The train was ready to depart from the station at Canterlot. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had departed the previous evening with two guards on the train back to Ponyville. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had left the moment Princess Celestia had dismissed them. They flew as fast as they could, or at least as fast as Fluttershy could, to Rainbow Dash’s house, which they moved to an undisclosed location. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were standing on the platform of the train station, seeing Shining Armor and Spike off.
“Be careful, Spike,” Twilight told the young dragon. “And keep out of trouble.”
“Sure thing, Twilight,” answered Spike. “You can count on me.”
“I know I can,” Twilight said as she hugged him, and then she turned her attention to her brother. “Shining Armor, you had better look after him.”
“Trust me, Twiley. He’s in good hooves,” claimed her elder brother. “Nothing will happen to him, I promise.” Twilight smiled, but her smile didn’t match the concern look in her eyes. She released Spike from her embrace, and he followed Shining Armor on the train, followed by two guards. “See you soon, Twilight,” he said, to which she nodded back in return. The train blew its whistle and started to move.
Spike found his seat by the window and saw his caretaker standing there on the platform. He opened the window and called out as he waved, “See you later, Twilight! See you later, Rarity”
“Good bye, Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity waved back.
“Bye, Spike,” Twilight called to him. As the train moved further away, she said to herself, “Be safe, big guy.” The two unicorn mares departed the station, headed back to Twilight’s home, followed by their assigned bodyguards.
“Twilight, may I ask you a question?” asked the white mare as they walked down the streets of Canterlot .
“Of course, Rarity,” replied Twilight.
“What exactly is the nature of your relationship with Spike?”
“He’s my number one assistant and good friend,” Twilight answered, slightly surprised by the seemingly obvious question. “Surely, you know that.”
“That’s not what I meant, dear. I meant how do you really feel about him?”
“Like I said, he’s my good friend.”
“It’s more than that, I can tell. I’ve noticed that you have been more affectionate towards him recently. For example, you didn’t leave his side the whole time he was unconscious. Yesterday, I saw you wrap your leg around him when the princess told us that he saw also threatened. Just now, I saw your reluctance to let him go. ”
Twilight thought about her friend’s words, and then analyzed her own feelings about the dragon. “Spike is one of my oldest and closest friends. We’ve been together ever since I hatched him. Princess Celestia had me help her take care of him as part of my studies to help me become more responsible. He’s been my assistant ever since he was old enough.” She stopped for a moment to think some more. “I guess I only saw him as a friend at first. But after all that we’ve been through, I’ve been growing closer to him. There have been moments that really made me realize how important he is to me; him running away when he thought that Owlowiscious was going to replace him, when he joined the Dragon Migration, and most recently, when we faced King Sombra’s door.”
“His door? What do you mean?” asked Rarity, confused.
“When searching for the Crystal Heart, we came across a door that made you face your greatest fear. Mine was failing Princess Celestia and no longer being her student.”
“And what was his?”
“That I no longer needed him and that I was sending away,” Twilight frowned at the memory. “Knowing what someone fears the most really shows you their true character, doesn’t it?”
“I would imagine so,” stated Rarity. “He must really love you, then.”
“I guess that I love him, too. But not in that kind of way.”
“Yes, after all that you’ve said, I would think that he loves you as a mother, and you love him as a son,” concluded Rarity.
“That’s fair to say,” Twilight said as she stopped. She looked over at the various stores and then back to her friend. “Say, would you want to go shopping and then, perhaps, some lunch afterwards?”
“That sounds lovely,” Rarity smiled at her friend’s suggestion. They then headed towards a nearby clothing store, their bodyguards still following them. One bodyguard took out a watch to check the time. The clock said it was just past nine o’clock in the morning.
“Now tell me, what exactly is the nature of your relationship with Spike?” asked Twilight with a mischievous grin.
“W-what!? I…I…” Rarity blushed, flabbergasted at the question.
It was approaching noon and a unicorn was headed down the halls of Canterlot Palace. It was almost time. All of the pieces were in place. Just one more thing had to be done. The unicorn approached two large, midnight blue doors with silver moons and stars decorating them. Two unicorn royal guards stood in front of the doors, each wielding a spear. The unicorn stopped as it approached the two guards. The guards stood aside and nodded to the unicorn as it quietly opened a door, their eyes briefly flashing red and green. The unicorn entered the room and silently closed the door. The room was decorated with dark blue and black fabrics. The floor was covered with dark tiles, and heavy curtains were drawn across the windows, blocking the light of the midday sun.
There was a large, four post bed, also with dark curtains around it to block out any light that may have made it into the room. Sleeping upon the bed was Princess Luna, the nocturnal ruler of the night. The unicorn opened the bed curtains a little to reveal the sleeping, midnight blue alicorn. The unicorn pointed its horn at the sleeping princess’s head, its horn surrounded by a dark aura. The unicorn’s eyes glowed green and red, while a purple aura emitted from them. The dark aura surrounded the princess’s head and her face contorted with discomfort, but then returned to normal. The unicorn closed the curtain and headed back to the door. As the unicorn made its way to the door, its horn glowed again, and dark crystals filled the room.
“Sweet dreams, your highness,” the unicorn darkly chuckled as the door closed.