//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Hearts Of The Millennia 
// by LemonDrizzle 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 1- In Which Sadness Occurs



You will live forever. 

Those four little, unassuming and yet deadly words had haunted her life for as long as she could possibly remember, always at the edge of her mind, constantly watching her every move. There was no denying the truth, no point attempting to run from it or escape its grasp but that didn't make it any less painful, even now, thousands upon thousands of years in the future, it had not gotten any less painful. When you have all of eternity to do whatever you may wish, to grow bored, or fat, or lazy, to turn violent, or peaceful or magnificent, what would one do with their time? 

Fight. Rebel. Lead an uprising. Those were her earliest memories and yet she knew, she just knew that she had been around for much, much longer. She just knew that behind what her mind had declared as the beginning of her memory, there lay so much more to learn, to know and to regret. From what she could remember of so, so long ago, they together, her sister and her, were locked in a seemingly endless duel with a mismatched monster that sought only destruction and never ending strife. She had no idea how long these battles had raged, she had no true wish to know how long she and her sister had fought in vain, mortally injured almost constantly and yet never dying, even when those around them sank away like sand through an hourglass.

She did not truly wish to know how many they had lost to the claws of time, how much destruction the three behemoths of power had wreaked upon the land, how much time passed between the reign of chaos and the sparkling, flaring bursts of uprisings. All she needed to know was that over time, her and her sister had discovered a temple of sorts, filled with such riches and treasures, with so much wealth and power and yet, without truly realizing what they had done, they had abandoned the gold and the silver and the platinum in place for two glittering, multicoloured necklaces that seemed to latch upon their skin. She could still remember their first touch, the first time the cold metal had moulded to her neck for it was not a feeling easily forgotten. It both burned with the fire of suns and chilled with the force of a darkened moon. It was ancient and forever and it had flooded the both of them with such power, such determination, such powerful harmony that they had emerged from the temple after only a singular day, greeting the blue sky and pink clouds with steely enthusiasm. And then, before they could truly comprehend what had gone on inside that temple, inside that vault of wonders, they had been whisked away by a force more powerful then they could have ever sought. The force of convergence and the force of change.

Together, twin sisters and bearers of old magic, they clashed once more with the sinister demon that had sat itself upon the throne to rule over all. Together, they had fought valiantly and daringly and, together, using the powers of the mysterious golden necklaces that seethed with strength and magic, they had sealed the monster behind bars of desolately cold stone. They had all of time to fight this demon, this monster, this similarly eternal beast and they had accomplished their task quickly, perhaps too quickly. What more would there be to do now that the spirit had fled the throne, what more could be sought then the task that they had decreed and accomplished so swiftly and brutally?

In the end, it had not been her and her sister that had initiated what was next for the eternal twins, no, it had been the citizens they had saved, the ponies they had freed from a tyrannical and barbaric reign, that had placed them on the throne to rule the land they had protected and defended so powerfully, so mightily and, in the beginning, it had seemed like a saviour to the endless and looping question of what is next for her and her sister, the joint sisters ruling together for years on end, never ageing and never failing in their duties. She had watched, sadly and yet with tinges of acceptance, as her citizens, as her precious ponies, melded her image towards one they needed, they yearned for and, for their joy and happiness, she had accepted this new mould, this new mask of the pony she once was. She accepted to wear a façade, to hide herself behind a false skin so that her subjects would view her as they needed to, an eternally kind, warm hearted and confident leader that would allow nothing to go wrong, that would always make the right decision. And so, the creature she had once been had been pushed away like an infection, smothered and hidden between years and years of colourful and much needed deceit. 

Her sister however, her dear, beautiful, beloved sister had refused the treatment, had refused to meet the expectations which had been set for her as she stubbornly rebuked the change for those she ruled, as she refused to allow herself to become tainted and something else entirely. Then, just as quickly as a snap of fingers, the ponies she and her sister had battled for, the ponies that they had shed blood for and the ponies they had sacrificed nearly everything for, turned their backs on her sister, thinking her ill and unfit to sit alongside the shining example that she had been warped and twisted into. She had watched as those she ruled and loved turned themselves away from the night and its wonders to instead seek the comfort and the false, trickster security of the day. She had watched, behind her crafted mask, as her own sister desperately attempted to draw them back, as her sister tried to change herself to reflect the older and more loved one. She had watched the ponies spit on her sister, she had seen behind concealed, magenta eyes how hurt her little sister had become and then, with a shocking clarity and a roll of fear that threatened to engulf and overwhelm her flawless face skin, she had seen her sister begin to change. 

Her sister, her dear, beautiful, beloved sister was no longer who she once was, she no longer resembled any speck of the fantastic, awe inspiring mare that she had loved so dearly and so violently. No, her sister was something else entirely. What she was was corrupted and it pained her, oh it pained her so much to see her precious sister fall so, so far. What came next though, what came next shattered her spirit and her very soul, what came next splintered the mask she had worn for so long now, sending shards of herself scattering in all directions as both mind and body lay in ruins. 

Her sister, her dear, beautiful, beloved sister turned against her with vengeance and anger in her hurt and it burnt her from the inside, to see the midnight mare's soul so twisted and diseased. But it burnt even more when she had to lock her own sister away, it burnt her even more strongly when she saw for a split second the traces of regret and betrayal, such deep betrayal, paint the features of her sister as she was sent to her prison amongst the rock and debris of the lunar surface. On that day, over a thousand years ago, her mask smashed and faltered and it never truly returned. 

On that night, the night that threatened to engulf her with loneliness and sorrow, she wept and wept freely as her citizens gathered around her, as they congratulated her on the sick, twisted punishment she had wrought upon her own sister. They had said their praises and, like every other creature she had truly known bar one, they had left her to suffer through the unbearable agony alone. It took her weeks to emerge from the confines of her own mind and her dishevelled, beaten and sorrow torn room and take to the throne again, alone this time, and it had taken her even longer to resurrect that mask, that indestructible, undesirable mask that would always return to her, no matter if she wanted it or not. For the first time, between those weeks and years that brought only despair and loneliness, for the first time she had cursed her eternal life, she had spouted bitter bile of hatred from her throat that only she alone could speak. For the first time, between those months and years, she had wished she could die. 

The mask returned over time but it was a frail, feeble, fickle thing now, a shield to protect herself from her citizens, her cruel but precious victims of time as she gazed out upon her land time and time again, constantly wondering when the pain and the heartbreak could stop, when the loneliness would vanish and then, quite suddenly and with a force strong enough to bring tears to her eyes, she came to a realization. Love was not something meant for her, what sane, protective person would dare to love another when they knew that their lover would wither away and die whilst they remained the same. That night, exactly five hundred and seventy six years ago, she had looked up to the moon and she had prayed to whatever may be above her, she had prayed for her sisters return and she had prayed for the ability to love solely and purely, for the ability to quench this bitter, hateful loneliness. And she wept when there was no answer but the twinkle of four, bright stars. 

Years passed in their hundreds and vaguely she could remember the time being prosperous and beautiful, no war, no hatred, no violence only a deep feeling of peace and tranquillity that permeated the air. She had lived for thousands of years and yet on that one morning when she had looked out upon her subjects, seeing the smoke rising from chimneys and the happy laughter of foals, she had never felt more safe and secure in her decisions. On that day, she looked up at the stars and she felt the stars look back and she knew, oh she knew that her sister would return, brighter and better then ever. On that day she took on an apprentice, a small, lavender unicorn that had seemed to important, so incredibly important. On that day, the mask dropped and instead of sorrow and heart ache, instead of pain and loneliness, there was only a radiant, beaming joy. 

Her sister returned and broke the demonic shackles she had been imprisoned in, her faithful student grew and grew, learning about such marvellous things like friendship and love and Celestia looked out upon her empire, upon her kingdom Equestria, she felt the mask return and yet she accepted it because she knew she must, because she knew that out there, in this wide worlds, there were ponies who saw what she was under the mask and for that simple matter, for the love of but a few amongst thousands, she knew that her mask would remain but that her true spirit, her true self would be allowed its own free roam. Her royal façade equipped, her inner self hidden but happy and her loved ones surrounding her, she took command of Equestria properly and happily for the first time in centuries. 

Today though, today her mask had left and she knew deep within herself that it had no reason to return, that it could never and would never return for this pain, this insufferable pain that she felt, the agony that kept her façade at bay would never leave her for Twilight Sparkle, her wonderful, fantastic apprentice Twilight Sparkle was dead and no amount of crying or weeping would stop the stabbing pains in her chest and her heart. 

Today, she knew, was the day that would break her heart and her soul.



{~}



You will live forever.

He was young, he knew that much, when Twilight had told him that he would live far, far longer then her, that he would span millennia, that he may even last as long as Princess Celestia. At the time he had thought it cool, that he would live for so long and grow so big, that he would rival mountains and that he would have thousands of years to get as clever as Twilight was, which had constantly made her blush. Now though, as he stood in the Canterlot Castle Cemetery, surrounded by rows of decrepit, vine tangled and cracked tombstones, a fierce rain belting down upon him, he realized that what she had said so long ago, of his slow process of ageing, was more of a burden then a gift. He remembered that she had said that over time, she would pass away but he would remain and she had said it with such certainty and yet with just the faintest tingles of sadness, she had said it so surely and strongly that Spike the dragon couldn't help but grow excited as to what exactly he would do with his time, where he would go, the legendary acts he would do. 

She had said that he would outlast all of them, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and herself, and she was right. She was so terribly, horrifically right. 

He stood outside, allowing the ferocious wind to tear into him, allowing the cold rain to pierce his core with icy tendrils, allowing the mud to clench and grapple around his taloned feet as he stood stock still in front of a set of six pure white, new looking and fanciful tombstones, each one embroidered with a different message. The young dragon, barely sixty years old and locked within the confines of an almost teenage body, his height significantly taller then before, just over the height of Princess Luna, his scales shinier, his wings now grown out and his ability to walk on two legs now considered difficult, forced himself onto one knee, feeling the mud immediately latch onto him as he rested his head on the face of one of the six tombstones, the bitter sting of tears tracing down his face to fall to the ground like rain, splashing onto the mud with little effect. Lifting a clawed hand, he rested his talons on the edge of the writing, tracing it over delicately as he began to read and reminisce, fresh tears sprouting to his eyes.


Here lies Lady Rarity
Bearer of the Element of Generosity
“Generosity is giving more then you can and she gave us all so much.”
Rest in peace


Spike drew back a shaky sob as his fingers continued to idly but lovingly trace the cold, wet stone of the tomb, remembering how she appeared to him when he was younger, a visage of beauty and elegance, of wonder and generosity. How, even after she had declined his numerous advances, they had remained firm friends, constantly laughing and talking, never letting the awkward events claim their friendship. He remembered how she had sobbed and wailed when she had discovered her first grey hair and how he had held her, comforted her and said she was the most beautiful creature in the world, no matter what colour hair. He remembered her finding her coltfriend and soon to be husband mere weeks later, a stallion named Shine Frost who had captured her heart and her interest, the pair being almost uncomfortably close. He remembered her grief when he had died, how he had tried to brighten her up and how it had failed, how he had stayed with her for the first night, holding her as she sobbed and pounded on him with her hooves, scorning and belittling fate for its cruelness. He remembered how she had become old and wrinkled, how she had smiled as he had walked into her hospital room, hitting his head on the door frame. How she had laughed at him, beckoned him over and told him how she was dying, how she never did quite manage to have a foal or expand her boutique to every reach of Equestria and yet how she would never regret it, how she had loved her friends, how she had done all she could and how she would never, ever change it. She had died the next day, passing away in her sleep before she could wish her own sister a goodbye.

Slowly, Spike shuffled along and fell to his feet once again, choking back a sob as he laid his hand on the next tombstone.


Here lies Fluttershy
Bearer of the Element of Kindness
“A part of kindness is loving people more then they deserve 
and she loved every creature, big or small.”
Rest in peace


Spike allowed a barrage of tears to break from his eyes as he hunched over, shoulders rolling under the emotional pressure before he regained control of himself, thinking back to the time when he had first met her and how she had burst from her timid shell at the mere sight of him. He remembered long afternoons of tea and conversation, of laughter and the ability to draw the timid pegasus out of her shy little shell, small smiles and dainty eye twinkles gracing her features as she softened up to her friends. He remembered long talks over each of her animals, how bored he had been and yet how much he had secretly cherished the sound of her voice and the depths of her devotion to her animal friends. He remembered the joy and the hilarity he had experienced when she had told her friends of her very own stallion, the red colt known as Big Macintosh, his little dragon self rolling in heaps of laughter at the sight of Applejack's scared and irritated face. He remembered comforting her when one of her animal friends died, how she wept onto him as Big Mac ploughed the fields, as she sobbed into his chest as he cooed and stroked her mane. He remembered her foal, a little red furred, blue eyed and pink haired filly by the name of Applegrace and how happy and excited he had been at her arrival, how Fluttershy had smiled and cried happy tears, making the other mares burst into tears much to his own confusion. He remembered seeing her near her cottage one afternoon, seated outside on a gently rocking chair, her eyes closed, her wrinkled skin stretched across her old face as she sung hoarsely but still beautifully, even the birds stopping to listen to the angel. She had died that same evening, her age catching up to her after many happy years.

With a last, hazy glance, Spike shrugged his shoulders, feeling the painful ball in his throat constrict as he stepped over to the next tombstone, laying his fingers on its edge.


Here lies Pinkie Pie
Bearer of the Element of Laughter
“A day without laughter is a day wasted and she
never stopped laughing.”
Rest in peace



Spike allowed a small, taut and forced smile to paint across his face as he thought about the bubbly pink mare, remembering when he had first encountered her properly, the amazing party she had thrown was the highlight of his entrance to Ponyville, besides the first encounter with Rarity. He remembered countless times situated at Sugarcube Corner when she would sneak him a pastry, supplying her own little wink and giggle before trotting off. He remembered how happy she was, always happy, constantly smiling or laughing or bouncing in place, eager to go ahead and do whatever she wished, managing to maintain five different conversations all at once. He remembered her taking over the bakery when the Cakes passed away, how sad and yet how brutally determined she had been, speaking to him seriously and without her usual quirkiness, telling him that she would do whatever it takes to keep the memory of the Cakes alive. He remembered her bringing home a filly by the name of Vinyl Scratch, how they had hit it off, fallen in love and gone on a month long holiday before Vinyl had broken it off, shattering Pinkie's heart and effectively making sure she could never love again. He remembered all of his friends being there to comfort her as she cried and cried and cried, her hair flat and dead, her pink coat dulled and filthy as she sobbed and pounded her first against Rainbow Dash, refusing to withdraw from the chest of the cyan pegasus for three hours. He remembered her return to her bubbly self, her smile now plastered back on her face as she laughed and sang, as she buried what once was beneath a tide of what could be and what would be. He remembered seeing her in her final few hours, laying in her bed, wheezing and struggling to breath but still wearing that same goofy smile, her eyes shining as brightly as when she was a young filly, her final parting words to her group of friends being to never stop smiling, to never sacrifice their happiness for her parting and then, because she was Pinkie, she had sealed the deal with a bright smile that ended in a choked sob. 

Struggling to keep the smile on his face, for Pinkie's sake, Spike moved to the next tombstone,his talons clicking against the stone.


Here lies Rainbow Dash
Bearer of the Element of Loyalty
“Loyalty is for those who deserve it and none
deserve it more then her.”
Rest in peace


Spike closed his draconian eyes, feeling tears spring from their depths, salting and burning his eyes as they traced a line down his face, his memory pouring back into him over the cyan furred mare. He remembered their first meeting, how she had barrelled into Twilight and the laughter that had ushered forth from both her and him at the sight of the navy blue mane, now tangled and maddening. He remembered endless dares that they had initiated to each other, from jumping Ghastly Gorge on a scooter to sending a prank letter to Princess Celestia, how much trouble they had gotten into and yet how close, how powerfully loyal he had felt to his friend at that moment as they were stared down by the ruler of Equestria. He remembered her try-outs for the Wonderbolts, how she had returned weeping and crying after her failed attempt, how she had retreated to her house for over a week, refusing entry to everyone and then how she had emerged later, brimming with fierce energy and a desire, a drive to prove herself, breaking free from her sorrow to train harder and harder until finally she was accepted. He remembered her admitting her feelings to her dear friend Applejack by writing out 'I love you' in the sky for her, the young dragon nearly barrelling over with laughter when Applejack had run full throttle at Rainbow Dash, thrown her hooves around her and kissed her right then and there, in front of all of her friends, much to Rainbow's embarrassment. He remembered long days of working together with them on Applejack's farm, the duo constantly pestering each other but always ending the arguments with a loving, longing, tender kiss. He remembered seeing her in her flight gear, her wings old but groomed, her skin wrinkled but muscled as she stared at him from inside the library, telling the six of them that she was going on one final trip and that she wouldn't return, how much they had meant to her, how she would miss them and how they should remain strong, never faltering and eternally loyal. The last time Spike had seen her, she had been disjointedly but determinedly flapping into the sunset. 

Spike sighed to himself, feeling the sickening feeling of loneliness and depression writhing in his stomach, forcing tears to stream from his eyes once more as he paused beside the next tombstone, hand clenching around the top of the stone. 


Here lies Applejack
Bearer of the Element of Honesty
“Almost any difficulty will move in the face of honesty
and she strived to be eternally honest.”
Rest in peace


Spike stroked the cold stone softly, claws tracing down its fresh, clean and snowy white edge as he replayed his first meeting with Applejack, how she had willingly and happily offered both him and Twilight a place to stay and eat brunch instead of kicking both of them out to find their own food, though Twilight had not seemed to like the idea at first. He remembered all of the times he would go over to help the workload at Sweet Apple Acres, when he was much, much younger it would just be to help Applebloom carry some apples or to make sure Granny Smith didn't try to do too much exercise and damage herself but later on, what with the growth of his body, he had started to carry whole bushels by himself, along with trying to buck the apples, every time he did he would get an encouraging nod from Big Mac or a smile from Applejack. He remembered the look of bewilderment on Applejack's face when Rainbow Dash had confessed her feelings and then, straight afterwards, the intense look of lust that seemed to flare through those hardened, farmer emerald eyes. He remembered helping Applejack cope when Granny Smith finally passed away, the old mare falling asleep in her favourite rocking chair peacefully and never waking up, Applejack's tears staining his scales as she wailed and cried, cried continuously for what felt like years and yet what must have been only a few hours. He remembered the look of horror, betrayal and sadness when Rainbow Dash had flown away, such a deep, resounding agreement over death from the mare that she had chosen to spend her life with had shocked Applejack and within the week, even the farm pony had given up, calling the remaining girl and Spike over to tell them that it was her time, that she had a good run, that she wanted this farm to grow fruitfully, which it did and that it was for the best, she was off to go see Rainbow Dash again and they could be happy together forever, without fear of losing each other. Spike had watched, aghast and yet accepting, as Applejack closed her eyes and, with a soft, tender, loving smile, breathed her last.

Spike shakily stood up and made his way to the final tombstone, the newest in the long line by far, the gleaming, pristine stone upheld perfectly, fresh soil still visible directly in front of it, smooth words carved with care and grace into the body of stone until it melded with the tomb. Finally, Spike allowed his emotions to escape, sadness and loneliness flooding through him as he sobbed over and over again into his claws, thinking that he would never ever stop because she wad dead, his sister was dead and she had been so right, he had outlived them all, he had watch them pass through their ages until they began to fade. He had had to suffer through five funerals, five gruelling, heartbreaking funerals and he couldn't, he simply couldn't handle a sixth, not her, not now, not when he needed her the most.


Here lies Twilight Sparkle
Bearer of the Element of Magic
Royal student of Princess Celestia
“True magic doesn't stem from a horn, it comes from
friendship and she had the best of friends.”
Rest in peace


And underneath, in shaky, irregular and distraught letters, stood Spike's final message to her, his claws slicing through the stone like butter as he continued to sob, knowing what he had wrote and knowing that he would never see her again, she was gone, his sister who raised him from birth was dead. 


“I'll miss you Twilight, I hope you'll miss me too.”


All of his memories, of being brought up in Canterlot by an excited lavender mare with a wide heart and a massive mind, of himself coming to her on a stormy night, scared and lonely with the thunder and lightning striking the outside world as she allowed him to sleep in her bed. He remembered her praise, her thanks, her constant nagging that once got on his nerves and now, now he missed it like it was part of himself. He remembered watching her develop friendships, watching her battle evil, watching her grow older and older, wiser and wiser and yet the friendship reports never stopped, there was always something new for the lavender unicorn to learn. He remembered her at all of the funerals, crying at Rarity's, hugging Pinkie at Fluttershy's, trying to be brave at Pinkie's, holding Applejack as Rainbow Dash flew off into the sunset, sobbing into Spike at Applejack but she wasn't here, she wasn't at this funeral, she wasn't beside Spike as he sobbed, as he wept like so many others had. She would never comfort him, could never comfort him, not ever, ever again for she was dead, dead, dead and there was nothing he could do with all his life, all his strength to bring her back. He remembered her final days, as she had come down the stairs, old and withered but no less enthusiastic over knowledge, as she simply looked him in the eyes and told him she wouldn't be around much longer, as she drew out a check list for her funeral, her own funeral. She was Twilight to the end, laying herself down to rest with a good book and a dimly lit candle, reading until she could read no more and then passing out of this world into the next, her features relaxed and happy as Spike cried and choked and screamed. 

She had died and left him all alone in a world he still didn't understand and some part of him, amongst the grief and the sorrow and the pain, the endless pain, hated her for it, for betraying him. He wanted her, he needed her. She was his, his everything. His life, his sister, his parent, his protector, his teacher, his keeper, his friend, his very best friend and she had left him all alone. 

Spike's shoulders rolled as he continued to sob into his hands, his tears falling through the cracks in his fingers like rain, striking the earth which she laid under softly but steadily, like a drumbeat of his own sorrow, his innermost agony. He cried and cried and cried for what felt like years, for what felt like millennia, under the pouring rain and heavy winds, until he could cry no more and only then did he lift his head up to gaze at the tombstone with raw, red, puffy eyes full of sadness and desolation, his fingers stroking the stone gently and rhythmically as he forced out a choked, broken sentence. 

“G-goodbye T-T-Twilight.”

Spike turned his back on the tombstone, forcing himself to take steps away from it, drawing in breath laboriously as his eyes spilled over again with tears, his head continually glancing back at the tombstone as he drew further and further away, misery swirling inside of him as he trudged through the mud, feeling it splatter against him but not caring. He had one more thing to do, one more task that he had to fulfil as her number one assistant, one last thing that she had told him of as she lay there, ready and prepared for her death even though he wasn't. She had spoken to him in her age cracked voice, her words croaked from an old throat but still trembling with need, with a lust for him to do what she asked him. 

“Make sure she's alright Spike. She's going to be in a lot of pain, like you and I need you to make sure she's alright.”

He would make sure he completed her final wish and then, when all was said and done, he would leave for nothing remained for him here, there was nothing left for the young dragon but pain and misery. With a loud, strangled sob and sigh, Spike forced himself to walk towards the glittering Canterlot Castle, Twilight's final message whistling through his head as he stomped through the mud, out of the iron gate of the cemetery, without looking back for it would hurt to do so, to find Princess Celestia.

To fulfil her final wish.