//------------------------------// // Aria - First movement // Story: Andante - The path of the dreams // by CaioCoia //------------------------------// As an ominous sound placed the entire area, the darkness covered all around the dragon who remained on his sit as he slowly drank the tea, as he enjoyed the music around him. The symphony was a music mix of violin, cello, clarinet, and a tuba covering the background. The solo clarinet was the creation of the air of sadness making the darkness dance around the place. The dragon admired the dancing of the shadows, as the sound of a chorus singing behind all the sadness. As he slowly moved the tip of his claws as he was conducting the sad song inside of his mind. “Sing for me, my orchestra. I will not let my nightmares conquer the deeps of my entire mind. Sing for me my sadness, sing for me my anger, sing for me my sorrow and regrets. A path once was forgotten I will not take back.” The dragon conducted as he then closed his claws. “NOW SING FOR MY HOPE.” At the later, the voices became cheerful and sing as the tone of hope and show the rhythm of creation around the same darkness, the shadows little by little started forming the grass over the floor, and from the grass, it became a garden, and deep in the garden it became separated from a deserted, and from the desert a mountain, and from a mountain to a star. All according to from the chorus singing from behind. As Spike didn’t stop conducting the song inside of his head, and little by little a piece of the entire world was created around the table he was drinking tea. “And now, the Aria.” Spike finished his drink and cracked his knuckles as he tapped the claw over the table. And with a smooth sound of a clarinet start playing, making all the creation around Spike became bigger and more alive. A smooth singing started combining with the clarinet, making all the creation start developing, the flowers started blooming, the desert has created an oasis and the mountain was snowing as showing the picks of the high world. As Spike used all the feelings, he was creating a world inside of his mind, until a voice interrupted him. “It seems I’m interrupting something important.” The curious voice of somepony who seemed to have hundreds, if not a thousand years of wisdom decided to show herself with her perfect grace. Spike who was conducting the song made a gesture as he closed his claws, making all the music stop and then all the darkness appear around the table like a click from a switch, all the creation was exchanged by the darkness, surprising even the princess of the dreams as well. “The darkness is what prevents me to create illusions of nightmares in my mind. So what I owe you for your grace visit Princess Luna?” Spike said gloomily as he then proceeds to use the kettle to add tea on 2 cups, one for himself and one for his visitor. The guardian blinked once and then twice… “You… are being too polite to me little Spike.” Princess Luna was surprised by the little baby dragon was using words like she would use to her sister in the times she was with her sister… The noble way to sugar talks to the royalty… “I request thou stop this.” Spike who was looking too thoughtful decided to nod his head. “Alright, sorry for making you feel awkward, when I get too reflective I start to talk the most polite way. Let me rephrase for you…” Spike then proceed to cough a few times. “Hello Princess Luna, how have you been? Don’t mind here I just want to make my dream most simple to not have nightmares, so… what do you want?” Spike sounded more like his childish way, but it was sincerity behind his words, especially at the question… what do you want. This made Princess Luna ignore the question but sigh in relief. “Ah, that’s better. Now, Spike, I have searched from all the dreams I was exploring, and then I found a nightmare over Ponyville. Do you know which pony was having the nightmare?” Princess Luna said as her voice was showing deep seriousness and the question was rhetoric. “Probably Twilight.” Spike scoffed, as he raised his eyebrows looking at the princess near him. “You think I care about she was dreaming about me leaving Ponyville?” “She is your sister.” Princess Luna said in a warning tone almost showing deep anger inside of her voice. “SHE TOOK THE MARE I LOVED.” Spike slammed his claws over the table, creating an echo around the darkness, making Princess Luna stop herself. “She has been in a relationship with Rarity for 2 months… And I know you know.” Princess Luna who was staring at the drake finally understood the deep of his anger, and sadly it was something more dangerous for her to talk about since what he said was true. “Yes… I knew the dreams she would be having…But…” As the moment Princess Luna was going to say something Spike raised his claw stopping her on track. “A dream is a dream Princess Luna, you cannot be sure if the dream was real life, and the info you could have would actually destroy more ponies because it wasn’t a fact… I’m not anger for you to not tell me if you knew this because of the dreams…” Spike said as he really meant what he said, Spike has been reflecting everything, about the way he created his dream, he didn’t want to create a nightmare just to call the attention of the princess of the night, but somepony he knew actually sold him out to the princess. Not that he didn’t mind. “I broke my friendship with 4 ponies on that day Princess Luna, and I’m not even want to stay near to my sister for a long time… Please do not make me you another pony I wouldn’t like to stay away.” Spike’s eyes showed deep sadness and anger from such betrayal. As Princess Luna remained quiet watching Spike quietly looking at the cup on his claws. “I apologize for my haste judgment.” The princess of the night said as Spike waved his hands as it was nothing. Luna felt disappointed about how things would end like this, so she decided to turn around and opened a portal. “If you want me to leave, I will do it now.” “No please.” At the moment Princess Luna was ready to leave, Spike called her, making her stop her track. “I need a friend to vent… and soon I will wake up because I’m almost getting Canterlot, please, stay for a few more minutes…” Princess Luna nodded her head and closed the portal, and the darkness around her was too gloomy for her. So then she used her magic and created the royal garden around the dream. “A few minutes I can spare for you, you seemed to have taken the last ticket of a train trip to go to Canterlot. Did you know that you will get Canterlot in 3 hours before my sister raises the sun?” Princess Luna asked as Spike nodded his head. “It seems you have somewhere you know that it will receive you any hour.” Spike nodded his head again, making Princess Luna smile softly. “Mind I ask you what’s in your mind little Spike?” Princess Luna smiled, receiving another nod from the dragon before he sighs and starts his tale. . . . As the night gave the fancy streets of the Canterlot a good embrace, the houses showed a deep quiet environment and the lights off from all the houses of the city... Still, the ponies who would have a good night of sleep for the next day get because of their daily events. A unicorn with a deep indigo color walked over the corridors of his house, in the direction of the kitchen... Drowsy of needing a glass of milk and a rapid cookie to make his night, he thought his own wife wouldn't notice if he take a cookie and go back to sleep. At the moment the stallion walked on his own kitchen, his eyes snapped wide as he looked at his own wife, sitting on the table, looking unsure as she pressed her both hooves next to her chin, she was deep in thoughts. "Honey? It's 3 a.m, is something wrong?" The stallion asked he looked at the clock next to the fridge, and he couldn't let the opportunity to take a glass of milk and turn the oven to make it warm for him, however showing a slight regret that he couldn't take a cookie with the milk. "I'm not sure Night Light. Something inside of me is telling me that something happened last day, and I cannot stop getting worried about what may have happened." The elegant grey mare dressed in a pink robe as she messed white mane with violet strips was looking serious at her own husband. "Something is telling me to not sleep tonight." The moment that the mare said that, Night Light noticed it was something unusual, but something he knew that his wife would be telling the truth, after his firstborn appeared, his wife Twilight Velvet developed something he wasn't sure about about was real until seeing it in action many times. "It's your mother instincts tingling right?" Night Light asked as he noticed his wife nodding her head in agreement. Noticing that she would stay awake the entire night, he looked at the milk getting warm, as he then proceeds to make a kettle of black coffee. "I will make coffee with milk for you." "Thank you, dear..." Night light turned his back as he proceeds to get the black coffee powder before his ears noticed the voice of his beloved wife again. "Ah, and you can have one cookie as you are here to take the milk." The stallion nervously smiled... "So you knew?" Night light smiled sheepishly as he heard from his wife a giggling. "My dear, I'm just glad that you clean yourself before going to bed because I would have killed you if you leave messes on our bed." The stallion itself wasn't sure if she was telling the truth but decided to scoff the idea away. "I love you too." Night Light responded as he finally started preparing the coffee for both of them, as he took a good bite of the cookie which he pleased so much to eat. As he started eating, he noticed his wife sigh in sadness. "What's on your thoughts Velvet?" "Do you think a villain appeared on Ponyville or Crystal Empire?" Twilight Velvet as a somepony who always reads the newspapers from both lands, cannot help but get worried as cases like that happen, since Tirek appeared and drained the magic from Cristal Empire and destroyed her children's lair on Ponyville. "I wouldn't think soo." Night Light replied bluntly as he finished his cookie. "Princess Celestia would already have traveled right away to check on them." The mare nodded her head, her instincts were agreeing with her husband. "Do you think something happened with Shining Armor? Or Cadance or even Flurry Heart? They are new at this kind of taking care of their baby and maybe I should have stayed more to teach them more on how to take care of Flurry." The anxiety coming from the mare he loved during decades, Night Light knew she was starting to get worried about something, she wouldn't stop until all the worries would be resolved. "Twilight Velvet, you passed 8 months in Cristal Empire just to take care of the baby, you taught the royal advisor Sunburst and even Spike's friend Thorax how to take care of her. You even complimented him about changing the forms for Flurry Heart has everything to play with." The husband once again calmed his wife... making Twilight Veltet relax a little. "And the worst that could've happen to Shining Armor would be after getting a discussion with Princess Cadance and sleep on the couch." "You are right." Twilight Velvet sighed in relief, thinking about her elder boy maybe wasn't the cause of her anxiety. But then another terrible thought happened to her head. "What about Twilight and Spike? Is something that happened in Ponyville? What if Twilight forgot to eat as she started studying and then she was so weak that she was now at the hospital? What if the oven exploded as Spike was cooking? What if Twilight decided to take a risk spell and made something awful to her? And what if Spike fell from a huge height and then Twilight didn't manage to save him. What if?" As all the dangerous thoughts proceeded to scare Twilight Velvet, Night Light went wide open and proceeded to make the coffee mixed with milk for his wife. "Woa woa woa. Here Velvet, you don't need to be too far away from such thoughts, something like that can make a huge pain in your heart, it's just a thought. Don't think something too extreme, calm yourself first..." Night Light usually would make half and half for Velvet, but in cases like this, he poured 4 quarters of milk and a single drop of coffee to make the most effective of the milk hit his wife instead of coffee. Velvet was already drinking the hot milk, as she despaired tried to maintain calm and collect. Night Light who looked concerned about his wife, couldn't help but shake his head. "In cases like this, usually somepony goes to our door and knocks at this exact moment." Night Light didn't even finish his sentence as he then heard a knock over the door, surprising not just his wife, but himself as well. Twilight raised her eyebrow to him as he shrugged himself. "Okay, that was a lucky shot." Twilight Velvet raised from her sit, ignoring her husband walked through the kitchen, and went directly to the main room, as each step she felt her heart racing and her instincts screaming for her to walk faster. She went directly to the door, and without delay, she opened. The dragon who was looking at the floor as he knocked, tired from waking up inside of the train to be despatched and walk late of that night, suddenly was awake by the sudden movement of the door is open. Twilight Velvet looked clearly at the little dragon in front of her, a little child who avoided eye contact with her, but from her eyes, she could see clearly the dark circles and red parts around his eyes. He was crying, hurt, numb... Shame, anger, disappointment, sadness... "Hi mom," Spike said weakly, trying to smile at the mare who raised him all his life, he rehearsed this moment all the time, thinking about what he was going to say. "Sorry for waking you up but..." At the next moment, the little dragon felt what would be the only feeling he needed most, safety. An embrace from his mother in the time of need was the only thing to comfort him that moment, Twilight Velvet embraced her little dragon with all her strength, but not strong enough to hurt him. Spike's eyes went wide open as he felt the whisper of his own mother reaching the deep of his own heart. "I'm here Spike, let it out..." The soft voice, as a warm voice of a key getting deep inside of his lock connected into his broken heart, the warming tears passing through the robe, Velvet felt the tears passing over her clothe and the loud sobs coming from her baby dragon. "Momma, sniff...I'm so tired..." Spike pressed his head over Velvet's shoulder as she gently patted her little boy's head and using her magic she moved the 2 suitcases from the outside, and she slowly closed the door, as she moved with her boy over her hug. Night Light watching from the kitchen, gave a little smile, as he used his magic to take the suitcases from the floor, and went directly upstairs. As he slowly started eating another cookie, and thankfully his little partner in crime became the perfect distraction for the perfect crime. As he looked again at his little baby dragon and his full-grown-sized hydra wife. Mother instincts are something that Night Light never understood about his wife, but one thing was sure, she knows when things were wrong, it is a fact. Still, he doesn't know what happened with Spike or how much time he will spend with them, but one thing is sure, Spike is in a fragile state and was holding up, but not even the best soldier of Equestria would refuse to cry to his own mama when she knew something was wrong. "That's her charm." Night Light chuckled, as he went into the visitor's room or what would be Shining Armor's former bedroom. And placed all the sheets and blankets over the bed. Knowing that this would be a long day. Night Light made sure to close all the curtains. And turned off all the alarms and clocks, to make sure everypony would receive a good night of rest. Being a good husband has its perks. "Now that everything was settled I can finally go back to... oh pony feathers, I forgot to drink the milk." The face of satisfaction of finally getting ready to bed was exchanged for the frown of his own stupidity, and now he had to go back to the kitchen and drink a glass of milk... As he walked downstairs, he then saw something which took his eyes... And made him smile... both mother and son were sleeping in the embrace, the tiredness had overcome them and now they were on spot, and finally, their fears, their pain, and their adrenaline came to an end just for a recharge. Night Light quietly turned off all the switches and using his levitation spell he covered both mother and son into an embrace before going to the kitchen and having a nice glass of milk and now that the beast was sleeping another cookie. Night Light was having the best night so far. "Welcome home Spike." The father whispered as he proceeds to finish his cookie and go ready to bed.