>Tuesday.
>It's a pretty lazy evening after work.
>Fluttershy was out tending her animals.
>You were lying on the couch, reading.
>The book was fictional account of a pony trapped in Canterlot castle trying to fight off mutated ponie who were trying to eat him.
>He was also accompanied by a sentient mutated version of his former stalker, adding some comedic moments.
>He managed to escape, but was knocked out by a rather large mutant.
>The book ends with him coming to with another pony waking him up.
"What the heck was that?!"
>You whip the book into a corner.
>You'll have to find the next volume.

>You walk over a pick up the book.
>A knock on the door calls your attention.
>You open it and look around.
>You lean forward and check outside.
>"Cut it out."
>You smile and look down.
>You crouch and hold out your hand.
"What's up, Spike?"
>He slaps your hand.
"Doin' good?"
>"Yup! How about you?"
"Bored. Wanna go for a walk?"
>"Sure. I got all night."
>You step outside and look towards the orange horizon.
"Fluttershy, I'm goin for a walk with Spike!" you call out back.
>"Okay!" Fluttershy calls back.
>You shrug back at Spike.
"Gotta check out with the Misses."
--
"So what are you doing out here, anyways?"
>"Oh, uh... Just saying 'Hi', I guess."
"Oh, alright. That's cool. We don't get many visitors out here."
>"I can see why. It's a long walk. Do you know how long it takes for a dragon my size to walk all the way out here?"
"I can guess."
>In fact, even now you're chopping your steps considerably just so you don't leave him behind.
"Hey Spike, come here a sec'."

>"Woo!" cheers Spike, raising both fists above his head.
>What's with kids and riding on your head?
>Might as well walk him back to town.
>"Hey Anonymous, I never got to say how awesome that race was, Saturday."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I went home and crashed the second I got the chance."
>"Yeah, that looked pretty exhausting. I found Twilight halfway in the door of the library when I got home."
"How'd you manage to drag her to bed?"
>"Very carefully. I accidentally dropped her down the stairs once."
"Haha! Did she wake up?"
>"No, thank Celestia. She was out."
--
>The two of you share a laugh and walk a moment in silence.
"Hey, I got a question."
>"Okay."
"It's about Twilight."
>Spike's eyes widen and he shamefully rubs his shoulder with a claw.
>"Actually, Anon, that's kind of why I came to your house in the first place."
>That was unexpected.
"What? Seriously?"
>You turn your head up to look at him.
>Spike bowed his head and look to the side.
>"It... It's actually been going on for quite some time. Since the Gala."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let me stop you right there. This is about her hostility towards me, isn't it?"
>"It's, uh... a little more than that."
"So you knew?"
>"Yeah. But please, I've tried talking with her. I swear."

>You reach up and pat his head.
"Don't worry about it. I'm not mad or anything."
>"Y-Your not?"
"There's no reason to be mad at you since none of this is your fault."
>"But I knew about it."
"So does Fluttershy."
>"Oh..."
"Sorry, didn't mean to put you down like that."
>"No... No it's okay. At least it's off my chest now."
"Well if it helps to put your mind at ease, I don't think any of the others know about it."
>"That kind of helps. Hopefully we can fix this before it gets even more out of hand."
"Right?"
--
>Another minute of silence.
"So, is that all? Or is there still something else?"
>Spike remained quiet.
"Sorry for pushing. I'm just curious."
>"It's fine. I'm just thinking of how to say it."
"Take all the time you need."
>Spike indeed took quite a while.
>He opened his mouth and spoke several broken sentences, but ultimately failed to think of a proper way to say whatever was on his mind.
>Spike put a claw to his chin.
>"Okay, I think I got it."
"I'm all ears."

>"Well, uh, you see..."
"Yes?"
>"Twilight's been kind of... well, at the Gala..."
"Okay..."
>"Well, when you spoke to Princess Celestia, Twilight said you were extremely rude and verbally assaulted her."
"What? Okay, maybe I was a little rude, but verbal assault? I was just asking questions."
>"Twilight said you called her a terrible leader and sister."
"No I- did I?"
>You stare at the ground in front of you.
"I know I didn't say that. I don't think I implied it either. All I said was Celestia over-reacted when Princess Luna threw a little tantrum."
>Spike shrugged.
>"Well, it's really gotten to Twilight. She doesn't think she can trust Celestia now. Sometimes she mumbles to herself. More than usual."
>Yikes.
>Don't you feel like a real jerk now.
--
"I... I'm sorry, I guess?"
>"But that's still not all of it."
"What else could there be?"
>Spike's stomach rumbled and he belched out a scroll, catching it in the air.
>Spike handed it down to you.
"What's this?"
>You take the scroll and examine it.
>"It's a letter. From the Princess," explained Spike, pointing to the golden seal of the royal family.
"Princess Celestia?"
>Spike shook his head.
>"Nope. Princess Luna."
"Princess Luna? Why would she write me? Wait, did you read it?"
>Spike turned his head away again.
>"I did."
>He turned his head back and spoke quickly.
>"But I thought it was from Celestia to Twilight. I don't get many letters for anypony else."
"Oh, well that makes sense."
>You look over the scroll.
"There's no name on here either, so you must have opened it in order to tell."
--
>"Twilight doesn't know about this."
"Why? You keep it hidden or something?"
>"Well, I got it about 2 or 3 days after the Gala when everypony came home. Me and Twilight thought it was for her. After I read it, she took and and said she would deliver it to you herself."
"Yet I never saw it until now."
>"Right. I noticed an obvious change in her behavior since the Gala. She IS like a big sister to me, so..."
"I understand."
>"And we had a fight this morning when I tried to talk to her about it."
>You turn your head up again to try to look at him.
>You don't know why you keep trying.
>He's sitting directly on top of your head.
>"She went to the park to cool off, so I snuck into her room and found this scroll. I just..."
>Spike lied down on his belly, resting his head on his front claws.
>He closed his eyes and softly shook his head.
>"I couldn't just ignore it. It wasn't right."
>You reach up and rub his head.
"Well, if it's any consolation, I truly appreciate it."
>"I just wish Twilight would let go of this idea that you're super evil or something."
"I thought she dropped that months ago after I had that talk with her?"
>"Oh! I didn't mean it like that."
>You shrug our shoulders.
"Oh well. It is what it is, I suppose."
--
>The two of you dropped the subject and just chatted the rest of the way into Ponyville.
>You came up to the housebrary and allowed Spike to hop off your head.
"Here we are, little buddy."
>"Cool. Thanks, Anonymous."
>Spike held up his claw.
>You lightly slapped it, eliciting a grin from Spike.
"I'll see you around, alright?"
>"Yup! Take it easy, Anon!"
>He walks inside and you turn back towards home.
>You look down at the scroll in your hand and check it over once more.
>You need a private place to read this thing.
>And there's only one place in Equestria where you know for fact you won't be disturbed.

>Nestling up against the large willow, you unroll the letter.
>The tall grass and foliage cover made you practically invisible from the air.
>Your little spot was also far from the road so you had little to fear in terms of eavesdropping ponies.
>The soft tumble of the stream gave a nice touch.
--
>The letter was written in what looked like Old English to you.
>Like royalty from way back when kings and queens ruled on Earth.
>The penmanship was also expertly refined.

>To Sir Anonymous.
>We, Princess Luna of Equestria, ever so graciously accept thine request to be wed by us to the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy.
>We apologize for not responding to thy request in a more timely manner.
>If thou wouldst still have us, we shall thy affirmation.
>Thine princess of the night, Luna.

>You reread the letter several times.
>You roll the scroll up and set it down beside you.
>Resting your head against the tree trunk, you contemplate what you should do next.
>This is a tricky situation.
>Perhaps you can diffuse it without too much conflict.
--
>Thursday morning.
>You had asked Applejack yesterday for the day off.
>You told her you had some very important business to take care of.
>She didn't question it.
>She didn't have to.
>Applejack could tell by the look in your eye and the tone of your voice you were serious.
>You slept in this morning and skipped your run.
>Now you are off to the library, your book from the other day in hand.
>You've spent all day yesterday trying to figure out how to approach this.
>Even now you think about it, and you still aren't sure what to do.
>But you have a reason for being there, so that's a start.

>You stand outside the door of the housebrary for several minutes.
>You raise your fist to knock several times, but it falls right back to your side.
>You finally bite your lip and knock three slow times.
>After a minute of standing there, you go to knock again.
>The door opens and your hand swings through the doorway.
>You stumble one step inside, startling the living daylights out of Twilight.
"Oh. Whoops."
>You embarassingly run your hand through your hair.
>Twilight stares at you from within the library.
>After a brief moment, she finally speaks.
--
>"What," demands Twilight.
>You hold a hand up.
"Hey now, I just want to return this book."
>You hold out the book for her to see.
>She levitates it out of your hand and onto a table behind her.
"Also, I was hoping to check something else out."
>Twilight rolled her eyes and stepped aside, allowing you inside.
>"Can you please hurry? I'm really busy."
"Sure thing."

>Twilight stands watch as you slowly browse the aisles and shelves for a book.
"Hey, where's Spike, anyways?"
>"He's out helping Rarity with something. What do you need?"
"Just wanted to say 'hi'."
>You continue to casually stroll along the bookcase, arms behind our back and scanning the shelves up and down.
"Hey Twilight, I have a question for you."
>"Yes?"
>You stop and turn around to face her.
>Your arms still behind your back, you look her in the eye.
--
>You lift your shirt and pull the scroll from its place in your beltline.
>You hold it up so Twilight can see the royal seal.
>You whip it open and read.
"To Sir Anonymous, yada yada yada, Thine Princess of the Night, Luna."
>You roll it back up and stick it in your belt again.
>You crouch down eye-level with Twilight.
"Now mind telling me why exactly I'm just finding out about this?"
>"Spike..." Twilight muttered.
"Why," you speak again.
>Twilight began to back away, fear in her eyes.
>She acts like you're going to attack her or something.
"I want to know. Why would you deliberately try to sabotage your best friend's wedding?"
>Twilight bowed her head.
>"Well...I-I..."

"I know this is about the Gala."
>Twilight looked up, her guilt appearing all but gone.
>"And what do you know about that?"
"I know you've been lying to Spike. I also know you took everything that happened completely out of context."
>Twilight took a step forward.
>"You demonized Celestia in front of the entire palace!"
"How? All I did was ask a few questions and offer my view on the matter."
>"Exactly! You weren't even there a thousand years ago. You had no idea what really happened."
--
>This could take a little bit.
>You grab a nearby chair and seat yourself down.
>You rest your elbows on your knees and hold your head up with your hands beneath your chin.
"This is true. The stories nowadays are only legends, right? I'm sure that's all you've read about the matter as well."
>"I- ... Yes... But at least I didn't attack her and call her a bad sister."
>You facepalm and shake your head.
>This is getting annoying.
"Not once did I say any of those things."
>"You didn't have to," she muttered.
"I'm sorry if it came off that way."
>"You made Luna leave the Gala."
"Speaking of Luna, it was her idea to talk with Celestia in the first place. Now, about this letter-"
>"Yes, I hid it!" blurted Twilight.
"You still haven't told me why."

>Twilight sat down in front of you and locked eyes with yours in a show of defiance.
"Don't forget you're not just hurting me here. What about Fluttershy?"
>Twilight furled her brow.
>"This isn't about Fluttershy."
"She already knows about us butting heads."
>Twilight's eyes opened wide.
"S-She does?"
>You nod.
"She's just kind enough to give you a chance in hopes we can work it out between us."
>"This isn't about Fluttershy," reiterated Twilight.
"You're manipulating a vital part of the wedding by hiding this letter from us," you say, holding it up once more.
--
>The two of you sat in silence for a minute.
"Well?"
>"What?"
"Tell me why."
>Twilight stood up.
>"You can't tell me what to do."
>She turned and started walking towards the door.
>You quickly stood and ran to block the doorway.
>"Move it!"
"I want to know!"
>Your volume is growing louder.
>"Don't worry about it!"
"I have every reason to worry about it!"
>Twilight tries to side-step you but you block her by backing all the way against the door.
>"Get out of my way!"
"Say please," you demand in a calm tone.
>"No!"
"What ever happened to being the 'friendship expert'?"
>"Don't you dare use that against me!"
>Twilight backed up and took an aggressive stance.
>You took a step towards her.
"You're disobeying direct orders from the princess herself. It should be your job to sit down and resolve this!"
>Twilight growled and lowered her horn.
>It glowed for a split second before firing off a small purple beam.
>The latch on the door clicks.
>You quickly part your legs for the shot to miss and hit the door.
>The door opens.
>In walks Spike, right into the path of the projectile.
>"Hey Ano-"
>Spike is cut off when the shot hits him square in the chest and knocks him back outside.
--
>Almost in slow motion, you turn around to see Spike laying just beyond the threshold.
>Without another word or even a glance to Twilight, you pick up Spike and sprint away from the house.
>Hospital. Hospital!
>Where is that damned hospital at!
>You cradle Spike in your arms.
>Your eyes wildly scan the town for your target.
>"Anon."
>Just need to remember-
>"Hey! Anonymous!"

>You skid to a halt and look down at the baby dragon in your arms.
>He smiled up at you.
>"Why couldn't you run like that during the race?"
>Your worried expression washed away with a smile.
"Spike, are you okay?"
>"Yeah," he nodded.
--
>You let out a deep sigh of relief and set him to the ground.
>He checked out his chest where Twilight's magic had hit him.
>The only evidence was a blackened scale, which he promptly wiped clean.
>"Good as new!" he proclaimed.
>You wipe your brow.
"Looks I severely over-reacted, huh?"
>Spike chuckled.
>"Haha, yeah. But it's not like you coulda known."
>He looked up at you.

>The two of you take a seat on a nearby bench.
>"So what's got Twilight so mad?"
"I may have approached her about the letter in the worst possible way."
>Spike's eyes grew wide as saucers and he slapped both claws against his cheeks.
>"Oh no. Twilight knows! I'm gonna be in sooo much trouble!"
>You pat his head.
"Not as much as me. I'm sure of it."
--
>You spend the next few minutes explaining to Spike what exactly went down.
"Wow, now that I'm hearing it out loud, I sound like a real jerk."
>You bow your head.
>Spike jumps up and lies on top.
>These kids always know how to make you smile.
>"Eh, I don't think it could've went any different," said Spike.
"Probably not, but she's still super pissed at me. And you as well because I dragged you into it."
>"I got involved when I stole your letter back."
>You nod.
>Spike sat quiet for a moment.
>"Should... Should we go back to the library, then? Maybe she won't kill us if we tell her our side real calmly."
>You sigh.
"Yeah. It's gotta happen sooner or later, I suppose."
>You stand off the bench and start towards the library, Spike riding atop your head.
--
>You set Spike down outside the door and follow him inside.
>Twilight is nowhere to be seen.
>"Twilight?" called Spike.
>"Where could she have gone?" Spike asked you.
>You shrug.
>She's probably waiting in ambush for you.
>The thought keeps you on edge.
"Maybe she left?"
>"Shh! Listen," whispered Spike.
>You listened carefully for a minute before you finally heard it.
>Soft crying.
>Coming from... Upstairs.

>Spike leads the way up the stairwell with you tiptoeing behind him.
>He slowly opens the door to Twilight's bedroom.
>You peek around the door as he steps inside.
>He moves towards the bed where a lump beneath the covers wept.
>Spike climbed onto the bed and softly pushed the lump.
>"Twilight?"
--
>Twilight sat up and slowly pulled the covers down from her face.
>"Spike!"
>She stood up, throwing the blanket to the floor, and pulled Spike into her.
>Spike's eyes almost popped out of his head from the force of Twilight's hug.
>Twilight relented when you slowly stepped inside.
>She watched you enter, except now she wasn't staring daggers into your very soul.
>In fact, her stare was one of sorrow.
>She bowed her head.
"I'm sorry," you each said simultaneously.
>Spike rested a claw on Twilight's shoulder.
>"Twilight, we need to talk. You and Anon need to talk."
>"Yes... Yes that would be for the best."
>You softly close the bedroom door behind you.

>You walk into your house a few hours later.
>Fluttershy's not inside.
>You walk around back and find her watering flowers while singing softly to herself.
>Some nearby birds whistling along as well.
>When she sees you coming, she sets the watering can down.
>"Were you at the library this whole time?"
"Yes, actually."
>"Is... Is everything alright?"
>You pick her up and kiss her, holding her close to your chest.
"Everything is perfect."
>She smiled and snuggled her face into your neck.
>"That's wonderful," she whispered.