The morning sun blessed the regal city of Canterlot with beauty and the start of a potentially grand day. Everypony was starting their day; some ponies were even already at work. One little unicorn filly woke up peacefully after a long session of studying.
“Wow, that dream was great!” the filly said to no one in particular. “Imagine, me becoming a princess. That would be the greatest thing ever! But, either way, seems like a pipe dream. Alright, Twilight, let’s start the day.” Twilight stared at her alarm clock, which read 8:01 AM.
“I FORGOT TO SET THE ALARM?!?!” Twilight gasped. “HOW COULD I OVERSLEEP LIKE THIS?!?! OH, NO! OH, NONONONONO! THIS IS BEYOND BAD! WHAT IF I’M LATE?! WHAT IF-“
“Twilight, dear, what is going on?! Your father and I both woke up with a jolt!” said a mare.
“Mom, it’s terrible! I overslept! Look at the time!” Twilight replied.
“Dear, it’s 8:02,” replied Twilight’s mother.
“I know! It’s a travesty!”
“Dear…” Twilight’s mother started.
“Wait… OH, NO!!!” Twilight gasped.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“IT’S PICTURE DAY, AND I LOOK LIKE A MADPONY!!!” Twilight stared in complete terror at her calendar.
“But Twilight…”
“No time, mom! I need to get freshened up, quick!” Twilight yelled, as she zoomed past her mother for the bathroom. Just then, Twilight’s father came out of the master bedroom.
“She thinks it’s some big important date again when it’s really not, right?” Twilight’s father asked.
“Yes, honey. Me, I don’t have the heart to tell her that it’s not really Picture Day.”
Twilight brushed her fur, mane, and tail until they looked the best they’d ever been. When she was done, one would swear she looked like a pony made of plush. She then proceeded to brush her teeth vigorously; once that was done, they looked as white as Princess Celestia’s fur, and shined brighter. She then looked at herself in the mirror.
“Okay, Twilight, you got this. You are going to march right in front of the camera and give the biggest and cutest smile you’ve ever given,” she said to herself.
“But what if you don’t look good?” she replied to her reflection.
“Keep it together! I’m confident we look astonishing,” she assured herself. After this, she galloped past her parents and out the front door.
“Okay, school’s a few blocks away. I think I can make it on time. I just have to avoid any and all distractions!” Twilight said, and began her trek to her education center.
Twilight made the first fifth-mile with no problems. She assured herself that getting to school would be a cinch. Then her friend Moondancer came along.
“Hey, Twilight! How’s it going?” Moondancer asked.
“Oh, uh, pretty good. You?” Twilight replied.
“Not bad, I suppose. Hey, do you wanna come down to Good Eats later with Lyra, Twinkleshine, and me?”
“Oh, sorry, Moondancer. I’ve got studying I need to do, and I really need to get going.”
“Oh… Okay. Where are you headed?”
“School. It’s Picture Day, and I’ve got no time to waste! I’ll see you around,” Twilight replied, and galloped off.
“But Twilight!” Moondancer called. “Today’s not Picture Day! Today is… Oh, never mind.”
By this time, Twilight was too focused on running to notice Moondancer’s comment.
Twilight looked up at a clock tower shortly after her involuntary meetup with Moondancer. It read 8:23 AM.
“Oh, shoot! I have to pick up the pace,” she said. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. It wasn’t long until she spotted something that could spell certain doom for her tight schedule: the grand opening of a new library.
“Oh, no,” Twilight said. She could already feel herself getting hypnotized by her love of books to enter. “Must… Resist… Urge… To enter…” she muttered, but it was too late. Before she knew it, she was already at the front doors.
“I guess one book wouldn’t hurt,” she said as she entered the library. She already smiled at its design and the large plethora of books at her disposal. She looked as though she was ready to sing about the amount of subjects she could learn about, but given that she was in a library, she whispered to herself, “Maybe later.”
Twilight had come initially for one book, but she had picked out three she saw: Haycartes: A Life, Myths and Legends of Saddle Arabia, and A Brief History of Equestria. Within seconds, she sat herself down at a desk. Minutes felt like hours as she crammed knowledge into her brain.
Haycartes’s Method. Huh. Might have to try that out one day, Twilight thought. When she was done reading (for now), she put the books back on their shelves. I’ll have to check these out to read for leisure later after my picture is taken… Wait… As she finished that thought, she looked up at a clock. She could feel her heart drop into her stomach as she gazed in horror at the time: 8:55 AM.
“OH NO!!!” Twilight gasped as she raced out the library’s doors. Other ponies tried to shush her as she left, and she said, “Sorry,” and smiled embarrassingly as she zoomed out.
Twilight’s heart was pounding faster than a Wonderbolt as she galloped her way to her school. All she could think about was getting there on time. After a few minutes, she could see her destination come into view.
“I’m gonna make it. I’m gonna make it!” she kept saying. She finally made it, but the time was 9:01 AM. She was too late.
Or was it?
“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” she screamed.
“Twilight? What are you doing here?” her teacher, Open Book, said to her.
“I’m too late for Picture Day…” she sniffled.
“Twilight, it’s okay,” Open said to comfort the crying unicorn filly.
“No, it’s not…”
“Yes, it is. Do you know why?” Open replied.
“Huh?”
“It’s Saturday.”
As Twilight’s mind registered exactly what her teacher had just said, she stopped crying. With this, she fainted.
“Now do you see why you should always be on time, Starlight?” Princess Twilight said to her pupil.
“Twilight, this makes me kind of glad we’re not related,” Starlight replied.
