//------------------------------// // Where it’s once again all Twilight’s fault // Story: Into the shadow of the beast // by TwiwnB //------------------------------// Twilight was standing in the middle of the room, frustrated, her frowny face on, just looking at the floor in the hope it would help her cut any link with reality and save her from the feeling of stupidity and shame. “Well, at least it’s a beautiful day in Equestria…” said Spike, who had just entered the room and quickly understood why he had heard an explosion. Twilight didn’t move. It was true that the sun was beautiful in the sky, and its sun rays were warm on her fur. It didn’t change, nonetheless, how frustrated she was feeling. “You know, the more time I pass in this castle, the better I find the view from up here.” Spike added, while looking over the edge of the room’s floor onto Ponyville below. Twilight remained still, but frowned a little more. She didn’t like at all Spike’s remark, but couldn’t, at the same time, say he was wrong to make it. She would have just wished nothing had happened and that she wouldn’t have had to bear such a situation. “You aren’t hurt, are you?” Spike asked, worried by the alicorn’s silence. She made a sign with her head to tell that she had nothing, not even a scratch, if it were to ignore the guilt and shame she was feeling and that violent will to blame destiny for such a stupid event. “I’ll tell the servants to repair the ceiling and the walls. Don’t worry, the lab’ will be ready for you to waste your time with in the blink of an eye.” the dragon tried to comfort the pony. It worked a little. Mostly because it was showing Twilight that her assistant wanted to help her more than he wanted to make fun of her for what had happened. He was a brave dragon and a very good friend. Other in his place would have just spent an hour rolling on the floor laughing. By chance, Rainbow Dash wasn’t anywhere near, but Twilight knew she would have to go through the hilarity of the pegasus once she would have heard the news. It didn’t matter. Finally accepting her fate and ready to go forward, Twilight chased away her frown and found a smile from deep within, then stood up. “Thanks Spike. I know I can rely on you.” she told the dragon. She began to walk away, to go to bed and sulk a bit as Spike deduced, knowing the mare very well after all those years. The thing was, she couldn’t get used to failing spells that badly. It had even become sort of a curse in her mind. A good curse when considering all those great adventures that failing a spell had triggered, but a curse nonetheless that she would have lived very happily without. Spike looked at her slowly going away and hesitated for a little moment, but finally decided to ask: “Hum… just to know, by pure curiosity… what were you working on this time?” Twilight turned back and sighed. There were still little parts of the ceiling falling down, the whole room was a mess and the hole created by the ball of magical energy could have made her believe there had been a war going on there. She hesitated to give the dragon an answer, as her assistant had well deserved an answer, but she was, at the same time, feeling sort of aggressed by the question, as it reminded her of the event itself. She sighed again, and, with a smile, simply replied: “Ice cream.” She then left the room, letting for Spike to determine if she was serious or joking… The dragon thought about it, saw no way he could know the truth and decided to wait until Twilight would be ready to take it less seriously. He looked outside once again. It was clear a magical projectile had made the hole in the laboratory. It was also relieving that the projectile had flown away in the direction of the everfree forest. He could see a little trail of smoke coming out of the middle of the trees, probably from where the projectile had finished its course. Spike smiled. It was nowhere near where Zecora was living and away from anypony, so, in the end, he could be certain that nopony had been harmed whatsoever. The dragon laughed and left the room too, in order to go seek the servants and make the repairs he had promised to Twilight, until the next time she would blow everything up. He shut what was left of the door behind him, ignoring that problems were just beginning.