//------------------------------// // Building Bonds // Story: Role Reversal // by JaketheGinger //------------------------------// Normally Spike would’ve awoken lazily. During this morning, however, the events of last night were still fresh in the young dragon’s mind. His eyes shot open quickly and he felt awake immediately. He sat up, looking around his bed just to confirm he was still in his wish world. He sighed a little, remembering this was really Twilight’s bed he was sleeping in. It felt wrong now to even be in it. He got out of the bed and stood up, performing the guaranteed ‘morning stretch’ everypony did. Whilst he stretched his limbs, he looked at Twilight in her bed. She was still fast asleep, snoozing lightly. Any evidence of her previous angst had been erased by now and replaced with a gentle smile. Clearly she had been gifted with good dreams during the night. Spike was content with this; at least she’d wake up in a good mood. Spike didn’t dream as he slept, which was just as well because he didn’t want it to turn into a nightmare. Furthermore, dreams could tell you things. He didn’t want another spanner thrown into the works. He decided to make breakfast, walking down the stairs silently. For him, this was a normal affair but he was aware that this wasn’t the old world. For Twilight, this would probably be unprecedented. He entered the kitchen and searched the cupboard where he thought cereal would be. Much to his relief, a box of ‘Daring Do’s adventure oats’ was inside. At least Twilight’s eating habits appeared to be the same so he couldn’t get her food wrong. He set to work preparing the meal, grabbing a bowl and pouring milk and oats into it. Finally, he dunked a spoon into the mixture and placed it on the table. He’d managed to do this quite quickly, more so than the morning two days ago. As he waited for Twilight to awaken, he had realised the irony of what he was doing. The wish was meant to give him more freedom but he was performing tasks for Twilight once more. But the more he thought about it, the more he realised the truth: this was entirely different. In the old realm, he was obliged to do this. Now, he wanted to. He was filled with an burning desire to help Twilight in order to atone for his mistake. This flame was one that wouldn't be snuffed out easily. Had his ideals changed so much in such a short space of time? Already, he felt a lot more mature. He didn’t expect to grow up so soon, especially in a wish world. Still, he knew that he was far from thinking like a fully-fledged adult. That thought comforted him somewhat; he didn’t want to rush childhood. His self-reflection was interrupted by the sound of Twilight screaming from the bedroom. Spike instinctively rushed out of the kitchen, only to collide with Twilight in the doorway. Her horn rammed itself into his belly. Whilst it’s true that scales are tough, they couldn’t prevent the dragon from becoming winded. He fell onto his knees and clutched his gut, wheezing. Twilight rubbed her horn and groaned but quickly changed her tone when she saw Spike. “Spike! Are you okay? I’m so sorry!” she said, becoming flustered. Spike raised his hand to signal to Twilight that she should wait for him to gather himself. He slowly stood up again and began to regain his breath. “Oo...that smarts.” He muttered, rubbing his bruised stomach, “I’m fine Twilight. Don’t worry.” “Oh, good.” She replied, calming down but then piped up again, “I’m sorry for over-sleeping!” she exclaimed, driving herself into a frenzy again. “Twilight.” Spike said more sternly. Twilight froze in place, looking up at him. “It’s okay. I made you breakfast this morning.” Twilight tilted her head in confusion and trotted past Spike, curiosity driving her. Upon seeing her breakfast, she kept looking between it and Spike like an engrossed pony watching a heated tennis match. Spike couldn’t help but smirk. Confusing Twilight was a rare occurrence for him, so it was pretty funny to look at once it happened. Still, he needed to quell her doubts, “No, it’s not a joke.” He smiled lightly at Twilight, “And it’s not poisoned either...” After hearing this, Twilight slowly approached the bowl. She peered at its contents and sat down, becoming content and starting to eat. Watching her eat reminded Spike of his own breakfast. “Gem time!” he exclaimed, starting to drool over the tantalising thought of eating delicious gems. He rushed to the gem cupboard and grabbed three shiny gems of various sizes. He hurriedly gobbled them up at a rate that rivalled the speed at which Pinkie ate cupcakes. Once he had his fill, he started to leave the kitchen. “Just gonna do my teeth.” He said, leaving Twilight to finish her breakfast in solitude. The food was nice, as was the gesture but Twilight couldn’t help but feel perplexed over Spike’s actions. It was her job to make her own breakfast, not his. In addition, she had expected him to mess up in some way but upon expecting the room there was no sign of any spillages. She figured that this was his way of further apologising after last night. She finished her breakfast and chose to wash up her things. She held her bowl by her mouth and took it to the sink. The tap erupted with water in a downward stream once she turned it on and she began to wash up the bowl diligently like she always did in the mornings. Spike returned a couple of minutes later, just as Twilight had finished washing up. “Oh, I could’ve done that y’know.” He remarked. “Oh...okay. Thanks I suppose.” Twilight replied, still not completely sure what to make of Spike’s actions. Was he going to do every job for her today? “Anyway,” Spike continued, “I’m going to bring Fluttershy over. Alright?” Twilight nodded in response. “Good,” Spike took Twilight’s sudden silence as nervousness, “Don’t worry. She’s really nice. Trust me.” “Okay...” Twilight muttered, looking down at the ground. Spike then went towards the front door and stepped outside, “I’ll be back soon!” he shouted, closing the door behind him. The Sun was making its slow ascent up into the sky, warming up Equestria with its rays. A cool gentle breeze wafted throughout Ponyville, which the few small clouds that were in the sky gave way too. They were gently pushed by the wind but from Spike’s perspective, they didn’t seem to move at all. Whilst he walked, he pondered about flying. He knew that it’d be a while until his wings developed and even then, they’d probably be too weak to allow him to properly fly. He didn’t really have a lust for flying but he did wonder what it was like. Of course, he’d been in a hot air balloon several times in his life but he assumed that it wasn’t the same as flying yourself. There was an inherent danger in flying. It was just you in the sky. No protection but your own ability to evade danger. Your own survival was based purely on your own skill. Perhaps that’s why Rainbow Dash loved flying; the thrill of it. This reasoning also provided an explanation on why Fluttershy was such a timid flyer. Speaking of the shy Pegasus, Spike had just reached her cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. The area was certainly very loud for such a soft-spoken mare. All Spike could hear was the constant chatter of Fluttershy’s animal friends. Bird calls were the predominant noise, various songs clashing together in what Spike thought was a horrible din. He wondered how Fluttershy could tolerate all this sound. He continued to think about Fluttershy as he walked up to her front door. How could she possibly take care of so many animals at once? Twilight was a good multitasker but Fluttershy must have been the unsung champion of it. She definitely had a lot of responsibility. Spike could learn a lot from her. He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door three times and waited for the door to open. “Just a minute please!” cried Fluttershy from inside. Since it was morning, she was probably feeding her friends. Spike began to sway on his feet, whistling a random tune. It took more than a few minutes for Fluttershy to answer the door, but he didn’t mind waiting too much. He stopped swaying and whistling as he saw the door creak open. “Morning Fluttershy.” “Morning Spike. Sorry to keep you waiting.” She apologised. Despite her hectic morning, she looked as a calm as ever. “How are you?” “I’m fine.” Spike replied, nodding. “I need you to do a favour for me.” “Oh? What do you need?” she questioned. “Well...” Spike rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He really didn’t want to go into the details of what happened last night. “It’s a long story but...basically, Twilight needs a friend and you seemed perfect for the role.” “Of course I will! She’s so adorable! I’ve never really talked to her much though.” She smiled sweetly and turned back inside. “Bye everyone, I’ll see you all later!” she waved at her many animal friends, who all waved back with paws, wings and whatever else certain animals used to wave. She then stepped outside and closed the door carefully behind her. “Thanks Fluttershy.” Spike smiled at her and the two began making their way to the library. “So how do you deal with looking after all those animals?” Spike looked at Fluttershy, who trotted beside him instead of flying. Fluttershy looked up, thinking of an answer. She had done this for so long that it never once occurred to her that it would be an extremely tough task for any other pony. For her, it was merely the norm. “I suppose I just deal with it.” “Yeah but, how does it feel to have responsibility over so many critters?” “I suppose at first it was a little daunting...” she said, remembering memories of when she first started looking after animals, “But I kept at it. Awful things can happen if you don’t attend to your responsibilities.” “Mhm.” Spike replied, looking down at the ground. He had responsibilities in the old Equestria but he abandoned them now. And what had happened? He completely and single-handedly messed up Twilight’s life. He wasn’t going to fail her again. “Are you alright Spike?” Fluttershy had picked up on Spike’s sudden somber attitude and her caring overdrive had kicked in. “Yeah.” Spike looked up ahead of him, “Just thinking about last night. I suppose you want to know what happened huh?” “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to Spike. I’ll understand.” “I will. You deserve to know.” He began to tell Fluttershy of all of the events that had transpired last night in the library. She kept silent as he spoke, save for the occasional gasp. “So yeah, that’s what happened.” he finished and went silent, allowing Fluttershy to respond. “Oh that’s just terrible; I hope she’s okay...” “She’s fine now, don’t worry.” Spike explained in order to lighten up the mood somewhat. “I always just assumed that she didn’t want many friends. Seems I don’t know her as well as I thought.” Fluttershy reflected. “I can tell you that she’s the most kindest, intelligent and wonderful pony in all of Equestria.” Spike slammed his mouth shut after saying this; he thought he had showboated Twilight’s qualities. “You care for her a lot, don’t you?” Fluttershy inquired. “Yep.” He could see the library now, “Yep...” He repeated. “I know how you feel: I’ve known Rainbow Dash since I was a filly. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if anything bad happened to her.” A small grin formed on her face as she delved into the nostalgic memories of her and Rainbow Dash as fillies. When they reached the entrance, Spike opened the door and made their presence known to Twilight: “We’re back Twilight!” he yelled. He stood to the side to allow Fluttershy in and closed the door behind her. Twilight slunk in from the kitchen, head down low. Fluttershy stood still, not making any movements towards Twilight which may scare her off. Twilight eventually stopped, putting a good distance between her and Fluttershy. Doubts began to make their way into the filly’s mind, muddying up her view of Fluttershy as a kind, good-natured pony. “Hi...” Twilight uttered, staring at Fluttershy’s hooves instead of her face. Spike headed up to the bedroom and sat on the ledge, watching from afar. He didn’t want to take part in this but if Twilight needed him, he’d be there. “Hello Twilight, Spike tells me you want a new friend.” She spoke informally to try and ease Twilight into this affair. “Yeah...” Twilight nodded her head stiffly, “That’s right.” She managed to add. “Can I be your friend then?” Twilight looked up into Fluttershy’s eyes. Her mouth began to form an ‘o’ shape and she began to edge closer to the Pegasus. Somepony wanted to be her friend? She wasn’t sure what to make of this, so she said only one word: “Sure.” She spoke with more confidence than before. “Yay!” Fluttershy cheered. As expected of her, it was a very quiet cheer. Twilight knew that Spike wanted her to make new friends but she didn’t expect Fluttershy to be this warm and accepting. Fluttershy hadn’t even judged her badly yet she wanted to be her friend. Twilight could only reach one logical conclusion: Fluttershy liked her. The fears in Twilight’s mind began to be replaced with happier thoughts. Slowly but surely, Twilight began to look delighted. Admittedly, Spike hadn’t expected Twilight to take to Fluttershy so quickly. Neither had he imagined Fluttershy being this glad to be Twilight’s friend; her cheer was certainly genuine. Had their friendship crossed between the old world and this one, even just barely? Spike shrugged, deciding not to dwell on it further and just continued to watch the pair interact with each other. An uncomfortable silence soon began to develop as Twilight became more awkward. Despite racking her brain for answers, she couldn’t think of anything to say. Luckily, Fluttershy saved the day by breaking the silence: “What things do you like?” “Books.” Twilight was still quiet but she was more willing to speak now. “What kind of books?” “Almost any really.” Gradually her sentences were becoming longer. Fluttershy’s questions were succeeding in breaking the coat of awkwardness that covered Twilight. “Have you read the Daring Do series?” Fluttershy knew very well that questions were great ways to start a conversation. “Yes! I own all of them!” Twilight’s face suddenly lit up and she hopped about on her hooves slightly. Her passion for books had fully revealed itself. “There we go.” Fluttershy thought to herself, concealing a proud smirk by using her mane. “My friend Rainbow Dash has them all as well! I’ve borrowed them off her sometimes to read.” Twilight squealed in delight and went even closer to Fluttershy. They were less than a metre apart by now. Twilight had finally found somepony else to relate to! They could talk all day about the Daring Do series and maybe even write their own story just for fun! Spike rolled his eyes as Daring Do was mentioned. If they were going to babble about that character, he was having no part in it. Peewee chirped from behind him, reminding Spike that if he went somewhere else he needn’t be alone. “C’mon Peewee, let’s read something that isn't Daring Do.” He stood up and headed to the study room, Peewee flying behind him. With Spike now absent, the other two continued to discuss all things Daring Do. Fluttershy was particularly impressed at Twilight’s knowledge of the series and had learnt some new bits of trivia from the filly. She thought it’d be interesting to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash together... But one step at a time. She thought Rainbow Dash was too reckless and loud-mouthed for Twilight’s taste. She wouldn’t be ready to meet her for a while yet. By the time the two had drained the topic dry, it was almost one o’clock in the afternoon. Fluttershy was the first to notice the time: “Oh, we better eat something.” Twilight turned to view the clock and her stomach began to rumble just as she read the time. Fluttershy didn’t seem to hear this, or she just simply ignored it because she made no reaction at all. “We better tell Spike.” Twilight said, starting to locate the dragon. Fluttershy had already beaten her to the punch however and gracefully flew into the study room. She landed inside as quiet as a mouse. Spike and Peewee were both peering at the contents of a big book with a red cover that wrote in gold letters: The Complete Guide to Dragons. “Spike, it’s nearly one o’clock. Will you be eating lunch?” Fluttershy let out. Spike didn’t look at Fluttershy, “Yeah I’ll eat some gems or something later.” He murmured, far too interested in his book to pay much attention to anything or anypony else. “Okay then.” Fluttershy said and flew out the way she came, landing in front of Twilight. “Do you want to eat lunch?” she asked nicely. “Yeah, I’m getting pretty hungry...” Twilight stated, her stomach grumbling again loudly. She blinked, realising that Fluttershy would’ve heard this. Her face started to flush red in embarrassment. Fluttershy let out a little giggle, “Let’s go eat then.” Twilight laughed lightly as well and nodded. She quickly grabbed her money pouch from the kitchen and her saddlebag from next to her bed. She returned to Fluttershy with her saddlebag equipped and the money pouch tucked inside. The two headed to the front door in unison and Fluttershy opened the door for her new friend. “We’re going to eat out Spike, see you later!” Twilight yelled. The only response they got from Spike was something that sounded vaguely like ‘okay’. They took this as a sign that he had heard what they were saying and set off outside, closing the door behind them. Twilight stuck close to Fluttershy, using her as a cover from other ponies. She was still a little uneasy about venturing outside but she felt safer with Fluttershy next to her. Fluttershy set the pace at a nice, gentle trot. Their destination was the local Ponyville restaurant where anypony could enjoy a delicious and more importantly, healthy snack. Twilight followed suit, sticking as close as she physically could without tripping up Fluttershy. The Pegasus was fully aware of Twilight’s movements but decided not to say anything for now. “I forgot to ask you what you liked.” Twilight said in an attempt to distract herself from thinking of everypony else in the town. “Oh, well I love animals.” Fluttershy answered, occasionally glancing at birds that flew freely in the open air. “All of them, big and small.” She paused momentarily, adding “Except dragons.” “Apart from Spike.” Twilight said, disguising her question so she didn’t seem dim. “Yes, apart from Spike. He’s the sweetest, nicest dragon I know.” Fluttershy started to re-imagine memories that Spike never actually physically took part in. They were fake images conjured up by the magic of Spike’s wish. Her mind began to tingle as she thought of the memories but she just figured that this was dehydration. She pushed her memories aside and began to focus on getting to the restaurant. “Yeah, he definitely is.” Twilight agreed. Soon enough, they reached the restaurant. It had a relatively small turnout today, so the pair were able to find a table themselves without waiting. They picked a table as far away as possible from other ponies. Twilight relaxed a bit as she got into her seat. She was used to this type of outing. The only difference today was that instead of Spike accompanying her, it was Fluttershy. She preferred this actually because it made for a nice change. Deciding to eat cheaply, the two just ordered salad dishes with glasses of milk. It didn’t take too long for them to get their meal and they discussed their interests more, with the focus being on Fluttershy this time. Considering it was a light meal, they ate quickly and a waitress (coloured white with a yellow mane and tail) came to receive the payment. “That’ll be sixteen bits ladies.” The waitress said with a fake smile. Good thing her shift was over soon. Fluttershy darted her eyes about, looking for her bits. Then she realised that she had forgot to take them with her. She started to panic, shrinking from the frown of the waitress. “I’m so sorry...I’ll pay you back.” She squeaked. Twilight saw Fluttershy’s timid actions and a sudden desire to defend her friend overwhelmed her. She unexpectedly slammed her hoof on the table and whipped out her money pouch from her saddlebag. “Wait!” she cried out, “I’ll pay.” Fluttershy looked at Twilight, amazed at her sudden gusto. She remained silent to allow Twilight to have her moment. Twilight meanwhile, pushed over the required change to the waitress. “There, I think that’ll suffice.” she said somewhat arrogantly. “Thanks.” The waitress shrugged, heading off to store the cash. Somepony else would clean up after the customers later. Twilight and Fluttershy quickly made their exit, not wanting to cause another scene. “Thank you Twilight.” Fluttershy beamed at her companion. “For what?” “For paying for the two of us.” Fluttershy explained. “Oh, it was nothing really. Besides, that’s what friends do right?” Twilight looked up at Fluttershy, who she could fully trust by now. “Yep!” Fluttershy chirped, “Thanks again.” She hastily added, just to reinforce the fact that she was very thankful. Then it dawned upon Twilight. She just had an outing with a new friend and had saved them from embarrassment. Reflecting upon her brash actions, she couldn’t really explain exactly why she did it so suddenly. Perhaps the fire of friendship burned brighter inside her than she thought. Twilight practically skipped her way home, not clinging close to Fluttershy now. Absolutely nothing could spoil her day – it was perfect. She was in her own little world of joy. A far cry from her state last night. Fluttershy acted more solemnly but Twilight didn’t notice this. As soon as they got to the library, Fluttershy needed to go back to her cottage to tend to her animal friends. Spike had unintentionally disrupted her usual routine and she needed to complete it. However, she didn’t mind this as his actions had gained her a new friend. A young friend yes, but a special one all the same. She mentally slapped herself for not befriending her sooner. “We’re back!” Twilight shouted enthusiastically as she leapt into the library. Fluttershy stood in the open doorway. Spike entered the main room through the kitchen, his mouth full of gems to the point that he looked like a hamster storing seeds. He chewed a tad and swallowed harshly, the outline of the gems could be seen making their way down his throat. “Welcome back.” He said at last. “We’re going to have to buy more gems aren’t we?” Twilight deadpanned. “Maybe...” Spike admitted sheepishly. “Anyway, what now Fluttershy?” Twilight jumped and spun around in the air to face Fluttershy, eager to do more things with her. “Um...now I need to go...” Fluttershy stammered, not wanting to say this but she knew it was an inevitably. “...why?” Twilight began to break down a little, becoming sadder, “Don’t you like me?” “Of course I do!” Fluttershy blurted out to prevent upset, “But I need to look after my animal friends. Sorry...” Twilight sighed with relief and recovered herself. “That’s fine Fluttershy. I had a lovely day with you.” “Me too Twilight! I’ll see you tomorrow...if you’d like of course.” “YES!” Twilight spilled out then stopped, realising her outburst. “I mean, yes.” She giggled lightly at her mistake. “Alright then.” Fluttershy smiled sweetly and began to step outside again, “Bye Twilight! Bye Spike!” she waved at them and began to make her way back to her cottage. “Bye Fluttershy!” Spike and Twilight said in unison. Twilight waved frantically after her new found friend, then shut the door when she could no longer see her. A satisfied smile had found its way onto her face. She then sporadically leapt at Spike, hugging him tightly. “Thanks so much Spike.” Spike was taken aback in surprise but readily returned the hug. “No problem.” He responded, smiling smugly. He had succeeded. It was a small step but a step nonetheless. There were still the four others for Twilight to properly befriend but at least he could say proudly that he had done some good. That he had repaired some of the damage. Twilight and Fluttershy were now friends. More than just friends: good friends. Perhaps even best friends. After all, he had barely interacted with them today so he wouldn’t be able to know for sure. But when he had watched them, he noticed the spark between them that was present in the old world. This proved that he had done well. On the other hand, he still had a lot of work to do. Twilight still needed more friends and probably ones of her own age too. He mused that Twilight could relate to the Cutie Mark Crusaders somewhat as they were all blank flanks. Maybe they were too energetic though... Then there was the issue of Twilight’s magic. Rarity could use magic easily but she wasn’t exactly Starswirl the Bearded. It would be a tough hurdle to cross but that wouldn’t stop him from trying. Finally, there was the thought that always lingered in the recesses of his mind. One single thought that occasionally popped up to him in times of doubt in this universe. Perhaps it was the most important thought of all. His real home.