//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 Goodbye ...? // Story: Spike meets Mimikyu // by Zephyr Spark //------------------------------//             Tears poured down Spike’s face. Wood and rubble burned in the house Mimi had fallen into, leaving a trail of smoke that spiraled into the sky. He could not see any sign of the rabbit between the blistering flames or rubble. The house groaned, its structures on the verge of collapse.             Garble panted. The metal rod fell from his hand. He still kept tight control over Spike despite the drake’s struggles. The iron dagger trembled in Spike’s hand. He wanted so much to run it through Garble’s gut, even as the fairy flu sapped his strength. Garble would not allow him such opportunity.             A familiar shape floated out of an alleyway in between two burning buildings. Garble saw his partner Knight, covered in bruises and injuries. But the steel ghost floated towards the red dragon. Garble surmised Knight defeated Jack. It couldn’t have been too hard after Jack gave his life energy to both Mimi and Spike. He turned back to the burning building, questioning whether he should go in and try to find Mimi to make sure she was gone.             Knight lashed out with purple ribbons and raked Garble’s ribs with claws drenched in dark energy. As Garble clutched his side in pain, Knight slashed Garble’s wrist, and swiped the scepter. Garble exhaled a fiery breath at close range. The shield and sword beast vanished, and in its place stood a black bipedal fox creature with a long scarlet mane. Garble realized he had been duped. Foxy disguised himself as Knight to get close to Garble and take the scepter. But wasn’t he fighting Mewtwo? Who helped him escape? He had no time to ponder these questions as Foxy turned, and bolted away with the Bloodstone Scepter. Foxy patted away the embers on his fur, and turned to taunt Garble. Enraged, the red dragon soared after the trickster.             Without a second thought, Spike sprang towards the burning house. He leapt into the hole that Mimi made and entered the furnace. His heat resistant scales kept out most fire, but the dense cloud of smog almost blinded him. Black wooden beams still framed what had been a ceiling. Their creaks added to the inferno’s cry. Yellow flames blazed upwards. His eyes watered, more from fear than the smoke. He called to Mimi, praying she could hear him, praying she was alive.             He trembled across the burning floorboards of the hallway entrance into what might have been a living room. A couch, choking beneath yellow flames, stood before a brick fireplace. Chairs toppled to the floor burned beside a round table. Orange flash lit the walls, revealing planks of wood and bits of the ceiling that fell to the ground. A blazing wooden beam supporting the ceiling wilted into fragile charcoal. Dust, wood, and fire reigned collapsed like a landslide a foot from Spike. He shaded his eyes and called to Mimi. An unmistakable feeble chirp responded. Spike stumbled into the adjacent room, clutching to whatever stable sections of the wall he could find to support his enfeebled body. He coughed soot from his lungs. Breathing was impossible. The fire and ashes touched his scales without harming him, but the fairy flu wore him down every second.             Spike entered through the doorframe and saw a cindering pule of rubble at one corner of the room. On the other corner was a gaping hole, formed by something thrown with great force. His heart struggled to beat, his vision blurred and his stomach twisted. Mimi was close, he realized as he gazed across the blazing, windowless room. Spike took a step towards the rubble. His legs locked, and he fell to the ground, unable to walk. He crawled, dragging himself on his hands and knees towards the rubble.             He dug through the layers of soot and debris, shoving aside the sand and rocks and coming to a stack of planks. With the little strength he had, Spike grabbed the nearest fallen plank and tugged. The plank came loose; the momentum of Spike’s pull sent him tumbling onto his back. His lungs heaved, struggling to take in a single breath as cinders trickled from the ceiling like rain. Move, he told himself, stay still and you’ll die. He twisted his hip and worked his right shoulder over. Slowly, the rest of his body followed him onto his left side. Spike rolled onto his belly, getting his hands under him so he could push himself up. He crawled back to the rubble pile like an infant and saw an unmistakable rag covered figure, buried beneath the soot. He shoved aside the last of the soot, careful not to touch her.             “Mimi,” he coughed, “you need to wake up.” She did not stir. Her chest heaved with shallow breaths. But she could not move. The building crumbled around them.             Spike bent his head down, “Please Mimi, I can’t carry you out. I’m too weak.”             Her eyes opened, into a sad, pitiful expression. She whimpered, begging Spike to save himself. She could not move. Garble’s last blow crippled her.             “I made a promise,” Spike exclaimed as he shoved off a plank. “I will never abandon you.”             Mimi wept. But Mimi is killing Spike. If you stay with Mimi, you will die.             “I don’t care. I’ll never let you go,” His voice shook with sobs, but he did not waver, “I’d rather die.”             Green bile burst from his mouth. Spike doubled over in pain. He locked eyes with Mimi, tears streaking down both of their faces.             “You’re my family.”             Spike.             The building groaned.             Mimi won’t survive the fire.             “I know.” Spike said, “But I can.”             His claws reached out and seized Mimi’s sides. Burning spasms of pain scoured through Spike’s hand, wracking his arms with pain. His arms spasmed, muscles flared with dreadful pain that flickered on and off. Spike gritted his teeth, yanked Mimi from the rubble. Blinded with nausea and aches, Spike used his tactile senses, placed Mimi onto the ground, and cradled her, shielding Mimi from the flames and falling debris. The aches spread into the rest of his body. His heart pulsated, struggling to pump. The waves crescendoed into a symphony of daggers, tearing apart his scales and his every last cell. His mind could only process the pain as his body went into shock.             Mimi tried to protest, tried to break from Spike’s grasp. But the drake would not let go, and she could not move. She watched his eyes darken into dim, grey orbs, white veins protruded beneath his scales, turning wretched brown. Vomit with speckles of crimson blood poured from his mouth, mingled with tears, and visceral screams             The building collapsed, burying them beneath mountain of smoldering rocks and dust. When the darkness fell on them both, Mimi could still feel Spike’s arms.             Foxy bolted left, dodging Garble’s flame breath. Even with agility and scary face, Garble kept pace with the nimble shape-shifter. He pelted flame attacks nonstop as he chased Foxy through the streets, but never managed to hit the trickster. Even setting the grass ahead of Foxy on fire could not stop him. Foxy leapt over the flames, or climbed a building side to reach the other side.             Garble lost all patience. Now, he wanted to ring that fox’s neck. He barreled through the sky, trying to cut ahead of Foxy. The Pokémon did not let Garble pass him, keeping a firm lead on the dragon. He led Garble down Syrup Street, past several unconscious dragons. Garble searched for any pony. If he could take one hostage, he could force Foxy to return the scepter. But not a single pony was in sight. He roared and chased Foxy.             He never wondered where Foxy was leading him. He never considered the thief had a plan. Until, he glanced ahead and recognized the place where he left Mewtwo. There he could see Mewtwo battling those ponies and their slaves. He shuddered. If he didn’t get the scepter back before Mewtwo saw him, he couldn’t control the dragons. Garble took a deep breath, and exhaled a fire breath that engulfed the entire street. Foxy could not dodge. As the flames sizzled his fur, he howled, and lobbed the scepter into the air. The scepter was within Garble’s reach.             A blue claw grabbed it. Princess Ember held the Bloodstone Scepter in her hands, and delivered a fierce kick to Garble’s chin, knocking him back. She pointed the scepter at Garble, locking his wings, and sent him tumbling into the ground. The blue dragoness swooped down and rescued Foxy from the fire, dropped him on a safe building, and raced to the barrier.             “Mewtwo!” she cried. The catlike Pokémon turned his head and saw the rightful Dragon Lord holding the Bloodstone Scepter. He had been preparing a psychic attack, but that dimmed in his hands as Ember approached. She exclaimed, “I’ve taken the scepter from Garble. Your friends are safe. Please stop fighting.”             Mewtwo’s eyes flashed blue. The only sound was crackling fire burning through Ponyville. At last, Mewtwo nodded. The barrier fell. The worn out defenders nearly collapsed to the ground. Karp bellowed a mighty roar, summoning rain clouds that drenched Ponyville in a torrential downpour. As the last of the fire went out, Mewtwo descended and faced Twilight.             “I’m sorry.”             Twilight managed to say, “You were just looking after your friends,” before collapsing in a daze.             Mewtwo blinked. All this violence and she still forgave him. A smile found its way onto his lips. Then, the smile faded. He extended his mind through the town, and located the one he wanted to face.             “I sense Spike and Mimi are alive, but very weak,” Mewtwo said. “If you wish to save him, you must move quickly. I will stay here and await your return.”             Twilight’s thoughts flooded with relief, to know her Spike was alive, and desperation to save him. Mewtwo felt her love for Spike so honest and deep, that it warmed his cold heart. His eyes flashed blue, as he planted Spike and Mimi’s exact location into the minds of the ponies. Twilight and Starlight’s horns flashed, transporting all of the ponies, Pokémon, and Princess Ember to the collapsed building. Mewtwo turned, a grave, deathly expression on his face. His hand rose.             The red dragon groaned as Mewtwo dragged him across the ground towards him. He suspended Garble in the air, forced his eyes open. Garble struggled against Mewtwo’s grip, but could not move a muscle. Mewtwo closed his eyes to focus on Garble’s pain receptors, so he could make Garble feel and believe the pain.             “You threatened my fellow Pokémon.” Mewtwo’s psychic grip tightened, Garble’s body creaked.             “Put both of our worlds in danger,” Garble’s fingers and toes broke, hammered by a psychic mallet.             “Usurped power from the true Dragon Lord.” Garble screamed as Mewtwo broke his legs.             “Tried to start a war that would have killed countless,” Garble’s arms twisted unnaturally, bones bent and shattered.             “And lied to lead your own kind into that war,” blood poured from Garble’s gums as Mewtwo yanked out his teeth, one by one.             “I am guilty for trying to start a war as well. Like you, I believed my kind could not exist alongside another species, that they saw us as slaves. But I was humbled when I witnessed one their sacrifices. I learned that life is precious, and those who seek to take life prematurely are wicked,” the air hummed around Mewtwo, whipping gales bit across Garble’s scales.             “Even beaten, you fail to see that. You can only think of becoming Dragon Lord, killing Mimi, enslaving ponies and Pokémon alike, turning Spike into your pet, and seducing Princess Ember. You claim to value dragons above all else, but you are blinded by rage, contempt.”             Mewtwo placed his hands close beside Garble’s temples, “I could end you. It would be so easy. But then I would be no better than you. I will not let my rage and contempt control me. I will spare your life. I will preserve whatever redeemable aspects your mind may have, and purge the rest. But first,” Mewtwo’s eyelids trembled, the world around them faded into darkness, leaving only Garble and Mewtwo in a vast abyss, “first, you will feel all the pain you have caused. I will shatter your sanity, and restore it.” Mewtwo’s eyes opened, revealing pupilless, glowing, crimson eyes that glared into Garble’s mind.             “So I can break it once more.”             Energy swirled around Mewtwo, covering him in a sphere of concentrated psychic matter. The sphere exploded, revealing Mega Mewtwo Y.             By this point, Fluttershy returned to town and met up with Jack, who bore a few injuries from his battle with Knight. Together, they found Twilight’s company arriving where she last saw Spike. After a quick explanation, Fluttershy joined the others in their search. Twilight dug through the rubble with her friends. They pulled apart beams, charcoal, bricks, and all manner of debris from the pile Mewtwo mentally showed them. At last, she could make out the shape of a scaly drake. She reached in with her magic, and teleported Spike outside of the debris. She turned to her little dragon, and almost emptied her stomach. His scales had brown splotches, snowy veins protruded beneath his eyes, and his mouth was lined with hardened vomit mingling with blood. If Mewtwo had not said otherwise, she would have assumed he was dead.             Starlight noticed he cradled someone in his arms, and identified Mimi, in equally bad shape. Spike would not surrender his grasp on Mimi, even near death. Nurse Heart unleashed waves of healing energy. Zecora pried open Spike’s mouth and worked drops of Roseli medicine down his throat. Soon, life returned to their eyes. They rose up, as if they had just woke up from a long nap. Spike’s eyes opened to the sight of his friends, surrounding him, his partner in his arms. And he knew the war was over. Twilight and her friends embraced Spike and Mimi, nuzzling them between their furry faces.             Mewtwo let Garble’s limp body fall to the ground. In the dragon’s mind, Garble had every bone broken, every tooth pulled, and every scale plucked. Mewtwo had not done any such thing to Garble. He used his psychic abilities to give Garble the closest sensations to the actual experience. Mewtwo did not see any need to break him both physically and mentally.             He extended his mind to every dragon in Equestria and erased all memory of Pokémon and fairy flu. Now, they believed an old dragon virus had resurfaced and that Princess Ember went to the pony kingdom. With the ponies’ help, they found the original remedy and delivered the medicine to every dragon. Mewtwo filled all the holes in their memories with trivial thoughts and daily routine. In a minute, he rewrote the last week in every dragon mind. Soon, he realized with despondence, I may have to do the same thing for the ponies, and Spike. He waved his hand, and sent every dragon Garble led to Ponyville back home.             As an afterthought, he added another memory to every dragon. They now believed Garble tried to interfere with delivering the medicine to provoke war between dragons and ponies. Of course, he failed thanks to seven ponies of Ponyville, Dragon Lord Ember, and the brave and glorious Spike. He already rearranged Garble’s thoughts into something of a less power hungry tyrant into one who only cared for others. Garble would work hard to make every dragon forgive his heinous actions. Most dragons probably never would.             A familiar, fearless mind approached. Mewtwo shifted through her thoughts from the details of her escape from Mountain Apicem, her struggles to drag herself here to assist Twilight’s battle against him somehow, her realization that he spared Garble’s life, and her annoyance that he was probably reading her mind. Mewtwo hid his small smile from the adventurous pegasus as she hobbled towards him. When he turned to face Daring Do, he found her expression unreadable. Her mind was a swirl of conflicting thoughts ranging from a desire to throttle him to a newfound admiration of his mercy.             “So,” she said, “what happens now?”             Mewtwo sent the images through her mind of Twilight’s warning to the only solution. Daring Do had questions about what happened, and Mewtwo relayed the memories of Twilight and Spike directly into the explorer’s mind. She closed her eyes and nodded, disappointed that Twilight’s friends would say goodbye to their partners. Do looked to Mewtwo with a warm smile.             “You were wrong.” Mewtwo blinked and deepened his frown. “When we met, you said you can’t feel compassion or mercy, that you were just a war machine. But today, you showed total compassion. You agreed to stop this fight in order to save two worlds. You only fought when Garble forced you, and even then it was for weaker Pokémon. After all he did, you even spared Garble’s life.”             Mewtwo said nothing. His mouth was slightly ajar and his eyes widened in surprise. He searched his heart for the feelings of compassion, of kindness. But he could only see an absence of both.             “I saw what those scientists did to you when you put those nightmares in my head,” Do stood a foot apart from Mewtwo. She had to crane her neck up to look into his eyes. “I get it. You feel like after all you’ve been through, you can’t feel anymore. But what you showed out there today, that was compassion.”             “But I,” Mewtwo’s voice trailed off as Daring Do continued.             “Do you know what it means to be compassionate? It means you care about the suffering of others. You care about your fellow Pokémon. You care about the lives of both our worlds. And you care about lives that are worth protecting, like mine or even Garble’s.”             “I look into my heart, but I feel nothing. I only see the hole where compassion once existed.”             “Compassion isn’t just something you feel or see. It’s something you do, whether you know you do it or not.” Daring Do put a hoof over Mewtwo’s beating heart, “Science may have crafted your heart, but science didn’t tell you to protect Pokémon or other lives. You decided to spare Garble and me. You decided not to fight, and you decided to save our worlds. You only see holes in your heart because you imagine yourself as flawed and violent.”             “That’s not quite right.” Mewtwo shook his head and removed Do’s hoof from his chest, “I lost someone. I can’t remember who, but I sense her absence. She taught me love, kindness, life. But when they erased her from my mind, they erased my ability to feel. Their experiments were designed to strengthen my fighting skills not grant me a morality.”             “Forget about their experiments. You are the result of your own decisions and choices, not some experiment. And you’ve grown beyond their wildest dreams. Not just in power, but in heart. And loss is a part of life,” Do fought back tears, “if you want to reclaim what you’ve lost, you need love that others can give. Because we find true, lasting happiness when we help others.”             Mewtwo was silent. He looked inside his heart one last time. A smile spread across his face. He knelt down to look into Do’s eyes.             “I understand. The circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”             Do gave a sly grin, “And I have a feeling you didn’t go all out against Rainbow Dash’s friends. You could have just brainwashed them, but you didn’t. You probably even read Zecora’s mind and figured out her plan and let it happen.”             Mewtwo’s eyes widened. A sound like a chuckle escaped his mouth.             Ever since they rescued Mimi and Spike from the building, Spike refused to let go of Mimi. Twilight suggested he could wrap his arms in a blanket to avoid contracting fairy flu, but Spike would have none of it. Now he sat on Twilight’s back with Mimi, watching a line of thousands of Pokémon enter the temple of Alterum, where they would vanish into the mirror. Each Pokémon that vanished into the ancient ruins sent jolts of pain through his heart. Soon, he would have to say goodbye. Soon, Mimi would leave him. Until that moment came, he would hold Mimi tight, so she would know she was loved. Her ribbon arms around his back reminded him that feeling was mutual.             The violet alicorn cast a glance at the drake and his partner. She tried to think of something she could say, anything that would ease his pain. Not for the first time, she despaired at her helplessness to comfort those who needed her most. Fresh tears trickled from their eyes. She could only think of one thing to say.             Twilight whispered, “I’m sorry, Spike,”             Mimi buried her onion head and oval eyes into Spike’s chest. His chin rested atop her onion head. His arms felt numb, and ached with dull pain, but none of it could compare to his heartache.             The last Golbat entered the mirror of Alterum. Hundreds of unrecognizable Pokémon cramped into the temple took turns entering the mirror, before vanishing from sight. Garble’s shield and sword partner, Knight, had recently formed a bond with Ember, recognizing her as a far better leader than Garble. He tore himself from the Dragon Lord and vanished into the mirror, leaving only the partners and Mewtwo waiting to return. They each walked to their partner and made their final goodbyes.             Wiz buried his face into the crook of Twilight’s neck. His tears dampened her fur. He would forever remember the mare who helped him become a psychic type like his mother. Their battles against Ekans, dragons, and Mewtwo would remain in his heart. Memory of her calm, reassuring presence would be a constant source of comfort in his heart.             Bulk and Brawn shared their goodbyes through a flexing contest. Nurse Red Heart patted Nurse Heart’s side, and Zecora bid farewell to her partners. Starlight hated goodbyes of any sort. Foxy didn’t want to leave the mare who saved him and trained him, but he knew there was no choice. So they fell to pieces together, wrapped in each other’s comforting embrace.             “I’m sorry I never got to throw you that welcome party,” Pinkie Pie said as she cuddled Sleepster. “I’ll throw one in honor of you. Just think about me and you’ll be right there.”             Rarity held Gem-eye in a hug, whispering words of encouragement. As she started to lose composure and turn to tears, Gem-eye placed his purple claws on her cheek and smiled.             Fluttershy stroked Jack’s pink fur tendrils, and smiled gently. She had to watch several animal friends go before; baby birds grew up and had to join the migration each winter, cardinals left to make their own families, and others passed on. It was always sad to say goodbye, but she would manage. Jack never stopped crying, tears rocking his body as he took in her smile for the last time.             “Now Jack, don’t cry. As long as we remember each other, we won’t have to feel lonely,” she wrapped her hooves around him.             Blaze seemed mildly annoyed as Rainbow Dash crushed him in a sobbing hug. He made no movement to break free as she poured a string of promises and kisses onto him.             “Ya carry family in your heart,” Applejack rested her forehead against Boney’s, “and they’ll always be alive. This isn’t goodbye. It’s I’ll be right here,” she touched his heart, “if ya ever need me.”             Boney nodded, tears filled his eyes. He did not cry out of sadness. His tears were joyful for having met Applejack, who helped him overcome his grief. He knew now that whether deceased or far apart, no one was ever gone forever.             “You’re the best dog I’ll ever have, Pyro,” Applebloom said as she wrapped her hooves around the tall dog’s yellow mane. Pyro knelt down and whimpered as Applebloom ran a hoof through his fur. “I know you’ll make someone on your world happy too. And even if ya can’t see me, I’ll be thinking of you every step of the way.”             “Don’t forget me, okay?” Sweetie Belle said to a sniffling Buttercup through her own tears, “I hope you find another Buttercup and live happily ever after.”             Scootaloo clung to Karp’s head. The gigantic serpent bent down his head to the ground. Her tears mingling with the giant serpent’s as they prepared their farewells.             “I’ll never forget you, Karp,” she sniffed, “Thanks for teaching me to never give up.”             Karp moaned in appreciation. He would never forget Scootaloo, his hero, his friend, his trainer, his partner.             “Don’t go getting too big, okay?” She managed a smile, “Or I don’t know how anyone’ll be able to hug you.”             Mewtwo could feel the deep love burning between each Pokémon and their trainer. Their bonds were so true and heartfelt, rooted in deep emotions of the heart. He turned to Daring Do who stood beside him, supporting her weak leg with a crutch. He wondered if, perhaps, in another time or place, they could have been partners? She harbored no more ill will from their second encounter in the temple a week ago. Her ability to forgive and insight were both intriguing and admirable. His admiration and respect for her was not unrequited; he could sense Daring Do felt admiration not for his powers, but for his compassion. They shared a final glance, an exchange of the minds, and Mewtwo saw the answer to his question.             “We mustn’t delay,” Mewtwo said as a tremor shook the temple, “our worlds are close to crumbling.”             Blaze glided towards the mirror, twisted his head to grant Dash a final competitive smirk, before he melted into its surface. Brawn and Nurse Heart entered the mirror together. Wiz and Twilight lifted a small rock together one last time. Then, he marched into the mirror and vanished. One by one, each Pokémon finished their goodbyes and entered the mirror. Jack turned in front of the mirror and gave Fluttershy a final smile. Sweetie Belle walked Buttercup to the mirror. As he went inside, they locked eyes and never broke contact until he faded. Karp unleashed a mighty roar for Scootaloo, before his oversized head barreled into the mirror and his body faded into the glass.             Soon, only Mimi and Mewtwo remained. Spike and Mimi never broke from their embrace, even as everyone else said goodbye and vanished. Twilight nudged his shoulder.             “Spike, it’s time.”             He shook his head, refusing to let go.             “I’m sorry, Spike. But Mimi needs to go home.”             “This is her home,” he blubbered. He knew he was being unreasonable and selfish, but he could not bring himself to say goodbye. “If she goes, it won’t be my home.”             “I’ll still be here,” Twilight said, “and so will all of your friends.”             “Why does the world keep taking from me?” He growled, “It took my mom, my dad, Peewee, and now it’s trying to take her. Why? Hasn’t it taken enough? I hate it all.”             “Spike,” Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder.             “Why can’t I just go with her? Maybe we could find another mirror that leads back or someone who can keep us together,” he suggested.             “I know you don’t want to say goodbye, but if you go with her, you’d never see Ponyville again,” Twilight said. “Once the imbalance is fixed, the pathways between our worlds will be closed shut. You’d be stuck there forever.”             “Ponyville wouldn’t be the same without you,” Sweetie Belle wiped away her tears.             Spike’s shoulders sagged. He lost the strength to cry. He just stood with Mimi clenched in his arms.             “If you’d like, I can make the pain vanish.” Spike lifted his head to Mewtwo’s voice, “I can erase your memories of Mimi. You’ll never have to miss her.”             Spike looked at the ghost wrapped in his arms. Her onion head and wooden tail bobbed with each breath. Her eyes revealed worlds of love and loyalty, transcending the life of an empire.             “No,” Spike replied, “I don’t ever want to forget Mimi. We’ve been through so much together, played together, fought together, cried together, almost died together. If I lost all of that, I’d have a hole in my heart.”             Mewtwo nodded, “Your decision is a wise one. I swear to protect Mimi. I will make sure she is never alone.”             Mewtwo floated to the mirror. He turned around before the glass, “I will wait on the other side. Most will forget the events of this past week, except the ponies of Ponyville, your princesses, and all of you. That will ensure no one tries to find us.             “And Spike,” Mewtwo smiled, “Mimi loves you. Her love for you is so deep that I can see no end to it. She would never trade her memories of you either.” With that, Mewtwo vanished into the mirror.             Spike looked into Mimi’s eyes. He tried to speak but his throat constricted. His eyelids fell. Mimi brushed his cheek with her ribbon claw, and he opened his eyes to look at her one last time.             “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise,” he managed to say.             Mimi shook her head. You did keep your promise. You never abandoned Mimi.             “I love you,” he cried. “I love you and I never want to let go.”             Mimi held tight to Spike. He took a painful step to the mirror. And another. And another. Soon, he and Mimi stood before the gate. He extended his hands, holding Mimi to the mirror. Mimi’s claws slid back into her cloak. A single claw reached to Spike’s chest and touched his heart. Partners. Forever.             He nodded and slid her into the mirror. His hands never let go of her and dipped inside with her. Her black ribbon hand remained on his chest. Their eyes still met through the mirror’s wall. Slowly, painfully, Spike let go. Mimi faded into the mirror, her arm swallowed into the glass. As her black arm slunk back into the mirror, her body sunk into the mirror like a body sinking out of sight into a dark lake. Spike was graced with a final happy chirp that he returned with a smile, before Mimi faded into the mirror and out of Equestria and Spike’s life forever.