Fading Away

by Prane

Rating: everyone
Tags: Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Rarity
Length: 7358

Several years into the future, Twilight and Spike have gone their separate ways. But now, it is up to the princess to find her former assistant and convey a message that might bring them together again: their mutual friend, Rarity... is dying.

“What would you do if you were to find a long-gone dragon?”

This question has been haunting Twilight for a few good months now. Months of renewed sadness, yet also months of restored hope. Months, after which most of us would have collapsed. But, she’s Twilight Sparkle, after all. When it comes to her friends, she is bound to find answers to any of her questions...

Several years into the future, she and Spike have gone their separate ways. But now, it is up to the princess to find her former Number One Assistant and convey a message that will, hopefully, soothe each other's regret and might bring them together again: their mutual friend, Rarity of Ponyville... is fading away.

This story is a vital part of my Summer Genre Tour.
Already done reading it? Check out this blog post for more stuff regarding Fading Away!

Published 2013-09-13 17:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-02 23:30:14 UTC

Chapter 1 – "My dearest Spike..."

What would you do if you were to find a long-gone dragon?

It’s not a trick question, and you would probably do what any other rational and logical being would have done: take out a detailed map of your land and try to narrow down the search area first. But after months of fruitless work and losing a bit of hope with each place crossed out – reaching far from the glacial peaks of the Frozen North to the scorched earth of the Badlands – you would find yourself on a brink of despair, with only one thing to do.

You would travel beyond the edge of the map, with but an arrow for a guide and a cryptic note as a companion: Dragons Be Here.

And that’s exactly what Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria did.

* * *

Seven years.

Exactly seven years had passed since Twilight saw Spike for the last time. Seven years since that memorable, yet pretty unsuccessful diplomatic mission to the Dragon Dominion. Seven long and lonely years since Twilight realized that her irreplaceable assistant had to grow up one day…

After all this time, you’d expect her to get it over with and live on – and she did that, in a way. No longer did she spend her nights crying and her days seeking false relief in mounting responsibilities of a princess. At some point, she reluctantly acknowledged Spike’s pivotal decision, regardless of how devastating for her it was.

A few more years, perhaps, and Twilight would probably learn to fully cope with such issue, but in the wake of recent events, she could not afford to wait any longer. She had to bring Spike to Ponyville as soon as possible.

Spike and Ponyville – those names brought back all the memories…

“Enough!” Twilight rebuked herself. “It’s not a good time to ponder over the past, Twilight. What’s done is done. Now, you have a very important message to convey…”

Whenever she became nervous, Twilight tended to talk out loud to reassure herself and build up proper confidence. And today: oh, she was exceptionally nervous. But not due to unpleasant heat of a cave she just ventured into, or by a relatively tiny chance that the dragon she was after might actually be there.

Twilight was nervous because those few letters lying down in her periwinkle, star-encrusted saddlebag were a hope of bringing her and Spike back together. If only!

“Hello?” Twilight wandered deeper into the cave, her voice echoing from the rugged walls. “Is anybody home?”

Pshhh!

The hissing steam had to suffice for an answer.

As the cave was situated at the foot of a mountain – or rather, a dormant volcano – the occasional bursts of hot air through cracks and crevices in the floor were hardly a surprise, and neither was ash and pebbles brought alongside from underground lava pools. Twilight could only hope that the volcano wouldn’t suddenly change his mind and wake up.

“Hello? Anyone?” she chased off an emberslug which crept out from its burrow lazily. “Oh, this has to be the right place!”

At least according to a nomadic tribe of Diamond Dogs she encountered three days ago. However verbally limited they were as a species, they managed to direct her to this supposed ‘lair of the Beasty-beast’. Quarrelling among each other and dethroning their spiritual leader in the process.

All of a sudden, an unsettling growl was heard from the cave’s depths.

Now that was definitely the dragon’s growl. Not a frightfully defeating one you’d expect to hear – which was a good thing, considering that Spike’s primeval greed taking over usually had destructive consequences – but still forbidding enough to scare away a potential visitor who wasn’t really used to having a dragon around.

For Twilight, however, it was the melody of success.

“Spike!?” she looked around, trying to locate the source of inhospitality among ash geysers and basalt spires supporting the ceiling. She carefully moved towards a tight jungle of the latter. “It’s me, Twilight!”

“I know that,” a deep, resentful voice resounded throughout the cave. “What do you want?”

“I’d like to come in,” Twilight replied, slowly progressing further in. “May I?”

“Well, it seems to me that you already did.”

Curiously-yet-startlingly enough, it didn’t sound like a voice that bounced off the walls several times. Or even once! It was the voice straight to Twilight’s ears, and it came from a dragon standing right next to her.

She quickly turned around only to feel so… petite.

Although Twilight, being an alicorn, was naturally bigger than most of the mares and even some stallions, Spike could easily tower over her, surpassing her height two or three times. Resting against a warm basalt column, with long arms crossed on his chest and spines coming from his back spikier and sharper than ever, he did no longer seem like a cute baby dragon, but rather made an impression of a rebellious teenager who left home after some reckless misadventure.

Spike the Dragon had changed.

“Where are your guards, Princess?” he drawled, stepping dangerously close to Twilight. He walked in between two thins spires and grabbed them as if he was grabbing the bars of a cage. “I never thought you would dare to enter a dragon’s lair without an army… especially after that dragon-enslaving decree you’ve forced–”

“It’s not like this, and you know it!” she shook her head, unwillingly walking back to a more spacious section of the cave. “Besides, I don’t think I need to feel insecure by my Number One–”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!” Spike snarled, crushing the spires with ease and dashing forward. Twilight managed to slip away from the basalt labyrinth, but did not flee any further. Even though she found herself face to face with a dragon’s jaw armed with long fangs fraction of a second later, she remained calm and in complete control.

“Now get out!” Spike hissed, leaning over the mare.

She withstood his piercing stare long enough for the ash geysers to come idle.

“Please, Spike. It’s important.”

Twilight took out a small envelope from her bag. With a quick glance and a tip of magenta magic, she dispersed its protective arcane layer. “I have something for you.”

She passed it to Spike, whose nostrils had immediately widened.

Even before he put a claw on the envelope, he already had a feeling whom the letter was from, albeit he couldn’t really believe it. It had a delicate fragrance of lavender, with an equally gentle touch of refreshing vanilla that was simply impossible to forget. His heart was pounding. Could it really be…?

The letter itself was written on a thick paper of superb quality, and the senders’ style was most elegant, with perfectly round letters and decorative swirls here and there. Noticing a pricey, dark indigo ink – imported straight from Shanghay, without a doubt – Spike became fully convinced that only one mare in the whole world could have send that.

He turned back at Twilight and read the letter.

Dear Spikey-Wikey,

It has been quite some time since you and Twilight moved back to Canterlot! I sincerely hope that living the dream at the castle did not turn out to be too stressful for you two – it certainly wouldn’t be for me! Sophisticated parties, high society banquets and important events – oh, I envy you so much!

Now, enough of me already. I heard that you and Twilight are heading to the Dragon Dominion anytime soon? I believe it is perfectly safe to say that she’ll avert that impending crisis swiftly, especially with you as her advisor. ‘Ambassador Spike’, that suits you well!

Anyway, I hope that you’ll get my message prior to your departure (and if not, I hope you and Twilight are having great time on your little trip!), because I would like to ask a favor: could you get me a roll or two of Arabian silversilk on your way back? It’s really tricky to get it here at a reasonable price…

Hope to see you again!

Yours,

Rarity

Spike put the letter next to the heart and closed his emerald eyes.

Faded memories of a wonderful mare known as Rarity were back in their full vividness, and those were all good memories. He didn’t have much of those left. Perhaps he should leave the past behind, return to Equestria, see Ponyville again and, most importantly…

“Spike?” Twilight asked from behind. “Is everything alright?”

…strangle Twilight Sparkle for ruining such a beautiful moment!

“Why did you come to me!?” Spike exploded with condemnation. “Are you trying to use this letter as an excuse to bring up the past?”

Since her trembling legs could no longer carry the burden of a message she was about to deliver, Twilight sat at the dirty ground. In his wrath, Spike noticed neither tears falling from under her fringe, nor the fact that she was gasping for air.

“Cause I’m done with that, okay!?” Spike went on with his rant. “Cause I don’t want to talk to you, or see you again. Ever since you’ve become a princess–”

“It’s not about me!” Twilight raised her head, revealing round, violet eyes filled with heavy tears. “It’s about Rarity.”

Crestfallen, Spike withheld upcoming accusations and looked at Twilight questioningly.

“She’s dying, Spike.”

Chapter 2 – "I am writing to tell you..."

What would you do if someone especially dear to your heart was in peril?

Again, the answer is quite simple, because no matter how reasoned your way of life was, you would abandon it momentarily to do what it feels right. Allowing your emotions to guide you – but never leaving them in charge – is sometimes the best solution, as they fuel us with necessary motivation and determination. And although many have failed on this path, if you could just rise above your grief and prejudice of the past, you would succeed.

You would traverse beyond yourself, paying little attention to needs and beliefs of your own, but devoting entirely to making a change in that special someone’s life.

And that’s exactly what Spike the Dragon did.

* * *

Saying that Spike regretted running away for such a long time would be an understatement of the century. Of course, he had good reasons to do so back then – or so he supposed – but now, from the perspective of time irrevocably lost and important events missed, he had to admit it was really thoughtless of him, if not simply foolish.

Because he didn’t posses anything of value, Spike didn’t hesitate to leave the volcanic hideout and go with Twilight, bringing only a woven sack with him. They wandered for several hours, hardly exchanging any word, as Spike apparently believed that reading the letter from Rarity over and over again would be enough to fill the void.

They came closer to a town, or rather a village, though neither of these two words could fully reflect the view from a gravel-black hill on which Twilight and Spike were standing. ‘End of the line’, now that would be much more adequate, not only because it was actually the last station of the Equestrian railroad network, but also because there was no justifiable reason to go further south. With only a few poorly-constructed huts surrounding the station, the settlement of Forsaken End – which was by far the most suitable name for a place like that – was a perfect destination for those who wanted to leave their questionable past behind.

“Spike? Spike, talk to me, please!”

And never turn back.

“Are you for real?” Spike said with reproach. “Tell me, did you enjoy reading my correspondence over the years?”

“I have never read a single one,” Twilight raised a bare, dusty hoof, refuting the accusation. “Those few which I brought with me were–”

“So there’s more?” Spike didn’t let her finish, unaware that his thin, split at the end tongue was sticking outside his jaw. He reached for Twilight’s bag. “Give me that!”

“No, unless you talk to me!” she avoided Spike’s greedy grasp. “Why are you acting like this? I refuse to believe that you’re one of those so-called ‘freedom fighters’ rallying against the Dragon Registration Decree, so what is it? Are you still blaming me for Kryvarost’s death?”

Oh, Twilight really did hit a nerve with that one.

Ambassador Kryvarost was a venerable golden dragon Twilight and Spike had met during the Equestrian-Draconian diplomatic summit about seven years ago. Respected and widely recognized by the majority of the Dragon Dominion inhabitants, Kryvarost did not only come at the invitation of the pony kind representative, which was a rare enough courtesy amongst the dragons, but also managed to spare some of his time for Spike and Spike only.

In a matter of days, Spike learned more about his race, heritage and dragon culture than he did over his whole life in Canterlot and Ponyville – and that’s including the encounter with those petty dragons living in the southern Badlands, who had not an ounce of dignity. Meeting Kryvarost changed his life, as even Spike’s little dragon quest during the Great Dragon Migration was nothing compared to finding a father-mentor figure he never had…

But Kryvarost died during the summit. And with him, Spike’s dream of becoming a dragon strong both in body and in spirit.

“Give. Me. Your. Bag.” Spike drawled through a clashed set of teeth.

“I will not.”

“Fine. I’ll take it myself.”

With a resounding roar, Spike assaulted Twilight and pushed her down the rocky hill, only to follow her with his sharp claws unsheathed a second later. The mare tumbled, but managed to recover and quickly spread her feathery wings, just in time to avoid an avalanche of gravel raised by Spike’s reckless charge. She flew down and landed gracefully on the steady ground, staring sadly at the bloodthirsty dragon rampaging from above.

To the very last second she was hoping that Spike would come to senses and eventually stop, but when he got too close, she could only breathe a sigh of remorse.

Twilight Sparkle’s mane became radiant, turning into bright shades of mulberry and sapphire blue, with blinding waves of arcane energy flowing down each hair. Her mane and tail seemed to be opposing the gravity on their own now, as if she was fully immersed in water, and her pointy horn got surrounded by a stormy, vivid magenta mist.

In the blink of an energy-filled eye, Spike’s charge was brought to a stop, and he found himself pressed to the ground with an outstanding force.

“There was NOTHING I could have done to save the dragon ambassador Kryvarost!” Twilight spoke in a voice Spike would remember forever. She didn’t sound like a simple librarian mare from a relatively unimportant Ponyville. No, that was the voice of a princess: formidable, imperious, royal.

Just as the alicorn keeping Spike’s face dipped in harsh gravel.

“Rarity’s sole wish was to see her Spike, and while there is nothing I wouldn’t do for one of my friends, I’m having second thoughts right now!” Twilight continued, her voice booming just a little less. “Now are you her Spike… or are you not?”

To tell the truth, he didn’t really know. He didn’t know whether Spike that Rarity called for still existed. But he didn’t like the idea of having his back broken or being swallowed by the ground, either. As reluctant as he was, Spike knew that Twilight had a point. Though he wouldn’t admit that… just yet.

“I guess I am,” he mumbled, and Twilight ended the spell.

Spike straightened up, which turned out to be surprisingly easy now that the bone-crushing force was gone. He started picking out obsidian pieces from between his scales.

“Ugh, new trick?”

“Remember Trixie? It’s her variation on the Atmosphere Spell,” Twilight replied, being her usual self back again. She turned around. “Come on, the station’s nearby.”

Indeed it was. A few minutes later they were standing at a pretty desolated railway station, disturbed by no other passengers, because there were none. It seemed that Forsaken End really was a place with no return, or perhaps no one wanted to travel alongside a dragon.

“I’ll get us tickets to Equestria,” Twilight said, checking a train schedule marked by numerous crimson stains. “We’re lucky. It seems we have to wait for about an hour, so take this.”

She took another magically-conserved envelope from her bag and gave it to Spike. It was very similar in both color and style, so he opened it with delicacy and care you would not expect from a dragon who was prepared to open your arteries just a while ago.

Dear Spikey-Wikey,

Happy birthday to you! It is a real shame that we haven’t had a chance to celebrate them properly. I was told that you left shortly after you and Twilight returned from the Dragon Dominion, and you’re currently trying to find your own place?

I heard what happened. I am not writing to judge you – that dragon ambassador’s death was a blow, and as far as I know, the Princesses are still trying to calm the dragons in a diplomatic way. I also understand that it was a very personal loss for you, and I am sorry for that. That is all.

I suppose you didn’t get any of my previous letters, therefore I'd like to convey my best wishes once more. You know, in case you ever wanted to talk by a cup of tea, you are always welcome at the Carousel Boutique.

Hope to see you soon!

Yours,

Rarity.

Minutes were passing slowly, allowing Spike to ponder upon many things. He got so engrossed in the words of comfort he received much too late, to his own demise, that he couldn’t really tell how long was he sitting on a station’s warped wooden bench. In fact, he didn’t even remember sitting there in the first place.

Spike looked around, spotting Twilight sitting on a similar bench. She kept a proper distance this time – close enough not to be mistaken for some random traveler, but not too close to make him feel uncomfortable. And although they were sitting on two different benches, they could both feel a spark of heart-warming closeness which they had lost many years ago.

Clackety-clackety, cho-chooo!

The whistle of an upcoming train was heard in the distance. It got louder in time, and when the train finally arrived, Spike took a deep breath and stood up. It was high time for him to return to Equestria.

The only place he could call… home.

Chapter 3 – "That no matter who you have become…”

What would you do if your life as you know it got suddenly turned upside down?

Unlike previous dilemmas, this one can’t be solved by sheer strength of the mind or salutary effect of emotions. The first one, coming from no matter how brilliant one, would not bring the solution while the second, no matter how sincere, would not bring real comfort. In the end, it is the power coming from within your soul that helps you face unexpected and unwelcome life changes. And overcome them, achieving true serenity for your troubled self.

You would transcend beyond sadness, despair and overwhelming uncertainty, trying to make every moment count and every remaining second worthwhile.

And that’s exactly what Rarity of Ponyville did.

* * *

Just my luck.

As if the atmosphere wasn’t depressing enough, to make matters worse it started to rain. The train approached the southern slope of Macintosh Hills, a monumental mountain-chain guarding Equestrian borders for centuries, and Spike was listening to heavy drops drumming and splashing on their compartment’s window.

“So, what’s the deal with those letters, anyway?” he asked, checking for the fifth time if his sack was still safely placed above his head. Or rather, next to his head, as the compartment – obviously not designed for growing dragons – was only barely comfortable. “Didn’t Rarity know that I’ve been… traveling?”

Twilight was resting, curled up on the only cherry red seat not occupied by Spike or his massive tail.

“Sometimes things we do aren’t exactly supported by what we know,” she opened her eyes, “but rather by what we believe in. Rarity has been sending them for many years now… and she never gave up.”

“But wasn’t that for nothing? Didn’t you see the way they are addressed?” Spike reached for the sack and took one of the envelopes. “Spike the Dragon, Canterlot. She knew that I left Canterlot, she even mentioned it!”

“Not every letter was sent to Canterlot,” Twilight said, leaving Spike’s face abashed. She sat up more comfortably. “From what Rarity told me, whenever she couldn’t tell the exact place, region or at least a landmark close to your likely whereabouts, she addressed them with a major city and hoped that you’ll get it eventually,” Twilight explained. “Spike the Dragon, Hoofington. Spike the Dragon, Las Pegasus. Spike the Dragon, Cloudsdale. And so on.”

Spike glanced outside to see fallow lands, grey hills and withered bushes passing by. No wonder he didn’t get any letters, none of the above would work for a proper address. Spike the Dragon, Some Not So Active Volcano, that’s where he’s been spending his time lately. Only now he realized how important it was for Rarity to contact him, and if one could be proud and ashamed at the same time, that’s exactly how he felt.

“Are you telling me… that there are letters scattered all over Equestria…”

“With your name on them, yes,” Twilight finished. “I never had a chance to collect them, sorry,” she reached for the periwinkle bag. “Some are probably lying in the archives administrated by post offices, others got likely lost or destroyed-“ Spike’s heart cringed “-and some, upon finding no receiver, were simply returned to sender.”

As Twilight opened her bag, Spike tried to adopt a more comfortable position, but he only managed to leave a nasty rip across the seats with his spines.

“This is the last one I got, about a year ago,” Twilight passed another letter. Again, the magical layer dispersed with a quiet swoosh, releasing the fragrance of lavender across the compartment. Thickness of the paper absorbed the ink without letting it spread beyond lines and circles of Rarity’s perfect writing style. She really could pour her beauty into anything and everything she did… and it was only one of a thousand things Spike adored about her. “Those three went through Canterlot,” Twilight said, putting the bag away. “I knew you would read them one day, so I did my best to save them for you.”

Spike the Dragon, Canterlot smiled and plunged into reading.

Dear Spikey-Wikey,

You probably think that I am preparing for this year’s Grand Galloping Gala just now – wrong! Actually, I am at the Ponyville Hospital, bored to death. I asked Flickerflight (my assistant at the boutique – she’s from Hoofington, I suppose you two haven’t met) to bring me my favorite stationery so I could write to you – although believe me, doctor Redheart really frowns upon that!

As I was saying, I got here due to some minor health issue (nothing more than a migraine, really), and since it is already past visiting hours I have NOTHING to do. Rainbow Dash, of course, tried to enter through the window, but she got entangled in those awfully mismatched curtains. Long story short, she got chased out by doctor Redheart. That mare is no fun at all, I tell you that. Still, it was rather exhilarating after all these hours of waiting for tests results.

To fight the boredom I started reminiscing about the past years, and I thought about you, Spike! About our little adventure with the Diamond Dogs, about how you’ve become a rampaging dragon (let us not speak of the time I’ve become a herald of gloom, with all that extraterrestrial Nightmare Forces to do my bidding) and of course how you – with a little help from Princess Cadence – saved the whole Crystal Empire from the blackened hooves of that black-hearted, black-maned king Sombra! Those were the days…

Hope to see you someday!

Yours,

Rarity

Spike put the letter away with the others.

“She sounds so full of life,” he reflected, staring at trickles of water flowing down the glass. “Yet she's dying. What happened?”

If sorrow was a color, Twilight’s face would be covered with all of its shades.

“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “It’s beyond our medicine, even with all the research I've done. I gathered a lot of documentation on this kind of illnesses from all across Equestria, I even cross-checked it with similar causes from the Griffin Kingdom!” she started to breath faster and speak louder. “There is no cure, and it will be elusive for many years from now!”

“The Kingdoms got united?” Spike pulled away from the window and looked back at Twilight. “I’ve been gone for far too long… Twilight?”

The royal alicorn mare burst into tears.

“I’ve done all I could, but I failed her!” she put her face in her hooves, her heart pounding like a hammer. “I talked to Celestia, Luna, sought help amongst crystal ponies… even consulted Discord on this matter! I just…” she gasped for breath. “I just feel so useless right now, just like I felt when your mentor died! I know you and Rarity were close, I’m sorry to fail her... to fail you now! And I’m sorry I failed you back then!”

“No! No, listen!” Spike intervened, aware that their mutual friend’s illness wasn’t the only burden on Twilight’s back, and how unfairly she treated herself because of that. “That whole situation was pretty messed up, we’ve got ambushed by dragon extremists, Kryvarost got hit. You did the right thing teleporting us and the whole Equestrian representative committee out of there!”

Spike tried to move closer to Twilight, but his spines got stuck in the back seat again. He struggled to release himself.

“If it weren’t for you, we’d all be dead. Listen!” he finally managed to reach Twilight’s head. He lifted her muzzle and looked deep into her watery eyes. “You didn’t fail me.”

“But…” Twilight sniffled, “but I was the one who came up with the idea of the Dragon Registration Decree! I traded a friend for a political solution!”

Spike shook his head.

“The Dragon Dominion is very easy to provoke, even if the death of their ambassador wasn’t Equestria’s fault,”, he said. “Somepony less diplomatic than you would just declare war on them, and that would not end well for either of sides. Tell me, what was the point of the decree?”

“I just wanted to make sure that dragons living peacefully within Equestrian borders wouldn’t rampage straight to Canterlot…”

“That’s right!” Spike nodded. “You were willing to seek good in them, and it was me blinded by Kryvarost’s death who couldn’t see that good in you… or myself, for that matter.”

In the prolonged silence that followed, only the steady sound of the train’s wheels was heard.

“You…” Twilight said after a while, “You’re not blaming me?”

“I made that horrible mistake once,” Spike took the mare into his muscular arms and hugged her. And, to his relief, she hugged him back. “I should have never-ever blamed you, Twi,” he whispered. “Or doubted in you.”

The train entered a tunnel beneath Macintosh Hills and wrapped them in darkness, but they both knew that there were better, brighter days to come. Maybe it was because the compartment was really cramped, or maybe because they really needed that, but they remained in that comforting embrace for a few good minutes. And they would probably last even longer if Twilight, tired of wandering and searching for the long-gone dragon, hadn’t fell asleep.

Chapter 4 – "You were the one who made my life…"

Ponyville was bathed in bright sunrays and although they were a little too dazzling for Spike’s taste, the mere fact that he was finally able to stretch his limbs after the long journey combined with a light, refreshing breeze was sufficient compensation. If only those ponies could stop staring at him and Twilight! But what can you do, it’s not every day you see a princess walking casually by your store’s windows, chattering lively with a real dragon.

Well, at least they were staring and whispering among themselves, instead of running away and screaming in terror.

“…and we’ll drop by the library on our way to the hospital.” Twilight concluded.

“You’re not going to make me clean those dusty old tomes, are you?”

“Of course not!” she giggled. “No, I’m sure the current librarian is doing just fine.”

Ponyville had changed. For the better, in Spike’s opinion. There was a lot of movement in the streets and it felt like the total number of residents has increased significantly. Some of the timber-framed houses got additional floor and trader thatch for reddish roof tiles, similar to those crowning the Town Hall.

Some well-known points of interest got slightly altered. Everypony’s favorite dating side, Sugarcube Corner retained its original eye-catching marzipan-esque façade and a gingerbread roof, but also got additional glace chimney and a spacious ballroom adjacent to it. Current owners must have expanded their confectionery business by organizing parties and events on a larger scale.

But some places remained the same, although at first Spike thought that the Golden Oak Library had shrunk. He quickly realized that aside from him being bigger, the hollowed tree of knowledge still had formidable, leafy branches and balconies large enough to set a telescope on them. The adjoining beehive was constantly buzzing with little hard-working critters.

Spike was glad that this particular place, with which he associated so many good memories was still intact.

Twilight knocked on the door. She frowned upon a slightly skewed candlestick and straightened in quickly with magic. And just then, a familiar filly opened the door.

No, Spike corrected himself. A familiar mare opened the door. She was no longer a child-sized pony that used to spend her days crusading throughout the town. Taller, with thinner legs and neck, she had grown up into a fine mare, much like her sister. Especially with the white coat, yet not her mane, which had colors of mulberry and pale rose.

“Hello, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight greeted the apparent Ponyville librarian.

“Hi, Twilight… Spike!” Sweetie’s voiced cracked as she assaulted Spike’s neck. “Glad to have you back, Spike!”

“Glad to be back, Sweetie Belle,” Spike smiled when the mare finally let him go. He suddenly felt warm and fuzzy inside knowing that one of his friend actually missed him. “You’re working at the library full time? Did Twilight blackmailed you or something?”

“No, I’m a singer… most of the time,” she replied, turning sideways to reveal her cutie mark: a pink heart with a black music note on it. “I gave up on this year’s tour and came to Ponyville to spend some time with Rarity, and I wanted, you know, after all this singing and shouting… you just want a nice, quiet corner for a change.”

“We’re on our way to see her,” Twilight said. “Would you like to join us?”

“Sure! I was just about to go, too,” Sweetie closed the door and beamed. “Oh, Rarity is going to be so happy when she sees you!”

It was a strange feeling for Spike. Although it had been many years since he saw Sweetie Belle for the last time, he didn't expect her, or anypony for that matter, to be so welcoming. He was expecting uneasiness, hostility, even disgust to a certain degree - after all, he had abandoned Twilight and his life in Canterlot abruptly and without saying goodbye to any of his Ponyville friends. Yet Sweetie Belle seemed genuinely joyous. Did Twilight never inform them why he left? He couldn't really tell.

The trio went through the town and got to the hospital sooner than Spike would expect. As far as he could remember, it used to be located on the outskirts of Ponyville, but on their way they kept passing by recently constructed buildings which only reinforced the impression of a growing community.

“Is anypony with her right now?” Twilight asked.

“Rainbow Dash,” Sweetie Belle nodded. “She hardly even leaves these days. She’s saying that it would against her nature not to stay still there.”

“She actually said that?” Spike asked in surprise.

“You bet!” Sweetie stopped by the hospital entry. “I think she feels that Rarity has… you know, not much time left.”

“I see,” Spike stepped aside to let a pegasus on wheelchair out. “How are you holding up?”

“I don’t know,” the mare stared at the ground. “It’s… difficult.”

As they entered the lobby, a blue pony with a screw on her flank and a pair of plum-colored eyes behind square glasses waved at them.

“Princess Twilight! I see you’ve made it!”

“Hello, nurse Loose,” she greeted the mare and approached her desk. “Is patient Rarity–”

Suddenly, a well-known voice of the fastest flyer in Equestria and the Wonderbolts’ aerial trainer was heard from within the hospital’s halls.

“Doctor Redheart to palliative care, room seven!”

“Room seven!? Oh no!” Sweetie Belle dashed to Twilight. “That’s where Rarity is!”

Spike didn’t need to be told twice. He fell on his front limbs, as moving on all fours was the only way he could fit into the corridor, and while it was terribly clumsy – flowerpots and tables knocked on the way being the best evidence – he ran forward, blazing a trail for Twilight and Sweetie Belle who were just behind him.

“Do something, doc!” Spike heard Rainbow Dash’s trembling voice coming from a room on his right. “What do you mean, you can’t?”

Spike stormed in. There were Rainbow Dash and supposed doctor Redheart inside, both staying by the only bed in the room, surrounded by medical equipment of all sorts. On this bed he saw motionless Rarity.

And for a brief second, they eyes met.

Spike wanted for this moment to last longer, but it sadly didn’t. If there was anything he had learned from his seven-year adventure and recent return to Ponyville, that was the time waited for no one, neither for a pony, nor for a dragon. It all lasted the said brief second, and Spike wasn’t sure if Rarity actually recognized him, or if it was her last breath that moved her lips.

Rarity was gone.

A single, continuous beep coming from the life-supporting machinery filled the room and Spike's mind before it got turned off by doctor Redheart. He slumped on the floor, falling to his knees and shattering lime tiles under his weight. Twilight and Sweetie Belle ran to the bed and fell into crying Rainbow Dash’s embrace, realizing what just happened.

Rarity, the mare Spike adored from the very first moment they’d met, the mare who worked tirelessly in a spirit of generosity to make the world a more beautiful place, the mare who kept sending letters to him even though she received not a single reply…

Rarity, the mare so very special to him… was gone.

Spike approached the bed. Rarity had been struggling with the illness for a long time, suffice to say that her coat lost its usual glamour and took a color of unhealthy, pale yellow in place of brilliant white. Her mane got thinned drastically, but was still combed into and elegant coiffure, although the colors seemed faded. But her eyes, still staring into a place where Spike stood a while ago, remained the same. Azure. Enchanting. Beautiful.

And then Twilight put a hoof on Rarity’s face, closing those remarkable eyes and covering the mare entirely with a fresh white sheet.

“Goodbye, my friend,” she whispered, rivers of tears flowing from her eyes. She stepped back to crying Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash and embraced them. “We’re going to miss you.”

As for Spike, he scrambled outside the room. Tears of a growing dragon were an extremely uncommon sight, mainly because their faces, covered with rows of adamant scales revealed hardly any emotions. But little Spike cried. On the outside… and inside.

“Mr. Spike?” said somepony behind him. It was a amaranth-maned mare wearing a medical apron and a stethoscope on her neck. “Hi, I’m doctor Redheart, I don’t know if you remember me?"

Of course he did, although back in the days she was just a nurse at the Ponyville Hospital.

"Miss Rarity had me write this earlier today," she continued. "I was going to send it, but since you’re already here, I figured there’s no need to. Here,” she gave him a folded piece of paper.

“Thank you…”

“My sincere sympathies, Mr. Spike.”

Spike caught a glimpse of Twilight trotting up to doctor Redheart and inquiring about something, but as he was already on his way out, he didn’t listen. He looked at the letter. It was definitely Rarity’s paper and ink, but obviously not her style. It was surprisingly readable for an earth pony physician’s writing, but it lacked Rarity’s elegance. The paper was creased and the letters were larger than in previous letters, even a bit cramped, and although several ink stains were something of a decoration, there were no match for exquisite and high-toned swirls.

As he went outside, Spike put the letter closer to his face, coughing almost immediately. It smelled with medicine and anesthetics… well, it smelled like all hospitals do.

He took a deep breath and began reading Rarity’s final message to him.

Mr. Spike,

As Miss Rarity is currently indisposed to hold a writing feather on her own, she asked me to write this following leather for her. As her attending physician, I assure you that I will not reveal its content to anyone under no circumstances whatsoever.

Doctor Redheart

Dear Spikey-Wikey!

I am afraid that I’m a bit under the weather right now. But that’s okay, I left the boutique in capable hooves. Flickerflight is an exceptional mare, I’m convinced she’ll do fine. I think I managed not to leave any matters unclosed, but I guess we’ll see about that.

My friends come here every day to keep me company. I hate to be a burden for them, but they insist. They are kind, they make me laugh, they stay with me. So many things have changed, but their greatest qualities remained the same. They remained the same. Remember to never lose faith in who you really are and keep to those you trust no matter what.

This is probably my last letter to you, Spike. I hope that you’re going to live a long and good life. Perhaps mine wasn’t as long as I wished, but I cherished every moment of it, especially time spent with you. I only regret that I might not see you again.

Farewell, dear Spike.

Yours,

Rarity

“Farewell, Rarity,” Spike whispered. He turned around to see Twilight, Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash standing right next to him. Twilight handed him a small object. “Doctor Redheart said it was going to go with the letter.”

“An envelope? But I already–”

“Turn it over.”

Spike took the envelope and did as she advised, revealing the way it was addressed. At first he couldn't believe his eyes, then he became even more confused.

Spike the Dragon, Ponyville.

“I… I don’t understand,” he showed the envelope to Sweetie and Rainbow. “How could she possibly know–”

“She didn’t,” Twilight said softly. “She believed.”

There were no words that could describe how Spike felt right now. Lost, yet found. Confused, yet tranquil. Chained, yet liberated.

“We’re going to get the rest of our friends,” Sweetie Belle said. “And prepare the ceremony for tomorrow. Would you like to come with us?”

“No, thanks,” Spike replied, adding the fourth letter and the envelope to the growing pile of memories in his woven sack. “I’d rather… be alone now.”

“I understand,” Twilight nodded and reached to embrace Spike’s neck. “We’ll talk later. See you tomorrow, then?”

“Of course. And…” he hesitated. “Thank you for bringing me back, Twi.”

As the ponies and the dragon went their separate ways, the princess smiled. She was glad that she fulfilled the task entrusted by Rarity, but also one of her own: she made a huge step towards reuniting with her Number One Assistant. Perhaps it was going to take time before they could fully trust each other again, but they were undoubtedly better now. Twilight believed that from now on, many things were going to get much easier – for her and Spike alike.

Those next hours he didn’t spend resting, Spike devoted to wandering around the town and reminiscing about Rarity. He visited every place that reminded him of her, but he consequently steered clear from a Ponyville post office and the Carousel Boutique. He was going to have plenty of time for that later.

For now, as the sun was hiding behind the horizon, he enjoyed occupying a certain bridge built of pink stone.

* * *

At first Spike was reluctant to show up at the funeral. He was afraid of alienation, completely justified anyway as he didn’t keep in touch with any of his old friends for years. But here’s an interesting thing about funerals: you’re bound to meet plenty of individuals that you hardly ever met, or have nothing in common with. Nothing, but shared feeling of respect towards those who passed away.

And so he went, and he didn’t feel alienated at all. All of his Ponyville friends remained his friends. For a moment he wondered if they actually knew what had happened between him and Twilight, but when it turned out that they were all happy to see him it ceased to matter. They smiled and waved at him when they saw him, of course in so far as the solemn nature of the ceremony allowed.

There were Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, some of them with their life companions, whether mares or stallions, and some of them even with offspring of their own. There were Princesses Celestia and Luna, Crystal Princess Cadence with Shining Armor. The ex-Cutie Mark Crusaders with their purpose in life finally discovered. For some reason Gilda with a crimson-coated griffon by her side. Slightly nervous Trixie with a miniature version of herself differing only by an orange-yellow mane, but not the coat. Fido, Rover and Spot, the infamous Diamond Dogs. A seemingly misplaced pony with a white goatee, a crooked bite and a single fang sticking out of his muzzle. And so on, and on…

Spike stood in the back of the growing crowd and could see them all, glad that although he didn’t make it on time – or perhaps he did, just in time – Rarity was never alone. Not during her final hours, not now, in the end.

Princess Twilight Sparkle lit the candles by an elegant, oaken coffin, illuminating a small, silver frame with the portrait of smiling Rarity. She approached a lectern, cleared her throat and began the ceremony.

“We’ve gathered here today…”

* * *

What will you do when you will face the end?

Because you will face it, eventually, as we all will. Sooner or later some chapters of our stories are meant to come to a closure. Sooner or later we are going to be challenged by passing of our friends, families, people close to us. And, sooner or later, we are all going to face the end, regardless of race, religion, orientation or values which we adhere in life.

You will then stand proud, knowing that you lived your life to the best of yourself as well as the others, that you didn’t waste it on pointless quarrels and unnecessary grief and that you stayed true to what is really important.

And that’s exactly what you and me alike should do.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading!