//------------------------------//
// Seeing Red: Homecoming 
// Story: Daydreamers 
// by Tropical Octave 
//------------------------------//

The 'Time' had come.

Nocturn stood silently on the crest of the hill, watching patiently as Spike weighed the stones evenly. She narrowed her eyes as the drake began to glare immensely at the diamond in his left claws.

After an immense session of thought, Spike went against everything he had ever learned. Summoning all his courage, he pushed all thoughts of home, Twilight, the princesses, and everything else from his mind. As he hoisted the cyan diamond to his left eye, he marveled at the slight glisten the moon had given it and chuckled, realizing only now how eerily familiar the diamond was to Rarity's cutie mark. 

Then, without a second glance, he dropped the stone from his hand and with a wince, proceeded to eat the blood-red stone. Placing the gem on his tongue, he bit into the bitter tasting rock apprehensively. And after a solid thirty second struggle, he inhaled deeply as he wiped the red shards from his claws. "What...What have I done?" He whispered quietly to himself. After a moment of reflection, he looked from the ground to what he correlated with the devil. "I can't believe I just did that..."

Nocturn watched quietly from a distance as Spike played along perfectly. Like a puppeteer to their instrument, she could only scrutinize as Spike considered, accepted, and ultimately completed her challenge. "Very well done, my subject. You've chosen most wisely." She stated, taking proud steps towards the young dragon. "And now that I can clearly see that you're willing to hear me out, let's go some place a little more...comfortable."

Spike took steps towards the regent of the night, furrowing his eyebrows as he got closer. "Now you just wait! You said that if I ate the gem, the only thing you'd do is talk to me! This isn't what I gave up my only chance of freedom for!" He shouted.

"I can see you're still firmly attached to the thought that I 'Want to control you', and aren't giving up. Please, Spike. Trust me on this one," Nocturn said warmly, wrapping a wing around the flustered dragon. "I only want to help."

Spike's face retained its grim overtone. "Yeah, help yourself maybe. What can make me believe that you're not trying to take advantage of me? To be fair, you ARE a force of pure evil after all." He said smugly. 

Nocturn's face grew cold for half a second, but quickly returned to its all-knowing look of kindness. "If you'd let me, I'll kindly show you just how compassionate I really am," She said generously, smirking as she eyed Spike up and down. The empress of the night extended a hoof to her companion, her horn beginning to glow a beautiful shade of purple. "Come with me, Spike. Let me show you the world."

Spike looked longingly from his feet to the mare, his mind wracked with emotions. Nocturn merely stood, hoof still extended, awaiting his response. Eventually, he concluded that nothing could be worse than the situation he was in now. "Okay, Nocturn. I'll trust you." He said, extending his arm and taking hold of the orchid hoof that lay before him. "But only for a while. I still can't get over the fact that I'm dreaming..."

With a laugh, the shade extended her wings. "Ah, yes...dreaming." She uttered shrewdly. "I remember when I used to dream..." Nocturn said, laying a hoof over her heart. A moment later, she looked down at Spike with an intense stare. "But enough about me...Tonight is about you."

"Yeah..about that." Spike squawked, looking suspiciously at the regent. "When exactly am I going to wake up from tonight?" 

Nocturn scoffed lightly before laying a hoof on Spike's purple shoulder. "When you're good and ready." She spoke, patting him thoughtfully. "Now...let's fly."

With a whirl, Spike was thrown onto the back of the alicorn as she took to the skies about Canterlot. At speeds equal to Rainbow Dash, Spike's face was a mixture of horror and ecstasy. "Wow! I've never flown on the back of a pony before! It's so...Freeing. It's as if the entire world's within the palm of my hand!" He said gleaming. Looking down at the torch-lit houses of upper Canterlot, Spike the flightless dragon experienced true freedom for the first time in his life. "It's just like Rainbow Dash always said it was..." Were the only words capable of describing the situation. "Nocturn...Can we maybe land on the Canterlot Castle's roof? In all my years, never had I been able to get up there and, well, I'd really like to check it out."

Nocturn nodded once and smiled to herself before turning at a counter-clockwise angle. Dipping to her left she eased her speed as the two dreamers approached Canterlot Castle's peak. Then, landing a tad more gracefully than when she had dropped on Spike, she allowed him to dismount and bucked her radio into playing 'Clubbed to Death'. The night regent breathed deeply, the winds in her mane finally dissipating as she trotted to the railings atop the sky-scraper sized super castle. "It's quite the amazing sight, is it not? All of Equestria...right before your very eyes. It's not often a pony gets to view things as a god would." She stated. Noticing Spike's face had become a tangled mess of joy, she hovered to his side like a fallen angel. "Enjoy it, Spike, for this is only the beginning." She whispered quietly.

Spike stared at the world below him, seeing as far as Ponyville from the height. "It's astounding. Never had I dreamed of a view like this...Nocturn, are you able to see things like this?" He asked, awe dripping from his lips. "Like, outside the dream world?"

Nocturn closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. "I'm afraid not, dear child. In my current state, I can only view the graces of our lands through dreams." She said somberly. As the two stood silent for a moment, Nocturn decided to change the subject. While the heights about the clouds was nothing new to her personally, to Spike it was as if they were on another planet. "Tell me Spike. What would you think if I said you could view the world like this every day?"

Spike, as hard is it was, looked away from the view and towards Nocturn. He was at a loss for words. "What do you mean, 'Every day'?" He asked. 

Nocturn chuckled slightly at the question. "I expected you would not understand. Tell me boy, do you remember do you remember the time you ran away from your beloved mother?" She asked understandingly. Spike nodded once, so she continued. "You had a run-in with an elder dragon, did you not?"

"Yes, yes. I did." Spike said loosely. "What are you getting at?"

Nocturn turned her attention to the stars, staring at the moon with a look of utmost sincerity. "Those dragons, spike. They can do anything. Tartarus, they can do more than I ever could." She spoke wistfully, a lavender tear beginning to form in the night regent's right eye. "It's been my life goal to be able to spin realities of my own, allowing every pony in Equestria to live life like they'd want it to be. Unfortunately...this can never happen..." 

A few moments pass. Nocturn stood still, staring out into the void. Spike, on the other hoof, was sitting. He brought a tentative claw to his chin before getting to his feet. "N-nocturn?" He asked timidly. "Is that why you were banished? For wanting to change our way of life?"

The alicorn, wrapping a wing around her diligent listener, spoke softly. "Tis' true. The hearts and minds of pony-kind weren't ready for the reality I could create for them. Fearing my ambition, Celestia banished Luna and I to the moon in hopes that I would let my thoughts of change die." She said, now beginning to smile. "I almost wanted to believe that there was no hope for change...But no longer. You alone have shown me that together, even through a millennium of brain-washing, a few open minds can see that life would be so much more than it is now," She paused, collecting her thoughts. "But only if they listen to reason."

Spike sat breathlessly as Nocturn laid a hoof on his shoulder, now in tears. Resting a claw of his own on her chest, he smiled generously at the mare. "How could we have ever been so wrong about you? You've always been depicted as a monster, only out for yourself...It's a shame that others won't hear you out like this!" He said enthusiastically, finally warming up to the idea that Nocturn was never really a villain...just misunderstood. "As long as you want only to bring peace to the world, I'd be more than willing to lend a talon." He chirped. "That is what you want to do...right?"

"It's the only that's ever made me happy," She said, sniffing twice before wrapping Spike in a hug. "Thank you for listening, my child. I've never felt so close to being alive." She said smoothly, releasing her captive from the hug. "Now, Spike, since I've gained your trust," Nocturn said in a rustic tone, nodding for Spike to take a seat on one of the nearby benches. "If you're going to be aiding me personally, I'm going to need your complete commitment on this one." She said hopefully. "And, if you're going to be my personal protege, you'll need to look the part too." Nocturn said, smirking. 

Then, in a glorious burst flash of magic, an spectral set of Spike-shaped armor appeared from nothing. The young dragon looked with absolute astonishment at the plating, marveling at even the smallest details. From the midnight-purple cape to the topaz crusting, everything about the armor shouted 'Authority'. "Wow! Is that armor for me?!?" Spike shouted amazingly, now running to Nocturn's side. "Where did you get this?" He asked, examining the finer points of the armor. The metal (Which Spike had recognized as runite) had an unnatural feel of power ebbing from it.

Nocturn could only smile at the dragon's ignorance. "Actually, I've forged it myself. My time spent on the moon was...well, let's just say I didn't get bored."

The armor floated gracefully into Spike's arms, resting in his claws. "This is amazing, Nocturn! It really is!" Spike said blithely, his face aglow with thrill. But, after a moment of thought, looked from the armor to the night regent suspiciously. "Nocturn, as awesome as this is, I need to ask you a question."

The night-mare looked pensively into Spike's eyes. "Whatever is the problem, child? Do you not enjoy our gift?" She asked considerately, now frowning. "Don't tell me you're thinking about declining."

"NO! I-I, uhmm, I, EHH hmm," Spike stuttered, clearing his throat. "I was just wondering...Why need magical armor if we're going to be helping Equestria?" The small dragon asked innocently. Looking up at the regent, he noticed a pang of thought run through her eyes. "Wouldn't we be sending the wrong message?"

Nocturn sighed. "I should've expected this type of reaction..." She said mournfully, examining the puzzled face of the dragon before her. "If anything, let me say this; The ponies of Equestria aren't used to change. A few of them might go as far as lashing out at you for trying to alter their lifestyle, even if it is for the better. I, myself, am a living example of just how deep the roots of ignorance stretch." She exclaimed hoarsely, holding a hoof to her chest. "But in the end, everypony will be glad we came. Together, we can forge the future Equestria has always deserved." Nocturn told, kneeling down and resting a hoof at his shoulder. "With this armor, you'll represent structure and order, the pillars of new life. Together, we can bring peace to the lands...once and for all."

Spike stood still, eying the night mare quizzically. Eventually, he lifted a solitary claw and poked her in the stomach. "Do you always speak like you're a philosophy teacher?" And chuckled to himself.

"Only to those I care for." She replied, throwing in a laugh of her own. "Now Spike, I need you to listen to me. I'm going to wake you up, okay?"

"Already? But...the view. The serenity...The company." Spike said hesitantly, looking longingly into the eyes of the night regent. "Aren't we going to help the citizens of Equestria? How will we be able to--" Spike began to complain, but was quickly silenced by a purple hoof.

"Shhh, my protege. You need your rest, and I need time to think of a plan. We can't just...come back, right? If you'll aid me, the next few days are going to be very...difficult." Nocturn said dreamily, a hints of sympathy in her voice. "So, in the meantime, I need you to do me a favor."

Spike's eyes furrowed at the statement. "A f-favor? L-like what?" He gulped.

Nocturn began pacing back and forth across the marble balcony, a hoof placed firmly on her chin. "I need you to dig up any information your mother's--"

"She's not my mom!" Spike interjected.

The regent shot a sly grin. "Your 'best friend' has dug up on me. Even if I don't get out as often as I used to, I know when I'm the topic of a conversation. Simply put, I want to hear what she and the other ponies have been saying lately. Do you think you can do that, Spike?"

With a series of nods, the eager young dragon smiled as Nocturn's horn began to glow. "For sure! I can pull off a job like that like there's nothing to it!" He beamed. Not more than half a second later, his smile turned into a look of dread. "Uhh, Nocturn? Won't Twilight be a little, oh I don't know, suspicious that I'm wearing armor?"

"Fear not, my boy. The armor is only visible when you need it to be." Nocturn riddled back.

Spike could only scratch his head at the remark. "When I need it to be? I'm sorry, but I think you lost me there." He stated bluntly.

Nocturn sighed. "Okay, let me try this another way...The armor is lined with Moonstone fragments. You might be thinking, 'But Nocturn, how is that important'?" She exclaimed. Spike merely nodded. "Well, allow me to explain. Moonstone is the only thing that is directly linked to my magic. As long as I'm around, I can aid you through the armor, ergo making it 'invisible' to those unworthy of seeing its magnificence. Understand now?"

"I...I think so." Spike responded, still scratching behind his head.

"Most excellent..." Nocturn replied simply. "Remember, I won't be able to communicate with you in your dreams unless you personally allow me." She said in a placid tone, waving a hoof in the direction of a recently conjured portal. "Now go. I'll be eagerly awaiting your next nocturnal report, my student." The regent finished. With a flick of her magic, a rounded dining table and eight chairs appeared from nothing. A moment later, Nocturn teleported to the head of the table along with some papers, some quills, and of course, her radio. "Well, what are you waiting for? Seize the day!"

With a wave, Spike began running towards the portal. Looking back one last time, he noticed the empress of the night summon a thin leather-bound book, strangely resembling that of a diary. Taking mental note of her interest in books, Spike blinked thoughtfully before turning his back. "G'bye, Nocturn! I'll do my best!" And with that, he was gone.


'Wake Up'