Spike turned over in his little basket by Twilight’s bed, pulling the covers tight over his body. Whimpering, he tried very hard not to cry. He’d done enough of that since Trixie had retreated into the Town Hall with Twilight as her prisoner. Besides, he was the man of the house now; he had to be strong, for Twilight’s sake! So why couldn’t he close his eyes without a fresh stream of tears bursting out from behind them? Sighing, he wiped at his face and sat up in bed. It was no use. He just couldn’t get to sleep knowing Twilight was in danger!
He gazed out the window at the Town Hall. The once-bright structure at the heart of Ponyville loomed over him, covered in another magical barrier that kept anypony from peeking in the windows, which gave it a sinister shine in the moonlight. Trixie could be doing anything to his friends in there, and he couldn’t do a thing about it! Why did he just sit there like a lummox while they all fought outside!? He should’ve done something the moment he first heard those crashes and explosions, not just sat at the window and watched with his mouth hanging open like an idiot! Blinking back more tears, the baby dragon tried shifting his focus to the moon, still shining bright despite the magical barrier between it and Ponyville.
“Why isn’t anypony helping us?” He asked aloud, his gaze still on the moon.
No matter how dark things may look, all will be explained, a familiar voice whispered.
“Princess Luna!?” He gasped, spinning in place. An empty, impeccably well-kept room greeted him: Twilight’s bed was still made, the cupboards and shelves were still dusted, and the slipcover along the bed’s edge was unruffled and ironed. Rubbing his eyes, Spike slapped himself a few times to try and set his marbles straight. He couldn’t afford to go crazy now! If he started hallucinating, who would take care of the library while Twilight was…gone? Sighing again, he pulled himself out of his basket and plodded towards the bathroom. Maybe he just needed a bit of water to calm his nerves. And hey, Twilight was gone, so certainly nopony would mind if he helped himself to a midnight snack…
A loud crash echoed from downstairs just as he left the bathroom. Spike froze in his tracks, his entire body locking up in fear. That could’ve been nothing, he thought, just a vase falling over or something silly like that.
Of course, it could also have been some terrible demon raised from the pits of Tartarus itself, summoned by Trixie to torment him for his relationship with Twilight!
Immediately, he dashed back into the room and grabbed a candle from the nightstand. Lighting it with his breath, the little dragon made his way outside, shivering in fear. He peeked out the door, peering left, then right, before shoving his entire body through and onto the upper landing. “He-hello?” He called.
A few creaks replied from the lower floor.
“I-I should warn you: I’m a fierce, fire-breathing dragon, suh-summoned by Trixie herself to…uh…to guard this library!” Yeah, that sounded convincing. Maybe now, if there really was something down there, it would think he was another demon and leave him alone!
Right, and maybe he could defeat Trixie, marry Rarity, and crown himself Queen of the Crystal Empire while he was at it.
“I-I’m warning you,” still shaking, he crept down the stairs, one by one. Each errant creak and pop of a floorboard sending chills up his spine, making the candle’s flame flicker and shake even more. “I-I’m really serious here! Trixie herself summoned me, so you better not cross me, or you’ll…”
A loud thump sounded throughout the library. He turned towards the broom closet, right beneath the staircase. A red glow emanated from the crack under the door: the same shade of red as Trixie’s magic. Shivering harder than he’d ever shivered in his short, baby dragon life, Spike blew out his candle and crept towards the glow. “I-I’m being serious here! You should leave now, wha-while you still have the chance!”
Something shuffled in the closet, the light shifting with it. He set the candle down and picked a vase up off the shelf by the front doorway. It was just a cheap, plastic thing he’d bought for Twilight as a Hearth-Warming present, so he figured it wouldn’t be missed if worst came to worst. Thing was, if things got that bad, would there be anypony around to miss him? “Th-this is your last warning,” he reached a shivering, clawed hand out towards the doorknob. “You-you better leave now, or-or else,” his hand rested on the knob and slowly began to twist. “Or else things could get ugly!”
The knob clicked, the door sliding open just a teensy-bit. With a deep breath, he raised the vase over his head as high as his little arms would allow and dashed into the room, screaming “YYAAAARGH!”
“BLLAAAARRRRGGGHH!” A hideous, three-headed creature screamed in return, rearing up against the far wall to strike. His eyes closing for fear of being driven mad by the mere sight of the horrendous beast, Spike threw the vase with all the might in his little dragon body. He heard it connect with something in the dark before recoiling in fear.
“OOWWWWW…What the hay was that for!?” The creature moaned.
Slowly, tentatively, Spike opened his eyes. Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle stared fearfully back at him, their faces lit up by the glow from their collars. Sweetie had tears in her eyes and a small bump on her head, the vase lying by her hooves. “Guys?” He asked.
“Spike?” Scootaloo gasped.
“What’re you doing here!?”
“We were just walkin’ around Ponyville, tryin’ to earn our cutie marks in Nightcrawler findin’,” Applebloom replied. “We got caught here when Trixie showed up!”
“Well, why didn’t you call back when I was yelling for somepony?”
“You’re the one who was tryin’ t’scare us!” She accused.
“ME, trying to scare YOU!? You were the ones creeping around in MY HOME!”
“Well, you were the one yellin’ that he was a monster summoned by Trixie!”
“And you believed me!?”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders eyed one another, realizing he had a point. As he relaxed, Spike noticed the collars around their necks. “Man, what’re those? Some new fashion statement?”
“No,” Sweetie Belle moaned, hoofing the vase back to Spike while nursing the lump on her head. “Trixie made these things for everypony in town to make sure we do what she wants.”
“Gosh, that’s terrible, here,” he set the vase aside and dashed into the kitchen, returning with a wet washcloth for Sweetie.
“Thanks,” she said, resting it on her lump. “Say, where’s your collar, anyway?”
“Uh, I guess I don’t have one,” he shrugged. “I guess Trixie sort of overlooked me when she cast the spell that made them. It’s not like every town has a baby dragon in it, y’know: she probably just forgot all about me.”
“That seems awfully convenient,” Scootaloo said, glaring suspiciously at Spike.
“Whatcha gettin’ at, Scoots?” Applebloom asked.
“Well, first Spike attacks Sweetie, then we find out he doesn’t have a collar?” She jabbed a hoof into his little dragon gut. “Seems pretty weird, if you ask me. How do we know he’s not in league with Trixie!?”
“What!?” Spike gasped.
“Scootaloo!” Sweetie immediately stepped between the two, still holding the washcloth over her head. “Are you really saying Spike might betray Twilight and everypony he ever knew for no reason at all!?”
“I’m not saying there isn’t a reason, but just because we haven’t found one yet doesn’t mean…”
“Girls, girls,” Applebloom stepped in between Scootaloo and Sweetie. “Now ain’t the time for this! In case y’all ain’t noticed, Ponyville’s got a bit of a situation on its hooves.”
“Right,” Scootaloo said, backing off immediately. “Or should we say ‘Lulamoontopolis’.”
“What?” Spike asked.
“Trixie’s renamed the town,” Sweetie Belle explained. “She says it’s gonna be the capital of her new Empire!”
“Yeah,” Applebloom said. “That’s why we gotta stop her!”
“And when we do,” Scootaloo added, “We’ll be the heroes of Equestria, and everypony will love us forever.” They could just see it now: all sinking into the exact same fantasy where they stood atop a magnificent float at the head of a gigantic parade through Canterlot. Banners screaming “Our Heroes!” and “Cutie Mark Crusaders #1!” hung from every windowsill as confetti and streamers filled the air around them. Ponies danced around in the streets wearing giant, paper-mache copies of their heads. Their new cutie marks practically sparkled in the sunlight for the mob of adoring ponies to gaze upon and fawn over while Trixie brought up the rear in chains, being prodded along by royal guards with spears.
“Oh, why did the Small and Weak Trixie ever think she could go up against the might of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” She moaned, her shackles clinking along while the Wonder-Bolts streaked overhead with their new leader.
“Dashie!” Scootaloo gasped as the teal pegasus landed on the float next to them.
“Hey kid,” Rainbow Dash grinned, pulling off her flight goggles. “Pretty impressive stuff you pulled back there. Like, 20% cooler sort of stuff. Hey, if you wouldn’t mind, maybe I could…hang out with you guys sometime?”
“Hey, don’t forget t’invite me!” Applejack added, galloping up alongside their float. “Lord knows Ah sure could use a lesson in bein’ as awesome as m’little sister!”
Applebloom beamed as Rarity poked her head out of the float’s driver’s seat. “Oh now Applejack, it’s so obvious that we could never be as awesome and incredible and attractive as our sisters. We should feel honored just to be related to such an incredible group of ponies!”
The three fillies grinned happily as the Princesses swooped down out of the sky, alighting on the float right next to them. “And to celebrate their awesomeness, I hereby relinquish my crown,” Celestia said, her tiara disappearing from off her head and reappearing as three copies on each of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ scalps. “I know Equestria will be in capable hooves.”
“And as the Princess of the Night, I have to say this is a rather pleasant fantasy, if somewhat unrealistic,” Luna replied.
“Uh-what?” Applebloom asked.
“Sister, did you have to go and ruin it for them already?” Celestia sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Huh?” Scootaloo asked.
Suddenly, Spike appeared between the Princesses’ heads, shoving them out of his way. “Guys, hey, c’mon!”
“What!?” The Cutie Mark Crusaders opened their eyes. The big, fanatical celebration in Canterlot was gone, replaced with the darkened shelves of Twilight’s library home.
“I was just asking how you planned on stopping Trixie, and you all got this big, blank look on your faces!” Spike said, tapping his foot impatiently.
“Oh, we’re sorry, Spahke,” Applebloom said, rubbing her head. “Guess we got caught up in a collective fantasy there, or somethin’.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Spike repeated.
“Easy!” Sweetie Belle bounded towards the stacks of books spread out on every possible surface in the library. “Twilight’s got just about every book ever written, so there has to be something somewhere in here that’ll tell us how to beat the Amulet!”
“And at the same time, we can get our Cutie Marks in research!” Scootaloo beamed.
“Wait, didn’t we already try t’get our marks in that? And failed on account of it bein’ so borin’?” Applebloom asked.
“That was just on a normal day, when we were trying to research everything. Now, we have something to focus our attention on, and a bunch of ponies dependin’ on us to find it!”
“If that doesn’t sound like a cutie mark-finding quest, I don’t know what does!” Sweetie added gleefully, clapping her hooves together.
“Well, if it could help Twilight,” Spike said, scratching his chin. “Alright, I’m in. I should warn you though; research isn’t as easy as it sounds.”
“Aw, how bad could it be?” Scootaloo said.
“Well, if that’s how you feel,” suddenly, he disappeared into the stacks of books, reappearing with at least twenty bound hardcovers in his hands, which he promptly dumped into her hooves.
“What is…” she started.
“That’s all of ancient Equestrian history,” Spike explained. “If the Alicorn Amulet is as old as its power suggests, odds are there could be some reference in there that might tell us where it came from, and what weaknesses it has.”
“Unf,” Scootaloo gasped, struggling to remain on her hooves with her stack.
“Next up should be more modern history, which’ll be you, Applebloom,” he added, another stack of books appearing in the little Earth pony’s hooves. “There’s bound to be some magician who’s had a run-in with the Amulet at some point, and if they found a way to deal with it, it’ll be in there.”
“Wow Spike, that’s really smart!” Sweetie said.
“Heh, thanks,” he blushed. “But really, I only know this stuff because of Twilight. Now, as for us,” a humongous pile of books, at least a hundred volumes’ worth, appeared between the baby dragon and the little unicorn. “This is every volume on spells and potions that Twilight owns. Hopefully we’ll find something that can nullify the Amulet’s power in there.”
“You don’t sound very certain about any of this,” Scootaloo grunted.
“I’m not,” Spike sighed. “If there WAS something here that could defeat the Alicorn Amulet, I think Twilight would’ve known about it the last time Trixie showed up. She’s spent her entire life with her nose in these books, after all.”
“So why even bother!?” Applebloom yelled, knocking her own stack to the floor.
“Well, we gotta do something to help everypony out,” Scootaloo said.
“Yeah, Celestia knows I won’t be able to sleep so long as Rarity’s in danger,” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“And besides, Twilight could have missed something. It’s not like she’s perfect,” Spike shrugged.
“Well girls,” Sweetie added, eyeing the massive stack of books looming over her head with dread. “Looks like the Cutie Mark Crusaders have their work cut out for them.”
“C’mon,” Scootaloo begrudgingly agreed, shoving her own stack into the nearest corner. “Equestria isn’t gonna save itself.”
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Mr. Cake turned over in his bed, trying to remain as quiet as possible so as not to disturb his wife, resting next to him. As he often did when he had insomnia, he gazed out his bedroom window at the moon. The thing was, this time the red glow from the collar around his neck reflected in the glass, showing his tired, worried eyes atop the moon’s image. He sighed in frustration.
“You can’t sleep either, hmm?” His wife asked.
“No,” he sighed. “I can’t stop worrying about us. What’s gonna happen, you think? What did Trixie mean by ‘a lot of work to do’ tomorrow?”
“Dearest,” she said, cuddling close to him. “You shouldn’t worry about us. We survived Discord’s breakout, the changeling invasion, the return of Nightmare Moon, and even the last time Trixie showed up with the Alicorn Amulet and did the exact same thing she’s doing now!”
“But this time is different, sugarpunch!” He said, tapping at the curling bolts of energy cascading around his neck. “These mean something’s different! Trixie’s meaner, colder! Who knows what she could do to us tomorrow!?”
“Sugarbear, what did I just say?”
“I know, I know, we’ve survived worse,” he pressed his head deeper into the pillow. “But still, there’s Pinkie to worry about. Trixie could be doing anything to her right now!”
“Honeybunch, you know as well as I do how…odd Pinkie is. She probably has Trixie tearing her hair out right now, as we speak!”
“Maybe,” he sighed, his eyes drifting shut. “Maybe.” Of course, no sooner did his head settle into the pillow again when the twins started crying from their room. “Uunnnngh…”
“Pumpkin-Cake? I do believe it’s your turn to check on the twins,” Mrs. Cake said.
“And I’m pretty sure the honor falls on you for now, my little sweetpea.”
“No no, I am quite certain tonight is your night to shine, sugar-muffin.”
“And I am even more certain it’s yours, sweetie-bunch.”
“Well it could be my night, sugar-lump, so long as tomorrow is your turn to lay out the sheet-cake for Ms. Hoofbottom’s birthday.”
Mr. Cake grimaced. Sheet-cake was just about the most monotonous thing to make in all of pastry-baking: the sort of job they would shovel off on an intern, if they could afford one. But just then, the covers seemed so warm and inviting, his pillow like an old friend holding him in a warm embrace after years apart. “Deal,” he said, and listened as his wife triumphantly pulled herself out of the bed and marched to the twins’ room. A few moments later, the crying stopped abruptly.
“Well, that was fast,” he mumbled.
“I-I didn’t even go,” his wife’s voice squeaked behind him. His eyes immediately bolted wide open and he darted upright in bed, his heart pounding in fear. His wife stood just outside the door to their room, frozen in place, the glow from her collar highlighting the intense look of fear on her face. “I-I was going to, but I heard something…”
In an instant, Mr. Cake threw the covers off his body and bolted to his hooves, galloping down the hall. Mrs. Cake was right next to him, bounding alongside as they rushed towards the twins’ room. Every parent’s worst nightmares played in their heads as they ran: visions of intruders in the night or of some terrible accident rising up from their imaginations. Mr. Cake almost kicked the door off its hinges, never even noticing the faint, red glow coming from inside the room. The Cakes paused in absolute shock in the doorway.
“P-Pinkie Pie?” Mr. Cake asked.
The pink mare stood by the twins’ crib, the babies slumbering peacefully in her hooves. At first, the Cakes’ relief was almost immeasurable, seeing that not only their children were safe, but so was one of their nearest and dearest friends! But then the little pink mare looked up at them with a hauntingly empty gaze in her eyes, shimmering beneath a red hue.
“Mistress Trixie requests an audience,” she said without a hint of emotion in her voice.