//------------------------------//
// Deceptive Peace 
// Story: Dawn of the First Day 
// by Miniscule Literary 
//------------------------------//

"Fifteen years, huh?" Alfonz repeated after the two had gone silent for a while. "Twilight and the like didn't seem older than I remembered."

"They're already adults," Spike explained with a shrug. "Ponies can live to be pretty old, you know."

"Alright, so what about you?" the man asked, hoping to get as much information out of the dragon as possible. "How the hell can you change shape like that?"

"Well, it all started when I got particularly greedy one day," Spike began, tapping his chin with a claw. "I grew to my adult size in a day! Apparently dragons can experience growth if they act selfish and greedy."

Alfonz remembered the episode. He was tempted to say so, but his knowledge was already scaring the dragon. He would hold his tongue.

"After getting older, and after I was practically run out of Ponyville, I knew I needed to get smaller to disguise myself," the dragon went on to explain. "So I started experimenting with those feelings of greed and selflessness. One would make me grow, one would make me shrink; if I could control them, that is."

"That's genius," Alfonz said, staring wide eyed at the dragon as he spoke. He hesitated with his next question. "You said Twilight started acting odd when you became of age. No one bothered you until then?"

"Nope," Spike responded with a sigh. "Everything was normal until I started to grow up. I had always wondered why there were no stallions around, but after getting older and being attacked by every mare in Ponyville, I began to understand why."

"That's really messed up," the man replied, frowning. What the hell kind of Equestria was this? He knew the gender ratio in the show was pretty imbalanced, but this was ridiculous. Not only were the stallions gone, but the populace acted as if every sentient male creature was a valuable commodity. How would the pony population keep up with no stallions?

"Spike did say ponies lived pretty long..." Alfonz thought to himself, arms folded as he slumped back into his chair. Finally, he spoke up. "One more question: Do you think I could stay here for a while?"

"Of course," Spike replied with a smile. "That's why I brought you here. I knew what I had to go through, and after seeing it happen to you near the library, I thought you might appreciate the refuge like I do."

"Its definitely a lot nicer, to have a place to stay without horny ponies trying to jump your bones every second."

Spike laughed, shoving himself off the couch and heading for the front door.

"I'll be heading back into town now," he said as he passed. "Rescuing you sorta interrupted by plans for the day. I still need to get some food."

"I'll hold down the fort while you're gone," Alfonz replied with an exaggerated salute. "Might get some rest while I'm at it."

"This place has tons of bedrooms, so take your pick," Spike explained as he pulled a long black robe over his head. The garment covered most of his body, and even the hood obscured his face within. "Should be pretty easy to figure out which one is mine. The rest are all yours."

"Thanks, Spike," the man responded with a grin. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. A huge house, almost all to himself? With no bills, concerns, or horny equines to disturb him? It was a dream come true. "Good luck."

After a few more minutes of preparation, Spike exited the manor through the massive front doors and soon the house grew quiet, except for the crackling fire. Alfonz yawned loudly almost immediately after the dragon left; his body had no intentions of letting him forget what he had promised. He was not complaining either; rest seemed like a very attractive activity at the moment.

Climbing the grand stairs at the center of the house, Alfonz quickly found himself surrounded by doors. Inspecting the rooms beyond, he found most of them to be bedrooms. Each one was incredibly beyond his normal standards, with large king sized beds in some, and multiple twin sized beds in others. The man opted for the larger beds, of course, as he had to accommodate the fact that they were made for ponies; the smaller beds would be hilariously small to the average human.

One bedroom, at the end of the hall, was his choosing. Easy to remember with the door being the last on the left, the bedroom was of plain extravagance, like the others, but with a large king bed with gold and brown sheets. Besides a chair, a full body mirror fit for a pony, and a dresser, the room had little else to offer, but what it did have was more than enough for Alfonz.

Almost instinctively, the man flopped onto the bed. Crawling up to the head of the bed to reach the pillows, he didn't even bother disturbing the sheets. In a matter of minutes, his exhausted mind finally found sleep. No longer was he concerned by the troubles of this world or his own. He was, finally, at peace.

But as fate would have it, peace would not come without a price.

As Alfonz's body rested from the wear and tear of the day, his mind relaxed in a pristine dreamscape. He found himself resting comfortably on a moonlit beach, with nothing but sand, crystal clear water, and the full moon for company. He was sprawled onto a lounge chair, one appropriately sized for a human, with his hands behind his head, watching the starry sky in comfort.

He didn't know why or how he was there. Because of the nature of his surroundings, he did not even wonder. As a part of the dream, it all felt natural, as if he was meant to be there. He hadn't a thought about his concerns in the waking world. To him, all was right; even when it would seem that it was not.

"Good evening, Alfonz," a voice greeted him suddenly. The man calmly turned his head to regard the arrival of Princess Luna, who lay on another lounge chair beside him, her ethereal mane and tail wafted around her. She smiled pleasantly at him, and he smiled kindly at her.

"Greetings, Luna," he replied with a nod, before his gaze turned to the stars. "A very fine night for a picnic."

"It is a magnificent sight," the pony princess agreed, her horn glowing as she pulled a basket closer to the two. Opening the lid, Luna quickly summoned two glasses from within, as well as a bottle of unopened wine. "Would you like a drink?" she asked, pouring herself some.

"Wine? How classy," Alfonz replied with a smirk. "I'd love some, thanks."

Luna smiled and poured some into his glass as well. The man reached down shortly after, taking the glass and sipping from it. The taste was incredible.

"I was thinking," the princess of the night began after tasting her own drink. "After we're done here, we should head back to Canterlot. Perhaps spend a little more time together, mm?"

"Sounds like a blast," Alfonz replied innocently, ignorant to whatever implications Luna had made; exactly as she intended. "I'm game."

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed with a wide smile, before suddenly calming herself. Alfonz did not seem to notice as he watched the stars, clearly transfixed on their beauty. Luna's gaze followed his, and soon the two were enjoying the magnificent, if not fabricated, sight.

Alfonz and the pony princess spent a lovely time on the beach, enjoying the sights, drinking expensive wine, and enjoying each other's company. The man was none the wiser of Luna's true intentions, and had no apparent knowledge of the danger he was in. After what felt like hours, the beautiful dreamscape was shattered, and the man awoke with a jolt.

"Woah..." he murmured groggily, looking around the room through half-closed eyes. It took him a moment to process his surroundings. He felt himself panic initially, before he remembered the events leading up to his presence there. After a few minutes of confusion and gradual understanding, Alfonz recalled his dream.

"Dream about...beach and...and its gone," he concluded, frowning. He felt a little concerned, remembering the last time he had dreamed. But that one was so vivid, as being attacked tended to be. If he couldn't remember the dreams this time, he must have not encountered anything worth noticing. And he was alright with that.

Swinging his legs to the side of the bed, Alfonz decided to head back downstairs. He had no idea how long he had slept, and had no apparent means of knowing; there was not a clock in sight. As he descended the stairs, he noticed the robe had returned to its resting place on the coat rack near the door, but Spike was no where to be seen. The fire had been put out, as well.

Although the lights were still on, without the fire and the company he had experienced before, Alfonz found the manor to be significantly more creepy. As he wandered around trying to locate his dragon host, he noticed, through a quick glance out of the window, that night had fallen. It hadn't even been mid day by the time he had arrived at the manor, so this was more than a little surprising.

Wandering into the kitchen, Alfonz quickly discovered Spike had not returned empty handed. A wide array of foods, some vegetable, some sweets, lay before him. The kitchen itself was just as impressive as he imagined; had it been fully functional and fully staffed, it would have been able to produce food at a rate that would rival small restaurants. Much of what was inside was cleaned out, it seemed, except for what lay before him now. Fifteen years of habitation, even if it was just one resident, would surely have such an effect.

Taking a few pieces of bread and a cupcake, Alfonz swiftly returned to his room with his bounty. He hadn't located Spike, but considering the time of day, he assumed the dragon was sleeping. After finishing his meal, he lay back on the bed, and in time, began drifting in and out of sleep once more. For once, however, his sleep would not be invaded.

Whether or not this was a good thing had yet to be seen.