//------------------------------//
// hard to say goodbye. 
// Story: The Last Cross Road 
// by kennel hoof 
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Rain poured down over the small town of Ponyville while the wind blew the last leaves of the trees as it had been doing the whole day, the wind had finally calmed down after a couple of rough days, where ponies had to be careful for falling branches.
It was in the middle of the night, and the citizens had been sleeping a few hours. In one of the buildings however a small glimmer of light shun through the round windows onto the ground. If anypony had walked past the place at this time they probably would have wondered why somepony were still awake at this time of the night. And if they took a look through the windows they would be able to see a small purple figure with green scales on its back in the middle of the room, surrounded by sewing mannequin´s, fabric in all kinds of colors, buttons, needles and sewing thread. And if they listened they would be able to hear the sound of sobs mixed with a small voice talking to itself.

“It´s not fair, all the things I never told you, the time we spent together where I was afraid of your answer if I confessed, and now it´s too late.” 
the little dragon Spike wiped away the tears from his eyes with his claws. He had been crying all day and the day before, it was surprising how the tears could run out until there was no tears left he had thought to himself, but it was true.
Now he sat there on the floor alone, looking at a red hearth shaped gem he had given Rarity a couple of years back. He remembered how he wanted to eat it, but when he saw how she looked at it he had given it to her. She had been surprised over the gift. She hadn’t thought he would give it to her because of how he had looked at it. Spike remembered how her eyes had lit up when she first had seen it, and even more when he had given it to her. She had worn it like a necklace and even stopped spike with it from destroying Ponyville when he had gone on a rampage. She had been able to stop him due to his love for her, and that had caused him to turn back to himself.
It was strange having it back between his claws again. If it had been a few weeks ago he wouldn’t have thought twice before swallowing it in one quick gulp. But now it was a memory of what he had lost.

He thought back to when he got the message from Twilight. She had run into his room in her castle, her mane had been all over the place and she had been exhausted.
“Spike you need to come with me, Rarity has been in an accident and she…”
Twilight had stopped at that point. She had just looked at him with bloodshot eyes, and then she had broken down crying. Spike ran over to Twilight, confused as to what was going on and what precisely had happened.
“Twilight what has happened to Rarity, is she okay?”

Twilight spoke while her sobs continuously stopped her in her sentences.
“She… she was on her way… to the Apple farm when… when a piece of a tree had snapped. It hit her and… and she didn’t… she didn’t make it Spike. Rarity is…”
Twilight had broken down at that point but it didn’t matter. Spike knew what had happened. He had just stared at his friend in front of him, not knowing if it could be true. All kinds of thoughts had run through his mind. The first time he met Rarity, the adventures they had been on and how she had asked for his help multiple times, making him feel like an important part of her life. 

Spike looked again at the hearth shaped gem. He expected to see himself in it, with bloodshot eyes and red cheeks from the crying. But instead he saw Rarity, the white unicorn he had fallen in love with, her long curled purple mane and tail and her beautiful blue eyes staring back at him.
Spike felt the tears in his eyes again and in a fit of rage and desperation threw the gem onto Rarity´s futon.

Burying his eyes in his claws to shield himself from the world. His minds travelled back to the funeral. Most of Ponyville had come to say goodbye including Celestia, Luna and Cadance who had taken the time from their royal duties to say a proper goodbye to their dear friend.
If Rarity was alive and this had been a funeral for somepony else she would without a doubt have commented on the beautifully decorated church and burial place where she was laid to rest.
Her parents had chosen that it should be an open casket. For Rarity they had chosen a slick blue dress with two blue lines going from the neck down to the stomach crossing each other on the halfway point. She had pearl earrings and a golden hearth shaped necklace with a picture of her friends in the left side and her family in the right side.

When the casket had been lowered down into the grave Spike wanted to jump onto the casket and be buried with her, but his mind and the others of his friends kept him from it.
When Twilight and Spike came home to the castle he had collapsed onto the ground and fallen asleep, the next morning he had gone over to Rarity’s home and stayed there. Her sister Sweetiebelle had moved back to her parents so nopony was around him, just like he had wanted it to be. 

The dragon took his plushy he had gotten specially made to look like Rarity and hugged it tight. Not long after he fell asleep right there on the floor.
In his dream he stood in front of Rarity´s tombstone. The skies were white and everything around him was a thick black messy cloud. In his left claw he had his plushy of Rarity and around his neck he had the hearth shaped gem.

He turned away from the grave and was about to walk into the black clouds when a bright blue light shot up from the grave, bounced off the white skies and hit the black clouds. He saw how the light disassembled the clouds, revealing a big green field and a tree with purple leaves on it. The little dragon ran towards the tree feeling like somepony called for him or at least wanted to show him something.

When he got to the tree he looked at the ground, up on the purple leaves, behind the stem. He looked everywhere, but nothing. Nothing was there and the voice had gone silent. He hugged the Rarity toy and moved his claw up to touch the gem, but it was gone. Panicking he looked at the ground around him, how could it have disappeared just like that. Turning around to see if he had dropped it while he ran Spike was met with something he would never have expected, it was Rarity walking towards him with the gem around her neck. 

Shaking his head violently he looked again to make sure it wasn’t just a trick of his eyes. She really was there, smiling at him.
“Hi Spike how is my favorite dragon doing?” 

“Rarity I knew it, I knew you couldn’t be dead.”
Spike ran towards her jumping to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and he did, but something wasn’t right she weren’t her happy self she was… crying.
“Rarity what’s wrong?”

He let go and looked at her. She wiped away her tears and looked back.
“Spike I’m sorry but, I am dead.”

“No, no you can´t be I can feel you I can hug you I…”
Spike fell to his knees and stared up at Rarity.
“This is just a dream isn’t it?”

Rarity kneeled down meeting his eyes with her own, they both had tears in their eyes.
“Not a normal dream, but a last message I guess you can say. I came here to say goodbye Spike. And tell you that you meant the world to me…”
sobbing came from Rarity before she continued.
“And that I will never forget you.”

Spike moved his hand up to her cheek trying to comfort her a bit, with tears in his eyes and sobbing. 
“And I’m going to miss you Rarity. I actually have something I wanted to say to you for a long time, I lo…”
He was cut off by a kiss, showing him that he didn’t need to say anything.

Breaking from the kiss Rarity looked at him with a smile, the tears were gone and she seemed more relaxed.
“I know Spikey wikey.”
She stood up and looked at the tree.
“It´s time Spike.”

She began to walk toward the tree but stopped when she heard Spikes voice.
“How do I know it´s not a dream.” 

Using her horn she levitated the necklace over to him and around his neck.
“You´ll just know. Say hi to the others from me, okay?” 

He naught and Rarity continued to walk towards the tree. When she got to the root a bright white light appeared blinding Spike and waking him up in the process.
He was back in the house. He looked out the window and saw how the sun had come up, birds were tweeting and the sound of ponies talking outside could be heard.
He felt something around his neck and looked down, it was the gem. Spikes eyes sprung wide open as he realized it really had been a last goodbye. Grabbing it he lifted the gem up to his eyes and looked into it.

He could see the same field as in his dream and looking back at him was Rarity, smiling at him.