Even though The Princess of The Night had officially joined the festivities, Nightmare Night couldn't last forever. Eventually, all of the foals grew tired and returned home to their beds to sleep (some had even fallen asleep while still in their costumes). And that meant it was time for the town of Ponyville to clean up from the celebration, and start preparing for the next major holiday.
Twilight was helping to supervise the taking down and storing of decorations for Nightmare Night, like everypony else she had taken off her costume and stored it away at home. Despite being a bit tired, the unicorn was used to staying up late, and so she was carefully watching as various earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns removed banners, balloons, games, and more. As each item was taken down, Twilight checked it off on the checklist she'd been given (which was rather short in comparison to the checklists she usually wrote).
"Okay everypony, looking good! We're about halfway done," Twilight declared, as she gave out messages of encouragement to the other ponies. She was specifically keeping an eye on Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, for the two had unintentionally caused a great deal of trouble this Nightmare Night. "Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, can you two help Applejack with the tub of apples?"
"Can do!" the prankster partners replied, and zipped away to help their friend.
"Applejack should be able to keep those two out of trouble." Twilight thought to herself, and turned her attention to the rest of the ponies in the town square. Just then, something else caught her attention, specifically a familiar light purple claw tugging on her mane. Twilight knew what that meant, and turned around to look at the baby dragon she was proud to call her assistant and best friend. "What is it, Spike?" she asked him in a kind tone of voice.
Spike eagerly flexed his muscles, as he boasted. "I'd be more than happy to take down some of those decorations! You just say the word and I'll be all over it!"
Twilight tried her hardest not to look guilty, as she reluctantly told the baby dragon. "Oh, Spike, I'm sorry. We've got pretty much everything under control here, and we should be done pretty shortly."
Spike frowned, his happy mood completely dashed. "But, I want to help!" he pleaded, practically clinging to Twilight's back left hoof. "Please, I can do anything! Anything! It doesn't even have to be big, it can just be a stray balloon or a piece of candy somepony forgot to throw away!"
"I know you want to be helpful, Spike, but there really isn't anything for you to do here," Twilight replied, using her magic to gently remove Spike from her hoof. She knew she would have to do something to cheer him up, something that would make him feel useful and important. But what could he do that nopony else was already doing? Looking around a little, Twilight spotted the dark blue coat of Princess Luna who seemed a bit lonely now that all the foals had gone to bed (especially Pipsqueak, who seemed to have taken a shine to the alicorn), and a light bulb went off inside her head. "Tell you what, Spike. Why don't you spend some time with Princess Luna while she's still here? She looks like she could use some company." she suggested.
"I can do that, no problem!" Spike said to Twilight, and not one to disobey an order from the pony who had raised him so much, he walked away to find Luna.
"I hope Luna will be able to keep Spike company until this clean up is over. Spike usually doesn't stay up this late, not even for Nightmare Night." Twilight anxiously thought to herself, silently wondering if she'd done the right thing. Maybe she should've let him help with the decorations?
It didn't take long for Spike to find Princess Luna, the alicorn had exited The Everfree Forest once Nightmare Night festivities had wrapped up, and was now sitting on the path directly outside it. She no longer seemed to be unhappy, but as Spike drew close he could've sworn he heard a faint sigh escape Luna's lips. "Looks like Twilight was right to send me here." he thought to himself, and the little dragon cleared his throat to let the princess know he was there.
Luna turned around to face whoever it was that had decided to grace her presence, and was more than a little surprised to see that it was Spike who was standing before her. "Hello," Luna awkwardly greeted, she was still adjusting to the modern Equestrian language. "You are Spike, assistant of Twilight Sparkle, are you not?"
"Yup, that's me! But I'm more than just an assistant, I'm practically Twilight's best friend and for a time I was the only friend she had!" Spike boasted, but then he wasn't sure of what else to say. What could he say to Luna, given her difficult past? He didn't want to unintentionally say the wrong thing and anger her.
A rather uncomfortable silence filled the night air, as dragon and alicorn stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. Both silently daring the other to speak up first.
It was Spike who reluctantly broke the silence with a cough that he tried to have sound as natural as possible. "I just wanted to say, thanks," When Luna didn't reply after a period of silence, Spike added. "For saving me from being pranked by Rainbow Dash a second time in the same night. I don't like surprises like that!"
Luna smiled and nodded, chuckling ever so slightly. "Oh, it was nothing. In fact, it was quite fun to see Rainbow Dash fly off so fast," then, taking a page from a guide to conversation Twilight had let her borrow, the princess of the night asked. "So, how is your life?"
Spike immediately looked down upon being asked that question. Already, he was thinking about many of his past experiences, or rather his lack of them compared to his friends. True, he'd been there for Gilda and Trixie's visits to town, and had accompanied his friends on trips to Canterlot and Appleloosa. There was also the matter of his connections in Canterlot whenever he went to see Princess Celestia, oh and who could forget him risking his very life to save Rarity from the diamond dogs? Yet, it seemed like more often than not, his friends had adventures without him. He'd gotten stuck with pet sitting duty when that dragon's smoke blew into town, missed out on visiting Cloudsdale for The Best Young Flyers Competition, and aside from burping out all those scrolls hadn't done much while his friends were fighting Discord. He also hadn't been allowed to help with Applebuck Season or Winter Wrap Up. But in spite of this, he put on the best poker face he could and told Luna. "It's... nothing."
Luna didn't seem convinced at all, if the look on her face was any indication she seemed to be able to tell Spike wasn't being honest with her. "Please, tell me the truth," she encouraged him. "I can tell it really is not 'nothing' as you put it." She went on, batting her eyelids.
"It's just.... sometimes I feel kind of useless, like I'm the unimportant sidekick of my group of friends," Spike confessed. "I have a tendency to get left out of a lot of my friends adventures, or just get stuck on the sidelines. And often times, I don't get a lot of credit for my involvement in their adventures. I tell myself it doesn't bother me and that my friends can handle whatever life throws at them, but I can't help but worry all the same. Twilight especially, because she's always been there for me when I need her help. And there was this one time where she went to Zecora's for tea, and got turned to stone by a cockatrice," a few tears began to stream down the baby dragon's face as he added. "It didn't hit me until Twilight came back, and Fluttershy told me what had happened, but if Fluttershy hadn't found Twilight in the forest who knows what would've happened? I could've lost her forever, and never even known about it," Wiping the tears from his eyes, Spike turned away from Luna. "Ah, here I am blabbing on about my feelings. You probably don't want to hear about that."
But much to Spike's surprise, Luna immediately reached out a hoof and pulled him close. She wrapped her wings around the baby dragon, and gave him a big hug. "Honesty is always an important virtue in life, there is a reason why it became one of The Elements of Harmony," Luna told him, now it was her turn to shed tears. "I know how it feels to be outshined by others, especially those close to you. What's important is that you admit to these feelings, rather than attempt to hide them as I did. Had I just tried to speak with my sister, had I told her how I was feeling, perhaps I could've avoided the path I trotted and spared us both the heartache. But you should NEVER doubt yourself, your achievements do not go unrecognized."
"What do you mean?" Spike asked, a noticeable look of confusion appearing on his face.
Luna wiped the tears away as best she could, before she explained to Spike. "My sister has spoken quite highly of your accomplishments, and the many contributions you have made to your friends adventures and just their daily lives. Plus, it is no easy task to be able to have connections leading up to a celebrity like Hoity Toity. Many nobles would kill to be in your position, as much as they may like to claim they know nothing about you or your friends. Most, I suspect, are envious that a group of ponies they have never heard of, could obtain so much recognition from the leader of Equestria. Know that, no matter what, there will always be ponies who will know about what you have done, just as well as what your friends have done. But if you truly feel the way you do, you should talk to your friends. They cannot help you if they do not know what is wrong."
Spike was silent for a moment, as he nuzzled himself deeper into Luna's embrace. At last, he lifted his head up to look at the majestic alicorn and with a smile on his face he said to her. "Thanks, I'm feeling much better now. And you're right, I have to tell my friends about how I feel if I want things to change," then an interesting thought came to him, and he knew he had to ask. "Say, how come I never saw you at all after Nightmare Moon was defeated, until tonight? Every time I go to Canterlot, Celestia is the only one in the castle."
A small look of longing came into Luna's eyes, and she frowned ever so slightly, before she told Spike. "I am still adapting to the world around me, much has changed since I have been gone. There is still much I have yet to learn, and so my sister has handled all of the royal business during the day, leaving me with very little to do. Unfortunately, I suspect it will be this way for a while still, as I have yet to fully recover all of the powers that I had before my downfall a thousand years ago."
"Wow, that stinks." Spike observed.
Luna nodded. "It is what it is, and there is little I can do but be patient. My sister has assured me I will take my rightful place at her side when the time is right, and I am back to full power."
"Yeah, but in the meantime you've got nothing to do at all," Spike complained, then an idea came into his head. "Or at least you used to have nothing to do."
"What are you suggesting?" Luna asked, the grin Spike was giving her was enough to make her a little uncomfortable. Such a grin was how she had been fooled into become Nightmare Moon by those wicked forces of darkness.
Spike leaned in close to Luna, and whispered his suggestion into her ear. Once he had finished, he continued to grin as he said with great confidence. "Trust me, this is gonna work!"
Twilight wasn't too exhausted when she finally arrived back at The Golden Oaks Library, clean up hadn't taken as long as she thought it would (which she suspected was due to her great supervising and organizational skills). But what she found odd was that Spike wasn't back yet, even though she had sent him to talk with Luna about half an hour ago. "Spike really needs his rest if he wants to grow up to be big and strong," she thought to herself, a faint yawn escaping her lips. "And I could use my beauty sleep too."
Just then, the front door opened, and Spike came walking in. Despite the late time of night, he seemed to be wide awake and smiling happily, though part of him did seem to look a bit anxious. "Hey, Twilight, sorry I was gone so long." Spike apologized, as Twilight came trotting down the steps to greet him.
"It's alright, Spike. As long as you were with Princess Luna, I'm not worried." Twilight replied, patting Spike on the head.
"Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." Spike spoke up, clearing his throat.
Twilight was a bit surprised by Spike's comment, but tried her best not to let it show. "About Princess Luna?" she asked, to which Spike nodded. "What about her?"
"Uh, well," Spike nervously stuttered, trying to think of how to phrase what he wanted to ask. The words seemed to have trouble coming out of his mouth, which was odd considering he rarely got tongue tied. "You know how sometimes you go away and leave me here by myself?" he began.
"What are you trying to tell me?" Twilight asked Spike, trying not to sound bossy or rude. "Whatever it is, I promise I won't be mad."
"It's just, well-" Spike went on, before he once again began to stutter. Why was this so difficult for him?
"-What he is trying to tell you is, would it be okay with you if I was his sitter?" Princess Luna interrupted, appearing in the doorway.
"Princess Luna! I wasn't aware you'd be visiting here on such short notice!" Twilight nervously replied, turning to face her new guest. "Please, make yourself at home! I'd be more than happy to accommodate you!"
"There is no need for such chivalry, Twilight," Luna said in a warm tone of voice. "My visit shall be brief, I simply wish to request your permission to be Spike's sitter, whenever he is alone and you are away. I do not have much to do during the day, and long for a chance to make myself useful once again. Plus, I see a lot of myself in this fine young dragon that you have raised."
Twilight beamed with pride at such a compliment, but she was most surprised by Luna's suggestion. "What would Princess Celestia think about all of this?" she asked Luna.
"I am certain my sister would approve, if you will allow me the honor," Luna nodded affirmatively. "And transportation shall not be a problem, I shall simply borrow my sister's chariot and some of her guards. Plus, most of the foals here adore me, and many of the older citizens have greatly warmed up to me. I do not forsee being in any danger while in this town, not that I could not hold my own if such a need should arise."
"Please, Twilight!" Spike pleaded. "You're out there almost everyday, saving Equestria or solving some sort of problem that ponies have. Either by yourself or with your friends. And ever since that cockatrice accident, I always worry that you might not come back! With Princess Luna to watch over me, I feel much better, and I can help her learn more about the world she's come back to!"
Twilight was about to say something, but thought back to the cockatrice incident, it was one of the biggest regrets of her life. Going out in the Everfree Forest by herself, and leaving Spike all alone for almost the entire day and night to worry. She had Spike sleep with her in her bed for almost two weeks after the incident, as Spike had been in a state extreme paranoia. Twilight knew that the incident left an emotional scar on Spike's life, and she couldn't bring herself to do anything like that again. So she looked down at Spike. "Well, when you put it like that, how could I possibly refuse?" the unicorn motherly smiled, then told Luna. "You have my permission to be Spike's sitter whenever necessary. Just make sure Princess Celestia is okay with it first, and make sure that if I'm gone for more than one day, Spike gets to bed on time."
"That will not be a problem." Luna assured Twilight.
Spike could barely contain his excitement, leaping into the air as he happily exclaimed "YES! Thanks for your help, Luna!"
But Luna shook her head. "No, thank you, Spike. Thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I am forever grateful." And the mighty alicorn gave the baby dragon a kiss on the cheek. This caused Spike to blush profusely, as Luna departed back to Canterlot.
"Well, it's late, Spike. And I think it's about time we hit the hay," Twilight spoke up, as she gently grabbed Spike with her magic. "How would you like to sleep in my bed with me tonight, instead of your basket? After all, it's only a matter of time until you outgrow that silly old thing."
Spike sleepily replied. "No thanks, the basket's just fine. Besides, I'm sure Princess Luna will let me sleep in your bed whenever I want. Thanks again for agreeing to let her be my sitter."
"Anything for my baby dragon," Twilight cooed, kissing Spike on the forehead as she tucked him into his basket. "Sweet dreams, Spikey-Wikey."
Author's Note
This fanfic is the result of a colaboration with yodajax10, who is a big Spike fan. He suggested the idea and decided that I would publish the fanfic, after sending it to him to look over and adjust.
I'd recommend checking him out, he's got some pretty interesting works on this site and he has a YouTube channel with a few videos of him voice acting.
