Chapter 15: What Happens in Canterlot...
“Spike? Spike! Where are you?“
From behind the bathroom door, Twilight Sparkle’s muffled voice pulled Spike from his slumber. The scent of old books and the sensation of rough paper rubbing his face followed not long after. Slivers of light slid past the edges of the book into the corners of his vision, so he definitely hadn’t fallen asleep beneath one of his massive comic collector’s compendiums again. They were expansive enough to block out eyesight entirely.
Wait.
The light had a yellowish tinge to it. It was a subtle difference from the mostly white lamps he’d switched on, but surely this wasn’t worth losing sleep over, right?
A rooster crowed. It flicked a switch in Spike’s mind. He gasped, plucking the journal from his face. The yellow morning sun assaulted his eyeballs for half a second. A cold sweat ran down Spike’s temple as he tried to rub the grogginess from his face. How long had he been he out?
The door clicked open. Green eyes met violet for an instant.
“Spike, are you in—wah!”
Peeping Twilight yanked her face back outside. She slammed the door, a single feather drifting to the floor her only calling card. Quick, shallow breaths caused condensation to form on the faucet in front of Spike’s mouth as he looked from the door back down to the book in his lap.
“I’m calling the psychiatrist!” Twilight called out from behind the door.
Spike opened his mouth and groaned, “For you, or for me?”
Twilight’s answer was simple and pointed. “Yes.”
“I swear it’s not what it looks like!” Spike’s voice dried up as he scrambled out the sink, claws shrieking against the porcelain. “Really! I was just…using the bathroom rug as warmth!”
“Right…well, you can continue ‘Whatever That Doesn’t Look Like’ back in Ponyville.” Spike could almost see Twilight’s eyes roll as he spread the rug back on the floor—quite a feat, giving his shaking, sleep-deprived claws. “If we’re not at the train station in twenty minutes, we’re gonna miss the departure!”
Shoving his latent drowsiness to the back of his mind, Spike bolted out the door. He hugged Velvet’s journal close with his right hand, placing his right arm over the cover while he saluted with the other hand.
“Number-one assistant reporting for duty!” Spike tried to prevent the fins on the sides of his head from drooping. He gave Twilight a wide, toothy grin. Twilight’s only response was to tap her hoof and frown back—hopefully at him and not the journal.
Twilight clicked her tongue. “You know, if we hadn’t spent ten minutes this morning searching for you, we wouldn’t be quite so behind schedule. Seriously, the bathroom sink?”
‘What?” Spike gave a virtuous shrug. “It’s exactly my size!”
Twilight only raised an eyebrow. “Anyway, want to put that behind us?”
Spike glanced down. “Yeah, th-that sounds like a good idea.”
“Well, Mom and Dad are waiting outside. Don’t forget you still need to send the books we got from the Canterlot library to Ponyville. They’re in the living room.”
Spike snapped his fingers. “Oh, right! Sure thing.” Thank Celestia Twilight wasn’t pressing for more info on Velvet’s journal. He followed Twilight to the hallway, wiping some perspiration from his forehead before rubbing at the corners of his eyes.
Twilight paused at the top of the stairs and turned to Spike. “By the way, anything you want from Donut Joe’s? We don’t have time to make breakfast.”
“Oh, just strawberry—extra sprinkles.” Spike’s free arm swung limply at every step he walked down the stairs. Twilight gave him another glare; at least this time, it wasn’t a piercing one. She wasn’t suspicious anymore, thank Celestia.
“You sure? No coffee or anything?”
“Psh, nah! Coffee? Spike the Brave and Glorious doesn’t need coffee!” A crazed smile cracked itself open on Spike’s face as he waved off Twilight’s suggestion. “He keeps himself perky and alert with sheer heroic willpower alone!”
Twilight chuckled once her hoof made it to the foot of the stairs. They arrived at a neatly stacked collection of books piled up behind the sofa. “Either heroic or foolhardy—I guess time will tell, eh? Well, Mr. Brave and Glorious, you think this beast is any match for your fire breath?”
Spike made a show of measuring the stack, holding his claws forward as if framing them in a picture. After sizing it up, then licking a finger and sticking it in the air to sense wind direction, he heard a snort from his sister.
“Well, don’t strain yourself.”
Spike gave her a cocksure grin before he turned and cupped his right hand to his mouth. One deep breath later, a green flame erupted from Spike’s puckered lips. The Book Beast never stood a chance.
Twilight put a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. This was probably the only time she’d been happy to see books getting burned…
…well, one of two times, if Princess Cadance’s gossips were to be believed.
“Nice one. Looks like those fire breath exercises are really paying off!” Twilight beamed.
Spike polished a claw against his chest scales, hoping Twilight didn’t notice the sweat on his forehead. “ “Y-yeah…time to head back to Ponyville then?”
“Sure thing, Champ.” A spring in her step, Twilight opened the main door with her magic. Spike, on the other hand, trudged toward her direction. Scratching his head with his right claw, he looked back at the space where the mountain of books once stood. Was he forgetting something?
Eh, that’d be Future Spike’s problem.
A deluge of sounds—ponies chattering, brakes shifting, and a station announcer’s voice filtered through a loudspeaker—flooded Spike’s hearing. The wind howled through his ear flaps as the train in front of him disappeared into a tunnel leading to Vanhoover, but his groggy mind had yet to adjust to the constant sensory assault of wakefulness. He slapped himself to banish the sludge of drowsiness from his mind. That was it: no more late-night binge-reading.
From the right corner of Spike’s vision, near the messenger bag that was leaning on the armrest, Night Light leaned forward and faced left. “No sign of your train yet, Twilight?”
Twilight glanced at the timetable hanging above her and grumbled. “Nothing. Last announcement said they’d be here ten minutes late and it’s now 7:45. Ugh, you were right, Dad. We should’ve slept in.”
Spike rubbed the sand from his eyes. You and me both, Twilight.
“That’s the Pan-Equestrian Railroad Organization for you.” From the left of the bench, Twilight Velvet glanced away from the unicorn technomage’s equivalent to a puzzle cube—a levitating, sparking board studded with wires and a glowing, light blue square at the center—and at her Little Star. “Soon as they see some shiny new tech dangling in front of their faces, they paw at it like Rose and North when I open the catnip.”
Twilight huffed. “Or their owner, when she gets a brand-spanking-new O-scope from Amarezon.”
“Twilight…” Night Light’s displeased voice slapped the back of Spike’s scales. “That’s no way to—”
Velvet lifted a hoof. “No, no… It’s fine. . I totally get where Sparky’s coming from.”
Spike got jostled from the side as Twilight’s wings flinched.
“Hell, if I were still working for Scientific Equestrian, and a colleague told me that some long-lost, ancient Empire had not only just resurfaced, but also possessed aetheric fuel cells more efficient than our own, you can bet my ass I’d swoop down there as well.” Velvet stopped a while to switch a wire from one hole on the circuit board to another, causing the bright, light blue to glow brighter. “Cheaper, faster engines and all that.”
Twilight leaned back and crossed her forelegs. “But that’s…how…what were they thinking? Crystal Empire fuel cells lose chemical and electrical stability the longer they aren’t exposed to the Crystal Heart’s magic. How come I haven’t heard of this before?”
“They only started a few days ago.” A snort escaped Velvet’s nostrils. “And already the reports are coming in. They won’t even send the trains back to the Crystal Empire for recharging. Nope! Gotta rake in that dough.” Velvet sent a magenta pulse from her horn and into the wiring board, causing the glowing center to dim. “...that is, until…”
A bang, then smoke. Sparks burst out the light blue square at the center of the board.
Twilight and Spike yelped. Their spines slammed the back of the bench. Then Twilight, after quickly calming her breathing, glared at her mother. “Mom! Quit causing a scene!” Twilight hissed. “Other ponies are watching!”
“Hey, I was just showing you how—” Velvet put a hoof in the air, but hesitated once her eyes met Night Light’s. She sat back on the floor, chagrined.
“Sorry.” Velvet folded her ears as she put the board back in her bag. “Just got…carried away. But you get my point. The locomotive’s not going to blow up or anything, but it’d trip the circuit breakers and activate the emergency brakes. The Railroad Authority hasn’t given a damn about reliability in decades, and their safety record has only recently improved. Marginally. ”
“Huh, well, can't argue with that. ” Twilight lowered her head as Spike dismounted from Twilight and got back to sitting on the bench. “I’d say you have some personal experience in the latter.”
“Eh?” Spike turned to Twilight.
“Don’t you remember what Mom said before?” clarified Twilight. “She got caught in the crossfire of that shootout in the '90s. Makes sense she wouldn’t be comfortable around trains.”
“Oh, so you were listening to my Scar Stories!” Velvet chuckled as she scooted closer to Twilight. She grinned surreptitiously. “Want to hear more?”
Twilight leaned away, pushing harder against her assistant’s side. “Um, actually Mom…”
“No, no… I’m bored with telling them, too.”
Twilight’s tensed shoulders relaxed as she released a breath. Meanwhile, Spike pursed his lips and glanced away, concealing a frustrated snap from his claw. So much for hearing Present Velvet’s side.
“So let’s play a little game: you tell me how you got that”—Velvet pointed to a ridged, pale streak at Twilight’s left cheek, then extended her own right hind leg outward to show a reddish-pink patch—“and I’ll tell you how I got this. Oh, and Nachtlicht?”
Night Light walked to Velvet’s side, concealing a subtle frown from Velvet’s nickname. Velvet pulled him closer and pointed at his chest. “You’ve mapped out my scars in intimate detail, so you get the honor of judging which one of our anecdotes is worthy of the Tall Tale Literary Prize. Sound good?”
Night Light looked at her dubiously. “You sure, hun? Are you gonna put up your scars against the alicorn that blasted Tirek in the face with the Friendship Cannon of Doom?”
“Are you kidding?” Velvet put her hooves on her hips. “My scars could stand up to the stories of Celestia herself!” Night Light shook his head before meeting his daughter’s gaze. “How about you, Twilight? You sure you want to do this?”
Twilight touched the scar on her face before giving an awkward chuckle. Her ears folded back as she ducked. “I’ve never bragged about battle wounds before… I guess so?”
Spike tried to hide a little fist pump, then rubbed his palms together. Whatever spirit possessed Twilight to make her agree to this contest, he’d have to bow down to it. This was sure to cast some light on some of his mom’s past. If Twilight had turned down the offer, he wouldn’t get a better chance…
…that is, if he could take advantage of it. Velvet’s short-circuiting object lesson may have given him a slight jolt, but already the waking effects of adrenaline were fading. Spike shook his head, both to clear it and to scrounge up the last of his waking energy.
“C’mon, Twi!” Spike elbowed Twilight’s side, a wide toothy smile plastered on his face. “Like mother, like daughter! Why don’t you tell her how you kicked Chrysalis’s flank during the Secretariat Comet fiasco!”
Night Light gave a low whistle. “Ooh, the Secretariat Comet? Sounds like you’ve got some stiff competition, Vel!”
A family of five at a bench farther away turned their heads to Night Light, perking up their ears. "Okay move along folks! Nothing to see here!"
Velvet frowned at Night Light while Twilight rubbed her shoulder “Ouch, Spike! What’s gotten into you? You’ve never been that anxious to hear me recount my more dangerous encounters.”
Spike gave a massive yawn. Sleep deprivation gave his voice a slight scratch, a hairline crack at the facade. “Well, yeah, but it was never like this,” he continued, pointing at Twilight’s parents as he leaned back. “You’ve heard Mom’s stories before; now it’s your turn.” He leaned back, crossing his arms and slouching to get more comfortable. “Tell it in Scar Story-style!”
Twilight merely snickered.
“All right, all right, simmer down, Michael Hay.” Twilight then faced her parents as Spike scooted to the right to give Twilight some space. “So yeah, Spike’s right. I got this from my last fight with Queen Chrysalis.” After brushing a hoof on the scar, she pointed her hoof up on the air. “This one wasn’t from our first scrape with Chrysalis and her crazy cronies during Shining’s wedding. It was a few weeks after we liberated the Crystal Empire, back in Ponyville.” Twilight’s parents sat on the floor as their daughter began to get absorbed into her tale. “My friends and I noticed that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were acting a bit…”
After a few minutes, Spike’s eyelids grew heavy. Where there were once articulate words, Twilight’s voice became an infusion of indecipherable murmurs. Spike pinched the undersides of his eyes—a laughable front against the encroaching drowsiness.
The next few minutes wafted past in a blur. Despite his best efforts, Spike drifted in and out of wakefulness. He pinched his side, slapped his face, and even dug his claws into his thighs, but nothing broke the cycle. Spike wasn’t the World’s Bravest DragonKnight for nothing, and he wouldn’t allow the wiles of the seductive succubus of sleep to slide him snoring into silky sleek slumber. He was going to get Velvet’s side of the story, dang it, even if this time he had to get it in groggy chunks.
“So after we escaped the rather obsessive cave troll…”
…
“But Fluttershy just smiled and said, ‘Nature is so fascinating.’ It was—”
…
“…already strengthened herself with the comet’s magic. But two can play…”
…
“…damn, Sparky. How can I top that? I might have to tell a different Scar Story…”
Spike stirred. Velvet’s voice renewed his vigor, if only for a bit, and his head trembled as Velvet’s muddied form gradually came into focus. Rather than the patch on her leg, Velvet instead parted her mane with her magic and pointed a hoof at the left side of her forehead. “I think this one stands a better chance of standing up to your story. This one’s courtesy of- no, I misspoke. If it weren’t for River Rapids’ bulk, I might not be here at all!”
Twilight creased her eyebrows. “River Rapids? Did you go off another waterfall?”
“Um…” Velvet scratched her chin. She glanced down to hide her eyes, which darted left to right. “Hmm, well—”
Night Light stepped forward. “River Rapids was a security guard your mom met in Baltimare during a tour to see Fetlock Maretin’s new airship. Something about an article, I think.”
“Ah yes!” Velvet nodded at her husband. “She was a bit rough, I’ll admit. Gave me some flak when she saw Evy. Some folks just don’t understand the RSB-650.”
“Which of your two-wheeled monstrosities did you name Evy, again?” Twilight snorted.
“The first, of course!” Velvet crossed her arms. Amid the bustling ambience of the train station, Spike caught a faint, half-flustered-half-nostalgic huff from Velvet’s end before she waved her hoof. “But that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, back then, Fetlock Maretin hadn’t gotten the hang of making transformers for weather magic, so needless to say…”
Twilight pursed her lips. “Why does everything around you explode?”
Velvet rolled her eyes. “Battle with Tirek? Discord’s rampage? Pot, meet kettle?”
A tingle shot up Spike’s spine as Twilight’s tail flicked and brushed against his arm. “Three to four years’ worth of explosions is nothing compared to thirty to forty, Mom!”
“Well”—Velvet straightened herself, brushing off Twilight’s protests—“this wasn’t like one of those fancy MythBuckers-type explosions that give you a high. This was real as shit. The fires ate the outer fabric. Flaming girders from the airship’s catwalks fell all around me. Most of my colleagues escaped, but I was trapped. One steel column got too close for comfort to my head. Could’ve sworn it was melting: felt like my mane was going to spontaneously combust.”
Velvet rubbed the nape of her neck.
“But she got me out. Rapids just plowed right through all that shit!” Velvet smacked her hooves together. “I mean, I didn’t think she….”
Spike glanced downward. That wasn't what he read in her journal at all! Unless Rapids quit being a merc and became a security guard and this takes place after Velvet met Daring. Spike blinked two times, Velvet’s words fading into the background. Evy wasn’t destroyed in this anecdote, and the real Rapids probably never even knew who Evy was…
Spike’s eyes grew heavy once again. His neck muscles were losing the battle to hold his head upwards. Groaning, Spike slid his claw down his face, even going so far as to bite down on the web between his thumb and index finger. Maybe the pain would jolt him awake.
For once, dragon toughness was not his friend.
Ngh…not now…
The World’s Bravest DragonKnight had failed.
…
“Oh Spike, could you get my—”
Spike catapulted upwards. Twilight’s words, plus a nudge from her hoof, sent a jolt up his spine and out his arms. It was what came out of his mouth, however, that really snapped him back to Equestria.
“Whaagh! No, she didn’t!”
All the Sparkles cocked their heads.
“I-I mean…” Spike slapped himself a second time. “I mean Rapids wouldn’t do something like that! And that scar wasn’t from some flaming girder or whatever! It came from Rapids punching you into a shipping container!”
Velvet scratched her neck with her hoof. “Shipping… container?” She shook her head with an uneasy smile. “Hey, c’mon, I know I said she was an ass”—she looked behind her, then breathed a sigh of relief when a passing mule took no notice—“but that doesn’t make her an uncaring psychopath!”
Spike gritted his teeth and raised his arms in protest. “Not what I meant! Rapids didn’t save you! Heck, she was trying to kill you because she was a mercenary trying to stop you from helping Daring Do!”
A heavy silence loomed over the Sparkles. It pushed out the background ambient noise of the train station. Everypony stared at Spike, their eyes wider than his head.
“Pfft…ba-haha haha!” Velvet slapped the floor tiles with her front hoof, then leaned on Night Light. “Haha…oh…oh my Celestia! Help me, Dear. I think I’m gonna—”
Night Light cradled his wife, though even he was doing a bad job of suppressing the urge to join his wife’s guffawing. The fins on Spike’s ears drooped along with his eyebrows and the corners of his lips. They drooped even more when he looked at Twilight’s face: she wasn’t even trying to hold her laughter.
It wasn’t until half a minute later when Velvet beat her chest to calm herself. Night Light offered Velvet a hanky, which she used to dab the shimmering corners of her eyes before she waved her hoof. “Okay…okay. That…that was a good one, Hot Stuff. My Scar Story was starting to lean onto the serious side, so thanks for the comic relief! You’d make a good Element of Laughter.”
Spike stammered. “But…but I’m serious! You did go on a Daring Do adventure…”
Velvet nodded. “Well sure! When was it, honey—summer about twelve years ago?”
Night Light gave a contemplative nod while Spike perked up. Finally some answers! Straight from the horse’s—
“Right.” Night Light rubbed his chin. “That was the time Twilight and Shining wanted to ride the Ahuizotl animatronic at Yearling’s World.”
Horsefeathers.
“Yup.” Velvet reminisced before leaning back, turning her ice blue eyes over to Twilight, jabbing her with a gaze. “Twilight here almost brought the damn thing to life. And thereafter, she was christened ‘Sparky.’”
“Mom! Can we not talk about that?”
Night Light reached a hoof around Spike’s shoulders, gathering him in while he motioned with his other hoof in a sweeping gesture. “Long story short, it’s the reason we can never go on one of those Adventu-Cations ever again.”
A mumble along the lines of “Thank you, Dad” traveled from Twilight’s mouth and into Spike’s ears, but it hardly made a dent on Spike.
Spike pulled away from his Dad before returning to his original train of thought. “No no no, not like that. I mean a real adventure—like with Rainbow Dash and the Ring of Scorchero!”
Velvet only replied with another chuckle. “Oh, you must’ve been dreaming. Right honey?” She elbowed Night Light and pointed to a vendor’s cart in the distance. “Could you get us some coffee from Cuppa Joe’s?”
“Right, right. Flat white for you, Lungo for Twilight, and—” He put a hoof to his chin and looked at Spike “—how do you want yours?”
“Um…” Spike rubbed his sweaty palms. The incongruity between Velvet’s tale and the journal’s account still caused the gears in his mind to creak. “Surprise me…?”
“He’ll have the Filtered Southern Marwari,” interjected Twilight. “It’s strong enough to keep him up for most of the day…if they know how to make it, that is.”
Night Light winked. “Don’t underestimate Joe.”
As Night Light walked off, Spike crossed his arms. “I’m not that—” a yawn cut him off, and he struggled to stretch his arms and hold up the facade “—that tired…”
The two Twilights replied with frowns.
“It’s like they think I’m a child,” muttered Spike before speaking up with renewed vigor. “What about that scar on your cheek, or that one on your right leg, or that one on your other right leg, or—”
“You think I make crap like this”—Velvet levitated her dragon-fire lighter out of a bag on the floor—“and not expect a capacitor or two to short-circuit on me once in a while? And it’s not just the lab in the basement that’s out to get you. Imagine getting rattled around in a motocross rally at seventy miles an hour before a booster solenoid decides it wants to penetrate you the instant you show some leg.” A smirk punctuated her point. “And that’s just on top of crazy shit like the Great Train Shootout of '92.”
Spike sighed and pursed his lips as he glanced away from Velvet. He should’ve figured Twilight’s mom would be tough to crack.
At the top corner of Spike’s vision, Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “Well, Spike kinda has a point.”
Spike’s eyes widened. Of all the sources for reinforcements in verbal combat, it had to be his adoptive big sister.
Spreading her wings, Twilight waved her hooves, a sliver of a snicker making its way out of her mouth. “Not with the Daring Do thing, of course. That’s horseapples. But you do have more scars than any STEM pony I know. I think Radiance Cloppenheimer’s the only one who has the same number of scars as you do, and she has the excuse of being a Crystal pony involved in the original war when Sombra was—”
“Now, Twilight.” The smell of robusta roast wafted into Spike’s nose as Night Light returned with the coffee. After levitating several paper cups to Spike and his two favorite constellations, he walked to Twilight Sparkle’s side and looked her squarely in the eyes. “Your mom was a journalist. Celestia knows how many ponies from far off places she had to interview. And like she said, she does things like motorbike races in her spare time, so of course she’d end up getting nicked more than your usual scientist.”
Twilight looked down at her coffee. The only sound apart from the station ambience was Spike sipping from his own cup. More bitter than what he was used to, but the taste was relegated to the background of his mind; the family drama in front of him took center stage.
“I know you two aren’t exactly on even ground.” Night Light’s tone softened. “But at least try to be more understanding of her, okay? She’s been through a lot, after all.”
Before Night Light could continue, a chime echoed throughout the station, followed by a faint squeal from the rail tunnel. Spike and the Sparkles turned their heads to look, even if they all knew what it was.
As the train to Ponyville coasted to a stop at the platform and before Twilight could get off the seat, Night Light gave his daughter a hug. “See you again soon, My Little Bookworm,” he said as Twilight returned in kind, her wings folding as a wide smile grew on her face.
Without spilling his coffee, Spike hopped off the bench before slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder. Twilight started making her way to the train. She was halfway through when the sound of trotting hooves caused her to look back. “What, none for me?” Velvet asked.
Twilight glanced aside, then stared at her mother’s formerly mirthful grin. Only after a few seconds of hesitation did she grant Velvet’s request. “Atta girl. Now go get 'em, Tiger.”
Twilight entered the train, but as Spike followed her lead, he looked back at Twilight’s parents. Night Light’s eyes weren’t trained at him—thank Celestia—he was occupied with seeing Twilight off. But he wasn’t Spike’s main concern.
Velvet stared back.
It wasn’t a piercing, stabbing gaze. Icicles weren’t sprouting from her eyes and drilling into his head. Nonetheless, it was enough to make Spike swallow the lump in his throat.
He hurried into the train car, shoving fellow passengers’ legs out of the way and cupping his coffee with both his claws. Eventually, he reached the rear right corner of the car: Twilight’s usual spot when traveling without her friends. After climbing up a vacant seat, Spike sipped from his coffee and relaxed his eyelids. The train jostled under him, the brakes disengaging and the wheels clattering. He had barely settled in before he took one last instinctive glance out the window.
Velvet was still staring at him. It was the look of careful calculation—like a sniper studying her prey.
As the train snaked its way down the slopes of the Canterlot outskirts, Spike shrank just a little lower in his seat. He felt like his soul was left behind on the bench back at the train station.
The last drops of Southern Marwari Drip passed down Spike’s gullet as the dragon looked down at his coffee cup. Just him and Twilight now, and she was busy staring out the window: no pony, scheduling delay, bouts of sleepiness, or random monster encounter were around to distract him from his thoughts.
An internal conflict weighed heavily on his mind, and he grimaced at it. Why was he even having second thoughts in the first place? The mother of his adoptive sister being a globe-trotting badass? And one of the few ponies to even know who Daring Do actually is? Who wouldn’t respect somepony like that?
Spike shook his head. And yet…it’s just not right.
What kind of mother lies to her kids and hides secrets from them? Sure, this was Daring Do they were dealing with, and perhaps hiding her past made sense back when Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle were still foals. But Shining was now the Captain of the Royal Guard, and Twilight…well…Twilight is Twilight. They could stand whatever Daring’s foes threw in their way, but despite that, it didn’t seem like Velvet had any plans to come out any time soon.
Then there was Night Light. Spike did notice that he didn’t have as many scars as Velvet, and he always was on the lanky side, at least, compared to his wife’s meat. Maybe she was protecting him? That didn't add up, though. He kept covering for Velvet back there—even cooked up a fake backstory for River Rapids. Though that’s if he knew of the real River Rapids. Maybe Velvet’s been feeding him lies as well. Celestia knew she wasn’t above that before her marriage…
“What was all that about?” Twilight’s displeased voice shook Spike from his musings. He looked up to the sight of Twilight frowning at him, ears folded back. “It’s one thing to make up conspiracy theories, but to make up conspiracy theories about Mom? To her face?”
Spike looked away.
“I know things between us haven’t always been civil, but that was just uncalled for!” Twilight snorted, then rested her head and her forelegs on the edge of the window, her frown showing no signs of abating.
Spike licked his lips and sighed. Whatever his next course of action would be, it didn’t seem like Twilight was in a pliable mood. Velvet and Night Light got him good. “I-I’m sorry,” he stammered, “your mom was right. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
There was no reply. Twilight was still leaning on the window, her eyes tracking Canterlot as it shrunk into the background. Normally, this would be the time Twilight would take advantage of the privacy afforded to her by being in the rear seat and ask Spike for one of her books. But no, Twilight just kept staring out the window. Perhaps she wasn’t as closed off as he thought…
“Twilight?”
Twilight drew a hoof back and forth across the base of the window. When she turned to regard him again, her expression had softened. “L-listen, I figure you wouldn’t say something like that without a good reason—at least a better reason than ‘sleep deprivation is a heck of a drug.’” Twilight took her forelegs off the window’s edge and turned to face Spike fully. “Horseapples, when I was running around saying Nightmare Moon was returning, ponies looked at me like I was saying that Cloudsdale was cloud-seeding chemicals to turn all the parasprites gay.”
A sigh interrupted Twilight before she pursed her lips and continued. “But I knew what I knew. I had a book. I cross-referenced it after the Summer Sun Celebration.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “In hindsight, it’s a wonder no pony saw the signs decades earlier. But now?” Twilight folded her ears. “I-I’m sorry, Spike, but I need more than just hearsay…even if it’s coming from my number one assistant.”
Spike bit his tongue in frustration. It was ironic that Twilight was lecturing him on the necessity to have corroboration of a book, and that was exactly what he had. As if by reflex, Spike grasped the strap of his messenger bag. As far as he could remember, he had left Velvet’s journal back in Canterlot. It wouldn’t be right to steal somepony’s private property—even if he didn’t agree with the reason she was keeping said property private.
“So…what are you saying, exactly?” Spike studied Twilight’s face. “Do you think your mom’s actually hiding anything?”
Twilight shook her head. “I…don’t know. Mom partnering with Daring sounds like something out of one of Rainbow Dash’s fanfics.” She then leaned in closer to Spike. “Please don’t tell Dashie I said that!”
Spike suppressed a snicker and crossed his heart.
“But the possibility of Mom doing something shady during her trips, well…” Twilight leaned back and smacked her lips. “Everypony has their secrets. Everypony has hidden depths. That’s just a fact of life, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. It’s what those secrets are and what you’re doing with them that matters. And if Mom really has been doing shady stuff…”
It was Twilight’s turn to look down. “I wouldn’t know what to think. She’s always been fiery and reckless, but she’s no criminal or killer or anything like that…I hope. I need time to think; let’s just leave it at that.”
Twilight leaned back, fidgeted in her seat, and crossed her hooves. Not quite the answer he was looking for, but he hadn’t had many of those since yesterday. Spike leaned back as well, the empty coffee cup still in his claws.
It wasn’t until a few minutes later, after a passing attendant took Spike and Twilight’s trash, that Twilight broke the ice and sat up. “So—you found First Edition Power Ponies?”
“Oh! Um…” Spike’s eyes shifted as he twiddled his thumbs. Of all the things Twilight could change the subject to, why did it have to be that? “I-I didn’t see it at first. Then I got distracted by some Vintage Shadow Spade! I gave it a chance, but, uh... It kind of lost me by Chapter Three. I kinda wish I’d swiped it for Rarity though. She would’ve liked it…”
As Twilight chuckled in response. “Ooh, Chapter Four is where the plot really picks up. Give it another shot…for Rarity, right?”
Twilight’s eyes gravitated out the window again, the wreckage of her old library coming into view. Meanwhile, Spike swallowed a lump in his throat. Minutes ago, he was railing against Velvet’s lies in his head, and here he was, deceiving Twilight. Luckily, he didn’t let the lump in his throat crack the facade.
Twilight turned back to Spike. “Speaking of Rarity, I promised to help her rearrange her gem drawers, so could you watch over the castle?”
Spike smiled. “But…but Rarity! My darling! Can’t I go see her with you?”
“Heh heh, I’ll send her your regards. But no, Spike. The castle’s already gone for too long without anypony watching over it. I should really find a house sitter one of these days.”
Upon entering the double doors of the Friendship Castle, Spike stretched his arms and smacked his lips, allowing the messenger bag containing Meadowbrook’s Translated Corpus and Daring Do and the Crystal Sphere of Khnum to slide off his shoulders. He didn’t get many chances to be the mare of the house…or drake, in this case. Not that he looked forward to these chances: there was more house in this castle than he knew what to do with. No wonder Twilight preferred doing research in coffee shops outside the castle.
At least, that was the reason he thought Twilight didn’t seem as attached to the castle as she did with the library.
To Spike’s left, a tower of books stood at the hall, fresh from the Canterlot libraries and ready to be welcomed to their new home. Spike placed his claws on his hips. “Well, I’ll be,” he said, walking towards Book Mountain. “Glad to see you’re all in one piece! Hope you don’t mind me almost scorching you,” he said at no book in particular—clearly, Twilight was being a bad influence. “I was having a late-night meeting with this one girl. Man, she tells the craziest stories…”
One blackened book at the corner wiped the smirk off his face.
Spike rushed to the battlefield casualty and immediately inspected the wound. Though a large patch obscured most of the cover, his claw was able to expose just enough to confirm the book’s identity. “‘The Missing Moon. Draconequus-hybrid Prince Tarom, the Prince of Peace and the Seventh Element of Harmony, makes a saddening discovery: he is pregnant with—’ Oh, it’s this garbage, I see.” Normally, Twilight treasured books that were no longer in print...normally. This was an exception, though, at least, from what he heard from Cadance.
He tossed the book into the air, his flame breath making short work of the abomination. The ashes sprinkling the carpet brought a smile to his face. It would not be missed...
The next book Spike saw after he turned back to the pile, however, would be.
His claws plucked the brown book from the pile and flipped the pages. His heart sped up, then crashed into his stomach.
His chest heaved.
His palms grew sweaty.
And the book slipped off his claws as Spike stepped back.
“Oh no! I thought I left you back in Canterlot!”
The open pages of Velvet’s journal taunted the apex predator. He scanned his memories, going back to the time he sent the books from the Sparkle House, but everything was a blur. “How did it get…agh!” Spike jabbed his forehead with his knuckles.
The clouds lifted, and Spike slapped himself in the face.
“I must've dropped it on the floor of the living room while I was sending this pile of books to Canterlot! Okay, okay. Think, think, think. Calm down.” Spike rubbed his forehead and began pacing through the halls. He could hide the journal for a while, of course, but eventually, Velvet would come looking for it. He had to return the artifact back to the tomb in which he discovered it, or suffer the Mommy’s curse. Sneak out? No, he couldn’t leave the castle—not when Twilight entrusted him to watch over it. Ask Twilight if he could take a train back to Canterlot? No, she’d get suspicious.
Spike stopped pacing the hall and stared at the notebook, Twilight’s words ringing in his ears. “I had a book… I need more than just hearsay.”
As if possessed by the spirit of the journal, Spike grabbed the journal and started making his way to the throne room. A lone book, lying on the round table with pages open—surely that would grab Twilight’s attention. She had a right to know, and someone had to put a stop to the lies.
But then Spike stopped.
“Wait a minute, why should I be the one to reveal the truth to Twilight?”
This was more than just somepony keeping secrets and telling lies. This was a dispute between Twilight Senior and Twilight Junior. This was something they had to settle between the two of them. Himself? He could be a mediator, but ultimately, it was up to them to mend their relationship. After all, it’d be better to convince Velvet to come out of the closet by her own volition rather than drag her out by revealing her secret behind her back. Also, he preferred to keep his head attached to his shoulders.
He still had to find a way to return the journal to Velvet, though, and ask Twilight when the next trip to Canterlot would be. In the meantime...
Spike retreated to the library room and shut the door. The room’s empty shelves and wide, cavernous space reminded him of how the denizens in Book Mountain were waiting to be sorted. Well, they were going to have to wait a little longer. The Journal was calling.
“All right, Mrs. Velvet’s Journal,” Spike said as he dragged a chair and sat at one of the tables, “looks like I’m stuck with you.” A little smirk crossed his face as he cracks it open. “‘Once more, unto the breach.’”
Dear Journal
Didn’t think my first international trip would look like this. A Monacolt casino? A palace in Saddle Arabia? Panthera’s Hanging Gardens? Nah man, Random Shanty #919 in a third-world shithole is where it’s at. At least the ponies here are nice…when they’re not gun-toting insurgents or paramilitaries or whatnot. And hey, if those types mess with us, I’ve got one hell of a bodyguard.
I never thought I’d say this, though, but I’m glad to be off that airship. The UK-2642 isn’t as fun to gawk at when there’s ponies shooting at you…
…well, ponies plus one pony-like thing.
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First let me say HURRAY FOR UPDATES!!!
Second calling it now. Spike DID leave the book behind. But before they left. Velvet snuck the book into Spikes stuff wanting him to finish reading it! She probably has known hes been reading it since the moment he started. Probably some detection spell on the book or something.
10099908
Thanks! Glad you’re sticking around.
And, well, I’d tell what Velvet actually thinks, but it would be spoilers.
10099921
am I at least on the right track? lol. Or was it Nightlight who slipped the book back into Spikes stuff, and Velly just thinks Spikes guessing lucky XD
10099929
All answers will be revealed in due time.
OOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOooooo
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10099941
hahaha well played! Also and of course I would stick around for this story! It is awesome! I look forward to seeing what you turn out next!
Rousing return to form, Seriff. Pleasantly surprised to see you back, and with a 'present-day' chapter at that. I see Twilight's starting to get suspicious, and now I so want that Adventu-cation story in full.
This is a lesson I still have yet to learn...
10109414
Hopefully Spectrum is one of the stories that keeps you up late at night.
Nice to see another chapter with me boi Spike. Though I do wonder what the relationship between the family are. He calls them mom and dad but they don’t hug him goodbye like they did Twilight, and Velvet was flirt joking with him earlier in the story.
Can’t wait to see how this all plays out
10110344
Hmm, fair point. I should probably add them hugging Spike once I have time.
10110384
Maybe, or that could be a thing later when Spike finally does confront Velvet. Saying how he knows he’s not really her son but he still sees her that way, or something like that. Have a truly great mother son scene between the two that we haven’t really seen yet, as the main focus/conflict as truly been on the Twilight’s with Spike standing on the sides.
Whatever you think works best for your story, but thought I’d throw my two sense in there.
10122024
Really nice, thank you! And I believe it’s the only species with such bark, so it should be E. deglupta
(PS: I‘ll hopefully manage to go through your newest chapter soon.)
Absolutely amazing job. Here's my review.