“Spike!”
“Yeah, Twilight?”
“I can't find my book Mythical Creatures of Equestria.”
It was a normal day for the student and her baby dragon assistant. Twilight had been studying - like she usually does - on mythical creatures over the past few days. And of course she lost that book, like on other rare occasions.. She is a busy pony after all with her studying, who can expect her to keep up?
Twilight waited impatiently as Spike ran upstairs to search for her book. After a few moments of waiting, she decided to search for it on her own, with no help from her assistant. Twilight hummed to herself while she used her magic to quickly glance at the books that she picked off the shelves one by one. No luck.
Her movement from shelf to shelf became more frantic in search for the book. Spike still hadn't come back down, but the thumps and scrapes of claws could be heard from upstairs. Twilight almost gave up hope; her search coming to an end as the last column of books approached.
“Gah. Spike!” Twilight yelled.
“I'm still looking!” Spike responded from upstairs.
“It has to be around here somewhere. . .” Twilight whispered to herself; her eyes sweeped the book shelf in front of her with a quick glance.
“What's this?” She stopped, mesmerized by a dust covered box just sitting within the shelf. The object levitated in the air with a soft purple glow. It was a dust covered item, which Twilight quickly blew it away, creating a storm of particles within her space.
“Achoo!” Twilight rubbed her nose and glanced at the thing she found. “What kind book is this?”
The box was indeed a book, but with dust on the cover, it could be easily mistaken as a cardboard box. XXX was the only visible text on the cover. No author, no publisher, no nothing. Twilight checked the back and the first few pages, still nothing; just yellow stained pages.
“This makes no sense. How can a book have no author? Let alone an actual title. What could it possibly be about?”
Twilight's eyes narrowed. She opened to the middle of the book and began reading. Her eyes relaxed substantially as she began perceiving what she had been reading. Everything around her disappeared. No longer could she hear the thumps of Spikes search, no longer could she feel the spacial energy of the room she was in, and no longer did the search for her book attack her mind. Her heart picked up its pace and her mind became blank before the images of the text had filled her mind.
Twilight was both confused and, in a away, interested.
“I found it, Twilight!” Spike yelled, running down the stairs and slid to a stop behind Twilight. Twilight snapped back into reality and shoved the book back into the slot she picked it from. “What were you reading?” Spike asked, curiously glancing over to the shelf.
Twilight's turned and shifted her stance to block Spike's view. “Oh, nothing. Just some book on urban legends. Hehehe.” She blushed and put on the best innocent smile she could conjure up. Spike bobbed from side to side to see. Twilight leaned right to left to avoid the young dragon from being exposed to such explicit texts.
“Yeah. . . Sure. . . Anyway, I found the book, Twilight,” Spike said in suspicion.
“Thank you., Spike.” Twilight said and opened up the book to her previous page.
“I'm gonna go take a nap,” Spike said with a yawn and casually made his way back upstairs.
“You go do that. You deserve it.”
Twilight watched the dragon disappear into the darkness above. As soon as he disappeared from sight, she lazily set the book down on the podium in the middle of the room. The images of what she had read were enticing and she wanted to know more. The feelings she experienced during her read were new to her, almost magical in a new way.
Twilight quickly retrieved the book from the shelf and began reading once again. Slowly the world around her disappeared until only the thoughts were there. Twilight noted small changes within her self as she read. Rise in body temperature and increased heart rate she thought.
“Hey, Twilight.,” Fluttershy, Apple Jack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie said in unison as they entered the door. Twilight closed the book a thud, shoved it back in it's spot, and turned around to her friends.
“Oh, hi, girls.,” she said, pushing the book in completely with her hind-hoof.
“Are you ready for our picnic?” Fluttershy asked.
“Picnic? Oh! Yeah, the picnic. I had completely forgotten.” Twilight levitated her prepared basket with goodies. “Good thing I prepared myself the day we planned it.”
“Well what are we waitin' for? Let's get eatin',” Apple Jack said. All but Twilight began walking out the door.
“I'll meet you girls there. I have to get a few last things done,” Twilight said and closed the door behind them. She pressed herself up against the door with her back and sighed. “Can't I get any peace and quiet.”
Twilight stared at the basket and then at the book. “Ugh, I wanna keep reading but. . . Hmm. . “ Twilight removed everything from the basket and lay the book flat on the bottom and covering it with various snack items.
The sun was bright, the birds chirped in harmony, and the evening breeze was cool and fresh. Fluttershy brought brought Angel, Apple Jack played fetch with Winona, Rarity tried to calm the beast that was known as Opalescence, Pinkie Pie giggled with gummy, Rainbow Dash discussed stunts with Tank, and then there was Twilight with Owlicious. A red and white checkered clothed lay out in the field with cups, boxes, utensils, and small plastic containers filled with food.
Twilight tried to separate herself from the others as much as possible without looking like an outsider. She sat under a tree with Owlicious in the branches above. Twilight stared at her basket next to her, anxiously awaiting the chance to read.
“Hmmmm. . .” She formulated a plan. “Owlicous, can you go check on, Spike?”
“Who?” Owlicious said.
“Spike, wait a minute. . . Owlicious,” Twilight giggled.
Owlicious flapped his wings and hopped off the branch he was perched on. When Owlicious was a good enough distance away, Twilight looked around at the others who were busy with each other and their pets. She moved slowly to salvage the book from the depths of the basket. She pulled up her knees to her chest and laid the book within her lap, turning to the page she was interrupted from enjoying.
Again the thoughts and feelings rushed in and filled her mind and body.
“Watcha Readin' there, Twi?” Apple Jack said. Twilight covered the pages with her hooves and peered over the knees to meet eyes with Apple Jack.
“I. . . Uh . . “ Twilight stopped. The position of Twilight and Apple Jack had reminded her of a scene within the novel that she read, which caused her to blush and her heart to pound; feeling as if she was in that scene. “I'm just reading a book about uhhhh . . . Picnic activities! I'm reading a book about picnic games,” she finally answered.
Apple Jack had a bit of suspicion but ignored it. “Well, know any games you wanna try from that there book?” Apple Jack asked.
“Uhhhh. . . Well, you see. I wasn't actually that far into the book. I just started it.”
“Well lemme take a looksie.”
“No, no. That's okay. I'm sure we can make up our own game or something.”
Apple Jack just stared and Twilight for a moment then nodded. “If you say so, Twi.”
“ 1 2 3,” Twilight counted with her eyes closed and her hooves pressed against her eyes while she stood under the tree. While playing hide-and-seek was the last thing she wanted to do, she also didn't wanna become obsessed with the book or seem suspicious.
“20. Ready or not, here I come,” she announced. Twilight turned, took a step and stopped. She stared at the basket and worried somepony would get into it.
“I doubt they'd come here anyway. . . Who would hide close or go near the seeker?” she asked herself and laughed. She began her search through the park, checking behind trees, in the trees, and within bushes. First she found Rainbow Dash trying to take a nap on a cloud with Tank on her stomach, thinking no one would see her. Apple Jack was next to be found, hiding inside a bush with Winona, but her stetson gave her away. Fluttershy was within a tree giggling with her woodland creatures and Angel. Rarity stood behind was a tree with Opalescence, using a colorful clothe to “protect” herself from dirt. Twillight found everyone. Everyone but Pinkie Pie. The others followed Twilight as she looked, knowing that Pinkie Pie would be next.
“Where is she. . . Where is she. . .” Twilight said, glancing from side to side as she walked. “There she is!” Rainbow called out and pointed at the pink pony leaning against the tree Twilight started counting down from. The baskets contents were scattered against the floor and the book was now in Pinkie's hooves.
Twilight ran over and retrieved her book from Pinkie before she could read anymore.
“Pinkie! What are you doing going through my basket? Do you know how rude that is??” Twilight raged.
“Oh, I'm sorry, Twilight. I didn't know it was yours. I just wanted to know what kind of goodies it had when I found that book, and it's pretty interesting,” Pinkie said.
“Well you can't read it!” Twilight said, shoving the book back into the basket.
“Why not?” Pinkie asked.
“How come you've been protective of that there book, Twi?” asked Apple Jack.
“Protective? Me? Psh. I'm not being protective,” Twilight said with a smile.
“Then show us what's in the book, Twilight,” Apple Jack demanded.
Pinkie Pie crawled close to the Basket but missed her chance to nab the book when Twilight levitated the basket close to her side and started backing away.
“I can't. It's complicated, you wouldn't understand it anyway,” Twilight nervously stuttered.
“I understood it just find! The main character is about a young colt name Fabip,” Pinkie announced, popping out of nowhere in between Apple Jack and Twilight.
“I should really get back to the tree house and study now. Celestia wouldn't want me to get distracted again.”
Twilight turned and began galloping back to the library. Owlicious came flying back from checking on Spike but it didn't matter now since Twilight was returning.
The others watched as Twilight disappeared from view. They looked at each other with worry.
Twilight hesitantly open and closed the book over and over.
“I wanna read this book so much but every time I do, somepony somehow finds a way to interrupt,” she pouted.
Twilight took the book out of the basket and levitated it across the room before the door crashed open and Rainbow Dash came flying in, grabbing her book within her hooves, and throwing it Apple Jack. Pinkie Pie ran in and tackled Twilight on the floor.
“What are you doing??” Twilight flailed.
“Finding out what you're trying to hide from us!” Rainbow said.
“What she said,” Apple Jack said.
Apple Jack opened up the book in the middle and began reading. Her face turned from curiosity to disgust. She slammed the book shut.
“What is this trash? Twi, you can't possibly have been trying to read this.”
“I. . . I. . . Okay fine. I was. It was just so. . . appealing,” Twilight murmured.
“What if Apple Bloom had found this book, Twi? You shouldn't have brought this book out with you, let alone keep it in here.”
“ I know. . . I'm sorry.”
“How did this book get in here anyway?” Apple Jack asked.
Rarity stood at the back, nervously glancing from side to side, but no one had seen this. She remembered a time where she had borrowed a book on sewing styles but couldn't remember actually returning the book itself, and she did spend a good amount of time searching for a book she had lost a while ago.
“I don't know actually. It was just here,” said Twilight.
“What was it about?” asked Fluttershy.
“You don't wanna know,” replied Apple Jack. “You shouldn't keep this book, Twi. It's not appropriate and it's not safe to keep in a public library where any pony can keep it. What if Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle would have found it?”
Pinkie Pie unpinned Twilight and backed up into the group. Twilight stood and dusted herself off. “I'm sorry, girls. I'll get rid of it right away,” Twilight whispered and hung her head.
“Good. Then when you're done. You can come back with us outside and we can finish our picnic.”
Twilight smiled softly and nodded. “Okay.”
Twilight set the book down on the podium as Spike wrote the letter. “Dear Princess Celestia. I have found a book within the library that shouldn't otherwise be here. I wish to send it to you for safe keeping, seeing as it's not a good idea to keep within a public facility. I have also learned, if something you find enjoyable may be inappropriate for your friends and others in your life, then it would be irresponsible of you to try to enjoy such things in public in front of those who may find it offensive. We may all enjoy things in our lives, but sometimes only in privacy.”