Spike walked away from the service, unable to listen any longer. He felt relief as the speaker's voice faded away with the growing distance. Tears were rolling down Spike's face as he fought to keep his jaw from trembling.
It wasn't the speaker's fault of course. Spike had been on the verge of a breakdown ever since She passed. In his grief, he'd made the mistake of refusing to speak at the memorial. He'd screamed his declination at the staff. He felt awful for it and had apologized a few hours later.
But he still refused to speak. He had spoken at every other funeral for his friends. He had even blubbered like an idiot when speaking at Rarity's. But this...this was different.
He thought they'd be together forever. Or at least for a good while longer. He clenched his teeth as he reminded himself it didn't matter what he felt about it.
Twilight was gone.
She'd passed away peacefully after ruling Equestria for nearly three hundred years. A small smile snuck its way onto Spike's face as he thought how annoyed that must have made her to only get to 297. Even though she'd been a calm, collected ruler, deep down she'd still been a perfectionist. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he rounded a corner.
"I didn't expect you to feel any happiness today."
Spike froze as he recognized the new voice. He wiped away the latest tears and turned to find Discord leaning against a wall. The draconequus smiled and waved.
"It's been a while Spike."
Spike didn't know how to process Discord being here. It threw off his mood. But perhaps that had been the point. Grief was melting away ever so slightly to allow curiosity a few moments in the light.
"I...I never expected to see you again."
Discord levitated into the air, floating over to Spike and landing on his back.
"You've grown the last few centuries. I could hold you in my paw the first time I met you. And now..."
He motioned along the length of Spike's body.
"What are you? The size of a small house now?"
Spike rolled his eyes and continued through the streets of Canterlot.
"Why did you come here, Discord?"
Discord's face suddenly appeared from above as he leaned down the front of Spike's head.
"Did you really think I wouldn't come?"
"You haven't exactly been around the last two hundred years. I figured you'd died."
The light in Discord's eyes dimmed.
"I almost did. At least...I wanted to after-"
He flew off of Spike's head, facing away from the dragon.
"I...I've never...lost anyone before."
Spike felt a glimmer of anger rising.
"The others didn't count?"
Discord turned to him, his ears drooping.
"You know I didn't mean it like that. I meant...anyone close. Of course I was good friends with all of them! But...Flutter-"
Spike watched as Discord turned away again. But it wasn't fast enough for Spike to not notice the tears welling up in his eyes. The dragon sighed as he stood onto his hind legs, bringing his head up to where Discord was floating.
"I'm sorry. Until recently, I don't think I fully understood what you've gone through. I mean...I loved each and every one of them. But...Twilight..."
Discord turned his head and nodded.
"There are some deaths that hit harder than all the others combined."
Spike felt the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. He reached up to wipe them away as he started to sniffle ever so slightly. Discord flashed an oddly sympathetic smile and conjured a large handkerchief. Spike took it without a word and blew his nose. One of the corners burst into flames, causing Discord to snap the fabric out of existence again. Spike looked down at the ground.
"Sorry."
"No, no. My fault for not making a fire-proof hanky."
“Why did you come?”
Discord seemed offended.
“To pay my respects. And to check on my old O&O buddy. The real question is; what are you doing here? No speech? No goodbyes? No heartfelt stories?”
Spike blew a puff of smoke at the draconequus.
“I’d rather not talk about the past right now.”
Discord rose a little higher into the air.
“At this point in our lives, the past is what we have.”
“Leave it alone Discord.”
“I can’t.”
Spike glared up at him.
“And why not?”
“Because I made a promise to Fluttershy.”
That caught the dragon off guard.
“Wha- What?”
Discord lowered himself, landing on Spike’s nose.
“I swore I would keep an eye on our friends. Of course by that point it was just you and Twilight. And now it’s just you.”
“I don’t need you watching out for me. I’m an adult.”
“Please! Is there anyone in this world that can say they’re actually an adult? Because I think you’re all just children playing pretend.”
Spike smirked.
“And let me guess. You’re the only one not pretending?”
Confetti appeared out of nowhere.
“We have a winner!”
“Come on Discord! I just want to be left alone! Is that too much to ask?”
“So that you can be miserable with your fond memories?”
“If that’s my choice, YES!!”
The last word came out louder than expected. Discord put earplugs in and shook his head.
“You really must learn to control that volume.”
Spike sighed.
“Sorry.”
The draconequus began to float upward.
"Would you mind following me somewhere?"
Spike stared at him for several seconds before spreading his wings. He lifted off the ground and followed Discord as they left Canterlot behind. The two of them continued rising until they were surrounded by clouds.
Discord snaked through the air, dodging clouds as he went. Spike had grown to big for maneuvers like that. He plowed through each cloud he came to without a second thought.
"Where are you taking me, Discord?"
"Where else? Home."
Spike slowed down until he was hovering in place.
"That’s the last place I want to be right now. And I doubt I'd even fit in any of the buildings."
Discord turned around and sighed.
"True. I keep forgetting about your size. But there's something you should see all the same. We'll just have to make a few adjustments-"
"Don't you dare shrink me!"
Discord grinned.
"I swear that didn't cross my mind."
He snapped his claws and Spike saw a flash of light. When his vision cleared, he was staring at a brown pegasus. But the smirk looked all too familiar.
"Discord?"
"In the feathers. But perhaps you should focus on yourself for a moment.."
Discord summoned a mirror and Spike felt his body begin to plunge towards the ground. It took him a moment to gain control of his wings again, luckily only falling a few dozen feet. He slowly climbed back to his previous altitude and stared in the mirror.
He was a pegasus! A purple pegasus with a short, green mane. He even had a cutie mark of a quill and scroll!
"What did you do to me?!"
Discord sent the mirror away and smiled.
"What? You told me not to shrink you. And I didn't! Well...not directly."
Spike glared at him.
"Why are we doing this?"
"Because I'm trying to help you through a tough time."
That shut Spike up instantly and Discord rolled his eyes.
"Don't act so shocked! I've been reformed for centuries! Did you think I would just slide backwards after they were all gone?!"
Spike shrugged, making Discord groan.
"How long have you known me?"
"Too long."
"But when have I ever-"
"Do you really want to ask that question?"
Discord slowly shut his mouth and nodded.
"Either way, I want to show you something."
Spike followed Discord as they flew on, eventually descending into the ever-familiar village of Ponyville. Spike looked around at the shops and town square. It definitely wasn't the same as he remembered, but Ponyville hadn't changed too drastically. Not like Canterlot had.
Spike noticed Discord heading off in the direction of the old castle. He began to follow him, looking around at the ponies. He didn't recognize a single one. His heart fell a little thinking of all the friends he'd had once.
"Here we are!"
Spike brought his gaze forward and gasped as he saw where Discord was leading him. But it couldn't be!
He was staring at Golden Oaks Library.
"Wha- How?!"
Discord smiled.
"When was the last time you were here?"
"Well...I suppose..."
Spike was lost. How long had it been?
"Fluttershy's funeral."
Spike was brought out of his own thoughts as he heard Discord say those words.
"One hundred and ninety-seven years ago. Plenty of time for a seed to grow."
Discord looked up at the tree.
"Fluttershy had it planted not long before she passed. And she imparted her wishes to the town as to what should be done once the tree was grown. It was the last gift she wanted to leave for Twilight."
Spike felt the tears rolling down his cheeks before he could stop them. Now that he was staring at the tree more, he noticed it wasn't exactly the same. It wasn't Her library. It wasn't their home. But all the same, it sent a wave of nostalgia washing over him. He looked at Discord to see him smiling.
"Do you want to go in?"
Spike nodded and they walked forward.
"I don't remember Twilight ever mentioning this..."
Discord shook his head.
"She didn't know. They were actually going to invite her to see it next month. The anniversary of when she moved to Ponyville."
Spike felt his heart breaking and the tears started again. Fate was far more cruel than he'd ever known. He did his best to reign in the tears as Discord continued.
"When they found out the other day, they changed the name. It was Golden Oaks up until two days ago."
They came to the front entrance and Spike had to bite his lip to stop himself from falling apart.
The Twilight Oaks Library
Friendship is Magic
Discord pushed the door open to reveal the interior of the tree. Though not identical, the library shared many characteristics with its predecessor. Spike looked up at the shelves of books as memories flooded his mind. So many hours organizing and re-organizing. And the late nights when Twilight refused to stop studying and he'd fall asleep next to her. The parties that had been held in the common area. The loft bedroom.
"Can I help you?"
Spike’s attention was brought forward as he found a young mare in front of him. She was lavender in color with a dark mane and a pair of glasses perched on her nose. There was a slight sparkle to her overall appearance.
Spike had to blink several times to make sure he was seeing properly. The grief must be too much for him. There was no way that this pony-
“Ah yes! I was looking for a particular book. Perhaps you can help locate it? It’s called Friendship and Its Role In Equestrian History.”
The mare smiled and nodded.
“I’m positive we have a copy of that!”
Spike noticed something behind the mare in that moment. A book vanished from the shelf. He glanced at Discord, who hadn’t looked away from the mare yet.
“Wonderful! I’d love to check a passage in it.”
The mare turned away and went right for the spot where the book had obviously been shelved. She paused when her eyes found the area, but not the book.
“Um…excuse me for a moment. I must have put it somewhere else.”
As the mare started waking around, Spike turned to Discord and spoke in a hushed tone.
“What’s going on Discord? She…she looks like-“
“Yes, the resemblance is uncanny isn’t it? I suppose that genetics find a way to manifest in a similar pattern more than once.”
Spike looked at the mare as she continued pacing along the shelves.
“But…Twilight never…”
His eyes widened as he connected the dots.
“Her coat…it shimmers like a Crystal pony. She’s a descendant of Flurry Heart!”
“Bingo. A great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter to be precise. The bloodline carried by Twilight’s brother, and her by extension, has spread across Equestria. But most this far along don’t even realize they’re related to the former Princess. This one on the other hoof…”
He motioned to the mare.
“She took this position because she’s trying to learn everything she can about her distant aunt. Especially now.”
A sudden pop sounded the rematerialization of the book as it appeared on a table. The mare turned at the sound and spotted the book at once. Her smile sent a shiver down Spike’s spine, reminding him too well of Twilight.
“Oh there it is! I must have forgotten to put it back on the shelf.”
She grabbed the book and brought it to the stallions.
“This is one of my favorite books! I’ve learned so much from it. Friendship truly is a big part of our history. Especially thanks to Princess Twilight!”
Spike cleared his throat.
“You uh… You look familiar. Like I’ve seen a picture of you or something.”
The mare giggled.
“I’ve never had my picture anywhere. Must have been…”
She trailed off as her eyes glazed over slightly.
“Do…do you remember the picture at all?”
Discord opened the book and flipped a few pages. He turned the book around and pointed at a picture of six ponies and a young dragon.
“I believe he’s thinking of this one.”
The mare stared at the picture, taking in the likeness.
“How…how did you know?
Spike was about to answer when Discord cleared his throat.
“Perhaps it would be best to unmask ourselves?”
Spike’s eyes widened in panic.
“Discord, I’ll rip this place apart if I revert!”
“Fine! I’ll figure it out.”
A flash of light blinded everyone. When the library came back into focus, Discord stood there in his original form. The mare looked up at him in awe.
“I can’t believe it! I thought you didn’t exist anymore!”
She turned to Spike to discover a dragon. He stood nearly as tall as Discord, but much broader. Almost like one of those heroes out of the old adventure stories.
“You’re…you’re Spike.”
Spike nodded and smiled.
“And you are?”
“Um…um…Diamond. Diamond Sparkle.”
“That’s a lovely name.”
“Wha- What are you doing here?”
Spike turned to Discord.
“I’m guessing something to do with my grief?”
Discord shrugged.
“Why would I care about a silly thing like that?”
Spike smiled and turned back to Diamond.
“I’m sorry if we’re intruding. It’s just…been a long day.”
The awe disappeared from Diamond’s eyes, replaced with sadness.
“I’m so sorry for your loss. Everything I’ve read says you were one of her closest friends.”
Spike sat down and shook his head.
“She was more than a friend. She was my big sister. Or more honestly…she was like a Mother to me. She hatched my egg when she was only six.”
Diamond’s eyes widened.
“I never read that!”
Spike smiled, feeling his heart grow a little lighter.
“I’ve got plenty more where that came from. Would you like to hear more?”
Diamond nodded and sat down.
“What was she like? What were her hobbies? How old was she when she ascended? What was her family like? What were her friends like?! Were they as amazing as they seem in the books?!”
Spike laughed.
“Oh you’re definitely related to Twilight. Why don’t I just start from the beginning?”
Discord summoned a bucket of popcorn and began munching.
“Oh this is going to be good.”
Spike smiled up at his old friend. The draconequus knew too well what Spike had needed. Wallowing in the memories by himself wasn’t the answer at all. They needed to be shared. And seeing this young mare in front of him made him realize that Twilight wasn’t gone. Not entirely.
The dragon took a deep breath.
“So it all started just before the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration…”
