~ ~ ~ PART II ~ ~ ~

The sunlight fell upon Spike. Warm and blinding, it forced him to squint. Due to his many visits to Canterlot Castle in the past, Spike didn't have to see clearly to know he was now standing outside at the top of this building's entrance stairs. From what he could tell, he was near the edge of the topmost railing. Gripping it, he looked down to what knew was the courtyard.

His eyes took a few moments to fully adjust to the bright scene, but it took no time at all for Spike to spot them. Faint though they were, their six colorful selves seemed to bypass even the dazzling sun, filling every corner of the baby dragon's sight until they became clear.

The coronation party was in full swing. Colorfully curled streamers and banners stretched across the courtyard, balloons of every size and hue were tied to the many chairs and tables, lively music was being played and enjoyed, and the finest, tastiest food was laid out for any and all who wanted it. Ponies were everywhere, chatting at tables or on hoof, celebrating in their own individual manners such as meeting up with old friends or having a small dance on the open green grass.

It took no effort at all for Spike to find the first of his friends.

In one section of the courtyard, where the music was most energetic, Pinkie Pie was dancing cheerfully and vigorously, spinning on her back like a top and bouncing all over the place, laughing and hooting. Her smile was the biggest of the massive crowd, who found the pink mare's laughter contagious and were taken by giggles, chortling, and outright roars. To Spike's own surprise, he found that he too was laughing a little.

'Oh, Pinkie,' thought the baby dragon, shaking his head in amusement. Even with his dreaded thoughts, the bubbly pink mare never failed to make him laugh.

It felt good to laugh. . . .

Spike turned to another corner of the courtyard where delicious scents floated on the air. Applejack was stationed at a table handing out treats; most of them, to no surprise, apple related. Caramel apple cake and apple dumplings, apple muffins and frosted apple turnovers, sweet apple cider, dried apples mixed with nuts, and, of course, everypony's favorite apple pies. The food was spread out on the tables as though it had been arranged for a painting. The composure was excellent and looked so appetizing that Spike almost felt hungry.

Seeing all of it, of how much there was to eat, reminded Spike of how hard a worker Applejack was. To put together all that food in a short time, with such precise care and quality, all for Twilight's big day — it was friendship at its tastiest, Applejack's integrity the garnish on it all.

A spilt-second later, a multi-colored blur zoomed over the orange farm pony. It flew by so fast that, had Spike not known better, he might have thought he imagined it. But of course Spike knew who it was, as did anypony who knew Equestria's fastest flyer.

Rainbow Dash stopped in midair, her sky-blue wings flapping with ease. She hovered for a brief moment and, as though the air demanded her, she took to the sky and flew in a spiral, leaving behind a colorful trail that matched her mane and tail. Spike couldn't help but be impressed, and his amazement increased when Rainbow shot back to the ground and flew speedily in a circle, making the colored spiral she had made spin like a pinwheel.

Spike stared in astonishment. Rainbow Dash, despite her occasional arrogance, never failed to impress. She worked and trained endlessly to perfection, and, being the devoted mare she was, she made sure her friend's coronation was filled with excitement. The crowd stomped in applause and hooted for more. Not being one to keep a crowd hanging, Rainbow took off, ready to give more, for Twilight and everypony present.

Close by the stairs, a group of impressed high-class ponies were chatting. Spike's attention shot at once to the subject of their interest: a gorgeous snow-white unicorn who shone like Luna's moon on the sea. Rarity was receiving compliments left and right for designing Twilight's coronation dress, as well as for the one she herself wore and the dresses she prepared for her friends.

Spike beamed ecstatically. He had adored Rarity ever since he laid eyes on her inside her boutique. That day seemed so long ago, but regardless, Rarity was as beautiful as ever, still attracting the attention she so rightfully deserved.

Looking around the bustling courtyard, Spike thought he could make out her unique style on the mares and stallions, adorned in their dresses and suits. Yes, there was no doubt Rarity had a part to play in such a formal celebration; her fashion practically spoke for itself.

Spike placed his claw over his heart in admiration of the snow-white mare. He felt a shirt button.

'What the . . .' he looked down at himself, and found, to his surprise, that he too was wearing something of Rarity's: a small tuxedo she made specially for him, the one he wore at Twilight's coronation.

Spike left off a light chuckle. He had felt so numb over the last hour that he forgot he was still wearing it.

The clothes rested gently against his scaly skin. Rarity had taken the greatest care in making sure the fabric would be totally comfortable for Spike when he wore it. It was perfect, and, if he must say, quite fancy. The suit jacket, black and crisp; the white shirt, clean and soft; and the red bowtie just the right size and wrapped snuggly around the collar. Though it was small and seemed so simple, Spike admired every stitch Rarity had put in into it. He will cherish the suit forever, a keepsake of the unicorn who taught him generosity, who will always hold a special place in his dragon heart.

The party's energetic music stopped playing and was replaced by a softer tune.

Spike turned his sight back up to the courtyard. Over by the tiny ponds, which consisted of some flowering bushes and other oriental plants, Fluttershy was hovering beside the shrubs and addressing colorful birds to fly to certain places and tweet merrily. Spike could hear the chirps from where he was atop the stairs, and for a while, he just stood and listened. It was a delightful melody, gentle yet graceful, like the yellow pegasus who communicated with the birds.

Spike remembered back to the first day he met the shy mare; she had been conducting a choir of birds at the time also.

'And she thought I was cute,' Spike smirked at the memory. Fluttershy, who's afraid of dragons, thought he was cute.

To this day the adorable mare was so loving and gentle, so kind to him and to all living creatures — a caregiver whose compassion had no equal. Spike prayed that will never change about her, for the kindness Fluttershy held and shared with everypony was a treasure, more precious than diamonds and more pure than solid gold.

The bird song ended with a gentle applause and the active music started up again.

Spike turned to the younger crowd and saw, with amusement, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo doing their own little dance. Scootaloo, of course, was the best dancer of the group while Applebloom kept tripping over her two left hooves, but that didn't matter. If ever one of them fell, they all giggled and got right back into it. Spike smirked at the adorable bunch. Being closest to their age, he could tell they were having a great time.

Resting his claws on the railing, Spike took in the whole scene, his attention jumping from one friend to the next. Nothing had changed for the ponies. Regardless that Twilight was now a princess, they were still the same group of friends, sharing in each other's happiness, blissfully eager for the days ahead. His friends . . . the ponies who had taught him so much, who meant so dearly to him . . . they were all going to be just fine.

Smiling, Spike closed his eyes, and in that instant, he didn't care what awaited him. This moment was perfect: him watching his friends and all the ponies rejoicing, full of hope and delight. If ever there was a sight to behold, to leave embossed on the mind forever, this was it. The baby dragon opened his eyes again. The present image was still there, both outward and in.

Breathing in the peaceful, apple-scented air, Spike raised his foot and took his first step down the nearest of the two stairways. Then he took another step, and then another. The party's atmosphere floated amongst the air, whispering, telling him to come and join his friends.

He reached the bottom and now stood on the green grass. Before he could take another step, though, Spike turned and saw what he had been trying to avoid since the moment he walked outside.

They stood not too far away, clearly visible despite the crowd of celebrating ponies.

Prince Shining Armor was dressed in the same red and white regal suit he had been married in. Next to him, his wife, Princess Cadence, wore a sparkling blue dress with her hair set in a gorgeous style. The two were having a conversation that Spike couldn't hear from where he stood, though from their pleasant expressions, it looked like a happy one.

To the side, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood in their ceremonial attire: elegant woven robes and gold crowns resting atop their flowing ethereal manes. They greeted ponies as they passed by, either with a bow of their head, a hoof shake, or a short hello.

All four of the royals were filled with the same rejoice Spike had witnessed an hour ago, when he still felt happy and hadn't thought ahead. . . .

Then, as his mind grimly reminded him why he was there, Spike's attention turned to a group of ponies standing in front of the prince and princesses. They appeared to be talking to somepony, somepony other than the four royals. Spike stood on tiptoe to try and see who it was, though deep down he already knew. The ponies cleared away and walked off, leaving the path between Spike and the royals in plain sight.

The whole world seemed to stop, all sound in the courtyard fallen to a whisper.

Standing right next to Celestia was the new princess, dressed in her bright gold and pink dress. A pair of feathery purple wings rested atop her back, and on her head, just above her horn, was a crown with a hot pink star, symbolizing both her Element of Harmony and her new status.

"Twilight," Spike spoke aloud.

He hadn't shouted. He said her name as though she were standing right next to him, a simple greeting. Regardless, however, the alicorn turned her head and looked directly at him, right into his emerald green eyes.

Had Twilight heard him from where she was? Spike couldn't see how. The party was noisy with amusement and he and her were a reasonable distance apart. Did her magic sense his presence, the only missing member from her past life? Or did she just happen to spot his purple and green scaly form against the stairs? Now that Spike noticed, he was the only one standing anywhere near the stairs, and he stood out reasonably well.

Spike suddenly felt uncomfortable. What he was looking at didn't seem real. . . .

Twilight's wings were motionless, unfluttered, yet seemed to scream aloud with attention. To think, they had looked so cool when Spike first saw them. Now he wasn't sure how he felt. . . .

Twilight's older brother and sister-in-law, the Princesses of the Sun and Moon stood beside her, looking at her with praise. She was no longer just a close friend of the royals, she was one of them — a princess, a magnificent gem in a most glorious crown.

But of all this, it wasn't the crown, the title, or even the wings that struck Spike to silence. No . . . it was the smile Twilight was giving him.

It was sweet and caring, a smile which had to be seen to be truly felt, which Spike had seen and felt many times before: back when he was a hatchling, when he first moved to Ponyville, when he and Twilight were together at the Crystal Empire. From all the way across time to the present, that wonderful smile . . . it still remained, as only Twilight could show it.

Spike's chest began to hurt and his eyes prickled again.

Twilight, still smiling, raised her hoof in his direction and waved it, beckoning him to come and join her, to stand alongside her.

Spike tried to smile in response, but something kept it from forming. His legs wouldn't budge, wouldn't allow him to move farther into the courtyard, away from the stairs.

Anger and sadness, longing and hope swirled inside him like an illness. Why wasn't he going to her? He wanted to, he wanted to be beside her: she, his first and best friend, his mentor, the center of his whole life amongst the world of ponies. But . . . now that Spike thought of it, that was the answer to it all.

Twilight was his whole life. Was . . . but no more. She was a princess now and he was a mere assistant. Soon, others more worthy of Twilight's service will enter the picture, and Spike couldn't see any room in it for him to fall into.

He swallowed the bitter air his mouth wouldn't let escape. Then, still staring into Twilight's violet gaze, his chest rasping with pain, he frowned sadly and shook his head.

Twilight's smile melted and turned to confusion. Spike's eyes stung terribly, but he shut them before anything else could happen. He couldn't stand being here anymore. This was Twilight's party, her celebration, and he was just an old helper who didn't belong with her new group or even this group of happy ponies. With his sight to the ground, he turned and sprinted back up the stairs, away from the party . . . away from Twilight.

Spike's eyes burned as he ran, and when he passed back under the building's triple doorway, the shade of the foyer fell over him like a cold, silent cloud. He stopped and breathed heavily, trying to regain himself, but as he did, he heard a faint voice call out.

"Spike?"

The baby dragon froze and inhaled with a gasp, choking on his emerging tears. Rushing away from the entrance where the voice sounded, Spike headed towards the nearest wall and stopped at an open door.

Inside was a small, empty, gray space, no larger than Twilight's bedroom back in Ponyville. Off to the side was a shaded stone stairwell, leading down into the castle's lower levels where Spike had never explored. There was also a bright low-positioned window, straight across from the door.

Spike entered the room and crawled up onto the low stone window ledge where warm sunlight poured in through the clean, transparent glass. With his back pressed against the window's corner, Spike curled his knees up to his face and, unable to resist any longer, he finally started to cry.

His breathing came in huffs and he had no control as they rushed out of him like somepony suffocating.

It was too much. He wanted the pain in his chest to stop, the horrible truth to be a lie. The fact that he was going to lose Twilight filled every nerve with soul-numbing agony.

At the same time, as his sobbing continued strongly, Spike felt angry and ashamed with himself. Twilight was his best friend and this was her big day; he should be happy for her! She had found her destiny, was at the top, where he knew she belonged, where she deserved to be.

He, on the other hoof, was stuck right where he was: not at the top with her, nor at the bottom wasting away in the dark. He was trapped in the middle, alone with absolutely nopony to tell him what would happen next. The uncertainty, the unknown of it all was torture, worse than anything that could be done physically.

Why did it all have to end like this? How could he have allowed himself to fall into this ploy, thinking he and Twilight would never be separated? If only Spike had known . . . if only Princess Celestia had confided to him her great plan — the plan she made, perhaps, the moment she had met Twilight. Maybe . . . maybe he could've done more to prove his worth, have used his time to become better than he was and show that he deserved to be with Twilight.

But it was too late . . . there wasn't any time left. Twilight was already gone. The terrible thing Spike saw behind that door back at the Crystal Empire was coming true and closing in on his life. There was no escape, there was no denying it. The nightmare was real and so was the awful fact that came with it.

He . . . he wasn't needed any—

"Spike?"

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