill was enough to alert Spike that manual labor was imminent. And based on the intensity and frequency of the scratching, it would be enough to keep him busy for the rest of the day. However little was left of it. A single lazy eyelid clicked open, as Spike’s scales clacked and trembled with his after-nap stretch. No matter how old he was, sleeping was still his favorite pasttime. He figured it had something to do with his cold blood, or maybe the fact that he was a dragon. Or maybe he was just sleepy by nature. Whatever the reason, Spike knew that when quills were scratching and checklists were being made, sleep had to be forgone for the greater good of Twilight’s sanity. Spike dusted himself off, rising from the floor, and standing at full height, let out a trademark yawn, complete with a drowsy flame. Yet another scorch mark was added to the already numerous collection on the ceiling. As expected, the doorknob rattled, surrounded by a purple glow, indicating Twilight would be notifying him of his tasks for the day, and Spike dropped onto all fours, to match Twilight’s height. Everyone, including Spike, found the size difference a bit intimidating, so Spike did what he could to shrink down to pony size. “Spike, you awake yet?” As the door rolled open, Spike puffed out a small cloud of smoke to greet her. “Oh, real mature…” Twilight coughed, uselessly waving the smoke away with her hoof. Once she could breathe, a familiar scroll floated into the room, smacking Spike on the head before being shoved into his hands. Twilight just smiled slyly, turning around before calling out her final and obvious directions. “Those are all of today’s chores! And don’t forget about tonight!” “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get right on it…” Spike muttered with playful sarcasm. The purple dragon sat back on his tail as he used his hands to roll open the scroll and inspect its contents. As usual, the chores were those Twilight herself couldn’t accomplish as easily with magic. First on the list, prepare picnic spread. Spike scoffed. Twilight’s attempts at cooking or baking had always ended in disasters, which he would always have to clean up. Thankfully, she’d given up, but ever since ponies had discovered Spike’s knack for cooking, he’d been stuck in the kitchen more times than he cared to count. The rest of the chores were the usual. Cleaning, organizing, shelving, etc. Still, those were the easiest, and years of following a routine meant speed and efficiency had been maximized. All that meant was that he’d have to hurry up and get those chores done quickly if he wanted to finish baking any sort of treat before tonight. As he was about to walk out into the library, Spike stopped. Tonight? He scratched at the scales above his head as he tried to remember. It seemed that every summer night was a special event in Ponyville. This usually just meant that much more work. But try as he may, that night’s event escaped him, and he finally shrugged it off. He’d have time to ask Twilight after he finished everything on the list. If there was one thing Spike couldn’t complain about, it was a lack of ambiance in the tree during the day, when Twilight’s humming managed to lift even the gloomiest moods. He worked restlessly, multitasking all the while. His growth spurt had come with increased stamina and agility, as well as size, granting him the well-appreciated ability to complete his chores with more ease than when he was a, well, younger dragon. Still, it took nearly four hours to finally get everything set up neatly, just the way Twilight liked it. He wiped sweat from his brow, and collapsed under the streaming sunlight near a western window. Content that he’d finished all of his chores with a good two hours of sunlight left, Spike admired Twilight’s magic handiwork as she inspected his work. It wasn’t long before she saw his drowsy stare and sauntered over to where he lay. “Everything good, then?” Spike asked, a mischievous smile forming on his lips. Twilight responded in kind, mirroring his expression with a dash of curiosity, as she tried to analyze his body language. “So far…why? Did you cut corners?” “None that you would notice.” Twilight chuckled, turning away in defeat. Spike propped himself up on his elbow as he watched his older sister walk back towards her precious books. “How about the spread? Did you get started on that?” Spike let out a playful puff of smoke and rolled back onto all fours, still trying to remember what big event required food. It was a lost cause, and Spike finally resorted to simply asking Twilight. It left a gaping hole in his pride, and giving Twi the opportunity to show off her greater organization skills was something he abhorred. But once again, she’d played a better game, and he found himself cornered in a devastating checkmate. “Well, um… what, exactly, was it for?” Spike shrank down, almost cringing at Twilight’s false look of surprise on her face. Still, she couldn’t have fooled Pinkie, with that smug smile beginning to form on her lips. “You mean you don’t remember?” “Come on Twi, what’s the big deal about tonight?” “Spike!” Twilight said in an elongated, almost whiny tone, disappointment mingling with pride. “Tonight’s the first full summer moon!” “So we’re going to go watch the moon again? Should I get the telescope then?” Spike could tell he’d said the wrong thing when Twilight’s head dropped and she let out an exaggerated sigh. “No, Spike! Tonight is the annual summer play in the park, remember? We had the Hearth Warming’s eve play this year, so the Summer Moon play is being held by the Ponyville Actor’s Guild!” “There’s an actor’s guild here?” “Spike!” “Sorry! How was I supposed to remember? It’s like there’s something happening every day now, I can’t keep track of every date!” Twilight turned away once again, clearly hoping to return to her studies on Pre-Equestrian history, while simultaneously carrying on the conversation. “Well, stop your whining and get cooking then, I already told everypony that I’d bring the food.” “Everypony?” “Don’t worry, it’ll be just six of us, plus you!” “Well, gee, thanks!” Spike said in a teasing sarcastic tone, as he crawled towards the kitchen. The doors swung wide open as the adolescent dragon shoved his way inside, putting together a decent midnight meal in his mind. A/N: Well, this is just a little sneak-peek to my writing style and the intro to this story, which I hope will develop into a multi-chapter story, most likely spanning 5-7 chapters! This is just because I wanted to share SOMETHING with the people here, and see what kind of reception I receive! Any suggestions or criticisms any of you may have, I would REALLY appreciate it!