To save Twilight Sparkle

by TwiwnB

The way it begins

This day was princess Twilight Sparkle’s birthday. True the day was almost over and the most directly concerned wasn’t that much concerned about it to begin with, but that was still her birthday for another three and a half hours.

Twilight was reading a book about the efficiency of reading in her huge crystal castle. From time to time, she would enjoy a sip of hot cocoa that Spike had prepared for her. With extra marshmallow, because he had found out it was actually incredibly good.

She had no other plans for the evening than to finish her book, put in back in the library, maybe take one or two out just in case, and go to bed to, well, read herself into slumber.

Then she heard the knocking on the castle’s main door.

Only three knocks, fast and briefs, followed by a deep silence as if the outside world had emerged for a second only to disappear completely the next. Twilight looked up from her book only to face the emptiness of her room and the absence of sounds. She pricked up her ear, but could only hear hers own breath. Had she not known any better, she could have thought to be the only pony in existence.

Then the knocking happened again.

“Twilight!” Spike shouted from another room pretty far away, “Do you want me to answer the door?”

“No, I’ve got it, thank you.” Twilight replied.

The weight of the book between her hooves reminded her of the sacrifice those words had meant. Yet, she truly wondered what pony could consider visiting at such a late hour. So she stood up, took the candle to light her path and walked in the crystal passages to the front door.

She put her hoof on the handle and opened it.

“Happy birthday Twilight!” shouted all of her friends in unison.

“Happy birthday Twi’.” Applejack said as she entered.

“Happy birthday dear.” Rarity said with a smile.

“Happy birthday! You thought we had forgotten, don’t you?” Rainbow Dash joked as she flew through the entrance hall.

“Actually, we had forgotten… I’m sorry. Please forgive us.” Fluttershy corrected.

Twilight look around in shock and quickly replied:
“It’s not my birthday.”

“What?” Applejack and Rarity asked.

“It’s not my birthday, not for at least four more months. Not that I don’t appreciate the attention…” Twilight explained.

“Happy birthday Twilight!” Pinkie Pie shouted in an explosion of candies and confetti before falling onto Twilight.

“It’s not my birthday!” The latter explained for the third time.

Her five friends looked at each other in dismay, giving room for twilight to recover from Pinkie’s suffocating hug.

“Are you certain of that?” Rarity asked. “I mean, we were lead to think this was your birthday that we had all forgotten about. Not that I would consider putting any blame on our source – everypony can make a mistake – but she seemed very trustworthy.”

Twilight laughed. In a way, it was a relief for her, after having forgotten up to the very name of some of her old friends, to know that those ponies she held in such high esteem were also fallible.

“I can assert without a doubt that my birthday is still four months from now.” Twilight said. “But again, I’m very pleased to see you all and if you have planned to be here tonight, I can offer you all a good cup of tea.”

“Sign me up for tea.” Applejack replied. “It actually all ends well. I mean: we were all so taken by surprise that none of us had had the time to find you a gift or prepare a cake.”

“I brought a cake!” Pinkie victoriously shouted, holding a giant cake above her head for all to see. “I made a very special cake my great friend Twilight Sparkle.” she explained.

“What’s going on?” asked Spike who had just arrived due to all the ruckus the ponies had made with their entrance.

The mares turned to him and with a smile, told him that due to some unexpected events, he was now invited to a surprise tea and cake party if he wanted. The cake looked very tasty, he knew the tea would be great if he made it and Rarity was there, so he played it cool and accepted right away with glee.

Nothing else really happened that evening: everypony shared some tea, plenty of cake though it was too big for them to finish and a lot of fun. Then the five mares said goodbye and went back home while a yawning Twilight decided she wouldn’t need any reading to fall asleep but still took a book with her as she went to bed, just in case.

As for Spike, he chose to go to sleep too, certain that the events of the evening would soon be forgotten in the flow of those little things that happen all the time but have no impact on the long term.

He went to his lair, that is to say, his bedroom on the door of which he had written “Spike’s lair”, coiled up into his bedsheet and closed his eyes. The darkness around then left place for the brightness of the dream world in which the sun never sets, or only just a bit to offer some scenery when he would walk along the beach with Rarity, quietly, without any word being needed. They knew each other too well and for too long to need anything else than the collusiveness of the silence who would transport the messages hidden into their looks from one to the other in a beautiful yet invisible dance.

It was great. It was cozy. It was quiet.

Very quiet.

Too quiet.