It may have only been a few days since Sludge had left (and taken with him the false pretenses of being Spike's father), but for Twilight and Spike the aftermath of his visit was still being felt.
"Spike?" Twilight inquired as she tucked the little dragon into bed that night. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about... you know what?"
Twilight didn't need to spell out what she meant for Spike to feel guilty. Words spoken in the heat of the moment that he now wished more than anything he could take back. But he couldn't. "I'm fine, Twilight, really," He insisted as his tone of voice betrayed him. "We can talk about in the morning, okay? I just want to go to sleep."
"Spike, you know that the longer wait to talk about this, the more it's going to hurt," Twilight cautioned as she tried to nudge him with a hoof. "Please, just a few minutes?"
But Spike threw the covers over his head, he was too ashamed to even look Twilight in the eye. "Goodnight, Twilight." He called through the sheets and started to fake snore as loudly as he could.
With a reluctant sigh, the alicorn backed away and turned off the light. Much as she hated it, she'd learned over the many years of raising Spike that it was best not to pry. Things tended not to go well when she forced a conversation.
Yet even as she made her way back to her own bedroom, the young princess was thinking to herself. "I wish there was someway I could help Spike to deal with all of this. Someway to show him that all is forgiven," Then in a moment, a great idea struck her mind! "Of course, that's it! Maybe I can't help him now, but I know somepony who can!" Rising from her bed, Twilight quickly lit up her horn and cast a faint glow. It was a special signal that could only be received by one pony. A pony that had lots of experience tending to Spike in a time of need.
Sure enough, when Twilight fell asleep mere moments later, she was greeted by the familiar majestic form of Princess Luna. "Greetings, Twilight Sparkle," She politely called as she descended and landed before her fellow alicorn. "I understand Spike needs the help of his dragonsitter once again."
Twilight nodded. "Yes, Luna," She glumly confessed. "Remember the letter we sent you about the dragon who pretended to be Spike’s dad? The one who was just freeloading off of Spike so he could stay in the castle."
"Why of all the nerve," Luna growled and snorted. "Do you want me to track down his dreams and give him a nightmare that'll scare him into never coming back? It wouldn't be the first time I've used nightmares as a tool to frighten someone for the sake of a lesson."
Twilight shook her head. "He's probably already regretting ever showing up here, and first thing tomorrow I intend to send a letter to Princes Celestia and Princess Ember to make sure he never sets one claw in Equestria ever again," Then she changed the subject. "The one I'm worried the most about is Spike. He really wanted to believe he'd finally found his family and was finally gonna know what it was like to be a real dragon."
"I see, and that caused him to overlook the fact that he already has one, didn't it?" Luna concluded.
With a reluctant sigh the princess of friendship nodded and hung her head. "Yes, though admittedly I haven't done the best job of being there for Spike as family should. Especially as of late. I left him behind on several occasions, didn't come to his defense at the play, and didn't account for the fact that his wings don't have feathers. It's no wonder he so easily forgets I see him as part of my family."
Luna trotted over to the downtrodden alicorn and lifted her head up with a hoof. "Fear not, Twilight Sparkle. That's why you have me to help you. And I assure you, from the many times I've dragonsat for Spike, you've always held a special place in his heart. Sometimes you have a strange way of showing it, but even he knows that you do care about him."
"Maybe so," Twilight acknowledged with a sniffle. "But at the same time he's not quite that baby dragon I hatched at my entrance exam, and sometimes I have to wonder if I've truly done a good job raising him. I don't want to say Sludge was right, but what if there was more I could've done to care for Spike and treat him like family?"
"Well, that's why you contacted me, is it not?" Luna responded. "You and Spike both need help to reconnect after what went down with Sludge. And you reached out to me because you know I'll do anything for my favorite dragon youngling."
At that Twilight felt a little bit better. "At least I did right in that regard," She smiled. "If anyone can help Spike out at a time like this, it would definitely be his number one dragon sitter."
The night princess gave a nod as she rose into the sky. "Very well then, Twilight. I shall visit Spike's dreams and do what I can to help him. Shall I tell him about this conversation we just had?"
"Yes. And if you wouldn't mind, could you maybe bring him here or bring me to his dream?" Twilight offered. "I really want to know that all's forgiven, and that he knows I'm here for him like a good parent should be."
"I'll do my best, Twilight," Luna gave a firm salute. "Be patient. I'll be back as soon as I can." And with that she disappeared from Twilight's dream all together.
Back in the dream realm, Luna quickly set to work on tracking down Spike's dream. It took her little time to do so, his door was easily identifiable considering the numerous times she'd visited it. "Just hope I'm not too late to make a difference." She thought to herself as she used her magic to open the door.
Descending into the dream, the night princess soon realized that things were much worse than she'd anticipated!
Spike was in the midst of a terrible nightmare! He was surrounded by shadowy figures that watched over him from a prison cell, holding out blades that looked like they could actually penetrate his thick scales! Amidst the fiendish cackles, a gruff, masculine voice could be heard taunting. "You're all alone, little dragon. No friends and no family. Those ponies can't save you now, especially not the one you call 'Mommy'."
Spike shivered and shuddered as a cold sweat worked its way down his body! "No!" He pleaded over and over again! "Please, I just wanna go home!"
"You silly little dragon," The voice taunted anew. "You can never go home! They'll never welcome you back! Now hold still, your scales will fetch a fine price. And don't worry, I'll be sure to send some to your pony parent."
Luna immediately emerged from hiding and in her royal Canterlot voice she bellowed! "BEGONE, CREATURES OF NIGHTMARES! LEAVE THE DRAGON YOUNGLING ALONE!" And she stomped her hoof down firmly! Just like that, the nightmare faded away completely. In its place was an empty void.
It took Spike a moment to realize what had happened, and he immediately buried himself deep in the chest of Princess Luna! "Oh, Luna! Thank you! Thank you! THANK you!" He exclaimed! "I've never needed anypony more!!"
Luna was silent for a moment, allowing for the young dragon now in her care to just sob and get his tears out. All the while she just lightly stroked his scales with a hoof and whispered softly into his ear. "It's okay, dragon youngling. I'm here for you now. You're safe."
When at last he stopped sobbing, Spike slowly lifted himself and looked up into Luna's gaze. "Twilight sent you, didn't she?" He questioned, to which Luna gave an affirming nod. The dragon let out a sigh. "Should've figured she'd send you, not that I don't appreciate your help with my nightmare."
The night princess spoke in a somber but serious tone of voice. "Twilight has already informed me of what transpired. She sent me to you specifically because she was so worried."
"And I don't blame her," Spike frowned. "She was just trying to help, trying to stop me from throwing my life away to serve that fat slob who was pretending to be my father. And all I did was spit in her face and accuse her of being jealous. Probably broke her heart right in two."
"Yet would she have sent me to you if she was still upset about it?" Luna asked Spike.
"Well, no, I guess not..." Spike agreed, before he unhappily went on. "But she should be! She's always been there for me! She hatched me, bathed me, taught me right from wrong, and did everything a parent was supposed to do. And she wasn't even biologically related to me. Yet never once did I ever acknowledge any of it, never once did I say 'Thank you'. Heck, there are times where I betrayed her when she needed me most. Like during the Royal Wedding, when I didn't listen to her about Cadence," Fresh tears streamed down his cheeks as he sobbed. "I'm the worst child ever! Maybe I deserve a parent like Sludge, I'm just as ungrateful as he was!"
At that Luna frowned and leaned down to him. "Spike, don't say such nonsense! You are nothing like Sludge and you know it! Just because you've made some mistakes doesn't make you a bad dragon, or ungrateful."
"Then what does it make me?" Spike wondered. "Twilight's treated me like her own son. And yet the moment I met someone who said he was my dad, I said she was jealous just because she was a pony."
"You said and did things you regret, Spike. That's an inevitable part of life," Luna reassured her troubled charge. "You know as well as I do that there are many things in the past I wish I could take back. But did Celestia punish me over Nightmare Moon because my jealousy created her? Did she strip me of my royal title just because I opposed her out of a misguided desire for affection?"
Spike shook his head. "N-no, she didn't." He stuttered.
The night princess nodded and in a gentle, maternal tone of voice she then spoke. "Exactly. She offered compassion and forgiveness, gave me a second chance that most would say I didn't deserve. But she never gave up on me, because she knew deep down that I was still the little sister she loved, the little sister would who never dream of deposing her older sister. And the little sister who she was going to help feel loved and adored, so that she'd never again be tempted by the forces of darkness. This situation you're now in with Twilight parallels mine in many ways."
"What do you mean, Luna?" The little dragon wondered aloud. "I fail to see how this is at all similar to what you and Celestia went through after Nightmare Moon's defeat."
"Well, I was hoping to save this until a more appropriate moment. But it seems I have no choice," The night princess responded, and then she confessed. "Twilight Sparkle specifically contacted me to help mend her relationship with you. She confided in me that she was worried she hadn't done a good enough of showing how much she cared for you. And she clearly felt guilty about some of the recent endeavors in which you were either not invited or were ignored. This is the same pony who trusted me to be your dragon sitter, I might add."
Spike almost couldn't believe those words when they were brought out of the night princess' mouth! "No way! Why would Twilight even think that?! I'm the one who should be apologizing, not her!"
"That's clearly not what she thinks," Luna confirmed. "She's just as troubled as you are. But she decided that rather than try to talk to you in the real world, it would be best to get a third party for support. And to that end she contacted me so we could meet in the dream realm. At least, that's what I assume her plan was in all of this."
Almost immediately, the dragon was throwing himself into Luna's chest and pleading. "Please, you need to take me to her! There are some things I need to say if she thinks she's the one who's supposed to be apologizing!"
The alicorn smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Hold on tight, Spike." And lighting up her horn, she teleported herself and the young dragon in her embrace out of Spike's dream.
Twilight was ready and waiting when Luna and Spike appeared in her dream in a flash. Luna soon descended and lightly brushed Spike away from her chest.
Twilight and Spike were now face to face, pony to dragon and parent to child (perhaps even mother and son). Luna stood but a short distance away, yet said nothing. She would not step in unless absolutely needed, it was best if the two she'd brought together sorted things out themselves. Still, she watched with interest and anticipation, for she cared very much about the outcome.
Immediately, Twilight rushed over and threw her wings around Spike, bringing him into a hug. "Oh, you don't know how happy I am to see you now, Spike!" She exclaimed. "I'm so sorry I haven't been the best parent! It's a miracle you turned out alright, I was so not prepared for parenthood and yet like a fool I believed I could handle it on my own!"
"Twilight, you didn't do anything wrong!" Spike insisted as he returned the hug, before cancelling out of the embrace. "You've always been there for me when I needed you the most. I never expected you to be perfect, no parent ever is. But when I have ever treated you with the respect you deserve as a parent? You've sacrificed so much for me and did your best to raise me the way you saw fit! And I went and threw it all away because of Sludge!"
Twilight shook her head. "You were just glad to finally have a proper parent, that led you to overlook so many other things about him. Maybe I wasn't jealous, but at the same time I never accounted for how different you were from me. You're not a pony, you're a dragon. Yet all this time I think I've either ignored that fact or taken it for granted."
"And it's because you raised me like a pony that I turned out the way I did, it's why I didn't end up like Sludge or Garble, or any of those other mean dragons," Spike protested. "Heck, you even let Luna become my dragon sitter. That's something no dragon parent would've ever done. I should know, Smolder told me there's no such thing as dragon sitters in the dragon lands."
"The same Smolder that made me realize I was treating you like you were a pony," Twilight replied as a pang of guilt washed over her. "I should've realized a lot sooner that your wings were different from mine."
Spike couldn't help but giggle. "There are a lot of things that dragons do differently from ponies and not all of them are necessarily for the better. I'm pretty sure dragons don't do things like bathe or brush their teeth for example. You raising me more like a pony than a dragon may have been for the better," Then he added. "Besides, it's the thought that counts when it comes to the wings. I certainly never would've thought to make Smolder my flying coach, and I too kind of forgot my wings didn't have feathers."
"That doesn't mean it was right for me to rob you of your dragon heritage." Twilight glumly insisted.
"Whoever says that's what you did? I'm still a dragon, aren't I?" Spike protested in response. "So maybe we don't know everything there is know about being a dragon, that's what you have me, Smolder, and Ember for. Besides, what I am isn't who I am. Whoever says I can't be a dragon and a pony? If being raised by ponies means I got to have you as a parent, Luna as a dragon sitter, and so many wonderful ponies as friends, it's a trade off I'm more than happy to have made."
At that, Twilight nervously questioned. "So, does this mean you forgive me for not always being the best parent to you? From now, I promise I'll try to show you the care and affection a mother is supposed to show their son."
"Only if you can forgive me for ungratefully accusing you, when you were just trying to warn me about the kind of dragon Sludge was." Spike replied.
"Of course, Spike," Twilight nodded as tears started to stream down her face. "No matter what, from now on, let's both agree to do our best to be there for each other and help each other out," As she hugged Spike tightly and wrapped her wings around him, she turned to the watching Princess Luna and said to her fellow alicorn. "Thank you, Luna, for helping Spike and I to come together. I knew I made the right choice choosing you to be Spike's dragon sitter."
Luna simply flashed a motherly smile. "It is my pleasure, Twilight Sparkle. Seeing the smiling face of my favorite dragon youngling, makes it all worthwhile."
"Luna, if you wouldn't mind," Spike questioned as he broke out of the embrace and yawned. "It's getting kind of late. Do you suppose it's okay if I stay in Twilight's dream for tonight and sleep with her?"
Luna nodded happily. "I don't see why not, you two deserve a chance to be together," Then she added. "Before I go, Spike, would you like to sing you a lullaby?"
Spike's eyes lit up like stars light up the night sky! "Of course, Luna! You always have the best lullabies!"
"Very well then," Luna beamed, and she waited until Spike had nuzzled up next to Twilight. "Comfy?" She asked him, to which Spike nodded in happy confirmation. Then she began to sing, her beautiful voice floating gently through not just Spike's dream but the entire dream realm.
When at last it was finished, both Spike and Twilight were fast asleep. Luna smiled as she departed, her work as a dragon sitter was done. And for her, it was another job done to perfection. However, she felt there was one more thing she wanted to do.
"And so do you promise not to step near the dragon youngling again?!"
In another dream, this belonging to Sludge, he was being magically held in the air over ferocious, snapping alligators. The magic holding him was from Nightmare Moon.
"Yes! Yes! I’m sorry! I will never bother the twerp again!"
"...And?" Nightmare Moon snarled.
"...And I don’t know anything else, just let me go!" Sludge pleaded.
"...Poor choice of words." Nightmare Moon was about to release Sludge from her magical grasp.
"No! Okay-okay-okay-okay-okay! I’ll leave the pillow back in Ponyville and never set another claw in it! Just spare me! Please, I’m begging ya-a-a-a-a-a-a!!!"
Although Sludge couldn’t see it, there was a tiny glimmer in Nightmare Moon’s eye that was similar to Luna’s, as she let out a smug chuckle.
Author's Note
Luna as Spike's dragon sitter is a concept that I've explored off and on since The Princess And The Dragon back in 2016, a concept that yodajax10 suggested (which is why I've collabed with him on this story).
I know I've kind of done this story somewhat similarly before, but at the same time this was a concept that was too good to pass up.
And yes, I know that the lullaby at the end isn't exactly original, but I think it still fits. I could see it as something Luna might sing.
