“You know something, Fluttershy?”
“Hmm?”
“For as long as we have been together, I’ve never noticed how soft your belly is...”
“I’m just happy to have you by my side. Being shy is what kept me from meeting anypony special, anypony caring, but now...”
“Shh...you don’t say it. Your perfect just the way you are...”
~~~~~
“Ohoho! Look at you, my little pretty!” Spike cooed with unbridled anticipation as he rhythmically tapped on the precious sapphire in his claws, flicking away strands of drool that dripped from his hanging tongue. “My, my, you are a pretty...delicious-looking gemstone, oh yes you are...” If there was any sort of boundary between hunger and love, Spike must have broken through it faster than Pinkie Pie on nitrous-oxide. All it took was the sight of a simple gemstone to lead his thoughts away from his real quest of playing it sweet with his beloved Rarity, a well-known fact to most pony scientists on how envious dragons were for precious gems, making them completely forget everything for a few brief moments after scarfing it down.
“What’s that?” said Spike as he pressed his ear against the glittering morsel. “You want me to do what?” Spike continued, hungrily licking his lips. “Well, my precious, if you say so!”
Spike brought the gemstone into the air with one hand and tilted his head back with the other, opening his mouth wide, taking his time lowering it inside as if it were a gift from Rarity herself. Of course it was only mid-afternoon, and Twilight had already given him his daily scolding about spoiling his dinner, so he already had an idea about the consequences. But what consequences could there be? It was just a little snack; a very little snack in fact that he was sure could never get him into any sort of trouble with the keen-eyed unicorn.
Just before the gemstone could touch his outstretched and awaiting tongue, the door to the library creaked open and then slammed shut moments later. Panicking, Spike threw open the lid to the cookie jar and stuffed the gemstone inside before rushing out of the kitchen with his tail between his legs.
Twilight dragged her hooves across the floor as she walked into the parlour, head low to the ground in a sulk. Spike watched from afar with worried eyes as the somber unicorn hoisted herself into a chair at the dinner table, resting her forehead on the tabletop. While it was rare to see Twilight in such a state, even Spike knew that he couldn’t just stand by like he usually does, letting the lavender unicorn he cared for solve her own problems; problems with no solutions save the comfort of a friend. He knew he had to act; show some caring for his caretaker.
The confident baby dragon took in a deep breath before releasing it and calmly strolled over to the table, climbing up into a chair beside Twilight and putting on an understanding smile.
“Twili--”
“Spike, I know what you’re trying to do, but please, I just need to be alone for a little while...” Twilight cut in.
“Why? You can talk to me, Twilight. I’m your best friend!”
“...fine.”
Her eyes peeked out through stray locks of hair over her face as Twilight lifted her head and criss-crossed her forelegs over the tabletop before resting her chin on top of them.
“Well, today, I just got some news from Applejack today. She told me that Fluttershy, and her husband, are having a foal...” Twilight slowly explained.
“Aaand...that’s a bad thing?” Spike questioned as he scratched his chin.
Twilight’s head shot up from the table in panic. “Nonono! That’s not a bad thing at all! It’s just that...” Twilight rested her head back on top of her forelegs. “The girls and I have been friends for years. Our bond of friendship is literally eternal, according to Celestia anyway. When Fluttershy got married, we expected change, but I never thought that there would be a change this big! It hasn’t even been that long in Fluttershy’s marriage, and already she decides to make a life-changing decision that could possibly break our bond of friendship?” Twilight was starting to get angry. Her brow formed her face into a frustrated scowl, spitting out strenuous words that would only spell trouble for herself should she decide to do something rash.
“I think you’re getting a little worked up about this, Twilight. So what if Fluttershy decides to take a step forward? It’s not that big of a deal, at least not to me anyway,” Spike replied.
“Not that big of a deal?! It’s a very big deal, Spike! Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash don’t even know about this yet! How do you think they’ll react to this?”
“They’ll be happy I guess? Just let it go, Twilight! This isn’t something that you should be getting worked up about.”
The painfully pointless argument was getting her nowhere. Feeling defeated for reasons unknown, Twilight slumped back into her chair and sighed, letting her legs hang limp like vines.
“Besides,” Spike continued, smiling. “It’s not like she’s moving away from Ponyville. The two of you are still gonna be best friends. The least you could do is be happy for her. I’m sure she’ll find time to be with you gals, just give her some time to plan it all out.”
Feeling revitalized by Spike’s promising words, Twilight smiled lightly and sat upright in her seat. feeling acceptive of the choice that Fluttershy made, as sudden of an acceptance it may have been. There may even be benefits to this. Opportunities to study the life and matters of parenthood started to fill the most barren of crevices in Twilight’s mind, all sorts of ideas for research bringing with them frantic imaginations of successful ventures. Now that she looked back on, the possibilities were endless! Discoveries were to made!
“Uhh...Twilight? You feeling OK?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow at Twilight’s over-excited, toothy grin and sparkling eyes.
Deeply embarrassed, the daydreaming bookworm clamped both of her front hooves over her mouth, the colorful cover doing a poor job of hiding a thin line of red blush heating up above her lips. This wasn’t the first time she was caught like this, for daydreaming was sort of a side activity meant for breaking away from the countless hours of studying that her much-beloved mentor assigned her. She didn’t hate it, but it always did get a little irritating to finish one assignment, only to have Spike deliver another assignment straight Her Royal Highness. She felt as if, somewhere, right this moment, Celestia was snickering to herself in secret.
“Problem, Twilight?” the purple-haired unicorn imagined what her mentor would say if she started complaining about her study schedule. Just the thought of seeing Celestia’s trademarked “cool face” made Twilight mentally slap herself across the face for suggesting such a foalish, resentful act.
“You know, Spike, you’re right. What’s there to worry about?” said Twilight as she stepped down from her chair and started walking towards the door.
Spike breathed a sigh of relief and casually wiped his brow. “Phew! Glad to hear it’s off your mind, because if--”
“Nothing, that’s right! Because an opportunity for research like this simply can’t be wasted!” The candlestick front door of the library was lit up in a veil of violet magic as it creaked open. “You mind being alone for a few hours, Spike?”
“I uhh...”
“OK, see ya!” As quick as a flash, Twilight slipped through open door, carrying with her a notepad and quill pen that Spike could only be baffled by.
The annoyed purple dragon huffed angrily through his nose. Being alone isn’t exactly pleasant when you're the personal assistant of a studious, overworking private student to one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria. It was understandable that she had work to do, but dragons have feelings too! What if some dragons wanted to go out, have a night on the town, meet some friends, and maybe have an exciting adventure or two? Who’s going to stop them? They’re big, strong...
...and then there’s Spike. Small, weak, and cooped up in a library with an owl that barely keeps his mouth shut.
“Oh, and Spike?”
The chafe baby dragon snapped out of his moment of realization having heard Twilight call to him.
“Yeah, Twilight?” he replied, grunting.
“Thanks for being such a good friend.” Twilight complemented with a smile.
“N-no problem, Twilight.” The lamellar child dreaded what he was about to say. “That’s why I’m your...” He swallowed a hard lump in his throat before choking out his last words, “...number one...assistant.” He put on a massive, toothy grin and clapped his hands together, making his eyes sparkle like a mirror ball to hide his displeasure.
Twilight raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but soon lowered it having realized how much time she had wasted already, resorting back to her cheerful smile.
“Thanks, Spike! Why don’t you take the day...no, the next three days off. Sound good?”
“I-I...”
“Great! I’ll be back home later!”
Before Spike could stammer out a response, the door slammed shut, shaking the doorposts and rattling nearby windowpanes, leaving Spike standing in the middle of the library, speechless.
~~~~~
Never before has the ceiling of your beloved’s home been so interesting before. If only everyday could be this perfect. Cool, sweet-smelling air, comfortable new couch, beautiful pegasus muzzle-deep into your neck, sleeping soundly and cooing sweetly in her dreams. It’s times like these when you feel like you just want to project yourself away from the moment, and look down at such a beautiful sight, like an eagle flying above a forest. Maybe there’s a spell for that sort of thing. You make a mental note to ask Twilight about it later.
You hear Fluttershy mumble while she slept. You wanted to shimmy closer so you could hear what she was saying, but you didn’t feel like waking her. Moments like this are rare, and you were certainly not going to risk interrupting it. Each warm breath that came out of her nose brushed against your chin, adding to the peace of the moment. Times like these should last forever. Why would you want to be away from such a beautiful, innocent pegasus? But then again, why would you question it? You come home everyday for moments like these, and the new couch was certainly worth paying for, as cuddling on the old couch was getting difficult.
You suddenly hear a rustle from high above. Curious, you tilt your head back and notice that one of the hanging birdhouses was swinging back and forth; probably just one of the residents stirring about. Paying no mind to it, you return to staring up at the ceiling, feeling your heart leap with joy when Fluttershy suddenly decides to drape one foreleg over your chest, her hoof of which you massage softly and hold tightly in your arms, making the canary pegasus smile.
~~~~~
Angel, heart still racing, slowly turned his head and peeked around the corner of the open hole of the birdhouse, keeping his ears folded back to keep as much of himself as invisible as possible. The two ponies were still laying on the couch, his caretaker curled up and asleep next to the stallion. He scowled as he watched the stallion rub Fluttershy’s right foreleg, longing for that kind of attention. It’s been months since Fluttershy had treated him to such pleasures. All this time, she’s been preoccupied with this...”true love” of hers. Never making time for anyone else, except the other animals of course, but the histered rabbit used to be the one that she cared for the most, and now, with plans for a newborn on the way, Fluttershy would pay absolutely no mind to him and his needs. That kind of future would be a bleak one indeed.
He wanted attention, and nothing, especially not a baby was going to stand in his way.
*Clonk!*
But then, there was Remi. The little ferret of many wonders, who spent most of his time hanging from branches or poles while munching on whatever foods he could find. To Angel, he was like a brother to him, but he most certainly had his shortcomings, most of which only annoyed the stubborn bunny. He agreed to follow Angel in his quest for attention, but only to help Angel himself, since his caretaker paid him constant attention whenever Fluttershy wasn’t around or when he was not working at the hospital.
Angel covetly picked up Remi’s dropped acorn shell and tossed it aside, the hard nut clanking off the wall before tapering to the floor. He gave a quick, scowling glance at Remi, who just smiled sheepishly, before returning to his spying.