Finding Purpose

by CategoricalGrant

Dreaming Dreams

Spike had dreaded what terrors his homecoming would bring. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised by how downplayed the reception had been.

The afternoon had passed quickly. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had been with Twilight in Ponyville’s castle when Spike trudged through the gigantic arched entryway. Twilight’s eyes immediately filled with tears, and she had pulled him into a hug that lasted maybe thirty seconds too long. Applejack had hugged Spike as well, while Rainbow Dash had settled on giving him a hoof-bump. Still, after Applejack and Twilight had run out of the castle to collect the others, Rainbow Dash had opted to give Spike a hug, as well.

Starlight Glimmer had come downstairs after hearing the commotion, and caught the newly minted Wonderbolt in the act of hugging Spike, sending a bright-red Rainbow Dash speeding out of the castle on the pretense of ‘finding Squirt and the other Crusaders’. Starlight had placed a gentle hoof on Spike’s shoulder and told him how glad she was that he was back; then Spike’s other friends had begun to show up, one by one, congratulating him. Rarity doted upon him for several minutes, Fluttershy had wrapped him in a warm, feathery embrace and invited him over for tea that weekend, and Pinkie Pie had cracked three of his ribs while promising to throw a party for him soon.

Then a few acquaintances had arrived. Particularly pleasing to Spike was the low-dialogue, no frills conversation he had had with Big Macintosh. Then had come what was by far the worst part of the day: convincing the Cutie Mark Crusaders that they could not help him ‘discover his special talent’, and that he had left town for a different reason in the first place.

After Big Macintosh had escorted the Crusaders back to Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight announced that she had a special, formal dinner prepared to celebrate the occasion. It had been an entertaining evening of good food, good friends, and excellent conversation. However, it was then that a few of his friends began to pry into Spike’s feelings. He had dodged all their questions, in particular ones involving what exactly Luna had done to make Spike reconsider his choice.

Eventually, Spike’s friends had all left to head back to their homes, making sure to give a special farewell to Spike. Rarity had nuzzled Spike hard enough that he had almost lost his footing.

Starlight Glimmer had then retired to her chamber, leaving Spike facing what he thought was to be the most awkward and disheartening portion of the evening: a one-on-one discussion with Twilight. He had prepared responses to every line of verbal attack that Twilight could pursue.

Instead, Twilight had avoided scolding him. She told him that she felt responsible for not making sure Spike’s lifestyle was ‘enriching’ and had promised him more free time away from the castle library. Then she had told him that his absence had scared her, and told him that she had arranged for him to talk with a special pony once a week about his problems (Spike could tell that Twilight had taken great care not to use the word “therapy”). Twilight then gave Spike a pat on the head and sent him off to bed with a happy warning that they had a month’s worth of clerical tasks to get done the next afternoon.

And so Spike laid in his new, bigger basket in his own room in a giant castle, ruminating about how empty his surroundings felt compared to his utility closet in Salt Lick City. The events of the afternoon had left him quite numb. He was pleased to have avoided most of the major roadblocks he had expected his return to place in his way, but felt a nagging discontentedness that he was simply back to the place he had started in. Eventually though, the late hour and large meal in Spike’s stomach got the best of him, and he drifted off to sleep.

“Hello, my dear friend.”

Spike opened his eyes and saw only an expanse of white. Sitting up and glancing to his right, he gazed upon Princess Luna, who was seated on her haunches a few feet away. “P-Princess?” Spike asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

Luna smiled enthusiastically at Spike, and speaking to him in a voice that barely contained the pleasure behind it. “You came back to Ponyville, as you promised. I am so glad.”

Spike gave a tired, but courteous smile back. “Of course, Princess Luna. I wouldn’t lie to you.” He looked around anxiously, “Sorry that I don’t have much to say, I’m just surprised to see you.”

“Oh? As I recall, I had promised to come back,” said Princess Luna.

Spike squinted, as if racking his brain for an answer. “I do remember you saying something about showing me where to find meaning… but I didn’t expect for you to come so soon.”

Luna stood up. “There is no need to wait Spike. Indeed, the iron is hot for striking!” Luna waited courteously for Spike to stand up on the infinite, white dreamscape before continuing. “Tonight, Spike, we will not be finding your purpose, only reminding you of it. And, once more, we shall be utilizing the medium of your friend’s dreams to do so.”

Spike winced. “Princess Luna,” he began, “I’m not really sure I want to go through all that again.”

Luna flashed Spike another smile, this one much softer and reassuring. “Rest assured, Spike, that these dreams are much different than those you have already seen. Do you remember that I told you that dreams display the attitude of the heart?”

Spike gave a tentative nod.

“Most ponies feel that they are most themselves when they are sober, alert and awake, but this is not so. It is in their dreams where they are most themselves, unrestrained by any form of inhibition, judgment, or pressure from others. In these dreams, they may do things which they would be unlikely to do in the real world. However, it is these very actions that speak loudest about the attitudes of the heart. Remember this as we progress tonight.” Luna stomped her hoof, and the whiteness around her and Spike immediately turned an evening blue.

Doors began to speed by them on three sides, as if the dragon and alicorn were the wheel of a marvelous pulley. One by one, doors came off of the line and orbited around the duo at breakneck speeds. Eventually, the primary conveyor of doors was cut off and sped away into the endless distance. Slowly, the seven doors orbiting Luna and Spike decelerated until they halted, displaying their colors and intricate detailing. Spike immediately recognized six of the doors as those he had entered through to view his friend’s nightmares. The last door was colored in various shades of pink and detailed with flamboyant colors of what appeared to be cake decorating gel; Spike made the safe conjecture that it was the door that led to Pinkie Pie’s dreams.

“You have seen how your absence impacted your friends, Spike. Now let us see how your presence changes their heart.”

Spike looked around. “Where should I go first?”

“Well,” Luna thought out loud, “if you do not have a preference, perhaps it would be best for me to plan them out in the order which will impact you most profoundly.”

Spike stood for almost a minute, watching Luna rub her muzzle with a hoof, bite her lip, stick out her tongue slightly, and perform all manner of actions indicative of a pony in lost in thought.

Luna threw both of her front hooves up in an expression of faux exasperation. “Oh, screw it! The civilized mind tends toward order: let’s just be consistent and go with Rainbow Dash first, as before.”

Spike narrowed his eyes and lifted a corner of his mouth, and expression caught between confusion and suspicion. “You seem really…happy tonight, Princess.”

Luna shrugged, still smiling faintly. “Is that such a crime, Spike? And, please, do simply call me ‘Luna’, as you were before. Calling me ‘Princess’ just makes me feel old.”

“You should tell Twilight that,” Spike breathed.

Luna simply chuckled. “Alright, that’s enough of that. Go on in, Spike. I’ll be there with you to answer your questions.”

Spike opened Rainbow Dash’s door and stepped through. His foot hit a cool, damp, spongy material. He looked down to find himself standing on a cloud floor. “Huh,” he said, “so this is what it feels like to walk on a cloud?”

He took a moment to look around; he seemed to be inside of a magnificent cloud structure. High ceilings stared down at him, while in front of him massive arches led to a grand, open area lit by the sun. Was he inside some sort of arena, or coliseum?

Spike glanced behind him and was met with a most unfamiliar sight; he saw himself, slowly sauntering in to the room.

“Huh?” Spike grunted. “Luna, why am I here?”

“I told you Spike, to learn your purpose,” her voice echoed from behind.

“No,” groaned Spike, “I mean, why am,” he extended a claw toward the copy of himself, “I here?”

“Oh,” Luna replied in a moment of clairvoyance, stepping forward to stand next to Spike. “That is Rainbow Dash’s mind conjuring up a version of you to act in her dream.”

“Huh, simple enough,” Spike said, satisfied with the answer. He continued to survey his surroundings, when a pair of pastel pegasi walked right past him. He was startled to find that their faces were only smeared patches of their coat colors. “Woah! Luna, why don’t those ponies have faces!?”

“Nightmares are very pointed and specific. Most dreams, in general, are not as realistic. They are often, quite simply, weird. The heart does not concern itself with what the brain does when it influences the mind to create dreams; unimportant details are never created in the first place, while others may be glossed over for the sake of expediency. It is the same reason that the version of you Rainbow Dash has created is able to walk on clouds: the true meaning of the dream is not changed by such things.”

“Errrrwww…” Spike cringed. He could handle clones of himself walking on clouds, but he had a lot more trouble with the concept of faceless ponies.

A rainbow blur sped under the cloud arches, screaming to a halt immediately in front of Spike’s alter ego.

“Spike!” he heard Rainbow Dash scream. She had picked her Spike-figment up in her hooves and begun shaking him relentlessly. “You gotta help me!”

“WoooAAAooooAAAoooAAAooo,” imaginary Spike cried as he was gyrated back and forth. When the movement stopped, he gathered himself. “Put me down, Dash!”

Rainbow Dash unceremoniously dropped him on the cloud floor.

The fake Spike picked himself up and dusted himself off. “Don’t go trying to break me neck like that again, Rainbow Dash,” he leered. “Now, what do you need me to do?”

Rainbow Dash suddenly was wearing her Wonderbolt uniform. The true Spike looked up to his mentor. “Luna, why is she wearing that all of the sudden?”

“Mind is creating the dream as it progresses. Remember, unimportant details glossed over. Now, pay attention,” Luna shushed, clearly intrigued with the dream’s progress.

Rainbow Dash seemed to calm down a little bit, although she remained antsy. “Well, the team told me last week that all flyers have to have their own agent for like, commercials and endorsements and stuff. But this morning, Spitfire said that I needed to have one by the end of the day! She showed me all of these guys, but they all look like slimy business types, and I don’t want them! Spike,” Rainbow Dash said firmly, planting her front hooves on his shoulders while she hovered just above the floor, “will you be my agent?”

“What!?” the figment Spike yelped. “Your agent? But, but, but I only started following the Wonderbolts after you got into the reserves! I barely know anything about them, and I certainly don’t know a thing about sports management! Why do you want me?”

“Because,” Rainbow Dash launched into a heroic piece of oration, “you, Spike, have a certain degree of radicalness unmatched in anypony except, well, me. I need that to support me. And, unlike the agents they wanted me to sign with, I know that you’ll never sell me out, Spike.” She clasped one hoof to her heart while she shoved the other one at the face of her recreation of Spike. “You are as loyal as they come. I trust you with my entire public image.”

Both Spikes looked up at Rainbow Dash with great admiration.

“Pluuuuuuusss,” Rainbow Dash drawled sheepishly, “You spend a lot of your free time arguing hoofball stats with Big Mac and betting on games with him, so you must know a thing or two about sports in general. Seriously, could you imagine if I got somepony like Fluttershy to do it? She can’t tell the difference between a soccer ball and a black and white rabbit.”

“Rainbow Dash,” the recreated Spike began, “of course I’ll be your agent if you really want me!”

“Great!” she chirped, picking him up. “No time to loose!” She speed off under the archway and into the open space outside, with a barely-secure recreation of Spike hanging on for dear life.

“WAAAHHAAAAAHHAAAAHAAAAAAAHHH!” he cried as she sped away.

The remaining Spike looked up at Luna. “Is she really going to ask me to be her agent?” His hands played with each other in front of him as he thought about what it meant.

Luna grimaced. “Unfortunately, Spike, I think the Wonderbolts only have one agent for their entire team.” Seeing the dejected look on Spike’s face, she continued, “But, remember what I told you! Whether or not you will be her agent in real life is not relevant; her heart was not only willing to trust you with the responsibility, but she wanted you before anypony else!”

Spike cheered considerably. “I guess that’s true. Maybe Rainbow Dash cares a little bit more than she lets on.”

Luna smiled mystically. “We all do, Spike. That’s the curse of awareness.” Her horn lit up with a dark blue aura, and in no time they were both zapped back into the center of the circle of doors. Rainbow Dash’s door slowly descended, phasing through the white floor until it disappeared entirely. The remaining doors rotated, spreading out so that they were evenly spaced.

“We skipped Miss Pie last time, as I’m not sure that her nightmare’s meaning would have been clear. In fact, I am still not certain that her dream will be decipherable by anypony, myself included,” Luna explained. “Still, I think it would be unfair to skip her dreams again. Go on and open her door, but be prepared for anything,” Luna said, taking a tentative step away from the door.

Spike gripped the doorknob. “Ew, gross! The knob has cake decorating gel on it!”

“Oh, what are you complaining about, Spike, it’s edible, isn’t it?”

Spike glared at Luna. “True enough, Princess Luna. Why don’t you open the door, then?”

Fear flashed across Luna’s features.

“Be my guest,” Spike continued, bowing sarcastically and displaying the doorway with his claws.

Luna’s eyes darted around in search of a solution, until her mind came up with one on its own. Raising her nose regally, she opened the door with her magic.

“Unbelievable,” Spike breathed, “unwilling to even get your silver slippers dirty for my cause?”

“Just go in,” Luna huffed.

Spike walked through the door and found himself, quite simply, standing inside Sugarcube Corner. Luna walked through the opening as well, and it closed behind them.

“Well,” Luna began as she eyed Pinkie Pie busying herself behind the counter, “perhaps I was unfair in expecting a strange dream from Ms. Pie.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Spike said, pointing a claw to the window nearest them, which was filled with the giant, unblinking eye of a massive version of Gummy, the alligator.

Luna regarded the scene for a moment. “Hm.”

Just then, the door to Sugarcube Corner opened, sending a mellow chime through the door. In walked another recreation of Spike, who sauntered up to the counter. “Hey Pinkie,” he said, his thumb claw pointed backward toward the outside of the bakery, “I’m glad to see that Gummy recovered from his micro-sizing virus.”

“Hiya Spike!” Pinkie Pie chirped, speeding to the glass counter and resting her head on her hooves. “Yup, Gummy isn’t sick anymore! Except now he’s bigger than before, so I have to make sure he doesn’t swallow ponies by accident when he gnaws on them.”

Spike and Luna shared a concerned look.

“Anyway,” Pinkie Pie continued, “I bet you’re here to pick up Twilight’s study cupcakes!” Pinkie zipped to the kitchen, immediately returning with a large, white box. “Here they are! Pinkie’s secret recipe!” She then leaned over the counter, extending her neck far further than should be possible, to loudly whisper to her recreation of Spike, “Twilight thinks I only put caffeine in them. The secret is that I put something else in too- and it’s prescription only!” Pinkie let out a squee.

Her mind’s representation of Spike scratched his head. “Uh… okay?”

“Oh, one last thing Spike!” she called. “My birthday is next week, and I can’t very well plan my own party. That’s cheating! Will you do it? I know you’ll make it super fun-erific!” Pinkie jumped over the counter and smushed Spike’s cheeks together with her hooves

“Sure, Pinkie,” Spike said out of what little surface area of his lips remained.

After he was done, Pinkie began squeezing his cheeks at various intervals to make it so Spike looked to be moving his mouth. “You’re the best, Pinkie,” she said. “Not only will I give you the best party ever, but I’ll also give her a cake every day to show everypony that she’s my favorite!” Pinkie burst out into giggles, snorting as her version of Spike slapped her hooves away from his face.

Pinkie Pie then turned toward precisely where Luna and Spike were standing. “That goes for you, too, real Spike. Be my birthday planner! Even though my birthday is every week in my dreams, it’s only 147 days away in real life!” She then turned her gaze ever so slightly and waved. “Hi Princess Luna! You look great, did you do something with your mane?”

Princess Luna’s eyes widened. Her horn glowed for a moment, and the true Spike and her slowly faded into open view of the dream. “Wh-Ha-How?” Luna sputtered to Pinkie.

“Well, duh,” Pinkie chided, “you opened a giant glowing door-sized portal in my dream. Did you really think I wouldn’t see it?”

“Woah! Is that another me?” the dream-version of Spike asked.

“Oh, silly fake Spike!” Pinkie said, patting her Spike-figment on the head. “You wouldn’t understand.” She turned back to Princess Luna and the true Spike. “So, why are you here?”

“U-um…” Luna began. “No reason.”

Pinkie shrugged. “Okay. Just as long as Spike is planning my birthday party and giving me cakes every day, I’m happy.” She trotted away, leaving two dumbfounded Spikes and a confused Luna. “Lalalalala…”

Luna turned toward her companion. “So, as you can see, Pinkie, uh, values your ability to create a fun environment enough to want you to plan her birthday party. It shows how much she values your friendship. That’s pretty… great…”

The recreated Spike cocked his head. “Princess Luna, what’s going on?”

“Oh,” Princess Luna dismissed with a hoof wave, “you don’t actually exist, you are a figment of Pinkie’s mind designed to act and talk as she believes the real Spike would.” Princess Luna then closed her eyes, teleporting the real Spike and her back into the dreamscape.

“…What?” the remaining Spike asked, slowly entering an existential crisis. Outside, the unblinking eye of Gummy simply stared.

Back in the dreamscape, the doors again rearranged themselves.

“If I recall,” Luna thought out loud, “Starlight Glimmer was next.”

Spike wasted no time in entering through the door with the shimmering teal knob. Slowly, he walked through the doorway and into an endless expanse of light gray.

Spike tried looking around himself but could barely move his head as a profound sense of calm washed over him. An inexplicable warmth and a light tingling spread from the far ends of Spike’s limbs inward toward his torso. “L…Luna,” he managed to sigh through his trance, “wh-what….what is all this?”

Spike could hear Luna let out a long, restful breath. “This certainly is unexpected…” said Luna as she took another deep breath. “We do not always dream as we sleep. Sometimes what we perceive as forgotten dreams…are just moments of peace.”

Spike had felt similarly before, but never had exactly the sensation he was feeling at that moment. It was similar to the feeling one would get if administered an opiate, or snuggled up late at night by the fire with somepony close to their heart. His mind continued to grow foggy. Without thinking about it, he began to lose balance and fall to his left.

Before he had even registered that he was leaning, he had been caught by the side of Princess Luna, who began to lightly lean into him as well. Spike had his eyes closed, but imagined that Luna spoke her next words with a serene smile. “It seems, Spike, that your return has put Starlight…at ease. There is no need for her to dream…and instead, she sleeps in complete peace. That is what…this…is.”

Spike’s hold on reality began to waver. Luna’s words seemed to flow and crash into him like waves, before fading into nothingness as if a mirage.

Luna seemed to become a bit more sober-minded as she spoke her next words. “After the unimaginable horror that Starlight’s dreams had placed her through, it pleases my heart to see her sleeping like this…She deserves it.” She nudged the barely conscious Spike, who was still leaning on her, with a hoof. “Come, Spike…we have much to see and will only lose track of time here.”

Spike let out a pitiful groan. “Luna…another…few moments, please…”

Luna let out a single, deep chuckle. “Yes, it is quite pleasant. Perhaps…a little while longer…yes…”

After an unidentifiable amount of time, Spike became vaguely aware of somepony touching him, accompanied with mild pressure, as if he were being moved. He paid it no heed until after it had stopped, and the warmth had slowly begun to fade from his body. “Oh…that was, pleasant…I guess.”

Luna helped him up with a hoof. “The word ‘pleasant’ barely begins to describe the peace your return has given to Starlight. Your friend Applejack’s dream now beckons to us, and time is short. Go on, Spike. As always, I shall accompany you forward.”

Spike pressed open the doors to Applejack’s dream and found himself in the Apple family’s living room. A fire was crackling in the stonework fireplace. Spike noticed that, in a similar fashion to Rainbow’s dream, various portions of the room, such as the curios lining the room’s shelves, were blurred out or otherwise unrecognizable.

A knock resounded through the room. Applejack trotted from the kitchen into the living room, wiping her front hooves with a washcloth. Spike laughed heartily when he laid eyes on the bright pink apron she was wearing. “What is she doing in that apron!?”

Luna simply raised an eyebrow at Spike, withholding her criticism of his reaction.

Applejack opened the front door to reveal another Spike, this one formed from her own experiences and memories of him. “Howdy, sugarcube, I’m glad ya could come!”

This Spike immediately burst into his own fit of laughter. Applejack looked at him quizzically as he chortled uncontrollably. “A-aaaaa….Applejack…” Yet another salvo of laughs pushed him onto his back, “What a-are you doing…PHHH… IN THAT APRON!?”

Luna looked over at the real Spike with a knowing grin as he looked away from the scene. “Well, Spike, it seems as if Applejack knows you quite well.”

Applejack let out a low growl. “Thanks so much, Spike. Ya’ll are a true gentledragon.” She took a hoof and roughly rolled his still-prone form fully inside before shutting the door a little too forcefully with her back hoof.

Spike collected himself, standing up. “Sorry Applejack, it’s just a little…” he suppressed a laugh, “…unexpected. So, Twi said that you needed me to help you with something?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Applejack said sheepishly. “I just wanted you to have dinner with me. I know you’re a fan of my cookin’, and I cooked up an August storm in that there kitchen just fer the occasion!”

“Really? Great! But, you don’t need my, you know…help?”

“Not really. I just wanted some company. The rest of the family’s off visitin’ cousins and such and it can get mighty forlorn holdin’ down the fort all by my lonesome.”

Her Spike figment cocked his head. “You didn’t invite Twilight? Not that I’m complaining…”

Applejack scratched the back of her head. “Ya know how Twi can get…I really just wasn’t quite in the mood for her complicated talk…or Rarity’s fussin’…or Pinkie’s pinkin’. ‘Sides, with you back and all it’d be nice to have your company.”

The recreated Spike looked shocked. “Applejack…did you really…lie? Just so I could come over to keep you company without the other girls being around?

“Now, I didn’t do no lyin’!” Applejack protested indignantly, although her scrunched up muzzle revealed her true reaction to that statement. “I didn’t say nothing but the truth. Needed your help to…not be lonely.” She looked up, scratching a hoof on the floorboards.

Both Spikes chuckled. “Sure,” said the recreated Spike, “I gotcha.” He gave an exaggerated wink to Applejack, who huffed off to the kitchen.

“Go sit at the table, sugarcube.”

Luna and the true Spike watched as Applejack’s Spike sat at her table. A few moments later, Applejack appeared sans apron and carrying several large platters of food on her back. Aside from a piping hot apple pie, the foods were blurred out. Still, Luna and Spike conjectured that all the dishes involved apples in some fashion.

Applejack placed the food on the table. “Alright, dig in, sugarcube!”

Luna and Spike spent almost two whole, awkward minutes watching Applejack and the false Spike shove more food into their gullets than should have been possible, far more quickly than should have been possible.

“So, Appurjek,” Spike said with half a mouth full of food, “you gotta ter me, whas was dat apron all aboght?” After finishing his question, he immediately went back to shoveling food into his mouth.

Applejack took a moment to swallow, her face’s features relaxing as she smiled ever so slightly. “It was my Ma’s. I always wear it whenever I’m cookin’ for a special occasion.”

The real Spike looked up at Princess Luna. “Really…a special occasion?”

Luna smiled back at him. “For Applejack, it is indeed. She enjoys your company.”

Meanwhile, fear had struck the features of the recreated Spike, and he took his time to swallow thoroughly before responding. “Oh, Applejack, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it meant so much to you.”

Applejack softly responded. “Oh, don’t you worry none, sugarcube. Wasn’t nearly as bad as what Rainbow said last time she saw me in it.” Applejack’s muzzle scrunched up in concentration again. “Rarity called it, ‘gaudy’, once.”

A few seconds of reverent silence passed, where only the snapping of wood in the fireplace was to be heard. Then, all of a sudden, Applejack smiled. It was a strong, wide smile, which made her eyes wrinkle up on the outside. Then, she began to laugh heartily and fully, and soon both Spikes had joined her.

Regally, Princess Luna giggled behind a hoof.

After the laughing had ended and the cleanup was finished, the figment Spike turned once more to Applejack. “Thanks so much for dinner, Applejack. It’s getting dark out though, so I should probably get back to the castle before Twilight starts worrying about me.”

“Aw, come on sugarcube, don’t leave me all by my lonesome! Stay and chat for a little while, it’s still early.”

“I dunno AJ, Twi’s probably gonna think I was running around town instead of helping you if I come home too late.

“I’ll make sure she don’t get mad.” Seeing Spike’s continued uneasiness, Applejack’s features softened. “I really like talkin’ to you, Spike. You and I get each other, you know? We’re workin’ ponies…er, dragons…and we got a special connection. ‘Sides, I don’t ever get to talk to you one-on-one, what with the girls always being around.”

The recreated Spike sighed, and then smiled. “Alright Applejack, you win.” He walked over to the couch and sat on the cushion closest to the fire.

Applejack followed, sitting next to him. “Did I ever tell you the story o’ when Rarity and I traveled to the west coast on business, to meet with some of my extended family?”

He chuckled. “I heard most of the story from her, although I’d like to hear it from your perspective.”

Applejack smiled. “And I’ll tell you; including about when we met up with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash in Las Pegasus on the way back!”

Applejack’s Spike clasped his claws together, already enthralled. “Oh boy, I didn’t hear anything about that!”

The true Spike felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned to find Princess Luna standing next to the glowing hole that was their exit from the dream. He began to walk through it. “Luna,” he said, his leg passing through the portal, “I don’t believe that I even need any more detail for this one.”

“That is good,” Luna said, following him. “It is best when no explanation is necessary.”

Back in the dreamscape, the doors spun again, leaving three standing.

“We are making good progress, Spike,” Luna said. “Have you thought about what your purpose is?”

Spike looked down. “I...I’m not sure.” He looked up to face Luna. “Whatever you’ve done with these trips through my friends’ dreams…I know I have a purpose now, but I’m still not sure what. It feels like it’s barely outside the boundaries of my mind to grasp it.

“Perhaps you should think about your friend’s dreams tonight alone, and forget about their nightmares for the time being,” guided Luna. “What have you seen?”

“Well, for sure, I never knew that my friends thought so much of me. All of them, everypony I’ve seen so far, values me more than I had ever noticed or even dreamed.”

Luna nodded. “Good. Think about this as we enter the last three dreams. What you described- being valued more than you have noticed- is true, although perhaps more complex than you describe. And, as I have said before, this becomes clearer and clearer the more that you view the dreams of others. Their hearts will cry their true feelings for you when in a dream, even if they hold back when awake.”

Spike ran his claw over the soft pine wood of Fluttershy’s door. Hoping that he wouldn’t have to see her cry anymore, he opened it tentatively and stepped through.

Just like in Fluttershy’s nightmare, he found himself standing in the living room of Fluttershy’s cottage. Fluttershy was sprawled out on the floor next to the fireplace, and appeared to be staring at the wall.

Spike cocked his head. “What is she up to?”

Luna stood stoically. “I am quite uncertain.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door that startled Fluttershy, making her fly upward and hit her head on the ceiling. “Ow,” she winced demurely.

Spike rolled his eyes. “I wonder who could possibly be at the door. Definitely not another false version of myself.”

Fluttershy fluttered down to the floor again and opened her front door, revealing none other than a false version of Spike. “Oh, Spike, I’m so glad you could come!”

Her recreation of Spike strolled inside. “Sure thing, Fluttershy. What did you need?”

Fluttershy trotted over to where she was sprawled out before, motioning with a hoof at a small mouse-hole in the wall. “Well, Mr. Musculus the Mouse has a very bad respiratory flu, but he won’t come out because he’s afraid that he will get all the other animals sick. I’ve tried explaining to him that the flu can’t be passed across species, but he doesn’t believe me! Oh, dear. He’s so considerate of other animals that I’m afraid that he’s going to get sicker because his home is damp and doesn’t have any air circulation.”

The false Spike cocked his head. “If you can’t get him to come out, what makes you think I’ll be able to?”

“Oh, well, I have faith in you, Spike. You’ve always been good with animals. Remember when you took care of Angel?”

“Oh yeah,” he said nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “That…went off without a hitch…” He then squatted down so he could peer into the mouse-hole. “Mr. Musculus?”

A few seconds passed before Luna and the actual Spike heard a high-pitched sneeze.

Fake Spike let out a chuckle as his face was pressed against the hole. “It’s alright, Fluttershy wanted me to talk to you. It’s not good for you to stay in there, you know. You need medicine and fresh air.”

Some rambling squeaks were heard.

“It can’t be healthy to breathe the air in there in your condition!”

More chattering could be heard.

“I guess that means you’re scared to come out? Do me a favor. Look at your beautiful family in there. A wife and…uh…six, seven…a lot of young pups. Come on, you don’t want to put them in danger, right?”

A few seconds passed before a timid chattering was heard.

“I promise, Fluttershy is a professional and will make sure no one else gets sick. She’ll nurse you back to health, and you can come back to your healthy family really soon, okay?”

A few moments later, the false Spike rose with the sick mouse in one claw. The mouse laid out a string of hacking coughs as Spike brought him up to eye-level.

“Gesundheit.”

“Oh, Spike, thank you so much!” Fluttershy cried to her recreation of Spike as she tenderly snatched Mr. Musculus away. “I could never have done it without you!”

Luna opened up the doorway out of the dream and turned to the real Spike. “It must be quite the honor to be kinder than even the element of kindness, on occasion.”

Spike smiled, then shrugged as he walked through the exit. “I never knew I was that good with animals.”

Two doors remained in the dreamscape; Twilight’s and Rarity’s. Spike’s heart began to beat a little bit faster at this realization.

“Here we are again,” Princess Luna began. “Before us stand the doors of the two ponies nearest to your heart. Are you prepared?”

“I…guess so…” Spike replied.

“Good, because I am going to try something different,” Luna responded. “My magic allows me to remove portions of these dreams; I think it would perhaps be best for you to experience what Twilight Sparkle and Rarity dream about you firsthoof.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked, very afraid that he already knew exactly what she meant.

“I shall remove their recreated versions of you from their dreams and make you visible, placing you in the part of their dream that the recreation occupied. It requires somewhat delicate and complicated dream magic to accomplish, but I am confident that experiencing these dreams, instead of observing them, will be much more impactful.”

Spike twiddled his claws together, apprehensively. “But…won’t they know that I’m not part of the dream when they can’t control what I do?”

“I had considered this possibility,” said Luna sagely, “but I believe that they know you so well that any discrepancies between what you do and what they expect you to do will be minimal. Besides, it is often that what happens in a dream diverges from what we expect.” Luna motioned towards Twilight’s door. “Go on, Spike,” Luna encouraged. “I shall provide you with explanation as necessary, but do not attempt to speak with me, as Twilight will hear.”

Spike slowly and timidly approached the door, each of his steps light and purposeful. His claw shook as it grasped the handle and pushed inward.

Suddenly, Spike was surrounded by blankets in a dark room. If this wasn’t enough, he was suddenly very, very sleepy. He started to remove the blankets from himself and lift his head.

“Wait, Spike,” he heard Luna whisper to him, “Twilight will come to you.”

Spike collapsed back down to the cushiony floor and squinted at the nearest wall, trying to discern where he was. After a few seconds his eyes adjusted to the light, and he recognized that he was prone in his room in the Castle.

“You have not awoken, Spike, this is Twilight’s dream. Be patient…”

Spike made a conscious effort to restrain his thoughts from wandering. In a few moments, he began to hear the soft clip of approaching hooves.

An almost imperceptibly quiet creaking sound was heard as the crystal door to his room swung open, letting in a band of light. A shadow came into view, obstructing a portion of the light.

“Spike?” Twilight whispered. “Are you awake?”

Spike groaned, having just calmed his nerves and begun to relax again. “…Yeah, Twi. What do you want?” He half-timidly peeked over the covers of his basket.

“I…I was hungry,” Twilight began, “and I wanted to see if you were hungry too…we could get a snack together in the kitchen. Maybe even a few gems for you?”

Spike groaned once again, more deeply this time. Even though he was in Twilight’s dream, he was far too tired to move, even if it meant getting gems. “Nah, I’m okay.”

Having been struck by a sudden realization a second later, Spike again peered over the covers at Twilight, his eyes narrowing substantially this time. “…Since when do you offer me gems in the middle of the night?”

Twilight’s ears fell to the sides of her head and she began to trace her hoof in a circle on the floor. Although Spike couldn’t see the details of her face in the darkness, he was almost certain that she was blushing.

“Twilight…is this some sort of trick? I’m not a dog, you know, I’ll go to the dentist of my own volition.”

“No, Spike!” Twilight cried defensively, waving her hooves. “It’s nothing like that!”

“Well, okay then. Goodnight.” Spike let his head fall back onto his pillow. Silently, he contemplated how much this felt like an actual conversation with Twilight. After a few seconds of this, he also noticed that Twilight had not left the room.

A minute later, she spoke up, albeit quietly. “Spike…can I sleep in your room tonight?”

Spike groaned and sat up in his basket. “Wh…what? Sleep in here? Why?”

Twilight walked over slowly, sitting next to his basket. She clopped her front hooves together shyly. “I…I know it’s silly…and you probably think I’m a crazy pony for even asking…” She looked up, right into Spike’s eyes. “I’m so happy that you’re back Spike, but I’m also really scared. I know that this sounds really illogical, and it has absolutely no basis in any branch of mathematics or philosophy…but if I can sleep in here with you, it will make me feel that you coming back is real, and not, you know…a dream.” Twilight looked down shamefully, as if she expected Spike to berate her for having feelings that couldn’t be supported by logic.

Spike, whose resolve had been broken by her desperate composure, responded in a very different way. “Okay, Twi. But I’ve only got my basket in here, and-“

Twilight, almost without thinking, shot a bolt of magic from her horn to Spike’s basket, which expanded almost four times over in size. Twilight let out a single, happy giggle and hopped in the basket next to Spike. “Thank you, Spike,” she said, giving him a nuzzle near one of his frills.

Spike made a weak and nonspecific attempt at pushing her face away and wiping his face with a claw. “Erg…Yeah, yeah, don’t mention it.” Spike let out a big yawn.

A few seconds later, Spike felt the bedding under him shift as Twilight laid down a short distance away from him and tried to slink under the now-oversized covers.

“You know, Spike,” Twilight started, “I was really a non-effective ruler without you.” She let out a nervous chuckle. “I even kept dreaming that I got into big magical duels with Princess Celestia.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me,” Spike said, attempting to make his voice sound flat.

“Promise me you won’t go again? I felt so terrible with you gone…my oldest and dearest friend…”

Spike decided to remain silent.

“Spike?” Twilight cried with a little urgency. “Please promise?”

Spike let out a sigh, more from fatigue than from exasperation. “Okay, Twilight. I promise.”

He felt Twilight shift a little. She let out a quiet utterance. “Good.”

Silence reigned in the basket once more as Spike closed his eyes and began the process of drifting off.

Sometime later- perhaps seconds, perhaps minutes- his semi-conscious mind felt the bedding shift again, and warm fur press against his back. A hoof pulled him in toward the new source of warmth.

Annoyed at being kept from slumber, Spike began to scold Twilight. “Erghh…Twi…what are you doing?”

“Please,” he heard her plead from behind him. “Please…if I can touch you, it means you’re real…”

“Twi…this is a little creepy.”

Spike heard a few quiet sobs coming from Twilight, which she was clearly trying to hide. His heart wrenching a little from the results of his own brusqueness, he turned to face Twilight, who was covering her own face with a hoof as her body shook slightly. He sighed. “I…I didn’t mean it, Twilight. Look, if it will make you feel better, you can,” he made a strained face, “c-cuddle me, okay?”

Twilight’s body kept shaking as she held in her sobs. A few seconds later, she choked out, “it’s you…”

Spike tilted his head. “Huh? What do you mean, Twi?”

Twilight removed her hoof from her face, revealing tear-streaked fur around her eyes that could be perceived even in the dark of the room. “It’s you. It’s really you. Y-y-you’re back.”

Spike let out a little chuckle. “Of course I’m back, Twi.”

Twilight threw both her front hooves and her wings around Spike, wrapping him in an ultra-tight embrace. Tears flowed freely from her eyes and onto Spike’s scales. “It’s really you…M-m-m-my lit-tle dragon…it’s you, Spike…you’re home with me.”

“Yeah, it is,” he said, his speech muffled as a consequence of having to speak directly into Twiight’s fur.

Twilight kept crying full force for another minute before Spike began to think that he should be doing something to calm her. He began to softly hum a lullaby that Twilight’s mother had taught them both when they were younger; a haunting, dangerously beautiful melody about the moon. At first, this had the effect of making Twilight sob even louder and press Spike’s head into her chest. After a minute or so though, her crying slowed.

“You’re back,” she managed to choke out, smiling. Her breathing finally regulated itself, and the tears on her face began to dry.

Spike spent a few minutes softly petting Twilight’s mane as she clung to him, asleep. Then, Spike too began to drift off, and found himself submerged in the same blissful ocean he had experienced within Starlight’s dream.

Just as before, though, he soon felt his ecstasy fade away as a new, cool environment sapped the warmth from his bones. He opened his eyes and saw only Princess Luna’s face, surrounded by the infinite white of the dream-space they used as their hub. “Why, Spike, I didn’t know you were so affectionate. Does it not contradict your fierce image?”

Spike, who was in an agitated state of mind from his rude awakening, said nothing and merely glared upward at Luna.

Luna pulled her head away a few inches and swallowed nervously. “Well… I hope that was eye-opening. Did you learn anything?”

Spike pulled himself up to a sitting position. “Well, yeah? I guess I’m not actually sure. What was Twilight doing? I get that maybe it makes her feel better to spend time around me, but it seemed as if she really didn’t believe that I was me.”

“Remember what I told you about those with strong minds, Spike; they are too often at war with their own thoughts. Powerful minds can play powerful tricks, indeed.”

“I guess I sort of understand. Everypony’s dreams show that they care more about me than I think, right? I already have a purpose because my friends value me.”

Luna bit her lower lip, letting out an unsatisfied hum. “It is an interesting train of thought, but I do not believe that is the answer you are looking for. That conclusion can only lead one to despair if one makes a mistake, or loses the approval of another.”

Spike shut his eyes and cringed as memories blasted by him; his failures at the Equestria Games, how his friends had to create an elaborate scenario to stop him from “helping” them, and how, aside from assisting in the defeat of King Sombra, he had never once been there to help his friends rescue Equestria.

Luna laid a hoof on Spike’s shoulder, moving it slowly from side to side. “Are you alright?”

Spike opened his eyes, as if nothing was wrong. “Okay, so, I guess that I don’t understand what you want me to learn, yet.”

“Well, hopefully you will,” Luna began. “We still have one more dream to discover, this one belonging to the pony that directs the very desires of your heart. Once again, I shall remove Rarity’s created figment of you so that you may take his place.”

Spike sent a furtive glance toward the ornate, white door.

Luna continued. “As I have told you before, Rarity’s propensity for creativity also corresponds with her having a good deal of lucidity while asleep. Often she can control the content of her dreams so masterfully that they are almost indistinguishable from reality. Since her figment of you is going to be removed, do not do anything exceedingly abnormal. Her mind may immediately recognize it as foreign and collapse the dream, or worse: we could be found out.”

Spike nodded. He straightened up and approached Rarity’s door. This was the love of his life, and he was prepared for whatever came, particularly because it would finally let him find his purpose.

“Oh, Spike,” Luna interrupted. “A final thing about Twilight before you go; dreams have a very profound impact on her future actions. I will not be surprised if she attempts to re-enact her dream in real life tomorrow night.”

Spike breathed out. “Great.”

“I am sorry for teasing earlier, Spike. It is not a deficit of manly character to show affection to those close to you. In fact, I bet she would appreciate an extra blanket tomorrow…or even, perhaps, you coming to her and requesting the same thing as she desires to ask you for.”

Spike contorted his face in thought. “I’ll think about it. Thank you for being straight with me.”

Luna bowed her head, slightly. “I certainly owe you that much.”

Spike reached for the doorknob, but needed to move no further as a bright flash transported him a quarter of a block from Carousel Boutique. Slowly, Spike began to stroll up the block toward the boutique, already guessing exactly what he was supposed to do.

Just before he knocked on the door, Luna appeared beside him. “A final word of advice, Spike; Rarity’s propensity to lucid dream allows her to experiment.”

“Experiment?” Spike asked, genuinely confused.

“She might take the time to do what she cannot bring herself to do while she is awake.”

Spike paused for a moment. Fear and uncertainty began to well up in his chest as he thought about the myriad directions in which the situation could go. His memories of Rarity’s nightmare confused him even more, filling him both with hopeful optimism and a feeling of impending doom. Would Rarity crush any hope of being with her? Offer him a job managing one of her boutiques? Try and set him up with Sweetie Belle?

As panic began to overtake Spike, his mind began to process the information provided to him. His uncertainty slowly faded and was replaced by confusion and a lack of understanding. “Princess, if Rarity means what happens here to happen in real life, and she is in full control of what happens, and I’m here, controlling what I do…what is the difference between this and real life?”

Luna smiled at him. “Ah, now that is always the underlying question in my job.” She tilted her head slightly, thinking for a moment as she stared off at the horizon. “I suppose…” she began, her eyes fixed on some point far away, “that there is no difference, save that Rarity does not know that there is no difference.” Her gaze returned to Spike. “Does that answer your question?”

Spike looked back at the eyes of the pony that had been his guide, teacher, and watchman. “It answers it, but I’m not sure I understand it.”

Luna winked at Spike as she began to fade into the background of the dream, becoming invisible once again. “Then, perhaps it’s best simply not to think about it.”

Spike turned again to face the door. Noting that the boutique was open for business, he grasped the knob and opened the door, strolling into the entryway. The tinkling of a small bell heralded his arrival.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where ev- oh, Spikey!” Rarity exclaimed, trotting over to him and removing her work glasses. “How nice to see you! What brings you here today?”

Spike swallowed hard and began twiddling his claws, which was force of habit around Rarity if he had not specifically planned out every word he wished to say to her. “I…eh... I just wanted to come and talk with you, since I’ve been…gone a while, and everything. I see you’re in the middle of working, though, so-“

Rarity waved a hoof dismissively at his words. “First of all, darling, there is no need to explain yourself, I am simply glad to have you back. Second, if you still wish to talk, then talk we shall. My friends always come before my work.”

Spike’s heart fell a little at the word ‘friends’. Nevertheless, his more rational faculties informed him that this was progress, as Rarity’s prior usage of the word generally was aimed at the other Elements of Harmony.

Rarity flashed him a warm smile, extending a hoof to the pristine couches next to the entrance to her kitchen. “Take a seat, darling. Let’s chat. If it’s not too much of an emotional burden, I’d love to hear about your travels.”

Spike took a seat on the middle cushion of the couch, and was surprised when Rarity sat on the cushion next to him, instead of in the separate chair she usually would sit in when they would catch up. She placed one hoof casually over the top ridge of the couch and turned most of the way to face him, leaning in slightly as if eagerly waiting for his exposition. Spike struggled to form words as her scent tickled his nose; it seemed that even when dreaming, Rarity took the time to put on only the finest perfume.

Although he started his story in a rambling and nervous manner, within a few minutes Spike had regained most of his composure and finished the tale- save, of course, for Princess’ Luna’s first intervention.

“Salt Lick City!” Rarity exclaimed, with stars in her eyes. “I loved it last time I was there, although Applejack’s attitude served only to put a bit of a damper on the experience. I would so like to go again.”

Spike smiled at Rarity’s glowing review. “I liked it too. Clean, safe, pretty. What about you though? Is business okay?”

Rarity threw a hoof on her forehead dramatically. “Oh, darling, you mustn’t get me started on that! I had such a dreadful spell for about a month. Not only was I simply unable to create inspired dresses, but my sales skill devolved into that of a stuttering oaf! My Ponyville location was in the red for the first time in its history!”

“That’s awful, Rarity!” Spike said emphatically. “What can I do to help?”

“Oh, nothing more, Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity said, motioning slightly with the hoof she had over the edge of the couch.

“…More?” asked Spike, quietly.

Rarity paid his question no attention as she continued. “I have been incredibly productive recently. I’ve almost finished this winter’s line already! I think the danger is past.”

Spike moved his head to the side slightly, so as to have a clear line of sight over Rarity’s shoulder into her work area. What he saw floored him, and he stopped dead for a full five seconds.

“Spikey?” asked Rarity, who appeared mildly concerned at Spike’s sudden change in demeanor.

Spike got up from his place on the couch and slowly strode over to Rarity’s work area. He could hear the telltale clip-clop of hooves behind him signifying that Rarity was following him.

He beheld the sight in front of him a good deal longer, before asking, “I-Is this one of your new dresses?”

“Why, yes,” Rarity began. “Do you like it?”

Spike’s eyes ran over the form of the dress. An effervescent, dark lilac chiffon fabric formed the base of the dress, its organic lay pattern giving the impression of a liquid. A subdued green fabric was used as an accent feature, providing definition to the border of the dress, providing volume at the front and giving texture to the dress at the hind legs. At the very front, towards the top of the dress, a large heart-shaped hole had been cut, shape maintained by inlaid wire. A brilliant red silk surrounded the heart, forming a clear border against the surrounding green.

Spike looked up at Rarity, who was busy admiring her work. Light gleamed off of her sapphire eyes as she stood,seemingly satisfied with the results of her inspiration. The slight breeze in the boutique gave a hint of motion to her royal purple curls as they fell gracefully down the sides of her neck before resting against her angelic, alabastrine coat. Her soft features were complimented beautifully by just a hint of shadow and eyeliner, as her delicate form rested upon marvelous, elegant legs.

“…Beautiful,” Spike breathed.

The slightest tinge of red appeared on Rarity’s cheeks as she turned her head to look at him once more. “I’m glad you like it. I’m generally not a fan of green, you know. Usually, it’s hideous, but it works quite well… with the right shade of purple, wouldn’t you say?”

Spike gazed at Rarity’s delicate features and nodded in agreement. “Is it finished?”

“Oh goodness, no. Well, actually, yes, in a manner of speaking. It’s finished, but it needs to be made.”

Spike was almost certain he knew exactly what Rarity meant, but, sure to heed Luna’s warnings, pretended like he was slightly confused for a few moments. “Well, it’s some of your finest work, Rarity. I know it will fly off of the racks when winter rolls around.”

“Oh, darling, this won’t be for sale. I’m making it for myself.”

“Really?” Spike said, taking a small step closer to Rarity. “You haven’t made something just for you in a long time.”

Rarity stepped toward him, closing the gap between them substantially. “I can’t be generous all the time, you know. I need to make sure that I’m staying happy every once in a while.” Rarity looked at the floor for a moment, before looking back up at Spike. “You know, Spike…I really am so happy you are home. I was…not well without you here.”

Spike opened his mouth but couldn’t find any words to speak.

Rarity stepped closer and leaned in toward Spike, reducing the distance between every part of their bodies to only a fraction of an inch. Spike’s heart rate shot up; he knew he was in a dream, but he was sure that not even this dream was unfolding as it was.

“Spikey-Wikey, don’t leave again. I need you…you make me happy.” Rarity slowly moved her lips into Spike’s, beginning a slow and heartfelt kiss.

Was it truly just that? It was so simple! What bliss!

Spike concentrated on the warm feeling of the kiss as he timidly placed one claw on Rarity’s shoulder. A few seconds later, he slipped the other behind her head. Rarity, for her part, leaned her body in, making contact with the rest of Spike.

Rarity deepened the kiss, and the two pressed together for several seconds more before Spike pulled back just slightly.

They looked deeply into each other’s eyes.

“…My Spikey-Wikey…” Rarity began, her warm breath washing over Spike with every syllable, threatening to pull him back in, “would you like to accompany me to dinner tonight in Canterlot?”

Spike suddenly found himself once again thrust into clarity of thought. He was able to quickly formulate a clear response. “Yes.”

He admired Rarity’s blushing, smiling face before his smile faded again.

“I mean…I can’t. I really want to, but I can’t right now. I just remembered there is something really, really important I have to do.”

Rarity’s demeanor immediately shifted, her face appearing overwhelmingly crestfallen.

Spike scrambled to explain himself, lifting her chin with a claw. “When I said I wanted to, I meant it. Can we do it another time?”

Rarity looked at the floor and sighed. “It…Things aren’t going to be the same in a few hours, Spike…I won’t have this chance again.”

“Yes… we will,” Spike told her, determined. “I promise we will, and soon.”

Rarity absorbed Spike’s words for a few moments. For just a fraction of a second, Spike saw her eyes light up, but he couldn’t tell why. “Okay, Spikey,” she said, leaning in and nuzzling him. “I trust you.” She then nibbled on his ear frill, causing him to flinch back and let out a laugh.

“I need to go and take care of…that thing I told you about,” Spike said, giving Rarity another hug. “I promise, I’ll be back soon.” He placed a claw on the doorknob, and prepared to walk back out onto the streets of Ponyville.

“Spike,” Rarity scolded, employing a more removed tone than she had been using.

Spike turned around, to see Rarity with her nose held high in the air, her eyes regarding him closely.

“You had better,” she continued. “It is not good conduct to keep a lady waiting.”

Spike suppressed a chuckle, smiling at the rapturous beauty a few feet away. “Soon, I promise.” He cast one final glance at Rarity’s new dress before walking out onto the street outside the Boutique and closing the door.

Spike heard Luna speak from beside him. “How did it go, Spike?”

He turned to where he had heard her voice emanate from. “Didn’t you see everything?”

“No,” Luna replied. “I decided to give you privacy.” She was silent for a short time. Timidly, she spoke up again. “Although, I may have been unable to resist peeking in through the windows a few times.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Luna, is it all really that simple?”

“What do you mean, dear Spike?”

“My purpose. It’s just to be there for my friends, isn’t it?”

Slowly, Luna faded into Spike’s vision. He was not certain if she had become visible in the dream, or if she had made him invisible as she was.

The smile on Luna’s muzzle told him all that he needed to know about the question he had posited. “Perhaps,” she began, putting on a false air of academic scrutiny. “Explain yourself.”

“Being happy, feeling like you have a purpose, being at peace…it doesn’t have to do with yourself at all, does it? When I was with Rarity, I finally realized…everything my friends dreamt about with relation to me made me feel so happy and right. But it wasn’t because they valued me that I felt like that…it was because I had the opportunity to be there for them.”

Luna sat down on her haunches. Her eyes beckoned for him to continue.

“Being an Agent, or Party planner, or mouse whisperer…even just coming back to Ponyville was enough to help Starlight! It’s never been about what others think of me, it’s about what I think of them.”

Luna rose again, drawing Spike into a quick hug. “Spike, you are the most mature out of all of your friends. Of them all, only you have recognized this. To care about your friends so deeply gives being around them a great value.” She pulled away. “To be forced to work for the sake of others is slavery. To live only for yourself makes you naught but a bitter hermit. But to dedicate yourself to helping others, especially those you care about, of your own free will and desire…that is a lasting happiness, and a great purpose.” Luna’s composure darkened slightly. “I spent my youth in slavery, and then decided to act as a hermit. It brought only destruction on everyone involved. Only recently did I recognize what you have; for me, it was learning that protecting the dreams of ponies and helping them face their fears is far more fulfilling on a personal and spiritual level than… attempting to make the night last forever.” Luna looked down, either disgusted or saddened by her memory.

Spike, meanwhile, burst out laughing, placing a claw on Luna’s shoulder. “Oh Princess,” he comforted, “don’t beat yourself up. You’re so sweet you couldn’t hurt a fly!”

Luna looked back at him and smiled, delicately. “So, Spike, what was it that made you recognize this?”

“It was something Rarity said. It was only a little bit clearer than what the others had said to me…but it made me finally put two and two together.”

Luna quickly looked away. “Truly?” She asked, a hoof over her mouth as he let out a snort. “Was this before or after the passionate petting session?”

Spike’s face went completely red as he looked as far away from Luna as he could. Luna, for her part, let out a continuous string of snorts and chuckles, trying to compose herself.

Spike hoped that forcing the conversation along would allow him to avoid confronting what was said. “Luna, is it okay if I wake up now? I want to start building on what I’ve learned.”

“Certainly,” Luna said, recovering quickly and thankfully not putting additional pressure on Spike. “Your dedication is admirable. Are you prepared?”

“Almost. I wanted to tell you that I really appreciate what you’ve done for me, especially when I was acting like such a stubborn mule a few days ago. I really liked spending some time with you…could you come and visit me once in a while in my dreams? You know, take me around and show me how you help ponies? Show me your favorite spots in the dreamscape?”

“It would be highly irresponsible of me, so, yes, I will absolutely do so,” said Luna, a mischievous grin occupying her muzzle. “Although, Spike, you know you are always welcome to visit in Canterlot. I will put aside time to see you, and I am sure Celestia would adore seeing you more often. It makes her day when she gets to spend time with you.”

“I know,” Spike sighed. “For now though, I’m trying to avoid the inevitable lecture about setting off on my own. And who knows if she’ll start commenting on my hygiene or questioning me about how much sleep I’m getting…”

“Perhaps it is worth a few minutes of pain. She absolutely dotes on you, you know. Her lessons are less interesting and far less useful than mine, but she does tend to be more forthcoming with hugs, pastries, and bits than I.”

Spike chuckled. “I’ll think about it.” He moved in to hug Luna. “Thank you, so very much, for everything. Come see me again soon.”

“Of course,” Luna responded gently, wrapping her wings around Spike. “I will see you again shortly, my dear friend.”

Spike opened his eyes, revealing a dark, crystalline ceiling. He arose and dashed to the window: it was still dark outside. He had time.

Spike dashed down the hallway on his way to collect supplies. He had to show seven ponies how much he cared about each of them; and with any luck, he could cross two of them off the list by sunrise.

Twilight Sparkle had always been a morning pony, even after long nights of studying. She loved the intellectual excitement of each new day. Today’s morning was made even better by the fact that Twilight Sparkle had gotten a good night’s sleep for the first time in a month.

Twilight trotted into the kitchen and began brewing her morning tea, mentally preparing her schedule for the day. She had given Spike the morning off, and thus she wouldn’t bother to start tackling any research-heavy assignments until the afternoon. Twilight gently placed the tea filter into the pot with her magic, and placed a hoof under her chin in concentration; a few seconds later, she decided that she’d spend the morning doing a little light reading- demographic reports, trade deals, and the like. She’d also plan something special for Spike and she to do together after their work was done in the evening: just a little token of appreciation, to help Spike settle in to routine again.

After she had finished her tea, Twilight entered into the long foyer hallway and cantered toward the large double-doors to the library. Just as she was about to turn in, a peculiarity caught her eye.

Ponyville’s castle, much like the others in Equestria, was filled to the brim with stained-glass windows of important events and ponies. There were a great variety, spread all over. Some were of Twilight and her friends, others of the Golden Oak Library, her coronation, or some other impactful event in recent history. Twilight had even seen a window displaying Discord in a positive light, although she had since lost its location amongst the hundreds of rooms.

The one Twilight was a little embarrassed of, however, was the one in the foyer facing the entryway to the castle; a singular image of herself rising into the sky, a single, bright spark of magic present at the end of her horn. The image was the first thing ponies saw when entering, and it was often also that last thing they saw when they left. It stood alone and unexplained, a monolithic monument to some nebulous greatness which Twilight felt she had not earned.

Or, that is, it had stood unexplained until now.

Twilight slowly trotted over to the wall present below the stained-glass paneling, running a hoof over the manually-carved inscription, a living epitaph, inlaid with what appeared to be melted and reformed emerald against the lavender crystal of the castle structure.

Twilight tilted her head and placed a hoof over her mouth. “Oh, Spike,” she choked out, recognizing the gemwork. “Is this what you really think about me…?”

Twilight sat down as she admired the new piece of artisanship on her wall.

Today’s work could wait.

Spike laid out on a hillside overlooking Ponyville’s pond. He sighed, the first rays of the sunrise warming his body as he closed his eyes. Spike let out a yawn, intending to take a well-deserved nap after the work he had done overnight.

A ways away in town, the very same sunlight that illuminated Spike also glinted off of a metallic object that had been placed delicately outside of Carousel Boutique’s door. Its golden wire surrounded beautiful gems; the amethysts, emeralds and rubies provided the crafted jewelry with a certain purposeful beauty. The necklace came together to match perfectly with a dress that was finished, but had yet to be made.

A small, circular medal medallion was secured at the very bottom of the necklace’s curve. In the center of this medallion, a small but brilliant diamond faced outward. It was to be the focal point of the viewer’s attention.

However, on the back of this medallion, a message had been carefully inscribed.

With much love,

For my Muse

Back on the hillside, Spike smiled…and then, Spike dreamt.