//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Another Day, Another Round of Boring Chores // Story: One Dragon's Journey // by Hawk Noctis //------------------------------// As he walked along the street, Spike pulled out the shopping list from his courier bag. Twilight wouldn't be happy if he forgot anything, and that was a conversation that the young dragon wanted to avoid at all costs. That and he had his reputation as '#1 Assistant' to keep in mind. He unfolded the parchment and quickly scanned the list. Ink? Check. Quills? Check. Half a dozen apples from Sweet Apple Acres? Check. A set of vials to replace the ones Twilight blew up last week? Check. Parchment? Check. Tea Leaves from Zecora? Check. Spike smiled and put away the list. He had gotten everything he needed and home was only a few blocks away. He still had plenty of chores waiting for him once he got back to the library, but Spike was confident that he could get the chores done shortly before 1 PM, giving him plenty of time to do whatever he wanted. He might even have time to go visit Rarity, it had been a few days since Spike had seen the mare of his dreams. Twilight had been piling more chores onto him than usual, not that Spike couldn't handle a little extra work. Still, Spike couldn't help but notice that Twilight had been far more busy than usual. She had been up for most of the previous night working on something big. Celestia had been sending quite a few large packages to Twilight that contained dusty old books. Spike shuddered as he remembered how bad the stomach ache was from receiving multiple books in a single day and was glad Princess Celestia hadn't sent anymore recently. It wasn't long before the library came into view. Spike started to walk along the path at a brisk pace, eager to get back and get started on the rest of his chores. He opened the door and walked inside. “Hey Twilight, I'm back!” said Spike. “Hey Spike!” shouted Twilight from upstairs. “Once you have everything put away, I need you to take care of the books that are on the re-shelving cart.” “Yeah I'll take care of it,” said Spike as he placed his courier bag down onto the nearby table. It was a fairly hefty sized bag that had been made for him by Rarity. The straps were decorated with small gems of various colors, too small for Spike to eat. Despite how it looked on the outside, the bag could carry quite a few items. It was one of the best gifts Spike had ever received from anypony, especially since it was from Rarity. Spike took the apples and the tea leaves from the bag and brought them into the kitchen. The apples were placed on the counter while the tea leaves went into one of the cabinets near the plate rack. With that taken care of, Spike left the kitchen and pulled out the remaining contents of his courier bag. He piled the vials and the quills neatly on top of the stack of parchment and walked up the stairs toward Twilight's room. And as his adoptive sister came into view, it became clear that she had been there at her desk for quite some time. The plate of oats that she had requested for breakfast remained for the most part untouched. Twilight was using her magic to write something on a piece of parchment while occasionally glancing at an open book. “Perfect timing Spike, this ink bottle is starting to run low,” said Twilight, not even pausing to look at the young dragon. Spike opened the drawer to Twilight's right and placed the quills and ink into it. Then he placed the vials into a separate drawer on the other side of the room. Now that everything was put away, Spike took the time to look over and see what Twilight had been working on so intensively. “You've hardly touched your breakfast, Twilight. What assignment is keeping you so busy that you have to ignore eating?” asked Spike. “This isn't an assignment. This is research,” corrected Twilight. Spike raised an eyebrow bemusedly. “There is a difference? It all seems the same to me,” stated Spike. “So what is it that you are researching?” “Have you ever heard of the Chaos Ward?” asked Twilight. Spike hesitated for a moment. Normally this kind of question was Twilight's way of checking to see if Spike was reading any of the books she gave to him. More often than not the answer would be no, and he would get a lecture about how he needs to read more and how it's healthy for a young dragon to read. But that didn't appear to be the case this time, especially with how Twilight asked the question. “I... can't say that I have,” said Spike. “What is it exactly?” “There are few who know much about it, including Princess Celestia. All she knows about it is that its a magical amulet that was created a very long time ago.” “If nopony knows anything about it, why are you reading those dusty books?” “Well these books don't say anything specific about the Chaos Ward. But if we can find references to it in these ancient texts, we might be able to determine its location,” said Twilight. “So... have you learned anything yet?” For the first time in the entire conversation, Twilight stopped writing and looked over at Spike. “Well from I've read, it sounds like there is something sealed away in the ruins of an old tower. The description is very similar to the amulet in question, and that can't be a coincidence,” said Twilight proudly as she smiled. “It also sounds like there might be a key or some method of breaking the seal that protects the Chaos Ward.” “Okay so you've learned a few things, that's great. But is this really so important that you have to ignore breakfast to work on it?” asked Spike. “Of course it is! I'm not doing this for recreation you know,” said Twilight irritably. She levitated her quill off of the desk, dipped it into the inkwell, and began to write more notes. “There's been recent sightings of changelings and a message that was intercepted indicates that they are looking for something that sounds a lot like the Chaos Ward.” “Uh... I take it we don't want them to find it?” “No. From what I've been able to translate, it sounds like the Chaos Ward is capable of boosting the magical capabilities of the one who wears it. We can't afford to let it fall into the hooves of the Changeling Queen.” Spike shuddered at the mention of the fearsome changeling. Already she was capable of defeating Celestia without any boosts to her magical powers. If she were to obtain the amulet she would be unstoppable. “So it's pretty important then. But you really shouldn't forget to do things like eat and drink you know. Can't do much research if you collapse from exhaustion,” said Spike. Twilight stopped writing and glared in annoyance at Spike. “I know! I don't need to be reminded about one of the most basic facts of life!” Twilight used her magic and lifted Spike into the air. “Don't you have something you should be doing right now?” “Uh... well I still have a few chores and of course I need to re-shelf the...” “Exactly. I need to get back to work and you need to stop wasting time and take care of your work.” Twilight released Spike from the levitation spell and he dropped down the flight of steps and crashed into the side of a bookshelf on the first floor. “Okay, okay, you don't need to throw me out like that...” muttered Spike as he got up and brushed himself off. He approached the re-shelving cart to see what books needed to be put away. It was only seven books, way fewer than the usual number that would be on the cart by the weekend. Wanting to get the job over and done with, Spike grabbed the first book. It was Daring Do and the Inferno Ruby, which Spike placed at the top of the fiction shelf where Twilight kept the other Daring Do books. Twilight. The thought of his adoptive sister made Spike look back up toward the stairs leading to the second level of the library. He felt a mix of both annoyance and concern. It wasn't like Twilight to vent on others like that. Besides, it was his job as her #1 Assistant to make sure that she was okay. Twilight had been known for partaking in some rather intense studying sessions where she would pull two all nighters in a row and take barely any breaks. As bad as that was, nothing compared to that week when Twilight got a visit from her future self. How Twilight was functioning still after nearly half a week without sleep was beyond Spike. He shrugged off his thoughts as best he could and got back to the task at hand. Spike walked over to the cart and took the next book, The Seven Wonders of Equestria. Spike placed that into one of the many non-fiction shelves and headed back to the cart for the next book. Supernaturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-Alls That Are Simply Super. The title of the book sent Spike on an involuntary trip down memory lane as he remembered the time Twilight turned her nose up at the title of the book back when they had first met Zecora. The young dragon didn't know why but as he thought about that fun little incident with the poison joke flowers, he remembered going to the forest to pick up the tea leaves that morning. Spike put the book back down on the cart as an idea came to him. He entered the kitchen and brought out some of the tea leaves and the mortar. He ground up the leaves and put the mortar back onto the counter. Next Spike filled a cup with water and held it up as he blew small emerald flames up toward the cup. After a sustained burst of fire Spike lowered the cup to examine the water. He placed his claw into the water and swam it around to test the temperature. Spike could feel the heat, but it didn't hurt at all. It was nothing compared to the temperature of molten lava, but regardless the water was ready for the ground up tea leaves. Spike scrapped the contents of the mortar into the steaming water. “Smells good,” said Spike to himself as he grabbed a spoon and began to stir the tea. Once he was satisfied that it had been stirred enough, Spike took a hold of the handle and brought it up to second floor of the library. As he approached Twilight's desk, the lavender unicorn made no movement that indicated she was aware of his presence. Or at least she didn't make any attempt to show that she was aware. It was hard to tell with Twilight sometimes, especially when she was really focused on something. Spike carefully placed the cup on the right side of the desk where there was still some space not cluttered up by papers, books, and quills. Spike turned around and began to leave. “Spike,” said Twilight in a slightly hesitant tone. Spike stopped walking and slowly turned around. Twilight had put the quill down and was approaching her adopted little brother. She put her right foreleg around Spike and pulled him into a hug. Once she let him go she looked at Spike apologetically. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just...” Twilight glanced back at her work. “I know, it's super important. But I'm sure even Princess Celestia would want you to at least spend some time taking care of yourself. Can't do much on an empty stomach after all,” said Spike. Twilight nodded and a smile crept onto her face. “You're probably right.” “As usual!” quipped Spike proudly as he folded his arms across his chest. Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. “Well Spike, once I finish writing these notes I'm going to drink that tea you made for me. Then after that I think we should go and get something for Lunch. Sound good?” “Absolutely! I still need to finish re-shelving the books anyway.” “Then I'll get back to work. I'll let you know when I'm ready,” said Twilight as she returned to her desk and picked up the quill to begin writing once again. Spike returned back downstairs and began to finish up his chore. It had been awhile since they had gone out to eat just the two of them. More often than Twilight would go with her friends while Spike would stay at the library either taking a nap or doing some assortment of chores Twilight had assigned to him for that day. Heck, Spike often missed out on some of the events that Twilight and the others went to. Not that Spike minded that much. With the exception of not seeing Rarity as much as he would like, it gave Spike time to do whatever. Finish chores, go out and hunt for gems, pester the Cutie Mark Crusaders, whatever he wanted. Indeed, Spike lead a very quiet and peaceful live for the most part and he liked it that way. Most if not all excitement that came to his life was not of his own doing with only a few occasional exceptions. Spike liked to keep his nose out of trouble, in the belief that trouble would never bother him that way. * * * If there was one thing other than magic and studying that Twilight was really good at, it was that she knew exactly when to wake up Spike to disrupt one of his beloved ice cream dreams. Just as Spike and Rarity were about to eat one of the biggest ice cream sundaes of all time, the young dragon woke up and saw Twilight nudging him with her hoof. “Spike! Wake up already!” exclaimed Twilight insistently. “Ugh... Twilight...?” Spike reached over and held up his clock to see what time it was. He dropped the clock and sighed. “Aw come on Twilight, we usually don't get up at o' dark thirty. Why is the light on and why did you wake me up so early?” “I just wanted to let you know that my friends and I are heading out to find the Chaos Ward and bring it back to Canterlot.” Spike sat up and looked at Twilight, his eyes widened in surprise. “What? As in right now?” “Yes right now. I was just about to leave but then I thought I should say goodbye to you first.” Spike recalled how Twilight had been up very late last night. Shortly before he went to bed, she had him send a message to Princess Celestia. He didn't get a chance to read it though, but he didn't think it was important. “How long do you think you will be gone?” asked Spike. “I'm not sure. I'd say a week at the very least, maybe two depending on how things go.” At least a week by himself? Spike couldn't remember the last time he had spent that much time alone, if at all. Even his trips to Canterlot never lasted longer than a day and a half. Still, that was a lot of time for Twilight and the others to be away. “Okay, well good luck and have fun out there!” “Thanks Spike. See you when we get back!” “See ya!” With that Twilight went downstairs. Spike heard the door open, followed by the sound of it closing a few seconds later. He slowly got out of his bed and walked toward the door that lead out to the balcony. He opened the door and took a step outside. Spike could see the barest traces of dawn on the far horizon as the sun began it's slow ascent. The sky was a dim, pale blue color with only a few clouds floating lazily. Spike could hear Pinkie Pie's excited chatter as the six ponies walked off to where ever there destination was. As he watched the group slowly fade out of viewing distance, Spike felt a bit lonely. He wasn't a fan of going on big adventures and was content to be left behind to keep an eye on the library, but now the library was going to be a little too quiet for his liking. Maybe he would invite the Cutie Mark Crusaders over to liven up the library a bit. But first Spike had something very important he had to do. The young dragon yawned and stretched out. He went back to his bed and curled up in it. “Time to sleep in!” said Spike happily as he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep, hoping to enter another ice cream dream. * * * As the days went on Spike began to feel extremely bored. There was only the occasional customer who stopped by to borrow a book or drop one off. The only major business related event that happened was on Monday when the shipment of new books that Twilight had ordered from Canterlot had arrived. As much as he liked sleeping in all the time, it was starting to get old very fast when there was nothing to wake up and do. No new chores, no errands, nothing. On Tuesday morning, Spike took a long walk through Ponyville, stopping at a local restaurant a few hours later to eat some lunch. He then spent the rest of the day wandering around aimlessly, bored out of his mind with all the time in the world to do absolutely nothing. Spike's heart sank a little as he realized he was standing in front of Carousel Boutique. Normally when he had this much free time and didn't want to take a nap, Spike would go pay Rarity a visit. But she wasn't there and the Boutique would be closed until she got back. Spike had spent the rest of the day sitting at the river side with his feet in the water. He had a good view of Poynville and the surrounding areas from there, a great place to be to witness the sun slowly sinking toward the horizon. As the sky began to grow dark, Spike returned to the library and got some gems out of his stash to have for dinner. The next morning, Spike finally decided to read the Daring Do series. After hearing Twilight and Rainbow talk about it so much, Spike's curiosity (and sheer boredom) got the best of him. Much to his surprise, Spike found himself enjoying the books immensely. They were so well written that they were hard to put down. By Saturday evening Spike had finished three of the books and decided that he would start the next one on Sunday morning. Spike went to bed that night a little earlier than he usually did. He was feeling tired and was eager for the next day to start so that he could start the next book. Sunday morning came quickly. Spike slowly opened his eyes as he heard the sound of birds chirping outside. Sunlight poured in through the window to the right of Twilight's unoccupied bed. According to the clock, it was only 7:45 AM. It was still too early for the small dragon. He would simply go back to sleep for an hour or two, get some breakfast, and get started on the next Daring Do book. But just as Spike closed his eyes, there was a thunderous crash sound that came from the first floor. Spike literally jumped several inches out of bed and fell onto the floor on his back. He rolled over and slowly got up. Looking back at his bed and then over to the stairs, Spike let out a deep sigh and slowly began to head downstairs to see what had interrupted him from going back to sleep. Spike stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a giant hole just above the entrance at a slight upward angle. There was also a brand new hole on the floor that would serve as an effective, yet possibly painful shortcut to the basement below. As Spike drew closer to the hole he could see that magenta colored sparks of magical energy were cracking around the hole. They faded after a few seconds and Spike looked down into the hole to see what had caused such destruction. Resting on the heavily damaged basement floor was a hefty sized hardcover book that had wispy trails of smoke coming off of it. Even from where he was standing, Spike could see that it was one of the books that Twilight had been using to determine the location of that amulet she was looking for. Spike didn't want to say it out loud, nor did he even want to think about it, but he knew exactly what he needed to do. Spike began to approach the stairs that lead to the basement. “So much for reading Daring Do this morning...” muttered Spike as he walked down the steps that lead down to the basement. As he opened the door to the basement and approached the final set of stairs along the side of the wall, Spike had a better view of the damage caused by the book. A lot of Twilight's scientific equipment had been destroyed by the impact and was scattered all over the place. With the sheer amount of glass shards on the floor, Spike was grateful that even his feet were covered in thick, tough scaly skin. However, Spike was not looking forward to when Twilight came back and saw that the basement had been completely destroyed by the falling book. He was going to have a very hard time explaining this to her. Spike carefully approached the wide crater that the book sat in. Smoke was still rising off the tome, yet there was no sign that the book was on fire. It must have had something to do with how the book managed to cause this much damage. Likely magic of some kind, but since Spike wasn't an expert on magic he had no way of knowing for sure. Spike picked up the book and examined it. It appeared to be intact and there were no pages missing. As Spike turned the book a separate piece of paper fell out of it. He set the book down and picked up the folded piece of paper. Spike unfolded it and began to read what was on the paper. Spike, I don't have much time to write this. We are on the run currently and we can't afford to linger for very long. This journey started out just fine, but then it all fell apart. I don't have time to go into detail but they found us. It's only a matter of time before they catch up to us. We will do what we can, but there is no guarantee that things will go in our favor. So in case this does not end well for us, I am sending you all of my research and the first part of the key. Keep it safe Spike. I know you don't have much information, but I'm counting on you my #1 Assistant. Protect the research, don't let anypony take it. The Chaos Ward is far more dangerous than I had first realized. Hopefully I will see you again soon once this is all over. Stay safe, Spike. ~ Twilight Sparkle His hands shaking slightly, Spike reread the letter several times to make sure he had seen it right. Twilight was in danger? The others were in danger? Rarity was in danger?! Spike looked at the book and then back at the letter. So much for Sunday being a peaceful day of just sitting around and reading Daring Do. Author's Note: Just to let you know, I'm gonna be away from the computer in a few days so chapter two may be released a bit later than I'd like it to be. However even while I'm away I'll be working on it, I'll just take the traditional pencil and paper route for writing it and then type it when I get back home.