Spike cautiously added another level to the growing stack of books he needed to carry downstairs.
Just one more to go, and then comes the hard part.
He was very grateful that Twilight was out to lunch with her friends, and had taken advantage of her absence by using a few 'unimportant' volumes of an extensive series on taxes as a makeshift staircase to the top of his book tower. With the final book in place, he jumped down and prepared himself yet again for carrying this time an intimidating spire of twenty-two tomes. Wow, I wonder if this is a new record!, he thought to himself.
It took all of Spike's power to hoist them up, and his trembling feet threatened to surrender beneath him. Tentative steps brought him to the staircase. It was then he realized he didn't want to do this anymore. But he knew he was supposed to. His left foot patted around, searching for the first step. Then, his right foot followed. Soon enough, he reached the bottom safely, setting the stack next to the other six and releasing the breath of tension he'd been holding.
"Let's see, did I miss any books?" he said to himself while double-checking the checklist Twilight left behind. A single empty check box remained. He quickly found the last requested volume, and climbed the ladder to reach it--only to discover that it was the wrong book. "Trothmosis? What are you doing here?" Confused, Spike looked around for the correct placement and spotted the book he was looking for, exactly where the biography of the old ruler should have been. Reaching for another carved bookshelf to his left, he attempted to grab the book he came up for. The ladder creaked in protest, a warning to go no further. A moment later and he grabbed the correct book, and now had to place the other in the gap.
"Whoa!" Suddenly, he swung backwards, causing Spike to drop the book and instinctively grasp the top rung, his weight just barely keeping him balanced vertically on the ladder. Any wrong move and the floor would give him a rather painful lump he'd be feeling for weeks. He teetered slightly, trying to use the ladder as stilts and walk his way back to the safety of the wall. He slowly 'stepped' towards the bookshelf, and promptly slipped as the latter tried and failed to walk over the discarded biography. The ground sped towards him, and at the last moment he made a leap for one of the book stacks, toppling it. Spike watched in disappointment as they collided with the other stacks like dominoes. The last and largest pile fell, crashing thunderously into the floor and splintering the wood panels underneath.
Spike was mortified. The distant voices of Twilight and her friends snapped him out of his state and he scrambled to collect the books before she arrived. Thankfully, years of organizing had once again saved his purple scales as he rearranged the library precisely as it was before. Except for the gaping hole in the middle of the library's floor. He didn't even have any time to form a plan, and rushed to the front door just as Twilight Sparkle walked inside.
"H-Hey Twilight! Back so soon?" Spike said, attempting to delay his inevitable punishment.
"I only left for lunch, Spike. Are you alright?" She turned to walk towards the stairs, but he stepped in front of her.
"Great! In fact, it's so great, why don't you just take a load off and let me handle the rest of the day here? It-it's beautiful outside!"
"I know. I was just there," Twilight deadpanned. He's hiding something... Her look shifted to one of concern. "What happened this time, Spike? I'm sure it's not that bad."
He sighed, accepting his defeat, and stepped aside, revealing to Twilight the broken panels in her library floor.
At first, she wasn't sure her eyes were aligned. She shook her head and blinked a few times. The wound in the floor was still there, a few books scattered inside. "Wha- How did this happen!?" Twilight shouted, although still trying to control her temper. Still, the sudden voice caused Spike to jump. "I didn't mean to! The books just fell, and they were stacked too high, and-" He was quickly silenced with the quiet raising of a hoof by Twilight as she calmed herself, knowing her anger would only make the situation worse.
Twilight waited a moment before speaking. "It's alright Spike. We'll fix it," She walked over to the fissure to examine the damage. "I'm just glad you're okay. You're okay, right?" Spike nodded. "Good. Now we just.. have.. to..."
She trailed off, staring at an unusual shimmer from a book she didn't recognize. "Hey Spike? What book is that?"
Spike saw the reflection as well, and he already jumped down in the opening to investigate. Twilight lifted the book, along with Spike, up to the main floor of the library. They both were surprised when they saw it in better light, and Twilight in particular was growing excited thinking about the possibly exceptional discovery. Carvings depicting a large tree adorned its strangely oaken cover, and along the ornate spine, the name 'Golden Oaks' appeared, with a small dome-shaped indent near the top, and a smaller ring shape embedded opposite of it.
"Twilight?" Spike asked, without taking his eyes away from the curious treasure before him, and he didn't know why.
"Yes, Spike?" Twilight couldn't look away either.
"I know how much you love books and all, but I think we found something important."
"Me too." Before even blinking again, Twilight had already summoned a quill and parchment and immediately began taking notes. It was going to be a long night again, and for the first time in a while, Spike was just as interested in what this find had in store for the both of them. She began impulsively walking forward, only thinking about her notes, now a growing list of every detail about the 'Golden Oaks' book.
Unfortunately she was too absorbed to remember there was a pit in front of her, and she soon plummeted into it. Spike snickered to himself while moving forward to help her back up on her hooves. "Owww.." Twilight sat up and rubbed her forehead with a hoof, but also giggled as she spoke. "Maybe we should patch up this hole first."