Ponies in Tartarus

by ff0000

PiT 16: Tree

There was a flurry of activity within the throne room as the guards saw the purple unicorn heading closer towards the main gate. They frantically cleaned up the mess they made and moved back all the furniture to make the chamber presentable again. The guards moved like a well oiled machine. No pony ran into each other, though many of them narrowly skirted the possibility. Crumbs were swept into empty bowls, the floor was wiped and furniture dusted. Everything was returned to its correct place. The guards even used measuring tape to make sure.

Princess Terranea watched her guards work with a blank expression. It was nice to see them make things so spotless. The janitors were going to have an easy time tonight. As her gaze swept across the room, she noticed the little purple dragon was nowhere in sight. He had left a large pile of gems on the throne platform.

Twisting around even further, she saw Spike hiding behind her throne. His tail was wrapped around the side so he could hug it tightly.

“What troubles you, Sir Spike?” Princess Terranea asked.

“I, well.” Spike stared at the ground with glistening eyes. “I’m worried about meeting this Twilight and the other ponies. They travelled all this way, but I don’t even know who they are. I mean, I mean so such to them, but I don’t know them at all. How am I supposed to meet with somepony like that?”

“Do not fret. Twilight will understand, I am sure,” the princess said with regal calm.

“Ooor she could run away cccryinnng,” Fog Lace said. He was sitting off to the side, watching the guards make the chamber presentable.

Spike gulped and clutched his tail tighter.

“Yarrr,” a throaty tone growled from the side. Standing out of the way was Higgs Boatswain. “Deal with it as it comes up. I’m sure a bright young dragon such as yeself will not falter in the face of adversity.”

Fog Lace bowed. “Ppplease excuse me, ppprincesss. Therrre is somethiiing I mmmust do.” The cloaked under pony sank into shadow.

“Very well, Reaper Fog Lace. Guide Higgs Boatswain, we shall see.” Princess Terranea had her eyes on the viewing pool. “Harmony of Magic Twilight Sparkle approaches.”

---

Twilight didn’t know what to expect when she teleported into the central administration chamber. The only thing she saw through the crack in the door was a black tiled ground. Upon landing, an intimidating force washed over the young unicorn. She suddenly felt tiny and insignificant. The air of this chamber was very different from the throne room of Canterlot. She felt like an uninvited guest, trespassing on sacred ground. Likely because she was an uninvited guest trespassing on sacred grounds.

Immediately greeting her were two rows of guards, all powerful, strong and equipped with gold plated armor. Visored helmets blocked their eyes from view, though they could all see her.

The central administration chamber, while big, hardly compared in scale to some of the previous places Twilight had seen today. In grandeur though, this area soared above all the rivers. While the room was basically a large dome, it had exquisite designs. The walls had been lined with marble, carved to resemble a forest. Golden pillars supported the entire room. Rings of bones, embedded with gemstones, ran up every pillar. Hanging from the ceiling were several massive chandeliers made from the skulls of ancient creatures. They had tusks, fangs, even horns. The bright lights lit up the entire chamber.

Twilight held her breath as she looked around. There was no waterway here, meaning the boats must have docked back at the end of the bridge. None of the guards attempted to stop her when she walked forward. With a bit more confidence, Twilight strode onward, flanked on both sides by armored under ponies. Though she wanted to keep her gaze straight ahead, she found herself looking at everything.

All around the ring of the central administration chamber were buildings where actual work was handled. The architecture favored powerful stone construction with decorative pillars. Walls were painted to be bright and colorful. Every building seemed to coordinate its hues with one another. It was almost like an extremely small village was located within the cavernous space.

Under ponies moved, too and fro, on their busy schedules. They handled things all across Equestria with complicated magical sensors. None of them paid much attention to what was going on near the entrance. They all had other things that needed tending to.

With each step, Twilight gazed left and right. Two rows of guards kept her from wandering off the path. She was being directed towards the center of the chamber. All the pairs of eyes on her made her want to shrink back, but she couldn’t do that. She tried to give a smile to the guards and diffuse some of the tension. They weren’t going for it. Up ahead, an under pony was blocking her way down the corridor of armored gold.

“Greetings, lass,” the gruff under pony said. “This is the central administration chamber. Do ye have an appointment?”

This under pony had a sickly yellow fur. His mane was hidden under an old, red pirate’s hat. Moldy feathers were stuck in a worn out band. A skull mask covered the pony’s visage. His tail looked frazzled, with loose strands sticking everywhere. A grey ribbon tied it up at the end, keeping it from getting too wild. The pattern on his tail was that of soaking wooden planks. A ragged black flag, unfurled in the wind, was on his flank.

“I, I don’t have an appointment,” Twilight said. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she crouched into a position ready to pounce. “But I am going to see the princess. All of my friends are counting on me.”

“Easy, lass,” the masked pony said. “Yer in no shape to be fighting.”

“I will if I have to.”

The skull faced under pony let out a low, guttural chuckle. “Lass, ye has gumption. I am Higgs Boatswain, river guide of Lot D.” He took off his hat and bowed. Upon raising his head again, he said, “An appointment has already been made for you.”

“Really?” Twilight asked suspiciously.

Higgs Boatswain stepped aside. “Proceed to Princess Terranea. And remember to mind yer manners unless ye want to be a permanent resident.”

The purple unicorn gulped as her gaze turned forward. Up ahead was where the ruler of Lot D and Subterrania was waiting.

The center of the chamber clashed wildly with the rich underground aesthetics of the chamber. It was like a small, circular meadow. Lush, soft grass filled the area. All sorts of flowers grew in the grove. There were rising bell flowers, blooming camellias, rich marigolds and so much more. Somehow, they were all flowering at the same time. The petals mixed together in a marvelous swatch of color, and their sweet scent drifted around the area. A mantis was resting underneath the petals.

In the center of the grove was a massive tree.The thick trunk was like a pillar supporting the center of the room. Its lush, green leaves created an umbrella that almost reached all the way to the ceiling of the cavern. Hanging down from the tall branches were flower covered vines.

Directly in front of the tree was a golden throne. On that throne was the princess of Lot D.

“Welcome, Harmony of Magic Twilight Sparkle,” the princess said in an even tone.

“You, you know me?”

Twilight walked past a stone basin of water. She presented herself to the princess with a bow.

“Of course I do.”

“W-wait, please.” Twilight cleared her throat nervously. She had met princesses before, but for some reason, her mouth felt dry this time. “My friends, they are in trouble back at the River of Hate. Please, can you stop your guardian?”

“You would immediately ask something of me?” the princess asked.

“I know it sounds impudent, but my friends are in trouble. Please.” Twilight lowered her head until the horn touched the ground.

A tap rang out from the princess’s hoof as it touched the ground. Several massive flowers sprang up all throughout the meadow. The petals unfurled, revealing all of the ponies that had been captured inside the River of Hate. A particularly large flower opened to show Rarity, lying on her back. Her fur was full of dirt, and one eye was puffy, barely able to open. A pained expression was on her face. Sticks was right over her with a stone lion head raised, ready to strike.

“Guardian Sticks,” the princess said.

“What?” the guardian snarled. She blinked a few times, trying to figure out where she was. It took a moment for her battlelust to settle down and perception to return. “I mean, Princess Terranea, what do you need? I was just about to deal with the intruders.”

“That will be unnecessary.”

“But-”

“Guardian Sticks Nancy Stones, you may stand down.”

For the first time, Sticks looked intimidated. She lowered her head and backed away from the white unicorn. “Yes, Princess Terranea.” The guardian took up a stiff position behind the group of Equestrian ponies.

Twilight and the other’s all ran over to Rarity.

“Are you alright, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

Rarity flipped over onto her stomach but remained on the ground. “This is. The. Worst. Possible. Feeling. Ever. Not the grass, the grass feels great.”

Rainbow Dash let out a nervous chuckle. “I guess she isn’t that hurt if she can still complain.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you aren’t too badly hurt. I’m so glad you’re all okay. I was so worried.”

“I’m tougher than I look.” Rarity looked up at everyone with a smirk. She immediately turned that into a wince. “I’ll just stay here for a bit. It’s so soft.”

Fluttershy lain down next to the unicorn, trying to ease the pain and provide any support she could. “This place is very nice isn’t it? I haven’t seen so many different kinds of flowers all at once before.”

The group took a few moments to embrace each other. After such an ordeal, it was great seeing each other again. They all gently hugged Rarity. Ferry Merry had a tear in her eye as she watched the scene unfolding. She had practically forgotten that everypony was under the shadow of the princess.

“Greetings, Elements of Harmony. I am Princess Terranea,” the pony on the throne said in a voice that felt like it was coming from everywhere at once. Her words penetrated through skin and flesh.

Princess Terranea wasn’t an under pony. She was an alicorn, large in stature with long, shapely legs. Her fur had a shade of deep burgundy. The most striking feature of her was her mane and tail. They were long, several pony bodies in length and fanned out like great veils. The ends seemed to meld into the surrounding greenery and massive tree. A horn on her head turned into a long winding tendril that passed into the ground. Following suit, her wings were more like several tendrils that flowed backwards, meeting with the grand trunk. Whatever her cutie mark was, it was covered by the mass of tail. A serene field of flowers shone through her mane, tail, horn and wings. It was almost like the flowers inside her mane were seeping out into the world.

“You know of us?” Twilight asked.

“Of course. Your deeds have reached us in the underground as well. You brought day after night, ceased chaos, prevented change and lit up the dark crystals. Now you seek to bring life from death. It is an honor to welcome such esteemed guests.”

“Wow, you firlies sure have done a lot,” a familiar voice from behind said.

Ferry Merry hopped up with a big smile. “Sister!” She ran over into a tackling hug.

Standing next to Sticks was Arch Rune. Flanking them on either side were Fleckle Sun and Cool Cestus. Arch Rune grunted as her chest was struck by the filly. She had to take a step back.

“Are you alright?” Arch Rune asked.

“I’m more than alright. It was great! Guiding these dames through the five rivers was like bringing souls, lost in time and darkness, home again. We walked down a narrow path. Stepping to the side, if only briefly, would result in a fall to darkness, never to return.”

“I don’t know if it was that dramatic,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“It sure felt like it to me, Rainbow Dash,” Ferry Merry said. “Guiding living ponies feels so different from guiding spirits. It was great, like finding a nice warm house after wandering through the damp, freezing caves for a week.” Her eyes were open wide. They almost glowed.

“Hey, look.” Arch Rune moved her sisters head.

A mark had appeared on her previously blank flank. It was a golden compass, arrows pointing in four orthogonal directions within a circle.

Ferry Merry had a toothy grin so wide, it almost extended beyond face. “Awesome, so awesome.”

“Yeah it’s awesome,” Rainbow Dash said.

Fluttershy smiled at their young guide. “That’s great, Ferry Merry.”

“Yay,” Fleckle Sun cheered. She lifted the small pony up into the air. “Drink sherry, Ferry Merry.”

“Don’t try to get my sister to drink,” Arch Rune hissed out the side of her mouth. She turned her smiling face back to her sister. “All the guardians treated you okay?”

“Yeah,” the suspended filly said. “My boat broke in the River of Fire though.”

“Hey, we’re getting it fixed,” Fleckle Sun said.

“And there was a scary moment in the River of Hate where Sticks kicked me off the bridge,” Ferry Merry continued.

“Sticks!” Arch Rune growled.

The dark purple guardian let out a blast of air from her nose. “You want to make something of it? I still have a lot of pent up energy.”

The two of them glared at each other, forehead to forehead. The two heavy lion heads on Sticks’ forelegs were crushing the flowers they landed on. Their eyes angled downward, preparing for some harsh confrontations.

“Ah, my cestuses.” Cool Cestus reached towards the lion punchers. “And why does Rarity have your blades, Sticks?”

“Annoying story,” Sticks growled, not bothering to look at the other guardian.

After watching patiently from her throne, the Princess said, in an even tone, “Calm down. And put away those weapons. No violence in the central administration chamber, please.”

“I’ll just take these then, shall I?” Cool Cestus said. Not waiting for a response, she somehow swiped both of the lion heads. It was an impressive feat considering Sticks’s forelegs were planted firmly on the ground.

Rarity unwrapped the chained blades from around her body. “Here, take this horrid thing.”

Cool Cestus draped the swords around her neck, like a scarf. “Thank you. These weapons are very dangerous. I’m surprised both of you aren’t more seriously hurt.”

“Bah,” Stick spat as she turned away from Arch Rune. Sensing that everypony was turning against her right now, the guardian walked towards the edge of the grove. She lain down to mope.

“And where is Lace?” Princess Terranea asked.

“Here! I’m here.” Lace came walking over next to the cloak covered reaper. “Thank you, brother.” An embarrassed look was on her face. “I got lost again.”

“Lace, what are you doing here?” Pinkie asked. She had already zipped over next to the dark green under pony. One hoof was wrapped around Lace’s shoulder. “These other girls are all guardians. That’s the guardian from the River of Pain, Arch Rune. Guardian of the River of Fire, Fleckle Sun. Guardian of the River of Wailing, Cool Cestus. Meanie guardian of the River of Hate, Sticks. Guardians, guardians everywhere.” Pinkie pointed to each of the guardians as she spoke. Her hoof then landed on the grand pony sitting on the throne. “And that’s the princess, Princess Terranea.”

A soft chuckle escaped Lace. “I know, Pinkie.” She reached over to stroke the pink pony’s cheek. “I didn’t tell you girls this, but I’m the guardian of the River of Forgetfulness.”

“The fourth river, Forgetfulness!” Ferry Merry gasped. “How could I forget?”

The other Equestrian ponies had looks of surprise as well. Thinking more on it though, it felt obvious now.

“How did you all get here anyway?” Twilight asked.

“We used the staff access tunnels,” Cool Cestus said. “I hope you didn’t think we went all the way around the five rivers to get anywhere.”

Lace looked down with tinted cheeks. “I always get lost in the staff access tunnels.”

“Wait, you have staff access tunnels?” Twilight shouted with maddening eyes.

“Calm down, firly.” Arch Rune placed a hoof on the unicorn’s back. “You can’t use them anyway. You need to be able to sink into shadow as they are more gaps in the rocks rather than tunnels.” The guardian turned into a pool of shadow on the ground, spun around a few times before reforming.

Applejack nudged the unicorn in the side. “Twi, shouldn’t we return our attention to the reason we came here.”

“Oh,” Twilight gasped. She faced the princess and bowed. “I’m sorry for our behavior.”

“It is fine, Harmony of Magic Twilight,” Princess Terranea said. She was not unused to ponies frolicking around her meadow and didn’t seem phased by all the ruckus. “Now then, Celestia’s little ponies, why have you come here?”

The four guardians and Ferry Merry backed away, giving the floor to the visiting ponies. Sticks was still sulking in the back, facing away from the proceedings.

Twilight and the others lined up next to the resting Rarity. All six ponies looked towards the princess with a confidence bolstered by being with friends.

“We are here,” Twilight said, “to recover our dear friend Spike. We believe he was wrongfully taken from the world of the living.”

“Sir Spike, what do you have to say?”

The ponies looked confused at hearing Spike’s name. Was he here? Then why hadn’t he greeted them yet?

Two small, purple claws reached out from behind the princess’s curtain of flowers. A pair of round, green eyes peeked out. They were filled with tentative thoughts. He was looking a bit transparent as well.

“Spike?” Twilight took a step forward, but that only caused the young purple dragon to shrink back. “It’s alright. We’re here for you,” she said softly.

“I don’t,” Spike sputtered, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know you. You came all this way for me, and yet I don’t remember any of you.”

He was looking downcast, fearful almost. The ponies had said they were his friend, yet he was such a bad friend that he couldn’t remember them. Spike thought that perhaps he should just stay here, where he wouldn’t cause trouble or pain for anypony.

“You don’t remember anything?” Rainbow Dash asked. She stepped forward aggressively. “What about the time we fought Discord? You were the Element of Loyalty for a short while. Or how about the time we all saved Rarity from the Diamond Dogs?”

“I believe I did not need saving during that incident,” Rarity protested.

Applejack put a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s back, keeping the pegasus from seeming too aggressive. “Calm down now, Rainbow. You’re scaring the little fella.”

Lace pulled on her necklace as it suddenly felt tight around her neck. “Sorry,” she mumbled sadly. “Washing in the River of Forgetfulness is a process all souls go through to help them move on in death. It’s not perfect, but most major memories are wiped out.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, is that all.” Her horn was already glowing. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix this in no time.”

When the ray of magic fired, Princess Terranea flapped a wing, sending several tendril strands fluttering downward. The unicorn magic was harmlessly blocked.

“I cannot allow you to just haphazardly use magic on a soul under our care,” the alicorn stated. “If you wish for Spike to return with you, I ask that you do it without magic. We will judge if you are deserving of having the natural ways bent. And this is not the royal we. There are actual judges.”

“We’ll do it,” Applejack affirmed.

“Yes.” Twilight nodded.

Pinkie Pie had already proven the River of Forgetfulness wasn’t perfect. They just had to make him remember. First off though, they needed to get the young dragon to stop hiding behind the princess’s tail. Twilight decided it would be best if they didn’t all go together at once. She waved her friends back.

Approaching alone, Twilight put on her best friendly appearance. She tried to remain as unimposing as possible and made no sudden movements.

“Spike,” Twilight cooed. This reminded her a bit of the second time they met. The first time, of course, was when she first hatched him with a burst of magic. “Spike.”

“You’re, you’re Twilight. Right?” Spike asked. He was still hiding behind the sheet of tail.

“I am. Can we talk?” It felt strange behaving like this while under the watchful shadows of a sovereign ruler. Twilight pushed those thoughts out of her mind and focused only on the dragon in front of her. “Come on out.”

“Are you upset with me?” Spike asked.

“Why would I be?”

“You went through so much for me, but I don’t remember you at all or why you would do all this.”

“That’s alright. Come on. We can just talk.” The unicorn extended a foreleg. She kept a happy face though deep down, the entire situation felt so frustrating. If they could get him back, all of the pain and hardships they encountered up to this point would be worth it.

Spike raised the strands of Terranea’s tail and took a few timid steps forward. The thick strands drifted back into place as he walked through. He swept a gaze through the two pegasus, the two earth ponies and the injured unicorn. They all had looks of encouragement.

“So you’re not mad at me?” Spike tapped his claws together.

“Of course not. I’m just so glad to see you again.” Twilight tried to reach out for Spike, but her hoof passed through his body. She let out a sad gasp and put her hoof down. “Why don’t we start over? My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am Princess Celestia’s faithful student, learning the ways of magic and friendship.”

“I’m Spike. Pleased to meet you?” He was sounding a bit more like his old self, more laid back.

Twilight nodded. “Very pleased.”

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Spike asked as he scratched his head.

Twilight placed a hoof against her chin as she looked up thoughtfully. “I know, how about I tell you some stories?” She walked back towards her friends. “Come have a seat.” Her hoof patted against the ground.

“Okay, sure.”

Spike settled into the soft grass, surrounded by colorful ponies.

“Ooh, story time,” Pinkie Pie said with a smile like the crescent moon. “Let me go first!”

“Uh, okay,” Twilight said.

Pinkie cleared her throat in preparation. “This one time, during a bright and beautiful day, there were these two friends. Both of them are proud ponies, who wouldn’t back down from a challenge. One was an earth pony and the other was a pegasus. In order to prove which one was more athletic, they had an Iron Pony competition.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack shot each other a sideways glance. Their mouths twitched nervously.

Pinkie Pie continued. Her eyes were wide and she was motioning to things only she could see. “A young dragon elevated it from a simple competition between friends to a full on spectacle for the town of Ponyville. His enthusiastic casting of the event brought out everypony for a day of fun and laughter.

“Of course there was one winner and one loser at the end. The loser couldn’t just end with the sour taste of defeat.”

Applejack tilted her hat down to block her embarrassed face from her friends.

“Anyway,” Pinkie Pie continued blissfully, “another competition was coming up. There, everything would be decided. It was a great race through the forest’s around Ponyville. I, Pinkie Pie, was doing play-by-play analysis and that same young dragon was going to be my color commentator. We were a great team, sailing through the sky in a hot air balloon and watching all the runners down below.” She wrapped a foreleg around the purple unicorn. “Twilight here came in fifth. She even got a medal for that.”

Twilight smiled proudly as she remembered the moment.

“Now then, what happened to the two competing ponies? They tied! For last! And that, Spike, is how we strip the trees of leaves.”

“Uh,” Spike muttered.

“I think you’re missing some parts there, Sugarcube,” Applejack said.

Pinkie shook her head energetically and chirped, “Nope. That’s everything.”

“Okay, my turn now.” Rainbow Dash pushed her way through. “And this will be much more awesome than that time with the race,” she mumbled. “Alright, squirt, listen up. Have you ever heard of the Sonic Rainboom? It is the most awesome thing to have ever been performed by pegasus-kind. Up until yours truly performed it, the Sonic Rainboom has been regarded as a nothing more than a story, for it has been a long time since the last one appeared. And-”

Twilight elbowed the rainbow pegasus in the side. “Spike wasn’t there when we you second performed the Sonic Rainboom,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Oooh,” Rainbow said with a sudden realization. “Is that what we were doing? I thought we were just telling stories. Okay, wait a minute then.” She sat down with a hoof thoughtfully pressed against her chin.

“Um, if it’s alright, I have a story,” Fluttershy said. Her legs were crossed and she was peeking out from behind her long, pink mane.

“Yeah, go ahead,” the other pegasus said.

One by one, the ponies regaled Spike with their stories. A twinkle appeared in his eye after each story. His apprehension at being disliked by the ponies was washed away by their words. Fluttershy spoke of the time when he first arrived in Ponyville. It was due to him that she first met with Twilight and gained several wonderful new friends. Applejack recalled how a brave young dragon would honor his Dragon Code, through self sacrifice if necessary. And how that very same dragon defended her from a massive timberwolf. Rainbow Dash, having finally come up with something, talked about a young dragon’s quest to adulthood and how he valiantly chose to go against being like other dragons. Rarity, after getting back her heart-shaped ruby necklace back from Twilight, told of a loving and generous dragon, one that she really enjoyed being around. The young dragon had given her the ruby, despite how much he wanted it.

“Those stories,” Spike said. A broad smile was on his face. “They’re all about me? Wow, I must have been a pretty amazing dragon.”

“You are an amazing dragon,” Fluttershy said encouragingly.

“Still, all that stuff is pretty hard to live up to.”

Rainbow Dash had a smirk and a wink. “I see what you did there.”

“What did I do there?” Spike asked with a genuine puzzled head tilt.

He shrugged it off and looked at the six ponies around him. One of them hadn’t told a story yet. “Twilight, what story do you have about this great little dragon?”

“Well.” Twilight moved around with a playful trot that caused her tail to swish. She was glad that he hadn’t lost any of his personality. Her eyes blinked thoughtfully. “I could tell you about the time you single clawedly saved the Crystal Empire. There was also the time at the Grand Galloping Gala where you had the right idea all along while the rest of us were trying too hard.

“Instead, I will tell you about my favorite times with you.”

Everypony and dragon looked over, expecting something grand.

What Twilight said was nothing so great. She simply said, “I enjoy all the normal days we spend together, where we don’t go running off trying to stop some catastrophe or when trouble comes to Ponyville. My fondest memories are just when we hang out at the library. You’re such a good helper, such as when you bring me a light to study at night, or when you find a reference that I just couldn’t. The simple times we spent together, those were the best.”

“Yeah, I think those were the times I enjoy the most too,” Spike said.

“Do you remember something, Spike?” Fluttershy asked with hopeful eyes.

Spike scratched his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think I remember anything. But it feels good hearing about all of your stories.” He held his claws against his chest.

Applejack pressed a hoof against the dragon’s head. “Even if we’re not in here,” she moved down to his chest, “we’re still in here. That I know to be the truth.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. “You got to come back with us so we can have a lot more awesome times and a lot more times where we’re just chilling out.”

After lying down for the entire conversation, Rarity finally managed to stand up again. She swayed from side to side, but a look of such happiness was on her face that it seemed to erase her injuries. “Whatever will we do without our dear Spike? You bring so much to each out our lives. I fully understand if you don’t wish to return though, just know that we all care about you very much.”

“I, I want to go back with you,” Spike said with a sweeping glance to everypony. “I want to continue having fun with everyone. I-” his words were cut short as he fell to the ground. One claw was used for support while the other clutched his head.

Spikes eyes were shut tightly, and his teeth were clenched. “Rush of information like ice cream headache. Pictures coming back. Words and events. Sentence structure failing.”

“Spike!” everypony gasped.

“Take it easy,” Fluttershy said. “Don’t try to push too hard.”

A strained groaning came from Spike’s mouth as his body trembled. Then, it suddenly stopped. The small dragon remained on the ground, panting heavily. When Spiked looked back up again, his six dearest friends were reflected in his shining emerald eyes.

“Twilight!” Spike exclaimed. He rushed forward and tried to pull the purple unicorn into a powerful hug. They passed right through each other though.

“Spike,” Twilight said with a voice strained from having a ghost pass through her. “Do you remember now?”

“I do. At least, I think I do. I mean I only know what I remember and not what I don’t remember. You know?”

“Yeah,” Twilight said with a giggle.

In the heat of the moment, everypony let out a cheer and converged on Spike for a group hug, forgetting that he was still nothing more than a spirit. They passed right through him, bumping into each other in the middle. A good laugh was still had by all.

Wiping a tear of happiness out from her eye, Twilight turned towards the princess. She put on her best serious expression. “Princess Terranea, we’ll be taking Spike now since he wants to come with us.”

“We shall see, Element of Magic Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Terranea said. Her face was the same as ever, official and even-tempered. Whether she was pleased or upset at this turn of events was impossible to tell. “You will be judged if you are worthy of having this request granted.” Her voice strong echoed through the bodies of the ponies.

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