//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: The Fight 
// by Minalkra 
//------------------------------//

THE SAD ENDING

Spike sat, his eyes staring at nothing.  He felt lost, cut off.  Drifting.  Rubbing his neck, a nervous tick he had picked up from years of embarrassing accidents, he sniffed through the rainy air.

“I guess, I guess that's about it Twi.  Applebloom and me, we broke it off.  Can't see me still a youngling while she's a grown and full mare.  I mean, sure it was fun, but let's be realistic.”  His fingers reached out and idly stroked the pale, white marble 'T' in front of him.  “Celestia wanted me to stay around, be a scribe.  I dunno, it's not really the same.”

Spike looked around, the rows of tombstones blending into the gray, overcast sky.  The Weather Patrol had listed the day as sunny but a few favors called in and it matched his mood better.  Rain droplets streamed down his face, down his suit, an old gift from an old friend.  He looked into the sky, his tears blending well with the rain.

“I'm thinking of going off into the forests, finding a nice cave.  Some nice gems.  Watching the seasons turn, the days go by.  I, I think that'd be nice, ya know?  I, I'm sorry Twilight.”  Fresh tears stained his water-streaked face, pouring like rain.  “If only I had been quicker home, if only I hadn't waited to go home.  Home!  My home, OUR home!  If only I wasn't afraid.  I, I miss you Twi.”  He choked, a familiar lump in his throat.

“Twi, I want you back.  Please, please come back.  I'm sorry.”  he looked up at the royally commissioned statue of the young mare, her face serene, a hint of a smile crossing her lips.  “I'm sorry for, for everything Twi.  I'm so-sorry for running out, I'm sorry for what I said.  I'm sorry Twi.  I just want you back.”  Spike's voice caught in his throat, trying to move around that lump that never seemed to be far these days.

“Twi, what I said was a lie.  It was all a lie.  You're, you're my family.  You're all I had apart from Applebloom.  You're my big sister, you're my friend, you're my . . . you're my mom.  Twilight, I can't lose you.  Please, please come back.  Please, please, please . . .”  He kept repeating himself, thumping the immaculately tended grass with his small fists.  The tears flowed freely now.  Eventually his voice broke and his small frame was wracked with sobs.

After a time he stood, a sigh far too large for his tiny body escaping from his oddly dry lips.  His suit was muddy and wet, he was cold and Twilight was still gone.  It had been a few years since that day but Spike never had forgotten the last words he had said to his mentor, his teacher, his mom.  Not even Celestia could travel through time and he had a long, cold life ahead of him.

He turned around and walked away, the rain dancing in the air, almost mocking.