Forever in Your Heart

by Private Page Turner

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Sad, Spike
Length: 4908

It has been a thousand years since the great Dragon War. Princess Twilight visits her old friend Spike one day only to find out that he wants her to end his life. But despite his constant pain and misery, can she bring herself to do it?

After the passing of both Celestia and Luna, Twilight is left to rule Equestria. For a hundred years she was known as a benevolent and compassionate ruler; bringing peace, prosperity, and unity to her ponies. But that all changed when the great Dragon War reached the shores of Equestria. Her decisions in that war had forever changed her. One day she gets a message from Spike asking for her to meet him at his new home deep in the Archback mountains of the Wildlands. The war ended a long time ago but some wounds still havn’t healed. Spike, at the end of his rope pleads for Twilight to kill him. But can she do it?
Cover art by 2snacks.

Published 2015-01-31 18:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-31 18:00:01 UTC

Forever in your heart

Sinister.

That was the first thought that entered Twilight’s mind as she finally arrived at her destination. She landed gracefully on an old mountainside trail at the base of the mountain and cautiously followed the trail; ready to launch into the sky at a moment’s notice. Not very many ponies traveled into the heart of the Wildlands anymore, ponies foolish enough to do so often never return. But Twilight was no longer a mere pony, she was much more than that. She took a moment to scan her surroundings and saw that she was generally where she was supposed to be. The message that she received had asked for her to meet in the Wildlands, where the forest ended and the mountain trail began at the southern edge of the nearest mountain. She was much happier to be walking on the open mountain trail rather than be confined in the forest, despite the trail’s ominous appearance.

There was just something strange about that forest. She could feel a strong presence emanating from it…as if it was alive. This entire place was unnatural and everything about it screamed that it was evil. From the treacherous canyons to the groaning forest; this place was a living nightmare and the perfect home for the horrifying abominations that dwelt in it. Twilight glanced over her shoulder to look at the forest. She couldn't see the viscous hell spawns but she knew they were there. She could hear their inconstant croaks, chirps, hisses, and howls voicing their displeasure at her sudden arrival. The mountain wall echoed the sounds giving the illusions that these creatures were surrounding her. Nothing had attacked her just yet, but that hadn’t stopped her from casting a shield spell seconds after touching down just in case. She continued her walk up the lonely mountain in silence giving the forest an occasional glance from time to time.

Only a few minutes had passed and the alicorn was already starting to get on edge. Even at her level of power and skill, Twilight still couldn’t help but feel a bit paranoid. This place was as alive as she was and it was being particularly clear that she was not welcome. Be that as it may, she wouldn’t let that deter her from her goal.

She had come all this way to see someone who she hadn’t seen in over two hundred years. The last time they’d spoken, things hadn’t gone over well. She’d hoped that time would heal the wounds that they’d inflicted on each other that day, but now that she was here, Twilight wasn’t so sure that was the case. There was no turning back now. Whatever happened today; she would endure it. She was good at enduring things.

The air was starting to get very hard to see through and smelled like sulfur. She was getting close now. Twilight coughed a few times as she felt her lungs start to burn under the constricting atmosphere that was beginning to engulf her. She batted against the air with her wings for a few moments in an attempt to clear away the smog. As the thick atmosphere began to dissipate, it revealed a giant cave entrance carved into the mountain side not too far away.

“I think I finally found what I was looking for. And it’s just as horrible as I’d thought it would be.” She muttered dryly to herself.
Before her stood a massive hole embedded in the side of the mountain. Her perceptive eyes flicked back and forth several times as she scanned the jagged opening. It looked like something had clawed its way in at one point judging by the colossal scores that covered the inner and outer mouth of the entrance.

It wasn’t natural. That much was obvious. Something had done this; ripped a chunk out of the mountain and buried itself deep within. Maybe whatever it was came from inside the mountain. A small voice offered in the back of her mind. Twilight wasn’t sure which thought was more disturbing and decided to drop the matter altogether. She took a few steps closer towards the gaping maw of the cave and felt herself whisper in awe.

“Oh Luna! That’s solid rock! What kind of creature could have done this?”

As Twilight took her first steps inside the cave she couldn’t help but feel like she was walking into the mouth of a terrible monster. She felt strange; like something inside of her didn’t agree with what she was doing. With every step she could feel the urge grow, desperately pleading with her to turn around and leave while she still had the opportunity. The feeling was strange yet oddly familiar like something she’d forgotten but really needed to remember. And then it came to her. This was fear; something she hadn’t experienced since the last Equestrian war. She snorted roughly in an attempt to strengthen her resolve. She was meeting an old friend. Despite his choice of living arrangements he was still her friend, and he was the one that had requested her immediate presence. She couldn’t let him down, not again.

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 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; his massive body was curled into a crescent facing in her direction.

“It’s been a long time, Twilight.”
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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. She was the successor to the throne after the passing of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and was adored by her subjects. She was known as a benevolent and compassionate ruler and for a hundred years she brought peace, prosperity, and unity to her ponies. But that all changed when the great Dragon War reached the shores of Equestria. The war was costly, but with the aid of her army the Princess used her ingenuity and newfound powers to defeat the invading horde. And although she had saved the inhabitants of Equestria, her decisions during that war would forever haunt her.Many lives were lost and those that survived were changed at their very core but they would never forget the wrath of their ruler.

The other had paid a much more costly price for his actions in the war. Spike was once a hardened warrior and vigilant protector of the Princess. He served the Twilight in bringing down the reign of the dragons despite being one himself. During the war, he was captured and imprisoned for his betrayal. Before he could escape his bonds, he was given a terrible curse by an Ancient dragon of the Draconian high council. He was forever cursed to wander the world and watch as his race withered to extinction until he was the only one left of his kind. When the war came to an end he returned to his home but found that he was no longer accepted there. The ponies could no longer trust him despite all done for them. Princess Twilight lived the life of nobility while he took to the life of a hermit. One lived a life of royalty while the other was made an outcast. The war ended a long time ago but some wounds still hadn’t healed.

The two of them stood silently as they acknowledged one another. Beyond the dragon was darkness, but not just any darkness. It was a mysterious and disturbing darkness formed by dragon magic and it would not yield to her light despite her best efforts. There could be a plethora of culturally enriching things back there or maybe nothing at all. With dragons it was always hard to tell what they could be hiding in their lair. She inwardly cursed her insatiable curiosity. Regardless, she would never know because Spike would only let her come this far into his recently new home. She suddenly felt a deeply overwhelming urge to look away from the empty abyss behind the purple dragon. Something didn’t feel right being near dragon magic. It felt cold…menacing. And now 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 that was patiently waiting for her to respond. A slight smirk showing on his face as his emerald eyes peered into hers. He knew exactly what she was thinking about.
A slow, 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 the old dragon 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 as he coughed deeply. The old dragon’s body spasmed 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 passed his lips with every 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 as if seeing something that Twilight herself could not. “Well that day is going to be today.”

Twilight stood there stunned, not knowing quite what to say. Eventually the words finally came to her. “Wow Spike, Thank you, I don’t know what to say. I know this means a lot to you.” Suddenly, it hit her. “Why today Spike?” Her question was etched in concern. For years she had pestered him about the secrets of dragon kind, their knowledge, and especially their magic. But he always denied her requests. Dragons were stubborn that way. There had to be some underlying reason why he was about to reveal the secrets of his culture.

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 escaped him. He looked into the alicorn’s eyes despondently. She had raised him from birth as if he was her own taking the role of an adoptive mother and caretaker. They grew up together as brother and sister and loved eachother dearly. 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 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 continued. “She died yesterday morning. And now…I want you to ease my suffering and let me die too.”
Twilight stepped back in surprise. Shock clearly written on her face. “Y-you’re saying 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. His ancient dragon now wore a solemn frown. Spike kept silent, but the expression he bore on his face gave Twilight his answer.

“But why? Why would you want that?!” A mesh of concern and anger filled her voice and she didn’t try to hide it.

Spike quickly lurched upwards into a sitting position unfolding 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 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 the alicorn mustering 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 as he spoke Twilight could hear a deep sadness in his voice. “My little Marie…no parent should have to bury their own children Twilight.”

“I’m so sorry Spike. I didn’t know that she…I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Spike nodded slowly. “Me too…”

The cave echoed his last words and now had gone silent 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 do that. Not to you. You’re my little brother.”

“You didn’t seem to have any problems killing my brothers and sisters in the war.” The dragon snorted roughly releasing a jet of steam from his nostrils. His cold jab cut into Twilight like a knife.

Twilight’s voice was cold and calculating as she spoke. “Spike, I’m prepared to do anything for the protection of my empire. I don’t care what my subjects think of me now. It’s because of me that any of them are alive today. Even now, some of them are creating factions outside of my glorious empire. They should be grateful that I’m only imprisoning them for their treason.” Twilight noticed how her words were straying into her personal problems. She quickly veered back to the previous topic at hoof. “Destroying the horde had to be done. 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! You taught me that and I believed you! 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 for a share of their land, 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 on his bed. “And you nearly murdered them all.”He said with a frustrated sigh. His remark cut deep into Twilight. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right in a way. She had killed most of the dragons with her devastation spell. She knew she had made the right decision for her subjects even if they didn’t. 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. “You have to understand that after the expansion project failed, we had nowhere left to go. Without those resources, without that land…they all would have died. They would have died Spike! My ponies were starving…the 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. And now look at me! I am cursed to rot!” His eyes widened in horror as if he had just discovered a forgotten piece of his past that had been hidden from him. 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 Twilight’s turn to get angry now. She had taken enough abuse from her kid brother for one day. She unfolded her wings and rose into the air with a strong flap of her wings. 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 the alicorn 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, space, and time if given the chance. The mere sight of her power was enough to remind Spike of who he was talking to. She wasn’t herself anymore, she would attempt to kill him if he provoked her. He wasn’t afraid of that happening. He’d lost everything he had and was far too old to care about angering the emotionally unstable Equestrian ruler. However, If she did kill him she’d miss out on his gift, and besides, he didn’t want to leave her on bad terms. Not this time. He decided to listen to her as she spoke.

“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. Spike nodded his head slowly.

“So you haven’t changed over these past years. I see that if anything you’ve gotten worse with managing your temper. I understand why your subjects fear you Twilight. You no longer hesitate to unleash judgment to those who disagree with you. That's why so many subjects of your empire are splintering into factions. 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. I understand what you did and why but that doesn’t mean that I accept that it was the right choice.”

Twilight gave him a curt nod before dispelling her magic and lowering herself back to the ground. “Fine, call it what you will. We all lose our temper at some point and need others to be there for us when we fall. But no one was there for us Spike. Despite being the victors we were also casualties. I know what happened during the war was pretty ugly. You and I both did things were not proud of but that was nearly a thousand years ago.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt any less. Which reminds me as to why I asked you to meet me here in the first place.’’ He paused to let his next words sink in. “I need you to end my curse, Twilight. I need to die.”

This was the second time she heard the aged dragon say that to her. “Spike, I know that you’re grieving. Grieving over a lot of things that happened in the past 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 himself. “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… the 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. 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… end my suffering.”

Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her own brother, who she had lived with for over a two 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! I raised you like a son Spike! I’m your sister for Luna sake! 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. I would do the same for you had our fates been reversed.”

Twilight was crying openly now. Tears streaked from her eyes and matted 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, I…I don’t want to lose you too! Don’t ask me to do this! Please, you're all that I have left of my past self. Without you, I…I don’t think I could handle it.”

Spike looked at his sister with pity in his eyes. He never wanted to hurt her but he had to do this. And she needed to accept it. 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 in the back of this cave. Marie and I talked about it for some time and we decided we’d 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 Ancient 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, he grew closer to death. His body lie crumpled on the cold cavern floor. His slightly rising chest was 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 to 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 several portraits of dragons and ponies lined the wall. Most notable was the giant map with red marks along several other mountains residing in the wildlands. She imagined those were previous homes to members of the high council and were listed for archaeological and scientific purposes.The floor was littered with several strange and foreign artifacts that seemed to glow with a deep and powerful enchantment. 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, were three large pale green eggs. At closer inspection she noticed that a large message was inscribed on the floor under 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”

Author's Note

Thanks for reading this story guys and girls! I hope you had a fun time reading! If you enjoyed this story and want more please say so in the comment section and I will be sure to thank you on your page! I also enjoy critiques to make myself a better writer but please remain polite and considerate with your comments. I'm considering doing a sequel for this story so let me know if I should go through with that or try something else. Your feedback is really appreciated!