I sighed and gazed at the padded walls. Just the same old, bland colour of whitish grey. They could really use an upgrade and cleaning. I stopped thinking about that before I sat down and thought.
How’d I end up in a place like this? I could’ve had a good life, but instead I choose to obsess over books, over everything had. Doesn’t sound silly, right? Me, Twilight Sparkle—Princess Celestia’s protégé—the one who hatched Spike’s egg with a spontaneous burst of magic, which got me into Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns—and the one who became the Princess of Friendship and librarian since moving to Ponyville—becoming obsessed with books? It’s probably not hard to believe, but it’s true. I’m obsessed with why all books have an ending. Textbooks, plays, novels, and even the Daring Do novels. All my friends tried to convince me otherwise, but I wouldn’t let them. I told them they were all bullheaded for trying to get me to believe that I couldn’t be consumed by books. Yes, it’s true, that, at one point, I loved being the town’s librarian, bookworm, and egghead. Eventually I stopped caring. Claimed I’d rather be locked up with all the books ever written.
I made jests about how I wish I never became the things I became, after coming to Ponyville, the same way ponies make jokes about things that frighten them, yet cannot be gotten away from. I even made sneers that books were the only things ponies should ever consider in their day to day lives. Everypony said I was “non compos mentis”, but they were the blind and ignorant ones. The only pony who seemed to agree with me, at the time, was my brother, Shining Armour—probably because he felt bad about everypony thinking there was a new crazy in town.
But for the ponies who actually sat down with me, listened to me, the humour dwindled to nothingness as I spoke. Somehow, I had managed to convince twelve ponies, none of them being my friends or family, that books shouldn’t end , as they were the one thing that kept this world in tact.
But I wasn’t insane, I promise.
I got up from the floor and made my way over to my bed. It, too, was padded. The only thing that could probably hurt me in this room were the four short rods that barred the small, rectangular window on the front door to my cell; but even then I’d have to go way out of my way just to get something I could use to hurt me. By then, I’d more than likely be in a straightjacket or be inflicted with a binding spell, leaving me paralysed for twenty-four hours. Yes, that long.
I stared at the ceiling. There was a magical orb of light flickering aloft, and it was the only sense of light I had in this forsaken cell; all the other times it’s only darkness.
I sighed.
I guess this is the time when I tell you how I got here, and how my so called friends decided to put me in this place so I could get better. But while I tell you everything, promise not to interrupt me. I don’t like it when the stories I tell come to an abrupt end.
Here’s my story…
Books. Glories books. Full, fat, enlightening books, the library brilliant as ever with shelves of books towering over me and bringing joy. I always loved being in a library. Libraries were the places I spent most of my time as a filly—that was until I got accepted into the Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns, but I’ll get to that later. Back then, I didn’t have many friends. Really, my only friends were my books. And only books. I would read, non-stop—usually to the point where I lost sleep and skipped out on meals, simply because I spent way too much time at the library—things that interested me. History. Magic. Arts. Science. You name it. Pretty much anything that had something interesting and promising.
Books. Glorious books. Full, fat, enlightening books, the Canterlot library brilliant as ever with shelves of books towering over me and brining joy, knowledge, and wonder. I always loved being in a library, them being the places I spent most of my time as a filly, before I got accepted into Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns, but I’ll touch on that later. Back then, I didn’t have my friends or any for that matter. My only friends were my books, and only books. I perpetually read things that interested me. History, magic, arts, science, you name it. Pretty much anything that had something interesting and promising.
I read all the time because I was answering to, what I called, the Need. Think of it like…the symphonic shriek of a thousand voices, the cry of Need inside, telling you to open that book and read only one chapter before bed, even though you know you’re going to read more than one when you shouldn’t. It’s the Need that would drive you insane if you didn’t answer it.
I read because I was calling to the Need. Think of it like…the symphonic shriek of the thousand hiding voices, the cry of Need inside, telling you to order that slice of apple pie, even though you probably shouldn’t; the Need that would drive you to insanity if you didn’t call or answer it. The Need was the quiet watcher, the cold silent thing, laughing and mocking and came calling with its hunger. The hunger to read. Sounds silly and weird, I know, but that’s what it was like for me.
Because of that, no pony would see me without a book, as I always had one with me.
Know how everypony, at a young age, usually had a stuffed animal to sleep with? Well, for me, it’d be a book. I know I’ve said the word book a hundred times now, but that was really what my life was all about. Books and preschool. Oh, and my family. Especially my brother, Shining Armour. He was the best big brother a pony could ask for. That was until he put me in here.
I got up from my bed and paced around. Sorry if I stopped mid-way. I get distracted sometimes. Anyways, I’ll continue now.
Where was I? Oh, right my brother.
Shining’s the type of brother that would never let his brother or sister down. I remember one time I was in Canterlot’s local library, reading there after-hours, and I fell asleep at my table. My head was on my book and I was snoring away. My brother, somehow, don’t ask me how he did it, came in the library, put me on his back, and carried me home. He even tucked me in and kissed me on the forehead goodnight. I knew for certain I was still at the library before I succumbed t sleep, but I woke up in my bed the next morning, with my favourite book in my hold.
When I got down to the kitchen, I saw Shining making breakfast. “Hey, B.B.B.F.F.”
“Twiley! Hope you slept well.”
“I sure did. Say, how’d I end up here exactly? I’m certain I was at the library, if my memory serves me right…”
“You were,” Shining said. “I brought you home and put you to bed.”
“Oh…you didn’t have to do that,” I said.
“Sure I did. I wanted to make sure my little sis was sound asleep in her bed before I went to bed. Besides, our parents are counting on me to take care of you while they’re gone for the week. Now, how about some breakfast? I mead your favourite, toasted pancakes.”
