Author's Note

Hey, Hollywood, I'm calling you out. Think you can write a romance story as metal as this? I'll wait.

Restoring the Light that Once Burned Out

It started out as a simple case of the flu. It wasn't unusual between December and February to contract it, and so far, there were no fatalities in Ponyville. For the next three days, Spike and the rest of Twilight's friends looked after the princess of friendship with the utmost care.

"How are you doing," Spike asked his longtime companion.

"As good as I can."

"I'm about to go to bed. You need anything?"

"No, but thanks anyway."

"Okay. Good night."

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"I really appreciate all you guys' help," she said with a weak smile.

"That's what friends are for."

"Yeah. I guess it is, isn't it?"

"Try to get some rest, okay?"

"Mm," Twilight agreed.

Spike left the room for the night. She closed her eyes. Her breathing grew slower...And slower...And slower...

The funeral was as you would expect. Emotions were spilled into speeches and tears. They were never able to determine what killed her, but it was likely a combination of respiratory issues and dangerously high fever. Everything from her cerebral cortex to her heart was completely destroyed. The open casket image would be forever ingrained into everyone's memory; Spike's and Shining Armor's especially. After this tragedy, the young dragon's disguise would fall apart, and he would be sure not one soul he knew saw this. One night, while the town slept, a mournful scream of rage overtook the sky for a brief moment. Those who awakened at the sound couldn't identify its source. However, when morning came, Spike's friends discovered he had vanished. Only traces of his existence remained. When news of this reached Shining's ears, a search party was organized. They found nothing, and time passed as it always had until the young dragon's face was nothing but a memory.

A now twenty-year-old Spike woke up in a cold sweat. It was the same dream, night after night. He could still see the smile of his deceased friend, and it haunted his every moment. The dripping of rain echoed through the cave he now called home. He gripped his trench coat tightly, trying to find comfort in anything he could. His eyes, which were once a glowing emerald green, now stared at the blocked off entrance with a depressive shade of blue. Knowing he wouldn't sleep well again, he made the decision to continue training his body, if only to forget about his mind.

"This is the last place left on Equestria to check," Rarity stated grimly, "let's hope he's here."

Her friends nodded simultaneously. With their united strength and leverage, they moved the boulder blocking the path into the cave.

"You found me."

"You were here after all."

"Look, I'm not in the mood to talk right now. Just leave me alone."

"You've avoided us for long enough. Come into the light and lay your feelings bare."

"No."

"I'm not asking, Spike."

With a sigh, the dragon stood up from his position on the wall. As he moved closer, his new features came into view.

"You have wings now, I see."

"Don't forget the eyes, too."

"They match your heart these days, do they not?"

"Can we dispense with the small talk? Why are you here?"

"You know very well why. You left us with no explanation to wallow in your self-pity. That was a terrible thing to do."

"I've done more than my share of terrible things."

"I don't understand."

"I ruined over half the town because of a genetic predisposition I had no control over until it was too late. I had to keep cracking jokes and acting like everything was hunky dory just to cope. You have no idea what I was going through behind closed doors. Twilight did, and she was there when I was down and out."

"Why didn't you say anything to us?"

"Would you have listened?"

"I can't say for certain."

"Exactly, and you know what the worst part is? I didn't know what love was until she was gone."

"Of course you did. She was affectionate towards you all the time."

"Not platonic love, Rarity."

"You mean...Romantic love?"

Spike nodded.

"That explains it, then; why you left. You were a victim of the heartbreak system, weren't you?"

"You figured it out."

"But what about your little crush on me?"

"It was based on nothing more than shallow appearance. To this day, I still feel bad about it. I wish I could take it back, but I can't."

"I see. I can't say that's not distressing, but at least you could admit it."

"I'm sorry. Please go home. I don't want to hurt anyone else; especially not like this."

"If that's how you really feel, we will accept that, but you need to come to terms with Twilight's passing and move on."

"Even if I do, what then? I have nothing left but destructive power I can't even use. There's no future for me here."

"Why do you think that? Couldn't you settle down somewhere and start a family?"

"And let my nightmares disguised as dreams do irreparable damage? Out of the question."

"I don't know what your future will be, Spike, but I can't just let you waste away in here alone."

"Some creatures just don't get a happy ending, Rarity. It's a sad fact, and we can't do anything about it. If I crumble under the weight, oh well, I wasn't strong enough. That's all there is to it."

"I will not stand for such resignation! You're coming to Twilight's grave, whether you like it or not!"

"Why, huh!? So you can watch me burst into tears!? I've been through enough! No means no!"

Frustrated and out of options, Rarity growled and bound him in a magical ring.

"Let me go right now!"

"Scream and yell all you want, but this has to stop one way or another!"

Spike stopped struggling. He could've easily broken out of the spell, but he would've risked hurting Rarity, and he wasn't about to break his promise to himself. Exhausted from the hopelessness that had consumed his soul, he relaxed and fell into a deep sleep. If she wanted him to suffer, she would have to drag him there.

Spike woke up a couple hours after his friends ensnared him. He was unbound, but the semicircle they formed behind him made it clear he wouldn't be leaving.

"Fine. I guess there's no getting out of it."

"Please don't think too poorly of us. We just want you to live the best you can."

"I'll never hate any of you. I just don't know if I'll survive another breakdown like the one I had the night I left."

"That scream some of us heard; that was you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. From that point on, I was sinking in quicksand. I didn't care about anything anymore."

"Death is a fact we all have to accept sooner or later."

"It shouldn't be like that."

"We all agree with you, but what's done is done."

"I know..."

No longer possessing the language to protest, spike got up and walked over to Twilight's tombstone. Lowering himself onto his calves, he prepared himself for the waterworks that were to come.

"Hey Twilight. Long time no see..."

His voice was already beginning to shake.

"Can't believe it's already been twenty years since I hatched from that egg. Sometimes it goes from feeling like a long time to not long enough."

Spike covered his eyes.

"I miss you so much..."

He swallowed to try to reduce the tear production, but his attempts were in vain.

"I don't know what it means now, but I never got the chance to say it. I love you."

He continued crying without saying much else for a while.

"Rest in peace, Twilight. You meant the world to me. I'm so sorry."

He stood up and wiped the last of his tears away.

"...Spike, don't give up."

"What the heck was that," Rainbow yelled in surprise.

"...I love you too, Spike. I want to be with you and the others again."

"That's impossible," Rarity shrieked.

"I guess you guys are a bit shocked. I should probably explain. I'm in a plane of existence called heaven. It's where we go after death."

"Heaven," Rarity asked.

"Right. Somehow I managed to decode the spiritual signals and open a line of communication with Equestria; or as it used to be called, Earth."

"Twilight, where are you!? How do I get to you," Spike questioned frantically.

"Stay calm, Spike. Look up to the sky."

He did as he was instructed.

"Heaven lies at the edge of higher space. Entrance is only granted for the souls of the dead."

"How can I reach you!?"

"With all your might."

"My might?"

"Put all of your dragon power into a strike when you approach the gates."

"I can free you?"

"And all the other souls. We can come back to life."

"!?"

"I'll be waiting. Don't lose faith, Spike. I believe in you."

"Twilight..."

Spike and Twilight's friends were staring into the sky with expressions of awe. It was like a different form of magic never seen before.

"I'm going to save her!"

"Be careful," Rarity advised.

"That's one lesson I took to heart a long time ago."

With hopeful spirits, Spike spread his wings and flew into the sky at top speed. Before he knew it, the dark depths of space were present to greet him.

"I saw everything that happened when Rarity and the others found you. That was mean, Spike."

"The truth was gonna' come out sooner or later. I wish it had been under better circumstances too."

"We're going to have to start over again and repair all the damage we caused our relationships."

"I know, but I think it'll be easier to patch things up with them than it was with everyone else after I destroyed the town."

"We can only hope."

"So, what am I supposed to expect when I reach heaven?"

"It's pretty peaceful up here, but there's someone who runs this place. I've never seen him, but they call him God. He's supposed to be all-powerful and all-knowing. He might try to stop you. Right now, you're one of the toughest creatures Equestria has at its disposal. This is an all or nothing escape."

"I probably shouldn't have expected otherwise. I hope this mess is all worth it in the end."

"So do I."

"I guess that's about all we have to say."

"Yeah. I'm cutting communication until we next see each other."

"I love you, Twi."

"I love you too."

Spike sped upward even faster than before. Something told him this would take a while. He continued to break his previous speeds until he could no longer be seen by the naked eye.

"There they are."

With the pearly gates within his view, Spike got into a direct strike position and prepared for an open claw assault. His intention was to tear tear the gates to shreds and make them crumble all in one motion. With only the thought of seeing the love of his life again, he pressed forward and connected with the gates.

"Twilight!"

There was no answer at first, so he continued through heaven, calling out to her along the way.

"Spike, I'm over here," her voice called out after a short period.

He quickly veered his head in her direction and rushed over to her side.

"Time to go home."

"Mm."

They clung to each other for dear life as Spike moved with calculated haste towards the exit. Millions upon millions of souls soon followed.

"I don't get it. Why isn't God trying to stop us?"

"Maybe this was his plan. You don't know very much about him, right? Maybe he wanted you to bring back what you saw there."

"I didn't think about it like that."

"I might have just figured out your next academic goal."

"What would that be?"

"Unlocking the keys to immortality, and I know just the place to start; Celestia and Luna's DNA."

"You thought about this for a while, didn't you?"

"When you spend twelve years alone, you have a lot of time on your hands."

"Heh. I guess that's true."

Time elapsed so slowly in space. It was impossible to tell how limitless and empty it was. There was no sound, not even their heartbeats.

"Spike, I'm a little cold. Can you...Hold me closer?"

"Here."

Spike released his lover from his grip for just a moment to remove his trench coat and wrap it around her.

"Better?"

"Yeah. It's nice and toasty. I actually wanted to ask you about this coat. I could see everything you were doing after I died. You wore this thing all the time; even during the summer. Why?"

"It was all I had to protect myself. I was in so much pain that all I could think to do was retreat into layers of clothing."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me."

"Don't worry about it. I learned from it, and the physical strength I gained is the proof."

"Spike?"

"Hm?"

"Will you kiss me?"

"Gladly."

As their lips made contact, Twilight's Halo corroded, and her angel wings began to shed. Not much longer now...

Twilight and Spike woke up side by side on the ground. They were surrounded by their friends.

"I had to see it to believe it," Rainbow said.

"The freakin' dead started poppin' out of their graves the second you guys crashed," Applejack interjected, feeling a little creeped out.

"Bless my stars," Rarity exclaimed, "This is simply incredible! I've read about the power of resurrection in fantasy novels before, but I never expected to see it!"

Spike stood up and lifted Twilight onto his back.

"We're going home, guys. Twilight needs some time to adjust. Applejack, I think you've got a couple relatives to find."

"Right."

"Rarity, for what it's worth, you're a beautiful mare; inside and out. I didn't doubt that for a second."

"Don't make Twilight jealous, darling."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Spike started to walk away, but stopped for a minute.

"Come by any time, guys. We miss you."

"Count on it," Rarity replied.

Spike returned his attention to his newly-revived friend and partner. She looked so peaceful. They vanished over the horizon together, leaving everyone to find their way through this new life, just as they were doing.