//------------------------------// // Sharing of Dreams // Story: Maintaining Harmony // by DiabloGuapo //------------------------------// As they took turns telling each other their dreams, everypony was there to comfort each other. After Twilight finished sharing, Applejack went next. Even the steadfast earth pony started to shake as she recounted how she saw her family cocooned in her dream. Pinkie Pie wasn’t her bubbly self as she told her story of how the Changelings were feeding off her love. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were reluctant to share their dreams, so Fluttershy went next. She told them how she was chased into a cave were she witnessed her friends being cocooned one by one by the Changelings. “And…and then, T-twilight looked at m-m-m-me…” Fluttershy said between sobs. Pinkie had placed a leg around her friend’s neck and held her as she cried. “And her eyes were still glowing. B-but, she was crying. And, and she said ‘help us, Fluttershy.’ And then they cocooned her. Oh, I felt so powerless! I wanted to save you, but I was too scared!” Rainbow Dash was scowling, and Rarity was wiping the running mascara from her face. “Rainbow? Rarity?” Twilight looked at two ponies who hadn’t shared yet. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, I…I’ll go next,” Rainbow finally said. It pained her to tell Twilight what she saw in dream, and it was uncomfortable to see her face as she told the story. As she was telling her story, she fought back tears the whole time. She wouldn’t dare let her friends see her cry. After she finished, Twilight walked up to her and place a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “Oh, Rainbow Dash. I would never say that. You know that, right?” Twilight asked her friend, and the blue pegasus nodded her head. “Sure, it hurt to have all of you walk out on me, but it’s not your fault, any of you. If anything, it was just as much my fault as anypony else’s. I wasn’t exactly presenting my case as well as I could have. I came rushing in making a fool out of myself when I could have calmly spoken to Princess Celestia in private about it. I don’t blame any of you for not believing me. And you are without a doubt one of the most loyal ponies I know. Don’t you dare even think that you’re not.” Rarity then shared her dream and everypony noticed how it was similar to Rainbow Dash’s. However, unlike everyone else, she didn’t face an external tormentor. Twilight had to face her brainwashed friends and family. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had to face swarms of Changelings. Fluttershy had to watch as Changelings cocooned her friends. Rainbow Dash had to face a friend whom she had betrayed. Rarity had to face herself. She had to face a harsh accusation that was coming from within. The group then took turns to comfort the white unicorn. “Rarity. You maybe a fussy, prissy pony, but you’ve always came through for us,” said Applejack. “Yeah! I mean, you always were with us, even when things got dirty. Remember the time Applejack ran away to Dodge Junction and we were stranded in the desert?” Pinkie’s mane had inflated again from being with her friends, cheering each other up. “How could I forget? It took me forever to get all that dust out of my mane,” Rarity dryly recollected. They all laughed at the memory and embraced each other in a group hug. Twilight looked from the circle of hugging ponies over to Spike, who was finishing off his cupcake. He still seemed upset. She had almost forgotten about is dream. “Spike? Do you want to share with us?” Twilight asked her little friend, concerned. The others noticed his sour expression and they turned their attention to him. He didn’t say anything, but he finished off the last remaining piece of emerald. “It’s all right, sugar cube. You can tell us,” reassured Applejack. Spike looked up from the table to look at his friend, and then he sighed as he looked down again. ***** Spike watched in fear as he saw what he had thought was Princess Candance transforming into a horrible insect-like creature. He then watched as Princess Celestia fall to the chapel floor after being hit by the monster’s attack. He watched as his dear friends run off to get the Elements of Harmony, just to see them be dragged before the Changeling Queen. He watched as the queen gloated over them. The scene then changed. He was now watching Nightmare Moon announced her return. Then he found himself in the middle of Ponyville as an angry Ursa Minor rampaged through the town. Then he was watching as his friends ran off to try and convince a sleeping dragon to leave. The scenes continued to flow. He saw the parasprites eating Ponyville, the Diamond Dogs kidnapping Rarity, the battle between the buffalo and the settler ponies, the angry dragon who’s gems he had been eating, Discord mocking the failed attempt to defeat him, the aftermath of his birthday rampage, his friends beating the Flim Flam Brothers, the teenage dragons about to pound him into the ground, and so on.The images faded and Spike found himself alone. “Useless. I’m so useless,” he lamented to himself. ***** Spike was crying as he finished sharing his nightmare with the six mares. The ponies looked at him with sympathy. “Oh, Spike. You’re not useless,” said Twilight as she tried to calm him, but he cut her off. “Weren’t you listening to me? Of course I am!” he shouted. “Every time trouble comes, I can’t do anything to help! Where was I when Nightmare Moon showed up? Asleep! Where was I when you were fighting Discord? Belching up letters! Where was I when the Changelings were taking over Canterlot? Standing there doing nothing!” Twilight walked over to the dragon and took him into her forelegs. For a minute, she didn’t say anything. She just held him in her embrace. The others joined her in hugging him. Twilight then grasped each side of his face and lifted his head up so that they were looking eye to eye. “Spike, listen to me. You are not useless,” Twilight declared as she tried to soothe him. “You are anything but useless. You must remember; you are a baby dragon. We can’t expect to throw yourself into harm’s way, nor do we want you to. We care about you, and we don’t want anything bad happen to you.” Spike sniffed as the tears fell from his face to floor. Despite her kind words, he still felt guilty for not being able to help fight against the Changelings. He could have done something. Anything would have been better than standing by in fear and doing nothing! He could have breathed fire on that overgrown bug when she wasn’t looking or something like that. “Yeah, Spike. You always help us out,” said Applejack. “Of course! Besides, you’re always helpful when you come over to the boutique. And I have never met a better jewel digger in all of my life. You’re my Spikey-Wikey,” doted Rarity. “And you stood up to those jerk dragons. That took guts.” Rainbow poked his belly to emphasize her point. Their group therapy session ended with another hug and they all left the bakery together, sharing happy stories with each. As they left, Rarity discarded the newspaper with the article about the Changeling invasion. As they were walking, Spike thought to himself. I know what they said was true, but still fill so helpless. Why do I have to be so pathetically small? Why can’t I do more? Spike scratched at his back again.