The Scattered Pages

Sometimes a tale may not begin as one might commonly expect it to. The book cover flipping over to lay on its face, the first page lightly flapping as a breeze held it for only a moment before one might stop it, holding it down to gaze upon the words of intrigue and wonder on the pages face. With its bold printed chapter, the words neatly written and the title of the book fitting neatly and nicely on the top of the page as well as the cover.

This just seemed like one of those times.

"Spike, have you gotten the books sorted out yet?" A voice called from high up along the stairs, one rather familiar princess would call out, a certain lavender mare who would just be making her way down the stairs to the main room. "Spike! I thought I told you to reorganize the shelves before I left for Canterlot!"

"Already done Twilight." He said simply, looking over the book in his hands, the leather bound cover and its odd buckle that seemed to hold it clasped shut.

"But...But what about the pile over there? They're clearly not in their proper places!" Twilight pointed out, looking around what she presumed to be a disheveled library.

He kept turning the book over in his hands, as if something about it was off or missing. Something deeper than its appearance. "You took those books out to research royalty to better acquaint yourself with how to be a better princess."

"Oh, right... Well what about this one? Simple meals for the...traveling...pony. Oh, this one is for me, isnt it?" She asked a little sheepishly.

Spike sighed softly as he placed the book down and making his way over toward Twilight. "Relaaax Twilight, everything is just fine." He gently placed a clawed hand on her side, patting her as if to further reassure her of the truth.

She leaned down and hugged him for a moment. "I know, I know, I just worry about you sometimes, that's all. And I just...Are you sure you can watch the library all on your own?" She started pacing around slowly, looking for every nook and cranny of the place as if trying to find some excuse to stay in the no longer dusty tomes and filled pages.

Spike simply rolled his eyes, tucking the book away into a special little area of the main room. "Hey, relax Twilight, everything will be O-K..." He said, hands already shoving her toward the door. She scooted along the floor as the young dragon pushed her, forehooves scraping along the wood as she was pushed out.

"But...The shelves..."

"Already restocked and organized."

"A-And the dusting?"

"Taken care of." He said in his most innocent and disarming smile.

She looked toward the chariot that awaited her majesty as she looked one final time over his shoulder, peering into the library turned home. "Well...if you're sure..."

He nodded, behind his back was a hand that clenched over the other, squeezing it as if just eagerly awaiting her departure.

She huffed, nodding gently. "Alright, alright, I'm going."

He waved her away as the chariot rode away, and when finally she disappeared out of sight...He slumped, shutting the door and crashing onto the throw pillow of the reading room. "Finally, I can take a nap..."

Knock knock knock

He groaned, flexing his toes and pushing off with his knuckles off of the pillow, stretching for a moment as he put on a decent smile and took a few breaths to awaken himself further. After the years they have been here, still he never understood why others might knock instead of just simply entering.

As he opened the door, he had to admit he was fairly surprised by the sight of Apple Bloom waiting for him. "Heya Spike! Twilight around?" She asked, not yet moving from the front door.

"Sorry, you just missed her. Didn't you see the chariot?" He raised an eyebrow, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms.

"Oh, is that what that was? Well, ah can tell ya that we need your help if she ain't here." She sounded pretty eager for some odd reason, but it seemed off...

"This isn't because you're after a new cutie mark, is it?" He was a little annoyed to see her nod her head. "Right. So, what do you need?"

"Whucha think ah need! I need you!" She grasped his hand in her hoof and quickly ran off in some odd direction, rushing away from the library.

Meanwhile...

Two voices whispered as a black coated pony pegasus was lowered into the room on a rope. "Cutie mark crusaders secret spy's...!" Scootaloo had said, Sweetie belle working a pully on the ceiling as she lowered scoots further and further.

"Quiet, what if someone enters?" She asked, trying to make sure nopony was caught.

"Well, we wont have to worry about that if you're quiet, right?"

"Hey, what does that mean?!"

The rope jerked.

"Sweetie Belle, watch it!"

"No you watch it, I can leave you here if I want to..." She crossed her hooves, forgetting to wedge the rope down and gasping as suddenly Scootaloo was sent to the floor, giving a groan as she landed and an oof as sweetie followed, reaching and failing to clasp onto the rope.

As the duo worked on getting themselves back onto their hooves and up and standing they watched through the still open door that Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara walked by, giving them a strange offended look before walking off with upturned noses. "Blank flanks."

Back with Spike and Applebloom, she ended up leading him around the town in various areas. From Sugar Cube Corner to Carousel boutique Spike was slowly losing his patients for the filly. "Hang on, hang on!" He shouted, trying to slow her down as he felt his feet getting sore from the consistent running.

"Cant do, Spike. Still need your help!"

"Help with what?!" He shouted, yanking his hand out of her hoof and standing there with his arms crossed.

"Err, I erm..." She was losing it and they both knew it, her ruse starting to fall apart.

"Listen, I dont know whats going on, but I really have to get back to the library." He said, shaking his head and wandering off. Applebloom was quick in to follow after him, his foot prints filled with hoof prints before she was suddenly standing infront of him, trying to walk backward and derail him from continuing onward with his path.

"N-Now hey, Spike, whucha say we go get somethin' ta eat at Sugar Cube Corner?"

"Nope"

"E-Erm I meant help me at the farm?" She said, sounding unsure of herself.

"Nuh uh."

"Try on suits?"

"Mailbox."

"Huh?-Oof!" She felt her rear hit the pole of the mailbox, her hooves loosing their footing and causing her to fall onto her face. He simply sidestepped her continued onto his path toward the library.

"Come on, Scootaloo, we don't have much time!" Sweetie Belle said, trying to untangle herself from the various ropes that managed to snag the duo someway or another.

She made a shout and started gnawing on the ropes. "Remin me wua wea oin is ayain..."

Sweetie Belle rose a brow, "Huh?" She asked in confusion.

Scoots just rolled her eyes and spit out the rope. "I said remind me why we are doing this again." She started to fiddle with the rope and pulling a hoof or two free.

"We're trying to be spies! And what kind of spy doesn't know how to get information?" She said, smiling widely and becoming rather proud of herself.

"Well, what are we getting? Did you think that through?"

She blinked. "I-I um..."

"You forgot didn't you..."

"Yeah..."

"C'mon Spike, you don't really need to watch some dusty dirty old library, do you?" She was at this point holding her hooves out on his shoulders, trying to do anything to distract him, they were now standing outside of the library's main doorway. The purple and green dragon long ago having made his way outside, now just stopped at the door by a filly who seemed all to encouraged to keep him from going inside.

"For the last time, Apple Bloom, I have to stay home today!" He shouted, trying to be kind and move her out of the way.

From indoors, the two CMC members heard the shouting of Spike, quickly realizing their time was limited and they have very little space to run to. "W-Well just get one and lets go, Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle said, standing at the window and looking at Spike and AB arguing.

"W-What? Me?! Why do I have to grab it, it was your idea!" She said, looking around for anything that they could take, something that would go unnoticed and or just something they could get away with.

"J-Just come on, they're outside!" She said, pushing the window on the other side of the room open, showing the bushes below and their only way out. She didn't wait as she quickly dove out and into the bushes.

"S-Sweetie Belle!" She looked around frantically, just grabbing a book and rushing out the window after her, and not a moment too soon.

The door to the library opened up just seconds afterward showing a very annoyed dragon and a rather anxious filly. She sighed suddenly at the sight of, or lack thereof, her friends. "R-Right, I'll uh...See ya later Spike!" She said, disappearing without a trace.

He just rubbed his hand against his head, claws scratching idly behind his ear as he looked around. Everything seemed fine, accept for the oddly open window. Perhaps the owl had come and gone again. He went to go back to the book he had left off at, gasping as he notices its seemed to disappear, he started looking around the library, beginning a search for the nameless book that he would soon, very soon, learn was no longer there.