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// Page 17 
// Story: The Purloined Pony 
// by Chris 
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You look at the intimidating piles of books stacked all around the library. It’s clear that however prodigious a reader Twilight is, she’s going to need help to get through all these books in a timely manner. You sigh and pick up the closest book: “Speculation on the Intrinsic Properties of the Diminutive Supernatural Denizens of Equestria as Related in both Legend and Lore, Volume I: Adhene-Clurichaun.” Well, might as well start the fun...



Several hours of incredibly dense and boring prose later, you are starting to wonder if maybe you didn’t make the wrong choice. Applebloom is still missing, and you haven’t gotten anywhere with this research! Setting yet another useless book aside, you ask yourself whether you shouldn’t go find some other way to make yourself useful.



As you think that, you see something move out of the corner of your eye. Looking over, you see nothing but piles of books, haphazardly strewn about. You narrow your eyes; something seems... off.



With a start, you realize what’s bothering you; one of the books in the pile over near the door is “Rulers of the Wee Ones.” You’re sure you just put that in your pile of unread books a minute ago; how did it get over to the door?



Suspicious now, you pretend to go back to reading, all the while keeping a close eye on the book. Sure enough, after a moment it begins to move again, slowly inching towards the door.



You leap on the book as quickly as you can, snatching it up in your hooves. You hear a soft snap, and a voice outside curses. Running out the door, you look around. You see a tiny apelike creature disappearing down a nearby alleyway, a miniature fishing pole in his hands. You glance at the book and see a small fishhook stuck through the cover, and tied to it a broken bit of string.



“What on earth are you doing?” asks Twilight, trotting over. “We don’t have time for games, we still need to figure out how to stop the boggies!”



You quickly tell her what happened. Twilight’s eyes light up as she looks at the book in your hooves. “That’s great news! It means we must be on the right track!” Taking the book from you and opening it on the table, she continues, “The boggies wouldn’t have tried to steal this book from the library unless there was something in it that would help us drive them away. We need to see what’s in this book right away!” She opens it up and starts reading intently.



You, on the other hand, remain nervous. Surely if this book is so important, the boggies wouldn’t have given up that easily? Maybe you should go after the one that ran away, and make sure he isn’t getting some friends. On the other hoof, splitting up might also be a bad idea.


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1.  If you stay here with Twilight, go to page 23

2.  If you go after the boggie, go to page 26