A Dragon's Detour

by Nrdygrl

Where the Detour Ends

Chapter Sixteen

“Where the Detour Ends”

Twilight was shocked and confused beyond words. Looking around, she saw the lobby was filled with dragons Spike was before her…her Spike. He was looking at her with those innocent green eyes. Those eyes….were the same…ever since she held him in her hooves that first time.
Now, from what she could see, in his arms was a strange glowing green object. Looking up, she could see Head Mistress Haldana looking at her in surprise. Twilight stepped forward and suddenly realized there was water almost up to her knees all over the floor. She looked down, raised an eyebrow and looked back at Spike quizzically.
“Uh…long story,” said Spike smiling a little. He looked extremely happy to see her. “I’m so happy you’re here!”
“Spike…are…are you okay?!” said Twilight approaching him. Haldana just stood there and chuckled.
“Isn’t this touching?” she commented. “The unicorn has returned to her little dragon.” Twilight turned to Haldana and made her horn spark.
“What have you done?! Are you responsible for this conspiracy I’ve been hearing about?!” she said angrily.
“Oh? You’ve heard? How exactly did you hear about this…?” said Haldana raising an eyebrow. Just then she glanced over at Flash and glared at him. Flash cowered down and smiled weakly.
“I was…trying to scare her into not coming, Boss!” he said sheepishly.
“You FOOL!” Haldana growled. She looked at Twilight. “I can see into minds, my little pony….I can see into souls. I can sense a strong connection you have with this little gem dragon. I can see this makes my job that much easier. Now I’ll only have to destroy one of you. I can see…when one meets their demise…the other will as well. Just as…when one hurts…the other hurts too.”
“I don’t need to hear that from you!” said Twilight boldly. She glanced at Spike lovingly. “I knew the risks in coming here…but Spike means everything to me. I know we’re connected. I know my responsibility to him. I didn’t realize what I had…until I let him go. I never should’ve let you go, Spike. I’m sorry…this has been a huge mistake.” She glared at Flash. “Nothing you said scared me! I am loyal to the one friend who’s always been there my whole life!” She looked up at Haldana. “I am taking him with me, Haldana. You can’t stop me! I have magic. I don’t care if you can read my mind, either.” Haldana growled. Spike ran over to Twilight.
“YEAH, Twilight! You tell her! That’s right, Haldana…your plan has failed.” He looked back at Twilight. “Twi…this gem I’m holding…the Comatose is the reason why the princess sent me here. I need to destroy it to keep it from falling into her claws! She’s evil!” Twilight nodded.
“Somehow, Spike…” she said quietly. “I had a feeling this school wasn’t going to be normal all this time. And…this treasure…I…w-why did Princess Celestia not tell us about it to begin with?! She…she…trusts me. I don’t understand.”
“This is my destiny, Twi,” said Spike looking at it. “I was confused at first too…but I understand now.” He looked up at Haldana. “And I don’t care what you try to do to stop me! Nothing will work! There’s no sense in fighting me! I’m leaving with Twilight and I have the Comatose! Haldana…you have lost!” After Spike said this, the room was silent for a moment. Haldana wasn’t looking at him. She was just listening and looking to the side…apparently at nothing. She grinned and started chuckling.
“You are a brave little thing, aren’t you? How painful it must be…to be the last one. What if I told you…the very dragons of your direct bloodline…the other gem dragons…what if I told you…I killed many of them in my years? Of course…I can’t take credit for all…but…maybe I can take credit for the very last one.” She glanced at Spike and smiled.
“Spike…is…the last…gem dragon?!” said Twilight, her eyes growing wide and her heart sinking…no…breaking for the dragon at her side. Spike sighed and hung his head.
“You’ll never kill me…I have power of my own, you know! Anything you try to do…I can defend myself!”
“Of course you can!” said Haldana smirking. “Don’t you feel any anger towards me at all?”
“What are you talking about?” said Spike raising an eyebrow.
“Spike…you have all the power you need right there to get revenge on me! Just as you said before…with one word…I can meet my demise!”
“What?!” said Twilight, confused.
“Spike!” Misty cried from behind them. Twilight and Spike turned to look at her. She had climbed into the statue in the middle of the room to prevent more water from filling the room. “Don’t listen to her! She’s just trying to get you to use the Comatose! Eat it! Now!” Haldana glared at Misty. All of a sudden, without warning the lady dragon breathed a blast of pitch black fire at the water dragon. Misty shrieked and fell off the statue into the water. Spike and Twilight gasped.
“MISTY!” Sparky shouted darting over to her.

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The red dragon knelt in the water and picked Misty up, holding her with trembling hands.
“Misty….” He said quietly. Looking down at her, he could see her blue scales on her arm were burning black and a pink-ish red as it was deep into her skin. The fall had knocked her out. Sparky shook her gently. Misty’s eyes fluttered open.
“Sparky…” she said quietly. Sparky sighed with relief. He stood up and helped her to her feet, keeping one arm around her. “Sparky! You can let go of me now!” she said glaring at him. She cringed with the slight pain in her arm.
“Nice…try…” she said to Haldana. “You can’t knock me down forever, old lady!” Haldana chuckled.
“I will be tempted again if you don’t silence yourself, water dragon!” she said breathing a puff of black fire into the air.
“And I’ll be tempted to knock you down if you don’t cut that out!” said Spike angrily. “Nobody hurts my friends!” Haldana smirked and suddenly breathed a blast of black fire at Spike. Spike gasped and felt the hot energy hit him. He was pushed backwards. He immediately felt pain on his scales. Some were burnt, but it wasn’t severe. Still holding onto the Comatose, he managed to stand up straight and face Haldana again. Just then, he saw Twilight jump in front of him.
“That does it!” she shouted at Haldana. “This is a fight! If you want to get to Spike…you’ll have to go through me first!” Haldana chuckled.
“Oh…really now?” she said smirking. “You and what army?”
“THIS army, mean dragon lady!” shouted a voice from the school entrance. Spike and Twilight looked over to see Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack standing a ways from them, looking ready to fight anything that came near them.
“PINKIE PIE?!” said Twilight and Spike stunned.
“We are here to stop the mean dragons and save Spike!” said Pinkie Pie nodding proudly.
“But…what…I….Applejack…Rarity…I told you guys…” said Twilight bewildered.
“We know you told us to stay behind, Sugar Cube,” said Applejack walking over to them.
“But we couldn’t possibly let you face these ruffians alone!” said Rarity glancing quizzically at the water she was standing in.
“My…six little ponies and three little dragons,” said Haldana cocking her head. “So be it.” She chuckled and looked over at the three Treasure Seekers. “After them!” she commanded. What happened next, Spike could hardly comprehend, for there was so much going on at once. Flash, Boom, and Scarlet were trying their best to fight the ponies in the room, but these ponies…his best friends were putting up quite a fight, like he had never seen before! Applejack was doing her best to tie up Flash in the ropes she had with her. Rainbow Dash was flying around Boom’s head to confuse him. Fluttershy had disappeared…so Spike thought perhaps she wasn’t quite over her ‘big dragon’ phobia. However, next thing he knew, Spike saw an ocean of bunnies, birds, and other little creature pouring into the lobby, attacking Haldana. It was pretty amusing to watch. And Rarity…his sweet…beautiful Rarity looked more beautiful than ever before as she and Twilight were helping AJ trap the dragons with their magic. It was a battle that possibly nopony in Equestria would ever forget, if they were there to witness it. Amidst all the commotion, Spike felt a hand on his shoulder. Sparky and Misty pulled him into Haldana’s office and quickly shut the door.
“Now’s the time,” said Sparky. “Eat it, quickly!” Spike nodded and pulled the sheet off the Comatose. Just then, he could feel the energy entering his hands and flowing through his veins. The power felt like an electric current charging through him…giving him all the power he could ever have dreamed of. It was the worst pain but yet the most amazing feeling at the same time. It couldn’t have been compared to anything else. But Spike knew deep down that it wasn’t right. There was darkness there…he could feel it. He was starting to have doubts. He felt his mind turn blank. What was he doing? He lost memory of what he was supposed to do with it, until Misty spoke up.
“Spike….I know it’s hard…I know how tempting the power is….but it’s not for us! It’s not for anyone now! Please…listen…you must destroy it! It’s the only way!” Spike felt his heart sink. How could he destroy it now?! It was beautiful…as he gazed at it.
“But…what if it was my destiny to end the Treasure Seekers forever?” he asked Misty. “What if that’s really what I need to do first?”
“That’s not the truth,” she replied shaking her head. “You see? It’s already started…it’s tricking you…It’s playing with your head! It wants to be used! Don’t do it! It may control you if you do! I’ve seen it! You’ll become like them! Don’t!”
“Listen to her, Spike!” said Sparky. “Don’t let the darkness in! Eat it before it’s too late!” Spike glanced at them, then at the Comatose…torn…not knowing what path was right. The more power he felt enter him, the more confused he became. However, in an attempt to make it all stop, he opened his mouth as wide as it would go. He felt it touch his tongue. Just then, a great burst of black fire made him drop it on the ground. He whirled around to see Haldana standing before him. Spike, in a split-second leaped away from her, however…he was too late. He looked up and saw Scarlet standing in the hole, holding the Comatose in her arms.
“Very good…” said Haldana. “I always win!”
“Shut up!” said Spike, regaining some of his memory and original self back after dropping the gem. Twilight galloped over to them and jumped through the hole into the room.
“Spike!” she cried. “Are you all right?!” She looked at Haldana. “I….I don’t understand. What do you want with that?!”
“Unicorn…you would not understand the struggle us dragons have had to endure for many millennia,” Haldana said, glaring down at her. “Equestria always belonged to…an equine race! We were just as big of a part of this kingdom as they were. But…your Princess Celestia never trusted most of us….always was afraid of our mighty strength and power. We were always treated like barbarians! We lived in caves…and many of us still do. Then…when she gave the Comatose to those gem dragons…the most loyal of all dragons…we figured we could use it to end her reign. Then, some wanted dragons to rule…and the equines to follow. But…the gem, water, and fire dragons remained loyal to Celestia, while a few breeds of dragons became the Treasure Seekers. I was young when I joined. And for many years I’ve led them. We’ve waited for this moment for so long, Spike. Don’t you see? Haven’t you ever felt like you were taken for granted before?” Spike sighed and hung his head. He glanced at Twilight. Her ears drooped and she looked at the ground in guilt.
“Yes…I have…” said Spike quietly.
“I can see that…” she said smiling a little.
“But Twilight is my best friend!” said Spike looking back up at Haldana quickly. “And she’s a pony! I believe that ponies and dragons can always live peacefully. Princess Celestia is my ruler! I always served her just as Twilight has! She’s kind and just. She rules Equestria with mercy. I will never listen to you, Haldana! You won’t convince me otherwise!” He looked up at Twilight and she smiled at him. Haldana growled.
“You are a fool…I was wrong to think I could change your feelings about this,” she said. She turned to Scarlet. “Now, Scarlet…finish them off.” Spike whirled to look at her. She was staring at the Comatose. He reached back to make sure Twilight was behind him. He felt his heart beat faster. Would she fire? Scarlet looked at him and Twilight, with a confused look on her face. Spike gazed back at her, looking her dead in the eye. Her eyes grew bigger and dewy. Just then…the Comatose dropped out of her hands onto the floor.
“No…” she replied firmly. Haldana gasped.
“What?!” the old purple dragon asked in shock.
“I said…NO, Haldana,” Scarlet shouted. “Just because my parents…and my ancestors were Treasure Seekers…doesn’t mean I have to choose that path too. I’m sick of taking your orders. You’ve taken me for granted! Spike is right! I believe…Equestria always belonged to ponies…we dragons can still coexist with them.”
“I…don’t believe this,” growled Haldana. “You traitor! This was your destiny!”
“The thing about destiny, Haldana…is that it doesn’t choose you. You choose it! And I’ve learned that the hard way…” she said glancing at Spike. “But I’ve made my choice.” Just then, she swiftly picked up the Comatose. “Take it, Spike!” she said, quickly tossing it in his direction. Spike, reacting, ran to try and catch it. He saw it fall in front of his face. He reached out his arms to catch it. He felt it fall safely in his arms. All of a sudden, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a giant plume of black fire coming straight toward him. He gasped and tried to dodge it, but it hit him, and it hit hard. Spike felt the flames cut through his scales and singe his spikes. He was thrown back into a shelf. He immediately felt the pain in his back. He heard Twilight scream his name. Everything went black for a moment. He could hear Haldana laughing in her sinister voice. He could hear Twilight’s hooves clopping on the ground at she ran over to him.
At last, Spike opened his eyes to see Twilight next to him. She sighed with relief and turned to Haldana, a look of rage all over her face. Spike felt Sparky and Misty by his side also. They helped him to his feet. Sparky looked at him and started to make fire come out of his scales.
“Don’t…” said Spike quietly. “This is my fight.” He reached down and picked up the Comatose again. The power seemed ten times stronger than it was before…almost like it was feeding off of every emotion his was feeling. Anger. Determination. Love. Everything was boiling deep inside him. He took a deep breath and focused on Haldana. She breathed another greater blast of black fire at him. It was coming closer. Thinking quickly, Spike channeled all his emotion and energy into the gem he was holding, and fired a huge blast of magic in the fire. It met the fire half way between the two dragons. They fought one other for a few moments until at last, the blast that came from the Comatose enveloped the black fire altogether. Haldana shrieked and staggered back a little. Then she started chuckling.
“Good…” she said smiling evilly. “Absolutely perfect, Spike. Now…if you kill me…I lose! You’ll be more powerful than you ever imagined!” Spike knew she was right. The power he felt was so strong. It was overwhelming. The anger in him was fueling it by the second. After all…she killed some of the gem dragons…his kin. Perhaps she was the one who killed his parents! She felt his body heating up with his rage. In the background, he could hear Misty and Sparky begging him to stop…but he couldn’t! It was so strong….
Screaming with fury, tears pouring from his eyes, Spike fired another extremely powerful blast at Haldana. It was black like her fire…except darker. The energy flew from the Comatose, but it felt as if it was coming directly from his soul. It was as if he was just releasing all his emotion and anger at her. Haldana screamed a little and bent her neck down to shield her face. Then, Spike took a deep breath and stopped firing at her. She looked at him, wincing a little from her burns, but she was still smiling.
“Why…are you smiling?!” Spike screamed at her. He breathed heavily, as his anger continued to control him. “You have LOST!”
“No…Spike…” said Twilight turning to him with a fearful look in her eyes. “Please…stop this! Don’t you understand?! This is what she wants! Even if you kill her, she’ll still have won! You’re using the Comatose’s power….it’s controlling you! Please stop!” Spike felt even more angered that she said that.
“You don’t understand, Twi,” he said crying. “She killed them…she deserves to die too! You don’t know what it’s like to feel alone!” He shouted. He turned to her, gripping the Comatose even tighter. The purple unicorn’s eyes were wide.
“Yes…I do…Spike…” she said quietly, tears filling her eyes. Spike was almost ready to take his anger out on this unicorn. How could she know pain? Maybe now she would. He felt the energy ready to be fired through that gem. Black flames started to lick his fingers, as his anger ensued. Then…Spike looked into that purple unicorn’s deep eyes. All of a sudden, everything in the background was invisible to his sight, and every sound fell on deaf ears. There was only this unicorn. Why was she familiar? Those eyes. Where did he remember those eyes? He could remember…those eyes were one of the first he saw. They were beautiful. Wait…Twilight? Twilight! What was he doing?! How could he be angry at HER?! He gasped and quickly looked down at the Comatose in shock. He now knew…it was controlling him. It was feeding off his anger! It had to end…although he felt as if he would die if he let it go. He looked at Twilight, then at Sparky and Misty. He knew! Detour….destiny…it led…to this. In one final sift move, Spike opened his mouth and shoved the gem in, swallowing it whole, fire and all.
“NO!!” Haldana screamed. She tried to charge at Spike. Just then, Twilight jumped in front of him and her horn glowed brightly. Spike could see she was using all her strength, as she put up a transparent wall that Haldana could not break though. Spike felt the black fire burning his throat. The gem had a taste that he could never have described. It was bitter and dark. It was the hardest thing he had ever done…but after it was swallowed, he felt free from its control.
“Spike! You did it!” Misty cried.
“Way to go, dude,” said Sparky smiling. Spike breathed steadily. Was it finally over? Just then, he felt a sudden pain in his stomach. He gasped and grabbed his stomach in pain. He could feel his heart beating faster. His body felt weak, but he knew something big was happening in his core.
“Misty…” he said in shock. “What’s happening?! I….it hurts…it’s burning inside me!” He cringed.
“You’re body must be having a reaction to it,” she replied, her eyes growing wide.
“What kind of reaction, though?!” said Sparky worriedly. Spike opened his mouth to say something, but the pain was so intense, it silenced him and brought him to his knees.
“I think…I need to fight it…” he said in realization. “You said…it was controlling me….but…it’s not finished. It’s created darkness inside me that I need to destroy!” He looked wide-eyed at Twilight who was looking at him questioningly, while at the same time trying to keep a magic grasp on Haldana. Just then, another sharp pain told him everything that was going to happen. “Everyone GET OUT!” he shouted quickly. “It’s going to BLOW!” Sparky and Misty nodded and hurried to usher the other ponies, the innocent bystanders, and the Treasure Seeker prisoners out of the school. In only a couple minutes, only Spike, Twilight, and Haldana remained.
“You’ll never survive that explosion, gem dragon!” said Haldana smirking.
“Shut up!” said Twilight. She looked at Spike with tears flowing freely out of her eyes. “Spike….?”
“It’s okay, Twilight…” said Spike, still hanging onto his stomach in pain. “You need to go!” Twilight started breathing and crying hysterically.
“No! I can’t just leave you here! I can’t! May-maybe I can find a way to undo the gem’s affects! Spike…I lost you once…I’m NOT loosing you again!” she cried.
“You have to go, Twi!” said Spike, starting to cry himself. “If…this is the end…I would be satisfied knowing my last few moments were spent with you.” Twilight lost her magic grip on Haldana and hung her head. She almost looked as if she were going to collapse on the ground.
“I love you, Spike….” she said quietly.
“I love you too…” he responded, feeling the lump in his throat. He smiled and nodded. “….no goodbyes…remember?” Twilight smiled and nodded, her lips quivering with every breath she took. “Now…GO!” said Spike, feeling tears pouring out of his eyes. Twilight, looking absolutely distraught and heartbroken, turned and galloped out of the building. As Spike watched her gallop away, for a split-second, he saw a giant chain of memories just flash before his eyes. He could remember looking up at Twilight for the first time…and watching her study…and helping her in the library. He remembered all the times he was sad or afraid…she was there. He remembered good times and bad…she always knew how to fix the problem. He remembered the train station…when he watched her drive away. Everything…led up to this moment…where he couldn’t let her down now. “No…” he whispered, as he felt a great burst of energy running through him. “NO goodbyes!” He took a deep breath and breathed a burst of fire so great; an adult dragon would’ve been put to shame. Instead of black…his fire turned white. Just as Sparky did, Spike felt the white flames shooting through his scales and spikes. He glanced at Haldana, who had a sheer look of terror on her face.
“NO!” she screamed. Then, Spike looked up and white was all he could see. He felt the energy envelop him and explode around him. Then…blackness.

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Twilight and the other ponies and dragons ran outside into the parking lot. Twilight whirled around just in time, to see a white glow coming from the windows of the school. The whole building was illuminated by the magic within. Eventually, the light grew stronger than ever. The windows in the building shattered. The school shook with the mighty power coming from within. All of a sudden, a blast of white fire shot out the roof of the school, breaking three floors in its path. There was a pause…and then, a white explosion. It blasted some of the thick walls and cracked the ground in several places. Then…the building gave way and collapsed. Twilight watched this with tears falling down her face. Her lips quivered in shock. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Her knees fell out from beneath her. She collapsed on the ground and sobbed and screamed in anguish.
“NO!” she screamed. “SPIKE!” She breathed heavily and closed her eyes, wanting to just wake up from this nightmare. She wanted everything to return to normal. She wanted to be at home…with Spike…before any of this even started. She wanted to look into those green eyes again. He couldn’t be gone…he couldn’t!
“Look!” said Sparky pointing at a hole in front of the building. Twilight lifted her head to see a small figure climbing out the ruble.
“SPIKE!” she shouted, a wave of complete relief and joy coming over her. She jumped up and galloped as fast as she could over to Spike as he limped over to her. Once she could reach him, she grabbed him in her hooves and held him close, shedding tears of joy over his scales. He opened his eyes slowly and gazed at her in the same way he did years ago, when she first held him in her hooves. She nuzzled his face lovingly and kissed his scaly head. “Oh…Spike…” she whispered. “I love you more than anything in this world.” She could feel the little dragon starting to cry too.
“I know…” he whispered back. “I love you so much. So…I knew exactly how to destroy the Comatose, Twi. I did it. I replaced the darkness that was growing in my heart…with all the love that I have for my best friends….and you,” he squeaked with a scratchy voice. He was injured and burned in some places. He had a black eye and a gash in his arm as well. He whimpered slightly from the pain. Twilight could hear the others approaching them and joining the two in a group hug. Just then, she heard a sound coming from the sky. It came closer to them. Twilight turned her head and looked up at the sky. She saw a couple of Pegasi in gold armor pulling a big gold chariot. She gasped and broke from the group hug.
“Princess Celestia!” she said, cranking her neck up to look at the approaching chariot. The others immediately bowed at her presence. The chariot and the two Pegasi gracefully landed on the pavement. Princess Celestia stepped out of it and gently walked toward the group, smiling kindly. Her long majestic mane flowed behind her and waved in the breeze. She looked down at the group with her gorgeous violet eyes.
“Spike…” she said in her warm musical voice. Spike immediately stepped forward. “Well done…my faithful little dragon. I came here as quickly as I could. I felt in my soul that the Comatose had been destroyed…because I created it long ago from there.” Just then, she noticed Spike’s injuries. She bent her neck down and her horn glowed. Spike looked down and saw his injuries glowing. Then…they disappeared altogether from the princess’s healing spell. “There…” she said sweetly. “Is that better?”
“Much better, your Highness,” said Spike smiling at her. “But I don’t understand. You created the Comatose from your soul…but…why was it so dark?” Princess Celestia hung her head.
“Spike…everyone has darkness in their soul…but I was always determined never to let it consume my rule. I was determined to be a great princess. I took the darkness out of my heart and placed it in a treasure that could only be used for emergencies. If war ever descended upon this great land…kindness and light would not be the way to end it. However, with the power…the darkness it held…came greed from the Equestrian dragons. This…led to a dragon war…a war that I never wanted the ponies to become involved in.”
“So…” said Twilight, beginning to understand. “You never told me about this dragon war in my studies because of that reason?” she asked.
“Yes, Twilight,” the white royal mare replied. “And I apologize to you…for deceiving you; however…I hope you understand…I knew Spike’s destiny was clear.”
“Because I’m the last gem dragon?” said Spike sadly. Princess Celestia’s eyes grew wet. She looked down with great sorrow at the little dragon before her.
“No, Spike…” she said gently. “It wasn’t just because of that. I’m sure I could’ve counted on Sparky and Misty to devise another plan of its destruction. I knew you could do this, because you are one of the most loyal of my subjects. Spike…I’m sorry I never told you what happened to your parents…and the rest of your kin, but I felt it best not to weigh you with that terrible truth.”
“I understand, your Majesty,” said Spike nodding. “I’ll be okay. I mean…I accomplished something no one else could!” He smiled brightly. “I carried on what they started. I completed their mission for you.” Princess Celestia’s eyes were dewy and a couple tears fell down her face as she smiled at Spike.
“I’m so proud of you, Spike…” she said, leaning down to him. She looked at Twilight and the other ponies. “And you six, as well. Twilight…I find it so noble of you and your friends to be there for Spike as well.”
“It was nothing, Princess Celestia,” said Twilight gazing at Spike. “Spike means more to me than life itself. I was willing to risk everything to save him!”
“We all, were!” said Pinkie Pie jumping over to them. “It wouldn’t be the same without our little Spikey Wikey!” Princess Celestia smiled.
“Now…you two…” she said turning to Sparky and Misty. “Well done. You proved yourself to be honest, loyal, and strong. You three dragons have accomplished more than all your ancestors combined. And now…I believe it is appropriate that I knight you three for your victory.” She walked over to Sparky.
“You’re Majesty,” he said looking down. “I don’t deserve a title. I’ve caused pain…I’ve caused death with my fire. How can you look at me as a hero?” Princess Celestia smiled compassionately.
“Sparky…” she said gently. “I know you believe you are responsible for death…your parents’ death. But…because of your loyalty to your friends, you have proved that your heart is as good as good can be. I know for a fact, that the power you posses can do great things for your destiny. Because of this…I knight you Sir Sparky the Just.” Sparky bowed his head as she gently laid her horn down on his shoulder.
“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” he said smiling. “I always will pledge my allegiance to you and to Equestria.” Celestia nodded and walked over to Misty.
“Misty…” she said. “I know you had taken your parents death especially hard. I remember the times I helped you try to rid your heart of darkness as I once did.”
“And I still can’t thank you enough for that,” said Misty, tearing up a little.
“Your strength…I cannot comprehend, my little water dragon. Your courage is something to admire about you as well. The responsibly you took on long ago shows this. So…I knight you…Sir Misty the Brave.” She put her horn on Misty’s shoulder as well.
“Thank you,” said Misty tearfully. Lastly the princess walked over to Spike.
“Spike…” she said. “You have greatly impressed me. I know this adventure has taught you many things about yourself and the ones you love. This is one of the greatest lessons you could ever learn from the magic of friendship. You have defeated the darkness in yourself, the evil that wanted to fuel it, the wicked Haldana, and saved your friends. Because of this…I knight you…Sir Spike…the Conqueror.”
“Wow! The Conqueror?” said Spike smiling. “I kind of like the sound of that. It sounds pretty tough!” Celestia chuckled and put her horn on his shoulder. Just then, Spike felt a presence behind him. Scarlet approached the princess nervously.
“Princess Celestia,” she said meekly. “I’m Scarlet….but maybe you already knew that….I…know what my parents and ancestors have done. I know what I have done…and I see the wrong in it now. I don’t want to be like the Treasure Seekers. I want to make a different life for myself…choose my own destiny.”
“I see, Scarlet,” the princess replied smiling down at her. “Everyone makes mistakes in their life…but it is important we learn from them. Put the past behind you and make a new destiny for yourself.” Scarlet nodded and smiled. Celestia walked over to the two Treasure Seekers that Applejack had tied up very tightly. “As for you two…I predict you will learn to enjoy life in our Equestria maximum security prison,” she said smirking a little. “Guards!” The two Pegasus guards put the prisoners in the chariot. “Oh! It’s almost time for the sunrise! Now…I believe it’s time we all went home,” she said boarding her chariot once again. After she bid the group goodbye and flew high into the sky, Twilight turned back to Spike.
“Yes, Spike…” said Twilight sighing contently. “The dawn is coming and a new day begins.”
“Yeah…” said Spike chuckling. “But…can we get some food first? I’m starving!”
Everypony laughed.

CONTINUES WITH EPILOGUE…