//------------------------------// // The Princess's Student and the Library // Story: The Studying Obsession // by Lhmac //------------------------------// Just as Celestia had hoped, the purple filly she had chosen as her personal protege was an energetic ball of curiosity, bursting with eagerness to learn. The princess explained that she was going to give Twilight a tour of the library and the young pony leapt into the air. As she was about to begin a round of bounding and exclamations, Celestia placed a hoof on her back to calm her down, giving the filly one of her perfected 'I appreciate the excitement, but it's time to calm down now' smiles. They never failed to work on anypony, so Twilight Sparkle was no different. As they began the tour, the young unicorn pranced ahead of her mentor, twirling through rows upon rows of shelves with gasps of joy, asking questions about everything from the library's sorting process to the reasons behind the names of various wings. Celestia told her what she could concisely, hoping her short tales and vague recollections were being attributed to the right histories. As she explained some stories of Starswirl the bearded, she took a second to ponder what the studious pony might do with misinformation if she was given it. Fortunately, Starswirl was a topic Celestia was familiar with, as Twilight Sparkle seemed to take a particular interest in the historical pony right away. When they came to the section named for him, Twilight became very still, staring in awe at the books and scrolls seemingly bursting from the shelves as Celestia explained his intelligence and influence on the Equestria of the present. It was well into the day, only a few hours before the afternoon, before student and teacher came full-circle back to the front entrance and the two ponies stepped out into the bright sunshine. Celestia could have spent all day describing all the wonders of the library and the achievements of its founders, but alas, as the princess of the realm, duties beckoned. She lowered her head in disappointment; time she set aside seemed to move by too quickly for her first chance to mentor the young pony, but there were always other days. Celestia held in her sigh as she turned her gaze to the purple unicorn beside her. "Here we are again." Twilight didn't respond, still hanging on her every word, and the princess couldn't keep the sigh inside this time. "This is where we will have to part today, my little pony." Predictably, a little of the shining light slipped from Twilight's eyes. "A princess's work is never done," she explained gently, gesturing with her hoof towards the castle for emphasis. "There are matters I must attend to, as much as I would love to spend the day in the library." "Do I have to go home now, too?" "No, Twilight Sparkle," she chuckled, leaning down to nudge the side of the filly's face. "You can stay here in the library without me." "Really? I can, Princess?" The sparkle returned to the pony's eyes. Celestia laughed again. "I only ask one thing of you, Twilight Sparkle: take it easy on your first day here. Such a large library can be overwhelming, but rest assured that you will have all the time in the world to uncover its knowledge for yourself." "Can I ... read the story books?" Celestia hadn't expected such a question, but she supposed that this day was set out for learning, so Twilight probably thought she needed special permission. It was always a joy to see a young pony with a desire for stories. "That is a brilliant idea, Twilight. Mare tales have more to teach us than you might think, and it's probably a good place to start." She nodded. More to herself than to the filly in front of her. "It's decided. That's what our first lesson will be: you can find some interesting stories here in the library, and report back to me tomorrow about one of them. You can tell me the origin of the story and what it has to teach us." "I will, Princess Celestia!" The young unicorn saluted with a wide grin and dashed back into the library. Celestia chuckled at her eagerness. She was sure Twilight Sparkle was going to turn out to be the most interesting student she'd ever had. And in the future ... who knew what old mare's tales she could use her magic to give a happy ending to. Celestia looked wistfully up into the clear blue sky. This young filly gave her hope for the future. The princess turned to walk away from the library, but spun back and trotted inside and over to the front desk. The cream-coated mare, wearing a grey library vest, was organising papers in a filing cabinet and didn't notice Celestia approach. "Excuse me?" she asked, causing the poor pony to jump up in alarm. "P-princess Celestia. I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there, I–" "It's fine," Celestia interrupted the yellow-maned pony's stuttering apology. "I just want you to look out for my young student, Twilight Sparkle. The young filly shouldn't be a problem at all, but from what I know of her habits, she may stay here too long. Can you make sure the young pony leaves here a little before the schools let fillies out? I don't want her to miss her friends on account of her studies." "Y-yes, Princess. I'll be sure to look out for your little student ... Did you say her name was Twilight?" "Yes. Thank you very much ... she squinted at the name tag on the pony's vest and smiled as she looked into the mare's eyes. "Thank you Sandy Mist." The unicorn beamed as she met her gaze, bowing her head when Celestia turned to leave.