One Bye One

by The Drifting Bard

Goodbye Spike: part 1

It had been several years since the gang had last seen each other.
Sure, Rainbow Dash had achieved her dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt, and Applejack had successfully run the farm to the best of her abilities, and pinkie pie… was still pinkie pie. Rarity, being the entrepreneur of the group, had a bestselling fashion line. Fluttershy had continued looking after her animals. Twilight had gone back to Canterlot to continue her studies, Spike voluntarily stayed behind to make sure everypony kept in contact.

But they were all re-united, because something had happened.
A letter was sent, twilight being the recipient.

Spike is in Hospital, there was an accident.

Rarity

That was all that the note said, the look of worry had spread across her face.
“Twilight? Is everything alright?” the regal, motherly voice of Princess Celestia rang through the purple mare’s ears. Tears slowly forming in Twilight’s eyes as she looked up to her former tutor, she hoofed over the note. Celestia’s eyes widened. “Aquinilus, get the chariot ready, we’re going to Ponyville” the Guards pony sped into action.
The air of worry and fear had spread across the castle, Spike was always known for his mischief and jokes, but he was also known for his caring nature.

The journey to Ponyville was made in silence, the cold night air sent chills up each pony’s spine. The stars were twinkling away, the moonlight gently bounced off the tears slowly running down Twilights cheeks. They landed in front of the Hospital, where Twilight just darted in. she walked up to Nurse Redheart, inquiring Spike’s whereabouts. There was a chill in the air once again, but it wasn’t a typical chill. It was the icy fingers of death.

She took a deep breath, and walked into the room. Spike was lying there on the hospital bed, hooked up to heart monitors and wired up to breathing apparatus. Rarity looked dishevelled, more than the day Twilight left. Rarity wearily moved her head up, taking a glance at the newcomer. “Twilight,” Spikes eyelids twitched, slowly opening “it’s all my fault” Twilight slowly trotted to the white furred, weeping wreck
“If I had known… that this… was going to happen I” Twilight shushed the crying mare. “It’s not your fault,” Twilight put on a brave face as the others came in to see her. “He’ll be fine, he’s always fine” Twilight choked back a flood of tears, feeling a hoof on her shoulder, “Twilight, its okay Sugarcube,” Applejack could tell Twilight was lying to herself. There was a sudden cough, “Twi?” a croaking raspy voice sounded off. “Twi, are you here?” Twilight rushed to the bedside.
“I’m here, Spike, I’m here” Twilight sat there, tears welling up. Her stomach was churning, she felt sick.

Sick of loosing family.

Sick of loosing friends.

“Twilight, It was an accident,” Spike croaked, “I was helping Rarity find a rare gem, but there was a cave in,” he coughed again, this time with blood, Rarity took a tissue and wiped it away. “I pushed her out of the cave just in time” the act of heroics almost cost him his life. Twilight took the weakened, scaled hand of the dragon in her hoof, Tears in her eyes, “I don’t want to die, but there’s nothing which can be done,” the dragon was accepting death now. Twilight slumped to the floor, sobbing.
“After everything we’ve been through?” Twilight shouted, not caring who heard her.
“And you’re giving up just like that?” Twilight stayed on the floor, screaming in anguish.

She felt a hand on her head. “Twilight, its okay, really… I saved a life,” the dragon sounded wise beyond his years. The heart monitor was slowly beeping away. “Rarity, can you promise me something” the White mare looked up and met the gaze of the dragon’s emerald eyes, the tears streaming down her face dampening her white fur. “a-anything” she cried.
“Find a good Colt, somepony who isn’t an asshole preferably” he chuckled, and then coughed up more blood. “Applejack, I’m sorry, looks like I wont be meeting the rest of your family, like you wanted” the orange pony smiled.
“Don’t worry, you’ll meet Granny smith once your up there” Applejack covered her weeping with a light-hearted joke, forming a smile on the dragon’s lips. “Pinkie?”

Pinkie was in the worst state, her fur was a depressive dark pink, her mane had deflated, and her eyes were bloodshot, overflowing with tears. Pinkie wanted to just hug the dragon, but in his state, she couldn’t. In the end she just folded her forearms, rested them on one side of the bed, and continued to weep, “Pinkie pie, hold a big old party for me when I'm gone okay?” the pink party pony sniffed and nodded, a small “mmkay” slipped out of her mouth. Rainbow dash, the Wonderbolt, sat there in the corner for the longest time, currently holding onto a very emotionally broken Fluttershy.
Dash had slipped her goggles over her eyes to cover the fact that she too, was weeping, she tried to open her mouth to say something, but her words didn’t come out, she trotted out of the room, and into an empty one. She started to smash up the room she was in, throwing the beds around, Fluttershy heard the commotion, gently hovering into the room, and she wrapped Dash in her wings.
Dash finally opened up, “why, why Spike? He’s…” a scream was heard coming from Spike’s room. The heart monitor had gone from regular beeping, to a long, dead tone, echoing throughout the hospital.

Spike’s heart stopped beating that day.

Time seemed to stop.

The princess had felt this emotion before, just as the day when she banished Luna to the moon, the pain had returned, tenfold. Her mane had lost its colour, to be replaced with greyscale tones. The twinkle in her eyes was all but gone, replaced with lingering tears.

For the first time in her long life, she felt powerless.

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[Fury of the Tempest]

Goodbye... Spike...