Epilogue

Spike waited outside Golden Oaks Library thinking back through the ups and downs of recent years until his concentration was broken by two familiar voices calling out “Uncle Spike”. He turned and found two foals running towards him, followed at a more leisurely and dignified pace by a familiar pair of unicorns.

The large dragon bent down and gave Rarity a hug to the best of his ability now he so much bigger than anypony and even some buildings, as her pair of foals started climbing up his scales. He carefully released Rarity so she could watch over her children, and he gave her husband a hoof/claw bump hello.

Silk Bow was a charming pegasus stallion in the fashion business, and had met the high standards of Rarity, her friends, her family and most importantly Ponyville’s resident dragon. Spike knew he made Rarity very happy and was as excited as any of the mares when the pair had started a family together. The family lived up in Canterlot, where Rarity had become one of the most talked about designers in the city. A family, a name in fashion, a wonderful husband – he knew it was everything she had dreamed of since she was small.

But she always made time for her friends, and especially for Spike. As he grew it became more difficult for him to visit, and her family and career took up more and more of her time. However, they always made sure to make regular gem hunt together, done without fail except during the final months of pregnancy. The time always paid massive dividends for the pair…and not just in terms of jewels.

Once the foals had completed their monumental climb to the dragon summit, Spike carefully lowered the young ponies from his head “Silk, I need to speak to you, care to walk with me?”

“Sure Spike” he replied a little shocked, a feeling he noted from a quick glance shared by his wife, and he trotted after the dragon. The relationship between the two of them has always been a strained one - Rarity clearly loved Silk in the way should could not Spike, but in other ways she was much closer to Spike. Some of her coltfriends didn't like this sort of closeness and tried to force Rarity away from Spike...they didn't last long.

Once the pair reached the edge of town, Spike lay down so he could speak quietly to the pony.

“You have to keep this a secret but…I’m about to take my first sleep” Spike calmly whispered.

“You mean…?”

“Yes, my first long sleep...a hundred years or so."

Spike paused for a moment to let that sink into Silk before continuing "Rarity cannot know, none of them can…saying goodbye to them would be too hard. I’ve waited to make sure that I see both Rarity and Rainbow Dash one last time, but I can’t put it off much longer. I have less than a day before I’ll be too tired to move…and I need to be far away from here for everypony's sake” Spike sighed.

Having been told the news, Silk could now see the signs of tiredness in the usually glistening dragon eyes “I see…but why are you telling me?”

“They are going to be devastated when they find out…after all it’s like me dying on them. Twilight knew this day would come, and she has Scarlet to comfort her. Rarity will take it hard but of course she has you. I’ll warn you, she’ll be mad that I didn’t tell her…that I lied and broke a promise I made a long time ago to not hide anything from her...ever.”

“I sort of understand” the stallion replied, processing the news "Rarity has never been able to explain properly the connection between you two...but I know you two are very close. Of course..." he paused for a moment looking at the dragon that could easily rip him to peices "...I know you have feelings for her..."

Spike nodded slowly in agreement, and allowed the stallion to continue "...but from what I understand you talked that out and there's nothing like that between you?"

"Mutual honesty over my previous feelings has been the bedrock of our friendship for so long, but surely you know she loves you more than anything else...except thouse darling little foals of yours I guess!"

This time it was the stallion who nodded in agreement. Spike very gently put a tip of a claw over Silk's shoulder “She’ll need you, now more than ever. I’ve always been something to help keep in touch with her Ponyville roots, and she needs that, they all do. Look after her, make sure she doesn’t work too hard and that she remembers to come home once in a while...Applejack misses her” Spike started to ramble, a churning sensation in his vast chest.

“Still worrying about her? Don’t worry, I will Spike. And look after yourself. I hope one-day you can find a dragon that you can love as much as you do my Rarity. Perhaps when you wake up you’ll be able to meet up with our great great grandfoals or whatever…”

The pair looked at each other in a quiet respect, before they nodded and both discreetly wiped away a tear before they started headed back. The rest of his friends, and their associated partners and foals, had already arrived outside the library by the time they had returned. Spike greeted the old gang with an unusual amount of emotion for the dragon, especially those that had travelled from outside town.

“Oh Oh Oh, it’s time for the party!” Pinkie Pie let off some streamers, her first foal strapped to her back giggling in delight “Sweet Apple Acres is all set up for an outside hoedown so even Spike can join us! So lets get to it!”

“You ponies go ahead, I have something to do first” The dragon let out a massive yawn “Don’t let me slow you…”

The ponies walked, flew or bounced off towards the farm and with a heavy heart Spike spread his wings and launched himself into the air. Silk watched as Spike flew overhead, knowing that none of them would ever speak to the dragon again. He hated that he knew sometime soon he was about to have a distraught wife on his hands, but was honoured that the dragon had given him time to prepare.

Sleep well, gentle Spike, and don’t worry I’ll try to love and protect Rarity as much as you did…

Spike woke up and as soon as he rose a familiar belch sprung from his mouth. He ignored it and started to stretch out in his cave when within moments a blinding flash filled the cave, and when it faded two ponies had joined him in his lair.

"Princess Celestia? Princess Luna?"

"Good Morning Spike...sleep well?" the elder alicorn smiled at Spike, who had more than trebled in size during his speech .

"Yes...what year is this?" the dragon replied.

"You've been asleep for 102 years. We set an alarm to tell us when you awoke, I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all Princess" Spike yawned back "I guess you want to escort me away from Equestria's borders?"

"Far from it, you are as welcome in Equestria, and the Crystal Empire, as you always have been. Our subjects have been told about your exploits at saving the nation on more than one occasion, and will welcome you as they always did" Celestia softly reassured the huge beast.

"Just...don't try to sit on them!" Luna teased with a wink.

Spike laughed for a moment, but then his face fell "My friends? Are they..."

"Yes Spike, and we will fill you in on the wonderful lives they led! But, we promised to deliver this to you as soon as you awoke" and Celestia conjured up an old scroll and floated it over to Spike. The dragon unravelled it gently and squinted at the writing...

Dear Spikey Wikey

I am writing this a few months after you have left us, as the wounds are still fresh but enough time has passed to reflect properly.

Taking the good news first, and I'm sure there will be a lot more between this letter and when you awake, but we're expecting another foal! I can't believe it buts it's really helped me put everything into a circle of life perspective.

I want to scold you for just leaving like that, but Silk helped me understand that saying a permanent goodbye would be too hard. And I know that there's no way we would ever have let you go and you would have had us following you across the country to your new liar. It of course came as a shock to us all!

Twilight took it quite well, as I guess she always knew her little baby would someday leave the nest. Pinkie coped how she always did, by throwing you a honorary going away party which really helped Applejack and Rainbow Dash move on. Fluttershy took the news much harder, as she realised that having come out of her shell to be around friends would sometimes mean saying goodbye.

And then that just leaves me, and I have a pain in my heart. But it's not the pain of losing our friendship, or never seeing you again, it's a pain that your last act was to protect us, and probably me, as much as possible. You were always far too kind towards me Spike, especially for what I gave in return. As the element of generosity, I was so selfish when it came to you. I should have forced you to move on from much from a much younger age but I never did as I wanted you as a friend. But perhaps I can do in death what I could never do in life...

Release you.

Go Spike, Go find a dragoness to love and have hatchling with. Live your life! You've held back, no doubt for all of us but espcially me, for far too long and whilst it's been a wonderful ride, it's time for you to start a new Journey.

Go, find her, love her like you love me

Be happy Spikey Wikey

Rarity Bow

Tears had been escaping from the dragon eyes from about halfway through the letter, but the dragon had grown mentally as well as physically in his first growth sleep. Celestia and Luna stood in respectful silence as the dragon crawled to the entrance to the cave "It's a brand new world out here...and it's time to find my true place in it!"

Author's Note

Leaving the love of your life in the capable hands/hooves (whatever) and knowing you will probably never see them again? Thats the hardest thing in the world...

I added the second part of the Epilogue just to show Rarity isn't heartless as some may think!