...It seems like such a long time ago now. It all started when Spike was still a young dragon. Everything appeared normal at first. The night was quiet and still. Nothing was out of the ordinary when Spike and Twilight went to sleep. It wasn't until the young dragon awoke in the middle of the night that things began to change.

"Mm..."

Spike tossed and turned, but he couldn't return to sleep. When he opened his eyes, a frightful sight greeted him. It was a ghostly little reptile was terrified out of his wits, but for some reason, he had no desire to call for help. Instead, he tried to communicate with the spirit.

"H-hello?"

There was no response.

"Who are you," he asked a little more calmly.

Still not was a word uttered.

"Why are you in my room?"

The ghost simply refocused it's vision on Spike. Soon after, it turned away again, and finally, left the room.

"Wait!"

Spike got out of bed. He began to feel something deep within his heart; a painful sadness mixed with a strong desire to investigate. He found the flashlight he kept on his desk and slowly left his room, careful not to make too much noise.

The search for answers lasted for some time, but Spike eventually found his way to the library, where he encountered the ghost again. This time, fear was replaced by curiosity. The ghost appeared to be beckoning him to a particular section. When he reached the aisle, the ghost was already gone. It took the dragon only a short amount of time to understand where he was. It was a non-fiction section about the supernatural. While the books contained no conclusive proof of anything otherworldly, many studies had been conducted and recorded. There were also many history books that discussed the origins of belief in the paranormal. Spike pulled one of the history books from the shelf and found a table to read on. He was about to begin his introduction to the world of the deceased.

When Twilight awoke the next morning, she called for Spike so they could prepare for the day's activities. To her surprise, he didn't show up. It took some time, but she eventually found him in the library where he'd fallen asleep reading. That was strange for twilight, as Spike didn't usually enjoy reading. When she got a peak at the book, she was even more dumbfounded. Spike was studying ghosts. That wasn't typical of anyone, especially Spike.

"I wonder if he's going through a goth phase,,,"

Twilight had to admit, she was no stranger to the goth lifestyle, but she never thought Spike would be too into it. She actually kind of liked the idea. After thinking it over, she decided to give Spike a day to recuperate; after all, she had no idea how long he was up for, and a cranky dragon was the last thing she needed.

Spike woke up later on in the day. He was a bit confused at first, but it soon all came flooding back.

"Twilight must've brought me back here. She's probably upset..."

He felt remorseful about denting her plans. He may not have expected last night to turn out the way it did, but still, he felt bad.

"I should probably apologize."

Once he made his way to the main hall, Twilight was there to greet him.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess. I just wanted to say sorry for sleeping in so late."

"Don't worry about it. I know you read a lot. I've gotta' say though, seeing you read about the paranormal was pretty interesting. Why were you reading it?"

Spike wanted to tell her the truth, but it was unlikely she would believe him anyway. All he felt he could do was make an excuse.

"I dunno. Just felt like it i guess."

"I put the book back on the shelf. Take the day off and relax, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I can take care of everything today. You rest up, 'kay?"

"...Thanks twilight."

"No problem. You've earned it."

Spike began to turn away, but there was one last thing he needed to say.

"Twilight."

"What is it, Spike?"

"I'll protect you, no matter what..."

"Spike...What do you mean?"

Spike said nothing, but simply walked into the darkness of the corridor. There was something he had to accomplish; a task that would take longer than his lifetime to complete. Even if he couldn't finish it, he would make sure it was on its way to completion.