Twilight was in Ponyville Castle, as the locals now liked to call it. She sighed. Spike, her ever faithful assistant was now nearing the last year of his thousand year slumber. After Rarity passed away, he claimed that he'd rather just sleep though the next thousand years. He did come to the funeral, placing Rarity in a deep purple casket, one made entirely out of crystals, just like he had done for Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Flutter Shy and Apple Jack. Although each casket was the exact shade as their elemental color and with their distinctive cutie-marks etched into them, the glowed the same way. As a gift to Spike, one year, Twilight had cast a spell on his already powerful firebreath, allowing him to cast a range of otherwise non-achievable spells. As for the crystals, Spike had made them himself and he caused the ground above their caskets tp become clear diamonds, which, in turn, caused their caskets to glow, and when they did, they somehow always hit Ponyville Castle, causing that, in turn, to glow and shimmer. Twilight sometimes thought she could hear their voices echoing in the castle. It made her feel rather depressed at times. At others, when she listened to the soft whispers, she thought she could hear her friends advice.
A thousand years... Had it really been so long since the last of her friends had died? Starlight Glimmer, on the other hoof, was buried in her village, alongside her old reconciled friends. Twilight had also gone briefly to the human world, after the death of Sunset Shimmer, who was buried alongside the human counterparts of the Mane Six. A human Starlight Glimmer had never popped up in the human world it seems.
"Oh Spike," she whispered, wondering if he could even hear her, as he slumbered miles below her hooves. Shaking her head, she walked down the halls to the dining room, where her friend's home-made decór still hanging from the ceiling, preserved by Twilight's renewal spells. Now, it had become something of an icon. As she sighed, sitting down on her throne, her friend's thrones (including Starlight's) sat around the Cutie-Map, broken and cracked beyond repair. Sighing a second time, Twilight started to tackle the sky-high pile of war papers. Ever since the first Element of Harmony died - Fluttershy - Equestria seemed to be falling at the seams - as if reality itself was falling apart. Twilight started to skim the first paper.
The Griffins have positioned themselves in the Northeast and the yaks in the Northwest. The Southeast and Southwest is currently protected by Discord, as Chrysalis and Teirk attacks. The Everfree is, for now, safe. Evacuated ponies are to go straight there, where Zecora will meet them.
It went on and on in such a fashion, so while it wasn't so fru-frued up (Twilight blinked back a tear, thinking of Rainbow Dash.) it was still rather boring. Then, the earthquake started.
When Twilight raced outside, she saw one single, giant claw poking out of the ground. The town was in chaos. "Why is Spike coming out now? There still one more year left!" Twilight shook the thought from her head. Spike was coming out of hibernation and she had to stop the town from thinking that a zombie or something was coming out. Flapping her wings, she reflected how much she'd grown. She had to be at least Celestia's size by now, but how could she know? Magnifying her voice via magic, she shouted, "stop! No pony panic! Does anypony know who Spike the Dragon is?" Half the town went even more crazy. A dragon? A DRAGON? Those things are DANGEROUS. And although they did have a peace treaty with Queen Ember, ponies still were speciescist (racist). The other half of the town weren't scared at all. They recalled their history lessons and knew Spike was a friend. "EVERYPONY!" Twilight had enough of them freaking out. "Spike was my old assistant! Stand down and relax! I'm going down into the caves to lead him into the Everfree to emerge, as not to wreck any homes! In the mean time, will SOMEPONY please make sure there's no more panicking?!" And with that, Twilight teleported into the caverns.
Twilight was greeted by a mouthful of scales. Quickly backtroting, she was shocked to see exactly how big Spike had grown. Sure, she knew he'd grow huge, but not this big! Although when he went into hibernation, he was quiet large already, he had grown nearly double that old size. "Spike," she whispered.
"Twilight," Spike growled softly. "What are you doing here?" He yawned.
"Aren't you coming out of hibernation now? I mean, it is you're claw that's currently poking out of the ground in Ponyville, right?"
"What? Oh! Sorry about that! When I stretched I knew I had hit the roof," Spike yelped. His voice wasn't even near booming, it had just gotten deeper.
Twilight shook her head. "Alright. We have to get you to the tunnels below the Everfree..."
"Um... I'm a bit big to move so far."
"I know Spike! Maybe I could still teleport you..." Twilight's hoof slapped against her forehead. "I'm such a idiot! Of course I can teleport you! I just need some place safe to do it... I mean, with the attacks and the Everfree... Oh shoot! The Everfree!"
"Twilight, you're rambling," warned Spike, slipping back into his old assistant mode.
"Right, sorry, thanks. We'll come out on Canterlot Mountain... Not like anything lives there anymore."
"Um... What happened while I was gone?"
Twilight sighed. "A lot Spike. But it'd be easier to explain it to you with some help... So, are you ready?"
"Twilight Sparkle! How dare you think that I'm not ready! You've been using me as a guinea pig for years, and I don't expect you to stop anytime soon," joked Spike.
"Alright, alright!" Twilight's hooves went up in a defensive pose. Her horn lit up, and with the biggest blast of violet magic she had ever created, she teleported them to the very bare, very castle-less and very Celestia and Luna-less mountain of Canterlot.