Big Brother Responsibility

Twilight looks confused and scared as she finds herself in the remains of Nightmare Moon. What is the unicorn doing here? She doesn't like the look of this. Where is everypony?

"Twilight..." A familiar voice spoke up. Twilight gasps in surprise as she saw what appears to be a familiar dragon, her back is turned to him. Could it be...?

"Spike," Twilight ask as she gallops over to Spike, happy to see him. But then the mare stops, looking worried. Wasn't the baby dragon supposed to be...

"Why did you leave me to die?"

Spike growls as he turns around to Twilight...changing into a zombie. The unicorn screams as her baby assistant jumps right at her with a roar. Spike is going to attack her...

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Twilight gasps as she sat up in bed, sweating a bit. It has been a while...since the war against Lorcan is over and Spike's death in the hospital. The mare looks around. Ben Mare is sitting in his bed as is Nyx and Phobos sleeping.

Against hope, Twilight got out of bed and heads to a familiar basket: Spike's own bed. She hopes to find him alive and what happened to him was also a bad dream...

But no, Twilight's hopes were dashed as Spike's basket bed is still gone; the baby dragon isn't in there. The mare looks down, shedding tears. She may as well face the inevitable.

Spike is gone and he is never coming back...

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The next morning, Applejack grunts as she kicks at the trees a bit. The Earth pony is barely doing any work since Ponyville is busy rebuilding from the war. Applejack is getting a bit slow and weak recently. Why?

After Applejack was done, the Earth pony gathers the apples in the baskets and head back to the farmhouse. After setting them down, Applejack notices that Apple Bloom is lying on the ground, sitting up and looking at the sky in a daze.

"Hey Apple Bloom, whatcha doing lying there fer," Applejack ask Apple Bloom in concern. "Shouldn't yew be out wit' yer friends?"

"No thanks...Ah just wanna stay here." Apple Bloom said to Applejack sadly.

"Why? Yer friends too busy?"

"No, it isn't that."

"Is it about Spike?" Applejack asks Apple Bloom in concern, noting how her sister is still looking up at the sky. "Ah know 'dat his death was hard on all o' us us."

"No...well, maybe 'dat, but 'dat ain't 'de only thing." Apple Bloom said, cringing a bit and looking scarred for some reason. Applejack doesn't like this. What's wrong with her sister?

"Well, dang nab it, Apple Bloom! Start spilling! What's wrong?"

"Ah am still freaked out over what about in our battle wit' those Flim-Flam brothers...remember what they tried 'ta do 'ta us?"

Applejack's face fells, looking freaked out and scarred just like Apple Bloom. She remembers that battle with Flim and Flam, who are now dead (the ponies of course are unaware that it was the clones who died), and what those con ponies tried to do to the sisters...

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"Okay, where in Ponyville did them no good apple wrecking brother get 'ta?" Applejack declared out in looking around, she knows Flim & Flam are around here somewhere, but where are they? They just got popped and vanish with them magical horns of theirs.

"Looking for us above, are we?" Flim's voice spoke off in an echoey tone in the air, puzzling Applejack.

"When we're under your nose," Flam's voice was heard in the same echoey tone matter in the air as his brother.

"Ha-hahahahah…" Both the Flim-Flam Brothers were laughing in a maniacal sense as Applejack looked around puzzled, bringing out her diamond enforce rope she used during the Demon Pony case, never knowing what to expect.

"Grugrugurfruvhmmm…" Suddenly, the ground began to shake and the cow girl pony yelped a bit from trying to keep her balance from this unexpected play.

"HOLY APPLE BUCKS," Applejack cried out in horror and tried to keep herself from losing her hoof balance. "What's causing 'de ground 'ta shake?" The mare pony asked in confusion, what was causing all of this to happen before her anyway?

"Powwfruvhmmm/Bizizizivhmm…" Then suddenly, just a few feet away from her, something was busting its way out of the ground…or in this case, drilling. "Stompfruvhmm…" Then it shot out and bashed on the ground, causing a shake at this moment as Applejack saw something in what her mind calls…unnatural. She had a pretty good guess what she was facing was now mere animal, but something very much created by the Flim-Flam Brothers.

The creation was of a 50 weight, height, and length with gray & black armor coating. The feet were raised up by trade-wheel tractions; the body was the seating controls for a good number of passengers. The front looked like a triceratops head-figure with crystal glass gem eyes wide enough for those inside to see, the three horns were actually 15 feet in cone shape sizes for drilling. The back showed a wiggly lay-low tail that could swipe off debris, and with spikes sticking out that were actually pipes that were releasing steam of the running machine. Inside the mouth was a hidden cannon that with one aim, could blow up a field spot between houses to castle walls.

"Introducing the latest in our creations, built to ram down and dig tunnels that even the Diamond Dogs could not." Flim spoke off first in presenting the newest weapon design by the brothers & its functions.

"The RhinoRex Tank 8000 is made of the strongest reinforce iron that's 6 feet deep, withstanding any force of underground nature, or enemies alike." Flam explained the next part of what this marvel can do as it's made from fine reinforce materials.

"With horns for drilling, tail for whacking off hard rock objects and a cannon to blow the competition away. It's a model to say Tanks-A-Lot to all that stands in the way!" The Flim-Flam Brothers spoke in union in doing once more; their salesmen catch up pitches of their next masterpiece.

"Yew all expect me 'ta be afraid o' something' 'dat don't even look like a rhino, but o' a dinosaur?" Applejack asked in remarking how that there was no rhino but a dinosaur creature known as a Triceratops from the Dinosaur Age.

"No, but you will be afraid in what else we have in store for you." Flim's voice echoed out in telling the pony that there's more than just the looks here.

"Yes, a special little someone that's right in joining our cozy little ride," Flam's voice echoed off in announcing, that they had one more surprise up their sleeves.

"Sis; Help," The voice was heard out to be Apple Bloom and that sent bolts down Applejack's mind.

"Apple Bloom; how'd ya…?" Applejack was about to ask why her sister was somehow inside that thing and what them evil unicorn salmon twins were doing to her.

"Poofvhm…Clipvhmm…" Suddenly, from underneath the tank's mouth, something was shot and cupped around the Earth Pony's neck.

"What in dat Sam Hill?" Applejack asked off in seeing she got collared by something strange, it was a gray collar with a yellow gem with a bolt mark in the middle. "What's 'dis thing?" She asked in demanding to know of this collar around her neck and what it's supposed to do to her.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Flim's voice remarked off in a teasy tone in trying to say that Applejack doesn't known, but they do.

"But now, I start running now." Flam's voice spoke off in suggesting that the Earth pony get ready to run about now and here's why.

"Grugrugrufruvhmmm…" Soon the tank was starting to move, and Applejack put up a determined face and dogged rolled just as the RhinoRex zoomed past her.

"Hah!" Applejack pointed and laugh in feeling cocky in what she just did. "Ah can out run 'dat slow tank o' yours anyway 'dis week!" The farmer pony exclaimed that she'll be able to handle herself just fine against something so slow.

"Frusvhmmm…Crashvmm…" Suddenly, the RhinoRex swung its tank off during that sharp turn, and destroyed a boulder nearby to pieces.

"Ouch…ouch…" Applejack yelped from some raining rubble that was whacking against her body, she got a few scrapes along her, but she was still in the game. "Okay, so Ah gotta be careful in what yew do swinging dat tail o' yers!" Even the tough cow girl pony knows that with them brothers, they got tricky schemes and so that swinging tail could pose as a problem to watch out for.

"Oh, you should be more worried than that, my dear." Flim's voice is heard in sounding oh so remarking the fact that Applejack still doesn't get the situation here.

"Brizizivhmm…" Suddenly, the gem around Applejack's neck glowed brightly before her for some reason. "What, what's happening?" The Earth pony was about to brace for something that might happen to here but nothing was affecting her, why's that?

"Trzizizivhmm…" Then the answer suddenly came unexpected, as even brighter lights were seen inside the RhinoRex Tank, but what was worst was…the screaming. "WAAAHHAAAHAAAAAAAA…" The sweet little voice of Apple Bloom was sounding in pain, so much that it be unbearable to see what was happening.

"Apple Bloom; what happened?" Applejack exclaimed out in shock, something was happening to her sister, but what was it?

"The question is what happened to you that cause your little sister such pain?" Flam's voice spoke with an ego in telling Applejack about the cause of this pain that her sister was receiving.

"Wha just saying," Applejack asked in demand with an angry tone, whatever these two brothers were doing to her little sis, she makes them pay.

"That collar you wear is magically leaking whatever pain you take, your sweet Apple Bloom will receive the pain by voltage." Flim's voice explained off the contexts of the collar's true purpose and it was to deliver pain.

"However, I advise caution in your case, whatever hurts you, is 10 times worst for Apple Bloom than you imagine." Flam's voice spoke off remotely in a calm manner, stating what Applejack's sister gets is ten times more painful.

"Oh no; Ah gotta git mah sister outta there!" Applejack yelped in realizing the terrible trouble her sister is in, if she gets hurt, then Apple Bloom takes even greater damage then what she gets.

"Try it if you can, remember, this tank is tough to break." Flim's voice spoke off in rhetorically stating how beating them in a tough protected tank is next to impossible.

"But you on the other hand are not tough to break at all." Flam's voice spoke off with an ego remark that they can just as easily break Applejack unlike the RhinoRex.

"Let's continue on the pain giving!" The Flim-Flam Brothers declared out in union over their loud speaker voices, as it's time to continue this game. "Drizizizivhmm…" Now the drills of the horns of the tank were rotating fast and the RhinoRex was rolling along down were Applejack was.

"Oh man, Ah'm in over mah head here." Applejack muttered out under her breath, if she gets too much hurt, her sister will be in pain. But on the upset, if she doesn't try to stand and fight back, Applejack will be letting her friends down. Boy, what a tough choice to make, the Earth Pony sure wished there was an easier way; too bad…the others have problems of their own.

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Applejack shivers a bit, feeling more down. Those Flim-Flam brothers almost killed Apple Bloom in their mad attempt to beat her sister. And if it weren't for the Cutie Mark Crusaders' escape, along with Apple Bloom's own plan...Applejack wouldn't want to think of it. What happened has really scarred the sisters...

"Hey, you two all right," A familiar voice spoke. The two sisters saw Big Macintosh coming to them, looking concerned. "Shucks, you two looks downer than an elevator in a big building."

"We're fine, Big Mac...actually, no, we ain't, 'dat would be lying." Apple Bloom said with a sad sigh. "We are a bit scarred."

"About what?"

"Well, it's about what happened in 'de battle against Lorcan, an' it doesn't involve Spike's death." Applejack said in sadness. She then explains what happened to Big Macintosh, how Flim and Flam attacks her with their tank and made it that if Applejack gets worst, Apple Bloom gets worst 10 times worst.

"Great horny toads," Big Macintosh exclaims, shocked over what he's hearing. "Those brothers pulled a dirty trick like that!"

"Yeah! Ah can done feel 'de pain 'dat Ah went through! If Applejack wasn't around..." Apple Bloom exclaims, tears coming from her eyes. "Heck, Ah don't know what Ah would do..."

"An' if Ah would've made one slipup..." Applejack then stops and shivers a bit. Big Macintosh saw that both his sisters are indeed, scarred; What happened during the fight against the Flim-Flam brothers has affected.

So Big Macintosh trots over and hugs both his sisters. He said, "There, there. Eeyup, I know that those two brothers's trick was torture...but you are done forgetting one thing."

"What's that?"

"Of how you defeated them, of course! Remember how?"

"Well..." Applejack said, sniffing a bit then smiling. "Apple Bloom's little friends broke out along with her...then they used her in a plan 'ta shocked those two brothers, as well as themselves in the progress an' their machine..."

"Yeah," Apple Bloom exclaims, sniffing and smiling now. "An' right after it done blew up, mah sister went after those two jerks, madder than Tough Apple!"

"There you go." Big Macintosh said to his sisters with a grin. "Don't focus on the negative, focus on the positive like teaching those to a lesson...plus, if anyone causes you both pain, even emotional, again, they will answer to Sergeant Steel Hooves!"

The sisters giggle as they hug their big brother. His comfort has cheered them up. Big Macintosh is right, perhaps now is not the time to focus on the negative but to focus on the positive...as well as move on.

The Apples has triumphed over the Flim-Flam brothers; Too bad that those two aren't here so they could laugh at their faces.

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Twilight was doing more work than usual in the library today. Usually, some of it Spike would do...but now that he's gone...the mare felt like doing this as if to punish herself for all those times she has treated the baby dragon as a slave.

Ben, Nyx and Phobos offered to help but Twilight refuses, feeling like it's her own fault that Spike was driven away at first then die later. The unicorn was under a lot of stress. working on stacking books.

"Twiley," A familiar voice spoke. Twilight screams as she knocks the books down, sending them to the floor. The unicorn turns to see her big brother, Shining Armor, at the doorway, looking worried.

"Shining, don't do that!" Twilight groans to her big brother. "What are you doing here?"

"Ben used the Mayor's phone to call Princess Celestia, told her about your problem. She send me to talk to you."

"A problem; I don't have a problem? Never been better..."

"Twiley, I know that's a lie." Shining points out to Twilight with a frown. "It's about Spike's death..."

"No, no, it..." Twilight begins to say, one of her eyes twitch a bit.

"Tell the truth."

Twilight looks up at her brother; he has a look of worry and love, concerned about her. The purple mare sniffs then breaks down. She cries and ran over to her brother, hugging him.

"Oh, it's true. Spike is gone...I missed him." Twilight sobs as she lets go of Shining. "And worst yet, it's my fault."

"No it isn't. Spike gave his life to save us from Psycho Steel." Shining points out to Twilight with a sigh, "And Lorcan."

"Yes...but if only I have told him the truth before...or let Psycho Steel or Lorcan killed me...then Spike would be...oh, it's like what happened with Starlight! First my real brother is gone, now...my second real brother."

"Twilight, I know you felt grief for what happened to our brothers. I am too. But you can't let it interfere with your life. Spike wouldn't want you to act like this, working yourself to death."

Twilight sighs in sadness as she goes back to the desk. Her brother is right, she is indeed overworking herself.

"It's just...I gave him chores and treat him like a slave unintentionally. I felt like I should do all of them...make up for it." Twilight explains to Shining. She looks at a picture, her last one of herself and Spike. "I just wish I could say goodbye...apologize to him..."

Shining trots up to Twilight, putting a hoof on her shoulder while saying, "You still can. His funeral is coming up. He would want you to be there, say some words. You're his big sister, even if you have adopted him...or his mother. Spike wouldn't want to see you suffer like this. He would want you to remember the good times you have with him."

Twilight looks down, her brother is right. Spike wouldn't want herself to overwork...or continue grieving like a mother who wouldn't want to move on. No, he would want her to chin up, tried to move on, remember the good times, not the bad.

"Yeah, you're right. Thank you, Shining," Twilight said as both siblings hug one another. After letting go, the mare ask, "You think...I should ask Ben, Nyx and Phobos for help...and give me time to rest."

"And I'm going to help too. May as well, since I am in town." Shining said with a smile. It makes him feel better that Twilight is cheering up. Yes, she will continue missing Spike but the baby dragon would want her to be happy, right?

Sometime later

Spike finds himself floating in a white and clear void. This must be limbo, a place between life and death. Perhaps this is where he will continue floating forever...

"Spike, Spike..." A familiar voice spoke up, much to Spike's notice. Could it be...?

"Lorcan," Spike spoke up seeing a familiar voice appears before him. "Is that you? But you're..."

"Dead; Perhaps but so are you...but that doesn't mean you can choose to be that way forever."

"Why? I have made my sacrifice and saved everyone I knew...and care for."

"But does that mean leaving them behind forever?" Lorcan asks Spike, much to his brother's notice. "They all miss you, Spike, they want you to return. I want you to return."

"But...but how; I am dead..."

"They are at your funeral right now, Spike...Twilight has a certain necklace...one that could save you but only if you decides to go back."

"I...I want to go back. I miss them all..."

"Then return, Spike....return; I must leave now but when you get the chance, find my body that has fallen in the Everfree Forest." Lorcan advises to Spike then he disappears from sight.

"Wait, hang on! What do you mean? You mean you're not..." Spike was cut off as Lorcan disappears fully. His brother isn't dead...yet? It looks that way...

Just then Spike hears a familiar voice, "Spike...I just wish I could've done more. I will miss you." It was Twilight's. Suddenly, the baby dragon notices magic surrounding him, he's beginning to disappear from limbo.

Spike smiles as he disappears fully. The baby dragon is about to go home...

The End

Cast list
Cathy Weseluck: Spike the Dragon
Tara Strong: Twilight Sparkle
Andrew Franchis: Shining Armor
Asheligh Ball: Applejack
Michelle Creber: Apple Bloom
Peter New: Big Macintosh
Samuel Vincent: Flim
Scott McNeill: Flam
Mark Hamill: Lorcan