The Stars That Bind Us

Alarms were set off all around the chateau. Though the battle was still raging on, everyone began to evacuate.

Warning, nuclear sequence awaiting. Warning, warning. Going in a loop over and over from the intercoms.

While everyone was leaving the field to get as far as they could away from there, only two were left behind.

This encounter would determine the fate of the world. Would there be a world or annihilation?

Spike finds himself following a trail of Sombra's blood to the control room where the bomb was placed.

The injured tyrant near the control panel, hard to breath as he looked down at the keypad. A shaken hand over the numbers.

Just need to add the numbers and the countdown begins.

Gripping onto the Bloodstaff, encroaching Sombra slowly, Spike held no fear from him.

After all he had done to Spike, his family, to everyone, it was time to end this once and for all.

“It’s over, Sombra, you’ve lost.” Spike said.

Sombra grunted as he hit the final launch sequence.

Time of explosion, T-minus Five Minutes. The coms announced.

“You should run, this can’t be stopped.” Sombra said as he straightened up.

“I know.” Spike said as he raised his staff up to him. “If it is the last day, making sure you don’t find a way to come back would be how I spend my last moments.”

Sombra let out a laugh. “I always find a way, Sir Spike. Fear always brings me back.”

The tyrant spun around, his sword coming out, knocking the Bloodstaff out of the way and sent out large crystals at Spike.

Spike jumped back in time, spinning his staff at hand, using it as a melee weapon and clashed with Sombra.

Out on a small plot of a sandy island just several miles out of the ocean. Seeing the clear view of the blaring chateau.

A rendezvous where many of the allies came, either floating in air by wings, magic, water and on boat. Though they were still within blast range, it was where Spike told everyone to meet up after Iggy was safe.

Rachel had a terrible feeling. As happy she was that her baby was once again resting in her arms, everything wore out on him so Iggy fell asleep, she was worried about Spike.

She was sitting on a rock, looking out at the building. Looking out for any indication of Spike coming out. Signs of the alarms cutting off and her mate flying out.

Malik approaches her. He suffered a few blows but her Second was still kicking it, having a bandage wrapped around his eye and head. “Everyone has been counted for. Though Dorothy, I don’t think we should be here with those alarms blaring.”

“The Dragonlord told us to be here specifically.” Rachel said, not taking her eyes off that building.

“And where the hell is he?” Ember calls out as she approaches, followed by Twilight and others.

“I can’t find him anywhere. Rachel, where’s Spike?” Twilight asked.

“None of us saw him coming back with us.” AJ mentioned, adjusting her hat.

“Spike, he’ll be back soon.” Rachel responded to them vaguely. I hope so…

Twilight looked at her and back at the chateau. Her face paled. “Rachel, tell me he’s not in there.”

“He better not fucking be.” Ember growled. “Queenie, say something!”

“HE’S COMING RIGHT BACK!” Rachel turned and snapped at them, eyes streaking from tears.

Countdown to explosion is T-minus Four Minutes.

Countdown to explosion is T-minus Three Minutes.

The countdown continued to announce as the fight continued on. Magic and fire consumed that control room.

Spike was giving everything he got against him, literally fighting against the ever ticking clock. The literal countdown breathing down his neck.

Even though the tyrant was injured, he held nothing back as he retaliated. Each step was met with a counter.

Each step was matched. each energy was matched.

Countdown to explosion, T-minus two minutes.

Every so often after crystals were thrown, Spike would throw his own, missing on purpose, hitting and scattering around the control room. Crystal shards are so thick that it would be hard to shatter.

Covering the bomb with so many layers of crystal and barriers to contain the inevitable explosion.

As a last moment to drive the heart into Spike as the time gone down, Sombra turned into shadow and launched himself at the dragon.

Wrapped himself around Spike, endowed him with so much of his fear illusion that the last thing the dragon would see would be what he had fear the most before the countdown reached zero.

Spike was taken back to one of the worst moments of his life. The night that became his living hell.

He was back at The Carousel Boutique, inside of the foyer, surrounded by already knocked down mannequins.

The awful taste after having the botch potion shoved in his throat, causing him to wrap his hands around his throat. Feeling ths rush of anger consuming him prior to him turning.

Watching all of this, hoping the potion would cause him to fall madly in love with her once more…

Was Rarity herself.

His living hell, reliving those moments of him turning into a mindless beast and killing her. Over, and over, and over.

The nightmares he kept having all this time.

The pony whom he once had a crush on, the one who broke his heart. Who has hurt him over, and over, and over again.

However…

If she had never done that, if she had never rejected him on that cruise, he’d never ever thought of soughting out a fiery, hot-tempered artist. Never thought to build a bond, a relationship that defied all laws and notions. To someone who, without a sheer of a doubt, stuck with him no matter what happened. The good, the bad, the horrible, to have someone that would save him.

Saving him from himself.

Never thought to have a loving mate and child with them. Gaining a purpose.

Fighting off the painful urge coursing through him, Spike stood. Fighting the bile taste in his mouth as he looked upon Rarity.

After so much pain this unicorn caused because of what she did, this was more for him than for her.

“I forgive you.” Spike told her. She looked at him confused, blinking a few times.

“Excuse me, darling?” Rarity asked, her voice echoed in his ears.

“I…forgive you, Rarity. That is more than what you deserve, you’ve hurt so many ponies for what you did to me. You took a piece of my soul that caused me to harm those I love… It’s because of the love I have gained filled in the piece you stole from me.” The more Spike talked, the more the illusion world began to break. “You were one of my friends, you betrayed everyone because of your greed. Your entitlement destroys lives and you are where you belong. For years you had control over me, I’m taking it back.

“I forgive you, but I won’t forget.” His eyes began to glow. The emeralds in his eyes glowed and his own mist seeped from the corner of his eyes.

The illusion of Rarity started to convulse. Her voice started to blend from hers and to Sombra, fighting his strange magic. Feeling pain in his head as the world began to shift around them.

“But for you Sombra, I don’t forgive you.” Spike’s voice reverberated. Seeing the illusion of Rarity glitching out and Sombra took her physical place.

The same mist and glow from Spike’s eyes came to Sombra’s. Sombra tried to fight it but Spike managed to slip into his mind.

Unleashing thousands of fears out onto Sombra. Letting him see and feel everything he has ever done to countless lives over thousands of moons. Every raw feeling his victims felt played in a constant loop.

When reality came back, Spike stood in front of Sombra, he had a cathartic blank look on his face. Being trapped within his own mind.

Countdown to explosion T-minus one minute.

Spike turned to the ticking bomb. There wouldn’t be enough time to use his staff to teleport out.

He raised the Bloodstaff, it began to glow and hum. “I know.” He responds to it calmly. “I’m ready…” he held it in both hands.

And closed his eyes.

The Bloodshard on Rachel’s neck started to periodically glow. At first she didn’t notice as her eyes were still up at the chateau, but it kept glowing brighter and brighter with each second.

She glanced down at the necklace, bewildered what it was doing before gasping. “SPIKE!!” Sensing their bond~

KA-BOOM!

The entire cliff side exploded. A large fireball shot up in the air, forming a gigantic mushroom cloud.

Rachel held onto Igneous, pinning him close to her chest, turning her whole body around and crouched as the shockwave hit them.

Knocking everyone out of the sky and knocking everyone unconscious.

******

The first thing that came to Rachel when she found herself coming to was the cry of Igneous. Waking up on her side on the sand, Iggy was in tears, shaking her to try and wake up.

“I’m here, baby. I’m here..” Rachel croaked, her hand reached out and petting his soft fuzzy cheeks before pushing herself to sit up as more of her surroundings came alive.

Rachel looked around and she let out a surprised sound.

The allies were in the process of gathering each other. Teams set out to check on everyone, them pulling others out of the waters by the seaponies.

Rachel picked up Iggy and held him, in shock of what she was seeing.

Everyone. Those who were with them on this tiny sandy island was alive. The sky wasn’t shrouded in darkness or nuclear winter covered everywhere. The skies were clear and blue. Birds were flying over them freely as if whatever curse that was at this place was lifted.

When Rachel turned back to the chateau, she was hit with the tallest, crystalized formation she had ever seen.

In shape of the hellish mushroom explosion, standing up a hundred feet tall with the top having countless spikes sticking out. It shined and sparkled in many different colors of the rainbow.

One of the human soldiers held to a radiation meter out with their own bewildered look. They all saw the nuke exploding, they should all be dead from the blast or from the radiation itself.

Their eyes grew. “Uh, there’s no radiation in the air. It’s all clear!”

That's amazing news, but where was Spike??

After giving her son to Twilight, Rachel and Ember brought out a team to survey the cliffside. Large jagged crystals were all over the worn out battlefield. The grand chateau was gone, in place was the crystal tower.

Near the once building were figures carved with the same large crystals lining outside near the tower.

The humans checked for more radiation, the only source of any radiation was concentrated at the tower, everything else was safe.

“Spike!” Rachel called out his name as she and the team looked around. “Spike, where are you?!”

She looked everywhere but could not see anything of him. The thought of him getting vaporized by the nuke sickened her. She dreaded even thinking of that.

One thing was certain, these crystals, the explosion stopped just here was all Spike's work.

Whatever Spike did, saved everyone. Perhaps saved the entire world.

“Keep looking!” Ember barked orders as she helped the search for any survivors and the missing Dragonlord.

They came across an ominous permanent shadow figure of a unicorn embedded on a rocky surface. It was faint but they could tell it was Sombra's.

His body was evaporated.

Rachel has only seen movies and games of what a nuke could do to a being if caught in the initial blast. Leaving the final glimpse of their lives permanently forever plastered on the surface. Reminded her of a charcoal outline on a canvas.

Sombra was gone forever.

But Spike?

The painful thought of him being gone was too much for Rachel to bear as she began to break down. Fallen to her knees and clutching her aching chest.

“Please….not like this….not like this.” Rachel sobbed. Begging to God that this wasn't happening again.

That she didn't lose another love.

When her hands brushed the necklace, she began to hear a voice.

Rachel…

The Queen gasps when she heard it. She looked down to see her necklace was glowing again. She could hear the humming from the Blue Celestial, causing her to shoot up on her taloned hooves.

Listening to the whispers and staff, her eyes looked at the other crystal formations, there were a lot near the tower. She stared at them as the realization came to her. “Oh my God.” She whispered.

Ember came back to Rachel. “Rachel, we can't find him,” it was rare to see the blue dragoness get upset about anything. Much less with grief and sadness. “I'm sorry, but he's~”

“Everywhere.” Rachel muttered.

“Come again?” Ember asked. “Spike's gone, do you hear me?”

“No he's not.” She sniffed the air. Even though the tower does have a smell, one smell overpowered it.

All these crystals were Him!

You'll know what to do with it when the time comes. What Spike said before came back.

Taking the Blue Celestial out of its pocket dimension, Rachel also took the pendant off of her. Both shimmered being so close to one another.

She looks at her staff. “Can we bring him back?” She asked directly. It hummed and then some as a reply.

“Rachel, what the fuck are you doing??” Ember asked as she watched Rachel taking the Blood stone pendant and wrapping it around the blue clusters of her staff.

No time to explain, the colors shimmered and glowed, merging into a purple color.

Power erupted from her, all the dragons felt a powerful dynamic shifted. A power which none had felt in their life times. No one here has ever seen both stones merging into one. The ground rumbled and wind began to whip violently around the Queen.

Rachel held the staff up, seeing it's magic surging, feeling as if she could not control it herself.

Everything she and Spike had done since they met felt like a lifetime ago began to replay in her mind but going backwards. Seeing him taking charge, finding him in Ironstone, events that happened, all the good and bad replaying until the first day they met. With her, as a human, standing on those stairs, looking down at Spike when he asked her for her name.

The moment that started this adventure.

“Bring. Him. Back!” Rachel roared, with all of her might, she slammed the end of her staff down.

Magic exploded all around them, surging out of her and the staff.

The crystals near the tower began to shake and bend as magic consumed them.

They began to crack and soon crumbled.

Coming to find out, most of the crystals weren't Spike, coming out of them were members of the squad that ran in the building with Spike!

Rachel held out as long as she could before collapsing due to exhaustion, zapping her energy, her fur and scales completely drenched in sweat. The pendant unraveled itself when she dropped the staff, detaching itself from it so the colors of red and blue returned to their place.

Ember went to her side and helped her up, holding her in place. “What the fuck was that?” she gasped, never seeing anything like that before.

Before Rachel could muster off words, fighting the urge to just completely black out entirely.

She was soon given a renewal energy.

“Guys! We found him!”