Chapter Seventeen - Intervention
Twilight opened the door to the giant ballroom-turned-bedroom. Finding it occupied, she asked her brother, “Spike, what are you doing in here? And why did you take the day off? You never take a day off, even when you aren’t feeling well. Is everything okay?”
Spike laid on his collection of cushions, staring straight up at the ceiling. He sighed as he wiped a claw across his face. “Well… yes and no.”
“That’s not very helpful, Spike,” Twilight responded. “What’s going on?
Spike sighed once more before he answered, “Well, I had my interview with Cotton about Rarity last night. Her paper is due next week, and she wanted to get a jump on it before the weekend.”
Twilight tilted her head and furrowed her brows. “Spike, that’s… that’s wonderful! You finally got to talk with Cotton about her! Isn’t that what you’ve been wanting?”
Spike groaned as he covered his face with his claws. “Yes, yes it is. I wanted Cotton to know as much about her should-have-been mother since the day I signed the adoption papers. I wanted to tell her everything. There was just one thing I didn’t expect to happen…”
Twilight walked toward him. “What happened?”
Spike let out a deep breath before lifting himself to a seated position so he could look at his sister. Catching sight of his red, puffy eyes and the streaks down his cheeks, Twilight put her hoof to her mouth and her eyebrows arched upward. “Talking about her for so long only made me realize how much I truly miss her.” Spike choked back a sob and lifted his claws to his eyes, allowing the tears to flow freely and splash in buckets on the floor below. “I-if only she could be here to raise Cotton with me… she would have been ecstatic.”
Twilight flew up to his shoulder and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, Spike… I’m so sorry. I would say I understand how you feel, but it’s only partially true. I miss her dearly, too, but I can’t say I know exactly. I didn’t have the same kind of relationship with her, so I didn’t have the same thing to lose.” She nuzzled herself into his cheek.
Spike sniffed. “At least you understand that you don’t understand… Thank you, Twilight, but… I just need some time to myself today, alright?”
“Now that I completely understand,” Twilight replied, leaving his shoulder and gliding back to his door. “Of course, take as much time as you need. I’ll let you know when Cotton gets home from school, if you’re not ready by then.”
“Hopefully I won’t need that long, but just in case—thank you.” Twilight nodded and shut the door behind her as she left.
Spike let himself once again fall to his back and stared up at the ceiling. “Oh, Rarity… if only you could be here to live our dream together. I think I’ve managed nicely for the first four years, but she’s at that age… That age you always said you regretted, but secretly loved. You never got the chance to play the mother’s role with your teenage daughter. It’s just me, a father and his daughter. Hopefully I don’t botch it up… especially now that she’s found her first love. I know how much you would have enjoyed watching her grow, whispering gossip behind closed doors with her about boys. It’s only been a few days and I can tell how happy Steadclaw has made her. Oh, you would have fawned over this.” Spike laughed and sobbed at the same time.
“Y’know, I should use this ‘time to myself’ wisely,” Spike mulled. Shutting his eyes, he turned himself over and said, “Hopefully, I’ll spend it with you.”
Ж
“Hey, Hot Stuff.”
Cotton turned from her locker to find Steadclaw behind her amongst the shuffle of the other students getting ready to leave for the day, giving her a wink. She chuckled. “You know, you’re the only one that can get away with calling me that and have it not sound like an insult.”
“I should be honored, then,” Steadclaw replied with a smile. Cotton punched him in the shoulder, then the two of them made their way to the exit. As they walked, Steadclaw asked, “Hey, can I ask a favor?”
“What’s up?”
“Would you mind if I, uh, accompanied you home?”
Cotton laughed. “Why not? I can always use an escort, and you’re always welcome at the castle.”
“Well, actually, I was hoping I could talk with your dad for a few minutes. The paper’s due next week, and there's probably a couple of scrolls on the S.C.C. that’d be great for me to get my claws on.”
“Oh! Sure! If you need school help, you know my dad’s always happy to lend a hoo—er, claw.”
“Awesome! Thanks! And I dunno, maybe we can just chill for a bit afterwards before I go back to my place?” Steadclaw asked with a smirk.
Giggling, Cotton answered, “Fine by me.” As they reached an open clearing in the school courtyard, she flared her wings and said, “Come on, let’s take to the air.”
“Right behind ya,” Steadclaw responded, and the two of them took off for the castle.
When the castle came into sight, they casually glided towards their destination, expecting an easy trip. What they did not expect was for something to swoop down from above and take off with Steadclaw.
Almost as quickly as he had felt the jerk on his arm, Steadclaw found himself in one of the darker alleyways between Canterlot’s bright buildings. “Woah! What just—”
“Shhh!” Steadclaw turned to the back of the alley, where a noctis in indigo armor beckoned to him. “Come here, right now! I’m not going to hurt you, and I don’t have much time before Cotton starts worrying.” Steadclaw stared in awe, but did as he was told. “Name’s Nightshade. I’m one of Princess Luna’s guards, and I have a message from her.”
Steadclaw recoiled. “P-Princess Luna? Did I do something wrong? I thought I was okay in her book!”
“As far as I’m aware, you are, but she has some advice for you,” Nightshade said, clearing her throat and doing her best to sound like Luna. “‘Thou art yet to ask Our Cotton out on a date, young tiercel. What is taking thee so long?’”
“A… a date? You mean like a date date?” Steadclaw sputtered.
“Yeah, that’s what it sounds like. If you haven’t asked Cotton out on a date yet, you should get on it.”
“Well, I would… I mean, I want to, but I don’t have the bits to shell out for anything fancy! I know it’s proper for the guy to pay for a date, but—”
“Look kid, it doesn’t have to be fancy,” Nightshade responded. “Based on what I’ve heard, you know Cotton well enough to know she’d appreciate something simple. A casual dinner and a movie would probably be fine.”
Steadclaw put a talon to his chin. “Hmm… good point. Some of the local eateries around here would be in my price range, and they aren’t too drab.”
“There ya go. Sounds like you can figure it out from here. Alright, I’ve gotta go. Princess Luna asked me to get up early to talk to you. Oh, one more thing—this conversation didn’t happen,” Nightshade said with a glare. “Don’t mention Princess Luna or me to anyone, especially not Cotton. She’d get upset at us for meddling.”
“But what am I supposed to tell her happened? I got hit by a gust of wind? She wouldn’t buy that!”
“I dunno, kid, tell her…” Nightshade waved her hoof around. “Tell her another griffon came at you and you got into a little spat or something, and you knocked him out.”
“But… I’m totally fine, and none of my stuff is ruined. Cotton would know I made that up, probably just to make myself look tough.”
Nightshade let out a huff. “Ugh, kids… Look, are you emotionally attached to that schoolbag you’ve got?” she asked, pointing at Steadclaw’s bag.
“N-no, not really. Why?”
“Make a couple of small slashes in it with your talon. It’ll look like someone else did it. We’ll reimburse you for a new one. And here…” Nightshade approached him and ruffled up his plumage a bit, from his chest to his head feathers. “That’ll look like you got into a scruff. That should be believable enough.”
“I guess,” Steadclaw responded. Looking at his bag, he grimaced a bit, then turned it around and made two slashes in one of the upper corners. He didn’t want to ruin his notes, after all. “How’s that?”
“Looks believable enough to me,” Nightshade answered. “I’m sure I’ll see you around the castle at some point. When I do, let me know how much your new bag costs, and I’ll reimburse you. Just don’t go overboard.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Steadclaw replied. “I prefer functionality over fashion.”
Nightshade smirked. “Well, well, Cotton really did pick out a smart one.”
“Steadclaw!” they heard from above.
“Shoot! That’s Cotton!” Nightshade said, ducking into the shadows. “Our time’s up. I’ll make some noise and you scream at me as you fly out, alright?”
“Got it.” Steadclaw nodded. “And thanks for the message.”
“No problem, kid,” Nightshade replied. “Now come on, it’s showtime.” She turned around and looked at a pile of trash bins nearby. “Go back out there in about three seconds.” When Steadclaw nodded, Nightshade bucked the trash bins, making a loud clatter.
Three… two… one. Steadclaw flew out of the alley back into the sky. “Now leave us alone, ya jerk!” he shouted behind him. Looking around, he spotted Cotton flying over to him in a hurry. “Cotton! There you are! You okay? Did anything happen?”
“Steadclaw! Yeah, I’m fine, nothing—oh my gosh, look at you! What the hay happened?” She carefully brushed down some of his ruffled plumage with her hooves.
“Ugh… another griffon tried to get a jump on me,” he replied. “Didn’t see exactly who it was, but I’m guessing it was one of the other griffons from school. I knew there was a good reason I don’t hang out with them.”
“Are you okay?” Cotton asked worriedly.
“Yeah, I’m good. Luckily he just roughed me up a bit—no actual damage. He’s taking a nap in a pile of trash now.”
“Oh, thank goodness. Let’s get back to the castle before something else happens.”
Ж
“I’m home!” Cotton yelled out through the main hall.
One of the guards positioned in the room gave her a crisp salute and shouted, “Cookie baker on deck!”
“At ease, gentlecolts,” Cotton laughed. “Besides, I’ve told you salutes won’t get you extra chocolate chips.”
“Can’t blame a soldier for trying, Miss Cotton,” he replied, a chuckle rippling through the guards.
“Alright, I guess I’ll let it slide,” Cotton said with a smile, an expression the guards all mirrored. “Who knows, maybe it’ll actually work for once,” she said with a smirk.
“Hey, sweetie!” Spike said, coming around the corner. “How was—oh, Steadclaw! I didn’t know you were coming. Good to see you again!”
“Likewise, Spike,” Steadclaw responded with his own smile.
Spike grinned. “Ah, I see my daughter has informed you of my preferred first-name basis. Thank you for indulging me. Hey…” Spike leaned forward to get a closer look at him. “You look a little rough around the edges. Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” Steadclaw nodded. “Got into a bit of a scrape on the way here. Cotton was totally out of harm’s way, so don’t worry—they just had a bone to pick with me for some reason. Otherwise, no damage done.”
Spike shook his head. “Unfortunately, that’s not entirely the case.” He held up Steadclaw’s bag in a claw. “It looks your schoolbag took some damage.”
“Oh! Uh, shoot, I didn’t even see that!” Steadclaw said.
“Would you like us to get you a new one?” Spike asked him. “It wouldn’t be any trouble at all.”
“Oh, uh, thank you for the offer, Spike, but I can’t accept that. I’d, uh, rather pay with my own bits,” Steadclaw answered, shame making him blush.
“Dad, Steadclaw was looking for a little help,” Cotton interjected.
“Oh, right! Spike, do you have any other scrolls on the S.C.C.?” Steadclaw asked. “I’ve got a good jump on my paper, but I could use some more info.”
Spike smiled. “Yes, I’ve got a few left, other than the one you returned. They shouldn’t be too much for you to handle. I’ll want you transporting them safely, though. I have to insist I give you a proper satchel for now. When you’ve bought your own, you can return it.”
“Sounds fair to me,” Steadclaw replied.
“Good,” Spike said, turning around. “Just bear with me for a few minutes. I’ll be back with the scrolls and a proper bag.”
“Thank you, Spike!” Steadclaw called to Spike’s retreating form.
“You’re very welcome!”
Cotton let out a sigh. “Well, now that that’s taken care of, you wanna come up to my room? I don’t usually ask for their help, but I bet one of the attendants wouldn’t mind giving you a brush-down.”
Steadclaw couldn’t help but chuckle. “No thanks, I’ll take care of it when I get home. No offense, but I think I’d feel a little spoiled if one of your attendants started preening me.”
Cotton shrugged. “I understand. I kinda feel the same way. Anything else you need while we wait for my dad?”
Steadclaw shuffled one of his back paws a bit. “Actually, Cotton… there’s something I kinda wanted to ask you…”
Ж
“Thanks, Spike!” Steadclaw said, swinging a sturdy black satchel over his shoulder. “I’ll return these to you as soon as I’m done. Nothing’ll happen to ‘em in here.”
“That’s the idea,” Spike chuckled.
“So, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow, Cotton,” Steadclaw said, blushing at her.
“Oh… Didn’t you wanna hang out for a bit?” Cotton asked, her complexion just as flushed.
“I… I really ought to finish up my paper. It’s due Monday, y’know, and I have some… stuff going on this weekend,” he finished, winking at her.
“…Right,” Cotton responded, reddening even more. “I’ll… see you tomorrow, then.”
“See ya,” Steadclaw replied. “Thanks again, Spike!” With that, he pushed his way out of the main doors and walked out.
“I have to say, that’s one dedicated griffon,” Spike said. “You know, you should be working on that paper yourself, hmm? Cotton?” Spike found her staring straight through the closed doors. He waved a claw in front of her face. “Hello? Equus to Cotton,” he laughed.
“Oh… my… gosh,” Cotton breathed out in disbelief.
“Sweetie, is everything okay?”
“Daddy, he… he just asked me out… on a date.” Her head whipped up at him. “Like, like a date date! And… and I said yes!”
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This was absurd but fun.
Yet another reason that Luna is best princess.
Nothing like an ancient lunar princess telling you to make a move already to get your tail in gear.
7602781
Funnily enough in every IRL princess vote. Princess Luna is on top. So yep, Luna is without a doubt best princess.
Damnit, Luna! But at least the message was Old Canterlot...
Oh, I'm glad to see this story again! Been a loong while.
7603481 To keep the critters out.
Geez, butt out Luna, you big butt!
I want to like this story again
Oh Luna you...
last chapter already? Nuuuuuuuh
I need moar of this.
Oh, wow, Luna's reaction was absolutely hilarious. Conjugating Luna's speech correctly maintained immersion throughout the chapter too. An enjoyable chapter.
There was only one minor technical EM (probably) error that I could see in this chapter ("...thou may always accept..."), which I do believe should be 'mayst'. Something I'd've missed if I weren't specifically looking for that sort of thing.
Nothing like getting sudden and unexpected dating advice from the Equestrian equivalent of Spec Ops.
Huzzah!