//------------------------------// // The End: part two // Story: Forbidden Honesty // by Music4ever //------------------------------// When love is not madness, it is not love~Pedro Calderon de la Barca I had to do so something to save everypony, and if I had to give freedom for them, I would do it. I had to let go of the life I knew true, but I would do anything to see everypony safe…. no matter how big the problem is. I've always fought problems head on, and this was no exception. "If you go, I'll go too!" Applejack looked at glanced at Spike with surprise and fear. "Spike you can't come!" "Applejack, what part of I love you don't you understand?" Applejack glanced at the floor. "I, I don't want to lose you." "That's why I'm coming with you!" insisted Spike. Chrysalis smiled, everything was going very well. "That will do." Everypony around them disappeared leaving them both alone with Chrysalis. The atmosphere seemed tick and mucky with silence as Chrysalis inspected them. "I believe you belong to me now." Chrysalis smiled and teleported closer to her target. "You should be grateful I didn't hurt your family, Applejack." "How do I know you didn't hurt them." asked Applejack. Chrysalis sighed and simply answered. "Because...they never were here." "Wait…...so what did you mean?" "Let's say all of this was a trap and unsurprisingly, you two fell right on it." Chrysalis paused. "I knew you would do anything for your family and friends, so with my magic, I projected an image of them." "You never had them!" roared Applejack. "Yes, I had them, but a certain draconequus got them out." "Your plan worked! You have us trapped, isn't that enough!?" yelled Spike in frustration. "I can't have you two alive, it's a big risk. It would ruin everything I've worked for, and I certainly don't want that." Applejack took a step back. "What do you mean?" "I think you know exactly what I mean. This is your last breath Applejack, it's over." Spike placed himself between Applejack and Chrysalis. "I won't let you hurt her!" "I'm afraid...you won't be able to do anything about it." Chrysalis shot Spike sending him to the other side of the room. Spike fell to the floor unconscious and bleeding. Applejack tried to run but found herself stuck in place. "Spike! Spike!" "Stop struggling, it's useless." Applejack glanced at Chrysalis with fury and anger, she had to do something about this. "Let him go! Please, spare Spike." "Look at you begging for mercy!" Chrysalis chuckled. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." Applejack looked at Spike and then at Chrysalis."Yes, kill me but please don't kill Spike, please." begged Applejack trying to keep her tears at bay. Chrysalis simply glanced at Applejack with empty eyes. "No." "I'll let you kill me however you want." Chrysalis walked closer to Applejack."I'll kill you anyways." Applejack tried moving, but once again, she made no progress. She looked over at Spike, even though he stopped bleeding, it pained her to see him this way. I was runnin' out of ideas, there had to be someway I could convince her to spare Spike. I won't let him die because of me. "I won't resist when you hurt me." "Thanks but I'd rather see you in pain and agony when I end your pathetic life." Chrysalis now stood a few inches away from Applejack with a wicked smile on her face. Chrysalis hold Applejack with her magic and slowly levitated her above the ground and then smashed her against the wall with great force. Applejack gasped desperately for air as she was pushed again against the wall. Spike slowly regain consciousness and picked himself up, being careful with his pounding head, he brought his claw to his forehead and felt something icky, blood. He glanced at Chrysalis and noticed her smiling looking above her, he too looked up and found Applejack being smashed against the wall. Spike now stood up ignoring the pain and quickly ran towards Chrysalis, hoping to distract her while he came up with a plan. Spike ran towards Chrysalis and blasted her with fire but she quickly covered herself with a shield. Spike kicked and punched the shield with all his strength making the delicate glass shattered. Chrysalis teleported herself out of his sight but still kept a hold on her victim. Spike quickly scanned his surroundings and looked for Chrysalis. "Over here." said a voice to his right, he sent a punch but it didn't impact anything. "Did you really think I was gonna put it that easy for you?" asked Chrysalis. Spike kept silent not making a single noise... ...Spike... ...please answer me... I had to keep silent, that wasn't Applejack I knew that for sure. It angered me that Chrysalis tried to fool me with that trick; turning into Applejack for her own benefit, it disgusts me. "Stop wasting your energy, we both know who's going to win." taunted Chrysalis. "Yes, it's very clear." responded Spike with a deep growl. Chrysalis teleported herself once again but this time closer to Spike. "Who would have thought a simple dragon like you would fight for a useless mare like her." "She's NOT useless." Spike clawed Chrysalis. Chrysalis touched her cheek that now had three long scars."Be careful, don't want to hurt your dear Applejack." Chrysalis snaked a rope around Applejack's neck and started to tighten the grip, slowly and painfully torturing her. Applejack struggled and squirmed in fear as the oxygen left her lungs, Spike couldn't bare to see her like that. "Stop hurting her!" yelled Spike in desperation. "Where's the fun in that?" "Put her down!" said Spike without thinking. Chrysalis smiled. "As you wish." Chrysalis let go of Applejack making her fall to the ground with a sickening crack. Spike kneeled down and gently grabbed Applejack in his arms, her body was badly bruised and it didn't look like she was breathing. Spike caress Applejack's cheek and stroke her mane being careful with her bruises. He couldn't live without her a life full of emptiness and "what if" wasn't a choice. He either lived a life with Applejack or died with her, she was the part of him that kept him alive and without her...there was no reason to stay alive. "Applejack..." "Now, time to finish what I started."said Chrysalis as her horn started to glow. "I'll be with you...again." whispered Spike as he got ready for the impact. Chrysalis fired Spike with madness in her eyes and a malignant smile, nopony would threaten her again now. She had won, luck was on her side. Spike closed his eyes and kissed Applejack...one last time. Applejack opened her eyes at the same time she felt something soft on her lips, Spike was kissing her, smiling she closed her eyes and kissed him back. A white celestial glow surrounded them, and unknown to them, they were above the ground and the light around them got stronger by the minute. Chrysalis stared with awe, there was no way they had survived that attack. The amount of energy and power she put into that spell was tremendous. It was physically impossible to be alive or unscratched. The only ones that could survive an attack like that would be...no it can't be, they-they are……. they are The Flame. The white had completely covered them now and the room was fully lit by now. Chrysalis started to feel dizzy and collapsed on the floor, her powers slowly radiated out of her and her crown tore to pieces. She would no longer be a threat for anypony. Applejack and Spike returned to the ground, with all of their wounds and bruises had healed. They looked at each other with love and longing, Spike touched Applejack's cheek and felt a rush of sparks go through him. Applejack gasped in surprised."Did you feel that?" Spike merely nodded and bent down to kiss Applejack, she too leaned in, but something stopped her. The castle started to shake, pillars fell down to the ground, adding more damage to the old worn castle. "I can't see a darn thing, it's too dark." "Don't worry, just follow me." Applejack did what she was told, halfway through she heard steps in front of her but it wasn't Spike. Applejack pushed Spike out of the way just before a shadow leaped out of the darkness and pinned Applejack to the floor. "You just don't know when to give up, do ya?" asked Applejack to her enemy. "It's worth a try." hissed Chrysalis. Applejack punched her right in the eye making her opponent roll over from the sudden blow. "Let's go, we don't have much time left before everything collapse." Applejack ignored Spike and stood over Chrysalis."Giving up already?" "Looks like you got feisty. But...even I have my tricks." Chrysalis shot at Applejack but missed. "Applejack, let's go!" begged Spike. "If I fall, you're coming with me." said Chrysalis with a simple smile. Applejack's smirk vanished as she heard something rumbling behind her. She looked behind her and saw a wall falling towards them, as she took one last look at Spike. "I love you." Spike panicked and ran as fast as he could, but the wall fell before he could get there. *BOOOOOM* "No...no, no, no, no..." whispered Spike to himself. He dug through the pieces and chunks of bricks, looking desperately for Applejack. He dug for minutes, maybe even hours,as his main priority was to find Applejack. He was going to find her and never let her get hurt again. His claws were bruised and cut, yet he didn't feel anything, as he was numb and unable to feel anything. The image of the wall falling towards Applejack played in his mind over and over. He needed to get help….. maybe Twilight would be able to find her with her magic but if he left, there was a chance that she could die. Spike shook his head and dismissed that thought, there was no way that a strong mare like Applejack would die. He sat down, tears on his eyes, wondering if it was a possibility that she was...dead. What If she was? What if he never got a chance to see her again? Spike looked up to the pile of broken bricks, something was sticking out, he took a deep breath and walked up to see what it was. "Applejack's hat." whispered Spike. A purple light appeared with Twilight, Pinkie and Rarity. "Spike, I'm so glad we found you!"exclaimed Twilight. Twilight hugged Spike and noticed that he didn't hug her back. "Spike, what's wrong?" "Applejack...she's...she's..." Spike couldn't finish the sentence. "She's what? Spike...what happened?" asked Twilight with concern. "The wall, it-it fell on top...of Chrysalis and, and Applejack." Everypony gasped and Pinkie's mane went flat. Twilight placed her hoof on his arm."Spike, I'm so sorry." "She could still be alive, right?" said Spike trying to convince himself. Rarity spoke up trying to hide her sadness."There's a probability right Twilight." "I guess there is, I could use a few spells to find her but I'll need something that belongs to her." "What about this?"asked Spike showing Applejack's hat. Twilight took the hat. "This will do." Twilight's horn glowed along with the hat, as it elevated from the floor, but immediately fell to the floor. Twilight kept trying but every single time she tried, the hat would fall back to the ground. "Spike, I'm so sorry but I can't find her." said Twilight, her head down and her voice cracking. "It's...it's not...your fault...it's mine." "Spike...this isn't your fault. you can't blame yourself for her dea-" "Don't say it." warned Spike. "We could bring some help." suggested Rarity. Spike only nodded his head. "Come on we better go tell everypony that Chrysalis is gone...for good." said Twilight. The dark situation took over all of them, and everypony left with a sad expression. Pinkie walked slowly, as her mane was hanging and tears were in her eyes, Rarity was by her side, trying to cheer up her friend, although she too wanted to cry. Twilight waited for Spike to follow them outside, he was standing beside the pile of fallen pillars. "Go on, I'll be leaving in a while." whispered Spike. "You sure.." Spike nodded. "Alright." As soon as Twilight left, his legs gave up on him and he fell in the hard cold floor beneath him. All the memories of him and Applejack played on his mind, the way she smiled even if she was sad, her soft accent...her shining emerald eyes full of happiness and love. How would he live without her? How could he let this happen? But most of all…...why did it happen? It was too late…... she was gone. Spike wasn't aware that tears were falling down his face, as all that he could feel was the agonizing pain in his chest. "I'm sorry." He walked away from the castle not caring where he was going. All that he had left of Applejack, was her hat. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They had sent a few ponies to find Applejack but they all came empty handed. Nopony could find her. He only hoped she was in a better place. He couldn't get her out of his mind, as everything reminded him of Applejack. Even in his dreams, it was impossible to get rid of her. He would always dream of having her close and making her smile. It pained him to wake up every morning and know it was just a dream. "Spike." "Yeah..." "We need to get ready for...for her funeral." responded Twilight with a heavy heart. It hadn't been easy for anypony, especially Spike. He refused to eat and she knew that he stayed awake at night. All he ever did was look at photos of Applejack. "I'll be down in a minute." "Ok." Minutes later Spike came down with a box in his claw. "Ready to go?" Spike nodded. That was another thing that changed in him….. he didn't speak that much as he used to. Most of the time he was silent or zoned out. The only time he spoke was when he fell asleep, he always mumbled her name. Twilight and Spike made it to the farm sooner than they had expected and waited for the rest of the guest to arrive. Most of the Apple family had come for this occasion. Everypony was sad and mourning for their lost. On the porch, a photo of Applejack was placed; she stood proudly with a caring smile and her shining eyes. Twilight spotted Applebloom with her brother. She had tears in her eyes while Big Mac tried to comfort her. "Hello Applebloom." "Hey there Twilight." Twilight gave the little filly a hug."If you ever need anything, I'm here for you, alright." "Thanks." Twilight gave Applebloom a broken smile and hugged her one last time before heading towards Spike and the rest of the girls. "Hey there Pinkie, Fluttershy." Pinkie waved a small hello and Fluttershy gave her a tiny smile. "Hi Twilight, nice to see you again." said Fluttershy through her tears and sobs. "Where's Rainbow?" "Haven't seen her today." whispered Pinkie. As if by on que, Rainbow appeared above them."I'm here." "Thanks for coming." thanked Twilight. "Why wouldn't I? She was my best buddy." said Rainbow her eyes getting a little moist. A bell rung through the air and everypony gathered around Granny Smith. "Thank you a for coming, Applejack would appreciate it." Granny paused and looked over to Twilight. "Would you like to say some words." Twilight nodded and stepped to the front. "As you all know, Applejack...died defeating a great enemy, and we all owe her our lives. Without her, we wouldn't be here. She...she was a great friend, giving a hoof to those who needed it and a great worker. We'll never forget her, as she'll always be in our hearts." "Thank you Twilight. Anypony else?" A few of the member of the Apple family stepped to the front and talked about Applejack. Some spoke of their memories with her and special events she had gone to, while other talked about her strong and independent attitude and the way she fought through her troubles. "Spike, do you want to say anything?" whispered Twilight. "Yes, I owe her at least that." Spike stepped to the front and looked at Twilight which gave him a genuine smile. "When I met Applejack, she gave me the warmest smile and enthusiastic welcome. Once we became friends she treated me as if I was part of her family... When Applebuck season came in, she needed help, but she was so stubborn, she wouldn't ask for it, and at that time, she learned that you can always rely on your friends when you’re facing a hard situation. She once saved me from timberwolves,as she faced them head on with nothing else than her skills." Spike smiled remembering the day as if it had happen yesterday. "Even after Chrysalis had attacked Ponyville, she never stopped being the strong mare she was... All she wanted to do was to save everypony before anything else, as she always did what she could to protect everypony around her." Spike paused, looking over to her picture."I was very lucky to have her by my side...she is the light of my life, I admire her...for everything." Spike returned to his place and Twilight gave him a comforting hug. "Thank you all for those kind words." Granny Smith leaded the group if ponies to a nearby hill where a grave was placed on top of it. ~~~Applejack~~~ Beloved sister, friend and granddaughter. One at a time everypony present placed a rose on her tomb. Spike couldn't bare to see Applejack's tomb and everypony’s grief for her lost. He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't notice that Twilight was tapping his shoulder. "Spike, come on we have to go." "Can you give me a moment?" "Sure." Spike hesitantly looked at Applejack's tomb and kneeled down, he unwrapped the box he brought and placed it on top of the tomb. He had brought her a magical rose inside a transparent box, it would never wither. "Hey there, Applejack I brought you a gift. I hope you like it... I love you." Spike walked back to the farm and noticed Applejack's hat next to her lasso on the front porch. "Hey Twilight." "Hey Spike, Big Mac asked if you'd like to keep Applejack's hat and lasso." "No, they should keep it, they're her family." Twilight frowned."You're part of her family too, you know." "I don't know anymore." "Spike, Applejack loved you as much as she loved her family." "This wouldn't have happened if I had protected her better." "This isn't your fault." "She must hate me." "She doesn't hate you." "Let's go." whispered Spike. The wind started to blow fast as Spike made his way out of the farm. Spike snapped out of his thoughts as he felt something hit his back. He turned around and found Applejack's hat in the floor. He picked it up and looked at Twilight confused. Twilight gave him a smile. "I don't think Applejack hates you." Spike smiled and picked up her hat."I guess not..." Spike looked one last time at the hill where Applejacks tomb was laid." I love you."