The sun shined through the window as I awoke on the couch, hitting my eyes and making me wince as I moved a hoof to block it out. Darn Celestia, having to raise the sun at this hour. Couldn't I just have five more minutes of sleep before having to start another hard day of most likely doing nothing?
Well, I guess there was that book thing I had to investigate too, but that could wait until-
Oh wait, it is tomorrow now.
This absolutely stunning revelation caused me to fall off my couch and onto the hard floor, landing on my side and sending a spike of pain up my spine. The next several minutes were spent hissing out loud while rolling on the floor, which may have been a little over the top. But hey, it doesn't matter if nopony is around to see it, right?
Or maybe that makes it even stupider. I didn't know, and I didn't want to think too hard about it either.
After my award-winning semi-acting was over, I pulled myself onto all fours and trotted over to the book, still sitting where I had left it on the table. It had stopped vibrating, which was nice, but that didn't mean that I wasn't still going to treat it like a bomb. For all I knew, opening it now could unleash horrors untold upon all of Equestria, dooming ponykind to a new age of darkness and despair.
I, however, am not a pony who knows how to disarm a bomb, or a magical artifact, and so just decided to get it over with and open the cover up. Darkness did not spill out of the pages, which was a relief. I guess ponykind would live another day.
As I turned the pages, everything seemed exactly as I remembered it. The words still looked the same, though I couldn't tell for sure being honest. All the pages of writing were still pages of writing, up until my single line of ink and the sizable splotch of ink I had spilled yesterday, which fortunately only seemed to have bled through a few pages.
Something caught my eye just as I was about to close the book again, however. On the very next page past where the ink bled, there were words. Words that were definitely not there before when I had read the book in the Canterlot Library. There were only a few of them, and it looked like a question from the symbol at the end of it. The hoofwriting was very neat and formal as well.
And that's when my brain decided to turn its gears for once in my life. This wasn't just a normal magical book. It was a book of magical letters. Somepony somewhere could write letters, which would show up here to be read by somepony else. It likely worked the other way around too.
So basically, I had messed up real bad and now had a probably-annoyed pony on the other end waiting for a response I couldn't give.
Oh boy.
I weighed the options I had at this point, many of which weren't that great. I could try to put the book back where I found it the next time I visited Canterlot, but with how much I had already tampered with it that was unlikely to solve my problems. Theoretically, I could come clean directly to Princess Celestia, but that didn't exactly seem like the best idea either. Telling Twilight would get her in a fit and lead to the same problem as Celestia, given how she would almost certainly send her a message about it. And telling any of Twilight's friends would have them tell Twilight, which keeps leading back to the first problem.
What I needed was somepony I could trust, who was reliable and close by. Somepony who knew what they were doing, but could also keep a secret. A reliable, dependable and most importantly, friendly somepony.
...Yep, I knew absolutely nopony who fulfilled all of those requirements. But I did know one who was close to them, so I would have to settle for that. Shoving the book back into my worn saddlebag, I readjusted my hat for probably the millionth time this week before heading back out into the streets of Ponyville.
By now I was a regular sight to the locals, so most just gave their standard friendly wave as I passed by. And I, the ever courteous gentlestallion, either tipped my hat or waved back, depending on what I was feeling. A few still gave me an odd look after what had happened yesterday, but that was fine. I couldn't blame them.
After all, I would probably be doing the same thing if I had seen a stallion run down the streets while being chased by a bunch of mares.
My destination was a familiar one; the Golden Oaks Library. I needed the help of one of its residents, and a quick knock on the door revealed exactly who I was looking for. "Hello, Spike," I said, looking around inside the library. "Twilight wouldn't happen to be here, would she?"
Spike shook his head. "Nope, she's out getting the girls ready to fix up the Castle of the Two Sisters. Do you need her for something? She should be back soon..."
"No no," I quickly answered, "that's fine. I actually needed your help, Spike."
"My help? For what?"
I opened my mouth to respond but failed to find the right words to adequately explain what I needed. "Can I come inside first?" I finally decided on asking.
"What? Oh, yeah, sorry." He got out of the way and let me into the library, closing the door behind me. I noticed the slight bags under his eyes and his yawn as he walked to the central table, taking a seat on a stool.
"You look tired," I commented, grabbing my own seat next to him.
The dragon just nodded. "Yeah, I stayed up late last night reading the new Power Ponies issue I got back in Canterlot. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Okay," I commented, shrugging. "If you say so."
A few moments of awkward silence followed. "So, about that help I needed," I finally said, pulling out the book from my saddlebag. "It's pretty simple. There's this book I have, and I need you to one of the pages for me. I think it might be magical, since the words on it definitely weren't there when I first saw the pages it's on."
Spike's eyes widened as he saw the cover. "Isn't that Celestia's cutie mark?" He stared at me, with an expression somewhere between surprise, worry and confusion. "Where did you find this?"
"Not important." I flipped to the page right past my unfortunate accident and pointed at the words printed there with a hoof. "Read, please."
"Fine, fine." Grabbing the book to get a better look, he cleared his throat before beginning to read. "Princess Celestia? Is that you?" Lowering the piece of literature, Spike's eyes were even wider than they were before. "Jungle, I don't think this is yours."
I snatched it back from him. "I don't think it's mine either," I grumbled as I set it back down open on the table. "Right, well, this isn't exactly the situation I had hoped for, but we'll have to make due. Spike, I'll need you to write a response."
All Spike did was fold his arms at me. "Nuh-uh, I'm not getting into something like this. You stole this book from Princess Celestia, didn't you? And why don't you just write it yourself?"
"Yes, I did steal it, okay?" I said, gritting my teeth. "And that's not important, so could you just write what I tell you to?"
"You can't just dodge the question like that! If you want it written so badly then why don't you do it?"
"BECAUSE I'M ILLITERATE, OKAY?"
My outburst silenced Spike, as I breathed heavily while glaring at him. That anger quickly subsided into both regret and melancholy, as I sat back down again. "I can't read or write. I was never taught how in Tenochtitlan. That's why I brought this for you." I looked up at him. "That's why I need your help."
Spike's jaw hit the floor. "Wait, so let me get this straight," he started, presumably after he had gotten over the shock of my admission. "You've never read a book? Like, ever?"
"Never."
"Wow." Spike entered a deep state of contemplation, which I could tell from the fact that his face looked like it was thinking really hard. "Wait, why don't you just ask Twilight to read this? Why me?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Spike, Princess Twilight literally lives in a library. Do you have any idea what she would do or how she would act if she found out I couldn't read?"
"Oh... fair point."
"This has to just be between you and me. I know I'm asking for a lot, and I'm going to owe you for this one. But somepony on the other end of that book is expecting a response, and you're the only one I trust to give one."
Well, that technically wasn't true. I knew a few other ponies who I could sort of trust, but not a single one was reasonably reachable at this point in time. That made it a little true, and hey, it made Spike feel a little better about it. Or at least, he looked like he felt better about it.
"Alright, I'll do it," Spike finally said, pulling out a quill. Where did he get those things anyway? It was like he always had one close by whenever Twilight said to write something down. "Just tell me what you want me to write."
Taking a deep breath, I mentally sent a quick thank you to whoever was watching before going over what I wanted to say. It needed to be concise, but not too concise. Blunt, but not too blunt. Truthful, but not- you get the idea. Ink was permanent, so I was only going to get one chance at this.
But right as I was going to open my mouth to speak, there was a knock at the door.
If I had liquid in my mouth I would have spewed it. Spike dropped the quill and almost fell from the stool while I rushed over to the book and slammed it shut before shoving it quickly into my worn saddlebag. Just the second after I had regained my composure the door opened, and I absolutely expected it to be Princess Twilight.
Nope, it was just some random pony.
"Oh, hey Beacon," Spike said, obviously familiar with them. "Do you need something?"
The stallion nodded. "Yeah, just a copy of Rules for Bodyguards. Do you have one?"
Spike immediately went over to a shelf and picked one off the second level. "Here you go, just make sure to return it by the end of the week. I'll tell Twilight when she comes back."
"Thanks Spike!" And just like that, the door was shut and the newcomer was gone.
"He's a regular," Spike explained as he walked back over to the central table, readjusting his stool and climbing back on it. "You're really jumpy, you know that?"
I scoffed. "I am not," I denied, before thinking it over for a few seconds. "Okay, maybe a little bit, but that's not a bad thing! It kept me safe back in Tenochtitlan."
The dragon shrugged. "We aren't in Tenochtitlan, but whatever. So, what were you gonna tell me to write?"
Oh yeah. I still needed to get that done. Semi-reluctantly pulling the book out for what must have been the fiftieth time this week, I reopened it back to the blank page and handed it to Spike. "Alright, so this is what I want you to write..."
...
Dear whoever is writing in this book,
I regret to inform you that I am not Princess Celestia, though I wish I was. It'd be really cool for me to control the- wait a minute, you're not supposed to be writing this! I was going through the Canterlot Library when I stole accidentally took your book with me. If I could return it right now I would, but unfortunately, I am not in a position to do so.
Should this book belong to you, I would be happy to return it if you want. Otherwise, feel free to send me more messages if you want. I'll respond to them whenever I can.
From, Jungle Trek
...
"...That's it?" Spike asked me. "That's all you want me to write?"
I looked at him indignantly. "Well what else did you expect me to write? I don't know anything about this pony, I don't want to end up giving them a grudge against me or something! If they want to have a conversation they'll write back!"
He shrugged. "Whatever you say. Here's your book back. If they write back, just let me know and I'll find a time we can meet so I can read it and write back."
Nodding, I took the offered book and shoved it into my muzzle. Just kidding, it went back in the saddlebag, as usual. Right before I could say goodbye to Spike, however, I heard the door open behind me again. This time there was no knock, and my intuition served me well this time; it was Twilight Sparkle.
"Oh, hello Jungle. Sorry if you needed anything from me, I had to go get everypony ready to head through the Everfree Forest to get to the Castle of the Two Sisters. Speaking of that..." The mare turned to her assistant. "Are you ready to go, Spike?"
"Yep! I was just helping Jungle out with some things." He hopped off the stool but stopped before he took a single step forward, looking nauseated. I was about to ask if something was wrong when out from his mouth came magical smoke, which condensed into a scroll with a golden seal.
Sometimes I completely forgot that Spike also served as a direct mail line to Princess Celestia. I know it seems like one of those things you would remember, but trust me, in Ponyville you tend to get distracted by other things. Like Pinkie Pie. And wondering if Rainbow Dash stole your last mug of cider. You know, important stuff.
Spike unfurled the letter that he had just, uh, what would be the term? Magic-ed? Flamed? Whatever, the point was that he read the letter he had just gotten from the Princess. After a few seconds, he made a passing glance at me, which did absolutely nothing to help my nerves before saying the contents out loud for me and Twilight.
"Dear Twilight,
I regret to inform you that while you and I were busy in Canterlot, somepony has broken into the library and stolen a very important book. While the Royal Guard is working to track down the thief, I ask you to keep a lookout for it as well in Ponyville. Should you find it, please return it as soon as possible. It's something very close to me. Until then, continue with your work on the Castle of the Two Sisters as we continue the search from Canterlot."
Both Spike and I looked at each other at the same time. The situation just got a lot more precarious, and both of us knew it. For a moment I was worried that the dragon would sell me out, especially when Twilight turned to me and said, "Jungle, you didn't happen to take a book while you were gone in Canterlot, did you?" Her voice was deadly serious.
Maintaining my composure, I did my best to try and appear like my normal lighthearted self. "Come on, Twilight," I said, "does that really seem like something I would do? I know I don't have a great history when it comes to theft, but I wouldn't steal a book of all things. Too much work for no reward."
Twilight looked skeptical for a few moments before relenting. "I guess you're right," she admitted, and I gave a sigh of relief internally. "Well, if you see anypony suspicious either, make sure to tell me. We should all keep a lookout."
I gave a mock salute. "Of course, Princess," I declared in the best "guard" voice I could.
She just rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Spike, let's go tell the girls. We can explain on our way to the castle, anyway."
Twilight walked back out the door, and the dragon followed close behind. When he crossed the doorway, he looked back at me. I nodded at him, he nodded back, and at that moment a pact between us was made. It had no words, nor official terms, but we both knew it existed nonetheless.
Spike and I were in this together in the end. This was a secret between the two of us, and both of us would take the fall if it came to it. There was no backing out now, and both of us would do our best to keep this book, and admittedly my mistake, under wraps. And while the future was uncertain, there was one thing I was sure wasn't.
...The next few months were going to be long ones.