//------------------------------//
// S9 E5: The Point of No Return (What If?) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 10 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

Spike was carrying a huge box of objects into Twilight's office at the School of Friendship one morning. He didn't know exactly what they were or why they were being delivered but he knew they were important, so he was taking great care not to drop them. Only when he had finally and carefully set the heavy box on the floor did he allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief. "Mail's here." He told Twilight.

The young alicorn and future ruler to be smiled as she rose from her desk. "Thanks, Spike. I knew I could count on you."

Spike just questioned. "What's in this box, anyways?"

Twilight smiled as she explained. "Well, Moondancer found some of my old things while she was doing spring cleaning at the tower I used to stay in."

Spike nodded. "Yeah, I remember you giving the key to her. But why did she send all this stuff all the way here to Ponyville? Couldn't you have just come to Canterlot to pick it up?"

Twilight shook her head. "There was something very important that I wanted her to send to me. Something that's going to help one of our students learn a valuable lesson," Then she dove into the box and started rummaging around inside it. "Now where was it? I know it's gotta be in here somewhere!"

Spike blinked. "Um, what exactly are you trying to find, Twilight? Maybe I can help?"

But the young alicorn was too busy searching to take any notice. She eventually surfaced, pulling out an old macaroni framed picture. "Oh, I forgot I still had this! It's the macaroni picture Cadence helped me make when I was a filly."

The dragon sarcastically replied. "Yeah, who could ever forget a masterpiece like that?"

Twilight paid no attention to the remark. She just floated the picture over to a safe place as she kept on searching. "That's not it, Spike! What I'm looking for is more valuable than a foalhood picture frame!" She let out a groan. "I should've told Moondancer to organize everything before shipping it here," A short time later she pulled out another object. "Ah, my G1 Starswirl figure. Can't believe they made an entire comic line out of him, even if it never caught on," She tossed the figure aside with careful precision though, as it wasn't what she was looking for. Several other objects flew out of the box as she dug further and further in search of her desired object: Old school scrolls, an extra credit report, even some comics Spike had once been into and a few Ogres & Oubliettes figures that had seen better days. "No, no, no! Ugh, where is it?!" She yelled, before she tumbled into the box all the way!

Twilight emerged from a short time later, the box's contents spilled out onto the floor. But she'd found what she had been looking for, a very old and very dusty book with worn pages and a worn spine: The title read "Perfection: The Impossible Pursuit" if one looked very closely, but the lettering had faded and was obscured by dust. "Aha!"

The dragon blinked anew. "Of course, a book. Why did I think it would be anything else?" He sarcastically commented.

"Not just any book, Spike," Twilight smiled. "The book that taught me a lesson I'll never forget. And now it's time to pass on said lesson to a student who needs it most," Then she blushed. "But first, we should get this er 'mess' cleaned up." And set about doing so as she lit up her horn, wanting her office to look neat and tidy in time for the arrival of the student she was staging an intervention for.

The student was about to learn from the headmare about a time when an overdue library book had touched off an entire adventure that culminated in a life lesson Twilight Sparkle would never forget.



Just after Twilight had finished cleaning up her office and had moved the box to a corner of the room so it wouldn't take up space or be visible, there came a knock on the office door.

The alicorn smiled as she warmly called. "Come in, please."

The door swung open and in strolled Ocellus, the young changeling looking more like her shy self from when she'd first come to the school rather than the confident and knowledgeable student she was now known as. "Uh, h-hello Headmare Twilight," She nervously greeted, her little wings buzzing ever so faintly. "Counselor Starlight said you wanted to see me?"

Twilight nodded, motioning for Ocellus to come over towards her desk. "I most certainly did, Ocellus. Please, have a seat. There's something very important we need to discuss."

"What... do we need to discuss?" Ocellus nervously gulped as she sat down and faced the headmare. "My grades have been perfectly solid since this semester began, I'll have you know."

The alicorn cleared her throat, looking her student square in the eyes. "And that is what I wanted to talk to you about today."

The changeling shot back a confused glance. "Huh? What do you mean? Aren't I supposed to get good grades?"

"Yes, good, not necessarily perfect," Twilight insisted. "It's come to my attention and the attention of your professors and fellow students that you seem to be unhealthily obsessed with perfection. You seem to be trying extra hard to do more than is necessary, even when it's not required."

Ocellus stuttered. "But... but... what's wrong with wanting to be perfect?"

"Nothing, as long as you're striving towards it naturally," Twilight tried to explain. "But when it gets to the level you're getting to, to the point where you're obsessing for days on end about every test and assignment and how to do it perfectly, it becomes an unhealthy and destructive habit. That's why I staged this intervention. It pains me to see any of my students go down a path that isn't right, to make the same mistakes that I once made."

The changeling sighed and slumped in her chair. "That's easy for you to say. They say you were a model student who got the best grades at everything she applied herself to. Perfection came easy to you."

"Too easy, to the point where I started to take it for granted and treated everything like it had to be just right," Twilight explained while rising from her desk. She promptly floated over the dusty old book she'd obtained earlier. "And if it hadn't been for this book, I might have kept going down that path until it destroyed me."

At that Ocellus blinked, especially once the book was placed into her appendages. "What exactly is so special about this book? It looks really old."

"It is. It's an old version of a copy I got out from the Canterlot Public Library long ago," Twilight told Ocellus as she trotted over to the changeling. "Back then, I always made it a habit to return all my library books on time. And I checked out as many books as I possibly could, even if I'd already read them so many times and somepony else might have wanted them. For me, it was just as much about maintaining my record as the best book returner as it was gaining whatever knowledge I could. It was ultimately a self destructive goal. And it came to an end in a way I'll never forget. It's a story that I haven't told very often, but I think you need to hear it now more than ever." And just like, the young alicorn's mind began to flash back to her fillyhood years in Canterlot.





A much younger Twilight was checking out yet another huge stack of library books from the Canterlot Public Library, as many as she could possibly fit into the saddle bags on her shoulders.

The librarian was a pale, periwinkle blue coated earth pony mare. She had a dusty white mane and tail, light green eyes hidden behind a lovely pair of green glasses, and a cutie mark depicting dust clouds above an opened book with a yellow book mark on the left hoof side. "Now, Twilight, you be sure to bring all these books back on time," The librarian commented with a smile as she stamped each book one by one. "Lots of other ponies would very much like to read them too."

Twilight gave a salute as she used her horn to stuff all the books into her saddle bags, filling them up to the brim. "Don't worry, Dusty Pages. I will! The best book borrower ever will not let you down!"

Dusty Pages smiled. "I know you won't, Twilight. Ever since we started our best book borrower program, you've maintained a spotless record. You've never had an overdue book once."

The filly nodded. "And I don't plan to start now! I'll return all these books to you in a week after I've read through them all!" She didn't seem to notice a particularly old looking book that was sticking out of the top of her left saddle bag. With a skip in her step, she trotted away as if the books weighed nothing.

It was inevitable that one of the books would fall out of the over stuffed saddle bags. The old looking book fell out of Twilight's saddle bag before she had even left the library. It fell to the floor where a wandering, light yellowish gray coated unicorn filly with a red and two toned purple mane and tail as well as dark purple eyes happened upon it. Her cutie mark was a purple crescent moon and three pink stars. Said filly was none other than Moondancer, the only pony in the same age who Twilight truly felt anywhere close to.

"Twilight?" Moondancer gently called as she picked up the book with her magic. "Twilight?" There was no reply, her friend hadn't seemed to have realized she had dropped a book.

Dusty Pages happened to notice this, however, and upon glancing at the book title she got an idea. An idea to hopefully teach a young filly a lesson that she felt was truly important. "Moondancer, why don't you take that book with you?" She offered in a warm, gentle tone. "I know you've been at the top of the list for wanting to check it out."

Moondancer nodded, suspecting nothing. "Yeah, Twilight keeps checking it out before I get the chance to do so. And she's read it fifteen times already, without even knowing what the title is. She just reads through it, says how silly it is, and then returns it. She does with that a lot of books, actually."

"Then you can take it with you, and make sure to bring it back in a week," Dusty Pages instructed. "If all goes well, when Twilight realizes there's a book that she misplaced, she'll come here to pay for it. That's when she'll learn that true perfection is not achievable one hundred percent of the time."





Next week came quick as a flash. But to the surprise of Dusty Pages, Twilight didn't come in to return her books this time. She just dropped them off in the deposit box and trotted away with a smile. "I get to spend the whole day with Cadence today! How lucky am I?!" She thought to herself, wishing more than anything that Cadence would let her have time to read a book or two. But the young foalsitter made it quite clear that there was more to life than books and studying, and she had set a ground rule that no books could be checked out on days when Twilight was in her care.

It wasn't until the following day that Twilight returned to the library to check out some new books. And unfortunately, it was a day when Dusty Pages was not around. She had already planned other obligations for herself that day (having saved up a considerable amount of paid time off to be able to afford it) and so a different librarian who was unaware of what had transpired with Moondancer or the agreement made was there. She was a dark sea green coated unicorn with bluish green eyes hidden behind reddish-pink glasses. She had a white mane and tail done up in a bun, a yellow sweater and a cutie mark depicting three reddish-pink bird houses all on a rack. "Well, well, Twilight Sparkle. How nice to see you," She adjusted her glasses. "What can I do for the best book borrower ever?"

Twilight was surprised to see this unicorn librarian. "Where's Dusty Pages?" She innocently asked, currently unaware of the missing book.

"Oh, her?" The librarian answered. "She's not here today. But she's told me a lot about you, how you've always returned every book you've ever checked out on time. No excuses, no exceptions," She then smiled. "Would you like some recommendations from the new release section? We've got quite the selection."

The filly happily nodded. "Boy would I! I could use some new material to keep me interested. Reading old books are fun, but after a while you start to get bored of the same old thing." She hoofed the librarian her library card.

The unicorn librarian took the card and scanned it in full anticipation of Twilight floating over a stack of books she wanted to read. But when the card was scanned, the unicorn's horn buzzed. "Hm, that's odd," She commented. "Excuse me for a moment, Twilight," She bent down beneath the check-out desk and pulled out a small card. The mare scanned over it once, then twice. She then stood back up and gave Twilight back her library card. "I'm sorry, Twilight, but according to this catalog you have an overdue library book."

"What?!" Twilight gasped! "But... but... there's no way that could be right! I always return all my books on time! I even make sure to double check my room and everything! I returned them all yesterday, I know I did! There must be some mistake!"

The librarian only shook her head. "I'm afraid not, this catalog is updated every day after we check every single book we have against all the ones currently checked out. A mistake is simply not possible," And she then declared. "It's nothing too serious, but you will have to pay the overdue fine before you can check out more books. By paying the fine you agree to accept the cost of not returning your book on time like you promised."

"Do I have to? I really wanna check out some of the new releases!" Twilight pleaded. "I'm really sorry, I don't know how I could've gotten an overdue book. But I promise it won't happen again."

The librarian was not convinced. "What kind of example would we be setting if we let our best book borrower take out more books after she gave us our first overdue book in..." She paused and tried to think. "Well, I don't even know how long? That just goes to show you how serious we treat these matters, and how serious you should treat them, young mare," She promptly coughed into a hoof. "The rules are the rules. Until you pay the fine there will be no more checkouts for you. And I'm afraid you'll have to go see First Folio in the Grossly Overdue Book Return Office for Ponies Who Should Know Better."

"Oh, but... I don't have any money." Twilight realized as she looked down at the ground in shame.

"Then I'm afraid that means no check outs for you today, Twilight," The librarian scolded with a shake of her head. "Keep in mind that for every day you don't pay the overdue fine, the bigger it gets. So I'd get to paying it off sooner rather than later if I were you. And we may have to take down your portrait of the best book borrower too, depending on if there are other ponies with a spotless record."





So a dejected Twilight rushed home, trying in vain to hold back the tears. She had hoped to come back with a huge stack of new books to read, but instead she was coming home empty hoofed and with the shame of having an overdue book to stain her record. "Why did this have to happen to me?" She thought to herself. "It isn't fair, I've been good! I do all my chores, go to bed when I'm told, and get excellent grades in school! And I know I returned that book! How could I have lost it?!"

Upon arriving back at her house, Twilight immediately rushed to her bedroom and threw herself upon her bed as the tears flowed without end. "One overdue book and suddenly nopony there trusts me?!" She said with a sniffle.

Twilight's sobs soon drew the attention of her parents, and Night Light was the first to comfort his little filly. "What's the matter, sweat pea? Did you not find any books you wanted to read at the library? I'm sure you can just read some of your old favorites again. And don't forget that big book of bedtime stories your mother wrote just for you."

Twilight didn't bother to lift her up from her bed sheets as she continued to sob and sniffle. "They wouldn't let me check any more books out because they said I had an overdue book and I had to pay a fine before I could check more out! It's totally unfair because I know I returned it with all my other books!"

Night Light just lightly stroked his daughter's backside to calm her down as he sat down beside her on her bed. "Oh, sweat pea, it's okay. Maybe you thought you did but you didn't? Why don't you take another look around the house?"

"But I don't even know what the overdue book is, they wouldn't tell me!" Twilight sniffled further. "How can I look for something if I don't know what or where it is?"

Night Light didn't have a good answer for that. But he didn't want to admit defeat to his only daughter. So he did what he did best, change the subject in a way that sounded natural and convincing, as if his daughter had thought of it himself. "Shining was always easier, but I knew things were going to be different with a filly." He thought to himself and then cleared his throat. "Well, Twily, why don't you just pay the fine and fess up to what you did? Think of this as a motivation to make sure you don't make the same mistake again."

Twilight's sniffling began to fade as she slowly looked up. "But... I need money to pay the fine. I already spent all my allowance yesterday hanging out with Cadence, we went to the fair," She briefly smiled before remembering the situation she was in now. "Could I get an advance on my allowance so I can pay the fine?" She hopefully asked her dad.

The stallion gulped. He tried his best not to let his daughter see how anxious he was. All those parenting books he read had told him it was important to stay strong and stand firm on such questions. "No, sweetie, you got your allowance three days ago. You know the rules: When you get your allowance each week you can either spend it or save it. And when you spend it you don't get an advance," At that moment though he happened to see his daughter look at him with the most innocent looking pair of pleading, puppy dog eyes he had ever seen. Something stirred inside him upon seeing them. "But... maybe we can talk to your mother and see what she thinks."

So they did just that, taking their case directly to Twilight Velvet. But her answer was brief and blunt. "No."

"But Mom!" Twilight pleaded!

Velvet shook her head. "It's not up for argument, honey. I'm sorry about your overdue book, and if you'd like I can pay it off for you first thing tomorrow on my way to my book signing."

"No," Twilight protested while stomping a hoof down. "It's my overdue fine, I should pay it."

Velvet sighed. "Well then, how about this compromise, Twilight? If you do all of the chores around the house tonight and don't make a fuss, I'll let you have your next allowance early. How's that sound?"

The filly nodded, hugging her mother tightly. "No problem, Mom! I've done my chores hundreds of times, this will be no different."

However, Velvet threw up a hoof and cautioned. "I don't just mean your chores, Twilight. You're also going to have to take care of Shining's chores. And you're also going to have to help me take care of Spike again. You hatched him, so you need to be responsible for him when you have the time."

Twilight's happy mood faded. "Aw, but that'll take forever! Especially with Spike, you know how much of a hoofful he is."

"Well, if you want to get your next allowance and pay off that fine, you have to work for it. That's the deal we made." Velvet told her daughter.





So it was that Twilight spent the rest of the day around the Sparkle family household, doing not only her usual list of chores but also the chores that were supposed to be done by Shining Armor. That included cleaning up his room (which smelled like a dirty gym locker), washing the dishes, and taking out the trash (which thankfully wasn't very full). But all of that was a cake walk compared to having to take care of Spike. Sure, she had her mom to help for the more difficult tasks, but the baby dragon had lots of needs that had to be addressed.

Still, it was all worth it for Twilight when she was given a stack of bits as promised. And the very next day she trotted down to the Canterlot Public Library to pay her fine. A part of her hoped to see Dusty Pages back at the front desk, believing that maybe the elderly mare could clear up the misunderstanding and get the overdue fine waived.

However, the same librarian from the day before was there to greet Twilight when she entered the library. Now the filly was starting to get worried. "Dusty Pages didn't come back?"

The librarian blinked upon hearing and seeing Twilight, but thought little of her comment. "She'll be back eventually, Twilight. Dusty Pages isn't the only librarian who works here, you know," She told the little filly, before eyeing the small stack of bits she had on her. "Ah, here to pay the late fee I presume?"

Twilight nodded very slowly. "So, where's First Folio's office?"

The librarian replied. "Why, down in the basement of course," And then she whispered. "Because of the shame. Nopony ever goes down there. Well, nopony except undependable rule-breakers who deserve all the horrors the hallway holds," When she saw Twilight start to shake in fright, she quickly retorted. "Relax, I'm just kidding. It's only an overdue library book, not the end of the world. First Folio's office is down there because there's more space. I could walk you down there if you like."

But the filly shook her head while nervously stammering. "N-no thank you, I-I'll... go there myself. I'm a... big filly, I'm brave enough!" She really hoped nopony was looking at her right now, because her legs felt very much like a jelly.





The hallway leading down to First Folio's basement office was dimly lit and very cold, at least as far as Twilight was concerned. She struggled to keep from shivering and sneezing.

At last, the hallway ended. A rather cramped looking room with an opened door greeted Twilight. And inside it sat a lanky looking unicorn mare with an ivory white coat. She had a curly blue and light purple mane and tail, and yellowish-green eyes behind a pair of silver tinted spectacles. Her cutie mark appeared to depict some kind of tape. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle," The mare commented while adjusting her glasses. "Yes, they told me you were coming. Don't be afraid, step in."

Twilight reluctantly obeyed even though she didn't want to. She noticed that the mare was wearing a light blue sweater. "Are you..." She gulped and swallowed hard. "First Folio?"

The mare nodded, adjusting her glasses again. "I am," She waited for Twilight to come trotting in and sit in the chair facing her desk. "I must say, I certainly never expected to see this library's best book borrower end up down here. Especially not with how fondly Dusty Pages spoke of you."

"You know Dusty Pages?" The filly asked First Folio, now having grown concerned over not seeing the old librarian.

"Well, I knew her, but she hasn't been here since that overdue fine turned up on your account," First Folio commented, not appearing to sense how such a statement only unnerved the young one before her. "Speaking of which, I know you don't have the book, but Dusty Pages would say..."

But at that moment, a knot formed in Twilight's stomach. A knot that wouldn't go away until she could find Dusty Pages and explain the whole situation. She got out of her chair and rushed away as fast as she could! Wherever that old mare was now, she was the only one in Twilight's mind that could make this whole thing right.

First Folio blinked in surprise. "Hey, wait!" She tried to call. "Don't you wanna pay off your fine?!"





For a unicorn filly Twilight was awfully fast on her hooves. As her mom and Cadence would attest, she was a little speed demon when the situation called for it. Normally it would be when she didn't want to be taken away from her books to do something else. But this time it was for something far more serious (albeit still book related). And she kept repeating to herself! "Gotta find Dusty Pages! Gotta find Dusty Pages!"

Of course it didn't occur to the little unicorn that she had no idea where Dusty Pages might be or even where to start looking. So determined was she to make this whole thing right that such details didn't trouble her, she could and would figure them all out in due time.

So determined and focused was Twilight that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. And she likely would've kept on doing so had she not literally run straight into a fellow unicorn filly. Not just any unicorn filly though, but her fellow book lover Moondancer.

Moondancer was more than a little surprised to see Twilight looking so hyper. It reminded her of that cheerful unicorn filly with a mane and tail that looked like toothpaste, but whose name currently eluded her at the present moment. "Twilight, what's wrong? Why did you run into me like that?"

"Sorry, Moondancer, can't stop!" Twilight declared in between pants! "Gotta find Dusty Pages!"

Moondancer, suspecting nothing, happily told her fellow unicorn. "Oh, I heard she's at the old pony's home just down the street from here. She hangs out there a lot, but this is the first time I think she's ever stayed for more than a day."

Twilight gasped, putting her hooves to her face! "Oh no!" She exclaimed in horror! There could only be one reason in her mind why that was the case, and it did nothing to settle her nerves! She bolted once again, disappearing almost as if she had teleported (which she hadn't, Twilight wouldn't master that skill for several years still)!

Moondancer blinked. "Just what was that all about?" She briefly pondered under her breath, before shrugging it off. She knew Twilight could get pretty weird sometimes (though not as weird as some of the classmates at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns) and as far as weird behavior went this was pretty tame. It wasn't like the time Twilight had brought Smarty Pants to school, thinking that the doll was real. Chances are this behavior would soon pass. And it probably wasn't her business anyway. Her parents had told her it wasn't good to get involved in other ponies affairs without being asked. So, with an unconcerned expression upon her face she continued on her way. "I hope the new librarian's as friendly as Dusty Pages always was." She thought to herself.





The unicorn filly was almost out of breath again when she reached the retirement home Moondancer had mentioned. She was just quite relieved when she was allowed inside without any questions. Her hopes for a quick trip were dashed when she didn't see Dusty Pages anywhere in the front lobby.

Not one to give up when things were rough, however, Twilight made her way over to the counter. It took a bit of straining to stand on the very tips of her hooves and reach the bell. Being small had its disadvantages.

A white coated unicorn stallion with blue eyes and a wavy gray mane and tail soon came forward. "Hey, kid," He greeted, currently clad in a dark blue uniform that obscured his cutie mark. "What can I do for you?"

"Is Dusty Pages here? I need to see her, it's urgent!" Twilight pleaded! "Please tell me she's here! Please!"

"Yeah, she's here," The stallion explained as he couldn't help but ruffle Twilight's mane a bit. "She's currently in the middle of a squishy fruit food-fight tournament, though. You'll just have to wait until it's over to talk to over."

"But I need to talk to her right now!" Twilight demanded with a whimper! "There's something I really need her help with! Please, I'll do anything!"

Try as he might, the stallion couldn't ignore the sad look in Twilight's eyes. "Oh, alright," He reluctantly sighed. "I'll take you to her. But stay close to me so you don't get lost or hurt. Squish fruit food-fight tournaments may look harmless, but without the proper safety gear they can really pack a punch! And I don't mean the fruit kind."

The stallion led Twilight through the halls of the retirement home, which were soft shades of white and yellow, and out to a small courtyard in the back. Sure enough, Dusty Pages was there and was currently on a team that were all identified by the blue colored helmets and vests that they were wearing.

Suddenly, a piece of fruit came hurling through the air! Thinking quickly, the stallion lit up his horn to cast a protective barrier. He was just in time, the piece of fruit slammed into the shield with a splat and then slid down! No one had been harmed.

"Stop!" The stallion called above the commotion!

The two teams obeyed but did not seem particularly happy to have their intense battle interrupted. However, Dusty Pages recognized the filly who was with the worker stallion. "Twilight Sparkle!" She smiled as she rushed over! "My goodness, what a lovely surprise to see you somewhere that isn't the library!"

But Twilight gulped as she nervously told Dusty. "Actually, that's what I'm here to talk to you about," And she immediately threw herself at the hooves of her favorite librarian as she desperately and dramatically pleaded! "Please don't quit being a librarian because of me! I didn't mean to have an overdue book, I don't even know how it happened!" The filly burst into tears as she spoke.

Dusty sighed deeply and pulled the filly aside. "Twilight, there's no need to be upset. The overdue book wasn't your fault."

"Yes it is! Somehow I lost it even though I swear I returned it!" Twilight sobbed! "And now, because of me, you had to retire and come here!"

Dusty Pages just laughed. "Who, me? Retired? Not quite, I'm just here for the squishy fruit food-fight tournament that I helped to organize."

Twilight ceased her sobbing and blinked. "Huh?"

The old librarian explained to the filly. "I've been planning this for weeks now. Every so often I come here to visit my friends in the retirement home, and we play games or do other fun activities," She frowned a bit. "It's unfortunate that this had to occur at the same time as the overdue library book, which I played a part in."

"What do you mean? I lost it, didn't I?" Twilight blinked anew.

Dusty Pages shook her head. "No. It fell out of your saddle bag before you left the library, and your friend Moondancer happened to pick it up," She then explained. "I told her to hang onto it and give it back to me the same day you were going to come back and return all your library books. But then you didn't show up, and then next day, which was yesterday, I had to spend getting all the equipment to make this squishy fruit food-fight tournament a reality. I was so distracted that I didn't get a chance to clear up the misunderstanding."

"But why didn't you just come and tell me that my book fell out?" The filly questioned.

Dusty Pages explained with a glint in her eyes. "To teach you a lesson, Twilight. One that I think you needed to learn," Then she inquired of the filly. "Do you know what the title of the overdue book is?"

Twilight nodded and proudly puffed out her chest. "It was called 'Perfection'!"

Dusty shook her head. "That's only half true, Twilight. You probably couldn't see the rest of the title because the book was so old, so worn, and so dusty. Because then you would know that the title of the book is actually called: 'Perfection: The Impossible Pursuit'. It's a book that I wrote."

The filly suddenly gasped anew as her mouth dropped wide open in shock! "Really?! How did I not notice that?!"

Dusty giggled. "I wrote it under a pen name, back before I became a librarian," Then she cleared her throat as her voice took on a more somber tone. "Back then I was just like you, determined to get everything just right no matter what it was. It took writing that book and then rewriting and rewriting and rewriting to get it just right before I realized I was going about life all wrong. I didn't need to be perfect at everything all the time or get it right the first time around. Now I wasn't afraid to try new things, even if I wasn't very good at them. In fact, failing at them often taught me more than my successes ever did. And it pained me to see a young pony like you going down a similar path."

"And I was too stuck in the books to realize it!" Twilight commented as the realization slowly dawned on her. "Well, now I just feel really silly."

The elderly earth pony nodded as she stroked Twilight's mane. "I promise, first thing tomorrow I'll be back on the job. But I won't be around forever, Twilight. Nothing ever lasts forever, even records were meant to be broken. And if I'm being honest, that whole best book borrower title did more harm than good. Just having the late fine seemed like a good enough motivation to keep ponies from taking out books and not returning them," A sigh of regret escaped her lips. "But it seems like I'm the only one who thinks so."

"Not anymore!" Twilight protested as she leaped up. Then she suddenly remembered! "Oh my gosh! I forgot to pay the late fine to First Folio!"

"Not to worry, Twilight," Dusty Pages reassured the filly. "I can pay it for you when I go back to the library tomorrow."

But the unicorn filly shook her head. "I gotta pay that fine no matter what it costs!" Then she blushed. "As long as it doesn't cost more than what I make in allowance."

Dusty giggled again. "Twilight, the fine isn't very steep. Most ponies don't know this but we cap the fine at twenty eight bits when a month has passed. Besides, I ordered a new copy of the book and I'm sure they'll have gotten it in by now. So once you pay the fine, you can keep it. I hope you'll cherish it and keep it close."





"That book was a very big help to me growing up," Twilight told Ocellus as she finished her story back in the present day. "Whenever I started getting too obsessed or freaked out with being perfect, all it would take was somepony close to me reading the title and a few pages to get me to realize what I was doing. Much like Dusty Pages, I don't want to see you making the same mistake that I once made." She promptly used her magic and floated the book over to the young changeling.

Ocellus wasn't sure what to think as the book was placed into her appendages. "Um... thanks?"

Twilight nodded. "So you do understand now, Ocellus? Nocreature's meant to be perfect at everything all the time, nocreature's meant to have all the answers and know everything there is to know about everything. Striving to achieve perfection in everything is an unhealthy pursuit that will only lead you down a path of self destruction. What you might say 'The Point of No Return'."

"So, you're saying you don't want me to do my best?" Ocellus questioned.

"No, no, no!" Twilight quickly protested. "I expect you and every student at this school to work hard and do the best they can do. But friendship isn't perfect, nothing in life ever is. Learning from your mistakes is a part of friendship and a part of life. How we react to our inevitable failures is often what makes us what we are. So, do you think you can let down your... er... hair and maybe stop obsessing over being perfect at everything? Try something you've never tried before if it interests you, don't be afraid of not doing it right the first time."

"Will do, Headmare Twilight!" Ocellus saluted. "And thank you for teaching me this lesson," Then she blinked. "Uh, this isn't going to be a homework assignment or a test, is it?"

The alicorn chuckled. "Do I look like the sort of pony who would do that? That's not how I roll. You know when all my test are and what your homework assignments will be. Like I said, this was an intervention. A chance for me to share some exclusive knowledge with you," And she then commented. "You may be the new Element of Honesty, but I still see a lot of myself reflected in you, Ocellus. I know you want to make a good impression so others will think highly of your race. But striving for perfection and closing yourself from opportunities because you might fail is not how you achieve that. And it's not what would Thorax would want from you either," She then escorted the changeling to the door of her office. "Now go on, classes will be starting soon. Attendance is something you should strive to excel at, because showing up to class on time is how you learn."

With another nod, Ocellus walked out the door and was soon on her way to her first class of the day. But with that book now held tightly in her clutches she was a changed changeling. Now she was truly willing to focus on something besides just her grades and her species' troubled past.