Daydreamers

by Tropical Octave

I'm Still Alive

The wind blew softly through the luscious glades of the Canterlot Gardens, bringing forth a low sigh from Spike as he and Lyra trotted to the entrance of the royal maze. After becoming the personal assistant to one of the most powerful deities in existence, Spike was (To say the least) reluctant to have company on the venture. However, the mint coated mare was stalwart about staying with him after the incident at the lake. Plus, as much as he hated to admit it, she was kinda cute --In a totally platonic way, of course-- and was a good talker, no matter her quirks. Her knowledge of musical magics was vast, suspiciously vast, and she seemed to know a mystical tune for just about everything. Relishing in the silence that had ensued after their previous exchange of words, Spike pondered just why she was at the lake in the first place for a while. After two minutes and no clear answer, he figured he could try to drum up another exchange.

"So, Miss Heartstrings, you're really set on walking me through the maze, aren't you?" Spike stated with a slight smile. He brushed the scales atop his head and looked to the mare beside him, hoping for an honest answer. Thirty seconds and no response later, he looked from Lyra's face to the golden lyre wrapped loosely around her waist. Dangling just before her left flank, it bounced back and forth gracefully with her every hoof-fall. The instrument was magnificent; A golden body with three elegantly strung chords, it looked as if the mystical instrument was hoof-made, no doubt the fruit of her own labor. Then, deciding that the topic of Daydream should be kept under wraps, the young dragon again tried his claws at a new way of provoking conversation. "Hey, Lyra. I figured that since you know so much about music, could you maybe answer a question of mine?" He stated quizzically, his eyes once again meeting her golden irises.

Lyra looked from the bushes to Spike, tilting her head slightly then smiling joyously. "But of course! What's on your mind, sport?" She asked enthusiastically. "Auntie Lyra's got an answer for ALL the questions!" She continued, stopping mid trot to catch her breath. "There's never been a musical question I couldn't answer!" And with that, she looked away from Spike and took a detour into a rest area.

Following the strange mare's lead, Spike too stopped and walked over to the base of a pine tree and sat himself down. "Well, in the time since we've started talking, I've learned that you're quite the knowledgeable pony," Spike said sincerely, scratching the back of his head with his left talons. "Lately, I've been wrapped up in some...business, and I don't know which way to think about it. I only want what's best for my friends, but I'm not sure how to go about it. You're smart, so I figured you could give me a little, oh I don't know, insight on the topic?"

"Seems legit, I've been entangled with my own little adventure recently, so I might be able to help..." Lyra chirped, a smile splitting her face. "But...I think the best way to answer you question is in song. K?"

Spike's face was a fluent mix of confusion at the statement, but if Lyra could help put his mind at ease through riddles, he was willing to give it a shot. "By all means, enlighten me." He said shortly, kicking his legs up as he sat back against the pine. "I'm a melting pot of knowledge."

Half a second later, the minty mare's face turned from a smile to one of utmost seriousness. She levitated her lyre from her back and sat down a few feet in front of Spike, closing her eyes as she did so. Strumming the chords harmoniously, she began to sing.

"Oh well, honor for all,
of the big and the small,
well the taller they stand,
well the harder they fall,
we live for today,
but we die for the next,
with blood in our veins,
and the air in our chest,
so we step into war,
with our hearts on the line,
the dirt on our hooves,
that is free over time,

The music it fades,
the violin slows,
the darkness it rises,
as the sun goes,

Love is a distant aroma at best,
A withering smile that's stuck deep within your vest,
At night air it wraps its fetlocks around,
Your body it shakes from the now distant sound,
Of the sound of her voice,
A sweet symphony,
played over and over Until' you are free,

The music it fades,
the violin slows,
darkness it rises,
as the sun goes,

Can you feel the new day rising,
Climbing up the
East horizon,
they can't hold us,
now we'll fight through,
these hooves,
everyone will start new,

well we shall not stumble,
no we shall not fall,
we shall not crumble,
no we shall stand tall,
with death it will come as sore as the night,
but we will not run,
no we live but to fight,
with blood on our hooves and lights in the skies,
we'll tear at the ones who crushed Nocturn's dreams,

The music it fades,
the violin slows,
the darkness it rises,
as the sun goes,

Can you feel the,
new day rising,
climbing up the,
east horizon,
they can't hold us,
now we'll fight through,
each and everyone will start new..."

And with that, Lyra Heartstrings opened her eyes as she returned her lyre to its sash, smiling sweetly all the while.

Throughout the course of the serenade, Spike watched with wonder in his eyes. The tune, the melody...the lyrics. They all made so much sense, he thought he might have been dreaming again. But no...he wasn't. This mare knew of not only his situation, but Nocturn as well...but how? How could this complete stranger know about everything he'd experienced in the past twenty-four hours!?

"Because, silly. I can read minds!" She chirped harmoniously not more than a millisecond later.

Spike thought he was going to throw up. "I-I-I...t-that's impossible, and we both know it!" He accused, pointing a purple claw at his company. With no audible response from the mare in question, Spike collected his thoughts and controlled his breathing. "How...how could you possibly know about her?"

Lyra smirked genuinely before trotting to Spike's side. "You see, Spike, you aren't the only one the mistress has turned to for assistance. You may have certainly been one of the first, but the night regent has touched us all," She said warmly, wrapping a foreleg around Spike's neck. "While some push her away, other more open-minded individuals --You and I, for example-- have heeded the call of Nocturn. Unbeknownst to most however, is her ability to communicate through subconscious means. When she first contacted you, did you happen notice her strange affiliation with music? Perhaps, she carried an instrument of sorts? Maybe even so far as holding...a radio?" Lyra asked, now warming up to the dragon beside her.

Meanwhile, Spike was starting to finally come to terms with what he recognized as fate. If Nocturn truly had this much influence over the ponies of Equestria, then maybe siding with the deity wasn't a bad move after all. After a fierce moment of ponder, Spike returned his attention to the question at hoof. "Sure she did. When I was dreaming, she wouldn't stop going on about her radio...Why do you ask?"

The mare scratched the back of her head with a forehoof, chuckling as she did so. "Well you see Spike, Nocturn is tied to dreams," She said, putting a hoof in Spike's face as he attempted to speak up. "Easy, tiger. I know you probably know this, but bear with me," She continued, retracting her minty hoof from Spike's personal space. "When you're dreaming, Luna has guarded you from potentially threatening nightmares for as long as history remembers. On the other hoof, the figment known as Nocturn had always wanted to test the minds of the Equestrians through subconscious trials," Lyra explained buoyantly, looking to the now-rising moon in the distance with a smile. "Now, as you probably now understand, Nocturn was never really a pony. Like Discord, she was thought of as a creature straight out of mythology...until she took over princess Luna, of course. Unfortunately for the night regent, Luna had been under astronomical amounts of stress in the last century, and was beginning to crack under the feeling of uselessness. Therefore, after Nocturn finally attempted to have Luna see why her way was best, she snapped."

Spike sat dead-pan silent at the side of Lyra the whole time, staring blankly at the grass as he listened. The figure he'd known as Nocturn seemed to more colorful than Rainbow Dash's mane. After a brief period of silence, the drake looked up and into Lyra's eyes questioningly. "Is...Is that it? What happened after Luna snapped? And better yet, how do you know all of this?" He asked curiously.

"Please hold all questions until the end of the lecture," Lyra chimed, winking at the dragon. "Now, where was I...Ahh ha! Yes, Luna's figurative snapping. You see, the princess of the night had always known of Nocturn's existence to a point. As sure as the night, Nocturn would help Luna spiritually with the stress of being princess. Kind of like a mother, you dig?"

Spike nodded, still trying consume the information he was receiving.

"Cool," Lyra continued, staring longingly into the face of the moon. "Now you see, Nocturn --like any parent-- wanted her child to see things her way. Naturally, this way of thinking came with mixed responses. Spike, do you remember reading anything about Daydream before you met Nocturn?"

The dragon scratched his chin at the question. He knew he had read something about Daydream before wandering into the maze, but what was it? "Yes, I think I did. It was some sort of entry by princess Luna...I just can't remember what its details were. Why?"

"Was it her 'Last Conscious Thoughts' by any chance?" Lyra asked curiously, smirking.

Spike's face lit up with the revelation. "Yes, yes it was! It was something about her...consuming, a great evil. Wait...you don't mean to tell me that Luna..."

Lyra nodded twice. "Indeed she did, Spike."

Spike's face turned white. "She ATE her!?"

At the outburst, Lyra did a barrel roll and flopped to her side in laughter. "D-did anypony ever t-tell you that you have an over-active imagination?" She said between stretched periods of laughter, all the while Spike sat just as shocked as he was two minutes ago. Taking the hint that he was, in fact, not kidding around, the minty unicorn sat upright and redid her frazzled mane. "Because, uhh, you...Forget about it. Anywho, no. Luna did not eat Nocturn. In fact, she tried her hardest to do the exact opposite; She tried to destroy her."

Spike had regained control of his nerves, so he was no able to reply again. "Destroy her? But why? If what Nocturn's said is true, she only wanted to help Equestria. Why would the princess even consider dispatching a kind hearted spirit like that?"

"Just as every yin has its yang, Nocturn isn't at all perfect," Lyra said yawning, her horn beginning to glow as she levitated her lyre out of its sash. "In fact, she's about as normal as you and I. Here, take my lyre for example," The mare continued, now holding the mystical instrument in her forehooves. "Each of the strings represent a different sound. On their own, they're nothing more than a monotone crying in the wind, but together, they form a graceful melody capable of being heard throughout generations. You and I, as well as the others, are simple chords on our own. But in the hooves of a capable musician, we can change everything." She concluded, yawning once more.

Spike, at the sight of Lyra yawning, yawned himself. "Jeez, Lyra, you're making me pretty tired. I appreciate the history about astral deities, but I need to ask you something important; Where do I fit into all of this?"

Slinging her lyre back over her waist, the minty mare got to her hooves and began walking towards a clearing in the maze.

"Hey-- Wait! Where are you going!?" The confused Spike shouted after his aquamarine-coated compatriot.

Lyra pulled her stone-colored hoodie over her head as she began channeling magical energy through her horn. "I think..it's about time...you met the...others, ehh?" She said between gasps of air, smirking the whole time.

Spike had just arrived at the clearing when a magnificent beam of golden energy shot from the head of Lyra Heartstrings, summoning a gold/green tinted portal six feet away. The sudden eruption of magic sent the drowsy dragon to the ground, nearly knocking the wind from his lungs. "Sweet Celestia! What is THAT!" He shouted, pointing accusingly at the magical pool of energy.

"That, my purple-scaled friend, is our fast-pass out of the maze," The semi-serious Lyra chimed through panted breaths. "Now...hop on." She commanded, eying Spike, her back, then Spike again with a wink.

Spike bit his lower lip, knowing full well that this could be the last chance he would have to back out of the twisted journey he was about to go through. At the summit of his courage, Spike swallowed his fear of the unknown, climbing the metaphorical mountain of fear he'd created...and mounted Lyra's back. "Okay, Heartstrings. I've trusted you this far, so I suppose I can trust you a little longer," He said half to himself as he hopped up on the mare. "But please, promise me you'll answer my question?" The visibly shaken dragon asked.

Lyra laughed heartily before turning to eye Spike. She could tell he was shaken and scared, so she winked and whispered, "Don't worry, young dragon. All will be revealed soon..." And ran head-first through the portal with a 'Yee Haw!'.

Seek Your Answers [Coming Soon!]

Comments

[CometandAqua]

Very interesting...

[SpikeNotAnymore]

When New Chaper Come´s Out This Is The Firts Spike And Nightmare Moon Fanfic I See Beacuse This Two Guys Rock

[Thebaconpiggybank]

[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gFQwn6M1RMc]

Nice to see another Dishonored fan.

[Toxicological]

I'm guessing this is a dead story?