I noticed the book as soon as I turned into the aisle.
It wasn't just the pastel purple color that distinguished it from all of the other books that I could see on the shelves, but it seemed unusually bright, as if it were emitting its own light, making it stand out in the same way as cartoon characters do when they're depicted in a real world setting. Intrigued, I put aside my reason for being in the fantasy section and decided to investigate.
Before picking the book up, I immediately noticed the lack of anything on its spine: it had no title, author, publisher logo or call number. Turning the book over, one way then the other, all I found was a simple image on what I assumed was the book's cover. Said image was a six-pointed, magenta-colored star, with six points of a smaller, white one showing underneath, and around it were five white stars that were smaller still.
Hoping to find more information, I opened the book and—
"Hello!"
I jumped and half-fumbled, half-threw the book away, yet I still had the presence of mind to cut short the expletive coming out of my mouth: not only due to being in a library, but because I didn't want to draw unwanted attention to myself. While my heart still thundered in my chest, I looked about myself, hoping that no one had seen or heard my reaction. When it seemed that no one would be coming to investigate what happened, I mentally sighed in relief and returned my attention to the book.
The book in question was open as it lay on the floor, spine up. Faintly, I could hear a muffled voice coming from it. As I slowly knelt down and reached for the book, I rationalized that it was some kind of electronic device that I'd never seen or heard of before, one whose exterior was lit up by LED lights or something, for some reason, and whatever cartoon-thing I'd gotten a glimpse of inside was part of a menu, and/or the narrator of whatever story or stories it contained.
When I turned the book over, I was immediately greeted with, "Don't be afraid! I come in friendship!"
The speaker of that declaration was an animated cartoon horse that had a horn, a pair of wings, and really big, purple eyes. Its body was the same color as the device's exterior save for its hair, which was something like a midnight blue and had a stripe of purple and pink running through it. Another notable feature was its flank, where the image displayed on the device's cover was present. Well, I think "it," but she is obviously female and probably meant to be cute as well.
Despite appearing to be on a page, she did a fantastic job of looking like any other animation I've seen from video screens. I couldn't help flipping through the device's pages, to see what would happen, and she was always displayed in the same place without any warping or disruption to her appearance. Seemingly aware of what I was doing, she humored me and walked over to the page on the other side, and continued to be displayed seamlessly throughout the process. I was impressed, to say the least.
Curious as to just how interactive and advanced this thing was, I asked, "What? No 'come in peace?'"
The cartoon horse tilted her head and replied, "It's not the same thing?"
She got me there, I suppose. "It is. I guess I should be glad you're not using a cliché."
Perking up, the cartoon horse said, "Well, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here for any and all of your friendship needs!"
I couldn't help snorting at that. "Seriously?"
Twilight Sparkle looked confused and responded with, "Yes?"
"You're not an audio book?" I inquired, and frowned when she shook her head. "This isn't some kind of prank, is it?"
With what appeared to be a mix of surprise and alarm, she waved a foreleg in front of herself and quickly reassured me, saying, "Not at all!" More confidently, she added, "If you have a friendship problem, or want to improve your ability to make friends, I'm your mare!"
I cocked my eyebrow. "What if I don't need any of that?"
Her expression wilted, and her ears drooped along with it. "Oh. Well, if you really don't need me, can you please set my book someplace where someone else might find it?"
I considered that as she looked at me imploringly, but not about whether I should react contrarily to her wish or not. Rather, the interaction had piqued my interest, in a way that almost all new technology didn't anymore. While artificial intelligence normally didn't appear on my radar, except when something amusing happened, I had to admit that I was impressed by how natural the exchange had gone, and there hadn't been any noticeable disconnect between what I was receiving from her visually and audibly.
Since I didn't have anything better to do with my time until my sophomore year at college started, and I had been looking for some kind of diversion at the library anyway, I asked, "Can we just chat?"
Her eyes widened in panic, and she hurriedly replied, "Oh, of course! I wouldn't be good at my job if I wasn't friendly, and I also enjoy learning things about other universes."
"Other universes?" I questioned, as I stood up and began to move toward the reading area.
Twilight Sparkle proudly declared, "This book is one of," she paused and looked off into space for a second, "three million, four hundred and seventy-eight thousand, six-hundred and twenty-five books that have been scattered throughout the multiverse — and counting."
"How do you manage that?" I humored her, since her claim couldn't be real.
"With magic," came the simple reply, before following that up with an inquiry of her own. "Is there magic in your world?"
"Not that I'm aware of," I distractedly replied, as I set my attention to the nearest table in the reading area and made my way over to it. I looked around while I settled into a chair and didn't see anyone around, which suited me just fine: not out of any fear of embarrassment, but not wanting to be intruded upon by curious people.
I set the book onto the table before leaning forward and propping myself up on my folded arms. Wanting to test this artificial intelligence, or — if it turned out to be the case — the avatar being controlled remotely, I decided to ask a serious question. "Let me ask you something: if you encountered someone who thought friendship wasn't worth anything, what would you do?"
Twilight Sparkle's gaze went unfocused again, like it had before giving an exact number, then her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized me. After a few seconds of that, she pointedly looked me in the eyes and replied, "I would ask why you hold that belief."
Despite not making an effort to hide what she had gleaned from me, I was still a bit surprised that she — whatever she was — discerned it and confronted me. "Because one good apple doesn't restore a bad batch," I casually responded, as I switched to propping my head on the heel of my hand. "It's too much of a bother looking for that one-in-a-million person that resists becoming a bad apple, who isn't two-faced, or wants me around to use me, or abandon me when I no longer have a use to them, or turn on me when they think they've moved up socially, or not being bothered to stay in touch when one of us moves."
At first Twilight Sparkle regarded me with horror, probably because of her purpose being devoted to the friendship stuff, then confusion replaced it, likely due to the utter lack of bitterness and anger in my voice. Each of the things that I had mentioned I'd experienced at least once, but long enough ago for me to shape myself into the kind of person who no longer cared. I was content with my solitary lifestyle and keeping people at an arm's length.
When she once again had that faraway look in her eyes, I couldn't help inquiring, "Why do you keep doing that?"
After blinking her eyes back into focus, she smiled apologetically and said, "Sorry. When I don't know what to do, or need some insight, I consult the other books who may have the experience I need."
"Really?" I asked out of curiosity, since it was more interesting than the subject about friendship. "You're part of a network?"
"Yup!" Twilight Sparkle enthusiastically replied. "We're all connected together by the Motherbook. The original Twilight Sparkle uses it to learn from us, too."
My interest piqued, I lifted my head from my hand and asked, "You're a copy?"
She opened her mouth to reply, paused, then looked at me accusingly and said, "Hey! We're supposed to be talking about you!"
Dropping my head back onto my hand, I coolly replied, "That's just what you want, isn't it?"
Twilight Sparkle frowned. "Can you blame me for wanting to change your mind?"
"Yes," I quipped.
Sighing, Twilight Sparkle switched to a different tack and offered, "What if I could introduce you to a 'good apple?'"
I contemplated that for a moment. While I'd certainly decided that it was too much trouble to find someone who could qualify as a friend, I'd never once considered the possibility of someone making the effort for me. I guess it would only be fair to give something new a chance, but I did have a concern to voice. "How can I trust that they won't act like my friend for your sake?"
"I guess you can't," Twilight Sparkle conceded, with a shrug of her shoulders. "Because all I can offer you is my word. The only thing I can do is ask that you give us a chance."
"I guess it couldn't hurt," I nonchalantly replied, as I sat up in my chair. Considering what I was talking to, I allowed a slight grin to show itself and added, "Just be aware that I don't plan on making a habit of talking to a book."
Twilight Sparkle responded with an inscrutable smile before saying, "Don't worry: I have every intention of having you interact with a real pony."
I didn't know how to take that assurance, so I remained silent and watched as she closed her eyes and appeared to concentrate on something. As soon as she did, her horn was surrounded by some kind of purple aura, and the book cover began to glow a little brighter at the same time. When she was finished with whatever she had been doing, and the book's light died down, I couldn't help asking, "What was th—"
I stopped when a swirling, oval-shaped mass of purple and blue brushstrokes, of all manner of dark and light shades, appeared beside Twilight Sparkle, growing to three times her height from a speck. A second later another horse — or pony, as Twilight Sparkle had mentioned — stepped out of it, as if it were some kind of portal. This one looked almost exactly like Twilight Sparkle, except she was about a head and a half taller than her, her hair moved as if it were submerged in water, and she wore a tiara on her head. The way she comported herself was different as well, giving the impression of long-earned poise, patience and wisdom.
When the portal vanished, the newcomer gave me a friendly smile and said, "Greetings. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I've been informed about your unfortunate circumstances."
A little bemused by this development, I glanced between the two Twilight Sparkles before opting to say to the larger one, "Uh... Hi? You're the original, I take it?"
She nodded her head. "I am. Now," her expression turned apologetic, "don't be alarmed, but I'm afraid that we can't continue this conversation until we're on the same page."
Before I could ask what she meant, her horn lit up and my world turned white. I experienced some disorientation for a moment, during which I noticed my weight ceasing to press down on the floor, chair and table, then vertigo as gravity asserted itself on my mass, which quickly led to a painful landing on my backside.
Confused and alarmed, despite being told not to be, I scrambled to my feet and whipped my head about as I took in my new surroundings. Aside from the Twilight Sparkle who had claimed to be the original, my environment was now a seemingly never-ending expanse of white. The only exception was a large, "floating" window that had a view of... the library's ceiling?
Turning toward the only other "person" with me, I shakily asked, "D-did I fall asleep?"
"No," Twilight Sparkle gently replied, as she looked on with concern.
It was hard to believe, even with my backside making a good argument about being awake, so I just stood there and tried to calm myself down in light of the strange and unknown situation that I found myself in, all while staring at Twilight Sparkle warily and attempting to wrap my head around her being real.
I couldn't maintain my stare for long, though, because it became more awkward the closer I came to accepting my situation, so I made a show of looking around as I asked, "So, uh... Where's the other, um, Twilight Sparkle?"
"She can't be perceived from here because she's two-dimensional," Twilight Sparkle patiently replied.
"I'm still here if you need me, though!" Interjected a disembodied voice.
"Right..." I said, more for the sake of saying something than anything else.
I continued to stew over my situation, but with absolutely nothing happening, and no clear and present danger, I finally decided to accept that I was inside of a book with an extradimensional, alien pony creature — not that it made it seem any less outrageous. So, I began to consider Twilight Sparkle's offer seriously, and with that came questions.
"Okay," I began, hoping I sounded as calm and collected as I thought I was, "since you were going to introduce me to someone, just how — exactly — is that going to work?"
Twilight Sparkle swept a foreleg at their environment and said, "This book also acts as a portal between universes. I can either take you to meet my friend, or," her expression turned kind and understanding, "I can bring them here."
The thought of going to another universe both excited and frightened me. I was excited because I'd always hoped that I'd be able to travel around the world one day, since I didn't have anything or anyone tying me down anywhere, and it'd be awesome to see sights that no one would have thought possible. It frightened me because I had no idea of what to expect on the other world, and it wasn't like I had any trust in those that would be responsible for my safety and ability to return home.
I decided to buy some time while I was undecided, and I had just the question to do it with. "How am I supposed to make a friend this way? I mean, from what I heard, these books aren't meant to be used by any one person for very long?"
With a nod of her head, Twilight Sparkle replied, "Normally I encourage that a book be passed on to someone in need, or placed where one such individual will find it, because there tend to be fewer problems when it's kept private, but I've entrusted them to someone's care a number of times. That said, I won't mind if you use this one for a few weeks. Should you make a friend on our side, I can make you your own book so you can stay in contact."
I looked at her with wide eyes, considering the implications. "You'd really do that?"
"I've done it a few times before," Twilight Sparkle readily answered, with a slight smile. "We've had a couple individuals from both sides who have made a permanent residence in a foreign universe who still make visits, as well."
"And that kind of traffic hasn't been a problem?" I couldn't help asking, intrigued.
Twilight Sparkle shook her head and acknowledged, "Not yet. I've been working on a project in case it ever becomes too much, however. While cases like yours are relatively rare, I have three and a half million books out there, and I'm making more all of the time, so I recognize that my land will inevitably become overburdened unless I do something."
"You must really care about this friendship stuff," I observed, with a note of respect in my voice in light of her dedication.
With a playful smile, Twilight Sparkle replied, "I am the Princess of Friendship, after all."
My gaze gravitated toward her tiara, which I had written off as an insignificant accessory until now, and my expression turned blank as I flatly said, "Seriously? That's a thing?"
Unfazed by my reaction, she simply nodded her head.
At that moment the absurdity of my situation finally got to me. I mean, here I was, inside of a book, talking to a magical, cartoon, alien pony princess from another universe, and she was in the business of spreading friendship throughout the multiverse. Maybe it was never a question of whether or not I was asleep, but whether or not I had lost my sanity.
"You know what?" I finally said, as I crossed my arms and steeled myself for the consequence of my decision. "Let's do this. I was looking for ways to waste time until classes started again, anyway."
Twilight Sparkle stepped up to me, reached out with a foreleg and pat me on the arm before wryly saying, "Well, I don't plan on wasting your time, so don't be surprised when you're disappointed."
I snorted in amusement despite myself.
Shortly thereafter Twilight Sparkle summoned up a portal, and I stood in front of it, hesitating. When I glanced at her with uncertainty, she smiled disarmingly and gave an encouraging nod. It didn't help me much, but I was nevertheless able to get myself to face forward, square my shoulders, and take a deep breath before stepping through the portal...
...And took one giant tumble through Seizureville for mankind.