//------------------------------//
// The Morning After 
// Story: Daydreamers 
// by Tropical Octave 
//------------------------------//

	"Spiiiike....Spiiiike...You there, buddy? It's time to wake up!" Came an angelic voice, whispering softly as if not to startle. "Spiiiike, please, wake up. You've done enough reading for today..."

With the combination of words, soft playing music, and pushing gestures, Spike the dragon peeled back his eyelids for the first time in what felt like months. "Who...wha--? What happened?" He questioned, craning his neck from the book he'd apparently fallen asleep atop. "Where am I? Nocturn, are you there?" A giggle was heard from his behind, causing the still mind-wracked dragon to spin a whole 180 degrees in his chair. Unfortunately for the chair, its back-support prevented Spike from turning around completely and sent him flying off into yet another mountain of books.

"Oh Spike, you've been up all night, haven't you? Oh you poor thing, putting yourself through so much just to help the princess. You must be exhausted!" Said Twilight Sparkle in her most appreciative tone of voice. Brushing the pink streak in her mane from her left eye, she knelt down beside her fallen companion. "You deserve a break. How's that sound, number-one assistant?"

As Twilight talked up a storm, Spike was still chasing the imaginary birds from his mind. Had this all just really been a dream? It couldn't have...He'd never dreamed so vividly before, but who's to say he hadn't just gotten too involved in a book before passing out? In all of Twilight's ramblings, the only thing he picked up was the term break. "Yeah, no problem Twi," He grumbled, cracking the bones in his spine before getting to his feet. "And a break sounds heavenly right now. And, uhh, by the way..." He said questioningly, raising a claw to his chin. "You haven't seen any me-shaped armor lying around, have you?"

Twilight's face was a mixture between laughter and confusion. "I can't say I have. But don't worry, my little knight," She said, now wrapping Spike in a hug. "I'll let you know if it turns up. Leave the rest of today's research to me, you definitely need to take a breather." And henceforth released the hug. Getting to her hooves, she telekinetically levitated the book Spike had been sleeping upon back to the desk and took a seat. "Now, go on. You said something yesterday about wanting to take a walk through the Canterlot Gardens, right?" Twilight said, now squinting out the stained glass window behind them. "From what I can tell, I'd say it's only..."

"Half-past six..." Spike stated coldly, not even needing to look up.

"...I'd have to agree with you! And, might I add--" Twilight was interrupted by a friendly interjection on Spike's end. 

"Perfectly weathered for an evening stroll?"

Twilight could only gawk. Scratching her head, the mare gave out a light laugh as her words were taken straight from her mouth. "I'll be honest, Spike. That's quite an interesting skill you've got there. Just make sure not to get in trouble with it on your walk, okay? I'm sure I've been around the block enough times to know when magic's in the air, so be careful. Celestia and I are getting close to uncovering the reason behind the recent rise in mystic nocturnal energies, and we're positive that we're on the brink of something big." Twilight said excitedly. But, a moment later, her half-hearted smile turned to a frown as she clapped her forehooves together. "Earth to Spike, you still listening to me?"

Spike's spine shuddered at the realization that he'd gone through an eerily similar conversation...yesterday? He knew yesterday wasn't the term, but could think of no better way to convey the thought. turning his head at the sound of hooves clapping, he stood straight and looked Twilight in the eyes. "Y-yeah! Just daydreaming, is all. I think I'm still a little out of it from that long night of studying, y'know?"

"I suppose that's to be expected from a baby like yourself," Twilight said in a motherly tone, taking steps to pinch the cheeks of the drowsy Spike. "I love you, you know. Be careful out there..."

Spike grimaced at the thought of getting his cheeks pinched and moved towards the exit. "Don't worry, Twi. I think I know what I'm doing." He said reassuringly. 

"If you insist, young drake. I'll see you back here in an hour?" Twilight asked sincerely.

Spike shrugged. "Sounds fine with me. Catcha' later, Twilight." And with that, he swung open the huge wooden doors that were the exit to the Canterlot Library. 

Celestia's sun hung low on the Western horizon as Spike traversed the bends and winds oh the Canterlot Gardens for --what felt like-- the second time that day. The crisp air of night tangled and meshed with the warm, electrically charged air of day and created the perfect weather for his hike. Everything seemed so similar...while at the same time not. Whether or not Spike wanted to accept it, he knew he'd done this before. The same hedges, shrubs, bushes, trees, and everything else that could be considered a landmark was exactly the same as it was in his dream. With scrupulous steps, the dragon proceeded towards the maze's outdoor foyer. 

As he neared the maze, a mixture of emotions was stirring inside the young Spike's head; Was it all really a dream? Was he psychic? Could he possibly still be dreaming, entrapped in yet another of Nocturn's spells? None of these he knew the answer to. Directionless, Spike figured that the place to start looking for answers would likely be the center of the maze.

Now not more than twenty yards away from the maze, Spike figured that the pond with the yin and yang fish were just around the corner. Poking his head through some shrubbery, he noticed that he was, in fact, correct about the fish. But...there was a surprise. 

A single mare sat calmly, her head slung low as she skipped stones telekinectically across the pond. Wearing a stone-gray hoodie, she paid no heed to the rustle that Spike had been making a mere ten feet away, continuing absentmindedly with her stone-skipping.

The purple dragon trotted out of the bushes with little effort, but kept his distance from the stranger. For all he knew, it could've been some low-life with nothing to do other than sit around.

Then again, so was he.

Spike took steps in the direction of the stranger quietly, not wanting to disturb her thought process and before long, he was at her side. Spike gulped visibly at the mare, taking note of her physical appearance. With a brilliant mint-green coat, a mane of similar colors, and a pair of sunset-golden eyes, she sat focused on the water before her. Stone after stone, she never bothered to turn her attention from the water and acted almost as if Spike hadn't existed. Then, for the first time in hours, he sat down and relaxed to the rhythmic sound of rock-on-water. The hypnotic repetition turned minutes into years, rendering Spike powerless against the sounds of nature. Stone after stone, he enjoyed her silent company and blanked his mind.

It wasn't until twenty minutes later that something noteworthy finally happened. The mare, now without any stones left in the immediate vicinity, telekinectically latched onto the nearest physical object not attached to the ground; Spike.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, sister! I'm no stooooOOONE!" Spike shouted, but to no avail. The young dragon was hurled through the air with little effort on the mare's end. 

Snapping back to attention at the last possible second, the stranger's face contorted as Spike flew through the air...at her hooves. Leaping to her feet, she concentrated all of her magic on the flying ball of dragon and caught him mid-flight just before he made impact with the chilled water below. "Gotcha!" She shouted breathlessly. Spike was dangling inches from the pond, but otherwise was completely dry. 

Spike remained silent and stunned as he was levitated back to the grass. Landing with a thump, he sat dazed and confused on the crisp soil beneath his scales and looked up at the hooded stranger with bemused curiosity. "Nice to meet you too! My name's Spike. I don't suppose you've got a name, ehh?" He asked in a lighthearted tone. Suspecting that this conversation would follow suit with the first one he'd had with Nocturn, he prepared himself for a chase.

The stranger sighed, blowing her minty mane from her eyes as she brandished her lyre. "The name's Heartstrings. Lyra, Heartstrings. And, first and foremost, I'd like to apologize for nearly drowning you just now." She said apologetically, a feint smile creeping its way across her aquamarine face.

Needless to say, Spike was surprised at Lyra's straight-forwardness. "Well...that's certainly a nice name. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Heartstrings." He said calmly, extending his claws to her right forehoof. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Lyra blushed slightly at the offer, then shook with the small dragon that stood before her. "Now that that's out of the way, do you mind if I ask just why you crept up on me like that? I mean, you could've mentioned your name sometime sooner you know." She said with a chuckle. "It might've prevented things from getting...wet." (Cool it, home-fry. Get your mind out of the gutter.) 

"Yeah, that could've been quite the accident if you hadn't caught me when you did. Hey, Lyra," Spike asked, now starting to remember her name from somewhere. "You wouldn't happen to live in Ponyville, would you?"

Lyra smiled, looking to the pond. "Yes, I do. Actually, I live not more than a stone's throw --or a dragon's throw--, from the library. Bonbon and I live together in the two-story you have to pass on the way to Sugarcube Corner. Small world, us meeting here and all, ehh?"

Spike mentally slapped himself for not remembering her face from down the street, taking note to visit his own neighbor more often. "Yeah...small. But, I digress. I think that there's something I need to do in the maze. I, uhh, well..." Spike began, fumbling with his words. "Well, let me put it this way; I need some answers." He stated bluntly, noting how Lyra's face scrunched at the words answers. "And...uhh, well...I think the only way I'll manage to get them is at the center of the maze. You understand, right?"

The lyrist dug a mint hoof into the dirt before looking down at Spike with a wink. "I may look like a simple musician on the outside, young dragon, but I've been through many a magical trial in my life. I'm sure that whatever you're looking for, I can help. Besides," She said nonchalantly, looking from Spike to the pond. "It'd be way more fun than skipping stones." And turned her head back to her new-found friend and spoke dreamily. "So...what do you say?" 

"I dunno...I think that this is the type of challenge only I should have to go through. Besides, I'm sure that you have lots of other things to do! Being a musician and all, I'm sure there's dozens of fans lined up just to get your autograph!"

"Your kindness knows no bounds, but alas, you're mistaken. After an extended...vacation, the few fans I had among town moved onto more modern musicians. That new techno-electro, rat-a-tat wub step disk jockey Vinyl Scratch," Lyra said with a hint of venom, but quickly corrected herself. "Not that she's a bad pony or anything. I personally was never really a fan of that genre." She finished, taking a quick look from her lyre, then back to Spike. "Not to sound creepy, but I honestly have nothing better to do right now."

Spike raised his left claw to his chin as he thought hard. Maybe Lyra would prove useful in the quest for answers? Either way, she made good company and he figured he would need all the help he could get for the coming days. Sighing a deep sigh, Spike beckoned for the mint-coated lyrist to tag along. "Okay, Lyra, I suppose if there's nothing else you'd rather do..."

Lyra squealed with joy for half a second before correcting herself, tugging at her sweater strings. "Fantastic! Anything to break up the monotony, y'know?" She said in an energetic tone, sharing glances at the ground and the dragon. "So, Spike. We're headed into the maze? That's pretty neat. I don't think I've ever been to the center, but from what I hear, it's like you're living a dream."

The drake couldn't help but wince at the term dream. For Lyra's sake and his own, he hoped he knew what he was getting himself into.

See Just How Far Your Trust Will Go...