//------------------------------//
// Part 4 
// Story: The Fall 
// by Malicious-Badger 
//------------------------------//

Magic.

I had found nothing inside Pinkie's house, or formally known: Sugarcube Corner, nothing but more sadness then before, and emptiness like the depths or space that filled my heart. Seeing things like these hurt, deeper than any cut could ever be, it was on a whole different level, an emotional level. I finally knew what it was like of Pinkie on her last birthday, or I assume I do, judging from Rainbow's descriptions of what it was like. I was alone and starting to lose my mind. 

I needed to fix this, to fix everything, I needed something of a time travel, I needed to warn Ponyville, I needed to warn Equestria, I needed to warn the princess! Then I stuck me; the Princess! I hadn't thought about her since the explosion occurred, certainly she must still be alive and such else how did the sun fall and the moon rise the past days? I knew that I had to head to Canterlot immediately, if not for the aid of the Princess, but for the hope of by chance finding some sort of fixing spell, time travel or anything. But there was one thing I had to do first.

While the explosion occurred, I knew three thing that were actually happening; Applejack was bucking trees, Rainbow was going to do a rainboom at some point, and Spike was cleaning the library as instructed. I knew it was going to be Ground Mare's Day when he got back from Canterlot knew he wanted to spend time at the celebration but with my being gone, and him away the library was unfortunately left in a big mess. He could have cleaned it on a later date, but I assumed, from the state I left it in, that it would take longer than normal. 

I headed on over to the library, and as expected it was burnt to a crisp, considering it was a tree after all. Even though it was gone beyond repair, it was in a better state than I thought it would be. Still standing, the building had faired better than most others. It must have been the force feild I keep up around it that saved it for the most part. Though the magic shield could hold back many, and most things, from the distance I was at to the shield, and the intensity of what happened, I was not surprised by the state of things.

Entering the inside of the building was a different story, as if the inside was some different world. Sure the books had fallen, as had the shelves, but everything inside was still clean, with the exception of the dirt and debris that came through the broken windows. The walls were still their usually tone of brown, and everything was for the most part intact, though through closer inspection, the books seemed all burnt. I don't know they were the only things to burn but they were. 

Since all the books were burnt, there seemed no reason to stay in the library. It was to depressing, but I knew I had to leave it. It would be a bad habit to attach myself to menial things such as those books and that whole library. Not only did I not want to stay and rummage through the mess of burnt books, but I also feared for finding other things in states I wouldn't want to see them in, as for one; Spike.

Therefore, since searching the place would be futile, and all I knew I would find would be more pain, and more hurt with the more attached I am, I decided to leave. As I started to leave, looking out the front door, it was apparently nighttime already, even though I was almost certain that it was only like 5p.m. or something. With it being night and all, I thought best to stay the night in the library before I head out to Canterlot, there was no point sleeping on the ground when my bed was probably perfectly fine right upstairs.
Even though it might have only been 5p.m., I was quite exhausted from all the running and walking I was doing the past few days, a good night's sleep in my old bed would do me well. 

I walked up the library stairs to the upper floor where my bed was, and as I suspected it was still there, standing on 4 legs, just a bit messier than usual. In fact the only thing unusual is the blood on the ground. Blood?! Spike!

I saw blood on the ground, it led to my bed, and when I noticed it, there indeed seemed to be something in my bed. I approached my bed with haste, knowing it could only be Spike. A short dash and I was there next to my bed, next to Spike, who I could not yet see, he had a blanket over himself.

"Tw-Twilight…?" came a faint voice from underneath the still blanket.

"Spike! Spike I'm back, I'm back from everfree! I saw what happened, and I came rushing back home, yet on the way things just got worse and worse, ponies were dead everywhere Spike! Pinkie, Rarity, everypony is dead…" 

"Is-is that you…?"

"Spike, what's wrong? You're hurt, you're bleeding right? Please can I take the blanket off, I need to see what is wrong. Spike please!"

A soft hmmm sound emanated from underneath the thin blanket that at closer inspection was stained with blood all over, the texture of Spike's scales visible through the blanket. This was a sound of yes.

With my magic I lifted the blanket completely vertically and kept it completely straight, I wanted to make absolutely certain that I did not do any harm to Spike. Once it was a few feet above him, I threw it to the other side of the room and let my eyes see what was beneath the blood-covered blanket.

In front of me was Spike, but also was not, in all it was more like half of Spike. I refrained from screaming, I didn't want to stress the baby dragon.

"Twilight… it's good to see you again, I - " 

"Spike what's wrong! Don't die on me Spike, please Spike, please!" by this time I was welling with tears. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, he should have died, how was he still alive in his condition, it was so sad, I truly felt sorry for him, he would have died quickly like the rest if not for me, and my force field.

"It's nothing Twilight –" Spike stopped to cough up blood, "I'm just happy to see your face again, or any face for that matter. I think now I can die peacefully like the rest, knowing someone was watching over me when it happened, hmmmm…" Spike finished with a sigh of relief, though dying is not something I would be relieved about. 

"Spike stop talking crazy, there is no way you can die on me!"

"No, there is. Twilight I've been in this condition for 3 or 4 days now, I feel my energy is low, there is honestly not much life left in me. Through my blood loss and the pain in my heart, I am ready to die."

"Spike please!"

"No Twilight, there is no way to stop this, trust me. I only wish I could have just lived a bit longer…"

"Could - Could you at least tell me what happened?"

"I'll do my best." Spike paused as he gathered up his energy to tell me what happened, and to cough up some more blood again. "As you know, it was Ground Mare's Day. I just came back from Canterlot and – and I remembered the last words you said to me 'Spike, I want that library cleaned the moment you get back!'  Heh, I was a bit bummed about not being able to party but I knew you meant right, so I went ahead and started to clean the library. Over the day many of our friends came to wish me a happy Ground Mare's Day and invited me to party, but no, I kept working. I knew my duty. And then It came" Spike paused as he shed a tear, "Whatever that was that happened, it came. And it destroyed everything. I can't tell you about what it was, all I could see was a bright white light, all I could hear was a large boom, and all I could feel was immense pain, I fell unconscious. Now as you know dragons are fire proof, so the blast of the explosion didn't burn, I only felt a warm heat, which I assume is how the books burned, through the heat, not contact with fire. When I awoke, I couldn't move my legs, I was lying on the ground and I could only feel pain on my upper body, I was really scared Twilight."

"It's ok, it's ok…"

"Yeah, so, I couldn't even feel my legs, I was scared to look, but I did. I turned my head around to see that I was trapped underneath a bookcase, or rather, my legs were trapped underneath a bookcase. I couldn't feel them, which mean I knew my lower body was broken or paralyzed. I felt my spines were broken too, there was blood surrounding me, my blood, it was the most blood I've ever seen in my life. 

"Out of blood loss, I stayed there on the floor the first day, I had no energy to move, and the pain was pulsating all over. So I waited, sprawled over the floor, underneath the bookcase, in a pool of drying blood. The second day, came I knew I was already a goner, there was no way anyone was coming for me, I started to lose hope, but I knew if anything, that if I were to die, I would at least like to have comfort in death. With all my strength, I pulled myself out from underneath the bookcase, or I attempted to. But I kept trying. I wanted to get out from under there and finally I did… but it was really hard. I think I dislocated my legs in the process. I crawled to your bed upstairs, and I've been laying here ever since. It was a pain, but I now have comfort. My energy is completely drained and I certainly am hungry, but now that you are here, that doesn't matter. That's all I can say, I really don't know that much."

"That's ok Spike you helped me more than enough."

I spent the next day and night there with Spike, and that night I slept in my bed, next to him. He was cold, the loss of blood was showing, signs of death were there. The poor baby dragon seemed so content, and so resolute with the idea of death that he wouldn't let me heal his fatal wounds. The broken body of Spike slipped away into eternal sleep during the night, I didn't even notice. I awoke in the morning with Spike's dead body under my arms, he died under my watch, I let it happen, but it's what he wanted. 

I sat in my bed for a while caressing Spike, weeping my eyes out. Though this destructive happening had killed everyone I knew, supposedly, I think I did not feel as sad for the loss of million that I didn't know, than the loss of my lifetime friend. He always was the best assistant I ever had.

I tucked Spike in bed, underneath the warm blankets, there he would lie peacefully, and I knew it was time for me to leave. I knew that if I didn't leave, and if I could fix everything, Spikes death, and my friends, and the millions of others will be in vain. I needed to fix this, if not, then I just become one of the millions myself, and that serves no good to anyone. 

Before Spike passed, he mentioned that during his trip to Canterlot he didn't notice anything unusual, even though Luna was acting a bit odd, but then again, it is Luna, what would you expect from a mare who was taken over by evil and banished to the moon by her sister for 1000 years. Unfortunately Spikes story of how his Canterlot trip gave no hints to what had happened. Everything still remains a mystery. My only hope was that maybe, somehow, in Canterlot where the spell archives are, I might come across a time travel spell, it would be the only way to stop it. 

I grabbed what was left of my saddlebag and headed to the door. I gave my respects to Spike, and I said goodbye to the home that we lived in for those joyful amounts of years. I regretted not saving Spike, regardless of what he said, but I thought that if I could actually fix this, there would be no need to. If finding a way too fix this, not for my own sake, I should find a way for Spike.

I opened the door to head outside, and to my surprise, it was still night. I was sure it was morning when I woke up, I rarely under or oversleep. I assumed I was just up a bit early so I left anyways, if I was early, the sun would catch up to me anyways. The road ahead of me was a long one, and I had to be prepared for whatever emotional challenges may lie ahead. That was all 2 days ago, so as you might be able to tell, there were a few complications.

In the dark of the night, I headed out in what to be was the light of the day, nothing, not even the night was dark enough to match the darkness in my heart, and the darkness in my eyes as I've seen the world around me. I assured myself it would all be over soon and that a fix was inevitable. I knew I was looking for a fix, but I also wished to find some answers too.

There is something not right about this whole thing, and I am almost certain that I can find the answers in need in Canterlot.