Chapters ...It seems like such a long time ago now. It all started when Spike was still a young dragon. Everything appeared normal at first. The night was quiet and still. Nothing was out of the ordinary when Spike and Twilight went to sleep. It wasn't until the young dragon awoke in the middle of the night that things began to change.
"Mm..."
Spike tossed and turned, but he couldn't return to sleep. When he opened his eyes, a frightful sight greeted him. It was a ghostly little reptile was terrified out of his wits, but for some reason, he had no desire to call for help. Instead, he tried to communicate with the spirit.
"H-hello?"
There was no response.
"Who are you," he asked a little more calmly.
Still not was a word uttered.
"Why are you in my room?"
The ghost simply refocused it's vision on Spike. Soon after, it turned away again, and finally, left the room.
"Wait!"
Spike got out of bed. He began to feel something deep within his heart; a painful sadness mixed with a strong desire to investigate. He found the flashlight he kept on his desk and slowly left his room, careful not to make too much noise.
The search for answers lasted for some time, but Spike eventually found his way to the library, where he encountered the ghost again. This time, fear was replaced by curiosity. The ghost appeared to be beckoning him to a particular section. When he reached the aisle, the ghost was already gone. It took the dragon only a short amount of time to understand where he was. It was a non-fiction section about the supernatural. While the books contained no conclusive proof of anything otherworldly, many studies had been conducted and recorded. There were also many history books that discussed the origins of belief in the paranormal. Spike pulled one of the history books from the shelf and found a table to read on. He was about to begin his introduction to the world of the deceased.
When Twilight awoke the next morning, she called for Spike so they could prepare for the day's activities. To her surprise, he didn't show up. It took some time, but she eventually found him in the library where he'd fallen asleep reading. That was strange for twilight, as Spike didn't usually enjoy reading. When she got a peak at the book, she was even more dumbfounded. Spike was studying ghosts. That wasn't typical of anyone, especially Spike.
"I wonder if he's going through a goth phase,,,"
Twilight had to admit, she was no stranger to the goth lifestyle, but she never thought Spike would be too into it. She actually kind of liked the idea. After thinking it over, she decided to give Spike a day to recuperate; after all, she had no idea how long he was up for, and a cranky dragon was the last thing she needed.
Spike woke up later on in the day. He was a bit confused at first, but it soon all came flooding back.
"Twilight must've brought me back here. She's probably upset..."
He felt remorseful about denting her plans. He may not have expected last night to turn out the way it did, but still, he felt bad.
"I should probably apologize."
Once he made his way to the main hall, Twilight was there to greet him.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Okay, I guess. I just wanted to say sorry for sleeping in so late."
"Don't worry about it. I know you read a lot. I've gotta' say though, seeing you read about the paranormal was pretty interesting. Why were you reading it?"
Spike wanted to tell her the truth, but it was unlikely she would believe him anyway. All he felt he could do was make an excuse.
"I dunno. Just felt like it i guess."
"I put the book back on the shelf. Take the day off and relax, okay?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I can take care of everything today. You rest up, 'kay?"
"...Thanks twilight."
"No problem. You've earned it."
Spike began to turn away, but there was one last thing he needed to say.
"Twilight."
"What is it, Spike?"
"I'll protect you, no matter what..."
"Spike...What do you mean?"
Spike said nothing, but simply walked into the darkness of the corridor. There was something he had to accomplish; a task that would take longer than his lifetime to complete. Even if he couldn't finish it, he would make sure it was on its way to completion.
Spike grew stronger and wiser over the next eight years. He replaced his huskiness with muscle and researched ghosts and how to exorcise them. He learned that dragon statues were used in the past to ward off evil spirits. There was evidence to suggest that, should the existence of the supernatural be confirmed, holy objects had the power to repel the malevolent ghostly beings. By the time he was sixteen, he began hunting the paranormal beings down. His change in demeanor caused Twilight a small amount of concern, but she trusted his judgement and left him to his own devices when she didn't need his help. She was as oblivious to his motives and activities as everyone else. However, even though she was uneasy at times, she was comforted by her dragon partner's presence. The two had grown immensely close; much closer than Spike would've ever gotten to her as a child. She truly felt as though he was keeping his promise, even though she still didn't understand why he made it. One night, Spike was going on another investigation. He exchanged a short goodbye with his teacher and closest friend.
"Twilight, I'm going out for a bit."
"Okay. Try not to get home too late."
"I'll be back soon. It's a promise."
"Speaking of promises, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"You said you would protect me a long time ago, no matter what. Why did you say that?"
"…"
"It's okay Spike. You can talk to me."
Spike sighed sadly.
"I knew you were going to ask someday. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"It was something that changed you into who you are now, wasn't it? I can believe it if it had that kind of effect on you."
"Are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes."
"When I get home, I'll tell you everything. I can't promise you I won't have an injury or two though. Do you have enough faith to let me do this one last thing without you by my side?"
"…I trust you."
"Okay. Don't worry. One way or another, I'll come back to you."
Without anything left to say, Spike gripped his cross necklace for a brief moment, and then took his leave.
When Spike reached the location he was requested to investigate by an anonymous client, there was an old, decrepit house. He immediately felt something was off. He could sense that there were several spirits, but one stood out among the rest. It was much more sinister.
"Okay. Let's get this over with."
He pointed his flashlight directly onto the property.
"This place gives me the creeps."
With a slow, steady gait, he made his way inside.
The inside of the house was dark and quiet. It seemed like something out of a horror movie. Luckily for Spike, he was well prepared. He reached into one of his jacket pockets for a small book of exorcisms, and a bottle of blessed water in the other. The first step was to bless the house. Once that was done, he could perform the exorcism he needed. The stronger the ghost(s), the more intense the exorcism needed to be, and there was a possibility he would be attacked during that time period. The cross would weaken and repel what it could. Any remaining strength contained by the entity or entities would have to be dealt with personally.
With the blessed water settled onto every corner of the house, Spike returned to the original hallway and opened the book containing a variety of exorcisms. Something in this place was particularly vengeful, so he needed something potent. When he began exorcising spirits six months ago, the strongest exorcism he could find was the lord's prayer. The origins of the prayer and who or what created it were lost to history, but Spike trusted he would find out where it and religion itself came from if he continued his research. Right now, there were more pressing matters to attend to. He began to read the prayer out loud.
"Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
When Spike finished the first half of the prayer, the ground began to shake. One of the spirits was getting very angry now, but Spike held his ground and continued.
"Give us this day, our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one."
Without any warning, a skeleton-like ghost with strands of hair and a grey nightshirt grabbed the dragon by the throat. He struggled for a moment, the held up the cross to the ghost. The spirit flew back in a mix of pain and terror. Spike was on one knee gasping for air. When function was fully restored to his respiratory system, he rose and confronted the unearthly being.
"It's one of you things again, huh? Alright. Come get some!"
Spike and the ghost charged at one another. A fight for survival was about to begin. Who would be the victor, and who would be erased?
Twilight had removed Spike's jacket and muscle shirt to see an assortment of bruises on his arms and upper torso.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier."
"Don't worry about it. Just tell me what happened."
"Remember what you asked me about earlier?"
"The promise you made?"
"Yeah."
"What about it?
"The night before you found me in the library, I saw something."
"What did you see?"
"More than likely a ghost."
"Spike, you know ghosts don't exist."
"That's what I thought too, but it led me right to the library and into a section about the supernatural; a non-fiction section."
"It led you there?"
"Yeah. I stayed up all night reading the book you found with me that morning. I found out that a lot of the paranormal experiences from the past were never seen or heard by anyone other than the victims. When doctors tried to diagnose them with mental disorders, there were things that never quite added up."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that there was never any weapon nearby when a victim was physically harmed. There are also deaths that were covered up in certain locations around the world."
"How can you be sure they weren't coincidences?"
"Because the same types of activity occurred regardless of the tenants that resided there."
"You mean it was dependent on the location, not the people staying there?"
"Exactly, and that's not all I found. There's lots of other compelling evidence too."
"Hm?"
"For starters, my race was revered for our ability to combat the dead."
Twilight completely froze.
"Wait…WHAT!?"
"We guarded the souls of the living when statues of us were placed in their homes."
"But I've never seen anyone with a dragon statue in their home!"
"That brings me to my next point; the species I encountered that night and almost every time since isn't one we know."
"You mean the souls of an extinct race are running around!?"
"That's what it looks like."
Twilight sat on her hind legs. This was too much to take in.
"Now do you believe me?"
"I…I don't really know."
"Do you want me to tell you about the ones I've seen over the last few months?"
"I want to know what you've been doing more than anything."
"Okay. I'll start from the beginning. About six months ago, I had an anonymous ad placed in the paper for a non-profit investigation service. Before that, I spent most of my time training so I could perform exorcisms. That's why I wasn't around as much."
"Now I get it. I just thought you were distancing yourself from me."
"Never. I did it for you."
"So the promise you made…"
"Was to protect you from these spirits."
"Why did you spend so much time building your physical strength too though?"
"To test a theory. If there was any truth to the dragon statue history, then I had some sort of uncanny ability to fight spirits as if they were physical beings."
"Did it work?"
"Surprisingly, yes. My claws act similarly to reinforced metal, which is one of a few things they're weak against, and my scales allow me to grab onto them if I need to restrain them."
Twilight nervously laughed.
"I guess that makes you some kind of superhero."
"Not really, just less of a villain…"
"Spike…"
"Protecting you was the main reason I got into all of this, but as time went on, I felt I could use this strength to pay for my wrongdoing when I became enveloped by greed and transformed into that monster."
"...Thank you."
"Huh?"
"You're putting yourself at risk for me and everyone else."
"You don't have to thank me. I'm just doing what I feel is right."
"…Spike, do you trust me?"
"Of course. Always have and always will. Why?"
"In the morning, when you wake up, don't open your eyes."
Spike thought this was strange, but as previously stated, he had faith in her judgement.
"Okay. I won't."
After the conversation ended, Twilight dressed his wounds. Spike had one request for the purple princess.
"Would you mind not telling anyone else about this? It's not something I like to talk about."
"I understand."
The next morning, light shone through Spike's window. His eyes almost instinctively opened; almost. He heard a whisper in his ear.
"You awake sleepyhead?"
"Twilight?"
"It's okay. Just relax."
Spike did as instructed. He felt something touch his lips. It took a moment, but he soon realized it was Twilight. She was kissing him. It felt weird, until he thought about it. Was this her way of showing appreciation?
"Open your eyes."
He followed directions. When the light greeted his retinas, Twilight was gone.
"What…Was that…?"
Spike made his way to the kitchen after he fully gained consciousness. To his surprise, Twilight was already there cooking.
"Smells good," he said.
Twilight smiled at him for a moment, then her look turned serious.
"I know you might not be feeling one hundred percent today, but can you take me to the place you were last night? I want to see for myself what's going on."
"Yeah. I need to get a couple things from there anyway."
"Listen, about this morning…"
Spike went up to Twilight and held her close.
"I love you too. That's why I'll protect you at any cost."
"What about Rarity?"
"That wasn't going anywhere, and it's my fault anyway. There were no real feelings there. It was a silly crush. I couldn't see what I had right in front of me. Now I can, and I'm never letting it go."
Twilight closed her eyes and hugged her partner; her soulmate and guardian. She had faith that no matter what, he would always watch out for her, no matter how dark the day or how lonely the wind. Her heart was his, and his was hers. The challenges ahead were nothing but bumps in the road. However, their job was far from finished. Now was the time to go forth, and battle the forces of death with everything they had.
"Spike, what's that thing around your neck?"
"This? It's a cross necklace. It repels the spirits to a certain extent when I'm exorcising them."
"Are they really that dangerous?"
"Yeah, unfortunately. The variation I've encountered are called vengeful spirits; spirits that held on to their anger and disdain after death."
"That's so sad…"
"We can't do anything about it now, aside from helping them rest in peace."
After walking a few more feet, they reached the house where Spike had performed his most recent exorcism. Immediately upon arrival, a feeling of sleepy emptiness overcame Twilight.
"Do you feel it now?"
"Yeah…Something is definitely off about this place…"
"Stay close to me, okay?"
Twilight nodded, and they headed inside.
Though the evil energy from the night before had vanished, there was still a heavy sense of gloom. It weighed down heavily on them. No matter how skilled Spike was an exorcist, he was an emotional creature, just like everyone else on the planet.
"There's my stuff."
"A bottle of water and a book?"
"The book contains the exorcisms I use. The water is used to bless the location and trap the spiritual energy inside."
"…Hurry and get them…I don't like this place…"
"Neither do I."
Spike quickly gripped the objects and put them in the pockets of his hoodie. When they exited the structure, the sky became increasingly dark. Eventually, it started to rain.
"Spike?"
"Yeah?"
"Will you hold me for a while?"
"Say no more."
Spiked kneeled down and wrapped his arms around her neck. Soon, she started crying. Through her sobs, she spoke words of pain.
"What's happening here, Spike? Where did all this death come from?"
"My guess is, a long time ago, there was a species consumed by greed, division, and bloodshed. It was so bad that even those who managed to break away from it were destroyed in the end."
Twilight sniffled, then asked another question.
"What other kinds of spirits are there?"
"I'm not sure. All I know is we can't let them run around causing problems forever."
"…Spike?"
"Hm?"
"Will you sing to me?"
"Yeah…"
Spike cleared his throat and began with a tune that got him through a lot of hard times when he felt isolated and had no will to fight on.
"Am I still breathing? Then nothing is as bad as it seems, so just keep breathing, and keep calm. The only real control we have is over ourselves, so let's get over it; that we can't and we won't control anything else."
Twilight began to drift off in his arms. When she entered the painless world of dreams, he lifted her onto his back. He continued singing on the way home.
"Just keep calm. Everything is alright."
In those few moments, the world felt calm. Nothing in the world mattered; not even the ghosts that haunted them. Two hearts were forever joined that day by a shared sadness transformed into something unexplainable. They cared deeply about each other's suffering, and were more than willing to try to put it to an end. No longer would they be torn apart by fear and doubt. The cards were set, and the cogs of the heart were at work. Even though this spiritual war continued, it was already clear who had won.
Early the next day, Twilight awoke with surprisingly low energy. When she was finally able to open her eyes, she saw Spike in the corner of the her room.
"Are you okay," he asked.
"What time is it?"
"You slept through yesterday."
"You're joking."
Spike shook his head in response.
"What happened?"
"The spiritual energy was too intense for you to handle. It drained you until you couldn't keep your eyes open anymore."
"What about you?"
"I'm used to it."
"I feel so defeated, Spike. This isn't like our usual adventures; this is like an old saying, 'hell on earth'."
"I can't argue that."
"What do we do now?"
"There's one last thing I want to do, then I'm going into an early retirement."
"Why?"
"I can't risk continuing anymore now that you're involved. I want to share my life with you, but at this rate, I won't have a life to share."
"Spike..."
"...It's going to rain for a long time I think, but I'll go out and find you some holy protection of your own, so we can finish this together."
"...Can you do something Gothic?"
Spike smiled and chuckled.
"I think I can manage that."
Spike went over to Twilight and lied down next to her.
"Did you watch over me all night?"
"...Yeah..."
"...Thank you."
Twilight gave him a loving kiss and curled up next to him. The overwhelming sadness was liberating in a way. It brought them closer together and made them stronger. Soon, they could live the rest of their lives in peace."
"...Are you ready," Spike asked his companion.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Okay. Let's end this mess."
Twilight and Spike headed towards the main hall of their castle. Spike's personal business with the ghost that haunted it was about to be settled.
"I'm sorry this happened to you, Spike. I normally don't condone revenge, but there's no reason for that thing to stay here any longer."
"This isn't about revenge; it's about peace. We're tired and worn down from all these years of struggle. We'll never even know if this could've been avoided."
"True..."
Spike turned to Twilight and kneeled down.
"Hey, don't get so down in the dumps. It's almost over."
This lifted Twilight's spirits a little.
"You're right."
"Of course I am. Come on. Let's keep going."
When they were near the table where they would make their preparations, Spike had an idea to lighten up the mood.
"Race you there, you old hag."
Twilight was insulted for a moment before realizing what he was up to. Her glare changed to a devilish smile.
"You're on, whippersnapper."
The two ran for a few seconds before Twilight teleported. She reappeared on top of the table.
"Hey, that's cheating!"
"Well, you didn't say there were any rules."
"You got me there."
They laughed for a while, letting the nervousness dissipate. With a smile on her face, Twilight had a request for Spike.
"Spike?"
Still laughing a little, Spike responded.
"Yeah?"
"I don't really know what's going to happen, but in case we don't make it, I just want to tell you that I love you, and I'm glad you were there for me when I needed you the most."
Spike stopped laughing, but like Twilight, he too, was still smiling.
"I love you too Twi."
"Will you kiss me one more time?"
Spike place a hand over one of her cheeks.
"Your wish is my command, my gothic queen."
Twilight blushed slightly, but she craved his touch all the same. Spike locked lips with her for what seemed like eternity. When he finally broke the kiss, a feeling of calm had passed over them. There was no fear or pain; only two conjoined hearts ready to take on the world if need be.
"Promise me you'll never leave my side."
"I wouldn't even dream of it, Spike."
Spike held Twilight's hoof in his hands. He was the happiest dragon alive, and no ghost was going to take that away from him.
When the preparations were completed, Spike reached into his hoodie for the book of exorcisms, the blessed water on the table where he'd previously raced Twilight began to recite a prayer.
"Goddess of light, lead our way in this darkest hour. Restrain the evils that may do us harm. Grant us protection from those unseen and unheard. Guard our hearts and minds from the guillotine of despair. Hear our pleas and the cries of the dead, and put them to rest."
For a while, nothing happened. Then, out of the blue, there was a flash of light that blinded the their sight recovered, the ghost that haunted Spike all those years ago stood before them.
"You're here..."
Spike and the ghost stared each other down.
"I was hoping I wouldn't see you again. There's no point in talking. You've been watching me from the beginning of all know what's about to happen. The easy or hard way; what's it gonna' be?"
"Spike, calm down."
Spike turned his attention to the soft voice next to him.
"You know what it did to us, Twilight. I was so lonely and isolated for years."
"I was too. I spent everyday worrying about you, but stop and feel this one's energy. I don't sense anything evil about it."
"What!?"
"Close your eyes."
"But what if something happens to you?"
Twilight place a hoof gently on his face.
"I'll be okay. Trust me."
"...I do, and always will."
Spike did as he was told. At first, it was dark; an all-consuming blackness. However, aftera few minutes, and image began to form. It was the ghost. Spike couldn't fully make it out until a little more time had passed, but he eventually began to realize it was the ghost. It was enveloped in a white light.
"What's going on?"
"Can you see it now, Spike? It's not dangerous. I think it wants to be sent to the afterlife."
Spike opened his eyes, the aura was gone, but the desire for peace was now present in all three of them.
"Is...Is that what you wanted?"
Finally responding for the first time since they met, the ghost appeared to nod.
"I guess looking back on it, I have no one to blame but myself. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone, and I let those feelings control me."
"There's always someone you can trust, Spike."
Twilight held is hand in a comforting embrace.
"Always..."
"...Goodbye, whoever you are. Thank you for making me realize what I was missing."
The ghost nodded again with a mellow smile. Spike proceeded to read off the exorcism several times. Slowly but surely, the ghost faded out. Once it was gone, Spike closed the book for the last time.
"...So...What are we going to do now," Twilight asked.
"I'm putting these away. Maybe one day, our children will use them."
"But spike, we can't..."
"We can adopt. I have more than enough love to give at this point."
"...I'm proud of you."
"For what?"
"You've matured a lot. I may be book smart, but you're street smart; much more so than anyone I've ever known."
"Don't sell yourself short. You have better self-control than I do."
"That comes from experience and wisdom. You'll get there."
"Maybe..."
"I love you, and I have faith in you. I know you'll make it through whatever comes your way."
"Thanks. I'm glad you think so."
"I know so."
"I'm tired. I'll put this stuff away and go to sleep. Goodnight."
"Um...Spike...?"
"Hm?"
"Will you sleep with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"...Alright."
Spike pulled his hood over his head to hide his embarrassment as he walked away. Twilight looked on with a smile.
"So cute..."
After the ghost that dwelled in their castle was exorcised, Spike proposed to Twilight. They agreed to wait two years before getting married. Spike went around Ponyville and Canterlot teaching the residents how to perform exorcisms if they ever encountered an evil force they couldn't explain, and Twilight resumed her usual studies. Needless to say, when their friends and the princesses found out about everything, they didn't believe them. There were no hard feelings. They expected this from the beginning, especially Spike. The believers eventually formed a community with Spike as their teacher and spokesperson. Unlike religious communities of the past, it remained uncorrupted by greed and lies, and was faithful to the original principals of protection it was founded on. A new phase of the world began where sympathy and empathy were commonplace. Even those who denied the idea of supernatural beings were finding themselves enthralled by the feeling that others were watching over them. The world could finally rest easy knowing the next life would never cause them harm. As for Spike and Twilight, they adopted a young dragon girl. Her name was Hope Sparkle, and like her father, she too was destined to become a hero; a hero of the dragon clan who would defend Equestria for all eternity.
Spike and the ghost had scuffled for a good while. Spike was bruised and scratched, but far from beaten. He told Twilight he'd be back, and he intended to keep his word.
"I'm tired of fighting. Someone important is waiting for me. It's time I sent you to the afterlife."
The ghost screeched in response. This was going to be the pinnacle of their feud. Spike grabbed it by the throat and began to repeat the lord's prayer multiple times, each time with increasing ferocity. The ghost grew weaker with every repetition. It eventually stopped struggling and submitted.
"I'm sorry it had to end this way."
When Spike was about to repeat the prayer one last time, the ghost's arms suddenly flew up, and its hands grabbed the unsuspecting dragon by the face. Memory after memory started to flood his mind. He was learning the true nature of these beings that were not ponies, dragons, or any other creature he was familiar with. The spirit's memories revealed it was part of a bipedal species. The species was a self-destructive one that craved industrial satisfaction and blood. As far as this particular being was concerned, she was an adult woman. The cause of death for her and everyone else in her species remained unknown. When the memory transfer was completed, the ghost faded into nothingness. She had moved on to the afterlife. Spike, on the other hand, was alive, but mentally destroyed and inconsolable. It took him at least half an hour before the tears subsided enough for him to see. Once he was able to stand, he made his way out of the house. It wasn't very likely anyone would steal a book of exorcisms or a bottle of blessed water, so he left him there until either he was strong enough or someone able-bodied could retrieve them.
Twilight was sleeping when Spike returned home. Needless to say, when she was awoken, she had the exact reaction he was expecting.
"Oh my god! What happened to you!?"
"It's a long story, but I said I'd explain. Can we get me patched up first, though? I'm kind of in a lot of pain right now."
"Shouldn't we go to a hospital!?"
"That's not an option."
"Why!?"
"Just help me and I'll tell you."
Twilight could see the dragon was serious. This was something for her ears only.
"…Alright."
"Thank you."
Twilight led him to one of the first aid kits in the house. This was going to be a long night.