A lone dragon sat on a hill as the evening sun painted the sky with vibrant oranges and reds. He sighed softly to himself, his gaze drawn to the ground as a cool breeze crawled on his back, coming somewhere from the trees at his rear. The sound of strong wing beats filled his ear as a creature drew near. It was a pony, nay, an Alicorn, clad in silver apparel. The Alicorn touched down gracefully next to him, taking a seat. Her expression was as solemn as the dragon’s.

“So it’s true… You have returned.”

The Alicorn’s expression changed. Now sporting a smile, she glanced over at the dragon, who likewise was looking at her, “It’s been so long since I last saw you Spike. You’ve grown so much!”

Spike, the dragon, smiled softly at the Alicorn mare’s jovial comment about his size. He nodded once before responding to her, “A hundred years have passed, but you are still the same Twilight. Beautiful as ever.”

Twilight, the Alicorn mare, giggled at his compliment, waving a hoof dismissively as they watched the sun move accross the sky, “Flatterer… Can’t say the same about Ponyville though. Everything has changed since you left.”

“So… How has the life of a stray dragon been treating you anyway? You must have plenty of stories to tell.”

The dragon sighed, rubbing his face with a scaly claw as he stated bluntly, “It’s… Tiring. Sometimes I wish I could settle down in one place. Maybe even call it a home.”

The Alicorn beamed, turned to face the dragon as she asked, “Really? Why don’t you come back to Ponyville? It was your home once, it can be again.”

Spike sighed once again, slightly annoyed by this suggestion. As if that wasn’t enough to show his dislike of the idea, he crossed his arms and looked away, “Can’t… It’s not safe for my daughter to be a part of pony society.”

His words gave the Alicorn pause, “Daughter?”

Leaning in slightly, she asked, “Your daughter… With Rarity, right?”

He nodded. A smile, beaming with pride, started to form on his muzzle, “Indeed. A powerful Dragon-Unicorn Hybrid.”

That smile was wiped off his face when Twilight drew near, her once friendly face contorted into one of anger, possibly disappointment. Disappointment was never a good thing. She pointed an accusatory hoof at him, “Then that’s all the more reason for you to stop being a stray.”

“B-but-”

He couldn’t even provide a retort as she swiftly cut him off, “How long have you had her Spike? Be honest with me. Don’t you think your daughter deserves a better life than one on the run, the life shared by petty criminals?”

Twilight took a breath to calm herself, returning to her calm and dignified way of speaking, “She deserves a place to call home, a solid education, a group of friends to play with. The life of a vagrant is not the kind she should be living.”

The guilt weighed heavily on the dragon as he couldn’t even look her in the eye. He was hanging by a thread, a flimsy excuse, “I’m afraid. Afraid that nopony will accept her, see her as a threat, lock her up because they don’t understand her.”

Tears began to well up in the Alicorn’s eyes as she took a step towards him, eyes pleading, “I’m confident everypony will accept her, just as they accepted a baby dragon. And if they don’t, you can be sure I would do anything in my power to protect her.”

“Please Spike, come back… It’s been so lonely living in a castle full of empty rooms. If you won’t come back for me, please, do it for your daughter, or Rarity. They deserve more than this.”

The waterworks had started and there wasn’t much that he could do to stop it. That was it, that thread had snapped. Reluctantly, the dragon grumbled, “Ok, ok!”

He huffed, throwing his scaly arms up in the air, “I’ll ask her if she wants to stay. Just don’t make that face again.”

The Alicorn clopped her hooves together happily, her silver slippers making a sound similar to that of two halves of a coconut being banged together, “You mean it? That’s fantastic! Welcome back to Ponyville, my number one assistant.”

Silence reigned once again for a brief moment as her hooves gently touched the ground, a thought suddenly coming to her. Looking down the hill, she spotted an old graveyard that belonged to the town. Of all places they could meet, why here?

She found herself asking him, “Where is your daughter anyway?”

Spike followed her eyes to the graveyard before they looked at each other, the question hardly had a chance to linger in the air. He responded swiftly, “She must be at Rarity’s grave now, if I had to guess.”

Twilight looked down at the graveyard once more, thinking over the dragon’s words. Minutes passed before she asked him one final question, “How much does she know, about Rarity I mean?”

Spike gave her a nervous grin as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Well…”

“Spike…”

Meanwhile, among the numerous headstones below the two, a lone white unicorn weaved through the graves, placing bouquets of flowers on the graves of her distant relatives. She held a distinct air of reverence as she placed each one. While the mare didn’t know any of them personally, she was very much aware of their importance in her family. She layed the flowers gently, careful not to jostle any out of place and have them scatter on the ground. Soon, as she was set to place the last bouquet, she stopped at one grave, one that she hadn’t expected to be here.

On the headstone was the name of her mother, Rarity. An impossible date was written below it, as well as a brief epitaph, ‘Her generosity will always be remembered.’ She flicked her green mane out from in front of her glasses to get a better look at the grave. It seemed authentic, but how could this be? She stood there, pondering it as the bouquet in her mouth awaited its final destination. Sighing, she placed the bouquet down, as she figured it’d be a waste not to leave one behind there too.

The sound of hoof-steps behind her made the mare turn her head to the new arrival. The figure was unicorn, tall and dark furred. Their imposing size would normally startle many a pony, but not the white unicorn. No, because this was her mother. The taller pony ran a hoof through her long purple mane as she stepped closer, stating in mock disbelief, “It’s a strange feeling, seeing my own grave like this. Still in such good condition too.”

“Mother?” The smaller unicorn inquired, “Why do you have a grave if you are still alive?”

The elder mare smiled as she stepped forward, placing a hoof on the grave as she spoke, “Actually, I did die, darling…”

The white unicorn blinked in surprise, once, twice, three times before asking with a hint of confusion and curiosity in her tone, “If that is true, then how are you alive right now?”

Rarity, the elder unicorn sighed softly as she explained, “If I am to tell you this story, then I must start at the beginning, or rather, the end. The vary day that I died.”

She had to hear this story at some point in her life, right?

On old, frail mare wandered for a time in what appeared to be an endless darkness. Her coat was grey, a far cry from the pristine white coat she used to wear. Her wrinkly features contorted from an expression of anger, to sadness, than to fear as she questioned where she was. She felt like she was being watched, but she was unable to see anything. The encroaching darkness around her was simply too thick.

“Where am I… Am I dead?”

She shivered. The vast empty void she was in felt cold, colder than even the coldest breeze she had ever felt in her life. It felt unatural...

“Is this where a pony’s soul goes after death?”

She pondered that question aloud, but little did she know she’d get an answer.

“Indeed, you are dead-”

A shadowy figure stepped out from the shadows and into the mare’s view. This figure looked much like the Rarity that the white unicorn of the present called mother, in fact, they had looked one and the same. Not that the unicorn would ever actually see this as it is nothing more than a flashback and in no way represents what Rarity is actually telling her. Regardless, the figure continued its previous statement, “But this is neither Elysium nor Tartarus. It is my own little place I had carved out for myself in your soul…”

The Unicorn took an offensive stance towards the figure, “Nightmare! You can’t be here, I thought we destroyed you.”

The Nightmare laughed, finding humor in the old mare’s statement, “Destroyed? No no no, Darling… You merely regained control of your body.”

It stepped closer, sending shivers down the old mare’s spine as she continued, “I’ve been a part of your life for a long time, watching your every move. I have seen everything there is to see about your life. Everything that you’ve done with that handsome dragon of yours.”

She grinned wickedly, repeating one word in a sing-song voice, “Everything~”

That had made Rarity’s blood boil. She barked, shaking a hoof angrily at the shadowy figure, “Enough talk, just tell me what you want from a dead mare like me.”

A chuckle came from the nightmare as she sat across from Rarity, “Straight to the point then. Fine… I’m going to make you an offer, one I doubt you will refuse. I wish to give you my power so that you can live again as long as you wish-”

The unicorn cut her off with a sharp, “What!?”

Such a statement was too good to be true, there had to be some sort of catch, right? There was no way this she-demon would just willingly give up her powers, not if she could help it…

The Nightmare cleared her throat and continued, “On one condition…”

Back in the present and among the living, the dark unicorn known as Rarity giggled, “And that was how your mother was revived.”

The white Unicorn barked out a complaint, “But wait, you didn’t say what that condition was. What did the Nightmare want?”

Rarity winked at her daughter and turned away, “Sorry, but that is a secret that stays between me, and her…”

To say that Unicorn was grumpy was an understatement. As she stormed off, her mother bounced along happily behind her, knowing that she had just trolled her daughter. It was fun.

“Hmpm… That’s not fun.”

“Life’s not always fun, darling~”

The white mare muttered a curse under her breath as she continued along, leaving her mother behind who had stopped suddenly. A content smile remained on her face as she finished, “Yeah… Life’s not always fun, my little Nightmare…”

As they continued up the hill, Rarity's mind wandered back to the tale she didn't finish. It was because of that ending she couldn't tell her daughter about the deal she had made. Not yet...

Back in the past, in the void that the Nightmare had created, the Nightmare continued its previous statement, “Your first daughter, I wish to be her.”

This request caught the aged mare off guard, “What, h-How?”

The Nightmare chuckled. The confused look on Rarity’s face was most entertaining, something she was sure to rub in while she still had the chance, “Simple, just mate with that handsome dragon of yours while in heat~”

Rarity snapped, peeved at the nightmare’s playful attitude, “That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

The dark figure smiled coyly, winking at the elder mare, “I must say Rarity. Seeing the life you have lived, the way you shared your days with your lover and friends, it has made me a tad jealous.”

The creature gave a slightly pained expression as the world around them seemed to become smaller by the minute. Not that the white unicorn had paid any mind to it. She was more focused on the dark being that stood before her, “I… I wish I could have a life like that, you know?”

Suddenly, the nightmare stepped forward, clasping one of the Unicorn’s hooves in her own as tears began to well up in her eyes. It was getting hard for her to speak, her concentration split between holding the darkness back and keeping this shrinking world from collapsing entirely, but she did so anyway, “Please, give birth to me. Give me a body of my own…”

She pleaded, no longer holding back the tears, “I want to have my own body, my own life, my own destiny. One I don’t have to steal from anypony else.”

“I am your waning shadow. A shade that sought to snuff out the light and failed. As I am now, I am destined to return to darkness, but… I don’t want to fade away. I don’t want to be just another dark spot in history, I want to be my own mare.”

By now, the encroaching darkness had all but consumed them. It was the end, but it was also a beginning. Rarity stepped closer, moving a hoof to wipe away the Nightmare’s tears, “Please stop crying. There is no need for tears.”

“It’ll be alright.”

The old mare comforted the darkness, much to her surprise. The world started to seem a little brighter now as Rarity held the nightmare in a warm embrace, “It’s not like your sins can’t be forgiven…”

Now both mares were crying. Even as the world around them was swallowed up by the light, they remained there, together, “I’ve decided… I will be your mother, my little nightmare.”

“M-Mom.”

The last thing the Nightmare had heard that day was this, “Happy Re-birthday, my daughter…”

Meanwhile, in some other location, there was a young dragon laying in front of a tombstone. He was in the graveyard, crying over his lost love. The headstone beared the name Rarity, and at it's 'feet' was a fresh mound of dirt where she had been buried. She had been gone for a while now, already buried in a coffin made of hard stone. The soft sound of hoofsteps alerted that the dragon was not alone. There was another mare, this one was a younger Twilight.

She was a bit more casual than normal, going without her more regal attire, or the outfit she had worn to the funeral she had attended earlier that day. She frowned, watching Spike in silence as he continued to cry his eyes out. She had wanted to let him grieve, as well do so herself, but she had seen enough. She sighed, “Spike, it’s getting cold out. I think it’s time to come home.”

She took a step closer to the young dragon, “Even if you stayed here forever, it won’t change the fact that she’s… She’s gone.”

The words left a sour taste in her mouth after saying them. In all honesty, she couldn’t really believe it either, but she had to stay strong. For Spike, for those that Rarity had left behind. Spike groaned, looking back at the Alicon, “I know but… I just can’t… It hurts so much!”

They were both about to speak up in protest when a sudden banging caught their attention. Suddenly, the earth beneath the dragon rumbled as the lid to the stone casket forced its way to the surface, flinging both it and Spike through the air. Dark hooves slunk out of hole, shaky and uneven. Soon, a head popped out, followed by an upper body. A dark creature that had forced its way out of the hole and onto solid ground. It flicked its purple mane out of its face, letting it breathe in fresh air as if it hadn’t done so in a long time.

“Air! Sweet fresh air… Don’t ever leave me again…”

It groaned, “I nearly died a second time because of you…”

“N-nightmare!?”

Twilight took an offensive stance, horn glowing at the dark figure that was the Nightmare, “You have a lot of nerve Nightmare, using my friends body to-”

She didn’t even get to finish that thought, as the dark nightmare had already stood up and tackled a recovering Spike to the ground once again, “Spikey-wikey~!”

Spike was quite confused, and rightfully so. This dark creature was now nuzzling him affectionately in a familiar way. Putting two and two together, he asked, “Rarity? Is that really you?”

Rarity pulled away, giggling like a little school filly, “The one and only, Darling~”

It was now Twilight’s turn to be confused. She looked over the restored form of her friend with a stunned expression on her face as the nightmare pony made out with the dragon, “Rarity, how did you-"

A sudden realization struck her, confirmed by a quick scan of her friend's body, "You're a Nightmare Pony?!”

Rarity pulled herself away from a now unconscious Spike, looking back at the Alicorn with a small smile on her muzzle, “Indeed... The Nightmare gave me her power so that I would come back to life. In exchange, she wants me to give birth to her, to give her a body of her own.”

Twilight took a moment to process all of this new information. Her friend was dead a minute ago, and now stands before her with powerful dark magics at her command, all because a she-demon wants to have her own body. It was a lot to take in, she wasn’t sure what to do.. There was one thing she could be certain of, however, “Rarity… You know making deals like that is dangerous, right?”

Her response was cold and resolute, “But of course.”

What Rarity said next shocked Spike awake and left Twilight speechless, “That is why I must leave Ponyville.”

It was three long minutes before Twilight could even form a question in response, “A-are you sure you have to Rarity?”

Rarity nodded, her mind made up, “It is for the best. For me, for my daughter… For everypony.”

Rarity looked up at the dragon who had now recovered from his spill not that long ago, “Spike… Will you come with me?”

As if she needed to ask, he smiled widely, “For you, Rarity, I’d go anywhere.”

Before they could leave, Twilight had asked last question, one that couldn’t be left unanswered, “Rarity. Should we at least tell Sweetie Belle and the others that you are alive first?”

The nightmare pony turned back to the Alicorn, shaking her head as she pulled Twilight into a good-bye hug, “Please don’t… I wouldn’t want to upset them any more than they already are.”

She muttered, “Right…”

Twilight was still shaken by the sudden turn of events. There was a part of her that wanted to stop Rarity and Spike from leaving, but she knew that as a friend, she had to let them do this. It wasn't her place to tell them what they could not do and what they could. In fact, she saw some logic in the idea of them leaving. Ponies would be afraid of them, afraid of her. This was a life she was willing to choose.

The nightmare pony sighed softly, holding the slightly smaller pony close to her, “Goodbye Twilight. I hope we’ll meet again someday.”

As the two left side by side, dragon and nightmare pony, Rarity pondered just what they were going to do with their lives now. Starting over wasn’t going to be easy, so having a family would need to be on hold for a little while, but thanks to her new powers, she had all the time she’d need. Twilight frowned, feeling that she had just lost two friends that night. Now she had to come up with an explanation for why Spike wouldn't be coming home that night...

Back in the present once again, the sun had already set as Rarity and her daughter met up with Spike and Twilight on the hill. As if she didn’t already have a lot to think about, Spike had popped a question to her she hadn’t expected. He asked if she wanted to stay.

“Stay in Ponyville!?”

Her reaction was quite understandable, given how things were when they had left, “But, that’s too dangerous. What about-”

Twilight chuckled softly, making her peace known, “By my title as the Princess of Friendship, I promise that I’d protect you and your family should you decide to stay. You are under my protection. Things are different now, trust me.”

Spike didn’t seem like he needed much convincing, “Come on Rarity, we can make this place our home again. You could open a store, become a fashion designer again.”

Seems like Spike was beginning to like the sound of that idea, his words becoming more resolute as he went on. Their daughter didn’t need any convincing either. It seems that she was tired of being a vagrant too, “A home? Would that mean I can finally have my own room? I vote yes!”

Rarity seemed nervous about how quickly they had made up their minds, but there wasn’t much she could do to change that. Not now anyway… She sighed, defeated, “If you both really want too, we’ll try settling down here.”

Twilight looked up at the rising moon and sighed, motioning for them to follow her, “It’s a little late to do anything right now. How about you all stay at my castle for now, we can talk about your house and store in the morning.”

Spike nodded, standing up and following the princess, followed by the rest of his family. Despite being the first to get up and follow Twilight, he soon became the slowest one in the group. It was only natural, as he was also the largest of them. He smiled at his daughter’s enthusiasm, it was as infectious as the common cold, “So we’re going to be sleeping at a Princess’ Castle? This is the best day ever!”

Spike leaned in slightly to ask her a question, that that made her flip out, “Did I ever tell you that I used to work there?”

“What? No way! Dad, you’re awesome.”

He grinned, ruffling her green mane, “I’ll be sure to remind you that later.”

“Dad!”

As the two of them joked about this and that, Twilight drew Rarity off to the side a bit and whispered, “Rarity… Does she… Remember anything about being, well… A Nightmare?”

Rarity shook her head gently, answering likewise in a whisper, “Not a thing… No dark powers either. That’s a good thing in my book, wouldn’t want my daughter to have the mind of such an old mare trapped in such a young body. Who know what kind of trouble she’d get into.”

Her answer seemed to calm Twilight down a bit as they approached the rear of the castle. Going around towards the front door, she stated, catching Spike and the young Unicorn’s attention, “Welcome to my Castle. While you’re here, please make yourselves at home.”

The Unicorn beamed, marveling at the size of the castle now that she is seeing it up close, “Wow, it’s huge!”

Spike snickered as he opened the door for the group, “Trust me, it’s a lot bigger on the inside.”

That comment got an eye roll from Twilight and a playful giggle out of Rarity. Clearly it was time for bed when jokes like that start flying around. Twilight had skipped the tour of the castle, opting instead to show them to thier rooms. At Spike and Rarity's suggestion, thier daughter's room was close by, but not too close. She seemed happy with that, as it was better than having to share a room with them or nearly just as bad, sleep in a room next to them. With a smile, she bid them goodnight and went off towards her royal chambers.

She mused, "A daughter, huh? I wonder if she has an eye for fashion like her mother does."

The alicorn stopped at the door to her room, her eyes closed as she thought more on the subject of Spike and Rarity's daughter. Chuckling, she placed a hoof on the door, "Seems like AJ's joke about a new Mane 6 wasn't a bunch of hoo hah after all... Let's hope this one lasts longer than mine."

Author's Note

And here it is, the first chapter of a new story. I bet I know what you're thinking. Another one, but what about your other stories? Don't worry, i'm getting to those. I just need to find the right inspiration to keep writing. Moreover, motivation is just as important. Thankfully, I have some great fans willing to put up with my lazy plot and keep cheering me on, keeping me going.

For those of you that care enough to even read this and the story above, thank you. You are awesome!

Next time on A Future Worth Fighting For:

“Good morning Rarity… You’re up early.”

“I wonder if Sugar cube corner is still open…”

“It’s okay Rarity. These things happen. If Celestia asks, I’ll blame Discord.”

“Wait, how many ponies have you crashed into?”

“Does that mean you have a coltfriend now?”