In the early morning, when the sun, raised by Princess Celestia, had just risen above the horizon, Spike was standing near the stove, preparing breakfast. It was five o'clock in the morning, at which time he should still be sleeping soundly, not caring about anything. But on this day, or rather morning, everything was different. He and Twilight had to get up early to go camping and have time to get home before nightfall.
Spike didn't like getting up too early, but he was happy to spend the whole day hiking with Twilight.
Before coming to Ponyville, Spike was happy with everything they did together – reading together, long hugs for any reason and for no reason, walks, all kinds of games, cooking contests and much more.
A month after the move, he began to miss everything that he had done before with Twilight. She gave him less time than before, but he couldn't be mad at her. Still, they had new friends, and that justified everything. Spike wanted to minimize the changes that had occurred in their relationship, fearing that they would change dramatically. The worst thing about it was an uncertainty.
"After settling into the library, it only intensified," thought the dragon.
Spike always treated Twilight like a mom and saw her in her, but for some reason he didn't call her that. He also didn't remember her calling him son.
Every time he thought about it, a mysterious force in his mind beat this thought away from the depths of his memory. Spike stubbornly tried to figure out what happened or could have happened in his past, what his consciousness hides from him, leaving all attempts to get to the answer unsuccessful.
In this regard, he was not sure if she shared his vision and feelings towards him. Spike was afraid to ask because he wasn't sure of the answer. There were many indications that she was seeing him exactly the way he wanted her to see him. But what if it's not? In the capital, she devoted a lot of time to him. But here there is another problem: most of their time together is her work or study. Spike couldn't say that this part was much bigger than the part when they were just having fun with each other, but sometimes the periods of time when she was working were too long and intense. He was a little upset, but always did everything possible to facilitate her process and condition, as well as speed up the whole process as much as possible.
Then it dawned on him, he almost dropped the spoon with which he was stirring the oatmeal.
"What if some school assignment or princess assignment is somehow connected with the understatement of Twilight's attitude towards me?" thought Spike. "This thought seems so vague and vague that I don't even know what to think about it."
"The way she treats me is more like a mother's relationship to her son than a sister's relationship to her brother. But suddenly something at some point in time made her think or even try to change her attitude towards me? If she even considered herself my mom, fully aware of this, she could for some reason gradually change her attitude in such a way that I would not notice it. It sounds like nonsense, but I'm not completely sure about it. Anyway, we need to talk about this. Perhaps even today, if I have the courage."
Such thoughts gradually depressed Spike. To prevent them from completely capturing themselves, the dragon shook himself, driving away the gloomy mood. He was filled with joy to spend the whole day with her. It was for this reason that he cheerfully cooked oatmeal, gently swaying and humming a melody.
At this time, in the lobby of the library, Twilight was collecting saddlebags, following the list. Two books on botany, several dry rations, and fifty cards with notes, thirty small pouches for herbs and many other items were methodically immersed in saddlebags; flasks were already attached to the straps of a backpack that lay nearby. Special attention was paid to the pouches for plants, Twilight carefully laid them out in one of the saddlebags, each was the size of a hoof, it was an easy task to fit them all.
She was sure that with Spike's help they would be able to cope before dark.
"Twilight, breakfast is ready," the dragon shouted.
The unicorn looked at the objects that lay around her. It remained to pack raincoats in case of rain. She went towards the kitchen. Spike was already actively eating without waiting for her.
Twilight was lost in thought; she hoped she hadn't forgotten anything. Spike inwardly rejoiced at the upcoming hike, anticipating long and intense conversations on the way. They had to reach the steppe beyond the river valley before noon.
Breakfast passed in silence, Spike coped with his portion faster. He waited for Twilight to finish. When he came to pick up her plate, she grabbed him abruptly, wrapping him in a tight, tender embrace. Spike was not ready for this, but did not resist.
"We're going to have a great time, sweet. Don't think we'll be bored. You can sleep on me on the way if you want." Twilight said.
She stroked his spikes on his head, smiling at the same time, looking at his contented face and squeezed eyes. He always liked her stroking. The sensations of hooves on scales and scales on hooves caused peace in both. The dragon smiled, snuggling up to her. She rubbed her nose against his cheek. Spike let out a contented exhale.
"Thank you, Twilight. I hope we can manage today."
She reluctantly broke off the hug, kissed him on the cheek and headed for the bags.
After washing the dishes, Spike returned, seeing Twilight already ready.
"We can go," she concluded, "Here, this is yours," she handed him a backpack filled with provisions.
After closing the library, she lifted the dragon on her back with magic.
"I could walk by myself," he protested.
"It's all right. If you walk, you'll get tired when we start picking herbs. And I need you fully rested."
The dragon humbly exhaled, enjoying the ride that had begun. The couple set off, contemplating the morning peace. Bright golden rays of light flooded the quiet streets and painted rare clouds. The beauty of a peaceful morning was complemented by the rare distant chirping of birds. Very soon the city will begin to wake up, breaking this peaceful idyll and creating a new one.
The travelers soon approached the outskirts of the city; their further path lay through an apple farm. Twilight was walking along a road fenced off from the garden by a white fence. Not wanting to make a big detour, she wrapped Spike in a magical grip, ran and jumped over the fence. Now she could go straight ahead, Spike had already managed to doze off by this time, even a sudden jump did not wake him up. In the distance to the right, movement attracted the attention of a lavender unicorn – the Apple family gathered near the house, actively discussing something. Not wanting to interrupt them, Twilight continued on her way towards the river that runs behind the gardens.
The pleasant soft murmur of the waters soon reached her ears, and then the river itself, about twenty yards wide, appeared in sight.
"Spike, wake up," she woke up the dragon, "hold on tight, I don't want you to accidentally fall into the river."
The dragon opened his eyes slightly. The unicorn's words did not immediately penetrate his consciousness. While he was delving into what was said and rubbing his eyes, Twilight had already approached the tree bridge. He was quite wide, there were no fences, but it looked quite strong.
Twilight felt Spike clinging to her shoulders, and his breath touched the back of her neck. This calmed her down, now she was sure that the dragon would not fall.
The gaze of the travelers turned to the strip of trees growing on the other side of the river. Previously, they rarely observed this area, they rarely had to pass here, but now everything was different.
Twilight stopped on the shore, Spike did not loosen his grip. They were both interested in contemplating the path ahead. There was no road on this shore, it looked very strange. By this time, the number of clouds had increased considerably; one of them briefly covered the sun.
The grassy bank and sparse trees with spreading crowns made it impossible to see what was hidden behind them. When the unicorn was just about to take the first step, he was interrupted by a voice from behind.
"Hello to you all! I noticed you walking through the gardens. Where are you going?"
Twilight turned around. It was Applejack.
"I told you last week that we would go to the Valley of Dreams, it is also called the steppe of dreams," replied the unicorn.
"Oh, right, I completely forgot. Just be careful. When I was walking there with Apple Bloom and Big Mac last summer, an unpleasant incident occurred. Have I already told you about this?"
Twilight was interested in this; Spike woke up from an impending doze again.
"We're intrigued!" the dragon exclaimed.
Applejack quickly crossed the bridge and abruptly stopped in front of friends.
"We walked there for half a day, having a picnic. As evening approached, we were about to leave. I noticed that Apple Bloom is nowhere near, although five minutes ago she was picking flowers not far from us. I could even hear her giggling when she was chasing butterflies. She disappeared suddenly. We searched for her for about an hour, but what was stranger was that she appeared behind me as suddenly as she disappeared. It was very strange; a few minutes ago she wasn't even there. She was scared and crying, it was hard to calm her down. Apple Bloom said that she was in some part of the valley, from where she could not get out. She heard my cry in the distance and followed him, but couldn't find me. No matter how long she walked, it didn't bring her closer to me. At some point I heard her sobbing behind me. She was talking to herself about something, not noticing me. But this is not the end. When I met Big Mac and we headed home, there was no turning back. There was only a boundless steppe, no river and other landmarks that were there before and could lead us out. We walked for about three hours until we got out. During this time, we all learned something new about each other that we didn't even know about. This adventure has definitely brought us closer together. I'll tell you about it in more detail after your hike."
"It was very strange," Twilight concluded.
"And scary," Spike added, goose bumps ran down his back, the dragon shuddered.
"That's right, so be careful," Applejack said, then turned around and headed back to the farm.
"This place lives its own life, like Everfree Forest, but something is different from it," Twilight remarked.
Spike said nothing. Quite recently, he was worried about his relationship with her, but now there is a much more serious fear. He loosened his grip on the unicorn's shoulders slightly, but still remained tense.
Twilight did not notice the change in Spike's mood, she turned around and continued on her way. The dragon could no longer sleep, Applejack's story about the mystical place finally pulled him out of his slumber, he could no longer close his eyes.
The duo walked along the river valley. The trees on the coast soon gave way to grassy meadows that stretched far to the horizon. The murmur of the waters gradually receded until it completely disappeared. A cool light wind fluttered the unicorn's mane and slowly calmed Spike.
After walking one mile, Twilight stopped at one of the hills that served as the border between the river valley and the steppe of dreams. She resumed her journey again.
When the travelers were at the base of the hill, a large cloud quickly covered the sun, and a small fog created behind the travelers slowly flew behind them along the hillside, remaining unnoticed. The valley welcomed new guests.