A Novel Match

“Darling is that really necessary?” Rarity asked as she watched Twilight shut her copy of ‘Blossoming Dream’ into a glass case, which she quickly locked.

“Yes it’s necessary, in fact I can’t believe you talked me into this!” Twilight exclaimed as she tested to make sure no magic could leak out of the container. “You didn’t tell me you wanted the spell put on this book. I knew I should have checked the title before casting the spell!”

“Oh what about it deary?” Rarity asked walking up besides Twilight as she gazed at the book longingly. “We know for a fact the spell works, we all got sucked into that comic remember? Besides, this is just a harmless tale of romance, not a comic filled with a mare having a bad hair day.”

“This is hardly just some tale of romance Rarity! Besides, that was a comic. I’m not sure if this will work the same with a book, plus as I stated earlier, the particular story you chose has me worried, very worried.” Satisfied the case was properly sealed, Twilight set it down on Rarity’s desk. The light from a nearby window illuminating it rather nicely. Making the white unicorns desire to crack it open and read it all the more pressing.

“What do you mean?.” Rarity asked a bit indignantly. “It’s a lovely story! A beautiful mare longing for love, meets a timid stallion that she helps out of his shell and falls in love with! I know it’s a bit old fashioned, but otherwise it’s a harmless and fun little romantic romp!”

“Oh there’s nothing wrong with that part.” Twilight said with a sigh. It’s what the story includes. You have read the book haven’t you?”

“Of course I’ve read the book! They fall in love and… oh fine, so it’s a bit more adult then most. It’s nothing I can’t handle!”

“Rarity it’s not just a bit adult. There is a good section describing-”

“Enough!” Rarity cried, her blush finally breaking through. “Honestly Twilight if you can’t handle such material then just disenchant it right now if It’ll make you happy!”

“Gah! That’s not why I’m upset!” Twilight fumed, a blush creeping up on her face as well. Rarity for her part still looked confused.

“Darling I really don’t know what you’re getting at-”

“The epilogue!” Twilight shouted.

“Epilogue?” Rarity repeated. “What about-” Her eyes suddenly widened as she put a hoof to her chest.

“O-Oh my. You don’t suppose…”

“I don’t know, and I’m not letting you try it before I find out. I can’t just disenchant it either! I barely figured out how to cast the spell at all! If I had known you would pick such a story to start with I would have studied more! So until I can safely test that it’s okay for you to proceed, you are not to open this book understood?”

“Y-Yes, well in light of that little revelation, I’m more then willing to wait until after your research.”

“Glad to hear it!” Twilight beamed at her friend. She knew she could count on her to be responsible!

“But deary, don’t you have to read the trigger phrase to be sucked in? Why go through all the trouble of sealing it like this?”

“Because it doesn’t work by a trigger phrase. I ended up constructing it to work upon opening instead, and since you rushed me. I’m not sure what will happen once you’re in!”

“Duly noted.” Rarity sighed, “I suppose I did get a bit too eager.”

She gave the case one last look, gently running her hoof down it’s case.

“You uh… won’t take too long to get everything in order right darling?” She asked, giving Twilight a pleading look. “After all, we were too busy in the Crystal Empire for me to really enjoy Hearts and Hooves day...”

Twilight sighed, “Let’s go take care of it now.” Rarity gave a little squeal before trotting out of the room, her lavender friend right behind her while shaking her head at it all.

The book temporarily forgotten, it sat there undisturbed next to the window. Normally it would have remained there until it’s owner came back to it, but in their departure, Twilight had forgotten to close the door. Leaving it open for a certain white fuzzball to explore.

Looking bored, Opal pranced up to the desk, deciding she wanted to perch herself in the warm sun. Some tacky little book in a glass case would just have to make room for her. Without any concern for an item that isn’t hers, she batted the thing aside, sending it falling out the unlatched window.

Opal gave the slightest of concerned looks when she heard it shatter upon the ground a good story below. If Rarity found her in here by the window with the book outside like that, she’d figure out what happened. Knocking it off the table was one thing, but breaking it was sure to lead to unpleasantness.

Of course Rarity wasn’t home and she’d easily be able to tell when she returned. That would give Opal plenty of time to make herself scarce, leaving the means of the book falling mostly a mystery, or at the very least not immediately connected to her. Smiling at the fact she was safe, she laid down for her afternoon nap.

* * *

“So didn't do anything for Hearts and Hooves day either?” Caramel asked his much larger red companion. Said pony, the stallion Big Mac, shook his head.

“Eeenope. You?”

The yellow stallion shook his head right back. “No, I haven’t been with a mare since I broke up with Sassaflash.” He tried to hold back the sigh. It wasn’t something he liked to talk about, being it hadn’t been that long since it happened. While they got along okay, they just couldn’t connect on a deeper level. Eventually they just went their separate ways.

“No...crushes?” Big Mac asked as he walked with his work buddy toward Sugar Cube Corner. In truth he felt bad for his friend, knowing that the loss of his girlfriend had hit him harder then he was letting on. He couldn’t do much to fend off the loneliness, but a few milkshakes and some funny stories should help. At the very least he figured it better than nothing. As a bonus, it’d help him forget his own problems as well.

“N-No not really.” Caramel answered back slowly. A lie, one he feared Big Mac could easily see through. In truth he had always had a crush on Big Mac’s sister Applejack, but not only could he not say that to him, but he had to face facts. He and AJ got along well enough, but she didn’t seem to have much interest in him past ‘friends.’ Much to his disappointment.

“How about you?”

Big Mac shook his head. “Eeenope.”

“Wait really?” Caramel asked with a rather shocked tone, “but you’re-”

“STOP!” Big Mac yelled pulling him back with a hoof. Startled, Caramel wondered if he had cross some line he shouldn’t. Why would that be taboo? Big Mac was probably the most popular stallion in town. How could he not have had a date for Hearts and Hooves day?

“I-I’m sorry I-” He began, but Big Mac cut him off with a wave of his hoof.

“Mighty dangerous if ya ask me.”

For a moment Caramel was even more confused till he glanced in the direction Big Mac had been waving at. Strewn all about the ground was glass. Various bits of trash littered amongst it. He could have sliced his hooves open on that!

“Holy, what happened here?” The shards covered most of the small gap that could almost be considered an alley way, though in their small town ‘alley way’ was a loose definition by default, and they most certainly weren’t usually littered with trash like this. Maybe a mail pegasus accidently dropped something made of glass?

“Dunno…” Big Mac said reaching his neck into the midst of it. Being extremely careful, he picked something up by its edge and gently shook it to remove any glass pieces clinging to it. Upon closer inspection, what Caramel had thought to be random garbage was actually a fully intact book! What was it doing here?

“Here.” Mac said through his teeth as he held the book out to him. Caramel took it so he could place it on a nearby crate to get a better look at it. Could it have been in the glass somehow? What was the book called? The moment his eyes washed over the title he groaned. Why’d it have to be this book?

“Hmm?” Came Big Mac’s inquiry.

“Blossoming Dream,” Caramel replied with a sigh, “it’s a um “trashy” romance book. My sister had a copy and I uh, heard her reading it a few times. It’s not the worst thing ever written, but certainly not something we can leave lying about out here.” One of Mac’s eyebrows raised.

“Why’s that??”

“It’s um… descriptive in parts.”

“You’ve read it?”

No no!” Caramel violently shook his head, his face paling. “I-I’ve just heard her reading it enough times!”

“Huh… “ Big Mac said casually. “Wonder who it belongs to?” If Big Mac suspected anything about his attitude he wasn’t letting on. Hopefully he could keep it that way.

“Good question. Maybe they wrote their name inside the cover?” Caramel flipped the book open and scanned the inside of the flap. Before he could get any sense of something written there he was surprised by the sudden glow that began to emit from the pages.

“What the-” He began before the world suddenly lurched from beneath his hooves. Was he floating? How? Why? Wait! Didn’t his friend Spike mention something like this with a comic? But you had to read an incantation in the book for that didn’t you?

“B-big Mac RUN!” He screamed as he felt himself being drawn toward the bright light in the book. He had a sudden sensation of falling as the light engulfed him. Then everything went dark, his consciousness lost.

* * *

“Ugh…” Caramel sat up holding his head. What was that? Was that how it felt to be sucked into the comic? He really wished he had spoken to Spike at greater lengths about that now. Wait, spoken at greater lengths? Since when did he phrase his thoughts like that? Where was he anyway?

To his right were a row of doors, to his left a row of windows. What’s more the ground beneath his hooves was rumbling ever so slightly, indicating this place was in motion. Confirming his suspicions by glancing to his left, he was greeted with moving snow covered hills and mountains. Obviously he was on a train, and if he had to gander it was likely the same train the characters rode at the beginning of the book.

“I-I’m in the book…” An obvious statement, but he couldn’t help himself. What else do you say in such a situation? Also how was he being so calm and collected about all this? Another inquiry: Why was he thinking in such terms? He liked to think he wasn’t a stupid pony though admittedly he could be forgetful, if his incidents with grass seeds were any indication, he knew he wasn’t the most educated stallion either. So why was he thinking in a manner he’d imagine the Princess Twilight Sparkle would?

Hmm, thinking about it now, didn’t Spike mention that he and his friends were changed by the comic when they entered? Most had gotten the super powers that had belonged to the team of heroes in that story. Did that mean he had been changed in a similar way? Well from what he recalled the protagonist of this book was fresh out of some acadamy. Perhaps that was the answer? It seemed the most likely solution. He was just glad it didn’t seem to affect how he felt or acted.

Well no harm done then. He’d simply think with more words that’s all. Would he talk that way too? Heh, imagine of Big Mac had ended up like this. Wait, speaking of which,what happened to Big Mac? A quick survey of the hall showed that he was alone. Perhaps his warning had been enough to save him from the same fate? Or perhaps Big Mac had simply been deposited into one of these adjacent rooms?

Trying the handle he found it was locked. So was the next one down the line and the door to the next cart on the train. Knocking and calling Big Mac’s name didn’t bear any fruit either. Nopony was answering at all. Were they empty, or simply blocked off because the story didn’t involve them? Shivering he tightened his scarf, only now realizing he even had one on. That’s right, the main character was wearing just a scarf in this cold weather at the start. He could barely remember it, having been years since-

Wincing he shook his head. No, that wasn’t important. He had to find a way to get warm, and that meant…

A healthy blush crept upon his cheeks as his eyes traveled down to stare at the very last door of the cart. Was it just his imagination or did it seem brighter than the rest? Possibly as it was the one room that actually meant anything to the story. The poor stallion Bashful Stride, having purchased the cheapest ticket he could afford, wasn’t allotted a room but it was so cold he began to randomly try the doors anyway, ever hopeful one was left unlocked. He’d deal with any angry conductors later.

Then he met… her. Radiant Dawn, a beautiful unicorn mare whose coat was as white as the snow zipping past the windows. He had thought she was gorgeous just from the book's description. Getting to see her in the flesh would be another thing entirely.

“Well… the story won’t progress anyway till I do right?” Slowly he began to walk down the hall toward the one door he knew would open. Could he really do this? Well the alternative was to be trapped forever in this book if his knowledge of this was correct. Putting it that way he had no choice. He also didn’t want to test if he could actually freeze or starve out in this hallway.

Now he just had to keep his cool. Easier thought than done. Mares weren’t his strong point. He wasn’t Big Mac who had over half the female population stealing glances at him as they went by. He bet Mac wouldn’t have had a problem with any of this. He’d probably already be out of the book by now.

Standing outside the door he took a deep breath. It was now or never and he didn’t have time to waste with this. Big Mac could be going nuts wondering where he was. Could he get trapped in the book as well if he opened it? What if that happened to every pony that tried to read it? If not for his own sake of getting out, he had to hurry this up to prevent further victims! Pulling open the door, he stepped inside.

“I beg your pardon ma’am but I…” He had been trying to sprout some line that he felt would fit the narrative when the eyes of the room’s occupant met his own. As he suspected it was a single mare, lying upon a fold out bed while covering most of her body in the blue and purple quilt she had brought with her from home, as stated by the story.

While she was just as beautiful as he always imagined something wasn’t right. Her coat was a bright red instead of white, and her mane wasn’t a brilliant pink, but instead a faded yet inviting yellow, draped in front of her with a rather alluring flair. Her face was covered in white freckles that only made her look that much cuter in his mind. However we knew for a fact she wasn’t suppose to have those. The story described her face as “clear and perfect”.

“C-Caramel?” She whispered inching slightly closer to him, causing him to snap out of his stupor. Her expression was that of somepony very frightened and confused. Had she somehow been sucked into the book as well? Is that why she looked nothing like how Radiant Dawn was suppose to look?

“W-what? You know me!?” He blurted out taking a step back. Her eyes lit up the moment he said that.

“It is you! Oh thank Celestia!” She cried rushing forward to give him a big hug. His body tensed up to almost stone statue proportions the moment she touched him. S-she was beautiful and she was hugging him! He hadn’t been this close to a mare since the break up. Who even was this? There was no way he’d forget meeting a mare with her looks! How in Equestria did she know who he was?

“S-sorry! Sorry!” The mystery mare said backing off, though she kept a big smile on her face. “It’s just so nice to see you! When you opened the book there was a big flash, and the world began to spin! I heard you yell but, next thing I knew I was… well l-like you see a-and the door wouldn’t open, and it was just so strange to look l-like this and I didn’t know what to do-”

“Whoa! Whoa!” Caramel said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “You saw me open the book? So you’re from the real world?” The mare nodded vigorously.

“Yes! Yes! I got sucked in too! I was right behind you after all!”

Caramel blinked at that. Right behind him? That was impossible! They were in the equivalent of an alleyway and the only pony behind him was…

No… no that couldn’t be right. Despite the impossibility of it, his eyes wandered down to the mare’s flank, specifically her cutie mark which was no longer hidden under the covers. A large green apple cut in half met his eyes. A very familiar mark indeed.

“B-big Mac!?” He screamed at the mare in dumbstruck awe. The mare blushed in response.

“E-eeyup.”