Author's Note
I hope you guys enjoy the story! It might be a good idea to listen to emotional background music to help the mood. Feel free to leave comments or critiques below so I can continue to improve. I look forward to hearing what you guys think!
Forever in Your Heart
Forever in Your Heart
Inside a dark cave, deep in the Archback mountains, stood two powerful beings. Both were centuries old and recognized as the wisest of creatures. One of them was the known ruler of Equestria, and successor to the throne after the passing of Princess Luna. And she was adored by all of her subjects. When the great Dragon War inevitably reached the shores of Equestria, it was by her ingenuity and might alone that the dragon horde had been defeated. Although she had saved the inhabitants of Equestria, her decisions on that day would forever haunt her.
The other had paid a much more costly price for his actions in that war. He was once a hardened warrior and vigilant protector of the Princess. He served the alicorn in bringing down the reign of the dragons despite being one himself, and was cursed to be the last of his race as a result. She lived the life of a royal while he took to the life of a hermit. One was the adored ruler, while the other was made an outcast. The war was long over but some wounds still hadn't healed.
A soft purple glow dimly lit the mysterious cavern. The light struggled to beat back the smothering darkness, almost as if the dark didn't want to reveal what things might lay within its endless maw. The alicorn intensified her magic, revealing the cave to be much larger than she had originally thought. The glowing light from her horn seemed to dance over the rough walls and ceiling of the cave as she paced back and forth along the cold floor. She stood near the overly large entrance of the cave; its walls were lined with countless books organized in alphabetical order. Before her, in the center of the cave, a colossal dragon lounged on a collection of gold, silver, and numerous multicolored gems.
Beyond him was only darkness, but not just any darkness. It was a mysterious, disturbing darkness formed by dragon magic. And it would not yield to her light despite her best efforts. It was always hard to tell what could be hiding in a dragon’s lair. She inwardly cursed her insatiable curiosity. Regardless, she would never know, because Spike would only let her come this far into his home. She suddenly felt a deeply overwhelming urge to look away from the empty abyss behind the purple dragon. Something didn’t feel right about being near dragon magic. It felt cold, ominous. It left a lingering reminder of a nearly forgotten civilization.
Realizing that her mind had wandered again, she shifted her attention back to the dragon who was patiently waiting for her to continue. A slight smirk showed on his face as his emerald eyes peered into hers. He knew exactly what she was thinking about.
A deep, reverberating voice emitted from the dragon as he spoke. “You know… one day your curiosity is going to get you into trouble, Twilight.” The cave shook as it echoed his voice making it seem as if multiple dragons were speaking with him which only added to her discomfort.
The lavender alicorn blushed in embarrassment, knowing that he had once again caught her trying to pry open his secrets. “Sorry, Spike. I couldn’t help myself.”
His smile was deeply engraved on his face as he spoke again. “I know…You always did have a deep passion for learning about the unknown; I can’t fault you for being curious.” He chuckled deeply but suddenly his laughter was replaced with a grimace as he released a series of hacking sounds, coughing deeply. The elderly dragon’s body quaked with each spasm as his lungs struggled for air, each sickening cough earning him a severe amount of pain. After he regained control of his body, the dragon turned and smiled at the alicorn. A soft wheeze escaping his lips with each breath.
Twilight smiled back at him tightly. It was hard to see one of her oldest and closest friends in so much pain.
The dragon shifted his weight, causing his bed of riches to dance and swim around him. The rich sound of thousands of jewels, bits, coins and other assortments of collected treasure resonated within the walls of the cave as they shifted with their owner. He waited for the sound to settle before speaking again. “Remember all those years ago when I told you that one day I would let you to see my greatest treasures?” A sad smile appeared on his face as he looked behind himself, seeing something that Twilight herself could not. “Well that day is going to be today.”
Not quite knowing what to say, Twilight stood there. Eventually the words came to her. “Why today, Spike?” Her tone gave a slight edge of concern.
Spike took a moment to compose himself before answering her question. It was something that he knew she would ask him. He had been preparing himself for this moment for many years and now it was finally here. But now that the time had finally come, the answer seemed to escape him. He looked into his sister’s eyes despondently. All he knew was that it was here that he would ask her to do the one thing that he could never do on his own. It was going to be hard for both of them, but he desperately needed her to do it. After his reply, she gasped in horror.
“What?!” The lavender alicorn couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“I said, she’s dead Twilight.” Spike said in a deeply sorrowful tone. “She died yesterday morning. And now…I want you to ease my suffering and let me die too.”
The lavender alicorn stepped back in surprise. Shock clearly showed on the alicorn’s face, but if she knew, she wasn't doing anything to hide it. “Y-you want me to kill you?!”
Twilight noticed that his emerald eyes were locked on hers. She felt his gaze piercing into her soul in search of her thoughts. He was now frowning very solemnly at her. The dragon kept silent, but the expression he bore gave Twilight his answer.
“But why? Why would you want that?!” A mesh of concern and anger filled her voice.
Spike quickly lurched upwards into a sitting position and unfolded his wings in a display of anger, making the Princess more than a little uneasy. “Why? Why?! I was forced to stand by and watch as my beloved dragoness died in my arms!” He noticed Twilight subtly edging herself closer to the exit of the cave and sighed heavily. He took a deep breath and let it out, slowly folding his wings as he did so. Twilight relaxed just a bit as she watched the old dragon warily. “Why do you back away from me as if I was some untamed beast? Am I not the same dragon that you once raised and cared for in Ponyville? Even more so, am I not within my right to be angry for what’s happened to me? Am I not entitled to express how I feel?”
The air seemed to tense up for a few seconds until Spike broke the silence. “I outlived my daughter, Twilight.” He spoke sadly, yet calmly to his older sister, mustering up as much strength as he could to not cry in front of her. Tears streaked from his eyes every now and then, despite his efforts. He stared at the ground. His expression showed only heartache and she could hear a deep sadness in his voice as he spoke, “My little Marie…no parent should have to bury their own children.”
“I’m so sorry Spike. I didn’t know that she…I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Me too…”
The cave echoed his last words and then fell silent again, as if it was now waiting intently for the lavender alicorn to speak. She looked to her purple hued friend and saw that his icy gaze was deeply focused on her. He was waiting for her answer. She met his gaze with a sad frown as she spoke. “I’m sorry Spike, I…I can’t take the life of another creature.”
“You didn’t seem to have any problems during the war.” The dragon snorted roughly, releasing a jet of steam from his nostrils. His cold jab cut into Twilight like a knife.
“Spike, that's not fair...You know there was no other way.”
Spike sat up and arched his back as if he was going to howl, but instead he released a torrent of greenish fire into the cavern ceiling as he screamed, “There is always another way! Because of you my entire race was all but annihilated!” He stopped for a few seconds to let that sink in and calm himself before continuing. “They only wanted to be left alone, but you sought them out. You enticed them with gems and a promise for equality and peace, only to later tell them that their land was yours and that they had to leave...and when they resisted, you crushed them.”
Twilight gave the dragon a hard, skeptical look. “Resist!? They murdered hundreds of ponies!”
Spike shrugged before lowering himself back down onto his bed. “And you nearly murdered them all,” he said with a frustrated sigh.
As much as Twilight hated to admit it, he was right in a way. As the lands of Equestria progressed with technology and industrialism her empire continued to thrive, but only so long as her empire continued to expand. to support themselves they would constantly need more resources and land to sustain their power and growing population. After so many years of this, these necessary resources would eventually begin to thin out within their borders forcing Twilight with a hard choice. She had killed most of the dragons with her devastation spell, even if she knew she had made the right decision. She still felt the need to explain herself to her centuries-old brother.
Her statement was resolute, but her words carried a heavy sadness within them. “My ponies were starving…that famine left us with nothing and they would have all died if I hadn’t done something. It was only supposed to be temporary.”
“But it wasn’t. And in the end you killed my brothers and sisters while I protected you. My own kind…I betrayed them.” His eyes widened in horror, as if he had just discovered a forgotten piece of his past. The dragon focused his attention on his sister again. This time, Twilight could see the fire burning in her brother’s jade eyes. It took all of her strength to keep herself from looking at the ground as he spoke. “I even killed them for you, Twilight! I hunted them down and slaughtered them in your name because you couldn’t find another way for our races to coexist!”
“The Draconicus Legion would have done the same to us eventually.”
“You don’t know that!” he shouted at her.
It was Twilights turn to get angry now. She had taken enough abuse from her younger brother for one day. She unfolded her wings and rose into the air with one strong flap. She rose slightly above the old dragon and met his gaze with a stern frown, clearly upset with the turn in their conversation. A shimmering aura surrounded the lavender alicorn from the immense power that she had summoned. The iridescent glow that encircled her bent the light around her; it seemed to be unstable as it rippled and surged around the alicorn’s form, threatening to tear through reality and space if given the chance. The mere sight of her power was enough to remind Spike of just who he was talking to. Realizing what he had just done, the old lizard snapped himself out of his rage and paid special attention to what his sister was about to say.
“Do you, Spike? Tell me that the great dragons of old, infamous for their fury and ferocity, had not considered doing the same to us. Tell me that we were wrong for being prepared, for being ready.”
The words hung in the air, but they hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. The surprised dragon bowed his head to his sister in recognition of his indignation. “I…I’m sorry. You’re…you’re right. Please forgive my outbursts; I don’t know what came over me. I don’t want to argue with you Twilight. Not now. I don’t blame you for what you did. You were protecting your kind, just as the dragons were protecting theirs. Please forgive an old dragon for acting so childish.”
Twilight gave him a curt nod before dispelling her magic and lowering herself back to the ground. “I know you didn’t mean it Spike. We all lose our temper at some point and need others to be there for us when we do. I know what happened during the war was pretty ugly. You and I both did things were not proud of, but that was three thousand years ago.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt any less. Which reminds me why I asked you to meet me here in the first place. I need to die, Twilight.”
This was the second time she heard the aged dragon say that to her. It didn’t make it hurt any less. “Spike, I know that it hurts. But you can’t give up on life just because—“
“That’s not the only reason I’m asking for this.” The giant dragon let loose another series of sickening coughs before continuing.
“I’m old, Twilight. Too old for my own good. I wasn’t blessed with eternal life by Celestia like you. I was cursed to damnation by dragons. As you can see, that means I don’t age well with the centuries.” He paused briefly to gesture to his withered and scarred form. “No creature should be forced to live this long. I can no longer enjoy the taste of food, nor can I quench this insatiable thirst for water. And this pain Twilight… this never ending torment sears itself into my being. This agony wracks me to my very core. It is the only thing that I can feel now and it is eternal. I am no longer alive like you Twilight. I can no longer feel like you. I am but a wraith trapped in a shell. I beg you to end my misery. You’re the only one who can… Let my suffering finally end.”
Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her own brother, whom she had lived with for over a couple thousand years, was now asking her to kill him! She couldn’t bare that thought. “No…no no no no no!” She shook her head violently, tears welling in her eyes. “You can’t be serious! You can’t expect me to kill you!”
“I do, Twilight. I’ve lived a good long life with friends, adventure, love, and loss but now it’s my time to go. As a last request from one friend to another…from a little brother to his sister…please end my suffering.”
Twilight was crying openly now. Tears streaked down her eyes matting her coat. Her lips quivered as she tried to find her voice. Her nearly infinite knowledge couldn’t help her this time. She was on her own. “No! I won’t! I can’t Spike! Not after everything…I can’t. You’ve been with me since the beginning. Everyone else is gone. Celestia, Luna, I…I don’t want to lose you too! Please, don’t make me do this! Don’t leave me!”
Spike looked at his sister with pity in his eyes. He never wanted to hurt her, but he had to do this. She needed to accept that, no matter how hard it was going to be on the both of them. His tail wrapped around her gently and brought her into a deep hug before he whispered into her ear, “Twilight, how could your number one assistant ever leave you? Surely, you know me better than that. Know that I will be forever in your heart. Remember me, and my memory will never leave you.”
She hugged him tightly before letting go. “I won’t ever forget you Spike.”
“I won’t forget you either.” He said with a warm smile. “Now listen carefully Twilight, I left you a gift to ease the pain of my passing. Marie and I talked about it for some time and decided we would leave you with something to remember us by. It’s fairly new and very precious to me, but I want you to take care of it. When I’m gone, my magic seal will open and you can finally see what I’ve been storing in this cave. Promise me that you won’t forget.” A concerned look was plastered on his face.
The alicorn sniffled a little before answering. “I-I promise.”
The dragon let out a relieved sigh. “Good…Alright, I’m ready.”
“I-I don’t know if I can do this”
“You can…I need you to be strong for both of us. Please…I don’t want to suffer anymore.”
The alicorn nodded slowly in reply. She knew what she had to do. Her face contorted in extreme concentration as she conjured up an attack strong enough to kill the old dragon with one blow. Spike sat up on his bed giving her a clear shot at his heart, closing his eyes in acceptance of his fate. A rippling aura of magic wrapped itself around the alicorn’s horn as she prepared to unleash it at her target. With a loud scream she fired a condensed beam of magic from her horn. It only took a moment for the beam to cross the cave and hit its mark.
Eyes opening wide, Spike gave out a pained grunt before falling to the cave floor with a loud thud. He felt the magic tear through his insides. It surged through every fiber, muscle, bone, and organ in his body, and with every second, brought him closer to death. His body lie crumpled on the cold cavern floor. His rising chest the only sign that he was still alive. He heard the muffled sound of hooves reaching his side. His sight began to blur but he could just make out the familiar shape of his closest and best friend. His eyes rolled up to look into hers one last time as he uttered two words just loud enough for her to hear them.
“Thank you.”
With that, the old dragon let out one final breath of air and died.
Twilight laid next to her brother’s still body and cried herself to sleep.
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Epilogue
Twilight got up, kissed her brother on the cheek, and turned to leave. As she was just about to walk out of the cave, she noticed something. The cold unnerving darkness in the corner of the cave was gone. Twilight walked over to the corner of the cave, unsure of what to expect. What she did see surprised her. The corner expanded outward into a large den. A vast library of books and portraits of dragons and ponies lined the wall. She made a mental note to come back and retrieve his things at a later time. What surprised her most, however, was that in the center of the den, there were three large eggs. A message was inscribed on the floor next to them. It read.
To my loving sister Twilight,
If you are reading this, then I am gone. Don’t cry for me, for I lived a wonderful life. I will never forget you or any of the friends that I have made over the past centuries. I hope that one day you can forgive me. I’m not leaving you alone, though. Marie died in childbirth. These three eggs are hers. Please take care of my grandchildren. I hope they bring you the same joy that I once did.
Forever in your heart,
Spike.
Twilight stared at the dragon eggs for a few moments before picking them up with her magic and hugging them close to her with her wings.
“Thank you.”