In a smoke-filled living room, after having a couple of drinks and wracking my brain for ideas, I sat down to write a My Little Pony fanfiction. Maybe you know the feeling. I know you didn't ask, but quietly, in my mind, I often compare it to the feeling I get from playing a video game—the flow, the familiar rhythm, the subconscious perception of progress that rewards while pushing, like a father—yet with none of the stale aftertaste of replayed content that video games have. Every new story is fresh, a new sapling springing into bud [i]in the garden of my mind[/i], infinitely precious and infinitely delicate. Doesn't that sound a little ridiculous? A no-life gamer waxing poetic about fanfiction? But... Well, what else can I do? [hr] Princess Twilight Sparkle trudged up the mountain. The blizzard had grounded her, but she was nearing her goal. She was swathed in furs, with a snow cloak breaking the wind. The snow chilled her ears, muzzle, and hooves, but the warmth of exertion was enough for her. In the chaos and buzz of white, a dark blotch appeared. [i]That's got to be it.[/i] With her destination now within her sights, Twilight's eyes shone like rainbows. Despising the cold, she picked up her pace. [hr] The dark blotch materialized as a mountain cave. Twilight stepped inside. "Hello?" she said, to a chorus of echoes. The mountain groaned, and the wind howled, but the cave was inviting, and the overdone crackle of burning twigs betrayed life within. As Twilight advanced, a sudden rumble shook the ground beneath her hooves, followed by silence. The howling wind quieted down, and Twilight was alone with her breath. From around the bend of the cave, where the shadows of a fire flickered, a soft voice called to her. "Be not afraid, traveler. Please, stay until the blizzard passes." Twilight cast about. As she did, a motion caught the corner of her eye, and she watched as a cushion, a table, a cup, a plate of fruit, and a steaming tea kettle apparated into a near corner of the cave. "I will not disturb you, traveler, nor ask why you have ascended this mountain. In return, I ask that you not disturb me." "Actually," Twilight choked out in a nervous haste, "I've come to talk with you." Silence settled into the cave like a snowdrift. Twilight was in no danger, yet her heart was fluttering. "So," began the voice. "So, you knew I was here, and you know who I am." "Of course I do!" sputtered Twilight. "You're the great sage, the one to whom no mysteries are hidden. The ancient dragon, possessed by Wisdom herself." She stepped tentatively toward the bend of the cave, toward the flickering fire which cast shadows on the wall. "Traveler," said the dragon. "Your voice..." "It's me," responded Twilight, with an earnest plea in her voice. "Spike... it's me." [hr] "You wish to know the truth of our cosmos, its creation, its destiny?" The tender voice of the ancient dragon felt like a raised weapon. Twilight returned the ancient dragon's stare, with no less steady a glance. "I must. The fate of Equestria depends upon it." The dragon huffed, and the wind of it nearly extinguished the crackling flame that stood between them. "Twilight," said the dragon, "this world..." There was a mournfulness in his tone. "This world is a fiction, conceived by an author. A very imperfect author, lacking in imagination and moral sense." Twilight, stunned, pinned her eyes to the ground. "You mean, metaphorically?" "No, Twilight," said Spike, and there were tears in his eyes. "I mean it literally. You, and I, and everyone, we're all trapped in a story being written by an idiot! And there's no way out for us!" [hr] Spike knew that because I told him. Everything that happens is at my whim. Imagine it. It's all happening at my idiotic whim! All I want... look. The reason I write. All I want is for Twilight Sparkle, and all her friends... no... [i]everypony in Equestria[/i] to have happy lives! I mean it! But I'm just an idiot... no-life gamer, no experience of the world... Heh. Look at this: I'm crying. I just—I love Twilight Sparkle so much and my only desire is [i]to give her a happy life[/i] and I can't do it because I'm not a good enough writer and... I don't see a way out of this... I... just... What else can I do?