Twilight let out a huge yawn as the front door to the library closed behind her. Switching on the lights she beheld the huge mess she had made. A few books were stacked in neat columns, Spike sleeping against one of them. He must have tried to clean up before falling asleep. Twilight smiled down at her assistant. He was always doing his best to help her. Too tired to start cleaning the library herself, she picked him up and headed upstairs. She had spent the rest of the afternoon apologizing to Fluttershy. She had joined her for tea and dinner, helping out with chores in between. Fluttershy had objected, of course, but Twilight insisted.
With Spike sleeping soundly in his basket Twilight got into her own bed, snuggling under the covers and falling asleep almost immediately. Unfortunately, her rest was disturbed by a nightmare.
Wind, unimaginably strong, whipped Twilight's mane in every direction. It was dark, clouds obscured the sky, and the air was filled with piercing snow. Twilight's frame was tugged back and forth in the wind, and she began to feel afraid that it would blow her over to be buried and suffocated in the snow. Suddenly, a noise broke through the deafening wind, shaking the ground and stunning Twilight's heart. It was roar, long and terrifying. Before it had died out out of the air it began again. Then again, and again. Twilight began to run, the roars surrounding her. She didn't know where it was coming from, or from what, but she had to get away. It was going to kill her for sure!
Suddenly the ground abandoned her and her hoof met only with air. A huge cliff and a deadly drop lay before her and she clambered backward to keep from falling, the roars drowning out her own cry of fear. She whipped around to run the other way only to be met with a giant pair of jaws, decorated with countless teeth, closing down on her.
"AH!"
Twilight awoke with a start, reflexively kicking out her leg so hard it smashed against the wooden frame with a loud whack. She sat up and took a look at Spike, worried that she woke him. He was out cold, still sleeping warmly in his bundle of blankets. Twilight's rapid heartbeat began to slow as the fear of the nightmare faded. She rested her cheek on her hoof as she gazed down at Spike. In the moonlight that poured through the window she could see the gentle fall and rise of his little chest as he slept.
Her thoughts wondered back to the giant pair of jaws she had seen in her dream. The only thing she could think to fit the description was a dragon. She had seen a few full-grown dragons already, but none of them compared to her nightmare. She had never heard a dragon roar so violently or with a jaw so vicious. She smiled down at her scaly friend in the basket and wondered how something so small and sweet could grow to be so terrifying. Spike yawned in his sleep, displaying a row of tiny sharp teeth that edged his mouth, and turned over. Twilight almost giggled aloud. There was no way he could be so scary, even when was full grown.
Twilight went about that day as best she could, forcing herself away from the Skyrim topic so she could actually get something done that day. She was well aware that her library contained nothing about Skyrim, yet she found herself yearning for the books anyway, as if there just might be something she missed.
“No,” She’d tell herself. “Enough of that.”
Even so, her mind wandered back to the mystery of Skyrim any time she had a spare thought. Finally, it was too much to bear and with a grunt of frustration she sat down with a few rolls of parchment. The afternoon sun was streaming through the window and Spike was preparing a dinner of maple and rose soup. Twilight suddenly thought of the dragon from her dream, except this time with Spike’s frilly apron tied around it. She laughed to herself, thinking again of how silly it was to think that dragons could be THAT scary. They were scary, of course, but not so terrifying that you’d be willing to jump off a cliff to avoid them.
Twilight’s quill scratched furiously on the paper as she worked Skyrim study into her schedule. Unfolding three new pieces of parchment, she wrote three letters to the best libraries she knew of: The Canterlot Academy Library, Canterlot Archives, and the Canterlot Grand Public Library. She politely inquired each about literature on Skyrim and expressed her desire to check out, or purchase if necessary, anything they may have had. She knew almost everyone who worked at all three libraries, so she added a quick greeting to each letter. Eventually satisfied with her letters she sealed them into individual envelopes, stuck stamps on them, and stacked them neatly on the table.
For a moment she considered writing the Princess and asking if she knew anything about Skyrim, but Twilight quickly pushed the thought from her mind. The Princess had many duties to attend to and Twilight didn’t want to pester her. Letters floating in front of her, Twilight walked them to the mailbox and closed them safely inside. Returning inside, she saw Spike happily serving the soup he’d made.
“Thanks so much, Spike,” Twilight said. “It’s been one heck of a day.”
“I’ll say,” he replied. “After you tore up the library yesterday I had to organize it all again!”
“Sorry about that. I just got a little carried away. Wait, I re-shelved most of the library myself.”
“Yeah I had to do a whole two bookcases!” Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. “Hey, at least you have magic to do most of the work for you. All I have are my little arms and a footstool.”
Twilight giggled. “I suppose you make a valid argument.”
Over the course of a few days Twilight exchanged quite a few letters. The Grand Public Library and Academy Library regretfully reported they had nothing on Skyrim. The Archives, however, were more hopeful. The letter was written by an old acquaintance of Twilight’s whom she had had many discussions with when she visited the Archives regularly. He replied saying that he hadn’t heard from her in ages and was happy to tell her that there were a few, if meager, copies of a book that might interest her along with a few maps of Tamriel. Excited, Twilight sent thank you messages to the other libraries and sent a letter to the Archives requesting the book, a map of ancient Tamriel, pre-modern Tamriel, and present day Tamriel, along with her thanks.
Soon Twilight received a carefully-wrapped package containing three large scrolls, a standard scroll, and a small book. The large scrolls were reproductions of the maps she requested. The book was simply titled Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition: Skyrim. It was a reproduction of an ancient volume, and the beginning pages were devoted to informing the reader that much of the content had been lost over time and the only surviving original copy was badly damaged before it was lost many years ago.
“Ancient history, huh?” Twilight said to herself. “Doesn’t tell me much about present-day Skyrim, but it’s a start.”
The smaller scroll was an essay on Skyrim, describing the state of the country today and possible reasons why it fell into almost outright desertion. Smiling, Twilight wrote a sincere thank you to her friend at the Archives, promising to return the material as soon as she’s finished studying them. It was getting a little late, but she couldn’t resist the wealth of information before her. She opened the pages of the book and delved right into the pages, sucking in every word.
Twilight yawned. Her body was tired but her mind was wide awake. It was close to midnight and she’d already zipped through the book. Granted, it was a short book, apparently very much of the content had been lost over time. She wasn’t surprised though; the original copy was hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.
The beginning part was intact, however:
“Looking at virtually any vista in Skyrim, one is looking at the remains of a battlefield. The great Aedric cataclysms that brought Tamriel into existence in primeval times seems to have spent most of their fury in this northern land. Vast majestic mountain ranges form the spiny twisted backbone of the province and one can hear echoes of the early Nedic ponies’ battle cries whistling in the winds of the valleys.”
Twilight twitched awake to find her head resting on the Skyrim book. She blew a stray piece of mane from her face and saw that it was dark outside.
"Probably best if I get some sleep tonight."
She marked her place in the book and neatly stacked her notes and organized the materials. As she walked up the stairs Twilight imagined the walkway was a mountain trail surrounded by trees and snow, delicate flakes gently falling from the sky. Twilight laughed at herself inwardly. She wasn't usually prone to daydreams. She thought for a moment what it would be like to walk in Skyrim, and daydreamed about taking a trip there, but soon dismissed it as a passing fancy. Skyrim was very far away, and she was busy with her studies in Ponyville.
Quietly shutting her bedroom door behind her, Twilight began to get ready for bed. She caught sight of the night outside her balcony and decided to take in some night air before going to sleep. Twilight opened the door and stepped out. It was a beautiful night. The sky was clear as crystal and the moon shown bright and full, the stars spreading around it like a blanket of light. Twilight remembered Princess Luna and silently thanked her for the beautiful sight.
A wind began to blow, gently ruffling the leaves of her tree house. She listened to the nighttime lullaby in the wind, growing more tired by the minute. Her eyes slid closed for a moment.
"sshhhh.....twiiiiilight.......ssssssshhhhh......ssssspaaarkle......"
Her eyes snapped open. Was that her name? Had somepony called her? Her gaze darted back and forth, searching the ground below, the room behind her, even the branches above in search of somepony. But no pony was there. She could have sworn she heard a whisper on the wind. After a moment of continued silence, she shook her head and headed back inside. The drowsiness was getting the better of her.