Chapter Seven- Descent

Spike opened his eyes, groaning as he took in the scenery around him. There were puddles of water dotting the ground as far as he could see. He could feel wet earth between his claws. The sun was just above him, and he appeared to be within some sort of gorge or canyon. Ghastly Gorge, from the look of things.

He took in a breath, wincing as a sudden, stinging sensation chewed at his torso. A hand moved to his sides, and he gingerly felt his ribs. He hissed in pain and let out a string of curses after brushing his claws over a particularly tender spot. That was enough of an indication for him to stop, he decided, lest he agitate what was likely a broken rib. Moving his arm back to his side sent a jolt of searing pain up his shoulder and through his right wing. He growled loudly as the horrible pain worsened. Spike fought back tears and took in a shaky breath before exhaling, regretting his action immediately as his sides sent another jolt of pain throughout his body.

“Celestia, damn it!” he growled as he bit down on his lower lip. He closed his eyes and dug his claws into the dirt, letting out a few quick breaths as the pain finally began to ebb away a little.

Memories of the other night flooded his mind.

He had argued with Rainbow Dash outside Sugarcube Corner. He had left, upset, and decided to go flying to vent his frustrations. A storm started brewing while he had flown through Ghastly Gorge… a particularly strong gust of wind had blown him into a rock face, and then Rainbow had—

“Rainbow Dash!” Spike said aloud, eyes snapping open. He lifted his head, ignoring the feeling of thousands of tiny needles jabbing into his muscles from Luna knew what kind of injury, and scanned the area.

Where is she? She was with me, I think… right? Did she fly into town to get help? Did she just leave me here?

Spike frowned at that last thought. No, Rainbow would never do such a thing. He felt shame in thinking about her in such a way.

Not that I’d blame her for doing that, though.

Then, Spike felt a weight against his tail. He looked over to see a large boulder resting on top of the limb. What worried him, though, was that he felt no pain where the boulder pressed down on the tail.

“Probably nerve damage…” he thought to himself. “Great… just what I—huh?”

Spike titled his head a bit as something behind the boulder came into view. He tried to raise his head up a bit to get a better view.

As soon as he got a glimpse of whatever it was, a cold weight settled in his stomach. “O-oh no…”

He forced his body up onto all fours, straining against the pain and eventually settling onto three feet while dragging his back right arm to avoid agitating his injured wing. With a bit of effort he freed his tail from the boulder, and moved towards the pile of rubble nearby.

“N-no please, no no no…” he whispered, taking in the sight before him.

Rainbow Dash lay there, a boulder pinning her left wing and left foreleg beneath it. She had several gashes along her forehead and chest, and there was a thin trail of dried blood running out both her nostrils.

“R-Rainbow Dash…” Spike choked out. He leaned closer to her, his hand shaking as he stretched it out towards her body.

That’s when he noticed her chest rise and fall. It was a shallow breath, but it gave Spike hope.

Sending a silent word of thanks to whatever forces had saved the pegasus, Spike nudged the boulders off of Rainbow’s body. He then lifted her up as gently as he could manage, and placed her on his back, right between his shoulder blades.

“D-don’t worry, Dash. I’ll get us to Ponyville. Just hang—” Spike’s words were cut off as another punishing surge of pain raced up his left leg. He howled in pain, and was unable to stay on his feet. He fell forward, and felt the weight of Rainbow Dash fall off. He gasped, turning to his side to see her, still breathing…

… still alive…

Whatever had just happened, both his right arm and left leg were completely useless to him. He dragged his body so that it was now facing Rainbow’s, and placed his head gently beside hers.

“I-I’m sorry…” Spike whispered weakly. “Rainbow… I… I never should have said those stupid things about you.” He closed his eyes and felt them burn with tears. “Just… please don’t…”

He slowly moved his still functioning arm forward and wrapped a clawed hand around one of her hooves.

“I-I’m scared… Rainbow. I can’t move… and… and we’re out in the middle of nowhere. Please… I need your help…”

He leaned forward, gently nuzzling her.

Then…

“... help…me…”

He opened his eyes and glanced down at the mare. She was still there on the ground, just as she had been moments ago.

Then her mouth moved. “Help me, Spike…”

“W-what…? Rainbow, are you…?”

“Spike… don’t give up on me… please. Don’t leave me…”

Spike was shaking his head. “I-I wouldn’t leave—”

Tears began to flow from her eyes. “S-Spike…” She sounded scared herself. “I’m sorry…”

Spike placed his other hand around her other hoof, ignoring the pain. “N-no, Rainbow, it’s me who should be apologizing.”

Rainbow continued to cry, sobbing quietly every few seconds as Spike sat there, helpless and confused. Her eyes remained closed.

“Please… Spike… just wake up…”

“H-huh?” Spike cocked his head to the side. “Wake… up…?”

A wind began to blow through the gorge. Rainbow’s mane and feathers fluttered in the wind for several seconds, and she was silent once more.

“Rainbow…? Rainbow, what did you…?”

A single blue feather lifted off into the breeze. Spike watched it disappear over the edge of the gorge. Then another feather. And another…

Spike looked down at Rainbow Dash, only to watch in silent horror as strands of her beautiful mane and tail began to fall out, joining the many feathers in the wind. After her wings, head, neck, and tail were bare, she began to lose her fur coat. However, there was no pink, healthy skin underneath the fur. No, in fact, it appeared as though Rainbow Dash was simply breaking off, piece by piece now.

“Rainbow Dash!” Spike cried out as she began to fade into the wind, like a pile of sand on a windy beach. “Rainbow!”

Spike desperately held onto her, but the wind continued to take her away from him. He desperately clawed at the quickly dwindling remains of the pegasus, who continued to be carried away by the wind.

“Rainbow!” he cried out.

There was no reply to be given other than the cruel, hollow wind. He felt his vision blur as he sobbed into the dirt. His claws grasped at the spot where Rainbow Dash had been only moments ago.

“Spike…”

He heard her voice, still. He wanted to believe it to be real, but was afraid to find out the truth.

“Spike… please…”

He lay there, beaten, broken, and alone. Alone, aside from the wind, and the sound of a mare that he had been too afraid to love.

“... please, Spike… wake up…”

She sat there, against the bed. Just like she had for the past two weeks, now.

After three days of struggling with simple tasks like kicking clouds, Rainbow Dash had told her weather team that she would be taking an unpaid leave from work, and wasn’t sure when she’d be returning. They had been more than understanding about it.

Rainbow Dash stared at the drake laying in the bed. Once proud, strong, and full of life, Spike was now a shell of those things. She had looked over his chart more times than she cared to admit. She didn’t understand a lot of the technical readings, but she could still read the list of injuries he had sustained.

Four fractured ribs. Bruising in the spine. Impact to the skull, no fractures found. Dislocated wing joint in the right shoulder. Fracture in the anterior half of the right wing. Severe tears in the left wing membrane. Broken left leg. Twisted left ankle. Sprained neck. Minor burns along lining of throat. Internal bleeding. Bruising of lungs due to trauma to chest…

He was alive, though. He was alive, and that was all she could ask for.

Minutes after Spike had passed out in Ghastly Gorge, Twilight Sparkle had appeared in a burst of magic before Rainbow Dash. She had begun to panic, but with Rainbow’s help, she was able to focus enough and concentrate on teleporting back to Ponyville to retrieve a rescue team. She would have just brought all of them back with her magic, but moving an injured creature as large as Spike, and possibly worsening his injuries, kept her from doing so. Needless to say, when a team of almost a dozen paramedics arrived with a makeshift stretcher big enough to carry ten of her, Rainbow Dash could have cried from the relief she had felt.

So, cried she had, and had continued to do so well into the small hours of that following night.

Rainbow had stayed by Spike’s side as much as possible ever since she had taken off of work. She slept at the library with Twilight when she visiting hours were up, since she was uncomfortable with being too far away from Spike. She would arrive as soon as visiting hours were allowed, and would stay up until the fourth time the nurses gently urged her to leave for the evening.

Despite all that Spike had endured, though, there was still something she hoped for him to do.

“Come on, Spike…” she whispered hoarsely. “Wake up… please…?”

She leaned forward, holding his bandaged claw in her hooves as gently as she could. He had moved only a little since he had been placed in the bed, and when she spoke to him, she was positive she heard him say her name a few times. The heart monitor showed that his heart was still healthy, but sometimes it would spike up a bit when he mumbled to himself. He was breathing on his own, too, which she was thankful for. The doctors had suspected severe lung damage as the cause of his internal bleeding, possibly even a puncture. Luckily, it had not been as bad. She would take bruising over a laceration to lung tissue any day. The internal bleeding had been a result of the impact from his fall, but the worst of the bleeding had stopped about a day after he had been brought in.

While still a mystery to the majority of the scientific community in Equestria, most would agree that dragons were made to endure.

“You’re one tough guy, y-you know that?” Rainbow Dash laughed weakly and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I… I don’t mean anything bad by it, but… I’m glad you’re a dragon right now. I…” She swallowed hard. “It’s just… I-I don’t think a normal pony could have survived that…”

She sniffled loudly, and tightened her grip over his claw. “When… when you wake up, we can… we can go to the bookstore down the road, and buy that new Daring Do book. I-I know it’s not coming out for a few more months, but that’s okay. M-maybe we’ll camp out in front of the store three days before the midnight release.” She chuckled and rubbed her eyes. “We’ll buy one for you, one for me, and one for Twilight’s library… a-and we can read the books together, and… and…” She stared into his placid expression, and held back a sob. “Just… you need to wake up so we can do all that stuff, okay?”

No response.

She slumped back into her chair, and bit back another sigh. Do… do dragons even go into comas like ponies do? I mean… it doesn’t seem too unlikely. They’ve got brains just like we do, and if you get hurt bad enough…

She sighed, trying to recall any bit of information that she could remember about dragons.

Twilight said they sometimes go into forced hibernation when there’s a drought or if the weather gets too cold where they live… She looked out the window, wincing as the sunlight washed across her vision. She turned back to Spike, whose form was being bathed in the midday warmth.

The doctors had done all they could when they had initially treated Spike’s injuries. Twilight had been helping them all the while, giving what knowledge she could to the medical team and at times jumping in to correct something they did. While she had not shown it, Rainbow could tell that Twilight was focusing entirely on the work to keep herself from having a panic attack.

And all the while I’ve been unable to do anything…

A soft knock at the door stirred Rainbow Dash from her thoughts. She slowly turned to see Nurse Redheart standing there, a tray on her back with a sandwich and apple. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash… I didn’t mean to disturb you, but it’s close to lunch time, and I figured you’d be hungry.”

Dash gave the nurse a grateful smile, and took the tray from her. It was a simple peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with a macintosh apple, but it might as well have been a three course meal with the way her stomach growled. “Thanks. I guess I haven’t been eating that much lately…”

Redheart gave her an understanding look. “I can only imagine. If she weren’t so busy communing with the princesses on what can be done to help Spike, I imagine Twilight Sparkle would be right here with you.”

“Yeah…”

Redheart walked over to Spike, picked up the chart in front of his bed, and then ran through the hourly checks that all the staff attending to Spike went through. She checked the large IV bags beside Spike’s bed, giving him the needed nutrients and minerals to live. One of the bags of liquid read ‘Water + dissolved calcium and quartz’. While the hospital staff didn’t know the exact details on the dissolved minerals, Twilight had stressed the importance of it.

Dragons have higher calcium requirements than ponies do, and quartz contains several minerals that are invaluable to a dragon’s health.

Those had been Twilight’s exact words, and Rainbow had taken it upon herself to make sure that particular IV bag never ran low. She didn’t know exactly how Twilight managed to dissolve quartz or calcium into water, but the unicorn had been responsible for making and supplying the hospital with the mineral-rich water ever since he had been placed in the room he was now in.

“His vitals are strong. Heart rate’s a little lower than normal, body temperature is fine, though. All within range of what Twilight had provided us,” Redheart said, drawing Rainbow from her thoughts. “It’s a good thing you were with him, Rainbow Dash. You may have very well saved his life that night. If what Twilight told us is true, you were able to help Spike create a signal flare, correct?”

Rainbow Dash nodded numbly.

Redheart let out a soft breath. “Spike’s lucky to have wonderful friends like you, Rainbow Dash.” A pause, then she added, “However… I’m sure he would also want you to take care of yourself.”

Rainbow Dash looked up to see Redheart offer her the softest of smiles. “I guess…”

Rainbow Dash was well aware that she probably looked like a wreck. She had eaten little in the past two weeks, and sleeping became a chore for her sometimes. She had showered yesterday, though, she couldn’t have smelled too bad.

While Redheart had a valid point, Rainbow couldn’t find it in herself to care much about how she looked or felt right now. Still, she nodded, and said nothing else. She had heard similar words from the other nursing staff before. It had almost become routine for her in the two weeks she had been visiting.

“I’ll be back in an hour. If…anything happens, please inform one of the staff immediately.”

Nurse Redheart left the room, leaving Rainbow once more alone with the unconscious drake. She dug into her food, nibbling at the sandwich and taking a few bites out of her apple. After what barely felt like a proper meal, Rainbow Dash lost what little appetite she had, and set down her food.

She returned her attention fully to Spike, silently praying to whatever force would listen that Spike would wake back up.

“Twilight… sugarcube, c’mon, you need to rest—”

Twilight didn’t even turn away from the pile of books she was reading. “No, Applejack. Not until I am one hundred percent certain that I’ve looked through every book in the library. Spike and I made sure to update our inventory after that incident with the Great Dragon Migration years ago. There’s bound to be something that can tell me more about dragons and their reactions to critical injuries…”

Applejack winced. Twilight’s tone was short, perhaps even annoyed. Not that the farmer could blame her. Twilight had not gotten a minute of shut-eye in over two days now, and while such a thing was hardly new for the studious unicorn, running on caffeine and built-up stress was hardly healthy for anypony.

Walking forward, Applejack placed a firm, yet caring hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. The unicorn barely registered it, but let out a slow breath as Applejack gently rubbed her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Applejack… it’s just…” She ran a hoof across her brow, closing her eyes for a moment.

“There’s no need to explain. You have every right to be the way you are.”

“No, there’s no excuse to be so… snappish with you. Especially since you’ve taken time away from work to help me this past week. I… I know how important it is for your family to maintain the orchard and farm…” Twilight finally looked up from her books, the faintest shimmer of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “I’ve read up all I can on dragons and their responses to injury. They’re… not too different from us, when you look at it from a medical standpoint. We don’t know much about them, but I'm positive that this coma is definitely a triggered response from the trauma he suffered when he crashed.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s what the doctors said, too. He wouldn’t be the first to fall into a coma after… after taking a blow to the head…”

Twilight exhaled deeply while shaking her head. “If that were the case, though, then the medical spells the staff tried should have been able to help rouse him from the coma by now. The damage has been healing up quickly, and the latest x-rays they took showed the swelling around his brain has decreased to normal levels. Still, none of the spells they used have done anything for him, though.” Twilight swallowed a lump in her throat. “If… I don’t know what I would do if he…”

Applejack pulled Twilight into her forelegs and gently shushed her as the unicorn began to tremble. “Alright now, shhhh…” Twilight wrapped her arms firmly around Applejack’s frame. “Landsakes, filly… I wish I had half the willpower you do sometimes. This past week was hard for me. Could barely keep my mind on what I was doing while out in the fields.” She pulled away, just enough to look into Twilight’s teary eyes. “Spike would be proud of you right now, I bet.”

“He’d do the same for me,” Twilight whispered. “I owe him at least this much…”

Applejack smiled a little, and pulled Twilight in close once more. “I suppose a dragon as wonderful as him deserves a sister like you.”

Applejack waited for a reply from Twilight, only to be met with a slow, steady exhale of breath from the unicorn. Applejack looked to see that Twilight had fallen asleep, her head resting in the crook of the farm pony’s neck. Applejack gave Twilight a soft nuzzle, and carefully placed her over her back. She slowly made her way up the steps to Twilight’s loft, and placed her in her bed.

After tucking her in, she made her way back downstairs. Looking at the mountain of books, and the overall mess Twilight had created, only one thought came to the Applejack’s mind. Walking over to the desk Twilight had been sitting at, Applejack began to read the first book that caught her attention, hoping to find something that Twilight may have, by some freak chance, missed.

Almost two hours of no results passed for Applejack, though she did gain a significant amount of knowledge about dragon digestive problems and wing bone development. She had reached the end of a small pile of books she had made for herself and picked up the last book, reading its title aloud.

“Hm… ‘Dragons of Yore’, huh?” Applejack flipped open the tome, coughing a little as a small cloud of dust assailed her nostrils, and she let out a sneeze, followed by a few loud coughs. “Ugh, how does Twilight manage to read these old books without having a coughin’ fit?” She waved a hoof at the dust cloud, satisfied when it finally dispersed.

The book was written several decades before Granny Smith had been born according to the publish date. Thankfully, the writing itself was easy enough to read and didn’t seem too archaic that she would need reference books for translation.

She flipped through a few pages, stopping at a section regarding dragons and sleep. Seemed logical enough, she thought. She began reading, her eyes scanning for anything that might provide a beacon of hope for their comatose dragon.

… let it not be said that the wyrmkin are unable to benefit from Equestria and her neighbors. Two centuries ago, in the distant western regions of Equestria, an epidemic had spread across the resident dragons. These dragons experienced a severe loss of appetite, weakness in muscles, and in several cases, induced sleep that they could not be roused from. More than several dozen dragons lost their lives due to malnourishment and starvation. This illness would later be named Draconian Torpor Sickness, for it indeed only seemed to affect our draconic neighbors and no other species.

Apothecaries from Equestria, gifted shaman from Zebrica, and monks from the Griffon Kingdom all attempted to find ways to cure this sickness. Eventually they had found the proper remedy in the Poultice Petal Flower of the Coltmoros Jungles in southeastern Zebrica. Dragons quickly learned of the plant’s location, and now there are several locations throughout the known world where dragons can go to receive vaccination and treatment.

Sadly, while the flower did cure the illness of those with appetite loss and physical weakness, it did not provide any help to those who had fallen into the deep sleep. Eventually those who studied the illness had run out of ideas, and sought out Princess Celestia to aid them. Celestia, unfortunately, had no immediate answer to this problem, but she did suggest an idea.

The zebra shaman were said to have the ability to walk between the physical world and the spiritual world, entering into a trance and having the ability to commune with the spirits of the deceased. Modern day arcane sciences have verified that this is indeed a legitimate form of magic among zebrakind. Celestia, with her infinite wisdom, suggested that they use this gift to try and commune with the spirits of the living, and attempt to speak with the sleeping dragons.

And so, the zebra shaman ventured to the homes of the still-sleeping dragons. It was with great joy when their rituals and magic found success, rousing the dragons from their unnatural slumber by communicating through dreams. The dragons, thankful for their help—

Applejack dropped the book from her hooves, eyes widening slowly as an idea struck her.

“That’s it…” She said, getting to her hooves. “Sleeping… Spike’s asleep…”

There was one being in Equestria that Applejack knew who could traverse through the mind of a sleeping pony… or dragon, for that matter.

Without a second thought, Applejack got a quill and fresh sheet of parchment, and began writing out a letter as quickly as she could. She only hoped they had enough time for her idea to work.

Princess Celestia was troubled.

She had endured many hardships in her many long years of ruling Equestria, both with her sister and by herself. She had seen the political climate of Equestria and her allies—and sometimes enemies—change both rapidly and sluggishly. She had watched nations rise up suddenly, and watched them fall just as quickly.

However, she had learned to adapt to these things. Luna and Celestia had learned how to read the subtle shifts in leadership, had come to understand the unspoken words in treaties and declarations of war. They had, through lots of luck and trial and error, managed to put Equestria in the state it is today; as close to a utopian country as one can get without being one. It had its flaws, and perfection was not something that the two sisters had ever sought for. Perfection, after all, was stagnation, and stagnation limited improvement and progress.

Even so, there was one thing that the Sun Princess—and Luna as well, Celestia suspected—never managed to really overcome.

Death.

It was a natural thing, of course. Death was simply a means of renewal in nature. The weak and sickly passed on. Ponies, as well as numerous other races, had found ways to delay the eternal embrace that death had on all living things. Celestia believed that one day she and her sister would also eventually meet their end. She only hoped it would be a peaceful one. Still, death and loss often came together, and while Celestia had learned to cope with it, it never fully took away the sting she often felt.

She had lost many friends in her long life, and Luna had too. The only comfort they took from this was the legacy their friends had left behind. Luna and Celestia had nearly perfect memory. Luna could often recall conversations from eons ago with amazing clarity. Celestia could have told you the color of the scarf her old griffon friend Sven Altus had worn on the day his clan had signed a treaty and joined the Griffon Kingdom, almost four hundred years ago: a deep, rich red scarf, stylish yet practical for the cold climate of the griffons’ homeland.

Now, Celestia was finding herself delving into memories once more. These were younger memories, but no less important to her. They were memories of a particular dragon who, no matter how big he had gotten, would always be the charming little hatchling who was eager to help and even more eager to make a friend’s day brighter. A hatchling that was probably the closest individual she had ever had to a son.

At least, that’s how Celestia had always pictured him.

Twilight had sent her a fairly distressed letter several days back, giving her an abridged explanation of her dear Spike’s current state. He was alive, and all things considered, faring well. Physically, at least. However, he seemed to be in a comatose state. It was tricky to tell, though. Dragons were known for going into sudden cases of deep sleep, and it was a fact among learned equines that dragons took several naps that could last up to one hundred years. Still, there wasn’t much to go off of as far as reference material went. Celestia was ashamed to admit that she and Equestria’s citizenry new very little about the ways dragons worked.

There was one thing that didn’t add up though with Spike if this was indeed a premature deep sleep. Dragons didn’t usually enter this century-long sleep until they were at least a century or two in age. Celestia had never heard of a young drake like Spike going into the one hundred year sleep. Therefore, she could only conclude that something was wrong. Like Spike’s brain slipping into a coma.

“Your Highness?”

Celestia was pulled out of her thoughts by the voice of one of her guards. She gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile. “Yes, Stalwart?”

“Forgive me for interrupting, your Highness, but… I received a letter from an Equestrian Courier. She was rather winded, but she had received a letter from Ponyville, express delivery. No magic was used. She must have flown here under an hour’s time.”

The guard approached the throne, giving her the letter with his magic. She took it, and unfurled the parchment, expecting another letter from Twilight. With Spike being in the state he was in, her letters had been arriving slower than they usually did.

With a hint of worry etching into her features, Celestia began to read, surprised to see a larger, less stylized form of writing on the parchment. She recognized it as a style common to earth ponies, and continued.

Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,

Sorry for the lack of formality, but this letter’s important. I’m sure you’re well aware of Spike’s current state of health, seeing as Twilight sent you several letters over the past few days. I managed to convince her to get some shut-eye, and continued researching for her. I found a book that mentioned something about dragons and a sleeping sickness, and it got me thinking. I know this isn’t a disease that Spike’s dealing with, but I think there might be a way to help him that was similar to what I read about.

If you could, Princess Luna, it would be greatly appreciated if you would stop on by Ponyville at your earliest convenience. I will either be at the Golden Oaks Library, or at the Ponyville Hospital. I’ll talk to you more about it. Again, sorry if I sound rude, but Spike means too much to all of us to go through pleasantries. Thanks for any help you can give.

Sincerely,

Applejack

Celestia was already rising up from her seat as she finished reading the letter, making her way to the double doors of the throne room.

Applejack. Celestia wasn’t all that surprised; the farm pony was very bright, and often saw practical solutions that others might miss under stressful situations.

“Your Highness… is everything alright?” the guard asked.

“Not yet… but hopefully everything will be soon,” Celestia replied, folding up the parchment and carrying it under her wing. “I will be absent from the throne for a short while. Please inform any who seek my audience to list their name and fill in a slot on the timetable outside the throne room for the next appropriate time to meet with me.”

Without waiting for a reply from the guard, Celestia made her way up the flight of stairs leading to Luna’s chambers. She could only hope that whatever Applejack had thought of would provide a means to helping out Spike.

“Rainbow Dash…”

Rainbow’s right ear twitched, and she let out a grunt of annoyance. “Nngh…”

“Rainbow Dash, wake up,” said the voice, a little louder this time. It sounded a lot like Twilight’s, but she didn’t care too much at the moment to find out.

“Dun wanna…” Rainbow replied groggily. “Tell Dizzy Twister to take care of the weather…”

Another voice spoke up, this one slightly louder, and holding an air of authority to it. “Rainbow Dash, it would be most appreciated if you would wake up. We may be in need of your assistance with Spike.”

Both of Rainbow’s ears twitched this time, and she looked up from her makeshift bed on the chair beside Spike’s bed. She blinked away the sleep from her eyes, and found herself meeting the gazes of Twilight, Applejack, and a pony she had not expected to see here at the hospital.

“Princess… Luna…?” the pegasus attempted to stifle a yawn with a hoof. “Wha… what time is it?” Her eyes widened suddenly, and she stood up straight. “Princess Luna?” She attempted to bow, only to be stopped as Luna raised a hoof, cutting her off mid-bow.

“It’s only six in the evening. I have come here at the request of Applejack and Twilight Sparkle. We believe we might have a solution to Spike’s… current situation,” replied the Princess of the Night. “My skills are required, but, we believe that your assistance might be needed as well.”

“Really? You think we can help Spike?” the pegasus asked, her eyes lighting up with hope. She stretched her wings a bit as she stood up straight once more, and faced the alicorn princess fully. “How?”

“Princess Luna has the ability to see into the dreams of others, Rainbow. She can even communicate with those who are dreaming,” Twilight answered. “We think that might be just what we need to help Spike.”

“Ohhh,” Rainbow Dash said with a nod of her head. “So… why do you need me?”

Luna smiled. “Despite my abilities with dreamwalking, my ability to interact with the dreamer has limits. I can alter a dream, but if I wish to interact with the dreamer as well, it takes much more focus. To speak with one who is in an unnatural sleep, or say, a coma…” Her smile fell. “That… would be most taxing. For, in order to truly help one suffering from a sleeping problem, I must both speak to them, and keep their sleeping mind from panicking and making things worse.”

“Um…” Rainbow Dash stared at Luna for several long moments, then gave a lopsided grin. “So…?”

“She means to say that, in order to help Spike, she needs to be able to keep his mind stable, since he’s in a coma. Spike and her would need to work together, but since Spike’s mind is not aware of what’s going on around him, forcefully waking him up could be… very bad,” Twilight explained. “Princess Luna is going to attempt going into Spike’s very mind, venturing beyond his dreams. It’s risky, but she has done it before when situations required her to. That’s why we need your help.”

“The mind is an infinitely powerful tool. However, when in a state like that of Spike’s, it is equally fragile and at risk of being broken.” Luna sighed. “I will admit, I am not entirely used to such a procedure. Before my banishment… I had never attempted such things. We did not have the resources, nor the knowledge of medicine, to perform the wonders that we do today.”

Rainbow’s ears fell flat. “So this hasn’t been done before? We’re going in blind, more or less?”

“Not entirely,” Applejack piped in. “There was a sickness that affected a lot of dragons a couple hundred years ago. The dragons fell into a really deep sleep, and in order to help ‘em, zebra shaman entered their minds to help awaken them.”

“My understanding of the inner mind will help, and this won’t necessarily be the first time I’ve entered a dragon’s mind,” Luna added. “However… I have never stepped into the mind of a comatose dragon before, and even when I have been inside a dragon’s mind, those visits were brief.” Luna turned to Spike as she continued. “I will need complete focus, and Twilight will be lending me her magic to help aid the process…” She returned her gaze to Rainbow Dash as she spoke. “I’m going to need you to help keep Spike calm, though, Rainbow Dash.”

“M-me?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What do you mean?”

“You will enter Spike’s mind with me. You will be the one to converse with his inner self, and keep him from panicking while I try to repair any possible damage,” Luna answered. “Applejack will be helping by keeping you from injuring yourself. You will have to make physical contact with Spike, and there is a chance you might move around when I place you under a magical sleep. If you were to fall off the bed, well… two minds joined together in such a manner is a delicate thing. If your body were to be physically harmed, it could cause some problems to the connection between you two.”

“So… I’ll be talking to Spike’s… mind?” Rainbow’s tone became uncertain.

Luna gave the pegasus a soft, reassuring smile. “In essence, it is no different from talking to Spike himself, Rainbow. Your surroundings may change rapidly. His appearance may be different from what it is in reality, it may even fluctuate, or Spike may act slightly different from what you may consider normal… but he will the same Spike that you have all known. The mind is what makes us who we are, is it not?”

“I guess…” Rainbow Dash mumbled, still uncertain of this situation placed before her.

“I will not force this upon you, Rainbow Dash. However, right now, you are the best chance we have,” Luna continued softly. “Twilight would do this if we had the option, but… she must lend me her magic, for I do not know how difficult this will be. If she were to divide her attention between lending me her strength and engaging Spike’s mind in conversation to keep him calm…”

“So, why not have some unicorn mages from Canterlot give you the magic instead of Twilight so she can go into Spike’s mind?” Rainbow asked.

“Magic must be subtle when you are attempting to work with another’s mind, Rainbow Dash,” Luna replied. “Spike is familiar with Twilight’s magic, and I am well versed in ways to keep mine from being felt. Were a complete stranger’s magic to be felt by Spike, he may get worried.” The alicorn sighed. “It’s complex, but believe me when I say that right now you might be our best option. Next to Twilight, you have become one of his closest friends.”

“I get it,” Rainbow said with a heavy sigh. “I just hope I don’t make things worse.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, her voice only slight strained with weariness. “Please… we need your help.”

The pegasus bit her lower lip, and stared at her hooves for a few long moments. “I… I’ll do what I can.”

She was immediately pulled into a firm, deathgrip hug by Twilight. “Thank you,” the unicorn quietly said, her voice quaking only slightly. “Thank you…”

Rainbow returned the embrace, attempting to smile. “Anything for you, Twi.”

Not five minutes later found Rainbow lying on the same bed as Spike, a sporting a healthy blush on her cheeks as she placed a hoof in Spike’s clawed hand. Spike himself was as unresponsive as ever. She moved her foreleg and wrapped it around his hand, giving it a squeeze. She waited several long seconds, hoping to get a reaction from the dragon. Even a small claw twitch would have been enough for her.

Nothing of the sort happened, though.

“Now… I will warn you, Rainbow Dash. Imagination is the law of the mind. Spike is a dragon, and a very intelligent one at that. What may seem to be odd to you will be normal to him in the realm of his mind. Trust your instincts, though. Reality may appear warped, but as long as you are true to him and yourself, everything should work out in the end.” Luna’s horn lit up. “I ask that you not directly bring up any conversation regarding his accident. In fact, if anything, try to avoid talking about how he currently is at the moment. He may very well believe that he is unharmed, and has conjured up a dream where all is well, and the accident never happened. It would be confusing for him, and cause troubles for myself while I attempt to figure out what has put him into this state.” She placed a hoof on Spike’s chest. “That or he might remember the accident, which may create a whole different matter of problems.”

“Like?” Rainbow asked.

“Spike might realize he is in a coma. He will think that you’re nothing more than a hallucination or image he created. He may even think he’s gone insane,” Luna sighed. “It is… hard to determine what might happen. Every mind is unique. Each individual reacts differently to a given situation.”

“How will I know what to do, then?” Rainbow asked.

“Treat him as you normally would, Rainbow. As a friend. A friend who is in dire need of help, but still a friend. Comfort him. Laugh with him. Simply be with him. I will watch you from a distance, and aid you when I am able.” Luna rested a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Be strong, Rainbow Dash. Your friends will be with you, even if you do not sense them.”

Rainbow nodded, and closed her eyes as Luna lowered her head. Her horn touched Rainbow’s forehead, and the world went dark.

For several long moments, Rainbow could not see, smell, or taste anything. She felt a warmth, though, and could hear the steady beating of what she imagined to be a heart.

All at once, though, the darkness was flooded in a blinding, white light. Closing her eyes, Rainbow felt an odd sensation run over her body. It was similar to the magic of Twilight, but it felt heavier. Foreign.

She blinked away the spots dancing before her eyes, and took in her surroundings. She found herself sitting on the top of a mountain, just outside a cave, from the looks of things. If anything, the scenery reminded her a lot of the area just outside of a cave she and her friends had gone to several years prior. There had been a large dragon that had made the mountaintop cave its personal sleeping quarters, and it was producing a lot of smoke from all its snoring, and the smoke clouds in turn had become a hazard to the folks of Ponyville. The girls had, after much trouble, managed to convince the dragon to leave and seek a different spot to take its one hundred year nap.

Rainbow Dash continued to scan her surroundings. At the far edge of the mountainside there was a ledge. On that ledge, there sat a figure. A large, purple and green one that made Rainbow’s heart leap a bit. The figure was facing towards the setting sun, shoulders slumped and wings listlessly hanging from their sides.

Rainbow took in a deep breath. Alright, Dash. Just play it cool. Natural. Like this is all just a normal thing, and not some… weird, mindwalking… spell. She trotted over to the figure’s side and sat down. “Pretty nice view, huh, Spike?”

The figure whirled around so suddenly that they fell back, yelping in surprise as he took in Rainbow’s appearance. Green eyes looked her up in down, disbelief slowly growing into worry and confusion. “R-Rainbow Dash?”

The pegasus smiled a little. “Duh. You think anyone else could sneak up on you as easily?” She laughed as the dragon got to his feet. “I figured I’d come up here and join you.”

Spike’s mouth remained agape. He shook his head a few times as he got to his feet. “H-how are you…?”

“What?” Rainbow asked, struggling to fight down a laugh. Despite circumstances, seeing Spike looking dumbfounded always managed to bring a smile to her face.

“I… but…” Spike slapped his face a few times, and closed his eyes. When he reopened them and saw her still standing there, he shook his head. “This can’t be real…”

Rainbow struggled to keep herself from panicking. Okay, remember what Luna said. Dreams might not be like reality. Spike’s weirded out by something…

Rainbow Dash grinned and cocked an eyebrow. “What can’t be real?”

“You,” Spike said slowly. “I… I watched you die months ago, back in Ghastly Gorge.”

“Ghastly Gorge?” Rainbow repeated. “I died?” She frowned, then gave an uneasy laugh. “No… no I didn’t die. I’m still here…”

“But… I saw—”

“Spike, if I was really dead, would I be talking to you?” Rainbow asked, smirking and giving him a friendly punch in the side with a hoof.

“No, unless you’re a manifestation of my subconscious mind and buried guilt.” He gave her a wary look. “Wait, are you my conscience?”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Conscience? Heck no!” she answered, bursting out into a fit of genuine laughter. “Spike, I can barely keep myself in line half the time. You think I’d be a good conscience for anyone else?”

Spike frowned, as though he was unsure if he really wanted to believe her. “I suppose not…”

“See? I think you just really had a bad dream or something…” She shuffled her front hooves a bit as she continued, her mind racing to come up with an excuse. “I… I mean, I was talking to you just earlier today, remember? I stopped by while you were at work, and… then I saw you fly off this way. You must’ve dozed off and had a real whopper of a nightmare, I bet.”

Spike rubbed his temples with both hands. “I could’ve sworn it was real…”

“Hey, dreams can be realistic. Like, one time, I dreamed that I ate the world’s largest marshmallow. Woke up to find my teeth halfway into my cloud pillow.” She coughed into a hoof as Spike gave her an odd look. “I mean… don’t worry, I guess is what I’m trying to say. I’m still here, flesh, blood, and awesomeness.”

Spike relaxed at that, relief etching its way into his posture. “Good… heh…” He scooted a little closer to her. “Rainbow… I want to apologize for… for what happened back at the club. The… the arguing and all that junk.”

Rainbow’s smile softened. “It’s okay—”

“No, no it’s not.” Spike shook his head vehemently.

All at once, the world around Spike and Rainbow Dash morphed, and suddenly the two were sitting in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres. A flock of birds carved out of gems flew overhead, letting out metallic chirps as they disappeared into a group of trees. “Rainbow… that nightmare I had…” His voice was just above a whisper now. “It made me realize something.”

Rainbow, who was trying to collect her bearings with the sudden change of scenery, looked back to Spike as she noticed his change in tone. “It did?”

“Yeah. I… I realized that I shouldn’t take for granted what I have.” He lay down before her, expression wracked with guilt. “I didn’t realize how lucky I was.”

Rainbow Dash felt her heartbeat quicken. “Lucky… how?”

Spike’s lips curled into a ghost of a smile. “I had friendship. We had friendship, and maybe you wanted something more from me…something that… maybe I sort of wanted as well. Instead of talking about it, though, I went and hurt you over something that shouldn’t have been an issue.”

“O-oh…” Rainbow Dash’s cheeks reddened as she looked to the ground. “I guess I’m still a little mad at you, but I’d rather not stay upset at you like this forever. You’re still my friend, y’know? It’d be dumb of us not to try and forgive each other.” She reached out and touched his forearm with a hoof. “M-maybe… maybe there’s still a chance for that something that we both wanted from each other to happen, right?”

“Maybe,” Spike said with a hollow laugh. His gaze dropped to his claws and he let out a weary sigh. “I’m such an idiot for doing all that to you, Rainbow. I know I’m acting like a broken record, but I’m sorry, and I hope you realize that I never wanted to hurt you like I did.”

“Well, you’re definitely earning brownie points with this confession of yours.” She nudged him with her hoof, and smiled when he glanced her way. “Spike… I still care about you. A lot. It’s just… you hurt me, but I know you would never want to do that on purpose. I felt like you thought I was less of a pony because of how I used to be when I was younger—”

“You’re not a lesser pony,” Spike cut her off with a firm tone. “Rainbow Dash, don’t ever think that. I’m the lesser pony… or, well, dragon, here.” He let out a small plume of smoke as he continued. “I should’ve decked those jerks at the club when I had a chance.”

“I don’t think that would have made things better,” she chuckled. “Spike… it’s going to take some time, but… I still trust you. I just… I have some thinking to do.”

“Same here…” Spike replied with a nod. “So… friends?”

Rainbow looked at Spike held out an open claw before her. She grinned, pushed his clawed hand aside, and walked forward to wrap him in a hug, or as much of a hug as her smaller frame would allow. “Friends.” She gave a little sigh as she felt the heat of his body flow into her. “Now, stop acting like you’re entirely to blame for all of this, okay? We’re both adults, and I didn’t make things any better with my attitude.”

“Alright then,” Spike chuckled softly, and reciprocated Rainbow’s hug by draping his neck over her head. He made a soft, contented growling sound in the back of his throat as he closed his eyes.

Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow’s eyes opened, and her ears twitched. That sounded like Princess Luna…

You’re correct, Rainbow Dash, replied the voice. I’ve managed to locate what I believe to be the source of damage in Spike’s mind. I will begin doing what I can to mend the damage and help wake Spike up. It will take some time before I’m finished, though. Keep him distracted, lest he start to sense my presence. That could lead to problems that would quickly spiral out of my ability to correct. It would also be a danger to yourself.

Rainbow Dash didn’t like what that last part implied, but nevertheless acknowledged what the alicorn said. You got it, Princess.

“So, Spike,” Rainbow said, snapping the dragon out of his thoughts. The sky lit up a bit, she noted, and the setting sun rose up out of the sky. What really drew her attention was the fact that everything seemed to be brightest around her in particular. As though some spotlight was shining upon her, and Spike’s dream was just a stage. The dreamscape Sweet Apple Acres was awash in a blur of colors, and the skies colors seemed to fluctuate between hues of the rainbow at random intervals. It wasn’t distracting so much as it was beautiful.

A soft breeze whispered by, carrying the scent of lilacs, cinnamon, hay fries, and a few other smells that normally wouldn’t be present in the middle of an apple orchard.

Wow… is this really Spike’s mind? Rainbow thought to herself as she breathed in the wonderful smells. I always knew he was creative, but…

“Rainbow?” Spike called out to her. She blinked, and let out a yelp as she found the two of them now sitting in the den area of his stone abode.

“How did—?” She held her tongue, and took in a deep breath. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

Spike laughed in amusement. “You were the one talking. You wanted to tell me something?”

“Oh!” Rainbow laughed. “I was wondering if you wanted to go for a flight. Maybe circle around the Ponyville area a few times?”

Spike stretched out his wings. “Yeah, that sounds great.” He made his way to the front door of his house, only to pause as he opened it. “Huh…”

“What’s up?” Rainbow asked, watching as Spike glanced back at his wings.

“Nothing… I think. My wings just feel a little stiff.”

Luna’s voice echoed within Rainbow’s mind once more. He may be feeling faint sensations from the outside world. His wings are wrapped up in bandages, and not very mobile. Try to dissuade his worries. He should be able to fly if he believes he can.

Rainbow gave a mental nod to Luna, then waved a hoof to Spike. “It shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Here, lemme have a look at them.”

Spike stretched out his wings fully, and let Rainbow Dash examine them. She pretended to look them over thoroughly, rubbing a hoof under her chin as she studied each one.

“Well?” Spike asked.

“They look fine to me, champ.” She gave him a wink. “Maybe someone’s just a little soft. Looks like I’ll have to up the ante on your exercises, huh?”

Spike grumbled a bit, tucking his wings back to his sides. “Pfft, you’re practically a sadist with how much you put me through.” Despite his tone, Rainbow could see the telltale signs of a smile on Spike’s lips.

Rainbow lifted into the air and flitted a few feet in front of Spike. “Not my fault I’m trying to push you to be the best you can be. I mean, c’mon, you’re going to have some real competition at the Best Young Flyer competition, after all!”

“Oh geesh, you’re still on about that?” Spike asked. He opened his wings up fully, and took a few bounding leaps while flapping his wings. Within less than a minute he was flying beside the pegasus.

Rainbow frowned. “Of course I am! Spike, you…” She paused, remembering that, back in the waking world, Spike’s wings were… less than intact right now. Would he be able to fly again? That was a terrifying thought: no longer being able to fly. “... Spike, you sell yourself short, bud. I mean, yeah, you’re a bit slower at flying, but that’s because you’re a dragon! You’ve got so much more muscle weighing you down!” She laughed, “That’s not a bad thing, though. Heck, remember when you were pulling all those carts of stone? You were acting like it was nothing!”

Spike flushed in the cheeks. “It’s nothing special, Rainbow. Lots of dragons are stronger than—”

“Yeah, but none of the dragons are you, though! I mean, you’re like, super smart, you know all sorts of things about Equestrian history, you know all sorts of things about poetry—”

“I… don’t know if that’s really something to be proud of…” the drake mumbled.

"It is! It’s who you are Spike!” Rainbow Dash said, a fierce gleam in her eyes. “I… I just don’t like seeing you sulking or… or giving up on yourself. I just want you to do well, you know? So… no more talking about you not being a good flyer. I know a good flyer when I see one, and you’re like… in my top twenty, at least!”

“Twenty, huh?” Spike chuckled.

“W-well, you’re not as good as the Wonderbolts, and there’s a few of them… but most ponies aren’t as good as them, so…” She folded her forelegs together and hovered in front of him. “Just learn to take a compliment, geesh!”

“I suppose I should be grateful for a soon-to-be-Wonderbolt to compliment me as much as you do,” Spike chuckled. “Thanks, Rainbow.”

“Anytime,” Rainbow replied. “So… you wouldn’t have a problem with me joining as a legit Wonderbolt?”

“Why would I? I’d have more of a problem if you didn’t,” the drake answered. “Rainbow, you’re in the prime of your life right now.”

“I might have been two or three years ago, actually. I’ve gotten a teeny bit rusty on some of—”

“Okay, time to reverse roles,” Spike said, cutting her off. The sky became a bright shade of blue, the sun no longer hovering over the horizon. Clouds whipped by as they soared through the air, and more than a few of them were shaped like Rainbow’s cutie mark. “Rainbow, you’re a great flight coach. You taught a dragon to fly. Not just a pony. A dragon. A bookworm of a dragon, too.”

“You’re a good student, though,” Rainbow Dash countered. “You caught on quickly.”

“Yeah, but do you remember how much work it was at first? Dragons aren’t built like ponies. You actually studied dragon musculature to get an idea of how I work.” He shook his head. “Anyway, that’s only one reason. You’re a great coach. Besides that, flight is like second nature to you. Heck, I’m pretty sure you spend more time in the air than any other pegasus I know.”

“Well, back in Cloudsdale they’re flying around almost—”

“Rainbow Dash,” Spike said, lips forming into a smirk. “Learn to take a compliment.”

“I…” Her eyes widened a little, and she gave him an amused smile. “Okay, you win that one.”

“Good,” He banked to the side a bit as Rainbow made a lazy barrel roll in the same direction. “I mean it, though. I’d be shocked if you didn’t make it into the Wonderbolts. I mean, you passed the exams, and you’ve shown your capabilities during their academy training.” He laughed a little, then added. “That and I’m pretty sure if you don’t join them, Spitfire or Soarin’ are going to make you join by force.”

“Hah, I bet!” Rainbow did a few acrobatic maneuvers as she flew around Spike, who continued to fly a mostly straight flight path. “So, wanna race to Whitetail Wood?”

“Race?” Spike repeated. “Rainbow, are you that desperate for a win that you’d challenge me?”

“Come on, I’ll give you a whole minute’s head-start!” Rainbow challenged, already turning towards the direction of Whitetail Woods.

Spike was silent for a few long moments.

“If you win, I’ll buy you a Sapphire cupcake!”

“Make it two and you got a deal,” Spike replied.

“Fine, fine, two cupcakes.”

“Good… so…” The drake arched an eyebrow. “What about if you win?”

Rainbow grinned. “Then you have to promise to sign up for the Best Young Flyer competition.” A moment passed before Rainbow realized that, in truth, Spike might not get to participate in that competition, even if he were to awaken from his coma.

“... promise not to start before the minute’s up?” Spike asked.

“I promise!”

Spike sighed, slowly flapping his wings and turning towards Whitetail Woods. “We’ll start as soon as we pass that river below.”

“Sounds good to me.”

As the two flew onward, they watched their shadows as they grew closer to a small river just east of Ponyville. Rainbow looked to Spike, whose expression was fixed into a determined grimace. She fought down a chuckle as she continued to watch their shadows below grow ever nearer to the river.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “On your mark.”

Spike let out a snort while keeping his gaze focused to the horizon. Plumes of smoke wafted from his nostrils.

“Get set.”

Rainbow grinned as she heard Spike let out a low growl, clearly anxious to get the race started.

“Go!”

With a mighty flap, Spike burst forward, leaving Rainbow Dash to hover just over the bank of the river. Her mane fluttered about as she was buffeted by the wind his wings had created. She chuckled as his wing flaps caused a few young trees below him to sway and lose some of their leaves.

If Rainbow were to be honest with herself, she would be happy either way. If Spike won, well… even if it was his mind, seeing him excel in flight felt like a victory to her. If she won, Spike would have no further excuses to put off trying for the Best Young Flyer competition.

It was a win-win for her either way. Even if it was only a dream.

Luna had not spent more than a few minutes within the mental projection of Spike’s mind before realizing that she was walking in circles. When she had first entered his mind, she had found herself in a colossal chamber of sorts. One could have fit several cities of Manehattan in it. It was so vast that there were clouds lazily floating above, being carried on an invisible current to who knew where. Beneath her hooves was a beautiful polished marble floor, and while she couldn’t get a good look at them, considering how far away they were, she was certain the walls surrounding her were of the same material as well.

However, the size of this chamber wasn’t the only impressive feature of Spike’s mindscape.

Numerous exits branched out of the ‘entrance chamber’ in every direction, even straight up and right below Luna. All of these exits led down twisting, winding halls that were lit by various methods, sometimes torch sconces, sometimes lamps filled with fireflies. Were Luna to attempt counting each exit and corridor leading out of the chamber, she suspected she would never leave Spike’s mind.

Still, she had a mission, and she knew that she had to start somewhere. So, she took the first corridor that was within her sight, which happened to be a staircase descending downward, which eventually ended in a stone marble hall stretching out into the dark recesses of Spike’s mind. Every so often she passed by a door, but she never stopped long enough to study them. It wasn’t long before she noticed a few branching halls coming off of the corridor she traveled down. Several minutes later and a few twists and turns, she found herself right back in the entrance chamber.

While it had taken up precious time, she wasn’t upset by this. The fact that some of these corridors were connected, and even led back to the chamber, only helped give her a better understanding of what to expect with the drake’s mindscape. So, onward she went, taking the next closest exit.

The only guides she had in the labyrinth of Spike’s mind were signs and plaques that read things like ‘Memories of Canterlot’, ‘Best gem-hunting locations in southern Ponyville’, or ‘Reasons not to bother Twilight before she’s had her morning coffee’. Many of these signs and plaques hung over the doors that lined either side of any given corridor she traveled down. The doors in turn were of varying style, age, and material.

She had eventually opened one door labeled ‘Favorite Locations in Equestria’, and was greeted by the sight of a beautiful summer day in Sweet Apple Acres. She walked through and took in a breath, the welcome smell of apple blossoms and growing life reaching her nostrils. It was a welcome distraction from the real problem going on in the waking world.

Alas, distractions were just that: distractions. She had a dragon to save, after all. When Luna turned around, the door she had opened was still there, standing in the middle of the massive apple orchard. She walked through it, and closed the door behind her before continuing down the hall.

Another doorway revealed a cavern filled with various gemstones that came spilling out when she peeked inside. Yet another door was a labeled ‘Reasons to Not Argue with Sweetie Belle about Musical Tastes’, and had opened up to a scene of Spike sitting in his house with a pillow over his head while a smug-looking Sweetie Belle had a phonograph belting show tunes into an open window from outside. Neither the dragon or unicorn filly seemed to notice Luna.

One door was labeled ‘Fantasies of Waxing Crescent/Princess Luna: Personal and Intimate’. The door itself was made of polished oak, and painted in a dark blue color. A crescent moon had been carved into it along with a writing quill.

“Well, I remember Celly telling me he was a fan of my work… but…” Luna said aloud as she continued to stare at the door.

She blushed a little, and forced down the desire to open the door and see what was inside. She had been distracted for long enough, and she was certain that whatever was beyond that particular door would not help her situation… even if a part of her remained curious about it and wished to see what was on the other side.

Every secret and personal thought of Spike’s that Luna had learned about would remain as such, and she would carry those secrets for as long as she lived. Such was the burden and honor of being responsible for helping those suffering from nightmares or problems relating to sleep.

She exhaled deeply. Her search so far had been fruitless. Her magical senses were picking up nothing out of the ordinary. However, she knew that she had only begun to dig into the vaults of Spike’s mind. The Princess of the Night had been through a few minds in her long life, and each one was unique. Most of those visits had been brief, though. She was fairly certain she had never seen one quite like Spike’s. It was organized in a way that only a madmare would understand, but Luna knew that it was a mess that was still full of knowledge, aspirations, dreams, and memories, both good and bad.

Her her horn lit up suddenly, and Luna came to an abrupt halt. She glanced around her, and gasped as her horn emitted a glow upon the left wall.

A large, gaping crack ran along the side of the stone wall, and it continued on, deep into the maze-like corridor she was walking through. Without hesitating, Luna took off at a gallop, her magic guiding her as she followed the crack in the wall. Over time the crack began to spread, forming spiderweb fractures over the stonework and getting worse with every turn she made. Before she knew it, the single crack was now several dozen, and the wall itself was crumbling apart from the damage created.

After what felt like hours, Luna came to a stop. She had entered another chamber. Much like the one she had first appeared in, it had thousands of corridors leading out of it. However, there was one major difference with this massive chamber: a gigantic, purple, floating crystal was hovering in the center of the room. Luna took a few steps into the chamber, only to stop as her hooves made a splashing sound against the floor. She looked down, and sure enough, the entire chamber floor was covered in a few inches of water. It was ice cold, but she wasn’t bothered by this. If anything, it gave her a strange comforting feeling.

Luna approached the crystal, and the first thing she noticed were the hundreds of cracks that lined its surface. In fact, the cracks themselves seemed to originate from the crystal, and were spreading out into the corridors.

“Well… I think this is as good as any place to start…” Luna said to herself. She reached out to the crystal with her magic, gently prodding its glossy, cracked surface. Thoughts that were not her own ran through her mind.

There were images of Rainbow Dash by her side. A feeling of joy and warmth spread throughout Luna’s chest as she looked upon the young mare. She found herself admiring Rainbow’s figure, the way her body seemed to move with perfect grace. Her athletic figure was something that she was certain most ponies could only dream of—

Luna let go of her magic, and the images faded immediately. She felt her cheeks heat up a little as the visions of Rainbow Dash faded from her thoughts. She returned her attention to the giant crystal before her. “So… this is Spike’s inner mind. That would explain his coma, then.”

She sighed heavily, and closed her eyes. She cast her magic out, beyond the metaphysical walls surrounding her. She searched for several long minutes before stopping, her magic picking up the life force of Rainbow Dash somewhere far away in the mind of Spike.

“Rainbow Dash…”

The life force of Rainbow Dash pulsed a bit, as though jostled from some trance. Luna could hear Rainbow’s voice echoing in her own mind.

That sounded like Princess Luna…

Luna smiled. “You’re correct, Rainbow Dash…” The aura of Rainbow Dash immediately settled down. “I’ve managed to locate what I believe to be the source of damage in Spike’s mind. I will begin doing what I can to mend the damage and help wake Spike up. It will take some time before I’m finished, though.” Luna paused for a moment, and could sense the worry coming from Rainbow Dash. “Keep him distracted, lest he start to sense my presence. That could lead to problems that would quickly spiral out of my ability to correct. It would also be a danger to yourself.”

While the worry was still there, Luna felt a sense of hope bubble up from Rainbow’s aura. You got it, Princess.

Satisfied, Luna ceased her communication with the pegasus, yet maintained the magical connection, just in case. With a small portion of her magic now tethered to Rainbow’s aura, she began to study the crystal more attentively. She looked over every inch that she could, even taking to the air when needed.

The crystal’s surface did not give off a reflection of her, she noted. It did, however, show faint images across its clear, purple facets. Most of them were the very same images that Luna had seen when she had brushed her magic across it. Every so often a different image, often completely unrelated with Rainbow Dash, would flicker across the surface of the gem. The facets were so numerous though that Luna had a hard time keeping track of what was being shown to her.

Her magic, however, could help her make sense of it.

She took a slow breath, then exhaled. She would have to be careful. Spike’s mind was in a delicate state, and while she could deter any of his own thoughts from melding with hers, it would require some effort to do so. That was exactly the reason why she had Twilight’s magic aiding her, though.

Luna dug deep within her, and could feel it: that strong, flowing river of magic that was Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn was channeling enough magic to power a city block in Manehattan with magical light for a whole week, but she didn’t even seem to be fazed by it.

Celly always had a knack for spotting the talented ones…

Luna slowly dipped her magic into Twilight’s magical flow, creating a junction between the two. The alicorn let out a small gasp as she felt Twilight’s power wrap around her. She was overcome with a feeling of determination.

She could do this, and she would not give up until Spike was well again. Then, she would lecture him on the hazards of flying during storms, and make sure he gets a daily vitamin supplement to help his bones heal proper—

Luna gently pushed the thoughts of Twilight Sparkle to the side, using them as a bolster to her own drive to fix the dragon’s mind. She looked to the ever-changing surface of the crystal that represented Spike’s mind. The cracks were numerous, and she suspected that more than a few pieces of the gem had been moved around, creating a disfigured shape.

It was an intimidating sight for her, now that she got a good look at how damaged Spike was. Even so, Luna had accomplished much more difficult things. She had helped with imprisoning Discord. She raised and lowered the moon daily. And, possibly the most arduous task any single pony could take on, she dealt with bureaucratic system of the Equestrian government. This would be a challenge for her, but it would not be impossible.

With her horn aglow, a blue and slightly pink hue weaving into it, Luna wrapped her magic around a loose gem fragment that didn’t quite fit properly. Nodding to herself, she set to work. Carefully, she dislodged the fragment, holding it in her magic as if it were a newborn kitten or made of the most fragile and valuable china in the world. She slowly circled around the gem, looking for a spot that resembled the general shape of her removed fragment.

“You can’t fix it, you know.”

Luna whirled around suddenly, and almost dropped the gem fragment in doing so. She backpedaled a few feet, clutching the gem fragment in her magic while staring at the source of the voice.

Her eyes widened as her mouth opened and closed. When she found her voice, it came out in a confused whisper.

“S-Spike?”

There, standing before her, was not one, but two purple dragons. A small dragon, shorter than the average pony, stood before her, his gaze locked on the ground. The other was a hulking, muscular dragon, with teeth jutting out in a way not unlike that of an alligator. He more closely resembled what most ponies thought of when they heard the word ‘dragon’. He probably stood close to fifteen feet in height.

“Well… we’re kinda Spike,” replied the small dragon, who was fidgeting with his tail.

“There’s no ‘we’ to be spoken of, whelp. You’re just a pale shadow of what that name truly stands for,” rumbled the second dragon, casting an annoyed glare down at the baby dragon. “Calling you a whelp is barely fitting for one like you. I’ve never heard of a dragon who was so meek and—”

“Sh-shut up! I’m not meek! I’m just not a greedy jerk who’s got an ego the size of a mountain!"

“You puny scamp!” roared the dragon, letting out a gout of emerald flame. “Do you even know what it means to be a dragon?”

“If it means being a selfish, terrorizing monster, then you can count me out of wanting to ‘be’ a dragon,” grumbled little Spike.

“I swear you were meant to be born with hooves and fur.”

“Don’t you have some hoard of gems to sit on?”

Luna slowly looked from one to the other, her expression growing more and more baffled by the minute. “I… feel as though I am missing some important context here.”

Big Spike spoke this time, snorting out flames from his nostrils. “Hmmph. You’ll have to excuse this hatchling, here. He has deluded himself into believing that he knows what is truly right for Spike.” He waved a hand at the smaller dragon. “All he has really proven is that he is truly an imbecile. He continues to live among ponies, shackling himself to their ways. He knows nothing of our culture, our ways! He cannot recite any of the stories of the draconic eddas! He cannot even sing like a proper dragon!”

“Oh, and you can? We’re two halves of the same coin, knucklehead,” retorted Little Spike.

“At least I have pride in what I am! You try to hide it!”

Luna sighed deeply as the two began to bicker again. She had not anticipated something like this, but it wouldn’t be the first time she ran into multiple mental aspects of an individual’s mind. Celestia alone had almost six. She was fairly certain that Discord, within the raging chaos that was his mind, had close to forty eight, and rising.

“Enough!” Luna shouted, cutting off their arguing. “So, you two claim that you are Spike? Is that what I am to believe?”

Little Spike nodded. “Yeah. I’m Spike’s pony-self. The real Spike. I was born and raised among ponies. I’m not going to try and act like something else just because of the way I look.”

Big Spike growled in annoyance. “The whelp is partially true. He is our pony-self. I, however, am the true Spike. I am Spike’s dragon-self. I may live among ponies, but I will not let them mold me into something else. I am proud of what I am, even if I am abnormal to those I live amongst.”

“I see… well…” Luna tapped her chin, and began to pace. “So… the accident must have caused the coma.” She paused, studying the crystal before her once more. “Still, this must be what’s keeping Spike in a coma, even after medical magic had been attempted to help awaken him.”

“I think she’s finally lost it…” Little Spike noted.

“So? As long as she doesn’t go wandering into the personal rooms, I’m fine with it,” grumbled Big Spike.

“Aha!” Luna shouted, stomping a hoof as her face lit up with a smile. “Spike… erm… Spikes, I mean. A question for you two: what about your friends? What do they mean to you?”

“My friends?” Little Spike repeated. “I… I care for all of them. A lot. They’ve given me so much. I only want to do the same for them in return. Whatever I can do to make them happy, I’ll do it… well, barring the impossible or… plain weird, I guess. They’re my family…” He smiled. “I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

Big Spike rolled his eyes, but nodded and looked to Luna. “As… sickening as it was to hear him say that, I agree. Twilight and the others… Celestia, and you, Princess Luna… Cadance, Shining Armor… everyone in Ponyville. They are important to me. Their safety and happiness is important to me as well. They have shown me compassion, and have not tried to tell me to be something I am not.” He glanced down at his smaller counterpart. “This runt, however, has managed to do that all on his own.”

Little Spike sighed, “There you go again, trying to throw blame.”

“Right,” Luna said, nipping the argument in the bud before it resurfaced. “What of Rainbow Dash?”

Both parties went silent. Little Spike shuffled his feet and coughed into a hand. Big Spike became particularly busy with studying a crack in the stone floor and studying one of his claws.

Luna smirked. “Surely she means something to you, doesn’t she?”

“Yes,” both replied in unison.

“In that case, I might have to make a quick trip.” Luna focused on her magic and the aura of a certain pegasus mare.

Rainbow Dash, can you hear me?

There was a pause. Then, Princess Luna? That you?

Luna smiled to herself. Yes. I require your help, it would seem. I believe I’ve found the root cause of the problem relating to Spike’s mind.

Another pause, this time accompanied by a ripple of uncertainty from Rainbow Dash. Will… will Spike be okay without me for a bit?

He should be. Just let him know that you have some errands to take care of. I will retrieve you once you two have parted ways.

Okay… just… just give me a second to talk to him.

Luna returned her attention to the two drakes and gave them a small smile. “I shall return shortly. Don’t go anywhere.”

With that, Luna vanished in a burst of light, leaving the two dragons standing there, staring at the spot she had been standing in moments ago.

“Do you think she found the Waxing Crescent room?” Big Spike asked.

Little Spike shuddered. “I hope not. I don’t feel like explaining that one to her.”

“So… you promise you’ll register for the competition, right? I did win that race, after all.” Rainbow asked a sulking Spike. She was barely able to suppress the typical gloating tone she often had after winning any sort of competition.

“Yeah, still don’t know if it’ll be worth the effort. I mean, a dragon competing in a flight competition against pegasi is kind of pointless, but… I… um…” Spike stopped mid-sentence as soon as he saw the narrowing gaze of the mare next to him. “Yes. I’ll get on that as soon as I can.”

“Good!” Rainbow grinned, expression brightening once more. “Well, I hate to up and leave, but I gotta take care of some paperwork for the weather team.” Her grin softened a bit. “So… I’ll see you later?”

Spike gave a nod. “Maybe we can visit Canterlot again and see some of the other sites? I know this great place in lower Canterlot that sells the best veggie pretzel roll sandwiches. Worth every bit you pay for them.”

“I’d like that!” Rainbow said as she lifted off the ground. “Alright, Spike. I’ll catch you later.”

With that, Rainbow took off. Almost immediately, she noticed the lighting of the dreamscape world grow dim as images began to fade and blur around her. She stopped in mid-flight and looked behind to where Spike had been. He was no longer there. In fact, Ponyville itself had been replaced with what appeared to be Whitetail Woods. She frowned, but decided just to throw it in with being inside the mindscape of Spike. No sense trying to understand the inner workings of another’s brain. That and it was the only feasible explanation she would accept to help her come to terms with the sun in the sky smiling at her while wearing a large sombrero, sunglasses, and singing in Pinkie Pie’s voice.

“Charming, isn’t it?”

“Gyaaaah!” Rainbow shouted in surprise, wheeling around, and finding herself face to face with Princess Luna. “O-oh, Princess! Heh, you scared me!”

Luna smiled a little. “My apologies,” replied the alicorn in a way that clearly meant otherwise. “So… how is Spike faring?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It’s hard to tell.” She turned back to the woods below her as she continued to hover in the air. “I mean, I can talk to him and he’s acting like his usual self. Well, he’s a little mopey, but I can’t blame him. I think he’s been trying to remember the accident. Though… it sounds like he thought I died or something. He was acting all surprised and confused when he saw me.”

“I see. After he fell into unconsciousness, he must have continued to dream up a false reality.” Luna glanced at the world around her. “Still, his mind is rather vibrant.”

“Yeah, I was expecting a more… dreamlike world, I guess. This is pretty realistic. Er, well, there was the flying gem birds… and the talking trees that sounded like Rarity with a mouthful of marbles…” She glanced up at the still singing sun. “And... and that…”

Luna quirked an eyebrow. “Indeed. Talking trees, you say?”

“Don’t ask.” Rainbow replied. “It’s… just weird…” She shook her head. “So, you needed me for something, Princess?”

“Yes. I have encountered a…” Luna thought for a moment on how to best explain the situation with the two Spikes. “I…well, perhaps it’s best if I just show you.”

Rainbow Dash gave Luna a nervous look. “This… this isn’t going to be some dreamscape where I’m back in school, is it? Because, seriously, those dreams always end with me wearing some frilly dress or finishing last in flight races during gym… because I’m wearing a frilly dress…”

Luna did her best to hide the amused smile from Rainbow Dash, managing a small smirk. “I can make no guarantees. We’re in the mind of Spike, after all. This is his domain, and we’re merely visitors. So far, things have been relatively calm for us, it would seem. Let’s hope they stay that way.” Luna’s horn emitted a glow. “Stay close.”

Rainbow Dash’s vision was filled with a white light. When she opened them again, she was standing on a stone floor with Luna beside her. She scanned her surroundings, and the thought of an underground passageway you would find in an ancient castle or fort came to mind. A soft, purple light was being cast from somewhere within the chamber they were in. She turned to the lightsource, and let out a small gasp.

“Whoa. That’s huge!”

“That would be the mental projection of Spike’s mind,” Luna said with a hint of admiration. “Sadly, it is rather damaged, as you can tell.”

“It… really?” Rainbow Dash studied the gem, and sure enough, she could see thousands of cracks running across its surface, and some parts of its surface seemed to be off. It was as though it had been shattered, and someone had attempted to haphazardly stick it back together. “So… how do we fix it?”

“You can’t.”

The two mares turned around, and Rainbow Dash gasped once more. Then she squinted her eyes and frowned “Wait… Spike? Is that… you?”

Two figures stepped out of the shadows. “Yep, well… sorta, I guess,” replied one of the two dragons before her. He resembled Spike in his younger years.

Rainbow Dash glanced over to Princess Luna with confusion. “Right. Is this what you were talking about?”

Luna failed to conceal a smile as she gave a slight nod. “Indeed. These two drakes before you represent the ‘pony self’ and ‘dragon self’ of Spike. Two sides of the same coin, as it were.”

“It’s not that simple,” began Little Spike. “We’re more like—”

“Two sides of the same coin, got it,” Rainbow said with a nod. “So, what do you need from me?” She glanced at Little Spike. “I can’t help with flying lessons.” She then took note of the wings on the larger of the two. “At least… not yet.” She flew over to the duo, studying them as she hovered over their heads. “Huh. You’re a lot bigger than Spike actually is.”

Big Spike grumbled and let out a plume of smoke. “The ‘Spike’ you know will not be my size for several more decades. I am merely an example of what Spike will become, were he to accept his dragon lineage instead of casting it aside in favor of living like a pony.”

Little Spike sighed. “Here we go…”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Hey, he’s not casting aside anything! He’s a dragon, and he’s proud of it!” She was now right in front of Big Spike. “You’d think that you of all dragons would know that, considering you’re him.”

“That’s really not how it works,” Little Spike said, shaking his head as he spoke. “You see, we’re not really Spike so much as we’re his ideals and desires given—”

“So, what do I need to do, Princess?” Rainbow said, once more cutting off Little Spike, who slumped a bit and kicked a loose piece of stone on the ground.

Princess Luna just smiled her ever-mysterious smile. “Talk with the two.”

That gave Rainbow pause. She cocked her head to the side, raised an eyebrow, and blinked several times. “Talk to them?”

“Correct.”

“Uh. Wasn’t I just doing that with Spike a few minutes ago?”

“That was Spike’s mind, given a form. That ‘Spike’ is our dear friend’s mind, in its entirety, both broken and whole parts of it. Ultimately, it is the thing that we must mend,” Luna explained. “These two drakes here are not the same in that regard. They are more entwined with the unconscious part of his mind. Deeply rooted in the mind, but not so easily noticed.”

Rainbow groaned and shook her head. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“These two are simply a part Spike’s mind. They are pieces of a whole. Very important pieces, I might add.” Luna gestured to the gem floating in the center of the chamber. “This gemstone here is a representation of the state and current thought process of Spike. Even if I were to study it for hours on end without rest, I would never fully begin to understand it. I can only gleam the basics of it.”

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. “Okay, I think I understand. So… the Spike that I was talking to earlier was… like… the entire package of the mind stuffed into a dream-body-thing?”

Luna was about to reply, but Little Spike beat her to the punch. “More or less, yeah. If you’re talking about the same thing that I think you’re talking about, then you were speaking to the Spike the Dragon. He’s the sum of all the parts.”

“So…” Rainbow sighed. “This is getting pretty deep.” She looked to Princess Luna and gave her an exhausted look. “How do you do this dreamwalking thing so often without losing your own mind?”

“A creative and open manner of thinking helps. That and a large degree of respect towards the privacy of others’ personal thoughts.” Luna chuckled as Rainbow’s ear drooped. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. To explain how I’ve come to understand dreams so well is akin to asking me to define life’s meaning… or explain why magic exists. It simply is what it is.”

Rainbow shook her head, but said nothing further on the matter. Instead, she looked back to the two dragons. “So… what’s up with you two?”

“Nothing ‘is up’ with us. We’ve simply split from each other. To be quite honest, I’m not all that upset about it,” rumbled Big Spike. “Less talk of tea and baking pony treats.”

“Yeah, and less dreaming about building a horde of gems and napping for a whole week,” retorted Little Spike. “Trust us; we’re happy with this.”

“Um…” Rainbow Dash glanced over to Luna. The Princess of the Night simply gestured her towards the dragons with a hoof. “So… any good places around this…uh…”

“The Archives,” replied Little Spike.

“The Archives?” Rainbow repeated.

“That’s what… well, ‘Spike’... the Spike… that is what he sometimes refers to as his memories and thoughts,” Big Spike replied.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but snort a little in laughter. “That… that is so adorkable.”

“It is not,” groused Little Spike. “It’s an accurate way of—”

Rainbow continued to laugh. “I always wondered what goes on in your… erm… Spike’s head. I didn’t think he was that in love with books, though.” She quickly settled down and let out a sigh. “Okay, anyway, is there anything in the Archives that you two could show me?”

“Perhaps you two might like to show Rainbow Dash some of your favorite memories?” Luna suggested.

Big Spike and Little Spike shared a look with one another. The bigger of the two shrugged while Little Spike nodded. “I… guess that’s okay. What about you, Princess?”

Luna gestured to the gem. “I shall remain here and see if I can repair this.” She smiled to the three. “I shall not venture beyond here. Don’t worry.”

The two dragons looked a little reluctant to leave Luna, though whether it was the idea of leaving her alone with the gem bothered them, or not having her with them, she did not know.

“C’mon!” Rainbow said, making her way towards a random hallway. “I want to see…” She glanced up at a sign labeled ‘Childhood Memories’. “Okay, I’ve got to see this!”

Both dragons blushed furiously. Big Spike cleared his throat. “There’s… nothing really exciting down that way.”

“Y-yeah, maybe you want to see the ‘Facts About Igneous Rocks’ chamber instead?”

Rainbow Dash was already making her way down the hall as they called out to her. “Hey, this door says ‘Embarrassing Moments with Blueberry Juice’!”

“Gah, not that door!” Little Spike called out, both dragons now following the mare down the corridor.

Luna chuckled softly as the trio vanished into the depths of the labyrinth that was Spike’s mind. Despite the direness regarding Spike’s broken mind, Luna was finding herself enjoying this excursion into the metaphorical world of her favorite dragon.

With any luck, Rainbow Dash’s little diversion with the two selves of Spike would help her gain insight into what needed to be done to fix the poor dragon’s mind.

Fifteen minutes.

Luna and Rainbow Dash had been unconscious for only fifteen minutes. She had only begun to feel a tug on her magic by the Princess of the Night a minute or two ago, but it was noticeable. Luna had taken a seat on the floor, her head bowed and her eyes closed. She almost seemed to be in some sort of meditative state, but she was unresponsive to any stimuli.

Applejack was still beside the bed, keeping a strong foreleg over Rainbow Dash as the pegasus snored softly. She wasn’t sure what to expect when Luna had cast the spell, outside of the two falling asleep. There were no fancy bursts of light, no loud bangs or odd sounds. Rainbow Dash’s eyes just closed, and before any of them knew it, she was out like a light.

In fact, Rainbow Dash had become rather comfortable, and was now snuggled up beside Spike, mumbling to herself about Luna knows what.

“Heh,” Applejack chuckled. “Never knew her to be a clinger.”

Twilight smiled at the scene of her dear friend beside Spike. “Makes me wish I had brought a camera.”

“A camera? Oh, I can go get one quick if you want!”

Twilight and Applejack let out yelps of surprise as Pinkie Pie bounced into the room. Following close behind her were Rarity and Fluttershy, the latter of the two apologizing softly while the unicorn scolded Pinkie for surprising the two mares.

“Hey, girls,” Twilight greeted the three. “I didn’t know you would be showing up today.”

“Well, darling, we hadn’t planned to at first. We were actually hoping to get you out of the library so you could get some fresh air, but when we noticed you weren’t there, we immediately made our way here.” Rarity held a hoof to her chest. “We… had feared the worst, as much as I hate to admit it.”

Twilight gave a sad smile. “Well, hopefully this will all be behind us soon. Princess Luna is here now.” She looked to the unresponsive alicorn as she continued. “She is trying to help us out with Spike’s coma.”

“She is? Do… do you think she can wake Spike up?” Fluttershy asked with a spark of hope in her words.

“We don’t know, but she and Rainbow Dash are no doubt doing all that they can to help Spike,” Twilight replied with a nod to Rainbow Dash. “They’re using my magic to help, too.” Twilight tapped her horn. “You can’t really tell, but right now I’m channeling magic from myself to the princess.”

“Oh my, that explains the tingling I felt earlier,” Rarity studied Twilight for a moment, then added, “It sounds serious. Will you be alright?”

“Well, the flow isn’t constant. Sometimes I feel a strong tug, other times I don’t feel anything. Princess Luna is using my magic sparingly, it seems. I’m just happy to do what I can to help Spike, though. If exhausting my magic reserves is what it will take to help Spike, then I’m more than alright with it.”

“Getting Princess Luna to help was a smart idea, Twilight! I mean, you know, since she is all about sleep and dreams and stuff like that!” Pinkie clopped her hooves together. “Spike’ll be back with us in no time flat!”

“Actually, this was all Applejack’s idea,” Twilight said with a small blush. “I sort of drove myself to exhaustion and Applejack forced me to get some sleep. Then she got the idea after doing some research of her own.”

“Now, don’t go sellin’ yourself short, sugarcube. You had a huge stack of books in front of you; I just got lucky and pulled out the winner.” Applejack glanced over to Luna, then back to Rainbow Dash and Spike. “Well… hopefully it was a winner.”

“Of course it was a winner! Princess Luna’s here, isn’t she?” Pinkie said, now sitting beside the alicorn princess. “I know she’ll figure it out. That, and Dashie is helping her! There’s no way they can fail!”

“I hope you’re right, Pinkie Pie.” Applejack sighed, a small smile playing at her lips.

“Though… why is Rainbow Dash sleeping?” Pinkie asked.

Both Applejack and Twilight looked to the pegasus, who chose at that moment to let out a rather loud snort as she continued to doze peacefully.

“She… she’s supposedly helping Princess Luna in Spike’s mind,” Twilight replied after a moment. “I’m not sure how, considering I can’t see into Spike’s mind. It’s magic that I don’t think even I could perform without years and years of training.”

“That sounds awfully complicated,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, I don’t know much about unicorn or alicorn magic, but… going into another pony… or dragon’s mind…?”

“Well, if anyone can do it, I reckon it’d be Princess Luna,” Applejack said with a nod. “They’ve only been out for about fifteen or so minutes, but there’s no tellin’ how long this might take.”

Rarity frowned a little. “Applejack? Twilight? Have you two had anything to eat in the past day?”

“Erm, well…” Twilight began. “I did have a nice croissant with some jam for breakfast—”

“I thought so. Pinkie, will you come with me and help me prepare a real lunch for these two?”

“Oooh, that sounds fun!” Pinkie said, hopping back onto her hooves. “I have this great idea for a horseradish sauce mixed with…” The mare’s voice faded as the two made their way out of the room.

Fluttershy looked to Applejack and Twilight, then sighed. “I’ll go help Rarity… with Pinkie Pie.” With that, she too left the room.

“I… really don’t like horseradish,” Twilight said after a moment’s silence. “But… now that Rarity brought it up, I am pretty hungry.” As if to emphasize her point, Twilight’s stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.

“Well, no sense on depriving yourself of food, then.” Applejack gave Twilight a smile. “You might be stuck here until Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash are finished with whatever they’re doing in Spike’s noggin, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get something to eat.”

No sooner had she said those words did Applejack’s own stomach gurgle loudly.

“I guess that makes two of us, then, huh?” Twilight chuckled.

“Oh. My. Gosh.”

“C’mon, Rainbow. It’s not that big of a deal…”

“Oh. My. Gosh. How did I not know about this until now?”

Little Spike stood with his arms folded and a furious blush across his cheeks while Rainbow Dash was standing in the doorway of one of Spike’s many memories. Before the two was a rather charming scene: a young Spike, no more than a few months in age, sitting contentedly with a few strands of Princess Celestia’s mane in his mouth. Celestia herself didn’t seem upset in the least by the whole thing, in fact, she seemed rather happy, if anything. One of Celestia’s aides was fretting over the dragon whelp while the alicorn princess assured the distressed mare that she didn’t mind.

“Your Highness, what if he manages to pull out some of your mane hair, though?”

“Well, then I suppose I would have a few less hairs to worry about brushing then, wouldn’t I?” Celestia chuckled softly.

“Princess…” the aide continued. “You have a presentation before the Board of Magical Research in less than two hours… surely you don’t want some dragon drool in your mane when you—”

“Ms. Status Quo, I assure you that I am fine with little Spike here.” She lowered her head as the dragon whelp tugged a little on her mane. She laughed softly and gave him a gentle nuzzle. “Besides, I don’t get to enjoy spending this much time with him very often.”

Status Quo’s own lips slowly curled into a smile. “I… very well, your Highness. I shall return fifteen minutes before the meeting starts.”

As the mare left the room, Celestia continued to sit with the young dragon whelp. Spike had lost interest in the alicorn’s ethereal mane, and was now occupying himself with crawling on her back. Celestia laughed as Spike babbled to himself.

“Aren’t we just a bundle of energy today?” Celestia said softly as she lifted Spike into the air with her magic, then placed him between her two forelegs. “Can you say, ‘Spike’?”

“Ahhhbaahhhpfftth,” was the reply Spike gave.

“Close,” Celestia laughed. “That’s your name, you know. Spike. Can you say it? Spike?”

The whelp blinked a few times, then then reached out with both claws and touched Celestia’s cheeks. His eyes widened as he moved her cheeks while she laughed softly.

“Bababaahh…” Spike said in a distracted whisper. He leaned forward and bit down on the alicorn’s nose.

“Well,” Celestia giggled. “It’s a good thing your teeth haven’t fully formed yet, isn’t it?”

“Pppttth,” Spike answered, drooling a bit.

Celestia gently pulled Spike off of her face and dabbed her nose and his chin with a cloth. “We’ll work on names another day, I suppose.”

Spike reached out again, flexing his tiny fingers. Celestia just smiled and pulled him in with a foreleg. Spike closed his eyes and let out a small breath through his nostrils.

“I love you, too, my little dragon,” Celestia whispered softly.

“Oh my gosh,” Rainbow said as the memory began to fade. “You slobbered on Princess Celestia’s face.”

“Not one of my prouder moments,” Little Spike mumbled.

“How did you remember this so well, though? I mean, you were like… what, only a year old?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, I don’t know how dragons’ memories are, but I don’t think most ponies have good memories of their first few years of being foals.”

“That’s because that wasn’t our memory… at least, not originally,” spoke Big Spike, who had been standing a ways from the two. “Celestia gave us that memory a few years before we moved to Ponyville. She transferred it into our minds through a memory spell.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “I knew that you and Princess Celestia were friends, but… I didn’t know you were that close, heh.”

Little Spike nodded. “She… well, she was the one who took care of us throughout most of our hatchling years. At least until Twilight was old enough to take care of us.”

“So… she was sorta like your mom, huh?”

Big Spike let out a low rumble. “Perhaps. She never asked us to call her ‘Mother’, though.”

Little Spike shrugged. “She just wanted us to know that we’re important to her. That’s why she gave us this memory of hers. It… it means a lot to us.” He fidgeted with his tail a bit.

Rainbow looked to the two dragons, her smile growing more sincere. “Thanks for showing me this. I never knew that Princess Celestia and you were so close.”

“We trust you, Rainbow,” replied Big Spike. “Most dragons do not speak of their hatchling years. We tend to forget them, or try to forget them. They are the times when we are most vulnerable. For us, we were especially vulnerable. We were raised by ponies; not dragons.”

Little Spike opened his mouth to reply, but Rainbow Dash cut him off. “I get ya. That… sort’ve makes sense, actually.”

Big Spike quirked an eyebrow. “It does?”

“Yeah, I mean… ponies aren’t like dragons, after all. We’re a lot smaller and not as strong as dragons. I bet you were worried over all the time by other ponies.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Big Spike grumbled. “Celestia was laid back most of the time, but the aides were always fretting over my safety. They would put up those fences in areas that I wasn’t allowed access to. They would panic if I swallowed dirt while I was outside. If I bit into a rock, they would make me spit it out and have the castle physician check my teeth to make sure they weren’t broken.”

“In their defense, they never dealt with a baby dragon before…” Little Spike said.

“Yes, but Celestia told them what she could about dragons. She knew that we were born sturdier than any foal.”

“You can’t blame them for being protective of you. That just means they cared about you,” Rainbow Dash said.

Big Spike let out a plume of smoke, but nodded. “It was still irksome. I do understand their concern, though.”

“They were going overboard though when they tried to fireproof our highchair, though,” Little Spike added.

Big Spike barked out a laugh. “Ahh, that was a fond memory. We ended up setting that on fire didn’t we?”

“I hated that highchair…” Little Spike mumbled.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “You burned your highchair?”

“Not our fault it was made of oak,” Little Spike sighed. “They tried placing a fireproof spell on it, but that failed. I… think Twilight may have been involved, though.”

“She decided to study the spell, and ended up disenchanting the chair,” Big Spike said with a nod. “I think Celestia knew she did that, too.”

Little Spike took a moment, then slowly began to laugh. “Oh wow, she did, didn’t she?”

“I think Twilight may have suggested that one of the castle staff messed up the spell to cover for herself, too,” Big Spike chortled. “I don’t know why we forgot about this until now.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “You think she still remembers doing that?”

Big Spike matched Rainbow Dash’s smirk with one of his own. “No, but we’ll have to remind her when this is all over. It’d make for a wonderful time, I imagine.”

“Even better: next time she comes over to our place for dinner, we’ll replace her usual spot with a high chair and place a copy of Fire Safety and You: A Spellcrafter’s Guide on top of it,” Little Spike added.

“Haha, yes!” Big Spike clapped his hands together as he grinned. “Perhaps Rainbow can…” Big Spike paused as he looked to an empty spot on the floor where Rainbow had been standing only moments ago. “Rainbow Dash?”

“Over here!” called a voice.

Both Spikes looked to the direction that the pegasus’ voice came from, and their eyes simultaneously widened. Both ran down the hall, Big Spike almost tripping over Little Spike several times in the process.

Big Spike looked down to his diminutive counterpart. “Why didn’t you stop her?”

“How was I supposed to know she’d go down that way?” replied Little Spike as he huffed and puffed, his tiny legs carrying him as fast as they could. “Rainbow Dash?” he called out.

The two dragons spotted their pegasus friend standing in front of a door that easily dwarfed the nearby ones. It was solid mahogany, and painted a vibrant shade of blue. Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark was carved into it, and the words ‘Rainbow Dash’ were etched in beneath it.

“That’s a pretty big door for me, huh?” Rainbow asked with a laugh. “Though, I am a pretty big deal, so I can see why…” She pulled on the latch, and began to open the door.

“No!” Big Spike shouted, pushing the door closed suddenly, surprising the pegasus mare.

“Hey, what gives?!” Rainbow shouted as she took a step back.

“You cannot see what’s in there,” Big Spike replied.

“Why not? My name is on it, what could possibly be bad about…” she saw the flushed cheeks of both drakes, and quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t have any crazy fantasies of me in there, do you?” She smirked as their cheeks reddened further. “Oh, wow, haha… sorry, sorry…” She sighed. “Look… you’re boys. It’s cool. Whatever. I mean… okay, maybe it’s a little odd, but you wouldn’t be the first.”

“How can you be so nonchalant about that?” Little Spike asked.

“Spike, it takes more than some steamy fantasies to fluster me. Besides…” She cleared her throat. “It’s… not like I haven’t done the same.”

“You’ve had fantasies about yourself?” Big Spike asked dubiously. “I… well, I’m not one to judge, but that’s a little egotisti—”

“No, about you, dummy! Geesh!” Rainbow’s own cheeks were now flaring up. “L-look, whatever is in there, if it’s… well, you know… I’ll just look away and cover my ears or something.” She smiled. “I’m just curious about what you think of me, you know.”

“This seems very unfair; we don’t get to parade around in your mind…” Little Spike grumbled.

Rainbow patted Little Spike’s head and chuckled. “Well, I’m sure if I were the one in a coma right now, you’d be doing the same for me.” She looked to the door, then to the two. “If you really don’t want me to see what’s behind this door, I’ll leave it alone. It’s… just really got me curious, you know?”

“Promise you won’t hate us if you see something that ticks you off?” Little Spike asked timidly.

“Promise.”

“Do you promise you will not seek physical retribution?” Big Spike asked.

“Um…” Rainbow asked. “I guess?” She winked. “Depends on how perverted your fantasies are, though.”

“Well, this door isn’t just for holding… fantasies… it’s full of memories. It’s like a cumulative door of all the thoughts and memories we’ve ever had involving you. There’s one for everyone we know,” Little Spike explained. “It’s pure dumb luck that you happened to find yours here.”

“That or maybe your subconscious wanted me to find it,” Rainbow said with a grin, celebrating a silent victory as she saw Big Spike’s expression become more flustered.

The large drake rolled his eyes and slowly opened the door. “Just remember… it’s everything about you.”

Rainbow Dash slowly looked into the portal leading into Spike’s innermost thoughts relating to her. She found herself staring out to an open field, one that she recognized immediately as one of her favorite practice spots outside of Ponyville.

“Rainbow, it’s pointless. I haven’t been able to lift so much as a foot off the ground, and most drakes my age are able to fly for a few minutes at the very least.”

A somewhat younger-than-present-day Spike was slouched over with his head hung low, wings drooping at his sides. Hovering overhead was a somewhat annoyed Rainbow Dash, frowning at the sight before her.

“So that’s it, then? You just throw in the towel because you’re behind other dragons your age?”

“It’s not like I need them, anyway. I made it just fine without wings before they started growing out of my back. I’ll be fine without flight.” Spike shrugged. “There’s plenty of other uses for them, too: sunbathing, fanning myself on a hot summer day, shading ponies, blowing away dust when I’m working in the quarries—”

“Excuses, excuses,” Rainbow grumbled. “Spike, I’m not letting you out of this one. You asked me to help teach you, and by Celestia, I’m going to get you flying no matter what.” She folded her forelegs together and floated down so that she was eye level with him. “Are we clear?”

“Dash…”

“Are we clear?” She repeated.

“I… yes, we’re clear,” Spike sighed.

Rainbow’s frown vanished, being replaced with her usual confident smirk. “Good. Now, let’s work on getting your wings stronger, at least. I think dragons got some different muscles at work when they’re flying, so I’m going to do some research on that. You think Twi has any books on that?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, she has at least two books with dragon anatomy in them.” Spike sat up straight. “As for muscles, I think dragons’ wing muscles are sort of similar to birds.” He tapped his chest. “Pectoral muscles and stuff to help move the wings in flight. Not like you pegasi, who’ve got way different muscles going on in your upper back and shoulder area. Still really odd in the animal kingdom, if you ask me. Griffons are the only thing that come close to pegasi musculature, yet they still have a variant of the pectoralis with—”

“Spike, save your lectures for after training,” Dash laughed.

Spike blinked, then gave her an embarrassed grin. “Erm, right. So… muscle strength. I… well, I never did much work with them. Most dragons’ muscles sort of just develop and are ready for flight by my age, with or without any training…”

“Well, either way, you’re not gonna slack on getting those wings stronger. Now, start pumping those wings. Like a figure-eight… yeah, that’s it. Up. Back. Down. Front. Up…”

The scene slowly faded before Rainbow Dash, becoming a mix of colors and and light.

“I was almost ready to give up on flying all together that day,” Big Spike said slowly. “I didn’t really think a pegasus could teach a dragon to fly. But you did.”

Rainbow Dash grinned proudly. “Damn right I did! I hated seeing you sulk like that. In the end, though, you…” Images of Spike, crumpled and bleeding in the depths of Ghastly Gorge, ran through her mind. “...you were able to fly . You didn’t give up after that, and I never stopped believing in you.”

Big Spike and Little Spike both looked away from her with flushed cheeks. Rainbow just continued smiling as she laughed softly.

“Thanks… Rainbow…” Little Spike mumbled.

“Anytime,” she said. “So, what’s next for viewing?”

Big Spike rumbled, “Oh dear.”

“What?” Rainbow asked, her tone becoming worried.

Big Spike sighed, “You’ll see…”

The scene changed before them once more. This time, it was dark, and it seemed that they were outside. Rainbow couldn’t quite figure out why, but something seemed off about this memory.

She saw herself come into focus. The Rainbow Dash before her seemed upset. Very upset, but not entirely angry. Sad, too.

A familiar nightclub was behind her, and she felt her stomach knot up. The pegasus was holding tightly to a scaled arm, her eyes filled with confusion and worry.

“O-oh…” Rainbow whispered as she watched the memory unfold before her.

Both Spikes remained silent as the memory became focused.

“I…s-so just stay…friends?”

Rainbow, please don’t make this any harder for me…

The voice of Spike seemed to echo all around them. Rainbow Dash looked to the two dragons beside her, but both shook their head, and merely nodded to the memory playing out before her.

“But… what if… what if I want more?”

You and me both, Rainbow…

“Spike, you’re not making any sense! What… what got you thinking this is a good idea all of the sudden?” Rainbow asked.

Their view slowly rocked from side to side. Rainbow Dash hadn’t noticed it at first, but her memory-self seemed to be looking right at her. It was almost as if…

“We’re seeing and hearing everything Spike heard, aren’t we?” she asked, looking to the two drakes. Little Spike nodded slowly while Big Spike just sighed wearily.

“Spike…” Rainbow’s voice sounded pained now, and even Rainbow Dash herself felt bad hearing it. “Please…”

I’ve really done it now… echoed the voice of Spike. Rainbow was still looking at ‘him’, waiting for an answer. No turning back now, though. Hope she’ll understand… and if not… well…

“There’s more to it, Rainbow…” So, so much more. “I’m a dragon…”

If Rainbow hadn’t looked upset before, she did now.

Rainbow, I’m sorry, please, just—

“What’s that got do with anything?”

It has to do with everything…

“You think I care about something like…like whether you’ve got scales, feathers…or…or fur?” Rainbow asked in a confused and accusing tone.

And of course, she thinks I’m talking about something like that. Damn it, Spike, why didn’t you explain it better in the first place to her? Spike’s gaze seemed to fall a bit, as though he had suddenly slouched back. Why did I ever let it go this far? I should’ve stopped it. Now I’m going to ruin everything between us…

“Rainbow, that’s not my point…I’m still, technically, a young dragon.” Oh great, now she’s going to think she’s a cradle robber. “I mean, I’m an adult, sure…but…a very, very young one. I won’t be considered a true adult for another fifty to sixty years…and…well, dragons live for a long time.”

Spike’s gaze remained on Rainbow Dash, but it was easy enough to see that she understood what he was saying.

I’m going to outlive you several times over, Rainbow. The only ponies to have ever outlived a dragon are the same ones that have moved the sun and moon for well over several thousand years. Even Cadance is still only in her mid-twenties, and she’s an alicorn as well…

Spike could see that Rainbow was mulling over what Spike had just said to her. Eventually, she simply shook her head and said, with only a hint of uncertainty, “That…that’s fine!”

No, it wouldn’t be fine. You deserve someone you can grow with. Someone who can live in the moment with you, give you the fun times that you deserve. I can’t… I can’t… I’ll never be able to give you that.

“Rainbow, it wouldn’t be fair to you, or me. If… if we decided to date…I wouldn’t stop you from seeing others, but…I don’t…I’d feel jealous.” And we both know that doesn’t blend well with me. “And that wouldn’t be right.”

“It can be just us, Spike.”

Would that be enough, though? What if I wasn’t enough for you? Why change all of the sudden for me? That… that…

“Rainbow, I don’t want you to change for my sake, though!” Damn it, you’re just digging yourself deeper here. This… this never should have happened. “I shouldn’t have brought this up…I’m sorry, let’s just pretend—”

“No, I’m not going to pretend that this never happened.” Spike looked down as Rainbow jabbed him in the chest with a hoof. Not too hard, but enough to get his undivided attention. “You’re making up excuses. It’s pissing me off, but…damn it, I still care about you.”

Why? Why? Spike’s body seemed to be trembling now. Why do you have to be so damn amazing?

Rainbow looked to the two drakes beside her.

“We… had hoped that maybe we could have just ended this before it got serious. Believe me…you’re a wonderful mare, Rainbow. It was confusing for us, but we couldn’t help but fall harder for you with time.” Big Spike replied. “That was perhaps the reason why we were so afraid to get too close to you. We didn’t want to risk losing you later…”

Little Spike fidgeted as he looked to the ground. “It’s selfish… but that’s the truth. Part of the truth, at least.”

Rainbow nodded, and slowly looked back to the memory. Her past-self was now on her back hooves, leaning against Spike’s chest. “The Spike I know wouldn’t be like this.”

“That’s how I still feel about this whole thing, you know…” Rainbow whispered. “I hated seeing you beating yourself up. I hated it even more when you didn’t think you deserved to be happy with someone, especially when that someone wants to be happy with you just as much…” She smiled, if only a little as she gazed at the memory before her. “Still…I think my little talk with Spike earlier might have helped patch things up, at least a little bit.”

Rainbow let out a soft sigh of relief as the memory began to melt and fade away. The words and colors became a blur.

Little Spike chuckled, “Ah, this is a nice memory.”

“Yeah?” Rainbow asked. “Of what?”

Little Spike grinned. “That’d be telling. Watch.”

Rainbow did just that, returning her attention to the mindscape formed by Spike’s memories. They were back in Ponyville once more, but this time during the daytime, later in the afternoon from what Rainbow could tell. The air was full of cheer and laughter. Jack o’ lanterns lined the roads of Ponyville, and fillies and colts of all ages were dressed in various costumes.

One particular mare was dressed in a olive green vest fit for exploration outdoors, and a pith helmet. Walking beside her was a purple dragon who was only a half a foot shorter than her, dressed in chain mail with a red cape draped over his back. He wasn’t quite as youthful as Little Spike appeared, but he still had a child-like air about him as well.

“Oh wow,” Rainbow laughed. “This is way back, before you had your huge growth spurt.” She grinned. “I remember this Nightmare Night.”

Big Spike sighed, “I wonder why.”

“Thanks for helping me carry the supplies for the party, Rainbow Dash,” Spike said. “I can’t wait until Twilight sees all the confetti and streamers we got for the library!”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to how Pinkie’s gonna freak when she sees all of it,” Rainbow laughed.

“Heh, yeah, she’s been waiting for this all week, hasn’t she?” Spike said with a grin. “So, you finish the latest book, yet? Was it crazy, or what?”

Rainbow Dash laughed, “Undead pony armies fighting each other, I know! I don’t know how Daring got out of that one.”

“You told me once you had connections with the writer of that series, right?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… well, nah. I actually just met someone who says they…have a friend who talked to A.K. Yearling once,” Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively. “Nothing huge, heh.”

Spike quirked an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Last time I thought you said you had a cousin who knew a person involved in the publishing of the sixth novel.”

“Really? Huh, I guess I forgot about that, too, huh? Oh, hey, there’s the library!”

“I’m not done with—” Spike didn’t get to finish his interrogation, though, as Rainbow had already taken off towards the library, leaving a dust cloud and a small stream of party decorations behind.

Rainbow Dash felt a need to look towards the two Spikes at that point, only to see both of them giving her suspicious looks. “What…?”

“We still never got an answer from you about your inside-source to the Daring Do novels…”

“Oh, really? Huh. Well, maybe someday I’ll tell you, heh,” Dash laughed nervously. The mindscape blurred and dimmed, then Rainbow Dash found herself sitting in the Golden Oaks Library with a party in full swing.

“Nnnggh…”

“You going to be okay, Spike?”

Rainbow Dash sat down beside a less than happy dragon who covering his eyes with an arm while the other covered the top of his head.

“Someone spiked the punch…again. I think it was a pretty strong alcohol this time.” He grumbled something unintelligible, then added. “Why did Vinyl have to bring her entire sound system…?”

Rainbow laughed. “Aw, c’mon, lightweight, it couldn’t have been…” Rainbow paused, then studied the contents of Spike’s cup beside him. “Spike… that’s not punch.”

“It’s not…?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Spike, that was rum and lemonade. I’d say mostly rum, too, if Pinkie was the one who brought the refreshments.”

“I hate rum,” Spike mumbled.

"Haven’t you had alcohol before?”

Spike slowly lifted his head, “Once. Only a little bit. Wine. It was party to celebrate Shining Armor becoming a part of the Royal Guard. I hated the taste. He let his head fall back to the table, and moaned, “Technically, when looking at it from a dragon’s perspective, I’m still a minor. Though, I’m also old enough to vote in Equestria. Figure that one out.” He got up from his chair, legs wobbling a bit as he groaned. “I can’t wait until I’m big enough that this stuff won’t affect me so much…”

Rainbow Dash offered Spike her side to keep him steady. “You want help getting up to the loft?”

Spike sighed. “Please.”

She grinned, and slowly guided the dragon through the crowd of ponies as he leaned against her side for support. Somewhere in the crowds, Rainbow Dash was fairly certain she heard Twilight shouting.

“So, just curious, what is Twilight rambling on about earlier when she was standing on top of the table?” Rainbow asked.

“Huh?” Spike looked up. “Oh, heh… she decided to go as Clover the Clever this year. She’s been reciting quotes from her all night. That and spell formulas. And the periodic table of elements. And the number pi.”

“Wait, that’s that one symbol…three point one four...something, right?”

Spike sighed, “It’s three point one four one five nine two six five three five eight nine seven nine three—”

“Okay, okay, I get it, it’s a long number. How do you remember that stuff, anyway?”

“Live with Twilight long enough, and some of that stuff just starts making sense because you hear it enough,” Spike said. “Though, it sounds like she’s three sheets to the wind right now, so—”

“Spi~ike!”

“Oh no,” Spike moaned.

A veil of magic wrapped around Spike, and a moment later he was lifted into the air and pulled towards none other than hostess of the party.

“Hi, Twilight,” replied Spike in a bemused tone. “You’re drunk.”

“Inebriated,” Twilight said matter-of-factly, managing to slur her words only a little. “Terminology is key, Spike.”

“They mean the same thing, Twilight,” Spike sighed.

Twilight frowned for a moment, only to have a grin form on her lips a second later. “Are you having fun?”

“No. I think I’m inebriated,” Spike answered.

“You’re drunk?” Twilight gasped.

“You just said that drunk—”

“Spike, I told you only to drink from the bowls that were labeled ‘citrus mango’ and ‘strawberry’. We talked about this, repeatedly!” She sighed, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be yelling, but…” She looked him over, then continued, “You look okay…I-I think. Am I swaying, or are you?”

“You’re swaying.”

“Okay, good. Um…you feel okay? You sick at all?”

It was at this point that Rainbow Dash walked towards the two. “I think Spike isn’t quite ready for rum and lemonade, that’s all.”

“Rum and lemonade?” Twilight repeated. “Oh, Spike, you should have at least gone for the wine coolers. There’s less alcohol, and they’re, wait, no, you shouldn’t be drinking yet.” She shook her head. “Okay, okay…” She looked Spike over once more, and frowned. “You’re growing up so fast on me…I’m so irresponsible, leaving that stuff out for you to—”

“Twilight, it’s okay. I’m practically an adult anyway. Legally, I could be drinking.”

Twilight pulled Spike in for a hug. “My little number one assistant is almost as tall as I am now.”

Despite his embarrassment, Spike couldn’t resist wrapping his arms around Twilight and returning her hug. “Love you too, Twi.”

“I’m not mad at you, okay? Just… you know how it is with you aging right now. You’re not a minor anymore, but you’re not quite an adult…I mean, a dragon adult,” she hiccuped. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Okay, okay, okay…c-can you let go now? I think Rainbow’s trying to get Pinkie to take a picture of us.”

Twilight relented, letting go of Spike and giving him a rosy smile. “Come find me if you need anything, okay?”

“Don’t worry, Twi. I was going to help him up to the loft so he could crash. I’ll make sure he’s all good,” Rainbow said.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, you’re such an awesome friend.” Twilight leaned forward and pulled Rainbow in a tight hug. “I’m so lucky to have awesome friends like you! Soooo lucky!”

Rainbow Dash laughed, “Take it easy, Twi. The night is still young.”

Twilight gave Rainbow Dash and Spike one last hug each. “Well, I better go make sure Pinkie Pie doesn’t put any hot sauce in the cupcakes again…and…uh-oh, what’s she doing over there? Pinkie! Put that stuff away!” Twilight trotted towards a different part of the library, tipping from side to side as she did so.

“She going to be okay?” Rainbow asked.

“Hm?” Spike looked over to where Twilight was currently debating with Pinkie Pie about the selection of hot sauces that had been placed beside the confectionary treats. “Yeah, Twilight will be alright. If she starts stumbling, she just moves herself around with magic.”

“You trust her with magic when she’s that far gone?”

Spike snickered. “Twilight can do levitation spells in her sleep.” He waved a hand dismissively. “She’ll be fine.”

The two continued up towards the loft, the sound of music becoming muffled as they entered Spike and Twilight’s shared bedroom.

“You ever think about getting your own room, Spike?” Rainbow asked Spike as he crawled into his brand-new bed. “I mean, I guess I shouldn’t pry, but you’re kind of getting a little old to be sharing a room with Twilight, don’t you think?”

Spike threw the sheets over himself and grunted, “Yeah. There’s a storage room next to the library Twilight was thinking of clearing out for me, but honestly, I may as well just start looking for my own place. I’m going to be hitting a growth spurt in a few years, anyway…”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Rainbow agreed. “I bet we could help you build your own place, even. I mean, not to be rude, but I don’t think there are many houses in town built to fit a dragon, you know?” She walked over to the bed, giving Spike a grin. “Maybe even make a personal workout room or something?”

“I’ll think about it. I’ll at least make the windows large enough for you to fit through,” Spike said with a chuckle, followed by a yawn. “Thanks for helping out down there, though, Rainbow. I guess I’m not quite ready to party like you girls do, huh?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Hey, as long as you have fun, that’s what counts. Though, I could give you a few pointers when you’re a little older, if you like.” She gave Spike a wink.

“Pointers?” Spike repeated. “Nothing involving the best ways to break furniture at a party, I hope.”

Rainbow’s smirk fell. “Hey, I only broke two chairs at Applejack’s birthday party last year, okay? Besides, Big Macintosh bumped me into one of them, so that technically wasn’t my fault.”

“Of course not,” Spike snickered. “Good night, Rainbow. Try to keep Twilight from getting into too much trouble for me, would you?”

“No promises. If Twilight suggests something crazy enough to me, I might just roll along with it,” Rainbow laughed.

“Fine, just promise not to destroy the library. I sleep here.”

Rainbow shook her head and nodded. “Alright, Spike. Good night.”

The scene wavered and became a maelstrom of colors and shapes once more. Images of Rainbow Dash came and went, some recent, some older. She couldn’t really get a good glimpse of any of them, but she couldn’t help but feel a little flustered. Even for a pony who loved the limelight as much as her, to have this much attention focused upon you was a bit much for her.

Rainbow turned away from the images and colors, towards the two dragons beside her. “So, what’s next?”

“Who knows? We’re not in charge… oh no…” Little Spike said as he looked to the void before them. It slowly began to morph, and shapes began to form as colors became visible to the trio. “No… no, please not this one.” His voice, however, didn’t betray any fear.

No, to Rainbow Dash, Little Spike’s tone seemed more like a panicked one that a teenage colt often had when his mother found that stash of questionable magazines he kept under his bed or in the back part of his closet.

The scene before them was a picturesque view of what Rainbow immediately recognized as the capital city of the Crystal Empire at night. The sky was clear, and the air was crisp with the chill of late autumn. Decorative crystal lanterns hung from the front doors of homes, and the smell of woodsmoke from fireplaces wafted through the air. The town passed by the trio, slowing down as they reached one of the balconies cropping out of the Crystal Castle. Present-day Spike and Rainbow Dash were sitting there, the latter leaning against the former. Interestingly enough, Rainbow Dash was wearing a familiar blue and yellow flight suit with a pair of goggles resting on her head.

“I’m glad Cadance is allowing the seasons to change here. I love autumn,” Rainbow said softly.

“You just like it because you get to show off during the Running of the Leaves…” Spike laughed in an equally soft voice, earning a jab in the ribs from the mare.

“Spike… thanks for coming up here. I know you’re not a huge fan of the cold, but it was so awesome to see you in the crowd cheering for me.”

Spike smirked. “Someone had to brag about having the best Wonderbolt ever as his marefriend.”

Meanwhile, the real Rainbow Dash blinked and turned to the two Spikes, who were currently occupied with looking everywhere but at her and the scene before them. She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the thoughtscape before her.

“So, how did you manage to get us a free room here in the castle?” Rainbow asked. “Even Spitfire and the group had to pay a small fee for their suites in the hotel down the road.”

“Oh… you know… sweet-talked a few of the castle aides, mentioned a few names in the Crystal Guard…”

“Cadance begged you to stay here, didn’t she?” Rainbow laughed.

“Yeah,” Spike laughed. “It’s not so cool having a princess for a sister-in-law when she changed your diapers a few times when you were little and still holds on to old photos of you when you’re a baby… and shows them off to the Crystal Empire nobility.”

Rainbow Dash burst out in laughter at that. “Seriously? Oh wow, I need to talk to her about those.”

“No, no you don’t,” Spike grumbled. “It’s bad enough that she knows all my ticklish spots and isn’t afraid to use them to her advantage when she wants me to do something for her.”

“You’re ticklish?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I… no, no, I meant my old ticklish spots, s-so, it’s not like I—”

Rainbow Dash was already upon him, hooves reaching beneath his armpits. Spike yelped and pulled away. Rainbow Dash simply smirked and slowly walked towards him, not unlike a hungry lioness who managed to corner a helpless baby gazelle. “Okay, so the armpits are a definite yes. How about… the chin?”

Spike fell over as Rainbow tackled him to the ground with surprising force. He was soon giggling loudly as Rainbow’s feathers tickled him beneath the chin. He tried to tuck in his chin, only to have her nip at his collar and cause him to squirm.

“Gyahahaha, okay, okay, uncle! Uncle!” Spike cried out with tears in his eyes. Rainbow Dash ceased at once, but remained on top of the drake, smiling proudly. “N-no fair. You have feathers on your body.”

“And you have scales, yet you’re still ticklish,” Rainbow replied with a smirk. She gave Spike an affectionate nip on the jawline. “Don’t worry; I won’t tell anyone about you being ticklish.”

Spike nodded, and mumbled something under his breath.

“Huh?” Rainbow asked, leaning close.

“I said, ‘I don’t mind you tickling me’. It’s… it’s you, so I’m okay with it. Well, you and Cadance, I guess…”

Rainbow smiled, and leaned down to nuzzle Spike. “You’re such a softie.”

“Only towards you, though,” Spike replied.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Hmph…”

Rainbow laughed. “Oh, come on, Spike. You know I love you all the same.” She pulled away and held up her left foreleg. A silver band shined faintly in the moonlight, and the real Rainbow Dash could make out the faint design of a heart surrounded in a stylized flame on it.

“You wore that during the show?” Spike asked. “Isn’t that against regulation or something?”

“During the show? No, I had to take it off or risk losing it while flying around. But during the press conference and the mob of paparazzi? I wore it. I made sure it was visible, too.” She lifted her nose a bit as she continued. “I noticed a huge lack of questions about me having any relationships, too.”

Spike smiled. “Rainbow Dash…”

“Aww, come on, don’t get all teary-eyed around me,” Rainbow laughed.

Spike nuzzled her gently and growled in contentment. She hummed happily at the contact, returning the nuzzle in kind.

“How did a dragon like me luck out and end up with you?” Spike asked, his voice just above a whisper.

“Well, the dragon part was just a part of the whole package, big guy. I’d say that I was more interested in ‘Spike’ as a whole,” she answered.

“You didn’t have anypony ask about you being with a dragon, did you?”

“Eh, there was a question here and there. I ignored them or just said that I’m in a relationship with you. Spitfire tended to cut off any further questions before they could get out of hoof, though, heh.” Her smile softened. “We’ve been over this, Spike. Dragon or pony… it doesn’t matter. We’re together because we want to be. Not because of publicity, or something like that. You could be a griffon, a minotaur, a unicorn… whatever. Who you are is what I care about. What you are is only a part of that.”

“S-same…” Spike answered with a smile. “You’re so amazing, Rainbow. I’ve never known a pony who was as confident in everything she does as you. I…” He shook his head. “This is going to sound cheesy, but you give me strength. Ever since that day when I crashed at Ghastly Gorge… I… if you hadn’t been there for me when I crashed…” He sniffled, “Gah, sorry… it’s the autumn air getting to me, I think.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and smirked. “Softie.”

All too quickly, the scene began to blur. This time, however, the fading and blurring of colors and shapes was accompanied by a rumbling. Rainbow’s ears perked up, and she looked around.

“W-what’s happening?”

“He remembered…” Little Spike spoke.

“Who remembered? What do you mean?”

Little Spike nudged Rainbow out of the room, gently, but still with a sense of urgency. “Something tells me that we need to get you and the princess out of here as soon as we can.” He looked to Big Spike, then to the walls. “Huh… I thought so.”

Big Spike followed Little Spike’s gaze, and smiled. “That’s a good sign.”

Rainbow Dash frowned at the two. “Okay, seriously, what are you two talking about now?”

“Looks like Princess Luna’s almost done fixing the damage done. See?” Spike patted one of the stone walls. “No cracks!”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “There… there were cracks?”

Both Spikes blinked, then Big Spike let out a hum of realization. “That’s right; you didn’t appear here initially.” He gestured to the corridor. “You were in the current mindscape of Spike when you first arrived.” The dragon ran a hand over the walls. “These corridors had numerous cracks lining them, the worst of the damage being close to the gem.”

“I don’t see any cracks, though…” Rainbow said. “Is that a good thing?”

Little Spike beamed. “You bet it is! It means Spike might wake up soon!” He ushered Rainbow towards Big Spike, who was now crouched low and spread his wing out so that Rainbow could climb on. “That also means you and Luna need to get out of here, otherwise we’d have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, when you try to magically implant the consciousness of someone into someone else, it wouldn’t work because having two active ‘minds’ in one brain wouldn’t work. However, Spike was in a coma, so your consciousness and Luna’s are able to roam here without any problems.”

“If Spike awakens though, and you two are still in here, though…” Big Spike rumbled.

“We’d be trapped?” Rainbow asked.

“For a time, at least,” spoke a new voice. The trio looked to see Princess Luna making her way down the hall towards them. “It wouldn’t be impossible for me to get us out of here. I do visit other ponies minds to rid them of nightmares, after all.” She let out a small sigh. “Even so, I do so discreetly, and with less of a… presence, if you will.” She looked to Rainbow Dash. “You and I have implanted our entire minds in Spike’s, even if our physical bodies are elsewhere. It is a very delicate matter. One broken chain and our way out of this mind could be lost for some time. It would cause Spike problems, too.”

“H-how?” Rainbow asked.

“For starters, he would be having three different thoughts running through his head at any time. Memories would become jumbled, perhaps.” Luna shook her head. “A worst case scenario would be that one or more of our consciousnesses would be absorbed by another’s.”

“Ah,” Rainbow laughed nervously. “Yeah, I’m all for getting out of here, then.”

“How… how is the gem looking, Princess?”

Luna smiled to Little Spike. “It is mostly intact and whole, now. I didn’t actually have to do much, either.”

Big Spike quirked an eyebrow. “Really, now?”

“Indeed. Rainbow Dash was doing the work for me.”

“Heh, yeah, no surprise—wait, I was?” Rainbow gave Luna a quizzical look. “Really?”

“Yes,” Luna answered with a small nod. “I believe I have figured out what the root to our problem is.”

“What is it?” Little Spike asked.

“You,” Luna replied. As Little Spike’s eyes widened, she smiled. “Permit me to clarify: both you, and your counterpart here, are the problem. Though, it’s not really your fault. It’s Spike’s, so to speak.”

“We’re the reason everything is in disarray?” Big Spike asked. “How?”

Luna walked over to the two drakes, and nodded to Rainbow Dash, indicating that she wished for her to join her. Rainbow frowned with confusion, but walked beside Luna. The alicorn held out her hoof, and nodded to Rainbow Dash. The pegasus mare gave her a confused look.

“I’m not going to bite, Rainbow Dash,” Luna chuckled. Rainbow, still not sure what to make of the alicorn’s actions, held out her own hoof and placed it over Luna’s. Luna smiled in satisfaction, and looked to the two drakes. “Rainbow Dash helped heal the scar over Spike’s heart. While Spike may not be aware of what is going on, you two are a part of him, and her actions towards you two have helped bind you two together.”

“What are you saying, Princess?” Big Spike asked.

“You two are not meant to be separate. You may be two parts of a greater whole, but you are still one in the same: Spike.”

“So, wait… you mean, me talking and being around these two helped heal Spike’s mind?” Rainbow asked. “How?”

“You accepted either part of Spike. Both his pony and dragon self, as they put it. You didn’t care about their differences. You saw only Spike. Different parts of him, perhaps, but neither as more valuable than the other.” Luna’s smile fell a bit. “Accepting one’s self can be hard to do, especially when we believe we deserve less than what others give to us, be it love, kindness, or respect. However, we can never truly be whole until we’ve seen the worth we have within our own hearts.” She looked to both Spikes as she continued. “Is it true, Spike, that you have been feeling like you do not deserve Rainbow Dash’s friendship?”

Both were quiet for a few long seconds. When they spoke, they were in unison. “Yes…”

Luna sighed, but nodded. “I suspected as much. You’ve been berating and loathing yourself over this. I will not pry too much into the matter, but… I believe it’s clear that Rainbow Dash still cares a great deal for you. Many do, in fact, pony or otherwise.”

Again, both Spikes spoke as one. “I-I know, it’s just… I am a dragon, not a pony. I’m going to outlive them all, and… and I’m just so different, I don’t know if—”

“Hey, you thought it yourself, remember?” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “What you imagined in that last dream or whatever of yours wasn’t that far off. I care about Spike. Spike the dragon, sure, but still Spike. My friend. Twilight’s little adoptive brother-assistant. Ponyville’s best rock cutter.”

“Only rock cutter,” the Spikes added.

“I care about the Spike who will go into long talks about why it was better to use granite instead of sandstone for that addition to Vinyl’s nightclub, and who will spend hours on end reading poetry from Equestrian poets that nopony else in town has ever heard about.” She laughed as the two dragons gave Luna a furtive glance. “You can be as much of an egghead as Twilight can, but you’re still cool, you know? That’s the Spike I care about.”

Spike, both large and small, looked to the ground. Big Spike spoke up first, slowly and softly. “Rainbow Dash… I…” He glanced to Luna. The alicorn took the hint, and gave a nod. She walked away from the three, and studied a particular design on a door that was labeled ‘Fine Dining Etiquette’. “Rainbow Dash… we… I… I still care about you. A lot. More than I have felt for anyone. Even… even Rarity.”

“Even Rarity?” Rainbow asked.

“I-I know it’s weird, and maybe a little scary,” Little Spike continued. “B-but, you’re just so amazing. What you saw in that dream? That’s the truth. Well, at least about me and how I think of you. I feel stronger when you’re around. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and I feel like I can take anything on because you’re there.” He took in a breath, and sighed. “You’re beautiful, brave, cheerful, a little crazy at times, and unshakeable. You’re everything I admire, and…” He blushed. “I regret ever turning you away.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t be certain, but she was pretty sure her cheeks weren’t so warm a few moments ago. “H-heh… well, of course. I am pretty awesome, heh.” She flapped her wings as she kicked at the ground a bit. “Maybe… maybe we can give it another chance?”

“Do you want that, though?” Big Spike asked. “I only want this if you do as well.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. “We know how we both feel. I think we both deserve another go at it. Maybe… maybe we could take it a little slower, though, huh?”

“Taking things slow?” Little Spike laughed. “Rainbow, I’m shocked.”

“H-hey, I know when not to rush things, geesh!” She stomped a hoof for emphasis, then added, quietly, “Usually. So… you better wake up, okay?”

“I’ll do everything I can to meet that request,” both Spikes said.

“Good. Um… I guess we better get going, huh?” Rainbow Dash looked over to Luna. “Um, Princess? I’m ready.”

Luna looked up to Rainbow Dash, and smiled. “Very well, then.” Her horn began to glow, and she stood beside the pegasus. A circle of light formed on the floor, encompassing the two. She looked to both Spikes. In a soft, comforting voice that Celestia would have been proud of, she said, “Be well, Spike. We will see you when you next awaken. We have faith in you.”

As the light of Luna’s magic flooded Rainbow’s vision, she swore that, for a moment, she saw not two, but one dragon standing before her.

No. Not a dragon, but a friend.

She flashed him a smile, hoping that he saw it, but at the same time hoping he didn’t see the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. The last thing she needed was him teasing her about getting sappy.

The smell of hospital-grade sterilization was the first thing to register in Rainbow Dash’s brain as she slowly came to. She grumbled a bit, fighting back the bane of her existence: the waking world.

“Rainbow? Are you okay?”

“Mmph… fine…” she grumbled, nuzzling into the warmth beside her. The slow and steady movements, and the faint beating of a heart comforted her greatly.

All at once, her eyes snapped open. She looked around, and found that she was still in the same hospital room that she had been in when Luna had put her under the sleeping spell. The faintest rays of golden light were piercing through the blinds at the window. There was a vase with some flowers in it on the small table beside the bed she was in.

She leaned into the warm body beside her, then slowly turned around. She winced as she took in the sight that was Spike. Still covered in bandages and casts, he looked like was only a step away from Death’s door. He still had those same vibrant emerald eyes that could give her a warm feeling in her chest when he looked at her the way he was at that moment—

“Even after you wake me up from a coma, you still manage to sleep in later than me. I’m impressed.”

Rainbow’s breathing hitched. She studied his face. He had a weak grin on his lips, and the faintest streaks across his cheeks, a telltale sign that he had been crying some time ago.

“Spike…?” she whispered, afraid to speak his name any louder.

“Broken and beaten, but yeah, I’m all here.”

Rainbow’s resolve crumbled. She sniffled, then let out a soft sob. A smile formed on her own lips, and she had to consciously hold herself back from squeezing him tightly in a hug. She instead settled for burying her head into his chest and making noises ranging between laughter and crying.

“Y-you stupid…d-dolt…” she whispered, gritting her teeth and letting out a breath. “Don’t ever do that again…”

“You got it,” Spike replied softly. “I probably won’t be doing a whole lot of anything for awhile, actually.” He looked to his bandaged body. “Doctors say it will probably be a good two to three months before any of this comes off.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “That’s fine. You’re alive. I can deal with everything else.”

“No Best Young Flyer competition, though…” Spike said, a twinge of regret in his voice. “Sorry… looks I couldn’t keep that promise after all, heh.”

“I…” Rainbow Dash looked up, smiling softly. “That… you remember that race we had in your… brain?”

“Yeah, funny, I actually remember next to nothing besides that, but I can see images of you and Luna talking to me in a place I don’t recognize.” He shook his head. “It’s pretty weird, but they seem like more than just scenes from a dream…”

Rainbow just smiled, looking up at the drake beside her. “You really gave us all a big scare, you know that?”

“Not one of my proudest moments…” Spike mumbled. “Sorry… for what it’s worth, anyway.”

“Like I said, just don’t do something like that again.” She smiled. “I mean… if you’re stressed, flying to burn off some steam is okay with me, but… be smart about it. Okay? If not for me, then for Twilight and the girls, and yourself.”

Spike simply smiled, unable to give a proper nod in reply.

“Good. So… did Twilight and the others get to speak to you yet?”

“Yeah. Twilight was in hysterics when I first woke up. I’ve never seen her smiling and sobbing while trying to scold me before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.” Spike sighed softly, “I’m just happy to be here with all of you again.”

“Same here.” Rainbow replied, wiping the corners of her eyes with the back of her hoof. “For a while… we weren’t sure if you’d ever wake up, you know?”

Spike’s smile wavered. “I never wanted any of…” He gestured to himself and the hospital room with his free claw. “Well… any of this to happen. Believe me.”

“I know,” Rainbow said, shifting from her spot on the bed and stretching a bit. “So, just so you know, your mind is crazy.”

Spike attempted to look insulted, but Rainbow could see the corners of his mouth trying to form a smile. “Crazy? What are you implying?”

“I’m serious!” Rainbow insisted. “You should see the crazy amount of hallways and doors in your mind. Like… I think that place was more screwy than the hedge maze Discord put us through back when he first broke free from his prison.”

“Wait, there are doors in my mind?”

“You mean the Archives?” she asked, a grin slowly working across her lips as Spike’s eyebrows rose.

“How do you know about that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teased.

“Rainbow, I’m serious. The only pony that knows about that is Twilight, and she promised she wouldn’t tell a soul.”

Rainbow giggled. “It’s a long story, but to put it simply, I met… well, I guess you could say I bumped into a part of you. Well, a few parts of you, actually. They guided me around your mind, and said that you call your brain ‘The Archives’.” She giggled once more as Spike’s face reddened.

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone?” he begged.

“You got it, Spike. I wasn’t planning on it, anyway.”

Spike visibly relaxed. “Thanks… I’m already considered a big enough nerd as it is. I don’t need any more fuel to add to that fire, if you get what I mean.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “If it means anything, I liked wandering inside your brain. Pretty cool place, once you get past how easy it is to get lost in there.”

“What…” Spike hesitated, his voice just above a whisper. “Did… you see anything else in there?”

Rainbow’s smile softened. “Yeah. A few things.”

“Like?”

Rainbow’s smile grew. “Nothing too embarrassing, don’t worry.”

“Rainbow…” Spike grumbled. The pegasus laughed, and Spike couldn’t find it in himself to stay upset. He chuckled softly. “I guess you know a few of my darkest secrets, huh?”

“I said ‘nothing too embarrassing’, Spike. I promise. I won’t tell anyone, and the only other pony who knows what went on in there is Princess Luna. She won’t tell anypony either, since she’s gone through, like, thousands of other dreams that were probably more embarrassing than what we saw.”

“I…I guess I don’t even know what to say, really. Other than thanks…for saving my life. Twice.” Spike gave her a lopsided grin. “I don’t think I can ever repay you for that.”

“Repay me?” Rainbow chuckled, “You being alive and talking is enough for me. That’s enough for me.”

A long silence hung between the two, holding each other’s gazes, saying nothing. Rainbow flashed Spike a small grin, and he found himself doing the same.

“I…” Spike sighed, “Okay, then.” He smiled. “Thanks, Rainbow. I know I said it before, but…I really mean it. Thank you.”

Rainbow got down from the bed and turned to face Spike once more. “I’m going to be honest with you; I haven’t done much since you got hurt. There’s a few things that I should take care of. I should also probably check on Tank. Fluttershy’s been taking care of him for me at her cottage, but I’m sure he misses me.” She looked up to Spike and grinned. “You going to be okay by yourself for a while?

The dragon rolled his eyes. “I’m a big boy, Rainbow. I can take…” He paused upon seeing the frown on Rainbow’s face. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”

“Okay. I’ll stop by later to check up on you and make sure you’re not going stircrazy.” She turned around to leave, only to pause, then added. “Want me to bring over some books for you to read from your place?”

Spike smiled. “That’d be cool, yeah. Um… if you don’t mind, maybe bring over that big old poetry book I was reading. It’s a dark gray cover, has some stars on the cover.”

“The Waxing Crescent book?” Rainbow asked, earning a nod from Spike. “Sure thing. I might be out for a few hours, but I’ll stop by when I get the chance, so just endure until then, heh.”

With that, Rainbow left the room, and made her way out to the lobby. She felt a weight leave her chest as she opened the front doors of the hospital and stepped out. The afternoon sun shined down on Ponyville, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but grin.

Spike was going to be fine. Sure, he was injured from head to toe, and would likely not be doing any major work, let alone flying, for a while, but she would be there to help. Knowing Spike, he would probably be stubborn and try to do everything himself, and end up only causing further injury.

Setting her sights towards the direction of Spike’s place, she took to the air and flew off. She would then stop at the library and ask Twilight if Princess Luna had returned to Canterlot yet.

She had a request to make.

Author's Notes:

I'd like to give a big thanks to Vexy, who offered to pre-read this chapter. One heck of a SpikeDash fan, and great with offering writing advice. This chapter couldn't have become what it is without their help! Thanks, Vexy!