//------------------------------//
// Discovery: part 7 
// Story: Spike's partial death 
// by Dark Nightshade 
//------------------------------//

Death spent the next hour explaining things to Princess Celestia, Luna and Twilight.

"And these villains are after Spike's heart?" Celestia asked (again). Death sighed.

"Yes," he said. "And that's because something, or somepony, " Death glanced at Twilight, "Supercharged his heart."

"And you think that this was Twilight?" Luna asked.

"Of course," Death said. "Celestia was there when Twilight hatched him." He turned to Celestia. "You saw what she did to him!" Celestia frowned.

"I know, but I didn't think that there was anything wrong with him!" she said. Death opened his mouth to say something, but Celestia beet him to it. "And I know what your thinking, but I was told that he was fine. That's why Twilight wasn't allowed to see Spike for a few weeks."

"I remember that," Twilight said. "I was worried that I had messed something up and wasn't able to get into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicors." Luna snickered.

"Really?" she asked. "Even back then you were concerned about getting good grades and whatnot?" Twilight lightly blushed.

"Well, getting good grades is important!" she said. "It helped get me and my friends out of some tricky situations." Luna put up a hoof.

"I know Twilight," she said. "I was jesting. I know how important good grades are."

"Can we get back to the subject on hand?" Celestia asked. "This is fairly important."

"Thank you," Death said. "Now, to get Spike's heart, these villains will be using minions, of course, but they don't have the powers that Spike has. These minions are also skeletons, but most are very weak, and can fall apart with a kick to the chest. You can also use your fire breath, which has increased power in your skeletal state. You also now have a couple of new breath powers that you can use. Your Death Breath, which can kill, or re-kill, anypony it touches. You also have Animate Breath, which will temporarily reanimate any dead bodies you use it on. I will help you practice these new abilities, and you three," Death indicated Celestia, Luna and Twilight, "Will probably want to watch and take notes on these. It might come in handy later."