Sunset had never felt so much hatred in her life, not even when she resented Celestia for all those years since she left. No, right now her hate was well beyond that and directed towards one oversized lizard by the name of Spike. She kept dragging the burden she was commissioned with as she left the village heading north. It had been four hours, and she still had some distance to cover before she would be far enough away to finish the plan Spike had explained last night. She complained the whole time and even took out her frustration on the bundle now and then.

A couple of meters and four or six more hate rants to nobody in particular and she had arrived at a point far enough away to finish the plan. She stopped dragging the large bundle and set down the packs that she was carrying. She took a swig of water and dug through her bag for the spell Spike had given her the night before.

"Kallista, I ask that on this contract and piety that the vessel before me be filled once more and walk the land of Sophia contributing further towards seeking the truth. Let the soul be shackled, and the vessel filled."

Sunset yelled the words that Spike had jotted down and felt a sudden surge of exhaustion. The paper burned, and the ashes fell on the bundle lighting it on fire as well. Sunset looked upon the scene on her knees after a shock shook her body feeling like her stamina draining completely. The fire died, and the blackened pile started to move.

"Sweet Celestia that hurts!" yelled the black figure, popping up from the ground and patting down his body.

He looked toward Sunset and smiled, showing his set of dangerous pearly whites as he walked towards her. He picked her up and helped to keep her from falling over.

"Told you it would work."

Sunset smacked him with her free hand though Spike barely felt it, but he did feel the next one since she slapped the same spot. Of course, she would regret the action later since it was against dragon scales.

"I'm glad it worked because once I get enough rest, I'll kill you and use it again. You son of a flea-ridden bitch." She said before leaning on him and passing out from exhaustion.

Spike laid out the one of the tarps in the packs and put Sunset to rest against a rolled up sleeping bag. Setting about making camp and letting Sunset rest he stared at the girl, she didn't look much older than the last time he saw her. However, at the same time she had an air of maturity that was not there since their goodbye. It felt as if she was at peace with herself, the last time they even spoke he saw deep regret, and sadness in her eyes. Now, those teal eyes shone with a brilliance of confidence and understanding. It was incredible that she reached such a state in her life enough to sleep peacefully.

He started to make dinner in case she woke up because of the amount of time it took her to reach this spot and the time it took to make camp it was already getting dark. He kept staring at the green fire that heated the soup prepared for the both of them. It had been a while since Spike had to take care of more than himself; it gave him time to think. His mind was still trying to come to terms with his death and revival. It was a crazy plan, just like Sunset had pointed out the night before when the events took place. Foolish but, it was the only to leave with her alive and safe. He never really cared all that much about losing a geckling due to there being another to replace them. He had tried before to care for them, but he learned later that it amounted to nothing.

When danger and death can be anywhere, you lose more than just friends. You burn a part of yourself each time you’re betrayed or lose one of them. With each lost part, your heart just locks itself away, away from the pain and away from the loss. It was the only thing Spike could do to survive, even if it meant that he would never be the same Spike that Twilight and the rest had known. It would be better to return alive and changed then not return at all.

~The Night Prior~

"You want me to what?" Sunset asked.

She never expected to hear those words coming from anypony's mouth. She certainly didn't expect it from a friend, especially one that she had only recent learned was alive after disappearing. Here I was, saying those exact words with a tone so serious that it made her realize just how different I had become.

"I said, I want you to let me die."

"I know what you said!" She yelled. "I just can't believe you're even thinking about it! You want me to let you die after finally finding out you're alive?! Do you even hear yourself?! How is your death going to get us out here?!"

At this point she had gotten up and was staring him down, despite being a good deal older and stronger than her, it reminded him of the look Twilight would give him when she was full lecture mode. It still gave Spike chills no matter the age. Still, he couldn't exactly back out of this apologizing. They needed to leave, and this was the only way out of everything without risking her life. It may be foolhardy but, it needed to be done.

"The gecklings have a tradition of fighting for leadership; the only reason I had any pull whatsoever with them is because I was here first and took care of them. The only way for them to accept me leaving them alone now would be a new leader taking over."

"That still doesn't explain how both you and I would be leaving this place… alive," she complained.

"Sunset, the spell I gave you will let me revive if I die. It takes a toll on the caster so you would have to be in a secluded place until I'm able to move around. As for you leaving alive, well if I get killed in a battle for leadership I get to have some… last wishes. I'll make it so that you can leave here unharmed and packed with a few more supplies, along with getting to take my body."

"You want me to drag around your dead body? Out there? Where who-knows-what could be attracted to it or me? Are you serious Spike? I wouldn't last ten minutes out there."

"You don't have to worry about the beasts Sunset, none of them show up within a hundred kilometers of this place. The hunting that the gecklings and I do keeps them wary, not to mention that most sentient ones know I'm loyal to the Mad God. At most, you'll just have to go about half a day out heading north towards Freedonia. Once you find a place you think is far enough away from here, just use the spell. Even as a forgery it should work correctly. I'm pretty confident of my skills in such things." he said, with a smug grin forming. Which was immediately kept in check by Sunset.

"That's another thing, I don't even know how magic here works! How am I supposed to even cast this with no idea as to what could happen? Not to mention that even if I can cast things just by reading them off, this isn't a magical tome it's a piece of paper you just wrote the words to a spell on."

She shoved the paper in his face making him recoil from the sudden movement but, it did little to keep the smile off his face. It was hilarious to see her panic about a spell considering that she, once a special student to Princess Celestia herself would be able to cast a multitude of powerful if still in Equestria. Spike just couldn't help but laugh at the sight, of course, that didn't help the situation at all as evident by the pillow thrown by a very annoyed Sunset.

"Stop laughing you jerk!"

"Sorry, sorry Sunset. It's just, well, I never expected you of all ponies would be worried about casting a spell."

"Well, excuse me for trying to be cautious about being left alone in a place like this!" she yelled, throwing a cup at me.

Spike stopped laughing after a while, wiping some tears away and facing a pouting Sunset sitting with her arms crossed on the bed. "Sorry about that, it's been a long time since I've been able to laugh like that. I shouldn't have laughed, though, I guess you would be nervous about being left alone. Especially, considering where we are right now and all."

"Apology accepted, now will you please explain how this is all going to work?" she asked but, not before throwing the pillow at him again.

"Well, the magic itself is in the words. As long as you read the words, the magic gets activated. Forgeries, depending on how good of a forgery, can be used with a less powerful effect just like regular enchanted items. The only problem is finding the right type of paper and ink to write such spells; I only have about two more pieces and one ink bottle left so I can't very well use such a spell whenever I want."

"What do you mean by the spell being less potent? Is it going to have a side-effect on you?"

"Well, the most it can do will leave me pretty weak for some time. As to how long, I can't say. Still, even a weakened dragon is still a dragon, that and taking into account that I've still got combat experience and a few spells I can use, I'm sure it'll be fine."

"I don't like this Spike. Asking me to let you die and then revive you is against everything I've ever learned." She said.

"No offense Sunset but, what you've learned and what I know are two completely different things. So just trust me on this alright?"

She was pouting again; it was adorable seeing her be humbled for lack of knowledge. Even if it would come back to haunt me later on, considering her pride and curiosity were more than a match for Twilight.

"Fine, so what's next then?" she asked, urging for more details to the plan.

Spike got up from his chair, walking to the door and grabbed the sword left by it. Just before he walked out, he turned before Sunset called out.

"Stay here and rest for now. Make sure the packs are ready as well, and please don't open this door until someone comes knocking. I would rather not let you see me die if I could help it."

"I would rather not watch you die."

Sunset walked across the room and pulled him back inside. It caught Spike by surprise as she pulled the dragon into a hug.

"It's great to see you again Spike, regardless of the circumstances. I won't tell you to be careful but, know that I'll still worry about you."

He smiled and hugged her back, they stood there for what seemed seconds but, was actually minutes. He missed the warmth that came from doing these sorts of things with someone he considered a friend and it left Spike realizing how lonely he had truly been in this world.

"Thank you Sunset." He ruffled her hair again and pulled away. "Just get some rest and be ready leave."

That was the last Spike saw of her that night, the rest of the night was spent convincing Aposte to be the next leader and letting him know what he had planned. Spike owed it to him at least since he saw the dragon as a kind of friend but, revered him as a leader. He had to admit, Aposte was growing on him as well but, with the appearance of Sunset, the possible building of a stronger bond was nowhere in sight. Aposte agreed to help, and they drank enough to convince the rest of the gecklings that they were both off their game and angry at the littlest things.

Aposte had asked for the armor and the chance for a serious fight, even with the eventual ending of Spike’s death. He was granted that and Spike let him know what to do with Sunset once he’d died. It was a long fight, one that had the gecklings go from cheering to watching in awe at the display of strength. In the end, Aposte's dagger plunged into Spike’s heart, and the dragon fell dying. The last image he saw was of the would-be friend slowly gathering his body.

Spike snapped out of remembering the events as he heard Sunset stirring. He moved the ladle around once more before pouring out two bowls and setting one down in front of where she lay.

"Sleep ok there Sunset?" he asked, knowing well enough that casting such a spell would have left her completely drained even if it was a forgery.

"As well as I could after feeling like a truck hit me. What smells so good?"

"Its cabbage, carrots and potato soup. I would have put meat in the pot but, I know you aren't a big fan of the stuff." He replied passing a cup of water before eating his bowl of the soup and chewing on some jerky he had put in his pack.

"Yea… especially considering what kind of meat it could be. How can you even eat that stuff? How can you eat humans?"

"There aren't exactly a lot of options out here if you haven't noticed. It's hard enough to find gems to eat, and I can't exactly survive on plants alone. Not to mention most of the animals around are already hunted by other beasts."

She gave him a look of disgust; usually it was something that would bother him in the least. This time, though, it came from a friend and it stung a little knowing how he looked more like a monster than what he used to be in the past.

"So why not hunt the beasts then? You already said that you guys hunted them." She said, before sitting up and beginning to eat her bowlful.

"We did hunt them, which if you had bothered to notice, makes them extremely cautious to be near anywhere around the place. If there were plenty of them to hunt I wouldn't be eating human but, then again, if they were around you would probably be dead, and I'd have stayed a corpse."

"Fine, whatever. The first chance I get, though, I'm getting you off that stuff and onto at least some regular meat." She gulped down the rest of her soup as she said this and started to pour another helping for herself.

Spike couldn't help but stare at her wide-eyed. It had been a long time since anyone tried to help him without wanting something in return. It felt good to have a friend present in his life again. This time, he would do anything to keep her alive. Even if it meant doing things that resulted in her hating him.

"Ok, thank you Sunset."

He smiled and could see her face turn a slight shade of red. It was entertaining to know that she was still as awkward as ever when receiving thanks for something she had said or did.

"You still owe me the whole story as to how you've grown to be the way you are, not to mention telling me about the kind of magic in this world."

"I did say I would tell you everything, the easiest thing I can explain right now would be the magic. As for the rest, well, I'll fill you in at some point. I'm not proud of a lot of what I've done, and it's certainly not easy to tell someone that used to know me before all of this." He put the bowl to the side and finished the jerky and gathered his thoughts.

"Well, the magic here is the same as Equestria, with the exception of needing a catalyst. I mean, as a unicorn I'm sure using your horn made things a lot easier but, here you need to have either an enchanted item or a book detailing the spells you want to use."

Sunset kept eating stopping now and then to nod and urge him to continue.

"There are exceptions to those rules if you've used a spell enough times to have your body learn the effects. These kinds of spells though are exceedingly rare, and the books that allow you to use them are equally rare. I have one of those skills by pure luck; it was given to me by a girl I helped escape captivity about four years ago." He continued, watching the fire and stirring the pot to keep the soup contained inside.

"So what kind of spell is it?" Sunset asked, putting down the bowl and walking over to sit next to me.

"Well… it is one of the rarer spells out there but, I have to say it's also one of the most bothersome if you don't have the second spell that works with it. In fact, I panicked when I realized I needed the second half. Spent a good year searching for it too." Spike reached over and grabbed her hand; this caused her to flinch and blush.

"I'll show you what I mean just relax." He concentrated on her image and heard her gasp as his body started to shape itself as if it was clay. The tail was gone along with his scales, replaced by skin and hair. His eyes were no longer reptilian and green, now a soft teal and the scars disappeared to show a face that looked flawless.

"So yea, you can imagine my surprise when I found out what it did the first time I used it, not a pretty sight." he said, only with a voice exactly identical to Sunset’s own.

Sunset looked at him, now staring at a mirror image of herself that looked no different from the real deal. Spike could tell it caught her by surprise but, what caught him by surprise was the look of hunger in her eyes. The desire for knowledge, the one that craved to understand how such a thing was possible without the use of illusions. He focused once more and changed back to his original form.

"Spike… this is amazing! I've never seen anything like it; even illusion magic has some form of flaws."

"Well I didn't use illusion magic, this spell lets me take the form of any sentient being I touch. I become them along with everything they are while still retaining my sense of self. The only downside to it is that if they don't know magic, I won't be able to use any while in that form. Not to mention that without knowing the second part of the spell I could be trapped in a different form for the rest of my life. This spell stays with me no matter the form in case you were wondering."

Sunset's look of enthusiasm disappeared, the sudden thought of being stuck as something or someone other than herself frightened her. It was like losing yourself forever since there was only one Sunset Shimmer and if she could only take forms and not change back, then that would mean she would be lost forever.

"Wow! And you spent a whole year trying to change back? I can't even begin to imagine how it must have felt to almost lose yourself entirely." She said, the fear apparent in her voice.

"Well, the bright side to it all is that I got a better handle on it whilst trying to search for the second half. I also learned that once I take a form, I have it indefinitely. I just have to concentrate to turn into one of them. The downside is that someone or something might recognize them, and I don't exactly have memories of the forms I take."

Sunset nodded and went back to her makeshift bed sitting down to think about everything she'd been told.

"Get some more rest, I've been dead most of the time so I'll take watch. I need to try moving around and get the kinks out of my body. We have a long day of traveling tomorrow, and you'll need the energy considering you're new to this area and its climate. Not to mention traveling through the jungle."

"Ok. I'll do just that. Goodnight Spike."

"Goodnight Sunset, Sweet dreams." He stood up as she started to lay down.

Walking around stretching and keeping watch over her sleeping form he took in his surroundings. The moon was out in full force that night and the stars looked as if Luna herself prepared them. He started to think of the journey ahead and promised himself that no harm would come to his precious friend. No matter what the cost.

Author's Note

Ch. 5 out once again with fresh edits. For those of you, that track the story and want more, I apologize for taking so long to get the previous chapters edited and posted. Please rest assured that I have a good amount of free time to do them and they will be released shortly.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a comment or critique below as any critique helps me grow as a writer. Have a great day!