When they arrived at the first of the libraries, the first thing that struck them was just how enormous it was. The walls were pure glass and covered every wall, but the contents were no less spectacular either. Even from outside, ponies could be seen browsing within. There were rooms for quiet, which one could see in, most of it being glass, but they were designed so that they were quite despite the activities happening elsewhere.
There were rooms built for noise, for groups to gather, talk, and work on things as a community. Bookshelves everywhere were stuffed with material of all kinds, not just books. They saw there was a room set aside for younger ponies, filled with books but also little games for them to play with each other too as they spent time there and read stories together alongside their parents or caretakers.
The teen areas had magazines popular with ponies of that development, and books ranging from education to simply entertaining. Comforting snatched one up. "I missed these." She leafed through a magazine of random world facts and picture-finding shots. "Where is that cat?"
Misty hopped in place. "Ooh! I see it!" She tugged Amber's sleeve to show her, but Amber was too busy taking notes on what she was seeing as well as gazing around in awe at how it was all put together.
They found a creator section that looked like Izzy would lose what few marbles she had if she saw. "Wow." Misty looked around curiously at all the many tools and such just waiting to be used to make something. "You know what this means, right?"
Amber glanced up from her notebook and followed Misty's gesture to the maker station and ponies working in it together on little projects and creations together as they chatted about them. "It means." Amber curled a hoof to her chin. "I've been doing it all wrong." She circled slowly, taking in the whole library easily, thanks to its glass walls. "I made a safe haven for books, but a library's more than that."
"They've got reading spaces for groups." Misty nudged against Amber with a look of pure delight on her face as she moved with Amber about the library even as she noted things as well. "I think we need one too!"
Amber smiled at that. "We have that one, at least. But we should be encouraging ponies to do more, together. This is enlightening, and a little scary. What are those ponies doing?" She pointed to a meeting room filled with ponies chatting eagerly about something.
Comforting lifted one ear from where she was reading another book and looked over at where Amber was pointing. "Starting a club." She blinked as she lowered her book for a moment. "What is that?" She pointed to a room that had another group quietly watching a movie being projected onto the wall. "Neat. Didn't we have a movie night once?"
Amber sagged. "Once. I've been focusing entirely on the books! Okay, okay." She took a few calming breaths. "This is just one library, let's move on to the next one and see how they compare."
Misty looped her hoof around Amber's. "Oh, hey, don't beat yourself up! I think the books are important too, and we have more books than any other library we've seen."
Comforting swooped in on Amber's other side. "And we still have a whole second floor waiting to be used. Let's take inspiration, not shame, from all this, hm?" She coaxed Amber back to her hooves and out of the library, even as they looked around some more before they departed to check out the next library they could find.
There were many libraries like this in Maretime Bay, and each one was unique in their own way. They all had different approaches, but many of them still seemed to follow along the same track.
The other libraries had sections dedicated to classes of some kind, or group studies where ponies could gather around a teacher and learn together in a classroom setting even if they were all adults with their own jobs already. Ponies wanted to learn, and if a library was ready to offer that, there appeared to be takers.
Amber led them down the street with a thoughtful expression. "They really feel like community centers, with books. Instead of books, with some community things." She took a slow breath. "We're going to have to make some big changes, or we'll be the worst library in the city!" She chuckled nervously at the notion as she read over her notes before pocketing them. "Well, we can fix things up!"
Misty and Comforting looked at each other with pride as they heard Amber say that and took up positions on either side of her. "I like it." Misty bounced a little with anticipation at all the ideas and notions she had in mind even as they continued onwards down the road.
"Sounds like fun." Comforting hugged both ponies beside her with a smile. "Now, if you're inspired and full of ideas, we can head back to our library, or grab a snack to celebrate. Which would you prefer?"
Amber sniffed. "The library is not going to clean itself up, or reorganize itself, or add things in by itself! So it's back home for us, come on." She tugged at Comforting's arm before quickly dropping it and turning red in the face. "Oh, um, congratulations."
Comforting blinked. "Did someone tell you my secret?"
Misty squeaked. "That was a secret!?"
"No." Comforting gave Misty a single pat on the head. "I'm teasing. It's true, I'm getting married. But getting married doesn't mean I suddenly want to be a rock towards everyone else." She hugged Amber warmly. "You are a dear friend, and dear friends still get hugs. If you push too far, I'm pretty good at speaking my opinions, even when you'd rather I didn't."
Amber patted Comforting's arm. "Yes, I have noticed this." She took another deep breath before starting on their way back home with Comforting and Misty close behind her even as they talked a little bit along the way. "Toots though? Not who I would have guessed."
Comforting drifted along with Amber. "Not who I would have guessed, but he's a nice stallion, legit cares about me, and he can do the most caring things if you let him. He's a nice ground after a day of chaos." She paused a moment. "Wow. It just hit me." She smacked herself on the forehead. "He's my Fluttershy. This is what Dad felt like!"
Amber hummed at that before shrugging. "So you and Toots are going to live together, huh?"
"One of us is moving into the other's place." Comforting hesitated as she thought about it. "I want to be by the books and you all, and he's attached to his place. We're still talking about who will move and who will stay. But married people who don't live together? That's hardly appropriate." She hummed gently. "Though Dad did manage it, but they never actually got married, so, not the same."
Amber raised an eyebrow as she turned that statement over in her mind. "I suppose it's different when you're dating, isn't it?"
Misty titled her head at that statement as she spoke up. "I never had a special somepony before."
Comforting darted around Amber to be at Misty's side instead. "It's not a contest. When, or even if, you run into a pony that makes your heart jump, you'll go at the speed you want to. We'll be cheering you on either way."
Misty giggled at that thought even as they rounded a corner and saw the library in the distance with many ponies outside of it having gathered together around a sign that was off to one side that they couldn't see the words of yet, but they could tell it was the cause of this crowd. "What's going on?
All three of them sped up to see the mysterious sign. Comforting darted over the crowd, first to get a peek. She had no words, just a shocked look on her face as she silently watched as Amber and Misty came over to join her in peering over the heads of their fellow ponies. The sign read, 'Now hiring'. "I didn't put this here." She lowered to read the smaller print near the bottom of the sign.
"Open interview day! Apply here!" Comforting sank in place as she recognized that voice with its high energy and powerful volume that made it easy for anyone within range of it to understand what was being said. "Hitch will see you all now! Now!"
Amber swayed unsteadily as she peered at where the voice was coming from and felt a burst of horror and terror as she saw Hitch guiding people towards the library for some kind of interview? "What is even going on?! I walk away for a few hours, and this happens?" She stormed through the crowd towards Hitch with a deep frown.
Misty chased after Amber, yelping as she struggled to keep up even as she disappeared into the crowd, leaving Comforting alone at the edge of the mob with nothing but her confusion and dismay for company. "Hm, nah, she has this." She flashed a thumbs up at where Amber had been and vanished in a puff of giggles. What fun was there in fixing everything herself?
Hitch directed ponies towards where Sunny was sitting with a smile on her face as she guided them into the library for their interview as he tried to catch his breath between candidates even as they descended on him like a swarm of locusts even as the line of ponies at his feet grew larger and larger and reached back through the crowd that had gathered, not wanting to miss out.
Amber made it to the front. Hitch tried to funnel her like any other random pony, which only made her even angrier. "Hitch!" she shouted so loud, it shook him out of his rut. "What are you doing?!"
Hitch flinched back. "Oh, uh, I came by and most of the librarians were gone, so, you know? I'm helping?"
Amber applied a hoof to her face with a grunt. "I'm right here. I took one little researching field day. What do all these ponies think they're applying for?!"
Hitch rubbed at his neck as he squirmed in place under Amber's powerful gaze. "Uh, librarian? Head Librarian?"
"I am the head librarian!" Amber smacked the air with her hoof for emphasis on that fact. "And I don't plan on quitting anytime soon. Oh, sweet harmony itself." She marched forward to Sunny. "You got roped into this, I bet. Go on back to your stand. Thank you, but there will be no further interviews."
Sunny leapt to her hooves with a gasp of relief. "Oh, thank you!" She made a mad dash for it and disappeared into the crowd even as Hitch moved to argue with Amber over her decision.
"These ponies want a job, and I want to help! I know what ponies need!" Hitch pointed at himself. "Let me hire some more hooves for you so you can spend more time with those friends of yours, huh?"
Amber huffed, looking ready to resume shouting, but she thought it over again. "Actually." She reached to tap Hitch on the nose. "You may be onto something, but no new head librarians. There's only one of those, and you're looking at her."
"Obviously." Hitch chuckled gently as he calmed down and took a seat behind the desk while Amber sat beside him with a sigh as the first pony approached.
In the end, Amber hired about three new librarians to operate the second floor. A whole new floor meant more space to keep an eye and help ponies with all their various needs. "But, we need more than librarians to watch an empty space. We have to fill it. Comforting?"
"Yeah?" She hadn't been there, appearing just at the moment she was called. "What's up?
Amber drew on her face as she presented Comforting with her newest title: Floor Lead - Second Floor.
Comforting raised an eyebrow. "Wait, I get my own floor?" She gaped in shock at that declaration even as she stared down at the job title in question. "I'm honored!"
"Good." Amber flashed a smile. "I know you have your ways, and you saw what I saw. I want some of the books in the first floor moved up to the second, and I want the second to have a lot more than just books. I want it to be a community nexus, where ponies will want to gather for all kinds of reasons, books being just one of many of those reasons. Up for it?"
Comforting tensed up before launching herself at Amber with a cry of pure joy on her lips as she squeezed her tightly before vanishing from sight with a fading laughter.
Amber inclined her head at the spot that had contained Comforting. "That sounds like she's on the case." She turned back to Hitch. "As for you! You're welcome to come back and check things out once we finish the remodel."
Hitch beamed happily at that offer. "That sounds lovely! I have some ideas myself that I'd love to run by you sometime." He offered her his hoof, which she bumped against with a smile.