//------------------------------// // Behind the panel // Story: The Epic of Nyx: Book 1: One's own Tome // by Quantuminferno959 //------------------------------// The door of the library opened allowing for Nyx and Fluttershy to enter. After a nights rest they were as ready to get this underway as the purple unicorn that met them at the door. "Hello girls" Greeted twilight "Hey Twilight." The two said in subunison. "Have the princesses come to a decision yet?" Fluttershy continued "It's fine if they havn't, I know they're bust and have more important duties to attend to." Added the timid pegasus, retreating behind her mane even more than normal. This caused a smile to appear on Nyx, and for her to comfort her fillyfriend by draping a wing over her. Nyx looked up from the great view she was experiencing once Twilight started speaking again. "No, not yet at least. When I came down they seemed to be finishing up for the most part, but still had a ways to go, then again that was half an hour ago... How about we go check?" Twilight rhetorically asked turning around, walking to the princesses upstairs, where Nyx and Fluttershy followed suit. "So, we are in agreement then?" Celestia asked the other two princesses as the three mares walked up the steps. "All in agreement for what?" Twilight asked when she saw the other princesses nod their heads. Luna was the one to answer the question. "We hast decided to allowith thou to pursue thyne curiosity, with the exception that the elements are in the premises with their users upon contempt." "Sounds acceptable. Nyx, would you please go get the others?" Twilight said accepting the simple conditions. Nyx nodded her head, happy to oblige. A quick peck on the side muzzle of her fillyfriend and she dashed off, determined to complete her assignment as quickly as possible. Nyx thought about which approach would be the most efficient method in dealing with the layout of this roundup as she took to the air after leaving Golden Oaks Library. "Based on the speed at which the remaining elements travel at and the approximate area each will be located in and that areas distance from the library, I should probably start off with Rarity, then Applejack, Pinkie, and finally Rainbowdash. Nyx altered her trajectory and landed in front of Carousel Boutique, entering the boutique after correcting herself. From a side dressing room an elegant voice called out. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chique, unique, and magnifique. " A white unicorn levitating thread and a roll of fabricin her blue aura stepped out from the room. "Ah, Nyx, what might I be able to interest you in today?" "I'm sorry Rarity, today I am but a verbal currier." "A message, whatever for?" "I'm not sure if you have been notified, but there has been a discovery at Twilight's library." A look of confusion answered that. "Well it has powerful magical spells protecting it and the princesses decided it best to have the elements nearby, just as a precaution." "That's understandable due to what all happens around here and to us. Thank you for the clarification, I will start the walk there now." Rarity responded a little more understanding on the situation. "I'll meet you at the library later, first I have to deliver the other messages to the other elements." Nyx said attempting to continue on as soon as possible.. "Okay, I will not keep you. I shall meet you at the library later then." A slight nod and smile, and Nyx exited the boutique. Nyx took to the sky in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. "Two down, two to go." Nyx thought out loud as she cleared the cloud line heading for Sugarcube Corner. "Next is... Pinkie." Nyx thought knowing this to be the hardest to deal with of the massages to make. Moments later a bell above the Sugarcube Corner door sounded. "Hiyah Nyx. Isn't today amazing? What would you like a cake, cupcakes, muffins, cookies, pie, cupcakes?" Came an energetic slur of words from an equally energetic pink earth pony behind the counter. "I actually came to deliver a message, you see..." Nyx began, skipping over the repetition of the cupcakes certain of an answer being something very Pinky Pieish, and only to be cut off mid sentence. "Ooh, ooh. By who? No, wait, don't tell me, I love guessing games. Was it bonbon, no wait, Lyra, or even Pipsqueak, the little colt from Trottingham? Wrong on all accounts aren't I? Honestly I don't want to know, why ruin a perfectly good surprise?" Another slur was uttered from the over hyper pony. "Uuh, huh. Anyway we have to ask you to come to the library as soon as time alots, there has been something that requires all of the elements be present." "I love presents. Okay Nyx. Just let me close up the shop and we can go. Are you sure you don't want anything?" "I'm sure, thank you though. I also still have to go get Rainbow, so i will see you later at the library." "Okay then Nyx. See you later." Nyx walked out of the store. "That was not as bad as it could have been. I like Pinkie, she can just talk forever. Anyway, now to find Rainbowdash." Just as Nyx was about to take flight again to search for the cyan pegasus, she spotted a chromatic tail swishing off the side of a small white cloud. "Well that simplifies matters extraordinarily." Nyx flew up to Rainbowdash, pleased that this was the last message. "Hey Rainbow." "Oh, hey Nyx. What's up?" The cyan pegasus was laying on the cloud with a tri-fold solar reflector and a set of sunglasses on. "We all need you at the library whenever the first convenient moment for you is." Nyx said for the fourth time this hour, and was tired of the same relative sentence. "Sure, I'm free now . What's wrong?" Inquired the chromatic maned mare in a similar way to the others the message was delivered to earlier. Nyx explained the situation again, as quick as possible without excluding any essential details. "That figures. Okay Nyx. Wanna go now?" Rainbow asked lifting into the air. "Sure, but are you just going to leave your stuff laying here, on this cloud?" "Eh, it will be here later." The cyan pegasus said a bit too calm for leaving her stuff on a random cloud. "Then let's go." Nyx buckled still unsure of the decision. Both flyers enjoyed the short flight to the library. The freedom and thrill of flight is unmatched by anything in terms of proving how great the world around one is. "Now we just have to wait for Nyx and Dash." Twilight said recounting the group again, for the fifth time since Nyx left. "We're here." Nyx said trotting through the door with Rainbow following close behind. "Okay, Twilight, whenever you are ready you may commence." Celestia said approving of the current circumstance. "Um, hold on, please?" Nyx weakly uttered. "Yes Nyx?" Twilight wondered "Would it be acceptable if I do it instead? "Sure. Any particular reason?" "I just want to familiarize myself with this spell. We already saw it cast, I just want to see if there is a way without a ritual for it to be placed." "Sure, be my guest." "Thank you." With that Nyx walked up a set of solid magic stairs she created and studied the spell. After a moment Nyx slowly lifted her right forehoof. As she reached for the panel her eyes developed her signature aura around them, and the container a golden one. Upon contact with the container, it's golder aura started spreading up her forehoof, eventually covering her body and finally fully consuming her in a golden aura. The glow intensified for a moment then dimmed to nonexistance, the spell nullified. "Ah, ingenius. So simplistic, yet effective. Nyx said after absorbing the spell. "We see thou still remembers and implements thyne absorption technique." Called the lunar princess from behind. "Yes, i love it. Do you all want to came and see what this was all for?" Nyx rhetorically asked. Everypony assembled below the stairs and the princesses creastd a magic platform and levitated it to the elevation of the step Nyx was on. The group organized themselves into three layers, Nyx and Twilight up front, the remaining elements in the middle and the princesses on the outer layer. Twilight reached and pushed on the pressure plate to open the case, revealing it's contents. A raspy voice emanated from behind the knowledge enthusiasts. "It's... a book. What a surprise, a book in a library. All of this trouble for a book, why?" "Girls." Celestia said in a firm, yet quiet tone noticing the obliviousness of the two up front. Nyx and Twilight snapped out of the trance they were in, stumbling out of embarrassment. "It's not just any book, Rainbow." Twilight stated. "It's a spell tome to be specific, and one I've never seen or heard of before. Anyone else?" Silence appeared to be the unanimous answer. "What pray tell are those symbols on the cover?" Rarity asked noticing nopony else would ask. "Greek characters, commonly used in physics. Great subject, everything about the multiverse." Nyx explained nerding out a bit over one of her favorite subjects. "Why would Greek characters used in science be on a magic tome?" Applejack piped up. (The look of the spell tome discovered. Again, sorry for orientation. Deviantart... again. Deviantart) "I don't know for certain why they are here, although the misconception you just stated should be addressed. Magic is it's own science in a way. It may not be entirely consistent, but it still works in it's own way that science cannot always explain, but can in some instances such as a unicorns anatomy." Nyx said trying to inform as much as possible. "Thanks partner." Applejack said fairly uninterested. "Let's see why though." Nyx said egar for new knowledge. Nyx looked over the book inspecting every physical detail possible after levitating it up to her.She took not of a lock strap on the side without a lock and passed it off as a design, and one she is fond of. Nyx popped the strip open with her magic. In response the book immediately started glowing a black aura. Nyx fully closed the book and stumbled back quickly. "What happened?" Everypony asked is a slightly different way from one another. Nyx looked with a worried expression toward Twilight who in turn had a strike of realization. She grabbed the book with her magic and tried to open it. No luck. Nyx felt a spread of guilt wash over her. "I'm... I'm so sorry, I should have been more cautious, I should have known." "Known what, what happened? Twilight, please explain." Applejack insisted answers due to most being malinformed on the subject at hoof.. "Well, the book had a hidden magical lock in place on it, Nyx you had no way of knowing. Imagine it as a regular lock without any pins to make it a lock. By using magic on where it was Nyx completed the spell and reset it after the passing of the original caster, who upon his/her passing had the details of the spell wiped. Now the book should only open for her."Twilight explained making sure to include everything she knew thus far. "Can't she just wipe it?" "I'm afraid it is not that simple. She would have to be the caster to wipe the details or to nullify the spell in this case." "Well fiddlesticks." "I should have seen something that coming, why didn't I?" Nyx said having an almost inaudible regiment to her voice. "It wasn't your fault sugarcube. Still there is no difference if only you can open it or not." Applejack tried and comfort her. "You are wrong in that account, I'm afraid. It could have been used to spread new knowledge across Equestria, it could be used by everyone. I messed it up there is no denying it." Nyx corrected. "And beatin yourself up over it won't help either. Don't wory Nyx, no use fretting over the past. It doesn't matter." Applejack tried again to reassure. "Let's see just how right you are." Nyx said standing up and pulling herself together mentally. She walked back up to the book and levitated it out of Twilights magic. Nyx opened the book again, this time flipping open the cover revealing the first page. She flipped through the pages thrilled and horrified at it's contents. The had countless spells and on every page the symbols and characters transisted around the page, much unlike normal tomes where the writing is stagnant. She was thrilled and horrified because of the rarity and vastness of the book, thrilled for the knowledge, and horrified due to the magical lock still in place. "Ooh, pretty." Came an energetic squeel from behind. "Well then, this is definitely interesting. What should we do princesses?" Twilight asked completely unsure on the way to approach this situation, and hating this feeling the whole while. "I think we should take it back to Canterlot and have it protected." Celestia offered. "We think otherwise. Tia, the book is of no use to us currently. What if we take it home and it accidentally closes, what are we to do? Nyx is the only pony that can open it anymore." A wave of guilt hit Nyx again as Luna debated her sister. "What are we suppose to do, call Nyx over every time it happens? We should just let our pupils study it in the meantime. It obviously is extensive on knowledge, very possibly some unknown to us." Nyx still looking through the tome, spoke up quickly. "Whatever you decide is fine with me, although as a tidbit of knowledge, this is a spell tome that seems like it is focused heavily on cosmic magic, of all shapes and sizes, so to speak." Luna looked from Nyx to Celestia again, this was a look of someone who knew they had won. "If you think that is best, so be it." Celestia buckled. "Although we will continue this conversation at length later, but now we must be going." Celestia lowered the platform and ceased the spell. "So we can keep the tome for now? Thank you princesses." Twilight said bowing, Nyx accompanied her with the gratitude and bowing. "Just please try to be careful, both of you." Celestia responded warily. "We still do not know of it's potential." "Of course princesses." Twilight and Nyx confirmed. "We should get back to Canterlot now to continue running the political affairs of the land. Goodbye everypony" Celestia gathered the other princesses. Everypony said their farewells and watched the princesses start their voyage back to Canterlot in their chariot. In the wake of the princesses leaving were seven mares, left to their business. "So, back to normal now? Just like that?" Applejack asked. "Ooh, ooh. Let's have a 'nothing bad happened and Nyx got a new book' party." Exclaimed a even more hyper Pinkie Pie. "Any excuse for a party." Twilight said knowing it to be true. "Why not?" "I'll go and get ready. Everypony come by around six." Pnkie said in a serious tone, galloping backwards out of the library. Everypony went back to their business prior to the meetup , leaving Nyx, Fluttershy, and Twilight in the library. "I'm anxious to get into this, want to join?" Nyx asked the remaining ponies. "Sure." Twilight accepted. "I would love to." Obliged Fluttershy. Nyx walked to an open area of the room and laid down with the book in front of her. Fluttershy came over and snuggled up on the right sidef Nyx, and Twilight laid down in her book reading position on Nyx's left side, comfortable and ready to start this read. The trio spent the following hours reading aspects of the book and being in eachothers company until an hour until the party.