//------------------------------// // Foyeurism // Story: Shellstrings // by shortskirtsandexplosions //------------------------------// Ponyville – Twilight Sparkle's Castle – Front Foyer Creaaaaaaak! THUD! The resounding echo of the front door closing pounded Lyra's ears. She winced slightly, then proceeded to gawk at the crystalline lengths of the chamber stretching around her. "Ta-Daaaaa!" Spike smirked, waddling away from the doorframe. "Pretty swanky, huh?" "Yeah..." Lyra gulped, her eyes travelling up, up, up the majestic height of the shiny walls. "Hillary, even." "Just think of it as a slightly roomy apartment." Spike shuffled past her—but paused to blink at her quivering limbs. "Relax, Lyra! You've been invited by an old friend! Make yourself at home!" "Yeah? Where, exactly?" Lyra muttered. "This place is like twelve homes in one." "Heh... tell me about it!" Spike smirked. "You should see my room! Once upon a time, I slept in a doggy bed. Heh." He winked. "But now? These days I've got full-sized closets to store comics and white unicorn plushies!" "White... unicorn... plushies?" "Err... Eheheheh... Twiliiiiiiight!" Spike hollered down the nearest hallway, his voice echoing tenfold in an eerie fashion. "A certain mint green pony is here to see you!" "Seriously, did we step into a Castle or a Coltsco Warehouse?" Lyra droned, trotting closer to the dragon. "Also, is it just my imagination, or... like... is this Castle bigger on the inside than on the outside?" "Eh..." Spike shrugged. "I've experienced weirder things." "Really? How can you be so nonchalant about something so freaky?" "Twilight still hasn't fully measured this place, not that I'm holding my breath nor nothin'." Spike shrugged again. "The Castle kinda sorta... sprouted out of the ground thanks to a rainbow spell that shot out of the Tree of Harmony. So, all things considered, it's not your normal kind of house." Lyra performed a double-take. "Wait... what did—?" "Twiliiiiiiiiiiiight!" Spike hollered again. "You better not be making more notecaaaaards! I told you before that's a waste of paperrrrrrr!" "Shhhhh!" Hoofsteps announced a soft-pink presence shuffling down the hall. "Honestly, Spike!" spoke a feminine voice. "I know this place looks and feels like a giant conkle shell, but show some respect to our eardrums!" "Oh... uh.. hello!" Lyra waved with a nervous grin. Her eyes locked on the mare's mane. "You must be Rarity! I've heard so much—" "Snnnkkkt-hahahahahaha!" Spike slapped his knee and wiped a tear from his eye. "Whewwwww... yeah. She's not Rarity. Trust me." "Errrr..." Lyra winced. "I'm sorry. It's just that the mane—" "Wouldn't be the first time, trust me." The unicorn smiled. "My name is Starlight Glimmer." She held a hoof out. "You must be Miss Heartstrings." Lyra blinked. "Uhhhhh... yeahhhh..." She reluctantly shook Starlight's hoof. "...and you must be that one diabolical mare who nearly broke time and space...?" Starlight blinked. She looked at Spike. "Just how long did it take you to escort her here?" "Erm... eheh..." Spike rubbed the back of his neck. "...we may have had a few things to talk about." He gulped. "Just a few." "Uh huh. Whatever." Starlight cleared her throat. "There are fresh gems on the kitchen counter. Lightly seasoned." "Oh boy oh boy!" Spike speedily waddled off. "Breakfast!" "Don't forget to wash the jewel dish when you're done!" Starlight called after him. Then, sighing through a smile, she turned to face Lyra. "Dragon boys. Am I right?" "Beats the Hell outta me." Lyra cleared her throat. "So... uhm... what? Are you Twilight Sparkle's secretary-slash-cook, now?" Starlight sighed. "Well... I have personally volunteered to facilitate the upgrade of this palace to a fully-functioning royal castle. And considering that Twilight saved me from a... mmmm... self-destructive lifestyle..." Starlight gulped. "...let's just say I owe both her and Equestria more than I can even pretend to say. So... yes..." She bore a tender smile. "I guess you could say I've stopped being a treacherous villain and embraced full secretarihood." "Huh..." Lyra scratched her head. "...I can't tell if that's an upgrade or not." Starlight laughed. She reached out to pat Lyra's shoulder. "I like you, Miss Heartstrings." "Really?" Lyra's muzzle twisted. "Why?" "Somehow, I can already tell that you're not quite as... geometric as Twilight." "The buck is that supposed to mean?" "That there's still some hope for the lovable princess dork yet." Starlight winked, then motioned down the hallway. "Come along." She trotted off. "Twilight's in the library, doing research on historical Equestrian vassal states." "For real?" Lyra followed Starlight close behind. "At ten in the morning?" "Mmmhmmm!" "Wow... you weren't kidding." Lyra glanced up at the crystalline rooftop. "So... what would you suppose is the main task of the Princess of Dorks? To raise a giant abacus from the horizon every morning?" Starlight Glimmer laughed. A tiny smirk crossed Lyra's muzzle.