• Published 16th Sep 2011
  • 14,564 Views, 1,179 Comments

Under The Northern Lights - CoastalSarv



Luna and Twilight travel to the northern land of the reindeer on a diplomatic mission

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Ten

Spike didn't really know what to say. Vigg apparently recognized his faux pas when he actually looked at Spike, quickly stammered an apology and changed the subject. Spike remained distant, stunned, even though the way home was nice enough, he made an excellent slide down the hill in a trance, and the subject Vigg had changed to was a pleasant one. It seems what Vigg had promised - perhaps bragged about - during the banquet, to go on an actual hiking trip into the local woods, was very possible, because one of his friends had mentioned a kota hut was free for the weekend, about a day's trot from city limits. Spike had been rather thrilled by the prospects, but now he had a hard time thinking about it, and wasn't in the most pleasant mood towards the reindeer either.

When Spike reached the castle, they were already there. They were both in very pleasant moods - Luna joyous, Twilight positively bubbling. Spike didn't question some sort of glass abomination in one corner. He needed to talk to someone about Things, but Twilight was of course not an option. At home he would, after some apprehension, have searched out one of Twilight's friends and asked them, but here... When Twilight was distracted by the arrival of dinner, he turned to Luna. She was a nice pony and their friend, and she was very old and hence experienced. She would perhaps know what to do. He approached her with some hesitation, though he needn't have worried.

"What is your worry, young Spike?" she said gently before he could say anything. He looked up. "You have looked distant and pained since you came home. What happened today? Wasn't it fun?"

"It was, it was just... something Vigg did. Said. I don't know if he meant it... I mean he did, but..." Spike scratched his spikes.

"Was he rude or mean?!" said Luna, angrily. "Royalty is no excuse for such behavior!"

"I... I don't know, really. He said something... weird and icky, but I don't know how to act, I mean," Spike tried to explain, "I mean... perhaps he thought saying it was nice, perhaps he was, you know, challenging me or something..."

"Well, what did he say?" said Luna.

"He... he likes Twilight" said Spike finally.

Luna smiled. "But there is nothing wrong with that! Twilight will probably be glad to have a more... normal fan than the one we met earlier today!"

She chuckled and looked towards Twilight, who was making a servant uncomfortable by being very very polite and kind to him.

"No! Not just like like, he fancies her!" Spike said.

"What?" said Luna.

Spike sighed. "He said he thinks she is... 'hot'..." Spike mumbled, the whole concept of someone looking like that at who had been established as his mother earlier today disgusting and confusing him.

Luna gaped, then started to laugh but stifled it into a snort admirably fast.

The barbarian chieftain slouched on a divan of rough wood and bones, surrounded by his harem. On his seat he brooded with a dark gaze under lowered antlers, while does of every herd, rein and roe and red and fallow, tried to gain his attention. He shoved them away, brooding some more, very heavily. Brooding brooding. Their equine sisters then tried to show their carnal arts - broad flanked exotic zebra mares, donkey jennies, their eyes heavy with kohl, ponies of all the colors of the spectrum. He ignored them as well, and rose and shouted: "Away, wenches! Bring my latest wife! The purple witch! She will DANCE for me!"

And a Twilight Sparkle dressed in pink diaphanous veils and silver bell adorned jewelry was pushed through the door. She grinned sheepishly and levitated a book in front of her that bore the title ALLURING DANCES FOR EGGHEADS.

"My love and leman," she said "just wait a bit and I'll get the hang of this..."

"Luna, are you OK? You are... giggling?" Spike said, afraid that he was being made a fool of.

"No, it isn't like that today..." Luna mumbled to herself. "The reindeer are woodworkers and kelp fishers who worry about cultural imperialism, and that prince is a winter sportsbuck, not a raider..."

Out loud, she tried to reassure Spike who eyed her with confusion.

"Spike, it is a rude thing to say but also a compliment. In some places and times you ought to have killed him, in others told him you would confer his compliments to Twilight, but here is just being foolish. Ignore him - this is nothing important!" Spike frowned anxiously.

"Spike, nothing bad will happen because of this! The only thing I can think of is if he is silly enough to tell Twilight and her refusal makes him angry or sad - he could let that go out over you, and the Wheels know we need friends in this country, so if he has his grandfather's temperament it could be awkward," said Luna.

"But what if she says YES!" wailed Spike. Luna was taken aback.

"What?" she said.

"But what if she likes him back! That would be really scary! I don't want a daddy, especially not one who is a prince and my friend and is almost my age!" said Spike and looked down.

"Dear Spike, that is just silly! Twilight barely notices stallions and certainly not other ungulates. Why, I have sometimes thought her a tribad..." Luna laughed and shook her head.

"What's a tribad?" said Spike.

Luna caught herself. "A... mare that does not notice stallions much" she explained sheepishly.

"Ah," said Spike not reassured. "But what do I do?"

"If you are really worried, just keep him disinterested. He is bound to forget this infatuation of a foreign celebrity quickly and turn to the does of his homeland, if he worries about the gentler sex at all, him being so young," Luna said.

"Disinterested?" said Spike.

"Distracted," said Luna. "Why, weren't you about to go on an adventure? About that, I think Twilight had something she wanted to talk about..."

"Yeah?" said Spike and looked at Twilight. "She seemed worried when I brought the idea up..."

"Oh, I am sure she has seen things in a different light... I think there is someone she wanted you to meet," said Luna.


It had been yesterday evening, on the roof of the temple...
“I can't believe you want me to be your freezing babysitter!” whined Saga. “You said... you said you wanted me to do something difficult and troublesome!”

“Well, my books on child psychology have clearly told me a girl in her upper teens would find it troublesome and difficult to look after a young kid. And Spike isn't a baby, really, unless you try to view whole thing from a dragon chronology...” said Twilight.

“You said it would go against my personal moral code! I thought you wanted me to do something cool!” Saga protested.

“I ask you to tell me if the boys do anything stupid. Those same books have equally clearly told me that tattling on another kid to an adult is against most kids' moral code, isn't it?” said Twilight.

Saga pouted and crossed her forelegs.

“And it's not that I am afraid for any small mundane things – even if Spike is in an environment he isn't used to, he can take care of himself. No, but I am afraid he might be in danger,” Twilight continued.

“Danger?” said Saga. Twilight nodded.

“After starting to understand the situation here, and... what reindeer thought about me, I have started to worry that something nasty might happen, even if it is only a misunderstanding,” Twilight said.

“But... you and your friends go on all these amazing adventures all the time?” said Saga. “Isn't danger common, really?”

“Despite what those stories told you, I never go abroad, basically. And if I can, I try to stick Spike back outside the danger zone if possible. But I can't here, and he – he is so happy that he can go out and play, with an older kid...” Twilight sighed. “Any non-dangerous thing I'm likely to do is boring diplomacy with horrible snooty unicorns and morose reindeer – sorry!”

“Oh, no problem,” said Saga cheerily. “So you want me to be like a bodyguard to him?”

“Oh, you must be careful, don't romanticize it!” said Twilight, but Saga seemed to gaze into empty air with a happy smile.

“Oh, sorry, no, of course...” the doe said.

“I will give you a one-use way to send a letter to Luna like Spike can do. If there is really any real trouble, send one and we will be there stat!” Twilight explained.

“Why can't I have Spike send the letter himself?” said Saga. Twilight shook her head and smiled.

“Oh, he is very likely to be too brave, especially if he has an older buck who is brave and strong to prove himself to! Why, he so often seems to think he is a knight in shining armor when he has something to prove, and not just a kid!” Twilight explained.

“I think I can do that,” said Saga. Twilight looked happy.

“Good! I am sure this will work well with Spike, he is a very good little dragon,” she said.


In the present, in Luna's suite...
“I can't believe you want me to have a freaking babysitter!” whined Spike. “I am already in the company of a kid that's much older than me and knows what he's doing!”

“Why,” said Twilight “I don't think we can ask Prince Vigg to keep an eye on you. First, it is not proper work for him, second, he looks like he is fond of derring-do and like he could forget important things if they are not exciting enough. Especially if you are to have a sleepover - “

“It's not a sleepover! Fillies have sleepovers! We're supposed to go camping! It's a manly thing!” said Spike angrily. “And you wouldn't believe Vigg is not adult if you spent some time with him!”

It then struck him that this was not the best thing to say to keep Vigg's weird wishes from coming true, and that he was supposedly angry at Vigg and shouldn't be defending him.

“I mean, he can be pretty childish, sometimes, yeah, of course,” Spike hastily added.

“Besides, I am sure you would like her!” said Twilight, not being that sure herself. “She has great... imagination. And she is cute!” she added lamely.

Spike groaned, then perked up.

“Did you say... cute?” he asked in a way that made Twilight look strangely at him.

Oh dear, has he been away from his crush too long or what? I didn't think he was about to reach puberty in a decade at least... she thought.

“Yes... for a reindeer, I mean,” Twilight said.

“And how old is she?” asked Spike.

“Seventeen,” said Twilight.

Spike suddenly smiled in a somewhat unnerving way.

“And she is cute. Y'know, if there was a... reindeer buck who liked... older does... do you think he could fall in love with her?” Spike asked.

Twilight was a bit confused.

“Possibly. Probably. Sure!” she said, glad that Spike wasn't angry with her and waking her guilt for abandoning him like this.

Spike grinned so widely he had to turn away and rub his paws together.

“But that's excellent... Sorry for being angry about it, Twilight!” he said. “I think this will work very well. Vigg won't have any trouble with this, I'm sure!”


The next day, however...
“I can't believe she wants you to have a freezing babysitter!” whined Vigg. “I mean, I am there, and I know how to do this!”

Spike nodded solemnly.

“I agree, but I am afraid Twilight thinks of you as a kid, and she really prefers mature, adult... people,” he said.

Vigg bit on a hoof angrily.

“Always! They always pull that, 'you are just a kid!'” the reindeer said with some despair. “And then she sends another kid with you... and a vaja!”

“Well, sure, but she is an older kid. Mind you, she is seventeen! And besides, does mature faster than bucks... I am sure she will be very grown-up!” he said and tried to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at Vigg, who was too busy eating his own hoof to notice.

“And further, she barely knows you, and Twilight hangs around with royalty all the time, so she is unlikely to be impressed with someone just because they are a Prince – no offense, buddy!” Spike continued. “So you have no chance, really,” he finished.

Vigg was quiet and looked out the balcony they were standing. Then he smiled at Spike.

“You're right; I have no chance!” Spike nodded. “As your... caretaker,” he continued, and unfortunately looked away at the marvelous view from the balcony, missing Spike's shaking his head. “And I must of course show that I am dependable before she trusts me. I should have understood that – damn, by not understanding it, I directly showed I was just a little kid.”

He slammed his hoof down the balcony parapet. “Let her send that priestess; I'll show my best side! I'll get on her good graces yet!” He looked at Spike, and then away. “As your older, responsible friend, of course, I mean...” he said sheepishly.


Thanks to krdragon for extra proofreading!