A Dragon's Duality

Chapters

1: I and Me
2: Struggles of Identity
3: A Proper Introduction
4: Two Beings; One Connection
5: Painful Reveal
6: Magical Insight
7: A Book a Day Keeps a Dragon at Bay
Introduction

1: I and Me

Something fishy is happening at the Golden Oaks library, with there being more than just one fish. What makes matters worse, Twilight isn’t even sharing the fish, or even telling us that fish is to be had.

The fishiness of it all began when the library started closing a whole hour earlier. Which is fine if it’s a one time dealio and you don’t tell anyone about it. But no, Golden Oaks has been closing for an hour early for a whole two weeks! The scariest thing about it?

Twilight didn’t even change the library's hours! The same Twilight that always arrives when she’s asked, not a second sooner or later. The same Twilight that covered my letter to my parents in red, because of the tiniest mistakes!

Who knew i was suppose to capitalize the letter I?

It’s because of Twilight that I knew to write it’s instead of its. This whole letter is (mostly) grammatically correct because of her. And so, what does a mare of such level do? Close the library early and not tell anyone.

But what I really want to know, is what does Twilight do with that extra hour of time, or why does she even need it? She never shows up to parties or comes out to our little gathers, and she always has food sent to her door. The very same door she hasn’t left during the course of the week.

Spike hasn’t come out either, and that’s the icing upon the strange cake. Usually he would go out and get food and supplies for Twilight, instead of having somepony else doing it. Sometimes at night, you can see her walking by her window, but not yet has anyone even seen the shadow belonging to Spike.

Something fishy is happening with Twilight and Spike, and I, Pinkie Pie, am going to get to the bottom of it. I’m going to write a series of letters documenting the adventures of Sherlock Pinkie for future reference of this case, and also that they may serve as a friendship lesson for the Princess.

With all that serious stuff, and words, out of the way. Let’s get to the bottom of what’s plaguing Twilight Sparkle.

Pinkie – Day 1 of “The Strange Case of Twilight Sparkle”

As usual, Twilight wasn’t coming out of her cave known as the Golden Oaks Library. I’ve looked over all of my and the rest of my group’s calendars, and nothing would click within Twilight’s schedule of the year! There were no clues as to why she was absent within the lines of how Twilight is or what she’d do.

So I thought,’What would Pinkie do in a situation like this?’ and well, the only conclusion I could come up with was smother my face in sweets all day, so I abandoned that thought. Though I wish Twilight would be as simple as that sometimes, she is pretty strange at times, and that’s coming from a pony who eats sugar all day and shoots confetti from cannons!

So what’s the next best step? Thinking like Twilight, of course! It seemed soooooooo~ boring though! I smelt the path where it had Twilight’s scent and took a magnifying glass to the ground. I did that for hours and nothing showed up!

My friends tried telling me that I wasn’t doing the right type of procedure when it came to solving a problem, but what else could I do in this situation?

So yes, even though I didn’t want to, I continued doing my method of getting every minute detail found, and all I kept doing is leading myself back to the library.

Nothing was clicking on where Twilight went before everything started happening, and I was on the verge of quitting. That was when I laid my head onto the bark of Golden Oaks Library, and once that happened it all hit me. Maybe the answer to our problem might just be right in front of us?

What I did next could be defined as snooping, but what else could I do? We were worried as Twilight’s friends and we wanted to know why she’s been behind the scenes. So, I peeped in her window and slowly opened it, lightly tip-hoofing my way inside. I knew she wouldn’t be there, and I didn’t plan on her possibly being there, so it was all good timing for me.

What I noticed...well...was kind of strange. Like, stranger than that time I placed myself in a cake for a senior citizens meeting, and I’ll admit, that was extremely odd of me to do.

It’s a mixture of what was there and what wasn’t.

Spike was nowhere to be seen, and there isn’t any other place he could be because he rarely leaves home without Twilight.

On a table were tons of beakers and test tubes all broken or empty, so it wouldn’t be hard to guess that an experiment recently happened.

Within the room contained one last thing that intrigued me. This thing seemed to have no place being in the room because there was already one of it right next to it. Another bed seemingly made for Spike.

But what happened next blows everything strange out of the water and fills my brain with an itch of unmatchable horror.

At the corner of my eye there hovered two pairs of orbs, encapsulated by scales covered in a murky goo that fell like a teardrop to the floor. The black streak in the midst of the seas of blue and yellow shot across the liquid and split it into two.

A fire overtook the eyes, and my fate became all too clear to the orbs that were my own eyes.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! This has been in google docs for awhile and I forgot the format of how I wanted to upload these chapters!

Please leave any concerns or what you liked about the story in the comments! All criticism is appreciated!

2: Struggles of Identity

Day 1 (CONT’D) – Pinkie.

Two bodies emerged from the darkness of the room and within my view of impeccable vision. Not a peck like a chicken, you silly goose! It was just a word Twilight taught me, which means something great!

Where was I? Oh yeah! The two bodies!

It was two masculine bodies, obviously small dragons. Scales and spikes pierced out of their bodies as they approached me and stopped, but they didn't seem extremely hostile...

“Care to explain what you’re doing here?”

“Care to explain why there’s dragons in Ponyville?”

The one that had asked me the question had navy blue scales that outfitted his body, with spines that ran from the top of his head and were cut short at his back; they were more defined and longer than the ones that Spike had.

“Wait,” the other dragon said, looking to us both, “You mean to say that dragons are uncommon around here?” Scales of rosey red covered this dragon from head to toe, and this time, he had spines that ran from the top of his head to the end of his tail. Though they weren’t as sharp as the other – they actually came out more mane-ish.

“Umm, yeah?” I said. “Well, I guess more so friendly dragons are harder to come by. We’ve had a lot of dragons close to Ponyville, one almost clogging the town with smoke from his nose! Wait, off topic…”

I looked in-between the blue dragon with his arms crossed, and the red one with his claws hanging by his side. “Just… who are you two, and what are you doing in Twilight’s library?”

“You know Twilight?” The red one said with a curious smile. “You’re pink, puffy, so all that this means, is that you’re the one known as Ms. Pinkie a Pie!”

The blue one looked at us both. “What’s this about...pie?”

“Pinkie Pie! The mare that’s friends with Twilight – Spike told us? Well, in a way he told us.” A slap to the back of his head was the reason why he was greeted to the surface of the dusty floor.

“Geez..." he said in a scruffy voice, "was that necessary?” he said to the other dragon, rubbing his cheek as he rose from the ground. “A-anyway, you asked who we were? Well, my name is Kolec, and this guy here is—”

“Basak.” He looked to Kolec after cutting him off. “Though it wasn’t my intention to give it to some random pony.”

“Hey. You were the one to say it!” His remark was met with an uncomfortable glare given by Basak. “Hehe….Um, sorry?”

“But...how do you know Spike? You just mentioned him, so you must know him. And again, why are you here? You didn’t answer that part.”

Kolec was on the verge of, once again, running his mouth off, but his words were saved by the sly dragon in blue. “Just shut up, you’ve said enough,” and let his grip from him go, leaving Kolec in disappointment.

I opened my mouth, but the silence was disrupted by shuffles from downstairs that perpetually got louder. Basak gave one last look to me and said, ”Looks like that’s your cue to skedaddle; better hurry.”

Now, imagine being me. Imagine having everything I’ve found in there flow through your mind and think about it. What in the name of Celestia just happened? is a good answer, but it was my duty to inform the girls on anything I may’ve found, and I’m going to stick with what I pinkie-promised. I can't disagree with him, I thought as my brain readjusted, and with absolute care, I retired from my break-in endeavour, slowly creaking the window to a close once out of the library.

Luna’s orb was put in its rightful place in the nighttime sky, shinning down a silver glow that capture my body as I landed on the grass outside the oak tree. It cushioned my fall and crunched as my weight bore down onto it.

Hey! I just realized what I wrote before its purple prose! I remember Twilight telling me that purple prose is not a good prose to write with – apparently it makes things harder to read. But I always thought that was the case because I have trouble reading what she writes… maybe it's because she’s purple herself!

Purple prose because of Twilight.

Pink prose because of Pinkie!

Wait a cupcake… I’m getting off track with my thoughts! These thoughts that I possess on the disappearance of Spike and the appearance of two other dragons, and including the odd behaviour from Twilight must be kept crystal clear in mind head.

So that way, when I explain it to the girls, why I broke into one of my best friend’s house will sound much better!

I trotted down the streets of Ponyville with only the yellowish glare of streetlights to aid me on my quest.

Quest to where, you ask? Well, to meet a friend, of course! And as the buildings and foundations that made up Ponyville began to wane at my sides, so too, did the number of trees become more apparent to my eyes.

As did the lone trail leading up to a familiar barn.

“You mean to tell me,” Applejack took a hoof to her bed-head and rubbed the crust out of her eyes, ”that it was completely necessary to come into my room in the middle of the night and tell me that you figured out something you thought was important?”

“Well duuuh! You and the girls said ‘Everypony gather up any clues and share it if they deem it as important.’ Come on AJ! You did promise it!” I said, upholding my genuine grin as always.

Applejack just took a hoof to her face, apparently in annoyance for me doing what she wanted. Sheesh! Why do ponies always get so grumpy when I take their word word and stick by it? Ponies are soooo weird sometimes!

“Okay...fine, Pinkie. What proof do you have that was worth waking me up late at night? Cause this better be good.” Applejack mumbled while rebalancing herself at the same time, still undoubtedly tired from being woken up. She seriously needs to get over herself sometimes, it’s not like I’m asking too much!

"Well...And don't take this out of context! But, I sorta...kinda....broke into Twilight's room while she wasn't in there." I tried to put a reassuring smile on my face, but it was only met with Applejack on the path to busting a blood vessel, a killer look. Maybe I didn't explain the best way possible?

"PINKIE ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?", she said, messing up my hair with the ferocity of her voice. "Do you understand how much trouble you can get in from doing such a thing? Even if you are friends! What in your mind told you to break into her treehouse?!"

"Well gah-lee, Applejack! When you put it like that it sounds terrible!"

Applejack rolled her eyes as she mumbled, "It sounds terrible no matter what..." Somepony is way more cranky than she should be! Like come on! I'm trying to explain the situation to her and she freaked out like this?

"Never mind that! This is something you need to hear! When I broke into her room, there were experiment-y things, two baskets instead of one, and the most strangest of all: there were two dragons who came out and talked to me!"

Suddenly, her eyes raised as her mouth gaped, "There are two dragons in Twilight's home?! Were they anything like Spike? Not dangerous or anythin'?"

"Not at all, AJ!" I said with a grin, "One was super-duper friendly, but the other one was a big grump! The friendly one actually recognized me somehow, he said Spike told them, in a way...Whatever that means! He also didn't know that dragons were uncommon around here, somehow, talk about not being allowed to leave!"

Applejack was completely dumbstruck, almost like how I looked when I made my famous triple chocolate river cake. Mmmm~, that makes me hungry! Oh wait, her response! I'm not really cut out for solving mysteries with my brain shooting across my head all the time, it seems!

"Pinkie Pie.... you should go home and call it a night. We'll tell the girls about the incident in the morning. All the details you can muster up need to be explained to them as best as you can. Any small detail can be important. Got that?" She said with her stern, serious eyes.

"Okey-dokey-lokey! We'll meet at the bakery at around 10 AM. Round up all the girls in the morning and bring them there, I'll serve snacks!" I said as I hopped up and down with my signature Pinkie Pie smile. Sweets are too~ sweet! Maybe that's why they have the name!

She chuckled and shook her head, "Sure thing Pinkie." A yawn overtook her and she stretched her hooves. "Anyway, I'm gonna hit the hay. Don't wake me up in the morning like you did this time again, or else I'll make you do a day's work of farm work!"

"Alrighty! Bye-bye!" I bounced out of her room and out of the farm quite rapidly. Before I knew it, I was home.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day for all of us, and I can't wait!

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

From now on, the chapters will not be made so readily, just so you know. Prepare for an interesting story that WILL be finished!

3: A Proper Introduction

Rarity - Day 2

Kolec and Basak. Those were the two drakes Pinkie found in Twilight's library. One a rather daring crimson, the other a sharp navy.

As soon as the library started closing early and Twilight's been acting funny, it seems these two must've appeared around that timeframe, but for what purpose? And where did Spike go? How can we possibly get around this problem?

Sure, everybody came to the meeting and we know all the details, but what are we supposed to do with such facts?

I am beyond concerned for my Spikey-Wikey and can't bear to think of all the possibilities of what's to come of him, but there's no use getting mopey in public for something out of my control.

I find myself trotting around Ponyville, not sure what to make out of everything I've been told. I walked by everything: my boutique, the town hall, markets, houses, and eventually, Golden Oaks Library.

Even now, I didn't know what to make of it all. Maybe I should be angry or sad, but only confusion flowed through my body. Then I thought, Why not give our friend a visit?.

Of course! Why wasn't that thought of before! How could such a simple idea slip past my mind so quickly.

With determination, I approached the front door and knocked.

And knocked again.

Before I knew it, it's been five minutes trying to catch Twilight's attention, but with no response. As I looked down, one sheet of paper stapled to the door stood out. A new schedule. It read as:

Monday - CLOSED

Tuesday - CLOSED

Wednesday - CLOSED

Thursday - CLOSED

Friday - CLOSED

Saturday -CLOSED

My goodness! From closing one hour earlier last week to not being opened at all this week? What, in the name of Celestia, could be causing Twilight to need to miss out on all social interactions for weeks?!

I was worried, without a doubt, but if she wouldn't come to the door, I couldn't force her to. Sighing, I began walking back...until...shuffles came from just the other side of the door. Then whispers.

"You know you shouldn't be doing that! Imagine all the trouble we could get in!"

"Oh come on, man! What's the worst that can happen? We'll open the door and it'll turn into a gateway to Tartarus?"

"Shut up, Kolec! We can't always act so carefree, I don't want to get caught in the act."

"Live a little! Besides, haven't you wanted to do something more than the daily grind every day for the past couple weeks?"

"Whatever, dude. Just don't blame me if she comes back."

The sounds of metal creaked from the inside, unlocking, scratches, and wood falling down screeched through my ears, and I covered them and cowered my head low. Am I about to see the two dragons Pinkie spoke of?, I thought as the sound suddenly stopped. My composure was stiff as I lifted my head, craving to know what lay behind the door.

A scaly hand slowly pushed the door open to where a small creak of light sheen burst out to a corner. Before I could react in my cautious and confused attitude, a baritone voice quickly whispered, "Come in."

Suddenly, a coldness fell through my body as my hooves motioned the door slightly more open. There's no turning back at this point, I simply must know, I thought to myself.

My head and ears popped in, but there was nothing inside. The rest of my body came in as well, with my vision looking for anything out of line...

"Freedom at last!" that same baritone voice yelled as it got closer. Then I saw him. Crimson scales, yellow spines, hazel eyes, and a care-free attitude.

Kolec the dragon.

He swiftly drug right past me and zoomed out of the door, skipping. Such a hyperactive likeness could only be matched by Pinkie Pie.

"No, don't-! Oh gosh, I knew something bad would happen in no time..." a deep bass voice filled the room, "Of course something bad would happen now! Why not make my day worse than it already is..."

His body had marvelous navy scales with yellow spines, stopping short at his back I might add, sky blue eyes, and a look of discontent was written all over him.

Basak the dragon.

"Well? Are you gonna talk at all or was it a complete waste of time letting him open the door? It's not like I'm going out there to find him." he remarked to me, as I suddenly snapped back to the world.

"...Oh! I'm so sorry, my dear! It's just...I've only ever seen one tame dragon before besides you two! It's...peculiar to see such different features on someone with a similar size as-"

"Spike, I presume?" He says nonchalantly as he looks at his claws in front of him.

"W-well..." the nervous wreck in me striking my brain, "Y-Yes. He's a great dragon, he helps me a lot my own boutique!" I try to smile a wide grin.

Basak suddenly averted his eyes away from his claws and up at me, seemingly thinking of something. "You're..." he began dangling his claw at me as the other scratched his head, "Rarity, right?"

Sweating bullets, I nodded furiously and began to ask, "H-how did you know that?"

His eyes lift as he shrugs, "I don't...really know. It's weird, I didn't really listen to a word Twilight was telling me and Kolec, was too disinterested. Spike was mentioned a lot and how he had a connection, not to mention our visits with Celestia and Luna, where they asked me a bunch of useless questions, like What is your name? and What can you remember?. It was all very boring to me, didn't care. But, I'm getting way off topic here..."

I made sure to keep all the details stored in my head as he talked, and to get more information, I asked, "So, what have you been doing all day after your visits? You haven't really gone outside or interacted with any pony else, have you?"

"Unfortunately, you are correct. Twilight doesn't think it's a good idea, but I'm starting to understand where Kolec is coming from. Even if he is an airhead at times..." He rolls his eyes.

"So...That Kolec, huh? You've been stuck with him for a while now, I would think. What do you think about him?"

"Well...illogical, yet outgoing. He has a knack for talking to others, even if I don't particularly care for it. Very charismatic and also creative. I don't think any of the castle cooks can create half the deliciousness of his meals, and they've trained their entire life. But like I mentioned before, very illogical. Don't count on him for math, sciences, knowing trivia, or making an ounce of sense. He's not a bad guy, overall, but I can imagine him causing a lot of trouble if in the wrong situation." He scrunched his mouth and looked down, and suddenly brought it back up along with his claw.

I pondered everything he said, but not much could be questioned, and I had no idea how to continue from what he said. Then I looked up at him, Yes! He's going to talk!

"Why'd you even come here in the first place, Rarity?"

I would like those seconds of silence back, please! I thought, but I knew it couldn't be avoided. "If you must know, Twilight hasn't come out of that library for nearly a week! She didn't tell us anything either! You can only imagine how worried we were! Speaking of which....where is she now if she isn't here?" I asked. This is it, this could answer so many questions if he can tell me!

"Now that you mention it...." Bingo! "She was mentioning Spike today, as usual, and said she had to go pertain to something called Duality Gem. I dunno if it's a project or an item, but she said it was in Canterlot. I don't think she arrived yet though, considering how long the train usually takes and when she left, which was about three quarters of an hour ago."

To say I was blank-faced was an understatement, my mind practically drifted off the face of Equestria. Within ten seconds the drake was waving his claw in front of my face and I suddenly got out of it. "Uh...I'm fine."

"You sure? Did you forget the alphabet or anything? Forgot any letters?"

"N-No..." I said slowly, but something he said struck me. Alphabet, it contains letters. Letters.

Letters!

"Hey! This might sound like a weird sudden question to ask, but can you...cough up fire?" I asked frantically.

"Yeah...? Why?" He eyed me with a cautious glare.

"Just wait here a second! I need to make something really quick!"

And like that, I sprinted to Twilight's sign out desk and found a quill and a sheet of paper. I grabbed the quill with my mouth and began writing.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I was able to use Basak's flame to transport this message, if you have this, it was a success!

I've had a few lingering thoughts about Duality Gem. Could you possibly lay out all the information I need to know about it?

Even the information you think I already know, I just need a complete refresher for my analysis.

Mail it back to Basak ASAP, I'll read it once I'm back at the library!

Your Faithful Student, Twilight

I had to copy Twilight's penmanship mark for mark, it had to be convincing, or else Celestia wouldn't bite into the bluff. I knew she had to be in on Twilight's scheme, she just had to be!

With finished work, I got up and rolled up the scroll and prepared it for delivery. Then I walked back to Basak to, hopefully, get the job done.

"Alright, you devilishly handsome drake, I need you to focus all of your thought into Princess Celestia's throne room. Then, when you think you have enough focus," I quickly put the scroll into his claws, "You need to spit fire onto the scroll."

Basak stared at me like I was insane, not that I can blame him, he's never done it before nor has he heard of it. With one beckon toward the letter, he finally nodded and closed his eyes. Ten seconds later, they opened once again and he opened his mouth, poofing fire upon the letter.

The letter dissipated like it should have.

I was practically squealing on the inside, almost couldn't contain it! This mystery may conclude today if it goes right!

"Now we wait!" I said triumphantly.

"Mind me asking for what?" the tall drake asked with a narrowed eye.

"Well, let's just say I'm waiting for a burp." I giggled, leaving the dragon extremely confused.

"This better not take too long...I still have to make sure Kolec doesn't go nuts out there, and I don't want to be there after night's fallen. I shouldn't have even talked to you, but...It beats having to deal with him all the time I suppo-" but his word was drawn short when he covered his mouth and showed clear discomfort.

"No, no...Go ahead! It's not that big of a deal!" I told him boldly, even though I hated the noise that regurgitated from the letter coming.

He quickly nodded and let go of his grip. It was a monstrous burp, way more extreme than any of Spike's. A scroll dropped to the floor and rolled over to my feet.

I picked it up and opened it up without even thinking! I was so ready to see what was on that paper....

But I wasn't.

I was shaking as I read it, teeth practically crunching together, and eyes wider than walking in on one of Pinkie's surprises.

The scroll wasn't what I expected at all. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that.

I couldn't stay here, and so my legs mindlessly drove me out of the house.

"You could've at least said bye!" Basak said in the distance, but I couldn't be bothered to answer him or even look back.

What I saw needed to be shared.

Author's Note

This was the first chapter to be made on my own, and the rest will from now on!

My collaborator has, unfortunately, hit a writer's block and has chosen to not write anything in the meantime. I suggest you go read his stories, as they are fantastic!

Thanks all for the feedback I've been getting, it means a lot to me!

If you were wondering why I skipped the scene of the girls discussing the issue, it's because it wouldn't add a whole lot, and would just add words to the story. Hope you understand!

4: Two Beings; One Connection

Day 2 (CONT'D) - Pinkie

Gee willy! That meeting was way too long! I can't even count all the times I fell asleep just to dream up something interesting! Why did I even have to be there if Applejack was gonna be such a party-pooper and explain the situation and give me no opportunity? She's lucky I was awake when she needed the details about those two dragons! I remembered about the double berry mountain cake I baked the night before, and mm-mm~! I shared some slices and it seemed to wake everybody up, even if I didn't get all the cake I wanted!

Oh, the story! Bad habits!

Any whozies, all the girls went off after the meeting to whatever they had to do, only me and Rarity had a free day today and could do any thinking for the time being, but thinking is really hard though! Especially when you have to abandon all your aspirations to think like another pony, one who is practically the opposite of your own self! I think I'm deserving of a break for most of the day, I did make an important discovery the night before any how!

The sun beamed down on Ponyville as I walked out, birds chirped their wild songs, and the wind was stable, not too crazy to where my hair goes in fifteen more directions than it already does! All make a beautiful atmosphere, complimented by a pony who's mind is topsy-turvy from completely wacko events.

Who is Kolec and Basak? Where did they come from? Where did Spike go, for that matter?

Would any of these questions be answered? I don't know! I'm not a thinker, that's Twilight, and she's not available!

In the midst of all my strange thought, dust gusted up into my face and my eyes had to sharply shut, as my eyes began burning. What gives? I thought the wind was just fine a moment ago!

Shaking my head and looking up, nothing was there......until I looked over to my right.

It was a blur that began from Golden Oaks Library and trailed down into the general market. A red blur. An upright blur. Wait, was that who I thought it was?

My hooves clopped to the ground lightning-quick, my hair swung over to the right, and the dust trail got closer...closer...closer...

SLAM!

Wouldn't you know it, I crashed into the back of a building. How was I supposed to know that I couldn't transport through it? He could do it, so why couldn't I?

My perspective opened up once again, but I wasn't in the same place I fell. Before I was completely composed standing up, a voice I remembered began to speak.

"Pinkie! So nice to see you again!" The red dragon told me as he stood above. Kolec, I thought. Why is he out here? If he wasn't out here before, that means it was against the rules, which means he broke Twilight's rule! He's in for a rough time if she finds out!

"Sorry about yesterday! You seemed really fun, but Basak is soooo uptight! And I couldn-" I quickly put a hoof to his mouth, my eyes extended out as far as they could extend.

"What are you doing out here!? Don't you know where you are?!", I said quickly in a whisper, neglecting to actually hide ourselves were someone to come by. "Mpphmmppmpm! M mmped mm mp!" Oh right! I forgot to take my hoof off! My mind goes to mush in these kind of situations!

The hoof lifted from his face and he had a concerned, yet confident demeanor about him, "Oh come on! You can't tell me you've never broken to rules to have fun! Besides, so what if random ponies see me? Twilight never fully explained why it was a bad idea, so if anything it would be her fault!" He smiled with a sharp fang on his lip.

Such a wacko mind . . . Like my own! It's hard to come by any pony who can follow instructions like I do! I was thinking before I quickly halted the thought to get back on topic. "Well, you are soooo right! Ponies will never have super fun parties just trying to make sense and act 'serious'! That's a super smart way of thinking!" A huge Pinkamena Diane Pie trademarked smile grew from my muzzle as I squeezed his sides, out of my usual giddiness.

Um...Do we still have to keep whispering like this or can we just talk like normal? I want to have fun, not be restricted . . ." Kolec whispered to me once more, before I quickly nodded backing away a bit. When I tell someone a secret, I have the natural tendency to get closer, closer, and closer! This one time Rarity was only telling a 'non-serious' secret. Insane, right!? Secrets are meant to be kept for very serious reason! She had no right to get upset about me getting almost muzzle to muzzle to her for listen!

"I'm Pinkie Pie! Although, I'm sure you already knew that, Twilight always talks about her friends now that she has them! Y'know, she used to be a real buzzkill before she met us, she told us so~ many times how she never made time for her previous 'friends'. She was muzzle in book twenty-four-seven, I wouldn't be surprised if her best friend was the astronomy one she kept mentioning throughout! Ooo~! And did you hear that we haven't seen Spike anywhere?! It's really not the same without him around!" I finished in record time, only ten seconds! That beats the ten point seventeen I've done before!

Kolec looked at me with slightly squinted eyes, giving the impression of confusion. Oh come on! Why can't every pony, or every dragon in this situation, just understand my giddy talking acceleration? "Oh . . . Yeah, Twilight didn't tell us that, but I already knew. Actually though, her best book friend was one about Astrobiology. . . I forgot the title because it's like twenty words long! Talk about boring a reader before they even begin, ammiright?" He chuckled at his remark, which even I giggled at. Boy, this dragon sure understands me! Twilight manages to read a book with a title like that and I have to figure out what each word means itself, let alone figuring out what it all means put together, and don't even get me started on starting to read it! I'm surprised she's never told us her favorite book, though, seems like she would have mentioned it at least once or twice . . . Oh well! Can't be that important!

"You are one funny dragon! You said you wanted to have fun? Let's go to Sugarcube Corner! That's the bakery I work at, maybe I can help you learn some baking! I can even put some jewels in some treats just for you! I know that Spike likes it a lot, so I guess you might too!" I grab his hand before he can even respond and start walking to the bakery. Not that it mattered, he didn't resist or anything! Kolec even smiled brightly! Optimism is always something that makes me happy!

"Well, you lead the way!" He said with a small chuckle.

My Faithful Student, Twilight

The Duality Gem was an artifact found ten years ago in the Crystal Kingdom. It is unknown who found it directly and where it was found, but it was turned over to me by royal guards. I stored it in a closed off room only I and Luna knew the way to get into.

About three weeks ago, the gem began to glow in the room. It never got brighter when I touched it or otherwise, it simply kept a dim red glow. From there I invited you to come inspect the gem and you, of course, brought along Spike with you. We all were in the room and made observations about it: although nothing much changed while we were in there.

Spike seemed mesmerized by it though. He barely talked even when we directly referred to him, almost in a trance. Once he took the Duality Gem from the petal stool, he breathed fire onto it and it reacted. The gem turned yellow and shone brighter and brighter, almost blinding levels. Instead of him dropping the gem, he gripped more tightly as it seemingly disintegrated onto his body.

In a flash, a dark sphere took over Spike entirely, we couldn't see what was happening to him. Five seconds later, two drakes fell from the sphere and it was gone.

Avoiding the worry and sorrow we instantly had ( I think we can agree we both want to forget that moment), we questioned the dragons both together and separately. Basak and Kolec, were their names. They both had certain qualities Spike had, and both even mentioned certain memories Spike had experienced before. If they didn't know a pony Spike had met we showed, they recognized the look and had familiarity in tact.

Currently, we don't know what happened to Spike, but we have a couple theories. One, two dragons from a different world were taken and given parts of Spike's memory and personality while Spike was transported to their respective world. Two, the gem split Spike's soul into two, each with specific parts about Spike injected into them. These two thoughts were the best we could come up with, although other theories not yet made are in the realm of possibility.

We cannot rule out that there aren't any more Duality Gems in existence, but it is unlikely there are many more. We aren't sure, even then, if the gem has reverse effects when used again on the same dragons.

Make sure you keep the knowledge of the Duality Gem hidden, we cannot have a sudden surge of people looking for the gem for whatever purposes they may have.

Your Teacher, Princess Celestia.

I read it all aloud nervously as I read it the first time, it was still that powerful to me. The rest of the girls, with the exception of Pinkie, were staring at me, then at the letter, then with a huge shake . . .

"WHAT?!" The three girls all simultaneously yelled with agape mouths. It was mayhem from there.

"Twilight has been hiding split Spikes!?"

"The Duality Gem?! Where did it come from?"

"Why did Twilight not tell us this! We care about Spike too!"

"I cannot believe this is the reason she was gone!"

"What are we supposed to do from here!?"

"Be quiet, already!" I said as loudly as possibly. It worked, the girls looked back at me. You would not come close to comprehending how hard it was to do that, I couldn't imagine being so unladylike! Spike was on the line though and I couldn't be selfish!

"What did you expec', Rarity?" Applejack spoke up, "When being told something as strange and disturbing as that, it is not easy to stay mute on the subject! Especially when one of the closest friends we have was the one effected by it!"

"Ugh . . . I know you are right, but we need to keep as much of a leveled head as we can. As much as I want to question what drew Spike to the gem and what this Duality Gem is in the first place, we have to focus on the bigger picture." I sigh in defeat. I had so many mixed emotions, I was unsure if Spike was within those two drakes, if he was gone forever, or is just not here. It's hard to think about the topic when there is so much to cover . . .

"So . . ." Rainbow Dash began, "We're gonna march to Golden Oaks, go inside, and wait for Twilight to arrive, right? 'Cuz I don't see any other option, especially considering Twilight isn't here to give us any ideas. First we don't hear from them, and then we know that Spike is in an unknown condition. What a wakeup call. . ." The way she ended it made me shudder. At least I held up better than Fluttershy, who nearly looked on the verge of tears (she was being treated by Applejack, I wasn't trying to be distant).

Of course the idea made sense, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear about the whole deal just yet. I knew it had to be heard eventually, but it all seemed to happen too fast. "Alright. I suppose we could do that. We don't know how long we will be waiting, however."

"However long it'll take, it will be worth it. Trust me" Rainbow said boldly, to which I rolled my eyes.

"Kolec, are you sure you've never done this before?" He had made a layered strawberry shortcake and it was absolutely scrumptious! He said he cooked a lot, but he never mentioned that he bakes! I didn't even have to give him a complex recipe, he just knew what to add in and how to do it after I told him how much flour and eggs the cake needed. Either he is a show off, or he has a gift!

He gave wiped off his face and took off the apron he wore in the kitchen, while giving a joking demeanor, "Trust me, I wish I baked sooner! Cooking is fun, but this is a different type of fun! It's something I can put together while working on something else, thanks for letting me try it out!" He finally sat down with me and looked at me. He is definitely telling the truth, nothing about him says he would d something like that I thought to myself as I met his gaze.

"So, how're you enjoying the little cupcake-sized piece of Ponyville you've seen so far? It beats staying inside for so long, I'm sure!" I said confidently. I think I understood where he was coming from as he gave bits of info throughout our baking session, but I still wanted to know some more! It is not often you meet someone this interesting!

He snickered and put down his fork, "How couldn't I enjoy this place? It's great, being with Basak all day gets a bit annoying at times. I care for him a lot, yeah, but too much time around anyone can get a bit claustrophobic. He's very modest about his knowledge he learns from many of the books he reads, unlike Twilight, and he's a very fast learner for trivia, math, sciences, and even magic. When you give him something to learn, he'll likely try his hardest to figure it out, and won't give up without a fight. Basak can be a downer sometimes though . . ." He says as he looks toward the window, showing Golden Oaks Library. I was going to immediately reply, but . . . I began noticing around us how ponies were looking at Kolec and me.

Cringes, looks of despair, some ponies even telling their kids to stay away from the dragon quietly, and the bakery quickly emptied not long after. The worst part? Kolec didn't even notice what happened and why, which was the cherry on top of the despair milkshake. That was . . . soo~ unfair! What did Kolec do to deserve that? I'm being serious here, Nova, why would you make such a thing happen to Kolec!? Spike lived here for years, but one dragon comes around and people suddenly are super mean?

"Hey, uh, are you okay?" Kolec asked me and tapped his claw on the table quite loudly before I shook out of my intense though. I can't tell him right now, I'll just wait until he notices next time.

"Of course! What do you say we ditch this place and look for another cool place to hang out?"

"Sounds great!"

We walked out of the front door and saw something unexpected however. The four other girls, excluding Twilight of course, were standing outside of the Golden Oaks Library, knocking. Why were they . . . ?

Alright, listen up. Imagine having a less than average day. You couldn't do anything outside the restraints of four walls, there weren't many activities inside anyway, and you've read all the books the library had to offer that had some value. Congratulations, you are living a life quite like Basak!

Oh, did I say congratulations? I mean, my condolences go out to you for whatever reason out of your hands you were brought into. While I was staying inside doing what I was supposed to do, Kolec decided to go hang out in town. The fact he is so blissfully unaware of how disliked drakes, especially non-baby drakes, are to regular ponies is almost laughable. You would think it would be something considered a No duh, kind of sentiment, but not for Kolec, of course! I am forced to be with what seems like the biggest dolt at all times. Really lucky, I know.

So, what makes an amazing day even better? When four ponies you faintly recognize, or I guess probably just one of them, begin knocking furiously at the front door to your jail cell. Considering the magic spell Twilight put on the door, the only way it could be opened was either by her magic, or a special key only I have. I was not worried about them breaking down the door, obviously, but they kept knocking and knocking and knocking. . . and kept going for nearly thirty seconds. Finally there was some bliss, they'd gone away . . . until there were three sets of hooves all banging on the door.

"Will you guys shut the **** up? This is a private business, currently!" I roared with intensity at the door, standing next to it.

"Let us in, then! We need to be in there!" One adventurous voice spoke up. I remembered that voice. I swear it was . . .

"Rainbow Dash!" Yeah, I was sure of it. "I am under strict orders to not let anyone in the library. under any circumstances!

"Oh come on! Aren't we friends, Spike?" She said teasingly through the wood, but it wasn't funny to me.

"If you call me Spike ever again, I will burn off all the hair on your body." I said seriously as I walked away from the door, unable to hear what the ponies replied with, nor did I care. I went back to the sign out desk to overview a book I was researching. Before I could even get engrossed into it, a clanking noise came from the front door.

It opened, Kolec stood there with a scared smile and a key in his hand with another... pink pony, Pie, whatever her name is. If I saw myself, I would've looked like a torturer in that one moment.

"Oh for the love of! KOLEC! YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

Author's Note

Yes, the pink one will be breaking the fourth wall on occasion, deal with it.

Now we're getting somewhere!

As always, I will not guarantee the next release date for the succeeding chapter (I know I'm bad with that...).

5: Painful Reveal

Author's Note

Before this chapter starts, I want to explain something for the remainder of the story.

Basak and Kolec do not write in the collection of information Pinkie first started in chapter one, they express their emotions and day in a journal of sorts. The rest of the group do not necessarily know what they are feeling as they did not write in the letters unless they perform an action stating so.

The reason I bring this up is because I began thinking how they apply to the original Strange Case of Golden Oaks Library.

This will especially become important later on in the story, so keep this in mind.

With all that out of the way, enjoy the story! December is looking good in the way of writing productivity! Keep the feedback rolling!

5: Painful Reveal

Day 3 (12AM) - Kolec

Have you ever been to a family reunion where a simple disagreement ruins the atmosphere and makes everything from there on out uncomfortable? Well, apply the uncomfortable-ness to this situation and you get a good idea how long everything seemed. The girls were all in the tree house, the lights were all on, and they stared at me and Basak. Whether it be a stare of bewilderment, fear, or something else, I had no idea. All I knew was that the hours we all spent together felt like days every minute we couldn't leave.

As much as I enjoyed hanging out with Pinkie Pie, was this truly worth it? I sure talked the talk about a 'lack of repercussions', but of course, the worst outcome occurs. Lovely, now Basak will be all I told you so! Stop being a moron!, and I hate it when I prove his theories right . . .

"Why didn't you come to us sooner, Spikes?" A heavy emphasis on the 's' was given from the rainbow pony. "You had to have been around for at least two weeks and you didn't think once to- AH!" She quickly jumped as a fire dart just dodged her.

"I told you, don't you ever call me Spike. I know how to use fire." His voice got very dark as he went put out the small dart of fire with his foot. "I don't insult you for no reason, do the same for me for Tartarus sake." He grumbled as he went back to his starting position. For some reason, I got chills when he said Tartarus.

"Oh you little-!" The rainbow pony quickly said before walking up quickly to Basak. I want to point out that Basak and I are at least half a head taller than all of the ponies present (yes, we are at least teenage drakes), so naturally he gave a small chuckle to her remark. It was a struggle, but I managed not to make a sound, though a smile crept across my face. "You aren't hot stuff! Stop acting so edgy and just answer the question already!" She seemed quick to anger, but I didn't want to bring that up, obviously, that's like dousing a small fire with gasoline.

"Um . . . I'm gonna make a guess and say, Rainbow Dash?" I said pointing a finger to her, to which she nodded with the distain still on her face. "Y'see, he doesn't like being called Spike. It's a bit of a rough spot for us to bring up. Besides, you DID provoke him. . ." I'm not sure how much that may have altered her anger, but she seemed to have gone back to a poker face. "Oh, right! I'm going to assume that you already know Twilight told us not to speak up. That's fairly obvious in this situation. But, to tell you the truth, we are just as unaware to the situation as everyone else is." And that was true of me to say. Ever since I popped into the room where the Duality Gem supposedly was, I didn't remember much of anything beforehand. "What were me and him supposed to say? Hey, we are dragons that resulted from an unknown effect of this weird gem the Princess found. Want to hang out?"

Rainbow Dash anger seemed to dim but she held a more indifferent composure now, "Well . . . I don't know! If I came from some random experimental thingy I certainly wouldn't be sitting in here all day! Even if Twilight told me to do so!"

"Now Dashie . . ." Pinkie began, "You know how scary Twili can get when we don't follow her instructions. You know Spike would never hear the end of anything he did if he didn't do it the exact way she told him to!" She even managed a giggle, "Don't be so hard on them, they have an excuse: they were practically born yesterday!"

"Actually . . .We first came out of that gem process a little over two weeks ago." Basak with a raised eyebrow remarked.

"No, silly!" She shook her head quite rapidly, "Just because you came into existence at that time doesn't mean you actually lived! When I broke in yesterday and you had to do stuff on your own, that's when life began for you two! Just as life never started for me until I threw my first few parties! They were so~ much fun and now I can host parties pinktuple the fun!"

"Did she just make up that word from her name?" Basak whispered to me; I responded with a confused shrug. "I'm not even gonna argue the 'not-living' point with you . . ." He spoke once more, giving himself a slow face palm. He walked away from us and left for the stairs. If you couldn't tell already, Basak is very cynical and sarcastic, almost a bit full of himself to an extent, but he means well. He may seem like an entitled jerk, but that's not all there is to him, trust me.

"Yeah . . . Sorry to make it seem so boring, Rainbow, but there's really not much to be said that hasn't already been figured out, considering Rarity sort of manipulated Basak." Rarity seemed offended by it, but I cut her off before she even began, "Come on, even if you were trying to get to the bottom of the situation, you still took advantage of his ignorance. No grudges or anything, but it was technically manipulation, just of a good-natured kind, I suppose." That seemed to calm her down, but it became obvious that I have to watch what I say around them, girls are a lot different from Basak and even Twilight (she'd kill me for saying that, but it's true!).

"U-Um..." A soft voice coming from the back of the group cut through them, the yellow mare in particular beginning an approach, "D-do you know if Spike is alright? Can you . . . um, sense anything about him? I hope he's alright, he was such a good dragon . . ." I couldn't think of what her name was, but I definitely knew about her character.

Here's the thing: I may remember things about people or remember their names, rarely both. To give an example, I do not know much about Rainbow Dash, although I did know her name and how she and Spike met. The same applies to Basak, although he usually remembered knowledge from books more than other ponies. A lot of the evidence seems to suggest that me and Basak are split from Spike, but the specifics don't lead me in one direction or the other, and I sorta have a hard time believing the theory. It is a hunch, but I'm going to just say that me and Basak have a connection to Spike for now.

Knowing all of this, I was unsure on how to answer the mare truthfully; there was no clear answer to the situation. If I gave her hope, then it may be crushed, but if I give her the worst, she'll be devastated for months, possibly over the course of a year. Trying to reach a middle ground, I spoke out, "Twilight and the Princess have told me that the likelihood Spike was killed or hurt is low. That is all I can say for sure, but I think he is safe." I'm not sure if she was comforted or upset by the answer, though it seemed to satisfy enough. She wasn't crying nor did she have tears, so I could sense that was a good thing from her.

"Whut do yah mean, fine? The only thang that makes sense is that Spike was split into you and Basak! You can't just keep trying to toy with Fluttershy's emotions!" Applejack told me with a stern glare. Fluttershy is her name, got it. I thought to myself. I had to be swift with my response so Fluttershy wouldn't think she is completely true.

"There are plenty of theories that make sense. The Princess even said so, but considering I'm one of the two who are connected to Spike, I think I can sense things better than others about him, I can safely say Spike is more than dandy." I may have exaggerated a little bit, but I don't want any of these girls to think they know the full story when even me and Basak don't have the clearest picture.

"I will trust you for now. But if you were attempting to hide the truth you may know, you will be thinking twice for the rest of your days when I find out." She was definitely not someone I wanted to have on my bad side, as her statement rightfully showed. Luckily for me, I didn't necessarily hide the truth, I simply inferred and got a decent answer. I'll just have to hope she thinks the same way I do if, for whatever reason, I'm wrong.

I looked at the clock, and it was almost a quarter after twelve. Twilight would be here any minute, I was sure of it, and she would not be happy that they all figured out. I better hope that the girls side with me in a way that makes me not get in trouble . . . What was that?

Clop, clop, clop, clop came from outside the front door. There were small jingles, likely her key ring, and an unlock. That's when things got awkward; the door didn't actually open. It wasn't like she was trying to open the door either, she simply trotted away from it

"Stay put, girls." Rainbow said, "It may be a trick to avoid us." She obviously wouldn't buy just anything after Twilight avoided them all. It's respectable, but such a mindset could cause issues in the wrong situation. I disregarded her statement and walked to the door, only the realize I was locked in. What!? She has a key like that? Why would she lock us in without even knowing who is in here? I had to act it off though, I didn't know her plan and can't just try to do something that may make me look worse.

"I'll stay put with you then, she can't avoid me forever; I live here." I said in defeat.

Basak

Waiting on Twilight to come back made me realize something: she was acting extremely off before she left to go wherever she went. Most of the time she was silent, though when she did talk it was mumbles to herself with a hopeless exterior. In fact, now that I think about it, she never even said she was going anywhere before she left. We only knew she'd be back around twelve-fifteen because she left a small note just stating she'll be back at that time.

Now, with your deductive reasoning skills, figure this out. Was Twilight: a) going do something dangerous, risky, or stupid, b) doing something ten times worse than that, c) ignoring her brain and doing something a thousand times worse, or d) all of the above? I'm going to go with 'd', because you'd have to be extremely ditzy to not think that.

Unlike Kolec, I think about stuff like that more carefully and notice faults. Axioms, mathematical laws stated to be true, have often been put in situations where they are no longer true. What do mathematicians do from there? They usually ignore the issue and don't let math get into such situations where it happens. However, despite how Kolec the genius may be treating it, Twilight's problems cannot be ignored or avoided. She isn't the most reliable source and has slowly been going crazy without her assistant, the oh-so wonderful Spike she never fails to mention. (More on that later, now isn't the time.)

There are advantages to going upstairs to be alone from the group that stayed downstairs. One example? Seeing Twilight approaching the tree house and trotting around to the front from her bedroom window. Let me tell you something, I was not about to be caught downstairs in the midst of the madness that was surely about to ensue. I liked to be in a calm state of mind and such an argument would not only annoy me, but keep me from thinking about things that are genuinely important. That isn't what happened though, which came as a shocker.

The lavender mare walked back into the sight from the window and, I guess, tried walking out from view. However, I could still see her barely from my field, and what I saw was . . .a bit surprising, to say the least. She had a potion in a test tube in one hoof with a book in the other. Naturally, I was suspicious. Very quietly, I unhooked the window seal and slid it up. Instinct told me to get out there and I did. It took a lot of effort, but I made no noise loud enough for the mare to take notice and turn around. Then, the mood finally revealed itself: she was sobbing.

Listen, I don't get emotional about nearly anyone when it comes to anything, or at least I haven't yet because of nothing serious. But . . . seeing her so choked up opened my heart. I didn't even know what she was going through and somehow I felt her pain. I reached out a claw with true sorrow in my face, though I held it back. Sometimes you can't take away from a moment and this felt like something I needed to see, at least part of it. Through chokes and sniffles, Twilight began to slowly talk to herself.

"I'm sorry, but it is the only way I can get close to figuring out anything . . . Please forgive me, everybody . . ." She finished and levitated the potion. She wiped her eyes with her hooves and began to bring the potion closer, but I would not let it reach her lips.

"Twilight, don't!" I rushed to her and plugged the tube with a finger, steadying a firm grip on it. She looked up, our eyes connected, and I could see it all: every bit of pain that has been going through her mind that she couldn't necessarily share. Words were not coming for either of us, all I thought to do was take the potion with my left claw and hug her. She continued her soft sobs on my shoulder but I didn't stop her. The worst part of it all happening was that I never shed a tear. They didn't come to me because I didn't know her, yet I did . . . It sounds complicated, and it is, but I felt really awful in the moment.

Wanna know the perfect way to kill a touching moment? Having five ponies and a dragon appear from the window in that moment and watch it all happen. With a snarling look on my face, I motioned for them to shut their traps and go back inside. They did, to my surprise (they seemed too stubborn!), and I got out of the hug and told Twilight, "Listen, let's go inside. The girls are here and they know a lot about the situation, Kolec let them in for some ungodly reason. You can't avoid it, we need to face it finally." The truth was, I didn't want to face it any less than she did, but I had to be strong and encourage her.

The final tears dropped from her face and she cleared the areas the stream came from and took a step back, "A-Alright. Thank you, Basak..." We walked to the front of the tree house and she unlocked the door, opening to reveal Kolec and the five mares. I knew this was going to be a long night. I did what I could though, and not much else I could've done would make me be of any more assistance. I gave Kolec a look of If you don't help her I'm going to beat you to a pulp. Considering he nervously shook his head as Twilight and I walked in, I think he got the message. Maybe it was an ego thing, but I couldn't comfort her in front of the rest of them, so I retreated back up the stairs as I took one more glance down at everyone.

Besides, I had to take a look at the potion I took from her and see exactly what it was.

6: Magical Insight

Twilight - Day 3

Well, this isn't something I thought I'd be writing in, but they found me out and there's no point in trying to be hidden now. Rarity did a very clever move by using Basak's fire breath to transfer a message to the Princess, making her think it was me. I'm more surprised I didn't think about using either of the drakes' dragon abilities in the first place, it could've made traveling to and from Princess Celestia every few days unnecessary. She is definitely a lot more intelligent than I give her credit . . . Oh, but where was I?

You see, it wasn't just my idea about the whole hiding part: Princess Celestia and Luna told me it would be wise to not reveal two dragons while one was missing. None of us understand the power of the Duality Gem, where it came from, who found it, and why it seemed to draw Spike into itself. I try to not think about him all the time, but ever since he disappeared I was so jumbled and lost with everything. I kept thinking how I didn't do the best job as a friend in including him, everything I did wrong, how he was too kind to me, and generally how unfair we were to him while he was so nice in return, all for him to be gone suddenly.

I was so sad with myself that I tried to replicate the ability of the Duality Gem in hopes to find a reversal in the form of a potion. Basak was too quick for me to try though, it was probably for the best that he did and confiscated my work. There is no telling what I would try again were I alone. So where does this lead me? Well, (as the two drakes told me after the events transpired) I was now in one of the most uncomfortable moments in Golden Oaks Library I've ever experienced. An awkward, silent standstill stood for about ten seconds before Kolec took the first shot at talking.

"Why were you crying?" he asked. "You know that me and Basak are always here for you for everything you need. Based on how the girls did everything in their power to catch you, I'm willing to bet they also will help when you need it. We will always be there for you." He definitely knew how to use his words, because he actually made me smile a little bit, albeit mostly a sad grin.

It was hard to come up with the proper response. On one hand I needed to keep my composure as much as possible, but on the other hand the stress of trying to figure out this case is wearing me down day by day. Although the tears from the encounter with Basak faded, the thought of Spike not here flew back to me and a few drops went down my cheek.

"I . . . feel like I've lost Spike forever. I have been trying e-everything to b-bring him back day by day, but to no avail---I don't know if he's gone or not and it's not an easy thought to deal with for me, he's practically my brother." Every sentence was filled with sniffles, chocked up talking, and whimpering, but it wasn't fake. I cried nearly every day after Spike was lost to the Duality Gem and the two new dragons came along as a constant reminder, almost as a mocking jest by the gem if it were sentient.

The girls laid close to me for comfort, but it wasn't of much help. They constantly said the typical sympathetic banter you'd be used to hearing after any sad incident in your life. I wanted them to help me feel better, but nothing worked by them. They knew well, of course, but they didn't understand the situation like I did. Nothing can make you feel worse when people are desperately trying to help you, but they can't no matter how hard they try.

Kolec, idly standing nearby, walked in front of my and ducked down. "Twilight, I know you are hurting, and you have every right to be, but . . ." he looked down with an uneasy posture and face, "Spike is going to end up okay. Maybe I mean nothing to you, but I know for sure that everything will turn out as it should for Spike. I just know there's a connection between me and him, I can sense it."

My tears stopped as I heard this, while my mouth slowly gaped open. Could he really sense Spike? How can he? Did I cause him to feel unwanted in the world? my mind swirled in thought, contemplating how this could be. I got up from the floor and looked at him carefully, "Is it true you are a part of Spike? Just a cut out section of some of his characteristics? You'd know better than any one else who were involved."

Kolec didn't answer immediately, he looked down with a flustered face, putting his claw to his chin. He rose his face once more and said, "No comment."

"What? No comment!? What does that even mean?! Are you trying to hide something from us?! What would you have to hide and why?!" I quickly got angry. Maybe it was unjustified, but I couldn't help but lash out at an answer that makes more questions than it solves. Kolec didn't seem fazed by it though, he kept a stern poker face the entire time. That really irked me, but considering his lack of knowing me extremely well, getting through to him was likely impossible at this point. I sighed heavily, but he actually began without me asking again.

"I'm not one hundred percent positive of any theory you and the Princesses thought up. That's all I can possibly answer truthfully." Kolec yawned and stretched in place, looking at the clock above my desk. "Woah, I'm gonna get to bed, getting too late for my liking. Don't be up all night discussing please, you can do that tomorrow." Before he began to make his retreat upstairs, he beckoned toward Pinkie, "Hey, let's hang out again soon, it's nice to be active instead of laying about inside all day."

"Y-yeah, no problem Kolec!" Pinkie said as he already made it upstairs, but his head came out for a brief moment to give a slow wave, then leaving the light.

I look back up at the staircase both of the dragons ascended and I finally realized something about myself: I have been unfair to Kolec and Basak. It was risky, while I was forcing them inside, to allow myself to let them have their own hobbies, interests, and their own time to spend. I felt if I could've just found the solution quickly and bring Spike back, I shouldn't give them false hope. Yes, if it weren't obvious, I do believe that Spike was simply split into two different drakes, I can't see many other outcomes that make much sense of the situation than that explanation, but even if this assertion is correct, then I still shouldn't be controlling their lives. As I just mentioned, I think Spike is split, and if Spike still remains within them, I know he wouldn't want himself to be of no use to fixing the situation.

I've been so stuck with the thought that I lost Spike that I have not been giving these drakes the chance to truly live their lives. That changes now.

" Wait! Come back down for one second!" I shouted towards the top of the stairs to get both of their attentions, if I could.

"Huh?" Kolec's voice was faintly heard from the top, while his steps got louder. He and Basak walked down toward the middle of the stairs, and stopped.

"Well? Did you have to tell us something Twilight?" asked Basak, in a surprisingly calm tone, with no clear annoyance or anything apparent in his composure. I'm used to him being more irritated by me trying to talk to him, but he didn't even have a single gram of attitude towards me at all. It's . . . kind of nice, and familiar.

I looked up at both of them with a short smile and softly said, "You can start leaving the treehouse from now on . . . and I'm sorry for keeping you shut out from the world, you don't deserve that. From now on, you can do your own thing, and I won't have any problems with it. I promise." The last couple of words came out faintly, but everybody in the room could hear it.

Kolec and Basak looked at each other with surprised disbelief, I could tell they didn't know how to take the news. "Really?!" they both asked with wide eyes as they clung onto the railing.

"Really," I quickly replied with a wider grin. "Anything you've been wanting to do, within reason, you can do it. There is no point in holding you back from now on, it's your lives."

The two drakes looked at one another once more and, I think they nodded in agreement before looking back at us.

"Could we go to Canterlot?"

Author's Note

Well, it has been a while, hasn't it?

I never forgot about this story, college work is just hard to balance with being a writer on this site.

Expect to see more chapters this summer, as I'm not running out of any ideas!

7: A Book a Day Keeps a Dragon at Bay

Pinkie - Day 3 of "The Strange Case of Twilight Sparkle Spike"

Ha! You thought I was going to stop this investigation report because we figured out why Twilight kept reeking of fish, didn't you? Wro-ong!

Before we all left for Canterlot, me and Kolec went back to Sugar Cube Corner again for breakfast. Solving and changing investigations builds up a ginormous appetite~! But somehow, Kolec, who wasn't even working hard to solve it, ate more than I did! While I finished a few muffins, Kolec was ate a dozen of our HUGE donuts! And the funniest part, he only had a tiny burp after he took his last sip of milk!

"Y'know Pinkey, you and your bosses make fantastic bakers! I don't think anyone has given me better donuts than these!" I wanted to reply, but I burst out laughing, and even when I was about to stop, I began giggling even more!

"What!? What's so funny about complimenting your baking?" Kolec asked bewildered, as I was finally able to gather myself up to reply.

"Y-you said yesterday t-that . . ." I giggled once more, as my tummy began to hurt, "You only ever had pastries and baked goods when you came here!" He stared, but his grin began to shine and he laughed hysterically; I joined in! He added some slams to the table to compliment his laughs, and that only made it funnier!

"Oh, sweet Celestia!" Kolec began to wipe a tear from his eye as his breath normalized, "Guess I was basically born yesterday!" He couldn't seem to wipe a grin off of his face the entire time we hung out together, both yesterday and this morning, his joy is practically contagious! That was when Mr. and Mrs. Cake approached us with a plate and a look I'd know from a mile away: taste bud heaven.

"Pinkie," Mrs. Cake began, "Did you make these triple layered fudge brownies? This has to be the greatest recipe I've ever tasted!" Mr. Cake nodded and spoke as well, "Yes! These are quite possibly the best brownies I've ever tried!" The couple held the plate of brownies in front of us to look at. Kolec looked shocked and took a bite of one, as he looked back at both of them.

"M'am, mister, it was me who made these yesterday." Kolec said with an honest look.

The partners looked at each other and held their mouths a-gape for a solid ten seconds! I remember now! Those brownies were, indeed, the most scrumptious chocolate-y squares of immortality I've ever tried before! He even beat my own multi-layered fudge brownies, and most every type of creatures I've met come back for them all the time (even if I have to send fifty letters at a time to convince them)!

The Cakes quickly hoisted Kolec up from his seat and patted him on the back, as he was very confused. I don't believe he knows about his own quality cooking and baking quite yet, so that may be the weird reason, although if I had that level of skill, I'd likely never leave the kitchen! But, if I'm in the kitchen all the time eating my own creations, nopony will have the opportunity to try them out, and I won't have the time to have parties, so maybe it's a good thing I don't have such prowess! Ha! Prowess! I knew that one day after we got to talk to Twilight once more I'd finally be able to use those big words in conjunction with my regular thoughts! Ooo~, conjunction as well! And did you know that . . .

Two Tedious Hours of Writing Later

. . . and that is why it is a good thing that I write all the time in this journal entry! Such usages of the word prowess in conjunction with the case at hand make for a professional entry for important investigations!

Wait, what? The job? Oh right!

The Cakes, gleaming with admiration, exclaimed, "Please work for us! We will start you at the highest possible starting wages we can if you can bake for us!" Kolec was stuffed between the couple at this point and was practically choking between the hooves around him and the heads of the Cakes so close to his own.

With a small aspiration, Kolec breathed out, "I'll . . . take . . . the job . . ." He was finally let go and returned back to his regular stance as he slowly breathed, holding his neck. "I can start the job the day after I get back from Canterlot, which should be two days from now. From there on, I think I can make regular hours." He made a quick chuckle and finally said, "I think we've gotta go now, though. The train leaving for Canterlot is gonna depart soon." He tilted his head toward me and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Of course I am! I still think it's weird that you two wanted to go to Canterlot of all places first, but I don't think it's a bad place to experience a lot of what Equestria has to offer! Did you know that the Grand Galloping Gala is held there? Twilight was the reason why I was able to go for the first time and every time afterward! Even if you can't get as crazy as you can at my own parties, it still has such a fun atmosphere I know you'd enjoy next time it comes around! I can even tell you-" Kolec began to wave back to the Cakes with a nervous smile and pushed us both out of the bakery, closing the door behind us.

Do you know how difficult it is to capture everything I said after he shut that door? Even I, a pony with really good memorization of everything I say every minute of every day, could not recollect every detail I told him! That's an accomplishment worth noting! According to Twilight, such feats are not recognized by scholars of world records, which is a total bummer! I should be given the special medal, I earned it! After all, I'm ninety-nine percent sure I went over my entire life story, how everyone in our group met, and was even able to list off all the most note worthy pastries I've ever tried in my life before we even arrived at the train station! All the other girls along with Basak were already there by the time me and Kolec made it through the station entrance and they all slightly sniggered toward Kolec, except for Basak's apparent apathy for the situation.

Geez Louis! Would it kill for that drake to express himself in a positive way for once? Sure I only really saw him twice, but still!

Basak

I'm honestly surprised myself that Kolec and I had a common interest for once, even if it is something as simple as visiting Canterlot. I don't know his reasons for wanting to go there, but I had plenty of studying I had to do, and for once out of these past few weeks, it isn't only books I need to study.

Twilight has been looking into the whole gem situation for the entire time me and Kolec were stuck in Twilight's treehouse. It would be hard to express my own thoughts of boredom after hearing and seeing the same banter that leads to no conclusions. Personally, I think Twilight should give up on trying to figure out the gem, but she just needs to be stuck on that damn assistant for as long as possible . . .

The train had departed and the group stayed together as you may expect, except for Kolec. He had insisted on talking to me for a brief moment while I was in the end train car.

"What have you been thinking about doing in Canterlot, Basak? It's great that you were all for this trip and all, but I didn't see you as much of a traveler or anything." He asked me curiously with his typical Kolec smile. I hated how intoxicating it was, it could even make me shoot a tight grin with that look.

"Uh, well you know, I wanted to check out some new material. Twilight's library, even if it is expansive, gets very miniscule after awhile, especially with my reading speed." I shrugged as I scratched one of my back spines.

"Yeah, I know." He said with a joking eye-roll, "You read practically a million times as fast as Twilight! Not to mention you also dedicate more time of the day to it than she does!" We shared a laugh at this realization.

"I also plan to find new things to do around the city. There's a lot of things that sounded downright foolish to try, but I'm in an adventurous mood right now."

"Woah!" He said with a gasp, "Watch out Equestria; I'm not sure if you can handle this side of Basak the Dragon!" He burst out laughing, but was cut short by a swift slap to the face. He quickly yelled back as he staggered, "Hey, what was that for?!"

"Don't push your luck. Be glad that's the only thing I do in my friendly adventurous mood."

"That was being friendly? Then what is considered mea-" He came to a halt mid sentence with a finger held toward me and a bit of a dumb expression. Did he realize how obvious I would have to make it? "Right. I don't want to poke the sleeping bear." I could've let him off with a warning for that one, but I let it slide. "Well, I'll talk to you later. I have to go catch up with the girls a little bit."

Kolec stood up from the seat and approached the door as he reached for it, but pulled back as his head stood still. He slowly turned to my view and stared for a few seconds. It was . . . a little awkward. He usually isn't this silent for no reason (well, he is never really that silent either way).

I rose a single eye in response to his sudden actions and he finally said, "Have you been feeling the connection? It's been radiating as we have been getting closer to Canterlot."

". . . What?" was all I could muster saying.

He opened the door forcefully and said, "Don't worry about it. It's nothing." and finally left the car.

Introduction

There exists in all of us not another personality, but groups of different I's that make up our entire being. It is summed up as such:

One desires to work-out to attain a better looking physical body, so that they may show it off around town. Yet when it comes time to leave the house to work out, suddenly one feels a stir of laziness and decides to stay home instead.

Thus, there is no singular I, but groups of them attached with their own desire. Each fight daily to have their prominence in the body. So what would happen to these I's if there was more than one body to constitute them?

The following tale tells of the lesson that comes when someone is split into more than one being. It is more than a fight between good and evil, it is a battle against free will, and debating once and for all, what truly allows us to say the word I.