//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: To Judge A Book 
// by LickleSoxy 
//------------------------------//


-o-



Pinkie's mouth burst into a massive grin the exact moment she spotted two of her friends heading in her direction. Letting out a squawk that rumbled from deep within her throat, she shot a hoof up in the air and proceeded to wave it erratically from side to side. She needed to make sure Rarity and Fluttershy saw her, so they wouldn't mistakenly walk by without saying hello. How awful would they feel if that were to happen? Extremely, Pinkie's mind helpfully supplied.

Opening her jaw to its widest peak - the strain didn't hurt, as her mouth was used to the constant torture by know - Pinkie called out to the two mares. Although her voice was high and ecstatic, she had a feeling that neither of her friends would actually be able to hear the yells; that did not deter her from her mission. Pinkie Pie's goal, in this precise pocket of time, was to grab Rarity and Fluttershy's attention. Everything else - dignity, vocal preservation, self-control - all took a back seat to the current desire ripping through her.

Paying no mind to the stares she was likely receiving from all the other ponies surrounding her, Pinkie jumped atop the table she'd been seated at, spilling her milkshake in the process. Ignoring the frothy liquid as it splashed against her legs - she could easily lick up the cool fluid later - Pinkie's eyes widened.

"Over here!" she cheered, now waving both her front hooves in the air frantically.

Her shrieks were drawn out and charged with an energy that could not be contained. But then, why would she want to keep her enthusiasm locked up? They were her friends, for crying out loud, and nothing was more special in the world. How could she deny them the greeting that they so truly deserved?

Two beautiful smiles were the reward she obtained for her efforts. Beaming in response, Pinkie halted her jittery motions, and jumped back off the table. Landing with a graceful bounce, she quickly bent her head down and slurped up the remains of her drink from her legs. The sweet taste of chocolate melted over her tongue, and she couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips as she finished lapping up the delicious liquid.

Shaking away the ecstasy, she lifted her head, shivering just the tiniest of amounts as a cool breeze swept over her wet limbs. She knew the saliva would dry up relatively quickly, so she didn't let it bother her. Who cared about a little bit of spit, when time could be spent talking to friends instead?

"Hello, darling," Rarity said, acknowledging the pink pony as she got close enough to make conversation. Fluttershy's greeting was in the form of a simple, gorgeous smile.

Buzzing with elation, Pinkie's response to their presence was cut short by a loud, obnoxious laugh erupting from somewhere above her. Ears pricking up instantly, Pinkie moved her gaze in a vertical direction. Allowing her eyes to rapidly scan the sky for the source of the pleasant noise, she felt the beginnings of another cheer forming as recognition told her who the laugh belonged to. It was a sound she heard on a daily basis, and it was only a matter of time before her keen senses let her spot the pegasus she was looking for.

Perched on a cloud, Rainbow Dash was focused on something out of sight, and she had her back to the three ponies on the floor below. Though Pinkie couldn't see her face, she knew for certain that Rainbow Dash's features were scrunched up in mirth. She resisted the urge to hoof pump. Wasn't this turning out to be a spectacular day? Now, only Twilight and Applejack needed to pop out of nowhere, and her bliss would be complete.

After a moment, Pinkie sucked in a huge wad of oxygen through her mouth in preparation for her next scream.

"Rainbow Dash!"

She punctuated the name with a leap into the air. Dropping back to the ground much more slowly than should have been physically possible, Pinkie lifted her chin in pride when she caught sight of Rarity and Fluttershy covering their ears beside her. Rarity, in particular, looked ready to faint from shock; this was a tremendous achievement, as far as Pinkie was concerned.

She smirked. The title of Cheer Champion was going to be hers this year; there was no doubt about it.

"Hey, Pinkie! What's up?"

The question brought her out of her thoughts and, shaking her head to regain some focus, Pinkie turned her attention to her three friends. Rainbow Dash had flown down to join them all. Flapping her wings idly, she was hovering between Fluttershy and Rarity. Pinkie giggled.

"You were, silly! But now you're not because you're down here!" she answered, pointing at Rainbow Dash, who let out a laugh in reply. Much to Pinkie's delight, Rarity's lips had also lifted up in a small smile, regardless of the fact that she had rolled her eyes in response to the joke.

"Um, girls?"

Everyone turned to Fluttershy. Her face was alight with glee too, but her eyes told a different story. A flash of concern tore through them, which was rather confusing given the circumstances. Pinkie's grin faltered. Wait... Hadn't Fluttershy made plans to hang out with Discord today? The date she'd marked on her calendar was correct, wasn't it? But... If that were the case, why was Fluttershy here? Pinkie gulped, suddenly feeling very sad. Her grin threatened to evacuate her face completely.

"Hey, why aren't you out playing with Discord?" she asked, willing her rapidly fading smile to stay in place. "I thought you said you two were going on a super, secret mission somewhere?"

Fluttershy took a small step back, shaking her head. "I never told you that. And it's just a small trip, not a secret mission." The latter part was said in a deadpan tone, making Fluttershy sound very peculiar.

Before Pinkie had to come up with an excuse as to how she'd known about their little get together, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"It's Pinkie Pie, remember? Not worth questioning it."

Fluttershy frowned, rubbing a hoof along one of her forelegs in what appeared to be a self-conscious gesture.

"I suppose you're right," she said, addressing Rainbow Dash, before locking her eyes with Pinkie's. "We had to cancel. That's why we're here, actually." Turning to Rarity, Fluttershy's body seemed to sag somewhat as an emotion Pinkie couldn't identify darkened her normally pretty features. Pinkie moved to look at Rarity warily.

Her smile was long gone; it had vanished, despite her attempts to have it remain throughout the duration of this conversation. A strong loathing clouded her judgement, seeping into her thoughts as she mentally reprimanded herself for giving in to her negative feelings. She honestly despised it when her body betrayed her, showing off the bad displays of emotion that had no right to ever pass through her mind. Pinkie Pie was laughter incarnate; she disliked the idea that worry and fear could overwhelm her Element so easily.

She gritted her teeth together to try and keep calm. Fluttershy had a habit of looking upset over the slightest thing, so being scared was stupid. Just because one of her friends had to make a rain check on the plans she'd been looking forward to, didn't mean there was something inherently wrong.

"Princess Celestia wishes to see us immediately," Rarity explained, bringing Pinkie's mind back to the present. She blinked slowly.

"Oh." Then she did it again, before her lips tugged back up into a relieved smile. That was fantastic news! "So we get to go on another adventure? And see the princesses? And-"

Excitement was flowing through her once again, and Pinkie could not have been happier. Even as her rambles were stopped by Rainbow Dash's hoof covering her mouth, Pinkie felt the hairs on her back begin to tingle with electricity at the idea of going on a super, awesome trip with her friends. How she had waited for this moment. It had been ages since they'd all been together as a group, and even longer since she'd been able to see Celestia and Luna.

"We don't really know why she wants to see us, but Twilight is already at the castle. We just need to get Applejack," Fluttershy said, the worry in her eyes ever present.

Pinkie mumbled something through Rainbow Dash's hoof, but it came out as nothing more than a muffled mess. Rainbow Dash pulled a face, removing her hoof from Pinkie's mouth and shaking it abruptly. Globs of spit flew off the glistening appendage in all directions, making Rainbow Dash stick her tongue out in obvious disgust. Pinkie merely grinned.

"I'll go get Applejack," Rainbow Dash said.

Rarity nodded her approval, watching with mild displeasure as Rainbow Dash continued to wave her hoof around. "Good idea. You'll be much quicker getting to the farm than either of us. We can rendezvous at the train station."

Using the hoof she'd been shaking, Rainbow Dash gave Rarity a sharp salute, before increasing the speed at which she'd been flapping her wings. Not even a second passed before she darted off, flying towards Sweet Apple Acres. The gust of wind she left in her wake was impossibly fierce.

"You think we need sleeping bags for the trip?" Pinkie suddenly asked.

Rarity and Fluttershy stared at her blankly. Smiling, Pinkie tilted her head.

"What?"


-o-


"That is a most amusing joke, sister."

Twilight cringed. Shaking her head, she tried to keep her thoughts on the present.

"I'm afraid we are not telling you a lie, Luna."

Gritting her teeth together, she glanced down at the green book that had started this whole mess. A groan forced its way out her mouth.

"Are you certain?"

Tapping the sides of her head with her hooves, Twilight closed her eyes. Why couldn't her mind give her peace? The responsibility of telling Luna of the new information she'd gained about draconequui had been taken off her shoulders. Celestia had spoken the words carefully, letting each one flow from her lips with an ease that Twilight envied. She was only too grateful that Celestia had not expected her give any input at the time.

"Yes."

Biting her lip, Twilight shook her head once again and opened her eyes. Could she really say that she was certain that the things written in this book were absolutely, one hundred percent fact? The answer was a resounding no; that was the reason she'd quickly excused herself after Luna had been told the news. That, and the fact that she didn't want to be in the room when her friends were updated on the situation. She had a feeling that some of them - in particular, one butter coloured pegasus - were not going to react very positively.

Luna had responded astonishingly well; far better than either she or Celestia had. Although the eldest princess had managed to compose herself before Luna had arrived, her posture had been unrelenting in revealing what she truly felt. There was no denying that it would take a while for Celestia to come to terms with the revelation completely.

Grumbling, Twilight dropped to the cold floor, shivering slightly when a fierce ice crept around her stomach. She sighed, trying to ignore how uncomfortable she was.

Was she in the wrong, here? Had prying into the history of a being she honestly didn't understand been a mistake? Was the world punishing her for meddling? It sure seemed like it.

Locking away those thoughts - they were unhelpful and unnecessary - Twilight let a twinkle of warmth light up her horn. Pushing the magic out into the air surrounding her, she manipulated it easily, curling it around the book in front of her. Tugging at the old cover until it revealed the dirtied pages underneath, Twilight rapidly flipped through them before stopping on the chapter she was aiming for. The comforting glow of her magic faded, leaving a dull ache in its absence.

The title at the top of the page was pointlessly tidy; care had been given to its structure, creating an illusion of professionalism. Twilight's eyes narrowed. Anyone could have written it. Calligraphy was not an indicator of a reliable author, nor was it a sign that their words weren't lies. No one could determine who had swiped the pen over the paper. The writer could easily be a child, or a prankster who wanted to trick ponies into believing false truths.

Of course, she had to admit that the information came across as factual, but who was she to judge? Just because the style of writing was formal did not mean it wasn't made up. Her knowledge of draconequui was severely lacking, and she hadn't checked the rest of the book's contents to see if it matched with what she knew of other species it described.

Twilight frowned. Why hadn't she read the other chapters, precisely?

"Okay, I should probably do that. Right now," she muttered, before tightening her jaw in annoyance. "Now would be a good time to read the rest of the book!"

Tilting her head back and closing her eyes, Twilight released a disgruntled yell. The noise filled the library, sweeping around the twists and turns, and echoing throughout the vast space almost mockingly. Opening her eyes again, she glared down at the encyclopaedia. Wiping absently at the sweat building up on her brow, Twilight adjusted her position slightly to remove the sudden pain in her back legs. Trying to focus her attention on the apparent facts she had so readily absorbed earlier, Twilight resisted the pull of that single, four digit number that felt like it was calling out to her. How could a number cause her such stress?

Drawing in a deep breath, she relaxed her body as she scanned the writing with determination. She needed to find a fault, something that would undeniably prove that this was all just an elaborate joke played on her by an ancient, bored author.

There was but one issue with her plan: How exactly would she know if she came across a lie? Discord was literally the only draconequus she knew to compare the data against, and she didn't really understand much about him. There was always the opportunity to ask him, but he wasn't really a reliable source, was he? She could think of countless reasons as to why he would withhold information from her.

No, there was no other way. She required something that was set in stone, that couldn't be refuted or misinterpreted. A hard scowl lowered onto her face as an idea came to her. Testing these so called 'facts' out was her only option.

In order to get her answers, she would need to conduct a couple of experiments.



-o-