Spike curled up in his bed, relishing the warmth of the blankets surrounding him. The moon had long since hung in the sky, yet another day of paperwork had prevented him from enjoying the grace of sleep. Being an ambassador to the dragonlands was hard work after all, and it seemed every day Celestia and Luna found more responsibilities to add to his plate.
However, that wasn’t what he needed to concern himself with at this point in time. All he cared about was getting some shut-eye, snuggling into his blanket and enjoying a good night’s sleep.
Before he could, however, he took a moment to raise his head and glance across his room, to the gentle rising and falling of Twilight's chest as she was snuggled into her own bed. Or, it was at least what he wanted to see, and of course, it was only the place where her bed used to be… all those years ago.
The dragon weakly smiled as he rested his head back down and closed his eyelids. He drifted off and prepared for the dream world to overtake him.
Spike tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable in his new basket.
“Mmph, too hot, too cold… ugh!” The small dragon grumbled under his breath before crossing his arms in frustration.
He heard a squeaky yawn emanate from the bed next to him. “Mm, Spike? What’s wrong? Don’t you like your new bed? Me and mommy picked it out just for you.” A young Twilight Sparkle peeked her head over the edge of the bed to address the dragon.
“Mmm, it’s not as comfy as my old one.” Spike sat up and gave a mournful look to the unicorn filly. “Why can’t I have the old one back?”
Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, but you’re too big for it now, Spike. Your feet were hanging out of it and everything.”
Spike groaned and slouched back into his basket. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t his old one. He didn’t like that. “Yeah, but I still miss my old one.”
Twilight let out a sigh before an idea flashed in her head. “Well, I can’t bring back your old bed, but if you want, you can sleep up here with me tonight. It might help you feel better.”
Spike blinked a few times and looked up at the unicorn. “Can I?”
Twilight beamed at him and reached her hooves down to pull Spike up to the bed with her. “There you go. Everyone deserves a good night’s sleep, especially my favorite dragon.”
She wrapped her hooves around him, pulling the small dragon into her warmth. “Good night, Spike.”
Spike hummed out happily and nuzzled his snout into her soft fur. He felt safe and secure pressed up against her, the pony he trusted more than anyone else. He reached his claws around her the best he could with his small stature and rubbed his cheek against her downy coat.
“Good night, Twilight.”
Spike bolted up on his bed and glanced around. Same bed, same walls, same room. The moon’s light shown through the windows still, urging him to get back to sleep.
He shook his head and laid back down, pulling the covers over himself once more. He snuggled back into his pillow, his face curled into a grin.
He always loved the old days...
Spike slowly shut the castle door behind him, happily skipping through the main hall. He clutched a small piece of paper in his claw, one he was beyond excited to show to Twilight.
He raced up the stairs as fast as he could and made his way down the various corridors until he arrived at the desired location. He knocked on the door of Twilight’s study as quickly as he could.
“Who is it?” A voice rang out from behind.
“It’s Spike! They got back to me!”
Before he could process what happened, the door flew open and he was engulfed in a magical aura and thrust inside. He was placed rather roughly onto the bed where an overjoyed alicorn was sitting in a chair right in front of him.
“Spike! That’s so exciting!” Twilight’s eyes were as wide as could be. “So, don’t beat around the bush. What’d they say?”
Spike opened up the piece of paper in his claw and laid it down in his lap. “Well, it didn’t go exactly liked I hoped it would.”
Twilight's smile immediately drooped. “I’m sorry, Spike. If you want, I’ll fly over there right now and have a talk with the—”
“It went so much better!” Spike handed the paper over to Twilight who immediately gazed over it.
Twilight began reading aloud. “Spike the Dragon. We hereby send this letter to notify you that you have been accepted to the Manehattan College of Law and Communication. You will be contacted in approximately two weeks to arrange your schedule. We look forward to seeing you very soon!”
Spike looked up at Twilight, “I did it, Twi! I actually did it!”
The dragon was immediately swept up into a tight grip by Twilight. She was on the bed next to him, her forelegs wrapped around him in almost suffocating fashion. “Spike! I knew you could do it! I just knew it!”
He attempted to break free of her cuddle prison, but quickly gave up hope and decided instead to enjoy the moment and wrapped his arms around her. “Thanks, Twi, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
The mare nuzzled his head scales and planted a small kiss on his forehead, which caused the dragon to blush and roll his eyes.
“C’mon, Twilight. You’re making me embarrassed.”
“Sorry, Spike, I’m just so proud of you.” She then proceeded to tighten the hug by wrapping her wings around him and pulling him closer to her soft chest fur.
As embarrassing as it was, Spike enjoyed the warmth and the feel of her soft feathers around him. “Thanks, Twilight.”
Spike attempted to wipe the sleep from his eyes as he strode down the stairs to the kitchen. The first morning rays of sunlight were creeping through the window and illuminating the room.
After acquiring his breakfast of choice, a bowl of Cocoa ‘Splosion and coffee, he sat at the table.
His mind kept repeating the dreams he had had the night before. He couldn’t help but feel a slight sadness in his chest the more he thought about it, but at the same time, he was happy remembering all the good times they shared, up until the final night he got to spend time with her.
Despite the fifteen years that had passed, he could still remember it down to the last detail.
Spike let out a loud yawn as he pushed open the large castle doors. Normally, such a task would be easy with his consistently growing frame and overall size, but after such a long day, every inch the door moved felt like a mile.
As he made his way inside, he immediately dropped his satchel to the ground and made his way to his favorite chair in the living room. It was possibly his favorite thing in the world to be able to come home and just have some quiet time in his comfy chair.
However, he’d be getting no such pleasure this night considering the alicorn currently residing in it.
Normally, such an obstruction would cause frustration to a tired dragon, but in this instance, all Spike could do was shake his head and let out a small chuckle. “Oh, Twilight, up late again, I see.”
Spike took in the sight before him. An elderly alicorn with an opened book haphazardly placed on her lap, eyes tightly shut and small snores slipping from her mouth. It was a sight he’s seen before, and he hoped to whatever powers that be that it wouldn’t be the last.
He considered trying to wake her up, but she had probably had a long day, too. Although her responsibilities had been lightened in recent years, she still worked very hard. If anyone deserved a peaceful rest, it was her.
The dragon ever so gently put the book aside and scooped her up into one of his claws, cradling her against his scales. She was very delicate these days, so he hugged her to his chest with the utmost care. He slowly walked away from the chair and up the stairs.
He could feel her soft breaths against his scales and he cherished the feel of her soft, albeit a bit thinner, coat against him. He smiled as he continued his trek up the stairs and down the hall to her room.
When he finally arrived and began to place her on the bed, he found it difficult given the fact that she had latched her hooves around his arm and shoulder, snuggling into him in her sleep. Spike slowly brushed her mane with his claw before separating her from his body and setting her on the bed.
Spike leaned over and lightly nuzzled her before planting a kiss on her forehead. He then quietly exited the room and shut the door behind him.
Spike put his dishes in the sink and began getting ready for his day. He had a lot of work to do and only so much time to do it. If there was anything he learned from Twilight, it was the importance of keeping on a strict schedule.
As he walked toward the front door to leave the castle, he took a pause to notice the picture hanging on the wall, adjacent to it.
Hanging in the frame was a small photo, discolored with time, featuring a small dragon blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, with a small unicorn filly beside him. He smiled at it for a brief moment before leaving his home behind.
It was time to go out and keep making her proud like he did all those years ago.