Shrinking Lavender

by Yinglung

Chapter 6

Soft snoring.

Hm, more soft snoring.

A pulsing pain was pounding at my forehead, but I squinted open my eyes.

A white ceiling was in my view, although bandage partially obscured my sight.

I tried to move myself up and lean against the wall. Luckily, other than some minor bruising, my limbs were working fine.

That’s when I realized that I was in a hospital.

Why was I here? My memories were a blur. The last thing I remember was the celebration party after my friends and I defeated Nightmare Moon. We all ate a lot, and Spike absolutely gorged on the gems. And then the next thing I knew was that I was lying in this hospital bed.

Two figures slept next to me. I slightly shook my head and focused my gaze. They were my new friends Rarity and Applejack, and they look absolutely tired out. They were in a total mess, leaves and small branches embedded in their manes and coats.

I was surprised that even the particular and fussy Rarity was in such a disastrous look. Normally she would be the first to decry such offense to fashion.

I still had no idea why was I here, so I extended my hoof and lightly pushed the two.

“Hnngh…?”

“Eh…?”

They groggily woke up. But when they saw me, it was like they were shocked with an electric blast.

“Thank goodness, Twilight! I- I thought…”

“Call the doc, Rarity, call the doc!” Applejack hurriedly added.

“A- Alright!” The white unicorn dashed outside of the room.

“What happened?” I asked in a clueless tone.

“A really large broken tree branch fell through the window and hit you in the head! We had to cut you out from the branches and send you to the hospital in the middle of the night.”

“R- Really?”

“Eeyup!”

Applejack then squeezed out a smile. “Thank goodness yer alright. Ah guess Rarity’s prissiness does have its use. She carefully cut through the branches so that you ain’t hurt. And Ah carried you to the hospital in the middle of the storm.”

She then tutted her tongue. “Those weather ponies shouldn’t be that careless! They coulda cause a lot of property damage with that!”

S… Storm?

“Applejack, you said there was a storm? I don’t remember there was a storm during our celebration?”

“Huh? Celebration? What are you talkin’ about?”

“The celebration for defeating Nightmare Moon, remember?”

Applejack looked flabbergasted. She leaned in and gazed hard at my eyes, then my forehead, and then back to my eyes.

“Okay… Twi, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“… Uh, going to bed after watching Spike gorge on a bowl of rubies Rarity gave him?”

Applejack exhaled deeply and sat back on the stool. “Oh dear.”

“W- What’s wrong?”

“You must’ve been hit in the head too hard, you’ve got amnesia!”

“H- Huh?!”

“Twi, it’s been almost a week since Princess Luna returned…”

I blinked and became speechless. So what happened in between?

With a loud bang, the door to the patient’s ward opened, but instead of Rarity or the doctor, an anxious-looking Spike ran towards me like an arrow.

“Twilight! A- Are you alright?”

Suddenly, when my eyes locked sight with Spike’s, an incredible headache cracked through my head like an axe. My consciousness dimmed, and I fell back onto the bed amidst the horrified looks of the orange mare and the dragon.

************

…

I was cognizant, but I had not woken up yet.

It was a feeling that was hard to describe. But compared to my inability to describe my feeling, there was something that made me worry far, far much more.

Just as Spike came in the room and locked gaze with me, I fainted.

… Was that me?

Was I really the purple mare Applejack talked to? I… no, that mare only had the memories of the purple mare prior to the incident, while I was a confused mix between the adopted mother and her draconic son.

There was a vague sense of continuity, but I was far from sure. Technically, I was only… reconstituted when Spike came back. The power of the Element of Magic that was now residing in his body must have played a role.

Doubt, like a heavy stone, dragged my heart down. Was I just a parasitic extension of the personality of Spike the Dragon? Would Twilight Sparkle the mare truly be free when she was away from the dragon? Was the care, love and tolerance I showed to the dragon a mere reflection of my selfishness?

A small part of me doubted this theory, since nothing had happened until the branch hit my head. But the guilt savagely seared at my heart.

“… Twilight!”

Something was pulling me towards wakefulness, I instinctively grabbed on it and gasped.

“Twilight!”

I opened my eyes abruptly, and attempted to sit up and straighten myself, but Applejack, Rarity and Spike all pushed me down onto the bed.

“Don’t move! I don’t want you to faint again. Poor Spikey-wikey was almost inconsolable!” Rarity said with a frown.

“I- I’m fine…”

“No, pardner, yer not! You lost your memories and then you faint again! You better stay put until the doc comes ‘round.”

“Applejack, I think I’m no longer, uh… amnesiac.”

“Really?” The three called out at the same time.

“So what are we doing the night before?” Rarity asked in hope.

Still feeling a sharp pain in the head, and feeling uncharitable following my disturbing realization, I could only grumble. “We had a sort-of slumber party, but the occasionally fun chatter was unfortunately dotted with a frequent flow of passive aggression.”

Applejack and Rarity looked at each other and winced in embarrassment.

“I- It... Well, it’s great that you have recovered from the shock.” Rarity said with a hint of shame.

“Actually, Twi, we’ve mended fences while you’re, uh, out.” Applejack said with a nervous grin.

“… Really? You aren’t telling me that to make me feel better, are you?”

“No, of course not! Ah’m the Element-bearer of honesty, remember? When I was trying to get you out with brute force but failed, it was Rarity who suggested to prune the smaller branches step by step to lessen the load. I’ve come to learn that attention to detail has its perk.”

“And of course, the willingness to get her hooves dirty and her coat wet is also life-saving. We’ve eventually realized how petty our arguments were.” Rarity sadly smiled.

“That’s brilliant!”

Even with my current worries, I couldn’t help but cheer for my friends. “I’m so glad that you two seem to have overcome your differences. Ah, I’m a bit surprised that it took a branch to the head to do the job, but if it helped my friends come together, then it might not be that bad a deal.”

The mares awkwardly chuckled, but Spike sniffled and yelped. “D- Don’t you pull this on me again, Twilight! You have scared me stiff!”

Applejack and Rarity looked at each other again, and smiled at me.

“The doctor is still not coming around…” Rarity looked up to the ceiling.

“… Ah guess we should go find him. In the meantime, Spike, take care of Twi, okay?” Applejack added.

“Wait!” I yelled out.

The mares, originally poised to leave, turned to look at me.

I grinned with an embarrassed look. “T- Thank you so much for saving me from the fallen branch. I literally owe you two my life.”

Applejack scoffed with a smirk. “Don’t mention it, Twi.”

“Applejack is right. Of course we’re going to save you no matter what.” Rarity added with a smile.

Spike turned and bowed in appreciation, and I added my nod. The two mares then retreated from my bedside quickly.

Hmm, they obviously wanted to leave some time for us two alone.

After the two left, I grinned at the dragon. Against his shocked protest, I bent my back and scooped the dragon from the ground into my embrace.

“W- W- What are you doing, Twilight?” Spike flustered.

Aw, he was embarrassed. But I could use some intimacy right now.

Still, I pretended that there was some practical reason. “Nothing, it’s just easier to talk this way without me sitting up, no?”

“We’re in public!”

“Yeah, but is there anything wrong for family to cuddle?”

Spike widened his eyes. “Uh, nope… I just never thought you’re the hugging type.”

I gulped. Spike’s words again reminded me the difference between me and the original Twilight.

A sense of glum again plagued my heart. I was a surplus, unneeded. The best that I could do for Twilight was to exit the stage voluntarily.

“… Twilight?”

Spike’s concerned call broke my depressing stream of thoughts. I pulled together a reassuring smile. “I just want to make sure you’re alright and not overly worried.”

“You’ve got it all topsy-turvy, Twi. It should be me who have to check whether you’re fine!”

Spike sulked. “You were so worried about my safety before I departed, but it turned out to be you who got yourself in danger!”

“I didn’t get myself in danger… If the tree decided to break in half and hit my head while I was standing in the safety of the treehouse, then what could I do?”

“I was scared that I would lose you, Twilight!”

I went silent. Little did he know that his Twilight had been no more, and it was his… no, my fault.

Biting my lips, I decided to really put it in all to end this charade. At least, I had to test the hypothesis that physical distance with my other self would revert my influence.

“Spike, I… might have to go on a pretty long journey after I check out of the hospital.”

“Eh? W- What for?”

“… Research project, let’s put it at that.”

“For how long?”

“I… I’m not sure, but hopefully not too long.”

“… Alright, I’m going to pack up our things…”

“No-” I called out. “I can… no, I must go alone. You should remain in Ponyville and take care of the library.”

“Huh?! Why? I can help you out if I’m by your side!” Spike immediately protested.

I could only show him a sad smile. Perhaps some half-truth could make him stay.

“Spike, I am going to investigate the relationship between you, me and the Element of Magic. This requires physical separation between us.”

He gasped. “W- Will it be dangerous?”

“… I hope not.”

Spike heavily sighed. “But what about the friendship assignment Princess Celestia gave you? Aren’t you concerned that she would be unhappy with you away from Ponyville for too long?”

I gulped. “It’s of course the best that she doesn’t get displeased. But if you don’t tell, and I don’t tell, she won’t know that I’m away for a short period of time. As for friendship learning, as long as I send in something from time to time, she would be happy with it.”

Spike didn’t seem to be entirely pacified. “She might still suddenly come and check up on us. You know, she’s quite… spontaneous for a thousand-year-old alicorn.”

“Yeah, she certainly is.”

For once, I snorted. I then thought about the experiences of the night yesterday, and how Rarity and Applejack managed to make peace due to my head trauma. Perhaps… this could be my first friendship letter? Even if it was one from a phony like me, it could still make Princess Celestia less likely to put her head into our affairs.

“Spike, do you happen to have quill and paper by your side?”

“Hmm, want to write a letter, Twi?”

“Yes, let’s make it my first friendship report to Princess Celestia. If she has something on her hooves, she would be less likely to want to inquire about our status.”

“I see… Luckily, I do have a set in my bag. The Princess made me jot notes on dragon culture throughout the reception.”

“Good! Get ready then…”

“Dear Princess Celestia,

Sometimes circumstances can bring two ponies who are ostensibly very different together. Of course destiny can play tricks on us, but sometimes, perhaps we can also create the favorable circumstances ourselves. Differences are only relative, and if we can create a higher goal for us all to achieve, then even the biggest differences can be overcome.”

My dictation turned into a quiet mutter. The lesson wasn’t really the most burning concern on my mind. A part of me wanted to be honest to the Princess, and especially the other Spike. But a sense of dread prevented me from doing just that.

I shook my head and said. “That’s it, Spike. Send the letter when we go home. I shall stay for a day to see if she replies, and then I will depart.”

“Twilight…”

“Don’t worry, Spike. I’m not going to make you worried again, I promise.”

Spike’s frown turned into a thin smile, and we embraced each other again.

Author's Note:

Some inner turmoil to fulfill the Drama tag advance the plot...

Comments

[RadicalDishonesty]

So, I'm reading all of the "Spike becomes overlaid onto the other elements" stories you write, and I think I like this one the best, and I definitely like that Twilight is taking steps, here.

Seems like the chances of this turning out well is slim, at the moment...

[ferret]

>no next chapter

[Yinglung]

7577482 Heh, I'm just glad that some fumbling is there, instead of being all perfect and like!

7583450 Cheers mate. I thought so after gathering some responses (and peeking at the like ratio). Still, this is a tagged as a comedy (eh...), and it won't go too sad or dark... I think, probably, yep.

[honeyhoneyhoney]

This is nice.

A bit plain compared to the other chapters. But it's nice.