“But… Princess Sparkle!” The mare ignored you, carrying you towards the door with her magic. It was flung open in a purple glow and you were thrown out, sliding along the dirt path. You sat up and went to turn around just as something hit your head, which was revealed to be your saddlebags when they fell to the floor. You looked up to the doorway, where the alicorn was still glaring at you. “Please… if you’ll just give me a chance…”

“Library hours are eight am to four pm, but for you… the library is PERMANENTLY CLOSED!” The door slammed shut, leaving you in the deserted street, late at night. Having been in the single building since you saw it, you didn’t know if there were any inns, but you’d like to think so.

By the time you came across a pony you were three streets over, slightly cautious as the large earth pony stallion stepped out from a dark alley. He noticed you glancing in his direction, and trotted towards you. It was when he appeared in the same light as you that you saw how big he really was, stepping back as his green eyes roamed over you. “Ya gonna tell anypony where Ah jus’ came from?”

“No, sir!”

“Good enough fer me.” He turned and started to trot away, and you turned your head as you saw a curtain twitching, a pretty purple earth pony mare hiding from your gaze. You shook your head and then ran after the stallion, skidding to a stop in front of him. “You back? what can Ah do fer ya?”

“Sorry, I don’t want to impose. I was just wondering if there was anywhere I could stay for the night? An inn or such, perhaps?” The stallion just raised a hoof and scratched his chin with a hum, then motioned you to follow. You did as asked, the buildings becoming spread further apart as you walked, but you just assumed that the inn was out of the way.

You didn’t expect to end up on a farm, nor to be led into a barn. The other stallion moved to a bale of hay and kicked it over into a pile, then disappeared up some stairs in the back. You just remained near the door, and he returned a few moments later with a large pile of blankets on his back. “Ya can stay in ‘ere fer t’ night. Breakfast will be at sunrise, but don’t worry if you ain’t an early riser. Mah sis an’ her friends will wake yer, that’s fer sure.”

“Thank you, er…”

“Macintosh Apple’s t’ name, but ponies round ‘ere call me Big Mac.”

“Thank you, Mr Apple. I’ll be sure to reimburse you for the bed and food.” The stallion just scoffed at that, then closed the barn door behind him as he left. He had at some point put a lamp on the table near the hay, so you picked the blankets up and made yourself a makeshift bed in the pile, rolling a couple of them up for pillows.

You reached into your saddlebag and took out the book you were currently reading, the mystery of the Zebras and their supposedly mythic powers intriguing you.

Spike sat on the stairs of the library as Twilight rattled off a list of books, the young dragon checking his contents list, then nodded to the mare. “Good, all of the fiction is still in place. Time for the nonfiction.” Spike gave a small groan, causing the mare to glare at him. “Spike, whilst he may have been one of the more studious ponies at the school, he had a habit of taking library books and returning them… a year later. I want to make sure he didn’t take any of mine.”

“Ugh… fine, but don’t blame me when you oversleep and Skyla gets bored when she wakes up.”

“Oh… I’d forgotten about her. Okay, well do the first few shel…” Spike shook his head at the alicorn’s temporary memory loss, and looked up to see her with her head cocked to the side. “Spike, what comes after ‘Elemental Magic, volume two’?” The dragon ran down the list, his eyes going wide at the title.

“‘The Elements Of Harmony; A Reference Guide’.” Twilight then started to trot in place, her eyes flicking wildly over any possible place it could be. Having failed to spot the tome, the mare let out a low growl and stalked towards the door, opening it and leaving the library even as Spike tried to call after her. “Twilight, it’s right here, in the reading booth!”

He watched as she turned in the direction of the inn with a glare on her face, then glanced over his shoulder as he heard a sleepy yawn. “Where’s auntie Twilight going?” Spike walked over to the base of the stairs, then started to guide Skyla back to bed. “Spike?”

“Just running a late errand. We’ll see her in the morning.”

You fell into a light doze, somepony entering the barn having caused you to come from your dream of your younger years. You just remained on the hay pile, waiting for the stallion’s sister and friends to wake you up properly as he said. It didn’t come as a gentle prod to your shoulder, however, as you were forcibly ripped from your blankets and fell to the dusty floor with a pained grunt. “Where. Is. My. BOOK?”

You rolled over, looking fearfully into the eyes of an irate Princess Sparkle, her face upside down in your view as she stood above you. You then frowned at her, pulling your saddlebags over with magic, the mare moving away so you could sit up and open them. Once you did, you pushed them towards to mare and looked away. “Go ahead, check. I assure you that whatever items you find in there are my own belongings.”

She did just that, tipping them upside down and causing everything to fall out. There were only two books inside, neither registering with the alicorn as her own. She still picked them up with magic and read the titles, before glancing at you with a raised eyebrow. “So where is it?”

“In the library still, in that little booth. Both that and the other one.”

“Other… one?”

“The one about the magic of friendship. I wish I could meet the author, it was a very well written and intelligent book.” It was your turn to raise an eyebrow as the mare blushed lightly and turned away, whispering a barely audible ‘thank you’. Her eyes glanced over and met yours, her blush increasing even more as she looked away again.

You struggled to find something to say, but chose to put your things away again, in the correct order, in your saddlebags. Something wasn’t right though, and you turned to see Princess Sparkle still had both of your books. The one about the Zebrican nation was sent your way, whilst she flipped open the other one, frowning at the blank page. “What’s this?”

You smirked as your horn glowed softly, moving back to the front page, where the title was clearly marked, making the mare give a gasp of surprise. “It’s not finished, I’ve still got some research to do in the Everfree Forest.” Her eyes narrowed at you, before she turned and walked from the barn, letting you take hold of your book.

You then notice something… familiarabout her crown, and by the time the realisation hits you, she had taken off into the night. You just closed the door with a sigh and climbed back onto the hay, lying down once more. You didn’t know how late it was, or how early, but you were still going to get some more sleep.

“....and wak up!” Your eyes shot open as something punched the tip of your muzzle, but it was way too small and weak to do any damage. Your eyes focused onto the blur in front of you, which revealed itself to be the young colt from the previous day. You pushed yourself up with a groan and stopped, feeling yourself being watched.

Glancing over your shoulder, you spotted three fillies reading over your book, the unicorn seemingly very interested. Now, you weren’t a rude pony, not these days anyway, but you still weren’t happy your things had been accessed without permission. The trio jumped back in shock as your tome slammed shut in a crimson glow, and they looked up to see your stern gaze. “An’ what in t’ hay is goin’ on in ‘ere?” You looked to the door, where the earth pony mare you had seen in the market the day before was standing.

“Ah, good morning, miss. The stallion who lives here was kind enough to let me stay in the barn for the night. I woke up to find these three looking through my personal effects, after that one,” you nodded in the direction of the pegasus colt, who was watching from inside the pile of blankets with a grin. “Decided that I had slept long enough.”

“Girls, go into t’ house and help Granny get breakfast ready.” The three fillies gave a small groan and then trotted slowly out of the door, whilst the mare’s gaze remained fixed on you. “So, yer the stallion that Twi told me about last night, huh? Well, Mac said yer could stay fer food, but then Ah want you offa mah farm, got it?”

You gave the mare a nod, collected your things, and followed her to the farmhouse. The meal was wonderful, the elder mare smiling as you ate your fill and then some. She kept refusing the bits you tried to give her, so you dropped them on the table by door as you left.

It didn’t take you long to reach the fabled ‘evil’ forest of Equestria, but as usual, you just chalked that up to misunderstanding on the ponies’ part. Even if the sun was barely breaking through the trees, you weren’t fazed as you trotted in, keeping a wary eye out for any ‘monsters’ that may be hungry.

It didn’t take long for you to find one, but instead of fear, sadness welled up inside you. Lying next to a small rocky outcropping was the body of a manticore, which you knew was slowly becoming an endangered species, but it also presented a rare opportunity. Placing your saddlebags on the floor, you turned them over and opened the small compartment at the base, a set of sharp tools falling out.

You gave the body a good inspection, but found no obvious cause of death, so began your work. Soon you had a detailed description of the inner workings of a manticore, and felt even more sorrowful when you discovered it was a she. Out of respect for the deceased, you put what you removed back and closed the hole. You then started to dig a hole with you magic, stopping when a low growling caused your ears to twitch.

You gave a small gasp of fear as the bushes near you rustled, and something jumped onto your back. You stood patiently waiting for the end as the small mouth clamped down around your neck, but it tickled instead of hurt. With a small chuckle you grabbed whatever it was in your magic and brought it to your front, your eyes going wide at the manticore cub.

You set it down on the floor and watched as it walked over to the female, nuzzling its front paw and trying to get a reaction. This was one of the reasons you had come this way on your way home, to understand the creatures of the forest. As much as you wanted to let nature run its course, you couldn’t leave the cub alone. You just weren’t that kind of pony… not any more. Once the idea solidified in your head, you packed your saddlebags and donned them, then you picked the manticore up and settled it on your back.

You did your best to keep it there with magic as you finished burying its mother, then turned back towards town. There was only one mare who might have the knowledge to help, even after your hostile reunion. You just hoped Princess Sparkle wouldn’t overreact when you walked into the library with a baby manticore, seeking assistance.

Author's Note

What the hell are you thinking? That's a wild animal!

What is Twilight going to say about this?