"Don't forget to line the books in alphabetical order!"
"Understood!"
This little dialogue was all Vignette and Cheerilee shared before the latter went to check the students around the library, while Vignette filled the bookshelves.
"Man, for someone with "cheer" on her name, Cheerilee's a lot more strict than I imagined," Vignette pondered out loud, but quietly. "Then again, considering who goes to this school, maybe she has a reason to be such a-"
"Vignette?"
The woman winced, nearly falling off her chair before she found her footing.
"Don't scare me like that, whoever you are!"
A collection of shushes struck Vignette, including the same person who called her name: the human Twilight Sparkle.
"Oh, Twi-Fi! Fancy seeing you here," Vignette remarked as she went back to work. "I mean, it's not really fancy, since you're such a bookworm that you probably spend most of your time here, but you know what I mean."
"Vignette, we already talked about this: people only call me Sci-Twi when my counterpart's around," Twilight folded her arms. "If she's not here, you can just call me Twilight."
"Sure, if you say so, Twi-Fi," Vignette shrugged. "Anyway, do you need something? 'Cause I'm kinda busy at the moment."
"Well, when you're available, think we could talk?"
"Sure, no problem."
Twilight flashed a pair of thumbs up that Vignette didn't see, and bid farewell, leaving the woman to continue her work.
With the bookshelves done with, Vignette walked to a table where Twilight sat by, and sat next to her.
"Okay, books are dealt with, and I managed to convince Cheerilee to give me some free time to talk to you," Vignette sighed. "But I hope it's quick, 'cause she didn't give me much time."
"Okay," Twilight closed her book. "So, Sunset told me, that she told you, about what happened at the Fall Formal."
"Oh yeah, when she turned into a she-demon," Vignette hummed. "You wanna talk about that?"
"No, see, Sunset wasn't the only one who got corrupted into an evil, magical form. I was struck with such misfortune too."
"Wow," Vignette tilted her head. "Say, just to get it out of the way, have the other Rainbooms suffered transformations, too?"
"Not that I'm aware of, and I really don't wanna sound arrogant, but even if they did, they would be nothing compared to mine," Twilight twiddled her fingers. "See, I wasn't originally a student at Canterlot High. I used to go to Crystal Prep Academy."
Vignette winced in disgust, prompting a confused reaction from Twilight.
"Have you heard of it?"
"I studied there. Not for long, though, thank goodness. Anyway, you were saying?"
"Okay, so, back when I was a Crystal Prep Academy student, I felt the insane sensation of the magical blast that defeated Sunset Shimmer," Twilight scratched her head. "So, I decided to go to Canterlot High during a "friendly" competition between both schools... and wouldn't you know it, not only did I find the magic there, but I kinda... sorta... absorbed it."
Vignette blinked twice. "So, wait, not only did you get corrupted by magic, but you got corrupted while holding the magic of the Rainbooms? No wonder you said your corrupted form would be stronger: it's got all their magic combined!"
"Yeah... so, I got corrupted into Midnight Sparkle, an insane megalomaniac who wanted to see the worlds beyond this one. However, in attempting to do so, she nearly tore reality apart!" Twilight smiled. "But Sunset was quick to get to action, and absorbed her friends' remaining magic to fight Midnight."
"And you were aware of what was happening? Because from the way you're talking, it sounds like you and Midnight are two different people."
"We are, but that's besides the point. Sunset overpowered Midnight, talked to me afterwards, and helped me turn back to normal," Twilight blushed slightly. "I was so scared and feeling so hopeless, and Sunset was there to be the light to guide me out of the tunnel."
Vignette hummed, then looked at her palm. "I see... well, at least you got some help with it."
"Yeah, I'll forever be thankful to Sunset for what she did for me," Twilight shrugged. "And that's what happened. Or at least, a very abrided version of what happened."
"I see..." Vignette stood up. "Well, I should get back to work before Cheerilee gets angry. I do need to head to Camp Everfree after this, so, best not to convince her to give me extra work."
"Wait, Camp Everfree?"
"Yeah, I saw that they needed some volunteers to help at the camp, so I decided to give it a shot."
"Wha-when? How?"
Vignette glanced uneasily at Cheerilee. "I'd like to answer you, Twi-Fi, I really do, but I need to get back to work. Good talk, though."
Twilight paused for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Same."
And with that, Vignette went back to the bookshelves, mentally preparing herself for what would come for her later at Camp Everfree.