A Time to Remember

by Dull Mist

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike
Length: 5718

Princess Twilight, in the throes of her own grief, attempts to do something terrible.

The most precious things we have in life are our memories. Our recollections of the good good times and happy moments spent with friends, family, and loved ones. To the average pony, there is nothing in the world more valuable.

To some others though, a happy memory can be more of a curse than a blessing. And they may do anything to rid themselves of that curse.

Edited by SilverScope.

Published 2014-02-07 18:00:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-02-07 18:00:03 UTC

Chapter 1

It was a golden evening that befell Ponyville on the cusp of the Summer Sun celebration. The denizens of the once quaint little town, now a large and bustling city, still hung around to bask in the afterglow of a day of festivities and joy. Games of skill and chance that had been set up for the amusement of children and immature adults alike were being deconstructed and put away, and everybody did their part to help in the cleaning up, and they did so gladly.

Everybody, that is, except for one.

This the librarian of Ponyville observed from the upper balcony on the 4th floor of the Golden Oaks Library, leaning over the banister and passing his sharp, draconic eyes over the city and its colourful ponies. He was looking for something in particular, or rather, he was looking for somepony in particular. A certain colour that stood he could pick out amongst a sea of ponies.

He stood there, observing and searching as a small frown creased his face for few minutes before sighing and looking at the Ponyville clock tower. Though it was on the other side of town, his naturally sharp vision was able to make out the time which read 8 o clock.

“Where are you...” He muttered to himself under his breath. The sun was just starting to dip over the horizon, but the beautiful scene did nothing to ease his anxieties.

Shaking his head with a muted curse, the dragon pushed away from the banister and thought for a moment. It had been many years since he had come into possession of the Golden Oaks Library, it's previous librarian having given it to him because she had been unable to keep up with her duties, and he was happy and honoured to take over the responsibility. Since then, there had been many additions to the once humble little library that also served as his home, and it was now about twice the size that it once was, all the more room to hold its many, many books.

A deep, dissatisfied rumble came from Spike's chest. Even though he was older than almost every single pony in all of Ponyville, he was only considered to be a young adult amongst dragons. His stature, tall than most ponies, and his sharp, angular draconic features, such as the spines that ran along his back and the tail that dusted the ground as he walked, made him somewhat intimidating figure, but he was only known to the ponies as a kind and caring soul.

Did I miss her? He thought to himself doubtfully? Or maybe she just forgot?

He snorted and shook his head. That was hardly likely. Twilight and Spike had agreed to meet up at the library over an hour ago, as was tradition on every Summer Sun celebration. They would meet and, just like old times, spend some quality time together, away from their duties. They would drink wine, eat cake, share stories, and talk about good times long past, and he knew that Twilight wouldn't miss it for the world, especially considering how busy she usually was.

Spike scowled at the ponies who milled below. He knew it wasn't their fault, Equestria needed its princesses after all, and Twilight wasn't the only one who was burdened with the needs of her people, but when Spike saw the haggard look in his best friend's eyes, he couldn't help but feel a little resentment to the ponies who demanded so much from her.

Sighing, he looked up and spied Ponyville's modest, yet still impressive castle. While not nearly as large as the Canterlot Palace or The Crystal Palace, it was still striking in its own right. Mostly constructed out of white stone and marble on the outside with the occasional black and purple trims and designs. From the towers, the highest reaching structure in all of Ponyville, lavender tenets waved in the wind. It was one of these towers that Spike focused on, the largest and grandest, to be exact.

Without a second thought, Spike placed one foot on the banister and leapt off into the air, unfurling his large wings behind him. He flapped once to gain some altitude, sending gusts of wind into the crowd below, and, instinctually following the directions given to him by Equestria's greatest flier so long ago, made for the rooms of Twilight Sparkle.

Spike landed gently on the balcony outside the window that was several times larger than himself. Peering inside the room, he saw no signs of his tardy friend.

He smirked. Used to be even the thought of being tardy would send into a catatonic fit. He mused. Where did those days go, I wonder?

Reaching out with a scaled, carefully filed down claw, he pushed open the door that nobody but he and Twilight knew existed, for it was made for this very purpose. He, Twilight's number one assistant, was the only one in Equestria who had unfettered access to Twilight's rooms.

He couldn't help but feel a mite guilty at intruding like this, but something was egging him on. All day, through his brief interactions with Equestria's newest princess, Spike could tell that something was wrong. Having known her literally his entire life, Spike was able to notice when something was on her mind. The creases that showed up around her eyes, the tightness of her mouth, and more importantly, the ways her gaze would constantly turn to the ground, as though looking inward toward a hidden, buried pain all told him that something was wrong.

And he thought that he knew what it was, because as much as he tried to hide it, he felt it himself. This day had a very special meaning to the both of them, but to Twilight especially.

“Twi'?” Spike called into the dark interior. “You there?” There was no answer. Casting his gaze around what was Twilight's darkened study, Spike began to explore the familiar surroundings, but nothing seemed amiss. Books, as always, littered the desks, tables, and shelves, and scientific instruments the likes of which Spike could hardly pronounce, let alone comprehend, were scattered. Finding nothing of interest, he moved on to the next room.

What amounted to her living room, a small space with plush furniture of purple trimmed with gold, revealed nothing to him as well, neither did her observatory, nor reading room. Finally, Spike came across the last room of the tower. The bedroom.

“Twilight?” he called once more as he slowly pushed open the door on silent hinges. To his chagrin, there was no sign of the mare.

Immediately, Spike knew that something was off. The faint smell of burning candle wax wafted the air, so slight that nobody but himself, with his draconic senses, would have been able to detect it. Furrowing his brow, he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

Spike immediately made his way to Twilight's desk, a large and elegant piece of furniture made out of ebony and showing considerable wear, giving it that lovingly used look. Twilight's entire apartment, and tastes in particular, tended to lean to the classical styles and darker colours. Spike still remembered the way that a mare that they used to know had pined over how lovely it was when she first moved in, marvelling over the “class” and “stylistic design.”

Spike frowned at it the desk, perturbed by how uncharacteristically tidy it was. Usually it was so covered with papers, books, and scrolls that he couldn't see the wood that it was made out of, but now all of that clutter was gone only to be replaced by a single piece of paper folded over on itself. Upon closer inspection, Spike saw a name written on it in the precise writing that he knew so well.

Twilight Sparkle

Spike's eyes narrowed as he eyed the paper uneasily. She wrote a letter...to herself? Looking at the candlestick that sat on the desk, he could see a faint ember on the wick, still trailing a tiny amount of smoke into the air. And not too long ago, it seems.

Spike abhorred the very thought of intruding on Twilight's privacy, and normally he would have turned away without a second thought, but something made him pause. Twilight had been...unwell for the past few months, and no matter what Spike said to her or did to try and cheer her up, he had not been able to lessen, nor discover the source of her pain. What was invisible to other ponies was plain as day to him. What normally looked like a bad hair day, Spike knew was a sign that something was terribly wrong, and Twilight had been having a bad hair day for an unnaturally long time as of late.

Gritting his teeth, Spike reached out and delicately took the piece of paper, careful not to rip or crease it. Almost every instinct told him to put it down and leave before the intruded on her privacy even more than he already had entering her rooms without permission, but one forced him to proceed, the most powerful instinct that a dragon could have. The instinct to protect what was most important to them.

Unfolding the letter, Spike read. And read. And read.

And when he finished reading, he crushed the letter in his claw, dropped it to the ground, and started to run.

It didn't even occur to Spike that he should open the window before leaping out of it, sending a shower of glass shards raining down below. Thankfully, there was nobody below to harmed, and his tough scales protected him from the sharp edges.

Spike plummeted, a snarl on his lips and his eyes wide with a potent mix of terror and fury. What is she thinking? He thought to himself furiously. What is she bucking thinking!?

Skillfully angling his body toward the ground, Spike snapped opened his wings behind him, and they immediately filled with air, slowing him down ever so slightly. Just moments before he slammed against the ground, he adjusted himself that rather than facing down, he sailed upwards and forwards so as to conserve his speed as he sailed over the walls.

Had he been in a better state of mind, he might have taken the moment to send a letter to Celestia explaining the situation. Surely, what with her being an alicorn and all, she would know what to do better than Spike would, but Spike was far from being in the right state of mind. His lips drew back, showing his sharp fangs as he growled deeply in his chest.

Twilight, you fool!

Flapping his wings furiously, the wind whistling by his ears, Spike sped through the air like an arrow, only metres away from colliding with rooftops and chimneys as he did not want to spare the time to gain altitude. Ponies gasped from underneath him, well used to the sight of the tall dragon by now, but not when he was like this.

As he flew, Spike recalled every every word in the letter that Twilight had left for a hint, a clue, something as to point him in the direction where she could be found, but there was nothing. It was almost as though she had written it it to be as obtuse as possible, which, when he thought about it for a moment, seemed plausible.

Raising his wings, he came to sudden stop, hovering over Ponyville as its citizens looked at him, their friendly librarian, with wide eyed confusion. Spike drew his memory back as far as he possibly could, considering a multitude of places that she could be. Libraries, different homes, monuments and other locations that Twilight loved all seemed like possibilities, but Spike quickly discarded them.

No, she would go somewhere that had more of a sentimental value. He mused. Somewhere important to her...to them...

With a flash of realization, Spike raised his head and looked over to the forest that bordered Ponyville. To his draconic eyes, he could just make out the tip of something unnaturally dark, like a stone tower, poking through the trees.

With another growl, Spike took off, flying for all that he was worth. He could just imagine the nod of approval he would have gotten had one pegasus in particular been here to see him.

I'm coming Twilight. Please hold on.

At the speed he was flying, it only took Spike a few minutes to reach the old abandoned castle in the Everfree Forest. He half landed, half crashed directly in front of the crumbling entrance, the door long since rotted away leaving only a wide hole that led into darkness only barely lit up by the last light of the day.

“Twilight?” He called, taking nervous steps inside. He knew that the only thing that lived in these ruins were mostly harmless animals and plants, but even with the urgency of the situation, he couldn't help but tread slowly. He used to be terrified witless of the Everfree Forest when he was just a whelp, no small part due to the many stories he'd heard of its dangers, and it's a fear that, while lessened, has stuck with him for as long as he's been alive.

Spike grit his teeth and shook his head clear. Twilight was probably somewhere in this old ruin, getting ready to cast the spell that would ruin her life under the misguided presumption that it would fix it for her, and he was just standing there, letting it happen.

Dammit! He thought angrily as he surged forward, pushing his childish fears to the back of his mind. Just like she had with him on several occasions, he was going to give her a lecture to make her ears bleed when he found her.

Spike ran up stairs, sprinted through hallways, and crashed through doors. He knew exactly where it was he needed to go, and was making every effort to get there as quickly as possible until he finally came to the large, ornate door at the top of the winding staircase where he knew he would find her.

Setting his eyes on the door sent chills running up and down his spine. It brought back memories of when he first came to Ponyville, meeting 6 mares that would forever change their lives, and coming to this very room to stop an ancient evil. He and Twilight had been so young then...

He didn't stop to dwell, promptly bursting through the door with a shout already on his tongue, but it promptly died there when he looked around.

The room, almost completely, devoid of any furniture or design, was also devoid of any life. It was completely empty.

Spike had to suppress a cry of frustration. Where...where is she? He thought desperately to himself. She should be here! Where is she!?

The only explanation was that he was wrong to think that this is where she had come to. Spike wanted to put his claws to his head and scream, but he refrained himself. Getting angry wouldn't solve anything right now. He needed to think.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, deep furrows appearing on his eyebrows as he contemplated the problem before him as precisely and efficiently as Twilight herself would have. He went over every detail that might be relevant with a fine toothed comb until he finally came to a realization.

Opening his eyes, Spike immediately turned around and started to run back the way he came. He knew where he could find his friend, and fortunately, he didn't have too far to go.

Dear Twilight Sparkle

If you're reading this, you likely have some questions about your current situation. No may have a feeling as though you're forgetting something very important, and in essence, you are.

Spike ran as fast as his legs could carry him, startling all sorts of creatures as he thundered across the forest floor.

Years ago, when you first came to Ponyville, you met 5 mares, each different and unique in their own strange little ways. Through unforeseen circumstances, you found yourself doing something that you never could have expected possible. You befriended them.

Coming to a rickety bridge over a cliff, Spike unfolded his wings behind him and gave one immense flap downwards, propelling him through the air so that he landed safely on the other side.

These friends were possibly the best thing to ever happen to you, and you loved them like they were family. Your friendship couldn't last however, and as a result of your ascension to an alicorn, you gained a much larger lifetime than the average pony, including the friends that you held so dear, so they withered and perished as you remained biologically the same age as you were when you left Canterlot.

Spike came to a deep, dark pit in the ground, wide enough to fit the entire Golden Oaks Library inside with room to spare. Stone steps stuck lined the wall leading down into the blackness.

Their deaths were...the most painful you have ever experienced. To this day, their faces, their voices, and their smiles haunt you, reminding you of what you lost, and on the Summer Sun Celebration, the day you met them, the pain of what you lost is even more agonizing.

Without hesitation, Spike took a mighty leap forward, forgoing the stairs for a faster method of descent, a full on plummet through the darkness.

This is why I have determined it best to my...our...mental health and sanity to cast a spell to erase the memories of your friends, because as wonderful the memories I have of them are, they are too painful to bear, and I do not think that I can hold onto them any longer.

It is my hope that you understand and will forgive me for doing this, but it truly is for the best.

Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle

Spike landed on hard, smooth stone, his strong body easily absorbing the impact of the fall. He looked up, eyes wide, and what he saw made his heart skip a beat in his chest.

The Tree of Harmony stood, as tall and proud as ever, but something was wrong with it. Whereas Spike remembered the tree to be shining brightly with the power of the elements of harmony when he last saw it, it seemed to be dimmed now, only casting a dim glow around the wide cavern. In front of it, he could see the form of a pony, sitting with her head bowed.

Spike instantly recognized the pony. Please don't be too late. “Twilight?” he called out to her. She didn't stir or answer. Please, for the love of Celestia don't be too late...

Spike had to resist tearing up. “Twi'? You there?” he called again, taking a hesitant step forward. Still, the alicorn didn't twitch.

“Please answer me Twi'. Please don't tell me you...you...” he couldn't force the rest of the sentence out.

There was long, deep silence as Spike waited for a word from his best friend. He could hear is own heart hammering in his chest as he waited for her to say something, anything at all, but she was as silent as the softly glowing tree in front of him.

He closed his eyes and bit his lip, fighting back tears. I was...too late. He thought numbly. I wasn't fast enough.

“I couldn't do it...”

Spike looked up, his eyes shining.

“I wanted to...so badly...but I just couldn't...”

“Twi...” Spike whispered. He heard a monumental sob from the mare, and she fell to her knees.

Spike rushed forward, at her side in a matter of seconds. He could immediately see how miserable she truly was. Her face was stained with tear streaks, her eyes were bloodshot, and her mane was a mess of tangles and dirt.

He held her closely to him as she cried softly to herself, stroking her mane down with a claw, hoping to soothe her as much as he could. In the midst of her tears, Twilight continued to speak in her broken, cracking voice.

“I perfected the spell and was ready to cast it, but something just wouldn't let me...” she muttered into his scales where he held her. “Why?” she wailed. “Why can't I do it? Why can't I just be happy?!” she paused for a moment to clench her eyes shut. “Like before...”

There was silence between the two of them, broken only by the sounds of her muted, tired cries. Spike looked at the trembling mare in his arms, the Princess of Ponyville and one of the strongest magicians in eras whom he had known for as long as he'd been alive, and was now crying her eyes out in misery.

“Oh Twilight...” Spike murmured consolingly. “Is this really what you need to be happy? Destroying the memories of your friends?”

“What else can I do?” she wailed into his chest, shuddering with suppressed sobs finally coming loose. “No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work and devote myself in my studies, I can't stop thinking about them!”

Spike breathed deeply, and held her tighter, his mind swimming. The death of their friends, the rest of the elements of harmony, was hard on everyone, Twilight especially, but he didn't realize that she was suffering this badly. Perhaps I don't know her as well as I thought I did. He thought to himself sadly.

“Twilight...why didn't you tell me any of this?”

“Why?” Twilight's voice was tinged with astonishment. She pushed herself up on a forelimb and looked up into his eyes. “Spike, I shouldn't even be feeling like this in the first place! I'm a Princess, thousands of ponies depend on me. I can't afford to be so...so...weak!” Her eyes narrowed as her face hardened, looking away ashamedly. “What would Celestia say if she saw me right now...?” she muttered to herself.

“She would likely say the same thing that I'm going to say to you right now.” Spike said, holding her cheek with a claw and bringing her head up to look at him. She kept her eyes firmly closed however, but he was not dissuaded “You're right Twilight, you are a princess, but that's not all you are.”

She slowly opened her eyes to look into Spike's earnest, worried face. “You're a student to one of the the wisest beings in all of Equestria. You're the closest thing that I have to a family, and I would walk through the doors of Tartarus for you. You're possibly one of the smartest ponies to ever be born, and I say that without a hint of exaggeration.”

Twilight's eyes widened as he spoke, and she was about to say something, but Spike cut her off. “And most importantly...” he continued softly, bringing his face closer to hers, looking her straight in the eyes. “You're a pony. Just like Celestia, and Luna, and the other elements of harmony, you're a pony.”

“W-what are you saying?” Twilight choked, her voice raw and weak, genuine confusion briefly masking the grief on her face.

Spike looked at her for a long moment, taking in everything about her, from the lines on her face that she never used to have to the dishevelled mane that she normally kept so neat and straight. An idea came to him.

“Twilight, who's the strongest pony you know, alive or dead?” he asked her simply. She blinked, taken aback.

“I...well, I don't know. Rainbow Dash is the first one who comes to mind what with all of her ambition and focus, although Applejack did work incredibly hard to make Sweet Apple Acres the way it is today. Although Pinkie Pie never seemed to lose her spirits and could get through anything, and Rarity never let anything dissuade her. Even Fluttershy showed unimaginable strength when she needed to. And then there's Celestia and Luna of course, but...” Her eyes swam with tears. “I'm not them.” Spike smiled gently.

“Well I would hope not. Can you imagine what it would be like if Pinkie ruled Equestria?” he said, hoping for a smile, but not getting one. “But as strong as they were, Twilight, they weren't perfect. Remember when Pinkie Pie went almost mad with grief when she thought that we weren't her friends anymore? Or when Rarity made the mistake of treating you all horribly in Manehattan?”

“Yes, I do.” Twilight said quietly, looking away. “All too well, and that's the problem...”

Spike's went quiet. He looked to the Tree of Harmony, standing only a few metres away. It seemed to be even dimmer than before, and it barely shed any light on the two of them.

Spike sighed the way that only the old and experienced could, which belied his youthful look. “I miss them too, Twilight. I really do.” he paused to shut his eyes for a moment, holding back a few errant tears that sought to escape. “But I wasn't as close to them as you were. I can only only imagine how terrible it must have felt when they died. How terrible it must still feel.” Twilight took a deep and shuddering breath, turning her head into the shadows.

“The only right I have to say this is as your friend, and nothing else.” He ran his eyes over each element on the tree of harmony that hung off of its branches, each in the shape of cutie mark of ponies that used to live. “But how do you think they would feel if they knew you wanted to erase them from your memory?”

“It's the only way...” she muttered, still keeping her face hidden.

Spike was quiet for a long moment. “Do you really think so little of them?” he whispered.

“How dare you!?” Twilight said, pulling away and looking back at him, her expression the picture of rage and her eyes on fire. “You know that isn't true! You know that I would never think little of my friends! They are some some of the most important ponies in the world to me! They're a part of who I am! How dare you insinuate otherwise!”

Spike bore her anger without batting an eye. Over her years as Princess, she had become a lot stronger and more assertive as she had to deal with the highest and lowest that pony society had to offer, and it showed.

“And yet you could throw them away like that? A part of who you are?” he asked simply.

She froze, her anger withering away into pure shame as she squeezed her eyes shut, a few more tears leaking out of the corners. She was quiet for a good, long while before she finally spoke again in a defeated voice.

“What else is there to do? Continue living with this pain for centuries?” Her brow furrowed and her mouth tightened. “Don't I have a right to be happy just as much as anyone else? Don't I have a say in my future?”

It broke Spike's heart to see her so torn. Growing up, she was his anchor of stability and maturity that he could always rely on. When he tried to learn about his dragon origins and culture, she was there to study with him. When he started going through the painful process of growing his wings, she was there to comfort him. It was only through her guidance through every bump and tumble in life that he became who he was today, and right now, she needed him to be the same for her.

Spike reached out and laid a hand on her shaking shoulder. “You do Twilight. You have just as much as a right as anypony else. But not like this.”

“Then how?” she nearly yelled, looking at the glowing tree that stood before them and brandishing a hoof. “They were what made me happy! We were the elements of harmony, the essence of friendship itself! Who else could give me what they did?”

Spike looked at her, his expression carefully neutral. “What about me?” he said quietly, causing her eyes to widen. “What about Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and your nieces and nephews and everybody else who cares for you. Are we not your friends?”

A look of horror came upon Twilight as she realized what she said. Moving forward, she wrapped her hooves around Spike's neck and drew him in close, just like she did when he was young. “Oh Spike...of course you are. You all are. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate-”

“I know, Twi', I know.” Spike interrupted, hugging her back, carefully and gently, as though she were delicate and would break at the slightest pressure. “I never thought otherwise.” They stayed that way, holding and comforting one another, for the span of only a few heartbeats before Spike pulled away and held her at arms length.

“But you need to remember something Twi', something that seem to have forgotten. Despite them being gone, despite never being able to taste Applejack's homemade apple cider or wear another one of Rarity's custom made dresses, you aren't alone. You never have been.”

Twilight sniffed and took a deep, shuddering breath. “I know that Spike, I truly do...” She looked like she wanted to say something more, but couldn't bring herself to.

“But that's not enough, is it?” Spike pushed gently, not surprised when Twilight closed her eyes regretfully and nodded. He sighed and thought for a brief moment.

“Twilight, if there's one thing that I learned from being the only dragon in pony civilization, it's that it will never, ever be enough.” she opened her eyes and looked at him. “No matter how comfortable and happy I was with my life living with ponies, I always the thought that something was wrong with me. That I wasn't acting like a proper dragon, and that I was somehow betraying my own kind. Even after I saw how those teenaged dragons acted, I couldn't rid myself of the idea that I was supposed to be more like them, and less like me.”

Twilight's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something, but Spike cut her off. “Yes, I kept these feelings hidden from you, and no, there was nothing that you could do. To be honest, I still feel that way, occasionally, and while I try to suppress it, I know I never will be able to be completely comfortable with myself as a dragon living in a pony's world. That will never leave me, and this, Twilight, will never leave you.”

“What are you saying, Spike?” she asked hoarsely.

“I'm saying that this, like all things worth remembering, can't simply be thrown to the wayside in hopes that all your problems will disappear. I'd like to forget what I did to Ponyville when I let the greed growth turn me into a monster, but I can't afford to, because if I did, I wouldn't be the Spike that I am today. If you forgot your friends, Twilight, not only would the pain go away, but so would every single happy memory and moment that you had with them, and the effort you put into learning about the magic of friendship would have been for nothing.”

The mare was quiet for a long moment. Finally, she looked to the Tree of Harmony with an unreadable expression. The glow put into sharper contrast the tear stained coat on her ageless face. “You're right.” she said quietly. “I wouldn't be who I was. Everything I've learned would be for naught...” she heaved a weary sigh and shook her head sorrowfully, wiping at her face with an arm. Taking a deep breath, she ran her eyes over the assorted symbols that represented the cutie marks of the long gone bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

“It's a burden, I know.” Spike said, also looking at the tree. It seemed to be shining slightly brighter than it was before, and was getting steadily more so. It almost looked like it was getting healthier. “But it's a cold reality that we can't escape from.”

He heard Twilight chuckle from beside him. “Goodness Spike, when did you get so wise?”

“Hey, you aren't the only one who's been alive for over 100 years.” he replied. “Did you think I was going to stay young forever?”

She scrutinized him with a slight smile on her messy, disheveled face. “No...I don't think I did. I just never thought I'd be alive to see it.”

“Well, there's one benefit to having the lifespan of an alicorn. You get to spend more time with me and see how awesome I am!” he said with a small, hopeful grin.

She giggled. “Now you sound like Rainbow Dash.”

“Well, she was pretty cool.” He sighed wistfully. “They all were.”

“Indeed...” she replied, her mind elsewhere. “And I guess...I'll just have to learn to live without them.”

Spike wrapped an arm around her and drew her in close. “Not by yourself, you won't.” Twilight smiled at this, albeit somewhat sadly, and gave him a small nuzzle.

They sat like this for few minutes, basking in the glow of harmony, now back to its former brilliance. Bright lights of different colours twinkled like stars off the ends of each branches, casting a shifting brilliance on the floor and walls of the wide chamber they sat in.

Finally, without warning, Twilight stood up. “It's probably getting late. We should get going. I have a lot of thinking to do when I get back to my room...”

Spike smiled and got to his feet. “Yeah, you're right.” his smile turned weak as he remembered something. “Oh, and uh...I may have accidentally broke one of your windows on my way here.” he said sheepishly.

Twilight gave him a sideways look, a hint of a grin playing across her face. She still looked tired and somewhat sad, but Spike could see her getting back to her usual self. “Well, it's good to see that somethings don't change, no matter how old they get.”

Spike huffed indignantly, crossing his arms as Twilight's horn lit up, teleporting them back home.