The Ponyville library had an air of tension, the letter laying oh so innocently on the desk being the offender. The towering shelves seemed to close in on the purple mare as she paced, back and forth, across the rug as if she was attempting to dig a deep groove into it. The clock above the doorway rang out once, it was just an hour passed noon, 1 o'clock. The musty smell of books was thick, but she had grown used to it ages ago. Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia and gifted unicorn, was growing tired of waiting.
A quiet squeak of metal hinges that were badly needing oil signaled the coming of the other mares, her closest friends. They might have been late, but only by minutes. It wasn't easy to gather them all on short notice, unlike it had been years ago. They all had responsibilities now, and even though they always set time aside for each other, it just wasn't the same as it used to be. Twilight stopped her incessant pacing as they filed in, each with varying levels of confusion written on their faces. They would want to know why they were all called here, and she would tell them. After all, it was partly their fault.
“I'm glad you all came.” Twilight started as the orange mare, the last to enter, closed the door behind her. She honestly didn't sound to 'glad' as she put it, and her tone put everypony on edge in an instant. What was she so mad about? Her horn lit with magic as she called the note from her desk, it levitated too her and leveled in front of her face, just far enough to read it comfortably.
Twilight cleared her throat to call their attention, which she already held, but just to be sure. “The Princess sent me this letter this morning, shortly after I awoke.” She spoke calmly and evenly, like she had rehearsed the reading in front of her mirror. A few of the mares assumed she did. “Before I read it to you all, I want you to know. Spike went out last night.” She glared over the page, directing it at most, if not all, of them.
She paused for a moment, allowing the tension to build. “He never came back.” They each gasped when she finished. The ivory mare was the first one to speak.
“We have to find him, what if he's in trouble, or hurt, or worse?!” She wasn't in hysterics, but unless someone said something soon, she probably would be. Rarity was her name, and she was known for being over dramatic, as well as being beautiful. Twilight cut her off before she could gallop out the door and organize a search party or some other ridiculous thing.
“He's fine, let me read the letter.” Twilight grunted in a blunt, unladylike fashion, tapping the floor with a hoof. The other mares calmed themselves, to an extent, and allowed Twilight to continue. She cleared her throat one more time for good measure.
To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle
It has come to my attention that your assistant, Spike, has been feeling ostracized from Ponyville. He has come to me with concerns. Until further notice you are no longer his acting legal guardian and he will be under my care. When such a time is reached that he feels safe in Ponyville again, he will be returned to your care.
Princess Celestia
The letter was all business, or at least that was the feel they all gained from it. The hum of silence rang in the air when Twilight finished reading. None of the mares dared to speak as if they feared breaking the dead air would awaken a beast the likes of which they had never seen. Twilight waited and waited, but none would even open their mouths, let alone talk. So she took the initiative.
“He's been depressed for weeks, ever since he started noticing the stares.” She was, of course, speaking of her assistant. The other ponies couldn't help but feel ashamed. Fluttershy suddenly found the carpet very interesting, averting her gaze to it and hiding behind her long bangs. Rarity looked distraught, but kept herself quiet for reasons unknown to the others.
Applejack, however, was not ashamed of herself, but the other ponies in Ponyville, and she voiced her anger at them. “How can they jus' go an' do that to the poor guy? Spike ain't hurt nopony!” Her accent was thick, and her rage thicker. She stomped her hooves on the ground in a display of vivid fury.
Twilight responded with her own anger, her's was colder and aimed at somepony in the room. “Yeah, how can they?” She repeated.
The air in the castle was much clearer then that of the library, that's not to mention the lack of tension. The white and gold pillars made for a perfect hiding place as Celestia prepared her trap, a trap for which she would use to catch herself a dragon. Not a violent dragon, or a fearsome dragon, or even a sleepy dragon. Spike the dragon was her prey, and this was sure-fire to get him by surprise and give her a good laugh. She heard the soft footsteps and the scraping of his claws against the marble flooring. The trap was ready, and soon he would be in position.
Spike rubbed his stomach, he was full to bursting. The dragon had no idea that the palace had so many gems, let alone such a wide selection. He had, of course, helped himself to the buffet, and now he was wishing he didn't. He knew the pain in his midsection would pass with time, but when every second was agonizing...
Celestia resisted giggling like a school-filly, it was a tough action, but Spike couldn't notice her. Not yet, at least. She settled on letting the biggest, silliest grin form on her face. Oh, this was going to be better then good, it was going to be something special.
He wondered, briefly, where the princess had gotten to. She said she had a few things that needed taking care of, but that was an hour ago. Spike had no idea what he was walking into. That is, until it was too late. A little, elastic rope on the floor, white so it would blend in, went unnoticed as he stepped into the hoop that it had been tied into.
“Gotcha!” Celestia tugged the rope with her magic, hard. The hoop encircled Spike's unsuspecting ankle, tying around tightly, just as it should. The dragon let out a squeal of surprise as he was lifted off his legs and into the air, where he was suspended. From his upside-down view, he saw Celestia reveal herself, having been hiding from him. She was laughing at him again. His face burnt with embarrassment, and his sense of nausea increased tenfold.
Spike's mouth watered and he felt a sensation he hadn't felt since the last time he caught the flu. He knew what was coming, but the princess just continued her guffawing at his expense. His throat burned as the contents of his stomach started traveling through it and before he could stop himself, he spit up a pile of semi-liquidized gems and crystals. He finished with a groan and Celestia was definitely done laughing. She cringed at the sight of the bile, not envying the maids in the slightest at this moment. The mare suddenly felt very bad for going through with this prank, given it made her guest toss his cookies all over her floor.
She slowly gave the rope some slack, lowering the woozy drake, she pushed him slightly to the side with her magic so he wouldn't land in the puddle of vomit. When he finally touched ground, he swallowed heavily and lay down, letting his back touch the floor. Celestia was beside him in an instant, she looked at him worriedly. Did she break him? She decided to nudge him with her hoof, which she did. She just earned another groan for her trouble.
Spike was quickly becoming accustomed to the beds in the castle, as he lay in one yet again. This bed was, however, not the same one he woke up in those few hours ago. No, this one was dry and it had covers that weren't torn to shreds. It was just as comfortable, though, so he couldn't fault it. How does one fault a bed in the first place? He left that train of thought for another day.
He had recovered moments after the incident in the hall, but that was nearing twenty minutes ago. The reason he was still in bed, despite feeling just fine? The insistence of it from a certain ivory and gold princess. She looked so worried when she helped him to his feet and practically carried him to the closest room. Even though he consistently said he was fine, she still confined him to the room. If he hadn't convinced her otherwise, she would have even called a doctor.
Celestia trotted through the opened door and into Spike's room, she found him laying where she left him. His hands behind his head, propping it so he can stare at the ceiling, obviously bored. She levitated a bowl of vegetable soup beside her as she made her way to the bedside.
Spike shifted slightly to look at her, turning his head a bit so he could center his eyes on her. “You're not gonna spoon feed me, are you?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm, but no ill-will. Celestia faked a laugh and cut it short, giving him an amusing glare. Amusing for him, at least.
“For that, I think I'll let you suffer alone.” She humphed, turning herself right around and trotting back toward the door. Spike looked away, calling her bluff. Celestia continued until she reached her destination, at which point she looked back at Spike, who was just laying there, eyes closed. She almost growled, how did he call her tricks with such accuracy? It must be Twilight's doing, being around that mare so often, her intelligence probably rubbed off on him. Insufferable!
She huffed and returned to his side. Spike opened an eye and looked at her with a smirk on his maw. She just frowned down at him. “You know, soup is for when you have a cold. Not when you have a stomach ache. Neither of which I have.” He pointed out. “But the gesture is nice.” His playful smirk turned into a smile, a real smile. The bowl levitated down into his awaiting hands, he was thankful for his fire-proof scales. He could feel the heat from the bowl, but he wasn't harmed by it.
The soup didn't look bad, he had to admit. He wondered if Celestia made it herself, but doubted it. That's what she had chefs for. He lifted the bowl to his mouth and tipped the contents down, swallowing it all with one swift gulp. It warmed his throat as it slid down his waiting stomach. It tasted just as good as it looked. Celestia grinned at her success in making him eat the soup, though it wasn't a huge accomplishment in either of their eyes.
Spike saw this grin a sign that he was off the hook. He threw the covers off and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The clock in the room struck 2 o'clock and gave off a quiet ring as the dragon stood and stretched his legs. A few satisfying pops and cracks later, he was standing before Celestia, meeting her eyes. He felt his chest tighten, her curious, purple eyes almost sending him into a trance.
He didn't know how long he was just standing there, staring dumbly at her. She waved a hoof in front of his face to shake him from his mesmerized state. It worked, so well, in fact, that he jumped nearly three feet into the air out of shock and landed on the fluffiness that was his bed.
“I didn't mean anything by it, he just startled me! You try turning around and seeing a dragon nearly twice your size standing only a foot away!” Rarity shot, but to her displeasure, Twilight wasn't giving any ground on the subject. The once quiet library had erupted into noise that even the neighbors could hear.
“You ran! You ran away like a scared little filly! 'Just startled' my flank!” The others had all abandoned the library, citing their various responsibilities that needed to be taken care of. All but Twilight, Rarity, and the shy, golden mare. Fluttershy was, however, quiet as a dormouse, watching the two other mares duke it out.
“Girls.” Fluttershy spoke quietly, and wasn't heard over their bickering. She stepped a bit closer and tried again. “Girls.” A little louder that time, but still no dice. She was beginning to lose her temper. A solid minute passed before she spoke again.
“Would you two listen to me?!” She screamed, effectively silencing the argument. Fluttershy glared not daggers, but full swords at the pair. If looks could kill, you've heard this line too many times. “Stop fighting. Its everypony's fault, not just Rarity's.” She was rapidly calming down. “We need to make sure he doesn't hate us for hurting him... Uhh, if that's okay, I mean.” She hid behind her bangs, suddenly realizing the looks she was getting from her friends.
Rarity looked at Twilight, who looked back at her, looking rather ashamed of her outbursts. Rarity mirrored her look. Fluttershy watched their silent apologies, rather happy with herself, though she didn't let it show.
“You're right, Fluttershy. We need to go and tell him we're sorry!” Twilight stomped a hoof in determination.