//------------------------------// // 2. Chapter: The new Pony // Story: Resparked // by JPHyperX //------------------------------// 2. Chapter: The new Pony A serene calm embraced the idyllic village of Ponyville. The sky stretched clear and boundless overhead. Sunflowers adorned the landscape in a vibrant array of colors, adding to the picturesque scene. Melodic chirps filled the air as birds nestled in the treetops sang their own tunes, while most of the ponies went about their day in contentment. Amidst this tranquil atmosphere, the train from Canterlot pulled into the station, marking the arrival of midday. As Spike entered the library after his long journey. A deep feeling of emptiness came over him. The usually so lively room felt eerily quiet and deserted. Of course it had always been quiet here, it was a library after all. But this silence was different. It made his heart so heavy he had to kneel. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he clenched his claws into tight fists against the floor. “Oh, Twilight!” Spike's voice cracked with anguish as he sobbed uncontrollably. “Oh, Twilight! Why… Just why?” “Hoo?” An owl had perched on a wooden railing while Spike hadn't been looking. It was staring at him curiously with its dark brown beady eyes. Spike wiped the tears. “Hi, Owloysius! Looks like there's two of us left.” Twilight's pet blinked with a meaningful silence. Even if it didn't look like it, Owloysius showed a lot of understanding and listened to the dragon. “Yeah, you heard it, right? Twilight was a real gem. She fit right in here, you know? All she ever wanted was to bury her nose in books and make friends... But now that she's gone, what's gonna happen to all her stuff? What's gonna happen to us?” The owl flew to Spike and took a handkerchief from her feathers. Gratefully, Spike snorted into it. Despite Owloysius' gesture, he found no comfort. Everything around him was a painful reminder of Twilight. The books, the scrolls of parchment, the smell of dried paper – all were reminders of her absence. Even her rumpled bed. She must have been rudely awakened from her sleep when she received the call from Canterlot last night. Spike pondered; What should he do now? “I can't stay here! I have to move out!” “Hoo?” Owloysius cocked his head in confusion, observing Spike's decision with keen interest. The young dragon gathered all things that held significance to him. Then after a moment of contemplation, Spike extended his claw towards the owl. “See you soon! Take good care of yourself and look after the treetop. I'll visit you later, but for now I need to be close a good friend!” After these words, he left the house and Owloysius with Twilight's belongings. Spike wasn't about to leave Ponyville. Not yet, but maybe one day. Rarity's colorful house, the Carousel Boutique, stood in front of him. At first, he wasn't quite sure whether he should ring the bell. Like everyone else, she was quite distressed. Perhaps she wanted to be left alone. With his head down, Spike turned around and waited. Suddenly the front door opened. The white unicorn stood in front of him with tousled hair. “Spike! Come in! I've already seen you!” She seemed very happy about his appearance. Maybe it was the right thing to visit her after all. “Tell me, Spike, what brings you here?” she asked as they both walked into the kitchen. “I couldn't stand it in the library... Too much loneliness, you know.” Spike answered. “I... understand,” Rarity replied as she put the tea on. Spike noticed her trembling hooves, but that wasn't all. Rarity was in a flurry of activity, sewing furiously. Arrayed before her were six white pony models draped in colorful fabrics, surrounded by scattered sketches. The drawings were hastily done, with wild, scribbled lines, as if Rarity couldn't quite capture the perfection she sought. “Oh! I totally forgot!” she suddenly called and ran into her workshop. Spike switched off the machine and poured himself a cup of tea, listening to her bustling about in the other room. “These should be for our friends! I thought the clothes might perfume like us.” She tore the sheets off the dolls and presented her creations. The little dragon walked into the room with the cup. “Well, what do you think, Spikey?” she asked. He was just about to give an opinion when Rarity interrupted him. “Dazzling, isn't it? I put a lot of extra magic and time into it, but...” Abruptly, she fell silent, her gaze shifting to her work with a newfound intensity. The dresses before her were adorned in various colors, each reflecting the unique character of her friends, including herself. There was one for Applejack, another for Fluttershy, one for Pinkie Pie, and another for Rainbow Dash. And then, Spike's heart clenched as he realized the last dress was meant for Twilight Sparkle. “There are six dresses!” stuttered Rarity. “How long have you been working on this?” asked Spike. Rarity shook her head in despair, a sense of overwhelming realization washing over her. One dress was too much, but she had either failed to notice it while working or chose to ignore it. With a heavy heart, Rarity began to breath loudly, a mixture of frustration and sorrow mingling in the air. “Such a waste of time!!!” She roared, her voice becoming hoarse with frustration as she tore the dress in half with her magic. The once-beautiful creation now lay in tattered purple shreds scattered across the floor. With a swift motion, the doll flew out of the window in a high arc. Collapsing to the parquet floor, Rarity couldn't contain her agony, her cries echoing through the empty room. Someone gently patted her back, offering a comforting presence in her moment of despair. Spike, with tears streaming down his face, enveloped her in a tight embrace, silently sharing her pain. She cried to him, “Spikey! I don't know what to do! Twilight helped me in so many things and I can't accept she's gone. I just can't...” Spike’s tears welling up in his eyes mirroring Rarity's, “I've come to ask you something... Can I be your number one assistant like I was for Twilight?” As he met Rarity's gaze, he felt a wave of emotion. Her willingness to take him in showed the bond he had shared with Twilight. In that moment, he knew he wasn't alone in his grief. With a nod and tears in her eyes, Rarity accepted Spike's offer, who found solace in her generosity. Rainbow Dash had the hardest time dealing with her feelings. She lay sprawled across a fluffy cloud, her gaze fixed on the bustling activity in Ponyville below. Ordinarily, this would have been her time for a leisurely nap, but today sleep eluded her. Despite her attempts to distract herself through flying and tasks, the weight of depression lingered heavily on her shoulders. The other ponies below seemed happy and carefree. Many had heard about the attack on Canterlot and that someone had died. They called Twilight Sparkle a hero, but her fame didn't bring her back to life. She leaped from the cloud and soared over the small houses, her usual greetings to passing pegasi left unspoken. The rainbow mare felt adrift in this familiar world, haunted by countless painful memories that resurfaced whenever she dared to close her eyes. She landed in front of the Sugarcube Corner. No pony was working at the counter. Rainbow Dash had no idea why she was suddenly here. Just as she was about to leave, Pinkie Pie appeared. “Oh, hi Dashie!” she called. “Pinkie! What's with your mane?” The latter cleared her throat as she slowly approached. “Um, I haven't been feeling too well lately. You know, work, babysitting, and then this thing... But it'll pass.” “I'd love to have your optimism! I feel like someone has taken something important out of our world.” Pinkie Pie knew immediately what her friend meant. “Aw! We feel the same as you and it's hard to get over... Do you want a cupcake to cheer you up?” “Thank you, Pinkie! But I'm not hungry! Maybe I should take a nap or... read something...” She left the store, Pinkie Pie looking after her worriedly. As Rainbow Dash walked out, she heared two ponies talking. The conversation was about the attack on Canterlot. The mares were concerned about the safety of the town, but Twilight wasn't mentioned. Lastly, the pony with the orange hair changed the subject, “I heard that the library is vacant again. It's supposed to be only inhabited by an owl now.” “Someone new will be moving in soon, won't they?” replied the other. Rainbow Dash turned around in surprise. “What about Spike? Did he... Oh, no!” She flew up quickly to check on him. To her relief, she found him with Rarity, not far from the fashion mare's garden, helping her hang up the washing. It was clear that he couldn't manage his grief on his own. Rainbow Dash flew straight at them, and Spike was the first to notice her. “Hey, Rainbow! You look exhausted!” She didn't say a word. Rarity peeked from behind the white sheets. “Oh, Rainbow! I thought you were working.” “I took some time off, wanted to check on you.” Rainbow Dash mumbled. Rarity didn't like her friend's expression. “You've seemed so stranded since we got back. Why don't you treat yourself to half an hour's sleep?” she said worriedly. "I tried that!" she answered. “Or a manicure? A massage?” But Rainbow rejected all suggestions, shaking her head. “I don't know what to do myself! Everything around me feels so different.” Suddenly Spike began to retch. His green fire breath spat out a scroll of parchment. It was the first message from Princess Celestia since Twilight's death. Rarity opened the sheet and scanned through the princess's writing, then made a surprised face. “A new student will be moving into the library. Seems Celestia has found someone to take Twilight's place.” “What? No way!" shouted Rainbow Dash, “Twilight is irreplaceable. You can never find another one like her!” The white unicorn looked at her, frowning. “I'm a little skeptical too, Rainbow. But let's let it come to us! Who knows, maybe she'll be nice!” “Anyway, we'll pay her a visit tomorrow. I can't wait to see who it is,” said Spike and went into Rarity's house. “See you tomorrow then!” Rainbow Dash had a restless sleep that night. As she wriggled, faint outlines hinted at something stirring in the room, drawing closer to her bed. The mattress formed beneath an invisible weight, sending a shiver down Rainbow Dash's spine. Then, the outlines began to glow, gradually revealing the form of a pony, similar in size to Rainbow herself. In her sleep, Rainbow stirred, her face illuminated by the ghostly figure. It watched her silently, its presence casting an eerie aura over the room. As it drew nearer, Rainbow Dash flinched and jolted awake. “Twilight??” As she sat up, panting, she could still sense a lingering presence, though the figure had vanished into the darkness. A familiar scent remained in the air, and Rainbow Dash couldn't shake the feeling that Twilight was somehow nearby. She shook her head, trying to dispel the haunting sensation, but the memory of her friend left her heart heavy with longing and uncertainty. “No, no... That was just a dream. Twilight is dead...” The morning was foggy and dewy. Rarity had decided to meet up with the others for breakfast at the Carousel Boutique to visit the new arrival later. “Did the princess mention the student's name anywhere?” asked Applejack to start the conversation. “Unfortunately, no.” Rarity replied. “She mentioned that she has to catch up on some research and needs important documents for it. So, she won't be occupying the library forever.” Rainbow Dash wearily propped her head up, her appetite waning as she observed her friends. Pinkie Pie's mane drooped, Fluttershy spoke softly, and though Applejack and Rarity seemed composed, Rainbow sensed their attempts to mask their grief. “Sugarcube, ya haven't taken a bite! Mind sharin' what kept ya busy yesterday?” Applejack finally said. Rainbow Dash sighed. “I had some crazy dreams last night and could hardly sleep a wink.” “Well, shucks! I reckon I felt the same way! Workin' hard can sure catch up with ya.” Applejack said and took a bite from her jam bread. “I've seen Twilight!”, Rainbow Dash said. Everyone suddenly fell silent. By now, the topic had become a red flag for the friends. Fluttershy lowered her head, depressed. “I can understand that,” Applejack said kindly. “We all miss her somethin' fierce, but it ain't healthy to dwell on it all the time!” “But I saw her, clearly! She was standing right there in my room!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Rainbow!” Applejack nudged her on the shoulder and cast a worried glance at Fluttershy, who seemed to shrink even more into herself. I reckon it was just a dream after all,” Rainbow Dash sighed, pushing her food around on her plate. After everyone had eaten their breakfast, they made their way to the library together. The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The library looked inviting, with its freshly cleaned windows and tidy balcony. “Let's look, who it is” Rarity said decisively, and knocked on the door. It swung open, revealing the new occupant inside. She was busy organizing books, but looked up in surprise when she saw the familiar ponies standing there. “Trixie!?” they shouted in unison, recognizing the unmistakable blue unicorn with a flashy personality.