"Organizing those history books I see?" asked Twilight.

"Yep! In alphabetical order, just like you wanted!" answered Spike.

Spike was happily going about his morning duties in the library. It was a beautiful summer day, the air was crisp and dry. He couldn't wait to go outside and bask in the sun, maybe go eat lunch with Twilight as he usually did. As of now, there's nothing he wanted more than breakfast, though.

"I'll warm up some hay fries for the both of us while you finish up, okay Spike?" asked Twilight, seemingly reading his mind. He had come to really appreciate the relationship he and her shared, the unadulterated love of a family member. Even his not-so-secret love for Rarity could not trump the bind that held him and Twilight together. "Sounds great!" he replied. He had never spoken words more true.

Wake up.

They eventually sat down and began eating, Spike more ravenously than Twilight, who just levitated fries slowly and ate them. She giggled at Spike's incurable hunger. "I never know how I'm going to feed you when you get older, you silly dragon." she said. Spike looked up, confused at her, with his mouth full of hay fries. She involuntarily smiled at the sight.

Wake up.

Spike groaned as an unexpected pain in his back hit him. The chill rushed down his spine. <i>This isn't right..</i> He looked up and saw the library fade into darkness, along with Twilight. His head began to buzz and he heard a familiar, feminine voice calling to him.

Spike. Wake up.

----------

"Next time you feel like rolling around in your sleep, try not to land on top of my tail..." hissed Celestia.

Spike slowly opened his eyes then shut them again. Adjusting to the light of the morning day, he finally started to look around at his surroundings. With a long yawn, he stood up, freeing the annoyed Celestia from his unintentional weight. "Sorry." he bellowed, in his usual deep, calming voice.

Spike, now thirty-seven years old, had grown as large as nature allowed him to. He was roughly forty meters tall, when standing on four legs. With his neck forward and his tail straightened back, he spanned maybe a hundred in length. Wings and body to match, he was quite the dragon indeed.

"It's fine, really." replied Celestia, straightening her tail with an old brush she always brought along. "So. The Element of Honesty is first on our list?" she asked.

It had been thirty years since the fall of harmony and death of Twilight Sparkle. Spike couldn't shake his depression and longing to be with her again. He learned to cope with things, however. Celestia had taken Twilight's place after she fled Canterlot, and Spike had been at her side ever since.

"I doubt that Applejack will hesitate in assisting us," said Spike. "However, I fear that her connection to the elements has long passed. Either way, I will not turn down her desire to join our fight, if that is so."

Celestia nodded in agreement. She and Spike were planning an interesting strike against Luna - gathering all ten remaining elements of harmony and chaos, and finally killing the deity which was once a royal family member.

Spike and Celestia set off on a long flight to what once was Sweet Apple Acres, hoping to find, or at least a trace of Applejack. Spike thought to himself the terrible reality, that there was truly no way of knowing where she had gone, as it stood. It's not like we have any other plans. If we cannot locate the Element of Honesty, than we stop cold before we have begun. Spike breathed in fresh air, gracefully gliding across the open uncharted sky. As he looked down, he saw nothing but endless mountains made of gray stone. To a dragon, it was quite pretty. If they weren't preoccupied with the end of the world, he would have truly enjoyed flying with Celestia that morning.

"Nice, isn't it?" he asked.

"Would be nicer." she replied. "I don't see how you can enjoy this day. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you. It's the only thing you've said in a long while not involving killing my sister or missing Twilight."

She was right. Ever since Luna had fought and killed Twilight in the palace hallways thirty years ago, he had done nothing but obsess over why everything happened the way it happened. He hadn't payed attention to the clues which led up to Luna's rebellion against Equestrian government, but once he talks to everyone, he will finally understand. That's what he hopes, at least. He had been the only one there to witness the fight, but nearing the end, an excess bolt of lightning had knocked him unconscious. He never would hear Twilight's last words. "You can't blame me." groaned Spike. He frowned and looked away, his earlier enjoyment of the scenery deflated into his usual melancholy.

"It will all be okay, Spike. We can end this soon. It will all work out." reassured Celestia.

Her statement went unnoticed, as Spike was staring down at a pile of gleaming emeralds. He hadn't eaten that morning, although Celestia had prepared a few sandwiches for the days of traveling to come. Without warning, he locked his wings and dove down, aiming at the large pile of delicious gems. He kept his lustful eyes wide open, with an unfaltering, gigantic smile stretching his entire head.

Celestia sighed and began a much more elegant descent towards Spike's new found breakfast. She couldn't help but giggle at the hungry young dragon, who's depression seemed to melt away at the sight of a good meal.

----------

Spike landed on a flat platform of stone next to the pile of emeralds, licking his lips. Before he could take a bite, a dark red and black dragon, a tad smaller than Spike, appeared out from a nearby cave.

"How may I help you?" he said in a sarcastic, annoyed tone. His eyes narrowed at Spike as he sharply exhaled smoke from his nose.

Spike grinned at the angry dragon, failing at holding back a seemingly maniacal laughter. He took a few steps forward, grabbed a random emerald and held it up to the black dragon's snout. "I am going to eat these. You are going to leave." he challenged, daring the black dragon to do anything about it.

"Is he insane?" thought Celestia, as she circled the sky, spectating the scene below.

The black dragon grew more angry, and stepped forward opening his mouth to release a flame, but before he could do anything, it was held in the claws of his assailant. The dragon's eyes widened at Spike, startled by the younger dragon's strength and reflexes.

Not wanting to be further annoyed during breakfast, Spike slammed the head of the black dragon onto the stone floor below, instantaneously knocking him unconscious. Pleased with his victory, he returned his attention to the emeralds and began sating his endless hunger. This is how you will feed me when I get older, Twilight.

Celestia finally landed next to the black dragon and shot an angry glare at Spike. "You know, that was really unnecessary.." she said.

"I told him to move." said Spike, chuckling to himself.

"Yes, because that gives you the right to steal from the poor man and knock him to the ground." shot Celestia.

"Oh please, Tia." groaned Spike. "He will wake up with a headache and ninety percent of his stash still here. He's fine, he will stop caring about the entire ordeal by tomorrow."

Celestia's anger dissipated. Spike was the only remaining person who she would let call her Tia. Everyone else had died, or turned against her. The nickname reminded her that she was still loved by Spike, despite all the mistakes she had made when she lost Equestria to Luna. She walked up to Spike and sat down at his side, resting on his warm underbelly. In the midst of all the traveling and war, she had forgotten how much she loved Spike, just sleeping next to him. Upon noticing the alicorn on his side, he smiled and wrapped his left wing around her, as well as just about everything else to the left.

"So." she said.

"So?" asked spike.

"You never really told me the story or went into details about what happened between Twilight and Luna on... That day..." mumbled Celestia, looking off to the side worrying if she had upset the dragon.

"Hmph. Didn't think you really wanted to know." he replied.

"I do."

Spike yawned, and stopped eating for the moment. He looked down at Celestia and began reciting his tale. "It started early that morning, while Twilight was focused on her usual studies..."