Applejack burst through the door to the library.
"Twilight! What in tarnation did ya do to Rainbow?" She shouted to the entire library, since she couldn't see anyone from the front door.
Twilight leaned out from the back room and saw Applejack standing at the entrance wearing a concerned frown. Twilight was certain Rainbow Dash was in perfect health before she left the library, she had checked four times before letting her go. Now, not twenty minutes later, Applejack's asking what happened.
"Uhhh, what do you mean?" Twilight asked, failing spectacularly to hide her nervousness.
Applejack focused her glare at Twilight. "Ah just saw Rainbow flyin' through the skies happier than a barn owl at a hootenanny- no offense, Owlicious."
The owl hooted in an understanding tone.
Applejack slowly started closing in on Twilight."She'd usually be takin' a nap about now, and instead Ah find her twirlin' through the clouds all excited-like, as though she just got those wings.Now that 'aint wrong or nothin', but when Ah asked her why she was bein' all bubbly, she said 'You won't believe this, but I just read the most awesome book.' And she was right, Ah don't believe it. Now this whole mess' got yer dirty little hoofprints all over it, so start explainin'."
While Twilight was relieved to hear that Rainbow was in good spirits after what had just happened, she was mostly frightened to be at the receiving end of the knives beaming from Applejack's eyes.
Backed into a corner, Twilight stammered out a hasty explanation of the books, Celestia's assignment, and the experiment Rainbow had performed earlier.
Applejack had eased up on her friend after being assured there wasn't any brain surgery happening in Twilight's basement."So yer tellin' me there's a magic in these books, and it made Rainbow happier to fly?"
"It would seem so." Twilight hated being so unsure, but the reading experience was far too subjective to establish solid cause and effect. She continued to explain as she got out of the corner she was in. "Rainbow told me she could feel the winds in a way she hasn't felt since she was a filly. Like it was her first flight allover again. If I had to guess, I'd say she got a renewed appreciation for flight."
Applejack had wandered toward the books arranged in the back of the room, and picked one up, it was square, and the binding and cover had a series of strange symbols on it. Even Applejack could tell the symbols were some kind of alphabet, but had seen nothing like them before.
"Well Ah'll tell ya what, ya've peaked mah interest, Twi. How can Ah help?"
Twilight Sparkle and Applejack had arranged for Applejack to come into the library early the next morning to read. Neither pony really had the time to push other responsibilities aside.
Twilight was surprised to find Spike in the corner with one of the books.He was obviously trying his hardest to read. Squinting as hard as he was, he couldn't see Twilight approach him.
"Ahem." Twilight tried to pull Spike's attention.
Spike easily lifted his head at the small sound. Making eye contact with Twilight caused his cheeks to blush, and he tried to hide behind the book's cover. "Ah, 'the blustery night had...' Um..." Spike paused long enough for Twilight interject easily.
Twilight pulled the book away from him with her magic. "Don't force yourself, Spike. These books are magic, it's not like I doubt your ability to read."
"But why can't I?" Asked Spike."There's something fantastic in those books, and I can't experience it? That's a load of horse apples."
"SPIKE!"This wasn't the first time he tried swearing, but to hear it over reading a book surprised Twilight. "I will not have that kind of language, besides, it's a book, not the fruit of life."
"Are you sure about that?" Spike fought back. This was really unusual for him. "Do you even know anything about those books? Who's to say they aren't some portal for you to all leave me behind with?"
"Spike. First, you need to calm down. Second, none of us are leaving you." Twilight fought to keep her emotions in check. Not knowing anything about the books was really bothering Twilight. Spike knew it, and he was obviously trying to get her to fight back.
"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Spike shouted as hard as he could, fighting to keep tears from betraying his angry performance.
Twilight's face turned to stone."Spike. Room. Now."
Spike obeyed as angrily as possible, storming out of the room. He was thankful he had an excuse to leave so Twilight couldn't see him crying.
Applejack felt something off about the library when she entered. She could usually hear Spike dropping something somewhere, but it was eerily quiet today.
"Where'd that little dragon run off to today, don't he usually answer the door?" Applejack asked.
Twilight didn't meet Applejack's eyes."He's taking care of chores outside the house today." She answered flatly as she brought her friend into the back room.
Applejack could sense Twilight wasn't sharing something important, but couldn't bring herself to pry any further. Twilight sat her down into the soft chair and handed her the square book she looked at yesterday. Twilight simply sat on the other end of the room and prepared herself for notetaking.
"Well, if ya say so, Twi. Uh... here goes then." Applejack said as she began to read.
Silence.
The only thing Clearwater could hear was her own heartbeat. She wailed, screamed and kicked as much as possible, but she couldn't hear anything. Even the doctors holding her down to the bed made motions, she could watch their lips move, but she couldn't hear anything.
Doctors had written to her to explain the situation, last night something went wrong with the fireworks display. Thankfully nopony else was injured or burnt, but being as close to the explosion as she was, Clearwater's eardrums had burst.
She adapted to her new disability surprisingly quickly. Once she knew why things were as they were, she simply accepted it as a new, normal fact of life. Rather than grief over the loss of her ears, she felt something else, much stronger than anything else. Boredom.
Most patients understood the feeling, but being unable to hear the beeping of the monitors, unable to guess how many ponies were in the hall by the sounds of their hoofsteps, unable to hear a doctor's magic at work, Clearwater was uniquely, incredibly bored.
Once she had counted and named every speckle in the ceiling tiles, a new patient had arrived in the room. A bright cobalt mare was wheeled in and set into the bed on the other side of the room. Obviously pregnant.
Clearwater didn't think much of the new arrival, but she was apparently interested in Clearwater. Her mouth kept moving. The doctors had all left, but she was talking. A lot. Watching this new mare was literally the only thing she had to do, so she did. For the rest of the day, she simply watched this mare talk. She wasn't terribly bothered that she couldn't hear her, there was a happy glow about her, one that doesn't appear often in hospital beds.
In the morning, Clearwater woke up to see the bed on the other end of the room was much closer to hers. The cobalt mare smiled and handed her a notepad.
"Howdy there, the doctors informed me this morning that you were deaf. Whoopsie." She had drawn a little irritated face next to the sentence. "And after talking to you all night yesterday I just thought you were quiet. My name is Bluebell, they told me yours was Clearwater? It's nice to meet you!"
Clearwater looked at Bluebell, who had a huge smile on her face, and an outstretched hoof with a pencil in it. Clearwater was oddly nervous. She had been a normally outgoing pony before, but since losing her hearing she felt cut off, and the invitation to friendship seemed so odd.
Clearwater took the pencil and wrote back. "Yeah, Clearwater. I was in an accident with fireworks, they're just monitoring me for now, making sure that the burn treatments are effective. I can guess why you're here though." She gave the paper and pencil back to Bluebell.
Bluebell read the paper and giggled. "Yes, fairly routine I suppose. Since I've got no interesting story, Tell me more about the fireworks, if you would." She wrote.
Bluebell and Clearwater became fast friends. Bluebell was expecting a baby colt, and was planning on naming him Bobby so she always had an excuse to call him 'baby'. They would joke together that Bluebell was jealous Clearwater wouldn't have to listen to a crying baby for the next several months.
Clearwater enjoyed her time beside Bluebell at the hospital. She felt better in a hospital bed than she could remember feeling ever. Nopony was as kind or heartwarming as her new best friend.
"Going in today then?" Clearwater wrote.
"That's right! It's finally time for this colt to start eating for himself for a change." Bluebell punctuated the sentence by drawing another face, in contrast to her own beaming like the sun.
Hours pass.
Clearwater was allowed to walk the hospital hallways, and waited impatiently as close to the operating room as possible.
A doctor came out walking toward Clearwater's room, but stopped when he saw her in the hall. He looked toward Clearwater with an unreadable expression and handed her a familiar notepad. Written on it was the very familiar writing of Bluebell: "He's beautiful." It read. Beyond that however, were words Clearwater never wanted to read.
"Take good care of him for me."