7 Days of Macro Dreams

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.