That’s weird. My pain is gone.
I stood up and looked around. The fog was so thick that I could barely see my claws in front of me, even when I flailed them around.
This place… It feels warm. That’s impossible though.
I looked down at my body. It didn’t look any different. It somehow felt hollow, although I couldn’t explain why.
I crouched and grabbed some of the snow from the ground. It was as warm as grass on a spring day.
Just where the heck am I?
I heard whispering in the fog. Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw what looked like the shapes of ponies, yet when I turned to face them, they vanished, leaving only the faint sound of wind blowing. The voice in the mist sounded so familiar, but I couldn’t put a claw on just who it was. It beckoned me forward. With no other real choice, I moved towards it.
Buildings from Ponyville came into view. I rushed towards the nearest one and ran my claw over its wall. Its surface felt like glass, with only small cracks to give it texture. I walked to the next building and inspected it, finding more fissures and glass-like material.
The fog cleared as I moved further into the town. When the fog became thin enough to see through, I saw the full extent of Ponyville’s state. All the buildings were damaged, a few beyond repair. Spires of crystal or ice dotted the landscape, some obviously having been used to tear buildings apart.
It looks like a blizzard and hurricane took turns trashing the town.
Again, I heard that voice whispering. It led me directly into the town’s main square. The only building still standing there was Town Hall, its walls a mixture of its normal architecture and more of the crystalline material.
I walked up to the double doors of the building and quickly realized they were encased in the same icy crystal. I placed a claw on the ice to try and find a way to remove it. As soon as I did, the doors cracked, splintering apart like they had been struck with a hammer.
Cautiously, I moved forward, gazing around in the hopes of understanding what had happened. Inside, I saw nothing but mounds of snow and icicles, all of which felt warm to my touch.
The voice once again emanated from somewhere ahead. I rushed to it, the clacking and scratching of my claws drowning out the voice momentarily. It led me to a beat-up door. I instantly recognized it as the same one from the crystal palace. The gem above the frame glowed an ominous lavender as it beckoned to me. I steeled myself for whatever horrors could lie ahead as I opened the door. I was shocked when I found myself looking at Golden Oak’s main floor.
I rubbed my eyes and took the sight in. Aside all the books being scattered in every direction imaginable, the library looked exactly how I had last seen it minutes ago. Still, something about it felt off. I couldn’t quite put a claw on it.
‘S…p…i…k…e… W….a…k….e… u….p…’
The voice rang clearer this time and had originated from upstairs. I took off chasing after it.
As I raced up the stairs, it felt as if I wasn’t getting anywhere. What should have taken mere moments started to feel like hours, like the time Twi and I had tried to climb Sombra’s endless stairs. My pace eventually slowed. I started to lose hope of ever reaching the top. Just as I was considering going back, the stairs came to a sudden end. At the very top, I saw a white light. With one final step, I entered it. It left me blind of a couple of seconds.
When my eyes finally adjusted, I was utterly shocked to find myself not in Twilight’s room as I had expected, but walking down the hall leading to Canterlot Palace’s throne room. Only difference was that, like Ponyville before it, it too looked as if it had been frozen over. The marble pillars were either worn or shattered, and the once brightly colored ceiling looked as if it had been torn apart by strong winds, revealing black clouds and heavy snowfall.
The only objects that appeared to have been left untouched by the ravages of whatever had befallen the palace were the stained windows that held the many chronicles of Equestria, from its earliest struggles against Discord to the last major event with the Tree of Harmony. My eyes set themselves on the window that depicted me as the triumphant hero who vanquished Sombra and restored peace to the Crystal empire. A flood of nostalgia filled my being. A lot had happened since Twilight and I moved to Ponyville.
As I walked to Mother’s throne, I noticed new stained windows I had never seen before. I stopped at the first one. I kind of wish I hadn’t, though.
The centerpiece was clearly a depiction of me. It wasn’t like the one used for when I had saved the Crystal Empire, but rather, it was me in my current size and age. Yet, I wasn’t portrayed in a triumphant pose. Instead, I was laid on a crystalline casket, a white flower gripped in my claws. All around me were the ponies I had come to know as friends: AJ, Dash, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Mom and Auntie Luna were also there, their expressions clearly filled with sorrow. Strangely enough, Twilight was not present at the scene. Instead, she was in the bottom section of the image, alone, her back turned to everypony.
I moved ahead to the next image. This one was of Canterlot Castle, enveloped in what looked like a massive lavender bubble. Above it were clouds shaped like ponies, circling, raining down ice over the city.
I move ahead, gazing at more and more images: ice raining down on ponies, blizzards ravaging entire cities, ponies frozen in place as the equine-shaped clouds grew larger and larger.
Then I reached the final stained window. Instead of an image, it was blank, almost as if it had been complexly frozen over. I took one step back from it, and the ground shook below my feet. Before my mind could properly process it, the floor gave way to a black abyss. As the sensation of weightlessness hit, the feeling of pure ice entering my gut overpowered all my other senses. Instinctively, I screamed as the void consumed me.
I landed on something crystalline. At first, I wondered if I had somehow ended up deep in the crystal caverns under Canterlot. When my sight finally adjusted, I found myself desperately wishing I had been correct.
Under my claws were thousands upon thousands of ponies, all trapped within a thick sheet of ice, their expressions frozen in perpetual horror. I looked up and saw eight monoliths of ice. My eyes widened as I realized who was trapped in each one.
My friends, frozen in place, all turned to each other with faces full of rage. Mom and Auntie Luna, snarling, locked as if ready to pounce on each other. At the very back of the group, I saw the sight that made my blood run completely cold. Twilight, face full of sorrow, hooves wrapped around an orange scarf.
My scarf.
I fell on my knees and punched the ice below me. I could feel tears swelling in my eyes as the same question kept repeating in my head over and over like a swarm of angry bees: why? The emptiness in me felt larger than before, numbing me to the deepest parts of my being. I looked down and noticed ice creeping up my legs, entrapping me just like the others. The sound of wicked neighing filled the air.
‘S….p…i…k….e… W….a…k…e… u…p…’
That same voice—so soothing and so welcoming. It beckoned me forward, even though I could no longer move.
I gazed up and saw a light. It was so warm, so safe. I reached out a claw. The malicious neighing grew louder, becoming a din that nearly drove me insane. I reached out. I had to reach that light.
I had to.
* * *
Slowly, I opened my eyes. For a second, I felt as if I it was all still just a dream, but as my vision sharpened, I realized that it wasn’t. I knew because the first thing I saw was Twilight’s face, eyes damp with tears.
“Spike!” she cried, moving closer to me, yet just before wrapping her hooves around my chest, she stopped and slowly backed away. Her smile faded and her lips started quivering.
I slowly tried to sit up, but my body felt too numb. I turned to Twilight. “Twi, I need a bit of help here.”
For some reason, my words made Twi’s face contort further. She obliged nonetheless, but as soon as she had helped me up, she retreated.
I turned to Twilight, my sight settling on the damp marks running down from her eyes to her cheeks. The more I saw her, the more I saw the tell-tale sign of a struggle against the elements. Her hair looked frazzled, sported patches of frost, and her lips were a slight blue hue.
“Twi,” I started, moving my claw towards her.
She recoiled at the sight and broke into sobs, gently pushing my claw away from her. “Please, I-I don’t…” She hung her head. “I’m a b-bad pony, Spike. I-I really a-am…”
I grabbed hold of Twilight’s hoof and brought it to my cheek. “No, Twi, you’re not the bad one here.” I turned to look at her and almost felt my heart stop. She was gazing at me through tearful eyes, lips turned as far down as they could go. “I shouldn’t have done something so… stupid.” I diverted my gaze. “I… knew there was a blizzard, yet I still walked into it because… because…” I clenched my teeth. “I’m… I’m so sorry.”
Twilight’s only reply was a stifled sob.
“I’ll send Mom a letter. I’ll ask her to take me to Canterlot Palace. Don’t worry. I’ll be out of your mane pretty soon.” Bitterly, I sighed and used my weakened telekinesis magic to lift the nearest piece of parchment and a quill. A glance at Twilight revealed that her expression had not changed since my words. The fact she was not doing anything to stop me confirmed what I had already known. Of course she’s not stopping you. Things will be better this way.
“No!” Twilight cried out. Her scream gave me pause, but it was her tossing herself on me that completely ruined my concentration. She wrapped her hooves around me and wailed into my chest, tears running down my scales.
“Spike, d-don’t go, please!” Meekly, she looked up at me. “I’m the one w-who should…. should…” She closed her eyes and buried her face in my chest again. “I’m sorry, Spike, I-I… I’m so sorry. Hate me, scorn me, or never speak to me again; I don’t care what you choose to do—j-just… j-just don’t leave me again!”
Twilight’s words horrified me. Without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around her, sharing in the embrace. Twilight’s body warmed my own in ways no fire ever could.
Tears started to build in my eyes as I broke the embrace and lifted Twi’s face. I gazed into her eyes—those beautiful amethyst eyes, so full of life, spirit, and affection instead of the cold indifference from earlier—and smiled.
“Twilight,” I started, but found no real words to speak. As more and more tears welled in my eyes, I started to realize what my nightmare had shown me. I finally understood why I could never leave her, and why she could never leave me. She had risked her very life to bring me back to safety because, deep down, she cared for me in a way no pony ever could.
Mother’s words rang in my head.
“My son, you are young. You’ve many years ahead of you. One day, you will find that special someone that will love you for who you are deep down. You just have to be patient.”
“But what if I never find someone who will love me?”
“Never say never. Love comes from the most unexpected of places. Just have faith that it will find you.”
“Spike,” Twilight started, eyes gazing deeply into mine. “I… I…” She sighed and smiled. “I really do love you. I’m sorry if I waited this long to tell you. I was just… j-just—”
I wrapped Twi in a tighter embrace, breaking her train of thought entirely. I knew what she was going to say, and she did not need to say it.
“Spike... I don’t know where the future is going to take us. But as long as I’m with you, I can face it.”
“We will face it together,” I said.
Twilight replied by embracing me tighter. “I know.”
We pulled back ever so slightly, our eyes connecting with one another. Our breaths grew calm, and our eyes sparkled with warmth and joy. No more words were needed. We pressed our foreheads together, at last accepting the lessons our hearts had bestowed upon us. It was a gift, what we had, one we would treasure for as long as we both lived.
“We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.”
-John Lennon
I never was the biggest fan of Spikelight, but this one is pretty good.
Have a satche.
I never really read SpikexTwi but this was superb. An excellent, short but emotional piece. Insta fav!!
And you said you couldn't write.
Nicely done.
Not sure I cared for Twilight's years-long OOC personality, but hey, I'll take Twispike where I can get it.
This is a very beautifully written story, even if in first chapter Twi might seem to be a little OOC, the second one explains clearly why she acts like she acts. I love how you used the confusion in her heart to propel her actions it certainly is befitting her character.
Favored, Liked and... Hope for a sequel, to see them struggle with the important gift they realized they have.
Nice to see'er out.
~Skeeter The Lurker
In Spike's coma sequence, you mixed up past and present tenses, quite often in fact. You should re-read and rectify that.
As for the content... it's quite warm to read, but it feels as though it's missing so much of the story, I can't see this as complete. The scarf, for example, was barely touched upon, while its significance was barely skimmed.
This sir, is completely awesome
More?
i don't like Twispike/Spikelight, but I really love this story
Twilight's initial reaction to Spike's admission confuses me, and honestly makes no sense. I cannot fathom why Twilight would tell him to leave--the whole "a princess and a dragon/assistant can never be together" thing seems like a very weak defense, and I don't really find her inner argument against her feelings valid.
All in all, not bad, but falls a bit short.
I liked this, very heart warming
I'm a horrible artist so I wont be drawing this antime soon but if anyone is up for it.
I got an image in my head of spike as a much larger dragon wrapped around canterlot protectively
4163598
Likewise; Twilight's reaction seems utterly alien, and nothing in the story explains where that reaction came from.
Why was Celestia, Luna, AJ, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie so mad at each other?
T'is good.
It should be alicorn twi tag, not unicorn twi tag
It is worth reading all the way to the end. ^u^
I really like this! <3
This was such a beautiful story. Twilight's emotional struggle felt real for her character and the blizzard was just a perfect add on to the drama and turmoil. Probably one of my favorite Spilight story right now. Liked, faved... and a sequel maybe?
4165440 I think they were mad at Twilight for, essentially, killing Spike. It was her fault that he ran away, she didn't go save him. Celestia loves Twilight, but letting her son die would make any mother furious. The same can be said for Luna. As for the others, they were all disappointed in Twilight, they all cared for Spike to some degree and now he was gone because of her.
Now with all the negativity and anger felt by three Alicorns and the Element bearers, I guess that made the wendigoes reappear?
Great.
4164166
Twi was afraid of her own feelings.
4165440
After the breaking of harmony, each of the mane six and princesses among themselves blamed for the fate of Spike, undoing the spirit of unity that kept the equestrian realm away from the cold and ice.
Which brings the question, in his "almost" death, saw Spike a possible consequence for his death?
I really enjoyed reading this! It's very well-written, with good pacing, characterization, and feels.Nice work.
4161334 I wish I knew what a satche was
tell me ur secrets......
I got nothing complimentary to say about Celestia in this one. The dragon she's responsible for is suffering a ver unique personal crisis, and she just gives him a children's show platitude? Weak, especially for a being who's lived thousands of years. She tells him to be proud of who and what he is, but if his identity is the very thing that's preventing him from being close to someone, what's there for him to be proud of? Accepting that he'll never receive the love he gives so willingly? She's pretty much telling him to take pride in his lonely, martyr-like existence. Most Spike-suicides fics are just cheap indulgences, but I can easily see him ending it all when he finds out he will never have a significant other with whom to share that life.
Me trying to understand and apply all these morals and feelings to Real Life http://www.fullgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Alice-in-wonderland-cute-gif-jhonny-deep-mad-gif.gif
Wow, I'm not normally a fan of spilight, but that was really good. I really enjoyed you connecting back to the crystal heart episode, that part was one of my favorite scenes in the show.
4177935
Oh wow, you just solved thy riddle! Here's an unbaked cookie dough for the effort! 4.bp.blogspot.com/-LGv6vGWR3E8/T3hYQRrYDUI/AAAAAAAAC4w/Py-FJkdn63o/s400/hatching-egg-easter-cupcakes-3.JPG
4161334
awesome bra. Thanks for the stache there. I will sherish it for all time
4161391
Thank you so much for the Fav there.
4161407
I stll have my doubts, but I hope this is just the first of many more stories that get this many views. If not, I'll still write anyway
4161538
Well, I am considering one, to further expand on Twilight's "OOC" nature that, I have to admit, can be a bit jarring.
Perhaps if more people would be willing to say if they want the sequel or not...
4161976
Nice of you to drop by
4162325
This has been fixed in the update. Thanks for pointing that out
4163013
I am currently drafting a possible continuation.
4163598
I'd love to hear what you have to say on this matter. I did think that Twi was OOC, and to an extend, that was the plan. However, I am starting to realize that her small revelation chapter might not be enough to erase the notion that she's too different. This is why I feel your input would be very welcome on this matter.
4163961
Not the image I had in mind, but I can see it working. Is there anyne out there that also wants to draw something for this?
4199899 I wouldn't say its jarring, more likely that Twilight's reasons should be portrayed earlier to avoid initial confusion which shows itself in chapter 1.
As for the sequel...seeing those like/dislike ratio I guess a lot of people favored. That alone should be feedback big enough to inform you that people enjoyed it and would probably enjoy sequel as well.
You have a great idea and potential with this fic that can bloom into beautiful tale... which is exactly why I do hope for sequel. (and because it would be about Twilight and Spike in relationship and there aren't many fics like that, most of them are about this duo falling in love).
4166103
Issue is fixed
4167974
Yes to both of these.
4173206
Celestia might be another section I need to expand on in future revisions. Still, I like how she came out as is.
4175025
4180829
I thought I wrote her as neutrally as possible, given the circumstances. After all, it was her wedding day. Again, I may be wrong. If you guys have any suggestions on how to fix it, I'm all ears.
4199959 For the love of LUNA! I was here for TwiSpike feels... You give me chills instead. *Badum tssss*
Another SpiLight... you bet ya you'll get my attention.....
This was quite good, and I enjoyed it. Nice work.
I have one thing, though. It's so small that it's not really even a thing. Your chapter titles. They are too small. I actually had to be accurate in order to click on the single character that hyperlinks to the chapter (it's a bit hard with a low-quality mousepad). I would recommend something larger next time. Even something like "One" is better than "1." That was really the only thing that I didn't enjoy about this story.
So sweet!
For mlp fics I'm not to crazy for shipping the characters but I do enjoy reading them now and again
Your story is by far the best shipping I ever read and it's the first twispike I've read. I really enjoyed the dialogue between each character and the way your story is written
Instant thumbs up d("d) and fav!
Very impressive, very moving. The redux is a definite improvement.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Read this ages ago before I had a FIMFiction account (which I got in December 2014), just as awesome as it was the last time I read it!