Although Ponyville had been witness to many strange sights over the last year or so, most of those events had usually been followed by crowds of mares and stallions screaming in terror or simply looking confused and bewildered. Almost never had something unexpected happened that actually caused ponies to smile and smirk, and yet, that was exactly what was happening now, as many a mare or stallion walking down the main street laid eyes on something that, quite frankly, would not have been seen anywhere else in Equestria; a pony and a dragon on a date. Spike, adopted son of local librarian, Twilight Sparkle, and Sweetie Belle, younger sister of Rarity, were walking down the road together, with the former gently holding onto the latter's hoof as they strolled. Everywhere they went, there was either adolescent snickering at this young relationship, some general surprise, or, in the case of many of the more romantically-minded mares, a barrage of "awwws". Regardless of how ponies reacted to them, they clearly didn't care. Instead, they simply smiled sweetly to each other as they approached their destination; the Golden Oak Library. Upon finally arriving at the front door of the place, they stopped, and thus began that age-old tradition of young lovers, staring affectionately into each others' eyes. Only after they'd done a full minute of this did Sweetie finally break the silence.

"I really had a nice time with you today, Spike."

Placing a clawed hand behind him, Spike scratched the back of his head a little as he gave a small chuckle.

"Heh...thanks. I had a nice time too."

Sweetie giggled at that before gaining a look that, to Spike's surprise, seemed a tad more amorous than somepony her age was supposed to look. Although gulping nervously, he soon watched as the young filly stepped closer with that eyes-half-lidded look, before giving him a tender kiss upon his cheek. As usual in this situation, Spike's cheeks soon burned red, prompting yet another fit of giggles from Sweetie. This time though, Spike soon joined in on the laughter and, in a move that mirrored Sweetie's, leaned in and gave a quick kiss on HER cheek. Her reaction was, more-or-less, the same as Spike, prompting the young dragon to give a somewhat triumphant look. Although rather irritated by this, Sweetie nevertheless smiled back at him before giving a playful nudge of her hoof. The two youngsters enjoyed this moment together before a look appeared on Sweetie's face that made it clear that she just remembered something important. Realising this, Spike gave her a silent nod, a permission to go, which earned him an appreciative smile from her before she finally started running off, giving a wave to him as she did so. Waving back, Spike waited and watched as she moved further and further away from him. Only when she was out of sight did he finally turn to his front door and open it. Upon entering the library, he found it empty, leading to a raised eyebrow.

"Mom? Trixie? I'm home!"

Sadly, silence was his only answer, and so he shrugged his shoulders, assuming that the two mares must be out in Ponyville somewhere. As such, he began to move to the kitchen, after which he simply poured himself a cool and refreshing glass of water, a welcome thing, given how hot it was today. After drinking it, he let out a sigh of satisfaction before moving back into the main chamber of the library, at which point he started to move to a collection of comic books that he kept on the side for his own personal use, smiling all the way. However, before he picked up the first comic, he started to hear something, like static, coming from somewhere near him. He turned, looking around, and yet, finding nothing there. He was ready to give up on the matter then and there, when he suddenly heard it again. Although showing confusion at this, he began to look concerned as he realised that the sound was coming from the basement door. Approaching it, Spike became wary, knowing full well that he wasn't supposed to go there without Twilight's permission. And yet, as he looked down, seeing a strange purple glow emerging from the gap beneath the door, he couldn't help but feel his curiosity taking hold of him, almost begging him to come closer. Despite that though, being the responsible drake that he was, he simply turned around and silently willed himself not to go.

However, that resolve was short-lived, for no sooner had he taken one step forward when a new sound began to make itself known. He spun around, telling himself he must have been hearing things, and yet, he soon found himself with his non-existent ears pressed up against the door itself. There was still that static sound there, but now, mixed in with it, was a groan of some sort, the distinct sound of somepony in pain. His eyes widening at this, he frowned and reached forward, pulling the door open and brazenly taking a step inside. Although the fear of being in trouble for coming here was still fresh in his mind, Spike was not one to simply hear a groan of pain and leave it alone, and so he stepped further and further into the basement, shivering slightly at just how much colder it was down here than upstairs. Eventually, he got far enough down the stairs to get a good view of what was going on, and when he did, his eyes shot open. For there, standing in the middle of the basement, was his adopted mother, Twilight. She was shaking at the knees, her eyes shut tight, and with a look of near-agony upon her face. But, what shocked Spike most of all was that she bore her crown, the Element of magic, upon her head. Sparks of magic flew from its gem in every direction, and with every one, Twilight seemed to struggle more and more.

The young dragon said nothing, but immediately leapt into action, charging down the stairs as fast as he could. Within moments, he met up with his mother and, in a move he wasn't quite sure of, simply leapt up into the air and knocked the crown off her head. As it fell to the floor, totally unharmed by the impact, Twilight buckled, collapsing to her knees and starting to pant furiously. Spike watched as beads of sweat rapidly fell down her brow, at which point she finally opened her eyes. When she turned to look at him, Spike noted how incredibly TIRED she looked, as if she hadn't slept in weeks, complete with dark circles under her eyes. It took a few moments, but Twilight eventually composed herself enough to get a feel for her surroundings, at which point, her eyes widened as she looked upon her son.

"Wha...Spike? What...what happened?!"

The young dragon angrily pointed to the discarded crown.

"That thing was doing something to you! There were sparks flying everywhere and...and you were in pain and...I didn't know what to do! So...I knocked it off you!"

Twilight turned, looking upon the crown that now lay upon the ground. She winced slightly, raising a hoof and rubbing the side of her temples, as if to alleviate a massive headache. As she did this, Spike looked to her with worry.

"Mom...what...what happened here?"

The young unicorn looked up to her son, seeing the genuine concern there, and thought long and hard on his question. She was still tired, as evidenced by the way she carried herself, but, even more so by the way she talked.

"My Element...had to test...without honesty, kindness or the others...had to feel...had to know."

Spike watched, still thoroughly confused as to what Twilight was talking about, but, simply remained silent as she kept on trying to explain things. However, in time, Twilight attempted to stand up on her hooves again. Although things started off well, she soon buckled once more, landing on her knees and scraping them slightly on the cold stone floor of the basement. Seeing this, Spike rushed to her side, his expression a determined one.

"Okay, that's it! You're going to bed and getting some rest!"

Twilight turned to him, mouth open and ready to provide some kind of counter-point or resistance to his suggestion, but, a sudden bout of tiredness washed over her yet again, and thus, she began to see the wisdom of her son's words. With great care, Spike lifted up one of Twilights forehooves, wrapping it around his shoulder and helping her up the stairs. Every step was difficult, so much so that he didn't really know how long it took before he finally got back to the main room again. Fortunately, as soon as he did, he looked up to see that Trixie had returned from wherever she'd been during all this. Although looking content at first, one look at Spike and Twilight immediately sent her into a panic, as she charged forward and helped the dragon in propping Twilight up. Slowly they carried her up the stairs, slow step by slow step, and eventually, they managed to get her into her room, after which they helped her into her bed. They covered most of her body with a blanket, after which, Trixie looked to Spike briefly, with the latter giving her a nod. The former show-mare soon got the message, and thus left the two alone, making her way out of the room as quietly as possible. Now alone together, Spike looked to the now-resting mare before letting out a deep sigh.

"Mom...I know your work is important...but you've gotta cut back on it if it's going to be doing...doing...this to you!"

The exhausted mare turned to her son, seeing the love and compassion he had for her blazing in his eyes, and put on a smile. Weakly, she raised a hoof, prompting him to take it carefully into his hands, after which she spoke softly.

"I promise Spike. I'll be more careful."

Realising that their usual relationship of "carer and cared-for" had been reversed all of a sudden, the two laughed together, albeit in a dry manner, with Spike calming down from his earlier panic. He leaned in closer, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead, which she seemed to show great appreciation for, after which, he tucked her in, ready for her to have a nice restful night's sleep.

"I can't ever understand all that magic stuff. It just...scares me sometimes. Just...please be careful."

Hearing that, Twilight simply gave her son an affectionate smile.

"I will. And...Spike? Thank you...for what you did down there."

Although somewhat embarrassed at the praise, Spike simply nodded to her in acknowledgement. Yet again, Twilight gave a nod to him in response, which was responded to with a small smile on his part. He stayed with her for several moments, watching as her eyes steadily became heaver, until finally, they closed. Sighing, he turned around, starting to make his way towards the door of her room. When he arrived at it, he turned to give her one final look, before finally closing the door behind him. However, as the sound of him walking down the stairs could be heard, Twilight's eyes now opened once more, and a look of sadness now crossed her face.

"Oh, Spike...I mean what I said. But no promise I make is going to change anything. Sooner or later...danger will find me."

She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes narrowing as she did so.

"Because I know now...I...I understand. The changes I've made...the corruption of my Element...I know what it's started."

Melancholy began to grip her as she considered that, and tears began to form in her eyes.

"The countdown has begun for me...until the day...that inevitable day...when the Elements are used one last time...with me at their centre."

A sigh escaped her after that.

"And in that moment...I'll know. I will ascend..."

At long last, a tear began to flow down her cheek, with her next words betraying the wobble in her voice.

"...or...I'll fall."