The sun crept upon their faces as the morning began its’ cycle. Spike and Twilight both squinted, burying their faces into each other to blot out the light, but it was inevitable. The sun had done what it was meant to, and the two couldn’t bring themselves back into the dream world. Twilight rolled off the bed while Spike took the opportunity to yawn and stretch himself out under the warmth of the covers. When he did so, he cracked his neck both ways and turned to watch Twilight sleepily shuffle about for her regal attire. She’d been presented with a set similar to Princess Luna’s only Twilight’s was made of pearl and was… pointier to say the least. It looked like a breed of royal battle armour. Either way, it suited the new queen who over the years had changed her mane into that of a cluster of small galaxies flowing like the Northern Lights above the Frosted Mountains. Her coat had grown a slightly lighter shade of Plum, with her cutie mark, rump and hooves surrounded in a shade of Midnight blue.

Spike had changed also. He stood Eight feet tall, brandished golden scales, silver underbelly and jaw, and Emerald spines with two silver horns. As King, he'd been given his own set of Regal attire which consisted of a sleeveless Crimson and white short jacket with a long collar, a crimson waist cape with matching pants and a pair of dark brown gloves. While the clothes Spike wore weren't very fashionable and didn't really fit the royal standards, they showed his independence and reminded others that he was a force not to be trifled with.

"I'm surprised Dawn's not up yet. She's like clockwork when the sun rises." said Twilight, looking towards the door to their room. Spike just placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"Give it a second." he replied. Sure enough, a young Lavender mare with a Violet and green mane and tail burst through the doors in a rush of excitement. She was excited to say the least, panting like a mad thing as she rushed around the room, subconsciously getting to know where her parents were before she went to one. She reminded Spike of a puppy after some hours without seeing its' master. Dawn leaped up onto the bed and threw herself off it, colliding with her mother.

"Oof! Dawn, be careful You'll hurt us both doing that." Twilight reprimanded the now sulking filly. Twilight sighed in defeat, knowing that in the four years things had been this way, she could never stay mad at Dawn when she pulled the kicked-puppy face.

Realising that she'd got the best of her mother, Dawn cheered up quicker than Pinkie Pie ever could and flapped her draconic wings once, shooting a meter into the air, only to land back on the bedding. She then bounded up to Spike who held out his arms for her. When she was in range, the gold dragon scooped her up and pretended to wrestle with her. Naturally, the child was victorious after the dragon supposedly had the upper hand and boasted as much.

"So, what's on the agenda today, Dawny?" Spike asked. Dawn considered the question with great importance.

"I wanna go to the park!" she said. Spike chuckled and nodded once to confirm that they were going to do just that. Dawn was beside herself. With merry cheers, she left the couple to get themselves ready so she could wake up the neighborhood.

"You spoil her rotten, you know that?" asked Twilight, her tone not backing the claim. Spike just shrugged as he rose from the bed and selected his clothes from the wardrobe.

"She deserves it all. After all, she's our reward for everything we went through." he replied, his scales shimmering in the sunlight. Twilight looked at her husband with a sense of pure happiness filling her being. Spike was right; they'd earned this, and Dawn was going to be the best thing that happened to them, no matter how she turned out.

With that in mind, Twilight approached Spike and drew him into a loving embrace.

"I love you." she said.

"I love you too."

Dawn giggled happily as she flew above the trees in the park. She seemed to enjoy the freedom of the sky, a feeling Spike could share with her. Fortunately, Dawn knew not to go beyond sight of her peers when roaming around free as she was. She maintained a constant circle around her father who had been addressed by all the parents doing the same things as himself. Sadly, most of them were mothers, so it made Spike feel slightly emasculate.

Dawn found herself a small group of ponies playing together. Forgetting the rule about keeping in sight, she flew down to meet them. She was met with odd stares. Her features seemed to act as a repellent to the others. While her face was slightly more draconic than equine, her scales were hidden under her coat. Regardless, that didn't seem to satisfy the ponies as they said nothing to her and just walked away. Dawn began to feel that the park wasn't such a good idea, and returned to her father to share this revelation. She soon forgot about it though as Spike decided to play with her himself. He'd brought a ball with him for such an occasion fortunately, her horns were too small to puncture the ball as she butted it with her head.

The game lasted for all of about two hours before a royal guard appeared and informed Spike of some royal duties that required his pressence. Dawn was left with the option of returning home with her father, or remaining behind to play with the guard a little while longer. She chose the latter and the guard did his duty with great enthusiasm.

Spike had managed to make it to the castle in under a minute. As he made his way to the throne room, he saw Twilight sitting in her throne with the angel, Mar Grimm, standing before her. The two of them turned their gazes to Spike as he made his way to his own throne.

"What's this all about?" he asked. Twilight seemed extremely curious.

"Mar has provided a solution to a problem both the Celestial Citadel and Equestria are having." she replied. Now Spike was interrested.

"Oh? Do explain?" he enquired. Mar cleared his throat and began his proposal.

"Regarding the Citadel; due to the war, things have been a bit hectic. Like with refugees, the Elders have to allocate a place for each and every soul. To put things simply, we're running out of room. I propose a solution. Because Equestria is predominately female, the souls who died in the war can be allowed to be reborn again as males, equalising the population. After that's done, every soul who dies get a second chance and is reborn again. In short, We're giving everypony two lives As a result, that will give us more time to expand our reach and make more room those who use up their second life." he suggested.

It took Spike a few moments to wrap his head around it. "So, basically, you recycle us once and then after we die the second time, then we go to you?"

"Yes."

Spike considered the system and how it would work.

"Apparently, the other Princesses have given this plan the all clear, it's up to us." Twilight added. Spike took another few seconds to decide.

"I'm all for it. When can this plan be set in motion?" Spike asked.

"It's already good to go, just say the word and the proverbial machine will begin to run." Mar replied. Spike looked to Twilight who simply nodded her approval.

"Alright, do it." he said. Mar smiled and clapped his hands once A white wave of harmless energy burst out from his hands and went through the walls. It expanded further beyond the city, beyond Equestria until it engulfed the entire world. It remained like that for a few moments before dissipating.

"It's done. Every living thing now has a second life in stock, and the war victims are gradually returning for their second chances as newborn foals."

"Wait, you're basically emptying out the Celestial Citadel?" Spike asked.

"No, just the war victims. If We gave this option to every soul already dead, the overpopulation thing would occur here instead." Mar replied. Just as he finished explaining the details, Dawn ran into the throne room, happy as ever. She caught sight of Mar and lost her mind.

"UNCLE MAR!!!" she screamed. Mar smiled at the little hybrid and knelt down to greet her with a hug.

"Hey, squirt! Not getting into any trouble, are you?" Mar asked her. Dawn shook her head.

"Nu-uh! But some of the other ponies are ignoring me because I'm not a real pony." she replied. Spike and Twilight seemed surprised to hear this, but Mar kept a level head.

"Is that so? Well you're as real as pony as anyone else. Besides, they won't ignore you forever. Time will go by and they'll learn that you're destined for great things. Perhaps you'll even catch the eye of an impressionable young stallion." he assured her.

"Stallion? Eww! Stallions are grose!" Dawn replied. Mar chuckled and bounced Dawn on his knee.

"Ah, you think that now, but one day, you'll come to like them. It's a natural part of life, unless you end up like my daughter and remain true to the same gender." he stopped the topic there.

"I didn't know you had a daughter." Spike said. Mar laughed at that.

"Well of course not, I never mention my personal life. Funnily enough, her name's Dawn as well." Mar said.

"What? Are you copying us?" Spike teased.

"She's eighty-seven." Mar replied. Spike and Twilight both went wide-eyed.

"Really? And how old are you?"

"Hundred and fifty." Mar replied plainly. Spike and Twilight had trouble figuring out what to say. "I'm an Angel, guys; born dead, you know? Age really isn't an issue for us." he clarified.

"Uncle Mar, will I get to meet your Dawn?" the filly on Mar's lap asked. The angel turned to her and smiled.

"I don't see why not. Perhaps your parents will let her foalsit you next Saturday. Just have to hope she doesn't bring Angelus."

"Who?" Spike asked.

"My step-son. He's a good boy. Those two are closer than any siblings I've ever known, but they fight each other non-stop. They always want become stronger than the other and what drives them is their insane notion that the other is stronger than they are when in reality, they're equally as good; what she lacks, he makes up for, and vice-versa."

"So what's wrong with him?" Twilight interrupted.

"He's an angry son of a...gun." Mar caught himself just in time. "I mean, all the time, he sleeps with a scowl on his face." he added.

"So, let's just make sure he doesn't join Dawn in babysitting... Dawn." Spike concluded. All four beings nodded in agreement, including Dawn who found Angelus to be scary sounding.

Author's Note

So this is just the prologue. It might be pretty short, but that's because it's almost 5:30 in the morning, so I need to sleep, real bad. So this is what you've been waiting for. The third and final story in the Darkness trilogy. Read it and weep, literally.
Alsoo, this is Dawn, pretty much, only imagine the horns as silver, and the streaks as green variants.

P.S: If you want an example of Dawn's voice at this age, think Chopper (English dubbed) from One Piece.

P.P.S: Sorry I kind of went on and on at the end, it was starting to become a chapter instead of a Prologue.