It started out like any other day for Hitch: With Sparky playing around with notes, letters and any other scraps of paper he could get his claws on as they lay scattered around Hitch's desk. At least he wasn't trying to set them on fire or trying to eat them (or even rip them to shreds with his claws). Still, the papers were probably important, and Hitch didn't want Sparky to keep playing with them and make a mess of the office.
"Sparky Sparkleroni!" Hitch scolded in his best dragon dad voice. "Put those papers down this instant, mister! I'm not kidding!"
Sparky just giggled, too caught up in his own little world to pay any attention to a word Hitch said.
The sheriff sighed and put a hoof to his face. Izzy always said Sparky was no trouble at all for her whenever she was his dragonsitter. But Sparky had known Hitch the longest out of anypony in Maretime Bay, so why was he giving the stallion such a hard time? Why was Sparky better behaved with Izzy?
Hitch didn't have time to dwell on the matter. He just trotted forward with a serious look upon his face, hoping that would be enough to make Sparky see sense. "Come on, Sparky!" He coaxed and pleaded with the baby dragon. "You know I need those papers. You don't wanna sit in the time out corner, do you?"
The baby dragon seemed to ignore the comment, continuing to play about with the papers as if that was the only thing that interested him at the moment.
Sighing again, Hitch trotted up to Sparky and effortlessly yanked the papers right out of his claws. "That's enough, Sparky. You have plenty of toys to play with, play with those!" He scolded, and then thought to himself. "I really need to look into getting a filing cabinet."
Sparky didn't answer. Instead, he just rolled over to one side of Hitch's desk and closed his eyes. Seems he'd decided now was the perfect time to take a little nap (even though his scheduled nap time wasn't for at least another hour).
Still, at least Sparky sleeping meant Hitch would have time to sort out the papers and hopefully put them away. It wasn't like any of them were super important: Most of them were just casefiles from long since solved cases, or complaints about various magical accidents that had been happening on and off ever since the Crystal Brighthouse had come into being.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his moderate orange eyes, the sheriff noticed something on one of the papers. Something that immediately caught his attention! He pulled it close and examined it, quickly realizing he'd never seen or read over this paper before. Written on it was a short little message that read as follows:
To whomever this may concern,
The egg attached to this note is no ordinary egg. It is the egg of the last baby dragon known to exist anywhere in Equestria or beyond.
I pray that you will take the egg and the baby dragon inside into your heart. Give it a good home and raise the baby as best you are able. Also, be warned that his dragon fire possesses unique, magical properties the likes of which no dragon has ever seen before.
Do not attempt to find me. I do not know to whom this egg originally belonged. Please, protect this last dragon with your very life if necessary. Make sure its magic does not fall into the wrong hooves, claws or talons.
Thank you,
Spike
"Spike", why did that name sound so familiar?
That's when it hit Hitch! A gasp escaped his lips as the realization sunk in! Hadn't he heard the name "Spike" when Sunny had talked about the research her dad used to do? Hadn't that name come up not unlike the ancient ponies who'd once brought peace and harmony to Equestria, and ushered in a golden age of prosperity?
Right then and there, Hitch knew what he had to do! Sunny had to know about this! And as luck would have it, he knew just how to get in touch with her.
As soon as Sunny got the call, she came racing over to Hitch's office as fast as her hooves and her roller skates would let her! She then rushed to the doors and pushed them open, she couldn't and wouldn't wait for them to be opened for her! "You're sure the name was Spike?!" She asked Hitch as she rushed over to him.
"I think so. And I knew you'd want to know about this," Hitch explained as he gave Sunny the note. "It must've gotten lost, because I don't remember seeing a note like this when I found Sparky's egg. And I know for a fact that if there had been such a note, I would've kept it. I just wish I knew how it could've ended up here all of a sudden."
Sunny smiled. "It was probably Spike himself. From what I read and from what my dad told me he found out, Spike was capable of sending messages by using his own dragon fire. It was something only he could do, something that he was taught by the same pony who once taught Princess Twilight." Then she read over the note for herself, just to be sure Hitch hadn't somehow misread it or had missed something. He had not. There it all was, clear as day for all to see.
"Poor Sparky," Hitch commented as he watched Sunny read over the note. "He'll never know who his parents were. I hope they didn't abandon him and left his egg for Spike because they didn't want Sparky."
The earth pony mare barely heard anything Hitch had just said. She was utterly transfixed and entranced by the note and by who had written it. "Oh, I wish my dad was here to see this!" She happily exclaimed as she felt the joy and excitement spread throughout her whole body, making her tingle with joy! "Of course he'd still be alive! Dragons can live for hundreds of years, supposedly. All this time, Spike was still around, and we never knew it!"
Just then, Hitch noticed something about Sunny as he saw a familiar glow wash over her and saw what looked like wings and a horn start to appear. "Uh, Sunny-" He began but was unable to finish his sentence before a poof of glitter exploded outward in a shockwave!
A faint blush formed on the now transformed mare as Sunny sheepishly commented. "Oh dear, I did it again, didn't I? I really gotta learn how to get that under control so I don't do it by accident."
"It's alright, it just means you're really passionate and excited about this development," Hitch replied once the shock had worn off. "And I know your dad would be so proud to see you continuing his research," But then he saw fit to ask. "So, what are you going to do now?"
Sunny's resolve hardened as a serious look came into her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to track down Spike! He has to know about Princess Twilight and about the crystals, about what she was trying to accomplish and what she was trying to warn us about. He's out there, somewhere!"
The sheriff forced back a gulp. "How are you even gonna find him, Sunny? The note he sent doesn't have an address. And from the sound of it, it doesn't seem like he's in a mood for any visitors at all."
The alicorn with the glowing horn and wings just replied. "I'll bet if I take this note back to the brighthouse, it'll interact with the magic of the crystals and produce something I can use. And if not, I'm sure if I go back through my dad's notes I'll find a lead. One way or another, I'll find Spike and find out what he knows!" Then she exclaimed! "Oh my hoofness! I have to tell the others about this: It'll totally blow their minds! And I'll bet they'll all want to tag along!"
"Guess that means I'm going too, wherever you end up going?" Hitch nervously asked.
Sunny firmly nodded. "And you can bring Sparky along too, that way you'll know he's safe." And then without another word, she left the office. Rather than slip back into her skates, however, she decided to make use of her wings and took to the skies: The note safely tucked under one of her hooves!
Hitch, for his part, didn't know what to think.
By the time Sunny had returned to the Crystal Brighthouse, her alicorn transformation had worn off (thankfully, after she had landed). But that was okay. She was mostly concerned about informing her friends of her recent discovery, and of seeing whether the brighthouse's magic would help her figure out where Spike was and how to find him.
It wasn't long before Sunny had informed Izzy, Zipp and Pipp of what she'd found. And they were all speechless!
Zipp was the first to find her voice, and that took several minutes. "So, what exactly are you going to do?" She asked Sunny. "If Spike is indeed still around, he could be anywhere."
"That's another reason why I came back here," Sunny explained as she carefully held up the note. "You remember that message from Princess Twilight that Hitch discovered by accident?"
"You mean, the one warning us about somepony?" Zipp asked. "I'm still trying to figure out who that could be."
Izzy just smiled. "Well, I'll bet Spike would know if we asked him."
Pipp, however, commented with confusion. "I don't see what that has to do with the note, though. How is that connected to the crystals?"
The earth pony mare explained as best she could in her still somewhat excited state. "You should know, Pipp, the crystals contain a magic all their own. So I'm hoping that the magic will interact with Spike's unique dragon magic somehow. And if that doesn't work, I'm going to pour over my dad's research notes again to see if he ever found anything about where Spike might be."
"Well, if you find out, let us know! We'll all go with you, Sunny!" Izzy cheerfully exclaimed! "It'll be just like the trip that brought us all together and helped us unite the crystals."
"I just hope Rocky and Jazz can keep Mane Melody running smoothly without me," Pipp remarked, before encouraging. "Best of luck in your search though, Sunny. I know this must mean a lot to you."
With a nod, Sunny then sprinted upstairs to access the lift that would take her up to where the three unity crystals were housed inside of that glowing rainbow. Once she'd reached the top of the brighthouse, she carefully trotted towards the crystals and held the note from Spike close to them. "Let this work!" She thought desperately to herself!
Suddenly, a bright green swirl materialized from the parchment and rose into the air! There was a blinding flash, and Sunny threw up a hoof to shield her eyes from the sudden glare! Eventually, the light dimmed in intensity enough for Sunny to lower her hooves. When she did so, her sea green eyes beheld a sight that she almost couldn't believe!
What appeared to be a holographic map of some kind now appeared inside of the rainbow, looking not unlike the way that shakey projection of Princess Twilight had looked during that recording. The map flickered occasionally, looking like it could disappear at a moment's notice. Yet Sunny could see the outlines of familiar locations like Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood as clear as day.
And then, off to the top right of the map, nestled into some mountains was what looked like a cave. And above the cave hovered a projection of a green swirl. There was no doubt about it, it had to be the place where Spike resided!
Looking out from the brighthouse, a gasp escaped Sunny's mouth as she saw a faint rainbow trail lead all the way out to the horizon! And if she squinted hard enough, she could just make out the outline of mountains that she might have never given thought to if not for what she had just seen. Her destination was clear in mind! "That's where I have to go!" She thought to herself, making up her mind right then and there!
It was very fortunate for Sunny that The Marestream was still functional despite it having been a while since it had been used. The alternative would've been to rent a hot air balloon, or ask Zipp and Pipp if they could convince their mom to borrow a royal chariot and some pegasus power to pull it.
The five ponies (along with Sparky) climbed aboard it. And as soon as the door was shut tight behind and everypony else had taken their seats, Zipp trotted up to the controls and pulled back on the throttle. With a roar, the engines started and The Marestream took off into the sky!
"You're sure that rainbow is leading the way, Sunny?" Zipp asked as she slowly but surely steered The Marestream in the direction of the arcing display.
Sunny nodded quite firmly. "I know it in my heart! There's no way the crystals could be wrong! Spike is up there, all alone in that cave!"
Pipp nervously asked. "And, what are you going to do if we get there and he doesn't want to talk to us? What happens then?"
"I'm not leaving without some answers!" Sunny vowed with a look of fiery determination in her eyes! "If I have to stand out there all day and night, I will! One way or another, I'll find out what Spike knows!"
Hitch, for his part, tried to caution. "Now Sunny, you may not necessarily find the answers you're looking for. Who knows how much time has passed since whatever happened with Princess Twilight happened? Spike may not remember it exactly, or he may not want to remember it."
"Huh, Hitch makes a good point, actually," Izzy pointed out. "I mean, this is starting to remind me of what we all went through with the crystals."
The earth pony mare just replied. "Anything he can tell me at all will be a big help. But I'm confident the Crystal Brighthouse wouldn't have pointed me in his direction unless it knew Spike could give me some answers. It's never been wrong before, and I don't see any reason to doubt it now."
Zipp then commented. "Then we'd better hope you're right, Sunny. And we'd all better hope Spike is in a friendly mood, and that whatever Princess Twilight was trying to warn us about didn't get to him first."
"If Sparky's any indication, I think we've got nothing to worry about," Pipp pointed out. "Dragons are made of really tough stuff. And if Sparky can find his way out of trouble when he's just a baby, just imagine how much tougher and smarter a fully grown dragon like Spike must be."
Soon afterward, The Marestream reached its destination. And despite a bit of difficulty landing on the rocky surface, Zipp guided the craft down safely. "Thank you for flying The Marestream, everypony," She spoke in that tone of voice she liked to use when acting as the unofficial captain of the flying machine. "Please watch your step as you disembark."
Sunny jumped out as soon as the door was opened, still holding onto that piece of parchment that had set this whole thing into motion! She was so close, she could feel it! In just a matter of moments (hopefully) she would be face to face with the Spike: Princess Twilight's royal advisor and number one assistant. The dragon who had been at the princess' side from day one of her reign. Oh, it was too good to be true! But it felt so real, so it couldn't possibly be a dream, right? Right?!
Once the other ponies had left The Marestream (with Sparky riding atop Hitch's back), Sunny plucked up courage as she turned her attention to the cave entrance. "Well, this is it," She told her friends as she could feel the anticipation building up inside of her. "No turning back now!"
"Go ahead, Sunny!" Izzy eagerly encouraged! "We're all with you! I don't know much about this 'Spike', but if he's important to you then he's important to all of us."
"Let's just hope he's friendly, for our sakes." Zipp whispered under her breath. If Spike was indeed a fully grown dragon like the ones in the old stories, he was sure to be strong enough to attack the ponies if he felt like it.
The earth pony mare took a moment to steady her nerves and compose herself. Then she called out to the darkness. "Hello? Is anypony... er anyone there?"
There was no reply. The only sound that could be heard was the whispering of the wind, reminding the ponies of the elevation and altitude at which they currently were.
"M-maybe... he's not home?" Hitch gulped as he found himself suddenly starting to feel like he shouldn't be here.
"No! He has to be home! He just has to be!" Sunny firmly demanded as her eyes narrowed! "I didn't come all this way just to go home empty hoofed!" Again she called out! "Hello? Spike? Spike? Are you there?"
Still, there was no answer.
Sunny began to lose patience! "Come on! You have to be here! Please, answer me!" She all but shouted, hoping that perhaps her words might carry further into the cave in case Spike couldn't hear her.
Hitch slowly trotted forward and put a hoof around Sunny as he noticed the sad, somber expression upon her face. "Sunny, I'm sorry. It looks like he's not home. Even if dragons can live for hundreds of years, they're not immortal. Maybe this was Spike's home, once upon a time. But maybe he's not around anymore."
"But... but..." The earth pony mare protested as her lips quivered! How could this be?! To come so close, only to be denied!
Suddenly, to the surprise of everyone, Izzy rushed forward and lit up her horn as her eyes narrowed! "Hey, Spike!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice being amplified and echoing everywhere! "If you're here, you might as well come out and say something! Or I'm coming in there and making you talk! And believe me, I have ways of making you talk! I have a unicorn horn full of magic, and I am not afraid to use it!"
Sunny, Hitch, Zipp and Pipp's mouths all dropped open in shock and surprise! Never would they have expected Izzy of all ponies to say or do such a thing!
And the shock and surprise only grew when a loud, low voice grumbled. "Alright, fine! If you're really not gonna go away until you talk to me, I'll talk! But make it quick, I'm not in the mood for visitors!" Then, what sounded like stomping could be heard from inside the cave. It grew louder and louder, until at last, from the cave emerged a truly massive dragon (at least in comparison to Sparky)! It had purple scales all over its body, green spikes, a grayish-green underbelly and eyes that looked to be a shade of emerald green.
Sunny Starscout's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as a huge gasp escaped her lips! "Oh my hoofnees!" She giddly exclaimed! "It's you! It's really you! You're Spike!"
The tall dragon nodded very slowly. "Yes, that's me," Then he grumbled. "Now what do you want with me? Why else do you think I came out here to the middle of nowhere? I want to be left alone!"
"W-we're s-sorry for d-disturbing you, M-Mr. Spike," Pipp squeaked as she hid behind Zipp and tried to shrink from Spike's gaze. "R-really. I mean, i-it was Sunny's idea!"
"Pipp!" Zipp snapped!
Pipp blushed and tried to make herself look as small as possible. "What? It's true. She's the one who wanted to meet Spike so badly."
Meanwhile, Sunny found herself at a loss for words! What could she say?! What should she say?! "This... this is real! This is really real!" She exclaimed over and over again! And then, before everyone's eyes she transformed: That translucent, golden horn and wings appearing on her in the blink of an eye.
To the four other ponies, this was hardly new. They'd seen this a few times by now. But to Spike, it was a sight he had never seen before! Now it was his turn to look shocked and surprised! "Who are you?!" He exclaimed!
"Oh, sorry," Sunny blushed in shame. "Probably should've introduced myself sooner. My name is Sunny Starscout:" She gestured a hoof to each of her friends one by one. "And this is Izzy Moonbow, Zipp Storm, Pipp Petals and Hitch Trailblazer. Oh, and Sparky of course."
Upon spotting the baby dragon upon Hitch's back, Spike commented. "'Sparky', huh? Interesting name. Not what I would've named him, but I suppose it's a fitting name all the same," He then asked Hitch. "I take it this means you got my letter?"
Hitch nodded quite slowly. "Yes, though I'm sorry it took me a while to get around to it. Being sheriff of Maretime Bay doesn't exactly leave you with a lot of downtime, and neither does being a dragon dad. Right, Sparky?" Sparky, for his part, just babbled and cooed.
Zipp then explained. "And as for Sunny. Well, apparently it's related to the crystals. Some of their magic must've transferred to her. But it only comes out whenever she gets really passionate and feels strongly about something, like you for example. Long story short, her dad used to study the times of Princess Twilight and her friends, and it really rubbed off on Sunny."
"So, you've brought the crystals together, huh?" Spike asked in a serious tone of voice. "I wasn't sure if anypony would ever be able to do it. I was convinced the crystals would be forever split up and forgotten about."
The earth pony turned alicorn then all but pleaded with the fully grown dragon standing before her. "So, do you know anything about the crystals, or about Princess Twilight? Do you know what she was trying to accomplish with them? She didn't really mean to take away all of Equestria's magic forever, did she?"
At that, Spike's posture seemed to change and a sad look came into his eyes. It was almost like a wave of regret washed over him. "Oh, you really wanna know about that, huh?" He let out a long, unhappy sigh. "Well, guess I can try to fill you in to the best of my ability. Ever since my pony friends passed away and Discord vanished without a trace, I haven't had anyone to tell the story to. I've been alone, with my thoughts and my memories." He wiped a lone tear from his left eye.
Pipp slowly came out from behind Zipp. "W-we're sorry, we didn't mean to bring up bad memories," She spoke as sincerely as possible. "You don't have to tell us... if you'd rather keep it secret. I mean, there's nothing wrong with keeping it to yourself."
But Spike shook his head from side to side. "No. You all came out here, practically forced me out of my cave. And I know if Twilight and her friends were here now, they'd want me to tell you. Twilight especially would say it's not good for me to keep this all bottled up inside. Fair warning, though, it's a pretty sad story."
"We'd appreciate any knowledge you'd be willing to share with us, Spike," Sunny reassured him. "And I promise, we'll try not to ask too many questions."
Spike led the five ponies (and Sparky) deep into the interior of his cave. The only source of illumination was a series of torches lit by dragon fire. And even then they only barely gave any light at all to the otherwise dark, damp and dreary cave.
At last, they came to what could best be described as a sort of makeshift library. Wooden shelves full of dusty old books and scrolls were scattered about with no real thought behind their placement, aside from leaving just enough space for Spike to be able to curl up and nap if he so wanted to. Some of the books and scrolls currently lay on the floor.
Most noticeable of all, however, was a small framed picture that rested off to one side. Izzy being Izzy, she quickly trotted over and picked it up, using her magic to hold it aloft and examine it carefully. "Hey, I think I recognize those ponies. Or at least, one of them," She commented as she pointed a hoof to the tall and slender alicorn standing in front of Spike, surrounded in front, behind and on both sides by five other mares. "That's Princess Twilight, isn't it?"
"Yes," Spike spoke in a lamenting tone of voice. "I remember that picture well. It was the last one taken before Twilight got it in her head that she should make herself look more like Princess Celestia, and cast a spell that changed her entire appearance," He found himself unable to keep from giggling. "I never got used to it, even though she stayed that way for a long time. Everypony said it made her look more regal, but to me I always preferred her when she looked like herself. If only I'd known I'd never see her like this again. That I wouldn't get to see her step down and pass the crown to a successor, like she was hoping to do."
Everypony in the room suddenly found themselves filled with dread as Sunny forced herself to ask the question that had just come into the minds of her and her friends. "What happened, Spike? Princess Twilight looked just like she did in this picture when we saw a projection of her back at the Crystal Brighthouse. Are you telling me she used to look completely different as an alicorn?"
The light purple scaled dragon nodded. "Yeah, she did. Guess she used up more magic to empower the crystals than she realized," And he added quite slowly. "It's no wonder she disappeared when the crystals entered the picture. She must've unintentionally sealed herself away inside of them."
"Why would she do that? I thought the crystals were created to contain the magic of Equestria so that it couldn't be misused?" Sunny questioned.
Rather than reply with words, Spike slowly strolled forward until his head was level with Sunny's position. Then he pressed himself up against her horn.
"What are you doing?!" Sunny pondered as she blinked in concern and confusion! Without warning, her horn began to glow brighter, bathing the entire cave interior in blinding light!
The light faded very slowly as blurry outlines of ponies and places suddenly materialized before everyone! With the exception of Spike, everyone gasped!
Spike explained as best he could. "What you're seeing now are projections of my memories. Twilight was the only other pony who could do this. She discovered a spell that could draw out the memories of anycreature."
"So, does this mean we're seeing your memories of the past? The memories of the crystals?" Sunny asked as her voice echoed across the void.
The tall dragon nodded quite slowly. "I don't know what you were told or what your dad found out, but whatever you think you know about the crystals isn't completely true. They weren't just to contain magic to ensure that the pony tribes got along. That was just what Twilight told me and her friendship council to tell ponies. She didn't want to make anypony panic."
"Is it related to that warning we heard on the recording?" Zipp inquired. "We didn't get a name, but Princess Twilight did warn us to watch out for somepony. Whoever it was must've been pretty awful if they could force a pony as powerful as Princess Twilight to seal away magic completely."
"Wait a minute!" Izzy gasped as she suddenly remembered something. "Didn't Misty mention something about a pony named Opaline when telling us her story about the crystals?! I thought it was just made up. But what if it wasn't?!"
Spike was quick to confirm. "Opaline is the pony alright. Even considering all the evil threats Twilight and her friends fought over the years, Opaline definitely took the cake," He shuddered as he shut his eyes, recalling memory after memory as they flashed by the ponies in the blink of a eye. The outlines of ponies and other creatures could only barely be made out. "I apologize for the state of my memories. It's been so long, and I've done my best to block them out. It's so hard to force my brain to recall that which I'd rather forget."
"It's okay, Spike," Sunny tried to reassure him as she reached a hoof out to him. "Please, any information you can share at all would be greatly appreciated. We need to know what Princess Twilight was trying to warn us about, and what she was trying to accomplish with the crystals. You're the only one who can give us the information we need."
Sighing deeply, the dragon opened his eyes very slowly as he recalled. "It all happened so fast. At first, we didn't think there was anything to worry about: She was just a unicorn who thought she should be the supreme ruler of the land. But she tapped into something we hadn't considered, something we thought we'd vanquished when we defeated the Legion of Doom."
"Did Opaline..." Sunny began, but was too horrified to finish the sentence.
A shake of the head from Spike dispelled the notion. "No, she didn't kill Twilight. She never even came close, not even after she revealed to us all that she was actually an alicorn: A fire alicorn too. She wouldn't tell us how she'd become that, and she never left behind anything to help us figure it out. But, she was powerful. Too powerful!" He recalled as images began to depict a dark reddish-purple alicorn with a white mane and tail, apparently locked in battle with Princess Twilight and her friends. "It turned out she'd been manipulating ponies, stirring up fear and distrust. And she fed off of that discontent! She used it to turn Equestria against itself! Even with all the allies and friends we'd made, it wasn't enough. It was only a matter of luck that we won. Opaline couldn't maintain her power. And that gave Twilight and her friends the opening they needed to defeat her with the Elements of Harmony."
After pausing for a moment, the huge dragon continued as the memories shifted to what looked like the interior of a castle. Several small thrones surrounded a massive table, and at one of the thrones sat Princess Twilight who appeared to be deep in thought about something. The alicorn was eyeing what looked like three crystals in very recognizable shapes.
Spike narrated. "But even in defeat, Opaline had won. The bonds she'd broken couldn't be restored so easily. Once trust is lost, it's hard to regain it. Everypony tried their best, but the pony tribes were all worried. Worried that they couldn't survive together, that they would have to fend for themselves. That's where the crystals came in. Twilight informed us she was taking Opaline's excess magic, the magic she'd obtained by turning ponies against each other, and channeling it into the crystals. The intent was for the ponies to hide the crystals until the time was right, then they'd put them back together."
"But it never happened," Sunny realized. "Why?"
Spike could only shrug his claws. "I wish I knew. That was the last time anyone ever saw Twilight. The day after she informed us of her plan, she was gone," The memories flashed by in an instant, showing the rapidly changing scenarios that Spike had borne witness to. "All that remained was a note explaining what she wanted us to do," The tears returned to him in an instant. "My pony friends, everypony Twilight had ever touched or befriended, they all did their best to carry on. We all hoped that 'when the time was right', we'd be able to put the crystals together and set Twilight free. But without Twilight around to guide and reassure everypony, everything started to fall apart."
For several minutes afterward, everypony was silent (and so was Sparky for that matter). The look on Spike's face conveyed more than words how much pain and anguish he was going through just to relieve these memories, let alone speak about them.
"Eventually, I gave up," Spike admitted. "Everypony I knew had either died or had gone away. The ponies forgot all about what the crystals were supposed to be for. They got so used to living on their own that they stopped trying to seek each other for friendship. I became convinced that I'd never see Twilight's hopes be realized, let alone see her come back. So I moved out here, out to these mountains: To be alone with my thoughts and my memories. But then," He paused for a moment as the memories shifted, slowly becoming more clear and perfectly matching his words. "I felt it! That surge of hope, of trust! I realized that the crystals had been reunited, just as I'd hoped they would."
"But then, why hasn't Princess Twilight been set free?" Sunny pondered. "We did what she wanted. We united the pony tribes."
"I can only assume that she buried herself deep within the crystals," Spike concluded. "It will take a long time and a lot more magic before she can be freed."
Hitch then saw fit to ask. "Is that why you sent Sparky's egg to Maretime Bay? Were you hoping his magic might be able to do something?"
Spike confessed. "Sort of. I found the egg one day outside my cave, I never knew who sent it or why. But the first time I touched it, I could feel a unique magical power within it. I knew then and there that it had to be connected to the crystals. I had no intended destination in mind when I sent the egg away. I only hoped it would find its way to the new source of magic in Equestria," He smiled. "And with you, Hitch, I'd say it has. Things worked out better than I anticipated for that."
Just like that, the memories ceased. The void fell silent and was replaced by the cave interior, as if no one had actually left it in the first place.
When Sunny found the courage to speak again, she pleaded. "Please, Spike! Come with us! Come to Maretime Bay! I'm sure ponies would come to like you, once they got to know you anyways. Isn't that better than spending the rest of your days here, in a cave? Maybe, with your help, we can free Princess Twilight and bring about a new golden age of harmony!"
But the big dragon could only hang his head as he glumly and reluctantly admitted. "My time has come and gone, Sunny. I don't recognize the Equestria that exists," He reached out and placed a claw on her shoulder. "You and your friends are the future. You are the ones to whom I will entrust my legacy, and the legacy of Twilight and her friends, just as I unknowingly trusted you with Sparky. I know you'll find a way to bring back harmony. I know that if Opaline does show up again, you'll be able to stop her."
Sunny felt her wings and horn fade away once again as she came down from the emotional high she'd been experiencing up to this point. "We won't let you down, Spike! Or Princess Twilight!" She vowed as she looked back to her friends! "We'll do our part, hoof to heart! Right, everypony?!"
Hitch, Izzy, Zipp and Pipp all nodded firmly in reply.
A bright smile formed on the old dragon's face as he turned around, bent down and retrieved something just out of sight from the ponies. He turned back to them a moment later, giving them a well worn, dusty book whose pages looked like they were barely holding together. "Take this back with you. It's my private journal: My collection of all the memories I remembered or wrote down while I was serving Twilight as her royal advisor," He told them. "I don't know how many more days I have left in this realm. With this, you'll always have something to remember me by."
Zipp picked up the book and smiled. "I know how to make sure this doesn't end up in the wrong hooves," And then she motioned. "Come on, everypony! It's time for us to go home."
Sunny turned to leave, though not before taking one final look at Spike and saying to him. "Thank you, for everything. I know this couldn't have been easy for you. But you've been a big help, to me and to everypony."
"No, Sunny," Spike somberly replied. "Thank you, for giving me hope for the future. I know you'll succeed, even if I'm not around to see it."
Author's Note
I'm almost certain that we won't be seeing anything remotely like this in G5. In fact, I'm willing to bet that my headcanon about the crystals and Opaline will turn out to be wrong. So, before this inevitably gets contradicted, I decided to slap the AU tag on this.
I also decided to throw in my own explanation for why Twilight doesn't look like a Celestia recolor in her G5 appearance, as well as why she looked like that after the time skip in "The Last Problem".
