The rain poured down heavily on the large purple dragon as he sat in Ponyville Cemetary.
"I should be down there, it should've be me." Spike whispered to himself as he gazed sadly down at the gravestone which clearly read:
Here lies Apple Bloom.
It had been 50 years since that fateful day.
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"Get down from there! It's dangerous!" Spike yelled at the Cutie Mark Crusaders who were once again trying to get their mountain climbing cutie marks.
"You worry too much!" Scootaloo shouted from high upon the mountain.
"Don't worry Spike, we'll be alright!" Apple Bloom tried to assure him by giving him a playful wink. Spike noticed his crush's sign of affecton and blushed furiously.
"Just be careful!" Spike added with a sigh as he prepared to go back to Ponyville. A few minutes had passed since Spike had left and the crusaders had just made it to the top.
"Awww...." The three fillies said in unison as their flanks remained unchanged.
"I was sure this was going to work!" Scootaloo sighed in defeat.
"Ah'm pooped." Apple Bloom said falling back on her haunches. The seemingly solid rock gave way under the filly and began to carry her down the mountain. Spike heard her shrieking and quickly turned around, running towards the mountain at full speed. Apple Bloom barely managed to grab hold of a ledge and escape the avalanche though not without some cuts and bruises. The massive rock pile hit the mountain's base as Spike arrived.
"Apple Bloom!" Spike shouted as her spotted the filly who's life was in peril.
"Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle called from the mountain top.
"HELP!" Apple Bloom shouted in depseration.
"I'm going to come get you!" Scootaloo said as she began to climb down the mountain.
"Hurry! I can't hold on!" Apple Bloom begged as her friend inched closer. Unbeknownst to her Spike was climbing the mountin and was about to reach her when her grip slipped.
"Apple Bloom!" Her friends shouted in unison as their friend fell a few feet before a claw grabbed her hoof. The yellow filly felt safe as her crush bravely held onto the cliffside. Scootaloo was only a few feet away when Spike's claw began to slip.
"Could you hurry it up Scootaloo?" Spike asked as sweat began to drip down his face.
"I'm doing the best I can!" The young pegasus shouted as she continued to inch toward them. Spike's limit was reached as he released the ledge and they fell towards the ground.
"I'm coming!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she approached the two of them at top speed. She caught Spike but Apple Bloom's hoof had slipped through his claw and she plummeted to the ground below. There was a sickening thud as the filly hit the ground and died instantly. Blood stained her yellow coat red as her lifeless body began to stiffen. The other four ponies could only stare in disbellief at their deceased friend.
"I need to get her to the hospital!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she put the dragon on the ground. In one graceful move the cyan pegasus scooped up the filly and darted back towards Ponyville. Already knowing it was too late for his crush Spike ran all the way back to the library where he locked himself in the bedroom and began to cry.
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"Spike? Is that really you?" an elderly female voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned around to see an elderly unicorn with a faded purple mane.
"Yeah Twilight. It's really me." Spike sighed, right now Twilight was the one pony he desperately wanted to avoid.
"It's been so long since I've seen you, would you mind staying for a cup of tea?" Twilight asked.
"I don't think I'll fit in the library, and your cups are probably much too small, and . . ."
"If you're sure you don't want to." Twilight frowned with a sad little sniffle.
"Fine. One cup and that's it." Spike yielded, getting a happy grin from his mother.
The two walked there in silence, Spike had extended one of his wings to shield his mother from the rain. Twilight put a barrier over the library and Spike as she walked inside to make the tea.
The accident happened 50 years ago, why can't I get over it? Spike pondered as the door to the library swung open.
"You're wondering why you can't forget what happened to Apple Bloom aren't you?" Twilight supressed a giggle when she saw the dumbfounded look on the dragon's face.
"But how --" Spike started to say before just giving her a silent nod.
"It's been so long since we've seen each other, why don't you tell me what I've missed." Twilight suggested as she gingerly took a sip from her cup. Spike began his long tale of how after Apple Bloom's death he ran away, eventually becoming the strongest dragon and thus their king.
"Wow. It looks like little Spike's all grown up." Twilight sighed nostalgically as she pulled a book from the library. Spike looked at the tiny object curiously, knowing that it was obviously much too small for him to read. "I promised myself that if you ever came back I would give this to you."
Spike looked over the cover and recognized it immediately, "Mythical Equestrian Artifacts? Isn't this the book that told us about the alicorn amulet?" Spike quizzically asked.
"Do you really love Apple Bloom?" Twilight demanded to know almost startling the dragon. The dragon didn't have to give this a second thought as he vigorously nodded his head. "Turn to page 64."
It was difficult to make out because of Spike's sheer size, but it was clearly a fountain. "Twilight, what is this?"
"It's the alicorn's fountain. It's said to be the spring of everlasting life."
"How does this help me?" The dragon roared at the unicorn nearly giving her a heart attack.
"It doesn't actually let you live forever." Twilight snapped at the dragon. "It actually restores your body to a previous point in time. I'm not sure if it works or not and I've never seen it, but it would be your best bet to revive Apple Bloom."
"Thank you Twilight!" Spike exclaimed nearly waking several other ponies in the process. As he turned around to begin his search a tug on his tail caused him to turn around.
"Please, your search can wait until tomorrow, right." The light purple maned unicorn begged the fully grown dragon. Knowing that he owed her this much he complied and curled up around the library, and rested his head near the balcony so they could see each other just like old times.