Aguamelon away from home

Rubberlia Galaringmareina and Kitcutting Galaringmareina were sister and brother, two fortunate young ponies and heirs to the renowned Galaringmareina family, one of the wealthiest in Fillydelphia. Their presence at the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot was a given, as their parents were always invited without fail. As figures respected for their impeccable etiquette, the Galaringmareinas enjoyed prestige throughout Equestria.

Anyone who knew the weight of the Galaringmareina name could not help but show respect and courtesy to those who bore it. To many, the name was a golden key that opened doors and won hearts. However, at that precise moment, in one of the restricted areas of the Golden Half Library, that privileged reputation was the last thing on the mind of the librarian Aguamelon, who was furiously descending the stairs into the building’s basement.

"The restricted section! What are those foals thinking?!" Aguamelon neighed, venting her anger with every hurried step. Her expression was one of rage, but her demeanor betrayed something more: a palpable fear that tinged her whispered words between gasps. "This is bad! This is very bad!"

Worry consumed Aguamelon. No, "worry" wasn’t strong enough. She was terrified.

The fact that the mischievous Galaringmareina siblings had repeatedly broken the library’s most important rules that day was already a big problem. But for them to have dared to enter one of the most dangerous places in Fillydelphia—no, perhaps all of Equestria—was something else entirely.

"Please, Celestia, let them not have caused more trouble..." Aguamelon pleaded as she ventured into the darkness of the shadowy restricted zone of the library.

"What an awful place..." muttered Lia, annoyed.

Kicking some rotten books on the floor, Lia had almost completely lost interest in continuing her search. In her opinion, she had already tried "hard enough" to find a useful tool to break the chains on the Readingdoscopio. If anyone had to deal with that now, it wasn’t going to be her.

Bored, she glanced at her brother, who was holding a pair of large rusty scissors, attempting to cut through the thick chains that imprisoned the Readingdoscopio.

"Clank, clank, clank!" Before Kit could close the scissors' grip, they fell apart, leaving him with two useless blades.

Lia rolled her eyes.

"Brilliant. There goes the last pair of scissors. Is there anything here you can’t break, other than the chains?"

"Hey, I’m not doing it on purpose, Lia! It’s your fault for bringing all this old and... uh... useless stuff!" Kit retorted clumsily.

"My fault?! I’m the only one who’s been looking for something useful to break the chains."

"I’ve been looking too, and I found useful things."

"Oh, really? Tell me, how exactly were you planning to break chains with... rope? Huh?" Lia neighed in frustration.

"With a hydraulic pulley! Obviously!"

"A hydraulic pulley? Please, stop..." Lia replied, walking away a bit and covering her face with a hoof. Moments like this made her deeply embarrassed to have such a... "special" brother. After taking a few deep breaths, she finally turned around and continued, "Fine, we can try the 'pulley' later, but for now... is there anything left in the box?"

"Uh, well..." Kit looked at the toolbox his sister had found earlier, which was now almost empty. "There’s nothing left... except for a can of... uh, multipurpose grease?"

"Multipurpose grease?" Lia repeated, puzzled.

"Yeah, look at it yourself. Weird, huh? I didn’t even know grease like this existed." Kit passed her the sealed can.

"Hmm..." Lia immediately took it, examining it with interest. Just as Kit had mentioned, it was a perplexing tool. The label, nearly illegible from rust, displayed a very old manufacturing date, and the brand, unfamiliar to both of them, made her think it was probably as old as Equestria itself. However, what caught her attention the most was the lack of an expiration date and some particularly... intriguing usage instructions.

Without overthinking it, Lia decided to give it a try. Using her magic, she struck the old can against the chains, breaking it open like an egg. The contents, a greenish lubricant-like substance, spilled over the metal, covering it completely and releasing an intensely toxic odor into the air.

"Yuck, that smells awful!" Kit protested, covering his nose and stepping away with his sister.

("Finally, he notices!") Lia mocked silently as she watched the grease take effect on the chains. After a few seconds, the smell dissipated, and the lubricant’s greenish hue shifted to a bright orange.

Lia smiled, satisfied. This was exactly what they needed.

"Abrasive..." she murmured, recalling the grease’s instructions. "Kit, try cutting the chains again."

"Huh...? Are you sure?" Kit asked, hesitant.

"Yes, I’m sure. Come on, give it a shot!" Lia urged, trying to boost his confidence.

Still doubtful, but determined not to look like a loser, Kit approached the Readingdoscopio. Closing his eyes, he aimed his horn at the chains. This time, without any theatrics, he began using his special magic to cut them.

"Shhhhhh..." An intense sound echoed through the dark basement.

Curious, Kit opened his eyes, only to discover that the noise came from the chains themselves as they gave way under his magic.

"Eeeeeh!" he neighed excitedly.

"Yes, yes, yes, it’s working!" Lia cheered, hopping around gleefully. She had barely begun celebrating when the chains finally fell to the sides of the Readingdoscopio, leaving it completely free and operational.

"Yessss! Come on, put the magazine back..." Kit didn’t finish his sentence. Lia pushed past him, nearly shoving him aside as she placed her comic on the device’s pedestal.

A bright light emerged from the magazine, and then...

She was too late.

"Oh, no..." was all Aguamelon managed to mutter upon reaching the center of the Golden Half Library’s basement, just before being consumed by a blinding beam of light.