> Guardian > by BronyG > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 - Black outs and Ballroom dances > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a big day for a certain purple and green dragon, bigger than he could possibly have anticipated. Today, many of his friends would come together to celebrate his birth, and his official transition into Stallionhood, or whatever term would describe a Dragon’s coming of age. The festivities were being held in Canterlot this year due to the responsibilities of a certain purple Alicorn. Spike wished that the celebration could have been held in Ponyville, like in previous years, however circumstances prevented their ability to return to the Library that he and Twilight had come to know as home. Spike liked attention, but seeing the amount of ponies that were entering the building, he was beginning to miss the intimate celebration with his six best friends. Spike was able to recognize some of the guests that entered, while others were invited due to royal affiliations. Twilight greeted the guests as was befitting of a host, while spike sat near a window on an overlooking balcony, mentally recalling many of his life experiences. Only now 17, he had survived a changeling invasion, saved a lost empire, watched his closest friend transform into a goddess, and entered a strange parallel world. He smiled as the adventures played out in his head, and was excited of the prospect that many more adventures most certainly lay ahead in the future. He looked himself over in the window that he stood in front of and noted for the umpteenth time that day his impressive size, putting a sly smirk on his face. He was considerably taller than Twilight; in fact, he nearly rivaled the height of Princess Celestia. His spines had begun to take on a slightly sharper edge to them, and his muzzle had elongated, loosing much of the baby chub that previously enveloped it. He looked the older dragon he had become. However, the drudgery of the current situation returned as he pulled himself away from the window, to greet the multitude of guests who waited to hear his appreciation for their presence. Twilight moved aside and gave him a reassuring wink as he passed her to make him feel better. Recalling his lessons in etiquette, he cleared his throat, straightened his jacket and bowtie, and started to speak. “Thank you all for attending this evening,” He had almost forgotten how deep his voice had gotten, this transformation was the newest of his attributes and the alien sound that was emitted from his throat threw him off every so often. Quickly recovering, he continued. “Twilight and I are greatly honored by your presence and hope that we may prove as worthy hosts and…” This time his words were caught in his throat, the walls around him began spinning and he started loose sensation in his arms and legs. Then his vision blacked out. He backed away shakily from the guests to try and clear his head unsure of what was happening. Twilight looked back concernedly at her friend wanting to help him, however she knew that she couldn't ignore the guests. So she stepped forward and quickly tried to finish the speech. As Twilight concluded, the sound of low chatter was heard as the “party” began. Twilight rushed over to Spike, putting a hoof on his shoulder and gently shaking him. “Spike, Spike, are you alright?” Spike could hear her but was unable to respond, all he saw was blackness, all he could feel was a cold numbness. Spike’s eyes looked glazed over and almost dead, Twilight fearing for him put her ear to his heart, a loud, yet very slow beat resonated in his chest. “That’s far too slow for a Dragon’s heart beat”, she thought to herself. Beginning to panic, she shouted “SPIKE!” The entire room looked up on the balcony to see what the commotion was and the ball room grew silent. Spike quickly snapped out of his trance shaking his head violently, a ringing slowly subsiding in his ears. “Huh, sorry Twilight, kind of zoned out there” “Spike, are you alright?” Twilight asked, a look of true concern in her eyes as she let out a pent up breath. “Yeah, never better” he replied flexing his claws to make sure the numbness had left his extremities. “But your heart…” “Twi, I’m fine, really” he sported a goofy grin which showed his rows of now fearsome looking fangs. She giggled to herself and hugged him, “Sorry, you just kind of scared me a little, that’s all” Spike smiled down at her and was about to return the hug when he noticed the multitude of eyes staring up at them. Blushing, he whispered to Twilight “I think we are kind of making a scene here” She quickly disengaged from him blushing as well, “Sorry” she smiled up at him. Assuming everything was alright, the guests turned back to their previous activities. Seeing all the ponies below, a frown started to creep across Spike’s face. “What’s wrong?” Twilight asked. “I just wish the girls could have been here too” Spike sighed. Earlier that day, Spike had received a letter which almost broke his heart. His five closest friends from Ponyville were unable to attend the celebration. Each had reasons as to why and they gave their deepest apologies. Spike may have been disappointed, but he didn't blame them; he knew they all had their own lives to live. “Sometimes not everything can work out, that’s just life” Spike mentally told himself. “I know Spike, I do too, but things just happen sometimes”, she hugged him again to try and lift his spirits up. As he hugged her back, she could feel the developed muscles of his shoulders and chest stretch and move against her fur. A light blush fell on to her cheeks. “Tell you what”, Twilight said, “tomorrow, we will go back to Ponyville and have a little get together with the gang, like old times”. Spike’s eyes lit up “Really Twi? You mean it?” “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye” Twilight giggled. The giggle was contagious as they both started to laugh at the phrase. To Twilights disappointment Spike broke out of the hug first and started to walk toward the crowd. Watching him, she sighed. She would do anything for her lit-, no now her very large (and handsome) assistant. From the moment he was hatched, she had instantly connected to the drake. However even from a young age, she realized the macabre reality of their friendship, “He is going to outlive me. He’ll watch as I grow old and wither away”. This fear had rooted itself in the back of her mind for many years, up until that fateful day, the day that she too became immortal. She then knew that she could always be there for him, and he for her. “Why can I never seem to be able to tell him?” “Think we can take them?” Spike joked looking back at Twilight, snapping her out of her thoughts. Composing herself, she giggled back, “Probably” “I’ll take the left flank, you take the right” Twilight blushed at said word like a foal, her mind apparently not completely cleared. Spike noticed this and teased her saying “Ew Twi! Get your mind out of the gutter!” She blushed harder and looked away, apparently the teasing had done more than he intended. Feeling a little guilty, he walked back beside her and offered his arm to the Alicorn, smiling, offering to be her escort. Twilight accepted and two descended into the throng that awaited them, however they were unaware of the guest that watched them descend, plotting, and a devious gleam in his eyes… “Hurry up Dashie! We want this place to look Absotively Posolutely Perfect for when they get back!” Pinkie said as she bounced excitedly finishing up the decorations at Spike and Twilight’s abode in Canterlot. “Pinkie, the Party just started, we have plenty of time to finish the place” Rainbow Dash retorted, lightly laughing at the over enthusiastic pink pony. “I know, but this is such a big day for him and I want him to be really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really…” Rainbow rolled her eyes and finished putting the streamers on the ceiling. She then went to help Apple Jack and Rarity in the kitchen with the food for their surprise “after birthday party”. “Hoowee, Pinkie sounds more excited than a star spider in a parasprite swarm!” Apple Jack observed while mixing the batter for Spikes Cake. “And why shouldn't she be darling?” Rarity questioned, “After all, this is one of the largest surprises that she has ever pulled off. Oh, I can't wait to see the overjoyed look in little Spikey's face” she cooed as she used her magic to replace a set of baking pans in the oven. “Well Ah know that y’all” Apple Jack replied, “Ah’m just as excited.” “Yeah, I guess it is a pretty big day for the little guy, but still one thing bothers me. Shouldn't he have grown wings by now, I was hoping I could teach him to fly for his birthday” Rainbow Dash inquired while sticking a hoof in the batter. Rarity used her magic to slap the thieving Pegasus’s hoof with a spatula then looked back at Apple Jack with a saddened look in her eye. The cowgirl nodded her head and Rarity returned her gaze to cyan pony. “Rainbow Dash darling…” Rarity began, “Spike will never be able to fly.” Apple Jack finished. “WHAT?!” Rainbow Dash shot into the air with a dumbfounded look on her face. “Twilight broke the news to us the other day” Apple Jack explained, “She was wonderin’ about it too, so she performed some sort of spell that would tell her if he would eventually get ‘em while he was asleep”. “It is rather tragic really” Rarity sighed sadly, “She decided not to tell him until after his birthday. She didn't want to ruin his big day” Rainbow Dash slowly descended from the air and landed with her head slightly lowered. “Poor guy” Rainbow whispered. The thought of not being able to fly was unimaginable to her. She could only imagine how disappointed the drake would be. After years of waiting, fate would be cruel enough to pull this slight of hand. “REALLY SURPRISED!” Pinkie skipped into the kitchen, “Hey, why is every pony such a frownie downy?” Spike was listening to a long winded anecdote from a middle aged pony he didn't even know. The earth pony ranted on and on about “Cherishing your youth and making good decisions in your life”. Not wanting to be rude Spike smiled and nodded to the Stallion all the while trying anything to keep his brain from imploding with boredom. As if an answer to his prayer, a clumsy grey Pegasus accidentally spilled her drink on the Earth Pony’s waist coat, causing him to turn his lecture into a tirade against the inconsideration of the mare. Spike used the distraction as his getaway. Once he was sure the older colt could not locate him, he began looking for somepony, anypony that he recognized. Finally he found a familiar face. Lyra Heartstrings was considered a mad pony by many of the citizens of Ponyville due to her constant obsession with the mythical notion of humans. Spike didn’t believe her himself until he actually encountered the funky looking apes several years ago with Twilight. He always enjoyed recounting the tale of “Canterlot High School” to the eccentric aquamarine unicorn. As he approached, he could see that she was preaching the word of homo sapiens to an extremely annoyed Canterlot unicorn. “…and it’s amazing all the things they are capable of, and get this, without wings or magic. They don’t need to control the weather, they make all these really cool gadgets, and they always talk about… oh hey Spike!” The stuffy unicorn made a quick getaway as Lyra walked over to the bored looking dragon. “Hey Lyra, at least there is one pony that I can talk to who isn't completely mind numbing” Lyra chuckled, “Looks like someone isn't having fun at his party” “If you can call this a party” Spike said while gesturing at the mass of elite ponies whose presence made the atmosphere completely dull. “No kidding, now if Pinkie were here…” Lyra put a hoof to her mouth, she already new about the absent elements and watched as a hurt expression went across Spike’s face, “I’m sorry Spike, I didn’t mean to…” Spike waved it off, “No, don’t worry about it Lyra, I’m not too upset. It’s just, I wish I could have experienced this day with them”. Spikes ears spines shot up as her heard the distant giggling of several young mares in the distance. He rolled his eyes and let out an exaggerated huff as Lyra looked over his shoulder to see where the sound had come from. Trying, and failing, to be inconspicuous, was a group of elite unicorn mares, all of them blushing and giggling at the sight of the dragon. A mischievous smile crept across Lyra’s face. “Friends of yours?” “Hardly" he rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately, being the personal assistant to a princess automatically makes you Canterlot’s second most eligible bachelor” Spike said, his voice dripping with annoyance. As he looked back, one of the mares, a rather pretty sky blue unicorn with lilac hair waved to him with a handkerchief in her hoof. Spike forced forced a grin and gave a small wave back. The little group began to giggle again while spike hissed through his teeth, “How I wish I could wipe those silly grins off their faces”. Lyra was in hysterics the entire time. “Who’d of thought that you would become such a mare’s man Spike” “I wish Rarity could see that” Spike thought to himself. Even though the school filly crush had passed, Spike always had a small area in his heart that he felt belonged to the fashionista. Out of the friends who couldn't come, he was most disappointed in her absence. He was hoping that tonight, she could see him as more than just the cute little baby dragon who always trailed at her hooves in adoration. Maybe she could see that there could be love now he was older, possibly even share a slow dance or two… “Hello Equestria to Spike! You in there?” Lyra waved a hoof in front of the day dreaming dragons snout, waking him up from his second zone out that evening. “Sorry Lyra, I seem to be absent minded tonight” “Well I’m glad I didn’t have to hug you to wake you up” Lyra deviously smirked while nudging the drakes shoulder scales. Spike immediately blushed, “Twilight only hugged me because she was concerned, and that is not what snapped me out of it” he said huffily crossing his arms. Lyra decided to be cruel for a little longer and continued torment the crimson dragon. “Uh huh, and you hugging her back didn't mean anything either?” Now Spike was just getting mad, he really did love Twilight, but only as an extremely close friend. Whenever somepony teased about them being an item, he would become surprisingly agitated. Why was that? It wasn't like he like, liked Twilight, Right? Lyra had caught on to this little trigger years ago and would occasionally wedge her way underneath his scales. Seeing she may have taken it a bit far Lyra giggled “Hey, I was only teasing tough guy, everypony already knows that you have a crush on…” All of a sudden, the room became quiet as the Canterlot orchestra began to play a slow song. The lead cellist Octavia made her instrument sing the prelude to a well-known love song as Whitney Horseton stepped up to the microphone. “Now fillies and gentlecolts, everypony find sompony you hold near and dear to your hearts, cause we about to kick off the first slow dance of the evening in celebration for a certain dragon we all know and love”. “Spiiiiiiiiike!” Every scale on Spike’s body stood on end as he heard the small stampede of smitten mare’s begin to call his name and ask for the first dance. “Hey, hate to leave on such short notice but I gotta’ dash!” He snaked his way into the throng of ponies trying his best not to attract the silly fillies that now hunted him down; a rather difficult task considering his height and the refractive properties of his scales. Lyra stepped out of the way of the mares as they tried to follow their pray into the crowd. “Go get ‘em Tiger!” she shouted after him. She turned around and made her way toward Bon Bon who, standing on her tippy hooves, was clearly looking for her. Sneaking up on the cream earth pony, Lyra held a hoof out and asked in a formal voice, “May I have this dance?” Bon Bon whipped her head around and smiled at the unicorn. Half lidding her eyes, she replied, “I would be honored”. The couple made their way to the middle of the ballroom where many ponies had already partnered up. Twilight walked around the ball room deep in thought, “What exactly happened with Spike on the Balcony. He was in a catatonic state, that much was obvious, but what could have triggered it? He seemed fine all day long; could it have been a stroke, low blood pressure, CANCER?” Her mind was so preoccupied thinking the worst she barely avoided walking into a column in the middle of the ballroom. The close encounter was enough of a distraction to prevent her from going into one of her bouts of paranoia. She giggled to herself “Or I could be completely over reacting. I just can’t imagine anything happening to him, especially on a day like today. I could never forgive myself if something…” “Now fillies and gentlecolts, everypony find sompony you hold near and dear to your hearts…” Whitney Horseton spoke into the microphone. “What? Is it really that time already?” Twilight had scheduled this party out to so that the slow dances would be timed out equidistant from each other so that the evening wouldn't become too monotonous. But the first dance wasn't scheduled until… She looked at the great clock over the entrance to the ball room. “Wow, did I really lose track of that much time?” Twilight took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She reassured herself that Spike was going to be alright. He was a growing dragon after all. And nopony new exactly what is or isn't normal in their growth cycle. Putting the worry to the back of her mind, Twilight decided she might try her hoof at a slow dance. She was about to ask a rather attractive looking golden Pegasus with blue hair to dance, but she arrived a hoof step too late as he sauntered off with a pretty young unicorn who beat Twilight to him. She then decided to ask an Earth Pony who was near her but was disappointed when she saw his date trot up to him and they both went off holding hooves to dance. She tried several more times with similar results. “Is there really no pony for me to dance with?” Tears began to form in her eyes as Twilight walked away, her head held low. It had always been like this, she was the book worm, the egghead, the nerd. Even as a princess, she always came across as unappealing or intimidating to almost every stallion she met. This instance just proved that this was true. A tear fell from her cheek as the song officially started. “If I should stay, I would only be in your way…” She felt a familiar claw lightly tap her shoulder, looking back, she saw Spike looking compassionately at her. Holding out his claw, he asked in a sweet voice, “I'll dance with you Twi”. Twilight quickly wiped away the tears and smiled, warmth began to fill her chest. Spike shifted his weight so he could stand on two legs, then helped Twilight to do the same, holding her close as to help her keep her balance. As the instruments began to accompany the sweet singing, Spike led the dance, turning in small circles, stepping in time to the music and drifted alongside the other couples in the ballroom. Twilight looked up at her friend and could see his eyes were closed, as he took in the music. Blushing, she rested her head against his stomach, nuzzling into the soft scales a little. Spike looked down at his friend, a smile gracing his face. This is what he lived for, making the quirky little unicor-, Alicorn smile. Looking over his shoulder, he could see Lyra and Bon Bon happily dancing together, their noses softly leaning into the other’s shoulder. Spike continued to smile as he took his eyes off the two and watched as many, many other couples were doing likewise. Looking back he could feel Twilight’s soft warm breath against his scales, and he decided “Why not?” Sinking down onto all fours, he braced his chest against Twilight's and wrapped his neck behind her head. Twilight was pleasantly surprised by the change in dancing position. “And I-ee-I, will always love you…” Twilight nuzzled into Spike’s shoulder in complete happiness. She knew that he was doing this as a friend, but she cherished the moment all the same. Spike may one day find out about her feelings for him, or they might live on as simply friends. But right now Twilight was just enjoying this tender moment between her, and her assistant. Spike felt her nuzzle into his neck and let out a soft sigh, causing a rumble to resound in his chest as he discovered that he too was truly enjoying the moment. Closing his eyes, the melodic saxophone added an atmosphere of romance in the room. Reopening his eyes, he could see several of the couples sneaking quick kisses, or press their noses together. Lyra and Bon Bon were intermittently switching between the two. Spike closed his eyes again when he felt Twilight’s head shift, surprised he found himself face to face to her. Their chests still touching, she looked up at him, a tiny twinkle in her eyes and a sweet smile on her face. Spike’s heart melted, there she was. Twilight, the mare that had always been there for him, looking very beautiful in the dimmed lights of the ballroom, her eyes slowly closed and leaned up toward spike. Spike’s heart was beating fast in his ears and he felt his head, as if by some unseen force (probably gravity) begin to lower down closer and closer to the mare. “AND I-EE-I, WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!” He closed his eyes, as their snouts and foreheads pressed against each other and they both began to breathe deeply as both of their hearts went a pitter patter. They continued to dance, but it was more of a rocking motion than the previous sweeping circles. Twilight nudged spike and he lifted his head up to see a smile on her lips and a blush on her cheeks. The song slowly began to conclude and their heads began to get closer and closer, soon he could smell the lavender aroma of her hair, and she could feel his hot breath sweep over her face, warming her entire body. Both of their eyes were closed, they lingered there for a moment as the song ended. Then they began to close the small gap. Time seemed to stand still for the dragon, at first he was hesitant, but he thought the same thought occurred to him, “Why not?” and continued forward. Before their lips made contact, a bright flash emanated in the sky followed by a loud and hollow BOOM! High pitched screams were emitted from many ponies, stallions included, as the entire ball room began to erupt into chaos. Spike protectively positioned himself in front of Twilight and let out a low, loud growl. Then they heard it echo through the halls. A deep, maniacal chuckle that sent shivers down the spines of every pony in the room. > Chapter 2 - Deep thoughts and Ominous fears > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “AH HA HA HA! Oh, you should have seen the looks on all of your faces. It was priceless!” “DISCORD!” Twilight screamed at the Draconequus, “You promised you would behave tonight!” Beside the god chaos scaring the living daylights out of the guests, he had also interrupted her and Spike just before they were about to… “Oh my” Twilight blushed, “Was Spike really about to k-kiss me?” Her eyes looked up at Spike dreamily, with a light blush on her cheeks. “Well I would have kept to my word if this party wasn't such a Boooore!” Discord groaned. “I mean come on Twilight, I know that you’re no Pinkie but for Celestia’s sake, this is the boy’s 17th Birthday. There needs to be games! There needs to be drinks! There needs to be sexy mares dancing on…” “Discord, it’s fine, really” Spike interrupted, laughing a little at the combined look of embarrassment and rage that was now on Twilight’s face. Over the years, Spike had eventually gotten over his fear of the Draconequus and the two surprisingly had become good friends. Most likely due to that fact that they shared a commonality; they were the odd men out. After his journey on the great dragon migration, Spike had given up any and all hope of ever reconnecting with his species. They were just too wild, too brutish, and too cruel. And despite the loving friends he was surrounded by, there was always a part of him that felt completely alone. Spike guessed that Discord was in a similar predicament, because it wasn't long before they were able to find solace in each other’s loneliness. Much of what Spike had learned about dragons came from Discord’s unusual, yet vast knowledge; how to control greed without hindering his natural growth, how to control fire, even, when the time was right, how to fly. In return, Spike taught Discord how to behave tolerably around other ponies, as well as putting up with his tricks from time to time. Discord descended to the ground receiving many an angry glare from the surrounding ponies. He ignored them and walked up to Spike saying, “Oh pooh, Spike. You just don’t want to hurt princess grumpy-pants’ feelings” This brought about another scowl from the Alicorn, Discord replied by snaking his forked tongue out at her. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a party to save”. Discord snapped his fingers, and then everything was enveloped in a blinding white light. When spike opened his eyes, the entire venue was transformed. The once formal atmosphere had been entirely changed to emulate a nightclub. Discord had completely outdone himself. The room was darkened so that the beams of multicolored strobe lights were clearly visible. The entire ballroom was cleared to make way for an enormous dance floor, and in all four corners of the room there were three bars and a DJ station. Each bar served a different item. The first was for cider, the second for food, and third was for, “Is that cotton candy?” Spike thought to himself. Discord appeared in what Spike assumed was supposed to be the modern attire. His hair was stylishly ruffled and a pair of golden Aviators was perched on his snout. He wore a burgundy, white and black piebald hoodie that read Equestrian Eagle across the front in wonky letters, and a black V-neck underneath. Stroking his chin, Discord seemed to be contemplating whether or not the atmosphere matched the celebration. “Eh, too new age” Discord croaked, and then proceeded to snap his fingers. The room was again enveloped in the chaos maker’s white light as he felt the room begin to rise in temperature. Significantly! “Feliz Cumpleaños!” a small group of ponies sang out. The entire room somehow seemed to be transformed into a desert. Then the mariachi band played forth a jovial serenade. “Too hot” Discord stated, wearing a black poncho and extremely large brimmed sombrero. Snapping his fingers, Spike felt the heat cool somewhat as a ukulele began to be strummed. The room remained indoors this time, as palm trees and angry looking tiki faces screamed Luau. Discord was dancing the hula with a group of mares wearing a coconut bra and grass skirt. “To tropic” Discord laughed as he spun one of the mares around. Discord snapped his fingers again, “MAZEL TOV!” Spike’s head began to swim as Discord’s snapping progressively became faster and faster, offering a multitude of venues from all over Equestria. “See anything you like yet old chap?” Looking back at Twilight, any irritation that she had held for the Draconequus’s interruption had transformed into complete dismay. He could see it in her eyes, she returned his gaze, apparently holding back her tears she beamed a watery smile toward her friend. “Spike, if you want a different venue, it’s alright with me. I know that my party planning skills are nowhere near as good as Pinkie’s and I want this day to be special for you. You’re not going to hurt my feelings” she said with an almost inaudible tremble in her voice, almost. Spike knew she was lying for his sake. She had spent so much time getting all of this ready just for him, even with the ridiculously busy schedule he personally knew she had to deal with on a daily basis. Spike began to turn back toward the Draconequus but caught something in his peripheral vision; a single tear fell from Twilight’s eye. Spike felt his heart drop with the tear, “She must feel so worthless right now, all of her hard work and every time Discord snaps his fingers, he effortlessly outshines her. I should know what it is like to be unappreciated…” His subconscious briefly drifted toward the memories of his servitude to the white unicorn. Finally making up his mind called out to the chaos maker, “Discord” “Yes Spike?” Discord floated down garbed in a kilt and holding a bagpipe, “Make up your mind?” “I have. I want you to return this room to exactly the way it was before” Spike said to him, not unkindly, but with a sternness in his voice. Twilight’s head snapped up. Had he really just said that? Here he was being offered the dream party, yet he still wanted the venue that she put together? Twilight’s heart began to warm as she witnessed the kindness her assistant was showing towards her. “Maybe it’s more than just kindness…” Spike had always been like this, self-sacrificing, willing to put his own happiness aside for the sake of his friends. This was probably the characteristic Twilight liked most about him. However because of his nature, Spike could, and had been taken advantage of, even by some of their closest friends… “Ah, ho ho ho. You have got to be joking Spike. That venue was absolutely horrible, even you were about to die from boredom. Now really, tell me what you want, for tonight, your wish is my command” The Draconequus made a low sweeping bow, causing the back of his kilt to lift high enough to show his nethers. Two stallions were unfortunate enough to catch a glimpse and, immediately turning green, ran off toward the nearest area to purge themselves of their memory and the contents of their stomach. “Spike, this is about what you want, don’t do this for my sake” Twilight said behind him. Without hesitation Spike replied “Very well then, my wish remains the same” Discord gave a deadpan stare at Spike, “You’re serious?” all mirth completely lacking in his voice. “Deathly” Spike replied, a little irritation becoming evident. Discord let out a disappointed sigh and groaned “Very well”. Snapping his fingers, the room returned to the elegant ball it was before the chaos maker had made his entrance. “But at least allow me to choose the music” Spike could see that next to the Canterlot Royal Orchestra was the world renowned DJ, Vinyl Scratch had materialized. “Alright Everypony, who is ready to get their funk on?” A small cheer emanated from the group as the white unicorn began to fill the room with some of the hippest and most dance enducing songs known to ponydom. All the while receiving a death stare from her grey roommate. “I guess it’s a fair deal” Spike smiled up at the Draconequus Discord disrobed from the kilt and discarded the bagpipe unceremoniously. He teleported right next to Spike, leaning an elbow on his shoulder. Turning his head around a full 180^o, similarly to Owliscious, the Draconequus addressed Twilight. “You don’t mind if I borrow him for a bit? I promise I’ll have him back by the next slow dance” an evil grin escaped his lips as he guided Spike away from the blushing and stammering Alicorn. Using his lion paw to turn his head in the right direction, he directed his conversation toward the dragon. “Soooooo, you gonna tell your old pal what went on during that dance, I only appeared just before you two were about to lock lips but…” Spike turned beet red, “Oh my goddess! Was I really about to kiss Twilight? What was that all about? Am I… falling for her now?” “That’s what I would like to know!” Spike nearly jumped out of his scales and let out a frightened yelp as the Discord’s voice echoed inside his head. “How many times do I have to tell you? Stay out of my head!” Spike glared at the smirking Draconequus. “Oh, but it is so much fun to see what goes on in that mind of yours. You have the strangest thoughts you know, like that one time that you were day dreaming about Rarity being covered from horn to hoof in…” “And that is right where I am going to stop you pal!” Spike halted in his tracks, positioning himself in front of his teasing friend, looking directly into his eyes. “I really don’t like it when anypony else is able to read my thoughts, I feel like my privacy is being invaded” “Well it’s not my fault you make it so easy” Discord huffed, sticking his nose into the air. “What are you talking about? What do you mean I make it so easy?” Spike looked confusedly at Discord. “What I mean is you don’t even put up a fight! You just let me walk right into your mind like I own the place. I would have expected a barrier if not an alarm at the least that would let you know your mind was being invaded…” “Wait, so what you’re telling me is that I can prevent magic users, even you from getting into my head?” “Isn’t that what I have been saying all along? Geez, no wonder Twilight is the brains between you two love birds” “We are not love birds, we are just friends” Spike hissed between his teeth, a small plume of smoke rising from his nostrils. “Ouch, friend zoning Princess grouchy, that’s got to burn”. Discord accentuated his statement by causing a plush version of Twilight to burst into flames. Spike rolled his eyes, “Getting back on topic, how do I do it? Is it a form of magic, or an incantation I have to recite?” Discord levitated into the air, staring down at Spike, “Not at all my dear boy, it’s actually more of a discipline that you acquire. Let’s see, how can I put this in a way that your walnut of a brain can understand” Discord moved to the left as a green stream of fire sizzled by where his body once floated. Discord looked down at the dragon and chuckled lightly to himself. Being the spirit of Disharmony, he had to vent his chaotic anxieties somehow. By some unspoken agreement, Spike had become that outlet, probably due to his care free and jovial nature, Discord could joke around without driving the dragon mad. “But it is such fun to see him lose his temper” “Well, as I was saying, try to imagine this. Your mind is a chest, filled with memories, thoughts, emotions, and knowledge. Now, how do you typically keep prying eyes and hooves out of valuable chests?” Discord asked, waiting for the dragon’s response. “Well, typically with locks” Spike replied, not understanding what Discord was getting at. “Precisely! Oh thank Celestia’s Beard; there is hope for you yet!” Discord threw is arms into the air dramatically as a triumphant chorus sang out behind him, Spike simply dead panned at the Draconequus. Discord remained in this position even after the chorus had stopped singing. Nothing was said between them for a while as Spike began to lose patience. Sighing he asked “So what does any of this have to do with protecting my mind?” Discord descended slightly, assuming a floating Zen position. “Well, essentially, you have to create a lock for your mind, a series of numbers, a specific image, or even a riddle that only you know the answer to. The lock is mentally manifested through years of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can guard even the deepest of your secrets” Spike looked up stupefied at the Draconequus, “Can you teach me how to do it?” he asked excitedly. Discord smiled down approvingly at Spike, “My boy, I thought you’d never ask” Twilight looked on as Discord walked off with Spike, still trying to come out of the stupor the Draconequus put her in. Just as she began to relax, a welcome voice called out from the crowd, “Twily!” Coming to, Twilight turned around and beamed up at the white stallion she knew and loved. They embraced, and lightly laughed with joy at seeing one another. Being the prince of the Crystal Empire, as well as her own royal duties, Twilight and Spike rarely had the chance to find any real time to spend Shining Armor. They were both ecstatic to discover that he was more than happy to come to the celebration, unfortunately unaccompanied by his wife. Cadence had to remain in the Crystal Empire to maintain order, much to all of their disappointment. Shining Armor looked Twilight up and down lovingly then noted “Wow, you seem to be growing taller! My tittle of BBBFF might have to be changed to LBBBFF” Twilight looked quizzically at him, “LBBBFF?” “Little big brother best friend forever” They both laughed hard at his joke, “Yeah, but not as much as Spike has” Twilight replied while still chuckling. “Really?” Shining looked surprised at her, “How much bigger?” “You’re going to have to talk to him and see for yourself” she teased, then turned around to call for him, but was unable to locate the large purple dragon in the crowd. She was about to begin searching for him when she hear another pair of hoof steps come behind her. Turning around she beamed up at her mentor and friend Princess Celestia. Shining Armor bowed as she passed smiling humbly while Twilight Ran up and embraced the goddess. “Princess Celestia, I so glad you were able to make it!” “So am I dear Twilight, you and Spike are like family after all” Looking up at the stage, she smirked at the DJ station. “I can take it that Discord has already arrived ahead of me?” she giggled lightly. Twilight let out a frustrated sigh, “Yeah. No offence princess, but I just don’t get what you see in him. He is not at all attractive, lacks any and all maturity, and thrives on the discomfort of others” she complained, blushing a little at their most recent conversation. Celestia looked off distantly in the crowd, a small and loving smile gracing her lips. “He may seem to be out of control, but he can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him. He was so looking forward to arriving here; you do realize that Spike is like a little brother to him” “Yeah, but I am just afraid that he may be a bad influence on Spike” Twilight replied softly Celestia giggled omnipotently “You have not need fear of that dear Twilight. In fact, I believe it to be Spike who is the influence between the two of them” Twilight beamed, it was true that Spike's hard working attitude, humor, and generous nature could be contagious. “I’m sorry for my doubts about him, it’s just that I still haven’t quite been able to associate the term ‘friend’ to him yet” she confessed. “Twilight, I know that you still harbor feelings of anger and mistrust towards Discord, but you have to see him for who he is today. He may seem juvenile and malicious, but it’s his way of saying that he cares for you” Twilight looked doubtfully at her mentor, but decided to drop the matter for the present. “Well even if you are in the company of the Lord of Chaos, it is still good to see you here”, she said giving her mentor another compassionate hug. Twilight then noticed Shining Armor waiting patiently for her off to the side. After excusing herself from the princess, she joined her brother and the two of them went off in search of Spike. Watching the two ponies walk off, Celestia felt the familiar touch of a lion paw on her left shoulder. Smiling mischievously, she turned her head to the right to catch the Draconequus. A look of confusion replaced the smirk, as she continued to look from left to right and even making a small circle trying to locate the owner of the paw. Finally she looked up as she heard cheeky laughter. “That’s not playing fair” Celestia whined “My dear, with me, you should know that I never play fair” Discord descended from his superior position and landed on all fours in front of her. He leaned in and rubbed his snout against hers causing her to scrunch her nose and tightly close her eyes grinning. “So, were you able to talk with Spike?” Celestia asked, separating their contact. “Why yes, as a matter of fact, I tried to convince him to change the venue but he was sooooooo concerned about Princess Prissy’s feelings that he persuaded me to leave things the way there were… mostly” He smirked at the last word while observing an animated tiki mask scamper along in the back ground chasing a Pegasus filly. “Was that all, it seemed you were gone longer than that?” Celestia inquired. This time, a more serious expression could be seen on the Draconequss’s face “No, I also… shared some of my knowledge with him” “What did you teach him this time?” Celestia looked sceptically at the Draconequus. “Oh, nothing much, simply cerebral manifestation and telepathic defense” the Draconequus spoke quickly and in a lower tone “WHAT?” Celestia yelled at him, “I told you not to teach him anything concerning his mind. One it’s his birthday, and two you and I both know that he still requires prerequisite training before he could even attempt to accomplish such a high level of mental discipline, you know that…” “He’s already mastered it” Discord interrupted her flatly. “He, what?” Celestia looked disbelievingly at him. “I was able to work with him for a short time, but to my surprise, he was able to barricade me from his mind. Who would have thought that Dragons are such skilled riddlers?” Discord asked rhetorically Celestia could only look at him with a dumbfounded expression. “He was able to keep even you out?” “Yes” the Draconequus beamed at the Alicorn “But that still doesn’t excuse you from risking his mind like that; he could have accidentally locked his own consciousness in there. Then no pony would have been able to set him free!” Celestia scolded, her anger starting to reemerge. “If the boy was not capable of the task, I would not have offered to teach him” the Draconequus replied heatedly, turning his back to her. All of a sudden, it dawned on Celestia, “You had another Nightmare didn’t you?” Discord rotated his body back toward her but his eyes only make contact with the ground, sadness and fear clearly visible in them. By his appearance, Celestia did not need a verbal affirmation. Extending her wings to hold him close to her, she whispered, “What happened this time?” Spike roamed around, a proud and ecstatic grin on his face. He had done it, now nopony, or Draconequus, would ever be able to invade his mind again. This assurance brought a sense of what spike believed to be inner peace inside of him. The peace was interrupted when a thunderous rumble coursed through his gut. Spike put a claw to his stomach, giggling lightly to himself “Now I know why Twilight asked me to make her so many snacks when she was studying, who knew that concentrating so hard could be so energy consuming?” As he made his way to one of the buffet tables, his eyes widened at what he saw. Twilight may have had a bad taste in party planning, but her catering instincts were killer. From rubies, to diamonds, to amethyst, there was a spread of every kind of jewel known in Equestria. Spike rapidly approached the table and was about to dive into the delectable stones when he heard a small gasp, he looked down from where the sound emanated and saw a young unicorn filly, looking up at the gems excitedly. Spike’s heart melted as the magenta filly with curly cyan hair eyed the jewels with absolute wonder. Returning to the table, he selected a pink sapphire that was in the shape of a heart. He then bent down to eye level with her, and smiled saying “Would you like a gem?” At first she was slightly scared by Spike's intimidating presence, but when she saw the gem he held out to her in his claw, she lit up brighter than Celestia’s sun. She timidly grabbed the gem and was about to run off when she looked back at the kind smile that was on Spike’s face. Losing some of her timidity, she went back and hugged his forearm, saying “Thank you mistew dwagon” He patted her lightly on the head and she ran off giggling, excited to show her mother the treasure she was gifted. That reaction always brought warmth to his cold blooded heart, pure and innocent happiness. The warm fuzzies were pushed aside when a painful gurgling groaned as to remind him of his original purpose “Yeah, yeah, I was just getting to that” Spike had already shoveled a few claw-fulls of topaz into his maw when his ears picked up an eerily familiar group of gigglers. With his cheeks full and gem dust covering his bottom lip, he almost spit the contents of his mouth out when he turned around and visually identified his followers. Swallowing hard, he backed himself against the table as the throng of mares blocked him from escape on all sides. “That had to be the sweetest thing I have ever seen. I never knew dragons could be so generous and tenderhearted” the same sky blue unicorn from earlier doted at him. “You would make an amazing father someday!” Another one blushed from behind her. “And an even better boyfriend” A third mare, an emerald earth pony with lime and lemon streaked hair said as she placed a confident hoof on Spike’s chest. “That’s it; I have to lose them, for GOOD this time!” “Well gee, t-thanks ladies!” He stammered, trying to find a means of escape. This was virtually impossible however due to the semicircle of adoring bachelorettes and the table of gems behind him, there was no way for him to- “Wait, the gems!” Leaning back farther, Spike was able to place both of his claws onto the edge of the table and held tightly. Just as the mares were about to pounce on him (or at least that’s what it looked like they were going to do), he pretended to lose his balance and fell down, taking the table with him. The gems dispersed in every direction giving him the perfect cover. This time, his scales would be able to hide him from his stalkers. The mares backed away from the spillage as he had anticipated and he carefully slithered away with the scattering gems as the ladies tried to recompose themselves. Once he saw the confused looks on their faces from a safe distance, he knew that he had fooled them. But he didn’t hesitate to put some more distance between him and his pursuers. Rainbow Dash finished putting the last of the decorations in place, just as Rarity, Apple Jack and Pinkie finished the confections in the kitchen. Floating to the floor she stepped back to admire her work. The decorations were no easy task, but Rainbow was proud of how it had come out. From the ceiling hung purple and green streamers and a large banner reading “Happy Birthday Spike” was stretched across the length of the back wall of the abode. Party games were scattered around the room as well as a table with Punch and an ever increasing assortment of deserts coming from the kitchen. Fluttershy sped in through the door, breathing heavily. “So sorry I’m late every pony!” I was caught up in some wind and, oh, you’re already done?” “You bet sugar cube, but it was a pretty quick job to do so don’t feel too bad” Apple jack said as she placed the last pie on the table. “Oh, but I feel so useless, I might as well not be at the party if I didn’t do anything to help” She was about to leave when a shimmer of blue magic caught her tail. “Nonsense darling!” Rarity chided from the kitchen door using her magic to hold her timid friend in place. “As Apple Jack said, it wasn’t that much to do. And besides, Spike would be heartbroken if you were the only one to not be here” Fluttershy turned around and faced her friends with a look of understanding on her face “I suppose you are right, but are you sure that it wasn’t too much trouble?” “Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eyes!” Pinkie recited beside Rarity. Fluttershy smiled as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her. “I really am sorry, it’s just that Angel was so very anxious before I left. I finally had to sing him to sleep in order for me to even think about leaving” “Ya sure do let that little critter run your life sometimes Fluttershy” Applejack said while approaching the yellow Pegasus. “Well typically I don’t anymore. It’s just that he seemed really against my coming here tonight”. “Well one never can truly understand what goes on in an animal’s mind, even you darling” Rarity spoke across the room while refolding the napkins with her magic. Fluttershy was about to refute the fashionista’s previous claim but decided she did not want to get into an argument. “Well, Fluttershy is here right? So now all we have to do is wait for Twilight and Spike to get back, does anypony know what time the party ends?” Rainbow Dash said while hovering in the middle of the room. “Well the invitation says that the event would end somewhere between one and two in the morning, which means that we have about another two to three hours before they get back, perhaps even longer if there is a delay” Rarity responded while levetating the purple invitation in front of her eyes. “Ugh! Two or more hours! I don’t think I could wait that long, maybe if I had a Daring Do book or something then maybe…” “Ooh, ooh, OOH! We could play some games while we wait for them. That would be a super duper way to pass the time!” Pinkie Pie chimed. “Great idea sugar cube” the cowgirl replied. “What ya’ll reckon we should play?” “How about truth or dare” Rainbow grinned slyly. Off to the side the farmer and the fashionista looked at each other with a worried look in their eyes. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Rarity began, “I mean, Fluttershy may not be too comfortable playing such a… social game” she said as an excuse to her own discomfort with the game. “I don’t mind Rarity, I’ve never played before so it might be alot of fun” The Pegasus beamed softly. “Then it’s settled!” The pink earth pony declared. Grabbing all of her friends, she deposited the four equines and herself in a circle next to the fire place. “So who wants to start?” “I will” the cyan Pegasus grinned evilly. “Apple Jack, truth or dare?” “Dare” Rainbow had anticipated this response from the cowgirl and chuckled as she issued the challenge. “I dare you to preen Fluttershy’s feathers” “WHAT!?!?!” both Apple Jack and Fluttershy screamed. “That’s the dare, no exceptions!” Rainbow Dash smirked crossing her hooves. Apple Jack timidly looked back at Fluttershy. The now beet red Pegasus was trembling slightly as she tried to compose a coherent sentence. “T-t-t-that’s not v-very, f-f-f-fair Rainbow” she started to bring her tail in front of her as a blanket of protection. “That’s t-technically a d-d-dare for the t-two of us” “Agreed!” Rarity spoke up, “As seeing that Rainbow Dash’s dare was a double dare, I move that she retract her challenge and forfeit her turn. All those in favor…” “Aye!” both Apple Jack and Fluttershy responded immediately. “Aye,” the unicorn said composedly. “Well that settles it, three to two” The farm pony interjected. “You guys are no fun” Rainbow Dash pouted. “Alright, I guess it means that it’s my turn” Apple Jack said after a slight pause. “Pinkie Pie, truth or dare?” “Dare, dare, dare!” the excitable pink pony proclaimed. Apple Jack thought for a minute then she smiled. “I dare you to not move a muscle for an entire minute” The pink pony looked petrified, “You fiend!” she whispered, but she tucked her hind legs to chest, securing them with her fore legs and held her breath. “One apple fritter, two apple fritters, three apple fritters…” the orange pony counted off Rarity smiled, then looked off into the distance, her mind elsewhere. Like Rainbow Dash, Rarity was looking forward to the time of Spike and Twilight’s arrival. Up until the last two years Spike had always pursued her, doing favors to win her heart. She did not realize how much she missed the help and attention until Twilight’s responsibilities had dragged the little drake away from her. A lot of thing went unsaid two years ago, her appreciation, his feelings for her, and her now conflicting feelings for him… “Rarity, truth or dare?” the Pinkie asked, sounding somewhat winded. “Pardon?” the unicorn asked after being snapped back to reality. “I said and I quote” the pink pony cleared her voice, “‘Rarity, truth or dare?’”. Rarity smiled then replied “Truth darling” “What were you just thinking about that caused you to look all” Pinkie recreated the dreamy and excited look that was just on her face a second ago. Rarity blushed, “Oh, w-well you see darling, my mind was on… other things”. She rubbed that back of her neck and giggled awkwardly. “What kind of things?” the Apple Jack asked probingly “I bet it was about a staaaaaaliooooon!” Pinkie teased while nudging the unicorn lightly in the side “I suppose you could say that” the fashionista sighed. Fluttershy let out a light gasp, “Oh, do tell us Rarity, is it somepony we know?” “Sorry girls, but you only asked why I thinking, not who I was thinking about” Rarity replied, “Besides if I told you who, it would make it all the more difficult whether or not to accept or deny his love…” > Chapter 3 - Premonitions and Dark Nights > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3 Premonitions and Dark Nights The Previous Night… The Princess of the night sat in her chambers, watching over the land that she loved so dearly. She had outdone herself this evening; a brilliant lilac tinted the horizon giving a warmth and life to the otherwise midnight blue sky. Her stars bedazzled the heavens like millions of perfect diamonds, and her moon, oh her moon, shown just as bright as her sister’s sun; but her light glowed with protection and serenity, promising her subjects that it would always keep through the night, just as she would for them, for her... Everything was perfect now. Luna moved away from her window and stood in the middle the room, her horn emitting a shimmering navy field as she concentrated on the unique spell that would transcend her consciousness into the realm of dreams. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Then as she reopened them, bright light was emitted from the orifices. Luna’s consciousness opened her eyes, and she found herself in the familiar void that was the collective minds of the universe. She softly landed on a glittering path of lights which would allow her to pass every dream that was conceived by her subjects. She never interfered with a dream unless a pony was experiencing a debilitating nightmare or needed her guidance. Here time was irrelevant, enabling her to check on every one of her beloved citizens before her sister would raise the sun. Tonight, every mind was at peace, nothing more than the minor insecurity flared up every once in a while. Then Luna felt a mind begin to grow more and more uneasy, as the shadows of nightmares began to feed off of the fear of their host. Luna arrived at the source of dark energy and discovered it to be that of the alabaster unicorn, Rarity. The nightmares had not yet seized their prey but dwelled in the recesses of the fashionista’s mind, waiting until the opportune moment when they could transform the dream into a feast of fear. The beasts of darkness had been Luna’s mortal enemy and sole responsibility ever since her sister and she were ordained the rulers of Equestria. When she was much younger, more brash and arrogant, she believed that the only way to repel the shadows was through the direct confrontation of combat. In the beginning, she would emerge victorious, but in the heat of battle, her emotions bled through at an unprecedented rate, and the Nightmares would learn more and more about the Princess of the Night each time they fought, her fears, her desires, her jealousy… But on that fateful night, they were able to seize her mind and bend her to their will, until her insecurities finally overtook her and Nightmare Moon was born. After her banishment, she discovered that though the Nightmares had great influence on dreams, they could never control it. That power belonged to the mind of the dreamer, which the Princess could guide and aid in banishing the fear with her subject rather than for them. Luna looked up at the looming shadows and smirked at them, “No supper tonight my fiends”. The Navy Alicorn then proceeded to enter into the unicorn’s dream, where she witnessed what she assumed to be a celebration of sorts. Upon further investigation, it was in fact the Birthday gathering of Twilight’s assistant Spike. Wondering what the dream meant, she heard two very familiar voices; the first was the dream’s conceiver, the other… “Spike, I am very flattered that you hold me in such regard, but…” “You don’t feel the same way about me” The dragon replied with venom. However as Luna noticed, this was a visage of Spike from the past, that of a chubby cheeked child, despite the banner that read ‘Happy 17th Birthday Spike’. “That’s not true!” Rarity replied, lifting the dragon’s chin with her hoof so she could look him in the eyes, “I do have feelings for you Spike, it’s just that…” “Just what Rarity?” Spike snatched his head away from the snowy hoof, tears leaking away from the corners of his eyes, and smoke streaming from his nostrils. “Just that after years of devotion, adoration and servitude, all you can see me as is just a smitten school drake? I’m not a child Rarity, I’ve grown up!” Tears now began to leak from her eyes as well, as she could not respond to his final statement. She did care for the little dragon, deeply in fact. But that was exactly the problem, to her he was still Spikey-Wikey, and to return his feelings would be akin to taking advantage of the innocence of a child… As she remained silent, Spike slowly began to understand. He turned his back to her and clenched his claws into fists. As the grasp became tighter, his razor claws drew steaming blood from his palm. Finally after a moment, an icy chuckle resonated from his throat. Turning around, his eyes glowed an unearthly green, “Well, Rarity, weather you love me or not, what Spike wants…” his voice deepened as his form began to grow, the safe round spines that covered him grew sharp and jagged, his fangs became feral, and before long he loomed over the cowering unicorn “…SPIKE GETS!” Rarity couldn’t move. “This is your fault”, a voice whispered to her, “You held his heart in your hooves, and what did you do? Tear it to pieces in front of his eyes!” “No” Rarity whimpered crouching pathetically as the Spikes great maw came closer and closer to her, “Yes, you caused this; you have destroyed that sweet little dragon who would give the world for you! Now see what you have turned him into” This was Rarity’s greatest fear, her greatest shame; this was her worst nightmare… “BE GONE FOUL BEAST!” a commanding yet maternal voice called out. A bright light enveloped the hulking brute and with a final anguished roar, he disappeared. In his place, Luna stepped forward. “What did you do to him!?” Rarity screamed, tears still running down her cheeks. “Be calm, fair Rarity, the specter that you just bore witness to was not real. You are in fact dreaming this very moment” A relieved sigh was released by the unicorn, however she still trembled, disturbed by the horrifying vision, and the wicked truth that the voices had whispered to her... Luna, seeing that the unicorn was still distraught, placed a comforting hoof her shoulder to try and calm her. “Princess Luna…?” “Yes Rarity” “What I saw, will this happened, or was this me simply giving into my fears?” A smile crept across the face of the Alicorn, “All dreams are based on a grain of truth, Rarity. Whether they come from past experience or are visions of what is to come. However, Nightmares are known to twist the truth to meet their needs. Making the scenario true enough so that the victim believes solely in what they see, not what they know to be true. I can assure you that this nightmare will never come to pass”. “But how?” Rarity asked wiping away they last of her tears. “The girls and I had planned on surprising Spike tomorrow at this Birthday. It’s been so long since I have last seen him… What if he confess his feelings to me?” Rarity looked down before continuing. “I cannot reciprocate his love princess, it simply doesn’t feel right. I am a grown mare while he is still a child. I know that he is mature beyond his years, but…” “Rarity” Luna picked the unicorn’s chin up and met her eyes sapphire eyes, “How long ago was it since you last saw Spike, in Pony ehr, Dragon?” “Well, Spike and Twilight have been keeping in touch; however, the last time that they were in Ponyville was… almost two years ago, why?” Luna smiled cheekily at the unicorn and let go of her chin, flying into the air as Rarity’s dreamscape began to fade, signaling the end of the dream. Rarity called after Luna, “Princess, what are you not telling me?” The Princess called down with an echoing voice, “Do not be misled by what appears on the skin. The answers you seek, you will find deep within” and with that, Luna vacated the dream. The nightmares tried in a desperate attempt to glean any residual fear or induce another terror on the Unicorn, but they worked in vain. Giving up on their plight, they fled off into the void, to try and find another source of nourishment. Luna landed on the twinkling path and ventured farther into the realm of slumber, keeping watch until every single citizen had awoken. Rarity woke with a start, gasping for breath as a thin sheen of sweat covered her fur. Taking in a few breaths to calm herself, she observed in her surroundings. The clock on her nightstand read 3:45 am, validating the darkness that still shrouded Equestria. “Do not be misled by what appears on the skin. The answers you seek, you will find deep within”, “What did the princess mean?” Rarity asked herself, the dream still within memory. Rarity continued ponder on the riddle Luna had left her with, causing her to become more and more curious as to its meaning. Sleep began to take the unicorn again; slowly she repositioned herself under the covers as her eyelids began to droop. She let out a final yawn before thinking to herself, “Perhaps tomorrow will yield an answer…” All had remained quiet after Luna had comforted Rarity, but soon enough she felt the Nightmares’ dark energy focus on another host. With all haste, she rushed to the aid in thwarting the demons. However she hesitated upon seeing that the shadowy figures were feasting on none other than the god of Chaos himself. On any given night she would have been more than happy to help her soon to be brother in law, but not this night. Not after what he had done… ***** That Morning Luna breathed in deeply, the smell of freshly cut grass and roses filled her nose. Closing her eyes, a contended smile appeared on the Alicorn’s face. She felt like she could stand there forever, listening to song birds and the rustling of the trees, feeling the warm breeze wrap playful fingers around her form. Her ears twitched as soft rustling could be heard in the branches above her. As she looked up, a verdant leaf fell gently on her nose causing Luna to cross her eyes as she tracked its decent. Returning her sights to the canopy, she spotted a small Pegasus filly meeting her gaze shyly. Her coat was a calming periwinkle, and her spikey mane was an icy blue with stripes of lavender and azure fitting to its contour. Two timid aquamarine eyes looked down amazedly upon the Alicorn, causing the night mare to smile. “Hello young one,” Luna called out. “Was thou spying on us? Must we try thee for treason against the crown?” “No you Highness! Please don’t send me to the Dungeons, I promise I wasn’t spying” The now trembling Pegasus filly plead. Deciding to continue the playful façade for a moment more, Luna replied “Then what pray tell are thou doing in the royal ash?” “Well I was going to surprise my daddy when he took a break but then I…” the rest of the sentence was inaudible to Luna’s ears. “What was that child?” “I wanted to surprise my daddy but I…” again, imperceptible words spilled silently out of the filly’s mouth. “Please speak up, how else will you defend yourself at your hearing?” Luna called up, trying her hardest to maintain her composure at the adorable filly’s reaction. “I FLEW UP AND GOT STUCK!” the filly replied in abashed terror. “Oh, well in that case” Luna replied, a gentle shimmer of navy enveloped the filly, as she was brought down by the Princesses magic. So as to not frighten the poor child any further, Luna knelt down so that she could talk eye to eye to the Pegasus. “I am sorry if I frightened you little one, I was merely having a little fun at your expense” She nuzzled the filly and flipped her onto her back, exposing the purple-blue belly to the sky. “However, you mustn’t go unpunished for spying…” In the blink of an eye, Luna’s wing descended upon the child, using her tips to tickle torture the filly. They both laughed at each other’s antics until Luna deemed the “punishment” had fit the crime. They both remained silent for a while as they caught their breath, giggling and smiling intermittently for what seemed like a small eternity. Finally Luna broke the silence, sitting upright in front of the filly, and looking upon her with kindly, loving eyes. “What is your name, dear one?” “Lilac Zephyr, though all of my friends call me…” “Lila!” A clearly male voice called out. “Daddy!” Lilac beamed, racing toward the Blue Pegasus guard. She embraced the stallion, hugging tightly to one of his muscular forelimbs. Returning the loving embrace, he then looked up sheepishly to the princess. “I am sorry your Highness, I hope that she wasn’t too much trouble. It’s just that…” “There is no need for apologies Captain; your daughter brightened my afternoon. It’s not often that a filly or a colt comes to visit Tia… I mean… my sister and me anymore”. “It was fun daddy! Princess Luna is lots of fun, and really nice! Can I come back again tomorrow?” “Well I don’t think the Princess has the time for…” “We would be honored if she would come back for a visit tomorrow afternoon” Luna smiled down to the now glowing filly. “Only under the condition that her father can join us for a picnic” “Hurray!” Lila exclaimed. “Thank you your highness, we both we be honored to be in your company tomorrow” Captain Fleet Feather bowed. “As will I”. Luna began to walk toward the castle. The afternoon sun was beginning to set and Luna still had duties to attend to before her night vigil. Fleet Feather and Lila walked alongside her until they were about to enter into the palace. Suddenly, a loud crash sounded above them and they all looked in horror as a cascade of timber and stone rained down upon the three of them. “Lu Lu, watch out!” Before Luna could respond, she and the Captain were grabbed up by a lion paw and an eagle claw respectively. Discord crashed into the ground a short distance away, shielding the smaller ponies with his body as debris flew through the air upon impact. Dust billowed around the three of them causing only silhouettes to be seen. “Is everypony alright?” Discord rasped, removing several splinters from his fur and feathers. “I believe so” Luna coughed, “But what hap-” “Where’s Lila!” Fleet Feather asked, fear and dread beginning to fill the Pegasus as his eyes searched for his daughter “LILA!” “There were three of you?” Discord asked “Lila!” Luna called out, following Fleet Feather into the debris. Soon the Pegasus, the Alicorn, and the Draconequus were digging maniacally through the rubble in search for the filly. At last Luna removed a stone, finding a tiny crumpled wing underneath “OVER HERE!” Luna called out to her comrades. Soon the two immortals were using all of their magic to remove the rubble as quickly and safely off the buried body. Discord picked up the broken form and put an ear to her chest. “She is still breathing, but her heart is beating very weakly. I think I can get her to an infirmary in time though” and without another word, Discord was gone with a snap of his fingers. Fleet Foot could only look on in shock as his broken baby flashed away before his eyes. “I didn’t even get to hold her; I didn’t even get to say…” Luna put a comforting hoof on the tearful Pegasus’s shoulder. “Do not speak that way, she maybe small but her soul is strong. She will receive the best medical attention there is, and I am sure that Discord has already placed a healing spell on her as we speak. I am sure she will be right back on her hooves in no time. Besides, we still have the picnic tomorrow…” Tears began to flow from the Princess’s eyes as the will to remain strong slowly ebbed away from her. “How could this happen to a child? Why did it happen, balconies don’t fall by themselves after al! If only Discord had grabbed her instead of… Wait a minute, what was Discord doing here anyways?” A light bulb went off in Luna’s mind as she connected the dots of the situation. “Balconies don’t fall by themselves…” Luna gritted her teeth and she felt the tears burn against her cheeks. Fleet foot saw her become more and more enraged, however, Luna teleported away before he could ask what was wrong. Left alone in the garden, his shadow began to stretch farther and farther to the east. And then Fleet Feather, captain of the royal aerial guard, lay down and wept. *** Luna seethed with anger and malice as the Nightmares clustered around the Draconequus in greater and greater numbers. “The child is in a coma because of you!” Luna screamed at Discord’s dream scape. “Lila will never fly again; her wings are too damaged because you thought it would be funny to drop a balcony on top of me! I know how much of a sweet tooth you are, so just this once, it’s time you received your just deserts Discord. Have pleasant dreams monster. You shall have neither pity nor aid from me this night”. With venom still in her heart, she let the nightmares gain sustenance for this one night only. It would make them less ravenous tomorrow night, thus making her job easier. Luna began to walk away with a pleased grin on her face, when a tiny voice gave her pause, “What if he is truly suffering?” She gave a single glance behind her at the ever darkening dream. Finally she glared at the now full on nightmare with not an ounce of regret. “Good, let him suffer. Maybe this will teach him a lesson in the pain that he inflicts upon other”. She took off in the opposite direction without a second glance and continued to watch over the rest of her subjects. What Luna had failed to notice was the small fissure in the dome that surrounded Discord’s dream scape as more and more Nightmares slipped into his mind… Presently In Celestia’s bed chambers, the Princess held Discord’s lion paw tightly with both of her hooves, fear and concern clearly visible on her face as he retold his horrifying specter. “I’m scared Tia, and that’s a lot coming from me. What I saw seemed so real, nothing like the last ones. I can’t describe it. Not even chaos can explain it, and its driving me mad!” Using his free eagle claw, he rubbed his left temple “It’s giving me a splitting head ache and I can’t think clearly. Do you have any idea what this could mean?” Discord paused for a moment to look at Celestia. The Alicorn was about to say something, but stopped before it could come out. Discord was going to ask what she was about to say when a snide voice called out from behind him. “Ah Discord, there you are. I hadn’t seen you all day and was wondering where you were?” Luna walked up to the couple and sat down at the table completing the triangle of immortals, staring daggers at the distraught spirit. She smirked when she saw the bags under the Draconequus’s eyes and decided it was time he confessed. “Goodness Discord, you look absolutely horrid, bad dreams? Discord glared at the navy Alicorn, “Yeah, no thanks to you Lu Lu”. He spat the intimate nick name out with venom. “Well, maybe you’ll think twice before you decide to have a balcony fall on top of me again” Luna glared back at the Draconequus. Discord slammed his lion fist on the table and shouted, “I told you that wasn’t me! You really think I would be so careless with a prank? I care too much about you and Celestia to let anything like that happen. And do you truly think that I am that heartless that I would put a filly’s life in danger to simply get a laugh out of it?” “I wouldn’t put it past you, you know just as well as I do that not that long ago this is something you would have don-” “Wait, Luna” Celestia interrupted, “you said maybe Discord would think twice next time. Are you saying that you deliberately left him to his nightmare?” The Princess of the sun’s face transformed from a shocked expression to one of deep anger. The realization hit Discord like a brick wall. “Luna, you abandoned me, left me to that… that hell?” He felt a burning sensation in his eyes as he began to tear up, both hands clenched until his knuckles were visibly white, even underneath the fur of his lion paw. Luna smirked, “So overly dramatic Dissy. But I am sure that a little nightmare about a chaos free world or Brussels Sprouts is nothing compared to the suffering that child is going through right now, because of you!” Luna’s shouted. Discord could only look at the Night Mare. He tightly shut his eyes, grimacing with pent up rage, a single tear fell down his face. In a flash of white light, he disappeared from sight, leaving the two sisters with expressions that were as different as night and day. Luna continued to smile spitefully still looking at where the Draconequus had just sat seconds earlier. She turned towards her sister when a blur of gold and white came into her periphery. Luna fell out of her seat as Celestia’s hoof made contact with her sister’s face, a scowl now adorning the white Alicorn’s visage and tears in her eyes. All Luna could do was to hold her aching jaw and look incredulously up at her older sister. “What the Hell was that for!?” Luna screamed at her sister in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Did you even CONSIDER seeing what his nightmare was before you so cruelly ABANDONED HIM?!” Celestia matched her sister’s voice. “Tia – “ “Don’t call me that!” Celestia hissed icily “Celestia” Luna gritted through her teeth, “I wouldn’t have left him if I didn’t think the Nightmare was something he couldn’t cope with himself. Even though he nearly killed a child, even I am not that cruel!" Celestia simply looked dumbfounded at her sister and for the first time in her long life, was rendered speechless. Celestia began to compose herself to give her sister a royal tongue, and possibly literal, lashing when a night guard walked into the Princess’s chambers. Luna smiled triumphantly as the guard (a grey unicorn with yellow eyes) held a scroll in his glowing aura of golden magic and walked towards the Princesses. Averting his eyes from the obvious hoof mark on Luna’s face, he passed the scroll to Luna, bowed, and then exited the room just as uniformly as he entered. Luna held the letter in front of Celestia’s eyes and asked a triumphant tone. “Do you know what this is, Sister?” Celestia looked from the scroll to Luna, disinterest in her eyes. “This is the identity of the assailant who brought that balcony down. I asked the arch mage to examine the magical residue and prove that it was Discord” Celestia sat down, still refusing to talk with her sister she gave a look as if to mean “proceed”. Luna violently ripped the seal off of the scroll and commenced to read the findings aloud. “Your Royal Highness Princess Luna, After having done extensive testing on the debris that you provided me, I was able to confirm that the balcony was indeed affected by a spell that weakened the structure to where it broke apart causing it to fall…. Luna grinned triumphantly to Celestia, but was only met with the same impartial glare as previously. The smile faded slightly as Luna continued to read. However, having compared the auras of the assailant and that of the Draconequus Discord, I regret to inform you that the test failed to make a match. Concerned for your safety we then decided ran multiple tests to see if the aura matched any known unicorn criminals or royal guards but… Luna stopped reading, she couldn’t, her voice caught in her throat as she felt nausea and dread ram into her stomach. The rage she had once held for the Draconequus subsided and her mind finally began to clear. “How could I have been so cruel? Was I so hasty to punish him for a crime I had not confirmed he committed that I… ” Then the realization of her sin finally hit her harder than when Celestia had back-hoofed her. How upset both Discord and Celestia were by the dream and how he looked at her. How the betrayal and cruelty in his scarlet and yellow eyes now bored right into her soul as guilt flooded into her. “Tia…What happened in Discord’s nightmare?” Celestia didn’t respond, she knew Luna had finally come to grasp with what she had done, but empathy for her sister still evaded her. Silence was the only thing to pass between the sisters for what felt like an eternity. And then Celestia did the last thing Luna expected to happen in the circumstance, Celestia began to weep. Luna walked over to Celestia, joining her sister in lamentation, and hugged her. Luna gave a muffled gasp of surprise when Celestia returned the embrace and continued to cry. Through her tears, Celestia was able to answer Luna’s question in hiccups. “Discord… …had… …a… …premonition… …of the… …future” “What?! But premonitions only occur in a meditated state, what I saw when the Nightmares fed off of him last night, there was no way he could have…” “Luna,” Celestia interrupted after composing herself, “Nightmares feed off of the fears and pain of their hosts, in order to induce or increase fear they will occasionally twist the truth, you and I both know this. However if an individual is already seeing something that causes them pain, the Nightmares simply need to feed and let their hosts do the work for them” “So Discord’s vision is what drew them to him?” Luna looked shocked at her sister “Yes” Celestia replied shakily “Then what did he see Sister?” Fear! That was what was in Celestia’s eye this whole time. She had mistaken it for contempt or disinterest, but as the crippling emotion soon entered into he as well, she recognized it, only causing fear to become terror as she awaited her sister’s answer. “What Discord was able to see was that tonight, one of us, one of the immortals, will be slain” Luna was frozen, her eyes wide in shock as tears began to fill them. Celestia could only bow her head down and weep again. Before her sister’s sun would rise, Twilight, Discord or even she was doomed to fall. “What have I done?”