> Cradle of Dreams
>  by SV_Dragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Part 1. In the arms of the unknown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the early morning, when the sun, raised by Princess Celestia, had just risen above the horizon, Spike was standing near the stove, preparing breakfast. It was five o'clock in the morning, at which time he should still be sleeping soundly, not caring about anything. But on this day, or rather morning, everything was different. He and Twilight had to get up early to go camping and have time to get home before nightfall.
Spike didn't like getting up too early, but he was happy to spend the whole day hiking with Twilight.
Before coming to Ponyville, Spike was happy with everything they did together – reading together, long hugs for any reason and for no reason, walks, all kinds of games, cooking contests and much more.
A month after the move, he began to miss everything that he had done before with Twilight. She gave him less time than before, but he couldn't be mad at her. Still, they had new friends, and that justified everything. Spike wanted to minimize the changes that had occurred in their relationship, fearing that they would change dramatically. The worst thing about it was an uncertainty. 
"After settling into the library, it only intensified," thought the dragon.
Spike always treated Twilight like a mom and saw her in her, but for some reason he didn't call her that. He also didn't remember her calling him son.
Every time he thought about it, a mysterious force in his mind beat this thought away from the depths of his memory. Spike stubbornly tried to figure out what happened or could have happened in his past, what his consciousness hides from him, leaving all attempts to get to the answer unsuccessful.
In this regard, he was not sure if she shared his vision and feelings towards him. Spike was afraid to ask because he wasn't sure of the answer. There were many indications that she was seeing him exactly the way he wanted her to see him. But what if it's not? In the capital, she devoted a lot of time to him. But here there is another problem: most of their time together is her work or study. Spike couldn't say that this part was much bigger than the part when they were just having fun with each other, but sometimes the periods of time when she was working were too long and intense. He was a little upset, but always did everything possible to facilitate her process and condition, as well as speed up the whole process as much as possible.
Then it dawned on him, he almost dropped the spoon with which he was stirring the oatmeal.
"What if some school assignment or princess assignment is somehow connected with the understatement of Twilight's attitude towards me?" thought Spike. "This thought seems so vague and vague that I don't even know what to think about it."
"The way she treats me is more like a mother's relationship to her son than a sister's relationship to her brother. But suddenly something at some point in time made her think or even try to change her attitude towards me? If she even considered herself my mom, fully aware of this, she could for some reason gradually change her attitude in such a way that I would not notice it. It sounds like nonsense, but I'm not completely sure about it. Anyway, we need to talk about this. Perhaps even today, if I have the courage."
Such thoughts gradually depressed Spike. To prevent them from completely capturing themselves, the dragon shook himself, driving away the gloomy mood. He was filled with joy to spend the whole day with her. It was for this reason that he cheerfully cooked oatmeal, gently swaying and humming a melody.
At this time, in the lobby of the library, Twilight was collecting saddlebags, following the list. Two books on botany, several dry rations, and fifty cards with notes, thirty small pouches for herbs and many other items were methodically immersed in saddlebags; flasks were already attached to the straps of a backpack that lay nearby. Special attention was paid to the pouches for plants, Twilight carefully laid them out in one of the saddlebags, each was the size of a hoof, it was an easy task to fit them all. 
She was sure that with Spike's help they would be able to cope before dark.
"Twilight, breakfast is ready," the dragon shouted.
The unicorn looked at the objects that lay around her. It remained to pack raincoats in case of rain. She went towards the kitchen. Spike was already actively eating without waiting for her.
Twilight was lost in thought; she hoped she hadn't forgotten anything. Spike inwardly rejoiced at the upcoming hike, anticipating long and intense conversations on the way. They had to reach the steppe beyond the river valley before noon.
Breakfast passed in silence, Spike coped with his portion faster. He waited for Twilight to finish. When he came to pick up her plate, she grabbed him abruptly, wrapping him in a tight, tender embrace. Spike was not ready for this, but did not resist.
"We're going to have a great time, sweet. Don't think we'll be bored. You can sleep on me on the way if you want." Twilight said. 
She stroked his spikes on his head, smiling at the same time, looking at his contented face and squeezed eyes. He always liked her stroking. The sensations of hooves on scales and scales on hooves caused peace in both. The dragon smiled, snuggling up to her. She rubbed her nose against his cheek. Spike let out a contented exhale.
"Thank you, Twilight. I hope we can manage today."
She reluctantly broke off the hug, kissed him on the cheek and headed for the bags.
After washing the dishes, Spike returned, seeing Twilight already ready. 
"We can go," she concluded, "Here, this is yours," she handed him a backpack filled with provisions.
After closing the library, she lifted the dragon on her back with magic.
"I could walk by myself," he protested.
"It's all right. If you walk, you'll get tired when we start picking herbs. And I need you fully rested."
The dragon humbly exhaled, enjoying the ride that had begun. The couple set off, contemplating the morning peace. Bright golden rays of light flooded the quiet streets and painted rare clouds. The beauty of a peaceful morning was complemented by the rare distant chirping of birds. Very soon the city will begin to wake up, breaking this peaceful idyll and creating a new one.
The travelers soon approached the outskirts of the city; their further path lay through an apple farm. Twilight was walking along a road fenced off from the garden by a white fence. Not wanting to make a big detour, she wrapped Spike in a magical grip, ran and jumped over the fence. Now she could go straight ahead, Spike had already managed to doze off by this time, even a sudden jump did not wake him up. In the distance to the right, movement attracted the attention of a lavender unicorn – the Apple family gathered near the house, actively discussing something. Not wanting to interrupt them, Twilight continued on her way towards the river that runs behind the gardens.
The pleasant soft murmur of the waters soon reached her ears, and then the river itself, about twenty yards wide, appeared in sight.
"Spike, wake up," she woke up the dragon, "hold on tight, I don't want you to accidentally fall into the river."
The dragon opened his eyes slightly. The unicorn's words did not immediately penetrate his consciousness. While he was delving into what was said and rubbing his eyes, Twilight had already approached the tree bridge. He was quite wide, there were no fences, but it looked quite strong.
Twilight felt Spike clinging to her shoulders, and his breath touched the back of her neck. This calmed her down, now she was sure that the dragon would not fall.
The gaze of the travelers turned to the strip of trees growing on the other side of the river. Previously, they rarely observed this area, they rarely had to pass here, but now everything was different. 
Twilight stopped on the shore, Spike did not loosen his grip. They were both interested in contemplating the path ahead. There was no road on this shore, it looked very strange. By this time, the number of clouds had increased considerably; one of them briefly covered the sun.
The grassy bank and sparse trees with spreading crowns made it impossible to see what was hidden behind them. When the unicorn was just about to take the first step, he was interrupted by a voice from behind.
"Hello to you all! I noticed you walking through the gardens. Where are you going?"
Twilight turned around. It was Applejack.
"I told you last week that we would go to the Valley of Dreams, it is also called the steppe of dreams," replied the unicorn.
"Oh, right, I completely forgot. Just be careful. When I was walking there with Apple Bloom and Big Mac last summer, an unpleasant incident occurred. Have I already told you about this?"
Twilight was interested in this; Spike woke up from an impending doze again.
"We're intrigued!" the dragon exclaimed.
Applejack quickly crossed the bridge and abruptly stopped in front of friends.
"We walked there for half a day, having a picnic. As evening approached, we were about to leave. I noticed that Apple Bloom is nowhere near, although five minutes ago she was picking flowers not far from us. I could even hear her giggling when she was chasing butterflies. She disappeared suddenly. We searched for her for about an hour, but what was stranger was that she appeared behind me as suddenly as she disappeared. It was very strange; a few minutes ago she wasn't even there. She was scared and crying, it was hard to calm her down. Apple Bloom said that she was in some part of the valley, from where she could not get out. She heard my cry in the distance and followed him, but couldn't find me. No matter how long she walked, it didn't bring her closer to me. At some point I heard her sobbing behind me. She was talking to herself about something, not noticing me. But this is not the end. When I met Big Mac and we headed home, there was no turning back. There was only a boundless steppe, no river and other landmarks that were there before and could lead us out. We walked for about three hours until we got out. During this time, we all learned something new about each other that we didn't even know about. This adventure has definitely brought us closer together. I'll tell you about it in more detail after your hike."
"It was very strange," Twilight concluded.
"And scary," Spike added, goose bumps ran down his back, the dragon shuddered.
"That's right, so be careful," Applejack said, then turned around and headed back to the farm.
"This place lives its own life, like Everfree Forest, but something is different from it," Twilight remarked.
Spike said nothing. Quite recently, he was worried about his relationship with her, but now there is a much more serious fear. He loosened his grip on the unicorn's shoulders slightly, but still remained tense.
Twilight did not notice the change in Spike's mood, she turned around and continued on her way. The dragon could no longer sleep, Applejack's story about the mystical place finally pulled him out of his slumber, he could no longer close his eyes.
The duo walked along the river valley. The trees on the coast soon gave way to grassy meadows that stretched far to the horizon. The murmur of the waters gradually receded until it completely disappeared. A cool light wind fluttered the unicorn's mane and slowly calmed Spike.
After walking one mile, Twilight stopped at one of the hills that served as the border between the river valley and the steppe of dreams. She resumed her journey again.
When the travelers were at the base of the hill, a large cloud quickly covered the sun, and a small fog created behind the travelers slowly flew behind them along the hillside, remaining unnoticed. The valley welcomed new guests.
> Part 2. Make yourself at home, traveler
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A cold breeze ran through Spike and Twilight. The dragon shivered, the pony shivered from the sudden cold. The steppe appeared before them, stretching to the horizon. The hills left behind completely hid the trees by the river. They curved along the border of the steppe as far as the eye could see.

"Well, Spike, we've come," the unicorn opened the left saddlebag and took out cards with an image and a brief description of flowers from the pocket.

"I think this will be enough for you," she magically handed him ten cards and the same number of bags, "collect as many samples as you can."

He took the items entrusted to him. She pulled him to her with her hoof and rubbed her cheek against his.

"You are such a cute dragon, my friend and beloved assistant; I believe that you will cope. Don't go far away."

Spike felt sad again. She always called him that. He turned around and walked away.

He tied the bags to the strap of his backpack with twine, which connected them to each other in the form of a garland. Spike looked through all the cards. Most of the plants seemed familiar. Only two flowers he saw for the first time. He went on a search. At this time, Twilight has already filled one bag. Flowers swirled around her in a magical grip.

The dragon saw his first flowers ten paces away.

Spike carefully examined the neighborhood. He noticed a squat bush, and next to it was a cluster of unknown flowers. Fortunately, shrub flowers were on the list. He also decided to collect the unknown ones, they were not on the cards, but they seemed very beautiful. Since there was nowhere to put them, Spike stuffed them into the outer side pocket of the backpack after collecting the bouquet.






One hour later






Finding five more types of flowers was not a difficult task, although they were located far from each other. Spike had to travel dozens of yards between the flowers. Twilight came to the dragon once every quarter of an hour to keep it close to her and be aware of its movement in case of loss. By remembering his previous location, she could quickly find him. 

The steppe favored the search. If it was not necessary to travel long distances to collect seven types of flowers, now the task has become more complicated. The remaining flowers were not visible in the field of view.

Spike was zigzagging, constantly turning around. He carefully peered into every rare bush and cluster of flowers. The endless sea of the steppe was filled with dozens of inflorescences, and it became difficult to find the right ones. The situation was aggravated by a strange fog, which from time to time slowly floated by. It was not dense, visibility when passing through it decreased to fifty yards. It was strange, in the afternoon any fog had to clear up. 

Unnecessary flowers came across most often. In total, Spike and Twilight have already passed one mile from the hills that were left behind, they were barely discernible on the horizon, becoming a thin strip.

From the moment of collecting a bouquet of some flowers, which were the seventh in a row, Spike walked a hundred yards in search of the next ones. On the way, he overcame a large accumulation of fog, which was a continuous veil. He was very happy when he saw the flowers thirty steps away from him.

"How are things going?" he heard a voice behind him.

"I've already found eight species!" the dragon exclaimed happily, turning around.

"It's wonderful! I found only seventeen!" Twilight replied, "let's rest."

Spike agreed. When he sat down, dropping his backpack, only then did he realize how tired he was.

Twilight dropped her saddlebags and pounced on the dragon, pinning him to the ground. Her breast pressed against his chest, and her stomach held the entire lower part of his body, only his legs were free. She held his shoulders with her front legs.

"Are you cold?" she asked gently.

"No, you know dragons are cold-blooded."

"Only big, small ones can freeze at the slightest cold."

"I'm not small enough to freeze in the summer, even in the coldest summer in Canterlot I didn't freeze," the dragon was indignant.

"Okay, let's eat," Twilight freed Spike and took out sandwiches and a thermos from her backpack.

"Why didn't we take the gems?" asked Spike.

"They're heavier than pony food."

While they were eating, the mysterious mist floated past them at a low speed, only one foot per second. It seemed to have crossed an arc around them, after which it flew to the east. Another fog drifted in from the south, rounded them in a wider arc and headed north.

"I don't understand this place," Twilight said, "these mists don't obey the laws of physics. They should flow in the same direction and at the same speed. They can't change direction and speed so abruptly. They shouldn't exist at all! Any fog should clear up at dawn." 

This was followed by a whole lecture on atmospheric phenomena. Spike sat quietly and enjoyed the voice of his, as he thought and hoped, mom. He thought he would talk to her all the way, but at first he slept, and then they completely separated. Even so, he was glad to spend time with her. Even the anxiety after Applejack's story about anomalies in these places no longer bothered him so much. Maybe now is the right time to find out the truth about their relationship?

"Twi?"

"Yes?"

His heart began to beat faster; he looked away towards the hills completely hidden behind the horizon. A slight fear crept into his heart. He was afraid of ruining the rest of the hike.

"I love you, you're the best!" he hugged her, pressing against her chest.

She responded to the hug by nuzzling the top of his head and stroking his back.

"I love you too, honey."

Another fog overtook them, completely surrounding them, the cold penetrated the dragon, he shivered, snuggling closer to the pony.

"You're so big and warm and fluffy."

She smiled at his comment.

"And you are small, cute and beautiful."

"I took the last one from you."

She didn't say anything. The two continued to embrace, they did not even notice how the fog surrounded them in a dense ring, and you could see only a yard through the fog.

Twilight hugged Spike harder when she noticed how the veil was thickening.

"Mom?" a barely perceptible voice came from all sides, it was so quiet that she thought she had imagined it.

"Spike, did you say that?" she asked, puzzled.

"What did I say?" he raised his head and looked at her questioning.

"Did you call me Mom?"

The Dragon was wary of her question. He didn't hear any joy or indignation in it, he couldn't tell what emotions she was experiencing, if there were any at all. The dragon decided not to take any chances at such a moment. The fog frightened him, and her embrace seemed like an insurmountable fortress that saved him.

"No, I was silent," he said uncertainly.

She noticed his hesitation, but accepted his answer, thinking that she had imagined it.

The fog around them slowly melted away, parts of it spreading in different directions.

"This place is very strange," Twilight concluded, "it's time to continue working." 

She released the dragon. They broke up; she left him in the middle of the fog. Spike remained sitting a little upset. When she completely disappeared into the fog, a mysterious voice similar to Spike's voice rang out again from all sides.

Spike looked around, trying to determine at least the direction of the sound, but he failed. The dragon heard the sound of hooves approaching.

"Was that you?" Twilight seemed worried.

"No, I don't know what's going on," admitted Spike.

She turned around, upset, and quickly ran away.

"Why wasn't it you, Spike? I really want you to say that. It would mean that I'm doing everything right, that I mean more to you than anyone else. Have you never forgiven me? Maybe I'm really unworthy?"

The Dragon continued his search. It remained to find two more types of flowers. The ninth flowers were found three hundred yards from the lunch place. There were enough of them to fill the pouch completely. There's only one view left.

There were even more fogs, they scurried around in frequent clusters. The search turned out to be even more difficult. Twilight tried to dispel them with magic, but they moved extremely reluctantly. If it was possible to dispel at least some, they immediately gathered back. But the bigger and thicker the clouds of fog were, the more difficult it was to cope with them.

Spike walked a hundred yards before finding another cluster of flowers. After another visit from Twilight, Spike was ordered to send fireballs into the sky every five minutes so as not to get lost and not go too far away from her.

It seemed to him that he would get lost at any minute and he should return to Twilight, but her balls of magic sent into the sky kept him confident.

The dragon walked a few hundred yards more, making its way through the mists before finding a cluster of the last flowers. Judging by the range of his and her signals, they were separated by seven hundred yards, but Spike had clearly passed less, only two hundred or so.

"Here you are, dear ones," said the dragon to the flowers growing next to an old rotten stump.

The dragon released another ball of fire, which rushed at breakneck speed into the sky. It will be easy to notice it against the background of a tightening sky with clouds. Spike sat down and began to release three fireballs once a minute. It was a conditional signal that he had finished his work. Spike was tired and wanted to meet Twilight as soon as possible to warm up and relax. He was looking in the direction of her last signal and hoped that she would come running as soon as possible. He was getting scared. The mysterious fog began to frighten him, slowly tightening.

Finally, he heard the sound of hooves nearby, although the last signal was far away, about five hundred yards away. This did not bother Spike, and he went through the fog in her direction, but he did not find anyone. The sound of hooves was very close somewhere ahead, but no matter how much he walked, he could not find her. To make matters worse, the dragon returned to the place where he found the last flowers. The crumpled grass and the same stump at the place of his recent rest clearly testified to this. This was the place.

Spike released three fireballs again and scanned the sky. The Twilight signal sounded in the other direction, somewhere behind on the left, although it should have been ahead on the right. All the way, she walked mostly on his right side.

The dragon sat back down. The fog, constantly circling, was unusually dense, the dragon could not see a yard beyond it. It was as if clouds had descended on the earth. A sudden crackle of magic interrupted his contemplation of the milky veil. He turned around and saw the signal magic fire only ten yards away. Spike rushed in his direction, but again found no one. He walked a little further forward and came across his former place. 

"This can't be, I was definitely walking straight."

The fog was already just everywhere, except for the old familiar place. It was unnatural.

"Twilight said something about the power of Coreolis when traveling, but it only works over long distances. She couldn't affect me at short distances, unless... No, I couldn't teleport without noticing it. I would have noticed that, wouldn't I? There can't be such inconspicuous teleports, right? I hope not."

The dragon sat down on the ground, leaning against an old familiar stump. 

"Stump. A lonely tree in the middle of the steppe? Most likely, it was an oak tree. It is they who grow singly among the fields. It's not something to think about right now," Spike shook his head and released a few lights. The answering signal appeared half a mile in front of him. A minute after the next signal, the distance to the response magic increased.

"This is some kind of nonsense. It just doesn't make sense," Spike said.

"The meaning is in the truth," a voice rang out from all sides. It clearly didn't belong to a unicorn.

"Who's here?"

"And who do you want to see, dragon?"

"I want to find Twilight."

"Who is she to you?"

"What?"

"Who do you want to see in her?"

"I..."

"I'll show you something," the voice disappeared; a vision appeared in front of Spike in the fog, where he played with her when he was a baby.

Young Twilight was playing ball with him in her room in the castle. After the game, she picked him up, hugged him and began to kiss his stomach, neck and head. The baby giggled in her hooves and stretched out his little hands to her. She tickled him, he laughed even more. Twilight was even happier, sincere happiness, love and care were read in her eyes, and Spike's eyes were burning with love and adoration.

The dragon watching the painting calmed down slightly, a few tears of happiness rolled down his cheeks. But still, the dragon did not forget for a second where he was and what he had to do. Spike again emitted three fireballs into the sky and looked around carefully, but there was no response signal anymore. He repeated the signal fire a couple more times, but still there was no response.

This broke Spike's spirit, he fell doomed on the grass and curled up, crying. 

"Cheer up, dragon, I want to show you some more of your memories," the voice rang out again. But Spike was no longer listening to him, the quiet sobs intensified, becoming unrestrained crying.
> Part 3. The path of truth through the mists
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight's attention was attracted by a fireball fired at a distance of seven hundred yards from her. It was quite easy to spot him in the overcast sky. Spike was fine, and the unicorn continued to collect flowers.
The last two types were found quickly enough. After collecting them and putting them in bags, Twilight looked up into the sky again and waited for a new signal. After a couple of minutes, three fireballs were released into the sky; it was a conditional signal indicating that Spike had finished work.
The unicorn went to the dragon. The fog didn't bother her, the sense of direction kept Twilight confident. She wasn't worried about him. Although the mists behaved very strangely, there was no danger from them.
After covering two hundred yards, Twilight, without stopping or slowing down, released three magic spheres. She was eager to get to Spike as soon as possible, hoping that he was not injured or lost.
Having estimated the distance to the place of release of the last fireballs at five hundred yards, Twilight stopped.
"Spike, are you here?" she shouted, "Spi–i-ike?"
There was no response.
"Strange. I've never been wrong about the distance before. I made it clear to him that he should not go far after the completion signal."
The unicorn circled around, looking at the sky in the hope of seeing a new signal. He did not take long to wait. Fireballs were fired in the direction from which she came running.
"This is very strange," she said, returning and releasing a response signal.
After a minute of running, she released another series of magic spheres, but there were no Spike fireballs in response. This made the unicorn worried.
He couldn't move that fast, Twilight thought, and the lack of a signal made her even more worried.
After a while, she noticed a fire in the sky, but now it was released half a mile behind her.
"How is this even possible? I ran through those places twice and kept calling him!" the unicorn was indignant, "this is some kind of anomaly that is playing with us! Please, Spike, be okay," she added quietly.
Soon Spike released fireballs again, Twilight immediately responded, after which she realized that she had moved away from him, although she was running towards him. She was already getting angry. Spike couldn't move that fast, and wouldn't. The fog clearly scared him, and now he looks ominous.
The unicorn continued to move. When she reached the place from where the fire was last released, she again found no one. Twilight ruefully lay down on the grass.
"No, I can't lose him, I just have no right to leave him," she began to whimper, struggling with the impending hysteria. The first tears of horror had already appeared in the corners of his eyes.
The sun was hidden by a continuous cover of dark frightening clouds, and the dense veil of fog was even more depressing and instilled doom and fear. For Twilight, for the most part, it was not the fear of the environment, but the fear of never finding Spike.
After lying in despair for about another minute, she still got up, gathering her willpower into a hoof and adjusting her spirit.
"I could have made things worse by missing a few Spike signals," she thought.
The sorceress lit the horn, focusing on the implementation of the search spell. The Green fire should sense Spike's presence and fly towards him, guiding the unicorn. But as soon as the glow appeared, it immediately dissipated, as did all the magical flows aimed at forming the spell. Twilight did not give up, forming a new fire, but this time it did not work out. This place didn't allow her to cast spells.
"Magic won't help you, the power is in the truth," a voice rang out from all sides.
"Who's here? Come out!" The mare stood in a fighting defensive posture, preparing for a sudden attack.
"What do you want more? Ask questions or find a dragon?" the voice replied.
"What did you do to him?" she growled, "if anything happened to him, you'll regret it when I get to you!"
"And what did you do to him?" the voice ignored her threat.
A vision appeared in front of her in a fog, where she played with Spike when he was a baby. Young Twilight was playing ball with him in her room in the castle. After the game, she picked him up, hugged him and began to kiss his stomach, neck and head. The baby giggled in her hooves and stretched out his little hands to her. She tickled him, he laughed even more. Twilight was even more happy, sincere happiness, love and care were read in her eyes, and Spike's eyes were burning with love and adoration.
This did not impress the unicorn. She became even angrier when she realized that the anomaly had copied the memories of one of them. 
"Do you remember who you were to him? But who are you now?" the voice asked, changing the vision in front of her.
This time it was her room at home. Twilight was reading a book while baby Spike was playing with cubes. At one point, he stopped what he was doing and crawled towards her. Stepping on her book with his front hands, he raised his head. She took it in her hooves without distracting herself from reading. The dragon was tugging at her mane, trying to get her attention.
"What do you want?"
"Mf, m, m-m-m, m-ma, ma, Mom! Mom!" muttered Spike, not stopping looking at her.
That was his first word.
Twilight looked at him with mixed feelings, on the one hand she was shocked and not ready to be a mom for him, but on the other hand she was glad that he spoke, was glad that his first word was about her, was glad that it was she who heard his first word.
But on the other hand, she wondered if she really should become his mom. Wasn't Spike's presence solely the dictate and task of the princess, and not her desire to be someone meaningful to him.
The real Twilight watched herself from the past, reading all the emotions and thoughts on her face. She remembered them all. Especially the last ones.
The sorceress in the vision twitched slightly, realizing something incredibly important. Immediately after the birth, Spike was most pleased to see her, his coloring was similar to hers, and any reaction and attitude towards her clearly indicated that he always saw her as a mother. In addition, he always understood her and learned quickly, grasping everything on the fly. These were clearly her features.
Twilight hugged the baby, hugging him to her chest.
"Yes, I am your mother and I will always remain so."
The vision faded into the mist. The unicorn was already looking with tears of happiness at the place where one of the brightest and happiest memories had recently unfolded. She remembered how, on returning home from the metropolitan school, leaving Spike with his parents, he ran up to her and snuggled up. She always felt better, no matter how things went at school. He always made her happy and energized her. He always tried for her.
"But what happened to you then?" the voice asked.
The vision was replaced by the following. It was still Twilight's room at her house, except Spike was already five years old. He was dictating some kind of report that Princess Celestia Twilight asked. She was magically holding books and scrolls around her at this time, pondering the sequence and structure of the report. At one point she stopped, Spike was waiting for the unicorn to start dictating again.
Twilight remembered how she performed this task; it was a report on a protective runic spell. It was almost finished that day.
In the vision, she could not decide how to finish the report, the necessary thoughts did not come to her head, she feverishly sorted through books, scrolls and her notes, but cherished thoughts still did not come.
"Mom, you're tired, let's take a break," Spike said.
"Not now, I only have a little left," the unicorn replied.
"Mom, you have a whole week, you can finish it tomorrow and prepare a performance on the weekend," you have to take it only on Monday.
Watching Twilight remembered that that weekend she promised to go with Spike to the northern garden of Canterlot. She couldn't remember what would happen next, some of the memories in her head surfaced only after what she saw in the fog.
"Spike, I have to finish it today, the rest of the days are already filled with other things."
The dragon was obviously tired, but he didn't give up. He saw that Twilight could not figure out how to finish the report. She looked tired and exhausted.
"Mom, it will be easier for you to finish it tomorrow. We won't have much to do, the whole evening is free tomorrow."
Twilight wasn't going to back down. She was confident that she could complete the task today.
"Spike, don't distract me, please.
"We could have dinner, you obviously need to eat."
"Maybe later, Spike," she said coldly, starting to lose patience.
The dragon was not going to give up, he decided to act differently. Spike walked up to her and put his arms around her neck.
"We definitely need a distraction; we've been doing the report all day."
"You need to rest, Spike. I'll manage on my own," she replied irritably, gently pushing the dragon away with her hoof. She was filled with determination to finish the report, despite the obvious fatigue.
Spike ran out of arguments, but he wasn't going to give up.
"Well, Mom, you really need to rest. Please!" The dragon hugged her again, stroking her neck.
"Get off, Spike! Find something to do and don't distract me!" she shouted, pushing the dragon away again. He almost fell on his back, but managed to keep his balance.
The unicorn, watching what was happening, became a little ashamed of her behavior; she did not remember whether she apologized after that.
"I'll give you a massage then, it will make you feel better," the dragon persisted. He came up to her side and began to run his hands over her back. Twilight was lying flat, and it was convenient for the dragon to massage her back. She was already pretty annoyed and wanted to distract the dragon as soon as possible.
"Mom, are you feeling better? Am I doing well? Mom?"
Twilight couldn't stand it.
"I told you to rest, Spike! How many times do you have to repeat it for you to hear?" She stopped for a second, something clicked in her head. A small idea flashed through her mind.
"But I just..."
"There is no mom, Spike! There is only Twilight that needs to work! I need to work, not wipe your drool and clean up after you! Be a good dragon and sit still while I work! I'll leave you alone in your room all night if you don't obey! You'll never have a mom again if you behave badly!"
Spike retreated contritely and looked at her in shock. When in the next second he realized the meaning of all the words, he sobbed and went to the far corner where his toys were. At first he wanted to sit here quietly, but changed his mind. The Dragon didn't want to distract her with any more actions or presence. Already in tears, he headed for the door, wondering where he should sit. The attic seemed like a good idea to him.
Twilight, who was watching, could not contain her emotions, tears flowed from her eyes. She didn't remember her breakdown at all. She was already scared to see what would happen next. She hoped she wouldn't hurt Spike any more.
When the dragon was already reaching for the handle, the door opened. Twilight Velvet stood in the doorway. She noticed the crying dragon, and then the annoyed daughter.
Wait here for now, honey," she told Spike.
Twilight, explain to me why you're yelling at him? I've heard every word you say and I'm not happy with your behavior! "What is it?" she asked coldly.
"Mom, I have a task that…"
You've told me several times today about its importance, and if that's all you can say, you should think about your behavior. And until then, you shouldn't be near the dragon. He's going to sleep in my room tonight.
Twilight Velvet abruptly turned around, picked up Spike with magic, sat him on her back and left the room.
Twilight just breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fine, now I can work in peace," she said quietly.
She sat for another quarter of an hour, unable to write or think. Giving up, she still headed to the bed, deciding to rest.
The vision in the fog dissipated, a milky veil floated before the observer in a continuous stream. The unicorn continued to cry, looking in front of her with horror and shame.
"How could I, I hope I apologized later," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Everything is only getting more interesting," a voice rang out from all sides.
"No, you're trying to distract me! Spike needs my help!"
The unicorn got up and hurried to where she thought the dragon should be. She released a series of magic spheres and scanned the sky, but there was no return fire. Continuing to run, she continuously released magical signals and called Spike, but there was no response.






Meanwhile, at the rotten stump


Spike was lying on the ground and sobbing loudly. The unicorn's screams did not reach him. Only the soft rustle of the wind on the grass surrounded the dragon. Meanwhile, the clouds took on an even more intimidating appearance. The first thunderclap thundered over the valley.





Twilight ran tirelessly, looking around. She tripped over a bump and fell to the ground. Dense grass softened the fall.
"You can't run away from yourself," the voice rang out again.
A new vision appeared before the unicorn. Her home room.
Twilight was laying out textbooks on her desktop after lunch. It was the day after the quarrel. The door to her room opened, Spike entered and stopped two steps behind her.
"Sorry to bother you... Twilight. I didn't behave correctly. I promise I won't behave like this anymore," he said with sadness and disappointment.
Twilight, who was watching what was happening, still lying on the grass and crying, prayed that the sorceress from the vision would apologize to Spike and say that he was not to blame for anything. She watched the unicorn from the vision change in face.
But the sad look of the sorceress from the past was replaced by a neutral expression, the look did not express any emotions, and a sinister grin appeared on her face.
Twilight from the present became even more worried. She had absolutely no memory of what was happening from the vision.
After thinking for about a minute, the unicorn turned around and spoke.
"I accept your apology, Spike. But you should know that only good dragons deserve to be with Mom. Be a good boy and I'll be your mom. I know you're capable of it."
She walked up to him and patted him on the back, encouraging the dragon. The vision vanished.
Twilight sighed.
"You showed everything to Spike too, right? Why are you doing this? Why don't you want me to find him?"
The fog didn't answer; the following vision appeared before her.
Spike was sitting on the windowsill of the house in the living room late at night. It was raining outside the window.
"I doubt you want to be my mom," there was sadness in his voice; "I think you don't really want that. It is more important for you to study well, and meet all the expectations of the princess. I see it in you, you've changed, but why? I won't burden you anymore by calling you Mom and asking you to do what we used to do before you changed. But I will be the best assistant for you, I promise. I hope that one day you will want to be my mom again. Not formally as a reward for my good behavior, but really, from the bottom of my heart."
The vision changed again.
Twilight was standing in her room in the castle, taking textbooks out of her saddlebag. Spike was sitting quietly in the corner, hugging his legs and lowering his head on them. The unicorn put the last textbook on the table. Her gaze fell on a stack of sheets on the far edge. She picked it up with magic and scanned the contents of each until she came across an old report. Her face saddened, her gaze darkened.
"Spike, come here," she said gently.
The dragon came up.
Twilight hugged him, hugging him tightly. There was indecision and regret on her face.
"Am I still your mom?" she asked hopefully.
The dragon shook his head negatively. The unicorn lowered its head, looking at him sadly.
"We're going to be late for the meeting with Celestia," he said, pulling out of the embrace and running into the hallway. The vision floated after him.
"You just want me to behave, you want to make me do what you need," he whispered to himself, "I still want to be your son, and you don't want to be my mom anymore and use me. I don't feel like you're trying to change anything."
The vision returned to the room by Twilight.
"Why, Spike? What can I do to make you believe that I'm sorry for what I did? I've already tried to talk to you about it, but you always changed the subject. What am I doing wrong?
The vision changed again.
Spike stood on the threshold of the library, watching Twilight leave with friends for a picnic.
"When you made friends, you began to forget about me and overwhelm me with housework. You've completely forgotten what we were like before. I've missed you since we arrived here."
The vision vanished. Nothing else appeared before her. Only the wind rustled the grass around.
Twilight rose, her determination to find Spike filled her with energy again.
"When the school load began to increase, I began to forget what was really important. I ruined everything myself to please my desires. I didn't know how to fix it. I started taking you for granted, I... I forgot what it's like to be your mom. I should learn it all over again. New worries piled on old problems, and in Ponyville I began to forget again what was really important."
The voice did not react to her speech in any way, only a thunderclap rolled over the valley.
"I need to hurry up. While I'm hanging around here, Spike is lying somewhere cold and scared."
Twilight didn't know which direction she should go, but she had an idea. She closed her eyes and concentrated.
"I'm your mom, Spike. You have become the best and special for me since the moment of birth," the sorceress spoke. – "Thanks solely to you; I became who I am now. You were destined to become part of my family and take over my heart."
The fog around the unicorn lifted slightly. The range of visibility increased to ten yards.
"You made my every day better. I learned the most important responsibility when I raised you; even now I have something to learn. My goal was to be the best for you. Forgive me that one day I forgot about the most important thing."
The fog swirled around, slowly receding. A small piece of land was gradually being freed from the solid shroud.
"Forgive me for taking you for granted. Forgive me for giving up after a short struggle when I realized I was manipulating you."
A sharp gust of wind picked up the fog and drove it further from the river hills into the depths of the steppe. The milky suspension retreated, bypassing the clean island where the unicorn stood.
"I love you, Spike. I love you more than anyone in the world. Forgive me for betraying you. Forgive me for showing you less love than I should have. You deserve so much more love, you've always deserved more. You have always shown eternal devotion to me and care. It wasn't you who should have tried to be the best for me, but I should have always been the best for you. I should have backed up my words of love so much that you felt it with all your heart and did not doubt it."
When Twilight finished her speech, it was only then that she realized that her words were being carried all over the neighborhood. The fog was retreating into the depths of the steppe, slowly dissipating; it still remained behind her at a distance of fifty yards.
The sorceress was looking towards the hills; she turned around, but still did not see Spike anywhere. Turning in the direction of the departing veil, she found a rotten stump, and behind it a small silhouette. She approached the old plant to examine what was behind it.
"Spike!" she exclaimed, making a swift dash to the silhouette behind the stump. She lifted the dragon into her hooves, hugging it to her. He didn't react in any way, didn't even move.
"You're all icy!" she wanted to start a fire in a panic, intending to use a stump, but when the sorceress noticed an object out of the corner of her eye, she stopped. Twilight turned and saw a white stone house thirty yards away.
"He wasn't here a minute ago!.. I do not care!"
She grabbed Spike with magic and, throwing aside all caution, rushed inside, slamming the door. In the living room, she immediately came across a fireplace filled with wood. Without hesitation, she magically set it on fire, took a sleeping bag out of her saddlebag, laid it out next to the fireplace and carefully laid Spike.
> Part 4. Returning home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A fire from the fireplace illuminated the room and warmed the guests. Twilight was lying on the carpet in the center of the room and hugging the dragon. Spike was dozing serenely under her hoof. She peacefully watched the charming creature and listened to his measured breathing. The unicorn had not shown as much attention to the scaly kid as he deserved for several years. It gave her a pang of guilt. She clearly remembered the visions in the mists, they clearly made it clear that the valley posed no threat to the guests if they were attentive and honest to each other's feelings.

Twilight was waiting for Spike to wake up. She knew what she was going to say. She should have said that a long time ago. She was a manipulator and set priorities incorrectly, this became the main mistake, from which several others were formed.

The unicorn wanted to talk to him. While the dragon was snoring sweetly, she didn't want to disturb his sleep.
It was night, and the moonlight gave the room a mystical beauty. Twilight managed to check the whole house in the middle of the endless steppe. It was empty. The owner seemed to have left him a year ago. However, there were few supplies in it. They would be enough for a couple of weeks for two inhabitants. However, the unicorn was not going to eat someone else's food.

Spike moved slightly. This immediately attracted the attention of the sorceress. After a few seconds, he stretched and woke up completely.

"How did you sleep?"

"I had a nightmare. We got lost in the steppe," the dragon looked around, "did this really happen?"

She nodded.

"Spike, we need to talk."

The dragon replayed the latest events in his head, recalling the visions in the fog.

"It's okay if you're okay. Don't worry about me." He replied.

Twilight wasn't clear what caused it anymore.: an old hope to reawaken her old feelings so that she would consider herself his mother again, or just a desire to please her so that she would not be angry with him.

"Spike, please don't say anything and just listen," the sorceress lifted him into her hooves and fixed her gaze on the fireplace. The dragon lay limply on her paws and looked out the window at the clear moon and a scattering of stars.
"I let you down, I should have been your mom with all responsibility when you needed me the most," Twilight paused, not daring to look the dragon in the eye.

"When the school load began to increase, I began to forget about what is really important. I ruined everything myself to please my desires. I didn't know how to fix it. I started taking you for granted, I... forgot who I should always be. And now I blame myself for that. I'm sorry I didn't realize this sooner. I'll have to learn it all over again."

Twilight exhaled noisily, the first tears began to flow down her cheeks. She hugged the dragon tighter, hugging him to her.
"New worries in Ponyville have fallen on old problems, and I've started to forget what's really important again.

" "I'm your mom, Spike. You became the best and most special to me as soon as you were born, and it is solely thanks to you that I have become who I am now. You were destined to become a part of my family and take over my heart."

Sobbing intermittently, she continued. It became more difficult to keep the steadfastness in his voice. She still didn't dare look at Spike. And she couldn't notice his slight tremor. Her paws pressed the dragon closer to her warm fluffy body.

"You made my every day better. I learned the most important responsibility when I raised you; even now I have a lot to learn. My goal was to be the best for you."

"I'm sorry that one day I forgot about the most important thing. Forgive me for taking you for granted. Forgive me for giving up after a short struggle when I realized I was manipulating you."

The unicorn's voice trembled, the steadfastness receded, the sobs came louder and more often.

"I love you, Spike. I love you more than anyone in the world. Forgive me for betraying you. Forgive me for showing you less love than I should have. You deserve so much more love, you've always deserved more. You have always shown me eternal devotion and care. You shouldn't have tried to be the best for me, but I should have always been the best for you. I had to always back up my words of love with something so that you would not doubt it and feel it with all your heart. I know it's hard for you to believe right now, but I'm willing to do anything for your faith and feelings. Even if it somehow affects our friends, I'm ready for it.

Finally, Twilight looked at Spike. He pressed his muzzle to her chest. It did little to stifle his sobs. He was trying to hold back somehow.

The dragon tore himself away from her and looked into her slightly tear-stained eyes. Seeing the gentle gaze of the sorceress, the Spike felt a little better. It gave him a little confidence to believe in her intentions, but there were still some doubts. They gradually melted away under the encouraging gaze of the lavender unicorn. To speed up this process, Twilight touched her nose to the dragon's forehead, slowly lowering it, leaving light kisses.

"Come on, Spike. Say all the things you've been dreaming about for so long. Don't hold back," she said, reaching his nose.
"I... love you... mommy," the dragon sobbed with a little apprehension. This could not be hidden from the astute mind of the sorceress.

"Mom loves you, and she will always love you no matter what," she said affectionately, starting to run her nose over scaly cheeks, leaving light kisses. Sometimes Twilight gently touched the dragon's eyelids with her lips, as if she wanted to stop the continuous flow of tears as soon as possible.

She noticed a change of mood in Spike. Traces of fear, doubt, and anxiety left the dragon's sobs. Hope, faith and love came to replace them in the tearful waterfall with a soft tread. They were gradually entrenched in the depths of the dragon's soul and consciousness. Already from a new flow of joy, Spike grabbed his mother by the fur and pressed his face against her neck, hugging her tightly.

The minutes of hugging passed unnoticed. The guests, without looking up from each other, lay down on the floor. Soon they fell asleep. At dawn, the happy family left the house after breakfast.

Twilight was walking slowly towards the hills. Spike sat on her back, slowly stroking the unicorn's neck and watching the saddlebags stuffed with samples of herbs and flowers. As the travelers crossed the hilly ridge, misty rivers gushed out of the depths of the steppe behind them again, closing the passage. At parting, the valley sent a warm breeze to the back of the departing family. She was ready to welcome new guests again.

Twilight turned around and noticed a wall of fog running along the hills to the horizon.

"I thought I would never understand this place. It lives according to its own laws, beyond the control of nature. But I am grateful that it helps to reveal the secrets of the soul."

Spike didn't say anything. He continued to massage the unicorn's neck. He definitely liked it.

Twilight turned around again and continued on her way. Once at home and magically removing the dragon from her back, Twilight immediately began unloading Spike's saddlebags and backpack.

Do you know what I'm thinking, Spike?

The dragon looked at the sorceress with mild interest.

"Why don't you make a list of what you would like to do with me?"

The dragon immediately ran enthusiastically upstairs, already collecting ideas in his mind.

The sorceress, after cataloging the samples, went up to the bedroom, trying to silently get close to her son. He was sitting on her bed and enthusiastically looking through the list, the length of which was comparable to his height.

"And what comes first?" asked Twilight with interest.

"Pat on the head," the dragon replied with a slight lust and joy, shifting his gaze to his mother.

The unicorn sat down on the bed, hugged Spike from behind and began stroking the scales at the base of the horn plates, reading the list with interest.