"Thanks for all your help, Rarity," I said to my friend, who had come over to help me with some cleaning and a few other tasks, "I don't think I could have done it without you."

"Not a problem at all, Twilight. You've got a lot of studies to catch up on and the last thing you need is to be slowed down by a few simple chores," she replied, replacing the last of the books. I noticed that she had been looking around every few minutes, as if to be searching for something, or rather, someone. "That's odd... Spike hasn't woken up yet and it's almost noon," Rarity observed.

"Oh, he was up late," I said with a yawn as I remembered trying to convince him to get some sleep, "trying to do all the cleaning himself again. I told him to leave it until morning and get some rest, but you know Spike; He can be a bit stubborn at times," I explained as I walked over to the stairs.

"Sounds like he wasn't the only one up late," she said with a mocking smile. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I simply must prepare. I'll see you both later, right?" she asked as she headed for the door.

"We'll be there. Thanks again, Rarity." After she left, I turned towards the loft. They say to let a sleeping dragon lie, but we didn't have time for that today.

"Spike..." I call out. "Spike," I said again, this time a bit louder. "Spike!"

Finally, there was a commotion from the top of the stairs and the dragon was awake. Well, mostly. "What's the big idea, Twilight? It's Saturday," Spike said, rather groggily as he stretched and peered over the edge.

"I know, Spike, but we should really be getting ready for the party," I said, walking up the steps.

"Party?" Spike asked, confused. "What party?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten?" I almost didn't believe that something this important could slip his mind so easily. "Rarity's going-away party is today, remember?"

A look of panic now spread across Spike's face. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot that was today! I have so much work to do!"

I smirked and shook my head as I watched my scaled assistant run around the library.

About a half an hour later we were both ready to go. I was wearing the dress Rarity had made me for the Grand Galloping Gala a few years ago. The stars that were scattered on it still shone brightly in the light, and it still fit perfectly, despite it having not been worn since the best night ever. Spike sported a white tux with a red bow tie that Rarity made for him last year. He was also carrying a single red rose. On the way there, I noticed that Spike was acting... fidgety. He kept either looking at the rose or straightening his bowtie.

"Is something the matter?" I asked. Spike didn't answer. Instead, he kept staring at the ground in front of him as he walked. I'd never seen him like this, and frankly, it was beginning to concern me. "Spike," I said, walking in front of my companion and turning to face him. "You know if something is bothering you that you can always talk to me about it, right?"

Spike stopped, taking a deep breath. "It's not fair that Rarity is leaving, it's just not fair!" he shouted, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Spike, I-"

"No!" he said, cutting me off. "After everything we've been through, the good times and the bad, the adventures and the days of doing nothing more than simply enjoying each others company; I can't accept the fact that she's leaving! Because if I do that..." he paused, slowing down and speaking much softer, "if I do that, then maybe... maybe I won't miss her as much. Maybe I'll forget about her."

I looked at Spike, who was now on the verge of crying. "Spike, listen to me. If there's one thing I've learned about friendship, it's that no matter what obstacles we may face, big or small, the bonds we've all formed with each other can never be broken."

Spike didn't respond, but continued to watch the ground. I put my hoof under Spike's chin and raised it until he looked up.

"Just because you'll be far apart, doesn't mean you have to stop caring about each other," I said with a reassuring smile, impelling Spike to return one of his own.

"Thanks, Twilight. I feel better now," Spike said as he took another deep breath. I'm not sure if he actually meant it or if he was just saying that to try and make me feel better, but for the time being, I was happy with either option.

"Glad I could help. Now, we should get going before Pinkie Pie gets upset that we're late."

Spike nodded in agreement and we resumed walking.

As we made our way through the town, I noticed that the moon was almost directly behind Rarity's shop, giving the appearance of a silhouette of light shining around the building.

Pretty soon, we had reached the Carousel Boutique, where everypony had gathered to see Rarity. At the far end of the room, I could see two tables. On one of them, there were many cards and gifts. On the other, an exquisite cake, covered in white icing, with a border and the words "We'll miss you, Rarity!" in a deep purple. The Cakes had spent the entire day before working on it; they wanted it to be perfect.

I walked over to one of the tables, laid down my gift and card, and made my way to where the rest of the girls were. I was surprised to see all of them wearing their Gala dresses as well.

"Oh, hi, Twilight!" Pinkie said while hopping up and down.

"Hey, sugarcube," piped Applejack.

"Hi, Twilight…" Fluttershy said timidly.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

"I hope I didn't keep anypony waiting," I said.

"Waiting? Actually, Twilight, you've arrived just in time." I turned around to see none other than the mare of the hour herself, Rarity. She was, of course, wearing her Gala dress, along with her fire ruby necklace. "I'm so glad you could attend!"

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't dream of missing this," I replied as we shared an embrace.

"Well, I think everypony's here," she stated, looking around the room.

I noticed a frown beginning to form on my lips as I think back to when Rarity told us the news. She said that Hoity Toity had offered her a job, but it was located all the way across Equestria and would take up all of her time. She was hesitant to accept at first, but we told her that if taking this job would make her happy, then we would be happy too. We would support her, no matter her decision. Snapping out of the memory, I set my focus back onto what Rarity was saying.

"First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming; it means so much to me. The years I've spent here have truly been the best of my life."

I looked over to Spike, but he wasn't there. I turned and saw him running outside. Normally, I would have gone after him, but I figured he just needed some time to himself. As I turned back, I realized that the only other pony to notice Spike's departure was Rarity. We exchanged a glance as she continued.

"Well, I certainly don't want to talk anypony's ears off, so I suppose that's all. Now, why don't we all have some of that wonderful cake?" She made her way over to the front door, stopping for a few brief conversations, receiving comments such as 'good luck!' and 'don't forget to write!'

As she got closer to the door, her horn glowed, opening a nearby cabinet. Inside was a small purple box tied with a green ribbon. Levitating it, she closed the cabinet and walked outside.

Over on a bench, slumped over, was the young dragon. In his hand, the rose that he had brought with him. The white mare made her way over to the bench and sat down. The cool summer night breeze circled them, silently, as they sat there for what felt like an hour.

"It's beautiful," Rarity said, admiring the moon and the cloudless sky.

"Yeah..." Spike replied somberly.

"I... I know this hasn't been easy on anypony, least of all you," she stated, thinking about everything that had happened over the last few months.

About six months ago, Spike and Rarity had come to an agreement: to remain friends. Rarity suggested that it was for the best and would save them the risk of spoiling what they had. Though Spike understood, he was still heartbroken. It had taken a while for him to come to terms with it, but he had finally started to move on. Then the news of Rarity's move hit him. It had been as if a recently healed injury got ripped wide open, bringing back the old pain along with some more to go with it. To have said that this wasn't easy on Spike was an understatement.

"Do you think things could have been different?" Spike asked, looking over at her.

"Different?" Rarity asked. "How do you mean?"

"If we hadn't made the decision we had six months ago..."

"Spike," she interrupted, "I'm sorry this is so hard for you, but you can't dwell on the past." Spike thought about this for a minute.

"You know, I've learned something since I met you," he said. Rarity look intrigued, so he continued. "The day I met you, it seemed like everything before then made no sense, like everything suddenly... clicked. I tried to figure out what it was for a long time." He paused for a moment, gathering composure. "It was lo-"

Rarity cut in again, this time by simply placing a hoof over Spike's mouth. "I know." She smiled at him, her eyes becoming watery. Spike could only smile back at her and remember the last time that had happened.

"It's not going to be the same after you're gone... for anyone," Spike said, the heartache clearly present in his voice. "Oh, I almost forgot!" he said, holding up the rose. "This is for you."

"Spike, you didn't have to do this..."

"I know," he said, a coy grin on his face.

"It's lovely," she said, taking hold of the flower. "I realize that I'm the one receiving gifts tonight, but that doesn't mean I can't give one, too." After saying this, she picked up the box she had brought with her earlier and set it between them on the bench.

"Rarity..."

"Go on, open it," she said, pushing it towards him. He carefully untied the ribbon that was keeping the cover on the box, not wanting to tear it. He lifted the top of the box revealing what was inside. It was an exact duplicate of the fire ruby she was wearing; the one he had given her all that time ago.

"I don't know what to say, Rarity..." Spike said, dumbfounded.

"Then don't say anything," she said, her voice beginning to break.

"I'm really going to miss you," he said, tears of his own welling up.

"I'll miss you too..." she said, as they both found themselves wrapped in each other's arms. "my little Spikey-wikey." They stayed there for a moment, neither of them wanting it to be over. As they say, though, all good things must come to an end.

Soon, both Rarity and Spike had returned inside. For the rest of the night, Spike didn't say much, he just sat in the corner, clutching onto his gift. It was disquieting, and apparently, I wasn't the only one to think so.

"Twilight," Rarity asked as she walked over to me, "do you have a moment?"

"Of course!" I reply emphatically, trying not to let my worrying bother her.

"It's about Spike… do you think he'll be all right?" she said with worry of her own, evident both in her voice and on her face.

"Oh, you know Spike; he'll feel better in no time," I said, trying to convince Rarity- and myself- of that.

"Well, I hope you're right about that. But…" she paused, as if pondering something.

"But… what?" I asked her.

"It's just that… I'd hate to think Spike might start to grow again," she said. I looked at her, puzzled for a moment. "Remember when Spike was overcome by greed on his birthday a few years ago?"

"How could I forget?" I said, thinking back. "He nearly destroyed Ponyville."

"I believe I may have been the only thing that brought him out of that state. And after I've gone, I'm afraid he might revert back to it," she said. "How would you handle that? I mean, he definitely wouldn't fit in the library." Rarity pointed out. I didn't notice it at the time, but my horn had started to glow.

"Heh, don't worry," I said, looking over at Spike, "it will never be a problem for me or him."

We talked for a while longer, not noticing how late it was getting. As ponies went home and the room got quieter, the seven of us said our goodbyes and, one at a time, we left. Spike was so tired by then that I offered to carry him home. He gladly accepted.

Before I knew it, we had arrived back at the library. After the long night, I could hardly remember getting into bed. I couldn't remember dreaming either, which was strange; I usually have the most vivid dreams…

The weeks went by, and as much as I didn't want it to happen, as much as I wished it wouldn't happen, it did. Spike began to grow.

It was gradual at first, and it looked as if I was the only one to notice. He went from outgrowing his bed, to being able to reach higher shelves, to being as tall as I was. Then ponies started to notice. I think he started to feel bad, like he was afraid that he would become that single-minded rampaging beast again… but then we got a letter from Rarity. That really seemed to cheer him up. In fact, I don't think I ever saw him happier in the whole time we had been living in Ponyville.

The euphoria soon wore off, though, and it showed. I mean, he was still generally a happy dragon, but something was… different. I couldn't escape the thought that maybe Rarity was right, and he would grow too big to fit inside the library. I tried not to think about that, though, as doing so would only cause me to become paranoid. And from past experience, I don't do the smartest things when I'm paranoid.

However, he soon grew too big to hold a pen. 'That's okay,' I told myself, 'I can just use my magic anyway.' I couldn't resist using the feather-pen as a weapon with which to tickle Spike. No matter how big he got, there would always be a spot behind his ear that subdued him. 'Same old Spike,' I thought with a smirk.

Weeks turned into months, and soon, nearly two years had gone by. We had to make a second door for the library, as Spike had grown beyond the boundaries of the existing one. In fact, he had nearly grown to stand at two stories tall. I found it ironic that Spike had taken to carrying me on his back, like I had done for him for so long. But lately, he seemed depressed, that kind of depression that you want to hide, but everypony can see it as clear as the sun. I thought he was feeling down about not seeing Rarity in so long, but somehow, it was more than that. There was something he wasn't telling me, and that was cause for concern. Spike never kept anything from me; This was entirely unlike him.

A couple of weeks later, I found out why he had been acting strangely. He brought me out to a vast field, one with hardly any trees in it. There was a slight breeze that seemed to dance with the grass as we stood there, not saying a word. After what felt like an eternity, Spike broke the silence.

"Twilight..." he began, his voice now quite deep, "I've come to a decision. I've thought this through more than I'd like to admit, and it was a hard choice to make. You have no idea how hard."

"Spike, what's the matter? Why are we all the way out here?" I knew that someday this was going to happen, but every day I tricked myself into thinking that it would not be that day. I found myself wishing then more than ever that I was wrong all this time, that somehow I misjudged the situation.

"I can't stay here anymore."

And with that, my fears were confirmed. My heart sunk. Those few words brought all of my repressed feelings of anxiety to light, and it showed, as I began to tear up nearly immediately.

"I'm sorry, Twilight, I just couldn't live with myself if I lost control again and hurt somebody, or worse."

I looked up to him, not attempting to hide my sorrow anymore. I knew this was just as hard for him- no, it had to be much harder for him to say it than it was for me to hear it. I began to wonder how long he had been thinking about this, how long he'd been planning to do it. Who knows, maybe it was ever since Rarity moved away.

"Spike, I knew that someday it would come to this, and I understand," I said through broken sobs.

"I thought you might... I really hope I haven't been a burden the last couple of years. I know it hasn't been a walk in the park."

"Oh, don't be silly. What are friends for?" I said, trying to lighten the mood with a smile. It seemed to work, as he smiled in return.

"Twilight... I'd like to ask you to do one last thing for me." Spike said.

"Absolutely, what is it?" I asked. He reached out a claw, in it was a simple white box tied with a purple ribbon.

"Give this to Rarity, the next time you see her. However... please don't open it."

"Of course, I'll make sure she gets it as soon as possible, and unopened." I said, taking the small box from his grip with a purple glow, placing it gently on the ground beside me.

I thought back to all the time he had been with me, all the friends we had made in just a few short years. There were some rough times, to be sure, but it was nothing that the magic of friendship couldn't handle. Then, Spike leaned down, so that we were now face-to-face.

"Twilight... thank you. For everything. I can't imagine a better way that I would have spent these years. I won't ever forget you or all the things you've done for me."

For the first time since we came out here, it looked like Spike was beginning to cry.

"And thank you, Spike..." I said, placing a foreleg around his neck in an attempt to give as close to a hug as I could, "my number one assistant."

Spike pulled away, and turned his head toward the skies, staring into the bright blue horizon. Despite the situation, he seemed rather calm. I mean, I knew as much as he did that this was the right thing to do, but that didn't make it any easier.

Without another word, Spike took flight, flying higher and farther. I watched as he slowly became a small purple spec in the sky, until finally, he disappeared.

I stood there for a while longer, not really knowing what to do or what to think. My friend, who had been with me for most of my life, was now gone. I suddenly remembered something I told Spike once, 'Just because you'll be far apart, doesn't mean you have to stop caring about each other.'

A couple of months later, Rarity had come to Ponyville for the first time since accepting that job. She had immediately made plans to come here after I sent her a letter saying that Spike had left something for her. She would only be in town for a couple of days, so she didn't have time for a big party.

Rarity had come to the library nearly as soon as she arrived in town, eager to see exactly what it is that Spike had left for her. Getting the box from the loft, I brought it downstairs and placed it on the table.

"Do you know what it is?" She asked me.

"No clue, Spike asked me not to open it," was my reply.

As the purple ribbon moved itself out of the way, guided by a glow that was almost the same color, the lid soon came off. Inside, much to Rarity's surprise- and mine to be honest- was Spike's fire ruby.

Rarity looked into the box, not sure what to make of it. That is, until, she noticed the note that had been neatly tucked into the box. Picking it out, she unfolded it and read what was written on it.

My dear Rarity,

I'm sorry that it has come to this; I hoped that I would be able to control my growth, but it seems that those attempts have failed. I am left with only one option- to leave Ponyville in search of a new home, one where I won't hurt anyone, should I lose control completely.

Not a day has gone by without the thought of someday seeing you again, but alas, it appears that may not happen after all. If you are reading this, I have already gone. However, you don't need to be sad, in fact, I have a favor to ask of you: don't be sad.

If you are wondering why I am returning the fire ruby, my most prized possession, there are two reasons. First, I fear I may mistakenly eat it, and I would never live that down. But the more important reason is that I want you to know that my heart always has and forever will be yours.

Your good friend always,
Spike

As Rarity read the letter, I couldn't help but think back to the party we had thrown for her more than two years ago. For some reason, part of the conversation we had kept playing through my mind, and I found that strange. But something was different... like my recollection of what was said had changed...

"Heh, don't worry," I said, looking over at Spike, "it will never be a problem for me or him."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Rarity asked.

"It will never be a problem…" I began, looking sad all of a sudden, "because one day, eventually, Spike will live as a dragon and fly away…"

It was at that moment that I found myself outside, with Spike asleep on my back. Wait a minute... Spike on my back? But he should be 20 feet tall!

'How is this possible?' I thought to myself. I looked up at my horn, which I finally realized was glowing, though now began to fade. It was nighttime, and we appeared to be in the middle of Ponyville. I looked around, and I saw the Carousel Boutique nearby, with the lights on inside and a few ponies walking out.

I didn't understand what was going on at all. Had I been dreaming? Was this some new kind of magic I hadn't used before? Was it a glimpse of some sort?

Whatever it was, it was clearly over, as I felt the sudden rush of reality catching up with me. The only things I knew were that two years that I thought had passed had been nothing more than my magic playing some seriously twisted tricks on me... and that Spike was still here. He was his normal size, and he was here.

I just then realized that I had started crying. All of... whatever it was that I just went through felt so real, and now all of the emotion was rushing out of my mind like an explosion. Turning towards Spike, I leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek, tears still rolling down my face.

When we arrived back at the library, I gently set Spike into his bed and got out a pen and paper. This called for a letter to the Princess.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned that friendship is one of the most powerful things that you can have. Even when friends move away or for some other reason you don't get to see them for a very long time, they will always be there for you, no matter what.

I also learned that we may not be able to control what might happen in the future, but we should instead focus on the here and now, not taking anything for granted. Because someday it may be gone, and we would only realize then just how much it meant to us.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle