• Published 27th Mar 2015
  • 8,440 Views, 1,350 Comments

The Poisoned Barb's Tale - ManlyDerp



[Sequel Story] A mother, reborn into the mirrored world of her daughter's bygone years, desperately tries to find purpose in her second childhood. This is Barbara's diary.

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~In Another Time, In Another Place~ (Dra Lidea Na-Syng Bynd 1)

Canterlot, Capital of Equestria; seat to the Royal Sibling's power, City of ancient unicorn nobility...

... and home to the best funded colleges, libraries, and laboratories in the world.

It is here where citizens are encouraged to head for their research; where they are more than welcomed to seek their heart's desire. The study of lost civilizations, the recording of current events, revenge or even baking; no purpose was too large or too small in the eyes of the studious populi. Though over the years various nobleponies have argued for the hoarding of such information, in order to safeguard it from those who'd wish to undermine the kingdom; such thoughts have thankfully failed to gain traction in the hearts and minds of the average Equestrian.

As long as it was sanctioned, and thus deemed 'safe'; knowledge would forever be considered a free commodity within the capital's mighty walls. This single ideal alone was why the School of Magic’s lecture halls, by royal decree, were to remain open to the public whenever a guest speaker was set to present. 'So that nopony may be barred the tools necessary to become their best selves,' were the words plastered proudly above the institution's entrance; inspiring countless throughout the years, and no doubt inspiring countless more in the years to come.

Princess Twilight Sparkle once adored this plaque, just as she once adored the decree that led to it's creation...

... Now that she had become a guest speaker herself, however, the alicorn's opinions were quickly becoming split on the matter. On the one hoof, it was reassuring for her to know that her presentation was going to educate a sizable crowd of eager minds.

On the other, it was terrifying to know that her presentation was going to educate a sizable crowd of eager minds... regardless of whether she was ready for them or not.

So many ponies to enlighten, and just as many to disappoint; the young mare's growing sense of stage fright worsened as the fateful day drew ever closer. Happenstances unfathomable ran frantically through her mind as her fear became all consuming... but Twilight refused to allow such thoughts to swallow her fully. Not this time. All she had to do to avoid her fate, to avoid making a foal out of herself, was to simply prepare for the coming 'battle' using all the means she had at her disposal.

Thus was it then that Princess Twilight Sparkle did prepare herself thoroughly. Almost to the point of nausea, truthfully. It mattered not that she knew the lecture was about her studies on Cutie Mark Magic, and it mattered not that she knew that there would assuredly be questions asked about herself as well...

'Going over my notecards two hundred more times couldn’t possibly hurt… right?'

... for better or worse, Princess Twilight Sparkle was, by all accounts, still Twilight Sparkle; champion to over-prepared bookworms the land over.

Spike wouldn't have this any other way.

"Yawn."

No... wait. Scratch that.

Spike would have most assuredly had 'this' another way; perhaps in an arrangement that granted him more hours of peace in his bed? Or perhaps instead in a scenario that gave him more sway over his charge's manic actions?

Either way; the little drake may have long since grown accustomed to his first friend's occasional bouts of insanity, and he may have gained a fair bit of insight over the years on when it was necessary to step in and when it was to tap out... but this didn't change the fact that he was still just a baby dragon at the end of the day, nor did it change his growing body's need for sleep.

If the yawn on his lips, or the sway in his step, hadn't yet clued you in, dear listener, then please allow me to illuminate.

Thanks to Princess Twilight and her paranoid practicing, Spike had not received any such sleep the night prior to today. As a result, the poor child now appeared as though he was ready to pass out at a moment's notice. He may not be the sort to share his troubles with his friends often, for in his heart of hearts he wished not to be seen as a burden; the thought of standing up to Twilight was starting to cross his sleepy mind. Perhaps Spike would lob his complaints discreetly once his friend's lecture was well and over with, or perhaps he'd be bold and involve their shared friends in an intervention once again...

... but, for now, the boy was content enough in his charge's progress to allow the slight to slide. Doing so made perfect sense to him at the time, even with his exhausted brain making the calls.

Spike was confident that Twilight would be the one apologizing to him first, after all.

Her track record had gotten considerably better at catching such mistakes in recent years, and truthfully this was a rare instance of neglect comparatively, so Spike felt no need to speak up and distract the young mare on this, her big day.

Thus was the life of Equestria's number one assistant; tiring as it was rewarding.

Sometimes more towards the former than the latter.

“This… yawn... b-better have been worth it, Twilight,” the dragon grumbled groggily, trying to stay awake in his solo journey through the School of Magic's many halls. In his outstretched arms he gripped a large box, one full of last minute slide cards that his charge had felt necessary to enhance her presentation with.

Though he didn't feel the need to complain to Twilight directly for her faults, this would not stop the youth from speaking his mind to any who'd listen... even if his audience was just himself.

“If you miss so much as a single line now," he went on, fighting hard to keep his eyelids open. "so help me Celestia I’m gonn-”

Trip~

Before he could complete this final thought, before he could even react; a rogue stairway step caught the tip of the dragon's talon and hurled his unprepared-self swiftly into a head over tail tumble.

He was already on his way to pain town by the time he realized what had happened.

“Ahhh!” Spike cried out in alarm as the ground inched closer to his face. He braced for impact.

~Twinkletwinkletwinkle~

The blow never came.

“Whoa! That was a close one,” a feminine voice called out, catching the drake's attention fully. “Are you okay, Spike?”

Opening his eyes revealed for the child the sight of a grey field of magic enveloped all around himself, his dropped box, and the horn of his surprise savior.

Said savior had a name, one Spike knew quite well.

“Moondancer!” he replied gratefully to his former foalsitter, happy that she had made an appearance.

With a small smile of her own; the yellowish grey mare released her magical hold over her former charge, and his belongings, and allowed them both to settle on the ground gently.

“Hi,” she greeted awkwardly, as she used a free hoof to adjust her glasses. “Long time no see.”

“Yeah!” Spike answered back, his tone friendly; truly glad to see the slowly healing pony once again. “Thanks for the save! You really helped me… yawn... o-out.”

The sight of the boy yawning caused Moondancer to giggle lightly. Memories of her short time as a castle foalsitter came rushing back to her, as a pleasant feeling of nostalgia washed over the scene.

“Sounds like somedragon needs a nap once this is all over with,” Moondancer teased with a humorous snort, remembering years long since passed. “Princess Twilight better not be working you too hard on this presentation of hers, Spike, or I might need to have a little chat with her afterwards, hehe.”

“Hehe... Nah. No more than usual,” Spike admitted honestly, his tone suggesting that he held no ill will towards his charge and her actions. Holding grudges wasn't in his nature. “She’s just super excited for this lecture. You know what she's like when she's obsessing over something... I'm guessing you’re here to check it out?”

Moondancer’s only response to the drake's question was the light shaking of her head for ‘yes’, followed by the excited whipping out of an inked quill and an empty notepad.

Needless to say, she was born ready.

“Cool cool,” Spike nodded approvingly at the sight, granting the pony a thumbs up...

… before proceeding to allow a snarky smirk to grace his lips.

Speaking of friends,” he snickered to himself, pointing a clawed digit at the sole unicorn in the hallway. “How have things been since I last saw you? It looks like you're still wearing that ‘I-don’t-care-that-my-clothes-smell’ sweater and broken glasses~”

“Hey,” Moondancer winced... though her tone remained playful. She knew that Spike only had her best interests in mind. “My style isn’t that bad!”

“No, but it does scream ‘shut-in’,” chimed in a third voice from behind the duo. They heard the clipping and clopping of the owner's horseshoes first before being granted the opportunity to see the mare attached. “We should totally take you to that new boutique everypony has been raving about, Mooney!”

Turning to face the latest speaker, Spike and Moondancer quickly discovered her to be none other then the cornflower blue dentist-in-training Minuette. They also discovered that she was not alone, for flanked at her sides were Moondancer's other friends; the gold-ish grey star seeker Twinkleshine, and the brilliant yellow gossip lover Lemon Hearts.

“Hi girls,” Spike greeted all three of the new arrivals just as kindly as he had for 'Mooney'. Though not as close of friends as the ones he had made in Ponyville, the friendship student in his own right had garnered a greater appreciation for the trio's company in recent years. “Here for Twilight’s lecture too I… yawn... t-take it?”

The mares nodded their heads in confirmation to this probe, right as the school’s entrance began to fill up with eager ponies rushing their way inside and into the lecture hall.

“Whoa,” the sole male of the impromptu group gasped out, as his tired eyes took in the sight of the crowd growing in volume. “I didn't think Twilight was actually right about there being ponies interested in learning about cutie marks..."

“That’s becaus-” Moondancer tried to answer.

“That’s because Princess Twilight is the one teaching!” Twinkleshine cut her friend off with a squee, before she could even finish.

“Yeah!” Lemon Hearts added to this with fluttering eyes. “Everypony is probably going to ask questions about her princesshood! Heh, I know that’s why I’m here!”

“Oh, same, totally,” Minuette finished her friend’s statement with a little joyful bounce in place.

“... What? But that's... that’s terrible!” Moondancer next objected loudly to this reveal, causing a fair number of ponies nearby to stare. “I'm sure Twilight worked very hard on this presentation... but you’re only here to learn about her fame??”

“Er… kinda?” Minuette offered sheepishly, realizing now how cruel such a thing must have sounded. “I want to learn about cutie marks too, really... b-but I want to learn about the cool things Twilight did just as much!"

"Yeah," Twinkleshine parroted her friend's sentiment, defending it. "She didn’t really talk about herself all that much when we last saw her...”

“That’s not a good enough excuse to be-"

“Nah, it’s all cool,” Spike interrupted abruptly as he walked his way through the mini gathering, reacquiring his fallen box of slides in the process. “Twilight thought about the kinds of questions she was going to get from this thing, and realized that ponies were probably going to want to learn more about Equestria's latest princess too. She… yawn… c-came prepared for anything, as usual…

“... We came over prepared, to be honest,” he next groaned roughly, before shaking his held box to emphasize his point. “I think there’s a slide in here for every single friendship lesson she ever wrote! Talk about overkill, am I right ladies?”

With a chortle and a snort, Minuette laughed at this realization.

“That’s Twilight Sparkle for you,” she beamed cheerily, recalling what she had always admired in the former unicorn. “Always two steps ahead on just about everything!”

Hmph… What’s so great about her anyways...?”

The conversation then unexpectedly halted, as a new voice made itself known.

Scanning the crowded hallways, the gathered mares searched high and low as they attempted to seek the voice’s source.

Eventually... they discovered another unicorn standing off in a corner all by her lonesome.

The shadows appeared to be her only friend.

“Um... heh... W-what’s so great?” Lemon Hearts laughed as she readied to refute this pony's absurd jab. “Um, hello? She saved all of Equestria, like, four or five times already. She’s kinda a big deal, lady.”

The antagonistic pony remained mute.

“... Nightmare Moon,” Twinkleshine started to list, stepping up to bat beside her companion. “Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra... Tirek? Any of those names ringing a bell? 'Cause she dealt with all of them, filly.”

Still the mare resorted to silence…

… though the vow failed to protect her ears from turning downwards in shame.

“Were you living under a rock or something?” Minuette inquired, stepping closer. “It’s totally fine if you did! Really! It’s just, well…”

“Most of this is pretty common knowledge,” Moondancer finished Minuette’s thought, uncaring for tact as her blue friend had been. “The library has an archive of newspapers from the last few years. I would highly recommend reading some of them once this lecture is over..."

...

... Just then... a thought crossed Moondancer's mind.

'... How would Twilight deal with such a pony if she were here to meet her..?'

...

...

... 'Probably the same way she "dealt" with me.'

"...Maybe... m-maybe I could show you where they keep them?” Moondancer then offered, raising a hoof towards the stranger in a showing of friendship. The act greatly surprised the rest of her gal pals... but the mares did not object to the overall development.

It wasn't too long ago that their scholarly friend had struggled to make connections of her own, and to allow others beyond her family to enter her life... But, thanks to the Princess of Friendship's apology and their own efforts, she was now slowly starting to open her eyes to magic she had long been blind to.

'Perhaps we have something in common?' Were the words that echoed within Moondancer's heart as her hoof remained outstretched and unyielding; her offer still standing.

The stranger's persian blue eyes, however, simply stared at the offered leg.

Her tongue was still being held.

"..."

"..."

... Rather then become discouraged at such a response, Moondancer instead took this as her cue to continue. "My name's Moondancer!" She beamed in good faith. "What's your-"

Sssssssnnnnnooooorrrrreeee…

Startled by a sudden booming noise; Moondancer, Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine all jumped as one as they whipped their heads towards the interruption's origin and stared.

The sleeping form of Spike was all they discovered.

“...”

… Concerned... Moondancer turned her head back towards the forgotten corner.

The stranger was now gone without a trace.

“...”

Though what had just transpired may have seemed unusual...

… to Moondancer, it was not something worth sparing a single thought more towards.

She was content with the little amount of personal progress she had made simply in trying, as were her friends who offered her congratulatory words for the attempt. Though slightly miffed by the Outcast's choice, Moondancer understood the skittish reaction completely.

She remembered quite well what it was like to once be so afraid of the wonderful Magic of Friendship.

“Hey... You girls go on ahead without me,” the sweater-clad pony then commanded, addressing the friends around her.

Specifically the ones who were still awake.

“I'm going to stay behind and help keep Spike up for Princess Twilight's lecture.”

Upon hearing this declaration, Minuette snickered unabashedly at the very suggestion.

“Hehe, Oki doki, Mooney!” she answered back with a silly salute, honoring the selfless call. “I guess a foalsitter’s work is never done, huh?”

“Hey! That was years ago, Minuette,” Moondancer snorted back, though she remained smiling all the same. “Buuuut I guess you're not really wrong in this case, heh... Come on, Spike," she then cooed softly to the child, as a mother would her own. "Time for baby dragons to wake up."

With a gentle poke to prod him, and with a soft wisp of magic to aid him; the unicorn helped the sleepy dragon to arise from his slumber, and to relocate to where he belonged in their shared world's unbreakable timeline.

Moondancer's actions were for the greater good, dear listener.

No creature should be late for such a lovely show's rising curtains

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