A Trip to the Library

Gorebrie pushed open the door to the library and slid inside, enjoying the cool air as it touched her coat. She trotted to the front desk and tapped the bell.

Ring!

She heard some shuffling in the back room and before long Twilight emerged to greet her.

"Hello, Gorebrie! What brings you in today?"

"I'm looking for a book for my sister," Gorebrie replied. "I'm not sure you've met her before. Say hi to Princess Twilight, Cheeseblood."

Twilight's eyes widened for a moment when she heard the strange name, but she quickly regained her composure.

"No wanna," came the high pitched reply from somewhere behind Gorebrie. Twilight peeked to the side and saw a small, brightly coloured pony vibrating in place, her head darting about as she surveyed the stacks.

Sensing that the library card signup process might be difficult, Twilight decided to cut to the chase.

"Are there any topics you find interesting, Cheeseblood? We have one of the finest-stocked libraries in all of Equ-"

"Cheese!"

Twilight paused and considered the little pony before her. She swallowed hard before continuing.

"You like... chees-"

"Also blood!!"

Twilight shot the sister of the pair a quick glance. Gorebrie avoided her gaze and smiled sheepishly.

"...Okay," Twilight replied, trying to sound as diplomatic and un-freaked-out as possible. "We have several volumes on cheese, and the medical section will surely have books about blood. The latter might be a little mature for you though...?"

Twilight looked to Gorebrie for clarification, only to find her noticeably absent.

"Keep an eye on her, Twilight! I'm gonna get some shopping done," shouted Gorebrie from around the doorjamb of the library's entrance. The door closed with a thunk and Twilight knew she was on her own.

Shifting her attention back to the little yellow pony before her, she found that Cheeseblood's snout was now milimetres from her own.

"AAAAAA," Twilight shouted in surprise, recoiling in fear.

"... Books," said Cheeseblood. "......ffffFFFUN BOOKS!" The last two words shot from her mouth like bullets from a gun. Twilight edged back further only to find that she was pressed up against the wall.

"W-We have those! Fun books, I mean."

Cheeseblood approached Twilight slowly. The princess noticed in horror that the pony was staring, unblinking, into her eyes.

"Books with.. pictures?!" said Cheeseblood, the corners of her mouth crawling up her face into a freakish grin.

"Celestia, yes! Lots of pictures!" Twilight curled into a ball, shielding her face with her hooves.

"I like pictures.."

The lights in the room dimmed, and the pencils on the checkout desk began to chatter and vibrate. A book from one of the shelves above Twilight crashed to the ground and she let out a yelp. Wheezes and screeches from beyond the aether clogged her ears and clawed at her brain. Otherworldly obscenities in a fetid unknown language scraped slowly at her sanity. In her mind's eye she saw the weeping city of her consciousness, and knew with sudden clarity that her doom was approaching.

"You will show them to me, won't you?"

Twilight's hooves thrashed against the floor, the last instinctual impulse of a creature that had already given itself up for dead.

"Great!" shouted Cheeseblood, her voice suddenly angelic. The wretched darkness and screaming that had so tormented Twilight vanished in an instant. Twilight peeked between her hooves and saw Cheeseblood bouncing like a child in front of the shelves; a high pitched EEEEEEE sound filled the room. Gorebrie's gentle hooves lifted Twilight from the floor.

"Were you able to find a book for her, princess?" she asked.

Twilight rubbed her eyes as she struggled to readjust to reality.

"Twilight, I was gone for two hours, and you two weren't able to choose something?" asked Gorebrie.

"T-Two hours?!" exclaimed Twilight, her mind still foggy. Gorebrie smiled and shook her head.

"It's just as well, we should be leaving anyway," she said. "Come on, Cheeseblood! We're going home.

Gorebrie winked at Twilight and grinned.

"Thanks for taking care of her, Princess!"

Cheeseblood hopped along behind her sister as they exited the library, and said over her shoulder:

"Bye bye, Princess! I'll be seeing you again soon, I'm sure."

The End.