//------------------------------// // A sight for sore eyes // Story: The Special Observation // by RebelliousKuno //------------------------------// Twilight struggled to keep herself at pace while searching for her clipboard. How can she be calm at this moment in time?! Her test subject, let alone a Changeling, had escaped from her possession! What was she going to do!? What was she going to tell the Princess?! This was a disaster! "Twilight! Snap out of it!" Spike yelled, snapping his claws in front of Twilight's face that seemed to be distinguished with fear and intensity. "Just take a moment and calm yourself! You're not going to get anywhere if you just keep running around, throwing things left and right!" Twilight looked dead at him, her pupils shrunk and her mane a mess. "Do you not understand what is happening right now, Spike!? We are having a crisis right now! A wild Changeling is out in Ponyville or who knows where! It can be out telling its other Changeling friends to come back and attack this very town, only because I was stupid enough to trust it! I have every right to be scrambling around right now! If you excuse me, I've got to find my clipboard!" She snorted once before back to searching. She trotted over towards the table where all of her test tubes were set out. Nothing. She trotted over towards the patient table. Nothing. "You mean this clipboard?" A voice rang out in her ears. Snapping her head backward, she saw that Spike was standing there with the clipboard in his claws, the paper with all of Twilight's notes on it. Furrowing her brows, she slammed her hoof on the table. "Spike, give me that clipboard!" "Not if you just calm down for a second!" The baby dragon snapped back, holding the clipboard behind him now. "I need that in order to find our escapee!" "You don't need it for anything! Just listen to me!" "You have three seconds!" "Twilight, if you ju-" "ONE!" Twilight shouted, taking a step forwards. Spike took a step back away from Twilight as she approached him, keeping the board behind him. "Just listen to what I have to sa-" "TWO!" Twilight yelled again, taking yet another step. Spike didn't step back this time. Instead, he sighed to himself and started walking towards Twilight with a grumpy expression. Twilight gave a smile in triumph, taking a large breath. "Thank you, Spike! Now give it over so that I ca-" *WHACK!* The unicorn fell onto her rump, her eyes blurred and a sudden pain seeping through her cheek. Putting a hoof to it, she can feel the numbness of where she was struck, and she whipped her eyes at Spike who had an angry expression on his face. "Now listen to me, Twilight! We have to calm down! I'm sorry for hitting you, but it's the best I could do. Now if we're going to find this Changeling, we need to think where he would go. It can't go that far since he doesn't have the love power to keep him energized. All we have to do is just have a look out and see where it is that he could be going." Spike inquired, dropping the clipboard to the ground as he folded his arms. Twilight couldn't really say anything right now. She was shocked that her number one assistant, and practically her adopted son, just hit her in the face like that. Small tears started to form in her eyes; mainly because of the strike that she was a victim of, and that she had the thought of failing her mentor and putting pony life in danger. "I-I'm sorry Spike," She quietly said, "I just can't help to think that I just put everypony's life in danger because of something I did stupid. I just don't know what to do anymore." She tilted her head towards the ground, sniffling to herself. She felt the dragon's claws on her chin and it forced her eyes to look at Spike's, whose were dazzling with hope. If only she could feel the same. "Stop feeling like this was your fault. Now, let's just go outside and find out where this Changeling went while being discreet. We can't have other ponies around know that we were keeping somepony hostage throughout their stay." Spike said, trying to bring up the mood somewhat. It seemed to have worked. Twilight nodded slowly, smiling slightly from the fact that Spike had been trying hard to cheer her up. "Thanks Spike. I know I can count on you to help me through some rough times... Even though this one is like, extremely rough and I shouldn't even be happy right now. I should still be freaking out." Spike gave out a small chuckle, grabbing the clipboard and handing it to Twilight. "Now let's not sit around all day, let's go find this thing!" He yelled enthusiastically. Twilight grabbed the clipboard with her magic and slowly stood up onto her hooves. "Right, let's not waste any more time." Taking off her lab coat and goggles, Twilight was trying to at least look a bit normal. She picked up a nearby brush and started to comb her mane quickly, just so it can look like she didn't jump all over her bed this morning. After all, she didn't want to raise any suspicion. "Stay here, Spike. I need to make sure nopony comes in the library while I'm gone." She gave Spike a warm smile, taking note that she should probably reward him with ice cream later if it comes down to that. The dragon gave a salute, before Twilight trotted out the door. ~~~ The sun beamed down gracefully on the small town of Ponyville. Ponies were out and about with their normal and busy lives, doing their daily errands and overall just spending it like as if it was normal. And as it should be. But not for Twilight, at least. On the outside, she looked calm and collective; but on the inside she felt like she was going to explode from the thought of a creature that tried to take over Equestria was loose. All was going well, as the unicorn tried to remember the appearance of the Changeling's pony form. White coat, blue mane. White coat, blue mane. Oh, green eyes! White coat, blue mane, green eyes. She would go at this for a few moments, before there was a sudden yell from behind her. "Twilight!" The voice shouted. Before she could turn around to see who was the source of the voice, she was suddenly pushed down to the ground. She rolled with the other pony that had clashed into her, and eventually ended up pinned on the bottom. Shaking her head and looking up, she noticed that a mare with a pink coat, and a bubblegum like mane was holding her down from above. "Twilight! There you are! You've been missing for a while now! Are you hurt? Is something wrong? Are you hardcore studying? Why haven't you come to any of my parties!?" The voice called down to her, but Twilight knew who this was now. Pinkie Pie gave Twilight a worried expression as she bombarded her with questions, asking mostly where she was and how come she wasn't giving any communication to any of her friends. Twilight blinked at Pinkie, before giving an awkward smile and chuckling slightly. "Heh.. Yeah, that's what I've been doing. Hardcore studying! Now um, if you don't mind, I need to get up and continue on my wa-" "Way to what!?" Pinkie yelled back down at the unicorn, not flinching to move. "Toooooooooo get more books of course!" Twilight responded a little bit more smoothly this time, taking her time with this situation. Pinkie didn't buy it. She gave Twilight a cold stare, squinting to see if she could somehow break her friend's mental barrier and somehow find a way into her deepest and darkest secrets. However, she couldn't get there this time. "Okie Dokie Lokie..." Pinkie said slowly, getting off Twilight and backing up. Twilight gave a small sigh, slowly sitting up before getting back on all four of her hooves. "Thanks Pinkie. And tell the girls that they needn't worry. I'll come back and hang out with you guys some other time! I just need to study for this really big test Princess Celestia is giving me, so I just need a little bit alone time," she lied. Hopefully she would buy it so that the adventure for the changeling could continue. "Okay... I'll see you around. But I know you're hiding something, and I'll get to the bottom of it!" Pinkie swore, pointing her hoof suspiciously at Twilight. "I'm watching you." And with that said, the pink mare slowly turned around, before bouncing off back down the road and away from Twilight. The unicorn gave one more sigh of relief, knowing that she was in the clear for probably the next day or two give or take. But this didn't help the situation at hoof. Glancing one more time, she noticed that she had reached the outskirts of Ponyville. The only thing left out there was the Everfree forest, and she was afraid that that's where the escapee might have went to. As if the evidence wasn't easy enough, the corner of her eye gave sight to a white pony-like figure darting off into the forest. She swore she saw a hint of blue, but the thought was unsure. Off into the distance, Twilight had also noticed that there was a cottage near the entrance of the forest to where the pony might have ran into. Fluttershy's Cottage. It was time for a few questions.