Twilight sat outside the castle on a bench, she was immersed in a fantasy book Luna had given her.
It was a tale a a group of cats all living together in a forest in relative disharmony. Boarder skirmishes, forbidden love, murder in the first chapter of the first book; really Twilight didn't understand how this material was suitable for the foals it was written for. Perhaps the reading level was rather low, but the content, Twilight felt it might be more appropriate for teens, and she was only on the third book.
"Um... excuse me?" A soft voice interrupted her reading.
Twilight looked up from her book and found a white mare staring at her.
"Oh, did you want the bench?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, no, I just....wantedtoknowifyoulikedthebook." She said the last part very quite and fast.
"Sorry?" Twilight blinked in confusion.
"I wanted to know if you liked the book." The mare repeated louder. "The one you're reading. It's just, it's one of my favorite series and I really love all the characters, especially Firestar, he's so brave and smart!"
"Huh, I thought he might become a leader." Twilight said.
"Oh! Oh no I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I don't think before I open my mouth and now I spoiled the book for you! I'm so sorry!" The mare exclaimed.
"Whoa there! It's okay." Twilight smiled. "I mean, is it really all that surprising that the main character would grow to lead his clan? I mean it's not like you told me when or how Bluestar dies! Now that would be awful."
"Yeah, yeah I guess. I'll just... I'll leave you to your book." The mare muttered and began to walk away.
Twilight attempted to get back into her book, she thought she was just about to discover what Graystripe was up to. And yet, something nagged at her. That mare.
"Hey! Wait!" Twilight called racing to catch up with the mare.
The mare looked quite shocked, and then looked down nervously.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle. Do you like books?" She asked, still awkward at making friends.
"Oh I love books!" The mares ears perked up. "Warriors, The Mists of Avalon! Lord of the Reins! Harry Trotter! Okay can you tell I love fantasy? Ooooh The Book of Ice and Fire! Oh! Tamora Prance!"
"Oh wow, those are all wonderful! I've actually read most of them, I used to live in a library before Lu-before moving to Canterlot."
"You lived in a library?" The mare looked as if her jaw would fall off. "Oh I'm so jealous!"
"Yep. I could read all I wanted! Provided nopony else had checked out the book I wanted. You have no idea how frustrating it was when Harry Trotter got so popular! I couldn't read the fifth book for three weeks! BUCKING ROWLING! Sorry, sorry. Just-" Twilight screamed in frustration.
"Oh, I know right? What was with her after the fifth book killing off all the best characters?" The mare exclaimed with a laugh.
"I think, she likes to watch us suffer." Twilight nodded.
"I'm Pearl Shine, and you are?" She asked.
"Twilight Sparkle, it's nice to meet a fellow bibliophile." She smiled, deciding not to tell the mare she'd already told her her name.
"You mind if I just call you Twilly and you can call me Pearl?" She asked.
"No!" Twilight yelled. "Don't ever call me that!"
The silver mare cowered.
"Oh-I-I'm so sorry Pearl Shine. I just, I really hate that name and I'm sorry, but you couldn't have known that and I shouldn't have yelled." Twilight shrunk down with her ears flat against her head. "Sorry."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have thought be so personal right away." Pearl began to walk away sadly.
"Hey! I didn't say I was mad, I just... bad associations with the name. I'd prefer just Twilight, please." Twilight said gently.
"Are you sure I didn't make you mad?" Pearl asked.
"Positive. It's not your fault, you can't have known." Twilight answered. "How about I take you to Golden Corral and buy you dinner to make up for it?"
"Oh no you don't have to-" Pearl's stomach growled and her ears lowered in embarrassment.
"That settles it! Off to Golden Corral!" Twilight exclaimed dramatically, attempting to force the bad mood behind her.
"So, what else do you do besides read?" Pearl asked as the two mares waited for their food, fruit loaded pancakes and strawberry syrup for both of them.
"I have no life outside of reading." Twilight deadpanned. "Okay but seriously, I like to help my friends, there always seems to be a friendship problem somewhere to solve, though lately I've been staying here in Canterlot, but I live in Ponyville. Did I already tell you I get to live in and run the Ponyville library? It's great! I've got a pet owl, I named him Owlowiscious, he actually helps me run the library. You know, getting books from high shelves and stuff. My little brother Spike is a big help too, he's a dragon. I mean, he's not my actual little brother, but for my entrance exam into CSGU I had to "hatch" his egg, found out later they just wanted to see our ability to levitate it, but anyway my frie-a pony I used to know, now this is before I knew her, accidentally did a sonic rainboom and shocked me so bad that my magic went out of control, and not only did I hatch Spike's egg, I made him grow fifty feet and crash through the roof!"
"That was you?" Pearl asked shocked.
"Yep. The one and only Twilight Sparkle, creator of disaster!" Twilight laughed, only half joking. "Celestia herself had to intervene because my magic went so crazy, I actually turned my parents into plants!" If only they'd stayed like that. She thought to herself.
"Oh. My. Faust. That's amazing!" Pearl laughed loudly. "You turned your parents into plants!"
"Indeed." Twilight nodded with a serious expression on her face.
"Here you are ladies" The server interrupted them, placing their plates of pancakes before them.
"Thank you, sir." Twilight smiled.
"Thanks!" Pearl smiled.
"So magic, reading, seriously though, what else do you do Twilight?" Pearl asked munching on her pancakes.
"I like bird-watching, my friend Fluttershy can actually understand the birds. I never knew how close a pony could get to birds until I met her. I'm kind of jealous. And I love just being outdoors, when I'm not locked up in the library reading." She smiled.
"Awww, but locking yourself up and marathoning through the whole Harry Trotter series in a day is the best!" Pearl laughed.
"You know, I actually tried that once." Twilight smiled. "It... didn't go so well."
"Same. Alas my brain can only take so much speed-reading." Pearl sighed dramatically. "Aside from my fruitless efforts to read the entire Harry Trotter series in a day, I love to map the stars. Like, yeah I know ponies have done it before, but they're just so beautiful. I wish I could meet Princess Luna and tell her how much I love her night sky."
Twilight fidgeted nervously. If this pony found out her relationship to Luna, would that change the newfound friendship?
"I've always loved the night sky." Twilight replied. "I could help you sometime, if you'd like."
"Oh that would be wonderful!" Pearl gave a large smile. "How about we get together tomorrow night for a little astrology-ASTRONOMY!"
Twilight laughed happily at Pearl's small mistake.
"You know Pearl, I think I'd love that." Twilight smiled.