Anthologie101

She remembered the day she first saw that girl. Reading the books nopony else cared to even look at in the room they pitifully called the "Library". There was no real reason for any of them to want to read in the first place. She had to tell her.

She approached her, no fear, no hesitation was shown anywhere in her still posture. "Hey," she said, taking a good look at the book she was currently reading. "'The Star Swirl Codex'? Uh... You're the new girl, ain't ya?" Her country accent was strong, and distracting. "Look, Ah don't know why ya think these here books are gonna do you any good. Those who come to Tartarus come for life. Readin' them books tell ya about what it's like on the outside, and that puts hope in that brain o' yer's. Hope of freedom ain't nothing but a pipe dream in these here lands, ya hear?"

The reading girl said nothing in reply, she merely looked up at the one questioning her and soon got back to reading. Her stare gave her a shake, and it was calm but fierce. Like staring into the sun.

"Ah just wanna tell ya this: Ah came up here my first day too, and Ah'll tell ya, Ah was mighty disappointed to find nothin' but books about freedom and livin' life to the fullest. Ah wanted nothing but freedom in those early days, nothing but to get back out to the farm and help out mah family as much as Ah could... Ah thought readin' books about farm life would help cure mah home sickness, but in fact, it just made it worse. Ah could only think--"

"Did you try the tragedy section?" the girl interrupted her, glancing up at the other woman and back to her page, which she swiftly turned. "'Applelette' is a good story, well, a tragic one about losing hope in your family members and fighting for superiority among them. Surely, if you wanna read something that is a tragedy, that's a soft place to start. This 'Star Swirl Codex' is a fairly tragic tale too, but I'm afraid it's taken at the moment. I could get it to you in thirty minutes or less."

The other