The archives in canterlot held stories and and facts from as early as anypony could remember. Topics ranging from botany to home improvement could be found in the labyrinth of shelves.
And even then, secrets eluded discovery.
Princess Celestia, Twilight and her brother were tearing apart the shelves looking for something, anything that could help them decipher the strange music they had heard from the portal just minutes ago. So far their efforts were yielding little profit.
"With the amount of dust coming off these books, we may need to start looking for a book on bronchitis" Shining armour said to his little sister who was several shelves below him.
"Hah, just try not to sneeze yourself off that ladder" she tossed back up.
Shining chuckled and continued searching the top shelf.
Arts
Chemistry
Equestrian lore
Universal portals.....
Shining repeated the last title in head a few times to make sure the dust wasn't clouding his judgement. Fortunately for him, it wasn't.
"Princess, Twily I think i've got something!!!!!!!" he said as he slowly began to descend the ladder with the book in his aura.
Celestia who was in another part of the library, came gliding around a corner of shelves with a look of curiosity on her face. She had, after all, read the content's of the shelve's many times in her endless life. She kept optimistic as she and her pupil met Shining at the bottom of the ladder.
The book was dusty as the others were. But the dust only covered all that made it different. Twilight brought forth a duster and gently removed the coating of age. The book was dark blue, much like luna's coat but more faded. The spine showed various gems cut into the shapes of planet's. The cover was blank, apart from a black piece of paper thin obsidian in the centre which read:
Universal portals and all about them
There was no author named so the book must have been tossed up into a shelf once it became unpopular.
Twilight looked at Celestia who had an anxious look on her face. She figured that making her wait wouldn't help Luna faster and opened it.
Their jaws dropped.
There was nothing. The 600 pages thick book were actually hollowed out into a chamber. But here was a bigger surprise still, the contents.
Inside the hollowed chamber there was a small sword about he size of a chess piece. There was a small hole in the handle which had a piece of string through it which hinted it to be a necklace of sorts.
But why would it be hidden in the hollow book that could solve all their problems?
Twilight slowly lifted strange object out. It was the shape of a broadsword, almost like the ones used by the Equestrain knights that protected the Princess many years ago.
The sword was small enough to fit into the centre of one's hoof. It was made of dark brown wood that was smooth and polished as could be.
"That's it?" Twilight blurted in disbelief. "I've got no idea what this could possibly be for"
Shining armour and Celestia had to agree. The simple piece of jewlery had no significant features or apparent relevance whatsoever.
But then Twilight had a thought.
"Shining, could you go back up and check behind where you found this?"
Her brother nodded and began to ascend the ladder once more. The princess accompanied him along the way. Should he fall, the impact would be severe if not fatal.
"Who's idea was it to build these things 50 feet up?" Shining armour complained as he grasped another rung.
"Once we ran out of floor space, there was only one direction we could go" the Princess responded.
"Up"
Shining groaned and continued his mountainous task. Upon reaching the top he looked at the shelf behind the books former location. Sure enough there was something he missed. There was a shape carved into the shelf similar to the necklace.
Too similar.
"Twily, could you pass up the sword thingy?" He called down below.
Twilight levitated it up 30 feet to where He could grab it in his own magic. He then carefully inserted it with the blade facing up into the slot.
There was a then thump down beside Twilight.
She jumped out of the way as the floor beside her began to retract downward. A space only a few feet in each direction began to sink into the floor leaving a square hole.
Within seconds the floor returned with a payload.
A book, Identical to the phoney, sat dust - free on the trap door. The Princess and Shining armour had seen the event from above and couldn't descent fast enough.
They were careful not to move the book from it's mysterious elevator. The trio instead formed a half circle around the (hopefully) not hollow codex.
"See" Twilight said beaming. "There's alway's something else"
"I see" the Princess mused. Celestia took the book in her magic and brought it to a table in the centre of the room. The 3 gathered around it once more as she opened it.
Text.
The greatest find of the day.
The group collectively released their breath they hadn't noticed they'd been holding.
Twilight and her brother, however found themselves holding it as Celestia began to read the first page.
In plight of loving them
They bleed
And willingly surrender themselves to death
For with death
Comes emancipation
....
The silence that ensued was one screaming with mental questions. Twilight was the first to go vocal.
"Useless? or usefull?"
She looked to her brother beside her who looked to the Princess beside him.
"It's revived something almost impossible to forget, yet unable to remember" She whispered.
She turned to the sparkle siblings.
"Return to the portal and wait for my arrival"
She then spun in place before taking off with the book clenched in her teeth. Where to neither of them knew. But they had their orders.
They returned to Luna's bedroom to find the portal still churning. They sat in front of it ready for something else.
But nothing came.
//////////////////////////////////
Princess celestia paced in front of her desk in her study. The word's from the book were pulling at something. However that something wouldn't catch. She was almost fed up when she went through the strange scripture once more in her head.
They willingly surrender themselves to death.....
Why?
Who?
The only thing's that ever did that were the........
Her tongue turned to cement in her mouth. She suddenly knew who and what, but it still did not make sense.
We grew apart eons ago....... how could this be happening now......and why?
Answers led to questions and more questions as she paced into the night.
///////////////////////////////////////////////
"Luna you really need to stay still" Alec mumbled as he applied a THIRD rinse to her now drenched mane. She just giggled and tried to abide.
The mud had almost vanished from her silky mane. The shine was prominent even in the brightly lit bathroom.
"Almost done"
The shower door had been left open in order for Alec to reach Luna more easily. The advantage had it's drawbacks though. Alec's knees were soaked in the water that had escaped and his floor would need just as many towels as Luna.
Still, In his mind it was worth it.
Alec applied more blueberry scented shampoo to the pouf. Luna felt it go under her belly, up her side, across her back, back down under and toward's her......
"Wait a minute" she thought. "Is he?"
"Freeze mister!!!!" a voice interrupted Alec's "auto pilot washing mode"
Alec followed his shoulder down to his elbow, which was attached to his forearm, which was attached to his hand, which was damn near in between the alicorn moon goddesses legs.
"NO NO ZONE!!!!!!! NO NO ZONE YOU FOREVER ALONE TWIT!!!!!!"
Alec stopped dead. His eyes drifted towards towards luna's head. She was still too, staring blankly ahead and not turning her head in in suspiciousness.
In short, she knew.
Alec slowly removed his arm from the "danger zone" and resumed washing her cutie mark like nothing happened. The following minutes were spent in silence, until Alec decided to get something out of the way once and for all.
Alec stopped in the middle of the final rinse and pointed the shower head away and looked at Luna for the first time since the "Incident".
"Sorry about that" he said quickly.
"That's all right. I can't imagine that you've had much experience washing living things, other than yourself of course" she added with a smirk.
"Um... yea It's been mostly cars and there really isn't any way that can get awkward " he replied blushing.
"On the bright side, you've done quite well for an ameteur pony washer"
Alec (finally) finished and got a towel from the closet in the hall. Luna got out and he proceeded to dry her. She giggled as he roughed her up. Just like washing, Alec had only dried two things before Luna. Him and his car.
This was a little different.
Once dry Luna and Alec went into the kitchen. They sat on opposite sides of the island. The afternoon rays cast rays of dust filled air across the counter. It was just past noon. Alec was facing the window so he settled for staring at the table.
"So Alec" Luna began."What do you do for entertainment around here?"
Alec looked up.
"I guess we could start with the basics. Plus I can show you something while I'm at it"
Luna cocked her head. Alec noticed her mane was starting to flow without influence again.
"Wanna go for a drive?"