A young dragon was wakened in the usual manner. By the alarm clock Twilight had on the night stand next to her bed that, although she’s the one who bought it and set the time for it to go off, never seemed to wake her. Spike sighed and his first thought of the day was to send the alarm clock off to Celestia as an early birthday present. He slowly dragged himself out of his small bed and walked over to silence the clock. He saw that Twilight had finally made it back to bed.
After the monopoly game was finished and Rarity headed home, the unicorn and Thomas went back to doing their magic stuff for the rest of the evening, leaving Spike to play with Peewee and Owlowiscious, the latter having just woken up. Peewee was growing at a steady pace, no longer the egg sized phoenix Spike had first met. Now he was the size of his arm and enjoyed riding the thermals. Once it was time for bed, when the nocturnal animal was the only one not yawning, the pair had gone to sleep with Twilight still down stairs in the basement.
Spike slowly made his way down into the main room of the library, getting his blood flowing before doing anything strenuous. Since Thomas had arrived, Spike found that most of Twilight’s chores had become his to do as she studied humanity for some noble cause or another. Not to mention possible extra credit in her friendship studies with the Princess, even though Celestia hadn’t ordered her to do anything in that regard, since the housing was more of a request/expectation/advice thing.
Once he reached the kitchen, Spike had his morning scoop of ice cream and made some coffee before opening the library to the public. He replaced the returned books, of which there was rarely more than a small pile, swept the floor, did some light reading in a subject he randomly chose on any given day, and had another scoop of ice cream. Personally, he wondered how long Twilight would expect the ‘baby fat’ he had to stay around and smiled to himself. Eveyone has their vices, his was just ice cream. Better than greed or porn right?
At ten, he started making breakfast for the household. Birdseed for Peewee with some ruby shards, since Peewee liked them, fruit and anything without hay for Thomas, and anything with hay for Twilight. Especially, haycon. She loved that. Spike himself would eat cereal usually or make something without copious amounts of hay if he wanted something more. Today he didn’t. Once he’d delivered a grateful Thomas his breakfast and Peewee had woken Twilight, Spike would enjoy his food as Twilight tried to recover from her late night. These had been his mornings since the arrival of the humans and they would continue to be that way for the monotonous two weeks that passed without incident for him or the other denizens of Ponyville, known and unknown.
In retrospect, all of them should have known that two peaceful weeks without incident would mean a double whammy would follow.
At the end of said two quiet weeks and the first ‘Whammy’.
Twilight entered the basement of the library, or Thomas’s bedroom, with a slightly confused look on her face. The human in question was reclining in his bed, reading a familiar thin book. She noticed that his scars were healing nicely and since she’d removed the stitches a week ago, it looked like Thomas would only have a few of the deeper scars on his face in a few years. Looking up at Twilight as she entered, Thomas smiled and waved. As she approached, Twilight recognized the book as the one she needed.
“Hello Thomas, you wouldn’t happen to have seen where I put the essay on governmental duties would you?” She asked curiously, looking at the particular book in his hands.
“Is that what this is?” Thomas looked at the cover of the book, a curious expression on his face.
“Yes, what’s with the look?” Thomas rarely questioned the books in her library, meaning that there was something that interested him in this book.
“Well, this pony, this Leviathan, seems to have a similar stance on government as someone back on Earth. His name was Thomas Hobbes, and ironically, he named and essay ‘Leviathan’.”
“Interesting…” Twilight raised a hoof to her chin, mulling over the coincidence “But I’m pretty sure it’s just a pen name, but why does that concern you?”
“Well, he writes that the purpose of the government is to keep the populace in line, to rule absolutely, without being questioned by the populace. But where I come from, there was another man, John Locke, who stated the exact opposite; that the government was answerable to the people, who created it themselves in the state of nature.” His face had become serious, looking directly as Twilight, who was a little surprised at the idea.
“Well, I can see his point, but it makes little sense. If the people can create the government that means that the government would be answerable to hundreds, in your case, millions of points of view that would almost never agree. That would destroy the government because it couldn’t act. What Leviathan is saying is that the government needs absolute authority to best protect the people. Just look at the princesses; they look after the people, and sometimes the people don’t like it, but it’s always for the best.” Twilight looked back at Thomas with the same amount of seriousness.
“While it is true that they are benevolent, didn’t you say that there are certain ponies in government who aren’t as kind? Like Prince Blueblood and the governors of Bitaly and Stalliongrad? Didn’t you say that they rule with iron hooves?” Twilight nodded, seeing where he was going.
“They use their absolute power to suppress the populace and keep taxes high for their own benefit, or the so called benefit of their citizens, showing the abuse that is the very problem with an absolute government.” Thomas raised a good point Twilight realized. Not everypony in government was as kind as the princesses when it came to running the government, most were in fact very authoritarian and extravagant. But she wasn’t about to lie down and let him win.
“Yes, there are individuals like that, but not all. The princesses keep the nobles in line and prevent too much damage, and there are noble who are kind to those in their charge.” She reasoned, hoping to get her point across.
“That’s exactly my point.” Thomas’s response surprised Twilight, catching her off balance. “The government is completely dependent upon the quality of those in power, who are only answerable to those above them, who are hopefully kinder and more able to rule justly. Now imagine if the roles were switched, the princesses were governors and Blueblood is in charge.” The very idea sent chills down Twilight’s spine, she would rather keep that thought out of her mind.
“Well,” Twilight was trying to find an argument that didn’t sound desperate, something that she’d never had to do before, and she did not like it. “If the government is too domineering, it collapses. It’s a balance between effectiveness and despotism. And citizens do have rights; we have documents that guarantee what the government can and cannot do.”
“And if the government decides to ignore them?” Thomas didn’t even blink as he said it. Twilight was beginning to think she’d found her match in debate. “Well then the citizens…”
“Can’t do anything because they have no rights.” Thomas cut her off.
“Then the government…” she tried.
“Has decided to ignore the limits of its power, creating a despotism.”
“Then the citizens revolt and…”
“Create a civil war that causes mass death and destruction, weakening the country for decades if not centuries.” Thomas had cut Twilight off from any escape, she couldn’t argue for the people without abandoning the government she’d argued for earlier, and she couldn’t argue for the government, because it had become too absolutist in the debate for her to support. It seemed that the humans weren’t only centuries ahead in technology, but debate and government as well. The only thing she could do is agree, but an idea to save face sprung into her mind.
“I’m not the one you should be debating this with. No matter how familiar I am with Leviathan’s philosophy, I won’t be able to defend it as well as he can. You should write an essay in response to his ideas.” Thomas considered the idea. It would be a good way for humans to discreetly make their mark, and it could help them become accepted later on, when their existence was revealed.
“I think you’re right Twilight, I should write an essay in response. Now all I need to do is think of a pen name.” Twilight relaxed, Thomas’s attention sufficiently distracted from the argument.
“Let me know if you need any help. I’m going to go check on Spike before we start more tests.” She turned away, smiling at her ability to save face in arguing a lost cause. She was just about to close the door to the basement when Thomas called up to her.
“And don’t think I didn’t notice your little distraction Twilight. But I’m not going to rub your defeat in your face.” Twilight grimaced, knowing for certain that for the first time in her life, she’d been beaten in an argument with someone other than the Princess.
Twilight came out of out of the basement found Spike was almost finished his chores and was about to start lunch.
“Hey Twilight, find your book?” He asked with a smile. She nodded.
“Yeah, turns out you were right. Thomas was reading it and disagreeing with it.” She helped him with the last of the sweeping and scanned the library for anything out of place while the dragon stored the cleaning supplies in the hall closet. Book arranged alphabetically by author? Check. Wooden horse head facing the door? Check. Blinds drawn up to let in sunlight? Check. Usual lack of anypony in the library on any given day? Double check. As she went through her mental check list Spike decided to get started on lunch and she could hear him opening and closing cabinets. Seeing that everything was indeed in order, she walked into the kitchen.
“Do we need to add anything to the grocery list?” She asked looking in the fridge for any empty space. Each condiment, vegetable, fruit, and other perishable was in its proper place and accounted for though and Spike shrugged.
“Nothing that we absolutely need.” He answered. “We’re a little low on rubies but that’s about it really.” Twilight nodded, making a mental note to see Rarity if they ran out.
“Well, I’ll just wait downstairs, doing some tests with Thomas. Let us know when lunch is ready.” Twilight said before walking out of the kitchen. The young dragon heard the door to the basement open and close as he squeezed the lemons. Once he’d finished, he made the sandwiches and set the table for two and set Thomas’s on a tray. Then an idea hit him. Why should Thomas eat alone? Sure he and Twilight spent a lot of time together and kept different schedules, although Thomas didn’t really do much other than read and do experiments, but that still meant Spike saw little of him. He’d probably enjoy some casual conversation for once during lunch. With that in mind, he reorganized the tray so that it held all three lunches and headed towards the basement, using one hand to open the door while the other carefully balanced the tray.
Spike walked down the stairs silently and stood directly behind the two as they worked. He waited patiently and watched the pair work for a three minutes before speaking up. Unfortunately, he didn’t see that Thomas was focusing on the magic in his hand.
“I’ve brought lunch!” He said slightly louder than usual, getting both of them to look at him with surprise. Spike did this whenever Twilight was engrossed in her studies and considered it pretty normal. He was slightly worried when Twilight whipped around to Thomas and then he felt himself embedded in the wall behind him
Neither Thomas, nor Twilight were prepared for Spike to bring down lunch. He’d never done that before and had simply waited for them to finish and come up themselves and wolf it down like usual before continuing their tests. So hearing him had startled both of them. The unicorn turned to look behind them and her eyes went wide. She spun to see Thomas had lost focus on the magic and was also looking at Spike with surprise.
Twilight watched in horror as the bolt of magic from Thomas’s hand shot off towards an unaware Spike. The only thing that he was able to do after this was dilate his pupils a split second before the bolt struck him full in the face. Twilight screamed and Thomas grew pale, seeing where the bolt had gone and who it had struck. Spike was knocked back into the wall behind him, the tray he was carrying falling to the ground and the pitcher and glasses shattering.
Twilight started screaming and rushed over to where Spike had been. Her screaming intensified when she didn’t see him and her mind ran rampant with terrible thoughts about his untimely demise. But dragons were supposed to be resistant to pony magic, their scales repelling spells easily. Why had Spike been seemingly vaporized by this uncontrolled spell? She rushed towards the direction he had been blasted, still screaming.
"Where is he?!" Twilight wailed, looking desperately around the basement for any sign of Spike. Thomas rushed over after draining the magic by fixing all the chattered glass and putting the drinks back in the glasses. Just as he reached the mare, they both heard a panicked squeak.
"Did you hear that?!" Twilight asked, listening carefully for the sound. They heard another squeak nearby and looked in the immediate area. By a small table covered in scientific supplies and surrounded by boxes Twilight nearly fainted. She found Spike safe and sound, except for the fact that he had a lot more spines than when he came down with lunch.
"Sweet Celestia!" She gasped, getting Thomas's attention. She slowly levitated up a small, purple and green creature that looked very frightened. Thomas rushed over and cleared the table, gawking at the hedgehog. Twilight seemed to be in a daze as she slowly lowered Spike onto the table, careful not to hurt hi in some fashion.
“You know, I’ve actually had a pet hedgehog before.” Thomas remarked calmly. “His name was Gerald.” Twilight slowly turned to Thomas, visibly upset that he was being so nonchalant about what had happened to Spike. Her face morphed from one of panic and fear into one of rage.
“HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!” She screamed, pointing down to the purple and green hedgehog curled up tightly on the table. “SPIKE HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A HEDGEHOG, AND THE REVERSAL SPELL IS INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED AND DANGEROUS!” Thomas stepped back, shocked by her volume and ire.
“But…” He began, only to be cut off.
“I CAN’T PERFORM THAT SPELL!” She screamed, bearing down on the human. He looked behind him quickly when he felt that his heel wasn’t touching the ground and repositioned himself on the steps. Twilight kept advancing.
“AND NOW I HAVE TO CONTACT PRINCESS CELESTIA AND PRINCESS LUNA ABOUT FIXING IT!” She turned to face the main room of the library.
“SPIKE!! I NEED YOU TO TAKE A LETTER!” She bellowed, shaking some of the lighter lab equipment below them. Thomas prepared for her to realize what she had just said and dropped down so that his body was pressed tightly against the stairs and that his profile was as small as possible. There was a few moments silence as Twilight waited for a response. The two then heard a small squeak from the hedgehog.
“Oh.” She deadpanned. She slowly turned back to Thomas and didn’t seem to notice that he was lying prone on the stairs. “I guess we’ll have to figure something out on our own.” A loud speak of agreement came from the hedgehog as he moved towards the two. Twilight sighed and collapsed, suddenly exhausted from the task before her.
“So you owned a hedgehog at one point?” Twilight asked cautiously. Thomas nodded, looking at the small creature on the table before him. The pair had moved up to the kitchen, Twilight going first to close the library and the blinds on the windows. Thomas was sitting at the kitchen table with Twilight and they were trying to think of a way out of the situation. When Twilight had come back down after talking with Spike, Thomas had asked to use some magic for an idea that had struck him about possibly storing it for later. Twilight had been tentative at first, wondering if it was safe since Thomas had no way of storing the magic like unicorns could. It took some convincing, but she finally agreed. Now she was regretting that decision.
“Yup.” He answered, looking over the creature.
"What do they eat?” She inquired.
“Well just about anything. I fed Gerald crickets, berries, and some melon, but they’ll eat mushrooms, bird eggs, snails, toads, and snakes as well.” He explained, reclined in his seat. Twilight made a slightly disgusted grimace at the list while Spike squeaked, whether from hunger or not wasn’t forthcoming. Playing it safe, Twilight pulled out some fruit and mushrooms from the fridge and set them on the table. She then levitated the hedgehog onto the table in front of the food.
“Are these good Spike?” She asked. Spike began sniffing the food and nibbled on some of each.
“Hey Spike, squeak twice for yes and once for no.” Thomas said, sitting in a chair across from him. “Do you like these?” There were two squeaks. Twilight sighed, happy that not only was there a way for him to communicate with them, but they also had food for him to eat. As the animals chowed down on a mix of apples and mushrooms, the pony and human reclined, trying to decide what to do now.
“Could we mail a letter to Celestia?” Thomas suggesting the obvious. Twilight nodded tentatively.
“We could, but it would take at least a week to get to get to her, if not longer because of how much mail she gets.” Twilight said.
“What about the spell?” Thomas asked. “Why can’t both of us use magic to do it?” Only shook her head.
“The amount of magic it would take would require me to give you all of my magic and then build it back up, which could take three weeks if we were lucky, a month is more likely.” She explained. Slowly, the pair went through the options open to them, pouring over books that might contain the answer. Runes were ruled out as too unstable and requiring some new ones to be invented. Other versions of transformation spells were ruled out due to the precise requirements needed to change Spike back, and so was having Thomas use magic to change him back by pure will. Dragons were resistant to magic and Twilight decided that the risk was too great. The two were at a loss over what to do when they heard the library door open and a familiar voice.
“Twilight sweetie!” Rarity called out from the main room of the library. “Where are you hiding?” Twilight put Thomas in charge of Spike as she quickly went up to see what her friend needed. She carefully peeked around the kitchen door to see who else had entered with her. To her surprise, all of her friends were in the library, smiling at her.
“There you are!” Pinkie exclaimed, appearing right behind her. Twilight jumped slightly, her nerves getting the better of her. Once she realized it was only Pinkie, she relaxed a little, doing some breathing exercises.
“Ya’ll ok sugar cube?” Applejack asked, seeing her friend acting so stressed.
“Yeah, you seem a little nervous.” Rainbow Dash added, hovering above the ground. “Have you got a stallion down there?” Her insinuation made Twilight blush profusely.
“No.” She answered firmly. “Thomas, Spike, and I were having lunch.” Rainbow didn’t look convinced, but the others were.
“Well that’s nice.” Fluttershy said with a soft smile.
“But…” Rarity continued with her usual, dramatic tone. “You’ve been cooped up in here for two weeks and it’s time you spent some time outside.” There were nods of agreement from the others.
“Yeah!” Rainbow said with conviction. “You need to go out there and feel the wind in your mane! Enjoy the air! Tell me how my practicing is going!” Applejack rolled her eyes at this last statement and cut her off.
“Ah’ll agree with those first two.” She said evenly. “Ya’ll can’t spend all day inside and such. Tain’t healthy.”
“Thomas does.” Twilight responded neutrally. Applejack seemed prepared for this though.
“He can’t help it though. I’m sure the two o’ ya’ll will figure sometin’ out ta help him.” The cowpony countered. Twilight sighed, more focused on another issue to have this conversation.
“Look, I really appreciate this, but I’ve got something incredibly important going on and I can’t take a break from it.” She said, standing firm. Her friends gave her quizzical looks, and a worried one in the case of Fluttershy.
“What’s so important you can’t spend time with your friends huh?” Rainbow asked, moving closer to Twilight with crossed forelegs.
“There was an incident with some magic.” Twilight admitted. This only made her friends concerned.
“Is someone hurt?” Fluttershy asked timidly.
“No, not really.” She said, somewhat calming the pegasus. Twilight decided it was probably best to just show them what was wrong instead of this song and dance and led them into the kitchen.
“We’re not singing.” Pinkie said in confusion, looking at the wooden horsehead in the center of the room. “Or dancing.” Everyone simply ignored her, used to these strange outbursts. As they entered, everyone greeted Thomas and gave the hedgehog a confused look. Except Pinkie and Fluttershy. The latter squealed with glee at the sight of the creature and immediately rushed over to him.
“Everyone.” Twilight sighed. “This is Spike.” There were a number of gasps and another squeal, as Fluttershy cradled him in her forelegs. Both Rarity and Applejack looked at the creature with gaping looks while Rainbow froze as the information was processed in her mind. Pinkie’s eye went wide and she looked like she was about to explode with joy. And so she did.
“HE’S ADORABLE!” She yelled, suddenly appearing next to Fluttershy, startling the mare for a few brief seconds. Rainbow Dash finally realized what had happened and collapsed in roaring laughter while Applejack hid her own giggles very well. The hedgehog huffed and crossed his tiny forelegs in irritation at the sound, causing Pinkie and Fluttershy to only daw loudly and nuzzle him because of how cute he was.
“Why’s he a hedgehog?” Applejack asked once she’d stopped giggling.
“That’s my fault.” Thomas said, guiltily raising his hand. The five mares listened intently as he explained the situation and how they couldn’t think of a way to turn him back. Fluttershy and Rarity gasped and immediately set about comforting the ‘distraught’ dragon while Pinkie started planning a party to comfort him even more. Rainbow beamed at Thomas once he and Twilight explained how he could absorb unicorn magic while Pinkie started rambling on about a party.
“Maybe Zecora has a potion that could set him right?” Applejack inquired, giving Twilight a curious look and not commenting on Thomas’s ability. The librarian stopped her task abruptly and slowly turned towards the cowpony. Before she could speak though, Thomas spoke up.
“Who’s Zecora?” He asked, looking to Applejack.
“She’s a zebra that lives in th’ Everfree Forest.” She explained. “An’ she’s helped us outta sticky situations b’fore.” Twilight and Rainbow nodded fervently in agreement.
“There was this one time when we were dealing with the effects of a plant called Poison Joke, which caused each of us to experience a variety of symptoms.” Twilight explained.
“Like you’re droopy horn.” Rainbow snickered behind a hoof.
“Or your backwards wings.” Twilight shot back, making her friend shut up.
“So maybe she has a way to help Spike?” The human asked curiously. There were some tentative nods of agreement.
“Best hope we’ve got so far.” The librarian said tersely. She then turned to the three mares dotting on Spike. “Well, you wanted me to get out of the library.”
“What was that?” Rarity asked curiously, looking up.
“We’re taking Spike to see Zecora.” Rainbow said bluntly. Spike squeaked excitedly, obviously happy to have a possible way out of his predicament. The six mares and one hedgehog said their goodbyes to Thomas and left the library quickly, not wanting to waste a second of much needed daylight.
The path to Zecora’s was known well by all of them and they were able to move down through the forest quickly. Even though it was day, the high trees of the forest blocked out most of the sun’s rays and made it seem like it was much later than it actually was. Spike was terrified for the majority of the trek, his new body making him feel like prey for the first time in his life, and he didn’t like it one bit. He tightly gripped a few strands of Twilight’s mane with his small paws and did his best to remain hidden from the unseen eyes of predators.
“We’re almost there Spike.” Twilight comforted, sensing his fear. After another minute of walking, Zecora’s hut came into sight. And milling amongst the fauna in front of the hut was none other than the desired zebra. She looked up at the sound of their approach and smiled.
“I extend you all a sincere greeting.” She said, standing up. “Although I have a feeling this is similar to out last meeting.”
“Hello to you as well.” Rarity said with a polite nod. “And you’re right. I wish we didn’t keep seeing each other under such poor circumstances.” Zecora only waved her off.
“Think nothing of it young mare. Helping friends is more than fair.” She said with another smile.
“You’re very kind.” Twilight said with some relief. Zecora ushered all of them into her hut and noticed the strangely colored hedgehog ridding on Twilight’s back.
“And who is this little one?” She asked curiously. “Coloring like his is second to none.” Spike squeaked, most likely a thank you for the compliment.
“You remember Spike, the dragon right?” Twilight asked her. Zecora nodded, giving the librarian a curious look. “Well, there was an accident in the library.” The zebra listened patiently as Twilight explained the situation and how humans seemed to be able to absorb magic. When she got to the part where Spike was changed, Zecora gave the hedgehog a curious look, but didn’t speak up until Twilight asked about a possible cure.
“Yes, I have such a brew.” She said with a nod. “And hours to make it will take no more than a two.” There was an excited squeak from Spike, and the ponies felt relieved, but Zecora held up a cautionary hoof. “Do not become excited quite yet, for I wouldn’t make this brew for a bet. It is very complicated and requires perfection, not to mention the list of ingredients could give a dragon a conniption.”
“How long until you can make it?” Twilight asked delicately, hoping the space of time wasn’t too long. Zecora looked back at her cauldron as she calculated.
“I cannot help the dragon for a week, and until then I’m afraid he’ll only be able to squeak.” Looks of slight disappointment crossed Fluttershy’s and Twilight’s faces as Spike let out a small groan.
“If you need any help at all, please let me know.” Fluttershy offered, before adding on “If you want any help that is.” The zebra smiled none the less.
“That is very kind, and I shall if I fall behind.” She thanked the pegasus, who let out a small smile. Once that was done, Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack left, having to attend to personal matters, but each promised to visit Zecora more often. Rarity also promised to tell Thomas that a solution had been found since Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spike had accepted Zecora’s invitation for tea.
“Thank you.” Fluttershy said as the zebra handed her a wooden cup willed with a sweet smelling liquid. She tentatively sipped it, not wanting to burn her tongue.
“Yes, thank you so much.” Twilight added, taking her cup. Zecora only nodded in response and the trio enjoyed some small talk.
“I have heard of the humans and your new friends.” Zecora said, sipping her drink as she looked to both Twilight and Fluttershy. “And I would love to meet them on your end.”
“Of course! I’m sure Thomas would love to hear about your potions and culture.” Twilight assured. And so would she for that matter
“And Megan and Rachael would certainly enjoy this tea.” Fluttershy said, nodding to the cup she held in her hooves. “What is it made from?”
“Bit of this, bit of that.” Zecora answered. “A few leaves of tea and some crystal honey crushed flat.” The trio continued their conversation for an hour and a half, when Spike squeaked from atop Twilight’s head. Once he’d gotten their attention, he’d started squeaking again, pointing to the window.
“Yes, it is probably going to get dark soon.” Fluttershy observed, looking out the window.
“Time certainly does grow wings when you’re doing pleasant things.” Zecora added, collecting the now empty tea cups. “Young Spike is right. You should return before the beasts rise this night.” Twilight and Fluttershy nodded in agreement, the former careful not to dislodge Spike the Hedgehog.
“Before we go Zecora, could I read about the potion?” Twilight asked, scratching a sudden itch about the brew. The zebra nodded and produced the book it was held in. Twilight was slightly relived it wasn’t Super Naturals. She quickly read through the list of ingredients and the description of its effects.
“Hey Spike, are you reading this too?” She asked, looking up. She’d felt the hedgehog make his way through her mane and up her neck, stopping by her horn. There was the double squeak confirmation and she smiled. “Then you see that the potion works by absorbing magic and rendering it inert, so don’t drink any since it could mess with your dragon magic like your fire.” He squeaked twice again.
The trio waved goodbye to Zecora as they left and began to make their way back to town. The sun was falling fast and each step saw the surrounding forest grow a little darker.
“Hey Twilight.” Fluttershy said quietly, looking nervously at a couple of the shadow covered trees.
“Yes Fluttershy?” Her friend asked, also growing a little uncomfortable with their surroundings.
“I was thinking it might be best if I took care of Spike over the week.” She said cautiously. “If you think that’s ok…” Twilight was a startled by the statement from her friend, and gave her a conflicted look.
“Why do you think that?” She asked seriously. Fluttershy thought her tone was accusatory shrank back slightly.
“Well, it would probably be safer for him with me since the library isn’t made for animals his size.” She explained. “And I have everything he would need for food and to care for him.” Twilight’s logical side told her that her friend was speaking truth; that Fluttershy would be able to care for the new hedgehog better than she or Thomas could and that her friend’s ability to speak to animals would be a great asset for Spike. But her emotional side told her that she knew Spike better than anypony and another part of her said that since she’d been taking care of Spike since he was hatched and she could still do it.
“I really appreciate the offer Fluttershy, but I’ve cared for Spike since I hatched him, and I can still do it.” She assured her friend. “Thank you though.”
“I understand.” Fluttershy answered quietly. “I know you consider him family.” The rest of the walk out of the forest was finished in silence as the two shared an awkward silence. Twilight spent the trek thinking about what she could do for Spike and everything she thought of went back to either getting advice from Fluttershy, asking her to watch him for an hour, or even giving him a checkup. It was true that she considered Spike to be her little brother and loved him dearly, and only wanted the best for him. She felt him squirm a little in her mane and remembered how he used to do that when he was a baby and she carried him everywhere. She came to a decision.
“Spike, I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to be completely honest with me.” She said, looking up even though she couldn’t actually see him. There was a double squeak affirmative. “Would you like to stay with Fluttershy?” A tense silence followed as the hedgehog thought about his answer and the ponies waited for his answer as they finally exited the forest.
“I won’t be upset if you want to.” She added, knowing what was going through his mind. After another few moments she heard two slow squeaks. Fluttershy smiled lightly.
“I’ll take very good care of him and you’re welcome to visit him as much as you want.” She assured as Twilight levitated the hedgehog off her head. Before giving him to Fluttershy though, she pressed him to her cheek for a hug.
“I know you will and I will.” She assured, smiling to the pair. Fluttershy took Spike from her magical grasp as she held him out and placed him on her back. “Behave Spike!” She called out as they parted ways. Twilight heard an excited double squeak as she walked away.