Twilight in Wonderland

"Wow!" Twilight called out to herself. She had found the castle library and was astonished to find it was even bigger than her old one. Her voice reverberated off the walls in an echo. The crystal bookshelves reached all the way up to the towering ceilings of the castle. Each book was large, thick, and dusty. Not one was out of place and they were all packed tightly. Twilight stepped into the expanse of books. The different colored covers beckoned for her to come closer. Twilight reached out, and ran a hoof over one cracked leather cover.

"It's amazing." Twilight whispered. Never had she seen such antique books! Not counting the times at the Castle of the Two Sisters. These were all hers, and she could sit and read to her hearts content.

"Isn't it?" A regal voice echoed off the sparkling walls. Twilight turned to find Princess Celestia smiling over her.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight squeaked in surprise and lowered one hoof in a bow. Melodic laughing filled Twilight's ears and she felt her face burn.

"Old habits?" Celestia soothingly asked. Twilight nodded slowly and turned back to the books. Her hoof was on a red book with golden letter emblazoned on the spine. Each small crack in the ancient leather connected like a spiderweb of time. Celestia stepped to the other side of the library, to a shelf with books that seemed relatively new.

"It appears you enjoy antique books. I can understand that, but be careful." Celestia pointed out. Her steady hoof beats made their way over to Twilight, who was still captivated. With one hoof on Twilight's shoulder, she looked into her former students eyes. "Twilight, some of these books contain secrets long forgotten, most forgotten for a reason. If you should come across one of these books, dispose of it. Can you do that?" Twilight whipped around, throwing off Celestia's hoof.

"D-dispose?! How could I destroy any book? Even if it does contain some dark secret, I can tuck it in between other books and never touch it again!" she begged. To her, every book held a small treasure, a treasure that was waiting to be dug up and appreciated. She could never bring herself to actually get rid of one, no matter how it was done,she just couldn't do it.

Celestia gave a sigh and gave a small smile. "Twilight, please try to understand. This is for the good of everyone, all over Equestria. As princess, one of your duties is to protect the citizens, correct?" The red book fell to the gleaming floor in a cloud of dust. Twilight immediately levitated it back to the shelf, where she dusted off the cover and replaced it in it's spot. Celestia could easily see how attached Twilight was to her books.

"Maybe your friends can persuade you?" Celestia suggested. Twilight emitted a small sigh and faced Princess Celestia.

"If it really is that big of a deal, I'll do it, but only if it's really necessary! I shall contact you and ask if I do find anything suspicious. If you agree, then, and only then will I get rid of it." Twilight stared up at Celestia with fierce determination.

A small nod from Celestia signaled Twilight to turn back and select which book she should read first. The white princess spared one more look at Twilight, before turning away and setting off on a slow walk out of the library. Twilight heard the large doors close and she grabbed a book and flung herself onto a small light blue couch nearby. The book she selected was "A Crease in Clocks" by Mareleine L' Eagle.

She positioned herself so her stomach was facing upward and the book levitated inches above her face. She began to drink up each and every word, savoring the lines and details. Then the door opened again with a loud bang. The book fell onto Twilight's nose who shot up, rubbing the sore spot. A familiar orange pony was galloping in, casting a quick glance at each  of the shelves.

"Applejack? Is there a book I can help you find?" Twilight was now standing next to a shelf, looking at Applejack with slight amusement.

"No no! I'm fine, just need a book." She took one off and flipped frantically through it, only to find nothing a replace it on the shelf. At this point, Twilight was walking towards Applejack to ask her what the matter was, when the earth pony picked the oldest looking book on the shelf. When she opened it, Twilight was flung backwards as a blinding green light flooded from the book.All she could do was stare in mute amazement as the light faded and the book fell to the ground. Applejack was gone.

"Applejack?" Twilight called. She was never one to pull pranks, but... Twilight hovered the book over to herself and stared at the cover. No symbols, letters or markings of any kind decorated it, just specks of dust and a small glimmer every so often. "I have to see what this is." she mumbled, then slowly opened the worn pages.

"Huh, nothing weird he- AAHHH!" The green light cascaded from the pages once more, instead this time, it was sucking her in!  Her head fell in through the book and she struggled to pull it out, however only succeed in pulling herself farther in. Eventually, her entire body fell into the books yawning void.

Twilight went tumbling around a dark hole, a sharp contrast from the bright green light just moments before. She lit her horn and gasped at the things that surrounded her. Books of all sizes flew around, along with chairs, desks and other peices of furniture. The walls were a pale gray. Below her hooves, Twilight saw nothing but empty blackness.

"Will I just keep falling forever?" Twilight thought, with panic rising in her throat as she fell farther and farther away from the castle, if she was even in Equestria anymore...