Book of Moon

The Book of  Moon.

Chapter one: The Immortal Game.

The Moon wandered restlessly among a sea of stars. Far below, was the University of Magic.

The president's office was impeccably tidy as ever. It's owner's propensity for organization extended down a shallow flight of stairs to the workshop it overlooked. At the rear of the study — behind an elegant antique desk — stood an expansive bookshelf that dominated the back wall. The president of the university liked to use it for quick reference and casual reading.

Professor Twilight Sparkle, as she preferred to be known, had her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Twilight's chess table with marble chessponies was a delightful addition to the presentation of her study, but at that moment, it was a battlefield of the mind.

Princess Luna waited patiently as Twilight's eyes continued to dart about the board.

Luna sighed. She twirled her mane while she examined the stars through an open window behind her indecisive opponent. Luna could hear the gears turning inside Twilight's head. She was thinking at least twenty moves ahead of the game.

A pity that was 19 moves too many.

Twilight finally grasped one of her eight earth pony pieces by levitation. She moved it forward two spaces to attack one of Luna's unicorns, which had advanced diagonally from its original position beside Luna's sun Princess. The earth pony landed on its new position with a satisfying click. Twilight wiped the sweat from her brow, and sat up straight.

Luna raised an eyebrow at her decision, but said nothing.

Twilight's wings shifted in anticipation of her next turn.

Luna took one look at Twilight. The silly girl hadn't taken her eyes off the board from the very first move. It was like playing poker while wearing a mask. Twilight was as good as blind.

Luna glanced down, then casually knocked over Twilight's earth pony with her unicorn.

Twilight's wings sprang open. Her muzzle zoomed back down to the battlefield.

Luna resumed her observations: Corona Borealis was quite visible this night.

Many turns passed in this fashion, with some turns being much longer than others.

Twilight was rapidly gaining material. She pressed forward with her moon Princess, and checked Luna's sun Princess.

Luna frowned. Her eyes narrowed. ‘Little Tia’ had been threatened. Unacceptable.

With no other recourse, Luna moved little Tia out of harm's way.

Twilight's wings kept opening and closing on their own accord. Her heart was fluttering so rapidly she felt as if there were a small bird trapped inside her throat. She couldn't believe she was winning.

Luna assessed the board. She had moderately strong earth pony structure, and her pegasi had gained effective forward positions, but Twilight's moon Princess was running rampant. The game would end quickly if she wasn't driven off soon.

Luna then assessed her opponent. Twilight had been playing to seize material. If Luna could count on Twilight to keep taking pieces, she could have them. For an appropriate price.

Twilight was attacking her unicorn with another earth pony, but instead of moving the piece to safety, Luna choose to move her sun-side castle.

Twilight claimed Luna's unicorn. Luna's mouth curled upward.

Twilight assessed the battlefield. Luna was sustaining intense casualties. Did she really just capture a unicorn, without even a sacrifice?

Luna was clearly anxious to capture Twilight's moon Princess, if the posture of her army was anything to judge by. Twilight held her hoof to her mouth. after a moment's deliberation, she nodded with resolve. It must have been a ploy.

Twilight wasn't going to be fooled so easily. She moved her moon Princess back one space with a swish of her horn.

Having successfully fooled Twilight, Luna proceeded to offer piece after piece, and Twilight gratefully snapped them all up. Luna watched as Twilight's smile grew. Her opponent was blissfully unaware of her impending downfall.

Luna's pieces became scarce. Both castles lay in ruins, earth ponies were dotted about the board, and little Tia was being harassed by Twilight's moon Princess like a recurring nightmare.

Nevertheless, Luna now had an attack force ready to strike Twilight's sun Princess from the sky.

The game now hinged on one last sacrifice. If it failed, Twilight would be victorious.

Luna leaned forward. Her horn illuminated the piece that would make the decisive move.It was her moon Princess. The moon Princess flew across the board, without pause or fear. Luna cleared her throat.

"Check."

Twlight's face fell. Her mind revved into action. The moon Princess was attacking her sun Princess,  but it was in plain sight of an enemy pegasus.

Probability assessments, chess theory analyses, and — above all — questions, alarmed between the convolutions of Twilight's brain.

Had Luna given up? What could she possibly gain by losing so much? Was she going easy on her? A bluff? A double bluff? A triple bluff? A septuple bluff?

Twilight sighed deeply. Taking the moon Princess was just a matter of course, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling that this was exactly what Luna wanted.

Luna swallowed as she watched Twilight scratched her head.

Twilight hesitated, then sent her pegasus to capture Luna's moon Princess. For the first time in the game, Twilight thought to look at her opponent.

Luna had a devious grin on her face.

"Are you sure you don't want to retract that move, Twilight?"

Twilght locked gazes with Luna.

"I will allow it, Just this once," said Luna.

Twilight looked down at the battlefield again. Was Luna bluffing? A moon Princess on the far side of the board could be a terror if not dealt with. Twilight decided she wouldn't be dissuaded. She shook her head, and called Luna's bluff:

"That's alright. I already let go of the piece, so it's done now. Those are the rules."

Luna looked up at the numerous certificates that adorned the walls of the study. One of them certified Twilight as a chess master. Luna then looked down at the board, and shrugged.

"Very well then. It's time the sun set on this little game."

Twilight's ears pricked. Luna's unicorn descended like the gavel of a judge. Luna sighed in relief.

"Checkmate."

Twilight froze. She contorted in frustration, then toppled backward with her face buried in her hooves. She groaned on her back.

"Urrrgh. Why didn't I see it sooner. It was right in front of me the whole time."

Luna stepped around the chess table.

"I was right in front of you as well, Twilight. You could've seen my moves before I even made them, if you'd paid attention."

Luna helped Twilight to her feet. Twilight rubbed her overheating head.

"I don't understand. It was computationally impossible for you to win."

Luna scoffed.

"As if computers know anything about playing games."

Luna admired the final state of the chessboard.

"Although, I must admit, it was still an extraordinary game all considered."

Twilight joined her.

"Yes, It was pretty close. If only I hadn't made so many mistakes."

Luna chuckled.

"Mistakes are not your problem, Twilight. Your strategy is technically flawless. You just need to stop being so predictable."

Twilight recoiled. She turned away from Luna and stared at the battlefield.

"Predictable? But that was my very best. It's how I approach all logical problems. Maybe that's why grandmaster Checkers always beats me..."

Luna grimaced: She had been too blunt again. Luna started to speak, but demurred.

She could have told Twilight that she was failing to understand the ‘less than logical’ nature of outwitting one's opponent in chess. But that would've confused and disheartened her further.

Luna placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder and thought of her sister. Celestia would have told Luna to be more sensitive,

and to empathize with Twilight's problem.

Luna's face contorted into a misshapen snarl that may have been a reassuring smile.

"If it makes you feel any better, you remind me of how my sister used to play. I still can't remember much from before I was imprisoned, but I remember that we loved playing chess. I usually won, but Tia learned quickly. She was always smarter than me."

Twilight tilted her head.

"Each time I beat her, Tia would just keep coming back for more. We played and played, and eventually, on one moonless night..."

Twilight's face brightened. Her mouth hung open.

"Tia lost again."

Twilight groaned and slumped to her haunches.

"W—wait. After the game...Tia laughed like she always did when I won. But that night was different, because Tia told me she didn't keep playing because she wanted to win, she kept playing because she knew no pony else could challenge me. I have always been very lonely. No pony plays with me because they know they don't stand a chance. I think I cried when I realized Tia was trying so hard  just to make me happy."

Luna gazed off at nothing in particular. Twilight replaced the chess ponies inside their respective draws on each side of the chess table. She had an urge to open up her dusty old friendship reports. Twilight made a mental note to add Luna's story to the collection later.

Luna eventually regained her composure.

"Anyway, what I wanted to say is, I always had to rethink my strategy because Tia always found a way to see through it, and we both became better chess players for it. I'm sorry for the digression."

Twilight shook her head and smiled.

"Actually it was quite interesting. Thank you, Luna. I still don't think I'll ever beat Checkers, but I'm certain I can make grandmaster if you keep helping me practice. You invented this game after all."

Luna laughed.

"It is amusing that you should mention that. You are most welcome to my advice, but I cannot be ascribed as the creator of chess: Tia tells me she once met some ‘great warrior’ who came up with the initial idea. Everypony just assumed me and Tia made the game. I am certain that the moon Princess and the sun Princess were originally representations of some other royal figures from that ancient time. There is no record of this pony, whoever he was, so me and Tia didn't argue. Who would believe us if we did? Our subjects would think us strange."

"Really? What else did Celestia say about him? Maybe if we have some information to go on, my students in archaeology could investigate," said Twilight.

Luna waved her hoof dismissively.

"Not much I'm afraid. I asked Tia about him many times, but she would fumble together an excuse and leave on duty whenever I approached the subject. Sometimes I wonder if anything older than 1000 years is strictly off limits to me."

Luna thought of how Twilight's monstrous moon Princess marched about the board, crushing all without discrimination..

"I suppose it's no better than I deserve..."

Twilight sprang to her feet, but before she could ask Luna what she was talking about, or try to consol her friend in return, there was a knocking at her door.

Luna's ears twitched at the intruding sound.

"A visitor? At this hour?"

Twilight briskly trotted down the stairs towards the door at the side of the workshop.

"Ooooh It's my student. I completely forgot about her. My schedule has been so busy lately, I've needed a checklist of

organizers to organize my organizer of checklists."

Luna glided down the stairs to catch up to her.

Before the two alicorns could cross Twilight's workshop, the door flung open, revealing a very grimy young unicorn. She might have been blue in colour beneath the oily muck that had stuck to her coat. Luna reproached, and held her hoof to her muzzle to guard against the stench.

"Hey professor Twilight. I'm back," said a muffled, cheerful, voice from somewhere inside the sickly mound of dirt.

"Thanks for letting me take Spike to the scrap yard.  I really needed those parts for my project. Here's his harness."

The unicorn stepped aside so that a massive bundle of enchanted high-tensile fabric (which was often referred to as ‘smart fabric‘) could be levitated inside the workshop. Running down each side of the harness was a line of pockets about the size of a stallion each. They were similar to saddlebags, but were much too large for a pony to wear.

The slimy one sniggered.

"Oh, and you have a guest. He's very tall. What's he doing in your little wing of the uni so late? You've not been chatting up one of the custodians again, have you?"

Twilight's eye twitched.

"For the last time, Captain Magna is my friend. And my guest here happens to be Princess Luna."

Twilight pointed at the grime the unicorn had spattered all over her clean workshop.

"And for once, would you please remember to get a shower before coming to my office. I just cleaned this place."

The unicorn removed from her face what appeared to be a pair of goggles, revealing a tiny portion of unsullied coat around her eyes. The unicorn produced a ragged cloth. The lenses of her goggles squeaked as she rubbed them clean.

"Heh, that's a good one professor. Princess Luna is a hermit: she only comes down from the moon when she wants to scare ponies. Now just give me a moment so I can see who this guy really is."

Twilight's huffed. Her instructions would doubtless be ignored once again.

Luna realized the goggles were actually a thick pair of spectacles, and they were every bit as begrimed as their owner.  She wondered how the mare could have seen where she was going at all.

The unicorn replaced her glasses. Though translucent, they were still discoloured.The unicorn jolted and almost dropped her glasses in surprise the moment Luna's scowling face came into focus.

"Princess Luna. I'm so sorry — I didn't mean any offense. Oh please don't banish me. I can't live without my machines, and they can't live without me — think of the machines Princess."

The unicorn splashed dirt throughout the workshop as she grovelled towards Luna's hooves. Luna gagged and retreated. The sobbing mare was levitated off the floor, and the mess oozing from her was contained in a bubble of magic before she could blemish Luna's delicately groomed coat.

Twilight grunted.

"Luna, this is my student, Lazuli. She's a postgraduate working in magical engineering. She passed all of her theory tests with distinction, but I can't seem to teach her a thing about organization. Please excuse her, she can be very absent minded."

Lazuli whimpered more apologies. Luna was glaring at her.

"Heavens, child, you are a walking landfill site. Why must you wade through junk? Can you not just buy your materials?"

Lazuli blew her nose and wiped her muzzle with a cloth: rubbing the grime further into her coat.

"Well, right now I'm working on pony augmentation...I build machines designed to emulate the abilities of one type of pony, so they can be used by the others. "

Lazuli faltered under Luna's gaze. Lazuli looked anxiously at Twilight.

"Don't be shy, I think she wants to know more about your project," said Twilight.

Twilight cast a spell over the floor. If any additional filth were to drip from the extensive supply on lazuli's coat, it would scrub off without staining.

Twilight then carefully levitated Lazuli back to the ground. Luna motioned for Lazuli to continue. Maintaining her fixed glare.

Lazuli's breath was shallow. Whatever Luna was staring at, her vision was not obstructed by Lazuli's eyes. Whenever Luna was confronted with strangers, her eyes would drain the light out of the room. Twilight wanted to run for the door almost as much as lazuli did, but found the courage to stay when she thought of how crushed her Luna would be if she fled.

Lazuli's eyes were so evasive they were in danger of spinning out of their sockets. Her glasses slid down her greasy muzzle and she had to keep pushing the bridge of her glasses back into place as she spoke.

" I already have a prototype jetpack for replicating pegasi flight, and a powered exoskeleton for replicating earth pony strength, but I needed more parts to test my ideas."

Lazuli clamped her eyes shut.

Lazuli opened her eyes to find the pony she was talking to was conspicuously absent. In her place was an alicorn Princess with the playful demeanour of a filly.

"Why that's a brilliant idea, young scholar. No pony would ever be excluded by their heritage ever again. Tia would love it. Surely the university funded you at the drop of a hat?" said Luna.

Lazuli released her pent up breath.

"Thanks, Princess. Professor Twilight said I need to leave the university more often, so she won't fund me until I make some friends."

Luna wondered if Tia had as much trouble convincing Twilight to make friends.

"You should listen to her. Twilight is the authority on friendship."

"I did. I made a whole batch of friends. They even had blast processing and Y-sell corp artificial intelligence software," said Lazuli

Twilight's hoof trembled, then swiftly connected with her face. Luna suppressed the urge to erupt into paroxysms of laughter.

"I take it she was not impressed by them?"

Lazuli nodded.

"Uh huh. I almost gave up, but then Spike offered to fly me to the scrap yard in Clipstow City. I'd never be able to haul back everything I needed without him."

Twilight mourned the days when she could hold Spike in her forelegs, like a baby.

"Spike loves to make himself useful. I couldn't refuse."

Lazuli yawned. Her spine ached from sitting on Spike's back and shifting through piles of scrap metal.

"Good thing too. Hopefully I'll have my last prototype ready in a few weeks. But I'll probably need to make some more trips to the scrap heap. Replicating unicorn magic in pegasi or earth ponies is going to be a challenge. Before I forget, Spike got really messy after our trip, so he wants you to give him a bath."

Lazuli's back cracked as she stretched.

"Well, I'd better sort through my findings and hit the sack. Have a good night, professor — and It was great seeing you too, Princess Luna."

Luna and Twilight each bid her a good night. Lazuli bounced out of the workshop leaving an oily trail behind her.

Luna turned to Twilight.

"I'm glad to see you have such a promising student, Twilight. Although she seemed rather young for a postgraduate."

Twilight closed the door. She opened a nearby closet to take out her cleaning supplies and began sorting through them to find a bag of kitty litter. (One that she had been given by a very generous friend.) It was an excellent absorbent for cleaning oil stains.

Twilight said, "That's because she's the youngest postgraduate in the university. When Lazuli has too much free time she can become...troublesome. I thought it best to have her working. We sometimes collaborate on each other's projects."

Luna examined her coat to ensure it was unspoiled.

"You have a projects too? Aren't you busy enough running the university?"

Twilight deposited the bag and closed the storeroom.

"Well, through careful timekeeping, I managed find a couple of hours left in my weekly schedule for a personal project. It's nothing so romantic as one of Lazuli's daydreams: Just the powered airship. It's been done before, but the idea never ‘took off’ — so to speak."

Twilight pointed down the workshop.

"Why don't I show you? If you don't mind staying a little longer that is. I can start cleaning later."

Luna looked out the window.

"Well, actually, I have something I am quite anxious to show you, and I must leave soon."

When Luna looked back at Twilight, she was begging like a stray dog in the rain.

"Please, Luna."

Luna chewed on the question.

"All right. But this had better not take too long. I need to back at the castle before sunrise."

Twilight gave her a twinkling smile.

Luna followed Twilight through the orderly workshop. The tools were stored away in their respective cabinets and the work surfaces were completely clear.

Twilight stopped at the far side of the workshop in front of a steel door opposite the office. The towering bulkhead could accommodate the friendship express, with room to spare. Twilight input a passcode into a control panel on the wall.

The floor shuddered and the sound of thundering gears reverberated through the workshop as the great door was heaved upward.

Through the aperture was another vast room, but unlike the vacuous workshop proper, the Princess's safe room was a treasure trove of bright and exotic items: wizardry and technology abound.

Luna saw forbidden items, strange glowing orbs, eerie octopus-headed statues, dismantled automations, metallic garments, and a giant shoulder-mounted contraption loaded with bubble mixture, all arranged in secure display cases.

At the safe room's center was a huge assortment of pipes, turbines, and circuitry. Five massive electrical cables, as thick as Luna's legs, were connected along its top. They extended further into the safe room. It took up the better part of the room, forcing the display cases to be arranged along each wall.

Twilight pointed to her magnificent machine.

"There she is. By my math, this engine can output enough power to light up Las Pegasus."

Luna blinked in surprise.

"It is certainly big enough to be an airship engine."

Twilight skipped ahead into the safe room.

"Come on, let me show you it's power source."

Luna had to weave around protruding vents and heat sinks to find Twilight. The five cables were hooked up to the base of a second, somewhat smaller machine. This secondary module featured a glass tube filled with a bubbling solution.

Suspended at its centre was a large magenta crystal in the shape of a six-pointed star. It rotated gently on a vertical axis.

"All previous designs for powered flight had the same problem. Steam power is just too heavy. To make it work, you need either a ship with an engine so large it can barely get off the ground, or a ship so small it can barely carry anything. So I thought to find a new power source."

It was then that Luna realized there was another display case hidden away at the back of the safe room: one that contained a golden crown that was missing it's only jewel.

"Twilight Sparkle, you're not seriously running experiments on the element of magic, are you? Tia would have a fit."

Twilight stood between Luna and the element of magic.

"You worry too much, Luna. The element is perfectly safe. I know it's geoarcane composition like the bottom of my hoof. I didn't become Equestria's foremost expert on magical artefacts to ruin one of the most precious enchanted crystals in existence."

Luna regarded Twilight with incredulity.

"In any case. You may be able to build a working airship, but there is only one element of magic."

Twilight raised her hoof to her chest, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

She scratched her chin and analysed a chalkboard positioned at the corner of the safe. Equations only a computer would dare comprehend filled every inch of its surface.

"You're right. The element of magic has a seemingly limitless supply of energy. But It can't meet Equestria's needs on its own. Still, studying it has given me insight into how other gems might be used instead."

Luna pouted.

"Fine. But do not even bother begging for forgiveness if you break it."

Twilight thought for a moment, then approached a rudimentary control panel at the base of the engine's secondary module.

"I have it all figured out. Nothing is going to happen to the element. Here, let me prove it."

Twilight licked her lip as she inputted a complex series of commands from memory. They appeared on a small holographic monitor connected to the engine's circuits. Luna looked at the controls over Twilight's shoulder.

Luna heard an unfamiliar crackling sound. She looked up at the element of magic. The crystal began to spin. Dendrites of lavender electricity arched off of it and were rapidly conducted into five electrodes inserted into the solution alongside it.

There was a tremendous thumping sound from within the engine's metal bowls. Then another, and another. The sleeping giant began to whine and pulse as it awakened.

"Oooo I love this part," said Twilight.

Luna didn't take her eyes of the element of magic. Her face slackened.

The cacophony heightened until the entire room began to shake. The engine roared with a metallic screeching, like the bellow of a dragon.

Twilight hopped in rhythm to the mathematical symphony of her creation.

Luna was clutching her ears and clenching her teeth. The sound more closely resembled nails on a chalkboard to her.

Twilight's eyes widened when she finally noticed Luna's discomfort. Twilight dashed to the control panel and hurriedly

entered more commands.

The engine sputtered to a halt.

"Luna. Are you alright?"

Luna staggered as she tried to regain her posture. Her head was unusually light.

"Y—yes Twilight. I am unharmed."

Twilight fell to her haunches.

"You must really hate my project now. I'm sorry Luna. There's still so much I can learn from the element, but I didn't realize my experiments would upset you. I'll put it back as soon as I can."

There was a subtle rattling coming from the engine. One of the exhaust pipes was vibrating. It stopped when a tiny grey crystal plinked out and skidded across the floor.  It came to rest in front of Luna.

"What's this, Twilight?"

Twilight examined the crystal after Luna passed it to her.

"Hmm. I have no idea. This has never happened before. It looks like some sort of waste product..."

Twilight tried to store it for further analysis, but the instant she levitated the crystal to her hoof, it crumbled into a fine power with a burst of colorful light.

Twilight reviewed her equations again. Something must have been out of balance. Maybe she could have predicted this outcome, If only she knew which of the variables was —

"Twilight," said Luna.

Twilight ended her train of thought, then tipped the power sample into a beaker sitting on the more practical desk that she used in the safe room.

"Yes, Luna?"

Luna rubbed her foreleg.

"I am the one who should be apologizing. I do not understand this machine in the slightest, but I can see that it pleases you. To me the elements still belong to Tia, but I am forgetting who they really belong to. Please disregard my outburst and pursue whatever you think is best for Equestria."

Twilight gave Luna a hug. Luna tentatively patted Twilight's back.

"Thank you, Luna. This means a lot to me. Come on, it'll be morning soon, and I still need to give Spike a bath."

Luna briskly walked towards the safe room's exit. She hesitated in front of the exhaust array, then slowly negotiated a path through the jungle of vents.

"That is right, I shall make my way to the castle soon."

Luna and Twilight trotted back to the office.

Luna's horn glowed a pale blue. An orb of white light illuminated the office. Twilight shielded her eyes. Luna reached inside it and retrieved something. The light was allowed to fade.

"This is what I wanted to show you. I was bored of playing video games and thought I would try playing some traditional games instead, so I went searching for my old rulebooks. It was then that I heard a disturbance in the dark. I spun around to face it..."

Luna's face paled.

"The abomination I saw made my blood run cold."

Luna was shivered as she recounted her ordeal.

Twilight was riveted where she stood. She'd never seen Luna so afraid before.

"How did a monster get inside your castle? What did it look like?"

"It was terrible Twilight. I have never seen anything so deplorable in all my years. I tried to defend myself, but the demon was unstoppable — none of my guardsponies stood a chance. I don't think I could describe the full measure of its foulness with mere words."

Luna held her hoof to her forehead.

"My attacker was a Silvery Paladins in Space rulebook."

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I took the repulsive thing and put it back on its shelf. It was then that I noticed this."

Luna presented a large, ornately crafted tome. Among its many embellishments were a pair of griffins that stood opposite each other. Between them was a depiction of a shining red moon. Twilight also noted what appeared to be inscriptions. They were familiar, but unintelligible.

"I found it utterly spotless amongst the dusty rulebooks. Somepony must have put it there. I had a look inside. All I found on each and every page was an image of the moon, accompanied by a short line of unusual symbols."

Twilight opened the book. Luna tensed. Her legs twitched.

Twilight found exactly what Luna described. The images were arranged in order of the moon's phases, so that if Twilight turned the pages quick enough, the book became an animation of the moon's cycles.

Luna cocked her head.

"Nothing has happened..."

Twilight closed the book.

"What do you mean?"

Luna fidgeted.

"When I first opened this book, the pages suddenly began to turn on their own. When they stopped, a crescent moon was upon the page. The ink glowed red, and I swear that the book spoke to me somehow."

Twilight invited Luna to sit on a small settee she kept in her office. Luna accepted the chance to steady herself.

Twilight continued to examine the book with her magic. The book didn't seem to have any enchantments at all.

"What did it say to you?"

Luna looked at the floor. She could tell Twilight was already skeptical.

"I remember it vividly.

      ‘Hewn of light, in a cloak of dark.

       This crescent blade, is the chaos art.’

"It was a voice I try each and every day of my life to forget."

Twilight bolted upright. She set the book down on her desk and sat down next to Luna.

Twilight motioned with her hoof.

Luna just blinked at first, then smiled when she understood what Twilight meant. Luna took a deep breath, and exhaled.

"I was so frightened I woke up Tia. Tia insisted that I was freed from...her... forever. I asked Tia if she knew what the book was. She said she didn't recognise the book, but told me that if the book really was possessed, anything could happen if I tried to destroy it. That is why I need you to discern the book's true nature. I do not want to be anywhere near that book for a moment longer. Twilight,  please make sure I'm not losing my sanity?"

Twilight accepted the book. She took off and quickly flew into the safe room. Twilight stored the artifact inside a jeweled chest. It's construction was designed to quarantine any magical influence it contained.

Twilight returned to Luna, who was now standing inside her window.

"The book is safe with me, Luna. I'll get to the bottom of it."

Luna spread her wings.

"I just hope you are safe with the book. Take care, Twilight Sparkle."

Luna flew off into the aging night and angled towards the incandescent silhouette of Canterlot castle.

Twilight stepped up to the window. She looked out over the university. Spike could be seen below, curled up in his pen. The clamor of Twilight's airship engine earlier had not disturbed him. Twilight stretched her wings with a yawn, then took a steep dive.

Twilight leveled out and swept over the university grounds.

Before she even landed, an enormous purple head poked out above the pen.

Spike's footfalls boomed. The force of his greeting made the tress bend. Spike lowered his massive head so he could see Twilight more clearly.

Twilight smiled and stroked Spike's snout.

"Evening, Spike. You look like you've had a good day. I've not seen you this messy since you were set loose on that ice cream factory. Good thing it needed to be demolished anyway."

A deep rumbling from within his throat was Spike's response. Spike raised himself to his haunches and began clawing at his back. His head craned back and forth.

Twilight giggled

"Oooh you're just helpless without me aren't you. Alright, I'll get it for you."

Spike grumbled and crossed his arms. His nostrils flared, billowing green smoke.

Twilight flew round to Spike's back and found a mangled scooter adhered to his scales by some oily mess. It stretched and resisted as Twilight pulled the scooter free. Twilight deposited it by Spike's pen. He'd take it back to the scrapyard tomorrow.

"When I let you help Lazuli bring back some scrap, this isn't what I was talking about. You need to be more careful Spike."

Spike opened and shut his claw in time with Twilight's spiel. He then inclined his head towards the lake.

"Oh? So you're that eager for a bath, huh? This is a first."

Spike grunted and unfurled his wings, which spanned almost 100 meters. (88 to be precise.) Then bounded into the sky.

Twilight collected the 30 pound bar of soup, several brooms, and all other equipment she'd need to scrub the dirt off Spike's scales.

                                                                                *      *      *

Spike hummed as he flew alongside Twilight.

Twilight's wingbeats flagged and her mane was soaked, but time never passed so quickly than when it was spent caring for Spike. They soared back up to the office window.

Spike hovered in place outside.

"Have a good —" Twilight glanced at the horizon "—Uh, mourning, Spike. Looks like we're only going to get a few hours sleep again. I'll see you later, ok?"

Spike's neck drooped, but he nodded.

Twilight walked inside. The workshop still looked like a grim splatter painting. Twilight would be too busy to clean it tomorrow. Somepony else would have to clean it while she was working. Twilight could still hear Spike's wingbeats. His eyes were downcast. Spike tried to fit his snout through the window. He hissed in discontent.

Twilight wanted to say something, but before she could collect her thoughts, Spike shrank out of sight.

Twilight's chest fell. She opened the door to her quarters, and went up to her bedroom.

Spike dropped to the ground like a stone. He trudged back to his pen.

The pen was a simple wooden enclosure. There was a cover that could be pulled over it in case of rain. At the center of the pen was an old hot air balloon, which had been re-purposed as Spike's bed. At back of the pen was a pink basket large enough for a pony to stand in. It was completely filled with gems.

Spike reached inside and clutched the single largest pink sapphire in the world. Compared to him, it was no larger than when he started nurturing it at Golden Oak Library. The sublime star-shaped gem was bigger than a unicorn, and had six long spikes. Spike's mouth watered almost as much as his eyes.

Spike sat there for a time, looking into the monstrous eyes that were staring back at him through the clear magenta. He curled up around his treasure, and dreamed of better times spent with the real element of magic.

Times when he was the number one assistant, not the number one burden.

Twilight walked into her lavish bedroom. Her exquisite four-poster bed was a welcoming sight. At the foot of the bed, on a rug, was a tattered wicker basket. Twilight fluffed the dinky pillow that rested inside it.

"Oh Spike. You'll always have a place here."

Twilight crawled into bed and closed her eyes. She could already see tomorrow's schedule. The hours swirled around her. Twilight searched for her little baby dragon, but he was lost amid a maze of lectures, meeting, paperwork, and experiments.