//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: The Stink Bug // by Some1Else //------------------------------//             Twilight stamped the due date sheet taped behind the cover of another copy of Beyond Equestria from behind the front desk at the Sparkle Library and passed it to Scootaloo.             “I’m so glad you were able to get more copies of this book,” Scootaloo said.             “We have a few of them on loan from some of the other libraries in the area,” Twilight said. “Couldn’t you have borrowed the copy that Sweetie Belle has?”             “Nah, I wanted my own. That way I wouldn’t have to worry about losing it, or something.”             “Speaking of Sweetie Belle, I haven’t had the chance to talk to her since I got back. How good was her presentation?”             “She made a big deal about Grizzle’s exploits in the swamp among the Salamanders, which is where you were headed at the time. Remember how he kind of disappeared? She focused on that as well.”             “Did she share her grade with you?”             “Yeah, she got an A. It would have been an A plus, but she went over ten minutes.”             Cheerilee could be hard to please.             Scootaloo placed the book in her saddlebag. “Aren’t you going to update that section?”             “I’ve been working on that when I haven’t been recommending books.”             Scootaloo’s wings buzzed. “Really? How soon do you think you’ll be finished with it?”             Twilight chuckled. “I’ve got a lot of other things to do, Scootaloo. Writing is more of a hobby. I can’t say when it will be finished. I don’t want to get your hopes up.”             Scootaloo looked down at the ground. “Oh.”             “However, I will be giving a speech on my experience with the Salamanders over the coming weekend in the community room we have in here. It won’t be as one-on-one as it will be in my essay, but it should tide you over until then.”             “I am so there,” Scootaloo said. “What time?”             “At seven in the morning on Sunday.”             Scootaloo grimaced. “Eww, that’s really early. I’ll still be there, though. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”             “I was going to put some fliers up later, but you can spread the word now if you like.”             “Gotcha. See you later, Twilight.”             After Scootaloo left, Twilight took a moment to appreciate that she wasn’t soaked in her own sweat since there were no other patrons to assist. No giant mutant plant creatures were lurking around the corner. Spiders grew to be about the size of her hoof and couldn’t jump high enough to clear the deck of a ship. She could take a deep breath without gagging. One could easily forget the little things that made life comfortable until they were taken away. With any luck, Twilight would never let that happen to her again.             Royal obligations could be tiring, just like Luna had said, but for the time being they were relaxing. If Twilight had the luxury of choosing when her next grand adventure occurred, she’d schedule it six weeks in advance. They did make her feel more alive than writing papers and shuffling books, but that was only because many of them had placed her life in danger.             Twilight grabbed a notebook with a teal cover and flipped it open to the equation she was working on. She had managed to make the Void Rescue a slightly less taxing procedure. In theory. Testing would have to come later after she received permission to do so. The Griffin Octagon seemed like a great place to try it in. Perhaps Grizzle the Wanderer had gotten himself caught in a void of some sort. Twilight smirked at her own daydream. They would need all the magic that had ever existed and would exist to save Grizzle.             Spike entered through the front door, carrying a large manila envelope with him.             Twilight straightened up and pretended that she hadn’t been slacking off, even if it was only for five minutes. “Hey, Spike. What’s up?”             He shook the envelope as he approached the front desk. “I’ve got some documents for you to approve. I figured you would want to look at them right away.”             They had to be very important. Spike wouldn’t have come to see her from the castle otherwise.             He pulled out a piece of paper and set it in front of her. “First up is a letter from Hocus Pocus. He is volunteering to be the unicorn who will return to the swamp and mentor Izu. Red Iris wants to go with him. She will continue her studies under Hocus. She thinks it might be nice for Izu to study with somebody near his level. She knows she will have to wait for him to catch up to her, but she is fine with it.”             Twilight skimmed through the letter for a moment. “I approve. Let’s be sure to have him on the airship when General Onyx goes back to lead the effort to tame the swamp.”             “No problem.” Spike pulled out four documents and held them up so that all Twilight could see were the blank backs. “Bet you can’t guess what these are.”             “How about a hint?”             “A resume and cover letter for our open security positions.”             “They didn’t!”             Spike laid the documents down. Wedge Timber and Biggs Medley. Twilight sighed and shook her head, smiling.             “To their credit, they manage to word their qualifications in a way that doesn’t directly say they were hanging out with you a week ago,” Spike said.             “Would you hire them?”             “I can already tell that you’re going to. I think it will be okay so long as we balance the rest of the unit with soldiers who have more experience.”             “Send them both the good news, then.”             “There’s one last thing. For now.” Spike reached back inside the envelope and pulled out a small box that looked like it had just gotten back from the adventure she had been on. “This is from Discord. I haven’t opened it yet. I figured I’d have you look at it first after what happened last time.”             A quick scan for traps yielded no results. She opened the box with her magic. A small, black stone was inside. Twilight brought it closer to her face with her aura. “It’s a rock.” She flipped it around and saw a waxing crescent on the other side. “Did he paint this on here?”             The moon formed into a number. Thirty-seven. Twilight dropped the stone on the front counter in surprise. A cloud of red smoke erupted from it. She held her breath to avoid coughing to give Discord less pleasure, but Spike wasn’t so lucky.             Discord stood upright on the front desk, looking down at her. “Yes, Twilight. Thirty-seven. That is the exact number of universes where you failed to save Izu.”             Twilight stopped thinking about that after Izu had managed to go three days without being kidnapped. “Thanks?”             Discord reached down and grabbed her by her chin. He stretched her neck clear up to his face so he could look her in the eyes at his own height. “Do you want to hear about what happens to you in them?”             He let go of her chin, causing her neck to shrink down to its normal size and crash against her muscles with a pop. Her teeth felt like they were shaking inside her mouth.             “Not particularly.”             Discord crossed his arms. “No worries, then. You achieved what is colloquially known in some circles as the happy end. But not in five of them.”             “I don’t care to hear how things played out where I failed. If you keep this up, I’m going to ask you to leave.”             He hopped down from the desk and stood with Spike. “There is one thing you really should know, though.”             “And what might that be?”             Discord reached down, took Spike’s envelope from him, and pulled out a full-sized book that couldn’t have fit inside of it by normal means. He slammed it down in front of Twilight. The familiar abstract cover of Forty-Two Variations of Silver greeted her eyes.             “This doesn’t count as literature in any known universe. Anyway, do you have the sequel? Fluttershy asked me to come pick it up. Come on now, I don’t have all day.”             Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re in a hurry.”             “Am I?”             Fluttershy had been in for the sequel and several similar titles earlier. Discord was lying.             Twilight leered. “This book is for you, isn’t it?”             “I don’t suppose you’ve ever come across something that was so bad that it was good, have you? A train wreck you just couldn’t stop looking at? No, of course not. You’re above such things, aren’t you?”             Twilight pulled a thoroughly read copy from the shelf it was on with her aura, brought it over to her desk, and stamped it with a due date. She pushed the book towards him with a hoof. “Enjoy.”             Discord snatched the book from the desk. “You mares are sick equines.” He vanished, being certain to add the sound of a whip cracking at the point of his exit to stir up memories of the book in Twilight’s mind.             “I hope he gets stuck,” Spike said.             Twilight grinned and shook her head. She leaned forward, supporting her chin with a hoof. “It happens to the best of us.”