7 Days of Macro Dreams

Chapters

Chapter 1 (version: 1.02)
Chapter 3 (version: 1.03)
Chapter 4 (version: 1.01)
Chapter 2 (version: 1.04)

Chapter 1 (version: 1.02)

Contains: macrophilia, dialog

Luna's bored gaze lazily drifted over the dreamscape while she silently wished there was more for her to do these days. The Dream Eaters had long since been vanquished, the Parasitic Memory invasion had been halted, the Transcendent Night Terror was gone, and even generic nightmares had become an uncommon sight. So, with gentle wing beats, the dark alicorn could only wander in search of work.

The dream realm was much like the night sky, but far more crowded. Everywhere Luna turned the view was obscured by a multitude of "planets" and other space debris. Luckily for her, diagnosing a dream from the outside was easy. The peaceful green planets were happy dreams. The fiery-hot orange and red planets were angry dreams. The blue ocean covered worlds were sad dreams. The cold icy planets were boring blank dreams.

However, no matter how hard she searched for a dream filled with nightmares, no planets raging with storm clouds appeared. So Luna had no choice but to fly on, letting her wings carry her to some unknown destination. Eventually Luna found herself in the middle of a planet cluster she just so happened to know particularly well: Ponyville.

Luna smiled as various healthy planets floated past her. Nothing but greens and romantic pinks as far as the eye could see. It couldn't hurt to pay a friendly visit on such a slow night, Luna thought. If there was no work to be done then why not have some fun with the residents of her favorite little town?

Luna's wings flapped a bit harder as she scanned for a dream that might be entertaining to join. That's when she noticed a quirk of color in the distance. A planet overflowing with deep violet clouds and circled by a beautiful green asteroid belt.

Luna felt her cheeks pull back in a knowing grin. Somepony was having a naughty dream and had subconsciously constructed mental barriers. The princess couldn't resist. If somepony was having a good time, maybe she could too by taking a little peek. Of course she didn't plan on interfering, because that would be rude.

With a mighty kick, Luna rocketed past the asteroids and delicately cut her way through multiple layers of clouds. There was a flash of light when she finally entered the dream.

Descending into a world built by someone else was always jarring and there was only so much Luna could do to prepare. Like now as she suddenly found herself about to fall on top of Princess Twilight Sparkle! The dark alicorn's wings instinctively flared in panic and Luna grit her teeth as she strained to keep herself from landing on the younger princess. Fortunately, she was able to halt her fall and relax into a silent hover while the violet mare below remained absorbed in a book and utterly ignorant.

Luna sighed with relief and took a moment to analyze her surroundings. The room appeared, on the surface, to be a completely ordinary copy of Twilight's real world study. There was a desk, towers of books sitting on the floor, a large lamp, several cramped bookshelves, a simple rug, and some pillows, one of which the young princess was currently lounging on. However, there was also something disorienting about the space. Like reality was warped.

Luna's head spun as she tried to comprehend why everything seemed so incredibly far away despite being in the same room. She experimentally descended a few meters, yet her perspective of the environment seemed to argue that she hadn't moved at all. Her wings continued to let her down slowly as she puzzled this new phenomenon. After Luna had dropped what should have been well over 30 meters (100 ft), it clicked.

"Everything is big," Luna thought aloud.

The room must have been the size of Manehattan, if not slightly larger, and Twilight herself must have been at least a mile high. Her fur coat was like a forest of violet stalks. Her feathers were rows of canyons. Her mane was a monolithic cliff.

"Hmm, that's strange. This doesn't appear to be Twilight's dream. She is just another construct here," Luna pondered, dropping until she was only a few stories above the mare's head. "This is an erotic dream though, so somepony finds an extra large Twilight... exciting."

Luna chuckled to herself. She had seen this fetish before, but it always caught her off-guard due to its rarity. Over the years she'd even come to entertain the idea of indulging in a little macrophilia herself. Now that's an idea, Luna thought with amusement. For now however, she had to find the dreamer. Luna had to know who the newest member of the macrophile community was.

Luna lit her horn and cast an illusion detection spell. Though nothing special in the real world, in the dream world it was the ultimate tracking spell. It would light up the dreamer like a firework in the night sky.

Luna couldn't help blushing when she found a glow indicating something real carefully moving along Twilight's lower right thigh.

Luna considered interfering as she approached. In her experience, macrophiles were notorious for feeling alone and it always set a fire in their eyes to learn that there were others like them. Luna tittered to herself like a madmare. She couldn't wait to meet them and see the look on their face when she introduced them to the rest of the community. She might have found some work after all.

The princess quickly brushed aside shafts of fur that were as thick as her chest and touched down mere steps away from the dreamer. But as she folded her wings and raised her head to greet them, her body froze and her throat locked.

"P-princess Luna?" Spike's nasally voice quivered, the grin he'd been sporting a moment ago rapidly fading to shock and fear.

"Sir Spike?"

"Wh-wh-what are you doing here? Are you... the real... Luna?"

"Yes. I am searching for the owner of this dream." Luna waited a moment before cocking her head. "Is this your dream?"

Spike began to visibly sweat before he answered her at little more than a whisper. "Yes."

Luna was dumbfounded. Even now, when he was standing right in front of her, it was difficult for the princess to accept that Spike wasn't a baby dragon anymore. When she had first gotten to know him, Spike had been young, short, pudgy, and naive. But here he was now a strong dragon going on 23 solid years. Spike wasn't short and pudgy anymore. He was tall and slender and even had to angle his head down a bit to look most ponies in the eye. He wasn't afraid of a strong cider anymore either. These days Spike was even known for his taste in rare wines, especially while on business. His wings were just coming in and his fire breath had developed considerably. But most importantly, Spike was no longer naive to concepts like sex.

"Spike," Luna began, "are... you fantasizing about Princess Twilight Sparkle? As a giantess?"

"NO! Of course not!" he lied, eyes rapidly darting back and forth.

If there was one thing Luna didn't like it was being lied to. "Sir Spike, I am the Princess of Dreams. It is obvious this world is tailored to a particular fetish."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, dramatically throwing his arms into the air. "What about this could possibly be erotic?"

She merely raised a brow.

Spike gulped. "This isn't sexual. It's just weird. You know? Seriously, who could possibly find a giant mare attractive? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Indeed, it doesn't make sense. Unless you're a macrophile."

He stared at her for several seconds. A drop of sweat fell from his chin. His jaw trembled. Every muscle in his body was tense. Then his shoulders deflated like a balloon and his head dropped. "I'm a freak."

"No you are not," Luna consoled, stepping closer.

"Look at me, look at this place, look at what I'm doing! This is... I don't even know what this is." Spike turned and began walking away. Then he collapsed against a stalk of violet hair and slumped to the ground.

Luna sighed and trotted up to him. "You are not alone, Sir Spike. There are many macrophiles in Equestria and all of them are perfectly healthy, normal individuals."

"Really?" he snorted dismissively.

Luna smiled. "Are you hurting anypony?"

"They don't know."

"Does this fantasy make you happy?"

"No."

Luna was quiet for a moment, her mind busy dissecting the situation. "How often do you indulge?"

"In this?" Spike flicked his wrist, gesturing to their surroundings. "As rarely as I can stand it."

Luna now understood perfectly what the problem was. "You are rejecting a part of yourself, Spike. The desire will only build and build until it explodes."

"I know that!" he snapped.

"Then embrace it and allow yourself to enjoy the fantasy."

"But it's wrong."

"Says who?" challenged Luna.

Spike didn't have an immediate response to that. "Says... me."

Luna scoffed. "Alright then. Since you refuse to satisfy your own cravings and take proper care of yourself, I am forced to make you. I hereby challenge you to a macrophile competition!"

Spike blinked up at her from his seat on the ground. "What are you talking about?"

"You must best me in a series of games involving macrophilia."

Spike rolled his eyes. "I don't feel like it."

Luna smirked. "You don't have a choice. If you refuse to play, I'll make sure your fantasy is on the front cover of every newspaper in the country."

Spike was on his feet in a second. "You wouldn't!" he shouted. The entire dream rumbled with his outburst.

Luna looked him right in the eye. "Seven nights, seven games. Best me just four times and I promise to keep silent. Fail. And Twilight will be reading all about your dark desires."

Spike could only stare in horror at Luna. She wouldn't. She couldn't! Would she? His mind was doing backflips. He couldn't go through with it. Trapped in a macrophile nightmare for seven nights straight?! Spike swallowed the bile rising in his throat. There was nothing he could do. The risk was simply too great. He had to play along or else the whole world might learn what he was.

What would Twilight say? Or even worse. What would Rarity say?

Spike took a deep breath to gather his courage. Then he glared. "Fine. I accept. And when I destroy you, you better keep your promise not to tell."

Luna nodded. "Deal."

He was angry and afraid now, but she wasn't worried. This week was quickly going to become the best week of his life. He just didn't know it yet.

Chapter 3 (version: 1.03)

Contains: MLP, micro, conversation, mouth play, soft vore, tease

Spike found himself sitting at a pink girlish table occupied by a pale purple teapot. Two places were set with multiple spoons, sugar, saucers, and teacups. A marble gazebo shielded the setup from a bright sun and the smooth tile floor was raised several centimeters above the grass around it.

Encircling the garden was a dark hedge, but everything else was gentle to the eyes. There was an apple tree loaded with delicious red fruit that hung boldly over a small pond of crystal clear water. There were long twisting gravel paths that cut across the fields of green and dozens of flowerbeds near bursting with color. It was a paradise complete with roaming butterflies and happy singing birds.

Spike squirmed uncomfortably in his seat as he searched for Luna, but she was nowhere to be found. It was just him, his thoughts, and a teapot.

Spike could do nothing while he waited but reflect on how confused he felt. He was excited after his first victory and eager to win another, but he was also terrified of losing. Luna was his friend even though they only spoke two or three times a year, but now she was blackmailing him and threatening to expose his secret. Last, but certainly not least, there was a moment during the last game that made him feel good, but for all the wrong reasons.

Spike grumbled, frustrated by the swirl of thoughts running rampant in his mind. How he had gotten through the day without it all bubbling to the surface was beyond him.

Spike eyed the teapot. "Why not?" he mumbled.

Taking the full pot in one hand, and his empty cup in another, Spike poured himself--

"What the!?"

Spike pulled his cup back and watched the liquid that sloshed around inside. It shown with a bright light and smelled like honey. The mere steam that wafted up from it tickled his taste buds and made his senses swirl.

"Liquid Sunshine?" Spike whispered in surprise.

Spike had indulged in this rare drink only once before, during a diplomatic visit to Saddle Arabia. The sultan lived an exceptionally lavish lifestyle and had quite expensive tastes. He also spoiled his guests positively rotten. Liquid Sunshine was made from Liquid Rainbow through a complex process of distillation, purification, and enchantments. It was a tea more expensive than any wine and had gone by another name for several millennia: Nectar of the Gods.

"Don't start the party without me!" Luna's cheery voice called.

Spike's wide eyes were pulled from the glowing liquid to the princess as she pranced up the gazebo steps and into the shade.

"It's good to see you again, Sir Spike. How are you feeling tonight?"

Spike followed Luna's movements silently as she sat opposite him. "I don't know," he eventually admitted.

Luna's positive demeanor was quickly replaced with a frown. "Tonight is only the second game, surely you are not exhausted already?"

He looked away.

Luna sighed. "Spike, do you remember my first Nightmare Night?"

He scratched his head in thought. "Oh boy, that was over ten years ago."

She nodded. "Do you remember what Twilight and yourself did for me?"

"We helped you connect with the ponies in Ponyville."

"You taught me that, while it is important to take one's duties seriously, it is also important we let ourselves unwind from time to time. To allow ourselves to have fun." Luna carefully poured herself a cup of Liquid Sunshine.

"You're welcome."

Luna shook her head. "Spike, I have grown in that philosophy while you have abandoned it." She took a generous sip of her tea.

"Pardon?"

"As a princess, it is my duty to guard the realm of dreams. However, there has been little to do as of late. So here I am, with a close friend, trying to enjoy myself with a few games." Luna took another sip.

"Games? You're holding me hostage!" Spike barked.

She held her ground. "You are too tense to see clearly. Relax, drink, and enjoy another's company." With that, Luna raised her cup and had yet another mouthful of tea.

Spike stared at Luna, but she said nothing else. She just carried on enjoying her drink and letting her ears be tickled by the song of a lone robin. A breeze drifted between the columns of the gazebo and her mane fluttered. Luna was a picture of serenity.

Spike finally regarded his own cup, ignored since the princess's arrival. Shrugging softly, he dared to take a sip. At once the overwhelming flavor punched him right in the jaw and made him recoil.

Luna giggled. "Good?"

"Yeah," Spike managed to get past his tingling lips. "That's... wow."

"It's even better in the real world. Here, have some more," Luna offered, lifting the pot to fill his cup properly.

Spike reluctantly thanked her and took another sip. Again he flinched. Liquid Sunshine was good, there was no questioning that, but it was also powerful. Even a dragon who regularly enjoyed gemstones had to be ready if they were going to indulge in this brand of tea.

A few minutes passed where neither of them uttered a word. Spike began to feel awkward. Should he say something? Nothing was happening. Were they simply going to enjoy a tea party tonight? Was this a test of his manners? Should he add sugar to his Liquid Sunshine?!

"So have you been studying recently?" Luna ventured unexpectedly.

"Huh?" Spike blurted, derailed from his mental panic.

Luna smiled. "Have you read anything interesting lately?"

"Uh," Spike droned, his mind grasping for an appropriate reply. "A few weeks ago I began reading about... Cannonade."

Luna blinked in utter confusion. "Cannonade? You've been reading about cannons?"

Spike chuckled nervously. "No, the ancient dragon king. The one who had himself reincarnated as Fulminate."

"Ah!" Luna's eyes lit up with recognition. "A fascinating story indeed. What do you think of him?" Luna poured herself a new cup while Spike racked his brain.

"Well... he was a powerful dragon who ruled for centuries. Despite his right to the throne being challenged hundreds of times, he dominated in every battle. I guess I'm a bit jealous. He was a real dragon."

Luna nodded. "He was a remarkable beast indeed. Is he the dragon that dueled with Discord?" the princess asked, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Yeah. One of the few to ever challenge the God of Chaos and win."

"Well," Luna stopped him, "Discord was still young and inexperienced at the time. I seriously doubt even the great Cannonade could have fought on equal footing with Discord in his later years."

Spike nodded back as he swallowed some of his drink, still cringing at the strength of it. The conversation was just... right. Like old times. For years the two of them had sat down at tables like this one and discussed everything from philosophy to law. It was familiar territory. It was calming. It was normal.

"Discord didn't establish a nation though. Against Cannonade's organized forces, even after Discord's training was complete, Cannonade would still have had the advantage in numbers."

The princess hummed. "That is a fair point, Sir Spike. However, Cannonade gave up his vast powers in the end. At that point there is no question who would have won." Luna took a sip from her cup.

"After a few years his power would have been restored though."

Luna watched her glowing drink as she carefully swirled it around. "Tell me, Sir Spike, what do you think of Cannonade's tragic fall?"

Spike looked down as well. "It wasn't fair."

Luna sighed. "All things in this world are destined to end eventually. Cannonade feared the loss of his brute strength, and by extension his throne, to the unstoppable wheel of time. In his fear, he attempted the impossible. Cannonade tried to halt and even completely reverse that flow. And he paid the price."

"I may not know much about his second life as Fulminate, but I still don't think he deserved to lose his memories and his throne."

Luna met Spike's gaze. "Why do you feel that way?"

"He was just afraid."

Luna gave him a sad smile. "Cannonade allowed his cowardice to direct his actions."

Spike bit his tongue. "What should he have done then?"

Luna analyzed Spike for a moment. "He should have stepped down. He still had one or two hundred years ahead of him. Cannonade should have appointed a new king and stood beside them as an adviser. With his 800 years of experience, Cannonade had so much wisdom to bestow upon this world. Tome after tome could have been filled with his vast knowledge. He merely had to embrace his new destiny and it could have been a pleasant one."

Spike quietly finished his tea and poured himself more. "Did you know him?"

Luna grunted in the negative. "I believe I was merely six years old the day Fulminate was buried on the opposite side of the world. Though I grew up hearing stories of his travels, he wasn't considered an important figure back then." Luna gulped down the last of her current cup. "I believe his journals are stored in the royal Neighway library."

Spike jumped to attention at that. "He kept a journal!? In Neighway? The land of reindeer? I didn't know that. I've been looking everywhere for more information about Fulminate."

Luna poured herself a new cup of Liquid Sunshine. "If you'd like, I could arrange for you to read them."

Spike's mouth drifted open in shock. "THE firsthand accounts of Fulminate? Really?!"

Luna smirked. "Don't get too excited. Reindeer are stubborn and highly protective of their history. They could very well refuse my request."

"Thank you Luna," Spike gushed. "I'd really appreciate learning more about Fulminate's personal journey as a dragon."

Luna paused mid-sip, a smile stretching across her lips. "You're welcome, Sir Spike. Now, let's enjoy the rest of our party!"

Spike snorted once as he stared into his cup. Of course, Luna was the type to leave him energized and eager to get back to the real world.

The minutes passed in peace. At least until Luna experimentally shook the teapot only to hear the faint slosh of one more cup's worth of Liquid Sunshine.

"Would you like the last of the tea?" Luna asked politely.

Spike shrugged. "Yes please."

Luna's voice rung with joy while she poured. "This is good news. We can finally play the next game!"

Spike felt his mood drop like a stone. Suddenly the glowing drink didn't seem as appealing. "Okay," he relented.

Luna grinned. "This game will be simple." Her horn flashed and three identical black bottles appeared on the table. There were no labels and there was no way to see what was inside. "I am going to enjoy these three mystery drinks and all you have to do is avoid my lips."

Spike choked on his own tongue. "W-w-what?!"

Luna held a hoof over her mouth as she tittered. "The look on your face."

Spike could feel the crimson blush covering his cheeks. "What do you really mean then, Princess?"

Luna's response was another flash from her horn. In an instant, the teapot was replaced by a single large elegant chalice.

"What do you think of your new swimming pool?" Luna asked cryptically.

Spike blinked at her, then the bottles, then the goblet. Mechanically, he raised his cup and took a sip of the remaining tea while his mind worked. Swimming pool? Avoiding lips? What was she talking about?

Then it all clicked.

Spike stared at Luna in horror as his claw slowly lowered the nearly empty teacup to its resting place on a saucer.

"Finished already?" Luna asked cheerfully. "Then let's get started!"

Spike jumped back in his seat as a powerful blue glow surrounded his body. His size began dwindling away and the world seemed to expand in all directions. Next, before he was even done shrinking, Spike was sent flying through the air toward the chalice at the center of the table. Vertigo combined with his wild spin to render his vision nothing more than a meaningless blur of colors. Then he crashed into a smooth shiny floor.

"Ugh. What happened?" he groaned, rubbing his head. Spike was dazed for a moment and his eyes couldn't find any familiar landmarks.

"You look so cute down there," a booming giggle echoed around him.

Spike's gaze drifted up to an enormous smile filled with pearly white teeth that hung beyond a rim of glass. Around him was a stadium-sized bowl whose slick walls would be impossible to scale without slipping. He couldn't see through the goblet either thanks to the crazy designs that decorated the outside.

"Most mares would probably be screaming right now. Poor Spike, at only three millimeters you're like a helpless ant caught in my drink. I hope you're a good swimmer!"

"Wait!" he called desperately. What was most surprising was that Luna actually returned with a concerned frown. "You're not going to... eat me, are you?"

Luna grinned, eyes looking away mischievously. "Maybe."

Spike stared at the rim as Luna's face disappeared. Then his eyes went even wider as a huge black bottle materialized in the heavens, cork already gone. Its dark opening was tilted upwards, but that quickly changed as it moved into position. The bottle's head dropped and clear water plummeted down the glass cliff.

Spike had no time to strategize before a wall of water slammed into him and sent him flailing backwards with the monstrous current. His claws sliced at the cold liquid as he fought the mad waves that threatened to wash over him and drag him down. Despite his struggling, Spike's head was forced under more than once as the endless torrent rushed around him. In one instant he was at the crest of what seemed like a mountain, then everything switched places and he was surrounded by rolling hills that advanced on him from every direction.

"BAH!" Spike coughed as he paddled in place, the wild flood having eventually calmed. His limbs were already tingling with the onset of exhaustion and his breath was rapid.

"Here comes the best part," Luna sang.

Spike felt the unique sensation of a lake wobbling. Water gently lapped at the walls as Luna lifted the glass. He gulped as one side of the rim seemed to rise while the opposite side fell. The chalice was tilting but the liquid remained level.

Luna's eyes had slipped closed and her nostrils flared as she inhaled. The princess's mouth was a cavern of smooth, pink, slimy walls. Her tongue lay flat, providing a straight path to the back of her throat where not even light could reach. Spike found himself staring into the abyss. Then the sound of rushing water reached his ears and a current began to tug on his minuscule body.

The drake literally dove into action as he spun around and pumped his arms forward in a crude front stroke. His feet kicked desperately with no pattern and his chest heaved with each thrust of his forearms. Incredibly, his manic swimming kept him just ahead of the tide as the goblet emptied into the gargantuan maw behind him. Spike's instincts raged at him to swim as though his life depended on it. As far as he was concerned, it did.

Then, without warning, the suction vanished and the glass carefully righted itself. Luna had pulled away to breathe. Spike cringed at the roar such a simple action produced. Everything was eerily still for a moment and he took the opportunity to rest and look down. Spike thought he could see the bottom only a few meters below. Which meant he might only have to out-pace Luna's sip once more to win the game.

He floated there while Luna reclined in her outdoor chair, the scent of pollen lolling her mind into a hushed tranquility. A quick check assured her that Spike was still safe in the chalice and that she hadn't missed swallowing him. It struck Luna that she might have overfilled the glass and given herself an edge, but she banished the idea. Spike was a dragon. Dragons were tough.

Spike's peace left as quickly as it had arrived when the goblet levitated back to the princess's lips. The stream began to flow and Spike started to paddle. However, this time his head was clear and his strokes were much cleaner.

Right arm forward, like an arrow, scoop the water. Left arm forward, like an arrow, scoop the water. Spike's mental chant repeated over and over as he actually managed to advance against the current. His head bobbed down under the water, then up out of it where he took a quick breath, then down under it again. It was rhythmic. Perfect form. He silently thanked Applejack and Rainbow Dash for being such good teachers.

Before Spike knew what had happened, his claws found purchase along the bottom of the chalice and he was crawling out of the water onto a makeshift beach of sleek glass. As he shuffled to his feet, arms hanging by his sides, he panted from the excursion. His head turned to watch the last bit of water slip over the ledge and into Luna's muzzle. The princess's upper jaw came down with a loud click and the goblet levitated away. A noticeable bulge formed in her neck and passed down into her chest. Spike shivered at the sight.

Luna's gaze met Spike's and she grinned. "Round one goes to Sir Spike," she chirped. "You're unnatural at this."

The dragon groaned. He forgot. The second game was divided into three rounds. "Do we have to keep going?" he huffed. "Can't we just say I won?"

"Oh come on," Luna scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "You can't tell me that wasn't fun."

"It was scary."

In response, Luna began to right the goblet and Spike found his world tilting. The ground was too smooth to get a grip and his claws scraped at the glass to avoid tumbling. It was hopeless of course, and, like nails on a chalkboard, a horrid screech dug into the sides of his head. A few blinks later and Spike was seated at the center of the stadium-sized bowl once again.

Luna's voice rung throughout the chalice. "Relax Spike, this is only a dream. Nothing can hurt you here. Now get your strength back. The next drink is going to be a bit more aggressive than water."

Spike stood with a grumble. There was nothing he could do. Luna was going to play this game with him whether he agreed to it or not. All he could do was prepare, but how?

It was then he noticed the lingering beads of water that clung to the walls, each as big as his head. Spike approached the nearest drop and stooped down. After taking a greedy slurp, he stood yet again and stretched his arms high over his head.

"There's no way I'm going to be able to repeat that performance," he grunted, muscles already aching.

Spike clenched his fists. No. He couldn't afford to think that way. He had to win. His future in Ponyville depended on it. Puffing out his chest and raising his chin high, Spike resolved to give this game his all. Thinking about it further, the odds were in his favor. There were only three rounds and he had already won the first. A smirk slowly wormed across his face. Yeah, he totally had this game in the bag. And the rest of the games too!

"Ready?" Luna's gentle voice thundered.

"Bring it on."

Luna quirked a brow, but said nothing. A moment passed and the head of the second black bottle clanked against the rim of the chalice. The resulting boom made Spike flinch involuntarily. Then she began to tilt it and a golden-brown liquid filled with bubbles dribbled out.

Spike braced himself as best he could before he was pummeled over by a river that smelled suspiciously of apples. This time however, Spike was determined to save his energy and kept his struggles to a minimum. He allowed himself to be carried under and swirled about as the glass filled, only breaking the surface when he desperately needed air. After what felt like several minutes, but was really only a few seconds, Luna finished pouring. She giggled as soon as Spike emerged from the depths.

"I know you're a big fan of apple cider, so I thought this would make a nice surprise."

Spike floated in place with a curious expression. "Apple cider?"

The dragon lifted a claw and brought it to his face for a quick sniff. Then he licked his fingers. Sure enough, the taste of apples and alcohol greeted him. He was swimming in a lake of cider. Spike couldn't help himself and started to laugh at the ridiculousness of his situation. And these weren't small chuckles either. These were full blown belly bouncing, throat drying cackles that would quickly leave anyone winded.

Luna watched from above with a smirk of amusement. "That's the spirit, Spike. I told you these games could be fun if you simply let them."

The drake failed to register her words as he wheezed, an impressive feat considering how loud Luna was. Spike was far too busy imagining what Rainbow Dash might do if she were in his place. But he was soon forced to pay the giant alicorn his full attention when the goblet began moving towards her lips.

Immediately his eyes were drawn to the fleshy cave that prepared to devour his lake of apple cider. He could see strings of saliva connecting the roof of Luna's mouth to her tongue. A hot gust bellowed over him. Then cider cascaded over the edge and seeped into every nook and cranny of her gaping maw. Spike did his best to get into proper swimming position, but cider didn't act quite the same as water. It was thicker, the smell made his nose itch, and it stung when a drop got in his eyes.

Spike was so focused on keeping his arms moving that he failed to notice the mound of bubbles coming his way until his claws dug into them. A pop rang out in front of the young dragon and spattered cider along his face. Startled, Spike veered off course and began to swim at an angle from Luna rather than straight away. Unfortunately, the drake failed to notice thanks to the random bubbles that now kept him busy dodging.

Gradually, the current pulled Spike backwards. His feet came closer and closer to the princess's lips. The flow became rough and uneven. Spike's adrenaline surged, his arms pumped, his heart beat. Got to swim faster! his mind blared.

The dark alicorn released a pleased hum which vibrated the chalice and the liquid within. To Spike it felt like a thousand spiders had just crawled over him. Luna then pulled her mouth away from the glass to swallow. The dragon immediately seized his chance to rest and turned over, floating limp on his back while a wave carried him towards the center of the cider ocean. His arms pulsed from the workout.

"You would make an excellent competitor in a triathlon," Luna commented. Spike merely grunted far too quietly for her to hear.

Suddenly, the glass was rising towards the princess's muzzle again while the young drake looked about frantically. That was it!? I need more of a break than that! Spike mentally screamed. But Luna failed to read his mind and put her lips back on the rim of the goblet.

Spike sloppily flipped over onto his belly just as a swarm of fizz engulfed him, blinding him. Spike lashed out with his claws in a mad panic, popping as many of the pesky bubbles as he could. The current gathered a disturbing degree of strength before he was finally able to break free from his sweet prison. Spike's terror intensified when he realized he was only a meter ahead of the falls.

His limbs begged for rest, but Spike ignored the pain and thrust his arms forward. His feet beat furiously and his head bobbed up and down. He had to move. He had to win. He had to swim faster!

A shadow enveloped him and an instant later Spike was plummeting into Luna's waiting maw. It was a short drop, yet it brought so much humiliation.

The stirring waters didn't immediately carry Spike away, instead allowing him to float in place and watch the cider pour over Luna's gargantuan incisors. Suddenly, he was rendered helpless as a meaty organ plowed into him and pinned him against the smooth teeth. It was the princess's tongue and it held Spike firmly in place while the last of the bronze lake filed in. What little light there was in Luna's mouth then vanished as she sealed her lips. The alicorn tilted her head and a gurgling emanated from the back her cavernous throat as she went to work slurping everything down.

Spike's body had been coated in the weak alcoholic beverage, but now he was being drenched in saliva which oozed from every pore of the massive tongue that restrained him. Despite its bumpy surface, his claws merely slipped when he tried pushing it away. Spike grunted as the pressure on his chest shifted and the walls undulated.

Once the delicious drink was safely drained, Luna's tongue pulled Spike away from the front of her jaw. It snaked backwards and angled itself so that he rolled along its rough surface. Somehow he managed to find an indent in the appendage that provided just enough room for him to lay in. However, his safety was short lived as the muscle next thrust upward at stomach churning speed. Spike didn't even think to throw up his claws before he was violently slammed into a bony roof.

He growled and pushed with all his might, but the fleshy tongue morphed around him and oozed yet more slick equine spit. Spike squirmed as he searched for some kind of leverage, but he couldn't find anything his claws didn't effortlessly slide off. It was then the giant alicorn began to suck. Saliva tore past him in the cramped space and ran over every inch of his body. What little juice might have been left on him was quickly taken.

Finally, Spike was shown mercy when Luna abruptly dropped her jaw. Light blinded him and he threw a hand over his eyes to shield his delicate retinas. The princess, in a very undignified manner, allowed her tongue to hang from her open mouth, which caused Spike to slip. For a moment the dragon was in free-fall along with a glob of saliva. Then he was, yet again, trapped in the chalice.

"Ugh," he groaned, sitting up with a disgusted wiggle of his fingers.

Luna licked her lips. "You sure do make apple cider taste better."

"Luna! Are you trying to drown me?"

She snorted, the cold breeze making him shiver. "I already told you that this is a dream. No matter what happens you'll wake up tomorrow as though nothing did. Do I really have to keep explaining the nature of dreams to you?" she sassed.

Spike scowled as he wiped a handful of spit from his forehead. Then the drake jumped to his feet and shook himself like a dog. It was moderately successful, but a thin coating of moisture still clung to his scales. Strands hung from his fingers and wings that made him gag. "This is so wrong," he mumbled.

Luna sighed contently. "It's all or nothing now, Sir Spike. If I catch you in my mouth again I win."

"You need to give me a break!" Spike shouted.

Luna looked up in thought. "Perhaps that would make the game more fair. But don't forget that I too am struggling. The royal stomach can only hold so much," she whined with a cute pout while rubbing her belly.

Spike rolled his eyes. Yeah, she was really suffering. She must have been near to bursting from the Liquid Sunshine, water, and apple cider. Meanwhile he'd just been swimming for his life, nearly drowned, and sucked on by a giant monster like he was a piece of candy.

Thankfully, she obliged his request and summoned a miniature towel for him.

"Bah," he gasped after cleaning his face. While Luna yawned above him, Spike rubbed down his arms and legs with only the occasion grumble of revulsion. Though a small cramp in his left shoulder made him grit his teeth as he went about the task. But the dragon fought on, determined not to show any signs of weakness. The final round was coming and it was his last chance to claim victory.

Spike tossed the towel aside and quickly began rolling his shoulder. He needed a plan if he was going to win. The key wasn't strength. The key was brains. The young drake just had to outsmart one of the oldest and wisest beings alive.

Spike chuckled sadly. It sure would be funny if I pulled it off, he thought bitterly. Then his face lit up with an idea. Maybe I could swim to the opposite side of the glass before Luna starts drinking.

Luna finished a quick prance around the garden and returned to the gazebo's shade with that ever present joyful smile. She inhaled deeply and plopped down in her seat. Then she leaned forward.

"Well I think that's enough break time."

Spike rubbed the back of his neck, but couldn't think of anything to say. His muscles were still shot and his breathing was a little labored. The sparse few minutes of rest he'd gotten hadn't been enough and it wasn't likely the princess would give him any more.

So he stared at the glass rim as the third and final black bottle descended. Carefully, the blue glow that held the container aloft began to turn it and dark red water washed down the goblet's walls. Spike turned his head away just before the brunt of the wave hit.

The crimson liquid turned and bubbled like the rapids of a mighty river. The tiny dragon was churned about like a top let loose in zero gravity. Up was down, right was left, and nothing but red filled his vision. Spike was dazed and confused as he scanned for a light that would point him towards the surface. His eyes burned, but he managed to spot a few rays that cut through the darkness.

Spike suddenly found his head above the rolling swells of red water. For a few seconds he floated there in shock, the gentle sways of the ocean acting like a cradle. His mind was empty, clueless to the identity of this drink. Its smell was strong and familiar like the apple cider, but it made his thoughts melt. Spike couldn't seem to keep his mind on target as it strayed from one idea to another. His gaze was wobbly and his stomach tingled. Something was off.

"I know it's a cheap brand, but I just have a soft spot for Eniw Der Paeh," Luna whispered high above him, though it still vibrated his eardrums.

"Red wine!" Spike gasped.

This was bad. Apple cider was alcoholic, but it was weak. Wine, on the other hand, was not a foal's drink. At his size the fumes alone would render him drunk in minutes if not sooner. He had to keep his head and hope Luna moved fast. The longer he was down here the more his mind would cloud over.

Spike blinked in confusion when his view was abruptly filled with the sight of a long narrow cave. A gentle current began to tug on his limbs and a sound like falling water tickled his ears. What was happening?

The dragon shrieked as his handicapped brain finally connected the dots. Luna was already downing the wine at an impressive speed. How had he missed the movement of the goblet?

The intimidating lips of the colossus were already on top of him when he began to furiously pound at the water with his arms. His legs moved so fast he wasn't sure they were still connected to his body. Strangely, his wings instinctively extended from his back and slashed down into the red ocean like an extra set of paddles. All of Spike's untamed dragon fight proved just enough to keep him beyond the reaches of Luna's massive teeth.

But time wasn't on his side. Every part of his body was ready to collapse and there were still untold thousands of gallons left to go. With every breath he took his lungs seemed to tear in a new place. His chest felt like it was about to burst. His thoughts dulled with each moment that passed from intoxication. Gulping booms echoed from behind him. The wet slaps of a tongue moving about. The rush of falling water. A bird's call. There were so many sounds. So much was happening around him.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

But he gave up.

Spike let the relentless tide yank him back into oblivion as his limbs burned. Cold liquid dragged him effortlessly over the slithering tongue. The last ray of light disappeared with a snap of Luna's enormous jaw. Freedom and victory were now well beyond reach.

Finally, he was falling...

"Ah!" Spike flew up in his bed, throwing his sheets onto the floor. He panted several times before his manic eyes locked onto his claws as he opened and closed them experimentally. The fatigue and drunkenness that had crippled him in the dream were gone.

"She swallowed me," Spike uttered in disbelief. "That... wasn't nice."

Chapter 4 (version: 1.01)

Contains: MLP, micro, sweat, extreme musk, hooves

The sun was blistering and there wasn't a cloud in the sky to provide so much as a speck of shade. The wooden bench under Spike's rear was warm, but as a dragon it was hard to imagine any temperature he could honestly consider hot. In front of him was a standard one kilometer (0.6 mile) jogging track that circled a plain grass field. To his left was a cheap folding table which held a pair of plastic jugs full of water and a neatly stacked column of paper cups. Off to his right was a short red barn.

"Am I going to have to wait for Luna again?" he thought aloud.

His question was answered immediately when a dark shape appeared sprinting down the straightaway on the opposite side of the track. Spike squinted at the figure and quickly spotted a blue coat, long thin legs, and a flowing mane that sparkled with ancient magic.

The grass was ugly and dry, nearly crunching under his feet as he approached the asphalt. Meanwhile, Luna made her way around the last bend in the track and galloped towards him. The drake couldn't help but take notice of the strange attire the alicorn wore as her pace slowed to a brisk trot. A striped red, white, and blue band tied her mane into a ponytail and gave the princess an unusually young appearance. A second identical sweatband replaced her tiara. Luna's necklace was also absent and for her hooves she sported modern running shoes. Tiny specks of sweat dribbled down her fur and quiet pants escaped her muzzle. Her feathers were ruffled and loose, but, as always, a large smile dominated her face.

"Welcome, Sir Spike. It is a beautiful day for a jog, is it not?"

Spike blinked at her. "Well... yeah, I guess. But don't you decide the weather here anyway?"

Luna laughed as she bounced towards one of the water tanks. Taking a cup in a sapphire aura, she quickly rewarded herself with a cool drink. The loud gulping sounds made Spike shuffle in place awkwardly. Thin streams of crystal clear liquid escaped the pony's greedy lips and ran along her delicate cheeks and down her slender neck. Finally, drops of that delicious life giving water plummeted to the parched grass below.

"Ahh!" the princess rasped, tossing the paper cup to the ground carelessly. "Would you like to join me?" she asked over her shoulder.

Spike shrugged. "Why not?" he mumbled. It wasn't like he really had a choice. There didn't appear to be anything else to do in this dream.

Luna spun around and made for the blacktop with Spike dragging his lazy claws behind her. Suddenly, a wing darted in front of him and blocked his path. The princess's deadly serious glare locked with his utterly clueless gawk.

"No running until you have properly stretched. I could not forgive myself if such a dear friend pulled a muscle."

Spike rolled his eyes, but stood in place obediently as Luna continued onto the tarmac. Before he knew it, she was barreling down the track once more.

After a few moments spent observing Luna's physical abilities in action, Spike reluctantly raised his arms high into the air. He wiggled his fingers as his tendons strained and he mentally counted to 10. A huff later and his arms were at his sides. Then he was reaching down to touch his toes. Another 10 seconds passed and he relaxed. Luna was able to complete a whole lap and a half before he was done with his various stretches.

Now warmed up, Spike waited until Luna was coming around the finish line to jump in beside her. Thankfully, she slowed the pace when he did so. There was no way the dragon could have kept up with a true equine sprint after all.

"Glad you could finally make it," she teased.

"I was just thinking, Luna," Spike began.

"Did it hurt?"

The sound of padded hooves and scaled claws tapping against the dark stone was their only ambiance as they completed the first turn and made their way down the long straightaway.

"That was bad," Spike said with a sad shake of his head.

Luna tried to giggle, but her heavy breathing reduced it to a joyful wheeze. "I know."

"Anyway. I was wondering, why are we doing this?"

"I think exercise is fun," she replied simply.

"Okay~" Spike droned, clearly not satisfied. "I meant that it just seems pointless. We're in a dream, right? So nothing that happens here will actually affect us."

"Party pooper," Luna growled playfully. "With that kind of logic I might as well retire."

"What do you mean?"

"I am the Princess of Dreams, but if dreams have no purpose, then I have no purpose."

"I didn't mean that dreams are pointless. I just meant that exercising here is pointless."

It took Luna a second to counter. "We're bonding."

"Well... it's weird."

Luna snorted. "Of course it is. I am an alicorn princess and the guardian of dreams. You are a dragon scholar with a secret fascination for giants. A friendship between us is going to wander into strange territory."

The conversation paused while Spike's mind turned over her words. Unfortunately, Luna's casual mention of his dark desires soured the mood. "Were we bonding last night when you swallowed me?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

That made Spike stare in her direction as they ran. "How?"

"I know last night made you uncomfortable, but I promise that tonight will be different. I have a real treat in store for you," she said smugly.

Spike felt a hint of anger stir. "I'm not just referring to last night, Luna. You might as well be planning to torture me for a week straight. How is that bonding?"

"Spike," the princess cut in seriously, "have faith in me. Know that I consider you my closest friend."

He grumbled. "I don't understand you."

Luna slowed the pace more. "Spike, these dreams are games. What I am asking you to do is enjoy them. Nothing more."

"But they're wrong."

"Are they?" she challenged with a raised brow.

"Yes."

Luna was quiet as they rounded the second bend.

"Do you hate me?"

Spike was taken completely off guard and his throat tightened. "No."

"Then we are friends."

"But you threatened to reveal my secret."

"Then play with me."

"But I could lose everything."

"Then trust me."

"How?"

"Remember who I am and all the good times we've had."

Spike's anger had collapsed and left in its place was a bottomless pit. What was he supposed to say to that? He'd already said everything he could think of. Spike didn't want to play with her and he couldn't bring himself to trust her. Though, somehow, he still found the will to call Luna his friend.

"Spike, I'm starting to think it would be best for you to sit and rest for the game."

Spike eyed the finish line ahead. "And what will you be doing?"

"My laps," she answered with seemingly misplaced cheerfulness.

"What will we be doing tonight?" he asked curiously.

"Don't worry. Just wait."

As the white line loomed, Spike debated whether he should keep arguing with Luna or not. However, before he could even make an official decision, his body was stepping off the track on its own. At some point his muscles must have switched to autopilot and the dragon couldn't find a solid reason to resist. Spike did feel kind of thirsty and the running had left him just a little winded. Perhaps resting wasn't such a bad idea. He needed the time to think.

Spike's chin sat on his laced fingers. His elbows dug into his knees. His legs were spread wide. His shoulders were hunched forward. His eyes were half glazed. During the day he had operated as normal, not letting himself dwell on anything he and the lunar princess had done or would be doing. His only chance to think freely was now, but he hadn't made any progress. Even as Luna passed him yet again, completing her 15th lap, he was no closer to making sense of anything. So all he could do was watch.

The alicorn's speed and endurance were remarkable. Every fourth lap she had quickly snatched a cup of water and continued on like it was no big deal. Even a royal guard would have struggled to run 16 km (10 mi) at the rate she was going. At a slower pace certainly, but not at her mad sprint.

With each lap Luna's fur grew more and more damp. A feminine musk lingered in her wake longer than the previous pass. Steam poured from the mare's body like a sauna. An alicorn was truly something to marvel.

Finally, she was done with all 16 laps.

Luna pranced across the finish line with a proud flick of her head, sending a literal cascade of sweat onto the track. The mare's breathing was extremely heavy and she quickly dumped a cup of water over her head after gulping down several mouthfuls. She sighed in pure bliss as the burn ran its course through her muscles.

She stayed that way for a few moments, head tilted back and eyes closed. Then she turned to Spike with a hum. "Come with me, I have to cool down."

Spike stood with a grunt. He knew exactly what she meant. After a workout that intense it was dangerous to merely stretch and call it a day. Failure to bring the body temperature and heart rate down gradually could result in some nasty complications. Though as Spike walked with Luna around the barn, he considered that none of those risks were actually present. They were in a dream. Granted, a magically constructed very realistic dream.

On the opposite side of the red box structure was a large oak. Spike wasn't sure of the exact species, but it was certainly an older tree. An impressive natural giant, the trunk was as wide as Luna and just above Spike's head the wood split into a cascade of great branches that spread out in all directions. The final result was a huge umbrella of green leaves that cast a ring of cool shade. The ground beneath it was utterly barren of grass and periodically broken by jutting roots. The smell of wood was heavy under the canopy.

Luna regarded him thoughtfully. "Ready?"

Spike swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. "Yeah. So what's this game about?"

Luna inhaled deeply and lit her horn. The bands in her mane and around her forehead were tossed aside to never be seen again and the freed mare shook her head with a relieved sigh. Her ethereal hair bounced back into its familiar perky shape and fresh perspiration leaked down her face. Then she fanned her wings as the laces on her shoes were magically undone. Spike could hear a sickening squish as Luna's smelly hooves emerged from the confines of the footwear.

Four white running shoes sat before Luna. Unlike old horseshoes, which were nothing more than a crescent ring of metal, these were brilliantly stitched leather and rubber. Resembling coffee mugs without handles, the insides were lined with cloth padding meant to absorbed shock, though they also retained a fair bit of heat and sweat. Dirt scuffed the outsides and Spike was sure he could see a mist rising from their dark interiors.

Luna grinned as she openly waved her stinking hooves one after the other. The dragon coughed and looked away as a hint of the musk reached his sensitive nose.

"You have until I've finished cooling to escape," she explained quickly.

Spike blinked at her several times. "Escape? As in you want me to run?"

She chuckled. "More like climb out," she said while subtly gesturing to one of her now empty shoes.

Spike's eyes slowly descended on the doom that awaited him. "No... way..." he whispered in horror. Though in doing so he failed to watch Luna and only after there was a flash of light did he realize the grave error he had made.

Suddenly, Spike was left stranded in a vast desert-like wasteland. A mild darkness shadowed the expanse of dirt and occasional odd stones. A twisting mountain rolled in the distance like a snake. But that was nothing compared to the planetoid hanging above him. Luna's twinkling teal eyes were like radiant moons high in the night sky. He was nothing more than a speck under the power of the goddess on high.

"Hold on," Luna's voice thundered despite her best attempt to keep it low. A blue aura surrounded Spike's body and gently raised him into the air. Then he was abruptly rocketed forward, blurring his view of the wasteland below and leaving him completely disoriented. The only landmark he could keep track of was the approaching monolith in the distance. A single mountainous shoe.

As the wall of leather neared, Luna's magic rapidly levitated Spike higher and higher. For several seconds the tiny dragon could only stare at the surface of the shoe as it zoomed past, giving his dread plenty of time to build. Then he passed the upper lip. The opening was like a smoking volcanic crater and at least two hoofball fields across.

Spike felt like he had been slapped when the magic that controlled his fate dragged him into the wisps that wafted up from the darkness. The stench of horse sweat left a vile taste on his tongue and his whole face wrinkled in disgust. He choked and shook his head in a futile attempt to find clean air, but it was wasted effort.

"It will take me 15 to 30 minutes to cool down," Luna's voice rumbled, drawing his eyes upward. "If you have not escaped by then... I may just forget you're in there." Then she gradually lowered him into the abyss which even light itself seemed to avoid.

The smog cloud grew thicker and thicker as he descended. The trip couldn't have taken more than a minute, but when Spike's claws eventually touched down on the soggy bottom, he promptly fell to his knees and retched. He didn't even register the thuds Luna made as she abandoned him there.

Dragons could handle heat, that was nothing. What they couldn't handle was humidity. The air here, for example, was thick with evaporating sweat and the sole of the princess's shoe was like a swamp. Pools of "water" covered the entire surface and what little land was left felt like a soaked sponge. His sinuses stung from the smell and his taste buds roared with a sour overload. Not even his eyes could stand the atmosphere and a stray tear ran down his cheek.

Spike moaned in agony. His senses were going haywire, but, strangely, there was also a gentle scent amongst the foul odor that enticed him. It was the tiniest hint of mercy and it easily seized his desperate mind. He couldn't help himself. He needed it. Anything to ease the torment that engulfed him.

Spike forgot where he was for a moment and raised his head to take a deep breath in hopes of getting more of that sweet honey scent. He immediately regretted it as his lungs were instead filled with a revolting miasma. The illusion of relief was violently torn away from him as he gagged and spit. Spike's claws sunk into the soft ground and liquid pooled up between his fingers. Nausea struck hard when he became aware of a sticky sensation clinging to his scales.

A few minutes passed where Spike could do nothing but focus on his breathing. However, even as his vision spun, he could tell the impossible was happening. The mist was gradually thinning and he could now fill his lungs with enough oxygen that his muscles stopped shaking. At the same time, a dull numb set into his tongue and brought an end to the belief that he had accidentally dipped it in acid. Though his eyes were still leaking and he was literally bathing in Luna's sweat, a sliver of optimism had crept in.

Though that enticing aroma hid within the powerful feminine musk, the dragon somehow managed to shake off its influence and pull himself up. Spike didn't have any more time to waste. He had to get in the game.

The young drake shook the perspiration from his claws and turned his gaze skyward. He groaned. The lip of the shoe was at least 150 meters (500 ft) above his head, roughly the same height as a Canterlot Castle tower. And that was just the climb. Looking ahead, Spike had a slow trek through rancid ankle high water to conquer first.

He panted a few times, gathering his strength for the long march, but each breath was like inhaling sand. Spike had to convince himself not to think about it. He had been immobile for too long. "Just put one foot in front of the other," he chanted.

Squish. Squish. Squish.

Each footfall sank into the spongy padding and warm sweat spilled over his toes. Wisps of steam twirled in front of him and a heavy stink clogged his nose. A few rays of light managed to penetrate the fog, but the atmosphere burned his eyes and rendered his vision blurry with tears. Almost blindly he pressed on.

Spike knew a wall was right in front of him even if he couldn't see it. His hands combed the space ahead while the ground continued to slurp at his feet. A puddle caused him to stumble and a furious coughing fit almost made him forget which direction he had been headed.

Then Spike's fingers met resistance and he sighed. "Thank Faust."

His claw dug into the padded wall which oozed even more salty equine sweat in return. The dragon shivered, but forced his other claw in regardless. Next, Spike dug his toes into the material. The moisture caused his loose grip to immediately fail and he plummeted backwards.

SPLASH!

Spike landed belly up in a steaming puddle. The drake gagged and jumped to his feet as quickly as possible. He coughed several times and shook his body like a dog. Again that delicious aroma taunted his nose through the stench.

"No! I've got to get out," he berated himself, turning back to the dark cliff face.

Spike drove his fingers between the threads and hoisted his body off the ground. He laughed once before pushing onward. Memories of a time he went rock climbing with some griffins came to mind. Lessons he learned then proved extremely useful now. Such as the "Three Points of Contact" rule. Simply put, Spike made sure he only ever moved one limb at a time.

The dragon's right claw released, moved up, grabbed. Then his left foot released, moved up, grabbed. Then his left claw released, moved up, grabbed. Finally his right foot released, moved up, grabbed. Slowly, but surely, Spike made significant progress. He became cocky and began to think freedom was assured.

"Woah!" he barked when his foot slipped.

Panic set in as Spike felt his remaining anchors begin to weaken. A surge of adrenaline pulsed in his veins and his draconic strength kicked in. Spike's semi-bladed fingers and toes threatened to slice the very material he clung to as he scrambled to reassert his hold. Spike grit his teeth while the leg that had detached from the wall scraped for a new position.

The danger only lasted a second, but he had successfully managed to avoid another fall.

Spike sat there firmly mounted in place with his eyes closed for a short time. During this loll in activity, he couldn't help noticing the lack of ooze seeping between his fingers. Though the wall was still damp, Spike felt a seed of curiosity take root in his mind. He dared to look down.

It was difficult to judge how far he'd come, but what was most surprising was the clarity. The fog was really beginning to thin now despite the rogue clouds of steam dancing in the light. What was once a marshland was definitely drying out as the size and number of puddles had decreased significantly. The oppressive heat was working its magic faster than he ever anticipated. Even the smell was fading.

But there was an exception. A small whiff of the most delicious of aromas tickled the edge of Spike's nose.

The dragon stared at the expanse of sole below in a half-trance. Thoughtlessly, he took a deep breath. Then he choked on the salty air. Then he hung there in confusion. Why did he keep doing that? What was in the air that kept messing with his thoughts? Spike shook his head. It didn't matter as long as he kept moving. Escape was his only concern. He eyed the disk of light above and trudged on.

The drake grinned despite the fatigue that made his chest heave and his arms tingle. The rim of Luna's shoe was merely a few dozen meters away, practically within reach. Now that the challenge was almost over, Spike found the whole thing to be rather amusing to look back on. The princess must have thought her sweat would smother him into submission, but she had failed to take into account the walls of her shoe. At his scale the individual threads actually made it easier to climb than a real mountain. What had appeared, at first, to be a daunting task had turned out to be cake. Though it had certainly been an experience.

Climbing a sheer cliff was tough without clean air to breath and the sticky sensation clinging to his scales was also not appreciated. He was just thankful the stench was nearly gone. As victory drew ever closer, the young dragon concluded it was now safe to let his mind wander. That's when questions yet to be answered buzzed through his head.

Why was Luna doing this to him? Did she really think he could enjoy these games? What had that nice smell been?

Boom. Boom! BOOM!!

The world started vibrating and Spike's grip began to wane. For a moment, he stared at his fingers dumbly. He couldn't comprehend it. His claws were buried so deep. Why were they coming loose? Spike struggled to get off his last train of thought, but he had been too engrossed in questions and his body too exhausted to react in time.

"NO!!" Spike screamed as he fell.

Wind rushed over his face and the heavy musk that had suffocated him a few minutes ago rapidly embraced him once again. The temperature and humidity rose. Spike's eyes began to tear up and his nose stung as a familiar odor reintroduced itself.

At some point during the drop his dragon instincts ignited. Spike flipped over so that his belly faced the approaching ground and spread his underdeveloped wings. The suffocating air caught him and drastically slowed his descent. Finally, with the grace of a chicken mid-seizure, Spike crashed into the damp insole while producing an orchestra of grunts, growls, and hacking coughs.

The drake moaned as the earthquakes came to an end and what little light there was suddenly vanished. Face down, nose embedded in the toxin soaked floor, Spike had to look over his shoulder to meet Luna's looming visage.

"You haven't even started yet?!" Luna exclaimed.

Spike rolled onto his back, a well of emotions storming furiously inside him. Confusion, despair, anger. He had been so close to winning. Then Luna cheated.

"You knocked me down! Another minute and I would have won!" he hollered.

Luna put a hoof to her heart and gasped in mock hurt. "I stop by to check on you and you accuse me of evil schemes? You wound me, Sir Spike. You wound me deeply."

Spike didn't respond to her joke. He merely sat up with a hopeless grumble, his snout wrinkling at the revolting smog that surrounded him. Thankfully it was much weaker than last time he'd been down here. Now it only singed his sinuses rather than set his lungs on fire.

"So what's the price for losing this time?" Spike mumbled, fairly certain he already knew the answer. After all, what else could the punishment be for a minuscule dragon stranded at the bottom of a giant's shoe?

Luna chuckled once. "Do not be so quick to surrender, Sir Spike. The game is not quite over."

"Huh?" Spike honked, mind going blank.

"I merely popped in to give you a five minute warning," Luna chirped.

Spike couldn't remember how to speak. "Five minutes?" he asked as his eyes reevaluated the climb. Did he still have a chance? Why was he debating instead of moving!?

Spike became a blur of motion as he raced for the wall once again and all but threw himself against it. Exhausted or not, he would have to set a record if he was to reach the lip in time. Meanwhile, Luna observed him with amusement. She had been prancing laps around an oak tree for the last 30 minutes and was ready to wake up from this dream, however, Spike's resolve to keep fighting warmed her heart. A golden pocket watch materialized beside her. With a quick twist of the gears, the clock began counting down the last five minutes. She wasn't about to be accused of cheating twice in one game.

Spike knew Luna's eyes were hanging over him and he had heard a spell being cast, but he was far too busy to care. Every muscle in his body was focused. His brain was filled solely by the mantra "climb, climb, climb". Freedom drew ever nearer. He made remarkable progress. Only a quarter of the ascent remained.

It was then the toll he'd been accumulating until now demanded immediate full payment.

Spike's right arm stopped responding to his commands as a massive cramp threatened to tear the muscles right off his bones. A ripping pain paralyzed his entire limb and made him bark into the fabric wall. He grit his teeth. He hissed as loud as a burst steam pipe. He closed his eyes. He snorted. He stopped climbing.

With each wheeze the torture seemed to dull, but the rest of Spike's limbs soon joined the revolt. Every fiber of his being locked up and refused to move. Every rapid beat of his heart caused his chest to spasm. Bile bubbled in his belly. His eyes played tricks on him and made the wall dance back and forth between his hands. Spike had reached his physical limit.

Luna made a small gasp when Spike fell. A powerful blue aura surrounded his limp body and guided him to the center of the insole where the padding was thickest. Luna's magic then gently deposited him in a dry spot as the golden pocket watch began to ring. The princess quickly dismissed the summoned clock and regarded her patient. He sat up almost instantly, only to then hunch forward in humiliation. He was perfectly fine other than being drained in every measurable way.

"Sorry Spike, but this time you have officially failed to escape my shoe," Luna explained softly.

The dragon was silent. Then he sighed. "Yeah. Now I get to be your new insole, right?" Spike asked darkly.

Luna pouted. "Don't be like that. You'll get another chance to show off that strength of yours tomorrow night."

"I've lost twice in a row. I can only afford to lose one more."

Luna smiled sadly down at him. "If you weren't so focused on the negative, you'd be having a great time, Spike. Are these dreams not like the fantasies you've constructed for yourself in the past? You had fun then, didn't you?"

Spike didn't reply.

"Well, Sir Spike, seeing as your getting depressed on me, how about that treat I promised?"

Spike scoffed. "What could you possibly do that would make me feel better?"

"Just keep your eyes on me."

Spike swallowed nervously as the massive mare's head rose into the sky. It was a strange sight to look up at the princess through the opening of a shoe. That shimmering mane of stars. Those delicate eyes. That beautiful smile. He almost forgot where he was until a giant wall of blue fur slid between him and that portrait of loveliness. The dragon's eyes widened and his body trembled. Despite the darkness, the temperature jumped and the atmosphere grew thick with feminine musk once more.

Unexpectedly, the alicorn's enormous hoof did not drop down on Spike's world. Instead, it began to swing leisurely back and forth above the entrance. One moment he was gazing up at Luna's distant smile, the next he was staring at the foreboding underside of her foot. Then the monster would pass, followed by an ominous rush of air. After a minute or so of this taunting, the alicorn's hoof paused to align with the opening above. It loomed there for a while before pressing downward, filling the shoe's collar. Spike felt his breath catch and his body tense.

Then the invader stopped.

A thin ring of light outlined the gargantuan appendage like a solar eclipse. Heat and the smell of horse sweat wafted down from the sky. A grinding sound soon filled the space as Luna rotated her hoof back and forth as if she were smothering a bug. Eventually Luna stopped and withdrew, raising her knee to her chest so that her foot dangled.

"Enjoying the show?" the princess whispered suggestively, eyes fluttering.

Spike didn't answer. He was busy fighting that all too familiar sensation growing inside of him. The feeling he knew was wrong. He had to suppress... it.

Luna grinned evilly, her meteor-sized hoof falling back towards the helpless shoe and its tiny prisoner. But once again she did not put on the footwear and crush the little dragon. Rather her hoof instead fell upon the rim itself, leaving the opening only half covered. From within the dark padded cylinder, Spike cringed as the leather buckled under the pressure. Creaks and groans assaulted his ears as the entire wall wrinkled in protest. Spike couldn't look away.

Next, Luna took her display one step further by moving her hoof around the shoe's lip. More wrinkles and groans. But these were different. They circled Spike like a shark in the ocean. Always moving. Never stopping. From every angle. All around him. Impossible to ignore.

And no way to deny how turned on he was.

Spike couldn't breath. That immense, vile, alluring hoof was so arousing. He winced. He squirmed. He swallowed. Why was this happening? Why was she doing this? What kind of sick freak thought of the princess like this?!

Suddenly, a wall of blue crashed into him with the force of a falling planet. Before he could even blink he was pinned. Trapped between soft cotton padding and Luna's warm fur. The weight was so huge he honestly forgot he was in a dream and couldn't understand why he wasn't killed. Initially, Spike growled and pushed with all his remaining strength, yet it amounted to nothing against the sheer mass of the goddess on top of him. Then he froze.

Luna's foot seemed to be rubbing him. Gliding over his body. Especially his groin.

"Lick," came a sultry mare's voice right in his ear.

That was impossible!

Spike tried to turn his head, but there was so little room and the light so dim that he couldn't see anything. He must have been delirious. There was no one but him and the underside of Luna's hoof. And that order... Spike couldn't do that. Not to Princess Luna.

"Do it. Lick. You know it will be delicious. That salty sweat and dirt after a hard run. When will you get an opportunity like this again?"

His mouth watered. He did want to. He had to! He had to.

Spike opened his mouth and tasted Luna's hoof with his long serpentine tongue. The overwhelming flavor sent his eyes right back in his skull.

"Good boy, Spike," Luna's voice whispered in his ear. "Now wake up and have a good day."

Spike was wrapped in his bedsheets like a moth in a cocoon. Carefully, the young drake unraveled the mess and gazed about his room. Everything was in order besides his bedding.

He shivered, but he was far from cold.

"Did... that really just happen?"

Had those final words been Luna's or his imagination? Spike honestly didn't know. Luna hadn't teleported into his room to destroy him for his heinous crime. So he must not have actually licked the princess's hoof. She would never have asked him to do something like that. After she crushed him he must have been forced out of her dream and immediately fallen into his own.

Right?

Right.

Chapter 2 (version: 1.04)

Contains: MLP, macro, rampage, cat-and-mouse

Spike held an empty wineglass loosely in his claw. His mouth hung open as he let the spicy flavor fade from his serpentine tongue. A five-armed candlestick struggled to illuminate the room. A black bottle labeled "Raining Fire" sat nearby.

It was the night of the first "game" and Twilight had gone to bed peacefully over an hour ago. Spike was alone at the table with the only thing he could think of on such short notice that might tame his nerves. Wine. He had always associated it with friends, parties, and celebrations in general. Yet, even after downing two whole glasses, he didn't feel any different. So Spike quickly gave up on the alcohol. There was no reason to get drunk and add a hangover to his woes.

Spike massaged his temple nervously while his slitted eyes gazed into the reflective crystal tabletop. The dragon who gazed back was a depressing sight.

"I can sit here until I pass out from exhaustion, be tormented by Luna, and then wake up to a million questions from Twilight. Or, I can go lie down in my bed and just be tormented by Luna." He took a deep thoughtful breath. "I am a dragon darn it, and I've been issued a challenge. I can't be afraid. I just have to win. That's all I have to do. I have to win. Then everything will go back to normal."

Easier said than done, he thought bitterly. He was pitted against Princess Luna, a pony with thousands of years of experience in war and dreams. Who knew what advanced tactics she could whip out.

Spike took a moment to blow out the candles and returned the bottle to the cellar. Then he marched to his bedroom, but as he navigated the maze of halls, Spike pictured himself as a prisoner on his way to the guillotine. When he cast the double doors of his room aside a horrid squeak filled his ears and his spine tingled. Then his eyes fell upon the comfiest execution platform in the world. The sheets were still unmade from the night before.

Spike sighed as he waddled to the bed and rolled onto the mattress. He didn't even bother tucking himself in. Instead, Spike merely lay there on his back and stared at the dark ceiling. The only sound was that of the chirping crickets, yet his heart raced. He had to be ready for anything.

"I have to win," he whispered into the darkness one last time.

After what felt like hours, Spike was suddenly thrust into a dream of a sprawling cityscape. The buildings weren't skyscrapers exactly, but they were several stories tall and there was little to no space between them. Strangely, the buildings were a mix of colors and materials arranged side-by-side with no regard to a theme or pattern. There were brick, marble, and even sandstone complexes up and down the street. The main road was divided by a thin grass strip and young healthy trees swayed in the breeze. It was sunset, or maybe dawn, and the entire city was cast in an inviting orange glow, the kind where the clouds almost look like they're on fire.

For a moment Spike stood alone at the center of an intersection, but that soon changed with a flash of light.

"Good night, Sir Spike," Luna said warmly.

Spike blinked the spots from his eyes and at the oddness of her greeting. "Uh, good night to you too?"

Luna smiled with excitement. "Are you ready for the first game?"

The image of a newspaper with his name as the headline darted through Spike's mind. He felt a hint of anger swell inside him and his eyes narrowed. "You're enjoying this."

Luna's expression turned thoughtful. "Tonight could be fun for you too if you allow it to be."

"Sure, whatever," he said dismissively, crossing his arms.

Luna shook her head sadly. "The rules of the first game are simple. See that clock tower?" Her wing pointed to the tallest building in town. It sported a massive timepiece that was readable from miles away. "After the first bell tolls you will have 20 minutes to hide."

Spike looked at her curiously. "Hide? Why?"

"Hide-and-Seek!" she cheered.

"We're playing a foal's game?" His eyes were drawn to the buildings around them, his anger vanishing as quickly as it had arrived. "Are you serious? You are giving me an entire city to hide in? You'll never find me here!" he barked with laughter. This was going to be WAY easier than he thought.

Luna's smile was as strong as ever. "That's the spirit Spike!"

"How long do I have to stay hidden?"

"One hour."

"20 minutes to hide and one hour to search? Are all the games going to be this one-sided?" he smirked.

"Hmm," Luna pondered. "Maybe I have given you the advantage tonight, but it's not about winning or losing. It's about having fun, Sir Spike."

He stared at her for a moment, his confident grin fading. "It's kind of hard to have fun when my future is at stake."

For a few seconds she said nothing. A soda can blew past them in an errant gust of wind. The shadows cast by dangling streetlights rocked back and forth. A distant bell rung once.

"You'll understand soon," Princess Luna stated cryptically. "Your time to hide starts now. Good luck, Sir Spike."

The bell rung again, but Spike didn't move. He was distracted. What is she talking about? he wondered. Spike honestly couldn't figure her out. Years as Twilight's assistant had trained him to think and analyze, but all his experience was useless here. He was utterly stumped by Luna's riddles.

Unless she really expected him to enjoy these games. Which was just nuts.

"You're not giving up are you?" Luna asked with a cute tilt of her head.

Spike shook himself back to the present, spun on his heels, and took off down the main road.

A bell chimed overhead. Only five minutes remained before Luna came looking for him and Spike had yet to pick a specific hiding spot. He was tired and sweaty after sprinting at full speed to the center of town. Despite being a dragon and a quasi-athlete, he was beginning to push his physical limits. Eventually he had to stop and pant for breath. Spike braced a claw against the clock tower and quickly debated his strategy.

"Maybe I should just keep moving. Staying put might make me easier to spot." His free palm immediately met his forehead. "Luna has wings. She'll be scanning every street from a mile high."

His head tilted up at the impressive obelisk above him. The second hand spun relentlessly around the clock. Spike was almost out of time. His eyes darted to the streets in search of a convenient location to bunker down. There was an inconspicuous apartment complex across the road. Nodding once, Spike dashed across four lanes and into a small lobby. A staircase to his left offered him a way up.

"What are the chances Luna's going to check say... the third floor?" he thought aloud smugly.

The hallway was dark and numbered doors lined the walls. Spike shrugged, picked a room, and marched in. He was mildly surprised to find the apartment fully furnished and that the electricity worked. He laughed. Even as a bell tolled the one minute warning, Spike paraded into the bedroom and tossed himself on the fluffy sheets.

"20 minutes is a lot of time," he mumbled.

For a moment Spike wondered if he could fall asleep while in a dream. Could he have a dream within a dream? What else was he supposed to do while he waited for Luna's inevitable defeat? Now thinking about it, his muscles were kind of sore from running.

"Is there something to drink around here?" Spike droned as he sat up.

Spike rubbed a leg and turned to the window. He couldn't see the clock from this close at this angle, but he figured the bell would be ringing--

BONG!! BONG!! BONG!!

Spike covered his ears as a series of metal gongs, louder than any sound the central clock had made before, literally vibrated the air. "Ow," he growled in pain, jumping off the bed. The purple dragon shook his head, but the ringing didn't go away. He groaned as he moved, trying to downplay the annoyance.

"Ugh, Luna sure went overboard," he continued, dragging his tail into the kitchen. Spike opened a cupboard and quickly filled a glass in the sink with clear water. Leaning against a plain counter-top, the dragon gulped the liquid down and let his body recuperate.

For a minute or two, Spike was at ease. Victory was assured, Luna was bumbling around somewhere wasting her time, and his secret was safe. Sure there were six nights to go, but he only needed to win three more. Things were looking up for the drake.

The tiniest of tremors resonated through the room, but it was the clinking of glasses that caught Spike's attention and made his head snap towards the cupboard. "What was that?"

A few seconds passed. Nothing happened.

"Must have been my imagination. How does that work in Luna's dream?"

Then the room vibrated again, but this time it was stronger and accompanied by a low rumbling. A cupboard door creaked open.

"What is going on?" Spike asked, slamming the door shut.

He put his glass down and made for the living room where there was a large window, but he stumbled when the racket of a faraway explosion made the apartment quake. Spike held his hands out to keep himself steady until he reached the windowsill. Throwing the glass panes aside, Spike stuck his head outside to search for the source.

To his right there was nothing out of the ordinary. To his left a dust cloud had flooded the street with rolling swirls of gray. Spike's eyes widened. Was that rubble in the road? What was Luna doing?

"Is she knocking down buildings?" Spike asked.

Then, as if to answer his question, the carpet beneath his feet shook so violently that he was forced to grab the window frame. Meanwhile, several blocks down, a hail of fresh stones decorated the street. By the time Spike could look again to determine what had happened, the cause was already casually strolling towards him.

Princess Luna was 30 meters (100 ft) tall. Each hoof was just wider than a lane. Her fur was thick and bits of rubble fell from her coat as she moved. There was a line of cracks left in the pavement wherever she stepped. Her knees alone hovered three stories above the roadway, right at Spike's level.

"You are very good at hiding, Spike," Luna's voice boomed as her enormous eyes swung back and forth over the structures on either side of her.

The dragon froze with his head hanging out the window. How could he have forgotten her words from the night before? Had he really been so distracted worrying about the consequences of losing it completely slipped his mind when the dark princess promised to challenge him with macrophile dreams? Even worse, the alicorn had already figured out that destroying every possible hiding spot would force him into the open.

Spike was literally shaken from his stupor by an echoing voice directed right at him.

"Perhaps you didn't understand the rules as well as I initially believed," Luna said, only a few giant steps away from him. He merely stared up at her. "You are supposed to stay hidden."

A huge grin dominated Luna's muzzle as she closed the distance between her and the apartment. Spike quickly backpedaled inside only to collide with the corner of a couch before awkwardly flailing to the floor. The room was soon cast in a foreboding shadow as a large blue-green eye filled the open window. The princess blinked once, causing her long eyelashes to scrape against the stone.

"Better run Spike, because here comes my hoof," Luna singsonged.

Spike crawled to his feet and dashed for the door just as the wall of the apartment exploded and a blue mass invaded the room. The crashing continued behind him as he flew down the hallway. Before he took off down the stairs, Spike watched the huge appendage smash its way into the hall and begin carelessly tearing the building open like a tin can.

Spike gulped as he reached the ground floor, the sounds of destruction still easily heard above him. Beyond the glass doors, three midnight colored columns ran up to the belly of a beast who was currently occupied feeling around inside the complex. Spike took two deep breaths before sprinting between the pillars and across the street. The great muscles seemed to sense his presence and tensed.

"Hey!" Luna cried, her voice alone now powerful enough to create a gust of wind. "Get back here!" she ordered. Her arm tore through the side of the building, scattering debris across the road.

Spike didn't look back. He just ran.

The ground shook as the princess spun around with a quick hop. Then she stomped after her prey, giggling like a filly. "Fee-fi-fo-fum. I smell the blood of a little dragon," she teased.

Spike felt a tinge of amusement, but that was swiftly smothered by his drive to escape. The powerful booms originating from behind him as he ran were a constant reminder that Luna was on his tail and the game had just started. He didn't have time to look back at the clock though, he was far too busy looking for an escape route.

"I’ve got you now!" the large mare lolled.

That's when Spike saw it. The buildings were all tightly packed together, but a short restaurant with a neon sign interrupted the theme. Without thinking, the drake changed direction and dove straight through the front window. Glass scattered. Luna paused.

"You can't hide inside, my helpless toy. Especially in such a flimsy wooden building."

Luna raised a leg. Then she let it crash through the roof. The entire restaurant collapsed into an unrecognizable pile of timber as wood and splinters went flying. She smirked, but that quickly disappeared when she noticed a key detail: Spike wasn't caught in the rubble.

Her eyes flashed to and fro as she tossed bits and pieces aside in search of his purple scales. "Where are you hiding?"

That's when she noticed the alleyway extending from the back of the building to the next street over. Snorting, Luna dropped the wooden beam she had been holding in her hoof and plowed her huge body between two stone complexes. Once on the other side, dust clouds and chunks of concrete now spread about her hooves, the princess realized that she had lost him.

"Well played, Sir Spike. Well played."

A short distance away, just inside a hospital, Spike gasped for air while sweat dribbled down his face. "Wow," was the only word he could manage between huffs. He stared at a boring white wall as his mind reeled. This entire situation was crazy. Luna was tearing the city apart and all he could do was run. It sort of reminded him of that time he destroyed much of Ponyville during his greed fueled rampage.

Spike regarded the glass double doors as Luna stepped into a T-intersection. The lawn in front of the hospital provided Spike ample distance to watch her glance down both roads in search of him, not realizing he was actually straight ahead.

"I think I'll--pant--just rest here--pant--a moment," Spike rasped.

It was now Spike officially decided the best way to avoid Luna was to keep moving, though he wouldn't be going anywhere until he had some rest. In the meantime, he allowed himself to observe the giant mare who was currently sizing up an office building that dared to reach her belly. The young dragon felt his attention redouble when the princess hip-checked the building, putting a huge dent into the concrete and shattering most of the windows. But the action didn't end there. Next, the princess faced away from the structure before lashing out with a hind hoof. A cloud of dust rose as a new pile of rock was added to the streets.

"I'll find you eventually, Spike," Luna's voice echoed. "You can't hide forever."

On a whim, Spike scanned the reception area for a clock. He found one that read 12:11. The game had officially started at noon. Spike swallowed. He really hoped that clock was just slow.

For the next few minutes Luna busied herself destroying potential hiding spots. She kicked, bumped, and pushed the various structures around her until they collapsed one after the other. Nothing came of it though. Her eyes peeked at the central clock which now read 12:26. She grumbled. The game was nearly half over and she'd only gotten close to catching Spike once.

"Come on Spike," she whined childishly, circling back to where she had first lost him. "It's no fun if you hide the whole time. Come on, give me something to chase at least."

Spike stood resolute behind the hospital's doors, arms crossed. He wasn't budging. No way was he taking a chance and risking his victory. Waiting might have been boring, but it was safe.

Luna pouted. Spike simply wasn't playing along. "Well, if you’re not going to make the game interesting, then I will!"

Spike blinked at that. What could Luna possibly do besides smash things?

He got his answer when the princess stood parallel to a wide, flat, and as-of-yet undamaged hotel in front of the hospital. Then she all but threw herself on the roof and immediately crashed through the flimsy brick and plummeted to the ground below. Covered in red and grinning like a madmare, Luna then rolled onto her back, plowing her left side into the next building. The large steel sheeted walls of a restaurant flexed from the impact, but the princess wasn't done.

Luna smiled as she wiggled and dug her back into the debris. A loud grinding filled the air as stone, wood, and glass were mixed and crushed beneath her tremendous weight. Then the mare finished her roll and tore into the shiny metal like it was tinfoil. The walls burst outward like a popped balloon and all kinds of tile and metallic insides were driven into the streets. Luna reveled in the onset of destruction and cast herself back into the remains with a pleased hum.

While she played, Spike stared. He couldn't take his eyes off it. He felt... weird. He felt excited. His breath began to quicken and his heart raced. This is wrong, he thought.

A bell chimed twice. Only 30 minutes remained.

Luna paused mid-roll, sighed, and went limp on her back in a bed of ruins. Her head just so happened to be aimed at the hospital where her acute vision caught an out-of-place purple spot sitting in the middle of the dark lobby. A sly smirk slowly spread across her lips.

"Why hello Spike. Are you having as much fun as I am?"

The tiny dragon dove back into the building and disappeared.

"Ooh another chase," Luna giggled, roughly tumbling to her hooves and stomping up to the hospital.

For a moment, the princess debated how to tackle this monster. The hospital was 15 stories tall, featured a landing pad, and was only slightly shorter than herself. Luna shrugged, raised her front hooves, and belly-flopped onto the building.

Like falling through a pile of fresh snow, her body neatly sliced floors and reduced walls to powder. The corners of the complex she hadn't crushed fell on top of her and pillars of smoke shot into the orange sky. Luna could hardly contain her merriment as her wings reflexively flapped, unintentionally clearing the air. That's when she spotted movement.

Spike had been trying to use the gray mist for cover as he made a break for the sidewalk, but he had been exposed and knocked off balance by the sudden gale Luna created.

"Escaped again I see," she hummed.

Spike dared to look back as Luna stood. It was like watching a mountain rise out of the ground.

Her huge wings extended into floating plateaus. Bits of the hospital plummeted from her coat while others remained embedded in her thick blue fur. There was an ominous whoosh as she fluttered her wings and sent yet more debris raining onto his world. Rubble cracked beneath Luna's hooves as she shifted her weight. A bit of wall that had managed to survive until now crumbled. The sunlight that wasn't blocked by her towering form was shaded by the persistent dust in the air. The stillness that followed was the worst part though. The stillness and the silence.

Spike didn't wait for her to make the first move. He charged down the street, his claws tearing at the sidewalk as he again sprinted for his life. The ground repeatedly quivered and the sound of shattering tarmac filled his ears. Luna was following him at a leisurely pace, confident in her ability to catch him whenever she pleased.

"Run run run. I'm gaining on you, little dragon."

Spike racked his brain for an escape plan. Where could he go? All the buildings were squished together with no alleys between them to sneak through. He took a hard right at the next intersection, almost losing his balance. Luna merely sauntered after him. Only 25 minutes remained and there was nowhere for the dragon to go.

"I think this game has gone on long enough. What do you say we wrap this up, hmm?" Luna taunted.

Spike felt a surge of adrenaline. No, it wasn't over yet. He still had to win!

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. Spike turned his head just enough to watch as a huge hoof, four times his height, came down on top of him. Luna was going to pin him and declare victory!

Then he was falling.

Luna felt her hoof sink into the ground up to the fetlock and her whole body teetered dangerously. She blinked in confusion. She didn't feel Spike squirming under her hoof. In fact, she didn’t feel anything under her hoof. All she felt was the uncomfortable grip of the hole she had accidentally stepped in. After carefully retrieving her leg, Luna discovered it was a subway entrance.

Spike snickered as he brushed himself off at the bottom of the stairs. "Now that is some crazy luck."

"I don't think so," Luna retorted, shoving her hoof right back down the stairwell.

Spike raced further into the artificial cave as the opening was violently widened to accommodate the huge appendage. Tiles and rocks rolled across the smooth granite floor. Then Luna's hoof wrenched upward, taking much of the ceiling with it and exposing the dragon once again. He responded by fleeing deeper into the subway. Luna rolled her eyes. Then she repeated the process and tore up another section of the ceiling. As the entire platform was bathed in sunlight, Spike dove onto the tracks and sprinted down the tunnel. The princess groaned.

"Am I going to have to rip out the entire subway just to get you? Eventually you are going to run out of track. It runs in a circle you know."

"Oh come on," Spike growled as the roar of stone and steel being shredded followed him.

Step-by-step Luna repeatedly shoved her hoof into the artificial cave and ripped off the roof as she pursued the little purple dragon. If she was telling the truth, and the tunnels did loop, eventually he would circle around and have no ceiling left to shield him. In other words, Spike was on a one-way train to being captured. He needed a new plan fast. How could he get out of here unnoticed?

Looking over his shoulder, Spike observed as Luna's hoof filled the entire space behind him before tearing away the top portion of the tunnel and casting it aside. There was no way he could run back underneath her, she was too perceptive for that. But maybe he could hitch a ride...

Luna tossed yet another slab of waste aside, not paying attention to where it landed or to those crashing sounds behind her. Not like it was doing any real harm anyway. For what felt like the thousandth time, she shoved her leg into the underground passage again, but just as she began to yank up another portion of concrete, Spike leapt onto her hoof and filled his palms with blue fur.

Spike's stomach tried to sink into his legs as Luna mindlessly raised her arm. The sound of splitting stones, ripping cords, and cracking pipes made Spike cringe, but he held on. Pebbles pummeled the top of his head until everything was sent flying sideways. He felt the fur ripped from his claws before he was suddenly spiraling into the air.

Though his wings were still too small to sustain flight, Spike managed to gain control of the spin. And thanks to his eager gliding practice over the years a gentle air current was all he needed to make a stealthy escape. Silently, he slipped away between a pair of buildings while Luna continued tearing up sections of the subway.

However, the joints where his wings met his back were starting to hurt. The strain Spike had put on them getting his flight under control had been too much for his young body. Even worse, he was descending too fast. Spike grit his teeth and tried to adjust his angle to slow down, but all it did was make him wobble. Taking a moment to regain his balance, Spike surrendered to an uncomfortable landing. If only he had something soft to crash into.

Then, like a vision, a green park appeared just ahead.

Spike strained to aim for the first large tree he could find. All those leaves and thin branches would absorb the impact much better than a thin layer of grass, according to the expert advice left to him by Rainbow Dash. But he was losing altitude rapidly. In a desperate attempt to stay airborne just a little longer, Spike beat his wings and gained a few precious inches. "Come on," he slurred through clenched teeth.

CRACK!!

A symphony of snapping wood and crinkling leaves filled the air as Spike hit his mark. It wasn't a perfect or painless landing, but it was probably better than any alternative available. He sighed as he lay on a sturdy branch, his wings aching.

"Think I just found my next hiding spot," Spike mused.

As Luna dug and Spike rested, the clock rung once again. Only 20 minutes remained.

Luna stopped what she was doing. Her ears perked and she lowered her head to the hole. Not a sound. Had Spike gotten away again!? Taking as much air into her lungs as she could, Luna blew a hurricane gale into the subway tunnel. Paper and gravel went flying, but she did not detect the grunts of a dragon struggling against the onslaught.

Luna regarded the trench she had been carving around the city. Somewhere along the line Spike must have slipped under her, but when had he done it and where would he go next? Luna eyed the remaining buildings. Then she eyed the clock.

"19 minutes to find him," she whispered.

A few choice spells crossed her mind, but Luna quickly dismissed them. There was no sport in that. No, the only thing to do was level as many of these pesky structures as possible.

While Spike hung limp from a tree branch, the commotion of Armageddon itself carried on. Explosion after explosion after explosion rocked the city. He knew Luna was knocking down everything, but he couldn't find a reason to abandon his current hiding spot. It was perfect and the minutes seemed to fly by.

A bell rung. Only five minutes remained.

The city was leveled. Smoke rose from numerous places, but nothing greater than two stories remained standing except the central clock tower. Luna was covered in all kinds of debris and sweat. She felt more filthy than a farm pony at harvest time. Still, there was no sign of Spike.

"Where could he be?" Luna asked, scratching her head. "There are no more buildings to hide in, he can't be underground, and he's not clinging to my body. So what's left?"

Luna's head swiveled, her gaze rolling over the field of destruction she had created. Her mind worked overtime. Then she noticed a patch of green. The city's only park. Luna snorted.

"Really Spike? You hid--"

A bell rung. One minute remained.

Luna forgot what she was about to say. Instead, she made a mad break for the park. She jumped over a fallen office building and landed on the grass with enough power to create a small earthquake as well as carve clean circles into the soil. Her muzzle descended on one of the many trees. Luna then whacked the innocent plant over with her nose and watched as root and dirt alike were torn from the earth.

She analyzed the fallen tree for less than a second before she turned to the next one. Luna again used her muzzle to topple the tree, but unlike the first, a purple and green dragon was tossed an arm's length from the concealing foliage. Luna grinned.

"You're mine!" she declared, lunging forward like a predatory cat.

Spike flapped his wings as hard as he could and soared forward. Luna's hoof plowed into the ground where he had been, ripping up dirt. Spike landed a few steps away and instantly was on the move. His arms pumped back and forth while his legs shot him to full speed. The princess prepared for another more desperate strike.

The drake heard a rush of air as something big came at him from behind. Spike tucked himself into a ball and rolled forward as Luna's swipe shaved a portion of the park's lawn. As soon as he was back on his feet he tried to change direction in hopes of throwing her off.

Luna reared up and pounded the ground with a mighty stomp that upset Spike's balance and sent him sliding on his belly. He flipped over just in time to see the princess's huge jaws coming at him as she moved to devour him!

"Ahh!" he screamed.

BONG!! BONG!! BONG!!

Three ear shattering metallic clangs resonated across the dream. Luna's open mouth froze just over Spike's helpless form. A warm, moist gust of breath washed over him. Then her maw slowly closed and pulled away. Spike sat up in disbelief and rested a claw on his knee. Luna's smiling face filled his vision.

"Congratulations Spike," she said happily. "I officially declare you victor of the first game. Please enjoy your day."

Before Spike could make any kind of response, Princess Luna's horn glowed and he was blinded by a bright flash of white.

The next thing Spike knew he was sitting in his bed. Sunlight poured through the window and birds chirped merrily. The door creaked open and Twilight trotted in with a towel wrapped around her head. She was dripping wet, obviously fresh from the shower.

"Morning. Ready for some breakfast?"

Spike looked down at his claws as though in a daze. Twilight watched him, every second of silence making her more uneasy. Then he grinned.

"You know what sounds really good right now?" he quizzed. "Raining Fire."

Twilight paled slightly, but smiled regardless. "That wine is a little spicy for me Spike, but... okay. What's the occasion though?"

"I just feel like celebrating... nothing."