//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Spike's Lullaby // by Mylittleponyfan //------------------------------// One fine evening, the stars in the sky are shining bright. Inside the Golden Oak Library, Twilight and Spike are getting ready for bed. Twilight has already made her bed, so she goes over to Spike and pulls the covers over him. "There," she said, "Nice and cozy." "Thanks, Twilight," Spike smiled. "You're welcome, Spike," Twilight smiled back and she kissed him on the head as she got into bed and pulled her own covers over herself. "Good night, Spike." "Night, Twilight." Both Twilight and Spike close their eyes. Just then, Spike moves to his side and opens his eyes, unable to drift off. "Hey, Twilight?", Spike whispered out to her. "Twilight?" "Hmm?", said Twilight, her eyes still closed. "I can't sleep," said Spike. Twilight opens her eyes and sits up to talk to Spike. "Why not, Spike?", she asks him. "I don't know. I just can't make myself." "Well, try counting sheep. That usually helps. It works for me, too, sometimes," Twilight suggested. Then she turns over and pulls the covers back up. "Okay," Spike said. So he got back in his bed, closed his eyes, and started to count imaginary sheep in his head. "One...", Spike counted as one sheep jumped over a fence. "Two...", the second sheep jumped over the fence. "Three...", a third sheep jumps over. "Four... five..." In his imagination, each sheep starts jumping over a bit too fast. "Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve--" Suddenly, each sheep crashes into each other and they fall down, collapsing onto the fence and breaking it. "AAAHH!", Spike jumped up, startling Twilight awake and making her jump up as well. "Spike? What's wrong?", she asked worriedly. "The sheep! They-- they crashed!", Spike said. "What?", Twilight raised her eyebrow, confused. "I-- I guess I was countin' too fast and the sheep... knocked into each other and broke the fence they were jumpin' over," Spike said, lowering his eyes in embarrassment. Twilight only rolls her eyes. "I can't sleep, Twilight," said Spike. "Oh, well, then... just try and think of something you like," Twilight suggests. "Like what?", asked Spike. "I don't know. Like, um... oh. How 'bout thinking of someplace like the beach?" "Oh! That's a great idea! Nice thought!", Spike said. "How did I not think of that the first time?" "Right...", said Twilight and she turned back over in her bed, trying to get comfortable and go to sleep. "Well, I'm goin' to sleep. Again," said Twilight as she began tucking herself in. "Right. Night, Twilight," Spike said as he turned over. Twilight sighed and said, "Good night, Spike." And with that, Spike once again closed his eyes and tried Twilight's second suggestion: To dream about the beach. So Spike began to imagine the sand at the beach, which already began soothing him. Next, he imagined a chair in the sand. "Ohh, that's nice," whispered Spike to himself as he kept imagining. Next, he imagined an umbrella over the chair. Spike sighs in relaxation. Finally, he imagined himself at the beach, which had put a smile on his face as he began drifting off slowly. That is until, just then, Spike started to scratch himself in his imagination due to all of the itchy sand on him. This made Spike cringe slightly and start to scratch himself. He keeps on scratching himself until he starts to groan. His groaning disturbed Twilight and she got up once again to ask Spike what is wrong. "Ohh...", Twilight sighed in annoyance, "What is it now, Spike?" But Spike kept scratching himself in his sleep. "Spike?", Twilight called. But Spike kept scratching himself. "Spiiike?", Twilight called a bit louder. Still to no avail. "SPIKE!", Twilight hollered, making him jump and sit up from his bed. "Whoa!", Spike exclaimed. "Twilight!" "What is it now?", Twilight asked, irritated with the fact that none of her suggestions for Spike had quite exactly worked out as she had hoped. "The sand. It was itchin' me," Spike said, lightly scratching his arm. Twilight rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Twilight! I still can't sleep! I-- I've tried dreamin' about sheep, that didn't work! I've tried dreamin' about the beach, that didn't work either! So... I don't know what else to do," Spike lowered his head, hopelessly feeling that he would never be able to get to sleep. Twilight sighed and thought for a moment. This was going to be her final suggestion for Spike. If this doesn't work, she doesn't know what will. Right as she was thinking, Spike threw out his own suggestion. "I have an idea, Twilight. How 'bout you sing me a lullaby?" Now this, Twilight never even thought of for a second. She raised her eyebrows in realization once Spike said this. "A lullaby? Oh, sure, Spike! I'll sing you a lullaby! Why didn't I think of that in the first place?" Twilight was more than glad to sing Spike a lullaby. "Right," said Spike. So he cuddled back in his bed and waited for Twilight to sing to him. And so, she began. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are." Spike sighed happily and got nice and cozy in his bed, feeling the sleepiness consume him. He felt good listening to Twilight sing to him. Twilight continued to sing. "When the blazing sun is gone, when he nothing shines upon. Then you show your little light, twinkle, twinkle all the night. Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder whaaat yooou aaare." Twilight had finished singing. Right as she did, Spike was already sound asleep. "Aww. The little fella's sleeping," Twilight whispered to herself. Spike just looked so cute when he was sleeping. "That's better. It's nice to see he's finally gone to sleep. Now it's off to dreamland for me," said Twilight as she got back in bed. "Good night, Spike," Twilight whispered. With one last air kiss, she pulled her covers over herself, turned to her side, and slowly drifted off to sleep.