The First Annual Golden Oaks Library Book Fair

Chapters

The Idea
Sugarcube Corner
Carousel Boutique
Sweet Apple Acres
Interlude
An Unexpected Delay
The First Annual Book Fair
Fluttershy's Cottage

The Idea

“Good morning Spike!” Princess Twilight Sparkle chimed happily on one bright Tuesday morning. She had felt fantastic when she had woken up – the birds were chirping merrily outside of her window, friendly smiles could be seen everywhere on the streets, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. “How are you this fine morning?”

“Great, Twi! I took your advice and went to bed earlier last night, and I feel fantastic!” Spike replied happily, waving to his adopted older sister as she trotted down the stairs of their home, the Golden Oak Library. Even though the little dragon had been hard at work ever since he had woken up, cleaning up the library and re-sorting books, he was feeling unusually cheerful. “What about you?”

“Oh, I’m doing just fine as well! Isn’t it a beautiful day out?” Twilight looked wistfully out the window. “Rainbow and the weather team did a really fantastic job today.”

“They sure did,” Spike agreed, nodding and putting his feather duster down. He skipped over to the window and joined the alicorn. “So, what are your plans for today?”

“Honestly Spike, I’m not sure.” Twilight shrugged. “There are no impending disasters, either natural or pony-made, and Prin- Celestia hasn’t contacted me for anything. I might go talk to the girls and see if they want to get together for anything. Perhaps a picnic? We might as well take advantage of this nice weather!”

“Well, I hope that works out for you. Mind if I have the day off too, then?” Spike mumbled hopefully, giving Twilight his best winning smile. He began fidgeting with his hands as he saw Twilight begin to bite her lower lip, and her brow start furrowing.

“Well, normally it wouldn’t matter, but if both of us are gone, who’s going to be here to help the patrons?” She pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her assistant. Spike stared blankly at her.

“Patrons?” He asked slowly, enunciating the word. He pursed his lips. Twilight blinked at him.

“Ye-es, patrons… you know, those ponies that come down to our quaint little library and take out books?” Twilight clocked him gently on the head. Spike flinched away from her and batted her hoof away
.

“Twilight, I hate to break it to you, but we don’t have patrons.” He informed her in a monotone voice. Silence reigned in the library. Alicorn and dragon stared at each other, neither batting an eye. Finally, Twilight laughed and shook her head.

“Oh Spike, don’t be so silly. Stay here until one o’clock, and then you can take the afternoon off. Does that sound fair? Just remember to put up the ‘closed’ sign when you go, alright?” She left the window and walked over to one of the recently shelved shelves. “You’ve been doing a really good job with the shelving, you know. It’s almost as if nopony except for you touches them!”

“Twilight.” Spike followed her to the shelf, where she was delicately touching the spines of each book, reading their titles in her mind. “Seriously, I’m not joking around-”

“But you should really dust a little more. I don’t know if it’s you not dusting enough or what, but there’s a perpetual layer of dust on all of the shelves, I’ve noticed.”

“Twilight…”

“But you’re still doing great! You’ve been updating the log book, correct? You can’t forget to do that every single time a book is checked out-”

“Twilight!” Spike yelled, snapping her out of her rant. Twilight immediately stopped and looked towards her assistant.

“Yes, Spike? What is it?” She huffed, annoyed at the interruption.

“I wasn’t lying. No one comes in here.” Spike crossed his arms.

“How is that even possible?” Twilight scoffed with a harsh laugh. “This is a library! Ponies come in here all the time!”

“When have you ever seen any ponies in here, Twi?”

“Once again, ponies come in here all the time!”

“I mean other than our friends.” It wasn’t like Spike felt good telling Twilight that nopony else in Ponyville shared her love of literature, but it had to be done. Twilight’s eyes went wide, and Spike could see the obvious gears in her mind turning frantically trying to think of somepony else who had taken out a book at one point or another.

“But… books are awesome…” Twilight whimpered, staring straight ahead past Spike. “Everypony should love books…”

“Equestria to Twilight? Snap out of it!” Spike waved his arm in front of the alicorn’s face, trying desperately to get her attention. “What’s the matter?” Twilight shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

“I don’t believe you! Lots of ponies love books! Look, I’ll show you!” She yelled, stomping over to the front desk near the entrance of the library. On it, a large, bound black tome sat untouched by pony hooves. “Just open that book and you’ll see!”

“Twilight, I’m the one who fills out that stupid book, and I can tell you right now, there have been three books and seven short novels taken out.” Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Spike lifted a claw. “And before you jump to conclusions, the seven novels were all Daring Do books, taken out by Rainbow Dash.”

“Still… there are three books out right now, that’s something!” Twilight exclaimed happily, flipping the book open. She flipped a page. On it was written ‘Super Naturals’, ‘The Origins of Hearts and Hooves Day’ and ‘The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide.’

“No, Twi, when I said that there have been three books taken out, I meant that there have been three books taken out in total. That’s it. No more.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed at his words.

“This is a library, Spike. There is literally no possible way that only three books in total have ever been taken out.”

“Keep looking then, and you’ll see that I’m right.” Spike crossed his arms and fixed Twilight with a look. Twilight resumed her lip biting and flipped a page over. And another page. And another. And another. And another.

Blank, blank, blank, blank, blank.

Twilight’s eye twitched suspiciously.

“Where are all the logs?!” Twilight screeched, rapidly throwing page after page over, seeking out any form of words. “There has to be something here! The library couldn’t have just leant out three books – and two of them to me!”

“Twilight, please, stop. You’re gonna hurt yourself.” Spike shook his head and put a reassuring hand on Twilight’s shoulder, pulling her back gently. She slowly let go of the book the farther away she got from it. “Seriously, it’s not that big of a deal, trust me. Lots of ponies come in here; they just don’t take anything out!”

“Spike, this is a library. The sole reason for its existence is to give out books to others, so everypony might enjoy the wonders of literature! If it can’t even do that, what’s the point of having it here? Why did Ponyville even build it?!”

“Uh, I don’t think Ponyville built it. I think a giant tree just sprouted from the ground and ponies started storing their unwanted books in here…”

“Spike? Not helping.” Twilight growled without looking at him as she resumed her usual pacing. Spike threw up his arms defensively and stepped backwards, away from her.

“I had no idea that this would bother you so much, Twi.” He muttered, rolling his eyes subtly when she wasn’t looking. “You’ve been happy enough living here with all these books, I don’t know why this is so upsetting for you.”

“The Golden Oak Library is supposed to provide hours of entertainment and knowledge for ponies of all ages! Not just me! I have to do something to make sure that ponies want to come here!”

“Fine, what do you want to do then?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Twilight stopped her pacing and narrowed her eyes, thinking hard about her options.

“Well, it’s not like we can force ponies to come here against their will… we have to show them that reading can be fun!” The alicorn declared, turning to Spike and swooping him up into her arms, hugging him tightly. Spike gasped for air at the sudden movement.

“What do you mean, ‘we’? I’m perfectly fine with ponies not coming here. Less shelving for me, that way.” Spike scoffed, shoving her off of him. “And besides, how would you show them that, if you can’t force them to come here?” Twilight stopped and pondered the thought a little more.

“That’s true… maybe… maybe I can just take my books around town and read them in public, and laugh really loudly, and when ponies ask me what I’m laughing at, I’ll tell them that I’m laughing at the book!” Spike pinched the top of his nose as he sighed.

“You really think that would work?” He asked cautiously. Twilight fixed him with a stare.

“Of course it would! If ponies see how much fun I’m having, then they’ll want to have fun too!” The alicorn stomped on the ground to emphasize her point. “What’s the flaw in that plan?”

“Oh, just the fact that you can’t take two steps outside without the paparazzi swarming over you. You can’t really expect to be able to find a quiet place to read!” Twilight pursed her lips and nodded slowly.

“True facts, Spike. True facts. Well, if I can’t do that, I don’t know what I can do, then! Do you have any ideas?” Twilight slumped down, her mood having plummeted. I have to find some way to make everypony love books!

“Well, what about that stupid… thing… that the library back in Canterlot does every year?” He shrugged. A silence filled the air. Twilight’s ear flapped once as she stared straight ahead, thinking.

“That… stupid… thing?” She asked, not looking at him.

“Yeah, remember, that big event that they would host? They would put up posters everywhere in town, and there were big booths outside the library doors? Oh, what was it called…” Spike thought hard for the name, but it wouldn’t come to him. “Oh well, it’s probably a silly idea anyways.” He shrugged and started walking away.

“You mean… The Canterlot Annual Book Fair?” She mumbled, sitting up slowly.

“Oh, yeah, that was it!” Spike nodded. “They publicised it all over town and lots of ponies showed up, if I remember correctly.” Spike eyed Twilight playfully. “I remember carrying your stacks of books out of that building every single day that it was going on for.”

“The Canterlot Annual Book Fair…” Twilight repeated, the gears in her mind turning rapidly.

“Yeah, the book fair… is everything alright?” Spike turned around, eyeing Twilight suspiciously. “You seem… broken.”

“The Canterlot Annual Book Fair!” The alicorn yelled, thrusting her hoof into the air and cheering. “The Canterlot Annual Book Fair! Spike, that’s a fantastic idea!” Spike was swept up into another hug.

“Whoa, whoa, watch the scales! Calm down, Twi!” Spike laughed, gently shoving his sister off of him.

“Spike, this may be the single best idea that you’ve ever had! I can host a book fair here! I can call it… The First Annual Golden Oaks Library Book Fair! And everypony will come and see how awesome books are, and they’ll be willing to read! Oh, and I can get Pinkie Pie and Applejack to help with the food, and Rarity to help with the booths and décor! Maybe Fluttershy can get her bird choir to play! Ooh, and of course it would have to be a clear, sunny day, so we better go talk to Rainbow Dash too! Oh Spike, this is going to be so much fun!”

“Cant… breathe…” Spike choked, turning even more purple than usual. Twilight flinched and dropped him immediately, grinning slightly as he gasped comically for air.

“What do you think, Spike? Do you think we can do this?” Twilight asked hopefully, biting her lip. Spike thought about the idea for a moment, tapping a claw to his chin.

“I guess.” He mumbled nonchalantly, shrugging. Twilight squealed and resisted the urge to hug him again.

“Then the two of us, with the help of our five friends, will make the greatest book fair that Ponyville has ever seen! Let’s get to work Spike!” She demanded, levitating him off the ground with her magic and putting him onto her back.

“Wait what, already?! I thought today was going to be our day off!” Spike complained, already knowing that he couldn’t get out of Twilight’s latest crazy plan.

“There’s no time like the present, Spike! The faster we can go talk to everypony, the better! Don’t you want to go see Rarity?” A purple blur whizzed by Twilight’s vision.

“What are you waiting for, slowpoke! Let’s go!” Twilight blinked, and Spike was in front of her, standing on the front doorstep, tapping his foot impatiently. Twilight laughed and shook her head, trotting after him.

This is gonna be the best book fair ever!

Sugarcube Corner

With a hop, skip and a jump, Twilight was off. With Spike on her back, holding on for dear life, she ripped through town, choosing to blissfully ignore the ponies on the street who were bowing low with reverence. It usually irritated her, and more than once she had spent precious minutes attempting to get them to stop, but today, she trotted right past.

“Look there! It’s the Princess!” One voice shouted.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle! Get down!” Another whispered loudly to her friend.

“Where do you think she’s going?” A third questioned curiously. Twilight grit her teeth, forced a smile, and ran a little faster past them.

“Twilight, can’t we slow down?” Spike called out in a panic. Twilight turned around and only just realized that he was clinging to her tail, else he completely fly off of her back. Smiling, she stopped momentarily, allowing him time to crawl back onto her back before setting off once more.

“I’m sorry Spike, but we have to hurry to Sugarcube Corner! Pinkie’s going to be going away to visit her parents and sisters on their rock farm in a week and I have to ask her if she and Applejack can cater to the event before she leaves!” Twilight explained, rounding a corner. The alicorn had opted to take a back route to her friend’s house, allowing her passage through most of town without having ponies surround her, bowing and following her to her destination. Within minutes, the two had arrived.

Sugarcube Corner was bustling as always. Cup and Carrot Cake hurried from one end of the bakery to the other, taking orders, collecting bits, yelling the orders to each other, and finally delivering said orders to the customer. Twilight took a moment to smile at the happy couple, both with smiles plastered to their faces. It was nice to see the two work together so harmoniously, completing each other. Unfortunately, that peace could not last.

“It’s the Princess!” A random, faceless voice in the crowd called out, and immediately the entire room turned to her. Twilight felt her face flush under the wide eyed gazes of fifty ponies, including the Cakes.

“Eheheheh… hello, everypony!” Twilight called out nervously, walking forward slowly. Everypony dropped low in reverence as she passed. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she strolled up to the counter, where Mrs. Cake stood gaping.

“P-Princess Twilight, h-how may we h-help you this f-fine afternoon?” She stuttered, forcing a smile. Twilight sighed and leaned closer, putting a reassuring hoof onto the older mare’s shoulder.

“Mrs. Cake, it’s just Twilight to you. You’ve known me for years. I’m one of Pinkie’s best friends! There’s no need to be so formal with me.” Twilight laughed. Cup nodded slowly, with a smile of her own crossing her face. There were few who could resist smiling when the Princess of Friendship was doing so.

“Of course, of course… I’m sorry Twilight. How can I help you today? Was there something you needed?” She asked after regaining her composure. Twilight nodded and looked to the stairs.

“Yeah, I was actually wondering if Pinkie was in today. I needed to talk to her about something.” Twilight asked. Mrs. Cake frowned and shook her head.

“Oh, I’m sorry dearie, but she’s gone to visit her parents already. She won’t be back for another week or so.” Cup exclaimed, shrugging. “I thought she would have told you!” Twilight’s shoulders slumped.

“Oh… I thought she wasn’t leaving for another couple days!” She sighed. “Wasn’t she leaving on Friday?”

“Yes, dearie. This Friday. Today.” Cup giggled despite Twilight’s misfortune, and she placed a motherly hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. Is it something that we can help with?” She asked. Twilight thought about it for a moment before her face lit up once again.

“Now that you mention it… yes! Yes you can!” Twilight squealed with delight. “I have a request to make of Sugarcube Corner! Do you mind if we talk business for a bit in private?” She asked hopefully. Cup looked to Carrot, who nodded eagerly.

“Of course, dearie! Come into the back room, we can talk there. Carrot,” She turned to her husband. “Look after the shop while we’re gone, I don’t think we’ll be too long!” Twilight nodded. Spike hopped off of her back and took off to Carrot, requesting a jeweled cupcake.

“I won’t take more than five minutes, I promise. I wouldn’t want you to lose customers just because of me.” She giggled as the two mares walked to the back room. Cup closed the door behind them when they arrived, and she pulled up a chair for the Princess. Twilight graciously accepted it and sat down.

“So, what’s this about dearie?” Cup asked as she sat down as well. Twilight smiled. Getting right to business: This is what she liked!

“Well, I’ll explain the situation bluntly, Mrs. Cake. The Golden Oaks Library has no patrons.” Twilight’s lip threatened to quiver at the memory of the empty log book. Cup blinked.

“Okay…” She started, but Twilight interrupted her.

“And that’s just not acceptable! It’s up to Spike and I to get more ponies to take an interest in reading! After all, reading is one of the best pastimes that a pony can have!” She exclaimed, throwing her forearms into the air dramatically. Cup blinked again.

“Okay…”

“And in order to get ponies interested, Spike came up with the idea that we should host a book fair at the library! Tell me, Mrs. Cake, do you know what a book fair is?” She asked.

“I…can’t say that I do, dearie!” Cup laughed awkwardly. Twilight leaned in, eyes wide.

“It’s a wondrous event, where the library offers free book loans to everypony and anypony! Everypony can come in and browse some books! They can take some out if they wish, purchase some if they wish, and partake in some delicious food and drink with their neighbors and friends!” Twilight finished, sighing dreamily, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s an egghead’s heaven.” An awkward silence filled the room. Cup cleared her throat.

“Yes, that sounds… splendid, dearie. And how did Pinkie – or us, I suppose – come into play here?” She asked. Twilight snapped out of her dream and brought her attention back to Mrs. Cake.

“Oh, yes! Well, if it’s no issue, I was hoping that Pinkie Pie could supply the baked goods for it! She and Applejack are among the best bakers that I know of – excluding you and Mr. Cake, of course – so I was hoping that they could help me out with this!” Twilight exclaimed happily. Cup visibly relaxed.

“Oh, of course dearie! That sounds easy enough! What kinds of goods were you looking to get? Cakes? Cookies? Cupcakes? Banana breads? Donuts? Pretzels?” Cup started going off on a tangent, listing off various types of Sugarcube Corner wares. Twilight laughed and raised her hoof, silencing the mare.

“All of the above would be fantastic.” She answered with a smile. Cup stopped and gaped at Twilight.

“All of the above?! You want some of everything?!” Cup’s eyes were wide. “When were you planning this book fair for?” Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof, thinking.

“Hm… well, I was thinking for next weekend sometime, maybe Saturday and Sunday. Do you think that would be possible?” Twilight asked hopefully. Cup bit her lower lip.

“Well… normally I would say no, due to Pinkie not being here, and due to the size of the order…” Cup watched as Twilight’s face fell. “But I suppose we can manage that if it’s for a Princess.”

“Really?!” Twilight lit up and lunged for the older mare. “That’s fantastic, Mrs. Cake! I’m so glad to hear it!” The alicorn pulled Cup in for a tight hug. “You’ll be paid for this whole thing, I promise! This is such a huge favor, Mrs. Cake! Thank you so much!” Cup laughed as she futility attempted to push Twilight off of her.

“It’s perfectly fine dearie, we don’t need to be paid! The business that we’ll get from the advertising and whatnot is more than enough to cover the costs! Besides, it’s always a pleasure to serve the throne.” Cup bowed her head, low enough to be respectful but too low. “It was an absolute honor to host Her Royal Highness, Solar Princess Celestia.” Cup smiled at the thought.

“Are you sure it won’t be too much trouble?” Twilight asked again. “I don’t want to impose on you and Mr. Cake in any way.” Cup shook her head.

“None at all, dearie, none at all. Don’t you worry; Carrot and I will have it all done for next Saturday, even if we have to close down the store for the entire week! Leave it to us!” Cup reassured her. Twilight nodded, relieved.

“I’ll send Spike by later tonight with the full list of everything that we’ll need. Thank you for doing this, Mrs. Cake! You don’t know how big of a help this will be for me!” The alicorn shook hooves with the earth pony before leaving the room. She quickly spotted Spike sitting at a table, face full of cupcake. He was the only one in the room not bowing to her.

“Come on, Spike, let’s go! We have four more stops to make before we head home!” She enveloped the surprised dragon with her magic and levitated him onto her back.

“How did it go, Twi?” He asked as they waved goodbye to Sugarcube Corner. “Can the Cakes do it?”

“They sure can! Free of charge, too! This went better than I thought it would! Where would you like to go next? Rainbow’s, Fluttershy’s, Applejack’s or-”

“Rarity’s!” The enamored drake cooed, hearts in his eyes. Twilight stifled a laugh, shook her head, and took off towards Carousel Boutique.

Carousel Boutique

It didn’t take long for the two to arrive at Carousel Boutique, situated near the center of town.

“Look! Look, Twilight, look! Over there, look! That’s Carousel Boutique! That’s Rarity’s home! That’s where she is! Look! Twil-”

“Spike, I know.” Twilight sighed, clamping his mouth shut with her magic. Spike nodded sheepishly, a blush touching his cheeks, as she released him. He hopped off of her back and ran ahead, knocking eagerly at the door. Twilight had caught up just as the door swung open.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique! How may I help?” Rarity asked eagerly before she saw who was at her door. “Oh! My favorite Princess!” Rarity nudged Twilight playfully. “And my little Spikey-Wikey!” She cooed, pinching his cheeks. Twilight rolled her eyes as Spike melted into her arms. “What brings you two by this fine afternoon?”

“I was wondering if I could ask a favor from you. May we come in?” Twilight asked. Rarity nodded and stepped aside. Twilight noticed her work glasses that were nestled into her purple mane.

“Of course, of course! Come right in, I’ll be with you in just a moment. I have to put the finishing seam on a piece that I was working on and I’ll be right with you, is that alright?” The beautiful unicorn motioned to a circle of chairs in the room.

“Yes, take your time! We’ve got time!” Spike answered before Twilight could even open her mouth to reply. “Take as long as you need, I don’t mind being here all day!” Rarity smirked and gave Spike’s scales a quick stroke before heading back to her work area. Twilight and Spike took their seats and watched with interest as she lowered her red glasses back onto her nose and resumed her work. Twilight could have sworn that she was humming something, but she really couldn’t hear.

It wasn’t long before Rarity rejoined them in the waiting area. She put her glasses on the see-through side table to the right of the chairs and smiled brightly at her guests.

“I apologize for taking so long, darlings! Now then, what is it that brings you to my little shop? I sincerely doubt that you’re looking for a new garment!” Rarity laughed. “I know that you have all those fancy designers up in Canterlot just dying to serve you!” Twilight shook her head.

“I wouldn’t want to have anypony else other than you to make my dresses for me, Rarity.” Twilight said earnestly. “But no, that’s not why I’m here. I have a request for you!” Rarity leaned forward, curious.

“Oh? And what would that request be? I’m interested!” Twilight and Spike exchanged a smile as Twilight launched into her idea. Rarity listened with intrigue to the story, and hid her salivating mouth at the mention of Sugarcube Corner being one of the two caterers at the event.

“Well, I think that’s a charming little idea, darling, but might I ask why you’re going to such a length? This seems like an awful lot of work.” Rarity asked. Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Oh yes, it will be difficult to pull off, but I think that with help from all of our friends, I can do it! Besides, the Golden Oaks Library needs more patrons, and the best way to get ponies to come there is to host an event like this! How else can I get ponies interested in reading?” Rarity shrugged.

“I suppose that’s as good a reason as any. I know that I myself enjoy a fine romance or mystery from time to time. There’s nothing better than reclining in a bubble bath with a good book!” Rarity sighed. Twilight stuck her hoof out at the unicorn and stared hard at Spike.

“See, Spike?! She gets it! Thank you, Rarity! Nopony else agrees with me that books are amazing!” Twilight laughed. Spike rolled his eyes, and Rarity smiled wistfully at him before bringing her attention back to the alicorn.

“You still have not told me what you wish of me, however.” Rarity reminded her. Twilight blinked a few times before smacking a hoof to her face.

“Of course! I’m sorry, I’m such a scatterbrain! I was hoping that you could help with the décor!” Twilight exclaimed. Rarity cocked her head to the side.

“The… décor?” She asked. Twilight nodded.

“Yeah! I was hoping that you could decorate the library up all pretty, help organize the booths and whatnot, and maybe if you had enough time, help make some posters! You’re the most artistic mare in town, and I’m sure that lots of ponies would come if they saw how beautiful everything looked!” Twilight complimented, nudging Rarity knowingly. Rarity flushed and touched her cheeks, turning away.

“Oh come now, Twilight! You flatter me! I would be thrilled to help out! Anything to help out a friend!” Rarity nodded. Twilight squealed again and hugged her fellow element bearer.

“Thank you, Rarity! With your help, this is going to go fantastic! I could never do decorations like you can! Unfortunately, I can’t stay – I still have Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack to go visit.” Twilight released Rarity and stood. The unicorn stuck out her lower lip.

“Oh… I thought that while you were over, we could go to the spa together! It’s been so long since I’ve been, and was hoping for a friend to go with!” Rarity looked to the alicorn with hopeful eyes. Twilight shifted awkwardly in place as she bit her lip.

“Oh, I’m sorry Rarity, but I really can’t… there’s so much that I need to get done!” Twilight replied sadly. “I wish I could though.”

“Oh, it’s perfectly fine darling. I should have known that you would be busy. I shouldn’t keep you any longer. I’ll be by the library tomorrow afternoon to speak to you about the setup and whatnot. Does that sound alright?”

“It sounds perfect, thanks again Rarity!” Twilight called, beginning to walk away. “Come by anytime, Spike and I will be there!” Spike ran over to Twilight and jumped up, grabbing her around the neck and pulling her head down to his level.

“Twi, I can’t leave a lady in her time of need! This could be my big chance! Let me escort her to the spa!” The dragon whispered quietly, yet urgently. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“I thought that you were helping me today, though!” She reminded him, knocking him lightly on the side of his head. He flinched away from her hoof and grabbed her again.

“Twi! Please?! Look how sad she is!” Spike forcibly turned Twilight’s head to Rarity, who was happily humming to herself as she organized her bolts of cloth. Twilight pursed her lips. “She’s miserable!”

“If I let you go, will you let me go?” She asked with a laugh. Spike nodded once, very seriously. Twilight rolled her eyes and stood up again. “Fine, go ahead. Just be home by eight, alright?”

“I will, don’t worry!” he shouted, cheering. “Rarity! Lady Rarity!” He sprinted over to her as she turned again to him. He bowed low once he reached her. “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the spa this fine afternoon?”

Twilight shook her head with a laugh as she headed outside, closing the door quietly behind her.

Have fun, Spike. I know that I can do this alone. I know I can.

Sweet Apple Acres

It took Twilight a little longer than usual to get to Sweet Apple Acres, due to the fact that she was across town from where her farm pony friend lived. She ignored the stares of the townsponies, and got a little creeped out when a few pegasi stallions started flying after her, but stopped after a while.

Flapping her wings once, Twilight took to the sky as well. She was shaky and kept spinning over, but it was still nice to soar above town. Luckily for her, most ponies didn’t look upwards, so they never noticed her. While she certainly wasn’t as graceful as pegasi like Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy, it was still beautiful to take in the sights of Ponyville from above. She was concentrating so hard that she nearly careened right into a fellow flyer.

“Hey, watch where you’re flying… Twilight?” A raspy voice asked. Twilight rubbed her eyes.

“Oh, sorry sorry sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” Twilight apologized as she opened her eyes. She instantly recognized the mare in front of her and smiled. “Rainbow Dash!”

“Hey Twi, good to see you up here! Now that you have those wings, I figured that I would flying around all the time! I think this is the first time I’ve caught you flying alone!” Dash laughed, giving the alicorn a friendly smack on the back, which winded Twilight for a brief moment.

“I know! I never knew how peaceful it was up here. I can see why you like it in the sky so much!” Twilight laughed. The two hovered in the sky for a moment in silence.

“So, what are you doing up here anyways? Are you just getting some flying practice in?” Dash asked, motioning for Twilight to follow her. The pegasus didn’t wait to be replied to, and took off in the opposite direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight tossed one last gaze towards the apple orchard in the distance, but shrugged and followed Dash with a grin.

“No, I was heading on over to Sweet Apple Acres! I needed to talk to Applejack about something.” Twilight told Rainbow as she caught up. Dash smirked as she saw the strain on Twilight’s face, showing that she had had a little difficulty managing to catch up.

“What for?” Dash inquired, slowing down slightly to allow Twilight some time to catch her breath. She could see that the alicorn was grateful for the break. “Am I allowed to ask?”

“Of course you’re allowed to ask!” Twilight laughed, nudging Dash slightly. “I was flying over to ask if she wanted to cater for an event that I’m hosting at the library next week!” Dash stopped flying.

“You’re hosting an event? What kind of event?” Dash asked. “If AJ is supplying the food, it’s sure to be good!” Twilight smiled brightly.

“Well I’m glad to hear you say so, Rainbow Dash! It’s going to be a book fair! The First Annual Book Fair, actually!” Twilight exclaimed. She didn’t seem to notice Dash’s deadpan expression.

“A book fair? Really Twi? What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s a place where ponies can come to take out or buy books, indulge themselves in some yummy food, and have fun with their friends and neighbors!” Twilight answered, sighing dreamily.

“Are you serious? That sounds so boring!” Dash rolled her eyes. Twilight’s eyes shot open and her brow furrowed defensively.

“Hey now, it’s not boring!” She scolded, crossing her arms. “It’s fun! I’m trying to get Ponyville more interested in reading! You’re going to be there, aren’t you?” Dash let out a bark of a laugh and shook her head.

“No can do, Twi. That sounds way too uncool for somepony as awesome as me. I’m busy that day anyways.” Dash shrugged, flicking her multi-hued mane out of her eyes. Twilight raised an eyebrow in doubt.

“Oh, really? And what exactly are you busy with?” She asked smugly, leaning in. Rainbow’s eyes darted around, looking everywhere except for Twilight.

“Oh uh… I got some uh… flying stunts to practice!” Dash stared ahead for a moment before sighing and visibly relaxing. “Yeah, flying stunts!”

“Dash, I never even told you what day I’m going to be hosting the book fair.” Twilight gently reminded her. Dash started sweating again.

“Look, Twi, it’s just… it doesn’t sound interesting!” Dash chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. Twilight fought to hide a frown. “I’m sorry.”

“Why does it sound boring? You like reading! You read Daring Do all the time!” Twilight exclaimed, exasperated. “Why wouldn’t you want to come?” Dash turned away from her flying partner and rolled her eyes.

“I can come read Daring Do anytime I want. I don’t wanna give up my free time just to come in and browse books that aren’t Daring Do!” Dash explained, but Twilight wasn’t sated.

“You never knew you liked Daring Do until I loaned you the first book in the series. Who’s to say that there isn’t any other books in the library – adventure or otherwise – that you would be interested in? You just have to give them a try!” Twilight retorted, but Dash just shrugged and turned away.

“Sorry Twi, but unless something really cool is gonna happen at the book fair, you can count me out.” Twilight stretched a hoof out to her and opened her mouth to yell at her, but sighed instead, defeated.

“Fine, I can’t make you come. Can I at least count on you for a clear, sunny weekend?” Twilight mumbled, hopeful. Dash turned around and nodded, smiling sadly.

“Yeah, of course. I’m sorry Twi, I didn’t mean it to sound that bad… it just doesn’t interest me.” Dash put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Sighing once more, the alicorn scooped up Rainbow in a tight hug.

“That’s alright, Dashie. Don’t worry about it. It’s not meant for everypony.” Twilight released Dash. “I gotta get going though. It was nice flying with you! Hope you have a good day!” She called as she flew away. Dash favored her with a wave and flew in the opposite direction.

Her little detour had cost Twilight about half an hour, but considering how easily she convinced Rarity and the Cakes to help out, she wasn’t worried about time. It was relatively peaceful for the rest of her trip to Sweet Apple Acres, however, and she took in the sights and sounds gleefully.

Even from so high up, the unmistakable smell of apples assaulted her nose the second she came into range. Smiling, she dipped down and made a beeline for the ground. While her landing was less than graceful – ending up with her lying on her back, wings tangled with her legs – nopony was around to witness it, and she quickly stood, brushed herself off and made for the nearby farm house.

“Hello? Anypony home?” She called out as she neared it. For a few seconds, silence greeted her and she was about to call out again before a rustling caught her attention. Turning to the source of the noise, she found a little filly staring at her with a smile.

“Howdy there, Princess Twilight! Whatcha doin’ around here?” Apple Bloom asked, trotting over to her guest. Twilight returned her smile.

“Well hello there Apple Bloom! Please, just call me Twilight. How have you been?” She reached down and gave Apple Bloom a quick, friendly hug.

“I’ve been real good! Miss Cheerilee hasn’t given us homework in over a week, so Mac’s been helpin’ me with math in his free time! Miss Cheerilee says that I’m becomin’ quite the ‘in-tee-leck-choo-all!’” Apple Bloom beamed with pride and Twilight ruffled her mane.

“Well, that’s just great Apple Bloom! I’m very proud of you! Say, could you help me find your sister? I need to ask her something, and Sweet Apple Acres is too big for me to be able to find her!” Twilight laughed grimly at the thought of wandering around the apple orchards for hours in a futile attempt to find the farmer. Apple Bloom tapped her chin for a second, deep in thought. Twilight waited patiently.

“I think I should be able to help ya out, Twi!” Apple Bloom finally declared. Twilight sighed in relief and nodded.

“Alright, where is she then?” Twilight smiled, showing her teeth, and leaned forward. Apple Bloom just stared at Twilight blankly for a moment before sticking out her hoof to her right. Twilight followed her forearm.

“She’s right there!” Bloom giggled, and Twilight blushed intensely as she saw Applejack right in plain sight, bucking an apple tree in a nearby orchard. Resisting the urge to face-hoof, she thanked Apple Bloom before shaking her head, irritated at her own lack of perception, and headed off towards the farmer.

“Come on Twilight, focus! This is serious!” She scolded herself silently, but put on a happy grin when she got close enough to her friend. “Applejack! Hey!” Applejack looked up, surprised.

“Well howdy there sugarcube! What brings you to this neck of the woods?” She took off her hat and wiped the sweat beads from her brow, breathing heavily.

“You alright?” Twilight asked, leaning in. Applejack’s breath seemed more labored than usual, and she was massaging a muscle in her arm with a wince on her face.

“Oh, I’m fine Twi. Pulled a muscle the other day while apple buckin’. Mac’s had a mighty bad flu recently, so he’s been stayin’ in to help Apple Bloom out with her homework instead of bein’ out here with me. I’ve had to do double the work.” Applejack sighed and sat down on her haunches. “I’m just mighty tired, is all.”

“Applejack, if you’re so exhausted, you should take a break or ask for help! Remember what happened last time you decided to buck all the orchards by yourself?” She gently chided. Applejack chuckled and slapped her hat back on.

“Reckon I do, Twi. Hard to forget that terrible week!” The two shared a laugh. “I’m sorry. I’ll go take a break right now, in fact. Was there somethin’ you came by for?” Twilight suddenly remembered her purpose for being there.

“Oh! Yes, of course! Though, if you’re so tired, I’m not so sure I should ask a favor of you.” Twilight mumbled, feeling guilty. “You should go inside and rest up. Forget I came by!” She turned to leave.

“Now wait just a second there, missy! Ya can’t just fly off and leave without tellin’ me your purpose for bein’ here!” Applejack grabbed onto one of Twilight’s legs and didn’t let go. Twilight thought of teleporting away, but decided not to.

With a sigh, she told Applejack about the book fair, and about the catering that she wanted Sweet Apple Acres to supply.

“Well shucks sugarcube, we can do that for ya! We’d do anythin’ for a friend!” Applejack laughed heartily, giving her friend a playful slap on the back. Twilight bit her lip, frowning, and shook her head.

“No, AJ, it’s fine. You don’t have to. If you’re so overworked here, I would rather you not strain yourself.”

“Twi, I told you, I’m fine. And besides, it wouldn’t be just me makin’ all this food, ya know!” Applejack laughed. “I got Mac and Granny Smith and Bloom to help me out!”

“I thought you were the only baker in the family!” Twilight exclaimed, surprised. AJ shook her head.

“Oh heck no! Granny Smith makes the best jam and zap apple products in town and Bloom is getting’ real good at fritters. Mac and me are both good at baking, but neither of us are experts in it or anything.” Applejack winked playfully. “Between the four o’ us, we can get your food ready in a week, trust me. It’ll be no problem whatsoever.”

“You’re certain it’s no trouble?” Twilight asked once more for a final time. AJ shook her head.

“No trouble at all. Mac’s been itchin’ for somethin’ to do that’s not sit around in his bedroom all day, and Apple Bloom would be more than happy to show off her fritter baking skills!” AJ looked to her little sister, who was happily hopping around, trying futilely to buck an apple tree.

“Well, that’s great news then! I do have one more stop to make though, so I can’t stay and chat anymore! But thanks so much AJ, that’s great news! Remember to rest up and take breaks, alright?” Twilight fixed her with a stare. “I don’t want you hurting yourself permanently!”

“I won’t, I won’t!” Applejack laughed, shoving the alicorn playfully. “Now get on outta here and go see Fluttershy!” Twilight smirked and took to the air, gaining high altitude with just a few flaps of her wings.

“See ya, AJ! Have a good day!” She called down, but Applejack was already out of hearing range.

This is going better than I could have ever hoped it could go!

Interlude

After sending Spike off to Sugarcube Corner, equipped with a long list of needed baked goods in hand, Twilight finally relaxed.

It had been a long day, the longest day that she had had in a while. With nothing threatening to break the harmony and balance of Equestria, Twilight had been glad to finally have something to do that wasn’t related to her new royal duties.

Sighing deeply, she reclined in her chair, basking in solitude. Between spending time with her friends, running to and from Canterlot on royal business and dodging the paparazzi, she rarely had time alone.

Should I crack out a book? Or maybe make myself some tea and draw a bubble bath? She just didn’t know. Twilight smiled at having so many options, and was content to just sit in her chair and think, but her time alone was fleeting, and she wouldn’t be in solitude forever.

Maybe I’ll do all of the above! Standing and stretching deeply with a loud moan, she skipped to the kitchen and fixed herself a calming camomile tea. While it boiled, she trotted upstairs to her private bathroom (no baby dragons allowed), plugged up the bathtub drain and started drawing hot water.

After ensuring the temperature wasn’t going to be too hot, she grabbed her finished tea and a book that she had always meant to read, but had never gotten around to it, and swung her forelegs over the tub, stepping gingerly into the water.

Ahhh! She sighed deeply, content, as the hot water pricked at her coat and relaxed her muscles. She brought one leg out of the water and allowed it to cool off briefly before putting it back in, letting it burn again.

After repeating this process a few times, she finally grew used to the heat and slowly lowered her body, sighing blissfully as the steam collected below her stomach.

“I could get used to doing this every day!” She laughed out loud, rolling her head back and cracking her neck. Shifting slightly, she took a sip of her tea and picked up the book, flipping to the first page. “Just my tea, my book and I!” Her eyes flickered to the first word on the page.

Daring-

“Twilight!” A familiar dragon voice yelled through the door. Twilight chose to ignore him. Whatever he had to say could wait – it couldn’t be that important. She kept reading.

Do-

“Twiiiiiilight!” He was pounding on the door this time. “I need to talk to you!” Spike whined. Twilight grit her teeth and attempted to ignore him once more. This was her first alone time in a while – she wasn’t about to let it be ruined.

And the-

“Seriously! I need to show you something!” He yelled. “Can I come in?”

“No!” Twilight yelped, standing up and igniting her horn. A nearby towel resting on the rack flew over to her and she draped it across her back. Stomping angrily to the door, she swung it open and glared daggers at her companion. “For the love of all that is holy, Spike! What do you want?! Can’t you see the sign?” She pointed to the ‘No Baby Dragons Allowed’ sign that hung perfectly straight from the door.

“Yeah, but-“

“That means no baby dragons allowed! This is the first chance in weeks that I’ve gotten to just… relax! Every single day, something needs my utmost attention! What could be so important that you need to interrupt me right now?!” Twilight demanded as Spike cowered beneath her. He reached behind him and, with a trembling hand, pulled out a rolled up scroll bearing the royal seal.

“A letter f-from Princess Celestia?” He stuttered, giving it to her. “It came while I was on my way back from Sugarcube Corner! I didn’t read it, but it looks important!” Twilight immediately snapped out of her anger and snatched the scroll away from him with a gasp.

“A letter from the Princess! Why didn’t you say so before?!” She exclaimed, unrolling it and beginning to read.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle

I, Princess Celestia of the Sun, formally request your presence in Canterlot immediately. An issue involving King Penneth and Queen Gildana of the Griffons has arisen, and a formal meeting has been called, consisting of myself, Princess Luna of the Moon and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Kingdom Empire. A carriage is en-route to the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville to pick you up.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

“Wait, when did you get this letter?” Twilight asked after reading it over twice. Spike pursed his lips and shrugged.

“I dunno, like, probably around ten minutes ago? Why?” He asked as Twilight’s body became rigid.

“Spike, go grab my bag and throw in my crown and some overnight essentials! I’ll clean up the bathroom quickly!” She ordered, pointing towards her bedroom. Spike nodded and ran off, hurriedly, snatching up her saddlebags as he ran by.

“Why? What’s going on?” He asked. “Why are we in such a rush?” He slowly and carefully picked up her Royal Crown and put it in her bag. Meanwhile, Twilight pulled the plug out of the drain and running downstairs, levitating her book back onto the shelf and placing the teacup in the sink.

“I have to go to Canterlot on official business, something involving the griffons again.” Twilight rolled her eyes as she called up the stairs. “I don’t know when I’ll be back, so Spike, you’ll have to take care of the library while I’m gone, alright? Also, you’ll have to go to all of our friends and tell them I’m out of town, so they have to proceed with the preparations for the book fair without me!”

“Are you sure you’ll be back in time? You know how fussy those griffons are.” Spike murmured doubtfully as he walked down the stairs, saddlebags in hand. Twilight bit her lip and shrugged, taking the bags and swinging them across her back.

“I can only hope so. You know what we have to do for the fair, right? Food from Sugarcube Corner and Sweet Apple Acres, music from Fluttershy and her choir, décor from Carousel Boutique, and a clear, sunny, beautiful day from Rainbow Dash. You got that?” She asked. “Or do you need me to write it down?”

“I got it, I got it, gosh.” Spike brushed her off, crossing his arms playfully. “You’d think that you’ve never left me with responsibilities before. Food from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, a clear day from Rarity, music from the Cakes and décor from Sweet Apple Acres. I got it.”

“Spike, I’m serious.” Twilight glared at him, but her mouth broke into a smile at Spike’s faux innocent expression.

“What, I’m serious too!” He retorted, but started laughing. Twilight shook her head, chuckling. “No, but really though, you can count on me, Twi. I’ll get it all sorted out. Don’t worry.”

“I know I can, number one assistant. I trust you. Remember to keep the place clean, and don’t eat too much ice cream.” Twilight gave him a hug before trotting to the door. “I’ll be out of here in three… two…one…”

Knock, knock, knock. “Princess Twilight Sparkle? Your carriage to Canterlot has arrived, if you would like to step outside.” A deep, stern voice yelled through the door. Twilight smirked at Spike’s open mouth.

“How did you know that?” He whispered, looking out the window at the pegasi-drawn carriage that was attracting onlookers on the street. Twilight giggled and reached for the door handle.

“A carriage takes precisely twelve minutes and seventeen seconds to arrive here from Canterlot Castle, if they are moving at their fastest speeds. I’ll see you, hopefully, in a few days. See ya, Spike!” Twilight waved goodbye and opened the door, bowing her head to the two armored pegasus guards. The second she did, everypony on the streets dropped to their knees in reverence.

Climbing in the back and positioning herself comfortably, Twilight nodded to the two guards, who strapped themselves into their harnesses and took to the sky. She waved back down to the ground, hoping that Spike could see her.

After a minute or so of flying, Ponyville was slowly becoming a speck behind her. Looking at her hometown that was appearing in the distance, she smiled grimly.

I hope this won’t take too long. The book fair starts in six days – on Saturday morning. I have to be sure to get home by then.

Author's Note

I apologize for not updating in a while, I've been taking a break from FimFiction!

An Unexpected Delay

Days passed, and the issues with the griffons did not seem to any closer to being resolved. Day after day, hour after hour, Twilight would be forced to sit in the large, open meeting hall in Canterlot Castle with her fellow princesses, Celestia, Luna and Cadence, and put on a fake smile while listening to the demanding King Penneth and the snooty Queen Gildana complain about borders or trade agreements.

Every night that Twilight would crawl into bed, she would be biting her lip in nervousness. How were the preparations going? Did Spike remember to tell everypony everything? Did they mishear anything? Had they forgotten anything? Doubts and worries clouded her mind, and more than once, she had almost zoned out while in the meetings.

Groaning, Twilight rubbed her eyes as she woke up at eight o’clock one Saturday morning. She slumped down further into her pillow as she gazed sadly at her small calendar, located on her nightstand. On today’s date, a large, unmissable red circle with a matching red arrow pointing to it, marking the date as ‘Book Fair!’’ was there.

“Well, maybe I can write a letter to Spike tonight and he can tell me how it all went.” Twilight sighed quietly, silently cursing the griffons in her mind. Why do they have to be so unsatisfiable?!

“Twilight?” A familiar voice chimed out, interrupting her spiel. Twilight sat up in bed immediately. While she had told her personal servants time and time again that there was no need to be so formal with her, they would continually refuse to refer to her as simply ‘Twilight.’ Currently, there were only three others in the castle that would use just her name.

“Celestia?” She called back, smoothing down her hair with a hoof quickly. Just because the two of them were equals, there was no need to appear any more disheveled than need be. Sure enough, the white alicorn stepped into view, wearing a large smile on her face. Twilight returned the smile as she crawled out of bed.

“Hello, Twilight. I apologize for disturbing you so early. I trust you slept well?” Celestia asked, dipping her head down to cross necks with her former faithful student. Twilight returned the gesture and nodded. Twilight noticed that Celestia, strangely, was already wearing her regal attire, which was odd. Usually, the elder alicorn would only don her regalia when she was either meeting with someone or going out in public.

“Oh yes, Princess, don’t worry! I was just about to get up anyways! Was there something you needed?” Twilight asked, curiously. While she would never turn down a visit from her former mentor, it was odd that Celestia would come at such an early hour. For a moment, Celestia’s smile got even bigger.

“Well, I came to inform you that King Penneth and I have, in private, just come to an agreement that we think satisfies both parties nicely,” Celestia told her, as she touched noses with the surprised lavender alicorn, “Which means that you can return home to Ponyville, just in time for your book fair.”

“Really?!” Twilight squealed, jumping up with joy. “You mean it?! Oh, this is wonderful news, Princess! I thought for sure that I would have to miss it!” Celestia chuckled and put a hoof on her shoulder.

“I know that you must be eager to be off, so I have arranged for a carriage to meet you outside the castle whenever you are ready to leave. They will drop you off directly at Golden Oaks Library in due haste.” Celestia said loudly, to be heard over Twilight’s squeals of happiness.

“Thank you so much, Princess Celestia! I’ll leave immediately!” Twilight zoomed off before Celestia could reply. The older alicorn watched with a smile as Twilight began to gather her small amount of belongings that she had brought with her and stuff them into her saddlebags.

“I’m grateful that you came, Twilight. Your knowledge was truly invaluable. I’m glad that I had you by my side.” Celestia murmured with a proud smile on her face. It always made her heart swell when she saw how much Twilight had grown up. The mare in question turned back to Celestia for a brief moment and returned her smile in earnest before doing up the clasp to her bags and throwing them over her back.

“Thank you, Celestia. It means a lot to hear you say that! “Twilight giggled, running back over to her. “I have to go now, but thank you for letting me stay here! I’ll be sure to visit you again soon, and I’ll make sure to write a letter to you in a few days letting you know how the book fair went!” Twilight reached up and gave her a tight hug. Celestia nodded and motioned towards the door behind her.

“I look forward to it, my friend. I wish you the best of luck. I hope it goes well!” Celestia called to Twilight after they had separated. Twilight waved back at her and took off through the hallways, nodding politely to the many servants and guards who greeted her on their way past. With a ridiculously wide smile on her face, Twilight pushed the front doors open and was greeted by a shining, golden carriage, complete with two white pegasi strapped into the harnesses. They bowed low when they saw her.

“Your Serene Highness, it would be our pleasure to take you wherever you wish to go, whenever you wish to leave.” The first guard said, his voice powerful, yet respectful. Twilight nodded and jumped in the back, putting up the rear guard after she was comfortable.

“Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville, please! As fast as you can! I need to get there as quickly as possible!” She informed them. The two nodded and stretched their wings before taking flight. The big whoosh of air through Twilight’s already messy mane made her cringe slightly. I’ll need to take a shower and brush my mane before I see anypony today! I can’t show up to a book fair looking like this!

With Canterlot slowly growing smaller the farther they drew away, Twilight rested her head on the side of the cold carriage and sighed contentedly. She was going to make it to her book fair, and her troubled mind could finally be put to rest!

~~~~~~~~~~

Bidding farewell to the pegasi with a smile, Twilight looked to the sky. It was clear, warm and beautiful, just like she had asked of Rainbow Dash! Yet strangely enough, there were no other pegasi basking in the warmth of the sun. Shrugging, Twilight trotted excitedly inside and peered around. What she saw made her freeze in place and her mouth hang open.

The library… was beautiful!

Sure enough, standing by their promises, all of her friends had done their part. Rarity had beautifully decorated tables set up around the center of the library, and all the bookshelves had been pushed around the perimeter of the room. Spike had taken the liberty to organize the books on the tables, sorted be genre, and banners and streamers hung from the rafters. Rarity had even made custom colored curtains, specially made to match the décor.

On the far left side of the room were three long tables, each completely covered with wrapped-up food and drink. Twilight’s mouth watered at the sight of the many cupcakes, muffins, cookies, tarts, apple trays, jams and punch as she was painfully reminded about her lack of breakfast. She debated about unwrapping the trays early and sneaking in a few fritters, but thought better of it. She looked around the room for Spike, but saw no baby dragons wandering about.

Shrugging, she ran upstairs to make herself presentable before the book fair opened. There was a little less than an hour until the guests would start pouring in, so Twilight flung herself into the shower and washed her mane and body as quickly as she could. Towelling herself off afterwards, she ran a brush through her hair and made the decision to forsake her crown for the day. After all, it was Twilight running the book fair, not Her Serene Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“Spike? You around?” She called, but silence greeted her. Brow furrowed, she trotted around the book shelves and glanced under tables, but saw no sight of him. “Spike?”

“Huh? Twilight?” A drowsy sounding voice answered from afar. Twilight’s ears perked up and she picked up the noise coming from her bedroom. Cocking her head, she trotted upstairs and saw her number one assistant still wrapped up in his bed, blanket pulled over his head.

“Spike? What are you still doing asleep, it’s almost nine! It’s almost time for the book fair to start!” Twilight shoved him lightly in the side, and Spike’s eyes shot open.

“The book fair! Oh my gosh!” Spike yelped, jumping up and throwing his blanket off. “I nearly forgot! I have to go unwrap the food and put out the sign!” He started running for the stairs and disappeared before Twilight could say anything. Shaking her head and laughing, she stood up and joined him downstairs, where he was unwrapping the food trays with one hand and holding the large, colorful welcome sign in the other.

“Spike, it looks great! You did a fantastic job! I’m so proud of you!” Twilight pulled Spike to the side just as he tugged off the final wrapping. “Thank you for getting this all set up!” Twilight looked around the library, and out of the corner of her eye, saw Spike smile proudly as well. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t be here to help out.”

“Aw, it’s fine Twi. No harm done! It was easy! Me and Rarity were here for days, cleaning and organizing where everything would go. You never told either of us what kind of décor you wanted, so she just guessed that you were going for ‘elegant and refined.’” He nodded towards the tables, which were a creamy white with gold trim.

“I can see that!” Twilight laughed, levitating the heavy sign out of his hands. “Is there anything else left to do?” Spike thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Nothing that I can think of, nope! Just the sign, and then that’s it!” He declared with a single nod. Twilight trotted outside and unfolded the sign. She read it over quickly once. The First Annual Golden Oaks Library Book Fair – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Looks great, Spike.” She complimented as she placed it down and put a door stopper under the door, holding it wide open. A gentle breeze rolled in, sending a waft of fresh air through the library. “I’ll have to make a mental note to thank everypony for their hard work!”

“Are you gonna go attract people outside?” Spike asked, joining her in the doorway. “They might be more inclined to come in if a Princess is there.” Twilight pursed her lips and shrugged.

“Might as well. If there are too many ponies, you call me in, alright? I’ll come help out.” She nudged him playfully before stepping outside and next to the sign.

“I will, don’t worry! Good luck out there!” Spike turned and waved before heading back in, disappearing around the corner.

Alright, now for the ponies to start rolling by! Twilight thought merrily to herself. She looked down the street to her left, expecting to see a horde of ponies meandering down the road.

It was deserted.

That’s odd… Twilight shrugged and turned to her right towards the market, expecting the same thing. The ponies were probably all there, doing some morning shopping before stopping by the library.

Once again, the market was empty.

Twilight turned to the doorway and leaned her head in. “Spike, is there some kind of festival going on today or something?” She called in. She heard Spike yell back the word ‘no’.

“I’m going out for a second, I’ll be right back!” She yelled again after a second. Without waiting for a response, Twilight took off down the street, towards the market, and confirmed her suspicions.

The market was absolutely forsaken.

“Hello? Anypony out there?” She shouted, looking about. Nopony could be seen. “Hello?! Where is everypony?!”

“Hey Princess Twilight!” A voice yelled back from above. Twilight lifted her head and looked to the skies, and saw none other than Ponyville’s lovable mailmare, Ditzy Doo.

“Ditzy! Hey! Finally, somepony showed up!” Twilight flapped her wings and clumsily joined Ditzy in the sky. The grey pegasus gave her a goofy grin. “Where is everypony at today?”

“Oh, everypony in town is down at Sugarcube Corner for the day! Pinkie Pie is throwing a giant ‘I missed you all so much and now I’m back and I’m so happy to see you all again’ party!” Ditzy told her. Twilight immediately felt conflicted. On one hoof, she felt upset that nopony would be free to go to her book fair today. On the other, she was elated that one of her best friends was back in town.

“Oh… why aren’t you there, then?” Twilight asked, hopeful that maybe one pony would be attending the fair. Ditzy giggled and pointed to her full saddlebags.

“I have a boatfull of deliveries left to make before I can take the rest of the day off! But once I finish, I’ll be heading over there too!” Ditzy said. Twilight’s face fell even farther, but she put on a smile nonetheless.

“Well, that’s great Ditzy. I won’t keep you any longer, then. Hope you have a good day!” Twilight waved to the mailmare, who waved back and resumed her rounds. Twilight hovered back down to the ground and sighed, looking around at the deserted market square.

I suppose I should head on over to Sugarcube Corner as well, then.

Author's Note

One more chapter after this, and I'll have finished finally finished my first multi-chapter story!

The First Annual Book Fair

Even down the street from Sugarcube Corner, Twilight could hear the festivities going on. Excited chatter from everypony in the building talking at once and music blaring loudly made it difficult to miss. Wincing, she pushed the door open quietly and snuck in.

Nopony noticed her come in, and it made Twilight pleasantly surprised to see nopony bowing to her. It was a welcome change, and reminded Twilight of the previous years, the years where she had just been Twilight.

She took a slow glance around the room and found that she recognized almost everypony. Sparkler and Sea Swirl were dancing in the middle of the floor with Golden Harvest and Bon Bon, Noteworthy and Thunderlane were eyeing up some mares quietly at the counter, Minuette and Time Turner were quietly conversing in the corner, keeping their voice to whispers and even Pound and Pumpkin were running around the room, playing tag with some of the younger foals.

“Excuse me, Berry?” She said, coming up behind Berry Punch, who was, unsurprisingly, at the punch bowl. Berry turned at the mention of her name with her cup to her lips, and dropped said cup when she saw who it was.

“Oh sweet Celestia!” She gasped, dropping to her knees. “Your Serene Highness, I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t realize-“

“Berry, stop that!” Twilight chided, looking around quickly to see if anypony had seen her, which luckily, they hadn’t. “I don’t want to make a fuss! You can stand up!” Berry looked up at her.

“A-Are you sure? I don’t want to seem disrespectful…” She started, but Twilight silenced her with a hoof to her lips.

“Berry, seriously. You’ve known me for years. It’s fine. I just wanted to ask you a question.” Twilight helped Berry Punch to her hooves. The earth pony nodded her head and took a deep breath.

“Right, sorry Princess Twilight. What is it that you need?” She looked to the punch bowl and licked her lips greedily. “Mind if I grab a glass while we talk?”

“Go right ahead,” Twilight replied as Berry eagerly grabbed a new red plastic cup and filled it up. “I was wondering if you knew where Pinkie Pie was. There are so many ponies here that I couldn’t find it even if I tried.”

“Uh… I’m not sure…” Berry muttered into her cup, her voice echoing. She took a long swig and sighed deeply afterwards. “Ah, that really hit the spot. Um, have you tried the kitchen? She might be grabbing more pastries for everypony. We’re going through them like there’s no tomorrow!” Berry laughed after taking another sip. Twilight looked to the kitchen and nodded.

“Alright, thanks Berry. I’ll try looking in there next. You’re probably right.” She turned to leave. “And uh, try not to tell anypony I was here, alright? I don’t want to stop the party just because of me.”

“Alright Princess Twilight!” Berry said, draining the rest of her cup and pouring in more. “My lips are sealed.”

Without another word, Twilight set off towards the kitchen, keeping her head low and her wings pressed firmly to her back, hoping to not be seen. Luckily for her, everypony seemed too caught up in their festivities to even notice her sneaking through the crowd. She shoved open the swinging wooden doors that separated the kitchen from the main lobby and trotted in.

“Pinkie? You in here?” She called out; keeping her voice level to ensure nopony outside could hear her. Sure enough, she saw the hyperactive pink earth pony standing at the far counter, back turned away from the door. She perked up at Twilight’s voice and turned around slowly. Twilight recoiled slightly at her wide eyes and rapidly growing smile. Bracing herself for impact, Twilight stood up tall and firm.

“Twiiiiiiiiilight!” Pinkie screeched loudly as she seemed to fly across the room and tackle Twilight to the ground. Twilight found herself in an overly tight, unescapably hug. “Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you so much and I can’t believe you’re here cause Spike told me that you were away at Canterlot on official Princess business and I missed you so much and I’m so happy that you’re back and I missed you so much and I threw a party to see everypony and I was so sad that you wouldn’t be here because you know, you were away and I just missed you so much and-“

“Pinkie!” Twilight laughed, taking a gasp of air. “I can’t breathe!”

“Whoops! Sorry Twilight!” Pinkie released the Princess and stepped back, allowing her room to stand and get her breath back. Twilight stood up and returned Pinkie’s happy grin.

“Thanks, Pinkie. It’s great to see you! I missed you too!” Twilight gave Pinkie a quick squeeze. “How was your trip?”

“Oh my gosh, my trip was great! It was great seeing Marble and Limestone again, and mom and dad were so happy to see me, and I threw them a big ‘hey everypony I’m finally home for a week so let’s put aside the rocks for a while and dance our hearts out’ party! It was so fun!” Pinkie grinned brightly. “What about you, how was Canterlot?”

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t a trip just for pleasure. I can’t discuss the details, but there were issues involving the griffons, which were luckily sorted out just in time for me to arrive back here today. When did you get back?” Twilight responded.

“Just last night! But I got here really late so I didn’t have time to see anypony! So I decided to throw a really big party today!” Pinkie exclaimed as she leapt up into the air, throwing her hooves up dramatically. Twilight looked back to the doors.

“I didn’t see any of our friends here. Where are they all?” She asked as Pinkie landed back on the ground. Pinkie put a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment.

“Oh, Dashie’s here!” She said. “But Rarity said that she had some big commission to work on, and Applejack told me that apple bucking season would be coming up soon and she had to help prepare for it!” Twilight’s face fell into a slight frown despite her best efforts to hide it. Pinkie noticed.

“Pinkie, did anypony tell you what was going on today?” She asked sadly as her mind drifted back to her empty library. Pinkie’s eyes went wide and she shook her head.

“No! Why, is something the matter Twilight?” Pinkie yelped, concerned. The pink earth pony leaned in and put her hooves onto Twilight’s shoulders as she shook her lightly. “Did something happen? Why do you look so upset? Was it something I said?! What’s wrong?!”

“I would have thought that our friends would have told you about it…” Twilight mumbled, her frown growing slightly deeper. I know that they helped me out a lot, but they couldn’t have told Pinkie that I was hosting something today?

“Oh, please don’t be mad at them if they did anything wrong, Twilight! Rarity and Applejack looked so busy that they barely had time to stop and listen to me, and the Cakes mentioned something about having to finish a giant order last night so they didn’t have time to talk either!” Pinkie exclaimed, taking her hooves off of Twilight. “What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong Pinkie,” Twilight sighed. “I was hosting a book fair today at the library in order to get more patrons and to get more ponies interested in reading. That big order that the Cakes were finishing last night was probably my order, and Applejack and Rarity were probably way behind their own schedules because I asked for their help earlier in the week.” Pinkie gasped and looked behind Twilight at her own bustling party.

“So… by me throwing a party today, nopony came to your book fair!” She moaned. “Oh no Twilight! I’m so sorry! I had no clue!” Twilight gave Pinkie a shrug and a smile.

“It’s fine, Pinkie. It probably wouldn’t have gone that great anyways. I couldn’t even get Rainbow Dash to come, and at least she reads sometimes. It probably would have failed anyways.” Twilight mumbled, turning to leave. “I guess I should head back to the library and tell Spike to wrap up the food again.” Just as she was about to reach the door, Twilight felt a firm hoof stop her.

“No way, Twilight! You and the rest of the girls put so much effort into this! You can’t just give up now! Just hold on and I’ll call in Rainbow Dash. Maybe all three of us can work out how to make this work!” Pinkie declared, and shoved Twilight back to the middle of the room. Without letting the alicorn speak, Pinkie skipped out and Twilight heard her holler Rainbow Dash’s name.

In a few brief moments, the rainbow pegasus was dragged into the room along with Pinkie Pie.

“So, what did you need Pinks?” She asked, and then looked ahead and seemed to finally notice Twilight. “Oh, hey Twi! Sorry, didn’t notice you there for a sec!”

“Dashie, did you know that Twilight had a book fair going on today?” Pinkie asked firmly, raising her eyebrows. Rainbow Dash’s face blanched for a second, and she turned to Twilight quickly.

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! I’m so sorry Twilight!” She gasped. “Pinkie, I would have told you if I had remembered!” Twilight sighed and gave Rainbow a smile, pulling her in for a hug.

“It’s alright, Dash. I know you wouldn’t keep that kind of thing from Pinkie for no reason. It’s fine.” Twilight chuckled. Pinkie’s face lightened and she joined in on the hug. After a few seconds, they released.

“Twilight, we need to find a way to move this party to your library and get the ponies interested in reading!” Pinkie declared, stamping a hoof on the ground. Twilight shook her head.

“No, no Pinkie, it’s totally fine. You obviously put a lot of work into decorating Sugarcube Corner and I don’t want you to have to give up your party-” Twilight started, but Pinkie cut her off.

“I didn’t put a lot of work into this, silly! I just fired up the party cannon and sent out invitations! I can throw another party next weekend, Twilight. Right now, this is about you. Now let’s think.” Pinkie said, deciding for the other three. Rainbow shrugged, and Twilight sighed, defeated. When Pinkie put her mind to something, you couldn’t change it.

“Well, I know that I would only come if something really cool was going to be there.” Rainbow declared. Twilight and Pinkie both looked at her.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Well, books are fun and all, but like I said earlier, I could just go to the library anytime I wanted to and take some out. If there was something really awesome that was going to be there – that isn’t usually there, mind you – then I would want to head over and check it out.” Dash finished, shrugging. “It’s just what I would do, though. I dunno if that helps at all.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight whispered with wide eyes, drawing the attention of her two companions, “That’s it! I know how to get ponies to come to my book fair!”

“Really? How? Can we help?!” Pinkie bounced up and down on the spot. Twilight made for the door and pushed it open, turning around as she did so.

“Pinkie Pie, I need you to get all these ponies to the library! Tell them that there is going to be a surprise guest there that they won’t want to miss!” Twilight said. Pinkie saluted and nodded once.

“Got it, Twilight. But uh… who is the surprise guest?” She asked, confused. Twilight giggled.

“That’s a surprise. You’ll see in a little bit. Rainbow Dash,” She turned to the pegasus. “I need you to fly over to the library and tell Spike to set up a ‘shelf 16-42 section’ table, and then fly back here and help Pinkie if she needs it.” Rainbow Dash nodded slowly.

“Okay, but what in the hay is a ‘shelf 16-42 section’ table?” She asked, scratching the back of her head. Twilight gave her a wink.

“Spike will know. Now, I’m off! I should be back in about thirty minutes, if all goes according to plan!” Twilight said, running into the crowd. Pinkie and Rainbow exchanged looks before running after her.

“Wait, Twilight! Where are you going?!” Pinkie yelled after her. They only vaguely heard her response amidst the chatter and music of the party.

“Canterlot!”

~~~~~~~~~~

After Rainbow Dash had returned from the library – with Spike somehow understanding Twilight’s strange request – she and Pinkie stood in the kitchen, wondering how to get everypony to want to head on over to the book fair.

“Do you have any ideas? Twilight said she would be back in thirty minutes when she left, which means we only have about twenty minutes left to get everypony over there.” Rainbow sighed, fidgeting in her spot. Pinkie’s eyes narrowed into lines and her mouth formed a grim smile.

“Twilight’s counting on us, Dashie! And that means we can’t fail! Now, how did we impress Miss Peachbottom when we were in the Crystal Kingdom Empire?” Pinkie’s voice was low. Rainbow blinked twice, confused.

“Uh, we sang a song?” She guessed, and Pinkie nodded.

“Exactly, we sang a song! So let’s get out there and sing a song and get those ponies over to the library! Now, here’s what we’re gonna do…” Pinkie pulled Rainbow in and the two started whispering and forming a plan together.

Outside the kitchen, in the main lobby, ponies were starting to question where their host had disappeared to.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey everypony! Listen up!” Rainbow Dash called into the crowd. A few moments passed and nopony seemed to hear her.

“Hey! Everypony!” She yelled a little louder. Once more, nopony listened. Grumbling, she turned to Pinkie Pie. “You wanna help out?”

“HEY, HEY, EVERYPONY! WE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY!” Pinkie screeched while turning off the music. That got everyone’s attention. All conversation stopped, all dancing stopped, all running around stopped. Even the Cake twins and the others foals paused to listen.

“Dashie and me have an announcement to make! This party is officially over!”

“Awwwww!” A collective groan resounded in the room, but Pinkie put up a hoof and expertly silenced the crowd once more.

“But just because it’s over, doesn’t mean that it has to end!” She declared, thrusting a hoof into the air. At the sound of everypony in the room saying ‘huh?’ she turned to the pegasus. “Ready, Dashie?”

“Ready!” Rainbow Dash yelled, flying up into the air. She hit the light switch on the wall as she went up and plunged the room into darkness, and then went so close to the ceiling that her wings were nearly brushing it. Luckily for her, no other pegasi were flying at the time. Dash started pumping her wings and began making rounds around the perimeter of the room, leaving a rainbow contrail after her, which lit up the darkened room. The room filled with oohs and ahhs, which only fueled Rainbow Dash’s energy and made her go faster. Pinkie cleared her throat and started her cheer.

“Two, four, six, eight, name a book that’s really great!

One, two, three, four, that keeps you coming back for more!

Two, seven, nine, three, a place where we get books for free!

Four, three, two, one, the Golden Oaks Library,

It’s so much fun!”

Pinkie finished her chant while Rainbow Dash landed on the floor and panted lightly. The entire room erupted into applause and cheers.

“Let’s go, everypony! We’re heading on over to the Golden Oaks Library for a book fair! And I hear that there’s gonna be a speeeecial guest there waiting for us!” Pinkie teased, swinging the front door to Sugarcube Corner open. The rest of the crowd hesitated for a split second.

“Who’s the special guest?” Sparkler yelled out. Pinkie winked.

“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it? But believe me when I say that you won’t wanna miss it!” And that was all the enticing that the crowd needed. Murmurs of approval started rippling through the room, and the crowd began to shift towards the door to follow Pinkie and Rainbow, who were exchanging grins.

“Let’s go, everypony! Follow us! To the Golden Oaks Library Book Fair!”

~~~~~~~~~~

Spike stared in awe at all the townsponies pouring in through the door, led by Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. He had set up the table that Twilight had told him to and had laid out all of the books that the library had in stock, but it still seemed like it wouldn’t have been enough if everypony took out one.

Pinkie and Rainbow trotted over to him once everypony was inside and browsing through the selection. Pinkie had graciously brought over her record player from Sugarcube Corner and a light jazz now filled the room, low enough for ponies to still have conversations, but loud enough to fill the silences.

“So, are you gonna tell us why Twi went to Canterlot now?” Dash asked, raising an eyebrow at the baby dragon. Spike cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms.

“Really? You don’t know why? She’s picking somepony up!” He said plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Dash’s brow furrowed.

“Okay, who’s she getting then?”

“Come on Dash, surely you of all ponies should know!” Spike laughed, punching her lightly in the foreleg. “She’s grabbing-“

At that moment, the door burst open, and a heavily panting Princess Twilight came bursting in. Everypony dropped down in reverence, but Twilight ignored them and trotted over to Spike.

“Spike, you set up the table, right? And you made sure that there are plenty of pens and ink wells, yes?” Twilight asked, taking a deep breath. Spike patted her on the back a few times.

“Yes Twi, don’t worry. I even made the sign, but I haven’t put it out yet.”

“Excellent. Go put it out, and I’ll go grab mom.” Twilight nodded, smiling. Dash raised an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing while Spike ran off into another room to grab the sign that he had made. “You can come in now, mom!”

“Okay sweetie!” Velvet Sparkle called back, walking into the room slowly. The rest of the ponies in the room waved and smiled at the mother of the Princess, but looked otherwise uninterested. “Where should I sit?”

“Right here. We already have everything sorted out for you, so don’t worry about anything else. Thanks again for coming on such short notice!” Twilight laughed as she pulled out a chair for her mother, which Velvet took gratefully.

“Oh, it was no trouble at all, my dear! I’m always looking for an excuse to come visit my perfect little princess!” Velvet pinched Twilight’s reddening cheeks as Spike came running back in and unfolded the sign he was carrying. All the ponies crowded around the desk to see what was happening. What was written on the sign made them all gasp and squeal in delight.

‘Velvet Sparkle, also known as Silver Quill Scribelight, author of the famous Daring Do series, here for today only!

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh Twilight! You never told me that you mom wrote Daring Do!” Rainbow screeched, pushing her way to the front of the crowd. “Miss Scribelight – or, I guess, Mrs. Sparkle – it’s an honor to meet you!”

“We’ve met before, Rainbow Dash!” Velvet giggled, reaching over the table to give Dash a quick hug. “But it’s nice to see you again too. How have you been?”

“Oh sweet Celestia, Silver Quill just hugged me!” Rainbow Dash squealed, hyperventilating. Shaking her head and laughing, Twilight turned away from the spectacle and made her way over to the front desk, where Spike was busy desperately writing down titles and dates in the log book, and accepting bits for purchases.

Twilight beamed at her success. Without the help of her friends, she would have never been able to pull off such a fantastic book fair. The library was filled with ponies and more still were flooding in the door, returning with empty saddlebags, more bits and their friends.

“Come grab me if you need me for anything, Spike. I’ll be back down in a few minutes.” Twilight said to her assistant, who nodded without looking up at her. Giggling, Twilight trotted upstairs and sat down at her writing desk, pulled out a pen and paper, and began writing a letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I know you said that I don’t need to write you friendship reports anymore, so instead, I’m writing you today to tell you about my book fair.

To be completely honest, I didn’t think that it would even happen. Between arriving here so late due to being in Canterlot and Pinkie Pie throwing her own party today, I had my doubts that I would be able to pull this off. And truth be told, it wasn’t even me that pulled it off! It was only due to my dearest friends and my number one assistant that I was able to do it.

While in Canterlot, I wasn’t in correspondence with Spike or my friends, so I wasn’t sure how the preparations were going – was everypony doing everything right? Did we have everything that we needed? I had my doubts. But today I learned that no matter what, I can always count on my friends to pull through for me in the end, and I shouldn’t doubt in their abilities.

The library is absolutely packed right now! My mother, Velvet – or as she is more commonly known, Silver Quill Scribelight – got to attend, and the log book is filling up like crazy! Everypony loves the food and music, too. All in all, this day couldn’t have gone any better!

Your Former Faithful Student,

Princess Twilight Sparkle

Trotting downstairs, Twilight rejoined Spike at the counter, where the line seemed to have not gotten any smaller.

“When you get a moment, Spike, I have something for you to send.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Celestia smiled as she rolled up the letter that she had gotten from Twilight. The fire crackled before her in the dining hall, where she and Luna were eating lunch together.

“If you’ll excuse me, Lulu, I’ll be taking my leave now. I have important business to attend to.” Celestia said as she bowed her head slightly to her younger sister, who looked up from her sandwich with a half filled mouth.

“And where might you be off to?” Luna asked after swallowing. Celestia just grinned and looked down first at her letter, and then out the window, in the direction of a familiar little town where a certain Princess lived.

“I have a book fair to attend.”

Fluttershy's Cottage

Luckily for Twilight, Fluttershy lived fairly close to Applejack’s farm. The shy pegasus disliked the hustle and bustle of crowds, and Twilight felt a serene peace pass over her as she watched the apple tree orchards disappear behind her, and the forest on the outskirts of town starting to appear before her.

Fluttershy was a humble little thing, always caring about others more than herself. Her modest home, a little cottage situated in the middle of a grove, was easily accessible to any ponies or animals wanting to come and visit.

As she got close, Twilight’s nose became mixed with the scents of the pine needles, woodland critters, and the fresh smell of… pumpkin pie? Inhaling heavily, she made a nosedive towards the delicious autumn smell, which was wafting out of Fluttershy’s window. A beautiful, charming female voice was singing inside.

“Fluttershy? Are you in?” Twilight knocked on Fluttershy’s door.

“Yes! I’ll be there in just a moment!” Fluttershy called from within. Twilight listened as a pan clattered against a counter, and hoofsteps skipping towards the door. She was soon greeted by her cheerful friend, various birds circling around her head and various critters running around her hooves. “Oh, Twilight! It’s so nice to see you! How are you today? Please, come in!”

“Thank you Fluttershy! I’m excellent today, how are you?” She replied, stepping inside the cottage. Fluttershy was beaming and skipping alongside her. “What’s got you so happy?”

“Oh Twilight, it was wonderful! Come see!” She squealed, trotting into one of the rooms. Twilight followed curiously, eager to see what had Fluttershy on Cloud Nine. “Remember to keep your voice down! She’s still sleeping!”

“Who’s sleeping?” Twilight whispered, walking in, and then she noticed the two squirrels lying on a large pillow on the floor, with a little baby squirrel, snoring gently, in between them. The two older squirrels looked to the door when they heard it open, and smiled at Fluttershy.

“Acorn and Chipper had a baby this morning!” Fluttershy cooed softly, resisting the urge to stroke the slumbering squirrel’s head. If she was going to be honest, Twilight couldn’t see the difference in appearance of Acorn and Chipper, but she was happy nonetheless.

“Oh, Fluttershy! That’s so wonderful! What’s its name?” She asked quietly, leaning in to examine the little furry mass. Fluttershy replied without turning to her.

“They’ve named him Dale. Isn’t he just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” Fluttershy asked. “May I hold him, Chipper?” The squirrel on the left nodded, and the two moved away from Dale quietly. With practiced ease, Fluttershy scooped the baby up with her wing and nestled him close. Twilight marvelled at how easily she held him, and how the squirrel didn’t seem to stir in the slightest.

“He’s adorable, Fluttershy! Congratulations, Acorn and Chipper.” Twilight giggled, nodding at the squirrels, who seemed to beam even brighter.

“Would you like to hold him, Twilight?” She asked, outstretching her wings to the alicorn. Twilight took a step back, shaking her head.

“Oh, no no no. I couldn’t! I don’t know how, I’ve never held a baby before-“

“It’s easy.” Fluttershy interjected, gently taking Twilight’s own wings and folding them against her body so they made a nice little nest. “Just remember not to rustle your wings or move them too quickly, and you’ll be fine. I trust you.” Twilight stopped fighting back, and Fluttershy lowered Dale into her wing nest.

“Oh, my!” Twilight gazed at the bundle of life that she held in her wings. She suddenly understood why Fluttershy loved babies so much. Dale let out a big yawn and his little eyes fluttered open. Twilight froze as he blinked sleepily and stared at her intensely.

“Would you like me to take him back now, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, but Twilight didn’t hear her.

“Hello, little friend! How are you? Welcome to the world!” Twilight whispered to the squirrel as she began rocking him back and forth. Dale seemed to smile as he nestled himself closer to Twilight’s body and fell back asleep. Fluttershy chuckled as she took Dale back and placed him between his parents.

“I see you made a new friend, Twilight!” The pegasus joked as she ushered Twilight out of the room. “We should let Acorn, Chipper and Dale rest now. They’ve had a long day!”

“I can imagine!” Twilight nodded as she took the seat that Fluttershy had eagerly pulled up for her.

“Anyways, I’m sure you didn’t come here just to chat! What did you drop by for?” She asked as she began to clean her kitchen. Twilight watched as pots and pans began landing in the sink, where a multitude of critters began washing them with tiny washcloths.

“Oh, well, I was hoping to ask you for a favor! You see, I’m hosting a book fair...” Twilight began telling Fluttershy about her idea, and the pegasus listened with interest. After a few minutes, she took a deep breath and ended her story. “And Applejack and Sugarcube Corner are providing the food!”

“Wow, that seems like a fun idea!” Fluttershy nodded, grinning. “And you were wondering if I would be stopping by?” Twilight nodded.

“That, and I was hoping you and your bird choir could provide some music for it!” Fluttershy immediately froze.

“Oh… oh, oh, I don’t know Twilight… that seems like an awfully big responsibility… I’m not sure…” She bit her lip and hid behind her mane.

“Fluttershy, of course you can do it! Your bird choir is beautiful, and you conduct wonderfully! There’s nopony else I would rather have than you guys.” Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy’s knee. “Trust me. You’ve played for my brother’s wedding. You can play for a book fair.” Fluttershy smiled meekly.

“Well… I suppose if you think that I can do it, Twilight… I’ll give it a shot! But, umm… h-how many ponies do you think are going to be there?” She asked. Twilight shrugged nonchalantly.

“I really couldn’t say. I hope that the entire town will be there! But truthfully, I have no clue. It would be a good idea to prepare for the best outcome, I suppose!” Twilight answered. Fluttershy froze again, but took a deep breath and visibly relaxed.

“Okay, okay… I can do this! I’ve been working on being more outgoing, and I think that this will be a great opportunity!” She giggled nervously. “I’ll be there.”

“That’s fantastic, Fluttershy! I can’t wait to hear your birds perform again! It’s always so beautiful!” Twilight gave her a tight hug and started heading for the door.

“You’re going already?” Fluttershy asked, cocking her head to the side and putting on a mock frown. Twilight rolled her eyes playfully and sighed.

“Unfortunately, I can’t stay. It’s already starting to get dark, and I still have to send Spike off to Sugarcube Corner with a list of goods that we’ll need, and I should start making posters as soon as I can!”

“Oh, that’s good! It’ll be a busy week for you, Twilight! Best to start soon! If you need any help with anything, you drop by and let me know, okay?” Fluttershy trotted over to the door and opened it for the alicorn.

“I will, don’t worry!” Twilight nodded and gave her friend another hug before setting off down the road. “I’ll talk to you later, Fluttershy! And give my congratulations to Acorn and Chipper, too! Little Dale was so cute!” Twilight called back, unfurling her wings to fly off. Fluttershy nodded and waved goodbye to her friend, closing the door behind her. Twilight watched the pegasus disappear past the window before flying in the direction of her home with a smile on her face.

This is going to go perfectly! I don’t see how anything could possibly go wrong!