Research Logs

by Coppercoil

Intermission

Intermission

Twilight closed the book. She stared at it a moment. something had felt wrong. Instead of the satisfied sigh that she had felt rise in her chest at the end of every book, a shuddering breath escaped. It was as if the final page had been torn. She felt...incomplete. She looked at Apple Bloom, still humming a delightful tune which raised Twilight from her sad state. Apple Bloom had read the book, rather quickly at that, but had shown no loss, no missing element.

But something else began to take hold. Twilight smiled broadly and a shine appeared in her eye. 'This is book 132, and it was not the last.' Twilight felt as though a hole in her heart had grown. But this hole was not want or desire, it was ambition. She would find as many of these books that still exist and read more beyond that. She had a goal and new she would continue even after it was accomplished. A breeze had blown across her mane that now flowed in the wind. She felt as though this was a new day. The beginning of a new age for Twilight.

In turning to face the wind and feel it on her face, the air felt cool and seemed to blow away any feelings doubt. Doubt, that she would learn all there was to know and be left without a reason or goal. In the distance, Twilight could see a figure coming up the road. It was the bright orange mare she had been waiting for. Applejack had been hauling a small cart, meant solely for transporting unlike the stall she stood by. As Applejack came closer, the sound of clanking glass grew. The twinkling shine of the bottles nearly blinded Twilight as they came into view. Applejack saw Twilight and began to wave.

"Howdy Twilight!" Applejack hollered on her approach.

Twilight merely waved back as she waited for Applejack to arrive.

When Applejack had arrived she dropped the cart of bottles next to the stand and turned her head to see Apple Bloom swaying comfortably like a blade of grass in the wind. Applejack watched for a moment and smiled a little grin before looking to Twilight and smiling broadly and welcoming. "Hi there Twilight. How are ya'?"

Twilight smiled before explaining her intentions and reasons as she had before but this was an odd reaction.

"Well travel safely Twilight." Applejack said kindly. "Hey, how was that book that Odsanends fella gave you?"

Twilight was delightfully surprised to the lack of surprise from stating reading every book in a library, but avoided to press into why in fear of sounding boastful. "It's quite nice, I learned quite a bit, at least I think so."

Applejack smiled and raised an eyebrow. " 'believe in half of what you read' amirite?' "

"Why yes." Twilight said, surprised how well Applejack understood. "There are some elements to the book that seem a bit far fetched. I hoping to try the spell in the book, but I fear it might be a hoax."

"T'aint ya' worry Twilight. I doubt that unicorn would steer you wrong, heck, ah sold him some apples at a rather unfair price."

"How does that make him honest?"

"He offered me a hundred-twenty bits for a bushel of apples and refused to negotiate!" Applejack said matter-of-factly.

Twilight failed to understand what a bushel was and how it translated into apples. Her blank stare was understood by Applejack.

"That's at least two bits an apple Twilight."Applejack huffed. "Ah wouldn't sell a single apple at that price and certainly not in bulk. Ah tried to reason with him telling him that was worth a barrel of apples but he just smiled and said 'ah don't need a barrel, just a bushel.'" Applejack lowered her voice and spoke calmly when quoting.

Twilight was again confused by the terminology, a situation she was not used to, so she simply nodded and avoided looking confused.

"When ah asked why he wanted pay so much he said ' ah like this place and want to leave a good impression 'case ah come back.' " Applejack chuckled under her breath as she kicked dirt. "Ah tell you Twilight..." Applejack rose her head to Twilight. "If that pony ever comes back, he'll get the next bushel free-of-charge!" She said with a calm smile.

Twilight returned the smile. "He seems to be doing a lot of good around here, at least he did." Twilight said.

"He said that luck has treated him well so far. 'Said he always tries to do good, that he doesn't want to tempt fate by actin' any different." Applejack looked wistfully off in the distance, "A good pony if ever I met one, right to the core." A sigh escaped her. She blinked and smiled bashfully, "Well ah shouldn't be keeping you. Ah'm guessin' you need to say yer goodbyes and whatnot before the day is through. Have a good one Twi."

"Later Applejack. You too." They exchanged smiles as Twilight walked passed. But a nagging question overcame Twilight. "Why weren't you-"

"Spike told me." Applejack didn't turn around, but it was as though her smile were audible.

Twilight looked up to Spike, sitting on her back, who merely shrugged with a smile that meant 'what can I say.'

"That's mighty impressive, but not surprising. What else is one to do in a library?" She turned her head to show a cocked eyebrow and a smile. "See ya later Twi." Applejack tipped her hat and put on the apron. "Ya'll can go now sis. Tell your friends ah said 'hi'." Apple Bloom hugged her big sister and trotted of happily.

Twilight smiled as she continued over the bridge to Fluttershy's cottage. The beautiful scenery so calm and serene. Twilight bounced her back up to shake Spike. "You've been awfully quiet Spike, what's up?"

"I've been thinking. Why don't you just order some new books? I mean, why go through all the trouble of leaving for Canterlot every week?"

"Spike, the library's filled with books, and it's hard to build an extension on a magically grown tree. Also it wouldn't be fair if I just threw out some books because I don't want to read them anymore."

"What about the basement, we could use it for storing older books people usually read."

"But that's where I..." Twilight thought of the equipment she stored. She rarely used it save for the odd occasion when she tested her own magic and that time she theorized the magic within the mysterious 'Pinkie Sense.' Twilight lowered her head and sighed. She would have to remove it. 'But where to put it', Twilight thought to herself. "You're right Spike, but what should I do with my equipment?"

Spike brought a claw to his chin. He looked thoughtfully as he pondered an answer. With a flash of insight and a snap of his fingers, "A-Ha."

"What? who is it." Twilight looked up.

That "flash" of insight turned into a frozen figure. Staring blankly for a few seconds before Spike returned his claw to his chin. "no, that won't work..." Spike mumbled under his breath. His thoughtful, pondering look returned as he continued to rub his jaw.

"What was it Spike? who were you thinking about?"

Spike didn't look up, maintaining his expression of intense wonder. "Well, I thought the Apples would appreciate it."

"Why's that Spike?"

"You see, even though Granny Smith perfected Zap-apple jelly-"

"Zap-apple jam." Twilight put in.

"Zap-apple jam." Spike continued. "They haven't perfected any other recipes, like zap-apple pie, zap-apple fritter, zap-apple dumplings, zap-apple cinnamon muffins, Zap-apple..."

In Spike's attempt to think of another recipe, Twilight interrupted, "But why would they want my equipment?"

"To study zap-apples of course. Nopony can deny that they're magical, but then I remembered that your equipment was to study ponies not fruit."

"Well that's not entirely true Spike."

"Huh?"

"The 'helmet' I use is meant to study the head of a pony, primarily the horn, but the device itself is a siphon and meter for all kinds of magic and energy. So with the proper adjustments, the device could examine anything's magical qualities."

"So we can give it to them?"

"I don't know. Applejack might refuse it saying something like, 'it's so grand, I couldn't accept'."

"Just tell her why. Like 'oh it's just taking up space and you seem like you could put it to better use.' "

"Maybe... yeah I could see that. I'll ask her when we come back."

"So we're still going?" Spike groaned.

"Of course. Not only so I can keep reading, but to order some more books for the library. Why don't you want to go?"

"It just seems like a hassle. First we gotta pack, then get up real early for our train, then we gotta say goodbye," Spike was counting off of his talons, (or claws, is it claws? anyways) "then after we leave there is the long boring train ride."

"You don't have to go Spike."

Spike stopped in the middle of his counting and ranting, "Wait, what?"

"Spike, if you really don't wanna go, then you don't have to. Besides, I need somepony to watch the library anyways."

Spike gave an approving face and nodded, "Really? cool." Spike had given no great excitement truly not wanting Twilight to go either, but was content with the compromise.

Comments

[reader238]

maybe twilight can ask rarity to look in on spike and make sure he is doing alrigh during the trip