Two Dogs Walk Into a House. You Can Figure Out the Rest
Twilight's house was not something particularly special, but it did stand out from the rest of the houses in the district, mostly for how much it looked like a small mansion in a movie rather than that of an actual house. With a pair of ivy-ridden pillars that stood by the front door, holding up the shelter above the door, which seemed to stretch up in a tower-like fashion. A small garage stood by the right-hand side of the garage, with a small path connected to a smaller door on the edge of the house. There were more windows on the left, both separated by another, slanted roof.
"Wow. This is your house, Twilight?" Wallflower asked, as she walked Smolder up to it. "It looks... really nice, actually."
"Thanks. It wasn't whole lot, but it was the only house that we could find that hadn't been taken." Twilight just gave her a gentle grin. "Plus, it was a total bargain. Mom and Dad couldn't believe it."
"Well, it's good to hear that you got all your money's worth." Wallflower took a look around, mostly at the shrubs and the barren grass, devoid of any flowers or other colours. "Though... I think it could use a bit of sprucing up."
"Sprucing up?" Twilight lifted a brow and turned back. "What do you mean by that, Wallflower?"
"Well, I mean, it's a nice looking place and all, but I can't help but think that it could use a little bit... more? Is that the right word?" She shrugged awkwardly, lifting her hands in a sense that she would a doll's hands.
"More how?" Spike's ears pricked up. "This place already has everything! Wide open spaces, lots of room to run around, and it's got everything that Twilight and her family could need." He was quick to dart up the stairs to the front door. "Plus, if they don't have something, then she always comes up with an invention to help them out. She's, like, a total genius!"
"Okay, Spike. I'm not one to boast." Twilight just chuckled, reached down for Spike's hair and tousled it with her hand. "But it's true, I'm always making new things to help my friends and family. Not just for their benefit, but for mine as well. I still need to keep up my hard work, even if I'm not a Crystal Prep girl anymore."
"You used to go to Crystal Prep?" Wallflower asked.
"Yeah. I did. I wasn't very happy there, though, always being left to my own devices and receiving nothing but filthy looks from other students. Even the team I was with on the last Friendship Games didn't care about me or the spirit of the competition that much." Twilight just felt a weird sensation rise in her throat, only for it to vanish quickly as spike brushed his head against her leg. "But that's all in the past. Now, we've just gotta focus on the future and whatever comes with it."
"Yeah. I guess." Wallflower started to ascend the stairs herself, standing daintily with Twilight as she opened the door to her house. Smolder was quick to follow, and yipped up at her, prompting her to pick her up and hold her gently. "Aw... someone's eager to go inside, aren't they?" Her response was Smolder licking her face affectionately.
Twilight's entrance hall was quite the oddity to say the least. There was a coat and shoe rack on the right, which, despite being large, only really held a handful of shoes and coats. The sounds of machines and the scent of some motors could be heard around the house. As Twilight and Wallflower left their shoes at the rack, they wandered into the living room, found the nearest couch that they could find, and took a seat.
The living room had a bunch of pictures strewn about on the walls. Some where in line with others, while the rest seemed to have been put around haphazardly and unorganised. The floor itself was entirely carpet and the ceiling had a crystal chandelier dangling from the center. A large glass cabinet sat at the corner by the window with some trophies and certificates inside. There was an HD TV on the wall, despite it being turned off, the screen was blending in with the rest of the environment. Wallflower couldn't entirely make out whether it was on or off, but her eyes were pried away from it as soon as Twilight lifted Spike into her lap.
"So. Wallflower. How have things been since the whole incident with the Memory Stone?" Twilight was the first to ask, breaking the momentary silence around them.
"Well, it's been fine, really. Not great, not terrible, just fine. And I'm glad to have been able to make all these friends since." Wallflower had shied her face away for a moment, but it quickly came back into line with Twilight's. "Outside of that, though, not a whole lot's been different at home. Me and Fuchsia are still working on the flowers and making sure that everything's all in the right places, but still, I'm just a bit... alone at home. I guess that Trixie girl she's friends with must have a lot of stuff planned involving her and their other friend." She just let a small half-laugh slip out. "It's almost like they're BFFs or something like that."
"Well, Trixie, Fuchsia, and Lavender have all been pretty hard-working at CHS," said Twilight. "Always going on about magic spells and sleight of hand, but y'know, I think it really suits them. A magician does need some assistants, after all." Twilight tapped her geode and reached for the remote. It gained a magenta aura and flew right into her hands. "Unless you have Equestrian magic on your side, that is. But even then, it's just good to have help in general."
"How so?" Wallflower asked as she watched Spike take the remote and put it by Wallflower's side.
"Well, if you make yourself lonely, you can also make yourself sad." Spike said, climbing onto her side of the couch. "Just like what you did with the Memory Stone, you barricaded yourself off from everyone else even though you didn't mean it, and all that loneliness really ate away at you."
"But when you make friends, they can really help you out in a number of situations." Twilight could only smile as Spike came right back to her side, before she cuddled him and gently stroked his fur. "And if it's hard to make new friends and expand, then be glad for the ones that you already have. After all, it's better to have a friend than to have no friends."
"But even then, you need to treat your friends with respect, and treat others in the same way. What I did to Sunset, what she had to go through on those few days? It was horrible, and I can't even imagine how much heartache it would be if I were the one forgotten about and ostracised by my friends." Wallflower's breath grew cold as she just looked down at Smolder, who just gave another high-pitched bark. Seeing the energy on her new puppy lit a fire in her heart, and after blushing, she just brought the puppy to her chest. "But now, I don't need to remember that anymore. I just need to be grateful for what I have and move on. And I'm sure that, with this little puppy, I'm going to see a lot more joy in my life from now."
"Yeah. I'm the same, really. If it wasn't for Sunset and the others stepping in, I would have done something horrible to everyone at the Friendship Games. I could've caused complete chaos for everyone involved." Twilight could hear Midnight's laughter echoing in her mind, in the deepest pits of her memories. "I guess that's one thing we do have in common, isn't it? We've both made a lot of mistakes in the past, and we've both accepted forgiveness."
"True." Wallflower looked Twilight in the eyes, seeing a faint glimmer of herself inside them. She had never really given it too much thought in the days after the stone had been shattered, but looking back at everything that she had done, she could really feel that her heart was more tender than she remembered. And that she, much like Twilight, were almost one in the same, despite their passions being fairly different from each other. "So, Twilight, did you wanna know an answer to my question about sprucing the place up?"
"Sure. What did you mean by that?" Twilight asked, looking around the room. She didn't think that the house itself needed any changes, but she was still willing to listen to what Wallflower had to say.
"Well, I noticed that there weren't a lot of flowers on your front lawn. And I didn't check the back yard, so I can't be sure about that, but I think your house would look a bit better if it had some flowers growing," she said. "And I am head of the Gardening Club at Canterlot, so I could give you some help with that, if you want."
"Oh. I had never really invested that much into flowers around the house. Mom and Dad never did, either, always saying that flowers were optional, or that the house was fine just the way it is." Twilight, while she was saying it, did another quick frisk of the room she was in. Now that she thought about it, she stopped what she had been saying and took a moment to think about it. "But... I think I can see where you're coming from, Wallflower. It does seem to get a bit dull and drab from time to time; especially in the gardens."
"True dat," said Spike. "As a dog who's been running around Twilight's place a lot, I can agree with that. Though I never really take much notice, since she's always just playing with me or testing if I can still catch balls and frisbees."
"Well, that's nothing some flowers won't be able to fix. Do you have any preferences, or are you someone who likes every type of plant?" Wallflower asked, immediately going for her phone and opening up an app with a flower icon on it. "Trust me, there's this great place downtown that does the best flowers. They've got something for everyone down there; no matter who you are or where you live."
"Thank you for the offer, Wallflower. I might just take it into consideration." Twilight flashed her a grin as she stood back up again. "For now, though, I think the dogs could use some exercise. Plus, you said it yourself; you've never seen my backyard before. Well, now I think it's time we changed that."
"Yeah. Come on, Smoldy! Let's go outside and play for a bit!" Wallflower just rubbed Smolder's little cheeks and watched as she wagged her tail and gave her face a good licking from top to bottom.
Twilight and Wallflower went through the kitchen, then out the back door into the garden. It was much wider and more open than the front yard and, despite the lack of flowers as Wallflower had predicted, there was still plenty of room for her and the dogs to run around in. Very quickly, she let Smolder leap out of her arms and run across the grass, barking loudly and gleefully as Spike was quick to follow. Wallflower watched as the two dogs started by chasing each other around, while Twilight went over to a nearby shed and walked inside. It didn't take too long for her to come back, though, with a double-knotted rope, some balls, another frisbee, and even some hula hoops.
Spike and Smolder quickly darted to the dog toys once their eyes locked onto them. Twilight threw a ball out, prompting both of the dogs to give chase to it. They leapt at the same time and even ended up bumping into each other, but when they both landed and the ball tumbled before them, Smolder was the first to grab it and bring it back to Wallflower, while Spike returned the second to Twilight.
"So, have you ever played fetch before, Wallflower?" Twilight asked, walking up to her side, idly tossing the ball and catching it with a single hand. "If you haven't, it's a very simple game."
"I know how to play fetch, Twilight. We used to own a puppy back in kindergarten." Wallflower took one look at the ball, and another at Smolder. She tossed it out into the garden and watched as Smolder immediately turned and ran after the ball. Though she failed the catch the ball in mid-air, it didn't take her long to find it and return it to her owner. "Each day, we had to feed it, train it, and one unlucky kid even had to clean up the... stuff it left behind."
"Ugh. TMI," Spike pinched his nose and waved his other front paw in front of the held nose.
"Anyways, how long have you and Spike been playing it?" Wallflower asked, sitting down on the grass.
"We've been doing this for a few months now. Ever since Spike got the ability to talk, we've been doing it more and more. He always wants to show me how much better he's been getting at chasing down stuff." Twilight gave him another pet and threw the ball out, eyes focused on Spike as he kicked up the grass behind him as he ran for the ball. With one single leap, Spike was able to clutch the ball in his jaws before it impacted the ground. "What do you think, Wallflower?"
"That's pretty impressive, Twilight. But you never know. Me and Smolder could be hot on your tail..." Wallflower curled her arm back for another throw and hurled the ball out. Smolder saw it and gave chase once more. Again, she couldn't catch it in time, but it landed very close to her muzzle before it rolled and she scooped it up with a hasty bite. "See that? I threw it with the same amount of force, but she did it better that time."
"Well, I'd say that she could still use some work, but that was still quite a lot of energy out of a dog." Spike strode over to Smolder and watched as she dropped the ball by Wallflower's knees again. "Y'know, I think you and I could get along pretty well." Smolder just barked at Spike, and in response, he just chuckled. "Well, thanks. I have been getting it groomed lately."
What followed from there was a conversation between two dogs. While both of their dialogue was reduced to barking noises and the occasional laugh from Spike, the both of them were really getting into it, sharing a bunch of different dog topics with each other, with Wallflower and Twilight just standing by, hanging on every single noise they made. For some moments, Twilight wished that Fluttershy was there so that she could translate what the two of them were saying, but she could still get the general gist from both Spike and Smolder's body language.
"Trust me, girl, you're gonna love playing with me. I'm sure that I can keep up with you." Spike gave Smolder a simple nod before turning back to Twilight. "Hey, Twilight? Do you think you could set up a racetrack for me and Smolder? She wants to challenge me to a race."
"Well, I'm not sure about actual racing equipment, but I'm sure that I could make something up." Twilight went over to the shed and used her geode once more, lifting a bunch of items out of it, wrapped in her aura once more. Taking a look at the garden, she arranged the items in a bunch of different ways, shifting objects around again and again, before setting it down to make what looked like an obstacle course out of a dog show, complete with a tunnel, some poles, a hoop to jump through, and even some see-saws. "There. Do you think that'll work, Spike?"
"Oh, definitely, Twilight." He was already taking up the position by the first obstacle, standing proudly. He motioned for Twilight to come over before turning his attention to Wallflower and Smolder. "Do you two have a stopwatch or a timer?"
"I have an app like that on my phone. Just give me a moment." Wallflower quickly went off of the flower app and went into her clock settings. Switching it to the stopwatch settings, she stood to the side of the track with her finger over the button. She barely even noticed Smolder following her and standing by her feet. "Okay, you two. I've got the time set up right here. When I say go, you two have gotta keep on going until the end. After the last obstacle, I'll stop the clock."
"Sure thing." Spike twisted and turned his head, feeling the bones inside of it click into position. "Come on, Twilight. Let's be sure to put on a good show for Wallflower and Smolder." He gave her a confident nod and took up a racing stance.
Twilight just grinned and went into a stance of her own. "Okay, Spike. Let's do this. Together." She grinned.
"Ready? Wait for it..." Wallflower dragged it out for a few moments, watching as the both of the lowered their brows, waiting for the signal to go. With a single push of the button, Wallflower yelled "GO!" And the clock on her app began to start.
Twilight and Spike were immediately off down the course, with her standing by the side, ready to offer any assistance if needed. Spike didn't need it, however, as he quickly cleared the first balance beam and ran through the first tunnel, popping out on the other side. As he twisted and turned through the obstacles, ran and vaulted himself over the high ones, Twilight kept up with him, always watching as he bobbed and weaved his way through the course, making it to the see-saws, and then to some hurdles. It seemed like nothing would stop him, and even Wallflower was amazed at how nimble and agile he was. She had always known dogs to be fast, fleet of foot, and never slowed down by anything, and he, performing in this makeshift race was a prime example for her. She watched as Spike made it through the last obstacle, prompting her to stop the time.
"Got it!" Spike threw his paws to the skies, before giving Twilight a high-five. "How'd we do, Wallflower?"
"You guys are actually pretty good at that. Like, wow, I'm impressed." She could barely contain herself as Spike came up to her. "I don't know if we're ever going to be able to beat that time."
"Eh, don't worry about it. You and Smolder could be really good and end up nailing the whole thing with seconds left to spare. But hey, who am I to judge? I've never been in a race like this before." Spike shrugged to himself.
"Go on, Wallflower. Now it's your turn." Twilight patted Wallflower on the back and took her phone to keep track of the time. She saved the time that she had put down with Spike, before refreshing the clock to zero for the next run. "And don't worry if Smolder ends up making mistakes. That's what you're there for. To guide her. And you can easily bounce back the next time with a lot of hard work and training."
Wallflower just grinned and watched as Smolder immediately ran through the course, without Twilight even needing to give her the signal. This, immediately caused Wallflower to run after and catch her, bringing her straight back to the start. "Look, I know you're eager, but we've gotta wait for Twilight to tell us to start. Okay?" She just got another lick in the face from Smolder, which made her giggle once again. "Okay, okay. I got it." She put Smolder back down at the start again. "Whenever you're ready, Twilight." She made a thumbs-up pose and watched as Twilight hovered her finger over the start button.
"Get ready..." Twilight said, watching Smolder pace on the spot and wag her tail faster and faster, panting with enthusiasm. "GO!"
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It lives! But seriously, really cute chapter. I predict romance on the horizon for Spike and Smolder...
Spike and Smolder make a cute couple.
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Hehe.
Worth the wait!
I think Spike should win, just because it would be good for character building with Smolder. Even though Smolder the dragon is older than Spike in Equestria, Smolder the dog doesn't have as much experience in the human world (unless you write her to be that way).