//------------------------------// // Chapter Eleven: Collapse // Story: Together Forever // by CodenameOne //------------------------------// Foreword: yeah, sorry this chapter is so damn late. Lost my writing muse and I found it just this morning. This chapter's good; pay attention. -=-=-=- Chapter Eleven Collapse “Wake up soon, OK? I can’t stand to see you like this, Lickety” Spike said to his coltfriend as he lie in a coma in Ponyville Hospital. The colt had two broken ribs, a black eye, and severe trauma to his head. The stallion that had done it to him was still at large. Spike looked up at Twilight as she trotted into the hospital room, a worried expression on her face. “It’s been a week, Spike, why don’t you come on home? the Unicorn asked, looking into the Dragon’s bloodshot eyes. “I don’t want to...leave him. I just can’t believe somepony would do this! Why can’t everypony just accept us? WHY?!” Spike screamed, hot tears pouring out of his eyes. “They will eventually, Spike. I promise” Twilight replied. Can you? Can you really promise me that? The drake stood from the chair and headed for the door, savoring one last look at his beloved before leaving. -=-=-=- Lost. That’s what Spike was. He knew exactly where he was going, but he was still lost. Lost within his mind, which had become a prison of darkness. A terrible storm of sadness and despair wracked the young dragon, and he shuffled through the streets like a mindless animal. But he still knew... No, he didn’t know where he was going, and that’s the problem. Why did this happen? Why did it happen to us? Why? WHY?! Spike grabbed the nearest object and smashed it, pummelling and grinding it down until it scattered like dust in the wind. It was a vase. He was in Ponyville Market. Everypony was looking at him. Paying no mind to them or the angry vase salesman Spike continued on his way, ambling through the streets until he reached the library. There was nothing for him anymore; his life was gray, dull, a lifeless life. He had to find hope, but how? He looked up, and saw thousands of books, staring back at him. The lightbulb in his head slowly flickered to life and he yelled “THAT’S IT!” running over to the ‘Medical’ section and pulling down every text he could find on comas and unconsciousness. “One way or another, I’m gonna find a way to bring you back, Lickety!” Spike exclaimed, throwing open the first book and beginning to read. -=-=-=- Twilight Sparkle came home to the library that night to find her shelves in disarray and dozens of books littering the floor, Owloysius desperately trying to put them all back in order. “What the-? What happened here? Where’s Spike, Owloysius?” “Hoo?” “Spike, the little baby dragon? The OTHER assistant?” “Hoo.” “Spike! He’s the little guy with green scales!” “Hoo.” “UGHHH!” Twilight exclaimed, storming upstairs to find him on her own, leaving the owl to do his work. She trotted into the lower part of the bedroom where her study was, and saw Spike sitting on a chair in front of her desk, candles illuminating him and the book he was reading. “Spike? Are you OK?” Twilight asked, carefully approaching her assistant. She knew he must be grieving still. There was no answer. “Spike?” Twilight said again, reaching the desk and looking around the dragon’s shoulder at him. His eyes were bloodshot and red all around, and he was staring down at the pages. It seemed he had been crying for several hours, and had only recently stopped. Plus the bloodshot eyes indicated he had been up for a long time. “Spike. Spike!” Twilight stated, shaking her dragon to rouse him. It worked, she thought, but instead of turning to face her, his eyes merely travelled up and away from the book before turning in their sockets to look at her. “He’s not coming back...” Spike whispered. “What?” “Lickety...he’s not coming back...he’ll be in a coma forever...” Spike said, glancing down at the book. Twilight looked down and noticed there was an extra page in the middle of the book, what appeared to be a letter. It was addressed to her. Dear Ms. Sparkle, It is with great sadness I inform you that Lickety Split, Spike’s partner, has run into some complications regarding his current condition at Ponyville Hospital. Lickety’s brain has swollen due to the trauma to his head, and preliminary scans show that he has slipped very deeply into a coma, with little to no chance of ever waking up again. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do. We currently have him on life support, but I’ll be asking his mother if she wants to pull the plug soon. That isn’t life, not the kind anypony would want. When you receive this letter, do your best to break the news to Spike gently. I can only imagine how hard this must be for him. My condolences. Dr. Stable, Ponyville General Hospital Twilight dropped the letter and looked down at Spike, who was staring her with a dead and lifeless look, like he wasn’t even there. “Oh Spike!” Twilight yelled, hugging her dragon assistant, who did not return the hug. “Do you need anything? ANYTHING at all?” Twilight asked, earning a slow nod from the dragon. “No.” “Are you sure?” Twilight said. “Yes.” “Absolutely sure?” “Yes.” Twilight didn’t really believe it, but didn’t press the issue further. She decided it would be best to leave Spike alone for now. But first she had to do something. The Unicorn grabbed the letter and the book on the desk and put them away, giving Spike one last comforting hug before going upstairs. “Don’t stay up too long, OK?” Twilight said. “OK.” -=-=-=- Spike was lost again. Lost in Ponyville. Shambling through the streets like the zombie he is. How did I live without you, Lickety? How will I continue to live without you? The baby dragon couldn’t answer his own questions, and no one else had any good answers. They answered like they didn’t even care; like it was just something minor that he’d get over soon. I can’t get over this. I never could. The drake stopped walking and found himself standing outside Carousel Boutique, having made it there somehow. He was confused, though, as he wasn’t even walking in the direction of the fashion outlet. Was I? I don’t know... Maybe my subconscious just brought me here Spike thought, absent-mindedly knocking on the door; the lights were still on. “Just a min~ute!” Spike heard Rarity yell out from inside. She sounded so happy, so cheerful, like she didn't have a care in the world. “I’m sorry dear but the Boutique is closed for the night, you will have to come-- YOU!” Rarity yelled, going through her usual mantra before opening her eyes and seeing the person standing in her doorway. “W-what are you doing here, you little freak?!” Rarity asked. “I...don’t know...” Spike replied. “Why don’t you get on out of here? I don’t want to see you here or anywhere near Sweetie Belle ever again! You hear me you little fag? If you ever come anywhere near Sweetie and try to corrupt her with your sick mind Celestia help me I will--” “Lickety’s in the hospital...he’s in a coma...he might never wake up” Spike said, interrupting Rarity’s rambling. There was silence for a few moments as Spike stared at the ground, unsure of what else to say and just waiting for Rarity to respond. Finally she did. “GOOD!” she screamed, and slammed the door. It was over. Spike went back to the library as it began to rain, the cosmos also expressing their sorrow over the circumstances in his life. It was over, it was all over. The play had ended. And yet, the audience was still watching. It’s over....I know how to end this show....I know what I have to do. He double-timed it back to the library. -=-=-=- Twilight Sparkle awoke in the morning feeling like her usual self, though a little down considering all that had happened in the past few days. She’d have to take Spike to go see Lickety one last time today. I can’t imagine how Ms. Split is taking this, the poor thing Twilight thought. The Unicorn looked over to her right, and didn’t see Spike lying in his bed, or anywhere else in the room for that matter. “Spike? Where are you?” There was no answer. “Hmm. Must be downstairs. Or maybe he’s out at that pond he likes to go to” Twilight thought, deducing that the latter was the most likely. She went downstairs and found the foyer spotless; not a book or magazine out of place. Owloysius was asleep. Weird. I guess Spike cleaned up sometime last night. The Unicorn went into the kitchen and found that it too was spotlessly clean; all the dishes were put away and the table was wiped down. The chairs were properly pushed in and the paper towel roll had been replaced. “Wow, Spike, I can’t believe you did all this. I’ll have to thank you when you come back” Twilight said to herself, beginning a breakfast. Once she was done eating Twilight washed the dishes herself; she didn’t want Spike to come home and see everything he had done to clean the kitchen tarnished. “OK, now to do some light reading while I wait for Spike to come back” Twilight said, lying down on the couch in the foyer and levitating some of her fiction books over. As she read the clock ticked on by; 8:00AM, 9:00AM, 10:00AM, 11:00AM, and still no sign of Spike. “Where are you, Spike? Oh no... What if he’s already at the hospital? What if he’s already comforted Lickety? What if they’ve already pulled the plug? What if Spike is even more depressed because I didn’t come? Oh crap!” Twilight yelled, scrambling off the couch and dumping the books on the floor, taking a quick moment to hastily throw them back on the shelves. “Shoot, shoot, shoot! Gotta get to the hospital! Oh, but I have to pee first! Do I do that here or at the hospital...? Oh screw it, I’ll do it here” Twilight said, rushing over to the bathroom and throwing the door open and sitting on the toilet. “Aaahh, much better” she said to herself, quickly cleaning up and flushing. As she stood up, she noticed something odd behind the shower curtain, some kind of dark shape. Curious, she reached over and pulled the curtain back, what she saw made her shriek in horror. Hanging by a rope tied to the ceiling, was Spike, his bulging eyes piercing Twilight’s very soul. “SPIIKE, NOOOOO!!” Twilight screamed, ripping the rope to shreds and grabbing her assistant, her friend, her son. “NOOOOHOHOOO! SPIKE, NOO!” Twilight yelled, desperately trying to bring Spike back to life. It was no use; he was gone. "NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Twilight dropped her head and pressed her forehead against Spike’s, crying and sobbing as she held the lifeless corpse of her son in her hooves.