Spike was probably very different from a majority of his kind, in that he liked to laugh.
He did so all the time. Jokes, the funny puppet shows that sometimes occur in Ponyville Square, people messing up and tripping over things, Pinkie Pie's horrible puns… all of this, for some reason, was funny to him. He'd never thought to figure out exactly why this was so, and he was just fine with that.
But the one thing that he could ascertain to was Twilight's constant showing off of her "scientific discoveries". For the most part, they were pretty darn stupid. The dragon would admit that quite a few had potential, like the lie detector she'd set up to dissect Pinkie Sense or her dissertation on Starswirl the Bearded's various spells, but… ugh. The mare was talented, but sometimes she really, really needed some sleep!
Like right now, for instance.
Spike was in the process of getting ready for bed, gathering his Owlowiscious plushie and putting on his nightcap, when he was assaulted by a mass of purple.
"Spike, Spike, Spike!"
"What, what, what?"
He didn't have time for this. He really didn't. Most times the faithful assistant would brush his master off, but not now. Rest took importance over a mess of bolts that probably wasn't even going towork.
"You've gotta come see this!"
"No, Twilight. I've gotta go see to the Sandman. Hear he's got a nice comfy basket with my name on it," the dragon remarked, laughing at his attempt at a joke.
"Spike," Twilight said sternly, frowning at him, posture tightening up slightly. "If this invention works the way I want it to, you won't NEED to sleep."
Spike mused over that. Hmm… that did sound interesting. He wasn't expecting much out of it, though, but just as well Twilight tire herself out trying to make the dang thing work and fall asleep.
"Sure. Let's go with that. How does it work, if you don't mind my ask- hey!"
The studious mare had crept up behind him and was now pushing him down towards the basement of the duo's library home, blabbering about her discovery all the while. "Most humanoid brains keep churning on and working then fall asleep, right? They need to undergo a period of rest and relaxation to recharge themselves, so to speak."
Twilight grinned evilly. "I believe I've found a way to circumvent this process. If my calculations are correct, the Wake-A-Tron 5000 will take over a pony, zebra, and slash or donkey's biological functions and recharge their brains for them! Therefore they won't ever run out of power and-"
"We won't need to sleep anymore," Spike concluded, sighing dramatically. "Twilight…"
"Yeah, Spike?"
"That's probably one of the stupidest things I've ever heard in my life."
Twilight smiled. "I know! Isn't it- wait… I could've sworn I hear you say my chromium baby was 'stupid'…"
"Sure as Tartarus did," Spike said with a smile. "You can't mess with our bodies, Twilight. They need to run naturally, without any kinda weird technological gizmos aiding 'em. Most importantly, though, they deserve to have some serious downtime when they overwork themselves…"
"Especially mine?"
"Especially yours, sis."
Then he laughed.
He laughed when Twilight blushed furiously, heading down on her own just to see if her draconic friend was right. He laughed when she came back up in a huff, confirming that yes, Spike had once again proven that personal issues were more pressing than humanitarian ones. He laughed when she rode up the tree to the bedroom, carrying him on her back. He laughed when she tucked him into his basket, tiredly climbing into bed just above him.
The hardest laugh of all came soon after the whole incident had blown over, as pony and dragon lay together in the dark. Twilight looked at Spike sadly, downcast eyes showing remorse and embarrassment for her actions.
"Spike, I'm sorry if I-"
"It's okay, Twilight. We're cool again. Go to sleep."
"But I just- you were laughing at me- did I do something wrong-"
Spike smiled to himself. "Naaah," he said, lazily waving a hand at her. "I just found your actions funny, is all."
"Does that mean you hate me?"
"What? No, sis. You're the best pony friend librarian princess I could ever ask for. Now can we go to-"
"Uh…"
"Really, Twi, I think it's time you turned in…" Spike stared at Twilight curiously. What was she thinking about? The mare was a mystery. Wrapped in a riddle wrapped in an enigma, come to think about it.
"No, you're right. I should. I was just thinking…"
"Hmm?"
"Maybe I could use this event as a sample for a new thesis? Think about it, Spike," Twilight said, bringing her hooves out to show scale. "A Study of Dragons: Why Do they Find Things Funny? It'd be brilliant! Celestia would be so happy with me if I published it, I'm sure; Luna would be too, though less so; Cadence, not so much…"
Spike sighed to himself. Oh, Twilight. What am I ever going to do with you?
He loved the pony a lot, true. She was a sister and almost a mother to him. She had been around to help him whenever he needed it (for the most part, anyway), and he had been the same for her. The duo was inseparable, especially after they immigrated to Ponyville. But…
When in Celestia's name would Twilight Sparkle ever shut up?
I'm sorry. I needed impetus to write again. My first thought was a drabble. My mind wandered to My Little Pony, since I've been looking into writing for that series for a long time. Great show, by the way; amazing plots, animation, characters, and worldbuilding. My following of the show has only been peripheral since Season 3 started, but I suppose sometime or the other I'll have to go back and watch it. It is pretty good, right? Besides... you know... "that one episode"?
The inspiration for this story was as follows: "Why the heck does Spike laugh so damn much?" I mean, the dragon's an awesome guy and all, but jeez. You'd think he found every single thing or the other to be a freaking riot. (That was a thought I intended to express in-story, though I'm not sure if I did a good job or not.)
The Wake-A-Tron 5000 and brother-sister bonding moments came out of nowhere, to be honest. That tends to happen to me a lot. I get sidetracked. Also it's like almost 1:30 AM here and I need to sleep.
Feedback is appreciated, though I'm not forcing you to give me some. Do as you will.
Thanks to Archer of Ecclesia for beta reading!