Twilight heads an expedition to the old castle ruins and discovers something magical... and deadly.
The Princess has not been sleeping as of late. Celestia sends Sparkle to retrieve Nightcap, a powerful herb that will solve her sleeping issues. Along the way, however, Twilight discovers something even more magical... and deadly.
This deluxe edition is the final rewrite of The Book.
Hi! It's your good pal, ChemIisan! I usually like to tell people what they're doing before they make any silly decisions. Speaking of decisions, you're probably debating about reading this tale right now. Let me make something clear; I write for myself quite often, and this is a result. This isn't a story about butterflies and trees. It isn't a story about Rainbow Dash making out with Pinkie Pie (which happens far too often for my tastes). This is a story of a gruesome artifact, both wretched and lovely. To use a powerful comparison, Cupcakes. If you couldn't stomach Cupcakes without crying, than you'll probably break at one point or another (that is, if you follow this story to the very end). Hell, I count on it! If this story frightens you, horrifies you, offends you, or makes you cry in any way, make sure to say what got you the hardest in the comments! I love to know what makes my subjects tick! In addition, any feedback can be fed right into the sequel to ensure you have a damn good read!
For those of you who are unaware, this is a rewritten version. After looking at the original closely, I discovered that I really didn't set up the second book correctly. I've done a better job of keeping continuity and developing characters in this version. When I wrote the original back in October, I had no idea that it was a good read. After that, I studied writing techniques, practiced proper grammar, and learned a few tricks for developing storyline. Even if you read the old book, I would recommend you read this 'expanded' edition of the first book to get a real feel for the whole thing. After this, I would recommend continuing onto the sequel, linked at the very end. Well? What are you waiting for?
The Book Written by ChemIisan Cover Illustration by StaticWave12 Other Illustrations by ChemIisan Chapter One: Insomnia
Luna was having issues sleeping. At first she brushed it off. You can't be a perfect sleeper 100% of the time, after all. She ignored it for many months, but she became fed up. She visited the local doctor, hoping to diagnose and treat her insomnia. After waiting in the green reception room for several minutes, the nurses invited her in. The checkup room was a pale yellow. Countertops with a built-in sink were located beneath cabinets and sanitary tools. Doctor Whooves walked in with a clip-board and a stethoscope around his neck. He looked over the clip-board once more before placing it on the turquoise countertops. His hooves were covered in latex gloves.
“Describe your problem to me for a bit, Princess.” Doctor Whooves was probably getting paid too much for this check-up.
“We have been having much trouble putting our head to rest in the royal chambers of yore.” Ever since the Nightmare Night incident, Princess Luna was much softer in her tone.
“It looks like you might have insomnia, Princess Luna.” He chuckled heartily at his own joke. Definitely paid too much.
“This much is clear to us, Doctor. We would hope that you have more light to shed on the matter.” Luna could not be less amused. Doctor Whooves took a pencil to his clipboard and proceeded to write down a prescription.
“It's simple, really. You need a Nightcap- a white mushroom. They grow near the ruins of the old castle, as it happens. I suppose you could see if we have any in the pharmacy, but they are quite rare.”
Doctor Whooves handed the prescription to Luna and ushered her out. They were out in the pharmacy. Needless to say, a certain doctor was missing from the Equestrian ranks the next day.
“Sister. We require this, 'Nightcap', which is conveniently located at our old castle.” Luna was very upfront and abrupt with her request.
“That is convenient, isn't it? We could grab your old things while we were there, if we wanted to.” Celestia quieted a guard who was about to speak.
“That would royally please us. Make sure that our belongings and the Nightcap are located and brought to our rooms as soon as ponyly possible.” Luna lifted her chin haughtily and trotted back to her room.
“The Princess is sure taking a long time to adjust to modern society...” It was Janet, a brown, scrawny pegasus, speaking up. Janet was one of the Captains of the Guard. Her input was often a restatement of the obvious, but she happened to be particularly good with the numbers and even better with war tactics.
“She's just feeling disconnected from the world. It's been a thousand years. We can't expect her to adjust immediately.” Celestia watched as Luna was startled by two ponies carrying a chest. Luna squealed and hid in between two columns, shivering. Celestia giggled and Luna gave her a dirty look before galloping off to her room.
“I hope you're right, Princess...”
“How are we going to get the Nightcap from the Everfree Forest, Princess?” This time it was Gerald, a buff white Captain. His goatee was villainous, but his intentions were pure. He spoke with a gruff voice, and often asked the most straightforward questions. He was the strongest of the guard, and he had seen more battles than the other Captains combined. Even though he was blind in one eye and extremely old, he could still beat Celestia in hoof-to-hoof combat.
“I have a few ponies in mind for the retrieval team. You remember my student, Twilight Sparkle?”
“How could I forget?” Twilight was a very quiet kid, and didn't like to talk to others. Gerald still remembered the first time she tried to cast a levitation spell. The whole castle had to be rebuilt. It's extremely hard to do more than one million bits of damage to a major nation. This child had done more than three.
“I'm thinking of sending Professor Diggs and the Royal Archeologists to join her on an expedition to the Equestrian Ruins.”
“I'm not too keen on the idea, but then there's a reason I'm not the Princess.”
“Birthright?” Janet joked.
“Oh, ha-ha.”
“Janet, mind telling Diggs I need her?” Celestia was writing a scroll to Spike.
“No problem, ma'am!” Janet galloped off, searching for the archeologist in question. Celestia hoped to see a fine pegasus one day. For now, she had a letter to send.
***
Spike was dusting Ponyville Library's bookshelves. Many of the books were stacked and strewn across the floor, and Twilight was engrossed in a large book. She normally read three at once, but that was only if you counted the encyclopedia and the dictionary. Her studies in both friendship and magic were progressing at an extremely fast pace since she moved to Ponyville many months ago. The Princess was giving her progressively more difficult tasks as of late, and she had less time to study. As Spike placed a book arbitrarily in the wall, green fire welled in his stomach. Spike coughed up a letter from Celestia and opened it.
“Twilight!” yelled Spike from the foyer. “Princess Celestia has sent you a letter!”
Twilight closed the encyclopedia she was consulting and trotted eagerly over to Spike. “Well?” she asked with delight. “What does it say?”
“Celestia says she wants you to lead an expedition into the Castle Ruins! She says to bring a friend or two and a wagon, and she also included a list of things you need to grab for Princess Luna. Nightcap mushrooms, a powder blue hair comb in the shape of moon, a box of midnight blue socks, one backup tiara... The list goes on, but I'll let you read it yourself.”
Twilight's eyes sparkled with glee. “Do you know what this means, Spike?” Before Spike could respond, Twilight continued. “It means the Princess trusts me enough to lead her trained scholars! This means that she thinks I'm good leadership material! Who knows, I may end up being elected to the board of Royal Advisers! Or better, I'll get a statue in my honor! Or both! Isn't this exciting?”
Spike opened his mouth, but felt it was prudent to keep his opinions to himself and let her have her fun while she still could. “That sounds great, Twilight! Do you need me to pack your things for you?” Twilight nodded, still jumping around like a filly lost in ecstasy. “I'll ask Applejack and Rainbow Dash! I'm sure one of them has some spare time. In the meantime, pack my things!”ordered Twilight as she cleared a path to the door. Spike shook his head as Twilight ran off for her friends. “One quill... two quill... NyQuil... blue quill...” he mumbled as he filled a bag with supplies.
Twilight arrived at Dash's house first. The rainbow stream that ran from the cloud-based home illuminated the cliff below. “Knock knock!” yelled Twilight at the top of her lungs. No response. “Knock, KNOCK!” Twilight yelled again. She saw the curtains pull open to show Gilda peeking outside. Twilight thought she heard some yelling about 'a unicorn at the door', but she might have just made it up. Rainbow Dash opened the door and peeked over the edge. “Heya, Twilight!”
“Hello, Rainbow Dash! I was wondering if you were available later? Princess Celestia wants me to lead an expedition into the Everfree Forest, and she requested I bring along a few friends.” As Twilight said this, Gilda popped over the edge to look at Twilight.
“Sorry, Twilight. I'm hanging out with Gilda today. I made a promise a few weeks back to spend more time with her.”
“I thought the both of you weren't on speaking terms...?”
“I thought I was too, until I came over here and apologized. Rainbow Dash was good enough to give me a second chance after I flipped out at that party. She's a nice gal, really,” replied Gilda in a very cool and content manner.
“What Gilda said. Any other day I would have been up for it. But today is Gilda's day. I hope you understand.” Twilight didn't really understand, but she figured that it was Rainbow Dash's choice who she slept with. “It's alright, I understand priority. Alright, I'll just go find Applejack. You two have a good time with each other now! Don't forget protection!”
“Wait, what!?” spat an incredulous Gilda as Twilight wandered just out of earshot.
“Something tells me that Twilight didn't understand at all...”
***
Twilight reached Sweet Apple Acres with a quick teleport and nearly fused with poor Apple Bloom. “Wahh!” screamed Apple Bloom to the flank several centimeters from her face.
“Don' scare me like that, Twi'! I'm really not up fer becoming part of yer cutie mark!”
“I'm sorry about that, Apple Bloom! Sometimes I forget other ponies exist when I teleport...” After an comfortable silence, Twilight posed a question. “Where is Applejack? I need to talk to her about business-y things.”
“Mah sis is with Big Mac tryin' to remove a boulder from th' entrance. I'm sure they could use yer help. Jus' walk, though, you've nearly killed me more than enough t'day.” Apple Bloom lead the way to a struggling Applejack and Big Macintosh. The steaming green bolder actually looked like a meteor, which were quite uncommon in this unusual size.
“Twi? I was just about to go get you from th' library. We can't get this boulder out've th' way without searin' our sides. Mind lending a horn?” Applejack was tired and somewhat smelly from exhaustion.
“This rock isn't a boulder; It's a meteor.” Twilight stated as she levitated it gently out of the hole it dug into.
“There's a diff'rence?” Applejack was clearly not a science person.
“Yes, and this type is very important. It can magnify a spell over the entire land if used properly. But that requires dragon's blood, and that isn't so easy to get. You should sell it! I'm sure you would make a large profit. That would be great for your farm, wouldn't it?” Twilight learned about meteors from one of the books in the restricted section of the Canterlot Library. She figured they were restricted because otherwise lesser ponies would learn how to turn the Princess into stone or something like that. But once you've read all of the books in the library several times, you thirst for something bigger. Sure, Twilight was caught and punished after a few books, but she had already read about the properties of meteors and struck it to memory.
“Why, thanks, Twi! I'm sure the family could use this, if it'll get us some real cash! Was there somethin' you needed, by the way?”
“I need your aid on a dig to the ruins of the old castle. Princess Luna left quite a few things behind and I've been tasked with retrieving them. Princess Celestia asked me to bring a friend with me, just in case we ran into an angry manticore or something like that. Last time I was caught, I didn't have anyone to help me out. I may not have ever been found if it weren't for Fluttershy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
“I understand completely. Well, I'm free righ' now so whenever we can go th' better. Let me just grab a few things from the barn, okay?”
“I'll meet you at the library.” Twilight paused on her way out and added: “Oh, and bring a wagon!”
“Can do, sugarcube!”
Twilight wished Applejack goodbye and set off for the library.
The archaeologists had already arrived when Twilight got back to the library. As she became acquainted with the Head Archeologist, Diggs, Applejack arrived with a wagon and food for the journey. The group set up as Twilight became familiar with the layout of the ruins. When they arrived, Twilight was not prepared for what she saw. The brilliant white towers were decayed, the orange glow of the sun casting a warm gloom over the entire forest. Birds scattered from tattered flags, and doors rotted wide open. Sure enough, stalks of Nightcap and other rare mushrooms were gathered around the ancient Enchanters Guild Warehouse. Twilight sorted the team into 5 groups, each tasked with a different goal. Some had to collect as many herbs as possible, while others had to locate Luna's things. The crew only had a few hours before it was completely dark, so they needed to make the best of it. Twilight asked Applejack to keep watch outside and asked one of the other archeologists to help keep Applejack company.
Twilight took Diggs into the library with her to examine what books were worth retrieving. The library was extremely large, with spines of many faded colors organized in neat groups. As the wizened pegasi looked at the upper shelves, Twilight examined the lower bookshelves. There were many books that needed a new cover, and still some where the text was faded away and nigh unreadable. Twilight's eye caught on a book with an almost pristine binding. As Twilight pulled on it, the shelf moved to reveal a back entrance into another hallway. “You stay here.” Twilight mumbled quietly to Diggs, who was engrossed in an original copy of The Elements of Harmony. Twilight trotted along in the dark tunnel, nearly tripping over a rock on the ground. A faint light emanated from a connecting room in the dim hallway, light coming from an open flame and revealing a pile of broken bricks strewn across the floor.
She looked inside to find a small alcove housing a few ceremonial candles and a large, dusty, and cobweb-covered tome with some visible yellow. She relit the room's old but functioning candles and saw that the entrance had been sealed before but was blasted away. Sparkle looked around and blew dust off the cover, revealing a black exterior with gold lettering. It was... well, illegible. Gold insets from over a thousand years ago tend not to be in your modern language. She flipped it open to see illustrations with shining descriptions... but the illustrations were moving. One showed a pony entering the maw of a greater pony. Twilight watched as the jaw crushed down with excruciating detail, sending blood to cover the majority of the page. The next page showed a pony with her hair growing and choking others. After that, a it showed pony with spikes bursting from the base, and a pony with their skin melting off, and another getting thinner until their bones grew too big for their flesh. Blood oozed from the actual book now, covering Twilight's hooves in red syrup. Twilight lifted them up and examined the glistening stuff as it dripped to the floor. Her tongue touched the viscous liquid. Salty, she thought.
"Twi'?" called a familiar voice from the hallway. The noise startled Twilight. She quickly slammed the book shut and put it in her bag with a flick of her horn.
"Y-yes, Applejack?" stuttered Twilight as she regained her composure. Applejack poked her head into the small room her hat somewhat unsettled on her head.
"Just wonderin' where you went off to. Th' others were gettin' mighty worried! You alright there, sugarcube? You look white as a rattler!" concerned Applejack.
"I'm just fine, just found an old book and got some dust in my nose is all." reassured Twilight, adding in a weak 'a-choo'. The blood on her hooves was gone. Was it even there in the first place? Was Twilight going... mad?
"Alrigh' then, don't go off without warnin' us nex' time." urged an uneasy Applejack as she went back in the direction of the main library. Twilight followed, adding in a few coughs for good measure. The remainder of the day was uneventful, and the team returned with most of the items on the list. Twilight didn't mention the book she found, nor did she talk about the illustrations contained within.
Twilight bid the others ado and entered her abode with the book on her mind. She still had it, but it was unreadable. That night, she set to work learning the language. She had a few days before she had any appointments, so there was no rush. She flipped through the pages, but the illustrations were gone. Instead, the menacing figures had been replaced by a sheet of symbols with a line below them. On each page the same sheet of symbols was followed by an underscore... nay, a signature line...
It was hopeless. Twilight had tried everything, from Starswirl's Translation Spell to Higgleberry's Guide to Translating Ancient Languages. Each and every symbol here seemed to be its own symbol, completely unrelated to the others. Twilight groaned and hit her head on the desk in frustration. Her last candle went out, only leaving the moonlight stretched across the book's pages. As she moved her eyes away from the oaken wall and back to the book, she saw the lettering shimmer to life. Figures moved around on the old pages. Twilight looked in both admiration and horror as she gazed at the shifting symbols, their lines now forming a... a contract.
It took Twilight several moments to realize that nothing had changed about the lettering in any way, shape, or form. She understood what it said, but it was not in modern tongue. Nor, for that matter, was it in a newly translatable manner. She could just read it, and that was that. She closely examined the contract in its entirety. It read:
I do swear To grant what is fair When thy time doth yearn In return I swear loyalty to you I will act on thine command I will receive what I am due I will turn mountains into sand I will pave your resurrection With the blood of my hooves And with that blood I do decree Your power shall Bestow to me
She read it multiple times before the meaning set in. And with that blood. An urge, no, a compulsion to cut open her front legs overwhelmed Twilight's senses. She felt her joints wobble. Her mind was clouded with horrific thoughts of a knife, no larger than her hooves, digging its way into her sweet lavender heels. She struggled, she used her will, she wanted the terrifying urges to stop. She screamed before she finally snapped out of it. She awoke in Sugarcube Corner's kitchen, far from her initial destination.
"Who's there? I have an apple pie, and I'm not afraid to use it!" a shrill voice from the dark questioned.
"Pinkie?" Twilight responded, moving towards the voice. A sharp pain ran through her legs. She looked down and her stomach flipped. It would seem she didn't snap out of it fast enough, for a cake knife had already found its way into her front-most foreleg. Pinkie couldn't see this, Twilight thought to herself. It would horrify her. Twilight turned her hoof slightly left and kicked the knife under the counter as Pinkie walked into the kitchen with a pie, bleary eyed. She dropped the pie and its contents spilled on the ground.
"Why are you in my kitchen?” grumbled Pinkie from under a mass of frizzy hair. “Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"Oh... I must have been sleepwalking!” Pinkie still looked suspicious. “With the munchies! Boy, am I hungry! You don't mind if I have one of these, do you?" Twilight levitated a bag of chips over and chomped down on them with an expression of glee (and, she hoped, honesty).
"Okie-dokie-lokie... just don't trail that blood everywhere. It'll shock ponies." Pinkie Pie casually poked the puddle of blood and tasted it. “Tastes just like Granny Pie's recipe.” Pinkie Pie went upstairs to sleep, leaving Twilight wide eyed and confused. Twilight stopped her eating and teleported back home, unnerved by Pinkie's comment. She felt woozy. Twilight wobbled back to bed and found herself looking over the book, where only one line now remained.
"Chop, chop, chop..." Twilight whispered as she wrote in her notes. "I'll make I meal out of you... that won't do..."
Owlicious screamed as Twilight stabbed each of its wings, separating the feathers in neat rows. Behind him lay the bodies of many a dissected pegasi, some still groaning, but most motionless. Blue, yellow, red and silver- all colors of the rainbow, present on display. Her walls held some of the more violent prisoners, the ones that just wouldn't stay silent...
"Chop, chop, snap..." Twilight stopped cutting for a moment as the delicate wingwork was completed. She plucked a bloody feather from the owl's wing, writing on parchment with her assistant's blood. The owl screamed once more, but Twilight quickly silenced it by removing the beak.
"I can't just have you waking the neighborhood, now can I?" Twilight finished writing her notes, grabbing a potato peeler from the floor. The Book said that owl liver was needed for this next bit. Luckily for Twilight, she had just such a pet to fit the bill.
"What's behind this plumage, I wonder? Better question... how fast does an owl's heart beat?" Twilight pulled the peeler along Owlicious's body, removing mostly feathers.
"That's no good. Your feathers are quite long... too long, in fact." Twilight started pulling each one individually. "This little feather went to the market... this little feather stayed home... this little feather had ROAST BEEF," she yelled as she yanked a particularly long feather from the tail. Blood splattered along the wooden floor, more dripping from the feather.
"Heh..." Twilight chuckled, looking at the bloody tail feather. She chuckled once more, her laughter a maniacal cacophony of giggles. Her guffaws were pierced neatly by a screaming undertone, alluding to her madness. Her left eye twitched once, and her teeth ground themselves. A loud knocking interrupted her playtime, however. Twilight heard somepony knock again. Once more, and Twiligh went to the door and looked through the keyhole. It was Carrot Top.
"Hello? Twilight?" Carrot Top called out. The door cracked open.
"What do you want?" Twilight growled from the other side.
"I need to borrow your microscope! My vegetable farm is feeling sick, and I want to know why."
"Well, why didn't you just say so? Come in, my dear!" The door opened wider and Carrot Top trotted in, only to be silenced by darkness.
Spike was with Rarity a lot more now that Twilight no longer needed him. Twilight worked only at night with Owliscious, meaning Spike had the whole day to himself. Twilight said it was important he take a vacation from work, and that she was studying something delicate. So delicate that might not be easy with a baby dragon running around. Spike understood it that way, anyways. Today Rarity had dismissed him, saying that her newest line was done for now and a spa day with Applejack was in order.
Spike figured it would be a good day to check in on Fluttershy, who had once invited Spike to talk about dragons. Spike could talk forever about himself. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," he mentioned to nopony in particular as he looked in a puddle from last night's rain. He walked up the twisted path that lead to her house, not knowing if she was there or not. When Spike arrived, he was shocked. The door was crumpled in, and most of the furniture was wrecked. There seemed to be signs of struggle everywhere. Furniture was broken, the stairs were scorched... and there was movement under the debris. Spike saw the mangled corpse of Angel, Fluttershy's dearest pet, inch out from under the couch with a clawed and ulcered arm. Spike met Angel's eyes and it wailed back with a scream that chilled his scales. As it was mere inches away from the purple dragon, the Princess chose an opportune time to send a letter. The emerald flames coated the rabbit and it caught. It squealed in pain as it melted away, leaving only singed fur and a puddle of blood. The letter was now coated in the red mess, and it simply read: 'Come back to Canterlot immediately, Twilight.' Spike picked up the letter and ran off, looking for his master and Celestia's student.
"Twilight!" screamed Spike as he barged down the door of the Inner Library, where Twilight was located. When he reached the bottom floor, however, he revulsed. There was Carrot Top, her stomach slit and her innards placed in an organized fashion on an operating table. Her mouth was taped shut, and her eyes were still flitting about, filled with frozen terror. Her lungs were still moving separate from her body, and her heart continued to beat without the other organs to support it. He turned around to see a pale Fluttershy, bloody and wrapped in bandages with her mouth bound. She was placed gingerly in the corner with a griffon's skeleton. Spike hears the door creak shut, and it dawns on him that he just walked straight into a trap.
"Why, hello SPIKE!” A voice from the shadows spoke, giving emphasis to Spike's name. “Glad my FAVORITE assistant could join us! I was just practicing a new spell, and it works so WELL! I like to call it... Immortality. Now Carrot Top can live FOREVER! If only she would just stop SCREAMING when I removed the tape..."
Twilight was more red than purple. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her teeth were sharpened into points. It occurred to Spike that there were many more ponies here, and that the room was bigger than it used to be. The walls were carved by frantic hooves, bloodied by victim's efforts to escape.
"Twilight, what have you done to yourself? You're not like the pony I once knew and admired!" Spike was running on a mixture of anger and fear now.
"Oh, so you've noticed my new wings?" An array of color fanned out from her sides. "Well, they aren't exactly MINE, per say, but Fluttershy and others were KIND enough to lend me a few!" Her grim countenance would have made Spike puke if he was not as still as stone. "I'm so GLAD you could DINE with me though. I have a few plans I would love to discuss over a plate of Rainbow Dash!"
"I- I'm not hungry." motioned Spike to the red and blue meat offered to him.
"Oh but you ARE! Growing dragons need to eat!" A knife and fork worked away, feeding Spike with his old friend as Twilight rambled on. "At first I was a bit shocked too! After all, what kind of unicorn thinks about killing her friends and eating the insides for dessert? But I'm not exactly a UNICORN anymore, am I? I have wings now! In fact, you could say that I'm practically ROYALTY."
"Royalty my ass!" choked a disgruntled Spike as he spat out his food. "You're not half the princess Celestia is! You're just a monster now!"
Twilight's features fell. "Well that isn't very nice. Not very nice at ALL.”
Twilight looked innocently at the baby dragon as she sidled up to Fluttershy, petting her pink hair and coating it with blood. She paused, and looked back at Spike.
“Did you know that dragons have multiple hearts? Of course you did. But do you know what that means? A full grown dragon can live their life while constantly bleeding. The backup systems will keep them alive, after all." Twilight's eyes grew in intensity. "Do you know how useful dragon blood is? It can grant the user fire breathing, can cure death, even turn lead to gold. You should see what happens when I get my hand on Applejack's meteor. Do you see where I'm getting with this?" Spike nodded with a pale sheen as the thought dawned on him. He wasn't going to die here. He was going to live in misery for the rest of his days.
"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, really. You were such a nice assistant..."
"No, no, wait! I'll help! Please, not that! I'll... I'll kill anyone you ask!" Spike pleaded, still held by the magic that bound him.
"You'll kill anyone? Anyone I ask? Who's the monster now?" Twilight stomps down on Spike stomach. "I'm not the monster here! It's everyone else who are the monsters! I'm solving a problem! With the help of a certain rock, I can solve EVERYONE'S problem! Imagine, will you; a world without death? People will worship me. They will respect me. They will all learn to LOVE me. Why does that make me the monster? Well, I guess some just can't learn, can they? It's okay. I ccan solve that. First step is to kill anypony who opposes me. And you know what? I have a good idea of who is fir-"
A loud *THWACK* interrupted Twilight mid-sentence. It was Rarity. The chair in her hooves had knocked the pseudo-alicorn down. Twilight's world blackened, covered in blood and shrouded in confusion. "Well this is no good! Twilight HAD to sign the demon book, didn't she?" yelled an angry Pinkie Pie from the doorway. "If you're going to do something in secret, don't scream your plans to the victims outside!" Pinkie Pie jumped on Twilight's fragile face until her horn cracked and her jaw followed. "At least this will keep you from casting those nasty spells while we figure a way to reverse this mess!"
Rarity untied a wingless Fluttershy and helped her to her hooves. "It's going to be alright, Fluttershy, we have this handled." Fluttershy shivered but stayed close to Rarity, unable to stand. Spike looked towards the stairs as Nurse Redheart and Applejack raced down. "I brought 'er as soon as you called, Pinkie Pie!" The nurse pulled the tape off Carrot Top and everypony heard a loud scream. "I'll take this one back first. She's going to need a lot more therapy than the dead ones." Spike helped stuff some organs back into the ribcage, hopefully getting the important ones.
"How could this happen?" Rarity asked Pinkie Pie.
"I think I can answer that one..." groaned a tattered Rainbow Dash with both wings missing. She wheezed from her corner and it was shown her ribcage had been torn through her chest and one f her legs removed. Rarity looked shocked, and Dash took notice. "It's okay. I got the same spell as Carrot Top. I'll live, but I'm not the fastest in Equestria any more." Rainbow Dash laughed at this part, and some blood followed. "I happened to stop by a few weeks ago, when the whole thing started. She invited me in, and I'm not sure even she knew what she was doing. Before I was sedated, she kept muttering something about 'That Book'. One day she was even frantically screaming for it. I think that if there was a book, it's gone now, moved on. Perhaps Zecora knows more about it." Dash coughed up some blood, but it was blue rather than red.
As Applejack helped Rainbow Dash up to her feet, Fluttershy went to recover at Rarity's Boutique. Before she could leave, Spike stopped Pinkie Pie. Their eyes met for only a moment, but Pinkie Pie understood the message. Their eyes unlocked and they stepped outside. The skies felt more blue than before, and the grass was greener. Spike felt true about his emotions, and he could only hope to adjust with time.
The Book was nowhere to be found, though Ponyville would never forget the day it's power ran amok. Twilight became reclusive, flying over the Everfree Forest with her many stolen wings. Feeling lost without her magic horn and betrayed my her old friends, she prowled the forest, punishing any foal unlucky enough to find her awake. Princess Celestia once motioned to kill her, but Spike intervened.
"This is Twilight's way of calming down. If it takes her a thousand years, so be it."
Celestia looked at Spike, and halted her guards. "You're right. I was being rash." She looked into the setting sun, its light fading quickly.
“She was a nice kid. Like a mother to me, and caring to my needs." Spike shook his head. "What exactly happened back there, Princess Celestia? She started acting this way... well, she started acting this way after a trip to your old castle. Rainbow Dash mentioned a book.” Princess Celestia frowned. She looked carefully at the dragon before turning around and looking at the full moon.
“It was a book." she began. Spike looked at the sunset moon alongside her, listening intently. "It was meant to be a way to defeat Discord. A way to master the spells he used and then throw them right back at him. Starswirl himself prepared it after arduous study. Once it was made, however, we realized that there was no way to contain the power bestowed by The Book. It resurfaces from time to time, each time with a new host full of desire for one thing or another. Its last victim was none other than my sister, or as you knew her, Nightmare Moon. My sister was shown only what mattered to her; a way to become more powerful than me. We were still fillies at that time; she became older using The Book's wicked magic. When you used the Elements of Harmony, you negated her aging spell. When you used the Elements on Discord, you negated all of his spells that The Book was based on.”
“So let me get this straight; you're telling me that the Elements are in complete opposition to that Book?” Spike thought he had a grasp on what the Princess was speaking about. Was The Book just as powerful as the Elements?
“Well, you could argue that the Elements are the pure antithesis to The Book. Actually, that's exactly how I would phrase it. The only problem is that Twilight was the Element of Magic, and to restore her is now nigh on impossible. I only fear what this will do to the integrity of the other Elements...” Celestia paused to make the sun disappear beyond the horizon. “As long as the book does not resurface, we will be fine. Unfortunately, its resurfacing is destined to happen. Should it appear once again, Spike, I task you with tracking it down and destroying it, once and for all.”
Spike nodded and walked away without another word. He would train for that day, prepare for the moment when The Book would strike once more. And this time, he would be ready for it.
In a distant barn, a rock glowed once, only to die out. Its master had awoken.
Well lookie here! What a trooper! You've read my entire fanfiction- not exactly a noteworthy feat, but a feat of importance nonetheless. You may notice a few similarities to Cupcakes. Half of them were intentional, but some were... unexpected. Needless to say I carved a different perception of a similar (not the same) plot. Put any complaints about this being a 'half-assed copy' in the comments, please, because everyone loves to hear you whine. What's this? Was I too soft on you? This can't be the ending? It's too jolly to be the ending of a horror story? Well, you're half-right. This is the ENDING, but not the END. As it happens, there's a sequel. It's called The Stone, and it takes place three months after the events of this story. I'll give you the link - but first, let me thank you (yes, you). I just want to thank you personally for reading the entire fanfiction. If you ever draw fanart, make sure to tell me! I've reserved a little section at the end of this book just for fanart. Don't see the little section? That's probably because nopony's sent me anything. Well, I've kept you waiting long enough. Enjoy The Stone (it's about 20% cooler)!
