Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes and saw many unfamiliar face looking at her and saying many things she couldn’t understand in a big cacophony. She got frightened and instinctively started to cry as well as look around for something to comfort her.
Her eyes lay onto Spike and she went to him to cuddle. Spike didn’t let her cuddle though and Twilight couldn’t understand why. She tried to bite his claw but he pushed her back. So she was all alone, in a place she didn’t know with ponies she didn’t know and had no idea what she should do at all.
Two hooves took hold of her and a single soft voice spoke to her. She recognized the tone of that voice. Not completely, not much, but it was familiar. It was something she had heard already, long ago and that comforted her. She was a bit safer, so she let the voice lull her while the hooves were helping her stand up again.
“You better take her home.” Luna advised Twilight’s parents. “It will take a bit of time, but it’s just a matter of weeks until she will have gotten access to the body’s memories. She will know how to talk properly, she will know how to do everything she used to know, but I am afraid she won’t remember you.”
Twilight Velvet sent Luna a desperate look that was asking: “What about Twilight? Where is my daughter?”. But Luna was already shaking her head.
“Take good care of her.” She told the ponies. “I entrust her well-being into your hooves.”
On those words, and understanding there wasn’t anything else to be said or done, Twilight’s friends and her parents made her way out, bringing Twilight Sparkle with them.
Spike first hesitated, but decided his place was at Twilight’s side, even if it wasn’t really Twilight. He was going to go and catch up with the group, but a hoof stopped him right in his track. He turned back and saw Luna looking down on him.
“Spike, I need you to do me a favor.” Luna told him.
Spike just nodded to indicate he was willing to.
“I want you to keep a close eye on Twilight sparkle and make sure nothing happens to her. I also want you to report to me about everything that happens, no matter how small of insignificant.”
Spike agreed. He was going to look after her anyway. After all, inside of Twilight Sparkle was his great friend. He wouldn’t leave her alone.
He was about to finally depart when he turned back once again and suddenly asked:
“Isn’t there truly anything we could do to bring her back?”
Luna didn’t reply immediately, but in her silence she didn’t deny there was something that could be done, so Spike insisted. Finally, Luna asked:
“Tell me Spike, how far would you go to bring your friend back?”
“I would do anything. If there is a way, you can count me in.” He replied with confidence.
Luna’s horn lit up and walls of shadows cut them from the rest of the world.
“There is one body she belongs into. The one body she comes from.” Luna let out innocently.
“You mean… princess Celestia’s body? You want to steal the princess’s body and give it to Twilight?”
“I haven’t said anything of the sort.” Luna replied. “I am just stating the fact and the fact is that body belongs to her, so it would only be fair to return it to her.”
Spike first rejected the idea, then considered it and after some more thinking he just said:
“Let’s say I just want Twilight back and I do not care how it is done. Then what?”
Luna approached Spike and the shadows around them shrunk to the point of suffocating them.
“Choose your next words carefully Spike.” Luna told him. “Because I want her back more than you can even imagine. But I am ready to respect her decision if and only if you do too.”
Spike thought about it. In all honesty, he knew he should just give up. He knew he should just accept what had happened and, just like princess Luna, accept the decision Twilight had made. He was perfectly aware that he was only motivated by very selfish reasons and that those were anything but good. But his choice was already made:
“I want Twilight back.”
Luna came even close, putting her mouth just right near Spike’s ear and whispered:
“Do you truly understand the consequences of your wish? Do you understand what is going to happen if the moon challenges the sun once again?”
But Spike’s choice was made. And there wasn’t any other for him to make:
“I don’t care, I want Twilight back. Even if it means Nightmare Moon has to come back, even if it means a thousand of years in the dark, even if you have to become a tyrant and rule over all of Equestria. I just want Twilight back.”
Luna laughed and the shadows dissipated leaving just a thin veil between them and the real world.
“I am never allowing Nightmare Moon to return and I couldn’t care less about ruling over Equestria. The ponies can rule over themselves.”
She broke the last of the shadows and Spike found himself once again in the throne room, alone with Luna.
“You can go now.” Luna told him. “I expect to hear from you very soon. Know also that your wish has been heard as it is mine also. But it might very well be that we will both regret it very soon.”
“Save Twilight.” Spike simply replied.
And having said those last words, he went away, unaware that by his sole wish he had just put an end to an era of Equestrian history and opened another one full of tears and tragedy, hope, scream for freedom and constant fear.
[THE END]