//------------------------------//
// Chapter Seven (Or What's Written Of It) 
// Story: Placebo 
// by Sepulcher 
//------------------------------//

	I woke up to the sound of quiet sobbing coming from Twilight's bed. I quietly got up from my bedding on the floor and slowly walked over to her bedside. "Are you alright, Twilight?" I said quietly, hoping not to startle her.

Twilight pulled her head of her pillow and looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "I just had a bad dream," she said drearily. 

I shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to ask, but I did anyway. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked away and shook her head. "Okay Twilight, but if you ever need someone to talk too, I'm here."

Twilight got out of bed, her mane flattened on one side. "Thank you for the offer Ryder. I'll be sure to keep it in mind."

I looked outside and into the morning sun. "Well, today's the day I start my report. So tell me: what constitutes an average day for you?"

Twilight visibly brightened. "Well," she said while combing her hair with magic, "I normally have a checklist made the day before for the next day's tasks. Spike probably has it. SPIKE!"

A sleepy purple and green dragon came into the room rubbing his eyes with one claw and holding a piece of parchment in the other. "Good morning to you too, Twilight," said Spike as he gave her the list. "I'm going to go make breakfast."

"What's on the agenda for today?" I asked.

"Hmm..." said Twilight as she studied the list. "It looks like first we have to go to Fluttershy's. Something about a large creature scaring off her little animal friends. After that, apparently Rainbow Dash needs some viewers to tell her how her tricks are coming along. The third thing..."

Twilight stared at her list as if it contained a ciphered message. "The third thing is to... relax? I don't remember writing that down... SPIKE!"

Spike's voice was heard down the stairs. "What? I'm busy cooking!"

"Did you write 'relax' on my list of things to do today?" yelled Twilight.

There was a pause before Spike answered. "No, I don't change anything on your lists, not after last time."

Twilight looked at me next. "Don't look at me, I didn't even know you had a checklist," I said.

Twilight stared intently at it for another thirty seconds before sighing and saying, "Oh well. I guess we'll have to... relax."

The breakfast Spike made was surprisingly delicious. The fact that I hadn't eaten since the party last night helped my appetite. After breakfast, Twilight and I went over to Fluttershy's cottage at the edge of the Evertree forest. Twilight knocked on the door and it opened a crack to show a very frightened Fluttershy.

"W-who is it?" she asked in a very tiny voice.

"It's Twilight and Ryder, here to fix your pest problem," stated Twilight.

"Oh, good. I don't know what's been driving the animals away, but please be careful. I'd hate to see anypony get hurt from helping me," said Fluttershy, hiding behind her hair.

"Nonsense. I'm going to help you, no matter what you say," I said.

"I agree," said Twilight. "That's what friends do. Don't you remember when Applejack almost worked herself to death?"

Fluttershy hid even further under her hair. "I-I suppose. Oh, please be careful, okay?"

"Of course. We'll have your animal problem fixed in no time, Fluttershy."

We left Fluttershy to tend to her animal friends while we tracked the animal. The footprints were huge, bigger than my head. We followed the tracks for several minutes, but we stopped when we heard the growling.