“…I can’t do this anymore, Spike.”

“I know. It’s all wrong. This shouldn’t even be happening. But it is.

“It’s like in the old legends you used to read to me before bed. The ones that really mattered. They were full of darkness and hatred, and sometimes I didn’t want you to read the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could Equestria ever be a happy place again when so much bad had happened?

“But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must fade. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it’ll shine out the clearer. Those were the tales that stayed with me, that meant something. Even if I was too little to understand why. But I think Twilight, I do understand, I know now. You see, the ponies in those stories has lots of chances to turn back only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding onto something.”

“…what are we holding onto, Spike?”

“That there’s still good in this world, Twilight Sparkle. There are good ponies, and griffons, and zebras, and minotaurs, and changelings, and dragons, and folks of all kinds. And they’re worth fighting for!“